Love Chocolate!

Inspiration by Christi Waite

Hi there!  Hope you had a wonderful Easter weekend.  It was great to spend time with family and getting my "baby fix" by holding my month old grandson!  But let's get down to business, shall we? The above card was showcased for Valentine's Day at my Card Buffet.  It could also be used for an anniversary or just to let someone know that you love them.  The sentiment is from the Lovely Amazing You stamp set by Stampin' Up!  The "bonbons" were made with the 1-1/2" Circle punch, then embossed with the retired Square Lattice embossing folder. Other punches used were the Heart Border punch and the Cupcake Builder punch (for the cherries).

That's all for today.  Must run some errands.  Have a great day and thank you for peeking in today!

Snuggles and Smooches

Wow, two posts in one day!  It's because I forgot to tell you about a new photopolymer set that Stampin' Up! released this week.  It's called Snuggles and Smooches for only $15.95.  It isn't limited to just Valentine's Day.  Use it for weddings and anniversaries or a card to that special someone.  You can view all of the photopolymer sets HERE.  Some of these sets aren't listed in the catalog and are often overlooked.
Please contact me if you're interested in ordering this set or anything else!  Thank you in advance!

Fancy Fold Valentine

Hi there!  Hope you had a great weekend.  Mine sure went by fast and it was a busy one.  Many thanks to the wonderful ladies who attended our Card Buffet on Saturday!  What a fun time we had!
Yesterday the youngest daughter and I baked Christmas cookies all day.  We made approximately 58 dozen.  That's a whole lot of baking!  We both were beat by the time we finished but we enjoyed our time together. 

Valentines Day will be here before you know it.  Thus, my card choice for the Hostess Club members last month.  Cindy Williams' swap card was my inspiration, only hers was a Christmas card.  The Red Glimmer heart is on a strip of acetate that gives the illusion of a floating heart.  Small Red Glimmer hearts are repeated in the lower border strip.  A closure was made using an image from A Round Array and punching it out with circle punches.

Mary Taylor and I will be hosting a 2015 Calendar Class at DeLeo's in Florissant, MO on December 21 (for those who want to make last minute Christmas gifts or a gift for yourself).  A second class is planned for January 4, 2015.  If you would like to attend, please contact me.  (See side bar or header for contact info.)  RSVP's are required as class is limited to 20.

Must get going on my to-do list.  Thanks so much for popping in today!

It's All About the Gold

Hi there!  Hope you had a good weekend!  My to-do list is very long so let's move on to the card, shall we?  It is another Card Buffet selection using the beautiful Fancy Foil Designer Gold Vellum by Stampin' Up!, which can be found in the 2014 Occasions Catalog.  This could be a Valentine or anniversary card.  The ladies could also choose to use the "hi" sentiment from Regarding Dahlias.  My card is pretty much a CASE of Jodi Reinert's card here (Jan 4th post), except that I used a different sentiment and added some gold Washi tape.  Gold Baker's Twine was the finishing touch.  Love all these gold elements in the Occasions Catalog!  They come in Silver, too. 
Oh!  A hint for adhering the vellum if you aren't using Washi tape, is to put glue on the back of the gold dots. 

That's it for now.  Thanks for stopping in for a peek today!

All Stampin' Up! supplies used unless otherwise noted. 

Stamps: Perfect Pennants (sentiment – you & me)  OR use “hi” from Regarding Dahlias 

Paper: Vanilla, Fancy Foil Designer Gold Vellum (2014 Occasions Catalog – pg 23) 

Ink: Encore Gold 

Other: Gold Bakers Twine, gold Washi tape, clear block

Another Valentine

Hi there!  Here with a quick post today.  The above card is another sample that was displayed on our Card Buffet.  The hearts were cut out from Framelits or punched out with punches.  I CASEd (Copy And Share Everything) Amy Rysavy's card that was posted on her blog January 5, 2012.  A few changes were made to make it "my own".  Sorry - must run!  Below is a supply list of products used.

Thank you for visiting today!

Stamps: Delicate Doilies, Delightful Dozen (inside sentiment)

Paper: White, Real Red, Crumb Cake, Black, Polka Dot Parade DSP

Ink: Black

Tools: Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Hearts Framelits, Expressions Thinlits “love” die, Small Heart punch, Decorative Dots EF, Owl punch (small heart)

Other:  Dimensionals, Quickie glue pen (non-SU), clear blocks

Inspiration: Amy Rysavy    www.prairiepaperandink.typepad.com    posted Jan 5, 2012

Love You to the Moon

Hi there and Happy Valentine's Day!  We're getting snow....again, which may keep a lot of couples home tonight rather than go out to celebrate the day of love.  Mother Nature has certainly been wicked this year!
Since it's Valentine's Day, I'm sharing an appropriate card made with Love You to the Moon.  This stamp set can be found in the Stampin' Up! 2014 Occasions Catalog.  When I saw this set, I knew it had to be mine.  My granddaughter and I use that expression to each other, so it was perfect for her card.  (Just noticed that my stamping is a bit wonky.  Well, that's just so you know we Demonstrators are not perfect like some seem to think!  Ha!)  The "moon" is a Basic Gray circle embossed with the Decorative Dots embossing folder.  Love this new embossing folder!  I flipped it over to use the debossed side to mimic the craters of the moon.  The "clouds"  were cut out with the Word Bubbles Framelits.  A bit of Soft Sky ink was added to the edges for more definition.

OK, that's all for today.  Hope you have a great weekend and thank you so much for peeking in today!

The New 2014 Occasions Catalog is Here!

Hi there!  Today the 2014 edition of the Occasions Catalog goes live!  If you don't have a copy, you can  click here to view or contact me for a copy.  Products in the catalog are available beginning today through June 1, 2014.

Some items from the Holiday Catalog have been carried over.  Click here to download the PDF file.


Don't forget about the Valentines promotions here.  Valentine's Day will be here before you know it!

You can also check out this weeks Weekly Deals here.

There are a lot of exciting promotions going on at Stampin' Up!  Contact me if you have any questions or wish to place an order (if you don't already have a Demonstrotor).  My contact information is on the right side bar.  Thanks!

Have a good day and thank you for peeking in today!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hi there and Happy Valentine's Day!  Above is an individual sized box of candy that I won in a drawing at Carla Spradling's Card Buffet last night.  Isn't it cute?  Lucky me!  She decorated the top and bottom of the original box by adhering large Real Red hearts cut from our Framelits dies, then embossed the top heart with the Vintage Wallpaper EF.  The smaller hearts are from the More Amore Specialty Designer Series Paper, which can be found in the Stampin' Up! Spring catalog.  A Vintage Facted Desiger Button adds just the right finishing touch. 

Hope you share a romantic evening with someone you love.  Thanks for stopping in today!

Framed!

Hi there and happy Friday!  Hope you've had a good week.  Where does the time go? 

Isn't this frame awesome?  My good friend and upline, Pam D'Urso, made it and sent it to me for securing the #1 spot in sales among our Pieces of Heart team this past quarter (thanks to my wonderful customers!!).  Love it - and my customers/friends!  Unfortunately, I couldn't get the whole frame in the picture but the middle is the best part anyway!  Each little 1-3/8" square is a masterpiece of art in itself.  Penny Thomas (Pam's sister and upline - my second level upline) has been hosting swaps for the TOPICS each holiday.  I participated in the Halloween Squares Swap.  It's such a great way to get different squares rather than coming up with nine or twelve different ideas.  All you have to do is reproduce the same square for however many stampers are participating.

The sun is starting to come out!  The weatherman was predicting yucky weather for this morning - sleet and rain.  Glad that bypassed us!  I could tell a front was moving in, though, by the headache I've had the last couple of days.  Much better now!  Anway, must get on with my day.  Hope you have a great weekend and thank you so much for stopping by today!  Your visits are always welcome and appreciated!

Spring is Here.......Catalog, that is!

Today the Spring Catalog went live!  If you did not receive a copy, you may view the new Spring catalog here or contact me for a copy.  Let the frenzy begin!

BUT WAIT....there's more!  Today also marks the kickoff of TWO special offers for Valentine's Day!

Valentine Treat Bundle
Just in time for your valentine creating, we're bringing you the Valentine Treat Bundle. This sweet bundle contains the all-new single stamp, Happy Valentine Heart, as well as a package of 1" x 8" cellophane bags. Use it to make treats for your child's classroom or for each of your 50 bestest friends. The possibilities are endless!

FREE offer!!!  My Little Valentine Promotion
What? A second new stamp set? That's right! From January 3-21, purchase the brand-new My Little Valentine Stamp Set, and you'll get the Sealed with Love Simply Sent kit FREE! That's a $7.95 value for FREE just for buying a new stamp set that you'll definitely want to have anyway. Use the stamp set with the Simply Sent Kit to quickly create gorgeous love notes, or go out on your own and create something new and crazy-it's up to you!

That's all for now.  Thank you for coming by today!

Penguin Punch Art

Hi there!  Hope your weekend was everything you wanted it to be.  Mine was fantastic!   More about that in a minute but first I'd like to post this adorable penguin card from my friend, Rita.  He's so cute!  Didn't she do an awesome job?  Rita was inspired by Kay Sha.  Click here to go to her web site.  Thank you Rita!

OK as mentioned in my last post, Friday evening was our first Demo Christmas party.  It was fun mingling with everyone, making the two projects, and of course swapping.  Sally Nusbaum did an outstanding job organizing this event for us!  Saturday Jayne Singleton held a Valentines for Soldiers event.  We stamped Valentine cards which will be sent to the troops so they'll have cards to send home to their loved ones.  A very worthwhile cause!  Not exactly sure how many cards we stamped.  I had to leave early to get to a Red Hat Christmas party.  The ladies who signed up for the class made three cards each.  Most of them had never stamped before and they did great!  Sunday afternoon Jayne, Mary Taylor, and I hosted our Customer Appreciation Open House.  We had a good turnout and everyone enjoyed the event - and the weather was gorgeous.  Afterwards while cleaning up, we realized that we forgot to take pictures!  Oh well, maybe next time.

It was a busy weekend and tons of fun. (I'll post pics of the cards later)  Now it's time to tend to those things that were pushed to the "back burner" as the saying goes.  Hope you have an awesome week and thank you for stopping by today!

3-D Items

Hi there!  It's the beginning of another week and almost the end of another month!  Wow!  Where did this month go?
Today I want to share some of the items that were given at our last Demo dinner meeting.  There were so many things given out.  Hope I give proper credit for each item.

Pam D'Urso used the Scallop Envelope Die to make us St Patrick's Day treat holders.  She also made the "Friend" container full of trinket hearts.  The container is adorned with a flower made from the Triple Treat stamp.  The little heart was made by Deana Schultz.  It was made with our Petal Card Double Punch.  When you leave a couple of the flaps unfolded, you get a cute heart shaped treat holder.  We were definitely lucky recipients of some crafty ladies!
Edited to correct: Penny Thomas gave us the flower container.  Thanks Pam for catching that!  

Monkeying Around

Hi there!  It was such a great day today.  A lot of people were out and about enjoying the sunshine and mild temps, including me!   Had a long, relaxing lunch with a couple of friends - then ran a couple of errands before heading home.  

I have a real quick post of the Valentine card sent to our 4 year old granddaughter.  It was made some time ago with the Wednesday Girls stamping group so I don't remember which company the stamps were from.  Sorry!  Someone in the group brought them for everyone to make a card.  I just love this little monkey - he's so cute.  I'm sure my granddaughter loved it, too.

.

OK - need to get to bed.  Thanks for coming by today!

Easy Events - Card #4

Hi there!  Hope you're having a great week.  Here is another Camp card.

Stamps: Easy Events

Paper: Cherry Cobbler stripes from Regals DSP Stack, Cherry Cobbler, Red Glimmer, White

Ink: Black, Old Olive, markers = Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, and Old Olive

Tools: Heart to Heart punch (119881), blender pen, scissors, acrylic block

Other:  Dimensionals

Inspiration: Sale-A-Bration brochure (Page 4)

P S I Love You - Stamp Camp Card #2

Hi there!  Doing some major running to get things packed for the retreat.  So without further adieu, here is another card from Stamp Camp. 

 

Stamps: P.S. I Love You (w-125460, c-125462), Word Play (w-120308, c-120651)

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, First Edition DSP (121878)

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake

Tools: Full Heart punch (119883), Large Paper Doily Sizzlit die (125592), 3/4” square punch (non-SU!)

Other:  sponges, acrylic blocks, dimensionals

Inspiration: Carrie Gaskin   www.artisticavenger.com  Dec 9, 2011 post

Another Greeting Card Kid Valentine

Well it's a new month. Can you believe it's already February?  Valentines Day will be here before you know it.  So with that, let's get on with today's card.  Yep, it's another card with the little girl from Greeting Card Kids. This is such a cute set. Love it!  Can you tell?

Recipe:
Stamps: Greeting Card Kids
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Pretty in Pink, retired DSP - Sending Love, watercolor paper
Ink:  Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Real Red
Tools: Pinking Hearts border punch
Other: Pretty in Pink 5/8" satin ribbon

Another Valentine

Hope you’re enjoying your weekend so far.  The midnight oil has been burning in my studio making Valentine cards.  Below is the one for today.  (You didn't think I'd show them all in one day did ya? lol)

The key and sentiment are from the Artistic Etchings stamp set.  I cut out the key after embossing with gold embossing powder. Then I had a light bulb moment (love when that happens – and when it works!) to use hole punches for the tiny areas on the key.  The 1/8” hole punch was used for the top and the 1/16” worked for the bottom area. The heart is popped up on dimensionals.  It just seemed to get lost with the spritzed background so I carefully ran the brush tip of the Cherry Cobbler marker around the edge of the heart. That really made it pop.  It’s amazing what a little ink can do!

 Here's a close up of the key embellishment:

You can't tell that the bottom portion of the key has been punched out. Sorry that it blends in with the white.

Recipe:

Stamps: Artistic Etchings, Punch Potpourri

Paper:  Very Vanilla, White, Cherry Cobbler, Black

Ink: Black, Cherry Cobbler - pad and marker

Tools: Full Heart punch,  Framed Tulips embossing folder,  1/8” & 1/16” hole punches

Other: Color Spritzer tool, Vintage trinkets, Black 1-1/4” striped grosgrain ribbon, gold embossing powder, dimensionals

Artistic Etchings Valentine

Whoo hoo! We’re finally having a heat wave and the snow is melting. 

Speaking of heat waves, today’s Valentine card has more of an “adult” 

look than the one posted yesterday. The background was made using the 

“spindle” type stamp from Artistic Etchings.  Using the medallion from

the same set, I first stamped the image onto Real Red cardstock then 

punched out with the Full Heart punch.  I didn’t have any lace trim from 

the Holiday mini so hem tape was used around the heart – giving it an 

undergarment look. (How could you NOT get that look with black lace? Lol)

 

Recipe:

Stamps: Artistic Etchings

Paper:  White, Real Red, Black

Ink: Black

Punches: Pinking Hearts border, Full Heart, Curly Label, 1-1/4” circle

Other: Hem tape (non-SU!)

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by. 

Greeting Card Kids Valentine

Happy Friday!  I’ve been working on some Valentines. Here is one made

from the Greeting Card Kids set.  This set is just soooo cute  - reminds

me of the Campbell soup kids.

 

Recipe:

Stamps:  Greeting Card Kids, Got Treats

Paper:  Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, watercolor paper

Ink:  Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Black

Tools:  Framed Tulips embossing folder, Heart to Heart punch, Medium Jewelry Tag punch

Other:  Victoria crochet trim, Vintage trinkets, Crystal Effects (to make her shoes look like patent leather Mary Janes)

Today's Stamp Camp

Here are the projects that were made at today's Stamp Camp.

 Stamps: Things I Love   Paper: Crumb Cake, Real Red, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink
 Ink: Chocolate Chip  Other: Real Red satin ribbon, small heart punch  Inspiration: Shauna O'Dell and my friend & upline, Pam D'Urso

Stamps: Grateful Greetings  Paper: White, Black, Rose Red, Vellum, Regals DSP Stack, Pretty in Pink  Ink: Black  Tools: Owl punch, Bird punch, Heart to Heart punch   
Other: Perfect Polka Dots EF, green embroidery floss (non-SU!)
Inspiration:  Patrice Herrera on Stamping Connection (an exclusive site for Demonstrators.  You can obtain access to this wealth of creativity by joining!)

Stamps: Silhouette Sentiments (Level-1 Hostess set), French Script (retired - use En Francais), Elements of Style  Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla  Ink: Blushing Bride, Always Artichoke pad & marker, Bravo Burgundy marker  Tools: Scallop Trim border punch, 1/8" hole punch, 1" and 1-1/4" circle punches  Other: Always Artichoke seam binding, non-SU brads  Inspiration: Stasia Sloma's Dec 29, 2010 post on http://stampzone.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html

Stamps: Friends Never Fade  Paper: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, White  Ink: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, and Certainly Celery  Other: Certainly Celery 5/8" satin ribbon
Inspiration: Maxine Conrad's Aug 30, 2010 post on http://stamptothemax.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

Stamps: Just Believe  Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Black, White  Ink: Black, Pear Pizzazz  Tools: 1-1/4" circle punch, My Way arrow punch (retired)  Other: Pear Pizzazz 1/2" stitched poly ribbon, Basic Pearls, Vintage Wall EF  Inspiration: Debra Currier's Aug 3, 2010 post on  http://artfeltimpressions.blogspot.com/2010_08_01_archive.html

That's all for today. I need to get to bed. Thanks for stopping in and have a great weekend - what's left of it.