Summer Mini - Sneak Peek!

Yesterday I was a lucky winner of this Fabulous Florets stamp set from the upcoming Summer Mini-Catalog. I had to make at least one card to share, but have to pack the stamps away for a couple of weeks while I wrap up a couple of work-related projects I have been involved in.f you follow my blog I will be taking a couple of weeks off. I have some projects to finish up - and if I don't pack away the temptation they will never get done!

Here are my scheduled classes for the next month:

April 3rd - Easter Printers Tray Encore Class
April 11th - Monday Madness - Summer Product Preview
April 21st - Christmas Card Club

Call me for more information on any of these. Have a great week!

Banner Recreated

The banner project at the Regional yesterday was so over the top, I had to come home and make one for a friend!

Hartford Regionals

Many members of our Love At First Stamp group met up at the Regional and spent the day stamping together. I came back with lots of new ideas and techniques I can't wait to work into my classes!

Smooch Spritz Gets Reinked

I love having Mondays off! Today I got together with some friends and scrapped and stamped. My good friend Kimmie K. - a past demonstrator (I am on a mission to get her back! teehee) helped me to distress the backgrounds for some of these cards, but I wanted at least one to show off the Re-inked Smooch Spritz I made using my reinkers and a bottle of Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz.

I am also in love with the Cupcake Punch and coordinating Create a Cupcake stamp set. They are so darn cute! I have seen some wonderful cards created with this set, but for some reason whenever I make a cupcake card they always have to be in my favorite color combination of Pretty In Pink, Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip and Early Espresso. I can't share how thrilled I was when Stampin' Up! brought my Pink Pirouette back out of retirement!!

Well I am off to finish my group swaps for the Stampin' Up! Regional in Hartford next weekend!

If you aren't too busy this week, please join me for my Holiday Card Club being held this coming Thursday at 6:30! I'll post pictures later this week!

Desk Top Box Set

How cute is this box? This set can be viewed in person at Life's Memories and More, where I will be holding the class in May. The class will consist of the Desk Top Box, complete with 6 cards inside, and a note pad (not shown). We will be using some distressing techniques and Smooch Sprays to give your project a Vintage appearance, but if Vintage is not your style it is easily adaptable. Attendees will also get to take home a Tutorial written by me with Colored Pictures illustrating how to recreate this baby again on your own. Don't you just love the crinkly seam binding ribbons? I know I absolutely love this stuff!!

Easter Printer Tray Class

Join me on Saturday March 5th @ 10:30 to make this Printer's Tray with an Easter Theme. We will be using the Easter Blooms Stamp Set from the current Mini Catalog - one of my personal favorite items in the book! I will show you how to make those adorable Sweet Pea flowers in the upper corner - originally designed by Jennifer Campbell.

Choose your color scheme of Marina Mist/Pear Pizzazz, or Rose Red/Pear Pizzazz!


Space is limited to 6 people for this class, so save your space soon!

Water Color Techniques

I am working on planning a series of classes I will be offering through Top Floor Learning on Rubber Stamping. My first class will feature water color techniques. It's going to be hard to step away from using the ink pads and aqua painters to talk about other mediums to get a similar look when I am getting this effect:



Even Emma is inspired to try some new techniques:

Christmas Card Club

Here is one of the cards we'll be making at my Christmas Card Club on February 17th and continuing the 3rd Thursday of each month after. We will be making 3 cards or projects each month leading up to the next Holiday Season. The cost of this club is $8 per month for a materials fee. There is no obligation to purchase any products, but if you place a $50 I will deduct the cost of the class from your order. Please let me know if you'd like to sign up for this and be ready to send out all of your Christmas Cards before the next holiday season is upon us!

Valentine Mailbox Class

Who doesn't love going to the mailbox to find a card waiting - or even better - CHOCOLATE??

We'll be making these little cuties on February 12th - just in time to give away to your favorite Sweetie! I will even be passing on a copy of the template to recreate it later!

Once the chocolate is gone, your giftee can use the clothes pin as a paper clip or attach it to your refrigerator to hold a favorite photo or card with the magnet that's attached to the back! Aren't they adorable? I CASEd them from Becky Roberts Blog Inking Idaho She does come up with some really neat ideas!

Let me know if you would like to join me on the 12th!

Vintage Bliss

I cased my card today from this one by Sage Kimball.

I changed mine a bit and used the Vintage Wallpaper Folder and Bliss Stamp Set from Sale-A-Bration. It was fun playing with the Distressing Kit though - I love seeing what I can do with that thing. I love the way this turned out, I used the files on the edge of the Pear then broke down the fibers even more with my bone folder causing the card stock to split apart a bit. The effect is simple and stunning. Even Emma enjoyed experimenting with the files as she was making her own "Flower Soft".

It's going to be hard leaving my stamps to return to work after all these snowdays!!

More Great Ideas with the Petal Cone Die

The girls and I spent the morning playing with the new Petal Cone Die. They combined their pages to make Valentine books ~wow~ did they have fun with glitter and sticky pages!

I used my die cuts to make cards using the Bliss Stamp Set from the Sale-A-Bration catalog. Want to get this great set for free? This is just one of the cards we will be creating next Sunday at 3 for my Sale-A-Bration preview and Kick-Off event. I will be giving away FREE STAMP SETS on this day. Everyone who places a $50 order will have their name entered into a drawing to win stamp sets including an exclusive hostess set, and a Sale-A-Bration Set of your choice!

Valentine Houses and Blog Candy Giveaway!

Here is a sample of one of the Valentine Houses that we made yesterday. We mixed some of the old papers with new products - the Decorative Label Punch and the Scallop Rectangle Clearlit. I love both of those items, they make fabulous tags!

Leave a comment telling me what your favorite item is from the new Occasions Mini Catalog or Sale-A-Bration Catalog by January 23rd, and your name will be entered into a drawing to receive this little house filled with some great items to feed your stamping and scrapbooking addictions!

What's On Your Wish List?

I love this new Petal Cone Die from the new Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini. It is much bigger than some of the other Big Shot boxes, though those are just as stinkin' cute. This was one item on my wish list that I recently treated myself to. Have you been holding out on any big ticket items such as the Big Shot or the My Digital Studio? MDS and the storage tower for my ink pads are the two items I have been holding out on. With Sale-A-Bration starting on January 25th it is just about time to treat myself to both of these items! In addition, I will be able to order the Digital Content CD with all the Sale-a-Bration items the Punch Bunch Stamp Set and the new Decor Elements Chalk Board.

Do you have items on your wish list? Join me next Sunday January 23rd @ 3:00 to complete three FREE make and take projects and to place your Sale-A-Bration Preorder. With the cold of January setting in, I bet you can't wait to stay inside and play!!

Sweet Sunday Sketch #99

It's Sunday, and time for the Sweet Sunday Sketch over at The Sweetest Thing . I have been saving these Love Impression rub-ons from the new Occasions Mini (item #121886) because I couldn't figure out how I wanted to use them. When I saw this sketch today I knew exactly how I was going to use a few of them - and here it is! I also dug out the Silver Waffle Paper that is a carry over from the Holiday Mini - woohoo - there is so much you can do with this stuff!

I then had to dig my trusty Circle Scissor Plus from under the deep freeze currently taking up residence in my stamp room to create these graduated circles. This is a really cool tool to have in your collection, I think it's one of my favorite tools, and I can quickly cut bigger circles than I am able to get with my punches or Big Shot - though I love my Big Shot too!

This is one of the cards we'll be making at my Sale - A - Bration Kick-Off on January 23rd!!

Thanks for Caring

I ordered this set because I love the butterfly and flower that came wit it. It's a versatile set with a Sympathy greeting, but it also great for spicing up little treat boxes and thank you's.

I stamped the flower with Old Olive and colored it in using an aqua painter. The detail was added with Silver Fox Smooch Ink. After the image was colored in and touched up I spritzed it with water for a softer, more muted look.

I used a card stock and inks in Rose Red, Old Olive, Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip. Items from the new Mini Catalog include - the Vintage Flower Adornments, and Rose Red Seam Binding, Springtime Vintage DSP and the Thanks For Caring Stamp Set.

Thanks for stopping by today!

All Snowed In!

Did I ever mention that I love snow days? Being forced to spend a whole day inside during a blizzard leaves me with plenty of free time to stamp. This set uses one of my favorite stamp sets from the Idea Book and Catalog, Artistic Etchings and Tiny Tags.

Now that the Holidays are winding down, I am thinking ahead to Valentine's Day and this set would make a perfect gift item. If you would like to make one of your own, you can join me on January 22nd for the class. Class begins at 1:00 and the cost is $12. In this class I will show you some uses for the new Stampin' Up! Distressing Kit. Paper supplies are included in the cost, but please bring your basic kit plus a bone folder, Glue Dots and Sticky Stip Adhesive. A printed tutorial will be available so you can recreate this project at home.

Sale-A-Bration begins the following week, so I will have some sneak peek items on hand, as well as the new Mini-Catalogs. Order both stamp sets, plus the distressing kit used to make this project and choose a free Stamp Set or Accessory from the Sale-A-Bration catalog. Can't wait to see you at class!

Call me to reserve your space and for more details!