It's Time to SALE-A-BRATE!

Those of you familiar with Stampin' Up! know that February is an exciting time! Each year, we have a wonderful opportunity for anyone to earn free stamp sets - not just hostesses! That time used to be called Sell-a-Bration, but they've changed the name to SALE-a-Bration!

The way it works is that from February 1st through March 17th, for EVERY $50 you spend, you can choose a FREE stamp set from the Sale-a-Bration brochure!

The even better news is that all the stamp sets in the Sale-a-Bration brochure are die cut! (If you don't know what this means, see this post.) Here's a quick card I made using one of the Sale-a-Bration stamp sets called So Many Scallops. This set is designed to team up with the Scallop Circle punch to make quick focal points for your cards:

The base color is Purely Pomegranate topped with some So Saffron designer prints paper with a couple of Old Olive eyelets that I set using my Crop-a-Dile. Then I added a layer of Old Olive that I dry embossed using my Crop-a-Dile (quite a handy tool!) and then sponged, and some Pomegranate double-stitched ribbon. (Speaking of that ribbon, I do happen to have a couple spots left in the Ribbon Share - I had to place another order to accommodate some new folks, and that group didn't get entirely full. If you're interested, contact me to see if a spot is still open.) My scallop is Pomegranate with a 1 3/8" circle of Old Olive and a 1 1/4" circle of Whisper White with the sentiment. To get the different colors for the sentiment, I colored the rubber stamp using my Stampin' Write markers.

Back to Sale-a-Bration... there are two other ways to earn these free sets. You can:

...hostess a $300 workshop during those dates, and receive a free Sale-A-Bration set in addition to the regular hostess benefits!

...OR, sign up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator during Sale-a-Bration and select any set (up to $47.95) from the current catalog - FREE!!

Contact me to receive your copy of the Sale-A-Bration brochure so you can decide which sets you want to earn over the next 6 weeks!

RAK From Jackie

This post is long overdue... but I have been hanging on to these photos because I want you to see this really neat card that Jackie Matyasovski sent me back in December! It's called a "Flip-Flop" card, and here are the photos to show how it works:



Isn't that neat? If you'd like to know how it's made, I encourage you to go check out Jackie's blog where you can contact her directly.

Thank you, again, Jackie for the smiles!

"Mourning" Glories

I had the perfect opportunity to use my new Morning Soft set the other day. A friend's mother passed away, so I wanted to make something soft and beautiful for her. Plus, I knew I wanted to use my Watercolor Wonder Crayons because she has recently ordered some and I want to show her some ways they can be used.

I have to say... I think this turned out to be one of my favorite cards. I love Morning Glories anyway, but to be able to color them and show them off like this... it was a breathtaking experience! The base card is Night of Navy with a layer of Old Olive on top. The Morning Glories are stamped onto a full sheet of Watercolor paper (so now you can truly see what size it is) with black StazOn ink. The flowers are watercolored with Brocade Blue, Night of Navy, and a touch of Perfect Plum. The leaves are Old Olive, Always Artichoke, and a touch of Chocolate Chip. Now... I certainly don't claim to be a watercoloring expert - far from it, in fact! But I do enjoy playing around with it to see what I can create. Here's a close-up of the flowers:

I distressed the edges of the watercolor paper using my Cutter Kit (yes, it's been found... was MIA for a long time!), as that always softens the hard edges. The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations, stamped with Night of Navy onto Old Olive cardstock and layered on top of some Night of Navy grosgrain ribbon. At that point, I thought the card was finished... I even took a picture of it like that, but it looked top-heavy to me. So I added some last minute Old Olive brads to the bottom and that was the icing on the cake.

TIP: Did you know that you can remove a layer that's been glued down by heating it with your heat gun? Gently pry your bone folder under the piece you want to remove while you're heating it and it releases quite easily. It's the perfect way to make changes without ruining your cardstock.

You'll probably see more of these beautiful flowers... I think I'm ready to try them in some pinks or reds!

Valentines Anyone Can Make!

Do you have kids who need Valentines for school parties? Are you a teacher who'd like to give your students something special? Let me show you a super-simple homemade Valentine that you or your kids can give... one that's infinitely better than the generic box of corny Valentines you get at the grocery store... and you can fill this one with whatever goodies you'd like!

This first set is for girls using Pretty in Pink and Almost Amethyst cardstock, coordinated with Regal Rose and Lovely Lilac Classic ink and Stampin' Write markers.

This next set is for boys using Mellow Moss and Brocade Blue cardstock, coordinated with Always Artichoke and Brocade Blue Classic ink and Stampin' Write markers.

Aren't they darling?! The back of the tag can be used to write who it's to and from.

If you are interested in making some of your own, I have two options available to help you:

Option 1: Reserve a spot for my Valentine Box Workshop on Saturday, February 9th at 2pm. I will provide all the supplies for the boxes shown above, and personally show you how to assemble them. The cost of this workshop is $25 for 30 boxes withOUT candy OR $30 for 30 boxes WITH candy. (For quantities over 30, the price will be prorated.) This way, you can choose to have your kids help you fill them at home, or use the assorted wrapped candy I'll have available so you can finish them before you leave my house!

Option 2: Order the supplies by mail (or pick-up if you're local). With this option, I will prepare kits in sets of 10 for $8.00 per set. Order as many sets as you need! If shipping is required, it will be at a flat rate of $4.60 for Priority Mail (US addresses only). You can choose any combination of the colors shown above and each kit will contain enough of the following supplies to complete 10 boxes:

Cardstock in the colors you choose (pre-cut, unscored)
Coordinating color cardstock for large tags
Whisper White cardstock for small tags
Whisper White Taffeta ribbon (pre-cut)
Linen thread (pre-cut)
Detailed step-by-step instructions with photographs

Additional supplies used to complete this project are listed below:

Happy Heart Day stamp set (#111089 $20.95)
Small Tag punch (#108264 $15.95)
Large Tag punch (#105934 $15.95)
Crop-a-Dile (#108362 $29.95)
Sticky Strip (#104294 $6.95)
Paper Cutter for scoring (#104152 $24.95)
Bone folder for scoring (#102300 $6.95)
Paper snips (#103579 $9.95)
Classic ink pads (#varies $5.25 each)
Stampin' Write markers (#varies $3.25 each)
Ink colors are Regal Rose, Lovely Lilac, Always Artichoke, and Brocade Blue

If you need to purchase any of the additional supplies to complete this project, I can get those ordered and delivered right to your door... but we'll need to have your order in by February 3rd so you'll have enough time to complete the boxes before Valentine's Day! And remember... for every $50 Stampin' Up! merchandise order you place in February, you get to choose a FREE Sale-a-Bration stamp set! (note: the price of my box kits do not count toward the Sale-a-Bration promotion.)


I hope that one of these options will work for you... and together we can check one more thing off our February "To Do" lists - and in such good taste! :o)

Crabby Valentine?!

Can a crab be given as a Valentine? Well, sure! Especially since the stamp set Crab & Company has a sentiment that says "Shore do love you"... so why not?

These may not be typical Valentine's Day colors, but there is a reason for this madness... I knew I wanted to color this little guy Ruby Red. So I pulled out my handy Color Wheel and turned it to Ruby Red. Nothing leaped out at me there, so I continued turning the wheel looking at all the possibilities that include Ruby Red until one caught my eye... Perfect Plum! So that's where the base color came from. When I layed a piece of Ruby Red on top of the Perfect Plum, I knew that's what I wanted.

The crab is stamped with black StazOn ink onto Naturals White cardstock. Since Naturals White is not the best surface for watercoloring (it doesn't allow much movement of the color as it dries too fast), I chose a different approach than I normally use. On this one, I took my Watercolor Wonder Crayon (Ruby Red, of course) and used it like a crayon, scribbling some color onto the crab. I scribbled more color in the areas I wanted darker, and less in the areas I wanted to be highlights. Then, using an Aquapainter, it becomes like those Paint With Water books we all did as kids! I also scribbled in some Close to Cocoa and More Mustard for the sand. I layered the crab onto some Basic Black and Ruby Red cardstock, making the Ruby Red layer larger so I could stamp a frame using a couple of smaller stamps in the set.

The bottom of the card was made by taking a separate strip of Perfect Plum, wheeling it with the Sandy Shells wheel in Basic Black ink. Then I tore it along the top edge and dabbed some Perfect Plum ink along the edges with a Dauber. The sentiment fit perfectly inside the Small Oval punch, so I got to layer it with Ruby Red using the Large Oval punch. Then I inserted some Black brads using my Crop-a-Dile, and threaded some Black grosgrain through to finish it off. To hold the ribbon in place, I notched two half circles in the edge of the card using a 1/4" Circle punch.

And speaking of Valentines, I must mention that I will be having my Second Annual Valentine Workshop on February 5th from 7-9pm. Just like last year, we will be making a Valentine for our husbands (or significant others) using my supplies. The cost of this workshop is ABSOLUTELY FREE with no order required... but I won't turn away an order if you want to place one! :o) And you may want to, because February 1st marks the start of Stampin' Up!'s Sale-a-Bration!!! ...oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself. This is enough for one post...

Ribbon Share - Last Chance!

Hi folks - thanks for the well wishes. I'm starting to feel a bit better, so hopefully I'll be back at my normal speed by the end of the week.

Just a reminder that I'm putting in the order for the Double Stitched ribbon tomorrow (Friday, January 25th) and I'm looking for just TWO more people to even out the last grouping. Please see this post for the details, but it only costs $13 (includes shipping and tax) and you get 3 yards of each of 6 beautiful colors - that's enough ribbon to wrap at least 40 cards!! This is a perfect opportunity to have all the colors, but not buy 6 whole spools (which would cost you over $60). Think about it... but hurry! I'll need to hear from you by noon on Friday! Don't miss out!

Get Well... PLEASE!!

You wouldn't know it by visiting my blog, but I've been sick. Me and the baby both. It's been about 6 days now that we have been fighting this nasty, nasty cold. I still can't breathe through my nose (isn't that the pits?!) and I can't smell a thing... Maddox caught me off guard 3 times now where he had a stinky diaper and I had no clue. But that also means I can't smell the beautiful Tiger Lillies I put in my bathroom last week. Anyway, I've been pretty bummed. Especially since Michael and the big boys have been going out and doing all sorts of fun things without us!

So, I decided to cheer myself up by making a get well card... for ME!

I like the combination of blue and yellow, so I started there. I pulled out some So Saffron for the base, and added a layer of Night of Navy with some Old Olive as an accent. I also knew I wanted to use the darling Just Like You set because I have a friend coming over in a few days and we're going to design a card for her using that set. I used my Stampin' Write markers to color the flowers, using two different shades of blue - Brocade and Night of Navy, as well as the Old Olive for the stems. I stamped this onto Whisper White for a fresh, clean look. Here's a close-up:

Then I used two more stamps from that set and made a little patch of flowers in the lower corner with So Saffron ink and VersaMark. The sentiment comes from Sincere Salutations, and the ribbon is Night of Navy and Apricot Appeal - believe it or not, that Apricot ribbon matches nicely with the Saffron paper! And one thing I found, it was really hard for me to go back to the narrow grosgrain after I've been spending so much time with the wide! But this card needed the more delicate look that the narrow could provide.

So... here's to hoping Maddox and I are back to ourselves again real soon.

Friends in Lilac

...and yet another card in these yummy colors! I promise my infatuation with them will wear off soon!

This card was made with the Level 3 Hostess set called Time Well Spent. This set was a special gift from Shelli Gardner (our cofounder and CEO) who sent it to all demonstrators over the holidays! (I tell you, the benefits of being a demonstrator just go on and on!) I stamped the flowers onto Whisper White cardstock, colored them with my Stampin' Write markers (Regal Rose, Rose Red, Almost Amethyst, Lovely Lilac, & Certainly Celery) and then cut them out. The base card is Lovely Lilac, with the same flower image stamped randomly using VersaMark ink. The sentiment was also colored using the markers, and then layered onto Regal Rose and Certainly Celery. And once again, the gorgeous Regal Rose wide grosgrain ribbon (yours FREE when you purchase the Valentine Bundle) takes center stage! One thing I should mention, the fold for this one is on the side. I really like this twist on a landscape orientation, but after designing it and seeing which direction I wanted the ribbon to wrap around, it would've been more suited to have the fold at the top. But alas, my cardstock was already cut, so I just used a craft blade and made a slice in the crease for the ribbon to fit through. (there's a work-around for everything!)

Happy Monda... er wait... it's Tuesday already! I'm going to be off on my days all week since yesterday was a holiday! In any case, have a great one!

Cleaning House!

Out with the old and in with the new... it is time for me to say goodbye to some wonderful stamp sets... and it is time for you to say hello to some good deals!

I have several retired stamp sets that I need to clear out so I can make room for all the fun new stuff. You can see what I have at this link. I have photographed each of my sets, both front and back, so you could see for yourself the condition they're in. Several of them are still BRAND NEW! The prices are listed on each page, and shipping information is on the main page. If you see something you are interested in, drop me a line to see if it is still available. I will take payment via PayPal on a first come first serve basis.

Happy shopping!

Big Heart... Big Ribbon!

Here's another card I whipped up the other day... I'm sure I don't have to tell you again which stamp set this is... but for the sake of anyone new visiting, it's the Happy Heart Day... and I LOVE IT!! And lookey there... I even used some of the delicious Regal Rose wide grosgrain ribbon that's included in the Valentine Bundle! Have you ordered your bundle yet? There's still time... the promotion runs through January 31st. See this post for details.

Yes, I used the Flowers For You Designer Series Paper (again), so it got teamed up with a Regal Rose card base along with some Lovely Lilac and Tempting Turquoise layering. The cute little mousey was stamped onto Naturals White with Black StazOn ink and then colored with a combination of Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Stampin' Write Markers. Remember when you color images like this to always "ground" them... that means to give them something to stand on. You see here I watercolored a bit of Going Gray under his feet so he's not just floating in mid-air. Although you may not be able to see it, I used a glue pen on the flower and the stripe on his sweater, and then sprinkled Dazzling Diamonds over it to give him some pizazz. The sentiment was stamped with Lovely Lilac ink.

By the way, I do still have openings for my January 26th Stamp-a-Stack. See this post for photos of the cards we'll be making along with all the details. Let me know if you'd like to join us, or if you'd like me to send a packet to you by mail.

Hope you have a great day!

Blog Candy Winner!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to EVERYONE who left a comment on my blog candy post! You are all so kind and so supportive... I'm honored that you continue to visit me regularly!

...I won't beat around the bush. At noon, I had 51 comments and my random number generator picked #10 as the winner!! That's this comment from mochamama...aka Cheryl from "God and I on the Railroad Tracks":

"I get so excited when I find a new Blogsite to fall in love with and yours is the next one (fear not, I don't fall out of love with the others, there is enough of me to go around) I love your little sewing kit, your mailboxes are adorable and your cards are very creative. I love to see the picture of your family right at the top."

Thank you for your kind words, Cheryl! I checked out your profile and see that you're in Canada. I love getting visitors from far away... you're far, but my Australian visitors have you beat, I think! Anyway, please e-mail me your mailing address and I'll get the mailbox packaged up and mailed off to you. Oh, and by the way, I see that you have me listed twice in your list of favorite blogs... does that mean you visit me twice as much as the others?! (*teasing*)

Thank you again, everyone, for putting me well over the 20,000 hit mark. Here is a Thank You card I created just for YOU!!

This was made with the elegant Artfully Asian stamp set. The base card is Naturals Ivory with a layer of Mellow Moss over it. I stamped one of the flower images up the right side, which made a nice background. The main image was stamped with Basic Black and colored by dipping a Blender Pen into a puddle of ink on the lid of my stamp pads (Groovy Guava and Mellow Moss). I layered it on top of Chocolate Chip and added a stripe of Always Artichoke behind it... oh, and LOOK! There's that yummy Double Stitched ribbon!! Did you know that you can get some of that along with all the other In Color ribbon for a GREAT price?! See this post for details on my Ribbon Share. (okay, I'm done with the plug!) The sentiment was stamped with Chocolate Chip, and some Vintage brads finish it off.

So thank you... every one of you. I love what I do, but your comments are icing on the cake!

Want Some Ribbon?

A new year brings with it new ideas, and I'm going to try something new this month... a Ribbon Share! I was inspired by the wonderfully talented Ali Manning - she's been in my list of blogs down on my sidebar for a while now... if you haven't checked out her blog, you really should!

A Ribbon Share is where you can get some of ALL the colors of ribbon for a LOT less than if you were to purchase entire spools of each. I'm going to start with the delicious Double Stitched ribbons in the 6 In Colors. That includes Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, and River Rock... pictured here in that order.

Here's the details: For only $13 you will receive 3 yards of each color! Let me put this into perspective for you... when you consider that it takes roughly 15-17" to wrap a card and tie a knot (depending on which way your card is turned), you could embellish about 40 cards with this amount!! (or lots more if you weren't tying it around the entire card.) What could be better than that? Well, these prices include shipping and tax! Wow!

Anyone can participate - you do not need to be here in the DFW area. You can pay via PayPal and I will simply mail you the ribbon at no extra cost. I will be placing the order on January 25th, so if you want to participate, please let me know right away!

Happy Elephant in Lilac

Wow! The response to my blog candy has been outstanding! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments... talk about getting a big head? Mine's about to pop! If you haven't left your comment to try for the mailbox yet, see my prior post while there's still time... I'll be picking the random number on Friday at noon. I know that my comments aren't numbered, but the first one is 1, the second is 2, and so on. Good luck!

Now for another new card. Like I said (countless times now!), I love the Happy Heart Day stamp set. And while playing with this card, I fell in love with the combination of Lovely Lilac and Certainly Celery. I don't guess I've ever used this combination before - bright colors usually aren't my style - but this was fun to put together!

The elephant was stamped on Naturals White with black StazOn and colored with an Aquapainter and the Going Gray ink pad lid. The rest was colored with Stampin' Write markers (Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, and Tempting Turquoise). When you are coloring this image, I recommend using the fine tip of the marker to go over the words - it really makes them stand out more. I used a glue pen and some Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the hearts and the toenails to give it some shimmer. Tempting Turquoise is the layer behind the elephant. I scalloped the top of the Certainly Celery strip with the corner rounder (guard removed), and I pierced the bottom of it with my paper piercer and Mat Pack. The striped strip underneath the Celery is from Flowers For You DSP... another one of my current favorites! The flower image on the background was stamped with Lovely Lilac. I added another flower that I punched and layered with Regal Rose using the 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle punches for interest, and it is adhered using dimensionals. Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon finishes it off.

**Don't forget to order your Valentine Bundle before January 31st! This is a terrific promotion with great products - for only $33.40, you get the Happy Heart Day stamp set, a package of 50 medium cellophane bags (great to use for treat bags!), a spool of wide Real Red grosgrain ribbon, and a spool of wide Regal Rose grosgrain ribbon! What a fabulous package! You can see this post for some pictures and ideas. If you haven't ordered yours yet, let me know and I'd be happy to get it ordered and shipped directly to you. I accept payments through PayPal, you can send a check, or I can call you for a credit card number.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

Would You Like to Have This Mailbox??

I love this Happy Heart Day stamp set... oh wait, have I told you that already?! Here is another mailbox I made, featuring the adorable little elephant. And to find out how it can be YOURS... keep reading!

The ribbon on this mailbox comes from the Fairy Tale Ribbon Originals, with some Tempting Turquoise grosgrainto line the edges and Certainly Celery grosgrain for the tag.

I colored the elephant with an Aquapainter and the Going Gray ink pad lid. The rest of the image was colored with Stampin' Write markers. I used a glue pen and the Dazzling Diamonds glitter on her toenails and the heart in her trunk.

To line the mailbox, I used my current favorite Designer Series Paper called Flowers For You, along with the Ginormous Flowers stamp set paired with the 5-Petal Flower punch and some matching buttons. The flower colors are Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, and Tempting Turquoise - LOVE this combination! I really am on a fettish right now for these colors... you'll be seeing more of them in the coming days.

Now... for the exciting part! Would YOU like to own this mailbox? You can! In celebration of my blog hitting 20,000 hits (WOW!), I am giving it away as BLOG CANDY! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post and tell me what you like the most about my blog. Like anyone, I love good compliments, but my intentions are really to find out what you want to see MORE of! This Friday, January 18th, at noon I will choose a random number and I will post the winner that afternoon.

Good luck and thanks for visiting!