More Birthday Wishes

Not gonna lie ... it's been GREAT this week to have projects that were made a few weeks back that I can share with you. What with trying to get back into the schedule of work (and having to work EXTRA for the days I took off for girls camp AND Convention!), having these samples all ready to go has made my life SO much easier!

I was SUPER ecstatic last year when the "Tape It" stamp set showed up ... even though I KNOEW it requires me to "fussy cut" it when I use it (well, it's not REQUIRED, but I LOVE fussy cutting, so it gives me an excuse!)! The new sweet little heart punch that comes in the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack is so ADORABLE! You'd think that hearts couldn't look THAT differently from one another, wouldn't' ya???

Stamps: Tape It, Something to Say, Dictionary
Paper: Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey
Accessories: Large Oval Punch, Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack (Heart), Linen Thread, Sewing Machine

And here is me ... playing with my Blendabilities markers once again ... and being kinda all monochromatic about it! I used my Whisper White ink and embossing powder to create the flowers, then I used the mighty-fine Blendabilities to color them in. Something about coloring is so therapeutic and relaxing ... goes back to my childhood days, I guess!

Stamps: I Like You, Petite Pairs
Paper:  Blushing Bride, Old Olive, Blackberry Bliss, Moonlight DSP
Ink:  Blendabilities Rich Razzleberry Set, Old Olive Set and Daffodil Delight Set, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories:  Chalk Talk Framelits, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Linen Thread, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Stylish Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder

I'm heading off around lunch time to have lunch with my lovely and wonderful fellow Stampin' Up demonstrator friend, Julie Davidse ... she just moved here from Las Vegas last month and I am SOOO happy to have another "partner in crime" to hang out with!! YAY!!

Birthday Cards for Display

One of the display board teams I worked with for this past Convention was the "Fast and Fabulous" group ... our entire board was "birthday" themed ... I had a LOT of fun making the projects I pulled together for this board (I'm always making birthday cards, so these projects made me feel RIGHT at home!

The two samples I am sharing today are ALL about the "Petite Petals" stamp set and punch. So.Freakin.Adorable. I feel like I could use this set a LOT of times and not have my creations come out ANYthing alike ... like this first one ... add a little bit o' grunge to it (I'm tellin' ya, "Gorgeous Grunge" is the "little black dress" of stamp sets.  Must.have.) and you're GOOD to go!

Stamps: Petite Petals, Gorgeous Grunge, Itty Bitty Banners, Stippled Blossoms (leaves)
Paper: Very Vanilla
Ink:  Crumb Cake, Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding
Accessories:  Large Polka Dot Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Baked Brown Sugar Thick Baker's Twine, Bitty Banners Framelits, Corner Rounder, Petite Petals Punch, Brights Candy Dots

For this one I didn't have to stamp the flowers at ALL .. used the Petite Petals Punch AND one of the flowers from the Boho Blossoms Punch, added a silver brad at the center and VOILA!! (The Striped Scallop Thinlits Die and the Burlap Ribbon were PERFECT to accent the flowers!) And, of course, there's always Perfect Polka Dots ... I think that has been my most used Textured Impressions Embossing Folder EVER!!

Stamps:  Something to Say
Paper:  Whisper White, Brights Color Collection DSP
Ink:  Rich Razzleberry
Accessories:  Petite Petals Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, 1/8" Silver Mini Brads, Striped Scallop Thinlits Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Word Window Punch, Burlap Ribbon

Have a fabulous day!

MDS Blog Hoppin'!!

I am SOOO excited to "officially" be a member of the SUPER-TALENTED and AMAZING MDS Blog Hop Team. On the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month we will be hopping and sharing things we have been playing with/creating in MDS. These girls are SERIOUSLY serious and incredible with their MDS skills. This week we are sharing "what we are working on" ...

I had WAY-SO-MUCH fun with these girls!!! Laughing-shopping-eating-shopping-laughing ... we decided we need to "strike a pose" for the camera in all of our fun, lacy finery that we bought at Gardner Village the day before Convention "officially" started. Blessings in my life ... each and every one!

MDS Downloads:
Paper - Seriously Teen, First Edition
Embellishments - Fan Fair (stitching circle 2), Love This (frame 1), Candid Frames (snap shot), Family Fun Photobook (stitching 4), Outdoor Exploration (Calypso Coral Washi Tape
Stamps - Chevron (chevron 5 grunge), A Split Second (splatter 3), Thoughtful Overlays (friends), Seriously Teen (grunge 4)
Punches - Chevron Border Punch
Fonts -AL Handcrafted

Next up??? Cindy Schuster!! So proud of this woman ... she got selected to be on Stampin' Up's Artisan Design Team (AGAIN!) this year!!! Way to go, friend!

Stamp Review Crew - Lovely As a Tree Edition

Had the AMAZING opportunity to work with so many of my friends on the Stamp Review Crew in creating a display board for Stampin' Up Convention!! It looks FANTABULOUS!!! Hang tight ... there's a picture at the end of this post!! This week the Stamp Review Crew is focusing on an "oldie but goodie" stamp set!! Lovely As a Tree!!! Pretty sure this set is NEVER gonna retire as Shelli Gardner's sister Yvonne (who was a cofounder of Stampin' Up) designed it ...

This is the card I made as part of our Convention display board ... there were some seriously GORGEOUS samples on that board!! Many thanks to Paula Wright and Adriana Benitez for all of their hard work in pulling it all together!! (I helped a little, but by the time I got there they already had it WELL under control!)

Stamps: Lovely As a Tree, Work of Art, Gorgeous Grunge
Paper: Whisper White, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Moonlight DSP
Ink:  Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey
Accessories:  Woodgrain Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Large Oval Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Spiral Border Punch, Mossy Meadow Satin Stitched Ribbon, Lost Lagoon Satin Stitched Ribbon, Hello Honey Satin Stitched Ribbon

Here's a pic of ALL the images from Lovely As a Tree ... if you don't already own it, it's a MUST-HAVE!!

SEE OUR BOARD??? Isn't it FABULOUS and AMAZING and GORGEOUS and WONDERFUL???? I think so!!! (But then again, I AM a little biased!!)  We featured both Lovely As a Tree AND Flower Patch ...












Next up?? Our Stamp Review Crew CHIEF, Tanya Boser. She is awesome!! Click on the "next" button to check out her creation, or on the "previous" button to see the "lovely" goodness Heidi Baks has made (had to put lovely in quotes 'cause of the name of the stamp set ... sometimes I think I'm the only one who appreciates my humor!)!

Monday Montage #24

Gonna wax all MUSHY again!!! Had the AMAZING chance to be able to meet up with MANY of the girls on our Monday Montage team while at Convention!! We exchanged swaps and hugs and did some stamping together! Feeling VERY blessed to call them my friends ...

Ohhhh how I STRUGGLED with this card!!! I have a VERY hard time knowing when to STOP adding and embellishing ... and I REALLY agonized over leaving so MUCH "plain ol' white" space!!! In the end, I think I have decided that I like it ...

Stamps:  Kinda Electic (my NEW favorite stamp set!)
Paper:  Whisper White, Bermuda Bay, Night of Navy, Crushed Curry
Ink:  Bermuda Bay, Night of Navy, Crushed Curry
Accessories:  Chalk Talk Framelits, Crushed Curry Chevron Ribbon, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Gold Sequin Trim, Staple, Sewing Machine, Silhouette eCutter
MDS Download: Woodcut Embellishments

Aren't these ladies just BEAUTIFUL???? And to tell you the truth, they are every bit as beautiful INSIDE which makes them even that much more gorgeous on the OUTSIDE!! (Okay ... you were warned ... I am feeling all MUSHY and GLOWY inside ... and missing them already!!) We were very sad that we didn't have Dani Dziama, Dara Gloden and Julie Warnick with us!! NEXT year, ladies!! Convention 2015!! Woot!! WOOT!!  Left to right: Cathy Casey, Melissa Stout, Elizabeth Price, Bree Renwick, Kaitlyn Zumbach (who was chosen to be on THIS year's Artisan Design Team ... way to GO, girlie!), ME and Amy O'Neill!

Click "Back" to see Melissa Stout's lovely card, and/or the "Next" button to see Amy O'Neill's talent just JUMPING out of the computer at ya!

Freakin' Swappin' - Convention 2014!!

CONVENTION!!! Oh.My.WORD!!! It has been a crazy-busy-exhausting-fun-exhilarating week!!! And one of the HIGHLIGHTS from being at Convention was doing a SWAP with my Control-Freaky Friends!! OH how I LOVE to see them!!! Didn't you just LOVELOVELOVE Cindy Elam's beautiful swap cards??? She is a Blendabilities WIZARD!!

I really like "fussy cutting" ... and sometimes I FORGET that when I am designing a "swap" card that I'm gonna hafta cut EVERYthing LOTS of times ... yeah ... like the clouds on this card!!! (I kept thinking about Bob Ross' "happy clouds" while making these!!). And the suns, too!! I really think I NEED some framelits to go with the clouds and sun ... just sayin' ...

Stamps: Think Happy, Hello Love
Paper: Pool Party, So Saffron, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Vellum
Ink: Pool Party, So Saffron, Early Espresso
Accessories: On Film Framelits, 3/4" Circle Punch, Spiral Border Punch, Gold Sequin Trim, Large Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
Font: Thirsty Script

It took me a long while to catch the "vision" with the "Postage Due" stamps. Don't really know WHY exactly ... but I seem to be OBSESSED with these little stamps. And yeah ... adding me some butterflies just kinda seems obligatory for me from time to time ...

Stamps: Postage Due, Wetlands
Paper: Crumb Cake, Blackberry Bliss, Very Vanilla, Typeset DSP, Vellum
Ink: Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Hardwood Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Elegant Butterfly Punch, Bitty Butterfly Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Postage Punch, Venetian Crochet Trim, Burlap Ribbon, Banners Framelits, Sewing Machine

And now I'm gonna wax all mushy and stuff ... can I just say what a BLESSING these "freaky" friends have been in my life??? Makes my heart SO very full and happy to be able to spend a little time with them "in person" as I swap hugs and cards with them at Convention. They truly are AMAZING ... not only with their talent, but with their friendship and kindness as well. I freakin' LOVE them ALL!!

Moving on to the ever-amazing Patty Bennett next!! Not only were her swap cards GORGEOUS, but she was ROCK STAR at Convention this week ... a Top 10 Achiever again this year (in more than one area!!)!! Soooo proud of her!!

Fab Friday #46

GREETINGS and Happy Fab Friday from CRAZYTOWN!! (aka Salt Lake City during Stampin' Up Convention!!) I have been RUNNING at FULL TILT for about three weeks now ... I'm gonna need a VACAY as soon as Convention is over ... especially since it came on the heels of girls camp and all the crazy prep I did for THAT!!

I got to make this card with a BRAND-NEW-FRESH-FROM-THE-HOLIDAY-MINI stamp set!!! It's called "For All Things" ... it's actually GORGEOUS!! AND ... it's actually a "fall" set ... but since I bought it at Convention yesterday (not available for EVERYone until August 28!), I just HAD to use it!!! Who doesn't LOVE 'em some new stamps???

I'm also VERY stuck on "white-on-white" ... you will see once I start posting my Convention samples and swaps just what I mean. The colors for this week's challenge really WERE a challenge since this stamp set ALSO has some accompanying GORGEOUS designer series paper in LUSCIOUS fall colors. I used this sample for today's Free for All Challenge over on SCS as well. I called the challenge "Bright and Beautiful" ...

Stamps: For All Things
Paper: Whisper White, Coastal Cabana
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana
Accessories: Squares Framelits, Small Oval Punch, Hexagon Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Linen Thread

Here's this week's color combo in case you'd like to play along ...







And ... Here's a link to the Fab Friday Challenge Blog so you can play along:

Fab Friday Challenge Blog

Check out the Fab blogs of my fellow Fab Friends:

Mindy Backes
Cindy Beach
Brian King
Justin Krieger
Amanda Mertz
Brenda Myers
Marla Reed
Pam Steckman
Jan Tinklenberg

Headed out for another FANTASTIC day of stamping, laughing, sharing with my peeps at Convention. I canNOT imagine my life without the friends I have made over the past 10 years on my crazy-fun journey with Stampin' Up ... they are like FAMILY to me!! I will share some Convention pix with you tomorrow!!

Convention Starts TODAY!!

I have, once again, fallen into the GINORMOUS BLACK HOLE otherwise known as Convention Preparation 101 (although, admittedly, I should be considered in Masters Classes by this point, since this is my 10th Stampin' Up Convention!!)!! Cut, cut, cut ... stamp, stamp, stamp ... assemble, assemble, assemble ... drive to and from the airport ... run around and go shopping ... get a pedicure ... go to and from the airport AGAIN ... still have ONE more swap to design/create ... LOTS going on!

The only BUMMER??? Since I LIVE in Craft Central MECCA (aka Salt Lake City!), I actually have to WORK today ... sigh and sadness ... #firstworldproblems ... since I was gone most of LAST week up in the mountains doing the girls camp thing, I have mucho catching up to do at my job, so sometimes ya just gotta roll with life ...

This is a digital layout I did in MDS last summer AFTER Convention. I was sad because I had done a similar "me" page as a display sample LAST year for Convention (and we do NOT get to keep our samples!). This was my "consolation" for being unable to keep the one I made ...

MDS Downloads:
Stamps - Convention 2012, Summer Home (Baroque Motifs - Kind), Walk in the Park II, Comfort Cafe
Paper - Seriously Teen
Embellishments - Square Punch, Flag Punch, Fan Fair (black stiching - circle 2 and 1b), This and That Epic Day (arrow), Mis-Stitched, A to Z Wordpress (recolored)
Fonts - Ariel and LDJ Zany Doodle

The fun begins "officially" tonight ... we are going to a "happy hour" at 5:00 ... a Paper Pumpkin party at the Salt Palace at 6:00 ... and dinner with some of our peeps at 7:00 p.m. LOTS to look forward to! YAY!!

Burgers and Fries????

To be honest, there are a LOT of things in this year's new Stampin' Up catalog that are on my wish list ... and I DO mean a LOT!! But these hamburger box/fry box dies were RIGHT AT THE TOP!!! EEEEeeeppp!!! Happy!Happy!Happy!!! OhMyGosh!!! SoFreakin'Cute!!

I knew as soon as I saw them that I WOULD be using them to add to the "Secret Sister" stash ... AND it gave me the opportunity to use up some of my retired (um, VINTAGE??) stuff!! These fry boxes used not ONLY last year's oh-so-fabulous Soho Subway DSP, but ALSO the cute ruffled in color ribbon! EEEEeeeppp!! (Oh wait ... I said that already!)

I used the cello bags from June's Paper Pumpkin Kit to add the saltwater taffy to these darling little things ... yeah, you really DO need to subscribe to Paper Pumpkin ... just sayin' ...

Stamps: Blue Ribbon
Paper: Soho Subway DSP (retired), Hello Honey, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla
Ink: Island Indigo
Accessories: Artisan Label Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, Baked Brown Sugar Ruffled Stretch Ribbon (retired), Fry Box Bigz Die, Linen Thread, Saltwater Taffy

And LOOK at THESE!!! I used some lovely Studio 45 DSP that I have had since last year ... sooooo fun!! I LOVE how the little "tabs" on the base of the box just slide into the lid to keep everything all tidy and secure!

I am now a "hamburger box" QUEEN!! I TOTALLY get how to put these together now!! (The secret is to use glue ... as in Tombow! ... NOT tape!!) I filled each box with some mini Reese's peanut butter cups AND some Hershey's miniature bars. YUMMM!! And yeah ... my little doggie thought that they were amazing, too ... Luckily, so only "investigated" TWO of them, so there wasn't much for me to "redo" ... and she really didn't eat more than a bite out of one of the Reese's ... she just could NOT help herself! I guess SHE thought they were cute, too!!

Stamps: Pennant Parade (retired)
Paper: Graphic 45 Transatlantique DSP, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Hamburger Box Bigz Die, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Little Labels Punch Pack, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Very Vanilla Seam Binding, Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey's Miniatures (trust me, they're IN there!)

Ahhhh ... the great outdoors ... so happy I got to spend some time there this week with some of my FAVORITE people!! Next week??? CONVENTION!! BRING IT!!

Yay for Girls Camp!!

It's the time, once again, for me to traipse off up into the mountains ... with some of my good friends and a bunch of AWESOME girls from church. Every year we take 3-4 days to enjoy nature, one another's company and feel a closer connection to our Heavenly Father. I have been SUPER blessed to have been able to participate with this, off and on, for the past 25 years or so (the first time I went as a leader, my now-26-year-old son was only ONE ... and I've been every year for at LEAST the last 11-12 years or so ... I really have NO idea how many times I've gone!)! It's a lot of work, but it's also something I look forward to every year!

One of my "things" ... activities I am in charge of all the time (because I BEG/PLEAD/VOLUNTEER!) is being in charge of setting up the "Secret Sister" line. Each girl who comes is assigned a "secret sister" for the duration of camp. Each day she is to be a thought, a handmade crafty thing or a treat in her "sister's" bag (huge ziploc bags that we hang on a clothesline). It's fun to watch how sweet and creative the girls can be ... and I usually start off each day with a little something for each girl that I've made myself (this year we have 24!)! So, needless to say, I have been BUSY!

I LOVED June's Paper Pumpkin Kit. They made this project OHSOEASY!! The pinwheels were all precut; the kit came with the straws, brads and twine (not to mention the little flags and stamps with an ink spot!). There were also some adorable little chubby paperclips, but I didn't use them ... I DEFINITELY think I'm gonna be ordering a "refill" for this kit. I used my own cello bags, as the ones that came with it were a little small for the licorice bits I put with these (but I DID use those for a treat I will be sharing on Friday!)!! And by the way ... if YOU haven't joined Paper Pumpkin yet, you really SHOULD!! (There's a tab at the top of this page that gives you all the info you will need!!) The kits are ADORABLE ... and so fun and easy to work with!!

Supplies: June 2014 Paper Pumpkin Kit, Cello Bags ... yep, that's IT!! (oh yeah ... and some Twizzler Bites!)

Camp is gonna be SOOOOOO much fun!!!

I'll be back on Friday (with a blog post AND off the mountain, as we return home Friday afternoon!)!! Be sure to check back and see what ELSE I "cooked" up!!

Happy Wednesday!

Stamp Review Crew - Summer Silhouettes Edition

Welcome to this week's version of The Stamp Review Crew!! Using "Summer Silhouettes" this time around.  I have used this set several times, so this time around I wanted to try something kinda different ...

Abandoning ALL things "bright and summery" I went with a more neutral color palette.  I REALLY wanted to use the Woodgrain Background stamp, so I just kinda ran with that ...

Stamps:  Summer Silhouettes, Happy Watercolor, Hardwood
Paper:  Crumb Cake, Mossy Meadow, Very Vanilla, Typeset DSP
Ink:  Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Mossy Meadow
Accessories:  Chalk Talk Framelits, Natural 5/8" Chevron Ribbon, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Gold Sequin Trim, Venetian Crochet Trim, Sewing Machine

Here are all the images that come in Summer Silhouettes to play with ... LOTS of possibilities, right??









Next up?? Deb Currier!! If you click on the "previous blog" button you will be taken back to Adriana Benitez's fabulous creation as well!