Birthday Poinsettia

Ohmygoodness!! Isn't this poinsettia die DELICIOUS??? Seriously, I would have to say that it is probably one of my all-time FAVORITE Spellbinders dies ... EVER!! (And that's sayin' a LOT because I was on their Design Team for nearly a year and a half and I accumulated mui-MANY dies during that time!).

It was once again my turn to serve as hostess for the Free for All Challenge over on Splitcoast today. I chose "Winter Flowers" as my theme. Basically, I wanted to be able to have something to perk me up out of the cold, gray doldrums ...



Bwahahahahaha!! This has got to be one of my all-time favorite movies!! And that dumb phrase has been rockin' my brain for DAYS!! "It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be gray, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life!!" If we could just get some SNOW to push this yucky, gray, chewable air outta here then it would be GREAT!!

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Petite Pairs
Paper: Very Vanilla, Brushed Gold
Ink: Gold Encore
Accessories: Spellbinders Layered Poinsettia, Corner Rounder Punch, Pearl Basics, PTI Gold Ribbon

I WIN!!!

OHMYGOSH!! What a DAY yesterday!! Not only was it filled with fabulous friends, fun, food and GREAT crafty things, but ....

I WON A CRICUT!!! Amelia and I spent a BUNCH of time in the Provo Craft booth doing make-and-takes and listening to demos on new stuff (for each thing we completed, we had a ticket entered in the drawing for free stuff!). The drawing was scheduled for 3:00. AND ... they were running about 20 minutes behind. Soooo.... we stood and waited and waited and waited with the crowd (actually, by this point Amelia was sitting on the floor!)! When they were FINALLY announcing winners, I was right smack-dab in the middle of replying to a text someone had sent me and almost thought I had DREAMED hearing my name!! Shut UP!!! I am SOOO stoked!

Actually, I won a Cricut Expression. We had to choose between an "instant win" (the new "Birthday Bash" cartridge), or we could spin a wheel with prizes on it ... some were GREAT (like what I won!), and some were kinda dorky (like a hug from the "Cricut"). Anyway .... long story less long, I won!! And since I mentioned to them that I already HAD an Expression, they let me exchange it for this ....


A Cricut Cake Mini!!! Holy COWSERS!! I am SOOOOOOO excited! Amelia said, "I can't WAIT to get home and make a cake!!" We'll post some pictures as soon as that happens!


One of my mostest FAVOR-ITE things about coming to CHA is hooking up with friends, so here are some pix of just a FEW of my crafting buddies ..

Me and Robyn Cardon (The Pink Stamper) and Karlee Wilson. Sooo much fun hooking up with them. I knew Robyn way-back-in-the-day before she become a crazy-famous Cricut Crafting Woman! It was fun finally hooking up with both of these gals in person ...





Me and my BFF, Stacey Caron (love you, girl!!!!)! REALLY miss working with the whole Spellbinders team. It was great to get to see 'em and hug 'em!











Heidi Blankenship and Cathy Chlebana ... can't EVEN tell you how much I love these girls, too!! They are the BESTEST!!








And who DOESN'T {{heart}} the Cat in the Hat??? Connie (McCotter) and Deb (Felts) and I couldn't resist this photo op ... (they are my coolest roomies!)





Our Daily Bread ... these gals are the BESTBESTBEST!! We had the most YUMMY dinner (thanks, Kelley!)!! Good friends, good conversation (which, I hate to admit, I often contribute to WAY more than I should!!) and a happy place to be ... what could be better? That's Kelley Holland, Connie, Me, Lorelie Kim, Dawn Lusk and Deb ...

And HOW could I just NOT mention my totally amazingly wonderful roomies again??? These women are sooo fantastically special. I feel so blessed to have them in my life. Love you, friends!! (Deb, Me and Connie)


Last, but certainly NOT least ... my adorably fun and patient daughter ... she has let us drag her from one end of the Convention Center to the other ... yak-yak-yakking and doing lame make-and-takes (okay, not ALL of them were LAME!). We are all up and chatting already, and she is lying next to me doing one of the things teenagers do best in ANY situation ... SLEEPING!! Love you, honey!!

We're up and ready to get back in the game (well, ALMOST ready ... but DEFINITELY willing!!)!

Hugs to all!!

New Rubbah from ISC!

I am really excited to share with ya some of the new things Betsy over at Innovative Stamp Creations has, well, "created" for all of us!! I don't know about you, but I give away FAR fewer cards than I actually make (how sad!!)! I have SOOO many special people in my life who DESERVE a card or something nice, and I think I need to take more time to actually "spread the love" around to those who really need it. This first set, called "Friends are Special," is absolutely PERFECT for that!! I made this little notebook and matching pen that I KNOW would be a really great "thank you" to someone special in ANYone's life!! (Now I just have to decide WHO to give it to!!)

Stamps: Friends are Special by ISC
Paper: Certainly Celery, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Summer Sun, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Notebook, pen, EK Success Moroccan border punch, small oval punch, 5/8" Whisper White satin ribbon, dimensionals

And, believe it or not, vacation season is a-comin'!! This next set, simply called "Destinations," can help you make the most amazing projects (minibooks, travel logs/albums, etc.). I decided to make this quilted card with it. It was almost like being a little girl again as I tried to put all of the "puzzle" pieces together!!

Stamps: Destinations by ISC
Paper: Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White, Kraft
Ink: Night of Navy, Real Red, Whisper White
Accessories: Red/White striped grosgrain ribbon, buttons, white gel pen, glue dots

The last set that is being released this month is called "Time." It works UBER-well with the "Destinations" set (I couldn't resist using the map background again!) I always struggle with doin' the "guy" types of cards, but I think the images in this set really work well for that!!

Stamps: Travel AND Destinations by ISC
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Bordering Blue, Close to Cocoa, Night of Navy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Night of Navy, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Spellbinders Long Scalloped Rectangle Nestabilities - Large (S4-143), and Small Standard Circle Nestabilities (S4-116), Chocolate Chip felt ribbon, Tiny Bubbles Cuttlebug embossing folder, linen thread, 1/8" circle punch

Here are some links so you can see what the other ISC Creative Architects have done!

Kathy Tucker
Sabrina Jackson
Joanne Grzelak
Julie Warner
Karen Dunbrook


Be sure to tune in tonight for the Control Freaks Blog Tour. We are celebrating Spring and would love for you to join us!!!

Look What's New from ISC!

Here are some cards I created for this month's ISC (Innovative Stamp Creations) release. I had a LOT of fun creating with this lovely new stamps (c'mon, be honest ... who DOESN'T love playing with something NEW??)!

This first card was created with the stamp set I used in yesterday's post called "Eclectic Butterfly." And y'all KNOW how I feel about butterflies!! (For anyone not familiar with my, um, obsession with butterflies, see the "Follow the Butterflies" link and slideshows on the sidebar to the right!!)

This card seriously only took me about 10 minutes to put together. I LOVE it when something comes together quickly AND looks pretty good, too!

Stamps: Eclectic Butterfly by Innovative Stamp Creations
Paper: La Creme dsp by DCWV, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Spellbinders Classic Frame (S5-012), pearl stickers, black organza ribbon, pop-up glue dots

Moving on to set #2 ... Delicate Daisy!! WOWZA!! Totally LOVE this big, lovely daisy, don't you??? I had waaayyyy tooo much fun playing with this one!!

Since I am soooo ready for spring, it was fun to play with something, well ... spring-y!! Daisies are my FAVORITE flowers (no, seriously, even before Meg Ryan professed that in "You've Got Mail" ... they truly ARE a happy flower!). And who DOESN'T love greens and purples together??

Stamps: Delicate Daisy by ISC
Paper: Perfect Plum, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Perfect Plum
Accessories: Pearlescent Chalks (Jewel Tones) by Pebbles, Fleur de Lys border punch by EK Success, Tartan and Swiss Dots embossing folders by Cuttlebug, whisper white satin/organza ribbon, Sweet Pea felt leaves by SU, large oval punch, sponge

Which leads me to yet ONE more daisy card ... I put a little bit of Crystal Effects in the centers of these babies, but, unfortunately, you can't see how cool it REALLY looks from the photo! (HATE it when that happens!)

Stamps: Delicate Daisy by ISC
Paper: Kraft, So Saffron, Night of Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Night of Navy, So Saffron
Accessories: Stylized Flowers embossing folder (Cuttlebug), small oval punch, modern label punch, pearl stickers, white polka dot organza ribbon, navy organza ribbon, Crystal Effects, paper piercing tool/mat, pop-up glue dots

And can ya stand ONE more??? I'm not quite sure where I was goin' with this layout (kinda funky with those "polka dots" don'tcha think??), but I DO love these Dandelion images. I also have always had a "thing" for dandelions ... okay, okay, I KNOW they are a .... dare I say it?? ... they are a WEED! But, admit it - y'all LOVE to blow on these and make a wish, right?? And you STILL do it when no one is looking!! (you KNOW you DO!!)

Stamps: Dandelions and Netting by ISC
Paper: Mellow Moss, Blush Blossom, Very Vanilla
Ink: Mellow Moss, Blush Blossom
Accessories: Marvy double scallop corner punch, 3/4" circle punch, moss polka dot organza ribbon, blush blossom grosgrain ribbon, pop-up glue dots

Now, wouldn't ya LOVE to see what the other Creative Architects for ISC have done with these love stamps??? Well, check it out!!

Kathy Tucker
Connie McCotter
Sabrina Jackson
Joanne Grzelak
Julie Warner
Karen Dunbrook

Our Daily Bread August Release!

I am a day late and a dollar short on this post, as the new release actually started YESTERDAY (YIKES!!) Nonetheless, y'all are gonna LOVE the two new sets released for August by Our Daily Bread!

Jesus

Happy Birthday

I used one of the wonderful sentiments from the "Happy Birthday" set to create this sample for you (and you all GOTTA know that I LOVE this set in particular because it has BUTTERFLIES in it!! )

I found inspiration to create this from today's Featured Stamper over on SCS - Teresa Kline (aka VA.sunshine!). Here is a link to HER card (before you say, "What??" I loved the fact that she used "No Pictures," as she titled the card, and the blues in this got me to thinking about the Bella Bleu dsp!)

No Pictures by Teresa

Check out what some of the other girls in the "Bread Basket" have created for you (and I'm warning you, look at your own risk . . . it's gonna make you NEED these sets!!):

Angella Crockett
Betty Wright
Connie McCotter
Chris Olsen
Deb Saaranen
Jane Wetzel
Judy Rozema
Loretta Lock
Sandee Shanabrough
Silke Ledlow

Stamps: Happy Birthday by Our Daily Bread
Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Not Quite Navy, Bella Bleu dsp
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Spellbinders In Spades pendant die (S4-208) and Large Mega Deckled Rectangles (S5-015), Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, kraft taffeta ribbon, pearl sticker

Spread Your Wings by There She Goes

I have slowly, yet proudly, accepted my title as "Butterfly Queen" over the past couple of years (I have been DEFINITELY called worse!!). My good friend, Jessica Knutsen, happened to be in Evanston over the July 4th holiday visiting family, and she made the "swing" down to Salt Lake City to pay me a visit. Imagine my delight when she handed me this yet-to-be-released set of WONDERFUL butterfly stamps!!! She said, "I know you are the Butterfly Queen and there is NO WAY I could have come all this way without bringing this to you!"

I was also very pleased when she asked me to make a Guest Designer "reappearance" for its release (I was on the TSG Design Team when Jessica first launched it last fall). Not want to play with butterflies??? ME!!???? NOT possible!!

This set it just brimming with gorgeous butterflies and lovely sentiments to go along with them!! And this first card is just going to HAVE to be my "Follow the Butterfles" card #101! Which puts me a little ahead of the game since I didn't actually need to make one 'til NEXT week!! HUZZAH!! (And notice the little butterflies embossed onto the ribbon??? Too-too cute!!) For more info you can see the link/slideshows on the sidebar to the right . . .)

Stamps: Spread Your Wings by There She Goes
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Cool Caribbean, Whisper White
Accessories: Spellbinders Long Rectangle - Large Nestabilities (S4-142) and Long Scalloped Rectangle - Large Nestabiliies (S4-143), Diamond Scallop edge punch by EK Success, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, white butterfly organza ribbon, pop-up glue dots

I wasn't planning on making TWO cards for this sneak peek, but I got this MUI-MUI FABULOUS-O paper yesterday and couldn't WAIT to use it!! I stamped the butterfly with black craft ink onto vellum, then used my brayer to color the vellum with my pumpkin pie ink.

So here I go again with the black/white thing (oh, I crack myself up!! "Here I go with 'There She Goes'!"). I gotta get a new color scheme . . . QUICK!!


Stamps: Spread Your Wings by There She Goes
Ink: Black Craft
Paper: Groom Speciality Paper by Stampin' Up, Whisper White, Brushed Silver
Accessories: 1 3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, modern label punch, large oval punch, white polka dot organza ribbon (May Arts), glue dots

Now, to see ALL the fun creations on this Sneak Peek, here is a blog roll to the other There She Goes "Trendsetters" . . . you are going to NEED this set . . . you KNOW you are!!

Jessica
Becky
Christi
Faith
Holly
Jessie
Joanne
Jodi
Julie
Maki
Silke

ME - (Guess I don't need to give you a link 'cause you're already HERE!)

Exciting, Exciting, Exciting!!

Sorry for the long absence. I went out of town last Friday for my niece's wedding and haven't had a chance to post anything . . .

First, I have some TOTALLY exciting news (hence, the title of this post!)!!! I was chosen to be a Guest Designer for Our Daily Bread Designs for August!! I can't tell you how happy this makes me!! I found out at about 4:00 a.m. on Saturday while I was cruising the 'net at the hotel . . . hard to sleep with a semi-snoring mom in one bed and a 15-year-old daughter with arms and legs in every direction right beside me!!! I wanted to wait to announce the news when I actually had a card or something I could share with you! I can't wait to get my hands on some of the ODBD stamps . . . they are so lovely and uplifting . . . :)

This is Butterfly #98 . . . can you believe it??!!??? NINETY-EIGHT!! We are nearing the end, my friends. Although I am seriously contemplating continuing the challenge on a less-frequent basis. What do you think? I've been having waaaayyyy too much fun with it! Don't feel quite ready to relinquish my "Butterfly Queen" crown just yet.

I used many-o'-Spellbinders die on this baby (check supply list below). I also tried the reverse stenciling technique with the Pierceabilities border die. SHAZAM!!! I think this looks AWESOME (even if it is messy!). Here is a link I did forEVUH ago on how to do reverse stenciling:

Reverse Stenciling Tutorial

Stamps: NONE (can you believe it??)
Ink: Basic Black craft
Paper: Basic Black and Whisper White by SU; Light Berry Red and Dark Meri-Gold by WorldWin
Accessories: Spellbinders Flying Beauties (S4-123), Victorian Lace Border Pierceability (S4-167) and Antique Bookplate (S3-009), Piercing Tool/Mat, Glue Dots and Pop-Up Glue Dots





Last, but not least, I wanted to share this photo of my daughter and my niece from the wedding (Amelia was the flower girl . . . even though she is 15!). I took over 300 photos and this is my favorite one . . .

Mr. & Mrs.

I am in quite the wedding-ish mood . . . we are headed out of town this weekend for my niece's wedding. It seems soooo weird to me that she is actually getting married, since she is only 12 DAYS older than my oldest son (I am SOOO not old enough for this!)!!!! I guess I will have to start telling people that I got married when I was 9 (if only they would believe THAT)!

I made this card quite a while ago for Spellbinders and totally forgot to post it here!! I was really happy with the way that it turned out!! It has MUI-MANY layers, so it is definitely NOT one I would wish to mass produce, that's for sure!!

Stamps: Together Forever
Paper: Blush Blossom, Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla
Ink: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Spellbinders Large Inverted Scalloped Circle (S4-194), Large Classic Scalloped Square (S4-127), Large Classic Circle (S4-114) and Dahlia (S4-191) Nestabilities, Cuttlebug Floral Fantasy and Swiss Dots embossing folders, pearl sticker, pop-up glue dots

Lovely New Spellbinders Pendant/Border Dies

My socks are completely blown OFF!! These new pendant dies that Spellbinders has just released are simply GAWgeous!!! I love it when something that looks so amazingly terrific is so easy to create something with. I see these pendant dies becoming a fast favorite at my house, that's for SURE!!

I made this for TLC228 - Stand Up Card. Y'all know me and my funky-fold obsession! This is just PERFECT in that category! And it's EASY, too!! Here's a link to a photo of the template you will need (which is sooo easy you won't even need to print it out!):

Penny Wessenauer's Stand Up Card Template

Have fun, friends!

Stamps: Beautiful Blooms by Papertrey
Paper: Basic Black, Summer Sun, Barely Banana, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Summer Sun
Accessories: Spellbinders Fleur de Lis Pendant die (S4-204), Fleur de Lis Borderabiltiies die (S4-213) and Small Classic Inverted Scallop Square (S4-197), large and small oval punches, white organza polka dot ribbon, Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, dimensionals

Dragonfly Path . . .

I love the combo of elements on this card. I found this scrumptious paper made by DCWV (actually, it is from one of those GIANT paper pad/stack things . . . which I almost NEVER buy, but couldn't resist on this one!! It was on sale . . . and I hate to admit that I actually bought two other different ones as well). This paper is from the "La Creme" collection. It is felted and elegant and GAWgeous!!!

I also got to use some of my most favorite Spellbinders dies (as I am now the proud owner of more than I can count, thanks to being on the Design Team for over a year!).

I didn't have any large black brads, so I cheated. I took one that I had, dipped it in black craft ink, then clear embossed it. Voila!! Just what this little card needed!! It all came together very quickly, making this actually very easy and fast to put together.

I hate Mondays . . . I wish I could stay home and stamp all day, since I actually cleaned up my stamp room yesterday. But, alas, it is not to be, so I will just have to get my act together and get movin'!!

Have a great day, everyone!!

Stamps: Word Collection by Stamp Oasis
Ink: Basic Black Craft and Classic
Paper: Basic Black, Very Vanilla, DCWV La Creme
Accessories: Spellbinders Classic Frame (S5-102) and Bugs dies (S4-008), Stickles, black organza ribbon, pop-up glue dots, large brad, clear embossing powder

Choo Choo!

Trains are the BEST, aren't they? I love all those old black and white movies where they are traveling cross-country on a train . . . I have always dreamed of what fun it would be! And who WOULDN'T want to take a ride on the Hogwart's Express? Especially if you get to run into Harry Potter???? But I digress . . .

The challenge on SCS yesterday (WT214) was to incorporate a frame of ANY kind into your card/project. I knew IMMEDIATELY that I was gonna use this DARLING polka dot frame from Spellbinders. Isn't it just the CUTEST? This baby is going to get a LOT of use by me, that is for sure!! And again I used Kittie's multi-loop bow tutorial (see link on the post below). I'm loving it!

Speaking of Spellbinders . . . many of my friends are in Arizona right now at the 2009 Design Team Retreat . . . I am missing them more than I can say, but I am sure they are having a WONDERFUL time (HI FRIENDS!!). Keep your eyes posted in the next week or so . . . I am sure you will be hearing from them on their blogs about it!!

On a side note . . . be sure to keep those who lost their jobs at SU this week in your thoughts and prayers. What a tough week this has been. While you are at it . . . I guess we should just continue to pray for improvement in our economy over all . . . we could ALL use it! :)

Stamps: Choo Choo, Family Phrases
Paper: Brilliant Blue, Basic Black, Whisper White, Summer Sun
Ink: Real Red (craft and classic), Brilliant Blue, Summer Sun
Accessories: Spellbinders Polka Dot Frame (S5-216), Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder, 1" and 3/4" circle punches, red grosgrain ribbon, pop-up glue dots

BIg Ol' Flower

I made this card a while back with my the amazingly AWESOME Sunflowers Set Two dies by Spellbinders. Isn't the dimension just AWESOME (okay, I used that word TWICE in the last two sentences!!)??? I ended up taking it to the hospital and giving it to my aunt who was there for a few days (she is doing quite well now). I also used the Labels Two dies ("two" by "two", I guess!)

I am headed out of town for a couple of days with my daughter and her dance company. We are all headed to southern Utah for a dance concert that they are putting on there. It will be infinitely warmer AND sunny there, so I can't wait (yes, it DID snow in SLC AGAIN last night . . . sigh . . .)

Stamps: Rustic Rooster
Paper: Basic Black, Ruby Red, So Saffron, Naturals Ivory
Ink: More Mustard, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Spellbinders Sunflowers Set Two (S4-158) and Labels Two (S4-162), black gingham ribbon (SU), Cuttlebug Forest Branches embossing folder, glue dots, sponge

There She Goes Sneaky Peek #3 - Nature of Friendship

Here we come again with more from There She Goes!! I think this set - Nature of Friendship - is my favorite of the new ones being released (don't get me wrong, I love 'em all, but this one does have butterflies, don'tcha know!)!

Since I ended up using butterflies on this card, I decided to put myself a little ahead of schedule and call this card #80 in my "Follow the Butterflies" challenge (see the link and slideshow to the right if you want more info on what I am talking about!). What??? Where did #79 go, you ask??? Actually, I DID do a card #79, but because of the TSG Sneak Peeks this week I haven't posted it here yet!! Stay tuned . . .

I also have to thank my fellow TSG Trendsetter, Denise (aka peanutbee on SCS) for her help in inspiring this card. I've been admiring all of the lovely paper piercing that she has been doing on her cards lately, and then I remembered that I actually HAVE some paper piercing templates from Spellbinders!! DUH!!!

Stamps: Nature of Friendship by There She Goes
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Basic Gray
Ink: Basic Black, Whisper White craft, Basic Gray
Accessories: Spellbinders Large Classic Oval (S4-110) and Large Classic Scalloped Oval (S4-111) Nestabilities, Spellbinders Pinking Pierceability (S4-165), White embossing powder, silver cord, Silver Ice Stickles, pop-up glue dots, sheer silver organza ribbon

And here we go again . . . Visit my fellow Trendsetter girlfriends at their blogs below (click on their names), leave a comment at each location's sneak peek post for the "Nature of Friendship" set AND here, and then go back to Jessica's Blog and enter your name into the raffle there! You could win this set! You have until 12:00 a.m. EST Saturday to get the Blog Hop Challenge comments in.

Angela Jones

Becky Carafa

Bev Rousch

Christi Thorsen

Denise Marzec

Faith Hofrichter

Holly McMillan

Jessica Knutsen - Owner

Jessie Rone

Joanne Grzelak

Jodi Collins

Julie Lacey

Maki Jones

Silke Ledlow

Stephanie Hargis

And once again . . . An ADDITIONAL chance to WIN a new release stamp set!! This is called the "Bling It On" challenge. Just add a little bling to your TSG card creation and post it in your SCS gallery, making sure to use TSG04 in the keywords box. Enter your name and link to your card using Mr. Linky on this post on Jessica's blog. That's all you have to do!! You have until Saturday 12:00 a.m. EST to get those challenge projects in!

"Impress"ive!

One of the other cool things about CHA this year was that I got to play with a VERY cool new product being released by Spellbinders . . . Impressabilities!

These babies are a definite MUST HAVE for all of us crafty peeps! There are four different styles available . . . snowflakes, flowers, butterflies (which you ALL know is a personal favorite of mine!) and paisley! These are a stainless steel embossing template/stencil. There are a TON of different uses for these. First, you can use them like a stencil . . . lay 'em over your cardstock and spray with Glimmer Mist, sponge with ink, airbrush . . . many options here.

Another cool thing about these is that they will ENTIRELY cover the front of an A2-size card (edge-to-edge coverage, baby!)! They leave a lovely impression!



Here is a step-by-step tutorial on how we did our "make-and-takes" in the Spellbinders booth . . .

First, we cut out some flowers using the new Dahlia dies. LOVE these, for sure! One of the other things I love about the raspberry Wizard is that it comes with a magnetic spacer plate . . . awesome 'cause it holds your dies perfectly in place.




Next, we place the Impressibiliites template down on the mat and placed the already-cut Dahlias . . . still in the die. The reason for this is that not only will we get the lovely impression from the Impressabilities template, but we will also get the lovely embossed edge we usually get from any Spellbinders die, which gives these flowers are really great "finished" look.









Cover the sandwich with your tan embossing mat and finish it off with a white master mat.













Because we were using Coredinations cardstock, we sanded off the flowers to reveal the lighter color in the core of the cardstock, which just made those impressed images POP right out at ya!!











Here are ALL the flowers we cut out/embossed/sanded to create our lovely little flowers! MUI-MUI awesome, right??













And a close up of the lovely details . . .










Using a popsicle stick, some brads and pop-up glue dots, we made these darling little flowers. Wouldn't these make GREAT little party favors?? You could also use them as a pen topper, but they would be great to put on a treat (I'm thinking Pixie Sticks here!)



Here's another example of what you can do with the Impressabilities. You can cut out specific parts of the embossing template and "spotlight" them on your card or scrapbook page. (Since these babies retail for a mere $6.99, you don't have to feel bad about cutting them up, 'cause you can buy one for embossing card fronts and an additional one to cut up!) We did a "letter press" technique here. Heidi inked up the Impressabilities template (the little piece on the right) and then ran it through the Wizard. Isn't this just the COOLEST EVER??? It was hard for me to keep from "borrowing" one of these templates to bring home!! A new favorite for sure!!!

Stamps, Paper, Die Cuts & FRIENDS!

I foolishly thought I was going to be able to do two things differently this year at CHA . . . (1) put up a blog post every evening (yeah . . . right!!), and (2) see more of the show! Well, neither of those things actually happened. We were up VERY early every day getting things ready in the Spellbinders booth (on Monday we had a class to put on, so we had to be at the Convention Center by 6:15 a.m.!). We were also up VERY late every night (which was infinitely more fun going out to dinner . . . LOVE Bubba Gumps! . . . and Heidi and I went to Disneyland on Monday night . . . that was a REALLY long day!)

I'm actually back home already. I ended up leaving yesterday afternoon because of a funeral that I am going to today for my uncle (we were kind of expecting it, but hoping for the best). Anyway, after being delayed for TWO HOURS (I swear, I will NEVER do USAir again!), they decided to transfer me to a Delta flight, since I was going to miss my connection in Phoenix (yeah, yeah, yeah . . . a flight from Anaheim to Salt Lake should be a straight shot, right???). I ended up getting home two hours earlier than my original itinerary had laid out, which was good and bad, since I had planned on meeting my friend Karen (imastampin on SCS) to swap some things . . . I had a Wizard for her, and she had some of my new dies!!! Guess I will be making a trip to the post office later today!!

Anyway, I never DID get much time to look around at everything. Saturday was set up. Sunday I actually got to peruse things during my break for a couple of hours. Monday, my break was scheduled at the end of the day so that Heidi (there she is again . . . as in Blankenship) and I could go to Disneyland. And yesterday, since I was leaving early, I only had a one-hour break, so I didn't get to see a whole lot. I DID walk through the Convention Center from end to end about 100 times, so I got to see things briefly as I passed on by, but I digress . . .

My FAVORITE part about CHA is hooking up with my friends from all over!! What a fun experience that was!! I noticed several things while getting these pictures ready to share as well. First, I look tired in most of 'em!! (Guess the camera doesn't lie!) Next, I seem to be looking somewhere besides the camera a good deal of the time (guess I was marching to my own drummer, eh? Or maybe that was just the voices in my head!) I also noticed that I was on the same wavelength as some of my friends with our color combos for the day as well (Jeanne and I were pink, while Diana and I were green!)!

Anyway, without further delay, here are SOME of the friends I got to hook up with . . .

Diana Crick . . . can I just say that I LOVE this woman and that she is a GENIUS (she is, after all, the inventor of the Scor-Pal!)?? I had NO idea she was at CHA last year 'til after I got home (I was totally bummed that I had been in the same building with her for DAYS and never even knew we were under the same roof!) I also "scored" a Scor-Mat from her, which makes me mui-mui happy!! Can't wait to play with THAT I can tell ya (and Diana, if you ever DO make it to SLC, the offer of a free place to stay still stands!)!


Judy (StampinQueenJAR) Rozema and I had planned to hook up at the SCS Cupcake Reception before we even left for CHA. How funny that we were in the same room together forEVUH before she approached me (we had been on opposite side of the room, and since I am vertically challenged, we just didn't see each other!)! I am SOOOO glad we did finally hook up. We've been chattin' pals on SCS since, like, the beginning of time!!






Jeanne, Jeanne, Jeanne . . . what is NOT to love about this woman?? She's funny, talented and great fun to be around! Don't we just look FAB in our matching pink????






Gotta love those Hanna Stamps, right?? I have known Krissy Ferro for about 3 years. We were in the Control Freaks swap group together. I met her for the first time at CHA last year, along with my good friend, Vicki Garrett (summerthyme64). They are both such sweeties!! Krissy was busy setting some stuff up, so she isn't actually in the picture (she was just barely out of frame to the right of me!)! But, here I am with Jennifer Buck (JenniB04) and Vicki . . .



Can you say SHORT PEOPLE ROCK???? It is SO great when I actually get to talk to another adult and look them straight in the eye (as opposed to straight in the throat!)! Emily (emilymomto3boys) Giovanni and Natasha (Tashers) Trupp were great fun to meet. I am sad that this turned out so blurry, but happy to have been able to visit with these girls, nonetheless . . .



Laura (Lov'n Life n Vegas) Canale and Michelle (flaxychick) Giraud also stopped by the Spellbinders booth! It was AMAZING and TERRIFIC to be able to meet up with so many of my SCS friends. We took this picture right before I had to dash out the door to catch a shuttle to the airport. I was happy that I didn't miss hooking up with these girls!





Here's one more of me and Jennifer. She is the absolute SWEETEST person ever!! (Just as you would expect!) We had a very nice visit right before I left as well. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to hang out with some of the most talented women in the industry this week. How lucky am I???





Last, but not least, here's my BFF Heidi! I cannot tell ya how many hours we have spent on the phone this past year as members of the Spellbinders DT and as friends. She is incredibly talented, generous, kind and has a great listening ear (plus, she is now converted from the dark side and has decided that her kids NEED to go to Disneyland . . . thanks for being such a good sport and going on Space Mountain with me . . . still don't think I have EVER laughed that hard while on a roller coaster before . . . sorry we nearly scared ya to DEATH!!)

I have some fun photos of the make-and-takes we did in the Spellbinders booth, PLUS some close up shots of the awesome new Impressabilities, so stay tuned . . .

PS - Lynn Mercurio . . . if you are reading this you NEED to send me a copy of the picture of the two of us together where I look like an AMAZON . . . and you NEED to destroy the fire drill picture altogether!!