Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner!!

I know this quote comes from the movie "Tin Cup" ... but it actually makes me think about a little charm of a movie called "Waking Ned Divine" ... if you haven't seen it, you SHOULD!! As SOON as possible!! It is one of our family favorites ... you will not be sorry ...

But, in actuality, the reason I used that as the title for today's blog post is because this is how I feel ... still ... even three weeks after Convention is over. I'm still in the "pinch me" phase. I will be sharing a photo with you in the next couple of days of all the wonderful COOL stuff I have received as a direct result of my being chosen as a member of Stampin' Up's Artisan Design Team. This is going to be a GREAT year!!

Which brings me to this card ... once I finished it (which took me WAAYYY tooo long, by the way!), I thought to myself, "Who in the HECK would I send this to??? And for WHAT occasion??" I had seen an adorable card on the boards at Convention where the crafty creator (sorry, NO idea who made it!) made the ca-YOOTest card with a bunch of little pies on it ... hence, this card. Maybe my pie doesn't actually look like a pie, but it took me just as long to make as a real pie, I tell ya!! I sprayed the pie with a little Smooch Spritz, but you can't see it in the photo.

Now to find a BOX in which I could actually mail/send this baby ... as soon as I figure out WHO to send it to!!

Stamps: Blue Ribbon, Border Banter
Paper: Marina Mist, Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, So Saffron, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Ink: Marina Mist, Cherry Cobbler, Soft Suede
Accessories: 2 3/8" and Large Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1/4" Circle Punch, Rosette Bigz Die, Designer Label Punch, Daffodil Delight Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Gold Smooch Spritz

Crystal Effects

Y'know how you have products that you go through "phases" with? That has been me and Crystal Effects this past couple of weeks ... I used to use it a lot, then it was neglected for many a moon. Seems I have rediscovered it lately, and I'm loving it!!

I had this card sitting on my table, fully done, for two days. It somehow didn't seem complete to me, and I kept feeling prompted to add the shininess of Crystal Effects ... finally just caved in and did it on the little boat!! YAY!! Just what it needed!!

What's YOUR favorite "go-to" product lately? Leave me a comment and let me know ... I'd love to see what it is you use that just seems to "do it" for ya!!

TTFN!

Stamps: Moving Forward
Paper: Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Heart Punch (to create border behind circle), Real Red Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Real Red Button, Whisper White Baker's Twine, Crystal Effects

Stampin' ...

I think it is gonna take me about a WEEK to catch up on the sleep I missed last week!! (And for those of you who know that I am an incurable insomniac, that is sayin' something!!) Such a wonderful experience, though. I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

Jan and I FINALLY got some stampin' time together yesterday! (We made a mess, laughed a lot, and watched some chick flicks ... Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, 27 Dresses!) Good times. Can hardly believe she got here a week ago today and the time is already GONE!! Holy sa-MOKES!! I will be taking her to the airport this morning ... good thing we have Skype!!

Jan was nice enough to bring some of her stampy goodies with her (at least some of the stuff I DON'T have!). This is one ... "Decorate a Daisy" ... soooo gonna hafta buy this baby!! LOVE it!! And I seem to have "rediscovered" Crystal Effects. Kinda hard to tell from the photo, but the center of the flower is all chunky and shiny with the Crystal Effects I added to it! LOVE that stuff!!

It's gonna be back to the grind today ... work, carpooling, laundry ... already excited and looking forward to NEXT year at Convention!! Also very happy that the Convention Center is right down the street from my house!!

Happy Monday!!

Stamps: Decorate a Daisy, Mixed Medley
Paper: Early Espresso, Cajun Craze, So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Natural Composition DSP
Ink: Early Espresso
Accessories: Window Frames Framelits Dies, Paper Piercing Mat/Pack, Ribbon Slider, Small Scallop Circle Punch, 3/4" and 1" Circle Punches, Victoria Lace ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots and Woodgrain Textured Impressions Folders, Crystal Effects, Dimensionals

Pocket Full of Fun!!

I am often amazed at how much stuff I MISS when I am perusing Splitcoast ... I've been hanging out there for YEARS and STILL come across stuff I've never even seen before!!

Case in point ... this adorable pocket card tutorial by my dear friend, Beate Johns. This is sooo fun!!! It was done clear back in 2008 ... sooo glad I found it, 'cause I used it for today's F4A (Free for All) challenge on SCS. And since I am actually out of town at girl's camp, my OTHER good friend, Dawn Barrett, posted the challenge for me ... thanks, Girl!!

Convention is drawing ever-nearer ... and I am sooo excited - AND NERVOUS - that I can hardly stand myself!! Jan (aka JanTink) will be here on Monday and we are gonna laugh, play, stamp and eat a LOT of chocolate!! (Okay, maybe I won't eat a TON, but I WILL be thinking about eating it!!)

Have a wonderful weekend, my stampin' friends!

Stamps: Friendship Preserves, Border Banter
Paper: Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry
Ink: Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Paper Piercing Pack, Window Frames Collection Framelits Dies, Antique Brads, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Chevron Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Dinner Plate

Old/New/Borrowed/Blue!

As you can see, this is NOT a wedding card!! But it DOES have all of the elements to the "Something old (sentiment from Tickled Pink and Twill Tape), something new (Designer Naturals Buttons/Midnight Muse cardstock), something borrowed (the idea, from Paula Dobson HERE, and something blue (Island Indigo AND Midnight Muse)!" Needed another guy card ...

I am still LOST in Swapmaking Land ... SOOO much more to do!! And I am STILL getting ready for Girl's Camp!! These two events (camp and Convention) were back to back LAST year, too!! YIKES!!

Gotta go stamp something else ...

Happy Monday!!

Stamps: Aviary, Tickled Pink
Paper: Island Indigo, Midnight Muse, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Island Indigo, Crumb Cake
Accessories: 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Twill Tape, Designer Naturals Button, Linen Thread, Corner Rounder

Singing Mountain Goats!

What??? That's who I have spent the last three days with ... singing mountain goats ... aka my daughter and her friends. We took a little "Senior Trip" down to Zions Park. And those kids ran me into the ground!! Of course, they were SINGING all the way, so how I am going to get frustrated with THAT??

I have soooo much to do in the next couple of weeks before Stampin' Up Convention. I have Girl's Camp NEXT week, and I have a BUNCH of "secret sister" gifts to make. AND I still have a MOUNTAIN of swaps to do (mountain goats, mountains of swaps ... I have a theme goin' on here). I had a box of new stampy goodness waiting for me when I got home yesterday, so I made up a quick card (the new stuff is the framelits and the woodgrain embossing folder). I realized when I opened the box that the stamp set/die cuts I wanted the MOST were not there!! I had ordered the WRONG ones!! (I ordered "Friendship Preserves" instead of "Pefectly Preserved" ... DRAT!!)

Here we are on the top of Angels Landing ... this hike is NOT for wimps!! These guys were mostly unfazed by it at the time (although MOST of them took a nap after we got back to the house!). Great bunch of kids ... LOTS of singing, laughter, hiking, eating and good times.

Now, off to swap-making land!

Stamps: Stippled Blossoms, Petite Pairs
Paper: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla
Ink: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede
Accessories: Woodgrain Textured Impressions Folder, Window Frame Framelits, Large Oval Punch, Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Linen Thread

I've Been Hiding ...

... sort of!!! Another busy week at our house! Spent Tuesday through Thursday at a church youth retreat. It was SUCH a great time. We all came home exhausted (which is a sure-tell sign of fun had by all!).

And since yesterday I've been stamping my BRAINS out!! I have to do 138 swaps for Convention ... and not just any ol' swaps ... every swap I am doing is a kinda "wow" sort of thing. I hadn't planned for it to turn out this way, but things sometimes just kind of happen. I have stamped SEVEN different samples. This is one of them. I decided that this was a bit too busy. Turned out a little more detailed than I had planned, but sometimes it's just hard to stop yourself, ya know?? I did another card with the same stamps and color scheme. I was happy with how it turned out, and I'll share it with ya after I swap some at Convention.

I finally have all my swaps planned out. I now just need to cut, stamp, trim, stamp and embellish everything. I hope I can get them all done!!

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes, Curly Cute
Paper: Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP
Ink: Lucky Limeade, Daffodil Delight, Raspberry Ripple, Midnight Muse
Accessories: Apothecary Accents Die, 3/4" Circle Punch, Punch Pack, Daffodil Delight Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Modern Label Punch, Fancy Fan Textured Impressions Folder

Shut UP!!!

Are you SERIOUS???? Hoooooolllyyy sa-MOKES!!! I am so over-the-top-beyond-compare EXCITED at the moment!! I entered Stampin' Up's Artisan Award Contest this year ... again ... which is the THIRD time I have actually done so. This year it is a bit different than past years as well. In the past, they have announced the 10 Artisan winners before Convention. Then, while at Convention, the "honorable mention" people are announced. Kinda lackluster, actually, as the names are flashed across the big screen during a general session. It's very exciting, but it seems kind of anti-climactic.

This year, however, they decided to pick 20 finalists before Convention. Each finalist will be given a $250 shopping spree with Stampin' Up (COOLCOOLCOOL!). At Convention, the 10 winners will be announced. Each of the winners will receive a $500 SU shopping spree AND $500 cash AND they will be on Stampin' Up's Design Team for the next year, receiving new product each month with which to create lovely goodness and post it on their blogs or DBWS's (Demonstrator Business Websites). GUESSWHATGUESSWHAT??? I was PICKED!!! HUZZAH-HOORAH-HOORAY!!

This is kinda how it went down ... (names have been omitted to protect the innocent) was Skyping and pretending to clean my craft room last Thursday evening with friend #1 ... friend #2 (who also entered the contest) texted me and asked me if I had heard anything yet, to which I replied, "Nope. You?" To which SHE replied, "YES!! They called me about 10 minutes ago!!" OHMYGOSHFREAKINGOUTTHEDOOR!! I immediately called friend #3 on the phone (who had ALSO entered the contest). We were both having a spazzing-out type of conversation, "She got called??? Oh how cool!! Why haven't they called US??" In the middle of the conversation my OTHER line starting ringing. I said, "MYOTHERLINEISRINGING...ANDIDON'TRECOGNIZETHENUMBER!! Gotta go ... call ya right back!" Friend #1, still hanging on via Skype, is laughing by this time ... Caller on the phone says, "Hi, is this Wendy?" "Yes, this is she." "Is this the SAME Wendy Weixler who created -------- (omitting until the BIG REVEAL at Convention)?" To which I replied the first two intelligent words that popped into my head ... "Shut UP!!" Seriously ... that is EXACTLY what I said. I jumped out of my chair (in my basement craft studio) and flew up the stairs ... the whole time saying something intelligent like, "This is making me CRY!" (which it was!) Cute gal from Stampin' Up says, "Don't CRY! You're making ME cry!!" I honestly don't remember pretty much ANYthing she said after that ... honestly and truly ... my brain turned to oatmeal. As soon as I hung up, I ... with all the maturity and composure someone of my age SHOULD have ... started JUMPING UP AND DOWN and SCREAMING!!! My daughter and her friend, sitting downstairs playing video games, looked at me as if I had totally LOST my marbles (which I had!!)! Friend #1 is now CRACKING UP via Skype .... take a deep breath ...

I am going to admit that friend #3 is my deardeardear BFF, JanTink!! She is sooo amazingly awesome. The only thing that takes the shine out of this INCREDIBLE experience is that she didn't get a call ... a fact that I am STILL befuddled about, as she has been an "honorable mention" both of the other times she has entered. She is sooo gifted and talented ... and wonderful and smart ... she inspires me and helps me when my brain cramps up (which is way more often than I care to admit)!! In all the scenarios I imagined for the outcomes for this contest (BOTH of us winning/being finalists, HER winning/being a finalist), I NEVER thought she wouldn't be here on the list. SOOO happy she is gonna be staying with me during Convention, as I know she is going to be the most gracious and enthusiastic of supporters for me ... which is why she is my BFF. (Just know that I will have LOTS of chocolate waiting for you when you arrive, my dear friend!!)

On to the cards posted for today ... had my Stamp Club this morning. Always love having stamp-y friends over. We made the first card with, what else??? More butterflies!!! The little butterfly in the card posted waaayyyy back at the top of this post at the beginning of my loooonnnggg saga is heat embossed in Melon Mambo (both layers), as is the lattice-y looking image in the strip behind the hole.

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Summer Silhouettes, Fabulous Phrases
Paper: Whisper White, Gumball Green, Melon Mambo
Ink: Gumball Green, Basic Black
Accessories: Elegant Butterfly Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Word Window Punch, Scallop Trim Border Punch, Fancy Fan Textured Impression Folder, Perfect Pennant Bigz Die, Rhinestone Basics, Melon Mambo Embossing Powder




My girls have been wanting to make this Origami Diamond Fold card for a while ... they had seen the one I had out from when I did the tutorial here on my blog (click HERE to see it). So, this is what I did. They wanted to use some Crystal Effects, which is on the little eggies in the nest.













Here is a peek under the first flap ...











And inside ... cute, eh?

Stamps: Take Care
Paper: Midnight Muse, Raspeberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White, Patio Party DSP
Ink: Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Midnight Muse, Early Espresso
Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Scallop Trim Corner Punch, Crystal Effects, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon

It's gonna take me a while to come down off the ceiling (just ask my family ... they will tell ya it's TRUE!). I look at the list of finalists and am astounded to be among them. Many of these talented women have been idols of mine forEVER! Such an honor ... now I hafta wait about 3 1/2 weeks to see how this all plays out. Not gonna lie and say I don't WANNA win, but I consider having made it THIS far a HUGE thing. Sooo thrilled!!

Butterfly Blues

I really love being a Challenge Hostess on SCS ... one of my favorite things to do in the stamping universe!! It was my turn, once again, to hostess the Free for All challenge for today. I chose to do paper piercing ... for a couple of reasons First of all, I haven't done it a lot in the past couple of years. And secondly, I got some WONDERFUL new paper piercing goodies from the new Stampin' Up catalog!! LOVING them to bits!! (As well as this GORGEOUS butterfly punch and stamp!!)

I am totally excited today, too! My mom's house has been on the market for well over two years (almost two and a half, actually!). She has been with 24-48 hours of closing on a sale about 5 times!! We are FINALLY going to close this morning!! The buyer had a BUNCH of cash to put down, his loan has been secured, and he already has a cashier's check for my mom!! This is SUCH good news!! Such has had sooo much anxiety over this (which has been felt by all of us!). Sooo happy to have this going well!! What a relief!!

Is it really going to be the weekend already??? Boy-oh-boy! This week has just ZIPPED right on by!! Gonna by a WARM weekend (up in the 100's+)! YAY Summer!!

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Island Indigo, Pool Party, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Island Indigo,White Signo Gel Pen
Accessories: Elegant Butterfly Punch, Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies, Paper Piercing Pack Essentials, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Pearl Basics, Designer Label Punch, Extra Large Oval Punch, Bitty Banners Framelits

Freakin' Into the New Catalog!!

Welcome, friends! This month the Freaks are sharing some of the new stampy goodness from the AWESOME 2012-13 Stampin' Up Catalog. You should have just come from the blog of my freakishly and abnormally-on-time buddy, JanTink!! She is sooo amazing with color ... I wanna be like her when I grow up ...



First off, y'all KNEW I was gonna have to share something with BUTTERFLIES, right? We have a NEW butterfly punch!! Joy!! Happiness!! Rapture!!! I am IN LOVE!! And the coordinating stamps are GORGEOUS!!!! Sigh ... more butterflies for me to chase!

Stamps: Papillon Potpourri, Create a Cupcake
Paper: Basic Black, Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight, Lucky Limeade, Tempting Turquoise, Wisteria Wonder
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Fancy Fan Textured Impression Folder, Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon, Extra Large Oval Punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Square Punch



On to my second card ... which is also kind "buggy" ... I am also a HUGE fan of bumblebees!! And this one just HAD to be accompanied by some red polka dots, don'tcha think?

Stamps: Bug Me
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Polka Dot Parade DSP, Vellum
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Delicate Designs Textured Impressions Folder, Pearl Basics, Daffodil Delight Seam Binding


And last, but certainly NOT least ... here is a great little quick and easy gift. I am ALWAYS buying stuff at Bath and Body Works to give away ... so here is a fun way to jazz up a bottle of anti-bacterial soap.

Stamps: Reason to Smile, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade, Floral District DSP
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade
Accessories: Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Extra Large Oval Punch, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Bitty Banners Framelits

And now ... on to the marvelous Yvette Ashe!! LOVE her creativity!!

Squares for Dad

It's been a whirlwind several days! My daughter and I headed up to Logan and Utah State University last Friday for new student orientation (I was doing just FINE with it until she went and got her student ID card ... came back and proudly showed it to me ... nearly cried!). Then, we hustled off to our family condo at Bear Lake on the Utah/Idaho border. The boys and their dad were down in southern Utah with their uncle/cousins for some hiking in Zions National Park. We were all spread across the state ... happy to report that everyone made it home safe and sound yesterday afternoon.

Which brings me to a confession ... I hadn't done a SINGLE THING for Father's Day. I've been battling a nasty cold/sinus issue for about a month. My brain is fuzzy, so I guess I can blame my lack of action on that, right?? So, my husband reminds me that we need to go visit his dad ... and I didn't have a card or anything!! So, I pulled this together and we picked him a large bowl of fresh raspberries from our garden ... so that took care of that!

Gonna head out to the ENT clinic this morning where they are doing a CT scan of my head to see what is in there (if they happen to find NO brain, it will confirm what my husband has suspected for years!). Hopefully they will find where they need to pull the plug so everything can drain out!! Ewwww!!

Stamps: Family Reunion
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: 1 3/8" Square Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, 1" Square Punch, Large Oval Punch, Chevron Textured Impression Folder, Neutrals Button, Paper Piercing Tool/Template/Mat

Surrounded ...

... by flowers!! I am embarrassed to admit that most of the new stamp sets I bought from the catalog are floral ... of one sort or another! Embarrassed??? Okay, maybe too strong of a word. But I do think that it is funny that I am drawn, over and over again, to flowers!! (and it's not like I don't have about a gajillion flowers stamps already!)!

I made this for my niece and nephew who are celebrating their 13th wedding anniversary (and getting ready to welcome baby #6!). Soo happy for them and their beautiful family!! (And is it weird to admit that I am in LOVE with this Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon??? I'm using it on EVERYthing lately!)

I am heading up to Utah State University with my daughter tomorrow so she can do the orientation thing, and then we can go to our family's condo at Bear Lake. YAY Bear Lake!! My weekend begins tomorrow ... HOORAY!!

Stamps: Summer Silhouettes, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party, Whisper White
Ink: Island Indigo, Lucky Limeade, Pool Party
Accessories: Word Window Punch, Itty Bitty Circle Punch, Adorning Accents Edgelits Die, Paper Piercing Mat, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearl Basics

Polka Dot Birthday

I lovelovelove this polka dot paper!! FUN!!! Which is why I made this card for my nephew's birthday ...

I went a little crazy with the dots here, but it makes me happy!

Stamps: Everything Eleanor, Family Reunion
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Polka Dot Parade DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Accessories: Apothecary Accents Framelits Die, Large (Wide) Oval Punch, Whisper White Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Brads, 3/4 Circle Punch

Had a fun weekend. We had a barbecue with my daughter and all the kids in our neighborhood who have grown up together and graduated together. All of them (except one who moved here in the 4th grade) have known each other since they were born. VERY cool that they have kept friendships close all these years. I hope they can keep tabs on each other a bit as the years go by ... :)

Passages ...

It almost seems as though you blink and whole chunks of time just pass you by. I honestly feel like the older I get, the more rapidly things go whizzing past ...

My youngest daughter graduated from high school yesterday. Can I have a do-over? I sooo miss the days when my kids were small (I thought at the time I had NO control over my life ... little did I know that the REAL "no control" zone was during the teen years!). It is such a bittersweet thing. While I am thrilled at her accomplishments and excited for the things she will experience the next few years as she heads off to college, I am sad for the passage of time and the things that I won't get to go back and do again ... sigh ...

I made her this card yesterday morning while she was getting ready to go. While it was REALLY fun to play with some of my new SU goodies, I couldn't help but reflect on so many of the events that had transpired to get her to this special day. No idea where the time went ...

Stamps: Stippled Blossoms, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant
Ink: Always Artichoke, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant
Accessories: Whisper White Satin/Organza Ribbon, Delicate Designs Textured Impressions Folder, Word Window Punch

Here is my baby ... and I actually made her the lei with the flowers around her neck figured paper flowers would last longer than "real" ones ...

Now if I could just get the antibiotics to kick in so my sinus infection would go away ... sigh ... would LOVE for this to pass on by!!

Finally!!!

I got a bunch of stuff from the new Stampin' Up catalog via a preorder ... WEEKS ago!! My life has been so out-of-control busy since then that i haven't had time to really look it over and play with it!! Sad, sad, sad!!

So, today I FINALLY go the chance to play with it (should REALLY have been working on my daughter's graduation announcements, but I did this card instead ... gotta do those darn things ... SOON!)! This card is a big plain and simple, but I am really liking the colors and the images from this set. I used this card as the sample for the Free for All Challenge I hosted on SCS today. The challenge was to make a graduation/congratulatory card that DIDN"T have a cap, diploma or owl on it! (Which basically means that ANYthing goes!)

CanNOT believe that my "baby" is going to graduate from high school next week. I have NO idea where the past 18 years have gone ... and I am NOT old enough to have three grown children. Sigh ... I sure miss my little ones. (Not like they "left" ... they just grew up, dang it!!)

Stamps: Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners
Paper: Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Whisper White
Ink: Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, Raspberry Ripple, Gumball Green
Accessories: Itty Bitty Banners Dies, Whisper White Grosgrain Stitched Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Folder, Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die, Rhinestone Basics

Happy weekend, friends!

A Freaky Farewell ...

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of the Stampin' Up year. I LOVE that we are going to be working from a new catalog (SOOOO much wonderfulness to look forward to!). But I HATE to have to say goodbye to so many lovely stamps and accessories. You should have just come from the a-MAZ-ing projects done by Patty Bennett ... if you don't have everything you need to make them, act quickly!! The catalog is still good until May 30 ...

Which brings me to my first card. Ahhhhh ... Baroque Motifs. It has long been one of my most favoritist stamp sets (that swirly flourish is DIVINE!!). Combined with the also-retiring Medallion stamp set, ticket corner punch (whimper!), Short & Sweet sentiment and Eyelet Border Punch (double-whimper!), this card is LOADED with things on the Farewell List!! (To help you out, all retiring items are italicized in the descriptions.)

Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Medallion, Short & Sweet
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Whisper White
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, Small Oval Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, Boho Blossoms Punch, Linen Thread, Pearl Basics

This card also contains some of my favorites. I have really loved the Ornate Blossom stamp (which is a larger version of an image from "Friends Never Fade - used in the background strip here). Sometimes clean and simple just really gets my attention.

Stamps: Ornate Blossom, Friends Never Fade, Short & Sweet
Paper: Night of Navy, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White
Ink: Night of Navy, Rich Razzleberry, Pink Pirouette
Accessories: Eyelet Border Punch, Modern Label Punch, Demin Ribbon, Pearl Basics

Finally, I made this sweet little pillow box (will also miss seeing THAT die!). How could I do a farewell without a butterfly or two in there SOMEwhere?? What a happy pair!!

Stamps: Butterfly Prints
Paper: Whisper White
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Daffodil Delight
Accessories: Pillow Box Bigz Die, Butterfly Punch, Basic Black Taffeta Ribbon, Flower Brads (Brights), Rhinestone Basics, Finial Press Textured Impressions Folder

Time to move on to the wonderfully-talented Connie Babbert!! FABULOUS!!