Friends...

For the next few days I will be posting our make-n-takes from convention. The first night of convention we had a make-n-take pajama-rama party. It was so much fun! Almost everyone showed up in their pajamas (and if you didn't have any they even sold Dream Big pajamas at their Momento Mall). My best bud Kim had pajamas made for her team and was kind enough to include me! So, we had sparkly pajama bottoms and a 2007 flag t-shirt from Old Navy. I will have to get a hold of a picture to post. Kim's team's name is the Red, White and Blue Stampers (hence the reason for the kind of pajamas we wore). Anyway, when we got to the party there were tables set up for us with a water bottle and a box of Whoppers (YUM). Then we just got out our stamps and started making all the projects! We had 4 hours to do it in and it seemed to be plenty of time.

This first project I am showing is a 12 x 12 page. At convention they had these photo booths set up with people taking pictures. Kim and I had ours taken together. They took the picture in a sepia tone which is very pretty. The purpose of the photo booth was so that we could use the picture on the scrapbook page! Clever!! While I probably would never re-create this page it did turn out very cute. It is just very time consuming. I love quick and easy!! But I am glad to have it! By the way, the page is inside the front of our convention bags! We always get a convention bag and this year's bag had a "window" on the front and we could slide our page right in! Clever!! One other thing I want everyone to note are the letters. The word Friends is stamped with our Jumbo Outline Alphabet in Chocolate Chip onto the Kraft cardstock. Then we took a VersaMarker and just colored inside each letter! Clever!! As you can see and will continue to see, I learned a lot of "clever" things at convention! Enjoy!

Page Recipe: Stamps- Jumbo Outline Alphabet; Cardstock- Kraft, Rose Red, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue, So Saffron Prints designer paper; Ink- Chocolate Chip, VersaMarker; Accessories- Build-A-Flower accents & elements, pewter build-a-brad, Wild Wasabi double stitched ribbon, natural hemp, 5-petal flower punch, photo corners punch, circle punches, dimensionals, staples

Simply Said

O.k. Here is my third and final swap card for convention. I did come back with about 10 of these that didn't get swapped out. But I am sure that I will find someone to give them to! I know that I can cut the wasabi cardstock just a bit and then mount it onto a white card to be able to mail it to some of my closest friends. This was a last minute card! I came up with it on Monday and I left Tuesday! I did finish them all up by Tuesday night so they were ready to swap on Wednesday!

Convention was so much fun this year! I am sad that it is over but I am excited for next year! Want to join me in Salt Lake for three wild and crazy days of stamping fun? Be sure to ask me how you can get there! Keep checking back as I will be loading the make-n-takes from convention.

This card layout is actually copied from one of our inspiration sheets - Lively Leaves. I just loved the layout! It is so simple! The stamp set isn't a new one but the colors are. If you would like some inspiration sheets (as I have a ton of them), be sure to ask me how to get some!!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Simply Said; Cardstock- Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Bashful Blue, Confetti White; Ink- Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue, Purely Pomegranate, Black stazon; Accessories- Light Blue gingham, gold brads, dimensionals, blender pen, corner rounder

Convention Swap Cards

As promised, I am posting my convention swap cards. I actually have one more but didn't get a picture of it and my camera is loaded up! I will post it when I get back. I am so excited! The first card is a card you may well recognize. Well, the layout anyway. Check a few posts back - Doodle This. Same layout! I just loved it so much! On both cards I used the Crafter's Tool Kit - piercing pad, piercer and template - to make the five holes on the top right hand side and then just put in two brads in every other one. I had seen this idea on another card I had received from a swap and just loved the idea! That same idea is used on the Heartfelt ATC (artist trading card). The ATC idea came from that same swap card. I just love the color combination! The Christmas card turned out better than I would have thought! I actually copied the layout from the new Fall/Winter Collection catalog! Check it out. It's on page 142! I did add the brads. I am into a "gotta have brads AND ribbon" mode! On my convention card I used silver brads because I didn't have enough black brads. And check out the Christmas tree. I used one of Kim's inventive techniques - Punched Confetti! The stamp has dots on the tree. So I got out my 1/8" and my 1/16" punches and punched out the dots. Then I backed that piece with pomegranate so it would show through! Thanks, Kim for such a great idea!!

Remember, I won't be posting again until next week! But be checking often for some great ideas! Have a great week!!

Card Recipes: (Flower card) Stamps- Flowers & Flourish; Cardstock- Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Whisper White; Ink- Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi, Basic Black; Accessories- Black gingham, black brads, Crafter's Tool Kit, dimensionals

(Flower ATC) Stamps- Heartfelt Thanks, Itty Bitty Backgrounds; Cardstock- Pumpkin Pie, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Whisper White; Ink- Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy; Accessories- Crafter's Tool Kit, Pumpkin Pie grosgrain, Not Quite Navy brads

(Christmas Card) Stamps- Year After Year, Happy Everything; Cardstock- Old Olive, Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black, Kraft, Confetti Cream; Ink- Black StazOn, Old Olive, Purely Pomegranate; Accessories- Crafter's Tool Kit, silver brads, black gingham, dimensionals

A Groovy Flower

Well, convention is just a few days away! I actually will be leaving tomorrow and convention starts on Wednesday!!! I can hardly wait!! I am leaving tomorrow with my good friend, Kim and we will be taking a little detour to Ft. Collins to visit a wonderful scrapbooking store!! It is one of our favorites (after Country At Heart of course). I am sure that we will be finding some "goodies" to play with! So, I will try to post one more card tomorrow morning before I leave but then I won't be able to until next Monday. Then I should have some wonderful new ideas to show!!

This card is one that my wonderful friend, Becky helped me with. I was stumped on how to make this card come together - Thanks, Becky! I got to use my cool new tool, the crop-a-dile! It is so awesome!! It punches paper (and thick paper or cardboard) SO easily!! And it sets eyelets with ease and no noise! I love that tool!! The jumbo eyelets are new as well. Love those, too!! This card is actually for a swap I am in at convention. We were supposed to use the Pick A Petal set and here is what I came up with! Enjoy!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Pick A Petal, Curvy Verses; Cardstock- Blue Bayou, Whisper White, River Rock; Ink- Blue Bayou, Groovy Guava, Not Quite Navy; Accessories- Blue Bayou double stitched ribbon, antique brass jumbo eyelets, dimensionals, 3/4" circle punch

Doodle This!!

Good morning everyone! Hope your day is special! I have an interview today so I am going to make this quick.

Here is a layout that I copied from my good friend Becky. Thanks, Becky! She has an awesome card class every month that I am privileged to be a part of. While she doesn't use Stampin' Up! products, I still get so many wonderful ideas from her class! And this is one of them. Actually, this was a card they had done before I was a regular. But when I saw it I loved it! So, I had to figure out how to use the layout with Stampin' Up! products! And this is what I came up with! The stitched ribbon on this card has been discontinued but black gingham would be perfect as well! I have also copied this layout for my convention swap card! I used a different set and colors but the layout is practically the same! Enjoy!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Doodle This, Much Appreciated; Cardstock- Ruby Red, Old Olive, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black, Very Vanilla; Ink- Black StazOn, Old Olive, Basic Black; Accessories- Watercolor Wonder Crayons, ribbon, vintage brads, Crafter's Tool Kit, dimensionals

Recognize This Card?

Well, do you? Just check the card from yesterday! Same one!! Well, actually it is the same layout. Cool, huh!! I love doing that! Like I said yesterday, the layout is copied from a Stampin' Success magazine that I get once a month because I am a demonstrator. I told you it was way cool to be a demonstrator! When I find a layout I just love I want to find other stamps and images that will fit the layout and make more in many different colors! Kind of like finding a shirt that looks really good on you and it is so comfortable that you buy that same shirt in every color! I think it is fun to combine different colors together (of course I use my color wheel for help). I hope you enjoy this card, again. Thanks for stopping by!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Baroque Motifs; Cardstock- Blue Bayou, Mellow Moss, Bravo Burgundy, Kraft; Ink- Bravo Burgundy, Blue Bayou; Accessories- sponges, brad, Bravo Burgundy grosgrain, slit punch, Crafter's Tool Kit, dimensionals

Friend Card

Hello everyone in blogger land! I just finished looking through the NEW upcoming Holiday mini catalog from Stampin' Up! Stampin' Up! has posted it on their website so that demonstrators can go look at it! We will get to order from it starting August 1 and the public will get to order starting September 1. It's so fun to be a demonstrator!!! I just love those sneak peeks! Anyway, it is just wonderful! I had to make my wish list already and now I have to decide what can wait and what I have to have at once!! I can't wait to share with you all what is in it!

My friend card today is one that I pretty much copied from a Stampin' Success magazine. They had used a different stamp set but I believe the colors are the same. The thing that I just realized is that the background stamp that I used is no longer available. So sorry! But not to worry as many of our wonderful background stamps would work in its place!! Also, there are two jumbo wheels that coordinate with this set that would be perfect as well! The chocolate 1/4" grosgrain is not available but it is in the 5/8". That might seem too big but there is the Chocolate Chip taffeta that would be great to use. Love that taffeta!! Enjoy!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Everyday Flexible Phrases, Simply Said; Cardstock- Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Bordering Blue, Confetti White; Ink- Chocolate Chip, More Mustard; Accessories- Crafter's Tool Kit, slit punch, Vintage brads, ribbon, sponge, dimensionals

Ready To Swing?

These are pictures of a swing card that I made for a swap that I was in. I took some different pictures so you could get the idea of what a swing card is and maybe even how it works. I really enjoyed making these and it isn't too difficult to do! I may have to try and put the directions on my blog one of these days. I like it, too, because the size is the same as a regular card and will fit inside the envelope very easily! When I first made this card I had used the Ivory narrow organdy ribbon. Well, Stampin' Up! no longer sells organdy ribbon wide or narrow any longer. So, I purchased some of our new taffeta ribbon and OOOOOHHH! I do love that new taffeta ribbon! It is so pretty!! I just can't wait to have all the beautiful new colors!!! I don't know if you can tell, but I did some piercing on the River Rock piece in front of the word kind (......kind). When you make this card you have to remember that the front panel (in this case the chocolate chip piece) will hide some of the main image so you have to "scoot" it over so it will show when the card is closed. I also sponged the River Rock piece. The main image is popped up and I added a few brads. Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Baroque Motifs; Cardstock- Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Old Olive; Ink- Chocolate Chip, River Rock; Accessories- Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon, gold brads, Crafter's Tool Kit, dimensionals, sponge, paper trimmer (cutting and scoring blades)

Pick a Petal

Hello Everyone out there in the blogging world! I have been busy cleaning out and up my stamp room! YIKES! What a real mess it has been!! So messy, in fact, that it was impossible to "play". That's when I knew there had to be a change. So, instead of playing with new "toys" I got out trashbags and boxes (to start organizing) and made some room on my work table. You can actually see it now! And when I walk in I actually smile!! I can't wait to get it finished. But I think I might have to take some time to play today. I am having withdrawls!!

Today's card is using the new Pick a Petal stamp set. I also used the white gel pen to create those white lines on the guava piece (or as my good friend Sherry calls them, "Those stinkin' black/white lines!"). Maybe this will be our make-n-take at the convention get together! What do you think Sherry? I also created the scalloped border using my corner rounder with the guides taken off. With a little practice it is easy to do! Even my son has been practicing making scalloped borders! Enjoy!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Pick a Petal, Hugs and Wishes; Cardstock- Blue Bayou, Sky Blue, Groovy Guava, Whisper White; Ink- Groovy Guava, Blue Bayou; Accessories- White grosgrain, white gel pen, dimensionals, sponge, corner rounder

Flowers & Flourish

Well, it's really cloudy today so I hope that the picture took o.k. I hate using a flash so I took one outside. Anyway, this is the new Flowers & Flourish stamp set! This was the stamp set that demonstrators received FREE on the FREE cruise that we can earn. No, I didn't earn the cruise but one of my downline did and she let me borrow her set - Thanks, Emily!!

I got the idea for this card from the catalog's Simply Sent kits - Friendship Shapes. The color choices came from one of our new Simply Scrappin' kits. Keep browsing through the catalog for many wonderful color choices and card ideas!

I am also using this set to do my swap cards for convention. I am not going to post that card until after convention. I want it to be a surprise!! Thanks for stopping by!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Flowers & Flourish; Cardstock- Taken With Teal, Sahara Sand, Basic Black, Old Olive, Rose Red Prints paper; Ink- Taken With Teal, Basic Black; Accessories- Silver brad, black gingham ribbon

I'm Baaaack!!!

Yes, I am back!! Did you miss me? It's always good to be home but I sure do miss my family! I know my husband is glad to have us home!! Anyway, it was so much fun and my mom and I had a great time going through the catalog over and over and over again!! We even found some time to do a little stamping! I had wanted to visit some scrapbook stores while I was there but we just ran out of time. So much to do!

As promised I am now showing samples made only with product from the current Fall/Winter Collection catalog. This one is a card I made for a recent swap I was in. I used the layout from a card I saw in a Cards magazine. It is actually very simple to make and looks really great! Don't you think? I have a list of card ideas that I am wanting to try so I hope they turn out o.k. so I can post them! Thanks for looking and have a great day!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Year After Year, See You Around jumbo wheel; Cardstock- Sky Blue, Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, Whisper White; Ink- Black Staz On, Sky Blue, Wild Wasabi, Groovy Guava; Accessories- silver brads, dimensionals, blender pen

Let's Get Sassy!

Happy July! I will be leaving for vacation today and will be back a week from tomorrow! I am so excited to be able to go and see my family! And where they live, we will be able to have some fun with the fireworks!! My son is so excited about that! Anyway, I won't be posting anything until I get back so don't write me off!!

This card doesn't use anything really new but everything on it is current! I was looking at some of the cards I had made using new stamps but some of my accessories were discontinued so I am waiting for my first order to arrive to change out some of those accessories. What is new on this card is the name of the ribbon. If you have the turquoise grosgrain ribbon then you have the same color. Stampin' Up! just changed its name to Tempting Turquoise to match our color names. Clever! I did copy this card from last year's catalog. So bright and cheery! Looks like summertime! Thanks for stopping by!

Card Recipe: Stamps- Sassy Stems; Cardstock- Gable Green, Only Orange, Tempting Turquoise, Confetti White; Ink- Tempting Turquoise, Only Orange, Green Galore stamp pads; Accessories- Blender Pen, Tempting Turquoise 1/4" grosgrain, dazzling diamonds glitter