TGIF!

This weeks featured stamper is Ruthie Burkey. I have never had the pleasure of meeting Ruthie, but am looking forward to meeting her at Max's Birthday bash! Here is what she has to say about herself:


I am a NAHM (Never at home Mom) LOL! I have a DH of 23 years, Ralph, a son who will be 21 in May, Joshua and my mother and sister also live with us. I am the primary caregiver for my Mom and I have three jobs. I work part time for a friend of mine doing bookkeeping work, I work part time and teach at our local Stamp Store and, of course, I do Stampin' Up! I love doing techniques and do a technique class as well as two stamp camps in my home each month. My other hobbies are singing, which I do in our choir at church, and I also love Cross-stitch though I don't have a lot of time to do it.I met Dear Max on another group. She and some of the other Utah girls got in trouble for talking (gasp!) on the other group so Max formed Utah Divas and the rest is history, she invited some of us and we invited some people and before long Utah Divas was International!!!!!!! Thank you so much for having me as a Featured Stamper. It is quite an honor!


Here are the directions for making Ruthie's card:


Cardstock: Almost Amethyst, Confetti White
Inks: Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery Craft Ink, Versamark, Almost Amethyst and Certainly Celery Markers
Stamp Set: Best Kind of Friend
Accessories: Certainly Celery Narrow Grosgrain, Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware, Silver Embossing Powder
Technique:BRAYERED SPOTS
Supplies:Two to three colors of Craft Spots, Brayer, White Cardstock


Secure spots about 1” to 2” apart on worksurface. Ink the brayer by rolling in small strokes across the spots and also moving side to side being careful not to mix the colors. The ink will be in uneven patches on the brayer. Roll the brayer across the cardstock in one direction until most of the ink is off of the brayer reinking as needed. If you have to start another row, stagger it with the first row. After the cardstock is rolled in one direction, turn it 90 degrees and roll it again. After rolling in this direction you may roll a third color to blend or just leave as is and embellish and mat as desired.


Try this techinique, and have fun! Thanks for visiting!
Jennifer Thomas

If you would like to know more about Ruthie, please feel free to check out her Demonstrator Website! http://www.stampinwithruthieb.stampinup.net/

Flowers and Cherries

Happy Thursday Everyone!!

The spotlight shines on Cindy Bergh today! She created this 3x3 card using the Felt Flowers from the Spring/Summer Collection as well as Rub-Ons, Fire Rhinestone Brads, and Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate, and Only Orange Card Stock.
To find out a little more about this talented Diva, here's what she has to say:

"I have been a demo for about two years. I have a career in which I work full time and stamping is my de-stressor. I did not even know stamping or SU existed until 3 years ago. I actually was invited to a workshop but could not go. I wanted to support the hostess so I bought $50 worth of stamps. When they came, I did not even know how to mount them (no instructions either). I just slapped the entire piece of rubber onto the wood block. I just looked at them after that (I didn’t even have any ink). I had a good friend come over a few weeks later, and I wanted to show her what I bought. I think we were talking about buying things that we did not know what to do with. You all must know what it is like to impulse buy? She took one look at the beautiful stamps I had bought and said “Cindy what did you do?”. She took my stamps home so she could remount them for me and then invited a demo over to give me an individual stamping session. After the session and $200 later, I was hooked and have been ever since.

Mary Kay guided me to UDI. My upline has never been very active and it has been hard getting to know local demos. I met Mary Kay when she invited me to hang out with her at the 2006 convention. Mary Kay knew everyone, and she made sure that I was connected. I will be forever grateful to that wonderful SU sister. If it was not for her, I may not be as capable as I am today. You see everything I learn about being a demo comes from the demos I meet and greet online. UDI is my number one go to for SU information, and just general how to’s of a SU demo. You ladies are all awesome and I read the forum everyday. I know I don’t participate very much, but I really am in the phase of being teachable.

My stamping business, is what I use to support my stamping hobby. I put everything I make right back into stamping and it is what I use to purchase all the great goodies that I play with. The great news is my stamping does not come out of the family budget. The bad news is I need a bigger house. My stamping room is getting cluttered. I love teaching stamping and I have made the best friends I have ever met through stamping. You all have such warm hearts. I have learned so much about myself through my stamping. I have learned that I love to teach stamping and I love to sell SU. I have learned that a little bit of encouragement to my customers to give them pride in their projects goes a long way. But most of all I have learned that I am a very creative woman. Wow now who would have ever figured that I had this in me? Certainly not me! (I can’t even draw stick people) You know I have days where I will complete a project and just wow myself. I have grown into a creative individual, and I have each of you to thank for that.

So to complete this little blurb about who I am, I just want to say thank you. Thank you all for helping me through sharing your creativity with me. My stamping is a patchwork of what you all have shared with me. Thank you"

...........and Thank You Cindy, for sharing your creativity with all of us! :)

Cindy also has a tutorial to share with us:

Gift card holder

One piece of 4 ¼ x 11" card stock.

2 pcs of Designer paper 2 ½ x 4"

Belly band measures ¾ x 8" (cut off excess)
Sticky Strip Tape
Word Window Punch
1-1/4" Circle Punch
Scallop Punch

Take your 4-1/4" x 11" card stock and score at 2 ¾, 5 ½ and 8 ¼ so it will fold up like a "W".

Once you have your folded “W”, take your word window punch and punch at the 5 ½ score half way, and making sure you punch at least ¼ from each end. Punch out the center with your circle punch. Secure the center of the “W” with Sticky Strip, bringing the 2 ¾ and 8 ¼ score fold together. The entire piece looks a little like a book.

Secure your designer paper onto each side of the holder. Wrap your belly band around the holder, and cut off any excess. Then secure your center piece (or your scalloped piece) to your belly band. You now have your holder ready to go, just insert a gift card. It should look like the one below:
The cute little cherry stamp is from the Tart & Tangy stamp set and the Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper both can be found in the new Occasions Mini Collection that runs from March 1st - May 31st.
You can see more of Cindy's great work at her Blog.

Happy Stampin' my friends!!!

~Maria :)

Into the Scrap pile!

I am sure that if you are anything like me you save every piece of paper and cardstock which are leftovers from a project you have done. Also, if it is anything like mine they are overflowing! I have tried many ways to store and keep these cut offs/scraps but was never happy ... well till now :)

I've been using this system for a while and I find as the scraps are handy to my work area I just need pull a drawer open and there they are! now in saying that I need to work some more with my soft subtle scraps!
It also makes tidying up quick and easy - well it would if i did tidy my table! I have a drawer for each family plus another set of drawers on the shelf above for the patterned papers scraps.

I was at a loss today on what to blog here and I saw some of the girls on UDI talk about storing their paper scraps so I thought I'd share how I store mine and also make a couple of things to show you that you can use those bits left over instead of putting them in the recycling bin or giving them to the kids!

Here are a couple of 4x4 cards I made a while ago using scraps from the Enchante Papers and the Carte Postale Stamp Set. I love these little cards as they are just so quick & easy.

I wanted to make something new for you and thought well I only have one more month left with the Summer Mini here in Australia so I'd use up some of those papers.

Here is a 6x6 layout I whipped up tonite using scraps from the Loves Me papers - yes these too are in the Summer Mini Catalogue so will be gone after 31st March.

I have just used strips of the papers and used the small corner rounder to give them a decorative edge. I've also punched out the circles from the same paper pack and raised them with Stampin Dimensionals.

I quite love this layout but then this little angel is easy to scrap!

Recipe for Love U layout
Stamps: Dream come true, Big Deal Alpha
Papers: Loves Me Designer Series Papers
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Accessories: Stampin Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, small corner rounder punch

It's a Baby Shower!

It’s Tuesday again and I have another very talented stamper to introduce to you. Her name is Adriana Benitez from Florida. I have not had the opportunity to meet Adriana in person yet, but from what I know about her over e-mail and group posts, she is a very sweet, caring and thoughtful woman. And very talented! Here is some more information from Adriana herself:

"I am happily married and have 2 fantastic little boys, aged 7 and 8. We live in Melbourne, FL and really love it here. Aside from taking care of my family, I volunteer at school and in our neighborhood and devote the rest of my time to crafting! I've been a Stampin' Up! demo for about 2 1/2 years now and am really enjoying everything it has brought to my life. The ladies at UDI have made the experience even better. There is such a wonderful spirit here; so helpful not only in business but in our personal lives as well. I find myself learning as much as I can about paper-crafting not only for myself, but so that I can share it with our wonderful ladies and thank them for all the help I've received. I can't wait until convention so that I will get a chance to officially meet some of the Divas! Until then, ((hugs)) to you all and THANK YOU for everything!"

The projects Adriana is sharing with us today are ones she made for a baby shower. What mother-to-be wouldn’t be thrilled to have these projects at her baby shower?!

Shower Invitation - The baby is a girl, but the mama wanted a safari theme - so fun!

Stamps: Zoofari (love the monkey!) and Wild about You!

Paper: Pixie Pink, Gable Green, Whisper White, Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue and Sage Shadow (on the jars and bags)

Ink Pads: Craft White, Basic Brown

Stampin' Write Markers: Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink, Close to Cocoa, Blush Blossom

Other: Circle Punches (1-1/4" and 1-3/8"), Heat Tool, White Embossing Powder, Paper Snips

Baby Food Jar Favors

Stamps: Riveting (retired), Simply Circles

Paper: Whisper White, Pixie Pink, Apricot Appeal, Blush Blossom, Bashful Blue and Sage Shadow

Ink Pads: Sage Shadow, Apricot Appeal, Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, Pretty in Pink, Pixie Pink

Other: Scallop Punch, Circle Punches (1-1/4" and 1-3/8")

The same colors were used for the party favors. Some additional tools used for the favors: Scallop Punch, Word Window punch- where the purse tab slips in.

The chipboard shapes were painted and adhered to jumbo paper clips.

We also added some altered pens and note cards. The cards were for her friends to write encouraging notes or bits of advice for the new mom.

The template for these purses can be found on Jan Tink’s blog: http://stampspaperscissors.typepad.com/stamps_paper_scissors/

Thanks, Adriana, for sharing these projects with us. I'm going to CASE (Copy And Share Everything) the purses for certain!

Have fun stampin' and creatin', everyone!

Magnificent Monday

Hello!

Hope you had a wonderful weekend. I am so happy to introduce you to "Kellie Paxton". Kellie is one of our newer Divas. I am loving getting to know her.

Here is what Kellie wrote about herself.

"My name is Kellie Paxton and I have been a Stampin' Up! Creative Coach since June 2006. I have been married to my handsome husband for 18 years and we have two amazing teenage boys. Alex is 17 and Tyler is 14. Both of my boys play soccer and will both be playing on the local High School Team this next year. I am currently, and have been for the past 3 years, the Boys High School Soccer Team mom. That gives me 32 more boys to keep track of! As a family we are very involved with Boy Scouts of America. Alex is an Eagle Scout and has twisted our arms to start a Venture Crew. This is a group of co-ed teens ranging in age from 14 to 20. We are a High Adventure group that focuses on Community Service. And if that is not enough, my husband Michael and I also own our own Upholstery business and I work part time as a Bailiff for the local courts. As you might think, I am on the go, ALL the time! I love it! I live in one of the most beautiful places in the United States. Bayfield, Colorado is located in the southwest corner of Colorado near the Four Corners. This is where the dessert meets the mountains! I have recently become a member of UDI and I am so appreciative of everyone's kindness, support and friendship. I could not ask for anything more!"

I asked Kellie to share a scrapbooking page with us today and she used a technique I have never tried before. Here are the supplies you will need and of course the directions.

"For this page I decided to use my favorite products. SARAN WRAP (who can live without it!) The Wildlife Reserve and Lovely as a Tree stamps sets. I made a Mountain template using Kraft cardstock. I just tore the cardstock until I got the look I wanted. Then using Soft Sky Classic Ink and my trusty Saran Wrap I sponged on the first row of mountains. Then I lightly sponged near the edges of the template with Blue Bayou Classic Ink. I repeated this whole process using Lavender Lace and Perfect Plum Classic Inks. Then using Certainly Celery and Mellow Moss, I sponged in the grassy area. Using White Craft Ink, I sponged in some clouds. I then stamped three sets of the trees from the Lovely as a Tree set across the base of the mountains in Basic Brown Classic Ink. Then I embossed my favorite animals from the Wildlife Reserve set with Black embossing powder. I added a title and date using the Best Friends Alphabet and Numbers sets. Now I can add pictures. I had some random pictures left over. So I matted them in corresponding colors as to where they were placed on the page! Cardstock that was used is: Kraft, Bashful Blue, Old Olive and Elegant Eggplant.

Whenever I have just a few pictures and they are of varying sizes I try to put a more artistic spin on the page! I hope you like it!"

AND FINALLY......drum roll please. This is so awesome. Kellie and her hubby make these fabulous swap boxes. How cool is this? Want to be organized with your swaps at convention? Then this is for you! AND I have to tell you I am simply elated at our Divas Charm, created by Kellie. (UDI Logo created by Selene Kempton of Dracut , MA) For all members of UDI who buy a "Swap Box", Kellie will add a Diva Charm for FREE.

"The box makes swapping "Hands Free"! The waist belt also doubles as a shoulder strap for easy carrying when you are not swapping. The box is approximately 13" square and has clear windows on the lid and three sides for you to display all your swaps. The lid Velcro's shut. The Inkredible Swap box also has a couple of accessories to choose from. Card Pockets to hold standard card size of 4 1/4 x 5 1/2. The card pockets come in sets of 3. Each box will hold 2 sets (six pockets).

Also available is the Airline Sleeve for those who will be traveling to Leadership, Regionals and Convention! This is a zippered pocket that the swap box will fit into, including the waist belt. Of course, when traveling this will need to be a carry on item. The airline sleeve simply keeps all your swaps safe and sound inside the swap box. Since the box only Velcro's shut on one side it is important to have and airline sleeve to assure your beautiful swaps are not lost!
The Inkredible Swap Box sells for $39.95. A set of 3 Card Pockets sell for $9.95 and the Airline Sleeve sells for $14.95. The special for the Divas is: Buy an Inkredible Swap Box at $39.95 plus shipping and receive a set of 3 Card Pockets FREE! Also, included with the Diva's Swap Box is a special Utah Divas Charm, FREE! This will be a great way to recognize a Diva at Convention!

If you would like more information on how to purchase this Swap Box, please contact me directly via email: kellieanyn@msn.com "

Thank you Kellie!

Happy Stampin' everyone!

Max

If you would like more information on joining our awesome online group "Utah Divas International" please send an email to utahdivasinternational@gmail.com

Silly Saturday

Today I have the pleasure of introducing Joanne (aka JavaJoanne) to the world. She is definitely one of the funniest people I know. She can make you cry from laughter. I'm so glad to be able to call her my friend. One day....we will meet in person. :) Here is what she has to say:

I am addicted to stamping... I collect FUNNY rubber stamps and COFFEE rubber stamps. I also love "postoids" that you stamp on envelopes (Help stamp out NAKED envelopes!). I have a FABULOUS husband who never complains when I get more stamps and three INCREDIBLE children; Andrew is 14, Jonathan is 12, Jennilyn is 9. They are so fun to raise, they make me smile every day. I also sell Pampered Chef which is a fun part-time job- I love inspiring people to cook and to eat around the kitchen table with their families. We live in Ramona California which is near San Diego. I have lived in San Diego all of my 29 years... ha! ha! ha! Okay, I'm a bit older than 29.I bought my first rubber stamp of a nautilus shell when I was about 12 yrs. old at a huge country fair in San Diego. I still have it! =) I dabbled with stamping over the years and then started hosting DOTS (Dozens of Terrific Stamps) parties when I was in my twenties. I considered signing up with DOTS but just didn't feel like enough people were "into" stamping then. So glad I waited! YEARS later, in 2002, I went to my first Stampin' Up party. I LOVED the stamps! I immediately decided to be a hostess and hosted several parties. I finally decided it was the right time to become a Demonstrator in Sept. 2003. I attended my first National Convention the following year and that was just A BLAST! I really think the first one is the best one, when you see all those sample boards for the first time and get all those fun swaps! I could've pee'd my pants with excitement (or maybe I did, I can't remember). I loved the modern, fun, whimsical style of Stampin' Up stamps and began selling my old, too country-ish DOTS stamps on E-bay, along with other stamps I'd collected and wasn't using anymore. Max was an E-bay customer of mine (I know, traitor... just kidding Max!). She later wrote to me and invited me to be a part of UDI. I still have not met any of you but definitely feel like I "know" several of you! I enjoy reading your posts and love your creativity! I want to thank the academy for voting for me... oh wait, wrong speech. You are all TERRIFIC and I'm glad the internet brought us together. =) Java Joanne

And here are the projects Joanne wanted to share:
Brown Kraft Envelope: Seal the envelope. Cut off the top, 3/4 of an inch. Cut cardstock to fit inside, so about 3/4" sticks out the top. Stamp design across top of cardstock. Stamp up envelope and decorate however you like. I like to wrap ribbon all the way around it. CUTE!!!

White #10 Envelope: Seal the envelope. Stamp it up! I don't stamp the back but you can if you'd like. Take scallop scissors and cut envelope about 3" or just over 3" from top. Crimp just the bottom piece so crimping design will run up and down vertically (very important b/c this "shrinks" the envelope so it fits into the lid). Use rectangle punch or double rectangle punch to punch two holes to hold the ribbon. Feed ribbon down on both sides, cross in back and bring back through. Trim for neatness. The ribbon stops the bottom part of the card from going up too far. VOILA!! Perfect for a gift card!!!

Thanks for sharing your creations with us!! :)

TGIF!

Todays TGIF project was submitted by Selene Kempton, who lives in Dracut, MA. Thank you Selene, and how cute is this? I was fortunate enough to meet Selene at last years Convention in Denver. She is SO FUNNY, and I love the way she keeps a positive attitude about EVERYHING. You know, she is a "there is always a silver lining" kind of girl. Who doesn't need that kind of influence in their lives? I met her because we are both a part of Utah Divas International....again, thanks to this amazing group of women, I am proud to call Selene my friend!

Here is a list of the supplies Selene used on this project. I think I might have to CASE this one!

Rub-ons on ribbon and the white rubons in the bottom right…

SAB stamps and rubons
Pretty in pink cardstock
Close to cocoa cardstock.

Real red ink
Close to cocoa ink.

Berry bliss DSP.

Bling Bling from the pretties kit.

Please visit Selene's Blog!http://stampinfunwithselene.blogspot.com/

Thank you for viewing todays project, and see you next Friday!

Jennifer Thomas

Rub it on!

Happy Thursday everyone!!

Today's project was made by Tammy Fite. Here's a little of what she has to say....

"My name is Tammy Fite, and I've been a SU! demonstrator since Sept 1999. What I love most about SU! is all the friends I've made--locally and internationally!! I am married to Rich (18 1/2 years!!), and we have two gorgeous sons, Cameron (12) and Brandon (10). They are very much into sports, so we stay VERY busy!! But, we love it, and wouldn't have it any other way!! We live in Albuquerque, NM--love the weather here!! Not too hot and no humidity!! Paradise! I've been a member of UDI almost from the start! Max and I "met" on another group, and I moved with her when she started Utah Divas!! I did take a little break of about six months when life got too crazy, but I couldn't stay away!! This is a great group--very generous with their abundant knowledge!!! Love 'em all!!! "

Tammy had a special stamp camp for her downline and this is what she gave them. She said these are real easy to make - who doesn't like a quick and easy project?!?
She used Berry Bliss Designer Series Paper, Sticky Strip, and SAB Love & Happiness Rub-Ons.

I am new to rub-ons and so far I LOVE them!! You can put them on all sorts of surfaces. On Tammy's project here, you can see where she used the rub-ons on the Berry Bliss DS paper as well as on the clear top of the tin too.
I've also read where you can also use rub-ons on metal, glass, plastic, and even fingernails! (you'll want to apply a thin coat of clear coat if you use on your nails).
So to summarize it - Rub-Ons ROCK!!!
~~Maria~~

Book of Me!

Now I'm sure you have heard what these scrapbooks are all about and if you're anything like me you keep saying "yeah I really should start one of these"! Well today I did! some 2 years after I first said I would - hey you cant rush these things now can you?

If you have absolutely no idea what I am talking about then take a stroll over to Angie Pedersen's site at http://www.scrapyourstories.com/ where she tells you all about it.

These are the earliest photo's I can find of me - I have no doubt that back in the early sixties the taking of photographs to document every breath and every step was not the done thing like it is now.

Now I thought since I was 'recollecting' my early days I would use the lovely Recollections Designer Series Papers.

I have also used the Dream Come True stamp set. If you look closely you will see the words "Love stretches your heart" along the bottom and up the right side "and makes you big inside".

I havent used this set much since receiving it at convention last year but thought those words went well with the layout.


Here you can see a close up of the pocket on the page. I've decorated it with gathered grosgrain ribbon from the Flirty Ribbon Originals in the Summer Mini Catalogue.

The brown flower was actually a pale blue so I just dyed it with the Close to Cocoa Classic Ink pad and popped a button in the centre.

You will also see Ive used the 'dream come true' stamp on the pocket as well.

This last photo is just showing the tag that is inside the pocket and details the birth, time, date and such and anything else my mum could remember.

Some of the details I wont share here on the blog as I dont want you to bring up your brekky or spurt your coffee all over your lovely monitor!

On the back of the tag I've just done some journaling about the photo's, where and when they were taken as I know I wont be around forever and I do hope that one of my girls will adopt my love and passion for stamping and paper crafting.

I do hope you like this layout and what I've done. I prefer the simpler layouts as you can tell as I dont like the busy ones that seem to detract from the photo/s.

Wishing you all a Wonderful Wednesday

~..~ Leonie ~..~

Talent Tuesday

Welcome to another Tuesday! It is my pleasure to introduce you today to a very talented and clever lady, Debi Nicol. I have had the opportunity to meet Debi in person and I must say that she is incredibly sweet and a lot of fun. She amazes me with the things she comes up with for projects and the knowledge she has on so many things. She is the Thursday Tips coordinator for UDI, and she always brings us innovative and useful tips. The project she recently created once again attests to her cleverness and talent.

So without further ado, here is Debi and her great project:

Hello, my name is Debi Nicol and I am a papercrafter. I formally had a hobby of making quilts but I found that I can get more accomplished in a shorter time with the cards and scrapbooking. Then I am able to bless others with the projects. My DH wanted to keep every single quilt I ever made!! A few years ago I had a friend who invited me to a SU! workshop and I had told her, "no, I cannot start another hobby, and I know I would want to." I held out for another year and then was being nice to another hostess and the rest is all piling up since then. I enjoy paper as much as I enjoyed my fabric stash. The good thing is the paper doesn't take as much room, but my fun tools do! I joined SU! under my daughter because I wanted the discount for my ever increasing hobby. It is so much fun to have a hobby that I and my DD and soon to be DIL can enjoy and spend lots of time together.

Perhaps about a year after I began SU!, my DD asked me if I would like to become involved with the UDI Divas which was where she was getting lots of ideas and new friends from across the globe. I wanted in! I have enjoyed my time with UDI and even attended the first annual retreat in Salt Lake City, Utah last fall. It was wonderful to put a face to all those that we had only 'spoken' to over the internet. I am the Thursday tips lady! I try to give new and fresh ideas to use our many products that we so love as well as, what to do to keep our earth green by crafting! Thanks for your time and interest in our blog!

Debi Nicol from St Louis area

I wanted to find something to do with the numerous cd's that my DH was throwing out so I made a photo holder for a tabletop. It has a cd sandwiched between 2 pieces of CS. Using the stem from Refuge and Strength on Garden green, I stamped just the edges. Then I put the verse from Beautiful life in the center. With the same garden green, I sponged the edging of the green on the front and back.

Next I needed my crop-a-dile to punch my hole in the cd with ease. Now the smaller circle with the picture on it is first a patterned napkin that I ran through the Xyron for stickiness and adhered it to the CS. It is really soft to the touch. I did punch it out with a Marvy giga punch since it is 3 sheets of CS to give it stability.

Punching holes in the smaller circle was a challenge since they were on a curved surface. I did use eyelets on them and some old SU! gold cord to have my dangling disks of ShrinkyDink that I hand drew some fun hearts and a flower in lovely lilac to give it more color and movement. The top hole is connected to the frame with a simple knotted lovely lilac grosgrain to allow movement. Then to complete the frame I made a kickstand for the backside and adhered it with red sticky tape.

This does take a little bit of time, but I think it was worth it.

Supply list:

Stamps: Refuge and Strength, Beautiful Life

Ink: Garden Green

Paper: Garden Green, Confetti White CS

Accessories: CD, sponge, Crop-A-Dile, Xyron machine, Marvy giga punch, sticky tape, gold eyelets, non-SU! Patterned napkin, Lovely Lilac grosgrain, retired gold cording, Lovely Lilac marker on the Shrinky Dink

Thank you, Debi, for sharing your project with us! I can't wait to see what you come up with next :)

Heeeere's Stacy!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Valentine's Day was my Wedding Anniversary and we went to Las Vegas. Enough about that as "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!" :) Hope you had a great Valentine's too!

I am very happy to introduce you to "Stacy Palmer" Here is a pic of Stacy and her husband, Brian.

Stacy was my very first Stampin' Sister on UDI. This is an awesome program where we get paired up for 3 months and send packages and use the time to get to know each other. I was lucky to know Stacy on another stampin' group we belonged to, but this gave us the opportunity to become really good friends. It was a pleasure to share a room with Stacy at the Marriott for the SLC Regionals in 2007.

Stacy is one of the most creative stampers I know and has to be the most organized! Here is what Stacy wrote:

I have been married to Brian for 12 years and have 4 daughters ... 2 step-daughters from a previous marriage that I still keep in contact with (Erin, 32 and Trisha, 29) and 2 daughters (Hailey, 8-3/4 - her birthday is next month, so that 3/4 is VERY important to her - and McKenna, 6). We live in Boise, ID. We have lived here for 1-1/2 years. We moved from Huntington Beach, CA. I have been a SU Demonstrator for 5 years (YEA, I get to walk the stage at convention this year!) and am creating my business all over again when I moved to Boise. Business is slowly picking up and I keep plugging away at it. I also own Great Occasions Event Services, which was developed 24 years ago. I coordinate weddings, birthday parties, fund raisers and anything else that needs to be coordinated. I am also a stay-at-home mom that keeps me busy with volunteer work at my daughters school.

Here are the supplies and directions for Stacy's cute cute project:

Forever in My Heart Stamp Set (Page 28 $22.95)
Short & Sweet Stamp Set (Page 146 $15.95)
So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (Page 108 $8.50)
Naturals Ivory Paper
Bashful Blue paper
Old Olive paper
Purely Pomegranate paper
Bashful Blue ink pad
Groovy Guava ink pad
Old Olive ink pad
Purely Pomegranate ink pad
VersaMark refill
Uninked Jumbo ink cartridge
Pretties Kit
Stampin’ Dimensionals
Horizontal Slot punch
Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder
Powder Pal
Heat Gun
Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon
Pomegranate Double-Stitch ribbon
3/4" circle punch
Paper snips
1/16" circle punch
Mini glue dots
Ruler
Extra grid paper

INSTRUCTIONS:
Punch two parallel, vertical slots in one piece of Purely Pomegranate card stock using Horizontal Slot punch at 1/2" and 3-3/4". Thread Double-Stitch ribbon through slots so that ribbon enters and exits slots on the front of the card stock. Flip card stock over and set aside.
Adhere 3/8" Bashful Blue (8-1/4" x 5-1/4") scored flap to back side of Bashful Blue card stock (4" x 5-1/4").

Adhere 5/16" Bashful Blue (4-1/4" x 5-1/4") scored flap to back side of long Bashful lue piece.
Wheel So Swirly Jumbo Wheel with VersaMark ink across long Bashful Blue card stock and the unpunched Purely Pomegranate card stock. Emboss with Iridescent Ice embossing powder.
Stamp small flower in Bashful Blue ink on Bashful Blue card stock.
Stamp two love heard outline images on Bashful Blue ink over center folds of Bashful Blue card stock.
Stamp "Love You" in Old Olive ink inside card.

Stamp heart-in-a-box image in Groovy Guava ink on Natural Ivory (1-1/2" strip). Stamp phrase image in Purely Pomegranate ink over heart-in-a-box image. Cut out, and layer on Old Olive card stock. Fold Bashful Blue taffeta ribbon in half, and adhere to back of Old Olive card stock. Adhere inside card.

NOTE: STEPS 10 - 14 ARE STAMPED ON NATURALS IVORY 5"X8-1/2" CARD STOCK.
Stamp 3 large polka dot hearts (1) in Groovy Guava ink, (1) Purely Pomegranate ink and (1) in Bashful Blue ink. Cut out.
Stamp 2 large hearts (1) in Old Olive ink and (1) Purely Pomegranate ink. Cut out.
Stamp 2 heart-in-a-box (1) in Groovy Guava ink and (1) Old Olive ink. Cut out just the hearts.
Stamp 4 love hearts (2) Old Olive ink and (2) in Purely Pomoegrante ink. Cut out. NOTE: Cut out "LOVE" out of one Purely Pomegranate heart.
Stamp 6 flowers (3) in Groovy Guava ink and (3) Purely Pomegranate ink. Punch out with 3/4" circle punch.
Adhere 2 polka dot hearts (Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate) to card, inside love heart outline images, using Stampin’ Dimensionals on one side only and no adhesive on the other side. This will ensure that card can still fold once hearts are in place.
Attach fabric flower to Purely Pomoegranate heart using Rhinestone brad from Pretties kit. Adhere hearts to card, on center folds, using Stampin’ Dimensionals on one side only and no adhesive on the other side to ensure that card can still fold.
Attach White halfback pearl to solid heart. Attach to card, on center folds, using 1/2" Stampin’ Dimensionals on one side only and no adhesive on the other side to ensure that card can still fold.
Adhere each end of Bashful Blue card stock to one piece of Pomegranate card stock to create card. Vertical slots should be on back side of card. Ensure that ribbon can still slide easily through vertical slots. Be careful not to pull ribbon all the way through.
Attach Bashful Blue polka dot heart to ribbon. Pop up Groovy Guava flower to heart. Attach Love Old Olive heart below ribbon onto card.
Flatten folds and tie ribbon to close card.

Scrappin' Saturday

I am so excited to introduce a fellow UDI member to you today--Sue M. I am a huge fan of all of her work, especially her wonderful 6x6 recipe pages. Today, I'm sharing one she created for a chocolate recipe swap. This page is amazing and I'm so glad I also participated in the swap just to have my own copy. :) Here is what Sue wanted to share......

Hi! I'm Sue Martin, I live in the "heart" of PA Dutch Country, my very favorite place in the whole wide world! :) I'm married to my wonderful husband for 33 years, we have 4 great sons, and 5 awesome grandchildren! I collect Mary Engelbreit, Susan Branch, & Tasha Tudor books and memorabilia, as well as anything Gingerbread. Thanks to a very special friend who has introduced me to the fabulous world of Raggedy Ann & Andy, I now also collect them!

I've been crafting in some form or another since I've been a teenager. My most recent, and one of my favorites is paper crafting. One of the best decisions I've made was when I decided to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator 7 years ago. Getting out and having workshops, making lots and lots of new friends and gaining many wonderful relationships has totally changed my life from what it was before. I am truly grateful for that. I joined UDI in 2006 and have enjoyed being a part of the group there as well. I was very excited when Alicia asked me if she could feature my work here. Thanks again, Alicia!

Now for the recipe: I made this 6x6 card for a Chocolate recipe swap that I was a part of on UDI. Recipe swaps are my very favorite swaps to join. Though I don't often even make the recipes, I just

love to collect them and put them into albums! For this swap I used the "Time Well Spent" set and gave it a bit of a different twist. I wanted to somehow stay in keeping with "chocolate" in my design, so I printed out the word "chocolate" and then inked up my "time spent with friends is time well spent" stamp with my black marker omitting the word, "friends". then used my "stamp-a-ma-jig" to align it to fit perfectly around the word, "chocolate". Thus the saying, "Time Spent With Chocolate is Time Well Spent". Well, who among us women can't say that to be true? (smile) Especially if it is chocolate chip mint ice cream, namely DOVE "Give in to Mint"! Try it sometime --- you'll see what I mean. ;) Oops! Back to my card; For the top right corner where the definition of chock-lit ;) is, I again printed it out then used the stamp "too much of a good thing is a good thing" as the definition. I punched holes in the large flower where the dots are, used a white brad in the center of the flower and grosgrain ribbon for the stem and leaves. I drew and cut a flower pot out of Close to Cocoa and shaded it with Choc. Chip ink. Other colors I used are Not Quite Navy, More Mustard, Rose Red, Old Olive, and White. I hope I have explained this in a way that is easy to understand. If you have any questions you can e-mail me at sugarmart74@aol.com Oh, and BTW, the recipe for this candy really is very very yummy! ;) It makes wonderful peanut butter eggs for Easter! May all your "chock*lits" be "a good thing!" (smile).

Thank you to Sue for sharing with us this week. Looking forward to seeing more of your projects in the future. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Alicia :)

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Ahhhh...... the day of love.

Today's DIVA being showcased is Bev.

Her project is this cute little gable treat box:
Stamps...Happy Heart Day, Priceless
Paper...Pixie Pink, Real Red, Whisper White, and Close to Cocoa
Inks....Basic Brown, Pixie Pink
White gel pen
Watercolor crayons and aqua pen
White Grosgrain ribbon
Snickers mini chocolate candy bars...frozen.

What a cute little way to give out valentine treats!!!

Not only is she a talented lady, but she is my mother in law as well! Here's what she has to say~

"Hi my name is Bev Williams, my parents named me Beverly, but I just can't say that name without shuddering...so it's always been Bev. I've been married to Rick ...gads...it'll be 30 years this September! I'll have to come up with something cool for this anniversary...any suggestions ladies? We have 3 wonderful kids, who all have families of their own now!

I'm also a Nana of 8...yes EIGHT little rugrats, and I love them all so very much!

I've been a SU demonstrator ever since my DIL Maria ran me through her stash of stuff, November 2006. Totally blew me away because I've been a Scrapbooker for over 10 years and never thought of blending stamping with scrapping! Yes, Virginia, anything is possible.

I've been a member of UDI since Sept 2007 and I love it here!

I also dabble in photography, quilting, crocheting, cross stitching, hiking, camping, horseback riding, and my current love is skiing! Haven't broken anything so far, and I actually fell for the first time a couple weeks ago. Nothing serious, I was just standing there and flopped over...it was hilarious.....to Rick that is.

My next serious love is Disney...anything Disney. In fact, Maria and I used to work together at the Disney Store in Houston! "

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Something I want to spotlight on Bev's project is her detail with the white gel pen. By just adding the white shadows to parts of your image, it makes your background more alive without taking away from your main image. I love little details like this because it doesn't take much time to do and it adds a greater impact to your project.

I hope you enjoyed today's project and I want to wish all of you a Happy Valentine's Day! See you again next Thursday!!!

~Maria~ :)

It's always Friday in MY world!

Hello, and welcome to another Friday! Did you notice that it is actually Saturday? So sorry to everyone who was anxiously awaying my post, LOL. I lost track of time, even though my draft was in storage for 2 days....ever been there? Anyway, I hope you are enjoying the blog as much as we are enjoing posting it!

This week's TGIF stamper is Brenda Taylor. Brenda is my current Stampin' Sister. She still loves me, even though I ate all the Dark Chocolate Cherry 3 Musketeers that I was planning to put in her next goodie box-sorry again Brenda! She lives in Randoph, MN. It is very cool that we can make so many good friends, even though we are scattered across the globe! Brenda is way too modest when it comes to her talent. She is an amazing artist. She is a lot of fun and really personifies what Utah Divas International is all about. Thank you Brenda for this beautiful submission!

Brenda used Watercolor Wonder Crayons to make this card. Can you believe she thinks she's "getting better" at watercoloring.....it looks like a true professional, in my opinion!

Supplies:
For Father & All Holidays stamp set
Real Red & Blue Bayou card stock
Real Red Prints ds paper (level 1 hostess item)
Watercolor paper
Black Staz on ink pad
Watercolor crayons, stampin write markers (real red & basic gray), aqua painter, aged copper hodgepodge hardware & pop dots

Be sure to check out Brenda's personal blog at http://www.memoriesbybrenda.typepad.com/

Wonderful Wednesday

Welcome to Wonderful Wednesday! I do hope you have been enjoying the posts here as much as I have. Here in Australia Stampin Up is very new and will celebrate its 2nd Anniversary in April so a lot of the items they have in the USA market we don't have hear yet - I suppose the company is still trying to feel the market here as to what we like and what we don't - although I know I have sent them a few emails saying ....

I WANT IT ALL!!

Now it is my utmost pleasure to introduce to you a lovely lady from Utah Divas International. Her name is Carol Marbach and she resides in Hickory Corners, MI (and you all laugh at the names of our towns here in Australia!)

From Carol ... I have been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator since January in 2000 when my hubby gave me the money for the kit for Christmas and then sent me to convention as my Mother's Day present.
I was invited to join UDI in 2005 by Joanne, a diva in San Diego, whom I met on line through my fourth SU up line. I became a member in May 2005, and was able to meet a bunch of the divas at convention that year. I do not think I had laughed so hard in ages. I even got to meet Max, THE Diva and heard her say “barely banana” which is a treat in itself.

I felt like a little fish in a very big pond with the group and did not even think she remembered me. How wrong I was and now she won’t let me go. J I went home after convention with such good memories and really became an active member of the divas.

For this frame I decided on the design I wanted to use and carefully cut around the image to separate it from the bigger sheet. Keeping the frame flat I put the rub ons in place and adhered them with the applicator stick.

Once they were on I used the back side of the backing placed on top of the rub ons and went over it again with the applicator - for me this just finishes it off and makes sure there are no pieces left sticking up accidently.

On the top right corner i cut the biggest flower and placed it on the corner and then applied two other flowers to overlap them for some dimension.

A little while back Carol shared this card on the UDI group and I just fell in love with it and thought it would be best to share it with you too just to show how lovely her work is.

For this card I used basic black cardstock and soft sky Designer Series Papers. The flower images stamped with versamark and then embossed with detail black powder and a little glitter on shimmery white cardstock. The "embrace life" was stamped with black ink on soft sky double stitched ribbon and with 2 way glue pen i added dazzling diamonds to the silver brads and used glue dots to mount onto card.

I used the ticket corner punch on the soft sky. The flowers were cut out individually and the color was adhered lightly with a sponge and were then added to the card with dimensionals.

To be a member of the Utah Divas International is an honor to me. Even if I never learned a thing about the rubber stamping business I have made wonderful friends and treasure that above all else.

Thank you Leonie for asking me to be showcased on the UDI blog.

Now I am sure you will all agree that its been a delight to showcase Carol today and share a bit about her and her lovely work.

Since I joined UDI Carol has always been there offering friendship and support when its been needed and if I havent posted on the group for a bit she will email me to make sure I'm ok. How sweet is that?

I love this technology that allows us to enjoy wonderful friendships from other sides of the globe and I love the UDI group and all its Diva's that have welcomed us Aussies so openly. It is a wonderful place to be a part of so if your a Stampin Up demo and thinking you'd like to be a part of it too then leave a comment saying as much and I'll send your details to the membership coordinator.

Now I wish you all a very blessed Wednesday in whatever you do - for me its my bedtime and i need an early night.

Scallop Bouquet

Welcome to another Tuesday here on the brand new Utah Divas International blog! I will generally be posting a project by a UDI group member each Tuesday, but for today, here is one of my Valentine's Day projects.

I call this a scallop bouquet since the "flowers" are created with a scallop punch. I first saw this idea on Tracey Roy's blog http://lakeshorestamper.typepad.com as a Halloween decoration. You can use a plastic or glass vase like Tracey did, or a plastic jar like I did for this sample. I had quite a few of these jars without lids for them so I thought this would be a nice way to use the jars :) You can use a variety of items as your filler inside the jar. Any kind of hard candy (but not soft as they will most likely stick and clump together), buttons, pebbles, marbles, and so much more. With a little bit of imagination, the possibilities are endless!

The supplies I used to create this project are as follows:

Stamp Set: Seeing Spots

Paper: Rose Red Designer Prints, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White CS

Ink: Rose Red, Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink Classic Ink

Accessories: Plastic clear jar, Wood dowels (cut in half), White acrylic paint (to paint dowels), Sticky Strip, SNAIL adhesive, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 1 1/4” circle punch, 1 3/8” circle punch, Scallop circle punch, Pretty in Pink 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, Purely Pomegranate double stitched grosgrain ribbon, Light Pink gingham ribbon, Cupid’s Mix M&M’s.

Have fun stampin' and creatin'!

Joy Fold Booklet

Happy Monday Everyone! I sure hope you are enjoying our new UDI Blog as much as I am. This past week we had some wonderful projects posted and this week will be no exception.

Today, I am delighted to introduce EDIE B to you. Edie lives in Erie, PA and has to be one of the most creative stampers around. Stampin' Up! is all about products and fun but more important to me is the friendships that form. Here I am in UT and Edie is in PA and feel like she lives next door. It is because of our awesome group that we had the opportunity to become friends. I asked Edie to be our Blog Manager and knew I had made the right decision :) Check out her blog, EdieB Stamps. Edie's project is fabulous. (They all are!!!!) Enjoy! Happy Stampin'! Max

I asked Edie to write something about herself that I could share with you. Here is what she wrote: Hi! I'm EdieB, the manager of the UDI Blog. I was so honored and thrilled that Max asked me to help with the blog and serve as manager. I get to see all of the wonderful posts first and I know what is coming next to UDI. Joining UDI is one of the best things I've ever done. You not only meet wonderful stamping friends, but you receive great business tips and support from this bunch of very talented ladies.When I'm not stamping, I am wife to Jim and mommie to Roscoe, our very large but sweet rottweiler. I work full-time in hospital administration and I spend most of my free time stamping & scrapbooking. My favorite stamping supplies (at the moment) are anything with the 2007/2008 In Colors, all of the Double-Sided Designer Series Papers, Hodgepodge Hardware, Jumbo Eyelets, and ribbons-lots of ribbons. Having said that, you will see why the project I posted is one of my favorites of late, the Joy Fold Booklets. You can find the instructions on the Scor-Pal projects site here.

If you would like to make one that looks like mine, you need the following supplies (all Stampin' Up!):Stamps: True Friend, One of A Kind, Boho Backgrounds, It's Your Birthday, and Wonderful WordsPaper: Fall Flowers Double-Sided Designer Series Paper, Sky Blue, Blue Bayou, Old Olive Inks: Sky Blue, Blue Bayou, Old Olive and Basic BlackOther: Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, Always Artichoke 1/4 Grosgrain, Moss Gingham Ribbon, Felt Fusion Flowers, Vintage Brads, Silver Eyelets, Ice Square Rhinestone Brads, Picture Hanger Hodgepodge Hardware, Mat Pak & Piercing Tool, Scalloped Circle Punch, 1 inch Circle Punch & Boho Blossoms Punch.

Thank you for visiting the UDI Blog. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Stampin' Saturday

Hey everyone! I’m so happy you have stopped in. My name is Alicia and I live in St. Charles, Missouri. I am the mama to two beautiful babies--Ian is 2 and Brielle is 1. We also have a third one on the way. He’s due to be welcomed to the world in June. I am a teacher by trade, but am currently babysitting three kiddos, so I am able to stay home with my little ones. My husband also works from home, so it’s pretty crazy around here most days. :) In addition to daycare, I am a high school swim coach and official.

I have been a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator for 2 years and a member of UDI since November, 2006. SU! has given me a great reason to show others my creative side. UDI has been a wealth of information for me and I have made some wonderful friends within the group. I am an assistant manager and the membership coordinator for the group, as well as business swap coordinator. Any referrals for membership or ideas for business swaps….please send them my way.

I have been given the opportunity to post projects each Saturday featuring different members of our group. Today, I am happy to be able to share one of my creations with you. When I got our Spring/Summer catalog, I loved the pinwheels featured on page 67. Stampin’ Up! later posted the template and I was excited to try it…..until I saw that template. :) Once I actually sat down with it, I knew I could handle it. Then the other day I was browsing around the gallery on Splitcoast Stampers and found instructions on how to make a Dahlia Fold. I absolutely loved it and thought it would be great for the center piece of my pinwheel. I love how this turned out and hope you like it as well.

I used the following for my project:

Paper: Berry Bliss Designer Series Paper
Accessories: large clear rhinestone brad from Pretties Kit, 1” Circle Punch, 1/16” Handheld Circle Punch, Paper Snips, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Pretty in Pink Grosgrain Ribbon, 11 ¾” Lollipop Stick, a small address label

Directions for the Dahlia Fold were created by Judy Headrick and can be found at http://www.cardsandcrafts.freeservers.com/dahlia.html.com/dahlia.html

TGIF!

Hello, and welcome! My name is Jennifer. I live in Caldwell, Idaho. (This is a suburb of Boise, for those of you not so familliar with Spudtown) I am married to an amazing man, Kevin, and a mother of 3 kiddos-Trevor is 13 (Yikes!), Alexa is 10, and Ashley will be 8 next month. I have also been a surrogate mother, and gave birth to a baby boy this past October.

I have been a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for almost 4 years, and it has been a great experience-and has only been strengthened by my involvment with Utah Divas International! This is an amazing group of women who support one another in all aspects of our lives-not just stamping! I hope that you will visit our blog often. You never know what might inspire you! From now on, I will post less about me, and more about stamping...please join me every Friday!

I made these 3 cards for an upcoming Stamp Camp. They are kids valentines, with the intention of being passed out at school. The kids and moms will be working together, so they are quite simple. I used the Love Notes, they come in sets of 30, 10 each of Rose Red, Soft Sky and Very Vanilla, and are 3x3, with Very Vanilla envelopes.

• The "Friend" card is accented with Blue Bayou, and I used the "Forever in My Heart" stamp set. I also used both large square punches-how easy is that!
• For the "Love" card with the tag on it, I used Whisper White and Pretty in Pink cardstock, and Rose Red ink, with the "Taggers Dozen" stamp set. I used both tag punches on this one. I then stapled on the pink ribbon.
• The final card, with the red heart, is my favorite! I used "Forever in My Heart" again, stamped the dotted heart in Real Red ink, on Real Red cardstock. I cut it out and attached to the card with Stampin' Dimensionals. I had already stamped the love outline in Real Red, and then just centered the heart over it. I then tied a tiny knot around the heart with Red Gingham ribbon-this is just too cute!

I am not the greatest photographer in the world, so I hope you can see enough details to re-create these at home! Have fun, and remember that there are no mistakes when you are creating a hand stamped card-only happy accidents!