Stenciled Birthday Thoughts

Happy Wednesday!   Today's project is not a Christmas one!  It's a birthday card for one of my co-workers.  :)   

I used the small Kind Thoughts stencil that's available in the Definitely Decorative decor elements catalog.  It's so pretty and so versatile!  I used it to decorate a tumbled floor tile, too.  (That's going to my mom for Christmas.  ;) )  I sponged Real Red ink on first and then went over it with Champagne Mist shimmer paint.  It's so pretty IRL.  It's layered on a piece of Chocolate Chip card stock.  The Kraft card base was run through the Big Shot on the SU! exclusive Damask Texturz plate.  The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Chocolate Chip taffeta finishes off the card.

Supplies(all SU!):  Stamps- Teeny Tiny Wishes.  Ink- Real Red, Chocolate Chip.  Paper- Whisper White, Kraft, Chocolate Chip.  Accessories-  Big Shot, Damask Texturz plate, Kind Thoughts stencil, Chocolate Chip taffeta, Champagne Mist shimmer paint, sponge daubers.

Until next week...
Happy stampin'!

Kind & Caring Thoughts

Good Wednesday morning!  Today's card comes to us from Gretchen Barron.  Make sure you visit her blog to see the tutorial for the scalloped mat.  :)

I love the way this card turned out and the colors are so beautiful together. This card uses Kind & Caring Thoughts (a level 3 Hostess stamp set), Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper and a color scheme of Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive and Whisper White. The edges of the DSP layers and the stamped layer are all sponged, which adds a great deal of depth to the project. The stamped image is simply stamped-off -- ink it up once with Elegant Eggplant ink, and then stamp it off two more times without reinking -- what a lovely effect. I added 3 Old Olive Brads on the left for a perfect finishing touch!

 

For more information on this card and on how to make the Scallop Rectangle mat, visit my blog at http://gretchenbarron.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/09/how-to-create-a-scallop-rectangle-or-square-of-any-size.html .

Thanks for sharing with us, Gretchen!

Until next week...


Happy stampin'!

Wonderful Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! I have a gorgeous project to share with you all today. It comes to us from Maria Williams, who is also the host of Inspiration Thursdays.

Here is a Pop Up card I was inspired to make from an awesome blog:

http://stampwithheather.typepad.com/stamp_with_heather/2009/04/pop-up-flower-pot.html

I was interested in the pop up cake die, but wasn't ready to spend the money - that was until I saw what else could be done with it. I love being able to utilize my resources in many ways, not just one. There were some other real cute samples made with the pop-up cake die on Heather's blog, too. Let me tell you, I couldn't get my hands on this die fast enough!!!

This is a fantastic Big Shot project - used lots of dies. Now even though I didn't stamp anything on this project, I did sponge ink around each layer of the flower, the butterflies and the greeting section of the card.

Paper: Bashful Blue, Garden Green, Lovely Lilac, Lavender Lace, Really Rust, Chocolate Chip, Apricot Appeal.

Ink: Lovely Lilac, Garden Green.

Accessories: Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Sponges, Big Shot, Sizzix Dies - Pop Up Cake, Flower Layers, Beautiful Butterflies, Build a Flower #2.

I'll be sure to share my next creation with you all soon!!

Thanks for sharing this one with us, Maria! I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

Until next week...

Happy Stampin'!

Elizabeth

Cheep Cheep Cheep (Talk)

Here's a card from Kristine Memmott. It's so adorable! I may break down and buy this set yet!

Stamps: Cheep Talk. Ink: Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive.
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Delicate Dots DSP and Creepy Crawly DSP.
Accessories: Pacific Point Double Striped Ribbon, Mock Brads, Dimensionals, Corner Rounder Punch.

Thanks for sharing, Kristine!
Until next Wednesday...
Happy Stampin'!


Elizabeth

It's Wacky Wednesday!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far! Here in Tampa, I am freezing! I don't know how you northerners do it every year! Thankfully, tomorrow is the last day of lows in the low 30s (wind chills are in the 20s!) and highs in the low 50s! Friday we should be back to normal with high temps in the low 70s! WooHoo! :)

Today's projects come from Courtney Carpenter of Clay Center, KS.

This is a folder to hold two 3x3 cards with coordinating envelopes.

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, Whisper White, Candy Lane designer paper. Ink: Regal Rose, Rose Red. Stamps: Love You Much. Accessories:stampin' dimensionals, white grosgrain ribbon, 1/8" circle punch.

Thanks for sharing, Courtney!

See you all next week!

Happy Stampin'!

Elizabeth

It's the 1st Wednesday of 2009!

Happy 2009 from Florida!

I am so excited! Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference starts today in Orlando! I hope my UDI sisters who are attending have a ball! I know they will enjoy the weather. Aside from some rain today, it's supposed to be sunny and in the 70s every day! I will be joining them on Saturday for Regionals! Yay! (I hope one of them will let me drool over the new catalog! LOL)

Today's projects are from another UDI sister in Florida, Adriana Benitez.

Take it away, Adriana!




















The layout is from splitcoast's weekly layout challenge (SC206). The first card is very basic making it a good choice for a stamp-a-stack or beginner stamper. The second one is good for a SAS also, but has a couple more steps with the additional use of the ticket corner punch and some grosgrain ribbon.

For both cards, the card base is creamy caramel cs. I've rubbed barely banana ink (direct to paper) on the edges - it doesn't really show in the photo but adds some interest to the card IRL. Other paper used is our Autumn Vine DSP (gonna miss this paper!), Chocolate Chip, More Mustard, Baja Breeze, and Naturals White. Creamy Caramel ink was used for mr. monkey and the heart, chocolate chip for the main images and sentiment. I love the coffee cups on the 2nd card (this is one hostess set I will not be giving up!) so I'll be making up a bunch of these cards for my private use. I always look forward to a good cup of coffee with a friend so this card is very "me". lol.

Hope you enjoy these cards :)

Thanks for sharing with us, Adriana!

Until next week,
Happy Stampin'!
Elizabeth

Jingle all the way!

Today's card comes from Kristine Memmott. Isn't is just so pretty? I ordered some Decor Elements that match this image in the stamp set. They will be here this afternoon! I can't wait! I think I may have to order the stamp set, too. Thanks for enabling me, Kristine! ;)

Stamps: Christmas Classics
Paper: Real Red, Whisper White, Ski Slope DSP
Ink: Old Olive, Real Red and Going Grey Markers
Accessories: Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving holiday!

See you next week!

Stampin' Smiles!
~*Elizabeth*~

Fabulous Fall Projects

Happy Wednesday!

These 2 cards were also submitted by Kristine Memmott. She is a demonstrator in Utah. I bet she gets her boxes from Stampin' Up! super fast! I am so jealous! ;)






Stamps: Upsy Daisy. Paper: Kiwi Kiss, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White. Ink: More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip. Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, 1/4" white grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/4" circle punch, sponges, brayer and a post-it note for masking.

Stamps: Season of Friendship, Polka Dot Background. Paper: Riding Hood Red, More Mustard, Whisper White. Ink: Riding Hood Red, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze. Accessories - Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Ribbon, Dimensionals.

Enjoy! See you here next Wednesday!

Stampin' Hugs!

~*Elizabeth*~

Happy Wednesday and some Birthday cards!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Can you believe it's the last Wednesday of October already? Where does the time go? Today I'm sharing cards from Adriana Benitez, a fellow Florida demonstrator. (It sure doesn't feel like I'm in Florida this morning! It's 37 degrees at my house!)

Don't forget! The Birthday sale is only available until Friday, the 31st! Don't miss your chance at 20% off select birthday sets including the ones in Adriana's samples!

Here's what Adriana has to say about her cards!

Just a few project notes: This one was a little time consuming but fun to make! The large cupcake was stamped onto Baja Breeze and onto the DSP, then cut apart and pieced together. The dots you see on the cupcake and scallops are all from the reservoir on the handheld punch. (Whenever you punch, the circles are stored in there until you empty them out. If you've never noticed that... you probably have a few stored up - ready made confetti!) This card begins as a 6x6 square of cardstock - so this design could easily be opened up into a 6x6 bragbook page.

Stamp Set: Crazy for Cupcakes and coordinating standard wheel Cupcakes
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pad and standard cartridge
Paper: Baja Breeze, Really Rust, Autumn Vine DSP
Other: 1/4" vanilla grosgrain, Scallop Border Punch, 1/8" handheld
punch, Crystal Effects, Dazzling Diamonds, Tombow Adhesive.

This card is made using the same supplies with the addition of
chocolate chip and naturals vanilla cardstock, a 1/4" circle punch and
the Outlined for Fun stamp set. The punch is used to punch out the
corners of the chocolate paper and for additional dots (under the
sentiment) just for an extra touch. I recently received the Outlined
for Fun stamp set and am having so much fun with it! As you see, you
don't really have to add color to the entire image to make it pop. And
just so ya know... the curly thing on the top right is a noise maker -
I've had 2 people ask me what the deal is with the water hose! lol

Thanks for sharing with us today, Adriana!

Have a fabulous Wednesday! See you all back here next week!

*~Elizabeth~*

Another Haunting Wednesday

Today's projects come to us from Alicia Tomicich-Wiley of Missouri. Here's what she has to say!



Since Halloween has never been a big holiday for me, I don't have stamp sets for it. This year, since I had a club and knew I should do something for the holiday, I created the projects without any stamping, and personally, I really like them. My club members loved them. These have been inspired by various cards and projects I've seen circulating recently.





Mummy Card
Paper--Creamy Caramel, Confetti Cream, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink--Creamy Caramel
Accessories--1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, White Gel Pen, Sponge








Owl Treat Holder
Paper--Creamy Caramel, Whisper White, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie
Ink--Creamy Caramel
Accessories--Stampin' Up! Big Shot, Top Note Bigz Die, 1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, 5 Petal Punch, White Gel Pen, Sponge, Bone Folder, Paper Snips, Cello Bag, Candy Corn




Frankenstein Pull Treat--used this tutorial by Beate Johns: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/ee/index.php/resources/tutorials/pull_treats/



Paper--Old Olive, Lovely Lilac, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink--Basic Black
Accessories--1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, White Gel Pen, Sponge, Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Paper Snips, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Sticky Strip, Hershey Candy Bar







Thanks so much for sharing your adorable projects with us today, Alicia!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Happy Stampin'!
~*Elizabeth*~

Happy birthday, Stampin' Up!

Happy 20th, Stampin' Up! In October of 1988, Shelli Gardner and her sister, LaVonne, started Stampin' Up! in Shelli's living room. Twenty years later, Stampin' Up! has demonstrators all over the world! Amazing!

It may be Stampin' Up's birthday, but we get the presents!

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

From October 1st through the 31st, spend $20 in regular catalog merchandise and qualify to purchase any preselected birthday/celebration stamp sets at 20 perent off!

Item # Page # Description Retail Price 20% Off Price
109439 62 Big Bold Birthday $27.95 $22.36
112895 62 Cumpleaños genial y divertido * $27.95 $22.36
111532 63 Party Hearty* $26.95 $21.56
110994 64 Bitty Birthday $12.95 $10.36
111618 64 Crazy for Cupcakes* $23.95 $19.16
111546 65 Simple Birthday Thanks* $17.95 $14.36
111702 65 Time to Party* $16.95 $13.56
108559 68 Crab & Company $27.95 $22.36

*Stamp sets are die cut.

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

My card today uses Crab & Company. I just love this little guy! I don't know if it shows in the pic, but all the eyes are covered in Crystal Effects.

Supplies(all SU!): Stamps- Crab & Company. Paper- Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Really Rust, Very Vanilla. Ink- Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Blush Blossom, Bordering Blue, Close to Cocoa. Accessories- Sandy Shells SA wheel, Crystal Effects, 20th Anniversary embosslit.

Thanks for visiting!

*~*Elizabeth*~*

Another Wacky Wednesday!

It's time to get wacky again! ;)

I decided to watch some of my Workshop Wow DVD that I purchased at Convention. The very first technique was the Mosaic technique. I loved it! I had to try it right away! I ran a piece of cardstock through my Xyron sticker maker. I then proceeded to put cut pieces of Dashing DSP (retired) all over the sticky stuff. It was so fun! When I had most of the sticker paper covered with DSP I sprinkled Gold EP over the entire piece. The powder will stick to the exposed sticker paper. I embossed with my heat tool and layered the mosaic piece on a piece of Real Red cardstock. I used Old Olive cardstock for my card base. The sentiment from Heard from the Heart is stamped on the card base with Versamark and embossed with Gold EP. I love the way this card turned out. I will be using it as one of my Christmas card designs this year.

Supplies(all SU!): Stamps- Heard from the Heart. Paper- Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White. Ink- Versamark. Accessories- Gold EP.

Thanks for visiting! I'll see you back here next Wednesday!
Elizabeth

G'day on a wet wintery day here in Sydney, Australia.

Its a wet and chilly 52F here as I type - not my favourite weather to say the least so I thought I'd share some lovely projects made by Design Diva Becky Teusink to brighten your day!

This gorgeous card is done using the Spring Break designer series papers, some hodge podge and Taffeta Ribbon. Here's a close up of a similar card using a different hodge podge frame and greeting.

Now I do believe that the Hodgepodge is on sale with a whoppin 25% discount in USA and Canada so check with your local demonstrator on how you can take advantage of this great bargain! Wish ours was discounted too as I really need another tin - oh and when your tin is empty why not decorate it and turn it into a gift for someone?

This card is just gorgeous and rather quick to make with just a couple of punches and a Stampin' Round Wheel and finish off with some ribbon.

How sweet is this envelope with just by using the circle punch?

have a great Wednesday everyone and see you next week

Leonie

Something Fresh

G'day from a sunny Sydney although being Winter we are getting some rather chilly weather - especially at night.

Its with great pleasure that I share you a project today done by the lovely Andrea Walford and I just love what she's done with the lovely Fresh Cuts set.

I so wish we had this set here in Australia but maybe they will include it in our Summer Mini Catalogue due out in August. Well one can live in hope!

Isn't this card just divine? I love the softness of the celery and white with the Kraft cardstock.

The recipe is as follows:

Stamps: Fresh Cuts stamp set
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Basic Black, Certainly Celery Ink
Paper: Kraft, Certainly Celery
Accessories: white Embossing Powder, embossing buddy, heat tool, Pretties kit, circle rhinestone brads, wide celery grosgrain ribbon, sponge, ticket corner punch, 1/8" circle punch, stampin' dimensionals.

Directions and Dimensions:

1. Take a 4 1/4" x 11" piece of Kraft Cardstock, score at 5 1/2" and fold.
2. Stamp the greeting from the Fresh Cuts stamp set in basic black ink on the bottom right of the card.
3. Using the Direct To Paper technique, rub white craft ink along the edges of the card.
4. Rub your embossing buddy over a 3 1/2" x 3 1/2" piece of Kraft Cardstock. Stamp the background image from Fresh Cuts in Whisper White Craft ink onto the Cardstock. Sprinkle on white Embossing Powder, heat with heat tool, trim to about 3" x 3 1/4", Use the ticket corner punch on all 4 corners.
5. Use a ticket corner punch on a piece of Certainly Celery Cardstock 3 1/4" x 3 1/2", then mat the embossed image onto this piece.
6. Sponge a flower from the Pretties kit in certainly celery ink. Add the small white flower to the center. Punch a hole using the 1/8" circle punch onto the bottom corner of the matted image, and mount to the flower using a medium sized celery rhinestone brad.
7. Mount the whole matted image (with flower) to the card front using a Stampin' Dimensional in each corner.
8. Tie a 15" piece of wide Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon in a knot around the card, with the knot adjusted slightly towards the left.

Congratulations ~ You're done!

Thanks so much Andrea for sharing this gorgeous card with us!

Have a totally blessed day ... Leonie

Punch and Judi!

Ok ... so I was at a loss for a title but this post will show a new way with the 5 Petal Flower punch and its brought to us today by 'Judi' Harvey. I am a little excited as we now have this punch in our very new 2008 Idea Book & Catalogue in Australia so I can too get this punch and do this tutorial but it will have to wait until after our Stampin' Up! Convention next week (insert excitement here) in Brisbane, Australia. Here is Judi's introduction ...

Hi Everyone! Leonie asked me to share a little bit about myself. I live in a small town about 15 miles south of Knoxville Tenessee and I have lived in Tenessee since 1974. I grew up in Michigan and moved south with my first husband (he is a TN native). I really feel like I was supposed to be in this part of the country as I love the lifestyle here...not to mention the weather! I am married to a wonderful guy who is my best friend! Jerry and I got married 15 years ago and between us we have 5 children (4 girls and one guy) and 5 grandchildren (3 girls and 2 boys). Jerry supports and encourages me in all I do. I also have a day job where I work for the commercial lending division of a bank. I am the Loan Operations manager (yawn).

I found out about Stampin' Up! through my daughter. She lives in Nashville and called me one evening about 5 years ago and asked if I would like to come for a Stampin Up! workshop she was having. I had never heard of this company and was into scrapbooking not stamping. But...being the good mom that I try to be...I accepted and made the 3 hour drive for the workshop. My thoughts about stamping at that time was "Okay, so you spend $10 on one stamp, use it one time...then what do you do with it???" Well, needless to say, a whole new world was opened up to me and I was hooked. I came back home with a $150 order and in about 2 months finally found a Stampin' Up! demo in my area and joined her club. I was a club member for about 2 years and then decided I could do this myself ... so I signed up in July of 2005 (I think much to the chagrin of my demo!).

My favorite part about being a demo is teaching others how to stamp and how to do different techniques and then watching them react the same way I did. They suddenly see a new world open up to them! I encourage all my stampers to use the items they buy by asking them to create cards for my blog. I also try to encourage them to not be afraid to just try something new and that I too throw some things in the trash! It's all a part of learning.

I was invited to join UDI a little over a year ago. I was replying to a thread on Split Coast and Max sent me an email and asked me if I wanted to join. I love UDI and have made several friends through this group (waving to all my buds!). I hope one day to get to meet them all face to face. I find everyone to be encouraging and helpful...not to mention friendly! I just feel so uplifted by all the Divas and there is no negativity here like you find on some other sites. I love being a Diva!

I must say I love introducing Diva's here as I get to know more about many of them. I am very embarrassed to say I didn't know Judi before this introduction but I am finding that you can share many similarities in your life as those on the other side of the globe that share the same passion about Stampin' Up! and stamping. It never ceases to amaze me how this technology can bring so many people together from all over the world.

Judi has provided us with this great tutorial ....

Five Petal Punch Daisy

For this flower you will need ...

• SU Five Petal Flower Punch
• SU Boho Blossoms Punch
• SU Paper Snips
• SU Double Sided Designer Paper
• Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive
• SU Pretties Kit

1. Punch two flowers from the double sided designer paper

2. Using the paper snips make two small cuts toward the center (don’t cut all the way to the center) leaving two petals on one side and three petals on the other side.

3. Fold the two petal side behind the three petals side lining up the two petals between the three petals. Make sure you fold the flowers to the opposite side so you have two different sides of the paper showing on the front.

4. Put two small dots of glue on the front of one of the flowers and attach it to the underside of the second flower lining up the petals.

It is not necessary to glue the back petals to the front but you may if you want to.

Now your daisy is formed.

For the center punch out one of the small flowers on the Boho Blossom punch and glue to the middle of the daisy and add a brad or half pearl in the center.

Attach to your card any way you would like, I like to attach them with dimensionals.

You can do the center of the flower many different and pretty ways. This flower looks great using SU Prints Designer Series papers but this paper made a bolder statement and showed the double sides better. Have fun playing around with different papers and centers.

Well I hope you like this tutorial and why not post a link to the cards you make int he comments section? We'd love to see them!

I will apologise in advance if the pictures dont line up with the instructions. I was having such a horrid time with blogger and getting them where i wanted them to be.

Have a great Wednesday

Leonie

Utah Divas Stampin' Sisters Program

Stampin' Sisters has always been a part of UDI since its beginning. Our members sign up and Max, our Queen Diva, pairs us up. The program lasts for 3 month increments. Jan-Mar, Apr-Jun, Aug-Oct. The program does not run in July, Nov and Dec due to Convention and the holidays; however, we may do a monthly round during that time for those who do not attend convention or who may want a Christmas package ;)

Each Diva sister sends and receives 3 packages. Each package contains at least $20 in Stampin' Up! product (from a wish list) and 3 hand-stamped items. The Diva may want to add something else such as chocolate, candy etc~stuff you learn your sister likes as you get to know her better.
The program isn't all about packages though-it is about emailing and building friendships with other Divas. The commitment is very straight forward and the program has been a HUGE success enabling our Divas to get to know fellow Divas on a much more personal level.

For the first three months of this year, my sister has been Terry J. She is the expert on email jokes and fun facts. She sends light-hearted messages to let me know she is thinking of me always and she is a very talented stamper. As such, I would like to share my sister's story with you as well as one of her lovely hand-stamped cards. Terry says:

I have been married to my husband Jack for nearly 30 years. We have one son whose name is Jerrod and he is 29 year old. He is definitely the light of both of our lives. We are hoping that he gets married soon!! We are soooo ready for grand babies!!! I have been a SU demonstrator for one year. I have always done some kind of craft. If I'm not painting, then I am crocheting. If I am not crocheting, then I am stamping. I was browsing the SU website and was so impressed with their products that I began thinking that maybe I should look into being a demonstrator. I went onto the demonstrator locater and found Max. I really liked the way she presented herself and her projects, so I called her up. And the rest is history.

Terry's "Let the Cute Begin" card above features the Big On Spring stamp set available now through June 30 and found in the Occasions Mini Collection. Terry stamped the focal image with Basic Black Classic Ink on Whisper White Cardstock and colored the letters in Bashful Blue. She then re-stamped the image on Bashful Blue DSP and trimmed out the little onesie to adhere over the focal image. You can only receive the Bashful Blue Designer Series Paper in the Prints Pack which is offered as a hostess benefit. If you need these colors, which are gorgeous in real life, call your demonstrator now to book a stamping party. In addition to the usual benefits this month, any hostess party reaching over $300 receives an additional $25 in Stampin' Up merchandise!

Sorry about getting side-tracked there. Back to Terry's card. To embellish her card, Terry used the paper piercing tool to outline around the focal image mat and to pierce holes she used for cross-stitching with Linen Thread at the corners. A final touch is the Mellow Moss button also embellished with Linen Thread. Beautiful card! I was very excited to receive one of my own in the mail from Terry.

If you would like to know more about joining the Utah Divas, email me directly at jim.edie@roadrunner.com. Please put Utah Divas in the subject line. Thank you Terry & thank you everyone for stopping by UDI. EdieB

Meet Valerie!

When Max asked me to be part of the UDI Blog and serve as manager, I was so honored that she thought enough of me to give me the responsibility over a project that I knew was very important to her. I just knew I had to work hard to get everyone organized so things would run smoothly. What I didn't know was that I would make so many more friends along the way. It has been so much fun for me getting to know each of the Divas better through our blogging site. I hope it has been for you too.

So, having said that, I would like to introduce to you one of my stampin' friends ~Val. Val has a very cute personality and was very excited to send me pictures of some of stamping projects. She is so creative. I just smiled and smiled as I opened each one to take my first look. You know a girl loves her family when she puts her heart into a scrapbook page like this one. Isn't it darling? This page shows off Stampin' Up's! East Coast Prep Designer Series Paper, complimented by Real Red 5/8 Grosgrain Ribbon. These colors just pop. I love the way Val layered the stars and circles and button to give the page dimension and interest. Check out the new Occasions Mini Collection to find that new and versatile set "In the Stars". Here is what Val has to say about herself.

I have been a Stampin Up Demonstrator for 11 years. I love the creativity and the ability to meet
new people and make friends. I work full time for the Department of Health and Human Service as a caseworker for the Aged, Blind and Disabled program. I was invited to become a Diva by Jean Thomas, who has been a friend for 4 years and is also a member of my down line. I have 2 children Ryan who is 27 years old (his wife Amy and my darling grandson, Braylen who is 23 mos. old, and a new grandson that will be born around April 23rd) and Michael who is 20 years old and is a Sophomore in college. I love to read, scrapbook and stamp. Val


Val's Embrace Life card is in Chocolate Chip & Groovy Guava, embellished with the Groovy Guava Double-Stitched Ribbon. It looks and sounds yummy. To make each flower stand out, Val first stamped the flower with Chocolate Chip Classic Ink on Groovy Guava card stock and cut each one out. She then adhered the flowers to Chocolate Chip card stock and shadow trimmed them to give the image an extra splash of color.

Beautiful work Val. I hope you will share more of your work with us on the UDI blog soon. Thank you. And, thanks to all of you for visiting. Happy Stampin'! EdieB

Tuesday Treat

Today’s featured stamper is Micki, a woman whom I have had the pleasure to meet and get to know. She is a very talented stamper, but like many, does not give herself enough credit. The following is a brief bio written by Micki herself as well as some fantastic projects with supply lists.

"Hi, let me introduce myself. My name is Micki and I am a wife to a wonderful husband, a mother to an awesome daughter and son-in-law, a grandmother to the worlds most adorable two granddaughters (I know – I’m being biased, lol), and a craft-a-holic. I was born and raised in Bad Hersfeld, Germany and immigrated to Leavenworth, Kansas 31 years ago. Several years ago, we bought an old Victorian house in Wathena, Kansas which is west of St. Joseph, Missouri, so we could be closer to the kids.

I have always dabbled in some kind of craft; crochet & knitting, quilting, sewing, folk art stuff, one-stroke painting and yes, had even tried rubberstamping about 15 years ago. Being German and having been raised in Germany, arts & crafts are taught early on in school. I distinctly remember in 3rd grade having to knit a sweater and it still brings a chuckle out of me as I had cheated and had my ‘Oma’ knit it for me.

So as I had mentioned, I tried rubberstamping before but it did not catch my interest. Back then it was too labor intensive in my opinion. Years later, a friend invited me to a Stampin’ Up! Workshop and I truly responded with “Ugh, I tried stamping and I am not interested. And scrapbooking – no thanks”. Honest to goodness, that was my answer. Kari just said to come, it’ll be fun, a night away for you and you don’t have to buy a thing. Well….. I’m sure you can imagine how the rest of the story goes. The demonstrator showed 3 different cards, which took less than 10 minutes each and a major light bulb went off in my head…. As for scrapbooking, having grandchildren changed my mind really quick.

I have been a demonstrator now for close to 3 years and joined Utah Divas International shortly after starting my demoship. Through UDI, I have learned so much and am still learning which is so much fun. I have met an amazing community of crafters that are always there to offer creative feedback, encouragement and just inspire me to step outside of my comfort zone and just create! Customers are not customers but have become my friends and crafting buddies. When I have a workshop, it’s more like a creative forum and it is so much fun to absorb all that creativity. Not to mention the laughs we share.

That is my story. To sum it up- Creative Stress Relief. My stamping & scrapbooking allows me to forget about the daily challenges of work, stress and general every day trials & tribulations and helps me to unwind."

A little about the 12x12 scrapbook page created here. Scrapbooking is relatively hard for me because I tend to ‘over analyze’ and instead of letting it be, I alter a page a gadzillion times before going back to the original layout. Sound familiar? This page was intended to be a Christmas present…. (I know :)) for a close friend who lives in Oklahoma and I realized I better just ‘do it’ so she can have it by Easter. It is my first time using Rub Ons and I absolutely fell in love with them, which is why no stamps were used. I had too much fun with the Rub-Ons. I also used Stampin’ Up!’s On Board Chipboard, colored it with the Chocolate Chip re-inker. The colors were randomly chosen since they appealed to me and seemed to go better with the Sepia tone of the photo.

Circle of Friends
Paper
􀂉 101556 Old Olive
􀂉 105141 Pumpkin Pie
􀂉 100946 More Mustard
􀂉 102851 Basic Black (scraps)
Ink Pads/Markers
􀂉 101065 Chocolate Chip Reinker
􀂉 105021 White Gel Pen
Accessories
􀂉 109179 On Board Ginormous Pieces
􀂉 111276 Love Birds Rub Ons
􀂉 111228 Love & Happiness Rub Ons (SAB)
􀂉 110720 Flower Fusion
􀂉 109113 Square Rhinestones Ice
􀂉 109041 5-Petal Punch
􀂉 109043 Scalloped Circle Punch

The Essence of Love cards were an idea about using Transparency sheets. I know I saw a similar idea somewhere with other stamps and I’m sure that’s how I came up with this idea, I just can’t remember where or who otherwise I would give credit.

Essence of Love
Stamps/Wheels
􀂉 111494 Essence of Love
Paper
􀂉 108641Wild Wasabi
􀂉 109178 Prints Designer Series Certainly Celery
􀂉 Transparency from office supply
Ink Pads/Markers
􀂉 Staz On Black (or White)
Accessories
􀂉 Silver or Gold Brads
􀂉 Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon

Happy Petals
Stamps/Wheels

􀂉 109445 Pick A Petal
􀂉 107375 Happy Everything
Paper

􀂉 100730 Whisper White
􀂉 102837 Only Orange

Ink Pads/Markers

􀂉 102696 Only Orange Classic Ink
􀂉 102913 Only Orange Reinker

Accessories
􀂉 110720 Flower Fusion
􀂉 109113 Square Rhinestone - Ice
􀂉 109114 Pretties Kit
􀂉 Cuttlebug Embossing Folders
􀂉 Tea Dye

Thanks, Micki, for telling us about yourself and sharing your great projects with us! As always, I look forward to seeing what you create next.

Have fun stampin' and creatin'!

Last Day of Sale-A-Bration!

Happy Monday!



I'm filling in for Max today who is manning the SU phones for the rush of last day of Sale-A-Bration (SAB) 2008. And what a great SAB it has been. Stampin' Up! treated us to a choice of five fabulous FREE stamp sets this year and, for the first time ever, a pack of rub-ons! I don't know about you, but I was hesitant to try the new rub-ons offered in the Spring Occasions Collection, so it seemed like a good idea to give them a try since they were FREE. Adrian G & Selene K shared their rub-on projects with us earlier this month and here we have a gorgeous Friend card made by Carol using the SAB Love & Happiness rub-ons, Groovy Guava cardstock, Designer Series Paper and Double Stitched Ribbon. If you still don't know where to start with your rub-ons, click here to check out Selene's rub-on tutorial.



Well, as I said, SAB wasn't only about FREE rub-ons. It was also about FREE stamps and what do we love best about Stampin' Up!? FREE stamps, right? There's also the coordinating color families, cardstock, inks, punches, etc. I could go on and on. But, seriously, did you know that for every Stampin' Up! punch there are like a bazillion coordinating stamp sets. Well, maybe not a bazillion, but there are a lot. SAB gave us a coordinating stamp set for Stampin' Up's new Scallop Circle Punch. SAB set So Many Scallops gives you a set of 4 stamps that you can punch and layer using the Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8 Circle Punch, 1-1/4 CirclePunch and 1 inch Circle Punch. BrendaT made the Happy Birthday Card to the left using the So Many Scallops stamp set, Brilliant Blue & So Saffron Classic Inks and cardstocks, So Saffron Designer Series Paper and Earth Elements brads to embellish the center band.





The card to the right was also stamped by our very own BrendaT. For this card, Brenda used the Friendship Blooms SAB stamp set. This was my favorite set this year. This set of 5 stamps has 2 really cool flower stamps that you can stamp on their own or cut out and layer like Brenda did. There is also a filigree, leaves and the cute sentiment shown here. I love the colors Brenda picked out too: Wild Wasabi and Pretty In Pink. Brenda embellished her card with an Ice Square Rhinstone brad in the center of the flower and matching Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Ribbon. You'll see she used the Horizontal Slot punch to make a perfect-sized slot to slide the ribbon through. And, to add a finishing touch to the card, Brenda stamped a filigree accent in the bottom right corner. This not only adds interest for your eye, but also balances Brenda's layout.



So, as I said before, today is the last day of SAB so run to the phone or email your favorite Diva demonstrator and place your order today to get these free stamp sets and rub-ons.



Thanks for stopping by and Happy Stampin'! EdieB