Addicted

Addictions start out so innocently. You eat one M&M and then, two and before you know it you have eaten the entire bag and you are addicted. Well, I started with one  tiny chipboard book and now I have 7 or more! I am in love with these puppies.  They are so fun to put together and if you work hard you can get one completed in a day.

Take a look …..The first book documents our vacation last February. We went to Brussels, Paris, and London with our close friends. We had such a good time and it was a perfect trip. Now I have this great little suitcase scrapbook to enjoy and relive those happy memories. The little charm came from a bracelet I found at a junk shop (99 cents!). I inserted several tag pages, coasters, and fold out pages. This started out as an 8 page book, now it has 10 pages and holds about 70 pictures.

Next week we are taking another big trip and we are taking our children and grandchildren with us. So I had to make them a scrapbook.  I have two finished, everything expect the pictures and journaling, which I’ll add when we return home. I have one more to complete and then we will be on our way! We are all excited and are looking forward to our big adventure.

On another note: A doll making blogger contacted me last week thanking me for posting pictures of Green Gables. She had been looking for a clear picture of Anne’s home so she could appliqué it on the doll’s dress. This is what she made – her dolls are so unique. I just adore them. Nice job, Jessica.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Simple Birthdays are the Best

The past few weeks have been super busy. We have been working in the yard, babysitting and just bumming around. Last week the stamping divas had a scrappy day and I needed some simple cards to make. I was trying to use up some patterned paper and I also wanted the card to be simple. When I saw this card by May Fish I knew it was just what I wanted. I made several of these using different colors. This card was fun and easy. Thanks so much Mary!

The divas are off for a two day stamping retreat. It should be a lot of fun….stamping, reading, giggling, and eating. I’ll share pictures when we return.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Biker Girl

I am in a card swap this week and we were encouraged to use new stamps from the Summer Mini-catalog and retiring colors. I have worried about this all week because I thought everyone would use the new set Elements of Style and I didn’t want to compete with that! The set is lovely and I can’t wait to make cards with it but I decided to go in a totally different direction.

One of my best customers and friend is a motorcycle gal. When I saw the motorcycle stamp I KNEW she would have to have it. Jamie is not traditional “biker” girl. She is a girly, girl. So Jamie, this one is for you.  It is a simple layout but I wanted to let the image be the focal point. Hope you enjoy it!

I have a bunch of cards to share but just need to take some pictures. Maybe today…..

Thanks for stopping by today.

Awash with Flowers

Here in the south we are really Awash with Pollen! It is getting better but this time of the year is what I call “yellow time.” There is no reason to wash your car or dust until all this mess goes away. That gives me more time for stamping though.

Get the Awash with Flowers stamp set FREE during April when you host a Workshop with at least $350 in sales!

The Awash with Flowers stamp set will be featured in the upcoming 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog, which will debut July 1st.  This is your chance to get this Sneak Peek stamp set for FREE! (Up to a $39.99 value) I love this set. It is so spring like and fun.

Or, you may purchase the 18 piece Awash with Flowers stamp set:
117062 Wood Mount $39.95
120549 Clear Mount* $27.95
*Clear Blocks Sold Separately

Also, enjoy 20% off these four stamp sets during April:
• Greenhouse Garden ($20.76, reg $25.95)
• Fifth Avenue Floral ($19.96, reg $24.95)
• Flower Fancy ($29.56, reg $36.95)
• Trendy Trees ($14.36, reg $17.95)

BONUS: During the month of April, my Workshops will feature the Awash with Flowers stamp set, and I am personally offering 10% OFF the purchase of the Awash with Flowers stamp set to your guests at your Workshop! This will allow your guests to enjoy savings on the Sneak Peek stamp set, while helping you earn your FREE stamp set. Call or e-mail me to book a workshop today!

Thanks for stopping by today!

Color Renovation

Change is inevitable

We hear this all the time but it is so true…..things change and we have no control over those changes. But we do have control over how we deal with the change. I am choosing to deal with this change in a positive manner.

Last week Stampin’ Up made a huge announcement about their new Color Renovation. When I first read it I didn’t understand and I was sort of upset. Now remember this was Tuesday after we stamped all day and it was about 11:00 PM when I logged on to read the announcement.

But I have had time to think about it, read more of the information and I am very excited! I have wanted some new colors and have been eyeballing all those pretty papers from other companies. Now I can get them from Stampin’ Up! What does this mean for you? As a customer you will see so many new exciting colors to pick from but you will also have to say goodbye to some of the other colors. I will not miss Bordering Blue or Pale Plum….will you??? Some of you might think “Oh great, I just bought all the makers.” I did worry about that but then I decided; a marker is a marker. If I want to color my bird blue I can color him blue with the maker I have. If I just have to color the bird Baja Breeze Blue then I will just have to order that marker.

So without further ado I introduce the new colors:

But the sad thing is that all of these will be going away:

So be sure to stock up on your favorites while you can! At some point, it will be while supplies last only. There are a few I will miss, but not too many. I’m WAY excited about the new colors! There will be special kits available to both demos and customers that will allow us to update our pastels, markers, Watercolor Wonder crayons, etc. All coming our way in July! I can’t wait!!!

Once I get my new catalog I will share ideas on how to update your collection without breaking the bank. I had already planned a “special sale” in June to celebrate a milestone birthday. Now I think I will put that birthday celebration off until July so you can purchase some of  the new goodies.

I hope you will be as pleased as I am. As I said before change is hard but this one was long overdue.

Thanks for stopping by today.

I can’t believe it

I think Spring may be on the way. It isn’t raining and it is supposed to be 70 degrees today. I am not even going to listen to the news when they say it is going to rain Sunday. I am not going to let that happen! I did hear on the radio that we had more bad weather days in Georgia than they had in Alaska. That is amazing…. So much for living in the sunny south.

Yesterday my crafty friends got together and we created some fun and fancy fold cards. It is always a good idea to mix things up. Your friends will love getting cards that are non-traditional. When I sent this easel card to a friend I even got a phone call about how neat it was. Go ahead….. Make one of your friends happy and send them a card today. E-mail is great but I love to get a card in the mail, it is like getting a small gift even though it isn’t Christmas or my birthday.

Thanks for stopping by today.

This makes me happy

It seems like we have not had much happy news around here lately. Two funerals and one very sick friend have been weighing on us. And the south has had some crazy grey and rainy days. I am ready for spring big time. But when I made this card it just made me laugh. It makes me smile and everyone needs to smile don’t they? Enjoy!

Here are some of the cards from my Easter card class. Some of my stampers and I got together last week and made these cards.  I have a lot of fun and creative ladies in my classes and they all seem to get along so well. It sure makes teaching classes easy for me.

The tall pink card was great for using up scraps. I try to make every tiny piece of paper count. Don’t you?

Thanks for stopping by today.

Stamping for a Cause

Stampin′ Up! demonstrators have a long history of making a difference in the lives of others–especially when disaster strikes and the need is greatest.  Many demonstrators contacted Stampin’ Up! And asked how they could help with the Haitian disaster.

Here is the plan:

From now until February 28, 2010, for every” I {Heart} Hearts stamp set” you purchase Stampin’ Up! will donate $2.00 to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Product Name	Item #	Price
I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount  (block D recommended)	118571	$18.95
I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount	117010	$26.95

This is a great way to reach out and help those in need. Contact me if you would like to purchase this stamp set. I will post some samples made with this set soon. It is a good all around set, not just for Valentine’s Day.

It has been a super busy start to the New Year. We spent a wonderful holiday break visiting our children and grandchildren in Denver but since we got home things have been going 100 miles per hour. It is amazing how fast time flies.

Yesterday I held  a workshop and we made paper bag scrapbooks using our Christmas pictures. How fun! It was interesting to see the variety of holiday pictures. I laughed when I saw that a lot of us had the same picture of our “gingerbread houses.” The scrapbooks came out nice and glitzy, just to my liking. Glitter and bling make me very happy. I’ll try to post some  pictures soon.

Today I have a new stamp set to share with you: Vintage Vogue. This is a stamp that is in the new mini-catalog. I am wild about vintage images but never seem to make a card I like. That is not the issue with this stamp set. It is so easy to create a great card with little effort. That’s my kind of card making!

Thanks for stopping by today.  Contact me if you would like to place an order or hold a workshop. I would love to share my love of stamping with you and your friends.

Lost in my craft room

I have been stamping away in my craft room and I can honestly say I could crawl under some paper and you wouldn’t find me for at least  week. It is so easy to make a mess and I am very good at it!

I just created a page for all my classes and workshops. Just click on the  Workshops and Class Schedule and you can see the offerings for November. If you are interested in a class just give me a call. November is a great time to consider hosting a workshop. SU has some wonderful promotions for you as you prepare for the holidays. One promotion going on right now is the Sweet Rewards Promotion. Host a workshop totaling $250 or more and choose any one item* from the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalogfor only $10! * Offer excludes hostess sets and My Digital Studio. This would be a super way to earn some new stamp sets or Christmas gifts.

The newest promotion started yesterday- Holiday Extravaganza You visit my SU! website for more information.  If you don’t think you have time to host a workshop you might consider a virtual workshop. Get your catalog out and share it with your friends.

Last week I hosted a group of stampers and we made a royal mess but we sure had fun. Here are our creations. Not the best pictures but you get the idea.

Thanks for stopping by today.

Good Grief – an entire month of no blogging!

I have no idea where my days go. I promise I am stamping like crazy, but I just can’t seem to get the pictures taken and posted to the old blog. I think I need to make a to do list every day so I won’t put off blogging. I have also been busy setting up my own crafting room! We took out the bedroom furniture, went to Ikea and bought shelves- now my room is much more functional. I love working in such a large space where I can find my supplies. I am still working on organizing things but it will get better soon.

Tomorrow is our church yard sale which is usually pretty big event. I am sure I will find something I just “have to have” for my crafting. Oh – I almot forgot – I bought a new sewing machine. My 38 year old Singer died. I looked at several machines and finally settled on a Baby Lock. My first project is going to be new cushions for our kitchen chairs. Then I am going to try my hand at making an apron. There are so many cute apron patterns at my local quilt store.

Tomorrow is World Card Making Day. Our local group is sponsoring an event to make 1000 cards for soldiers. I cut so much paper this week my hands were worn out. I will miss the event because of the yard sale but I am sure it will be tons of fun.

Enough gabbing. Here is a card I made for a friend who just celebrated her 84^th birthday.

I promise to be better at posting….I know I have said that before

Do you love Stampin’ UP punches? I do!

The Deal of the Week has returned for the month of October. Check out this first deal below:

Item	Description	Special Price
109183	Trio Flower punch	$10.99
109041	5-Petal Flower punch	$10.99
110709	My Way punch	$11.99

You can get these punches by shopping online at my store or you can e-mail me your order.