Shoulder Surgery

Today I'm having shoulder surgery. Hopefully I'll only be down for a couple of days. I was going to try to get a couple of things ready to post in my absence, but I had too many other things to do. I've been having problems for several months, and I'm anxious to finally get this taken care of. Wish me luck & I'll be back very soon!

Thanks for visiting ~ Have a Great day!

dd

Extra Hostess Bonus - Book A Workshop Today!

Dates: July 27 ~ August 31, 2010

Details: Hostesses will receive an additional $25 in Hostess Free Merchandise Dollars when they hold a Workshop totaling $350 or more!

Things to Remember:

• Only customer, hostess, and workshop order types qualify for this promotion. Online orders do not qualify.
• Orders must be $350 or more to qualify.
• Hostesses may use their additional $25 in hostess free merchandise on any regular catalog/mini catalog merchandise.
• Orders larger than $350 are not eligible for additional hostess free merchandise dollars. For example, a $700 workshop does not receive $50 in additional dollars. All orders over $350 always receive $25 in additional free hostess dollars.

Contact me today to book your workshop!

dd

Mostly Vintage

Today's card was created using a technique that I've been wanting to try for while; Emboss Resist. I used the Decor Stencil, Mostly Vintage, one of those items I bought, but hadn't used yet. I'm trying to be better about that.

Lay the stencil on your cardstock, I used Whisper White. Using a Sponge Dauber, sponge Versa Mark Ink over the stencil. Lift the stencil off, add Clear Embossing Powder and heat emboss. I used a mild soap & water to clean my stencil, and laid it flat on a towel to dry.

Now for the fun part. I used my Log Cabin Smooch Spritz and spritzed the entire piece of embossed cardstock. Set that aside to dry, or you can use your Heat Tool to speed that process up a bit. But, you want to make sure the spritz is completely dry before you take a tissue and wipe off the embossed design. The spritz won't dry on the embossed area and wipes off easily. Don't rub too hard, you want to retain the spritzed look on the cardstock. Now you're ready to finish your card.

Other products used for this card were the Elements of Style Stamp Set for the sentiment. The Big Shot and the Matchbox Die were used for the label. I then adhered that to Early Espresso Cardstock and hand cut the mat behind it. The Boho Blossom Punch was used for the flower along with a Circle Fire Rhinestone Brad for the center. The Scallop Trim Border Punch creates a Pink Pirouette border along the bottom and the Chantilly Crochet Trim adds the perfect Vintage finishing touch.

Stampin' Up! Convention was this past week, unfortunately I was unable to go this year. It is going to be a priority on my list for next year. I have seen just a few updates about the happenings this year and I know they had a blast! I can't wait to hear everything that they learned while they were there. I will update you as soon as I can.

There's only a few more days to rejoin SU for only $35. If you are a former Demonstrator and you want to come back ~ Now is the time! Contact me for more information, or go to my website to check it out.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Just For You

I had so much fun playing yesterday. This is the first card that I made. I love these bright summery colors! Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight & Crumb Cake, on a Whisper White base.

The background is the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder. I love texture, and this is a great way to add some if you don't have textured paper. I also added a bit of texture to the center of the flower by using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. I just ran a little scrap through my Big Shot & then punched it out with the 3/4" Circle Punch. This is a great way to use up some of those scraps too!

The flowers are from the Printed Petals Stamp Set. I hand cut them and used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop them up. The sentiment is from Just Believe, one of the sets that I earned free during Sale-a-Bration. Just one of the perks of being a Demonstrator; Free Stuff! Then, I played a little with the Eyelet Border Punch. I punched a strip and ran it over my Bone Folder several times to soften it up. Then I pleated it to give it the look of fabric eyelet. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Here is a close up of the detail.


Hope you all have a Great weekend ~

dd

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yep, today is my Birthday, so I decided instead of filling nail holes, sanding & painting in the spare bedroom, I would sneak next door to my craft room and do some stamping. Sounds like a lot more fun doesn't it!

Here is one of the cards that I made. I used the Blueberry Crisp DSP again with coordinating Pacific Point, Marina Mist and Very Vanilla Cardstock. There's not a lot of stamping on this card, but I did use the Itty Bitty Bits for the centers of my flowers.

I'm always thinking about different themes for classes, and I recently came up with the title Perfectly Punched. I used 4 different punches and the Perfect Polka Dot Embossing Folder, so I think this card will be a good one for that class. The punches that I used are: Boho Blossoms, 1/2" Circle, Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border.

Don't forget, if you are a former Stampin' Up! Demonstrator* who left in the past 3 years, during the month of July you can Rejoin for Only $35!

To rejoin Stampin' Up!, former Demonstrators only need to purchase the Rejoin Starter Kit and sign and complete a new Independent Demonstrator Application and Agreement.

The Rejoin Starter Kit Contains:

• 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog (8)
• 2010 Summer Mini Catalog (8)
• Guest invitation postcards (100)
• Customer order forms (50)
• 2010-2011 Definitely Decorative catalog (1)
• Celebrando Creatividad (1)
• Two months free Demonstrator Business Web Services (DBWS) subscription

Demonstrator Application and Agreements must be received by Stampin' Up! by July 31, 2010.

*Only demonstrators who resigned on or before March 31, 2010, are eligible for this offer.

Contact me if you have any questions!

Thanks for checking in!

dd

Always

Wow! What happened to this week?

Monday I had a Doctor appointment and it was my Mother-in-Law's Birthday, so we took her to dinner. I have been having some issues with my shoulder, and had an MRI on Tuesday. I picked up my grand daughter later that afternoon and she spent the night Tuesday night, and now Wednesday is almost gone too! Not much time for stamping.

I do however, have another Fancy Folds card to share with you. For this one I used the Always Stamp Set, and Blueberry Crisp DSP. I think they coordinate very well. I used Sahara Sand Cardstock for the base and Pacific Point as an accent. I stamped the bird with Pacific Point, and the berries with Sahara Sand Classic Ink on Very Vanilla Cardstock.
The ribbon is the now retired kraft taffeta. I'm still waiting on some new ribbons!

This card is like two cards folded together, overlapping each other. Here is a picture showing how the fold works.










Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you're having a Great week!

dd

Rejoin For Only $35

If you are a former Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and are missing all the fun & excitement of Workshops and Classes, now is your chance to Rejoin! Now, through the end of July, for only $35 you can sign up and once again be part of the Stampin' Up! Team. Contact me or your former Upline to get started right away!

Word Play

One of the perks of being a Demonstrator is that during Sale-a-Bration, we have the opportunity to earn free stamp sets through our sales and recruiting. This year, I was fortunate and earned free sets by doing both! I chose Word Play as one of my sets. It is a set of 12 great sayings, for many different occasions. I'm sure I'll be using this one a lot. I'm so happy to have it in my collection!

As I've said before, there are just so many new things that I love in the new catalog. The new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch for instance. That's what I used to create the three "ribbons" along the bottom of my card. I used Cherry Cobbler, Daffodil Delight, and Early Espresso Cardstock. The greatest thing about this punch, is that you just punch once, and both sides are done. Then you just move your cardstock along the punch until you get the length you want. You could do a whole 12" border for a scrapbook page! Can't wait to do that!

The top half of the card was created using my Big Shot and the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, and of course, I had to add the 1/8" Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon. I used Stampin' Dimensionals to pop up my sentiment and added the Small Heart Punch as an accent.

Don't forget, along with the new catalog, you can still order from the Summer Mini Catalog through the end of August.

Having a much better day today ~ hope you're having a great one too!
Thanks for visiting!

dd

Vacation Pic

I'm not feeling too well today so I thought I'd just share a picture from my vacation. My husband & I try to take a driving vacation each year so we can see as much of the US as we can. We have gone out west for the past 3 years and decided to go east this year. We headed east and began our adventure in North Carolina and worked our way north to Harper's Ferry West Virginia. This is a picture of my husband overlooking Harper's Ferry after our 5 mile hike up a mountain along the Appalachian Trail.

Hopefully I'll be feeling better and get some stamping done and have some more projects to share with you tomorrow. I really want to get in to my craft room and play with all my new stuff!

Thanks for checking in!

dd

Back From Vacation

I returned home from vacation to a nice package of new product! I couldn't wait to dive in and start playing. There are so many things in the new catalog that I love, but I just had to try out the adorable Owl Punch. I used a card in the catalog as my inspiration. I just changed the colors a bit.

I used Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla, Sahara Sand, Old Olive and Pacific Point Cardstock, and then added a touch of Blueberry Crisp DSP. The Two Step Owl Punch is so great. It punches all the pieces out in just one punch! The leaf stems are from the Two Step Bird Punch. The flower on the girl owl is from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack, and the hearts are part of the Owl Punch.

I stamped the Woodgrain Background with Sahara Sand Classic Ink on Sahara Sand Cardstock, and stamped the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in Chocolate Chip. I had to use my Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, which has been discontinued. I'll be ordering the new Early Espresso very soon!

If you still need a new catalog, contact me and I'll get one to you right away!
Thanks for stopping by ~ Have a great day!

dd

Thinking of You

I hope you've had a chance to look through the new catalog. I spent quite some time with it yesterday, planning new classes, making lists of things to order, and trying to decide just what to order first. My Wish List is very long. I say it every year, but I really think Stampin' Up! has out done themselves with this catalog!

I have submitted this card for possible publication ~

My card today was created using the Artistic Etchings and Sincere Salutations stamp sets, and the Newsprint DSP. The Designer Series Papers in the new catalog are amazing, I Love them all! This collection is all Basic Black & Very Vanilla. It's great because you can add just about any color to get a dramatic look. I've combined it with Daffodil Delight, and used the coordinating 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon. These new ribbons are so cute with the white trimmed edge. The clip is just to hold the card closed so I could take the picture.


Here's the angle to show the Fancy Fold. It's been fun creating these cards with different folds, and not just the traditional ones. If you're interested in more information about this class, contact me or visit my website.

Thanks for stopping by!

dd

Today's The Day!

This will probably be a very popular Blog Title today in the Stampin' Up! World! Today at noon MT the new catalog goes live! If you are local, that is 2:00pm here. If you don't have your own copy yet, you'll be able to view it online. If you want a copy, just let me know & I'll get one to you right away ~ it's much better when you can actually hold it in your hands & touch the pages. I'm going to have to find something to keep me busy until 2:00, or the time is just going to drag by. Maybe I'll just go stamp!

My card today is another Fancy Fold card. I used the Upsy Daisy Stamp Set and the Island Oasis DSP again. These colors are just so great for summer. I Love the combination of Pumpkin Pie and Tempting Turquoise. These are also great colors for boys. Sometimes it's hard to find things that are not all flowery & pink. The little butterfly is from the Charming Stamp Set.
Here is a picture showing the Fancy Fold of this card. We will be making 5 cards in this class. They may not be the exact cards I'm sharing with you here, but they will all have a different Fancy Fold. Check out my website for more details.

Have a great day & have fun perusing the new catalog!

dd