HOME FOR CHRISTMAS!!

Home for Christmas is such a lovely stamp set, and perfect for coloring using markers or colored pencil or water coloring which I what I used for this card.  I made a pallet of Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, and Garden Green ink and used my Aqua Painter to lightly paint. I added a little piece of Silver Tinsel Trim  wrapped in with the piece of Whisper White Organza Ribbon.  

SPEAKING OF RUDOLPH!!

Is this adorable or what?!?!  My sweet daughter Laura brought this home for me over Thanksgiving.  She bought it in Tallahassee where she goes to Florida State.  She knows I love reindeers, so I guess when she spotted this she saw my name on it.  I absolutely love it, and I've been moving Rudolph and Friends from window to window to give it maximum light.

RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER!

What would the holiday's be without a Rudolph??  I love reindeers and when I was young I absolutely knew without a doubt that there was a Rudolph with a red nose.  This very simple and easy card was made using the small oval punch, and the nose was punched from the Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack. I drew the antlers using a very fine tip brown pen.  The eyes are those cute wiggle eyes you can get at the hobby store.

IT'S BEGINNING TO FEEL A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!

Right now it is 47 degrees in Orlando, Florida and that is COLD!!! Burrrrr! My feet are cold, my hands are cold and I just can't get warm.  I don't know how you folks up north do it for months on end.  Anyway......

Todays card I used the poinsettia stamp from the Bells & Boughs stamp set.  I also used the very fun Glass Glitter in the Champagne color.  I love this stuff because  it is so easy to use and really makes your project pop. The designer series paper is from  Deck the Halls, and I used Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding for the bow.  Hope you enjoy today's card and maybe it will give you some new ideas for your cards.

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!!

Wow, has this year flown by or what?!!  I can't believe Thanksgiving came and went, and now there are only 26 days until Christmas Day.  Are you ready?  I'm not. I just started making my Christmas cards which I will start posting today or tomorrow, and I will also post some card kits that you can purchase from me. All you have to do is put everything together.  So, put on your santa hat and check back soon.

HALF OFF STAMPIN' UP! STARTED KIT!!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!  BELIEVE IT!  Starting this Monday, November 15, until November 30, you can purchase the Standard or the Digital + Starter Kits for only $87.50.  That is 50% off the regular price of $175 for over $310 worth of crafting and business supplies. Click here for details.  

The standard Starter Kit includes:

• Four complete stamp sets (including a clear-mount set and clear-mount block)
• A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge  
• Assortment of Designer Series paper and card stock
• Four Classic Stampin' Pads
• Two Stampin' Write markers
• VersaMark Pad
• Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon
• Songbird Décor Elements and applicator
• Adhesives
• Blender pen
• Stamping sponge
• Stampin' Scrub and Mist 
• Box of Idea Book & Catalogs
• Business forms and tools

The Digital+ Starter Kit includes

• My Digital Studio software suite
• Three complete stamp sets (including a clear-mount set and clear-mount block)
• Assortment of card stock
• Four Classic Stampin' Pads
• Two Stampin' Write markers
• Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
• Brights Designer buttons
• Songbird Décor Elements and applicator
• Adhesives
• Stampin' Scrub and Mist 
• Box of Idea Book & Catalogs
• Business forms and tools

If you have been wanting to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator or just a Stampin' Up! Hobbiest  this is the time to do it.  You have two weeks before this amazing offer from Stampin' Up! ends. Email me to get started today.

BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday afternoon.  I know it's snowing in places in the North, but in the South we are enjoying beautiful Fall weather. Here are some pictures I took to prove it.  Enjoy!

AUTUMN SPICE - DAY OF GRATITUDE

The Day of Gratitude stamp set is an ideal stamp set to make all your Fall projects and Thanksgiving Day cards.  I also used the beautiful Autumn Spice designer series paper for this card.  Click HERE and scroll down to page 12 and 13 to view both these Stampin' Up! projects.

HAS IT REALLY BEEN A MONTH??

Wow,  I cannot believe it has been over a month since I last posted on my blog.  I made so many beautiful Halloween projects too and never posted them.  ARGGH!!  It has been quite a busy and sometimes not so pleasant past month.  Some days are diamonds, and some days are rocks.  There always seems to be some kind of drama in my two daughters lives that always needs attention and keeps me very busy (not so unusual I guess) and then I visit my mother daily at the assistant living facility she is living in which takes up a ton of my time.  I enjoy seeing her every day, and with me being there all the time I can make sure she is being well taken care of.

Three weeks ago today our house was burglarize while I was taking my mother to the doctor.  I lost all my jewelry, including my wedding rings and my mothers pearls I wore on my wedding day.  It was terribly upsetting and still difficult to think about.  So hopefully things will calm down for a while and I will start posting again more regularly. For right now I am going to leave you with a beautiful Fall picture I took last week.  Enjoy and have a great Thursday.  Happy Veterans Day!!!

CHECK OUT ALL THESE GREAT DEALS!!

Stampin' Up! has a ton of great products in their clearance rack.  Check them out HERE

TODAY'S CARD USING "TAGS TIL CHRITSTMAS"

The new Tags til Christmas stamp set has nine stamps, and all the stamps are wonderful Christmas tag stamps to use on cards and gifts.  I used the ornament tag on this card and I love how it turned out.  I used Riding Hood Red card stock for the card base.  Certainly Celery for the scalloped piece, and Early Espresso for the small piece.  I also used my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder on the Early Espresso piece. 

Can you believe there are only 81 more days until Christmas?!!  Yikes!!  Time to start thinking about your holiday cards.  Let me know if I can help you.

Do you like these colors together?  At first I didn't think I would, but after putting this card together I love it!!  The colors are Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, and Bravo Burgundy.  To make the flower I punch three times using the Fancy Flower Extra-Large punch. Happy Halloween was punch on a small piece of vellum.  Enjoy.

FALL IS IN THE AIR!!

October 1 always marks the beginning of Fall for me.  The days become shorter and the temperatures in Florida drop into the mid to lower 80's during the day and low 70's at night.  I unpack our Fall and Halloween decorations and start burning our pumpkin spice candles throughout the house.  This is a picture l took while visiting Blowing Rock, North Carolina last week.  This gorgeous little town was decorated for Fall and some of the leaves were starting to change into beautiful colors.  Something I never see happen in Florida.

I have not posted to my blog in a couple weeks due to my trip to North Carolina which was cut short, and because of some very unfortunate circumstances that were beyond anyones control.  My family experienced three very unexpected deaths over a period of three days.  They were all related to each other and very tragic.  Through lots of prayers and talking to family and friends my husband and I, and our two daughters are doing better and looking forward to happier days ahead.  Starting tomorrow I will resume my regular daily blogging.  Thank you for reading.

BLOGGING FROM THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS.

Dear Bloggers, I am sorry I never got as chance to post any pictures or write any posts this past week like I said I would.  It has been very difficult getting internet access in the mountains which is one of the reasons for no posting, and also this past week has been very bitter sweet in many ways which I will post about at a later date.  I am leaving North Carolina early tomorrow morning and driving back to Orlando....14 hour drive...arrggh.  I will back posting soon. Have a great reast of the week.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers!!

Anyone who knows me knows my love for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and every time this band  tours I try and go to at least two or three of their shows each tour.  Last night I went to the show in Tampa, FL and I will add that Tom rocked Tampa Bay. Today I am leaving for Raliegh, North Carolina to see the Sat. show and then on to Charlotte, NC to see the Sunday show.  Call me NUTS....you won't be the first, nor the last.  I have loved this band since the 1980's and I know I will never get tired of their music.  They just keep getting better and better.  After the Sunday night show I will be driving to Blowing Rock, NC to have a few relaxing days before returning back to Orlando.  I hope to be posting from the road with lots of pictures, so please check back.

HOLIDAY HAPPINESS!!

Holiday Happiness is another new stamp set from the new Stampin' Up! catalog.  It is a set of six stamps and so fun to use. I also used on this card the new Textured Impressions Embossing Folder to create the snowflakes on the Very Vanilla card stock.  The decorative strip of Old Olive card stock was created using the new Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border.  I hope you enjoy today's card.

ANOTHER ARTISITC ETCHINGS

As promised, another card made with the new ARTISTIC ETCHINGS stamp set.  The fanned circle was made using the 1 3/4 Scallop Circle punch on page 200 of the new catalog.  One of the new Antique Brads on page 187 of the catalog was used in the middle.  If you would like to know how the fanned circle was made please leave me a comment and I will post a quick tutorial for you.

ARTISTIC ETCHINGS

Here is one of the many beautiful cards I made this past weekend at Stampcation.  I wish I knew the name of the demonstrator who orginally designed this card and put all the kits together so I could give her credit.  To make this card I used the Artistic Etchings stamp set.  I have seen this stamp set many times on page 125 of the new catalog, but never put much thought into purchasing it.  Now I want to buy this set after seeing so many beautiful samples made from this stamp set this weekend.  Tomorrow I will post another sample using this set.

STAMPCATION- MORE PICTURES!!

STAMPCATION WAS FABULOUS!!!

This past weekend I attended "STAMPCATION" in Orlando hosted by Linda Heller.  About 100 Stampin' Up! demonstrators attended.  Friday evening with picked up our make & take supplies and goody packet.  We then participated in a showbox swap for the rest of the evening.  For three hours we moved from table to table making 25 beautiful cards that each shoebox swapper had prepared in advance for each participent. I have some beautiful cards I will be displaying here on my blog all week for you to see. We also ate cupcakes and lots of fun candy.

Saturday morning started with Make & Take demonstrations and stamping time.  After lunch we had more fabulous demonstrations from other demonstrators and lots of time to stamp and use many new products.  Saturday evening was a "chick flick" and more stamping with popcorn, lemonaid and ice tea provided.  Below are a few pictures I took of the event.

JUST ONE OF MANY REASONS WHY....

YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR OWN GREETING CARDS!!!  I read this on the front page of MSN today, and maybe many of you out there in blog land did too, but if not I am quoting it here for you to read.  The article was titled "6 outrageously overpriced products"  Number 1 was overpriced movie popcorn. Number 2 was Greeting cards.  Here is what the article said about greeting cards.

"Since when does a folded-up piece of paper cost $2.99? Since someone slaps a precious kitty picture and a cleverly written message on it and then stamps the back of it with a logo. That's right -- we're talking about those pricey greeting cards.

Many consumers spend hours poring over the neatly arranged stacks in the greeting card aisle, searching for the perfect message for a sister's birthday, their parents' anniversary or "just because."

The average greeting card costs between $2 and $4, and consumers don't seem to think twice about paying that precipitous price. The markup is between 100% and 200%, which is not quite as shocking as movie theater popcorn, but it adds up. When you consider how many of those paper jewels you buy each year, it's enough to send you running for the construction paper and markers. After all, it costs only a few cents to create a homemade card."




I often here the excuse, "well you have to spend so much money on supplies just to make a few greeting cards".  My answer to that is "yes and no".  You can go over board and buy every product available for card making, or you can keep it simple and just buy what you need.  Rubber stamps can be used over and over again, and ink pads don't need to be re-inked but once every 100+ cards.  You can make your cards as simple or elaborate as you want, but I can assure you your hand-made cards will not cost $2 and $4to make like you would pay if you bought your cards at the store.  A hand-made card is so much more personal, and you know the recipient appreciates it so much more.  National card making day is Oct. 2.  Plan to make your holiday cards this year, and if I can help you with any ideas please contact me.

WICKED COOL!!!

If you haven't seen this stamp set yet, you need to right now.  Turn to page 23 in the new Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 catalog.  It has seven stamps in the set, five which I have used here.  I used Rich Razzleberry ink to compliment the Wicked Fun designer series paper on page 172 of the catalog. I have more ideas for this stamp set so stay tuned.

MY ACRYLIC BEACH BOOK

I love making books out of acrylic sheets.  I made this book using four sheets of acrylic and I punched three holes in the ends using my Crop-A-Dial.  I used binder rings in the holes to keep the book together.  Each page is decorated with scrapbook papers, stickers, fabric flowers and more.  I used photo's from a trip my family and I took to the west coast of Florida last summer.  I loved the way this acrylic book turned out and I plan to make more.  They are so easy to do.

OWL PUNCH POST-IT-NOTES

I got this very cute idea from Becky Roberts.  These were made using the darling new owl punch from the new catalog, the small 1.5 x 2" post-it-notes, the oval punch and any designer paper and card stock you choose to use.  Each pack of post-it-notes were divided into thirds, and I use sticky strip to attach the post-it's to the back of the card stock. These will make really fun gifts to give to my customers.

IT'S HERE AND IT'S NOW!!! THE HOLIDAY MINI CATALOG!!!

I am so EXCITED about the new holiday mini catalog, and I'm pretty sure you will be too.  There are  so many wonderful holiday stamp sets, designer paper, punches, ribbon, buttons, Glimmer Brads and lots more. You can click HERE to view the holiday mini, and click HERE to place your order.  I hope you enjoy the new holiday mini, and if you have any questions please contact me.

FRENCH FOLIAGE. FALL IS IN THE AIR!!

Well not really.  If you live in Florida like I do, than you know Fall is not in the air.  However, it is never too late to start working on your Fall/Holiday cards so you will be ready when you need them to send to friends and family.  French Foliage is one of the many beautiful stamp sets in the new Holiday Mini Catalog.  You will be able to start ordering from the Mini tomorrow. Sept.1.


Ingredients for this card:  Early Espresso, More Mustard, Very Vanilla card stock.  Soft Suede, Rich Razzleberry, More Mustard, Old Olive and Early Espresso ink.  Jumbo Eyelets-Pewter, string.  Greeting on the front of the card is from the new Seasonal Sentiments stamp set.  Also in the new Holiday Mini.

BIRTHDAY BAKERY

I am totally loving this new hostess level 1 stamp set Birthday Bakery.  It has three other stamps in the set that I didn't even use for this card.  The set is on page 10 in the new catalog.  I also used the Square Lattice Embossing Folder on the Pretty in Pink card stock for the back ground paper.  The button is from the new Candy Cane Big Designer Buttons in the new Holiday Mini.

I know the perfect person I'm going to send this card to for their upcoming birthday.  Hope you enjoyed today's card.

HOOT HOOT OWLS!!

Aren't these two a HOOT?  They truly love each other.  I cased the idea for this card from the card on page 200 from the new catalog.  I used different paper though and didn't add the ribbon. The owl punch to make these cute little guys is so fun.  Check out the punch on page 201 of the catalog.  Item #118074 - $16.95.

ROSES!!

I think this is still one of my very favorite cards.  The roses look almost real, and I love using the Presto Pattern paper.  I used Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink and I think just a touch of Rose Red ink to create the beautiful background for this card.  With the right verse this card would be perfect for a wedding or anniversary card.  Hope you like it as much as I do.

GREENHOUSE GARDEN CLASS

I absolutely love the Greenhouse Garden stamp set on page 101 of the new Stampin' Up! catalog.  The flowers are two-step stamping which give a multicolored look.  My class is next Sat. August 28th.  We will making three gorgeous cards and the flower pot box which is large enough to hold a small gift, cookies or candy. This class can also be purchased on-line starting Monday, Aug. 23.

I'M BACK.

I've been gone for a week moving my youngest daughter back to Tallahassee, FL where she is starting her second year at Florida State. Last year she lived on campus in a dorm, but this year she and her best friend are renting an apartment off campus. It was a very HOT and difficult move because the manager of the apt. complex did not have the apt. ready for the girls to move into liked she promised when we signed the lease last spring.  After my husband and I made many repairs, cleaned, and painted, and cleaned, and did I say clean...we finally moved the many boxes, bags and Rubbermaid containers up to the third floor (no elevators) in 91 degree heat at midnight. Yes, you read that correctly....91 degrees at midnight. After three long days of non-stop work my husband and I drove back to Orlando, and my daughter continued unpacking. She called today and said she had most everything put away and her apt. looks nice, and she is and her best friend are happy.  Classes start Monday morning. 

CHRISTMAS COLLEGE - HOLIDAY MINI CATALOG

I wanted to give you a close up view of this beautiful rubber stamp that you will be able to order Sept. 1 from the new Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini catalog.  This stamp measures 5" x 6" and is absolutely gorgeous.  I can not wait to start making some cards with it.  Remember....it is never too early to start making your holiday cards.   

STAMPIN' UP! HOLIDAY MINI CATALOG- GREAT THINGS COMING!!

The Holiday Mini Mother Load arrived today from Mr. UPS.  I am so excited...I can not wait to play with all my new products from the Holiday Mini Catalog. You will be able to start ordering from the Holiday Mini starting Sept. 1.  If you need a Mini catalog sent to you please leave me a comment or email me, and I will get one mailed to you.

 Pictured below are just some of the new products I ordered.  The new Nite Owl Halloween designer  series paper is to die for.  (hehe) The Autumn Spice designer paper is absolutely gorgeous, and the French Foliage stamp set makes a perfect duo for all your Fall and Thanksgiving projects.  I don't even know where to begin when trying to describe the Christmas/Holiday products to you. The Christmas Collage stamp is HUGE with beautiful designer paper to match.  There is Waffle Paper that is textured paper ideal for adding dimension to all your projects.  It is super thin, but thick enough to mold and shape. There is amazing new Glass Glitter that will add sparkle and shine to all your holiday cards, and Tinsel Trim to adorn your projects.  New punches that go with the new Tags til Christmas stamp set. And tons more that I haven't even purchase yet.  Have I got your interest?  Only 20 days left until you can order from the new Holiday Mini Catalog.

SITES FROM THE BEACH

Instead of staying home and working on my monthly newsletter I decided to play hooky and go to the beach.  It was such a beautiful day and it felt so good to relax in the sun and sea.  One of my very favorite sounds to listen to is the sound of the waves crashing on beach.  It's such a soothing and relaxing sound and always in rhythm. If I was ever given a chance to come back in another life, I would come back as a bird that lives at the sea.  Given the fact that I don't eat sea food could become a problem though.  Hope you enjoy my pictures from my day at the beach.

GREENHOUSE GARDEN CLASS

I'm posting one of the cards from my new upcoming class using the fabulous Greenhouse Garden set  and the Lap of Luxury designer series paper.  This paper is so gorgeous, and the Pretty in Pink and the Concord Crush card stock look so pretty with it.  Hope you enjoy.