February Stamp Camp

I had a great group of gals join me for stamp camp yesterday! I thought I'd share some photos that I took, but I realize now I didn't take another picture after everyone had arrived! The top one shows how I set up for a stamp camp (before putting out the required M&Ms). The cute mesh cubes for scraps and garbino cans for my tools all came from The Container Store. My upline, Jeanne, uses these, and I wanted to use the same thing, so I ordered them online (I don't live close enough to one of their stores, unfortunately). Under the grid paper is a large foam rectangle that you can find in the kids craft section of Joann's or Michaels. Since many of the ladies only stamp when they come to a stamp camp, I also provide adhesive. I know, it's not a Stampin' Up! product, but it holds better than their Snail adhesive (and is less expensive when you have a 40% off coupon at Joann's!). This stamp camp typically runs 3 to 4 hours, so I also provide some snacks like chips, crackers and cookies, along with some water and soda.

Darla, Valesca, Shannon, Laura & daughter Maddie (one of my former students), Holly & mom Valerie, and Holly's roommate & cousins (I'm so terrible at names, I still don't have theirs down yet) all came to stamp. We made two each of two cards that featured a different stamping technique. The first was a Black Magic card, which you can see here in an earlier post. Our second card was a Dazzling Diamond Dust card, seen here. Once again, it was fun to do something with these wonderful ladies after work. Next month we're going to make the CD Folder Album project that I posted earlier this month. Those who are joining me next time picked their favorite DSP from the Stampin' Up! catalog and I'll be putting together kits for them when we get together again on March 20.

I ended up cutting a few extra of the Dazzling Diamond Dust cards, so today when my dear hubby and I went over to our local coffee shop to hang out for a bit, I brought my shoe box of supplies along with me and stamped away while listening to my playlist on playlist.com.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Happy Anniversary to Me...

Just a short post today to say that today was my 2 year anniversary being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator! Hard to believe it's been two years already. I remember learning my way around the SU! demo website, practicing ordering... and on March 1 when we could place a preorder from the upcoming mini catalog, I remember being excited about the new and cute 'Crab & Co' stamp set that recently retired. That was the first stamp set I purchased on my own. Two years later, I'm proud to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and hope to continue as a demonstrator for years to come. I love sharing my love of stamping with others!

Raspberry Tart CD Folder Album

Guess I'm on a roll this weekend! I made another CD folder album today. Several of my stamp camp stampers have girls, so I wanted to make a CD folder album that looked girly. The pinks in the Raspberry Tart designer series paper fit the bill, and this is what I came up with. I didn't really like Raspberry Tart too much but bought a pack when I made my demonstrator pre-sale purchase before the new catalog came out. Now I'm glad I bought some! I think this CD folder album came out cute, and this is the one I'm going to actually put some pictures in. My dear hubby stated earlier this weekend that I have a knack of making these cute projects, but never end up putting pictures in them. This time around I am going to look through our photo albums and find some good pictures of our girls to add to my Raspberry Tart album.

I was thinking while putting together the album today that all three have Kiwi Kiss in them. When it first came out, I think this was one of my least favorite colors when the new In Colors came out. Now I use it with almost everything!!

Have a great week, and thanks so much for stopping by today!

Urban Oasis CD Folder Album

Last night and earlier today I took some creative time. For my March stamp camp, we're going to make CD folder albums, so I want to have a few for my stampers to look at during my February stamp camp this coming Friday. I chose to use the new Urban Oasis designer series paper from my first Stampin' Up! order out of the newest catalog. This one is a little plainer inside than my Bella Rose album, but with the larger images on the DSP, I think it works leaving it plain. I hope to make one more, maybe this time using Raspberry Tart, before Friday - we'll see what I have time for between now and then.

Got a chance tonight to go out to my friend Erin's for her monthly stamp camp which is run by my upline, Jeanne. We made eight cards in all, two each of four designs. I loved one in particular - it's a square card that uses the Upsy Daisy stamp set (one of my all-time faves) as well as the Top Note die. I may borrow her layout and use a different color scheme and use it at a future stamp camp.

Have a great rest of your weekend and take time to do something fun!

Just Something for Fun Today

I saw this posted on Kristin's blog and thought I'd give it a whirl. Feel free to give it a try - you just bold the things you've done on the list.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (Oahu, Kauai, Big Island, Maui, & Molokai - but Maui is my favorite!)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland, DisneyWorld
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (well, I've visited there, but it was closed at the time, does that count?)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (both solar and lunar)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (after an accident that totaled my car - hubby and I transported together)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snuba too, all in Hawaii)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater (want to take the kids to the one in town before it's gone)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (was the 'Cookie Mom' for my eldest's troop for four years...wanna buy some? The youngest is currently selling...tee hee)
62. Gone whale watching (done it twice, but didn't see a whale - lots of dolphins, though)
63. Got flowers for no reason (I have an awesome hubby!)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (my brother and I shared an apartment at one time and when his check didn't clear my account, I bounced a few checks - I was livid!)
68. Flown in a helicopter (a couple of times, in Hawaii)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had Chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (well, Leonard Nimoy picked me up when I was about 2 when my folks ran into him at Disneyland - pre-Star Trek days)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Bella Rose CD Folder Album

A while back, I purchased a CD Folder Album kit from the ever-so-talented Patty Bennett. Last night I stayed up way too late and finally finished it! I think I may do this for my March stamp camp with the ladies at work, as several have asked me to do something that they can have to show off pictures of kids/grandkids. I think this project is perfect for that!

Grid Technique

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm looking forward to a yummy Victoria's cut filet mignon steak tonight at Outback with my dear hubby to celebrate. For my gift, he brought me home last night a beautiful bouquet of a dozen red roses that I got to admire while I was working on my next project - soooo pretty and they smell wonderful! He also got me the Nestabilities dies I've been wanting to try. I found the circle and scallop circle set that he got me at Ritz Camera online for a great price (they're giving 20% off scrapbooking supplies during the month of February, so you might want to go check it out at ritzcamera.com). I also want the square and scallop square set along with the Labels One and Labels Two sets, but will ask for that for my birthday later this spring. Right now, Labels One and Two are out of stock at Ritz, but I'm hoping they have them before the end of February so my hubby can order them up while they're still on sale.

Last night I worked on my swap card for our next stamping team technique swap. I chose to do the Grid Technique. I wanted to use Inspired by Nature for my card as I still haven't used it yet, so this is what I came up with. The flowers in this gorgeous set remind me of growing up in rural New York - you'd see Black-Eyed Susans and Queen Anne's Lace sprouting up just about everywhere in the spring. I used my Fiskars trimmer with a scoring blade to score a 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch square of Confetti Cream card stock, starting at the center diagonal line and scoring every 1/2 inch to the edge of the paper. I then stamped over the grid with my now retired Canvas background stamp in Creamy Caramel. I used markers to color the flower stamp - Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, and Chocolate Chip. After stamping the flowers onto the grid, I inked up the reeds image with Always Artichoke (marker), stamped off once, and then stamped over my main image. The grid is mounted on Summer Sun and then Chocolate Chip. This is then mounted on a 5 x 5 inch piece of Always Artichoke stamped with Itty Bitty Backgrounds. A piece of 5/8 inch Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon is tied around the bottom of the card. I then added Chocolate Chip triangles (2.5 inches along the edges) behind the Artichoke and mounted it all on a 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inch card base of Confetti Cream. I think I'll end up using this technique again - it's so easy to do, and gives a different look to your finished project.

Have a great rest of your day, and thanks for taking the time to visit!

Valentine's Treats

Had a great time at my stamp camp last Friday! I had 11 stampers making Valentine's cards with me (thank you, Holly, for bringing your crew!). I ended up with some extra cards, so this week I've been putting some together to sell at work (I've sold 7 so far!).

I haven't used my Top Note die yet, so tonight I decided to make a treat with it for the gals at work. I used Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, and Riding Hood Red card stock with Chocolate Chip and Riding Hood Red ink. The hearts are from Love You Much, punched out with the Heart to Heart punch. The sentiment is from Yummy, a set you can get for free with a $50 Stampin' Up! order during February and March. A quick project to thank the gals for joining me last week! The Top Note die worked great using my Cuttlebug. I'll probably get a Big Shot eventually, but my Cuttlebug does just fine, so it's hard to justify the expense of a new die cutting machine for now.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great weekend!