Regional Was a Blast!

Well, my first Stampin' UP! event has come and gone and I'm sad that it was so short, but I'm ready to do it all again whenever I get a chance!

Linda and I had a great trip and enjoyed being tourists along the way.  One of the best things that happened was seeing and enjoying RAIN!!  Only those of you that live where it's so dry and hot will understand the thrill of seeing rain.  My online chat friends would always laugh when I'd run from the computer outside to stand in the rain.  LOL

We stopped in Prescott to see Linda's Mom and just before arriving the thermostat on her car was over 100 degrees.  When it started to rain it was at 94 degrees and in less than a minute of driving through heavy rain the temperature dropped to 64 degrees.  It was amazing.   After visiting with Mom for a bit we were off again and our stop for lunch was in Seligman, AZ on old Route 66 at Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive Inn.  The owner Juan (or John) was hysterical and really knew how to make his customers laugh.  If you ever get a chance to stop there, you should definitely do so.

So, on to the Regional.  We were up early Saturday morning for coffee and breakfast and to wait for registration to begin.  Soon the ladies started showing up and we began swapping and sharing and making friends.  We learned some great new techniques and fun ideas.  My shopping list just kept growing and growing (Linda's too I think!).  Fortunately, there was one thing I could remove from my list, because I won it in the last Prize Patrol!  I was sooo excited to have won!  The final prize was It's a Wrap Holidays.  We also all came home with a Stampin' Card Keeper and an On Board 5" x 5" Art Journal.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Make & Takes we did while we were there. 

 

Here we are making our 2nd Make and Take:

And of course... here's our burger and fries from the Snow Cap.  Notice the Smiley Face Fry?  LOL

THIS was the view from our room.  When I made the reservations, I went with the most affordable room but when we saw the lake, and how pretty it was, I asked if our room had a lake view.  It didn't BUT the desk clerk upgraded us to one at no charge.  How awesome is that?

Our trip home was pretty crazy.  We drove through a huge thunderstorm that was a bit unnerving, but we survived although we were a bit tired.  All in all, it was an amazing trip and we had a blast!

Have a great week!

~Donna

Heading to Henderson!

Packed up and ready to go... leaving Hubby and the Furbabies at home!!!  Looking forward to a road trip today heading to Henderson, Nevada (actually Lake Las Vegas, NV) for a Stampin' UP! Regional event.   This is my first SU! event and I'm really excited about going.

My friend Linda is going as a guest and we've got our day all planned, including mapping out all the Starbucks along the way!  Not that we "need" our Starbucks, but hey... just sayin'.  LOL  We plan on enjoying the tourist trail from Phoenix to Henderson, including a stop on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona at Delgadillos Snow Cap.  If you've seen "Cars" you'll recognize Seligman.  Looking at a map of the area, it's along Route 66 and you can see the freeway - Interstate 40 - running along a straighter line parallel to the town and Route 66.  Some of the pictures on one of the websites here even has their car with "eyes" looking just like from Cars.  Can't wait to see it.

Well, time to get ready and pack up the last items to go and count the minutes until the fun begins!

Have a great weekend, make something beautiful and we'll share pictures when we return.  Probably Sunday for posting since it will be a late return on Saturday night.

My Brother's Birthday

Tomorrow is my Brother's Birthday so I whipped this up quickly this morning before work.  I hope he notices that it's handmade, but knowing him, he'll barely glance at it... lol... Men!

This is a very simple card but I really like the way the colors pop.

I started with whisper white for the base cut at 5 1/2" and scored at 4 1/4".  I added Big Top Birthday DSP (122348) and stamped the balloons from Party This Way (w-118744 / c-120609) with Real Red and Tempting Turquoise.  Then I stamped the "happy birthday" also from Party This Way in Tempting Turquoise across the bottom.  The balloon strings are Bakers Twine in Cherry Cobbler / White (123125) 

I hope he likes it, it was quick and simple.  My brother is 11 years older than me and a man of few words, but hopefully he'll appreciate it was from my heart.

Hope you had a great Monday... 3 more work days for me and then it's off to Henderson, Nevada for my very first Regional Stampin' UP! event. 

Berta's Workshop

Today was Berta's workshop and I think we're going to sign her up for all of them!  Her husband was there with their three boys.  When he wasn't playing with the kids, he was our bartender.  Yum!  I was good and stuck with my Starbucks Very Berry Hibiscus and Black Tea mix but some of the girls enjoyed his mixing handiwork.  We may have to hire him out for all our workshops! 

Berta had a good turn-out and ended up with TWO half-priced items plus loads of free products which pretty much took care of her wish list.  Great Job Berta!  I should have taken a picture of all the food she made up for us.  If you went home hungry, it was your own fault.  

I did get a couple of pictures of the girls in action though.

Here's Mary and Brittney:

Brittney, Marie and Christina

 

Barbie and Kristi.

 Missing is another Mary (chasing her little one) and Berta (probably putting finishing touches on the goodies she served).

We also had a couple of outside guests that would have to wait for the girls to leave, but here are two of the sweetest pups, ok one isn't a pup, but rather a giant, but still sweet as can be, that you will see.

Tomorrow is Team Meeting so off to put the finishing touches on my swaps and I'm bringing snacks tomorrow, so I better get working on those too!

Hope you had a great day!  Create something fun this weekend!

~ Donna



Mocha Morning

I first saw this card on the site of my favorite blogger and SU! Demo - Mary Fish - and just knew I had to make it.  I just love this DSP - so pretty and versatile.  This will be the featured card tomorrow at Berta's workshop because she loved it so much too.  My version is a tad different from Mary's in that I didn't add the border or stripe behind the sentiment and circle.  I also used a different stamp set to give everyone a last chance at this one before it's gone after August 31st.

Stamp Set:

Happy Greetings
(Summer Mini 2011 - ending August 30, 2011)

Paper - Very Vanilla (101650), Crumb Cake (120953), Basic Black (121045), Mocha Morning Specialty Designer Series Paper (122366)

Cool Tools: Circle Scissors Plus (112530), Glass Mat (122531), Small Heart Punch (117193)

Inks: Black StazOn (to prevent smearing)

Finishing Touches: Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim Ribbon (118481), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

Measurements:  VV - 2 ½" x 2"; BB - 2 3/4" x 2 1/4"; DSP 5" x 3 3/4";
CC - 5 1/4" x 4"; CC circle - 2 3/4"; DSP circle 2 ½"
Ribbon - 17"

If you haven't tried the Circle Scissor yet, you are missing out.  This tool is so sweet for making perfect circles for layering all the wonderful papers we have.  If you have any questions, just let me know.  We'll be using it tomorrow at our workshop, I think everyone is going to love it as much as I do.

~ Donna w-123311 $ 18.95 / c-123313 $14.95

Hello Baby

I find myself amazed everyday by the creativity that I see in the Stampin' Up Community.  Thank goodness other people's creativity lights a fire under me to attempt their projects and ultimately come up with my own creations with a twist from theirs.

So, I saw this adorable idea on SplitcoastStampers for a baby girl card and I knew I simply had to give it a whirl.  Boys seem to be the most frequent baby arrival among most of the people we know lately, so I decided to make it a "boy" card.  (I'm sorry the stockings are bit washed out, this was the best picture I could get.)

Recipe for this card:  
Paper:  Bashful Blue and Pear Pizzazz, Whisper White card stock and Nursery Nest DSP;
Stamps:  Stitched Stockings (w-123782 /c-123784 - available September 1st in the Holiday Mini), Teeny Tiny Wishes (wood only -115370)
Inks:  Bashful Blue and Marina Mist
Accessories: 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon Whisper White (109070) and Bakers Twine White (124262); Soft Subtles Buttons (retired from a special set).
Cool Tools:  Lace Border Punch (122362) and Stocking Builder Punch (124095 available September 1st); Word Window Punch (119857) and Modern Label Punch (119849).

I can see a lot of this card being made - it's just so cute, who could pass it up??

Have a great day... The week is half way over!!!

~ Donna

Ditto Day

Are you ready for another Ditto Day? 

This one comes from page 55 in the current Idea Book and Catalog.  I just love this stamp set!  If you've been following this blog you'll see it back a couple of days in the Thank You cards that Linda and I made.  This one uses the same stamp but with different sentiments.

Here is the recipe for this card:

Not So Seriously stamp set (w-123085 / c-123087); Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight, Night of Navy and Old Olive card stock; Watercolor Paper; Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral, Crumb Cake, Daffodil Delight and Early Espresso Ink Pads; Brights Brads; Regals Designer Buttons; Linen Thread; Stampin' Dimensionals; Aqua Painter and the Scallop Trim Border Punch.

I really enjoy using the watercolor papers and then applying the ink from the lid of the ink pads.  Love the water color look and how pretty the colors blend and soften.

I hope you've enjoyed this Ditto Day posting.  Keep watching for more.

~ Donna

Watch Your Mailbox!

Keep a close eye on your mailbox.  If you're on my mailing list you should be receiving your Holiday Mini very soon, if not already.  I know a couple of people received their Mini in the mail today and on Saturday.

This is what you're watching for (no links to the inside yet... but here's the cover to be expecting!). 

You're going to LOVE some of the great new things in there!!  I know I do!  Beginning September 1st you can begin ordering and getting ready for the Holidays.

Get ready for some great new toys to play with... tell me your favorite when you receive your mail!

~ Donna

Thank You Times Two

So, you remember the card I posted last night, well, it's been made one step better by Linda today when she came over to finish working on swaps.  When I showed her my card I told her that I'd seen others with ribbon weaved through the Lace Ribbon, but since I'd made that card at 11 p.m. I didn't think about it.  We looked through the ribbons and found Old Olive and it was perfect!  Linda decided to make one with the ribbon and you can see them here.

Here you can see both cards side by side and I love it with the ribbon.

Here are our swaps for Regional.  You should be able to click on the picture to make it bigger.  You'll notice on the Halloween card there is a bit of bling on the corners.  Not the bling you're used to I'm sure.  We used Rhinestone Jewels (119246) and then rubbed the Black StazOn ink pad over the jewels to make them dark.  They still have a nice shine too them but no longer look silver.

Here we have 40 of each cardfronts for swap.

Thanks for peeking in today.  Have a great weekend and make something pretty this weekend!

~ Donna

Not So Seriously

I think this has to be one of the cutest stamp sets in this years catalog.  I'm always looking for humorous cards to make and this one really fits in well. 

Here's a quickie I made this evening after our Stamp a Stack.

Stamps:  Not So Seriously (w-123085 c-123087).  DSP:  Paisley Petals.  Cardstock: Calypso Coral, Old Olive, Whisper White and Watercolor paper.  Inks:  Calypso Coral, Early Espresso, Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake.  Tools: Aqua Painter and the Lace Ribbon Border Punch.

inside sentiment:  "...it's a lot bigger than my heart."

Don't you just love it!  LOL

It's after 11 p.m. and I need to get some sleep.  Tomorrow Linda and I will be working on the last of our swaps for Regional.  It's going to be another fun stamping day!!

Have a Happy Weekend and create something fun!

~ Donna

Ditto Day

I got this great idea from another Blogger - Diana Gibbs (also from around here and whom I hope to meet someday).  Every Monday she copies a project from the Idea Book and Catalog and calles it Mimeograph Monday.  For the younger generation, you'll need to look up Mimeograph to see what it is... lol... I personally used the Mimeograph in High School, so I'm ahead of the game.  :)

Since I obviously don't want to copy (or mimeograph) Diana's idea exactly, I've decided to do the same idea - but by making my own projects from the IB&C or a current Mini.  I know that I don't have as much time to create like some of the Demo's do, so I decided to call mine "Ditto Day" thanks to the thesaurus and bouncing ideas off of Brittney.  Thank you Brittney!  Ditto Day could come any day of the week, so keep your eyes open for Ditto Day!

SO, today is my first Ditto Day.  This comes from page 66 of the Idea Book and Catalog.  You too can find the details from my blog here in the side column or by clicking Stampin' Supplies < here.

Products use:  Bring on the Cake Set (w-121899 c-121958); Pool Party, Soft Suede and Whisper White Card Stock; Rose Red Card Stock (the recipe calls for textured, but I used smooth); Subtles Patterns DSP; Jet Black StazOn Pad; 2011-2013 In Color, Pink Pirouette and So Saffron Stampin' Write Markers; White Bakers Twine; Regals Designer and Subtles Designer Buttons; Stampin' Dimensionals; Scallop Trim Punch; Big Shot, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.

I hope you enjoy and look for a project to search out and try too.  Feel free to email me a picture and details and I'd be happy post you as a featured stamper! 

Thanks for peeking in.

~ Donna

Morning Cup

I really love this stamp set - Morning Cup (w-116988 c-120489).  I think it is one of my favorites in the catalog right now.  Yes, it was in last year's catty too... and I loved it then too.  I stamped the stack of cups and saucers in a stack of their own with Black StazOn ink (101406) onto Watercolor Paper (122959).  Then I used my Stampin' Write Markers of various colors to color them in, but just a little.  The Aqua Painter (103954) was used to spread the ink around and give the coloring a nice watercolored look.  LOVE how the markers and aqua brushes work together.

The coffee pot and the cup and saucer were cut out and popped up with Dimensionals (104430).  The ribbon along the side is the 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain in Daffodil Delight (119770) and then attached with Sticky Strip (104294)

Cardstock used is Peach Parfait and Chocolate Chip with a little So Saffron as a mat under the Watercolor Paper.

I hope you enjoyed and were inspired to get this adorable little set.

~ Donna

Summer and Christmas Do Go Together!

Well it seems that summertime and Christmas can go together.  Who knew?  The stamp set used below is from the Summer Mini which will be going away August 31st, so don't miss anything you may be wanting from there... On the Grow (w-123075 c-123077) is one of my very favorite sets from the Summer Mini.  The sentiment comes from the new Idea Book and is a Hostess set called Perfect Words (w-122470 c-122472).

The DSP used behind the flower vase however, is from the Holiday Mini that will begin on September 1st.  The name of the DSP is Holly Berry Bouquet (124004) and while it is Christmas, there are a couple of pieces in there that really are more suited to year round use. 

The mat behind the DSP is Wild Wasabi cardstock.  But look... is that a new embossing folder used on the WW?  No, not a new folder... So what then you say?  Well, let me tell you... I used my new Simply Scored Scoring Tool.  Isn't it fabulous and ohhh so easy!  I simply scored it at every 1/4 inch and then turned a half turn and scored it again at every 1/4 inch.  The Simply Scored has scoring ability at every 1/8 inch so you'll never be missing a specific measurement you may need for any project.



Happy Monday.  Don't forget to take some time to Stamp Well With Others!

~Donna

As Promised...

As promised yesterday - well, very late last night - here is a sneak peek of a little something from the upcoming Holiday Mini.  I think you will be really excited about these products just as I am.  First, is a great little stamp set with 7 stamps called Stitched Stockings (w-123782 c-123784).  The best news is... there's a great little punch to go with it to punch out those great little stockings as well as the toes, heels and cuff at the top.  We all love new stamps, especially when they come with a punch to match!!  Whooo Hoooo!

Another new item in the Holiday Mini will be the Simply Scored tool for easy scoring of cards and special projects.  The rosette seen here on the card was made with the new SS.  I can honestly say, it is my most favorite new tool.  It is so easy to use and makes beautiful score lines.  I can't wait for you all to see it!

I also promised a peek at the cards Linda and I made yesterday for our Swap later this month.  I'm even thinking this will be our Stamp a Stack for this week since I punched out way more pennants than were ever needed... LOL.

Hope you had a great weekend and were able to make something pretty this weekend!

~Donna

Working On Swaps

Got a good start on making swaps today for Regional in Henderson, Nevada later this month.  Linda will be going with me to Regional - or rather, I'm going with her since she's driving.  We're both going to make swaps for trading and today we got the first one done and a good start on the other one.  Next Saturday we'll finish up the other one and be all ready to go.

This will be my first SU even and I'm really excited about going.  I didn't make it to Convention last month, so for me, this will be a Mini-Convention.

I'll post pictures tomorrow ... maybe of our swap and maybe of something else.  (hint... I received my pre-order yesterday of items from the Holiday Mini and I'm excited about playing with them).

Happy Stamping With Others!

Finally, Some Rain

Don't you just love it when all the weather forecasters call for dryer weather and not a chance of storms and then the sky turns thick with clouds, lightning and thunder?  So, I've decided I prefer it when they say no rain, because you can almost count on it raining, right? 

We didn't get much rain, but at least it was something.  More of a light and sound show than anything, but the driveway did get a little rain and it smelled nice.  Maybe tomorrow we'll get some more.  I love the Monsoon's but it seems more like a Nonsoon this year.

Here's just a couple of quick cards to share tonight.  Both cards were made by a couple of the girls in our stamping group.  I think they both came out beautifully!

Buy 3 - Get 1 Free

Everyone loves a great deal and this is one I think you'll enjoy, especially if you love the Designer Series Paper!  You can order three designer series papers ($10.95 value), and get one for free. Now is the time to stock up, or get those DSP's you need to make your Holiday and Christmas cards.   See the flyer below for more information.

Remember, you can order online 24-7 at My Stampin' UP! Online Store.

Hope you're having a great Monday!

~ Donna