Guest Stamper - Jennifer

Last night was a very late night, or very early today (depending how you look at it), but it was so much FUN!  I was working away on my swaps for the Phoenix Regional when my step-daughter called.  She had just taken her honey to work and mine was out for the night for his sleep study.  She was bored and I was awake and working away, so I asked if she wanted to come over and she did!

Since I was working on my swaps, I figured she'd like to make a Valentine or some Birthday cards to be ready for upcoming birthdays.  We looked through Splitcoaststampers and found a very nice and easy Valentine that she loved.

She cased it from djahner (sorry that's all there is and no website to link to) and tweaked it with different stamps and some glimmer paper and I think it came out fabulous!

Recipe

Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black and Real Red

Specialty Paper:  Red Glimmer Paper

Ink:  Real Red

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370) wood only, I {Heart} Hearts (w-117010 / c-118571)

Punches: Word Window (119857), Modern Label (119849), Heart to Heart (119881), Scallop Trim Border (118402)

Extras:  Textured Impressions Embossing Folder - Perfect Polka Dots (117335), Dimensionals

She also made this one we found at SCS and cased it from Lauren Mullarkey.  What a CUTE way to make a shamrock with hearts!  Since I didn't have any Garden Green Ribbon, we made a "ribbon" using paper and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border (119275).

Recipe

Cardstock:  Whisper White and Garden Green

Ink:  Garden Green

Stamps:  Sprinkled Expressions (FREE with Sale-a-Bration promotion) (w-125130 / c-125132) and Occasions Alphabet (w-117090 / c-123598)

Punches:  Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border (119275), Large Oval (119855) and Scallop Oval (119856).

I hope you enjoyed these two cards.  Thank you to the ladies who posted them for inspiration!

Happy Sunday Everyone!

~ Donna

Paper Saving Tip

We all love to get the most out of our precious papers, right?  Well, today I figured out how to make punching and stamping more cost efficient.

Stampin' Up! Regional's are coming to Phoenix - Yayyyy! on February 11th, so that means it's time to make some swaps to exchange with the other excited stampers there.  My card involves little 1" and 1 1/4" squares and I was having a hard time knowing where to stamp so I could stamp first and then punch out what I stamped.  If I punched first, then I had a hard time stamping on that little square and not making it look just awful.

So... here is my solution.  Brilliant if I do say so myself!  No doubt someone else thought of this and tried it, but I haven't seen it anywhere, so I'll assume this is my very own creation!  Ha! 

I took a piece of 8 1/2 by 11 and punched across the short edge as many squares as I could fit with giving enough room between to be frugal but also give enough room for straightening if I stamped a bit crooked.

Using a little bit of Dotto (103305), a temporary adhesive, I was able to attach the template to my paper for stamping.  My original small template I tried at first was the same color, Whisper White, but I discovered having a different color cardstock made it easier to find the center.

After I have a row stamped, I remove the template and punch them out.  I did all the 1" ones first so that I didn't have the space you see in between.  As soon as I punch that row, I trim off the little excess and start stamping again.  Then when I was ready for the 1 1/4" punch, I just turned the template the other way.

I hope this little trick helps you like it's helping me.  It's working like a charm!  So now, I'm heading back to stamping and punching so I can get my swaps assembled.  Regional will be here before I know it!!

~ Donna

Anniversary!

Tomorrow is Hubby's and My 15th Anniversary.  So tonight (better late than never) I whipped up this Anniversary Card for him.  I cased it from Deb's Card Buffet and her Sparkly Valentime card (thanks Deb for the perfect quick card!).

Supplies all Stampin' Up!

Stamps - Short & Sweet (115060) - only available in wood
Cardstock:  Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red and Red Glimmer paper
Ink:  Real Red
Accessories:  Adorning Accents Embossing Folder, Baker's Twine, Heart Punch and Dimensionals.

Tomorrow night we plan to go out to dinner.  I'm thinking Joe's Crab Shack, I've always wanted to try it and tomorrow should be a good time for something special, right? 

NOW... onto other news for tomorrow... SALE-A-BRATION begins!!!  For every $50.00 in product you purchase from any of our current catalogs, you can choose one FREE Sale-a-Bration item.  Buy $150.00 you receive THREE FREE choices and it counts as a "workshop" and you can earn an additional $25.00 in free products from the Idea Book and Catalog or the Occasions Mini.  Can't get any better than that, or can it?  A $150.00 workshop also earns you a Free Tote!  (See page 3 from the Sale-a-bration catalog HERE.)

So, dig out those catalogs and see what you just can't live without!  Wooo Hooo!!!  What a perfect time to stock up on paper and supplies and receive FREE products as well.

Happy Sales to You!

~ Donna

Tomorrow is our first team meeting for the group I'm in and so today was time to make the swaps!  I got this idea from Lorri Heiling's Blog - thank you Lorri for such a CUTE idea!  I changed up the stamps and the colors completely but the sentiment and the inside surprise were from Lorri.  I can't wait for the rest of the girls to see it tomorrow (unless they peek in on my blog, of course). 

Inside is a great little surprise of a "tissue box".  Isn't that adorable??



 Tissue box is 2" x 4 1/4", scored at 1", 2", 3" and 4".

The tissue is 1/4 of a tissue and then separated the ply to make it thinner and easier to use.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets:  Morning Cup (w-116988 / c-120489); Word Play (w-120308 / c-120651); Delightful Dozen (w-122650 / c-122652).

Cardstock:  Whisper White and Daffodil Delight.

Ink Pad and/or Stampin' Write:  Calypso Coral, Soft Suede, Chocolate Chip (marker).

Accessories:  Designer Frames (123130); Calypso Coral 1/8" Organdy Ribbon (available beginning January 24th through Sale-a-bration); Simply Scored Scoring Tool (122334), Tissue, craft knife.

This is the 2nd card for my swap.  Yes, I posted it earlier this week but have added Basic Rhinestones to the Modern Window tag.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets:  Thoughts & Prayers (w-113252) and Teeny Tiny Wishes (w-115370) - both available only in wood.

Cardstock:  Real Red and Whisper White.

DSP:  Everyday Enchantment - available January 24th as a Sale-a-bration freebie.

Ink:  Real Red

Punches:  Modern Label (119849) and Heart to Heart (119881)

Accessories:  Textured Impressions Embossing Folders (125601) and Basic Rhinestones (119246).

I really like the rhinestones added, it gives it just the right amount of "bling".  Too bad they don't photograph well.

Thanks for looking in.  Hope you're having a great weekend.

~Donna

Belated Birthday

Well, I blew it... missed getting a couple of birthday cards mailed in time for a couple of very special birthdays!!  Yikes!  BUT, they are ready to mail now and I must say, I think the belated card is so cute, I may be late more often. 


I saw this on Splitcoaststampers made by Amanda Mertz and just knew I had to CASE it.  I did make a few changes, but only because I didn't have the colors she used, so I adjusted and like how it came out.

I used Pool Party, Basic Black and Watercolor Paper.  The DSP is from Just Add Cake.

Stamps:  Easy Events and Happiest Birthday Wishes.

The Designer Brad and the Organdy Ribbon are FREE in the Sale-a-bration catalog that begins on January 24th. 

Do you see the "snail trail"?  I used our clear Dazzling Details to leave a shiny trail to see the path of our little snail friend!  Isn't that just too cute!

Hope you enjoyed this card.  I know I did and have big plans to make more of them.

Have a Happy Thursday!

~ Donna

Downtown Doggie

Working in Downtown Phoenix, you just never know what you will see and after 20 plus years where I am right now, nothing much surprises me anymore! 

Today, we have your warm and fuzzy Lab Mix living on the street with his Peeps.  Isn't he just adorable?!  We spotted this guy earlier this morning, minus the sweater and now, at lunchtime they're back to the bus stop outside our windows and he has a nice cozy sweater to keep him warm.

Tha man with the black hat appears to be his human because he's so animated when he's around.

So, I just had to give you a look of what I'm enjoying during lunch today.  So cute!

I have a belated birthday card I made, but wasn't able to post to the blog last night for some reason.  I'll try again tonight because it really is a cute card!

Happy Hump Day!

~Donna

Be My Valentine

I finally got the urge to create today and put together a card.  You would think with me being off work this past week with Hubby and his surgery that I would have had a lot of time to create while he was resting, but that just wasn't the case.  When I did have time, I just didn't have the mojo.  Believe me I tried and hated everything that I created... Yuck!

So, today, one day before heading back to work, I came up with this.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out too.

This card uses a little from the Occasions Mini and a very small sneak peek at some DSP from the Sale-a-Bration catalog. 

Look closely and you'll see some adorable little embossed hearts across the top and the bottom of the Real Red cardstock.  They are from the Adorning Accents Embossing Folders from the Occasions Mini (125601).  It's comes in a set of three, but the little hearts are my favorite from the set.

The sneak peek of DSP is in the hearts.  The DSP is FREE with every $50.00 in purchases from any catalog during the Sale-a-Bration event beginning January 24th through March 31st.  The DSP is called "Everyday Enchantment".  It's really beautiful!  You should have received the Mini in your mail in December if you are on my mailing list.

I love being able to use the tree from Thoughts & Prayers for something happy.  Seems it's always used for Sympathy Cards.

Recipe:

Cardstock:  Whisper White and Real Red

Ink:  Real Red stamp pad and Real Red Stampin' Write Marker

DSP:  Everyday Enchantment (available January 24th)

Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370) wood only available; Thoughts & Prayers (113252) wood only and Delightful Dozen (w-122650 / c-122652) for the inside stamp.

Punches:  Heart to Heart (119881) and Modern Label (119849)

Thanks for peeking in.  Valentine's Day is just around the corner so don't let the time get away from you!  There are some adorable sets in the Occasions Mini, so be sure to check them out.

Happy Sunday!

~ Donna

The Occasions Mini is now available!

I'm so excited to share with you the new Occasions Mini Catalog.  I haven't had a chance to make anything with my pre-order, but I hope to this week while I'm off with a recouperating hubby (he had hernia surgery today).  That is if I'm not too busy running back and forth taking care of him - we all know what wonderful patient's men are!!

There are some really adorable new items in the catalog and some things we've all been hoping to see Stampin' Up! bring to their product line. 

Well, it's been a really long day that began at 4 a.m. to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. so this girl is going to head to bed and hope for a good nights' sleep.  Hubby is spending the night at the hospital where they can monitor his breathing overnight.  Seems he has sleep apnea and they want to keep a close eye on him with the meds he was on today.  Now if I can just convince our little dog that I didn't take him (hubby) out this morning and dispose of him.  LOL... he keeps looking at me and whining like, "ummm... hey lady, what did you do with my dad?" 

Keep watching here for some Occasions Mini creations.

~ Donna