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