Wounded Warriors Project Cards to See

Julie and I have finished our cards for the May fund raiser for Wounded Warriors Project:

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 12, 2012
WHERE: Julie's Event Center, 3120 Junction Highway, Ingram, TX
COST: $20 check to Wounded Warrior Project and $5 check to me
PLAN: We are designing 7 cards appropriate for everything from Father's Day to Independence Day with every table offering the option of the card going for a birthday or "thinking of you" occasion. No stamping experience is necessary. These are all going to be Clean and Crisp, in beautiful and cheerful colors. Come on out and bring several friends.
DEADLINE: All checks must be received no later than April 28, 2012 in order for us to order materials and prepare them ahead of time for you.

Stampin' Up! Card Buffet

Have you ever attended a Stampin' Up! Card Buffet? You need to come to this one! You can tell us whether you want one scoop or two (one of each card, or two of each).

Choose One Set or Two!!!
$10 for 5 cards or $20 for 10 cards

DATE: Saturday April 14, 10AM until Noon, doors will open at 9:30AM
WHERE: Julie's Eventer Center, 3120 Junction Highway, Ingram, Texas

No stamping experience necessary! We'll guide you through these bright and beautiful cards.

PLAN: We are designing five cards and you can choose to make one set or two. Send your registration form and check in (for $10 or $20) no later than April 1st (no foolin'). Bring your own scissors and adhesive and we'll provide the Mini Glue Dot and Stampin' Dimensionals.

INVITATION: Be sure to invite your friends to come along, too. We are making cards appropriate for Mother's Day, Wedding, Graduation, Birthday and Thinking of You. Options at EVERY table include making them all birthday or all Any Occasion.

DEADLINE: Your check must be received by April First, no foolin'!

Stampin' Up! and Wounded Warrior Project

Coming up in May of this year, we are putting on a Stampin' Up! fund raising event for Wounded Warrior Project of San Antonio. I have made contact with their organization and have created a special Pinterest board where I am collecting card ideas for those that we will make May 12th at Julie's Event Center. The Wounded Warrior Project trademark is "The greatest casualty is being forgotten." We will never forget.

I was hoping to place the Wounded Warrior Project logo in a photo spot on today's post but it is copyright protected. However, I will link them to this blog post if you are also interested in putting together a fund raising event for them. You can find them HERE. Their Mission, Vision and Purpose as well as their Core Values can be found HERE.
EDIT: Here it is!

SAVE THE DATE: MAY 12, 2012
WHERE: Julie's Event Center, 3120 Junction Highway, Ingram, TX
COST: $20 check to Wounded Warrior Project and $5 check to me
PLAN: We are designing 7 cards appropriate for everything from Father's Day to Independence Day with every table offering the option of the card going for a birthday or "thinking of you" occasion. No stamping experience is necessary. These are all going to be Clean and Crisp, in beautiful and cheerful colors. Come on out and bring several friends.
DEADLINE: All checks must be received no later than April 28, 2012 in order for us to order materials and prepare them ahead of time for you.

Tea Shoppe Shrinky Dink Trinkets

Heidi gave me the idea and so I just had to try making Tea Shoppe Shrinky Dink trinkets. And I'm so glad I did! They bake for all of 60 seconds!
Before:

After:

I'm definitely going to do a class with this stuff! Bring your stamps that you would love to see made into trinkets. I'll warm up the oven and we're going to have a party!!!

Stamps: Tea Shoppe
Paper: Not Stampin' Up!
Ink: Poppy Parade
Tools: Craft Blade, Mat Pack, Crop-a-dile

Stampin' Up! Attic Boutique Tea Box

I have used quite a bit of the Stampin' Up! Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper in cards, especially the pattern I have come to call the Journal Pages. Those soft colors are simply delicious! For the Product Share Stamp Camp that we have coming up March 10th, featuring Attic Boutique DSP, I have a special treat. For everyone who has attended both February and March, I have created a step-by-step tutorial on making the tea box. And, depending on how well the Teacup Trinkets that I'm making out of shrink plastic goes, you will also receive your own pre-made trinkets!

I've spent the afternoon remaking the dimensions of the tea box that Heidi posted. I wanted dimensions that work with the Stampin' Up! Simply Scored, which is scored every 1/8 inch. Heidi's dimensions call for something in the one sixteenth of an inch. If you want to get around Heidi's dimensions, you can use the shim that I'll give away with every Simply Scored, and I send many thanks to Connie Stewart for the shim invention. Making lids to our boxes is now a piece of cake. And you can also use the shim when making Heidi's box per her dimensions.

This box features the sheet of Fountain Pens. I love this whole box idea because you create the box and lid from one sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock with plenty left over, and you use less than one sheet of the DSP. I cut the sheet off at the top of the Fountain Pens in order to use them all the way around the box. The flip side of this same sheet has the gorgeous Pool Party pattern used at the top of the box. I have left over pieces from the DSP sheet printed with pocket watches, umbrella and window shutters, so I used the bits and pieces to cover the lid.

To get your Step-by-Step Photo Tutorial of this Tea Box, talk to me or attend this month's Stamp Camp on Saturday, March 10th from 10AM til Noon.

Up In The Air with Stampin' Up!

When trying to introduce new stampers to the craft, I keep it pretty simple on the Make and Take, and explore different Color Collections first. These cards show the use of Stamp-a-ma-jig, Blender Pen, background stamping, and coloring stamps with markers. Very simple, but for beginners this can be quite time consuming.

One they get the beginnings down, I let them all make a stepped up card like this one:

The demonstration includes gifts to the Hostess like these:

The Card Portfolios are always a hit!

So, now that you know what I'm doing this weekend, what about you?

Getting Punchy for March

Come. On. Spring!

Can't Get Enough P.S. I Love You

I can't get enough of the Stampin' Up! stamp set called, P.S. I Love You. I created these darling little gift enclosure note sets (2-1/4" x 2-1/4" cards) for each of the grandkids in preschool through 6th grade to have something special to share with their teachers. I got the idea from Stampin' Up! Leadership 2012 conference in San Antonio this month. The best part? I already had everything I needed at home to make them!

They all store inside the box that is created with the Scallop Square clear die!

After die cutting the scalloped square, score at the third scallop from the left and the third scallop from the right.  Turn 90 degrees and score at the second scallop from the left and the second scallop from the right.  Just like making any other box, snip in to the score line along the THREE SCALLOP side.  I used two Mini Glue Dots on each side to hold it closed ... it's so tiny, you won't need Sticky Strip this time.  

Need more help on the box instructions?  Check out my post HERE to get an idea of the bottom snipping, but you won't have to clip the diagonal cuts on the corners for this project!

How will you embellish your little box of Gift Enclosures?  Be sure to link back to me and let me know so I can see your works of art!

Apothecary Art in Not Quite Navy

Using the Stampin' Up! Apothecary Art stamp set and the new Framelits called Labels Collection (item #125598), this card was a snap! The Framelits can be found on my website HERE.  Once you hit this page, look over on the right and change the view of just 8 products at once to "All". Scroll to the halfway mark and look for the Framelits featured with the example Old Olive cardstock.

Not Quite Navy, Soft Suede, Confetti White, Markers: River Rock and Bashful Blue

You may want to purchase both the Hearts Collection and the Labels Collection Framelits at this time because they would amount to $53.90 in products and you will be eligible to also receive a FREE Sale-a-bration item!  And, if you are buying both sets at once I will give you two free DVD cases to store them in because, let's face it, you're going to buy them all as Stampin' Up! makes more and more and you want to keep your space organized this year (refer to your New Year's Resolution list.  Again.).

Here is a video on the great Framelits called Hearts Collection.

Wasn't that great?  Did you catch that little "sneak peek" bit of info at the end where Donna Griffith lets us know that more of these delicious Framelits are coming?  The box that she is organizing there is the Medium Die Box (item #122220) and can be found on my website HERE. Trust me, whether you are storing Framelits, dies, or the Edgelits I featured here LAST WEEK, these boxes do a great job getting you organized for a quick trip into the crafting space. They are sturdy enough that I have added handles and hinges on mine so that I can use them like drawers!

If you buy the Framelits Hearts Collection AND the Framelits Labels Collection from me, I will give you two free DVD cases to store them in!  Just a couple of strips of Stampin' Up! Magnet Sheet and you can check off the number one New Year's Resolution you made this year: organize that stampin' space!

2011-1013 Stampin' Up! In Color Baker's Twine

How do you like these darling little spools of Stampin' Up! 2011-2013 In Color Baker's Twine?  During our monthly Stamp Camp, Door Prizes are a regular event, and these tiny wooden spools are the perfect display.  Again, Leadership displays were the inspiration.  If you want to decorate your stampin' space with them you only need a yard or so.  These, because they are a Product Share, each have two yards of twine on them.

If you want to know more about the Tea Shoppe Stamp Camp on February 11th, better get with me quick!  Today is the deadline for enrollment.

FREE My Digital Studio Express

Curious why there's so much buzz about digital software for cards, scrap booking and more?  Wondering why I haven't shared too much about this myself? Well, let me tell you that I am HOOKED on this software now! And here's the deal:
Start designing with My Digital Studio (MDS) today FREE!  Stampin' Up! is offering a FREE 30-day trial of My Digital Studio Express.  GOOD NEWS!  This offer is on-going and not a limited time offer. Download it today and use it for free for 30 days. Or, come back next week when you have more time, and it's free for 30 days.

With the FREE 30 Day Trial, you'll get:

• Full access to the software at NO COST.
• Full design functionality.
• Exclusive artwork that comes with My Digital Studio Express.
• Opportunity to purchase additional downloads from designer templates to stamp brush sets--and everything in between.
• View MDS Catalog ... and see all the pre-designed scrapbook layouts!
• Access to Stampin' Up! professional print services (I have done several projects with MDS and would love to show you).
• Learn, get tips and see oodles of samples at mydigitalsudio.net.

IT'S SIMPLE.   Download the My Digital Studio Express Free Trial (item 129600) from my Stampin’ Up! online shopping cart HERE.

THINK YOU MIGHT WANT IT ALL? Select your choice of either the Stampin’ Up! My Digital Studio (MDS) Starter Kit or Standard Starter Kit during Sale-a-bration and save $50 off the usual $175 sign-up fee, PLUS get 11 months of Designer Series Paper (either digital or paper) through the rest of the year. The Starter Kits have $345 in product in them already, and Stampin’ Up! is sweetening the pot with all that luscious Designer Paper, one pack per month through 2012. Get the Sale-a-bration details HERE.

Stampin’ Up! issues new downloads just about every Tuesday. Sometimes the downloads include new ideas like Swatchbooks (mini scrapbooks or coupon books). Check out this week’s digital downloads just for a peak at why I love this software!

Oh, and that talk about Sale-a-bration? It’s the best time of year to load up on products that you love like the tools! Read that, punches, embossing folders, and Big Shot! You HAVE TO get one of these! And, at $99 for the Big Shot, you only have to add an additional one dollar in product to get two FREE items from the Sale-a-bration rack (every $50 in product before shipping and tax qualifies for one FREE Sale-a-bration product).

Herb Expressions and Indian Paintbrush

Herb Expressions pretending to be Indian Paintbrush is a pretty good indication that I'm ready for Spring here in the Hill Country.  I stamped the herbs in Early Espresso after stamping off and then colored with Stampin' Markers in Lucky Limeade, Poppy Parade and More Mustard.

I used the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper that comes with a $50 Stampin' Up! order during Sale-a-bration for this SSC240 challenge at stamping411.

Stampin' Up! Leadership Love Notes

During Stampin' Up! Leadership this year, I went around to all of the display cases (picture 8 free-standing bookshelves full of projects made at the Stampin' Up! home office), and found these little Love Notes.  I have remade them in non-Valentine colors, and embellished my envelope with a piece from the Trinket Hearts. They add just the right touch to this note and envelope!

Using the Stampin' Up! Simply Scored, boxes can be made any size because the score lines are every 1/8 inch.  If you want the Simply Scored shipped directly to your house, I can do that! For every Simply Scored sold during Sale-a-bration, I am sending you a shim used for making the lids to the boxes.  This shim allows you to make your lids and bottoms the same size, and scored on the same marking!  No more changing the dimensions of the lid 1/16 of an inch to make it close without a buckling!

I deliberately cut this lid smaller because I knew I wanted to embellish it with Scallop Lace Border punched pieces.  This box will hold three notes and three envelopes.  Wrapped with ribbon and embellished with a collection of Mixed Bunch flowers will add just the right touch.  I am lovin' the Blossom Punch!  The top layer of punched flowers is distressed with a Bone Folder to bring the cup of petals forward.

Oh! And these Love Notes will be demonstrated at all workshops during the month of February and given to the Hostess as this month's Thank You for having me.  I only have a couple of slots left at the end of the month, so let's book your Sale-a-bration workshop while your guests will earn FREE product along with you!

How Did She DO THAT???

I know how you feel when you see a gorgeous card creation and wonder, "How did she DO THAT???"  I made my way through many of the cards hanging on display at Stampin' Up! Leadership 2012 last week in San Antonio.  And of course, I couldn't WAIT to show you one of the wondermous cards that I loved there.

With a little trick using Press 'n Seal, everything
is aligned perfectly the first time!

This Stampin' Up! stamp set is called I Dig You, and it's perfect for our grandson's birthday party.  I found matching cupcake toppers and decided that on a platter of cupcakes, I would have to string a line of pennants in these really bright colors of Daffodil Delight, Poppy Parade and Tempting Turquoise.

So, if you have a Big Shot, and you want these Adorning Accents Edgelits and the three coordinating Adorning Accents Textured Impressions Embossing folders, you can buy them from me right HERE, or you can send your order to me via EMAIL and I'll place it for you.  The bonus to having me place the order to our local customers is that everyone who buys both the Edgelits and the Embossing Folder set of three will also receive a free DVD case to store them in together! Just add a couple of scraps of Stampin' Up! Magnet Sheet (item number 119816), and you're in business to get one of your New Year's Resolutions completed: organize that craft space!  :)

Valentine Sweetness and P.S. I Love You

Today's Valentine Sweetness was embellished with the new Stampin' Up! stamps set, P.S. I Love You.  The Framelit Labels Collection and Framelit Hearts Collection were both embossed with the Adorning Accents Textured Impressions embossing folder of tiny hearts.  We made these frosted cookies in our group meeting yesterday afternoon, so we were all partners in crime!  We melted just two blocks out of twelve in the white bark to cover an entire package of these cookies!

You might be thinking the Full Heart Punch is what we used here, but this Framelit is a smidge smaller than the punch.  Remember this the next time you'd like to layer hearts of two different sizes.  I can't wait to see whether the Framelit Hearts Collection will be able to cut through the hearts we've made to look like a Bride and Groom on wedding cards!!!

Take a close look at all the layering and yumminess of this bag topper.  Now take a look at your scrap drawer or box.  This is the answer to the second New Year's Resolution on your list: use up the scraps!


Stamps: P.S. I Love You
Paper: Blushing Bride, Poppy Parade, Whisper White, Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper
Ink: Poppy Parade and Early Espresso
Tools and Bling: Big Shot (you definitely need to get this soon!), Framelit Label Collection, Framelit Heart Collection, Adorning Accent Embossing Folders, small cello bags, Victoria Crochet Ribbon trim, White Baker's Twine, Jewels Rhinestone, Scallop Oval punch, 1" Square punch (to cut the banners' V'd ends -- do you want to learn this technique?), Bitty Punch Pack