I'm a proud mama

Yep, time for a little bragging from mom.
Our youngest son is in a band program at a local college. The band is designed for homeschools, private schools and public schools with no active band program, so it is a nice mix of kids. Their instruction is superb which was evident last night at the band program's Christmas Concert.

Our son plays percussion, which is really cool because there are so many different instruments he has the opportunity to play. I think his favorite for this concert were timber blocks - which made the sound of horse hoofbeats in one song {see movie below- this is a first for me, posting a movie I made -- cross your fingers that it plays, lol!}

He did such a great job on all of the songs. Mama and Daddy were very proud to say the least!Now, I wouldn't be a good mama if I didn't share a few photos, right?? Right. So here ya go:

Playing bass drum:

The entire 2nd year band:

A standing ovation:

One Horse Sleigh:

Of course, there was a lively ride home:

As a family, we are all done with our committments for this year - and what a relief! The two oldest have finished exams at college and are officially on Christmas break; the band concert ended the semester of lessons for our youngest and we've taken a holiday from homeschool lessons. Mom {me} has to work through Saturday, then I am off for 3 1/2 weeks. Poor ol' Dad still has two more weeks to work - and then he only gets a couple of days off. But the majority of our household is moving into full holiday swing!! I am so ready for the break too!

happy stampin'

Susan

bummer ... no more

all images © SU! 1990-2007

Card design by Brenda Ballesteros

The accessory retirement list has been delayed. This is the statement on the Stampin’ Up! Website:

"Due to System Problems experienced this Weekend posting of the retired
accessories list on the Stampin Up website will be delayed until all issues have
been resolved Thank you for your patience"

edited: The list is now available! I will list it below. Remember quantities are very limited, if you need a refill, or something specific, don't wait! I am placing an order Tuesday and Friday -- and I can place individual orders at any time. Just let me know what you need.

Retired Accessories List

109198 Accents & Elements Borders & Blossoms
109199 Accents & Elements Little Reminders 2
109197 Accents & Elements Tagged
100700 Album Leather Post Black 8-1/2x11
105385 Album Linen Post Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11
104520 Album Linen Post Natural 8-1/2x11
104517 Album Linen Post Navy 8-1/2x11
105382 Album Linen Post Real Red 8-1/2x11
105392 Album Linen Ring Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11
104510 Album Linen Ring Natural 8-1/2x11
104513 Album Linen Ring Navy 8-1/2x11
105388 Album Linen Ring Real Red 8-1/2x11
105067 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment I
105068 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment II
108798 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Confetti White
107246 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Kraft
105747 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large
105748 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large Divided
105744 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Small
105749 Boxes Stamp & Supply Jumbo
105734 Boxes Stamp & Supply Large
105746 Boxes Stamp & Supply Medium
105745 Boxes Stamp & Supply Small
101052 Brayer Attachment Foam
107293 Cards & Envelopes Greeting Very Vanilla Medium
109149 Designer Series Paper Brocade Background
109161 Designer Series Paper Cerise
109162 Designer Series Paper Charbon
109155 Designer Series Paper Creepy Crawley
109152 Designer Series Paper Darling Doodles
109150 Designer Series Paper Dashing
108503 Designer Series Paper Petals & Paisleys
109156 Designer Series Paper Linen Prints
109147 Designer Series Paper Notations No. 2
109148 Designer Series Paper Outlaw
109158 Designer Series Paper Uptown
109157 Designer Series Paper Wintergreen
107285 Envelopes Open End Very Vanilla Large
107284 Envelopes Open End Whisper White Large
107296 Envelopes Shimmery White Medium
107287 Envelopes Square Vellum Large
107310 Envelopes Square Very Vanilla Mini
107294 Envelopes Vellum Medium
107290 Envelopes Very Vanilla Large
107291 Envelopes Whisper White Large
101016 Eyelet Tool Kit
105317 Eyelets Bold Brights II
105379 Eyelets Silver
105315 Eyelets Soft Subtles II
107282 Fancy Fibers Bella
107283 Fancy Fibers Elizabeth
103352 Stampin' Glitter Romantic Red
103349 Stampin' Glitter Silver Shine
106650 Greeting Glue
102620 Liquid Glue
103145 Page Protectors Post 8-1/2x11
104523 Page Protectors Ring 8-1/2x11
103598 Paper Vellum 12x12
105543 Pastel Refills Bold Brights
105544 Pastel Refills Earth Elements
105547 Pastel Refills Neutrals
105545 Pastel Refills Rich Regals
105546 Pastel Refills Soft Subtles
105962 Perfect Layers Tool
104184 Post Extenders
106522 Punch Spring Bouquet Flower
109722 Simply Scrappin' Creative License Hostess Level 1
109611 Simply Scrappin' Happy Me Hostess Level 3
109596 Simply Scrappin' Out & About
109626 Simply Scrappin' Primary Colors
109649 Simply Scrappin' Round Up
109635 Simply Scrappin' Secret Garden
109663 Simply Scrappin' Winter Bright
107415 Simply Sent Friendship Shapes
109230 Simply Sent Happy Day
105580 Spectrum Pad Blue Frost
101492 Spectrum Pad Celebration
105579 Spectrum Pad Cotton Candy
101336 Spectrum Pad Pumpkin Patch
100000 Spectrum Pad Un-inked
103953 Stamp-a-ma-jig Imaging Sheets Refill
104432 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Clear Embossing
101460 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Whisper White
102391 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Clear Embossing
103017 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Whisper White
103151 Stampin' Emboss Powder Hologram Highlights
105677 Stampin' Kids Pad Bear Brown
105676 Stampin' Kids Pad Beetle Black
105675 Stampin' Kids Pad Boxcar Blue
105674 Stampin' Kids Pad Gumball Green
105673 Stampin' Kids Pad Poppin' Purple
105672 Stampin' Kids Pad Princess Pink
105671 Stampin' Kids Pad Robin Red
105670 Stampin' Kids Pad Yahoo Yellow
103174 Stampin' Pastel Applicators
100852 Stampin' Pastel Erasers
100081 Stampin' Write Marker Going Gray
100945 StazOn Ink Refill Timber Brown
103088 StazOn Pad Timber Brown
107235 Tag Sheets Bold Brights
107239 Tag Sheets Confetti White & Kraft
107236 Tag Sheets Earth Elements
107240 Tag Sheets Kraft
107237 Tag Sheets Rich Regals
107238 Tag Sheets Soft Subtles
100894 Watercolor Brush Flat
101551 Watercolor Brush Medium
101331 Watercolor Brush Small
105395 Wire Works Metallic
105652 Wrapping Paper Whisper White

Stampin' Around wheels
100360 Acorns

109812 All about Birthdays*
109690 All about Christmas*
109812 All about Gratitude*
109676 Autumn Dots
104070 Bloomin'
107466 Bodacious*
105750 Bouquet*
107481 Butterflies & Blossoms
104065 Fishy
100267 Happy Jacks
107563 Ho Ho Ho
104312 Hot to Dot
104279 Leaf Prints
106062 Leaves Awash*
107479 Rough around the Edges*
101927 Snowman Fun
107465 Speckled*
105521 Spooky Skyline*
108979 Spotted*
107480 True Hearts
105033 Wings & Things

* Jumbo Stampin' Around wheels

Happy Stampin’
Susan

Accuracy in reporting

I would categorize this as a documentary.





In stampin' news -- the retirement list for accessories will be released on Monday! I'll be sure to post here and email everyone on my customer list. Accessories always go fast because they are "while supplies last" only. If there is something you need, be sure to get it early.

I wanted to share a fab card from one of my favorite stampers today. Beate Johns is just fantastic, she always has a nice composition that is balanced and is a whiz at choosing the perfect colors for cards. I love this card that was featured on Stamper's Showcase {for demos}. The Double Pocket fold is from the Technique Junkies newsletter. And the paper is Dashing, my current favorite paper for Christmas projects! Wintergreen is running a close second!

all images © SU! 1990-2007

Happy Stampin'

Susan

Monogram a Bucket

I've been wrapping gifts and reading emails this morning, basically just enjoying myself! It's nice to have a morning when nothing is pressing. Normally I head out to work at lunchtime, but since it is exam week I have to work extra late, so I am not going in until 5pm today.

My best bud gave me a monogram letter for my birthday and I've been trying to decide what to do with it. A popular trend is applying monograms to the rear window of your car, but I have some stuff already on my car and it just didn't seem like the best way to utilize a cool letter like this. While wrapping gifts in my bedroom this morning, I spied a tin bucket I keep envelopes in on the craft shelves. Hmmm ... why not monogram my bucket?? So here are the results:

The flower, stick pin and beads are from Stampin' Up's Pretties kit - you can dye the flowers any color, but I thought white looked nice, so I left it alone. The ribbon is from - who knows where, it's just in my stash. To say the least, I'm loving my new personalized bucket! Here it is right at home on the shelf and filled with envelopes of all sizes:

While I'm here, I might as well share the entire shelving unit, and my craft table - which may seem messy, but believe me, it's a huge improvement over the way it normally looks!

Can you see my new Cricut cartridges on the shelves? I got 4 in the mail yesterday -- got them from Creative Express on sale for $27 each!!! That brings me up to a total of 8 cartridges. I only buy them on sale, so I've done well collecting this many. yay!

To the far right on the table is my work light {not Ott, but the same basic principle, and my ever close at hand Scor-Pal. They don't show up in the photo, but I consider both indispensable}.

I have so many projects on this table that I want to finish, and even more projects flying around in my head ... I have got to figure out a way to get some serious crafting work done! If you have any suggestions for carving out time to work on projects, please share in the comments. It seems like a never ending cycle of want-to-do vs. got-to-do! And guess which category always wins?

Ok, that concludes the show for today! Maybe I can come up with something new for next time.

happy stampin'

Susan

What's your elf name?

Here is my new elf name:

Your Elf Name Is...

Sassy Fluffernutter

What's Your Elf Name?

Pretty funny, huh? I think I'll keep the sassy part permanently.


My dh and I had the opportunity to visit Savannah, Ga in October. The one thing I really wanted to do was eat at The Lady & Sons restaurant - home of Paula Deen. Poor hubby stood in line over an hour (while I was in a meeting) to get our name on the list. He's a really good man! Of course I had to take pictures of our food ... I mean, what's the point if you can't scrap it, right? So, he endured the photos and now I have a nice layout documenting our trip. The one photo of PD and sons was lifted from her website. I plan to journal in the bottom right green square.






I saved a menu brochure too - but the colors didn't work with the gray and blue so I stuck an envelope on the back and punched a notch in the top of the page where you can pull out the menu to look at it. You can see the notch in the above left hand page.



Have a great day today! I'm off to take my mom to the hair dresser and podiatrist - yay?

happy stampin'
Susan

I forgot to add the supply source: All supplies for The Lady & Sons layout are Club Scrap - Framed kit. (cardstock, microbeads, hardware, ribbon, etc.)

Monday!

Yes, it is Monday! Whew. The weekend flew by. In addition to working - which is how I usually spend most of my weekends - we took in some Christmas lights. The best thing is that it is almost exam week which means I will get a four week vacation beginning Dec. 15 - yay!!!

I also got my new baby, a Fuji Finepix. I bought extra batteries, and cleared my memory card to prepare for playing with this new toy. Even though I really don't know what all the settings are yet, I'm pretty pleased with the photos so far. I thought I would share a few with you today.

{do you realize how hard it is to photograph blinking lights and actually get them while they are on?}

The first picture may not be all that impressive until I explain. A young man in our county has decorated 2 homes {side by side} with lights syncronized to music. He has a transmitter, so all you need to do is tune the radio dial to the correct frequency and park across the road. It's kind of amazing to watch the lights dance to Trans Siberian Orchestra and other Christmas music.

The creator of the display, Andy Childers, is a nice guy and a cancer survivor. He is asking people to donate to the Red Cross to help others in need. Isn't that a wonderful use of his talents?

There is a link to view the lights online, but it is so much better in person! The video is only able to capture a portion of the lights because they are strung out across two yards. If you live close by, you should come see the lights and donate to the cause. You can email Andy at this site as well:

christmas lights display video on yahoo video
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1531934

Next, I wanted to share our tree. It's not spectacular, and the lights don't blink or anything... but all the ornaments have meaning. Each year we buy an ornament for our 3 children and we have so many now that the tree is almost impossible to decorate! There are very few bare spots left.

This is one of my favorite shots. It's one of my daughter's ornaments.

Isn't that cool? I'm loving the season and my new baby. I can see many scrapbook pages on the horizon. Speaking of which, I finally finished a layout of our October trip to The Lady and Sons restaurant - you know, Paula Deen's!!! It took me forever to figure out how to make the title, but I eventually figured it out. I'll try to get a photo today and share it with you in the next post {hopefully tomorrow}.

Happy stampin'
Susan

so much going on today

all images © SU! 1990-2007

card design by Karen Kruse

I'm going to post a list of links so you can get all the information on the goings on with Stampin' Up! Today is the debut of the retirement list; the dormant list; several gift ideas and there is an on-going promotion as well. Take your time going over all the info and please let me know if I can help you in any way. If you happen to be on my customer list watch for an email soon with Christmas ideas and a special offer.

Retirement List by page number
Retirement List by stamp name
Dormant List ** edited for correct link {still available for purchase, but not in the 2008 catalog}

Five Fantastic Gifts Ideas Under $25

Wrapping Up the Holidays Promotion {while supplies last}
Wrapping Up the Holidays Project Ideas

Dashing Ideas Christmas Project
Three In Color Holiday Projects

Ok - I think that is plenty of information for today! I hope it's not information overload!!

Happy stampin'
Susan

Tomorrow, tomorrow

I love ya, tomorrow
You're always a day away!!

Yes, that's right ... tomorrow, Dec. 1, the official retirement list will be released. I am sooo excited. I'll send it out to my mailing list as soon as I receive it -- if you aren't on my list and want the email be sure to click on my email in the right hand margin and let me know you want it.

until then ... happy stampin'
Susan

I can't believe it

That's right ... December 1 the Stampin' Up! Retirement list is released. I can't believe it's only 3 days away. I have a love/hate relationship with retirement lists. It's exciting to see what's leaving, because it means so many more new stamp sets will be in the new catalog ... yet, I hate seeing my favorite sets go.

If you are on my customer list, watch for a special email coming in the next week. If you are not on my customer list and would like to me, send me an email. My email addy is to the right in the margin.

happy stampin'
Susan

A Christmas Plethora

Ha, ha, I just had to use that title ... what I'm really going to show is probably not technically considered a plethora but humor me! These are the most recent cards I've made. I'm a little disappointed in the adhesive I'm using - it's something new by EK success - but it's not sticking as well as it should and I'm having to go back and re glue some areas.

Before we go on to the cards, I have to take care of a bit of business. The SU! Paper Party Promotion ends Friday!! If you want Designer Papers while they are on sale ... now is the time to order. When you buy 3 packs you get the 4th FREE. It's a good deal - and I'm guessing some of these papers will not be available after Jan. 1 when the new catalog comes out. Also, when you order you can take advantage of the other great specials from SU! that are current. Satin ribbon is BOGO. There is a stamp set perfect for making your Christmas gift tags discounted 25% and more. Go to www.stampinup.com to see the entire list of current Specials.

Now ... on to more fun things. I thought I should show you the cards I've been working on. So, this is the whole bunch together:





This is a close up of one with green flowers.

And the last one has a chipboard star. I am going to go back and stitch in a few places around the star so it won't pop off the card when it's opened. I just have to find my needle and thread. That could take a while!

That's all for today!

Happy Stampin'

Susan

Here is a funny trailer for the Mock U Tv movie about Scrapbooking. For each video sold $1 goes to support Autism research. Check it out here: http://www.mockutv.com/preview.htm

Happy Monday!

Good Monday morning! I have so enjoyed the Thanksgiving break. I had extra time off from work, hubby was home for 5 days in a row, and we got our tree up! Tonight is decorating night. Our kids didn't want to decorate the tree until they could all be here, and with the holiday work schedules for our 2 teenagers, that meant we had to wait until tonight. I suppose I should cook something they all like {hmmm ... is that even possible?} and let them have a tree decorating party.

I also ordered a new digital SLR camera over the weekend. I'm sooo excited!! When I hit the submit button for the order, I had a moment of panic. Oh no! What if I shouldn't spend the money for a new camera? Is it too expensive? Is it even a good camera? Well, I'm happy to say, I got over those feelings quickly enough, lol! It's supposed to arrive next week, and I'll be sure to post when my baby gets here. Wanna see, isn't it lovely?

Now for today's share:

all images ©SU! 1990-2007
card design by Lauren McCray

The stamp set is Season of Joy, and it is only available until the end of this week! It is in the Holiday Mini Catalog, which will end on Nov. 30. Also ... did you notice the Chocolate Satin Ribbon? Yummie. The Satin ribbon is BOGO right now. I already put in my order!

I've been steadily working on more Christmas cards. I'll try to photograph today, but it's quite cloudy outside now and the forecast is for rain all day. I'm so happy for any rain ... it's so dry here. Creeks are dry, the lake levels are unbelieveably low ... it's been an extreme hot and dry summer. We desperately need rain -- so I'm really happy for it to rain ALL DAY. If I can't get a good photo today, I'll try again tomorrow.

happy stampin'

Susan

I am the stuffing ... or, am I stuffed?

You Are The Stuffing

You're complicated and complex, yet all your pieces fit together. People miss you if you're gone - but they're not sure why.

What Part of Thanksgiving Are You?

We've rounded the bend and are heading straight into the holiday season now! I only have a few more Christmas cards to make and then I can drop them into the mail. I'm waiting on photographs of our kids before I can mail to family. I hope those photos arrive early this coming week.

Today's card share is nice and simple, but looks gorgeous! I've never made Christmas cards on Kraft cardstock, but I think it deserves a try after finding this card:

all images © SU! 1990-2007

card design by Lynsay Mahon

The printed paper is Dashing ... and is on sale until Nov. 30. If you don't receive my emails, you need to go check out Stampin' Up! online for the great sale that's going on now in addition to the Paper Party Promotion. There is a BOGO on satin ribbon from the Holiday Mini catalog that I just couldn't pass up! If you don't have a SU demo, email me {link on the right side bar} and I'll get you taken care of asap!

Now, I'm off to put up our Christmas Tree ... ahem, rather finish cleaning the den to make room for a Christmas tree! LOL!

happy stampin'
Susan

Holy Cow, I did it!

Yep ... I really did it!! I made the decorations just like I saw in the store. I'm still missing bows for the tree tops -- I don't really know how to tie a nice bow ... volunteers, anyone?? The store sample didn't have lights, but I think I am going to add white lights too. You can't really see the trees at night unless the overhead light is on, and I don't like that much light going on ... kwim?





Ok, so here they are on my fireplace ... likey?? The buckets are a really cool metallic red color. They also came in green. The trees are 4' alpine trees - like little Charlie Brown ones looking pitiful until you decorate them. A lady in line behind me at the store actually laughed at the trees and asked,"What in the world are you going to do with that pitiful thing?" Huh, the nerve!

A close up of that adorable little bear with his snow buddy.

And, this is just a close shot of the flowers ... no big deal. The poinsettias are actually a garland, so I just wrapped them around the tree and wired them in a few strategic places.

I purchased all the supplies at AC Moore on sale. Most of the supplies were 40% off, but the metal bucket and trees were 50%.

If you were wondering, NO, I didn't finish cleaning my house. But I did get the fireplace and sitting area cleaned and swept so I could make my bear trees! That's a start. I still have Friday and Saturday to clean. As soon as we get things clean enough we'll make a huge mess getting the big tree and decorations down from the attic. I also managed to wrap a few presents today. Nothing much, just some fun stuff, but we have our first gifts wrapped and awaiting a tree.

happy stampin'

Susan

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to go ahead and wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are able to spend the day with people you love. Our holiday will be small this year, but that's ok. We'll have plenty of turkey left over for sandwiches!

Here are a couple of card shares for today. I don't know what my plans are for the next couple of days, so I wanted to be sure to leave several cards today. First, a shot of the 24 cards I recently completed. The paper is Dashing Designer Paper {on sale in November}, and the stamp sets are In the Spotlight and Priceless. I also used several punches, brads, etc. I may add a touch of glitter to the snow blossom punch, but I'm not sure yet. I am just glad they are done!

These will be the cards we send to family members -- hopefully with a photo of our 3 kids included. Using the Scor-Pal really helped me speed the process along. It did take me longer than I expected to finish them, but now they are done and I can start thinking about the next card design. I hope to make about 50 cards for Christmas mailing.

The next card was made by my good friend Steph. She used a die cut for the JOY lettering {edit from Steph: Abigail alphabet dies from QuicKutz}. I love the epoxy button and ribbon -- isn't that a fantastic touch?? Go Girlfriend! In case is it hard to see, the card is red, black and white ... the off white ugly behind is my table cover.

Finally, a card from the past. It was really hard to photograph, and this is the best I came out with ... but at least you can get the idea. It is a clear card made from a transparency sheet. I think they are pretty cool cards, but it's all in the eye of the beholder!

and the inside greeting ...

If I can get a better photo later, I'll replace these. I'm not sure I can do any better, but I'll keep trying. Now it's off to clean the house. Believe me, that's a really big job! I want to get it clean so we can start decorating for Christmas this weekend. If I get my project finished {mentioned yesterday} I'll post photos of that as well. It's an ambitious project for me because I have very minimal decorating savvy. I can tell you it involves 2 alpine trees, buckets, stuffed animals, floral supplies and ribbon - oh my goodness!! Wish me luck!!

happy stampin'

Susan

Snowflakes falling

all images copyright SU! 1990-2007

The Snowfall stamp set is beautiful stamped in Blue Bayou. I don't know about you, but I wish Blue Bayou would be added to the SU catalog permanently! It is currently one of the In Colors for 2007-08 and is scheduled to retire on July 1, 2008. I think it's a great shade of blue ... much better than Brocade! Or at least, that's my opinion.

Anyway, I'm suposed to be talking about the card ... see how the snowflake is cut out so symmetrically? Those curves were made with the 1 1/4" circle punch. I wish I had thought of that!



How are you coming on your Christmas cards? I just finished up the first 24 tonight. I think it has taken me 3 nights to complete the cards. I suppose I could have finished last night, but I ran out of large eyelets, so I had to make a quick trip to my LSS today.



I hope y'all have a happy Thanksgiving. I gotta pick up my turkey tomorrow {already cooked, of course!}. And we have some serious house cleaning to do before we can put up any Christmas decorations. I also have a new project to work on because I got inspired at AC Moore this afternoon!



happy stampin'

Susan

Big on Christmas

I am happy to report that I worked steadily on Christmas cards over the weekend. Maybe I'm slow ... actually, I'm sure that I am slow ... so far I am almost done with 2 dozen Criss Cross Cards. It is taking a bit longer than I planned ... but that's ok, because I really, really wanted to make this style card for the holidays. I will need more than 2 dozen cards, so after this batch I am going to move on to something more simple. I'm just not sure what that will be yet.



For today's share I chose this Big on Christmas set. Love this card ... I especially love the wide grosgrain tied around the bottom! What do you think? And, don't forget to stamp your envelopes if you are using opaque ones! Stamping an envelope adds a nice touch and give the recipient a taste of what's inside.

all images © SU! 1990-2007

That's all for today - be sure to check in again soon. I need to play a little PAY IT FORWARD game this week.

happy stampin,

Susan

bummer ...

I just heard from my sister. She was in a car accident this past Thursday. The ER checked her out ok, but she's been in pain all weekend, so today she went to her doctor. He found a broken bone in her shoulder. The head pain is normal for a concussion, so the dr. wasn't concerned about that. Also, last night a tooth broke, and 2 fillings fell out of different teeth - so she's now on the way to the dentist. Besides her car being totalled, she is not cleared to fly down for Thanksgiving -- and that's probably a good thing so she can rest and heal, but we're going to miss her. bummer.

Expressionistic card

all images © SU! 1990-2007

The technique is from the Technique Junkies newsletter and is called Expressionistic Watercolor, I think. {if that's not right, can someone message me w/ the correct name? Thanks.}

Can you say super easy? Easy, yet yields gorgeous results! Sorry to report that both the Paint Prints stamp set and the sentiment stamp are retired SU. But You could substitute another flower and sentiment and get the same fab result.

The actual technique instructs you to use a spectrum pad, but it works well with a one color pad too. I prefer to use a cardstock that is a bit heavier, so this card was made using Confetti White. The extra thickness helps the card hold up better when you spritz it with water.

happy stampin'
Susan

another Perfect Presentation

all images ©SU! 1990-2007

card designed by Angie Tieman

I am beginning to love this stamp set. It recently became mine ... although I have decided to make my Christmas cards with In the Spotlight ... I think I am going to be forced to make at least a few cards and gift tags with this set too, lol!

happy stampin'

Susan

Simply Scrappin' kit cards

Two years ago {wow} my stampers made Christmas cards using a Simply Scrappin' kit. We were able to make 60 cards from one kit and a pack of assorted cardstock! Amazing! While that kit has since retired, there are some awesome kits and designer papers that will make beautiful cards this holiday season.

These particular cards are very simple, minimal stamping, some ribbon and stickers. Since we were making 60 cards in one sitting, there wasn't time for adding a lot of bling and special techniques. However, it is an impressive way to get a lot of cards finished and ready to mail! And, may I add ... what a fun girlfriend party that could be ... making cards, snacking and playing holiday music all afternoon ...

all images ©SU! 1990-2007

I hope to seriously start working on my cards this weekend. I've decided to use Dashing Designer Paper because I love the bold dots, and the colors are perfect for Christmas. And ... since Designer papers are on sale during the month of November, I can order plenty of paper for my cards!!! Hopefully I will get enough work done over the weekend that I can share some of my Christmas cards here on the blog Monday.



The other news around home is that my oldest son is flying up to DC today to visit with my sister and brother in law. He is going to see Neil Young in concert tonight and is so psyched about it. Neil is his number 1 pick to see in concert.

The bad news is that my sister won't be able to go to the concert with them. She was involved in a car accident yesterday and while she is ok, she is very sore and bruised. She is going to stay home and rest while they rock with Neil. Saturday they have a trip planned to the Annie Leibovitz exhibit - awesome, and the perfect accompaniment to a Neil Young concert, don't you think?

My son will fly back in on Sunday - short trip, but so worth it! Please pray for safe travel - the weather is going to be great - but mom still worries a bit, that's ok, right?



Happy stampin'
Susan

Holiday Tag Team

all images © SU! 1990-2007

Card design by Cindy Ewertz

What a cute little snowman chatting with a bluebird! This card uses Holiday Tag Team, Lovely as a Tree and a sentiment set. Stamp the snowmen, mask them and then stamp the trees. Easy peasy!

happy stampin'

Susan

Christmas Card share

I think it's time to seriously start sharing Christmas card ideas. If you have a wonderful card please send a link to me and I'll post it here. Today's card uses Perfect Presentation by Stampin' Up! I really like the use of color and the faux patchwork effect.

all images © SU! 1990-2007

card design by M. Carolina Buchting

Also, just in time for holiday gift giving, Amuse stamps is offering a pdf downloadable calendar file for only $3. The best part is that all proceeds will go directly to the Scleroderma Research Foundation.

Once downloaded, you can stamp or customize the 4" calendar pages anyway you like, and they fit perfectly in a CD case, or you can have the pages bound. There are some samples on the Amuse site, and I can see the ideas swirling around my head! If you would like to see the samples and read more about the Amuse calendar, CLICK HERE.

happy stampin'

Susan

Holiday Showcase

The gallery for the SCS Holiday Showcase can be found HERE. You are able to access all the tutorials and artwork for each project. Today's project uses glass ornaments - very pretty!

I think the link from yesterday will not take you to the exact spot online ... oops ... anyway, those bows are cute. Yesterday's project is a treat box -- I don't think it was up yet when I visited the site ... guess I was an eager beaver.

happy stampin'
Susan

Great things happening online this week

Splitcoaststampers.com is celebrating early with TWO WEEKS of Holiday Projects. Beginning today, a new project will be posted each day through Nov. 23, to help you get ready for the holidays.

Today's project is Paper Bows. You can view all the finished projects in the Paper Bow Gallery. You can even submit your own paper bow creations to share. Some of the bows are amazingly beautiful!

happy stampin'

Susan

for Joan

Here's one for my best buddy Joan :

all images © SU! 1990-2007

happy stampin'
Susan

Want a sneak peek??

all images © SU! 1990-2007

This is one of the projects for Friday night Stamp Camp. It's a Starburst Gift Card Holder. And, not too hard to make, but looks absolutely FABULOUS! It's all done with punches! I wish the photo showed all the details, but I'll fill in and you can put your imagination to work. The card base is shimmery white, so it has a nice sheen. The Starburst is punched from shimmery white with mulberry paper behind. I embossed a silver brad with irridescent ice which gave a nice gleam.

I'll post our other 3 projects after Friday night ... I can't spoil all the surprises now can I?

happy stampin,

Susan

Simply Beautiful

Today's share is not a new layout, but I didn't see where I had posted it before. So, if it is a repeat, please forgive! This is my daughter and her BFF. They are the two most beautiful girls! I know all moms feel that way, so I guess it's ok to indulge myself too.

The photo is printed on textured cardstock. I was just playing around and wanted to see how a photo would look ... not bad. I changed it to a black & white photo, and the cardstock is sort of an aged ivory, so it's a nice combination. The photo is not waterproof as I unfortunately found out. But I covered the waterspot with a prima flower and voila! beautiful again!

Their names are reversed, Ellen is on the left, Erin on the right. But I put Erin's name first because it is shorter and it worked better visually, kwim? The color of the letter stickers was also too bold, so I sponged them with chocolate chip ink and it toned down the color enough to work on this page. Great, because I have too many alpha stickers anyway. I don't use them often, preferring to stamp letters as often as I am able!

The prima flowers have crystal effects and glitter in the centers, but it doesn't show up well here. You need to see it IRL. Call me, lol!

The supplies are all from Club Scrap, even the primas -- oops, except for the letter stickers, they are Marcella by K. The kit is appropriately named, Simply Beautiful.

happy stampin'

Susan

Stamper Share

images © 1990-2007 Stampin' Up! Sample by Beate Johns

One of the most consistently awesome stampers that I am aware of, is Beate Johns. She makes the most beautiful cards ... like the one above. Please note that the Designer Paper is from the Fall Flower pack {on sale}. The sets used in this card are:

• STEM SILHOUETTES STAMP SET
• ALL IN A ROW STAMP SET
• LINEN STAMP SET

images © 1990-2007 Stampin' Up! Sample by Beate Johns.

Another card by Beate, also using Designer Paper {which is on sale - woot!}. And - that is faux stitching around the card ... it's a stamp, aha! The stamp sets here are:

• ARTFULLY ASIAN STAMP SET
• ALL IN A ROW STAMP SET

You can visit Beate at her blog: Fresh & Fun where Sketch Challenges are posted every Friday. And scrapbook pages are posted on Sundays.



happy stampin'

Susan

It's a PARTY!!

It's November and time for a Paper Party! Stampin' Up! Designer papers are on special for the entire month. Buy 3 packs and get the 4th pack FREE! Load up on those papers you love. And, when you visit the Stampin' Up! home page, you can download free instructions for 5 different projects made using Designer papers. Isn't that nifty?

Call me if you want to take advantage of this great sale. Also - through Saturday {Nov. 3} you can order the Holiday set Wishing You at a 20% discount. You can order papers and a stamp set that will make adorable Christmas cards all on sale! I'll have an order going in Saturday evening, so don't delay.

happy stampin'
Susan

another amazing share'o the day

I just learned something amazing today. Lisa Sommerville, who is an uber-talented stamper, posted this great news ... images in the TAGS FOR ALL stamp set fit perfectly on address labels for instant, self-adhesive gift tags!! Take a looksie at this:






Another brainiac, StampinwithTara posted,

"Just checked my stash, and it appears that the remaining labels in the set will ALL fit onto the Avery #8096 or #6490 Diskette labels.But, I can't be 100% sure, as I do not own the stamp set (I know that the printed images aren't always 100% accurate compared to the actual stamp). But, I took a label and stuck it over the images in the mini (the labels I have are the removable type) and they all fit inside the label."

I love it when a stamp set is versatile and so very useful. How quickly could you make gift tags? Wouldn't tags look great embossed too? woo-hoo. I just had to share this news with you today ... hope it is useful for you!

happy stampin'

Susan