Time is running out!

Time is running out to register for my Tart & Tangy Stamp-A-Stack! Be sure to e-mail me by tomorrow at the VERY latest to reserve your spot! The cost of the event is $45 an includes the Tart $ Tangy stamp set, half of a package of co-ordinating Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper, 10 beautiful cards, snacks, drinks and LOTS of prizes - including stamp sets, rub-ons, designer series paper and more! You won't want to miss it! Click here for more information and then click here to e-mail me! Payment is due ASAP so that I can order the stamp sets and materials required for the event. Remember, I will have a special draw for those who bring along a friend who is new to me! If your name is pulled, you AND your friend will receive special prize packs!

Looking forward to hearing from you and stamping with you on the 20th!
Have a fabulous, sunny day!

Pearls and Pretties!

Here's a quick and easy card from a little while ago. I had a great stamping day over the March Break and spent time working on publication calls from Cards Magazine. Nothing has come of them yet, so I'm assuming it's safe to post them! It was so much fun trying to step out of my usual style to come up with something. I'm really pleased with the way that they turned out and I am hoping that if I persevere, I may someday end up with a card in a magazine. My fingers will be crossed! :)

Anyway, for this design, I started with Sahara Sand cardstock and applied the Chocolate Chip Love & Happiness rub-ons from the Sale-A-Bration promotion. I am so sad that these are no longer available, but I am hoping that given the success of the rub-ons, we'll see more colours and styles in the next catalogue! I wanted to make the rub-ons pop off of the card, so I decided to add some accents. This card is actually quite similar in concept to the Felt Fusion & Rub-Ons card that I made a while ago. A good chance to use up some of the beautiful embellishments that I've been hoarding! I adhered the flowers from the Pretties Kit with Stampin' Dimensionals and then adhered the ivory coloured pearls with Glue Dots. To finish the card, I added a band of the new Chocolate Chip Poly Twill ribbon, which is just so beautiful! If you haven't seen it or worked with it yet, I highly recommend it. It is so soft and flexible and makes beautiful ribbons and knots. I can't wait to play with my Old Olive spool this weekend! Did you know that it fits perfectly in the flower ribbon slide from the new Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware?

Something springy!

I know it seems a little odd to be posting such a flowery, springy card when we have a good 2-3 feet of snow on the front lawn and flurries to happen overnight, but I'm hoping that if I post this, it will fend off the snow. You know - the whole "if you build it, he will come" philosophy! I doubt it will work, but it's just so refreshing to work with light, bright colours!

I love the dry embossing with sponging over top - everything just seems to pop! Great payoff for such a small investment of time! :) I started with Apricot Appeal for the card base and used my light table, Seeing Spots Classy Brass Template and Empressor Stylus for the embossing. I just embossed in a little square first to make a "matted area" of sorts where I could put the main image. Then I randomly added different-sized circles to the card front, stopping at the edges of the matted area. I sponged on Apricot Appeal ink with my sponge daubers and then added the band of Wide Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon (I made a slit in the spine of my card with my Hobby Blade). The flower images are from the Polka Dots & Paisleys set and were stamped in Basic Black and Garden Green ink on Whisper White cardstock. I watercoloured the inside of the petals with a Regal Rose marker and my Aqua Painter and then matted this on Garden Green before adhering it to the card. Super fun!

Kristina's Colour Inspiration Challenge

I spent the evening stamping again today - a perfect way to spend a snowy night! I played around with a new kit from Stampin' Up! - The Loonies for Littles Kit. It is a philanthropic campaign that Stampin' Up! is undertaking in order to raise funds for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Canada. For each kit sold, they will donate $2 to the BBBSCA In-School Mentoring Program. Anyway, it is a fantastic kit and a fantastic cause. Stay tuned for pics and more details later on, as this promotion doesn't start until April 15th.

Anyway, after putting together the kit project, I had tidied up for the night and was about to head to bed when I checked my favourite blog, http://www.kwernerdesign.com/. When I saw the latest Colour Inspiration Challenge from Kristina, I decided to make one more card. I know I will pay for it in the morning when I'm dragging myself out of bed, but it was soooo worth it! Kristina is a great inspiration! The idea behind the colour inspiration is that Kristina posts a photograph and pulls out a fabulous colour combination from the photo. This week's photo comes from Pier 1:


The colours were Orchid Opulence, Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, and Whisper White.

Here's what I came up with:

Stamps: Hugs & Wishes
Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Orchid Opulence, Rose Red Prints DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black (pad and marker)
Tools: Bone folder, Craft & Paper Scissors, Paper Snips, Heat Tool, Pop-Up Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals
Accessories: Cherished Memories Rub-ons, Basic Black Grosgrain Ribbon, Pretties Kit, Flower Fusion Felt Flowers, Fire Circle Rhinestone Brads

Thanks so much for the inspiration and the challenge, Kristina - you are amazing!

Sneak Peek

I spent the day working away on the cards for the big Tart & Tangy Stamp-A-Stack happening on Sunday, April 20th. I am getting so excited for this big day and had such a blast playing with the stamp set and coordinating paper. Here's a sneak peek at 6 of the 10 cards we will be making:

We will be trying out some very cool techniques with these cards, including a chalkboard technique, scratch 'n sniff, sugaring, and rock 'n roll - some old and some new - something for everyone! We will also be using some of the new embellishments from the Occasions Mini - rub-ons, poly-twill ribbon and the new hodgepodge hardware! At $45/person, this event is a real deal!

I worked on bundling up some fabulous prizes for the event today as well - you won't want to miss out on them! There are tonnes of prizes, so be sure to contact me today to reserve your spot. Feel free to tell a friend as well! I will have a special draw for those who bring along a friend who is new to me! If your name is pulled, you AND your friend will receive special prize packs!

Here are a few more details:

TART & TANGY STAMP-A-STACK!

What: We will be getting together to create 10 beautiful cards, all using the adorable Tart & Tangy stamp set and matching Designer Series Paper, Summer Picnic.
When: Sunday, April 20th from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Where: St. John Parish Centre, Arthur (Georgina Street)
What is included: Tart & Tangy stamp set, 1/2 pack of Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper, all pre-cut cardstock, ribbon and embellishments, envelopes, snacks, drinks, and PRIZES!!!
What to bring: adhesive, scissors, Stampin' Scrub and Mist
Price: $45/person

Registration Deadline: I will close registration on Sunday, March 30th so that stamp sets and materials will arrive in plenty of time. Please note that this is a prepaid event so I'll need the registration fee by March 30th.

If you have any questions or would like to reserve a spot please e-mail me!

Pot O' Gold!

I made this paper basket last week, but forgot to post it with my St. Patty's day card. I don't know where my head has been lately. Anyway, I filled it with Hershey's Cheesecake kisses - perfect for a St. Patty's Pot of Gold!

A little while ago, Dawn posted a sweet comment on one of my posts, so I decided to check out her blog, which I loved (thanks, Dawn!). Her most recent post at the time was an adorable paper-crafted basket, made from a single sheet of 12 x 12 cardstock. I loved the look of it and of course, had to give it a try. I love a challenge and something 3-D like this! She actually got the tutorial from a fellow blogger, so I headed over to Laura's blog to find the official tutorial. It probably took a lot longer than it should have, but I have never woven a basket before. I was very pleased with the way it turned out, but I would like to make another one to improve a few things from my first attempt. I just love how Dawn's turned out with River Rock and I honestly haven't been a big fan of River Rock this year. I will have to give it another shot - the basket and River Rock!!

In the meantime, here's my Close to Cocoa version - there IS a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow...a great Easter weekend spent with friends and family! What could be better?!?

Paper: Close to Cocoa
Ink: Close to Cocoa
Tools: Tabletop Cutter, Sponge Daubers, Craft & Ribbon Scissors, Crafter's Tools Kit, Paper Snips
Accessories: Vintage Brads, Chocolate Chip Poly Twill Ribbon, Sticky Strip

Something Simple

Been feeling a little under the weather this week, so this is an older card. I made this card on the weekend with a couple of new sets that came in. I've seen so many beautiful cards made with the Polka Dot background stamp, so I just had to get it. I thought that the Hi & Hello stamp set would be a perfect match for it too! What a cute set!

I stamped the Polka Dot background stamp in Sahara Sand ink on Sahara Sand cardstock and then added a strip of Rose Red cardstock that I had stamped in Rose Red ink using the Lots of Dots Jumbo Wheel from the Occasions Mini Catalogue.

I really wanted to incorporate some Apricot Appeal into this card, but you can't get the wide grosgrain in that colour. Instead, I used a piece of Very Vanilla Wide Grosgrain and simply inked it up with my Apricot Appeal marker. You can do this for any ribbon and any colour! I would suggest starting with a ribbon that is somewhat similar in colour to what you'd like to end up with, but you could always start with white - shouldn't matter too much. You can either use markers, reinkers or sponge daubers and an ink pad. I added a little Rose Red stripe on each side of the ribbon with the fine-tip end of the marker and then let it dry before I continued. Custom ribbon!

For the sentiment, I stamped 'hello' from "Hi & Hello" in Rose Red ink on Whisper White cardstock and then stamped again in Sahara Sand ink, slightly off centre to make a shadow. I used the Key Tag Punch to punch out the sentiment and used the Horizontal Slot Punch to add little holes on the side. I threaded small pieces of Close to Cocoa cardstock through the holes and then attached this entire piece to the ribbon with Silver Brads. Last step was to add this piece to the card and trim off the ribbon ends with my Craft & Ribbon Scissors. I love these!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honour of today, I thought I'd share my St. Patty's card for this year. I made it last week with my friend and fellow demonstrator, Lisa. She and her precious daughter, Marley, came for a visit and we had a great time together, stamping and chatting! Thanks, Lisa - I had a great time!

For this card, I used Lisa's SU! set, Pinch Proof. It's such a sweet set and has so many great images! My Wild Wasabi cardstock pack had come in about 5 minutes before Lisa and Marley came to visit, so the timing was perfect! I am definitely going to have to order more of the Wild Wasabi cardstock packs - such a great deal for a great product! In case you're wondering which cardstock pack I'm talking about, here's a link to the promotion info. Contact me to order yours!

Okay - back to the card. The pre-cut and pre-scored cardstock measured just a little larger than a standard sized card, so I folded it in half and trimmed it to 4.25" x 5.5". I stamped the solid shamrocks in Garden Green ink and then folded back the flap on the Wild Wasabi cardstock (I love how the textured cardstock gives the solid image a neat, worn look). I used some SNAIL to hold the flap in place and then tied a band of Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon around the flap. I adhered a piece of Garden Green measuring 4.25" x 5.5" inside of the card so that it would peek out beside the flap when the card was closed. Inside, I stamped the sentiment in Garden Green ink. The last touch was the round shamrock 'seal' image stamped in Garden Green on Whisper White. I punched it out with the 1 3/8" punch and layered it on top of a Garden Green Scallop Circle with Dimensionals. This was fastened over top of the ribbon with some SNAIL. Simple as pie and ever so cute! I think I just might have to get this set on my next order! Happy St. Patty's everyone!

Playing with Prints DSP!

I love this cute stamp set, Smarty Pants - it's got some adorable and witty sayings in it. Perfect card for a good friend of mine! I started with a Chocolate Chip card base. The next layer is actually a piece of Whisper White cardstock, which I covered in 1/2" strips of Prints Designer Series Paper (Hostess Level 1 Prints Pack). I used strips of the same design from 4 different coloured sheets. I love how perfectly everything lined up - great product! I did some faux stitching on the first card with my Crafter's Tool Kit and White Signo Gel Pen. I left it

off of the second card as it was pretty time consuming and I wanted to try a different look. I used the new Poly Twill ribbon in Chocolate Chip. Both cards use Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware - the first one is a flower ribbon buckle and the second is one of the beautiful decorative brads. Be sure to click on the pictures to enlarge them, that way you can see them up close. Love this new HPH! Anyway, the last part of the card is the sentiment, which I stamped in Chocolate Chip on Whisper White cardstock and layered on Chocolate Chip cardstock. The sentiment is popped up with dimensionals. To jazz up the second card, I did some squiggles and multi-coloured dots with my Stampin' Write Markers.

I've been tagged!

Alesha tagged me and I'll play along! The rules of the game:
• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 random facts:

• I love interesting socks. I have at least 35-40 pairs and there might be 2 or 3 in there that are a solid colour - the rest are pretty wild! Today I'm wearing one of my pairs of monkey socks.
• I use four fingers to hold a pen/pencil, etc., much to the chagrin of my grade 2 teacher.
• I have the most understanding fiance in the world. We once stood in line for 3 hours to see John Mayer at Sam the Record Man in Toronto and then walked 5 km to the concert and back.
• Craig and I met on a blind date at a Hamilton Bulldogs hockey game.
• I sing in my car. It doesn't matter if people see - if it gives them a laugh, my work is done!
• I have an addiction to Tim Hortons' steeped tea, especially now that it's Roll Up The Rim To Win time.
• I don't have a birthmark. I know that's not terribly interesting, but I'm having a hard time coming up with a 7th thing!

So now I'm tagging Jennifer, Sheri, Heather, Julie, Roxy, Dawn, and Patty. Have fun ladies! Can't wait to read your interesting facts!

Tart & Tangy Stamp-A-Stack Event!

WOOOHOOOOO!!! I am so excited! I have booked the big event! On Sunday, April 20th from 1-4 p.m., I will be holding a Stamp-A-Stack! You won't want to miss it, so be sure to mark your calendars and save the date! Here are the details:

What: We will be getting together to create 10 beautiful cards, all using the adorable Tart & Tangy stamp set and matching Designer Series Paper, Summer Picnic.
When: Sunday, April 20th from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Where: St. John Parish Centre, Arthur (Georgina Street)
What is included: Tart & Tangy stamp set, 1/2 pack of Summer Picnic Designer Series Paper, all pre-cut cardstock, ribbon and embellishments, envelopes, snacks, drinks, and PRIZES!!!
What to bring: adhesive, scissors, Stampin' Scrub and Mist
Price: $45/person (payment in by March 30th)

Spaces will fill up quickly, so be sure to contact me to reserve your spot. The registration deadline is March 30th. Payment for the event (cheque or cash) is also due by March 30th. This will give me enough time to order in all of the stamp sets and supplies and to get the materials cut and prepared. Stamp sets will be mounted for you and ready to use at the event! The best part? Not only will you have your gorgeous cards and leftover DSP to take home at the end of the event, you will also have your stamp set, so you can go home and create many more beautiful projects! Okay - can you tell I'm just a little excited?

WOW!

I've been trying to use up some of my Sale-A-Bration rub-ons, as the promotion is coming to a close, and while I was playing around I came up with an idea! Stampin' Up!'s rub-on packages all come with at least one sheet of black images and one of white images that are exactly the same, so I thought it might be fun to try layering them on top of one another to create a shadow. I applied the black rub-on first and then added the white image over top, shifitng it just slightly so that it gave the shadow effect. Because the rub-ons come on what appears to be vellum cardstock, you can see through the sheet (once you remove the backing), allowing you to line things up perfectly.

Once the rub-ons were applied, I thought that the card needed some colour, so I pulled out my Circle Rhinestone brads - both Fire and Ice. I wanted to keep this card a single-layer one, so I had to do something about the prongs on the brads. I used the wire cutters from my Crafter's Tool Kit and cut off the prongs, bending the rough edges over top of one another. I added a glue-dot to each flower centre and stuck on the brads. Super simple and super quick - the longest part was fiddling with the brads, but it gives it just a little punch.

Happy Birthday, Jen!

It is my sister's birthday today! Happy Birthday, Jen! Hope it's a great one spent with your beautiful family! I love you!

Here's the card that I gave Jen yesterday when we celebrated. I haven't used this set in quite a while and thought that it would make a cute card with the googlie eyes I picked up the other day. I love the new Styled Silver Hodgepodge from the Occasions Mini - such beautiful brads! Enjoy!

Stamps: Unfrogettable, Itty Bitty Backgrounds

Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Real Red, More Mustard, East Coast Prep DSP, Watercolour Paper

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Jet Black StazOn

Tools: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter, Crafter's Tool Kit

Accessories: Styled Silver Hodgepodge, Dimensionals, googlie eyes

A Simple Sunday Card

I know it's a little late, but I wanted to save this card for Simple Sunday. It's such a simple and quick card. I love how Stampin' Up!'s DSP makes a card all on it's own!



My mom and I spent the day together yesterday while we were storm stayed. We now have a tonne of snow on the lawn (at least I think there's grass under all of that snow - it has been quite a few months since we've seen anything but white!). It's almost as high as my car and meets the roof on the deck! Spring is going to take a long time to get here, but we took advantage of the time in the house yesterday and didn't let it get us down! We had a spa morning of facials and manicures and spent the afternoon and evening stamping. Thanks Mom! I got quite a few cards done and did a little rearranging of my craft 'stuff'. I also made up some cute litttle treats for those coming to my card kit class this coming Saturday. Not signed up yet? Check out this post and send me an e-mail to reserve your spot - only 3 spots left! Can't make it, but still want a kit? Let me know and I will make arrangements with you to mail you a kit!

Well, that's it for now! Stay warm and happy stamping!

And the winner is.......

...Karen E.!

Karen E. said...
Just Celebrate gets my vote! Thanks for the chance. Hug those wee ones for me today, please. Karen
10:00 AM

Thanks to everyone who entered a comment and congratulations, Karen! I will set aside your Rub-Ons for you and you can pick them up the next time you're in town! Maybe the next time you come in to see the wee ones! I saw them for a quick bit tonight, although I could stay and watch them for hours and hours. Fascinating! They are getting more and more precious with each passing day! :) I'm not biased whatsoever!

I'll leave you with a quick and easy card for tonight. I have a tutorial for it, but I haven't had a chance to edit the video yet. It was a super long day today at work. I will try my best to post it tomorrow night. You'll love how I did the rounded 'thanks' part!

See you tomorrow!

A New Class and Some Odds and Ends

Lots of exciting things in this post, so please try to hang on til the end!

First things first, I am offering a new class - the "Emergency Birthday Card Kit" class! Here are the details:

Emergency Birthday Card Kit Class
Saturday, March 15th
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Join me for this super cute, super easy project - an Emergency Birthday Card Kit! Don't be caught without a card for that next birthday event! We will be making a card kit that holds 8 beautiful birthday cards, complete with envelopes! Each participant will receive full instructions, measurements and photographs, along with all prepared, pre-cut and pre-scored materials. The kit for this class contains half of a Confetti Scrappin' Kit. Most materials will be used for this project, but you will also have some leftover materials which you can take home for your own projects! If you would like to purchase more than 1 project kit, please let me know. It makes a fantastic gift, too! Place an order of $25 or more at the class and be entered into a draw! The winner will receive the Level 1 Hostess Set, For A Friend! Can't make it to the class, but you'd still like the instructions and prepared materials? Let me know - I can mail you the project kit! Physical space at the class is limited to 6, so claim your spot quickly!!

Cost: $20 per kit


Stamp Club Giveaway!
I have the retired, unmounted Level 1 Hostess set, "So Many Sayings" to give away to a member of my stamp clubs. Club member names from both Group 1 and Group 2 were put into a hat and the winner is.........Tara from Group 1! Congratulations, Tara! I will get your stamp set to you shortly! Stay tuned for more giveaways - for stamp club members as well as blog readers! My crafting area is expanding at an alarming rate and I'm feeling some giveaways coming soon...new stamp sets, hand-stamped gifts....Be sure to stop by again and join in the fun! It means so much that you pop by from time to time to see what I've been up to!


Occasions Mini
The latest mini catalogue from Stampin' Up!, the Occasions Mini, has officially been unvelied and ordering has begun! If you haven't seen this unbelievable collection of new products, stamps, accessories and ideas, I HIGHLY recommend that you click HERE! This mini catalogue is in effect from March 1 to May 31st, and what's even more exciting is that any purchases that you make from this mini catalogue count toward Sale-A-Bration (more SAB info below!)! I've included this card in my post, as it was made with the new set "Big on Spring". Stay tuned for more Occasions Mini samples!


Sale-A-Brate Good Times!
The Sale-A-Bration promotion continues and benefits customers, hostesses and recruits!

Customers: Any order of $70 or more that is placed before March 17th will earn you a free Sale-A-Bration set (click HERE for the Sale-A-Bration Mini). An order of $140 gets you 2 sets, $210 gets you 3 sets, etc. The stamp sets are gorgeous, but I am also very partial to the Love & Happiness Rub-Ons that are a SAB item this year!

Hostesses: Hostess a workshop of $400 or hold a catalogue party of $400 before March 17th and earn another free SAB set!

Recruits: Sign up to be a demonstrator before March 17th and you'll receive any stamp set--a value of up to $60.95--from the Spring-Summer 2008 Collection FREE! New demonstrator recruits also get 20% off the Demonstrator Starter Kit--over $400 of Stampin' Up! products and business supplies for only $208! Contact me for more information!


Wild for Wasabi
From March 1 through April 30, you can purchase a specially-priced Wild Wasabi textured card stock pack for only $4.60--that's 16 sheets of pre-cut (4-1/2" x 11-1/2") and pre-scored (at 1-1/8" and 5-5/8") Wild Wasabi textured card stock that can be used to make all kinds of fun and easy cards and projects (great samples HERE)! To take advantage of this special, limited-time offer, contact me today! Item number 110294.


Whew! We made it to the end! Okay - if you stuck with me...there's another giveaway! Post a comment to this entry telling me what your favourite product or stamp set from the Occasions Mini is and I will draw a winner Wednesday evening! The winner will receive a FREE set of the Love & Happiness Rub-ons from the Sale-A-Bration Mini! Thanks for hanging in!

A Special Easter Treat

It's hard to believe, but Easter is just around the corner. It always creeps up so quickly, but it's especially true this year, with it being so early!

I've been inspired by all of the different treat holders that I've seen lately, so I thought I'd try my hand at one and start it from scratch. It was easier than I thought and I think it turned out quite well. I would like to make a few for special little gifts, but I'll have to go out to Wal-Mart and pick up another bag first. The first half of the bag served as an "inspiration" of sorts and now that I've finally figured out measurements and project details, I'm almost out! :) Stamping and chocolate go hand in hand - better than PB&J!

Well, without further ado - the egg holder!