Be My Valentine?

This pillow box die cut is my new favorite!  I love it because it's simple, cute and so versitile.  I've made 4 different designs for Valentine's so far - I just can't help myself!  We made this one at my Valentine's Day class this past weekend.  I love the oversized bow - it adds a little whimsy and fun. 

PPA 76 - Simple & Sweet Hostess Gift

I have a workshop on Wednesday night and needed a cute hostess favor.  I used an idea from this month's Stampin' Success and made an envelope pocket.  I'll fill it with a little chocolate and a couple cute Valentine's Day pencils.  I know my hostess will love it!  I'm pretty sure the ladies attending will want to learn to make these for themselves - I haven't decided if I want to demo it or use to book another workshop.  We'll see as I get ready for the workshop today what else I through in the mix.

It time to Sale-A-Brate!

Stampin' Up's Sale-A-Bration event started on Jan. 25th!  This is the best promotion of the year!  The basics: for every $50.00 spent you'll be able to choose a free product from the Sale-A-Bration catalog!  Products include stamps, paper, embellishments, and my digital studio downloads.  Don't miss out on this fabulous promotion!  This is also a great time to be a hostess - there are extra hostess benefits.  Contact me to find out how you can take advantage of this year's Sale-A-Bration.

January Page of the Month

Instructions coming...

Simply Adorned Ornament

Front

Back

In a post below, I talked about my annual crafting weekend.  This year one of the ladies asked if we would all make a Christmas oranment for her tree (a tradition of hers).  We thought this was a fabulous idea and we should each make a total of 5 ornaments - one for each of us.  I kicked around a couple ideas but thought when it came to an ornament that would last for years and be a keepsake it needed to be made out of something that could withstand a little abuse.  I knew I had to use Stampin' Up's Simply Adorned Charms - they are beautiful and would allow me to paper craft but keep it protected.  Above is the final design (there were many).  I'm very pleased with the finished ornament and may have to do a few more for Christmas gifts this year!  You can see 4 or the 5 ornament project in my post below - I love that each one is a reflection of the person who created it.  If you have a group of crafty women in your life this is a wonderful way to share your talents and create memory that will last for years to come. 

Color Throwdown #125

I love this Pillow Box die cut - and it's the perfect size for a little Valentine's Day treat for a teacher, co-worker, or friend.  At my monthly stamp class we're making a handful of Valentine's Day themed pillow boxes in a variety of designs.  I thought the colors of this week's color throwdown were perfect for this class.  I do realize color throwdown is usually cards but I couldn't resist posting this one.

Recipe:

Stamps - Filled with Love

Ink - Crumb Cake (formerly known as kraft)

Paper - Blushing Bride, Patterned DSP, Certainly Celery (sub. for pear pizzaz)

Punches - Heart Small, 3/4" circle, Decorative Label Extra-large

Embellishments - Linen Thread, Taffeta Ribbon (Certainly Celery)

Big Shot - Pillow Box die

Things I love!



My goal this year - on this blog - is not only to share my love of crafting and Stampin' Up but to share more about myself and the other things I enjoy and spend time doing.  The first thing I thought I would share is my love of TV.  I'm not just talking a few shows - I LOVE TV!  If you asked anyone who knows me they'll say the same thing.  I thought I would share some of the shows I'm watching/DVR-ing currently.

How I Met Your Mother
Rules of Engagement
Castle
NCIS
The Good Wife
Big Bang Theory
Wipeout
Royal Pains
White Collar
Fairly Legal - Brand New and it's going to be a good one!
House
Bones
Dinners, Drive-ins & Dives
Martha Stewart
And I'm looking forward to Mr. Sunshine with Mathew Perry starting in Feb.
Old Stand-Bys:
Frasier
QVC

I'm sure I'm missing a couple (and it's not complete since there are summer series that aren't airing currently) but these are all great and worth watching if you're looking for something new.

Annual Crafting Weekend!

(Mandy, Kathi, Carolyn - my mom, Me, Heather)

Last weekend was our 6th annual crafting weekend.  A tradition that started the in 2005 (the year of my wedding) when my best friend (Heather) and her mom (Kathi) traveled to Vancouver, WA to go shopping for a maid of honor dress and fun girl time.  Mother Nature had other plans - we became "stranded" due to freezing rain.  We were able to make it to Craft Warehouse a few blocks away for "supplies" and then hunkered down at my mom's house.  That weekend Heather and I learned to knit as we all watched a marathon of 24.  We had such a wonderful time we decided we needed to do it again - and the tradition was born.  The weekend has evolved over last six years.  It is usually a weekend of learning - we each bring a craft project to teach to the group.  We've learned so many different techniques for beading, stamping, sewing, and more!  This year there were two requests one from Kathi - a handmade ornament (one for everyone) and one from the two young moms of the group - a weekend of scrapbooking.  The weekend was fabulous as always!

 Our ornaments (minus one)

 "Where the Magic Happened"

My crafting buddy - Miss Hannah (Mandy's daughter)

Handmade 2011

My goal for 2011 is to make handmade gifts for all birthdays and Christmas.  Here are my first handmade gifts:

front side

back side

(I think I might have to make myself one)

I also made a sticker book for a special 3 year old using Stampin' Up's 5x5 sketch book.  Here is it - I used Melon Mambo & Pretty in Pink as my color pallet



Christmas Thank You

What a wonderful Christmas season! I hope you all enjoyed yours as well! The above photo is of my thank you cards for Christmas. It was super simple to create and I wanted to share. This simple layout could easily be altered to fit any style. Have fun and make it your own. Below is my supply list to get you started.

Stampin' Up's Note Cards - you receive 20 whisper white cards & evelopes for $5.95 (#107311), the "Thank You" is from the Because I Care stamp set (level 1 hostess set), Cherry Cobbler card stock, Deck the Halls DSP (from the holiday mini), Very Vanilla 3/8" taffeta ribbon, Decorative Lable - my new favorite punch! $16.95 (#120907), 1 3/4" x 7/8" Oval Large punch, Ticket Corner Small punch, Basic Pearls, Anywhere Glue Stick and Stampin' Dimensionals.

December Page of the Month

The Occasions Mini is here!

Happy New Year! I hope you are well rested and recovered from the holiday season.

It’s hard to believe that I can get so excited over a new catalog but it happens every time one is released! And let me just say that when I received my Occasions Mini Catalog Stampin’ Up did not disappoint. I can’t wait for you to see all the incredible new products in this mini catalog – contact me for your own copy or click here to see it online.

My first stamp class of 2011 is on Sunday, January 23rd at 2PM – space is limited so be sure to let me know if you’d like to attend. This class will be our Valentine’s Day class. I can’t wait to show you our project! It involves one of my favorite things, the Big Shot die cut machine by Sizzix – a must have for the serious paper crafter. We’ll also be using Stampin’ Up’s designer series paper, rubber stamps, color coordinating inks, and fabulous embellishments.