Happy Birthday!

Good evening stampers!  Now that the holiday season is just about over it's time to get back to business!  Thankfully I was gifted several new pieces of Stamp-n-Storage for Christmas so I now have plenty of room to store all of my gorgeous Stampin' Up! products.  Just as soon as I have it all organized I'll take some pictures of my workspace.  

My project tonight features the Cupcakes & Carousel's DSP stack and the Cupcakes & Carousels Embellishment Kit.  I LOVE this suite!  It's probably my favorite in the new Occasions Catalog.  

See that adorable little Pool Party bow?  That little cutie was created using the paper bows from the Cupcakes & Carousels Embellishment Kit.  To achieve the look above I used 4-1/2 of the Pool Party bows from the embellishment kit and adhered them together using Glue Dots. If you would like to create one of your own- remember to stagger the loops!  Otherwise you will end up with a blob and not a bow!

Thanks for stopping by!  If you have not yet received your copy of the new Occasions Catalog and the Sale-a-bration brochure be sure to let me know!  I'll get one in the mail to you!

Monday Montage #84

Hello there and welcome back for the bi-weekly Monday Montage blog hop. I'm so happy you joined us!  Be sure to visit all of the stops to see what other fabulous projects we have created to share with you.

My project for tonight was inspired by Frosty the Snowman.  I was asked to create favors for a  Christmas dinner with a snowman theme so I thought these would be perfect!

Can you believe that this little snowman hat measures less than 3" tall?  It really is TINY!  To make it functional as a treat holder I added a 3" x 6" Gusseted Cellophane Treat Bag that was filled with my favorite treat- Chocolate!  This would also be cute filled with festive colored M&M's or any other little candy treat.

Isn't it adorable?   

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to visit the other blogs for the hop as well!  Click the NEXT button to go to the fabulous Elizabeth Price or click the BACK button to head on over to the lovely Cathy Casey.

                

Cupcakes & Carousels Sneak Peek!

Good evening stampers!  Several weeks ago while I was at OnStage I was able to check out some of the gorgeous new products from the upcoming Occasions Catalog.  My favorite suite from the entire new catalog was  Cupcakes & Carousels. I could not wait to get my hands on it!   

This suite contains the perfect combination of elements.  There are gorgeous color combinations, beautiful DSP, fun stamps and an awesome embellishment kit.  

Here are the first few cards that I created using this suite.  So gorgeous!  I made these 3 birthday cards for some very special ladies!  I hope they enjoy them as much as I do!  

Here is each card shown individually.  As with everything I create- I have a favorite.  I didn't like how the watercolor background came out at first but I gotta admit- it's grown on me immensely!  Calypso Coral is difficult to watercolor with as the color tends to change quite a bit.  More so towards the pink color family but overall it's still gorgeous!

While we are onto confessions here- tonight was the first time that I've used my Peekaboo Peach ink pad.  *GASP* I know!  Not sure what I was waiting for because this card is awesome!

I love the Bermuda Bay watercolor.  So pretty!

And last but certainly not least is this beauty!

Unfortunately I don't have a list of supplies created just yet- I will edit the post to add that info soon!

Thanks for stopping by!

Closeout Sale!!!

Why not head on over to my store and do a little holiday shopping!  Fantastic deals AND a little surprise from me with every order!  Click the SHOP button on the right side bar!

Monday Montage #83

Hello there and welcome back for the bi-weekly Monday Montage blog hop. I'm so happy you joined us!  Be sure to visit all of the stops to see what other fabulous projects we have created to share with you.

Craft show season is in full swing for me here in Michigan and that means that I've been working up a storm!  I have spent countless hours creating beautiful projects for display as well as for sale.  As you can see based on my projects for tonight-  my main focus has been Christmas.  Only fitting as my next craft show is this coming Saturday, December 3rd in Ida, Michigan.  This show in particular is an extremely busy show!  I can't wait!  I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

These little Hershey Kisses/gift card holders are just the cutest!  What a perfect way to give a gift and a little chocolate treat at the same time!

These little Santa bags are filled with festive chocolate bells.  There are several of these to choose from and not all are Santa.  Some have elves or reindeer.

Please be sure to visit my booth Saturday, December 3rd at the Prince of Peace Church in Ida, MI.  Show time is from 8am-2:30pm.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to visit the other blogs for the hop as well!  Click the NEXT button to go to the fabulous Dara Gloden or click the BACK button to head on over to the lovely Cathy Casey.

                

HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!

Hey Stampers!  Do you know someone who loves Stampin' Up! products?  Why not head on over to my store and shop from the Stampin' Up! Holiday Extravaganza!  Now is a great time to get some new supplies and save money!

Just click the shop with me button on the right sidebar to go to my store!

Please note that some of the items are TIME SENSITIVE!  Others are available all week!

Click HERE to see the entire list of products on sale!

Thanks for stopping by!

This Is For You

Good evening stampers!  While I was out shopping this weekend I came across the most adorable teeny tiny jars of Nutella.  And when I say teeny tiny- I mean it!  These little cuties don't even measure 2" tall!  Now I personally am not a fan of Nutella ( I know, right?  How is that even possible?) but I still couldn't resist the cuteness.  I had to buy a few to create with.  

....and it looks like I'll be going back for more!  They turned out adorable!  I know they will be a HUGE hit at my craft show coming up on December 3rd.    

The packaging for these little jars was a breeze to create.  I used Clear Tiny Treat Boxes and then adhered a 3/4" strip of DSP around the center of the box .  The spoon was tied onto the box using the 3/8" Silky Taffeta Ribbon Combo Pack.  Since the Nutella jars are super tiny- they tend to move around quite a bit in the boxes.  What I did to avoid this issue was to put 4 glue dots on the bottom of the Nutella jar.  Then once I centered the jar in the box, I pushed up on the bottom of the box forcing it to adhere to the bottom of the jar.  Worked like a charm!

Lift Me Up

Good evening stampers!  Tonight I have a sneak peek for  you from the upcoming Occasions Catalog!  Are you ready?  It's a card created from the awesome new stamp set titled Lift Me Up.  This set features a few gorgeous hot air balloons and a ton of awesome sentiments.  I was so happy to learn that this set was part of the Product Purchase Premier for those demonstrators who attended OnStage.  

This is the first card that I created using this set but stay tuned!  There will be a LOT more!  

 I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!  I'll be back with more gorgeous projects soon!  

Wonderful Year

Hello stampers!  Can you believe that Christmas is just around the corner?  That's right!  There are 39 days left until Christmas.  Thirty-nine. 

 I swear each year it seems to go quicker and quicker.  Thankfully there's still plenty of time left to create some fabulous holiday cards.  

Since it's the holiday season, for me- craft show's are in full swing.  Each year I do multiple shows.  I make single cards, 3 dimensional items, gift card holders, home decor items, packages of cards and just about everything in between.  Here is one of the cards I have created for my next show.

My next show will be on December 3, 2016 at the Christmas in Ida:  Festival & Parade of Lights.  This event is HUGE with nearly 40,000 visitors.  I will be located in the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church located at 1920 Lewis Ave. Ida, MI.  This show runs from 9am-2pm.  This is definitely a weekend you don't want to miss!  The festival offers so much more than just crafts and vendors.  There is a HUGE parade and even a country music performance by Little Texas.  There is fun for all!

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Montage #82

Hello there and welcome back for the bi-weekly Monday Montage blog hop. I'm so happy you joined us!  Be sure to visit all of the stops to see what other fabulous projects we have created to share with you.

My project tonight is card created with the Heartfelt Sympathy stamp set.  I'm not really sure that I like how it came out.  The sentiment was stamped in VersaMark and then heat embossed with White Stampin' Emboss Powder. I'm thinking now that the background would have looked better on a solid darker color instead of the watercolor wash.  That way the sentiment would have shown up better.   Lesson learned!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to visit the other blogs for the hop as well!  Click the NEXT button to go to the fabulous Dara Gloden or click the BACK button to head on over to the lovely Cathy Casey.

                

SaveSave

Say WHAT?

Hello there stampers!  This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Stampin' Up! OnStage Local even that was held in Secacus, NJ.  At this event the new Occasions and Sale-A-Bration catalogs were unveiled, there was TONS of recognition and then THIS happened!  

Say WHAT?  I still can't believe that this is real!  Becoming a member of the Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team has always been a dream of mine.  A dream I never really thought was possible...until now! I am humbled an honored to serve as a member of the 2017 Stampin' Up! Artisan Design Team.    I cannot wait to share this next year with you all.  It's going to be a GREAT year!  You won't want to miss it!

My card tonight offers a tiny sneak peek from the upcoming Occasions Catalog.  This card was created using a brand new stamp set called Dragonfly Dreams.  I gotta say- this catalog is AMAZING!

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Montage #81

Hello there and welcome back for the bi-weekly Monday Montage blog hop. I'm so happy you joined us!  Be sure to visit all of the stops to see what other fabulous projects we have created to share with you.

My project tonight is a tiny treat bag created for a special upcoming event.  Every year my husband and I host a Thanksgiving dinner for our Pearl Jam family.  The dinner this year is in just 2 short weeks!  Can't wait to see all our friends again!

It's not overly fancy but it's perfect for our table favors!  Each bag is filled with some of my favorite chocolates and various other treats.  I hope our guests love them!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to visit the other blogs for the hop as well!  Click the NEXT button to go to the fabulous Dara Gloden or click the BACK button to head on over to the lovely Cathy Casey!

                

Noel

Hey there stampers!  One of the perks of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is the quarterly Stampin' Success magazine.  This magazine is full of business tips, samples, workshop ideas, recognition and much much more!  On the cover of this quarter's magazine was a gorgeous frame that was created from the Forever Evergreen Project Kit.  I couldn't resist making one for myself!  

The frame itself is made from recycled barn wood.  Isn't it just beautiful?  Yes, this could be created using any other frame but I don't think it would have the same charm.  There's just something magical about old recycled barn wood.  The frame itself measures 11" x 14".  The tree is one of the smallest trees from the Forever Evergreen Project Kit.  The ornaments/pinecones were stamped using the coordinating Forever Evergreen stamp set.  The Noel sentiment is from the Christmas Pines stamp set.  

Thans for stopping by!

Wrapped in Love

Hello there!  I took the last few nights off so I could take care of a few things around the house and so that I could take a class on how to decorate cookies!  I had so much fun at the cookie class!  I can't wait to take the Christmas cookie class.  Here's what we decorated for the Halloween class.  

Trust me when I say that decorating these cookies was easier than it looks! I was really nervous at first because I've not always had the best of luck decorating cookies/cupcakes.  Once I had the first few under my belt - the rest were a piece of cake!  

Now on to my project for the night. The weather here has definitely turned into "sweater weather" over the last few days.  I wanted to create a card that used the Wrapped in Warmth stamp set (as I have yet to use it). I also used the Pretty Pines Thinlits dies. I love that there is coordinating DSP stack (Warmth and Cheer).  Makes creating the perfect card a snap!

Thanks for stopping by!

Forever Evergreen

Hello there stampers!  Tonight I am sharing a card that I created using the Forever Evergreen stamp set.  Now if you've seen the Holiday Catalog you may have overlooked this stamp set.  The reason I say that is that there aren't any samples (other than the Forever Evergreen Project Kit) showcasing this product.  I did buy the Forever Evergreen Project Kit however I have yet to assemble it.  (That's actually an upcoming class for those of you in my area.)

I do however have a fabulous card to share that shows just how beautiful this stamp set is. 

 I love these tiny little ornaments.  On my card- I embossed each ornament in Gold Stampin' Emboss Powder and then fussy cut them out.  After they were cut out- I used an Aqua Painter and some re-inkers to color them in.  The ornaments were then staggered on a background of Soft Sky watercolor wash.  

Did you notice that there's only a TINY hint of traditional Christmas colors on my card?  I love to use non-traditional colors to create gorgeous Christmas cards!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Paisleys & Posies

Hello stamping friends!  My card tonight was created using the Paisleys & Posies stamp set from the Holiday Catalog.  I loved this set when I first saw it but for some reason I never ordered it.  Well it finally made it into one of my recent orders and I'm so glad it did!  I am in LOVE!  This set is absolutely gorgeous and oh so versatile!

I've been working on a few other designs from this set and will be sharing them soon!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Halloween!

Good evening stampers!  Tonight I have an adorable project to share with you.  It features the Halloween Night DSP and the 3" x 6" cellophane bags.  These little bags make the perfect gift for co-workers or party favors!  They are small in size yet they still hold a good amount of candy.  

To hold the treat bag closed- I made a bunch of witch's hats from mini clothespins and card stock.  Aren't they adorable?  Keep in mind that these little treats don't have to hold just candy.  They will also fit money, gift cards, or other trinkets!

Here's some of the ones that I created.  There were LOTS!!! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Montage #80

Hello there and welcome back for the bi-weekly Monday Montage blog hop. I'm so happy you joined us!  Be sure to visit all of the stops to see what other fabulous projects we have created to share with you.

Tonight's project is a clean and simple Christmas card.  Even though it's a very simple card to create- it's packed FULL of fun details!

I started out with a Very Vanilla card base and added a layer of This Christmas Specialty DSP.  Using the Large Letters Framelits I cut out a J and a Y.  I could have spelled JOY the usual way using nothing but letters but where's the fun in that?  The Stars Framelits Dies make the perfect O.  Since I wanted to add a little dimension to my card, the stars were scored to make them 3 dimensional and the Very Vanilla top layer was embossed using the Holly Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  To finish off my design, a Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine bow and two Mini Pinecones were added.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to visit the other blogs for the hop as well!  Click the NEXT button to go to the fabulous Dara Gloden or click the BACK button to head on over to the lovely Cathy Casey!

                

Hello December 2016

Hello there stampers!  Did you know that Project Life Card Collections and accessory kits can be used for more than just scrapbooking?  Tonight I'm featuring the Hello December 2016 Card Collection (well....one of the cards from the collection).  I love how beautiful the Kraft, Emerald Envy, and Real Red look together.  Such a fun and festive card!

You'll notice that there's not very much stamping required when using the Project Life Card Collections.  That's ok though!  The card collections offer many images as well as sentiments that can be combined or used individually!  

Frosted Medallions

Hello there!  Tonight I have a gorgeous card to share that I created for the Inking Everything Team Facebook challenge.  Each week we are issued a challenge.  The challenge is either a sketch or a color combination.  For this week- we were to create a card using the following color combination:

This is what I came up with!  I just love these colors together.  So beautiful!  

I chose to use the Frosted Medallions stamp set from the Holiday Catalog.  I love everything about this set.  The gorgeous medallions, the beautiful sentiments, the different fonts.  I love it all!   Pair it with the color combination from above and you've got yourself one fabulous looking card!

It's really hard to see in the picture but there is a ton of wonky sewing on this card!  

Thanks for stopping by!

Mini Witches Hat Tutorial

Good evening stampers!  Last Sunday I shared some adorable Mini Witches Hats for the Monday Montage Blog Hop.  I have received SO many emails asking for a tutorial so here it is!  Click HERE to download the tutorial.  

Why not create some of these little cuties for your little monsters!  They are sure to be a hit!

In case you missed them last weekend- here is what they look like before being filled with candy.  

Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to click this link to download the FREE tutorial!

Be Jolly, By Golly

Hello there! I can't believe it's already the 8th of October and the temperature is still near 70 degrees.   It almost seems wrong to be creating Christmas cards when it's still warm outside!  I'm not complaining though.  If your Christmas card list is anything like mine- it's filled with TONS of people.  I mean the list seems to go on and on (and on, and on).  Just when I think I've sent the last card- BAM!  I remember someone else!  So this year I decided to get a HUGE head start.  I don't wanna be making cards at the last minute this year!

My card tonight was created with the Be Jolly, By Golly stamp set.  I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about this stamp set when I saw it in the catalog.  I mean it has lots of fun images but I didn't really think it was my style.  I couldn't have been more wrong!  I'm totally diggin' it!  It's perfect for clean and simple cards OR cards that are totally decked out! 

Do you ever feel that way about stamp sets (or other items)?  I ordered this set as a challenge to myself.  To see what I could create with a stamp set that I didn't think I'd needed.  I'm so glad I did!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Pines

Hello there!  Tonight I have a fun chalkboard card to share with you.  I love using this technique for cards!  The results are always gorgeous and it's a technique that any stamper can do!  It's simple enough for beginners and if you're a pro then you can get as creative as you like by adding different elements to really make your card special.

When I was looking through my stamps from the Holiday Catalog- I couldn't help but notice the Tidings of Comfort and Joy sentiment from the Christmas Pines set.  It totally screamed chalkboard to me!  

Thanks for stopping by!  

Monday Montage 79

Hello there and welcome back for the bi-weekly Monday Montage blog hop. I'm so happy you joined us!  Be sure to visit all of the stops to see what other fabulous projects we have created to share with you.

Tonight I have an adorable little witches hat to share.  Not only is it an cute little decoration but it also doubles as a treat box!

For the first picture- I'm showing both the candy and the hat.  This will give you a idea of just how small the witches hat is.  Only 3 Hershey Kisses will fit in the bottom!  The Hershey Kisses were put into a 2" x 8" Cellophane bag, tied off with Halloween Night baker's twine and then the bags were trimmed to size.

The picture below shows the candy hidden.  I've made a bunch of these for my upcoming craft show at St. Mary's School in Monroe, MI.   The show is on Saturday 10/15 at 10am.  Hope to see you there!

Thanks for stopping by!  Please be sure to visit the other blogs for the hop as well!  Click the NEXT button to go to the fabulous Dara Gloden or click the BACK button to head on over to the lovely Cathy Casey!