Amy's Stamp Place

I'm back

2011-04-04T07:31:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone!
Sorry for the absence--life has been BUSY here :) It was my oldest son, Alex's birthday at the end of March, and it seems that we have spent the last three weekends celebrating with a family party, a kid party, and then the Harlem Globetrotters Bench Experience this past weekend. He and his best friend got to sit ON the bench with the players during the game as well as meet all of them and came home with a signed program, ball, and jersey. It was pretty neat. I also did a table at our local Docs vs. Jocks hockey game promoting Stampin' Up, and came away with a couple workshops booked as well as (hopefully) some new customers! It was a fun day. I am still looking for ONE more lucky lady to join my team before 4/30.
Tomorrow I'll be back with an SUO Challenge post, so be sure to check back :) Hope you have a fabulous day--thanks for checking in!

Amy

SUO Challenge-A Birthday Card

2011-03-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Tuesday Everyone~

Here I am today with another SUO Challenge for you. This time the challenge was to create a birthday card. It was a perfect challenge because I just got done creating Jack's birthday card, in February, but I shared that one with you guys already. As luck would have it, Alex's birthday is just around the corner so today I am sharing with you his birthday invitations, however, they could easily be turned in to a birthday card, too.

Alex picked out his paper that he wanted. (Do the ones with all the mixed up arrows, Mom) So, I started with a simple Whisper White base. On that I layered a piece of Real Red, followed by the paper from the Celebrations pack. I customized each one with some stickers from the Celebrations Accent Kit, punched out a piece of Whisper White stamped with "Party This Way" arrow from, fittingly, the Party This Way stamp set. :) I layered that on a scalloped circle of Real Red and voila, party invitations that scream 9 year old boy.

I hope you enjoyed what I had for you today. Please hop over to www.suochallenges.com and see what the other members of the Design Team have cooked up for you. Lots of talented ladies over there, I am proud to be a member of their team!! While you are there, link us up to your birthday creation. We'd love to see what you make. I'll be back tomorrow to share a preview creation, as well as some pictures of the soon-to-be birthday boy. Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Stampin!

And the Winner Is........

2011-03-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!!
  Hope you all had a great weekend. We sure did-we kicked off the birthday celebrations for Alex, my oldest. He will turn 9 on the 28th, but we kicked off the celebrating with family this weekend. Next weekend, a kid party, followed by treats at school and dinner of his choosing (hopefully not Burger King ;) on his actual birthday.
  I don't have a crafty post to share with you today, but stop back later this week because tomorrow I'll have a new SUO Challenge post for you--we will be posting birthday cards and challenging you all to submit your creations, too. I also have a cute scrapbook page we will be making in my club this week to share, and some samples I created with the sneak peek set and paper from the upcoming 2011-2012 Big Catalog and Idea Book. So, you won't want to miss it.
  Ok, I've stalled long enough...thanks to Random.org (random number generator), the winner is:

#2 Congratulations Missy!!!! Email or message me and I'll get your set out to you. Enjoy!! Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave me a comment. I loved reading them!! I'll be back again with some more blog candy in the future--it's always fun to do a giveaway!

Missy said...

I used this set to make a card at my stamp club last week. Loved it!!

MARCH 18, 2011 9:31 AM

Tonight it's the blue and gold banquet for Alex-- :) I'll share pictures

Happy Stampin!

Blog Candy Giveaway

2011-03-18T07:36:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday Everyone!
To celebrate Spring this weekend, I am giving away a clear mounted, but never used, Nature Walk. I had ordered it out of the new mini, and then that's the set they gave us at Regionals--so I am passing one on to one of you lucky winners :) All you have to do is leave me a comment and I'll be back Monday to draw a winner. Have a great weekend everyone!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

With Sympathy

2011-03-17T06:00:00.003-05:00

Happy Thursday Everyone!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!! Had I been on the ball I'd be sharing a card I sent out to all of my Irish relatives. (My husband's mom is 100% Irish---xoxo Quealy Family!!) I guess now would be a good time to plan for next year!!

Today's card is made with Teeny Tiny Wishes and all kinds of fun new things out of the Spring Mini. I used a Whisper White background with a layer of Baja Breeze. On top of that I mixed my favorite floral pattern and the stripe pattern from the Springtime Vintage DSP. To disguise where the two papers come together I wrapped a piece of Baja Breeze seam binding around the paper and tied it in a knot. I love the softness of this seam binding and that you can either cut the edges neatly, or like I did here, you can fray the edges. I punched out a piece of Baja Breeze with the Modern Label Punch and stamped With Sympathy in Chocolate Chip and added a pretty plastic flower in Very Vanilla to finish it off. I like that it's a sympathy card that is soft, delicate, and pretty.

The Spring Mini runs through the end of April :) Let me know if you "need" any of these items. Tomorrow I will share the birthday party invitations I made for Alex's birthday and Friday--BLOG CANDY!

Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Stampin!

Thank You!!

2011-03-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!
  Today I am featuring another card in the set I made for a co-worker. This one is a super simple thank you. I can't seem to ever have enough thank you cards on hand.
  I used a really fun, and kind of unexpected color palette for this card. It is a piece of Perfect Plum layered on Whisper White cardstock. I used a strip of Rich Razzleberry and Basic Grey Designer Series Paper to accent. I used Engraved Greetings for the sentiment and embossed it with clear embossing powder. I added two rhinestones for a bit of sparkle. I really like the pop of color the Razzleberry gives to the other colors.
  Tonight I am going to package these cards up and also whip up birthday invitations to my older son Alex's birthday party :) Stop back tomorrow for another crafty share, and Friday I'm giving away some Blog Candy.

Happy Stampin!

Monogram....

2011-03-14T17:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Today I have for you a monogram card that I am including in a set for a co-worker. I used a base of Whisper White cardstock, and then cut a piece of retired Sweet Pea DSP for the mat. On top of that I layered a strip of the French Script piece from Botanical Gazette DSP and tied a piece of Pumpkin Pie satin ribbon on that. For the monogram I used Lovely Letters and Chocolate Chip ink on a piece of Whisper White layered on top of a scalloped punch of another piece of Sweet Pea DSP.

I love making custom card orders for people--I can't wait to see what she thinks of these cards. :) My UPS guy was here today (love when he visits--my Dad works for UPS, wish I could visit with him more often!!) so I have a box of goodies to go check out! Stop in tomorrow to see another card from this co-worker set. Thanks for checking in.

Happy Stampin!

Monday, Monday

2011-03-14T06:00:00.023-05:00

Happy Monday Everyone!!

  Did you all remember to "spring ahead" this weekend? I sure do like when we have more daylight but man that first week or so sure messes with my kids!!
  Any of you who have followed my blog for awhile know that I have two boys. It was recently my Jack's 2nd birthday, so I thought I would share the card I made for him. He is ALL of two right now. He's starting to play independently (YAY), he's jabbering away like crazy, he is BUSY, and is VERY familiar with the words "NO!" and "MINE". He also is good at saying "Please", "Thank You ('que' is what it sounds like), and "No a'que" (no thank you) I'm proud of him and love him, and his big brother who turns nine in a couple weeks, to pieces!
  For Jack's card I used pieces of an old Simply Scrapping kit that has been retired that I seem to have been hoarding for awhile now. I used a piece of the Brocade Blue textured card stock and a few of the accent stickers as the base of the card. Then I used the larger star, raised on dimensionals, with the 2 stuck on that. I also used two of the smaller stars from the stickers. I love that I am able to make a card in no time that is special for the recipient! Book a workshop and I'll teach you how to do it, too. These Simply Scrappin kits are great for cards or scrapbook pages, and you really get a lot of items for your money.
  Check back tomorrow, I'll be featuring one of the cards from the set I was asked to make for a co-worker. :)

Happy Stampin!

Thinking of You.....

2011-03-11T18:17:00.000-06:00

Hello Stampers!!

Happy Friday :) Here is another one of the cards that I made at the retreat last weekend. I used a Crumb Cake base, with a layer of Marina Mist that I ran through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Greenhouse Gala paper, Have a Seat and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, the Decorative and Modern Label punches and a bit of bling with the rhinestones.

I love Marina Mist. It's such a clean, crisp blue. I like just the tiniest bit of the Greenhouse Gala peeking out giving this card a little bit of fun. I made a stack of these so I can send them to my friends and family out of town. I usually am so busy making cards for everyone else, I forget to make them for myself. I'm sure several of you can relate to that!!

I came home today and waiting for me was a sneak peek stamp set from the upcoming Summer Mini called Summer Fun....ADORABLE and will be perfect for using with pictures from the cabin this summer. I earned it FREE for recruiting new members to my team after attending the Minneapolis Regional. Thanks Stampin Up!!! The best part is--Amy and Patti earned one too simply for joining my team. I'm going to try and create something with it over the weekend.

Next week I'll share a few more things I made on my retreat, and hopefully some things I got done this weekend, too. Also, it will be time for some blog candy, so stay tuned!! Thanks for checking in! Have a great weekend :)

Happy Stampin!

Home Decor

2011-03-10T18:04:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday!

One of the things I love most about Stampin' Up is how all of their products coordinate so well together. Today I am showcasing a Decor Elements Chunky Frame that I made for my sister. She recently moved in to a new house and was in need of a few things to "spruce up the place" so I made this for her. I got this idea from Seeing Ink Spots, one of the blogs I really like to read. She did a very similar frame (more ribbons, more butterflies) and I liked it so much I made a similar one. I used a piece of Love Letter designer paper, the Bliss stamp set, Victoria, Black 1 1/4"Grosgrain, Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding, and Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbons, Trinket Keys, and Rhinestones. I am so pleased with how this turned out. I hope she loves it as much as I do.

Here's a few more pictures of the details. Hope you enjoy :)

Happy Stampin!

THANK YOU!

2011-03-09T18:41:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone!

Today's card was inspired by the Color Coach. I LOVE that tool. I consider myself to be one that is good with colors. I'm good at picking out what "goes", I like to mix patterns and colors. Sometimes though, I find that I just keep going to my "go to" colors. Greens, Blues, Brown..... So, while on my retreat last weekend, I dug out the color coach and came up with this combo: Tangerine Tango, Pacific Point, and Early Espresso. My neutral is a piece of Whisper White and I used some retired River Rock stitched ribbon. I was really happy with the clean and fresh look this thank you had. It would be a good masculine color palette, GREAT for baby boy cards, and boy cards.

What are your favorite color combos? My challenge to you is to step outside your color palette "comfort zone" and create something you really love!

Happy Stampin!

Sidekick Sayings

2011-03-08T18:34:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone!
Sorry my post is a tad bit late. We were at the Boy Scout Pinewood Derby last night, Alex took 3rd in his den and 5th overall in his heat for his pack. Needless to say, when we got home last night, I was helping to shepherd our little darlings in to bed.
The challenge this time over at SUO Challenges is to use your favorite retired stamp set. I have lots of favorites, but this set, Sidekick Sayings has been speaking to me from the shelf for some time now. In fact, even after making this card it's still speaking to me, so I will be making some other things with it that I will share. I paired this set with some fun new items from the Spring Mini--the Baja Breeze flower, Springtime Vintage designer series paper (LOVE), Baja Breeze seam binding (delicious--the feel of this seam binding and how it can look clean or soft and vintagey is so great!), First Edition Newsprint paper, and the Sweet Summer set from Sale-a-Bration. Everything old is new again, right?? I'd love to see what you all create--check out what the rest of the design team has put up and don't forget to link up your creation, too.

Thanks for checking in! I'll be back tomorrow with a thank you card inspired by the Color Coach. :) Oh, and, here's a picture of Alex with his car and trophy last night. (Jack wants the car) Way to go Scouts!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

A Check In

2011-03-07T11:15:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone!!
Just wanted to drop in and let you know I'll have crafty posts the rest of the week this week, as well as BLOG CANDY on Friday :) I was at a retreat last weekend with 15 other fabulously crafty women. SO much fun. If you are in the MN/WI area, I definitely recommend you check out Sugarleaf in the Brainerd/Crosslake area. And, while you are there, check out Christmas Point Wild Rice Company it has a great deli for lunch, and SO many cute things to look at in their shop.
Thanks for checking in, and stop back tomorrow for another SUO Challenges challenge, and the rest of the week for some of the crafty goodness I was up to last weekend. Have a fabulous day!!

Amy

Stylish Blogger :)

2011-02-25T06:00:00.002-06:00

Happy Friday Everyone!

Imagine my delight when I received not one but TWO Stylish Blogger Awards and in the same week no less!!! Thank you, so much, for choosing me!! I have visited several ladies who have received these and thought, oh, how nice that their readers think that about her, and always thinking how much fun that would be to have someone send to you. Well--watch out blog ladies and gentleman--these are coming your way. Thank you again, Tonya and Sandy for choosing me (Click on their names and go check them out!)! You made may day AND my week. I'm so glad that those of you out there reading are enjoying the things I am creating. It makes me want to create and share more. My goal is to try and leave comments on the blogs that I'm reading, so thank you for this privilege :)

Part of the award is to do the following:
When you receive this award you are to:

1) thank the person who gave this award to me and link it back to their blog

2) share 8 things about myself

3) pass this award to 8 other individuals that I have recently discovered

4) leave a comment so that they can pass along the recognition:

So, with no further ado, 8 things about me:

1.) I'm the oldest. I have one younger sister, Emily, who I love SO MUCH. No one can make me laugh like my sister! Growing up with 2 girls, I am now the mother of two boys--Alex and Jack, who I am totally blessed to call my sons. You'll see them on the blog from time to time. They are SO much fun and a delight every day. (I'm also married to an oldest child, so as you can imagine, there are lots of strong opinions in our house :) You who are the oldest know what I mean)

2.) I am married to a man that I love dearly. He's my best friend, and totally "the other half" of me.

3.) I love ice cream. If I had to choose only one type of dessert for the rest of my life it would be ice cream. Mint Chocolate Chip on a sugar cone is my favorite, but really almost any kind will do.

4.) I love to read. If I'm not crafting to relax (in all my spare time HA!) I would choose to be reading. I get most of my reading done on car trips going to visit our families in the Twin Cities and Chicago. (My husband is driving of course)

5.) I have lived in Minnesota my whole life. It's a great state, if you haven't been here, come visit! In fact, I get to live in one of the Cities that people go to vacation, just a few blocks away from Lake Superior.

6.) A great vacation to me is a quiet place on the lake, up the North Shore.

7.) I love to watch storms--I get this from my Dad. If I can watch a storm brewing on a lake, even better.

8.) I am hoping that I can make my fun job (being a Stampin' Up Demonstrator) be my real job by the time my youngest son goes to school. Wish me luck!!

Now, here are the 8 people I've chosen. Please go check them out when you have time. Thanks again for choosing me! I hope you had fun learning a little about me.

Julie- http://www.kewlstamps-n-more.com/

Mandy- http://www.l-inkedtogether.com/

Jackie- http://jackiebarfield.blogspot.com/

Dina- http://www.dinaloves2stamp.anker.ca/

Mike- http://stampin-style.typepad.com/stampin-style/

Angie- http://schwooo.blogspot.com/

Diana- http://dianagibbs.typepad.com/

Carla- http://thesouthernstamper.blogspot.com/

Minneapolis Regionals

2011-02-24T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone,
Today I am sharing a few of my Minneapolis Regional pictures with you. Forgive me, they are on my cell phone, so they aren't the best quality, but you'll be able to get the overall idea. Regionals were SO inspiring. I encourage all of you, if you have a Regional coming to an area near you, GO!!
Tomorrow it's Friday (YAY) and I'll be sharing my answers to the TWO Stylish blogger awards I got! Be watching!!

Happy Stampin!

Shelli doing a little stamping sharing with us what she made her daughters for Valentines Day

They gave us Nature Walk as our free stamp set, here's a couple samples they had with it

Nature Walk and Botanical Gazette Paper

A border made with the ribbon punch featuring the Build a Cupcake set

A cupcake made with strips of Sew Suite fabric and LOTS of hot glue--Did you know our fabric rips straight?

Clear Embossed button background in fun Spring colors

Adorable baby card made with an animal print background using rubber scraps (from when you punch out your sets) and your largest clear block :)

Sale-a-Bration Continued

2011-02-23T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hooray! Wednesday--half way through the week!! More importantly, one more day until my Stamp Camp. :) I love that group of ladies. We always have fun when we get together. We have a potluck, so there's always good things to eat. Usually someone brings wine, and there are always a lot of laughs.

This week at Stamp Camp we are making this card. It uses an elegant color palette of Very Vanilla, Basic Black, and just a pop of color from Marina Mist Satin Ribbon. I used the Sale-a-Bration set Bliss. Have you gotten this one yet? LOVE this one! To add something to the background I used a sheet from First Edition Designer Series Paper (in the Occasions Mini), I also heat embossed the image and added a Basic Rhinestone. What do you think?

Every time I see the Marina Mist Satin Ribbon I think "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue....." Wouldn't this be a great blue for weddings? That season is coming up.

Speaking of Sale-a-Bration, don't forget to check out our Design Team Challenge over at SUO Challenges. It's all about the Sale-a-Bration sets, ink yours up and play along!

Happy Stampin!

PS....today is my baby's birthday. He's the big 2 today. Happy Birthday Jack! We are so happy you are a part of our family. I'll post pictures of Jack's birthday party on Monday. :) Can't believe my "baby" is 2!!

SUO Challenge 13- SALE A BRATE and Punch Bunch

2011-02-22T06:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Tuesday Everyone!!!

Today I have another Design Team challenge for all of you. This time around our theme is "Sale-a-Brate". Get out those shiny new sets you've all earned during Stampin' Up's biggest sale of the year and play along! Anyone out there not know what Sale-a-Bration is or how it works, send me an email, I'd be happy to share.

On to today's card. I used a standard size Whisper White card stock base. Layered on that is a 4x 5 1/4" piece of Melon Mambo designer series paper. I have added a piece of Going Grey cut with the Tasteful Trims Big Shot die, then I wrapped a piece of Basic Black Satin Ribbon around all of it and tied a piece of Whisper White Organza Ribbon in a bow. I punched out a large scallop circle in Basic Black, layered a Going Grey 1 3/4" circle and on that popped up, with a dimensional, a piece of Whisper White stamped with the "For You" stamp from Punch Bunch. Overall, I'm happy with the way this turned out. I like that it's kind of a fun and classy color pallet and it's a nice blend of finishes with the satin ribbon and shapes.

We'd love to have you play along with our challenge. Check out what the rest of the Design Team has to offer you over at SUO Challenges. Don't forget to link up your creation!

Share What You Love

2011-02-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Good Monday Morning Stamping Friends!!

It's a blustery and cold day here in MN. We don't have as much snow as my family does in the Twin Cities area, but we had 50+ mile an hour winds coming straight off Lake Superior. BRRRR!! I am READY FOR SPRING!

I had a great weekend this past weekend--I signed up TWO new demonstrators to the Stampin' Up family--Welcome Amy and Patti!!!! So, when you see them around on the Stampin' Connection, please make them feel welcome!

The picture above is what I gave them as their welcome gift. I took a plain white frame (that you can get at any big box store) added a piece of Melon Mambo textured card stock, a piece of Love Letter DSP, some Basic Black, and then stamped Tess from Totally Tess on a piece of Whisper White. I colored her in with my markers (Soft Suede, Melon Mambo, Early Espresso, Blush Blossom, and Garden Green), added two Basic Pearls for her buttons, and stamped her bag on a sheet of the Greenhouse Gala DSP and cut it out. Then, I took my 1 3/4 circle punch and punched out the "Love what you do, Share what you Love" stamp that we were able to purchase last year at Convention. I finished the frame off with some Melon Mambo pom-pom trim and voila--a great welcome gift for my new recruits to have in their stamping space. ;) I may have to make one for myself!!

This week is busy! Tomorrow another design challenge from SUO only challenges, and I will share some of what I loved from the Minneapolis Regional, as well as my 6x6 page for the Fairy Princess Ball I am working at on Sunday. Hope you guys have a great start to the week.

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Hello Fellow Readers!!

2011-02-19T08:11:00.000-06:00

Hello Fellow Readers!
I had a busy week and didn't get to posting this week. I will be back Monday with my regular posting schedule. Today, I am going to sign up TWO new recruits to my team. YAY!!!!! Welcome Amy and Patti!!
Monday I will be back with the gifts I have made for them, Tuesday with a new Stampin Up Only challenge, Wednesday through Friday some crafty things, and some shares from the Minneapolis Regional.
I hope you have had a great week! I'll look forward to catching up on Monday. :) Until then....

Happy Stampin!!

Happy Friday!!

2011-02-11T07:07:00.000-06:00

Friday Everyone!
  Tomorrow I will be attending Stampin' Up's Minneapolis Regional. YAY! I'm so excited. I'll be ready to share all the fun and goodies when I get back.
  No crafty post today, but today is my sister's last day of nannying for us for our youngest son, Jack. Em--thank you SO much for all you did for us since you came in September. You were a great nanny, and you are a fantastic Auntie. We will all miss you!! Jack will be sure to send you updates from day care (especially when we get pictures sent to us) and he hopes you will come up every now and then for a day just you and him. We wish you all the best as you head home to start the new adventures that are waiting for you. Love you much!
  Happy Friday--and Happy Stampin!

A Birthday Card

2011-02-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone!

Today I have a little birthday card I recently made for a co-worker's birthday. I used the Party This Way. I got this idea from a card Kimberly Van Diepen did on her blog. I loved how she made the flags work, even though she did them in white. This card is kind of putzy with the cutting, but it is SO worth it! Stampin' Up---if you are listening, we would LOVE a pennant punch!! I used designs from Play Date and Sew Suite papers, stamped the flag on them and cut them out, then layered them on the scalloped edge with a dimensional. I took my Basic Black marker and free handed a line connecting them all. Then, stamped the sentiment "Happy Birthday" from the same set, and voila--a finished card. I think it turned out great--how about you?

Happy Stampin!

Thinking of You.....

2011-02-09T06:00:00.000-06:00

Wednesday!! It's the half-way point everyone! I am SO excited for the weekend--Saturday I will be attending the Stampin' Up Minneapolis Regional. WHEEEE!!!! I love Stampin' Up events, and I'm sure this one will not disappoint. I am meeting up with some of the girls I met at Convention this past summer (Hi Ladies!!!) and I can't wait to see them, as well as see what Stampin' Up has in store for all of us. I do know they will be featuring the Nature Walk set out of the new mini--I LOVE this set.

Today, I have another card I CASED (can't remember from where--but thank you!!) and changed just a slight bit. I borrowed the color palette of Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, and Basic Black. I also used the Aviary set. I love this set--the little owls and birds and whimsical cages are so cute! I changed it up by using the striped paper with my scallop border, and adding a Thinking of You sentiment instead of the plain border, and Hello that was used on the original card. I am waiting for Spring and using these bright colors and fun set helped bring it around.

Thanks for checking in!

Happy Stampin!

SUO Challenge #12-Wheelin' Around

2011-02-08T06:00:00.000-06:00

Hey Everyone!!!

Welcome to the 12th edition of Stampin' Up Only challenges. Our challenge this time was to use a Stampin' Around wheel in our design. Every time I dust off my wheels I wonder why I don't incorporate them in to my crafting more often. They are SO easy to use and so much fun!!

For our challenge this time, I used the Neighborhood Jumbo Wheel. I inked it in Basic Black and wheeled it along a Very Vanilla card strip. The base of my card is a 4 1/4 x 5 1/2 piece of Very Vanilla layered with a 4 x 5 1/4 piece of Real Red. On that I layered two pieces of Play Date Designer Series Paper, and put my strip with the wheeled images over the seam of those two papers. You can't really see it here, but I popped up the blue and red house with a couple dimensionals and then added Enjoy (on another piece of Play Date paper) punched out with the small oval punch. Enjoy is from the new Spring Mini set You're a Gem.

This is going to go with a gift I'm putting together for a co-worker who just bought a house. :) He always appreciates the cards I make for office birthdays and different things, so I know he will like getting an "Enjoy Your New House" card.

Thanks for checking in with me today. Lots more inspiration for all of you over at our site. Come check it out and play along with us, I can't wait to see what you all create.

Happy Stampin!

A Note of Thanks

2011-02-07T06:00:00.001-06:00

Hello Readers!!

Today this thank you card is appropriate! I owe a big THANK YOU to my sister Emily for being my own personal shopping consultant yesterday. I had not one but TWO special occasion outfits (complete with shoes and jewelry) to find and she helped me make some outstanding choices, and got me to try some things on I might otherwise not have. I'm glad I did because I LOVE everything we came back with.

One of my husband's best friends from college is getting married in April. It is going to be an evening wedding at a really nice hotel in North Carolina. My husband is in the wedding, therefore will be wearing a tux, so I wanted to make sure I was dressed appropriately. Not only will we have the wedding to go to, but also the groom's dinner the night before at a really nice Italian restaurant. (He comes from an Italian family) Anyway--my sister helped me choose two fabulous outfits, and that is no small feat. Thanks Em!!

For this card, I basically cased a card I saw out on the internet. I changed it by using a different ribbon (Crumb Cake taffeta) and I stamped the Baja Breeze strip using the Fleur de Lis from the Bliss set available through Sale-a-Bration. This is a set you will want to add to your collection!! The sentiment I also changed, and is from Thank You Kindly (another set you can get for FREE from Sale-a-Bration--it's my "go to" Thank You set) Just a basic, clean and simple, thank you, but I'm reallly happ with ho they turned out. Very easy to mass produce--I made myself up a set of them so I had them on hand to send out as the occasions arose. Em--coming soon to a mailbox near you!

Thanks for checking in with me today! Hope you all had a great weekend. :)

Happy Stampin!

A Book for Emily

2011-02-04T06:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday!!!

Today I have for all of you a book that I made as part of my sister, Emily's, birthday last week. I posted about the card I made her here last week, and this is one of the other little handmade things I had for her on her special day.

For this book, I used Love Letter paper again--see, SO versitile! Vintagey, classic, elegant style. I used the spiral notebook punch to fit the paper to the bound edge, and Tombow glue to hold it down. I used the largest of the scallop circle punches, layered a 1 3/8ths circle of Newsprint, an Designer Tag Punch of the Love Letter Paper, and a Very Vanilla 1 1/4 circle stamped with the E from Lovely Letters. Along the spine of the book I tied pieces of Basic Black satin ribbon. I don't know what she plans to use the book for, but she loved it :) On the back I just used another piece of the houndstooth pattern and stamped my "Hand Stamped by Amy Fink" stamp on a Very Vanilla Designer Tag punch.

Hope you all have a great weekend! Wish us luck as we weed through our basement. :) Our local Savers store is going to love us after this weekend!!! Whatever you do with yours, enjoy, and I'll see you all back here on Monday.

Happy Stampin!

All About Me-Wedding

2011-02-03T06:00:00.002-06:00

Good Thursday Morning Fellow Readers!

Since most of you said you enjoyed my scrapbook layouts, I thought I'd show you a few this week. This one is another page in my album I'm putting together, and it's going to feature pictures of our wedding. I used the Love Letter paper. Have you guys tried this one yet? LOVE it. So simple and elegant. In the class I taught last weekend, one of the women was using it to do an album about her Dad who passed away recently. It looked so classy with pictures from the early 1900's. Later in the month my Grandma and I have a date to go through old pictures at her house, and this paper, along with the Newsprint paper are my top choices for the album I plan to make from the pictures I collect at her house :)

Anyways--I chose this for our wedding because it's simple and elegant. We got married in December, at a resort on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It was an early evening wedding, and we were saying our vows just as the sun was setting looking out over Lake Superior. Pastor Quello married us, and he has been a friend of our family's since I was a little kid. In fact Pastor Quello and his wife, Sharon, are my sister's Godparents. It was SO cold the week we got married. Steam rose off the lake each morning. My uncle took our pictures for us, he does photography as a side business, and we got some beautiful pictures. My Mom did a great job ensuring that the room looked exactly how we wanted it, my mother-in-law hired a bagpiper to pipe us out of the ceremony and in to our reception, my sister and Mitch's brother stood up for us, Alex helped my Dad walk me down the aisle, my father-in-law and a friend set off fireworks for us, and my father/daughter dance with my Dad was one of my favorite memories of the day. It was a wonderful weekend, I would do it all again!

I'll be sure to share pictures of this album when I have my photos in it, too. Here's one of us as we walk up the aisle--Mr. and Mrs. :) Thanks for checking in with me today!

Happy Stampin!

All About Me-Holidays

2011-02-02T06:00:00.001-06:00

Wednesday already!!! We're halfway through the work week everyone!!! :) This weekend my Mom and Dad are coming up from the Twin Cities--their plan is to take our Little Munchkins for us for the day so that Mitch and I can start cleaning/organizing our basement. It's amazing how much more you can get done in a couple hours when your little "helpers" are out doing something else. My parents are SUPER excited for some time with them, and the boys always love when Grandpa Dave and Grandma Linda are in town.

This is a picture of 1/2 of my holiday layout in my All About Me book. This is the left hand side, the right hand side, is a mirror image of this one. I used Crumb Cake as my background. In fact, I used it in all of my pages--I like the background paper to be "quiet" so that the page itself can shine. I also like to make my pages "mirror" each other--one of my quirks! For this I used a traditional color scheme of Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler. I added in a strip of Newsprint paper because I like the feel it adds.

For this layout my plan is to do Christmas Past and Christmas Present. Christmas Past will include pictures and favorite memories from my Christmases as a kid. My Mom has given me a few pieces of Christmas Decor that were my favorites as a kid. When I had Alex, I got our Santa Cookie Mouse. This was a candle stick holder that has an adorable little mouse asleep in a sleeping bag waiting for Santa. We used to leave our cookies for Santa on that plate as a kid and now my boys get to do that, too. This year she gave me a set of three ceramic elves that used to watch over my sister and me during the holiday season. I plan to include some pictures of those in my layout. For Christmas Present, I am going to talk about how Christmas is different now that I have a family of my own.

Thanks for stopping in today! I'd love to hear what you think of today's layout, and any favorites you have from your holiday seasons, past or present. :)

Happy Stampin!

You're Invited......

2011-02-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone!

Here is the 2nd option I created for my Mom's co-worker. I featured the first option in this post. I don't know Kelly well, so I created two fairly different options in her requested colors of chocolate and pink. This one is a much more clean and simple version using Early Espresso and Pretty in Pink as the colors. I again used the hearts from I Heart Hearts--this is such a great set! I used some of the polka dot pattern of the Pretty in Pink paper from the Brights DSP pack and this card came together pretty quickly with the help of some punches, too. Here's a look at the inside. Kelly liked both options she said, the invites are for her cousin's bridal shower, and her style was more the 1st option--that was my favorite, too. :)

I'll be back tomorrow with a couple peeks at the layouts I worked on in my Saturday's All About Me class. Have any of you done an All About Me album? If so--I'd love to see your layouts, or ideas for your pages. Thanks for checking in with me!

Happy Stampin!

And the Winner Is..........

2011-01-31T06:00:00.001-06:00

Good Monday Morning Everyone!

I hope you all had a great weekend! I had a fantastic All About Me class with some of my favorite ladies on Saturday afternoon. It was a lot of fun to see everyone busily working on their books. I had my cell phone camera, but the pictures all came out kinda dark. One of the ladies in the class took pictures, too, I'll see if hers turned out any better and then I will share some with you. Saturday night, my husband and I got to go out to dinner for a belated anniversary celebration. My Grandma and Grandpa gave us a gift certificate to Blackwoods , which was delicious! Thanks Gram and Bup! Mitch doesn't get much "air time" on the blog, so here's a picture of the two of us in our kitchen on our way out to dinner. It was so nice to be able to eat an entire meal together, while it was still hot and until we were full, and to even be able to have a conversation to boot!

Now....on to the blog candy winner!!!! Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave a comment on the blog candy post--I'll be giving more things away every now and then. I really enjoyed reading your comments, I always do, and I'm glad you are enjoying not only my blog and projects, but a peek in to my family's life as well. I used Random.org for my random number generator--I was going to have the boys pick a number, but I thought this was a safer route and it came up with NUMBER 6!!! AMY JOHNSON-FISKNESS--you are the winner!!!!

Amy is one of my friends and customers. I've known Amy for about 6 years now, I met her when I came to work in HR (where I currently work). You see, Amy was leaving the job I have now for another one in our health system. Amy is a dependable and true friend, always ready to help out whenever needed, and has been one of my most supportive customers. Thanks Amy!!!!! Enjoy your treat. :)

Well, that's all I have for you all today. Stay tuned for some more peeks in to my All About Me album this week, the 2nd option for the invitation card for my Mom's co-worker (although, she did go with the Mr. and Mrs. card I featured last week--which, was my favorite, too) a look at a book I made Emily for her birthday, and some other crafty things. Have a great day!

Happy Stampin!

BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!!

2011-01-28T06:00:00.005-06:00

Happy Friday!!
  It's Blog Candy giveaway here at my blog. I am so happy to have almost 250 of you following me! All you have to do to win what you see here is leave me a comment at the end of my post telling me either your favorite project on my blog, or what you'd like to see more of. Up for grabs--a 6x6 pack of In-Color patterned prints, and a mounted but never used, Playful Pieces clear stamp set. :) (The picture is not the best, my camera didn't like the night light in our house, but you can find them in the catalog :) )
  I can't wait to hear what you all have to say! Sometimes those of us writing blogs feel like we are talking to ourselves out there, even though we know people are visiting because we can see it in our followers. If you stop in and visit--drop me a line, I'd love to hear from you. It helps me want to continue to post and create and share what I love because I know you are all out there. I'll do the same when I stop by your "place" :)
  Anyone have fun weekend plans? I have my All About Me scrapbooking class coming up on Saturday during the day, and then my sister is going to come over and hang out with our kids for a bit so my husband and I can have a much needed and much overdue dinner date. YAY!
  Whatever you are all up to this weekend, I hope you have a great one! I'll be back on Monday to announce the winner of the Blog Candy Giveaway, and with some more creations for all of you. Thank you for stopping in--I appreciate all of you. :)

Happy Stampin!

Tis the Season for Birthday Parties...

2011-01-27T06:00:00.005-06:00

Hi Everyone!
Almost the end of another week. :) I'm excited for today because I have Stamp Camp with my group of ladies where we will be making the Valentine Pouch from Tuesday's post! Then, Saturday, I am having the All About Me class where we will be working on scrapbooking about ourselves for the day. :) I'll be sure to take pictures of the class so I can share them with all of you!
Today's post is a gift bag and card I made for my son Alex to take to a birthday party this past weekend. Alex and his friends are all turning 9 this year, and they are getting to that age where they aren't teenagers yet, but they aren't little kids anymore either. He went to a swimming party, and in the gift bag was a Star Wars Lego watch for his friend.

I used just a plain white gift bag you can buy in bulk at your big box store. (Mine came from Michaels). To that I added a layer of Marina Mist cardstock layered with a sheet of Designer Series paper from the Celebrations pack. I used a sticker strip from the Celebrations Accents pieces and voila, a coordinating bag.

For the card I used the set Party This Way. Have you all checked this one out yet? I love the little pennant flag---SO cute for many other things. I used the same colors in the card as are in the gift bag for a coordinated look.
Hope you all enjoyed this easy gift ensemble! Tomorrow, you'll want to check in---BLOG CANDY up for grabs!!

Happy Stampin!

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

2011-01-26T06:00:00.019-06:00

Happy Wednesday Everyone!
  Today, is a special day! It's my little sister's birthday today. Don't worry Em, I won't start sharing your age until you hit 30, which, will never happen since I'm turning 29 again this year. :)
   I wanted to share with you all the card I made for my sister on her special day. She has a great sense of style, and so I wanted to make her a card that reflected that. I used the dress form from Sew Suite and I stamped it on 3 different pieces of designer series paper in bright colors. I cut those out and added them to the dress form with a dimensional. To each dress I added a bit of sparkle with our rhinestones. Classy with a bit of sophistication and fun. Just like Em. :)
  My sister and I are buddies. Even though our styles and tastes are pretty different, we always have fun when we get together. We love shopping, even if it's for different things, and especially if it's a good sale! We love to try new restaurants, a good cup of coffee, we both love to head up the North Shore, have a love for old, vintagey items, and really just enjoy being able to be together.
  One of the things I love most about my sister is how much she makes me laugh. She has a goofy, witty, hilarious sense of humor. She has a kind spirit, and is just as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.
  Here's a few pictures of us growing up. Thanks for checking in with me today, tomorrow I'll be back with a gift bag/card duo that I made for a party my son went to this weekend.

  Happy Birthday Emily, enjoy your day!! I'm so glad you are my sister and friend! Love you!

I'm about 7 and she's about 2--"Helping" me with my Light Brights.

Gingerbread Cookies at Gram's.

Mom wanted to get a "nice" picture of us for the Christmas Card.....

Tour of B&B's this winter

Another picture of us on the B&B tour

Slurpees in our old front yard. :)

Happy Stampin!

SUO Challenge 11-Valentines!!

2011-01-25T06:00:00.003-06:00

Hi All!
  Today I have for you my design for our SUO Challenge #11. It also happens to be what the ladies in my stamp club are making this week. :) I love it when I can get multiple uses out of one design!
  I made a little Valentine's Day pouch out of a Whisper White square envelope. The ladies in my club like anything that has a bit of a vintage feel to it, so I designed this pouch using classic Valentine colors, Newsprint paper, and some crocheted ribbon. I liked the look that the Newsprint paper gave in the background, and then I added a bit of glitz and sparkle by punching out a heart from the Red Glitter Paper in the new mini. I used the heart clothesline and the "Love You" sentiment from Valentine Defined. SUCH a cute set, and it would be good for things other than just Valentines Day. You could use it for baby cards, bridal shower/bachelorette cards, thinking of you cards, and possibly even for sympathy cards. It is one set you'll want to add to your collection!
  Stop over at SUO Challenges and see what the rest of the design team has cooked up for you! You won't want to miss out. We'd love to have you play along. :) Back tomorrow with some birthday items. Thanks for checkin in!

Happy Stampin!

Mr. and Mrs.

2011-01-24T06:00:00.008-06:00

Hi Everyone,
  Happy Monday! Don't the weekends seem to just be flying by? I thought after the holidays things might seem to slow down a bit but they sure haven't for me! I hope you all had a good weekend. It was SO cold up here in Minnesota. I sure wish the temps would come up above zero so my little guys could get outside and play--our dogs could use it, too!
  Today I have the first of two bridal shower invitations I made up to show you. A lady my Mom works with is hosting a bridal shower and asked if I could make up some invites for her to send out. Her only request was that I used a chocolate brown and light pink, and that they were more "valentiney" than bridal shower like.
  I used the idea from Pals Paper Arts sketch for this week to get this one started. My colors were Early Espresso and Pink Pirouette. I used the dots patterned paper from the Subtles designer series paper collection, and the Pretty in Pink striped grosgrain ribbon to add some visual interest. The hearts are from I Heart Hearts and then I used the Mr. & Mrs. from Tiny Tags. On the inside I stamped some more hearts and used the lines from Notes and Details, new in the Spring Mini.
  Back tomorrow with a NEW SUO Challenge :) Hope you'll play along with us!

Happy Stampin!!

Play Date

2011-01-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Friday Friends!

Today I have another layout in my All About Me scrapbook I'm putting together for the class I'm hosting at the end of this month.

For this layout I used a variety of the Play Date papers. I love the colors in this paper. I am going to use this layout to feature one of the things I love most in life---MY BOYS! The bold primary colors and school-like patterns are perfect for telling you all about my two boys.

I have Alex, who's almost 9 and I have Jack, who's just about 2. There is a bit of an age difference, but they are buddies! I thought I'd end Friday with a few pictures of them, and what they are like. Alex got a DS for Christmas, which he loves. He has taken on rooting for the Bears (his Dad grew up in Chicago), and he loves science. He has a fantastic sense of humor and a kind spirit. He is a great big brother!

Jack is my little ball of energy. He is like having Curious George loose in your house at all times. He is constantly in motion, loves all things Sesame Street (like the characters Santa brought for him to go in the 1974 Vintage Sesame Street house Mom and Dad got for him for Christmas), and playing with his brother.

To round out the tour of the boys, I thought I'd share some pictures that really show their bond--I am blessed to have them in my life!!

Enjoy the pictures and your weekend everyone! I'll be back Monday with some more great things to share along with BLOG CANDY at the end of the week. Thanks for stopping in to visit!

Valentine Mini

2011-01-20T06:00:00.001-06:00

Hi Everyone!
  Welcome to Thursday's Valentine Edition on my blog. :) I designed this mini as a fun card to drop in my husband's lunch box. Although it would also work attached to a Valentine gift, or something fun to put in your kids' back packs before they head out for school. It was inspired by the cards Erica Cerwin put together for her Sale-a-Bration cards, but I changed it up a bit.
  I used a 3x6 base (folded in half) of Real Red. I did a 2.75x2.75 layer of the Rose Red polka dot pattern from the Brights Designer Series Paper pack. I wrapped a piece of Whisper White Organza ribbon around the Rose Red layer and secured it in the back with snail adhesive. I punched out a piece of Real Red with the Full Heart Punch, and popped it up off the ribbon with a dimensional. I stamped the sentiment "Love You" from Valentine Defined on a piece of Whisper White cardstock and punched that out with the Modern Label Punch. I adhered it to the heart with snail, and that's all there is to it!
  I love the 3x3 cards--who doesn't like to find a little note stashed away somewhere for them to find and know someone is thinking about them. I hope this has inspired you to make up a little stash of 3x3's for your friends and family! Tomorrow another glimpse in to my All About Me album. See you then!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Will You Be My Valentine????

2011-01-19T06:00:00.002-06:00

It's Wednesday Everyone!
  Halfway through another week! Today I'm going to share a card with you for Valentine's Day. I found this card idea on another blog, but I can't remember who's it was now, so if it was yours, thanks for sharing with, an inspiring me! I did change it up by adding the "Love" in brackets to the bottom and using Real Red as an accent color.
  What I love about this card is that it uses the newsprint as a background, and the definition of Valentine from Valentine Defined. Have you checked this great new set out from the Spring Mini? I also love the mini heart clothesline on the bottom of the card, it's such a fun element. I used the plain larger sized heart and the mini LOVE heart from I Heart Hearts. I am going to be using these sets to make up some bridal shower invites later this week. I'll be sharing those with you all, soon.
  Do you all have any Valentine traditions you do with your family? My parents used to get my sister and I each a mini box of chocolates from our local chocolate shop, as well as something special just for us. I am in the process of designing and creating the Valentines for both my older son to take to school, and my younger son to take to day care. I like to choose something special just for them to have waiting for them on Valentines Day morning.
  Thanks for checking in with me! See you tomorrow with another cute Valentine project.

Happy Stampin!

Do Good in All Little Things

2011-01-18T06:00:00.002-06:00

Hi Everyone!
Today we are back with a peek at what's inside the gift bag I shared with you all yesterday. I wanted to make something small for a co-worker's new workspace, and this is what I came up with.

I started with just a regular white frame that has a 3.5 x 3.5 opening. To that I added some of our Pretty in Pink striped grosgrain ribbon tied in a knot around the bottom. I cut a 3.5 x 3.5 square of an Old Olive pattern from the designer series paper Play Date. (I won it at Convention and it has been SO fun to play with) To that I added the Fleur de lis, also in Old Olive, from the Sale-a-Bration set Bliss. I love that as a demonstrator I get to pre-order things from upcoming catalogs and promotions! This set is one you won't want to miss. I stamped the sentiment (not Stampin' Up but one I had in my stash), on a piece of So Saffron patterned paper, also from Play Date. I colored the flower petals with my Rose Red marker and the leaves with the Old Olive marker. I popped it up with some dimensionals in the middle of the Fleur de lis. To the bottom I added a small strip of a Daffodil Delight patterned paper from Sweet Stitches, punched with the scallop border punch, and topped it off with a piece of Rose Red patterned paper from the Designer Series Brights pack. Here's a close up of what it looks like in the middle.

I hope she likes it and it adds a bright spot to her day when she hangs it. I would love to hear from all of you what you think, too.

Happy Stampin!

A Gift for a Friend

2011-01-17T06:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Monday Everyone!!

Did you all have a good weekend? I did, even though it went by TOO fast! I had dinner out Saturday night with some of my best girlfriends. We had a great time. It was our post-Holiday Holiday dinner. My gifts for them were a variation on a theme. I made them each a piece of Christmas decor (which I forgot to take a picture of), got them each a book (we all love to read, so the bonus is, we can swap them when we are done!!), some super soft, good smelling, hand lotion and a winter candle. I wrapped them all in customized gift bags using our Jolly Holiday designer series paper and the Victoria ribbon. I topped that off with some really pretty reindeer ornaments they can save for their tree for next year. It was really fun to watch them open them and enjoy the things I'd picked for them. Here's a picture of the bags.

I also have another gift bag and mini card to show you. One of my co-worker friends starts a new job today. She is going to be GREAT in her new role, but we are all going to miss her on our floor. She is one of the ladies in my stamp club, too, and I wanted to make her something special for her new workspace (when she has one). I again created a gift bag that matches the gift with a cute little 3x3 gift card to go with it. I used Rose Red, So Saffron, and Old Olive colors. I love how springy that mix is, and in mid-January in Minnesota, we need a little peek of Spring!! ;)
I started with just a white gift bag (that you can pick up at any of your big box stores) and then added the strips of paper. The card is made from a 3x6 piece of Old Olive, folded in half. To that I added the fleur de lis from the Sale-a-Bration set Bliss, available to you at the end of this month if you hold a workshop or place an order totaling $50 pre-tax. What's fun about this promotion is, for EVERY $50 pre-tax spent you get to pick something free. So, I used the fleur de lis, a tiny strip of one of the prints from the new Sweet Stitches paper in the mini (ADORABLE designs and fun colors in this one!) and I used my scallop border punch on a strip of the Rose Red polka dot patterns from the Brights DSP collection. I topped it off with a 1 1/4" punched circle with the true friend sentiment on it from the Punch Pals set coming with Sale-a-Bration and added a fabric covered brad for a finishing touch. What do you think?
Thanks for stopping in today, I'd love to hear what you think of the projects I shared with you. I'll be back tomorrow with a picture of the gift that is inside this gift bag, as well as later this week with some Valentines ideas, some more of my All About Me scrapbook layouts.

Happy Stampin!

All About Me Layout 2 and Finally Friday!!

2011-01-14T06:00:00.000-06:00

TGIF Everyone!
I hope you have had a great week. I have page two of my All About Me layout to share with you today. For this one, I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to put on it yet, but I know it's going to be a list of something and then pictures of things on the list. I used snippets of the One Great Year Simply Scrappin kit. When I saw this one in the catalog, I have to admit, I wasn't sure I was sold on the color combinations. OH MY GOSH...in person, I think I have found a new color combination, or several, to love. The Elegant Eggplant with the Old Olive, Wild Wasabi, and Grey is SO rich looking. For this two page layout (I'll share the opposite page with you soon), I used a sticker strip from the accents you get with the kit one of the designer series paper sheets, and the Elegant Eggplant textured card stock. I really like how it came together. And, I can't wait to try this combo out on cards.
Short post today, but I'll be back Monday with some more layouts to share, a couple of Valentine ideas, as well as a post about a benefit that I am THRILLED to be contributing to and participating in. Can't wait to share it with you all. Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Stampin!

All About Me--1st Page

2011-01-13T06:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Thursday All!
  Today I am sharing the first layout in my All About Me album. I am going to add pictures and journaling in later, mostly I just want to get my layouts complete and ready for pictures.
  In my first page I am going to put pictures of myself as a little girl, a teenage/college age girl, and an adult. The journaling that's going to go along with these pages are nicknames I've held (and some that still hold) over the years. We all have them. They come from our parents, our siblings, our grandparents, our friends, and our spouses. Some of them stick like glue forever, some come and go, yet they all become a part of us, and so I thought that would be a fun way to start out my book. I'd love to hear some nicknames you've had over the years. :)
  On to the layout. For the base of all of my pages in my book I've used the color Crumb Cake. It's a soft neutral that adds a bit without overpowering the layout. On the first page I used the paper doll paper from the Sweet Stitches designer series paper. I cut 3 3.5x3.5 squares of that pattern, and one 3.5x3.5 square of the pink pattern from that set. (SO CUTE!!) The sticker in the middle (ME sticker) and the journaling sticker came from the Love Birds Simply Scrappin Kit. I'm looking forward to using more of those stickers later on, and some of the paper in girly cards and maybe even some non-traditional Valentines.
  Thanks for stopping in to visit! I'd love to hear what you think of my first layout for my book, as well as about your nicknames. I hope you have a great Thursday!

Happy Stampin!

All About Me

2011-01-12T06:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Wednesday!
Today I have a little peek at the beginnings of my All About Me album that I will be showing in the class I have scheduled at the end of January.
To me a new year means new beginnings, and so I am trying my hand at teaching a scrapbooking class. I'm sure a lot of you, like me, spend a lot of time making albums for other people, or of other people. More time is spent behind the lens capturing "the perfect moment" for our books.....however, we aren't visible in it. So, I thought it would be fun to kick off my new year of classes with an All About Me scrapbook. Pictures of us, pictures of things we love, our favorite layouts, our favorite colors, a book just about us. The girls got to pick out their paper colors and designer series paper that they loved the most. I will be providing prompts and layout sketches for them to customize their books. I am looking at it as a visual journal, a "Dear Diary" of sorts that I get to not only write in, but create.

Our albums will all be the same 8x8 size from the new Occasions Mini, which I've provided a link to, here It's from the Sew Suite collection, and I think it's adorable. The perfect book for everything inside, and a size that's manageable and not overwhelming. Here's a picture of the outside of my album, and apparently the legs of my wild leopard print jammies! Gotta love days where you can craft in your jammies--who's with me? Well, that's it for today's sneak peek. If you were going to start an All About Me album, what kind of prompts would you want included?

Happy Stampin!!!

Stampin Up Only Challenge-Baby Cards

2011-01-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

Good Tuesday Morning Everyone!!
  Today is Challenge Day over at SUO Challenges. For challenge number 10 it's baby cards! I hope that in checking out what the other design team members and I have here for you today you are inspired to make a stack for the new arrivals coming in to your lives this year.
  My card features our 3 1/2x5 notecards as well as the Fox and Friends stamp set. I made a set of these for my Aunt to give one of her co-workers this year, and her request was a gender neutral, "funky" baby card. I used the sentiment "Hello Baby" from Fabulous Flexible Phrases, and then elevated it using a dimensional after stamping it on a punched out piece of Whisper White using the Modern Label Punch. The adorable animals were stamped stacked on each other in Wild Wasabi, Night of Navy, Elegant Eggplant and Rich Razzleberry.
  Just a short post today, I'm getting ready for an All About Me scrapbooking event so I'm working on my album. Thanks for stopping in, and don't forget to check out the rest of the team at Stampin' Up Only Challenges. We'd love to see what you create when you play along with us!!

Happy Stampin!!

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

Good Monday Morning Everyone!!

We have a chance for snow up here in the Northland again, so I thought today's featured card was appropriate. I made a couple of these for my 3rd grader who wanted to send some notes in the mail to his friends over the school's holiday break. I plan to use a variation of this card for a sledding party invitation for him and his buddies later this winter.

I used the set Merry Crittermas combined with Bright Christmas--both were from the now retired Holiday Mini--so I hope you got your sets while that catalog was still out. Didn't you just love that holiday catalog?? I think it was their best one yet. I loved the mix of fun and vintagey styles they used this time around. The snowflake paper is from the Christmas Cheer Simply Scrappin' kit which is still available in the current Big Idea Book and Catalog. This kit would also be great for a December Daily album or a Christmas countdown. I used some of the stickers from this kit to make an advent calendar out of a mini muffin tin. I framed it with Marina Mist both on the card mat and the scallop circle framing the bunny.

Hope you liked my wintery card. :) I'll be back tomorrow with SUO Challenge #10. The design team and I have some great things cooked up for you this time around, we'd love to have you play along with us!

Happy Stampin!

For Everything There is a Season

2011-01-09T16:14:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone!
  Hope this Sunday post is finding you all well! I spent my morning teaching Sunday School today--I am trying to teach first graders the books of the Old Testament--no small feat! Today we played a Bingo game, and thankfully I had a fantastic lady help me out!! We have a couple of weeks so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they learn at least a few. :) I welcome any tips you all may have!
  At the end of January I am going to be teaching an All About Me scrapbooking class--I have 9 ladies signed up and their supplies on the way, and I'm really excited for this project. This afternoon while my little one naps I hope to work on a few of my pages so I have some examples for them once the class rolls around! One of my goals this year is to hold some kind of class at least quarterly, and this sounded fun to me!!
  For today's crafty share I have a piece of home decor I created this Christmas for a co-worker to give her daughter. I used our Decor Elements. Have you tried these yet? If not, you'll have to make it a New Year's goal to check them out. They are SO easy to use and the possibilities with them are endless. I bought a frame at my local big box store, the one that starts with M, when their frames were buy one get one free. (I love a good deal) I paired it with some of the paper in our Designer Series Paper Neutrals pack as well as some of the Crochet Ribbon we are carrying now. I love both kinds of the ribbon, but for this project I used the Victoria ribbon. (5/8") I was so glad that she liked it--I love creating something for other people to use in their homes. Let me know what you think!
  Hope you have a great rest of your weekend, I'll be back tomorrow with a winter card, and on Tuesday with a new challenge over at SUO Challenges!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

A New Year, A New Look

2011-01-04T16:31:00.005-06:00

Hey Everyone!!
Welcome to 2011! I hope this post finds you all well after having enjoyed a fabulous holiday season with family and friends!! I had taken a bit of a hiatus from the blogging world, but I am back, and will be sharing some things I have been creating with all of you. I'd also like to take a chance to say thank you to Michelle Laycock for creating my beautiful blog banner and page design for me. She's very easy to work with and does a great job! Thanks Michelle! Go check her out at http://laycockdesigns.com/ She also happens to be on the SUO Challenges Design Team with me--check us out at www.suochallenges.com with a new challenge coming up on January 11th.
First up from my creations over the holidays--some monogram cards. The perfect gift for those who have everything. I did several sets of them for co-workers to give as gifts, and I just finished four sets that I sent to one of my aunts in the Twin Cities area that she wants to give to her co-workers. Sure hope all those ladies enjoy them!

I paired the beautiful background stamp of Bella Toile with the Lovely Letters set and voila--instant beauty with few steps. I incorporated some Subtles Designer Series Paper in Wild Wasabi and some black satin ribbon on one, and on the other I just used the smaller scallop circle punch and the 1 3/8" punch. Instant elegance. I'd love to hear what you think. For some reason it's upside down and not able to be rotated, one of my goals for 2011 is to learn how to be as smart as my Mac is. Thanks for stopping in. I look forward to sharing with you this year . :)

Happy Stampin!

Thanksgiving Blessings

2010-11-24T12:04:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone!
  Wow--that was quite the break in my posting!! "Life" got in the way I guess. I participated in a vendor fair and got some good connections there, I have donated 3 baskets, two to fundraisers for things my older son participates in, and one for a benefit for a man my Aunt works with who is very sick. I've said it many times, I can't always give of my time with the two little boys I have at home, but I always try to at least give of my talents.
  Are you all set for Thanksgiving? We are having dinner at my Grandma and Grandpa's house tomorrow and then on Friday we are all piling in the car and heading to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving again with my husband's family. We are all staying in a cozy cabin at a camp he used to go to every summer as a kid while his Dad ran the summer camp. I can't wait to see this place that has been so special to him for 30+ years. Sounds like we will have fresh snow so the kiddos can go sledding--I'll be sure to share pictures.
  In the mean time, I thought I would share the Christmas tags I created for this years' name drawing in the family. I still have to add the names to them, but you can get the idea. I used Dasher, pieces of Newsprint designer series paper, ribbon, and Real Red and Old Olive cardstock. I love the vintagey feel these have, and can't wait to hear what others think of them.
  I wish you all a blessed Thanksgiving wherever you are reading from!! I am thankful to be able to share with all of you.

Happy Stampin!

Amy

SUO Challenge 4

2010-10-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone-
  I'm back with today's Stampin' Up Only Challenge #4. Have you checked us out yet? If not--you can do that here. We'd love if you played along with us! Today's challenge is fabric or waffle paper. Don't have any of the fabulous Stampin' Up fabric yet? That's ok....ribbon counts as a fabric, too.
  For today's challenge I am showing you a page that was inspired by a blog I like to read. Aly-thanks for the inspiration.
  This is an 8x8 scrapbook page that I am going to frame in a shadowbox frame. Two weekends ago my husband and two boys and I went to Hartley Nature Center. (For those of you in the Duluth/Superior area, if you haven't checked it out--you have to go) My older son was our tour guide as he's taken quite a few of their camps in the summer so he was thrilled to show us all his favorite places. I love this picture of my boys, all three of them.
  For the base I used Early Espresso textured card stock. The layers are Crumb Cake, and Cajun Craze. The accents are a Top Note die cut out with the Big Shot in So Saffron, a 1" strip of the new Autumn Spice Designer Series Paper and some buttons in Fall colors from my stash. The ribbon is the wide grosgrain striped ribbon in Old Olive. I gathered it along a strip of Sticky Strip because it's a heavy ribbon and I wanted it to hold. Hope you like it!
  Thanks for stopping in--I'd love to see what you create--I'll be checking out all the entries at SUO Challenges.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

The Holidays Are Soon Upon Us....

2010-10-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!!
I have a workshop coming up on Friday, and this is the card we are going to make. I'm not sure of the experience level of the stampers that are coming, so I went with a clean and simple card. I saw something similar to this card on Stampin Connection--a site especially for us demonstrators from Stampin' Up. It's a great resource--there are so many talented demos out there. If you who created this card happen to be reading my blog--thanks for the idea!! I changed it up by using a different snowflake, and instead of Craft Ink in white for the snowflakes (because I don't have any) I used Soft Suede and added just a few rhinestones for some sparkle here and there on the card. The snowflake is from A Friend for All Seasons, and the greeting is from Gifted--it also doubles as a tag for presents--2 sets in one! Love that!! I finished it off with some Real Red satin ribbon folded over on itself, and then I v-cut the edges. Quick and easy card with a real pretty effect. You could make a bunch of these in not a lot of time.
Thanks for stopping in--wish me luck for my workshop. :)

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Fundraising Season Part 2

2010-10-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone--

As promised, here I am back with the 2nd card I featured in a pack of cards going in to the Stampin' Up basket I am donating to the Silent Auction at my son's school this month. Thank you cards and just every day note cards are the kind I find myself reaching for the most. This card is almost a CASE out of a Stampin' Success magazine we receive as demos--it was in one of the summer ones. The feature color in it was Daffodil Delight and Staz On Black--I don't find myself reaching for yellow much, but I really like the color combo offered here. Instead of just a patterned yellow strip behind the card as is featured in the magazine, I used a strip of the Greenhouse Gala designer series paper, and I added some of the rhinestones to the flower both on the bird and on the flower on the top. I hope that these cards will help my basket earn some money for the kids. :)

Thanks for checking in--short post today, I'm prepping for a workshop I have on Friday--so I gotta scoot. Have a great day!!

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Fundraising Season

2010-10-12T22:09:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--
  Fundraising season is in full swing both at school and for activities. I have a 3rd grader who is in sports and Scouts--his ski hill is doing a silent auction and I am donating for that, and his school is doing a silent auction for things like field trips, and extra tutors, and fun programs for the kids, so I always like to help out there, too. If I can't always donate my time, at least I can donate my talents. :)
  So..that being said, here is one of the cards in the card pack I am donating (along with an Idea Book/Catalog, mini catalog, and decorative catalog, plus a $25 gift certificate). I always find that I need thank you cards laying around, and I thought this one turned out well and is in season. I used some Confetti Naturals as the background, and then a piece of the Autumn Spice designer series paper (LOVE). I tied some Always Artichoke seam binding around the card, and added Thanks from Thank You Kindly punched out with the Designer Label punch. The buttons are just some I had in my stash, but they seemed to go nicely with this paper. What do you think? I'll be back tomorrow with the other card I featured in this package for the school. :)
  Thanks for stopping in~oh...and before I go--I just want to say congratulations to my friend Kim and her husband Steve on their beautiful little girl that was born yesterday!!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Such a beautiful Fall-and a recipe

2010-10-10T14:03:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone-
The weather as been SO gorgeous here this Fall. It's been so nice to be able to continue to enjoy being outside. It's one of my boys favorite places to be. Yesterday I took my oldest to the Farmers' Market early in the morning. We got some great vegetables, some coffee that was roasted yesterday, and some artisan chocolates--along with a great foccacia bread and some homemade jam. With that I made some delicious broccoli cheese soup for us to have for dinner last night. It is my Mom's recipe, and it totally makes me think of a crisp fall day when I was growing up. After my youngest son woke up from his nap, we headed out for a family hike at our nearest nature preserve. Alex has had summer camp there the last three summers, and loves it. He was a great tour guide, and Jack sure loved running after his brother on the trails. It was a beautiful day, and so nice to be together as a family.
Tonight I'm continuing to work on some of my items for our holiday vendor fair coming up at the end of the month, as well as prep for my workshops I have at the end of the week, and my next couple challenges for the design team. I'll be taking pictures and posting soon. :) Have you guys tried out our challenge yet? It's Holiday Mini this week over at SUO Challenges--come check us out!!! In the mean time, how about that delicious hearty soup recipe? Thanks Mom for sharing!!

Linda's Broccoli Cheese Soup
1 1/2 qts. water
1 c. chopped carrots
1 c. chopped celery
1 med. chopped onion (any color--I like yellow in this soup)
Simmer the above vegetables in the water until slightly tender (about 10 minutes) then add:
1lb. chopped broccoli
1lb. chopped cauliflower
Continue to simmer--add 1/4 c. (1 stick) butter and one lb. Velveeta cheese cubed. Turn heat to low.
In another bowl combine 1 1/2 c. milk and 2/3 cup flour. Whisk together until there are no lumps in the flour mixture and add slowly to the soup--stir constantly until well blended. (This will help thicken the soup)
Cook on low, stirring frequently, until ready to serve.

Enjoy!!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

PS--as promised, some pictures from our Grand Marais trip last weekend:

My sister, Em, and me in the Grand Marais Harbor

Me by the pier in Grand Marais

Me, my Mom, and Em in the Grand Marais Harbor--happy belated birthday present, Mom!

All Hallows Eve.......

2010-10-05T06:00:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Sorry for the stretch between posts--but here I am, back and with our third design challenge over at SUO Challenges. :) Play along with us as we all share things from the Holiday Mini Catalog....have you checked this out yet?????? If not, you need to. This catalog is jam packed full of all kinds of fantastic items for your holiday decor, cardmaking, and gift giving necessities!!

Today I am featuring a few things from the mini. The Spooky Things Decor Elements in black are what you see for the bat in the upper left hand corner of this picture frame. (I also have used a few more from this set of elements on my Trick or Treat tray I featured here) The other products used are the Nite Owl Designer Series Paper (The spooky tree in the right hand corner is on a 12x12 sheet of paper, and the fence is part of it, too) as well as the Dark and Dreary stamp set. Other stamp sets used are Halloween Haunts and Wicked Cool from the IB&C.

I loved the framed piece of decor in the mini catalog, so I took my inspiration from that. What I did was buy a frame on sale (I bought a few...) from a big box store. I love buying these frames to use to make personalized holiday decor. I took the mat out of it and used that as my template for cutting out my DSP. With the tree in my bottom right hand corner, I used our 1 3/4 circle punch and punched it out of a scrap piece of paper so I had a mask for the moon. I then started with More Mustard ink and sponged it all around the circle. I then took Pumpkin Pie ink and sponged that around the outside of the moon to give it a bit more depth. I used my sponge in Night of Navy and Elegant Eggplant to get my spooky night sky and made sure to sponge some over the moon. I also sponged along the fence and base of the tree, as well as the haunted mansion with Pear Pizazz, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, and Daffodil Delight so that it looked a bit like misty ground. I used my Daffodil Delight marker to color in the windows of the haunted mansion as well as the street post. In the tree I stamped the raven from Dark and Dreary, and I used the bats from Wicked Cool to fill the night sky.

What do you think? I can't wait to see what you all come up with. :) I'll be back a couple more times this week with items from our holiday mini--I'm doing a vendor fair at the end of the month, so I have some more decor items to share with you.

Thanks for stopping in--hope you all had a great weekend!

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Season of Gratitude....

2010-10-04T17:05:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
I'm back! I just spent a great long weekend on the North Shore with my sister, and my parents. It started out as my Mom's belated birthday gift. She wanted a weekend to spend with her girls, as we don't get those very often anymore. My sister and I are both grown now, and I have a family with little kids. So, my sister and I rented a great house up the shore and planned to have a girls' weekend. We planned our menu, and places we wanted to stop in Grand Marais on Sunday. My Dad got wind, and he wanted to come along, too--so he did. It was really nice to have some time just the 4 of us again. Although, we all agreed, next time we need to get a bigger house so my boys and husband, and my sister's boyfriend can join us, too. More fun memories to make. :) I'll share some pictures later this week--the weather was absolutely beautiful, and I got some gorgeous pictures of the sunrise over Lake Superior.
Anyways--the reason you are here...a card. :)

I used the Autumn Spice designer series paper over a layer of Old Olive layered on a piece of Naturals Confetti. I love this designer series paper because it can truly stand all on its own, or it looks nice with layers. This is just a quick and simple thank you card tied together with the Modern Label punch as well as a sentiment from Thank You Kindly. I was reading on one of the blogs I follow, about how she is sending a card a day for a week to people she is truly thankful for in her life to celebrate Thanksgiving. I thought this was a great idea, I know I certainly don't tell the people in my life that I care about them enough--what a nice day brightener this could be. Wouldn't you love to get a card in the mail for no reason telling you how much you are appreciated? Anyone care to join me???
Thank you for stopping! I'm thankful for all of you who stop in here!

Happy Stampin,
Amy

Happy Birthday CASE

2010-09-25T12:38:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Today I have a CASE for you. I got this idea from Andrea Walford (www.andreawalford.com) and I loved her picture of the cards made from this Write Stuff Simply Scrappin package so much, I copied it down to the last detail. This paper was such a great deal because it came with heavyweight cardstock and all these cute die cut elements, like the notebook paper and stars. I bought an extra package before it retired, and I think I will make a set of cards for Alex's teacher with it. If you love this, too, keep an eye out at Stampin' Up's clearance rack--you never know when it may show up. You can get to the clearance rack by clicking on my Stampin' Up website link on the right hand side of my blog. There are some great deals there right now!

I hope to post some original creations for you soon. I have had quite the week. My little guy is getting his molars which has caused a horrible diaper rash. He had to be out of daycare for a few days. Thankfully he got to be with Grandpa Alan (my husband's Dad) on one day, and my Mom came up to be with him on Friday (She lives in the Twin Cities), and we have a great new thing starting on Monday. My sister is going to come up (she also lives in the Cities) and is going to be our Nanny for him during the week and then go home on weekends. She recently was laid off from her job, and we have been thinking for some time if we could hire a nanny we'd like to, so it's win-win. We can't wait for her to start and are thrilled that we have family that's so willing to help us out.

Speaking of family--I had promised last week that I would show you some pictures of my nephew who was here last week. Check out this cute one of him with my Jack. (The happy grown up faces on the sidelines are my mother and father in law :) ) They are 360 days apart-- :) Alex, my oldest, thought they were a lot of fun, but sure was glad he could escape to go play on the computer. We'll have more pictures that have the 3 of them after we are all together again at Thanksgiving.

Thank you all for stopping in!! Hope you are having a great weekend.

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Stampin Up Only Challenge #2--Big Shot

2010-09-21T05:00:00.018-05:00

Hi Everyone!!!
Glad you are stopping in today. If you are one of my followers--HI!! If you are new popping over to my blog from the challenge blog (www.suochallenges.com), thanks for checking us (and me) out--I hope you'll stay awhile and play along with us.
  Today's challenge was to get out your Big Shot and create something. Last week I gave a sneak peek of what was to come here. I have a 3rd grader. Any of you out there with kids, big or small, remember that with Back-to-School comes ALL kinds of invitations. Alex has some great friends, and the birthday party invitations have already started rolling in. Today I created a gift bag with the Big Shot. I used the Fancy Favor die cut. I love this one. It can be an elegant wedding favor die cut, it can be a basic bag for a sweet thank you, or, as you'll see in this picture, it will be great for a boy's birthday gift.
  I used the Celebrations Designer Series paper, the Lots of Tags die for the matte for the birthday sentiment (which comes from Occasional Quotes and is stamped in Pacific Point), and for inside, one of our cute little cellophane bags tied with a Real Red grosgrain ribbon.
  What do you think? Stop by all the other's blogs and see what they have in store for you. Hope you'll play along. Please leave a comment here--I love comments! Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Progressive Scrapbooking

2010-09-19T08:10:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--
  Ok, I admit it. I love the look of a scrapbook, and I love the ideas behind a scrapbook, but I would never call myself a scrapbooker. I find it a challenge to make good layouts that capture what I'm trying to portray and are consistent. I am a card maker through and through-it's a smaller canvas and far less intimidating. However, with the start of my stamp club this year, I have some avid scrapbookers, some pure card makers, some who like to dabble in both, and some who are entirely new to paper crafting and don't know what camp they may be in. Knowing this, I have forced myself out of my comfort zone and created a few scrapbooking projects for my club. Today, I'll be sharing the first one with you, gentle comments are welcomed {and hoped for}!
  With Halloween just around the corner, I wanted to do a simple page. Most of my group either has small kids, has grandkids, or nieces and nephews who will be dressing up this Halloween. (Some may even dress up themselves, you never know!) Everyone made the 6x6 page, and then I showed them the 8 1/2x11 and 12x12. (The finished 12x12 I have patiently waiting to put a picture in of my Star Wars character and Clifford the Big Red Dog)
  Here is the finished 6x6. We used Basic Black as the background, a layer of Pumpkin Pie, and the picture frame layer of Concord Crush. I used the Owl punch flipped upside down to make the ghosts, the bitty bat punch, and the rounded label punch. Sets featured were Dark and Dreary, Perfect Punches, Wicked Cool, and Tiny Tags.

Here are the 8 1/2x11 and then the finished 12x12 as well. Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great day!

Happy Stampin!

Amy

8 1/2x11 I used Pumpkin Pie as the base and a wheel

The finished 12x12 is on Basic Black with spots for journaling

Decor Elements

2010-09-18T22:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--

Today I am featuring another line of products that Stampin' Up offers. It's the black Dark and Dreary Decor Elements currently for sale in our Holiday Mini. They are so easy to use, and they have a stunning effect.

For today's project I found this vintage tray at a thrift store for $3. I loved the mirrored scalloped background and the weathered finish. I knew it would work perfect for this project. When I got it home I washed the tray off so there was a clean and dry area to work on. Then, I unrolled my sheet of Decor Elements and chose the ones I wanted to work with. I cut them out leaving about an inch around each shape. Then, you take the scraper Decor Elements tool, turn the sheet over, and rub the scraper along the back of each of the shapes. You peel apart the two sheets so the image is on the contact paper type sheet (if it doesn't peel right away, put them back together and run the scraper along it some more until it catches) line up the image on whatever surface you are working with, smooth it out, and use the scraper tool over the top. Now you are ready for the big reveal. Peel the contact paper off and your image is there.

If you haven't ever tried this product line, I'd highly suggest giving it a try. I have used them on picture frames, mirrors, and dishes. All of them have turned out great. In fact, I plan to be featuring some Christmas ones on my blog soon.

Thanks for stopping in!! Hope you'll stop again soon.

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Winners Coming Soon....and a Sneak Peek...

2010-09-16T19:41:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!!!
I'm really looking forward to this weekend!! My brother-in-law and sister-in-law are coming with my nephew!! He will turn 7 months old on Saturday and we haven't seen him since he was about a month old. He is just shy of a year younger than my Jack. So, Jack and Alex are looking forward to seeing their cousin this weekend. Should be a busy and fun time!!
I am giving you a sneak peek at my challenge post for next week on the Stampin' Up Only challenges blog. (www.suochallenges.com) We will be picking the top 3 winners on Monday, so if you have wanted to upload a Fall card to play along and haven't had a chance yet, you STILL HAVE TIME!! :) Our new challenge will go live on Tuesday morning, and what I am sharing with you today will go along with my submission. We have a great design team and I can't wait to see what they have to share with all of you.

On to the card! With my oldest back in school, it's the season for birthday parties! Alex and his friends will be turning 9 this year, so they are at that in-between stage. I like the bright colors and graphic prints the Celebration Designer Series Paper uses, it's perfect for these boys!! For this card I used a Real Red base, two of the designs used in the Celebrations paper pack, the Decorative Label punch and the Modern Label punch. The sentiment comes from Occasional Quotes and is stamped in Pacific Point. Hope you enjoy--and tune in Tuesday to see what goes with this card! I'll try and pop in with some pictures of the boys this weekend. :) Thanks for stopping in!!

Happy Stampin,
Amy

Coming Soon....

2010-09-14T21:28:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--
  A newsy post tonight, and I promise some new pictures of craftiness to come this week. I had my 2nd stamp camp tonight--it was a great success. We did the progressive scrapbook page. Each of the girls made a cute Halloween 6x6 page on which I featured the Owl Punch and the Bitty Bat Punch. I will take pictures of the 6x6, the 8 1/2 x 11 and the 12x12 page and feature them this week. We had a blast--ladies, if any of you are reading this--thanks again!!
  I also am working on my 2nd Design Team Challenge for the Stampin' Up Only Challenges site. If you haven't checked us out yet, please do! We have a card call open until 9/20 and the theme is Fall. Current or retired merchandise as long as it's all Stampin' Up product. We have a fabulous design team--come check us out and play along, I'd love to see what you create. The site is www.suochallenges.com   We'll have a new challenge up on 9/21 and I can't wait for you to see what I've cooked up!! If you do hop over and don't want to submit a card for this challenge, leave us a comment and let us know what you think of the site.
  Thanks for checking in!! More to share with you soon.

Happy Stampin-
Amy

PS....I am participating in a vendor fair at the end of the month. Any of you done these? If so, what do you find sells the most?

Back to School

2010-09-10T21:07:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!
  It was back to school week here, so it's been busy!! The weather has definitely turned to Fall and the breeze blowing off Lake Superior has a bit of a bite to it now as the trees are starting to change in to their vibrant Fall colors. This is my favorite time of year!! My Alex started 3rd grade this week, and his biggest revelation so far--there's no more snack in 3rd grade Mom!!
  So, with back to school comes birthday party invitations and teacher appreciation gifts. Which leads me to this teacher thank you that I created at the end of the year last year for Alex's 2nd grade teacher. I Googled "pop up gift card holder" and found the directions.
  I used the set "First Day" that just retired in the Summer Mini (I'm keeping it around though until Stampin' Up comes up wit something like it or brings it in to next year's catalog :) ). Although, this idea could work with all kinds of current sets.

If you wanted to do a teacher thing, you could use a letter set to make a patterned background and the Tart and Tangy apple for your image--or you could use some of Fox and Friends. Anyways--on to the pictures. Enjoy!! If your kiddos headed back to school this week, I hope they had a good week, and if you are a teacher, thanks for all you do!!

Happy Stampin'

Amy

PS...If you haven't checked it out yet--come check out SUO Challenges (www.suochallenges.com) I am on the design team of a brand new Stampin' Up Only product challenge site. I am amongst good company with Cindy, Michelle, Deb, Jen, Karen and Melina. Come check us out, there's something for everyone, we'd love to have you play along!

SUO Challenges 1st Challenge

2010-09-07T06:57:00.000-05:00

Good Morning Everyone!!
I hope you all had a great holiday weekend. We spent some time with my parents at their cabin and even snuck in a boat ride on the pontoon. It definitely felt like a Fall boat ride though. The wind out on the lake was cold, instead of a soft summer breeze, and the light coming through the trees and in the sky looked like a crisp Fall day, not a hazy summer one.
Fall was the theme of our first challenge over at www.suochallenges.com If you haven't already, come check us out and play along. Currently we will be doing a new challenge every other week, changing it over to weekly if this really takes off. I had a great time creating what's in store for you this week, as well as for the next challenge. :) I hope you all like it, too. Let's take a look at my card.

I LOVE fall colors. For this card I used the new Autumn Spice designer series paper from the Holiday Mini. If you don't have this already, or it isn't on your wish list, it needs a spot. I didn't think I really needed another DSP right now, but I ordered it for this challenge and for something we are going to be doing in my stamp club, and I'm SO glad I did. It is really pretty and all of the papers are a thicker weight and textured. I layered up five of the different patterns in a line to create my background. The piece over that is Pear Pizazz card stock stamped with Pear Pizazz ink. I used the cute set in the big Idea Book and Catalog called Falling Leaves for the leaves and the sentiment. This is a set I hadn't really looked at too much, and we used it for a project that we created in one of the classes at Convention and I decided it was a must have. Lastly, I used the new Designer Label Punch from the Holiday Mini, touched the edges with my ink and used the new antique brads (LOVE) for the finishing touch. :)

Well--I have to head off to work. Leave me a comment. I'd love to know what you think of this card, and our design team. I'd also love to see you play along with us at the challenge site. We'll be picking the top 3 submissions and they get a cool blog banner!! Have a great day everyone. Thanks for stopping by.

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Fox and Friends Thank You

2010-09-01T17:44:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone~

Today is a quick post because soon we will be heading out to watch my 8 year old play soccer. :) It's a beautiful day here today, so it will be nice to be out and about a bit.

This is a set of thank-you cards I made for my cousin's baby shower basket. I used the sentiment from Thank You Kindly, the 3 1/2x5 pre-scored white note cards (LOVE these---they are such a time saver) that come with envelopes, the Good Neighbor DSP that was available during Sale-a-Bration, the scallop trim border punch, and the little animals from Fox and Friends. I was really happy with how they turned out, and I liked the coordinating animal on the envelope for a little extra something. My cousin really liked them, too--and I know she used them because I got the turtle in the mail as my thank you. I love being able to customize gifts for an occasion and knowing the recipient really likes them. These took me almost no time to make, I think the whole set of 10 took me about a half hour to make.

Thanks for checking in everyone!! Have a great evening. :)

Happy Stampin!!

Amy

PS--TODAY IS THE START OF THE HOLIDAY MINI!! Oh my GOSH it's their best one yet. Click on the link to my Stampin' Up site on the right hand side of my blog and you can download a copy--or, send me a message and I can mail one to you. Even better--book a workshop, you'll love to see some of these new crafty goodies in person, and so will your friends. I still have a few dates on my calendar. :)

Fair Trip Pictures

2010-08-31T18:20:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--
  My craft room is a work in progress. My DH has been helping me put together organizational furniture as well as hang shelves so I'll be more organized in there. Tonight I most likely won't be crafting, I'll be putting things away, so I thought I'd share a couple pictures from our trip to the Fair this past weekend.
  Thank you to all of my new followers for following me and taking the time to comment on my blog!! I love comments. I hope to spend some time this weekend cruising some of the new blogs I'm following as well and leave my comments. :)
  Tomorrow I'll have something crafty for you all. In the mean time, enjoy the pictures!!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Alex--on the bus, excited for the Fair

Jack (my youngest) excited to be on the bus!

My family just inside the Fair gates

My sister and her boyfriend

Alex and Grandpa (my Dad) at their first stop--the water ride

Jack's first cheese curd ever--he loved it

Jack wasn't so sure about the animals, but when Alex showed him it was ok

Neutrals....

2010-08-30T20:36:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone,
  I hope you all had a good weekend! Ours was busy but nice. As I had said in my previous post, we went to the MN State Fair. I have some pictures I'll be sharing with you in the next day or so. The boys had a great time! My parents were nice enough to take them back to their house when they'd had enough Fair so my husband and I could have a little more time to look at stuff. Our favorite thing?? Wine tasting. Did you know Minnesota has wineries? I really liked the Raspberry Wine from Winehaven and Sippin from a Slipper (a sweet white wine) from Glacial Ridge Winery.
  Anyways--the real reason you are here, a card! This one I made last winter on a girls' weekend with some of my friends. I sometimes forget how much I like the feeling of a neutral color palette. This card uses Basic Black, Sahara Sand, and Chocolate Chip. Stamp sets used are Medallion (LOVE) and Vintage Vogue.
  Thanks for stopping in! I completed my first design challenge sample tonight. I can't wait to share it with you on September 7th. If you haven't yet, stop over at www.suochallenges.com and check us out. And, if you have, stop again--make sure you are signed up to follow us so you get all the updates when something posts, AND, our pictures are up now so you can see what we all look like. Thanks for checking in!

Happy Stampin~!
Amy

The MN State Fair

2010-08-26T18:52:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone--
One of our end of the summer traditions as a family is going to the "great MN get together" also known as The MN State Fair. This weekend I won't be blogging as we will be enjoying our time together at the Fair. My older son is very excited for his traditional ride on the giant slide with Grandpa Dave (my Dad). My younger son doesn't know what to expect because last year was his first Fair, and he was only 6 months old. My husband and I are excited to see what tickles the boys' fancy, to try some of the new Fair foods (like Korean BBQ Tacos, and Mashed Potatoes on a stick) as well as to enjoy some old favorites like Cheese Curds, Pronto Pups, and Sweet Martha's Cookies.

Mitch and I visited the Oink Booth--State Fair 2009

All the while we will be documenting this year's trip with pictures. They will eventually find their way in to a scrapbook, which will eventually find its way here.
Thanks for checking in--I hope you all have a great weekend, and get to enjoy some time with your loved ones, too.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Seasons Greetings

2010-08-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone--
  Today I have the last of my swap cards to share with you. I love how this one turned out. It's kind of cutesy, old-timey....is that a style??
   I started out with a base of Real Red, I layered it with a 1/4" smaller layer of Whisper White. To the edge of that I used a strip from the Candy Cane Christmas designer series paper and to that I added a strip of Baja Breeze decorated with the Eyelet Label punch. I used the adorable ornaments and Christmas trees from the new set A Cute Christmas, the greeting comes to you from Four the Holidays in the IB&C. The images on this card took me back in time a little bit, it reminded me of a family run tree farm where you get to go pick out "the perfect tree". Ones I remember from growing up had the pre-cut Christmas trees under some hand strung Christmas lights--that's kind of what the ornaments above those happy little trees on this card reminded me of. I love the holidays--I am looking forward to them this year.
  We do an artificial tree at our house, but we are looking for traditions to do with our boys. One we have is that on Christmas Eve the boys open their new jammies, so they have new Christmas jammies on in the Christmas morning pictures. They also get to open their new ornament to put on the tree on Christmas Eve My mom used to do that with my sister and I when we were kids, and, she still usually gets us new pajamas as one of our Christmas gifts even though we are grown now. We also still get an ornament. I love that. (Thanks Mom!!) Are there any special traditions you do with your families for the holiday season? I'd love to hear what they are. Thanks for checking in!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Grateful

2010-08-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone--
  I don't often do cards for Thanksgiving. The colors in this card said Thanksgiving to me, along with the hemp twine. I think you could also use this card for a Thank You card. I really love the colors associated with Thanksgiving and Fall, and am looking forward to using both this wheel and stamp sets in other projects.
  For this card I used textured Early Espresso card stock as the base and it's layered with Pear Pizzazz, Daffodil Delight, and Cajun Craze. I ran the Bright Blessings jumbo wheel along a stirp of Very Vanilla cardstock. Around this layer I wrapped a piece of hemp twine that I strung one of the beautiful new Neutral buttons on and tied a knot. I stamped the word Grateful from the Falling Leaves set (in the Main Idea Book and Catalog) and punched it out with the Modern Label punch. I attached it to the base of the card with a dimensional to pop it up a little bit.
  Thanks for stopping in!! What kinds of things do you create for Fall/Thanksgiving? Stop back tomorrow for a Christmas card.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Spooky

2010-08-24T21:46:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--

Today I have a Halloween swap card to share with you. I sent this card, along with a Thanksgiving card and a Christmas card, out in the mail this week for a swap. All of these cards feature either something from the Holiday Mini card or new product. I'll share the others later this week.
For today's card I used Basic Black card stock as my base, layered with two designer series papers. The background is the Newsprint and the black patterned paper is from Love Letters. I will be stocking up on these two papers because they are SO versatile. The new product featured is the stamp set Dark and Dreary--I love this set, it has some great haunted house type spooky images. The saying "Spooky"is from the Wicked Cool set also new in the mini. This set has a great witch hat and boots that I can't wait to use, too. I also used the new 1/2" Raven lace trim and the extra large Decorative Label punch. These will be a MUST have from this mini. The Decorative Label punch is such a classy punch, and the lace trim is going to be fun for Valentine's Day cards as well.
Did you all get your holiday minis in the mail? I'd love to hear what your favorites are. Well, it's off to bed for this crafty lady. Hope you all had a good day! Thanks for checking in.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Tags, Tags, and More Tags

2010-08-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!!

Tonight I have not one, but TWO original creations for you. AND....a sneak peek from the new Holiday Mini!!! I am participating in a Tag Swap, and these are my contributions. I have an adorable snowman from the set in the holiday mini called Tags 'Til Christmas. This is a GREAT set. All of the images included in this set are able to be punched out and decorated however you like. What a fun get together with you and some girlfriends making some tags for the upcoming holidays! For my snowman tag I used the color combo of Whisper White, Marina Mist, and Real Red. I used the 1/8" Marina Mist taffeta ribbon (love!!), the Two Tags die cut for the Big Shot, and the 2 & 3/8" scallop Circle, and the 1 & 3/4" circle punches. I used Marina Mist classic ink, and colored his scarf with my Real Red marker and his hat with my Basic Black marker. I finished it off with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter to make it look like snow. Here's the finished product:

Now...tags aren't just for the upcoming holidays. We need them for all sorts of things. Birthdays, Baby Showers, Wedding Showers, Weddings, a Welcome gift to a new neighbor or co-worker, perhaps a little Thank You...there are tags for all kinds of things. So, my second tag I am contributing is a Congratulations tag for a baby girl. I just have boys, so it was fun to ink up some pink. :)

For this tag I used the FABULOUS set in the Big Idea Book and Catalog called Perfect Punches. Again, a punch for every tag in the set, and a nice variety of sayings to use. My sentiment is Congratulations, and it features the Modern Label Punch. (LOVE this one...I use it all the time) This is a classy punch that looks great by itself or layered up with the Word Window Punch. It also looks fun with the Curly Label Punch behind it. Lots of ways to dress it up if you wish, but as I said, great by itself. I used the Two Tag die cut again, and the scallop and circle punches. My color palette was Early Espresso (my new neutral love), and the In-Color Blushing Bride along with Whisper White. I used the Jumbo Wheel called Baby Tees. This is such a cute wheel with great coloring options for boy or girl, or to go with a neutral scheme. I wheeled the wheel a few times in Early Espresso, cut out the onesies with my paper snips and colored them in with my Early Espresso and Blushing Bride markers. Piece of cake. Here's the finished product on this one:
I'd love to know what you think of my creations. They are going out in the mail on Monday. Tomorrow I'll be back with more swaps I'm creating for a Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas swap. Thanks for stopping! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

PS...here's a picture of the two of them together

Brand New Challenge Blog Coming Soon....

2010-08-18T20:07:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
  As the title says, I just wanted to tell you that I was chosen to be a design team member of a Stampin Up Only Challenge Blog. Our first challenge will post on September 7th. I'd love for you to check out the blog, and play along with us. Each challenge we will choose three winners and they will get a special blog badge for playing along with us. I would love to see you there!! The site's address is: http://suochallenges.com/
  I had my first stamp club meeting last night--it went great!! I'm already looking forward to next month. I am also working on organizing my reclaimed craft space, so I haven't had a whole lot of time for creating things to show you this week. I plan to do some more crafting this weekend, possibly tomorrow night, and so I'll have an original design to share with you then. Until then...how about some more Convention eye candy??
  Thanks for checkin in--check out the challenge blog, I'll be looking for you!!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

A pillow made with flowers cut from the Big Shot dies.

A lampshade done with ribbons, buttons and Big Shot flowers.

An Evening to Remember Stamp Event-Jackie Barfield (Hi Jackie!!), Jaron Winder (Hi Jaron!!), and me. It was a really fun night!

A Happy Haunt

2010-08-12T21:33:00.001-05:00

Love the way these white pumpkins look with the black

The same cute Christmas house spooked out as a Halloween Haunt...

Hi Everyone!

Back with some more pictures from Convention. This time, for Halloween, which, with the start of school approaching will be just around the corner. Here again is that Decor Accent Build a House that I featured in my last post as a cute Christmas Cottage. This time, it is featured as a spooky haunted house. I LOVE these houses and can't wait to get my hands on them. They will look so cute as a feature on my console table, and I am totally going to make a black garland to go with them.

I gotta run--we were at a birthday party for a friend of my 8 year old. It was a blast, but I'm beat. Sounds like the hot humid weather we've been experiencing around here is going to be leaving us after tomorrow. Hope so....maybe I'll get some of my energy back. Saturday I'm spending some time just crafting, so I'll be back with some new stuff for you soon. Hope you are enjoying the convention posts until then. :)

Happy Stampin!

Amy

One of my favorite things from Convention

2010-08-11T19:29:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--

I don't have an original creation for you all today, but I still have something fun. This is a new product, actually several new products, from the upcoming Holiday Mini which debuts on September 1st. I am SO excited about this new catalog, I think it's one of Stampin' Up's best minis yet. This adorable little house is called a Decor Accents Design-a-House. It comes with a template if you want to dress it up with paper, it is also able to be spray painted. There is no limit to the creativity here. They used some of the new Deck the Halls paper that will be coming soon, and the pretty paisley like curtains--a print from our new fabric line coming out with gold tinsel trim above the windows. LOTS to be excited about in this upcoming catalog, there truly will be something for any kind of crafter.

One of the demonstrations showed this house all decked out for Halloween with black spray paint and chunky black glitter some spiders stamped on vellum in the windows and bats punched out of designer series paper using our new bat punch attached to wire. Very spooky, yet cute all a the same time. During this demonstration he put one together for us as well so we could see how easy it goes together. All you need is some sticky strip to place along the seams and it goes together great. It took him maybe five minutes to fold along the score lines and stick together.

I still have some spots open for workshops this fall and winter, if you are interested in checking the Holiday Mini out for yourself, or joining my team of demonstrators, let me know. Thanks for checking in.

Happy Stampin'

Amy

Monkey Business

2010-08-10T20:36:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!
  Today I have a card for you that my boys gave my husband for Father's Day this year. My boys, who have been featured on my blog some, are 8 and 18 months. Most days it feels like we live with 2 monkeys. (Those of you who have boys can probably relate) They are loveable and fun and NONSTOP energy. What better way to convey that than a fun home made polka dots pattern and the cute monkey image from Fox and Friends? I am SO glad that this set carried over from the mini catalog to the new Idea Book and Catalog. I LOVE this set. Adorable animal images great for baby cards, little kid cards, scrapbook pages and even Father's Day!
  This card was a simple card to do and didn't take a whole lot of time. I used Whisper White as my background and my 1 3/8" circle punch to punch out Real Red and Bashful Blue polka dots. I attached them in a random pattern with snail adhesive and clipped the edges off to make them flush with the edges of the card. The monkeys were stamped on a piece of Whisper White in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink, and then matted with a piece of Bashful Blue and Real Red cardstock. Inside--a handwritten message (and scribble) from the boys. This one goes in the "keep" pile.
  Check back. I hope to be sharing a couple of holiday ideas, and later this weekend a scrapbook page and idea. The scrapbook I will add to as time goes on, and will be featuring a lot of my little monkeys Alex and Jack. Thanks for stopping in!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Mid-Life Sports Car....

2010-08-09T06:28:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone :)
Today I have a card for you that I made for my husband's birthday. He hit the big 4-0 this year and here's the card I made for him. He didn't go for a new sports car...just a brand new grill. :) I used the Modern Label Punch, the Medium and Small Oval punches and the 1/2" Circle Punch. The little guy in the driver's seat and the presents in the back are from All in the Family and the cloud paper is from the Sale-a-Bration Welcome Neighbor pack. I have a week of cards lined up for you all and will be including my items from Stamp Camp on Tuesday. Happy Monday!

Clean and Simple 102

2010-08-08T13:33:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
  Today I have a card I did for the Clean and Simple Challenge 102. I got to play with my brand new set, Aviary. It was on my wish list and when I did my holiday pre-order I had to add it in. I'm glad that I did. I love the variety of whimsical bird cages and cute little birds, especially the fat little owl.
   I used Whisper White cardstock as my base, and Basic Black for each of my three birdcages. I used Old Olive, Melon Mambo, and Pacific Point for the bird colors, and Pacific Point for the sentiment that also sits on the Modern Label Punch. To give it a bit more interest I used my paper piercing tool along the bottom of the bird cages, and added a rhinestone at the top.
   Hope you enjoy! I'll be back tomorrow with the 40th birthday card I made for my husband.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Spoiler Alert

2010-08-03T22:26:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

First of all:

If you are a member of my stamping club and DO NOT want to see the cute bag and bag tag you will be receiving at our meeting on Tuesday STOP READING!

I recently attended Stampin' Up's Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. At Memento Mall, the store they have set up onsite with Stampin' Up merchandise available only to demonstrators that go to Convention*, these cute reusable shopping bags jumped out at me as a fantastic gift to my 10 club ladies. Who doesn't love a reusable shopping bag, especially with such a CUTE print like this?? (*occasionally they will make some of the things available later to demos who couldn't attend)

Of course, I couldn't just give them the bag, I had to personalize it a bit. So, I made a monogram bag tag for each of them using the Play Date designer series paper that I won at Convention. The Play Date paper is what the bags were patterned after so they look like a matching set. I ran the tags through my Big Shot using the Top Note die. To make them a little more firm I used a piece of the cardboard that comes with each designer series paper pack that we buy. I then used my XL Scallop punch (new in the Summer Mini), and my XL Circle Punch to create the flower that the initial goes on. Using Basic Black ink I stamped the first letter of each of their names with the Lovely Letters set, and embellished with some retired play ground buttons. I then tied these cute little tags to the bag with Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon. SO cute and easy. Wouldn't these also be great for the kids for those backpacks when they head back to school? Or on a bag that you give a thank you gift to a teacher or day care provider?
That's all I have for you tonight. I hope to be back tomorrow with a new creation for all of you. Thanks for checking in!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Clean and Simple Challenge 101

2010-07-31T09:06:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone--

I'm back with a quick post. We're heading out later today for my belated birthday celebration at my parents' cabin. I am looking forward to seeing them and my sister today. They live about three hours away, so I'm always glad when we can get together and the bonus is the weather is going to be nice enough for a pontoon ride. YAY!

So, the real reason you are here...a card! Today I participated in the Clean and Simple 101 challenge. Here is the sketch:

Here is my take:

I'm planning on using this card for a birthday party my older son was invited to next week. He and his friends will all be turning 9 this year, and I think the bold colors and graphic prints will be perfect. I used Real Red, Old Olive, and Bashful Blue card stock. I used the new Celebrations Designer Series Paper, and then Pacific Point ink stamped on Whisper White for the sentiment. Birthday Wishes comes from the level 3 hostess set Occasional Quotes, and the star is punched using the small star punch.

If you'd like to play along with this clean and simple sketch, here is the site.
http://cleanandsimplestamping.blogspot.com/2010/07/101.html

Thanks for stopping by--hope you have a great Saturday!

Happy Stampin',

Amy

LOVE to CASE

2010-07-27T20:42:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--
I do have a card for you today. I got the idea out of the new Idea Book and Catalog on page 124. I used Artitic Etchings as the stamp set, the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, the 1 1/4" square punch, the butterfly punch, and paper from Newsprint and Love Letter. OH...and I added one of the new rhinestone jewels right in the center of the butterfly. I think this is a great workshop card-it's simple, yet a classic and elegant style, and you could change it up by the colors you use, you could add a border with the eyelet or scallop borders. If you wanted more butterflies with some added texture you could use the butterfly embosslit die.
I hope you like this one--I plan to do a bit more crafting over the weekend. I'll have some birthday thank yous to write out. Hope you all had a great day!!

Happy Stampin!

Amy

A few more Convention pictures

2010-07-26T12:58:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!!
I'm home today celebrating my birthday, my husband and I are headed out for lunch at one of my favorite places in a few minutes, but here are some inspiration pictures for you all from Convention. Stampin' Up did a FABULOUS job of being inspiring for all of us who went, not only in their samples, but in their product demonstrations as well as their training sessions. I plan to send a personal thank you note to Shelli soon.
Hope you are all having a fabulous day. Thanks for following me!!

Happy Stampin,
Amy

Shelli and Sarah share the new fabric line. Their presentation was fun!

New product coming soon--ADORABLE houses to put together and decorate. Fun for any season

Back from Convention.....

2010-07-25T09:50:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
I'm home from Salt Lake City and it was amazing. Anyone of you who has been on the fence about signing up to be a demonstrator, run don't walk, to your friend you know who is a demo and SIGN UP. I have a bunch of pictures of displays and all the fun we had that I will be uploading in the next day or so, so I can share with all of you. I also have cards galore to share from some of the fabulous swaps I was in. I met some of my favorite bloggers--it was like meeting a celebrity! I made some friendships I think will be lasting ones and that's just another great perk of working for Stampin' Up. They spared no details in going out of their way to make us all feel special and appreciated no matter what number our sales were at.
Also--anyone wanting to hostess a workshop, now through the end of August is a great time because qualifying workshops earn the hostess an extra $25 in hostess credit. I have great ideas for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and Christmas is only 153 days away.

I'll be back Tuesday with things to share with you, tomorrow's my birthday so I'm spending the day with my sweetheart. :) In the mean time, here is a picture of some of us from an event that I attended on Friday night while in SLC. Great food, great people, fabulous make and takes......

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Off for Convention

2010-07-20T17:35:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!!
Tonight will be a short post as I am going to be packing for Convention tonight. I leave bright and early tomorrow morning and I can't wait. I am going to be rooming with some fantastic Canadian ladies (Hi Dina and Julie!!) and I am signed up for some great swaps and events. I can't wait to share with you all when I get back.
In the mean time--here is a card that I made for all the Dads in my life this Father's Day. (My husband, my Dad, my Father in Law, and my Grandpa) I used Newsprint and Greenhouse Gala designer series papers along with Pear Pizzazz and Early Espresso layered on Crumb Cake. The tree is from a set I have in my stash. I am going to try and schedule some posts of my swaps while I'm gone if I get everything done tonight. Have a great week, thanks for checking in!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Still In Swap Mode

2010-07-17T22:09:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone--
  Just checking in. Still working on my swaps for Convention--oh, and I leave in FOUR days. :) I am working on a 6x6 recipe card swap right now. (Pictures will post while I'm gone) I am SO excited for this swap because who doesn't love new recipes? I think this will also be a great workshop idea for someone who may not be a card maker or traditional scrapbooker. What a fun party to have--a bunch of girlfriends getting together all with recipes to make a book. Or, how interesting would it be to ask your family to put together one or two of their favorite recipes along with a memory that goes with it, or the season, and put a family cookbook together. I know I would love that!
  I don't have a card for you today, but I do have an adorable (in my bias Mom opinion) picture of my boys. My family took some time out today to go pick some wild raspberries with my husband's parents. The kids also took some time out to get in a tree.
  Hope you all had a great Saturday!

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Swap Crazy

2010-07-14T19:23:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
Any of you out there as crazy as me trying to get all your swaps done before the big day in ONE WEEK????? I can't wait to go to Convention. I have my stuff in a folder, I have my swaps mostly done, but a few not quite ready to go. I hope there are some of you with me. For those of you that don't know, Stampin' Up is having their Convention next week in Salt Lake City. One of the perks of being a demonstrator is being able to attend Convention and see what's coming up as well as take some great classes to build your business and the best part--meet other demonstrators who love this hobby as much as you do! If any of you are interested in the opportunity--I'd be glad to have you join my team.
Meanwhile....here is one of the general swaps I made for Convention. I think I might make a few more because I love how it turned out!! What do you think? I'd love to hear from you. Well--back to work for me so I am sure to get all of these things done before the big day.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

PS. I love the table my card front is on. It's an old antique table that was my husband's grandmas. It now has a shabby chic look to it and the painting in it has a cranberry that matches the wood floors on our front porch. :)

Birthdays for Guys....

2010-07-10T22:09:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone!
  I'm back and feeling better. Turns out, it was a tick bite. They aren't sure if it is Lyme disease, or another tick borne illness, but after a few days on antibiotics, I'm back at it!
  Does anyone else sometimes draw a blank when it comes to creating cards for the guys in your life and family? Newsprint designer series paper is the cure!! Here is a picture of the birthday card being sent this month to my husband's cousin. I used a simple color scheme of Basic Black, Very Vanilla, and Real Red. Then I added the curly label punch, the modern label punch, (I love how the curly label adds a nice other layer of color to the modern label punch), and some black satin ribbon just tied in a knot. The "Birthday Wishes" sentiment comes from Occasional Quotes, a level 3 hostess set.
  I'm working on all the swaps I signed up for for convention-- I am going to set those to post while I'm gone AT convention in about a week and a half. I AM SO EXCITED! Thanks for being patient as I got myself up and feeling better. Hope you are enjoying a great weekend.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Happy 4th!

2010-07-03T18:44:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

I've been a bit under the weather, so I haven't done any creating in the past couple of days. I do, however, have some cute pictures of my boys enjoying a beautiful summer day. Hope you and your families have a great 4th of July weekend. I'll be back with a creation, soon.

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Still Time--Last Chance List

2010-06-29T00:00:00.024-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Today I have a couple of baby cards that I made using my FAVORITE baby set of all time. Nursery Necessities. This set is on the last chance list so if it looks like one you can't live with out, ORDER NOW! (There is a link to my page on the right hand side of my blog) This is one of the few sets I'm keeping out of the retiring catalog because it's been a go to set for me for a lot of things, not just baby, but it's also good for little kid birthday cards, shower invites, school pages (one of the stars has a pattern of letters), scrapbooking...I am really going to miss it. This set will retire, along with all the other products, colors, and accessories on the last chance TOMORROW.

Well--off to put the little guy in the tub. Hope you all had a great day. Tomorrow I hope to be back with a color challenge.

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Happy Graduation

2010-06-28T00:00:00.023-05:00

Hi Out There!
On Sunday we went to a Grad Party for a family friend. She had her party on Park Point (a beautiful strip of beach in the Duluth, MN Harbor for those of you out of town) in a quaint old building on the beach. Here is a picture of the grad card/money envelope I made her. I got the tutorial off of You Tube, but I can't remember now who I got it from. It's easy to do out of any envelope you have, and will be a project that I am featuring in my August Stamp Club--so stay tuned girls, the directions will be coming to you! Congratulations Julianna! Best of luck at Gustavus!

Happy Stampin!
~Amy

PS..for some reason the picture of the front won't load. I'll work on that and add it soon--scroll down for pictures of the inside and the back.

Clean and Simple 96 Challenge

2010-06-27T21:30:00.001-05:00

Good Sunday Evening!
Tonight I have a Clean and Simple challenge card for you. Here is a link to the challenge blog. http://cleanandsimplestamping.blogspot.com/2010/06/ninety-six.html I love the look of clean and simple cards, and I've wanted to participate in a few of these challenges for awhile now. Don't get me wrong...I love the ribbons, and layers, and buttons. I have my share (and some other's shares, too) of embellishments, but sometimes I have to say, less is more. For this card I used a piece of Marina Mist card stock layered with a piece of Cherry Cobbler. On top of that was a skinny layer of Very Vanilla to set off the piece of Greenhouse Gala designer series paper. Here this beautiful paper is able to speak for itself. The sentiment at the bottom is kind of hard to see, but it's from Vintage Vogue stamped in Early Espresso, and it says "You raise kindness to an art." I'm planning on sending that out later this week. As you can see the new colors and papers coming in the new catalog are really pretty and rich.

If you do the Clean and Simple challenge, I'd love to see what you come up with!

Happy Stampin!
Amy

Coming Soon--a New Card, but for now..

2010-06-27T08:08:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!
Welcome to all my new followers! It's so fun to see some blog traffic to my site, and it is motivating me to not only get crafting but also to post.

Yesterday I spent most of the day in the car with my husband. We were traveling to WI for the memorial service for the mother of one of his college friends. It was a nice service in a beautiful setting, and even though the circumstances weren't the best, it was great to see old friends. We came home, and my youngest son (the one in the monster jammies) was feverish and not himself. So, back in the car, off to the ER only to find he had a double ear infection. After some antibiotics and Tylenol, he's on the mend. Needless to say, I didn't get any crafting done yesterday. However, I do have a project to share with you today. It's my Mom's birthday card, and I've also loaded a picture of my Mom and I as she opens it.

She LOVES birds and hydrangeas, so I used the new Because I Care level 1 hostess set (the catalog is almost here, so you can almost earn one for yourselves! ) along with the Large Bird Punch. The background is Kraft paper (soon to be known as Crumb Cake) and I accented with Pear Pizzazz one of the new in-colors that is gorgeous! The bird is punched from a new designer series paper coming soon, Greenhouse Gala. The prints in this paper are SO MUCH FUN. There is a nice blend of floral and flourishes, I have even used the flourishes on a masculine card paired with the new Newsprint paper. I ran the strip of Pear Pizzazz through my eyelet border punch and then twice through the crimper to give it a bit of texture and a soft feel. Finished off with some Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon. She LOVED it and I was pleased with how it turned out. Hope you enjoy~thanks for stopping. I'm off to play with my new Elements of Style set--I earned it free through Sale-a-Bration and can't wait to ink it up. Have a great day!

~Amy

A new year and new goals

2010-01-30T07:56:00.001-06:00

Hi All!

Well, as you can see from my last post the holiday season got the best of me. One of my New Year's goals has been to be more faithful to my blog, and to create more things as well as submit some things, so wish me luck!

Today I am sharing with you some bookmarks I made for my son to take to his 2nd grade Valentine's day party. I got the idea from Michelle Wooderson's blog-thanks Michelle!! (http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/)

She called them One Sheet Wonder bookmarks and you get 8 out of an 8x11 piece of cardstock. Super cute for kids, or for those who are readers in your life. You could easily change it up with different stamp sets, or instead of patterned paper use some you made yourself by stamping different images. For mine I used Whisper White and Real Red cardstock as the base, Bashful Blue designer series paper and Sending Love designer series paper (new in the Stampin Up spring mini catalog) as well as the monkey and fox from Fox and Friends. (also from the spring mini) Enjoy!

Tomorrow I'll be back with a color challenge. Thanks for reading!

Amy

PPA 16

2009-11-15T18:32:00.000-06:00

Hi Everyone!

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted!! I've had sick kids, and a busier than normal schedule, but I have gotten lots of stamping done, too. I made invitations for my sister-in-law's baby shower, two boxes of assorted cards for a raffle and a silent auction, as well as a couple of holiday card classes. This week I have a workshop for holiday packaging ideas.

Anyways, today's post has to do with Pals Paper Arts challenge number 16. It was a holiday/winter cheer post, so I am sharing with you one of the cards I made for the raffle at the hospital where I work. Enjoy! I promise to share more of what I have been up to soon.

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Items Used (All Stampin Up)

Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Real Red

Stamp Sets: Merry and Bright (retired) Four the Holidays

Ribbon-Chocolate Chip Grosgrain, Real Red Grosgrain, Hemp Twine

Accessories: Scalloped Edge Punch, Neutral Buttons, Playground Buttons

SU Promotions

2009-10-02T22:37:00.000-05:00

Hi Out There,

Sorry I haven't posted. We were out of town for a funeral this week, needless to say I haven't gotten much stamping done. Our boys were troopers on a one way 10 hour car trip. We are glad to be home. Stampin Up is featuring a deal of the week special, which I will post below as well as a My Digital Studio promotion. Here's the details and I hope to get some card inspirations up for you over the weekend. Until then- Take care!

Happy Stampin!

Amy

Week 1 Deals of the Week

Item	Description	Special Price
109183	Trio Flower punch	$10.99
109041	5-Petal Flower punch	$10.99
110709	My Way punch	$11.99

DIGITAL+ STARTER KIT

Dates: October 1, 2009-March 31, 2010

Promotion Details:

With the launch of our much anticipated My Digital Studio software, new recruits can purchase an exclusive Starter Kit that includes My Digital Studio, in addition to stamps, inks, and accessories.

Starter Kit Price: $185 (over $295 value!)

Digital+ Starter Kit Contents:

My Digital Studio software
Party Hearty and Petal Pizzazz stamp sets
Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
Earth Elements assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pads
Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red Stampin' Write markers
Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
Real Red 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
Button Latte Designer buttons
Stampin' Dimensionals
Mini Glue Dots
SNAIL Adhesive
Business supplies (product catalogs, order forms, training DVD, and other supplies)

Gone Fishing....

2009-09-24T19:11:00.000-05:00

Hi Out There!

My husband has taken a much needed and well deserved long weekend fishing trip with his brother. I am taking the time to go through and organize my stamping things, so I will have a space to be creative. I can hardly wait. Turning our office back in to my stamp space and putting the computer in a more central location so my 2nd grader has supervision for "homework" on the computer.

In the meantime, here is a set of cocktail party invitations I made for a family member's shower gift. Enjoy!

Happy Stampin,

Amy

Hello Out There!!

2009-09-22T06:54:00.000-05:00

Hello Out There!!

My name is Amy and I'm a Stampin Up demonstrator who is starting this blog to push my creativity, and hopefully reach a whole new group of people who loves paper crafting as much as I do!! In addition to stamping, I'm also the mom to two wonderful boys ages 7 and 7 months, a wife, and work full time. Stamping is such a fun outlet, and I love the friendships I've made through this business.

I hope to develop some kind of a weekly schedule for posting starting next week with a Mojo Monday sketch. But for now, here is a picture of a masculine birthday card I did. I find it's always hard to create something for the guys. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for reading!!

Amy