Winter Wonderland

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

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

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

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

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....

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

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