Valentine iPOD Treat

This is what we are making for Brady's Valentine treat for his classmates this year. Inside is a box of conversation hearts.

I subscribe to Family Fun magazine. This project was in last year's magazine. I have been waiting for Valentine's Day to do this project! The original pattern is found HERE. I changed up the colors to make it look more masculine and put my own song titles in. The circle part of the iPOD can be downloaded from the link above.

The 1 3/4" circle punch is the perfect size for the center of the iPOD. I also used the Heart to Heart punch for the earphones and center of the iPOD. I hope they like it!

Let me know if you need any supplies to make some Valentine treats! You can visit my Stampin' Up website HERE or email me! Thanks so much!

January weSTAMP Meeting

What can I say, weSTAMP, weROCK! Had such a great time last night with my stamping friends. I tell you, when weSTAMP gathers, it is hard for me to get to sleep that night! I am so energized by these gals and the awesome ideas we share together!

Want to come join us? Or just visit a meeting and see what all the buzz is about? Give me a call or drop me an email, I'd love to share my Stamping Story with you, and how you, TOO, can be involved! Even if you are an out-of-towner, you can still be a part of weSTAMP! We will keep you informed, PLUS you can join us in our monthly swapping!

Ok, commercial is over.....onto our meeting!

The first thing we always do is a make and take as the gals are arriving. Patti showed us how to make these DARLING little flowers out of a small strip of paper, an eyelet border, and some sticky tape! You can see what they turned out like by looking at Jenn's swap below. We learned how to do this at Regionals in PHOENIX this year! They are fun to make and will be great on cards.

Here are some weSTAMPERS at work.

The swap theme this month was any card using something from the Occasions Mini Catalog, or Sale a Bration catalog. To view these catalogs, please click on the icon to the right.

Here are the swaps!

This was Jenn's swap, and we learned how to make these flowers in our make and take session.

Nancy's swap:

Ginny's swap:

Barbara's swap:



Linda B's swap:

Peggy's swap:

Melissa's swap:

Pam's swap:

Patti's swap: (this is a "Buckle Card")

Linda R.'s swap:

My swap is in the post below, which can be found HERE.

The doorprize was BEAUTIFUL!! Any girlie-girl would LOVE it! Pam made this. She shared with us that she got the pattern from the infamous Becky Roberts. You can go to Becky's blog and order the tutorial for this cute purse HERE. (It is found on her right side-bar). Barbara was the lucky recipient of this!!

Thanks for visiting, we'll see you next month with MORE weSTAMP news! We are having a SPECIAL- FUN-THEMED meeting next month, check back soon! Or better yet, JOIN US!

weSTAMP Swap

Our theme for weSTAMP this evening was a card from the Occasions Mini OR the Sale a Bration brochure. I chose to use the Chocolate Bunny stamp from the Occasions Mini. The bunny is embossed so in real life, you can see the ripples on his body, which simulates the CHOCOLATE, of course!



I did this same fold in my Girl's Day/Night Out class this month. You can see that post HERE.

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Chocolate Bunny, Well Scripted, Very Vintage (under Happy Easter)

Paper: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Sweet Pea DP

Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic and Craft, Pretty in Pink

Accessories: Scallop Trim Border/Scallop Edge Punch, Texturz Embossing Plate, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Dimensionals (grass), Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Glue Dot, Clear Embossing Powder

January Girls Day/Night Out

These are the projects we made at Girls Day/Night Out this month.

The first one is kind has a unique fold to it. I got a card with this type of fold at Leadership, and LOVED how the fold went. Just the top two layers lift up and the sentiment is underneath.

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Holiday Best

Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla, Sending Love DP

Ink: Real Red

Accessories: Chocolate Chip 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Polka Dots Embossing Folder

This was one of the swaps I made for Leadership/Regionals this month.

Recipe:

Stamp Set: Well Scripted

Paper: Cameo Coral, Whisper White, Certainly Celery

Ink: Cameo Coral

Accessories: Oval Scallop Frame Diecut, Cherry Blossom Sizzlet, Little Leaves Sizzlet, Polka Dot Embossing Folder, White Organza Ribbon, Dimensionals (under frame), Glue Dots

Becky Roberts does it again! She posted this way back in September of last year! I have been SAVING this little mail box for my gals this month! It's so tiny and cute, but it actually took longer to make than the cards! Check out Becky's post HERE.

Recipe:

Paper: Real Red, Very Vanilla, Sending Love DP

Accessories: Heart to Heart Punch, Paper Piercer, Gold Brad, 2 Hershey Nuggets

I saw Kristin Moore's card on SCS

HERE. LOVED how she copied the raccoon tail in the ribbon!

I added a Dove chocolate to the punched heart opening. My words on the bottom aren't very straight, wish I had this one in the CLEAR stamps! I got this set FREE at Leadership this month!!

Recipe
Stamp Set: Love Bandit
Paper: Real Red, Very Vanilla, Basic Black

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red

Accessories: Dove CHOCOLATE :), Heart Punch, 1 1/4" Black Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals to POP the Raccoon

Haitian Disaster Relief

Haitian Disaster Relief

From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp will be donated American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund by Stampin' Up. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.



I {Heart} Hearts - #118571

– clear-mount (block D recommended) $18.95

I {Heart} Hearts - #117010

– wood-mount $26.95

I will also MATCH Stampin' Up's offer and donate $2/set.

You can either email me if you would like to purchase this set, or shop on my online website HERE.

January Stamp Club Projects

Just in case my Stamp Club projects don't "grab you", I thought I better start off my post so at least something will get your attention. (By the way, you can eat treats like this if you join my Stamp Club, I have room for ONE MORE! Oh, and we do some stamping at Stamp Club, too. LOL)

Ok, this is what I served at my evening clubs this month. It is called Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert. YEP there are ice cream sandwiches in there! This is about the fastest easiest recipe you will ever make because it is layered, AND you can make it ahead of time and throw it in the freezer (OF COURSE!)


Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert

Layer the following in 9x13 pan

Ice cream sandwiches
Caramel Topping (I bought Smuckers in the ice cream topping aisle)
Spanish Peanuts
Cool Whip

Drizzle Hershey’s syrup ontop, or sprinkle any decorating candies ontop that you like!

FREEZE of course!


I thought it would be fun to start out the year creating a desk-top calendar using the easel card template. If you're like me, you are always glancing at the calendar to have a quick peek to SEE WHAT DAY IT IS! LOL

The gals could make either one. The tutorial for this easal card can be found on SCS HERE. There is a video there as well.
Recipe:
Stamp Set: Cheep Talk
Paper: Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Taken with Teal, Whisper White, Sweet Pea DP (NEW Occasions Mini Catalog!)
Ink: Taken with Teal
Accessories: Scallop/1 3/8"/1 1/4" Circle Punches, Dimensionals, 5/8" Old Olive and Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon


This next card is one that I saw at Regionals last week! It is hard to see but the black has a tone on tone look. The bottom layer has the polka dot background dry embossed, and the next layer has the lace edge on it. I bought the clear mount stamps on this one because you can easily stamp the red heart INSIDE the black heart without having to dig out your stamp-a-ma-jig.


Recipe:
Stamp Set: I (Heart) Hearts (NEW Occasions Mini Catalog)
Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Real Red
Accessories: Polka Dot Embossing Folder, Lace Edge Punch, Dimenstionals (to pop the black lace piece), 1/4" Black Grosgrain Ribbon


This last card was CASED from Dacia Smith. I just discovered her blog and found MANY things that I LOVED! Her blog can be found HERE.



Recipe:
Stamp Set: Love Bandit, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Sending Love DP (NEW Occasions Mini catalog!), Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla
Ink: Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Real Red
Accessories: 1 3/4"/1 3/8"/1 1/4" Circle Punches, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals

Valentine Cupcake Treat Class Offered!

Valentine Cupcake Treat Class



I have made these little cupcake mix treats before. (Click HERE) and have waited for quite some time to offer this class! Nicole Heady is the creator of this idea. What a clever gal!

Please email me if you are interested in attending the class. I am in Phoenix, AZ and would love for you to join us! Class size is LIMITED and pre-payment is required.

For $25, you will receive:

- 1/2 of the Simply Scrappin' Kit (3 sticker/die cut sheets, 1 1/2 12x12 sheets of Designer Series Paper, 4 12x12 sheets of coordinating textured cardstock) Here is a picture of the Scrappin' kit. It is found on page 167 of the large catalog
- Instructions and photos of how to make the cupcake gift project
- 3 test tubes and tops that are inside the box flap, which hold the sprinkles for cupcakes
- One apron/card plus envelope (or however many cards you can make with your paper!)
Note: cake mix, frosting, and sprinkles are NOT included in the class.

Leadership/Regionals Last Week!

Have you ever met someone, and the minute you met, you knew you'd be lifelong friends? That is what happened when I met Corinne Somerville! We have been "blogging buddies" for a couple years now. Last week we met in person for the first time. Instant bonding!! She is an amazing stamper from Canada (eh?) who stayed at our house during Leadership last week. You can view her creative and VERY popular blog here: Stamping With Roxy We had such a great time, even our dog MAX misses her! LOL She inspires women not only with her creative stamping skills, but also with her positive attitude about life, and her LOVE of people! At times you will LAUGH and CRY from reading the same post!



Here we are at the Manager's Reception. We went to Corona Ranch right here in Phoenix! I didn't even know this place existed! We were treated like queens and everything was SO WONDERFUL! We watched an amazing rodeo, but it ended short because one of the cowboys got thrown into a wall. He ended up breaking his leg in two places and they had to call 911. He is doing ok after, after having surgery. I guess this happens quite often to cowboys.



The decorations were beautiful and of course, we got a FREE STAMP SET! Doesn't take much to make a group of stampers happy!

Another higlight of the weekend was seeing one of my favorite stampers on this planet, Becky Roberts! I was so excited she could make it to Leadership. I probably don't even need to tell you where to find her blog because I refer to it so often. In case you haven't seen it, check it out! She is at Inking In Idaho. I linked you to her swaps from Leadership. You won't want to miss these! I was fortunate to be on the receiving end of some of these cute babies!

Another gal I got to meet in person at Regionals was Patti Lee. Patti is from CA and I have been AMAZED at her work! She has a blog that will knock your socks off. She is great with posting tutorials and how you can realistically recreate some of the things she comes up with! Her blog is Creations by Patti. She is such a sweet gal. She sent me some RAK's about a year ago, including a PUNCH BOOK before you could purchase them through Stampin' Up. Her book is SO CUTE!

Some of you may wonder HOW I ever got into this rubber stamping hobby! That's called my "Stampin' Up Story"! You will see in the picture below, my upline, Barbara Welch. In a nutshell, I went to a craft show and a gal made a darling little purse-card that held a gift card inside. The gift card was held in place with the "slot punch". That little slot punch and Barbara re-introducing me to the world of stamping has changed my life! Check out Barbara's blog, Creative Stampin' Spot. You will be inspired!

So, are you ready to join me in this stamping adventure? Stampin' Up has a promotion going on for new recruits. If you join my team, you will receive the starter kit at 15% off. (There are two kits to choose from, the Standard kit and the Standard + Digital Scrapbooking kit.) With all the products in the kit, you are saving a total of over 50% off of products!!! I can give you more details on each of these kits and explain how it works. Stampin' Up is ALSO throwing in ANY stamp set of your choice (up to $47.95 value!) If you are a demonstrator, your first order will be 30% off. After that you will receive a minimum of 20% off.

Don't forget, just because you are a demonstrator doesn't mean you have to host workshops for others, or classes in your home. It means that whatever you want to do with your business, you will receieve discounts and PERKS for being a demonstrator. You automatically become a weSTAMPER, which is our downline group that meets monthly for FUN, inspiration, door prizes, and creating projects. You have access to Stampin' Up's exclusive website to get ideas and patterns.

I will be here to help you in whatever you would like to do with your business! I started just to get the discount, but soon found out that I can supplement our family income.

Whatever is right for YOU, I can help you in your adventure! If you are a demonstrator, you can join us for convention this year! Please call or email me if you are at all interested in this amazing opportunity!

I will be posting more pictures from the one day Regional conference that was held last week, so check back again. Thanks for your time!

Rag Purses

I am so excited, Corinne Sommerville is going to be staying with me this week for Leadership and Regionals! I feel like I am having a celebrity here! LOL You can find Corinne's blog HERE. She's an amazing woman who I KNOW has more hours in her day than I do. Must be because she lives in Canada.

This is a little welcome gift I made her, and filled with goodies. It is a "rag purse". However, this one is different than the ones below because I didn't wash this one. I will let HER decide if she wants it to look raggy or not. :) I also made a flower pin to decorate the front. It is made with the Big Shot. This pin was first shown at Convention last July. The great thing about putting it on a pin is you can take it off the purse and wear it on your coat or sweater!

The cute little dog you see is our Yorkie, Max. He kept wanting to be in the picture. It's like he's saying PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE? LOL I figured since his coloring goes with the purse, he could be in the picture.

I did alter this purse from the video link below. I used a magnetic clip for the closure.




These purses down here are a couple Christmas gifts I made. Like I said, these were made and then washed. The edges fray and you get a more "rag" look.

You can find an awesome step by step video on how to make these purses HERE. This is Angie Kennedy Juda's blog AGAIN! She is one talented gal!

"Gift" Card Holders

This is the card we made at my Dec. Girls Day/Night Out that I didn't want to show you until after Leadership this week. There's an awesome video tutorial by Angie Kennedy Juda on her blog, found HERE. This card has a Christmas flair to it. The side swivels open on the brad that you can see on the left side. Inside is a gift card!

These versions are for a WOW swap I am in this week at Leadership, which is happening right here in Phoenix!!