The Latest Buzz...

Steve and the boys all got the big Buzz - amazing what teeny tiny little pests can make us do, huh? Here's proof though, that Steve does not have the infamous Smith ears! :) The boys either! Gosh - Steve looks ALOT more like his brother Rod now too! I think Isaiah looks like pics of my two oldest brothers when they were his age and had buzzes!

Blogger Prayer Time

This beautiful banner was created by the daughter of fellow stamper, Valerie Stangle. My own brother and his family live near Huntington Beach, CA. Though they are not directly in the wildfire path, they say the air is very smokey all around them. May God continue to bless the victims, workers and family and friends of both.

Batty for You Treats

Well - I've been away for awhile because we were getting ready for my niece's wedding this past weekend! I LOVE weddings - especially family weddings! The shower invites and favors, as well as the rehearsal dinner invites I stamped for her are in my archives. I hope to share the scrapbook pages I stamped for her wedding present this week!

This morning - I got to have some stampin' fun - okay, I borrowed this Batty for You Stamp Set (Fall/Winter Collection pg. 27)from my demo friend Tina M. and she wants her set back - lol! Aren't these cute? These are Halloween treats for my kids to take to school, and for us to give out at the door. They are suckers that showcase the wonderful SU! Scallop Punch. Fast, simple and cute - just the ticket for treats the kids will rip into right away, but I still get to have some stampin' fun!

Catch the Halloween Punchies!

Here are two adorable Halloween cards I found on other SU! demo's sites (so not credit to me, as I didn't make these!), that showcase the wonderful versatility of Stampin' Up! punches. The Spooky Eyes card uses both the Oval Punches, as well as several circle punches and the Corner Rounder Punch. It also uses the Booglie Eyes Stamp Set (my fav Halloween set!) and Double Sided Designer Series Paper(DSP). The DSP used here is retired from last year, but can easily be substituted for this year's Creepy Crawly DSP found on pg. 172 of the Fall/winter Collection 2007. The Tombstone card uses the Tag Punch and a Circle Punch, as well as the Booglie Eyes Stamp Set. Enjoy!

Peek-a-Boo Christmas

The last of teh awesome cards I stamped at teh Card Raze event held by two of my FABULOUS friends and sideline demos Tina Moore and Debra Burgin. This design was by Tina Moore. It uses the Merry & Bright Stamp set from the Holiday Mini Collection (pg. 15). The technique is called "Masking" for the peeking reindeer, as well as the Merry & Bright sentiment - (which I can teach you at your next workshop or class, contact me to schedule a date!) CardStock: Wild Wasabi, Ruby Red, Whisper White & Vellum. Ink: Basic Black, Wild Wasabi, Bashful Blue & Close to Cocoa. Accessories: 1 3/8" Square Punch, 1/8" & 11/6" hand punches, Crimper, Natural Hemp, Wild Wasabi Dbl Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Watercolor Pencils, Blender Pen and Dimensionals.

Shop & Crop Day

Please mark your calendars now, and plan to attend...

Shop & Crop Day
Sponsored by St. Mary Home & School Assoc.
St. Mary School
210 Gurler Rd., DeKalb
Saturday, November 10, 2007
10am - 8pm (for cropping)
11am - 4pm (for shopping)

CROPPING
Come and spend the day stamping and scrapbooking with us! $10 reserves your spot for the day, plus a FREE goodie bag, along with door prizes and raffle items. Bring your own projects and supplies - and get some crafting done while chatting andmaking new friends! You can also start your Holiday shopping the same day, at our Holiday Bazaar! (Free admission to Bazaar for croppers)

SHOPPING
Come spend the day shopping for those special holiday gifts at our Holiday Bazaar. Home party products and unique homemade gift itesm all at one location. $1 Admission at the door to the Bazaar.

FOOD
We will have a lunch stand if you would like to purchase your lunch. Otherwise, please bring your meals and snacks with you.

All proceeds benefit the St. Mary Home & School Association/St. Mary School.

Contact me TODAY for more information - Thanks!

Card Craze Inkspirations

Two of my FABULOUS friends and sideline demos held a World Card Making Day event called Card Craze. Following are the projects we made. I am proud to call these talented ladies my friends. They have certainly been a blessing in my life, and continue to be. So I chose to upload this first project alone - to let them know they are always in MY PRAYERS!

This card, designed by Debra Burgin, uses the Stamp Sets: Autumn Fest (Fall/Winter Collection 2007 pg. 108) and So Many Sayings (Hostess Level 1); and a technique I had forgotten about! The leaves were stamped in Whisper White Craft Ink, then Stampin' Pastels were applied and blended together. A light spray of cheap hairspray seals the pastels. The card uses card stock in Apricot Appeal, Really Rust, More Mustard & Chocolate Chip.

Priceless Box and Card Inkspirations

Two more projects from my FABULOUS friends and sideline demos Card Craze event held on Oct. 6, 2007. Tina Moore designed this Card Holder box. It is made out of SU! card stock in River Rock, Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip & Purely Pomegranate. What looks like ribbon is really folded card stock - pretty cool, huh? And how about the use of the Word Window Punch (Fall/Winter Collection 2007 pg. 182-83) to make a slarge slot to secure the flap and keep the box closed? The 5/8" Choclate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon (pg. 190) is a perfect touch. The color is so rich it makes me want a piece of chocolate! :) Debra Burgin designed the Journey card. It uses River Rock, Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip & Mellow Moss. The horse image comes from the Wanted Stamp Set (pg. 88), the journey image comes from the Define Your Life Stamp Set (pg. 159) and then there's the Flannel Plaid Background Stamp (pg. 137). The strip of Chocoalte Chip card stock was peeled apart to create a Faux Suede look. Although this design isn't strictly masculine it works really well for it. Creating masculine oriented designs is a challenge for most of us - this card fits the ticket perfectly! My favorite part of this card, though, is the notch/closure. Where? you ask? The card cover has 1" cut off the end, and a notch made by our 1 1/4" Circle Punch. It is then tucked under the Scallop Circle Punch and Star (both on pg. 182-83) embellishment to hold the card closed. LOVE IT!

Priceless Inkspirations

These are two more of the cards we made at my FABULOUS friends and sideline demos Card Craze Event on Oct. 6, 2007. The "So Kind" card was designed by Tina Moore using River Rock, Blue Bayou, Chocolate Chip & Whisper White. The swirls from the Priceless Stamp set (pg. 117 of the Fall/Winter Collection 2007) are stamped in StazOn Timber Brown (pg. 186) on acetates or window sheets. Stamped this way, then raised up a bit on Dimensionals (pg. 185) creates a shadow effect under the stamped image. The yummy ribbon is SU!'s Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon. The heart card was designed by Debra Burgin using River Rock, Purely Pomegranate, Whisper White, Vellum Card Stock (pg. 179) & Mulberry paper (pg. 179). The Vellum scallop is punched circles. The heart was stamped, then heat embossed with Irirdescent Ice Embossing Powder - a wonderful sparkle!

Love Notes Inkspiration

These are 3 of the projects we did at my FABULOUS friends and sideline demos Card Craze event held on World Card Making Day on Oct. 6, 2007. These talented ladies are Debra Burgin and Tina Moore. We did two of each Love Note. Big techniques on little cards - gotta LOVE'em! Don't you just love the shooting star with its trail of Silver Elastic Cord (Holiday Mini p.11). We used the Crayon Resist technique on the star. Then Sponge Daubered on the ink. Then there's the bluebird of happiness which showcases the Spiral Punch and we Watercolored using the Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Aquapainter - one of my all time fav techniques. The wedding cake Love Note uses a techinque called Patina - this one is particularly lovely with the Blue Bayou, Rose Red, Basic Gray and Encore Silver color combination. The cakes are colored in with the Watercolor Pencils and Blender Pen. And that Taffeta Ribbon is to die for! Okay - I admit - Basic Gray is an amazing color! If you haven't tried it - you simply MUST - ribbon and card stock! ALL these Love Notes use images from a wonderful all occasion stamp set Fun & Fast Notes pg. 55 of the Fall/Winter Collection.

Thankul Season

This is one of the most BEAUTIFUL Thanksgiving cards I have yet to see! It was done by fellow demonstrator Amy Celona. You can check her out at http://www.ustamp4fun.com/. She uses on eof my favorite techniques - watercoloring with the Watercolor Wonder Crayons and the Aquapainter. This set is in the Fall/Winter Collection IB&C pg. 32 for only $15.95. Imagine - this much beauty from one inexpensive stamp set!!

StampinJewels Blog Stars!

Hi Ladies! These are some of my lovely ladies with whom I was able to celebrate World Card Making Day with on Oct. 6th at Card Craze. Hope you'll join our StampinJewels fun at Stampin' Chats this month! I think you'll agree that stampers and scrappers are some of the nicest people you'll ever be blessed to meet. Well - at least these stampers and scrappers are blessings to me! SMILE ladies - you are all now StampinJewels Blog Stars! :)

(What was Card Craze? It was an AWESOME event put on by two of my sideline demo friends, Debra B. and Tina M. We made 12 projects - which I hope to share in a day or so - from pre-cut card stock and embellishments. The event fee included the Holiday Mini set "Merry & Bright" and a box lunch, as well as many door prizes and stamped goodies.)

BOO! - Deliciously Faux Scary Halloween Gift

I found this yummy gift idea on another demonstrator's blog - and immediately thought "These would make an awesome gift!" I adore my Booglie Eyes stamp set - those little guys are just too cute! My favorites seem to be the dracula and the frankenstein because the way they lean seems to fit the projects I do the best - but I love all those little fellows! So I made these Deliciously Faux Scary gifts for my kids' teachers, AND for my ladies who celebrated world Card-Making Day with me at the Card Craze on October 6th. I have a few more for other family friends too. I chose to put "BOO!" pn the jars because this is my Boo Bucket this year. I had such fun doing Boo Buckets last year - but this year ALL the STORES have Boo Kits and the novelty has quite worn off for me. So - all who received this jar from me - consider yourselves BOO'd - quick, make up a sign to hang in your window so no one else will Boo you in the next couple of weeks! Wish I would have thought of that earlier - I would have given you the sign too! Anything that takes a stick+ of melted butter has my vote for something I MUST taste! Maybe the scary part comes when I step on the scale AFTER eating these?! LOL Scale Shmale. ENJOY!

Holiday Glitz Card Kits!

Beginning October 1st Stampin' Up! is offering "Holiday Glitz" Card Kits. This kit will make your Christmas card making a breeze with all the pre-cut supplies. All you do is choose your stamp set, stamp the images and assemble, making this kit a real time saver.
Each Holiday Glitz card kit makes 15 cards and includes:

• Precut card stock and Soft Sky Designer Paper (15)


• Whisper White Envelopes (15)


• Rhinestone brads (15)


• Real Red zigzag ribbon (15)


• Full-color instruction sheet (1)

Purchase the Holiday Glitz card kit for $28.95 each with no additional purchase required. There are no limits to the number of kits you may purchase.
OR
Purchase one of the holiday stamp sets (listed below) and get the Holiday Glitz card kit for the special price of $24.95 each, no limit on the number of kits you can purchase at the special discounted price.
109266 pg 35 Big on Christmas $18.95
106786 pg 36 Snowflake Spot $ 20.95
109234 pg 45 Snowfall $23.95
110359 pg 5 (Holiday Mini) Love & Joy $ 23.95

There is no limit to the number of kits that you can order, however, they will only be available until supplies run out!! Place your orders early - contact me TODAY!!

Female Circles

Okay - I couldn't leave out all us girls! Another layout from the same Lisa Bearnson card sample pack as the "Male Circles?" entry a couple of days ago. Stamps: Everyday Flexible Phrases. Card Stock: Regal Rose, Rose Red, Apricot Appeal & Whisper White. Ink: Rose Red Classic Ink. Accessories: 1 3/8", 1 1/4" & 1/2" Circle Punches, Scallop Punch, Rich Regal Eyelets, Crop-a-Dile, White Signo Gel Pen, Crafters Tool Kit (for paper piercing) & Apricot 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon.