Congrats to Sylvia - Blog Candy Winner!

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Sylvia - the StampinJewels Blog Candy Winner. Sylvia - I'll deliver your Blog Candy next week! THANKS everyone for playing along!

Hope you all are enjoying the 12 Days of Christmas!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

StampinJules

Christmas Blog Candy!

Apparently I don't know how to give away Blog Candy properly - as the first and second winners from my Birthday Blog Candy never responded! Yikes! Soooooo..... I'll try again... My Christmas Gift to those of you who read my blog (THANKS for sharing my life and my stamping!)

Only THIS time, when you leave your comment on this post - please leave your email address too, so I may contact you when you are the lucky winner! Please leave your fondest Christmas/Holiday memory as your comment, along with your email.

I'll choose a winner on Dec. 28th - A Blessed & Merry Christmas to you and your family from me and mine.

Winter Thank You

This was one of my ideas for the teacher TY gifts posted earlier, that did not make the final cut. He's bright and cute though - so I thought I'd share him with you. Stamps: Soon to be Retired - All About U, Cold Play & Headline Alphabet (contact me before 12/31/07 to order these sets before they're gone!) Colrs: Ballet Blue, Pixie Pink, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, Basic Gray & Whisper White. Enjoy!

Serene Sunflower Belated Birthday

I received this lovely card from my m-i-l. She had it for my birthday, but kpet forgetting to give it to me! lol It was worth the wait - don't you think? She used the retired set Serene Sunflower - don't you love the detail? I especially like the layering on the leaves and sunflower. The scan didn't pick this up very well, but she did a Faux Suede technique with Chocolate Chip Classik Ink on the same color layer, by using a piece of plastic wrap bunched up, then dabbed on teh ink pad, then onto the cardstock. She used the following colors of ink and card stock: Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Marigold Morning (retired In Color), So Saffron & Old Olive. She also used Dimensionals, Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon and the Antique Brass HodgePodge Hardware Kit. Thanks Mom!

Teacher Christmas Gifts

Nice gifts, eh? It's too bad they may not receive them until after Christmas now! I have all three kids home sick today - the last day before Christmas break. Two got sick in the middle of the night, and one just about 30 minutes ago (good thing I made him stay home on the thinking that he'd been well exposed to the other two.) I think I got to bed about 2:00am and didn't sleep well at all, then dh's alarm clock at 5:00am, then ds getting up for school at 6:30am only to be told to go back to bed becuz he wasn't going, then listened to him cry on and off for the next 40 minutes. The kids "tried" to let me 'sleep in' - they were all up by 7:00am. So for the next 3 hours, I dozed in bed, but a 7, 5 & 2 yr old cannot keep quiet very easily, and Mom Radar doesn't shut off unless I am completely exhausted, and even then.... So - there's my sleep deprived ramble - THANKS for putting up with me!

I made these designs for my kids' teachers for their Christmas gifts. The first card uses the Stamp Sets Punch Pals & Much Appreciated. For some reason, Gable Green doesn't scan well with my scanner, and it appears much more yellow, but I trust you all have this color in your stash. I love this bright and cheery color combo - Gable Green, Ballet Blue & Pixie Pink, accented with Very Vanilla. The Snowflake image is stamped in Green Galore on the Gable Green for a bolder background look. I used the following punches: Scallop, 1 3/8" & 1 1/4" Circles. As well as the 5/8" Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon. The friendly Penguin image & the Thank You are stamped in Brilliant blue, and the two circle layers the Penguin is on are on a Dimensional. I also applied Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the Penguins scarf with the Two Way Glue Pen.

The second card uses the Much Appreciated Stamp Set as well as the retired stamp set called Merry. This one uses Bordering Blue, Sage Shadow & Confetti Cream Card Stock, with accents of Handsome Hunter sponged on the Confetti Cream and Sage Shadow. The "Thank you" image is also stamped in Handsome Hunter. The Snowflake images were stamped tone on tone for each color. I added Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the Bordering Blue Snowflakes. I used the Craft Ink Stampin' Spot in Bordering Blue to stamp and heat emboss the Mitten image in Clear Embossing Powder. I LOVE the Craft Stampin' Spots for heat Embossing in COLOR, and bought each Color Family specifically for this purpose. I prefer the Classic Ink for my general stamping, but since SU! began to offer Chipboard Accents, I use the Craft Ink for coloring those. The Craft Ink stays wet just long enough to sprinkle on the Embossing Powder and hold on to it until I get to it with the Heat Tool. I also used the Ticket Corner Punch to accent my Mitten focal image. ENJOY! Merry Christmas!

Simple Christmas Card

I received this beautiful design of wonderful simplicity from fellow Sudsoler demo Kathy Kinney. She used the Holiday Mini Catalog Stamp Set - Season fo Joy. She also used the Dashing Double-Sided Designer Paper and the 1 1/4" & 1 3/8" Square Punches. Card Stock: Whisper White, Old Olive & Real Red. Ink: Classic Real Red & Versamark. Accessories: White Mulberry Paper, Natural Hemp Twine, White Emobssing Powder & Dimensionals. Darn cute! Thanks Kathy!

Birthday Bouquet

After yesterday (12/14), I couldn't wait to try out the Miss Muffet Ultrafine Transparent Glitter - and I needed a Birthday card to day for my m-i-l - sooo....(don't you just LOVE self-justification) For this Z-Fold design, I used the Valentine and Swirls Sets. I stamped the Swirl image tone on tone, then traced over it with the Two Way Glue Pen to adhere the Glitter. All other supplies, except the Glitter, are Stampin' Up!. Card Stock: Perfect Plum, Mellow Moss, Pretty in Pink & Whisper White. Classic Ink: Basic Gray & Mellow Moss. Stampin' Write Markers in Mellow Moss & Pretty in Pink. Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon with a Mini Glue Dot to hold on the bow. FUN, Fun, fun! ENJOY!