Christmas Stamp-A-Stack Sneak Peak and PPA 145

I very busy getting ready for my annual Christmas Stamp-A-Stack tomorrow night and thought I would give everyone a little sneak peek as to what I have in store!  I try to keep things pretty simple when it comes to Christmas cards since most people are trying to make many multiples.  I got the sketch idea for this card from one of my favorite sketch sites, Pals Paper Arts.  This is their sketch PPA145.  I still have room in my class for anyone still interested in attending!

Here are the card ingredients:
Stamps: Pennant Parade
Paper: Gumball Green, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Be of Good Cheer DSP
Ink: Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Holiday Collection Framelits

School Days

It is hard to believe another year of school is just around the corner!  I am not sure I am ready for my kids to be heading back to school just yet.  In light of this upcoming event, I thought it might be nice to show you one of my "school days" creations from this past year.  Coming from a family of teachers, I realize how much these wonderful individuals do for our children each and every day.  So every year when Teacher Appreciation Week comes around, I like to do something special for my children's teachers.  This is what I made for my son's first grade teacher this year during Teacher Appreciation Week.  It is a teacher's survival kit.  I got the idea for the contents of the kit from fellow demonstrator, Lucia Dawe.  I hope this inspires you to recognize a teacher in your child's life this school year!

The contents of the kit follow a poem that is hooked to the underside of the lid:

Teacher’s Survival Kit

Animal cookies for when your classroom seems like a zoo.
Band-Aids for when things get a little rough.
Chewing Gum to help you stick to it.
Crayons to color your day bright and cheerful.
Candle for when you are up late grading papers.
Eraser to remind you everyone makes mistakes.
Lifesavers For when you've had one of those days.
Marbles to replace the ones you've lost.
Mounds Bar for the mounds of confidence you give your students.
Paperclips to hold it all together.
Pencil to "write your wrongs."
Rubber band to remind you to be flexible.
Shiny Penny to remind you that each will shine in his or her own special way.
Starburst to give you a "burst" of energy when you need it.
Tissues to wipe away the tears...yours and theirs.
Toothpick to help you "pick" out the good qualities in others and yourself,
and a prayer for you to say at the start of each day.

God, please help me,
to strengthen their voices,
bodies and minds,
to express their feelings and
control them sometimes,
to explore what's near
and venture afar,
but most important to love
who they are.

Fabric Blowout! Only $0.99!

Get a great deal on fabric for only $0.99!  Order yours today from my Stampin' Up! website.  Here is a list of the fabrics available at this reduced price:

Item	Description	Price
121716	Deck the Halls Designer Fabric	$0.99
121715	Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric	$0.99
121817	Springtime Vintage Designer Fabric	$0.99
121818	Sweet Stitches Designer Fabric	$0.99

Howl-o-ween Project Kit Promotion

Dates: August 1-31, 2012
Promotion Details: It's always more fun to stamp with friends! When you sign up to join my Stampin' Up! team in August, you will get a Howl-o-ween Printer's Tray project kit absolutely FREE-a $60 value! This exclusive kit contains the perfect elements of a spooktacular Halloween decoration!*Contact me today to find out how easy and fulfilling it is to be a demonstrator!

*Project kit does not include ink

31% Off For 31 Days

Get 31% off 31 digital content options and most of our print products for all 31 days in August!  With digital goods on sale and the 30-day FREE trial of the software, August is the perfect time to enter the digital designing craze and see what it's all about.  Contact me if you would like more information about My Digital Studio!

What's on sale? ALL cards, photobooks, individual pages, and tags. That's right: print any photobook, board book, swatchbook, individual pages, greeting card, postcard, trifold card, or tag-all for 31% off. Some of our best digital content. 30 downloads and 1 content disc. Yup, that equals 31. Here's the list of content:

Item	Digital Content	Retail Price	31% Off Price
127217	Floral District Collection Disc	$  23.95	$ 16.53
118115	Night and Day Designer Series Paper	$    4.95	$   3.42
129929	Candid Frames	$    2.95	$   2.04
129921	Check This Out Page Templates	$    4.95	$   3.42
129609	Blossom Builders Embellishments	$    5.95	$   4.11
128999	It's All Me Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
127441	Whimsical Note Journal Template	$    1.95	$   1.35
128342	Pinwheel Daily Calendar Template	$    9.95	$   6.87
127599	Party Animal Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
127600	Autumn Traditions Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
127620	Grateful Heart Thanksgiving Ensemble	$  14.95	$ 10.32
126027	Playful Polka Dots Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
130066	World Traveler Photobook Template	$  17.95	$ 12.39
131221	Storybook Specialty Designer Series Paper	$    4.95	$   3.42
130850	Joyful Times Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
124463	One Great Year Digital Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
127175	Limited Edition Embellishments	$    2.95	$   2.04
129607	Walk in the Park II Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
129934	#HASHTHIS Stamp Brush Set	$    7.95	$   5.49
129923	Book of Birthdays Swatchbook Template	$  12.95	$   8.94
121071	Travel Journal Kit	$    9.95	$   6.87
129924	Get it Done Kit	$    5.95	$   4.11
129005	Sweetly Nested Framable	$    4.95	$   3.42
127758	Delight in the Day Photobook Template	$  19.95	$ 13.77
130862	Blast Off Ensemble	$  19.95	$ 13.77
129890	Little Milestone Birthdays Greeting Card	$    7.95	$   5.49
128892	Designer Gift Cards	$    4.95	$   3.42
127580	And a Happy New Year Photocard Template	$    1.95	$   1.35
127435	Thanks Tons Greeting Card Template Set	$    2.95	$   2.04
127587	Sending Glad Tidings Designer Tags Kit	$    7.95	$   5.49
127762	Gratitude Framable Designer Template	$    1.95	$   1.35

Simple and Sweet

One of my new favorite sets from the 2012-2013 Idea Book and Catalog is the little set Bright Blossoms.  I love how it coordinates so well with the Summer Smooches Designer Series Paper.  Such a quick simple card to make!  This will be one of my cards we make at my workshop tomorrow night.

Here are the ingredients:
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Made for You
Ink: Raspberry Ripple, Island Indigo, Basic Black
Paper: Raspberry Ripple, Island Indigo, Whisper White, Summer Smooches DSP
Accessories: Neutrals Brads, Raspberry Ripple Stitched Satin Ribbon

A Little Scrapping Done

This past Wednesday, I hosted my monthly club and we were using The Open Sea set.  When I was talking to the ladies about how much I loved this set and had gotten it for scrapbooking, I was reminded that I still have not used it for that purpose.  I have had this set for over a year and have been going to town with cards but no pages.  So, I broke out an old Stampin' Success magazine (a great perk of being a demonstrator) and cased this great page featured on the cover with a few modifications.  As a family who loves going to the Cape in the summer, this is a fabulous set for scrapping our great summer picks.  Please note the DSP paper, letter dies and buttons used are retired, but you can easily swap them for something else and have a great page.

Here are the ingredients:
Stamps: The Open Sea
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, DSP Nautical Expeditions
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Buttons, Kraft Buttons, Quilting Thread, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Alphabet Simple Letters Die

Freshly Made Sketches #42

I love this new stamp set, By the Seashore!  As someone who has grown up going to Cape Cod every summer, I look forward to the new beachy sets that Stampin' Up! comes out with.  I can't wait to use this set in some of my scrapbook pages this summer!

Today's card uses a sketch from another sketch challenge I recently came across, Freshly Made Sketches.  They put out a new sketch every Wednesday.  I encourage you to check it out if you need a little inspiration.  The color scheme was inspired by a line of beachy clothing my boys have in their wardrobe.  After I picked out the colors, I realized the sketch this week uses similar colors!

Here are the details for recreating this card:
Stamps: By the Seashore, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Calypso Coral, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy
Paper: Calypso Coral, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy, Sahara Sand, Whisper White
Accessories: Tasteful Trim BigZ Die

Retro Sketch 18

So I have once again been inspired to post!  I recently found a new sketch site, Retro Sketches and I love all their weekly sketch challenges.  Check them out on Fridays for a weekly bit of inspiration.  This week, I decided to incorporate some of our new 2012-2014 In-Colors, ribbon and stamps into the sketch.  This post is dedicated to my friend, Sandy, who has kept the faith that I would one day have time to post again!


Here are the details to recreate this card:
Stamps: Bright Blossoms, Made for You
Ink: Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit
Paper: Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Whisper White
Accessories: Midnight Muse Stitched Satin Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals, Square Lattice Embossing Folder, 1" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch

Back to Posting (FTL155)

Hi Everyone!  I am so sorry it has been so long since I last posted!  We had our laptop stolen this past spring and it got me away from blogging for a while.  Now with the kids back in school and me with a little more time on my hands, I hope to be posting a little more regularly.  For this card, I took a sketch from a few weeks ago posted on the Clean and Simple Stamping website (FTL155).  I am loving this new hot air ballon set!  Hoping to use it for some pages from our local hot air balloon festival too.  The Big Top Birthday Designer Series Paper is a perfect match for this set and great colors for inspiration!  And don't forget those Stampin' Dimensionals to give those balloons a little pop.  This card was super easy to put together which is essential in my life!  Here is the nitty gritty on this card:

Stamps: Up, Up, & Away
Paper: Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Tempting Turquoise, Big Top Birthday DSP
Ink: Real Red, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals