Happy New Year's Eve

First - a reminder that next week is the start of Stampin' Royalty - a new challenge blog. We go live January 6th. Please click on the link on my sidebar to find out what it's all about. And as promised, another sneak peek from my upcoming samples for Stampin' Royalty. This image is from a fabulous set callsed Totally Tess.

And now for my entry for the Sweet Stampin Challenge blog.

I really wanted to try out this week's challenge at the Sweet Stampin' Challenge Blog. Click here to see their site. It's a relatively new challenge blog. This week was a sketch challenge and above is my take on it. Many of the products used are from the new Occasions Mini which is coming out next week. This card was inspired by a scrapbook page made by the Artisan Award Winner Jolene Flock. You can find her work in this month's Stampin' Success (the demonstrator only Mag) The middle "DSP" is actually made with stamps. I stamped off several of the images to make them lighter.

The Recipe:
1. Cardstock - Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry, Kraft, Whisper White
2. Stamps - Vintage Vogue, Great Friend
3. Ink - Bermuda Bay, Rich Razz, Old Olive, Stampin Write Markers - Rich Raz, B Bay.
4. Accessories - Bermuda Bay 1/2" polka dot grosgrain ribbon, Scallop Edge Punch, Hodgepodge Hardware (Label frame), Pretties Kit (Rhinestone Brads), Big Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die for Big Shot

Kind of a Copy, Kind of a CASE

I love copying the work of great artists. This card was copied from Mary Fish. You can find the exact post here. I love this new stamp set. It's called Vintage Vogue. The heart in orchid opulence is cut out with the Large Heart punch, and the even larger heart was cut out of the card front using the Movers & Shapers die for the big shot. If you click on Mary Fish's link above you can view her video on how the die works.

The Recipe:
1. Paper - Cottage Wall DSP, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Orchid Opulence, Whisper White
2. Ink - Rich Razz, Old Olive
3. Accessories - Rich Razzleberry polka dot grosgrain, Button Bouquet, Colored Buttons

Quick and Easy Christmas Again!

OK, yes I know Christmas is over, but I just have one more card to share with you.

This was another quick and easy card that I whipped together last week. Again I used the Accents & Elements from last year's catty.

The Recipe:

1. Cardstock: Kraft, Basic Black, Shimmery White

2. Accessories: Accents & Elements, Stampin Dimensionals.

I'm so excited!

Here's another sneak peek. This is the fabulous new scallop border punch that will be available January 5th which is the day before Stampin' Royalty goes live. We hope to see your entries.

BLOG CANDY WINNER!!!

The time is here.
Drumroll please......................
And the winner is...

Roxanne McCleary!!!

Congrats Roxanne. Please email me with your mailing address so that I can send your blog candy to you!

Thanks for playing everyone. Keep checking back regularly.

There's going to be prizes coming up to comemorate the beginning of Stampin Royalty.

Getting the Tree

Here's another page from our day cutting down the Christmas Tree. We went with my Husband's parents and siblings and their kids. With 4 toddlers it was a very exciting (but cold) day. I used the Christmas Jingle and the Christmas Cocoa Digital kits to create this page. It was very easy to create the layout of photos as I used one of the templates in MDS. Then I added photos and cropped them to fit in the frames. The sentiments come from the Embellishments in the Christmas Digital kits. Everthing was matte'd on Real Red and then given a shadow for depth. A collage page like this works well if you don't have many good photos of an event. This takes the focus off of bad photos, but gives the general impression of the day.

Oh Yeah...Another Sneak Peek!!

hb2u

I made this page using MDS (my digital studio) It's so fun and easy to use this program. Sometimes you need to whip up a page, but don't have the time or energy to pull out all your tools and supplies. I made this page because I really didn't have any spectacular photos of my daughter's birthday so I decided to make a collage of the best ones I could find. Hopefully the page will entice you enough that you don't notice the inferior photography.

The Recipe:
1. MDS
2. Paper - Sunny Day DSP
3. Photo's matted on Pink Passion
4. Labels and tags from Sunny Day and HBday Designer MDS kits
5. Flowers from HBday kit
6. Circles - punches and then matted.
7. Brads from Hodgepodge hardware
8. Colours: Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Always Artichoke, Pink Passion, Tempting Turquoise


And how could I forget another SR sneak peek??? These images are from the Totally Tess set from the upcoming Occasions Mini. These are images of little heart stamps and stamping wheels. Too cute or what?

Ho Ho Ho

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season.

I just wanted to show these little glass ornaments that I put together the other day. You start with about 20 drops of re-inker, and after you coat the inside of the glass ball with ink, you drop in some superfine glitter and shake, shake, shake. Afterwards I added some Christmas rub-on's for more detail. I learned that I am not very good at adding rub on's to a round surface.

The Blog Candy Draw entry closes at midnight PST tonight. I will get back to you by Dec 27th with a winner. Tomorrow is Boxing Day in Canada and we will be spending the holiday with family. Happy Holidays everyone.

Bermuda Pines and Another Sneak Peek

I might as well let you know that I will be posting sneak peeks about Stampin' Royalty until we go live on January 4th. So mark that on your calendars. I just can't wait...

Here's another sneak peek of one of my samples.

The card below just arrived in the mail and I just had to share it with you. My friend, fellow Stampin' Royalty DT member and co-creator, Sabriena Satchwell, sent me this lovely card. Check out her blog here or you can find the link on my sidebar.

It's coming soon...

Another sneak peek. Stampin' Royalty arrives January 6th. Our Stampin' Up! inspired challenge blog which will be open to entries made from any company's product. We're so excited to present this new challenge blog. We hope you will all join us. There will be exciting prizes and blog candy...

Exciting News!!!!!

Myself and a few other Stampin' Up! demonstrators are starting a challenge blog. It's called Stampin' Royalty. We are really excited to be sharing this opportunity with you all. We welcome entries made with any company's product. Above is a sneak peek of my first example. We will be presenting challenges based on theme, colour, sketch, and inspiration. I can't wait to see what you all come up with. There will be Stampin' Up prizes for challenge winners.

More links

Thanks to those of you who have joined as a follower. I have now added your links to my sidebar. I will continue to do so until Christmas Day. Please pass on the word. I'd like to enter as many new followers as I can into the draw. Please click on the link to the left of this post for more information about this blog candy!

Cutting Down the Christmas Tree

Here's a page that I whipped up using MDS from Stampin' Up! (That's My Digital Studio - the new digital scrapbooking program from SU) We went down to a tree farm to cut down our own tree. We had a lot of difficulty getting any good photos. The kids were too excited to both look at the camera at the same time, and the lighting in the trees was poor. So I cropped, layered, and covered up to make several collage pages. All of the MDS elements were from the Christmas Jingle Designer Kit.

Stamp-a Stack Card

Here's a super quick and easy card I made for a former Stamp-a-Stack. I love these little star sequins but they aren't from Stampin' Up!
The Recipe:
1. Stamps: Patterend Pines, Teeny Tiny Wishes
2. Ink: Old Olive
3. Paper: Whisper White, Real Red
4. Accessories: Top Note for the Big Shot, Modern Label Punch

Another Quick & Easy Card

This card was whipped together using the Accents and Elements from last year's catty. I took some shimmery cardstock and ran it through the cuttlebug with the snowflakes embossing folder, but everything else is SU.

The Recipe:

1. Cardstock: Kraft, Basic Black, Shimmery White

2. Accessories: Top Note Die, Snowflakes impressions folder (cuttlebug), Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon, Accents & Elements Stickers, Stampin' Dimensionals.

A simple card

This card was whipped up using a piece of Old Olive cardstock, the top of a wedding invitation and a sticker of a Christmas Tree. I got the Christmas tree sticker from a Gift Tag last year and I saved it because it is absolutely adorable. The gold embossed square was from a wedding invite and I cut it down and adhered it to the old olive cardstock.

SPCC #28

This page was made using My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! My Father-in-law took this awesome photo of my daughter so I just needed to scrap it. I struggled with this colour combo at first, but then I decided to focus on the colour I liked the best which was Bordering Blue. A quick look through the DSP files and I realized that there is no DSP in MDS which has Bordering Blue. So I decided to make my own.

Here's how I did it:

1. Set the background paper as Bordering Blue Cardstock - using the tools on the right side of the project screen.

2. Add the black & white DSP as a page layer using the tools on the left side of the project screen. I used Night & Day. Crop the page layer so it's just as big as the entire page.

3. Reduce the Opacity. I reduced it to 20%. Now it looks like there's Bordering Blue DSP.

After I figured out the background paper I added punches, stamps, and other embellishments to finish the page. Look at the bottom for the recipe.

The recipe:

1. Stamps (Brushes on MDS) Always, Greatest Moments, Best Wishes and More

2. Punches - 5-petal flower, Curly Label

3. Embellishments - Filigre Brads from Hodgepodge Hardware, Buttons from Button Bouquet, Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon and White Stitching.

Color Throwdown #72

These 2 cards were made for the Color Throwdown Challenge. Click here or on the photo below to check them out. When I read that this combo was inspired by the Eskimo Kisses DSP I knew I had to try this because I also have that DSP. Of the 2 cards above I absolutely love the top one, and find that the second one is missing something. What do you think?
The Recipe:
1. Paper: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Riding Hood Red
2. Ink: Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip
3. Stamps: Tree Trimmings, Christmas Greetings
4. Accessories: Stampin Dimensionals

A little more Christmas

I whipped up these cards very quickly the other night. They are based on this one here that I did for SPCC a few weeks back.

The recipe:

1. Paper: Real Red, Whisper White

2. Rub Ons: Season of Cheer (retired)

3. Accessories: Felt flurries (retired), Rhinestone brads, Silver snoflakes sequines (non-SU)

Blog Candy Update

Well ladies, I have finally posted my links on the sidebar. I think life is slowly returning to normal. Whew! Although there is one more week until Christmas and not only are my Grade Two's starting to get crazy with Christmas approaching, but My 3 year old son finally understands that Christmas is coming and he's been going crazy lately. Of course, now that my son is excited, my 2 year old daughter has figured out that something exciting is going on. Let's just say that there have been lots of tears and several time-outs around our house lately. But Anyway, I digress...

I'm getting close to 100 followers. Wow. So please click the link on my sidebar to find out about the blog candy. And to sweeten the pot, I'm going to throw in the halloween candy that has not been claimed from October - so good luck ladies!!!

A sneak peek!!!!!

I'm sorry that I haven't posted in several days, but I really needed to get my Christmas cards in the mail. I've also been very busy playing with my new toys. What new toys you might ask??? Well check out the card I threw together today. The stamps come from the current catalogue, but all the other details are listed below... If you have been following my blog for a while, or if you have been using Stampin' Up! products for a few years, you will know that Sale-a-bration is coming up. What is Sale-a-bration???? Well when Stampin' Up! discovered that February was their slowest sales month, they introduced a promotion where if you spent a certain amount of money you would earn free stamps. Every year they come up with a mini catalogue full of stampsets that you could earn for free. And now it's one of the most popular months to host a workshop. Well this year the mini catalogue includes not only stamps, but also a very cute pack of DSP and an awesome border punch. AND they've expanded the dates so THIS year Sale-a-bration starts January 5 and runs all the way to the end of March. So for every $65 you spent on product, you will be able to choose a free stampset or DSP or punch from the Sale-a-bration catalogue. Thats a whole 3 months to earn free stuff!
As a demonstrator I am able to order from these catalogues before the general public. Oh yeah, I have also been able to order from the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalogue as well. So in the card above are the absolutely adorable mini flowers from the Sweet Pea Stiched felt. These will be available in the Occasions Mini. That heart patterned DSP is from the Sale-a-bration catalogue so you can earn it for free as well as that adorable border punch. It's called the Scallop Trim Border punch and there's a matching corner punch in the Occasions Mini. OOOOhh I can't wait to post for you some of the projects I have been making for you.

The recipe:
1. Paper: Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White, Old Olive, Pink Pirouette, Welcome Neighbour DSP
2. Stamps: Sincere Salutations, Teeny Tiny Wishes
3. Ink: Chocolate Chip
4. Punches: Tag corner punch, Scallop Trim Border punch
5. Accessories: Polka Dot Grosgrain in Melon Mambo, Mini Library Clip, Sweet Pea Stictched Felt

SPCC Combo #27

Welcome to another SPCC colour combo. This week's combo is one of my favourite. I couldn't wait to use my new Fancy Favor Bigz die for the Big Shot. I combined it with the gift stamp from last year's Deer Friends hostess set. The tag on the handle is cut with the Lots of Tags sizzlits die. The polka dot paper is from the hostess set patterns pack from last year's catty.

A Little More MDS

I know, I know, I've said this a lot, but I LOVE MDS!!!!!! This is another fall leaves page that I whipped up in a few minutes. The paper is from Cast-a-Spell, and Night and Day. These new digital downloads are available as a separate download from Stampin' Up! I layered the Night and Day paper over the Cast-a-Spell and then lighten the opacity on the opaque setting to make it more transparent. The title of the page comes from the Best Wishes and More stamp brush set. I used the Modern Label punch for the journaling, and the 'together' square is a tag from the Summer Home Designer Kit

Having Fun with MDS

This page was very simple and very quick to put together. My children were playing around in the leaves at my parents house with my sister-in-law and my nephew. This is one of the photos my dad took. The paper is from Cast-a-Spell. The stamp brushes are Medallion and Enjoy Every Moment. By the way, my children are the two on the right.

Build a Bear Dollhouse is ready to download!!!

Yes it's finally here!!!!!!! You can download the plans for $9.99 USD. I have spent hours and hours getting this puppy ready for you. The directions are clear. There are 11 pages of photos and instructions. All I ask is that you don't share the plans directly, but refer others to my blog to purchase the file. Thanks Ladies for all your support. Once your payment through Paypal is confirmed I will email you the file. I guarantee delivery within 24 hours of payment and most likely it will be sooner.

Just A Little Taste...

Well I've put in 4 more hours and I'm getting closer to having a final product. The plans should be up on my site by midnight PST tomorrow. Here are some sneak peek photos for you!

Build a Bear Dollhouse Update

Yes, I haven't forgotten. In fact, I've been furriously working on the build-a-bear dollhouse instructions. I think I've logged 12 hours so far. But I'm getting close!!!! I can't say tomorrow, but definitely by Thursday evening I should have it up. Check back on Thursday around midnight and it should be up.

BLOG CANDY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm thrilled to announce CHRISTMAS blog candy. Now this time, I'd like to change the terms for earning an entry into the pot. I am trying to increase my blog traffic, and already, my wonderful followers have been increasing along with my blog hits. To thank all of you, I'd like to let everyone have the chance to earn a spot in the draw.
Here's what you can win.
- Over 30 pages of Christmas DSP from Imagine That,
- Envelopes and Card fronts to make your own cards
- Ribbon
- Christmas Die Cuts
- Sequins
It's enough to get started on next year's Christmas cards, or to scrap your photos from this year.

So here's the deal. In order to earn a spot you need to:
1. Sign up as a follower - if you are already a follower, then you only need to complete #2 and #3
2. Post a link to my blog on your blog.
3. Post a comment on this post telling me that you have linked my blog to yours.
AND
you can earn another spot if you post that link on your sidebar - not just in your main text. PLUS I will post a link to your blog on MY sidebar which should increase the traffic to your blog - so it's a win-win situation for both us us!!! But - because my life is so crazy
This contest will end on Christmas day at 12:00 midnight. Then on Boxing Day I will announce the winner (s) - Oh yeah, I always have extra surprise candy to give away. GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!!!

SPCC #26

It's SPCC time again. This week's card came together fairly quickly for me. It's hard to tell with the watermark, but the sentiment is actually a rub-on. The red cardstock was cut out with the Top Note die and the lavendar cardstock was punched out with the large snowflake punch. The white snowflake is a felt flurry and I used a rhinestone brad to hold it all together.

Just a little something...

Sorry I've been away for a few days. I've been sick, writing report cards, and doing stamp-a-stacks and other card making classes. I'll have those PDF files up on my blog in a day or two.

Here's just a little card that I whipped up in a few minutes. I had a blast with this one. I think that I might do this with my Grade 2 class.

Here's the Recipe:

1. Paper - Very Vanilla, Lavendar Lace

2. Embossing folder - Christmas tree from Cuttlebug

3. Bling - stickers from Mike's

Christmas House Mini Album

If you follow my blog regularly you will remember a post from late summer that featured a haunted birdhouse mini album. Click here to go back to that post. Well I've been meaning to put together a Christmas one. When I came upon this sketch at Our Creative Corner, I knew it was time. I will be posting a PDF file soon about this project, so if you are interested, check back in a week or so.

Anyway, the album cover is made from the thick cardstock that come as a support for DSP. It's easy to cut and cover with paper. The pages are made from celophane envelopes. And the whole thing is held together with rings which are fed through the holes made by large eyelets.