Quick note

I apologize again for not updating in days, but I am still experiencing computer problems. The problem is all with my e-mail right now, but my computer is in the shop where they are trying to find all of my e-mail from the last few years (including anything that you have sent me in the last 3 weeks or so because that is all lost too....). Ugh!!

My husband and I are heading out of town for several days so I will not be updating during that time. Hopefully the problems will all be solved by the time I return because I have some projects that I would like to share with you.

I did want to tell you about the Stampin' Up! (r) special that is coming for June. You will be able to order a new stamp set called Fresh Cuts for $21.95 and you can then add on cute little Fresh Cuts notecards for only $5 (the regular cost will be $8.95, I believe). The little notecards are so cute!! They have a cut out flower on the front so you can put card stock behind to show through. I wanted to give you a link to a GALLERY OF CARDS made with this stamp set and some use the little notecards also. (Click on the capitalized, colored words above to see the gallery!)

Enjoy!! I'll be back in a few days. :o)
~Amy

Prize and a goose

I've been wanting to share with you a prize that I won from my up-up-upline in Stampin' Up! (r). She and one of her first level downlines are doing a fun contest for us, their downline, during this SU! year. They are having random prize drawings after each quarter, then for the Top 15 achievers (in receiving the cute little stars that you see in the picture for preset parameters) and 5 randomly drawn winners will be invited to a Gala event in July with more gifts, prizes, make and takes and other fun stuff!! I've been working hard to receive those cute little stars. I can get stars for things like a $400 show in a month, submitting cards to card contests each month, signing up any new downline members (would you like to join?), listening to great training audios from SU!, etc. It has been so much fun and so far I have gotten a prize each quarter!! First, I got a pack of Bashful Blue card stock, then I got the stamp set Ginormous Flowers (wow!), and this time I got Mini Glue Dots and Sponge Daubers! How fun is that!?!

The other pictures that I want to show you today are just fun. We have a pond in the back yard and every year, we have geese who come through and visit. Most years they also have eggs and then goslings, unless some predator like a snake gets them. The first picture you can see how calm and beautiful the mother goose looks. But my daughter was pretty close to get these pictures and so the goose stood up and began to hiss at her. That explains why the picture is a little blurry! But you can see those eggs under her. I can only count 5 in the picture, however I believe that she has 6 under there. Now we will wait for our little goslings. They are so much fun to watch!! I'll try to remember to take pictures of them for you, if I'm able.

Have a blessed Monday, everyone!!! I have been stamping and will try to show you some cards soon. My internet service is back, however all of my saved e-mail and new e-mail from the last week or so is totally missing!!! So if you've e-mailed me in the past week, I probably didn't get it. Please try again...

My stamping space

I know that this is hard to believe, but I am still having e-mail touble and now internet problems too!! We have the satellite people coming out today to install a new dish, so I am hoping that then most of my computer woes are over! Computers----they're great when they work, but not my favorite things when they don't work!!



So for today I thought that I would show you some pictures of my stamping space for those who have never been to my house. You'll have to try to come over for a camp or class sometime! My room is in my basement. (And it is a little messy in these pictures, but it's an often used, well loved space.)

As you can see, I have six tables that can be arranged any number of ways for whatever is needed for my classes. That makes them very convenient! You can also see the 4 drawer file cabinet that I use for all of my 8 1/2" x 11" paper. I have the 12x12 paper in containers on the bottom of the little bookcase and in a plastic container on one end of the countertop. Too much paper. I hoard paper because I love it, but I don't want to run out especially if it a discontinued package.

I have part of my stamp sets of our built in bookcases, but another part on a little bookcase that my husband made years ago. And the little yellow stickers that you see on some of the stamp sets mean that those are retired! I just love them too much to part with them yet though. :0) I have a hanging shoe holder on the wall to keep those odds and ends close at hand and visible so that I remember to use them. (You know what they say---out of sight, out of mind! So true.) I really need to somehow put my punches out so I can remember to use those, too. But I'm always trying to upgrade and improve my space.

And you can see half of my countertop/desk area in the final picture. I have my ink pads there and all the extra ink pads are on the wall unit. (I use that for my Stazon pads and the In Colors.) I would really like to add some shelves to the wall there so my countertop area would be more usable. Someday.... And all of those drawers and cabinets are stuffed full of supplies as well. Incredible!! Actually as I am sitting here looking around my room, I believe that a coat of paint would be an excellent idea soon. I wonder when I can work that into my schedule....

You can also see some large totes around the room....those are pictures that are patiently waiting to be scrapbooked. Can you imagine so many pictures? Please tell me that you have lots around that need to be done as well. :0) And I'm not even mentioning all the pictures that are currently trapped in my computer from the digital camera.

And in case you are wondering, the tiles on the floor are made into a chess board. They are 12"x12" black and white tiles, and we have huge chess pieces to go with the board. (The king is 12" tall.) Maybe I'll take a picture of them for you sometime.

Have a great day! I hope that you enjoyed the tour of my stamping space today. I'm trying to make my post quickly (so not so detailed) because I am using a telephone connection. I don't want the phone to be tied up all day. Happy stamping!!

A Project using Rub-ons

I had a chance this week to play with my rub-ons quite a bit and I just loved how quick, easy and cute these are!! I used an Accents and Elements empty tin to make a holder for a set of note cards. The rub-ons that I used are called "A Perfect Day" and they are found on pg 15 of the Occasions mini catalog. Did you know that you can still order from that mini catty through the end of June? Don't miss these cute rub-ons and the other fun stuff in the mini. :o)

This set will make a nice gift and it only took me about 2 hours to complete this whole project. I decorated matching envelopes for several of the cards. I took a couple of close up pictures of my favorite cards. What do you think of these?

I'm sorry that it has taken me several days to post again, but we are having more internet trouble. We have satellite service through Hughes and it is really leaving a little to be desired right now. :o( The help desk thinks that something is wrong with our dish, so hopefully when the guy gets out to fix that, our problems will be mended!!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day to all of you moms out there! I'll post again whenever I can.

Can you take one more shell card?

I just LOVE this new Seaside stamp set, don't you?!? I am ready to go to the beach, but I'll have to wait until August for that. So until then, I'll just keep playing with my shell stamps. :0) For this card, I used Bashful Blue, Night of Navy and Whisper White card stock. My ink colors are Night of Navy for the shell and the sentiment (from the set called Sincere Salutations) and Basic Gray for the Background stamp called Tweed. I added a beautiful decorative brad from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware set in the Occasions Mini catalog and hooked a piece of Striped Bashful Blue ribbon between the brad prongs before opening them on the backside of the card stock. I attached the shell card stock piece with Stampin' Dimensionals to give some depth. I once again am very happy with this creation. How do you like it?

I also wanted to share May's Stampin' Up! (r) specials with you. These specials are only available through May 31, 2008. Here they are:

1) Get On Board with Chipboard---Place an order for at least $35 worth of merchandise, then you can get 25% off any On Board Chipboard products in the Spring/Summer catalog that you purchase!!

2) Cutting Combo Pack---Purchase a Cutting Mat and get a Hobby Blade for FREE!!

3) Hodgepodge Recruiting Promotion---What a great deal!!! Purchase the Starter Kit for only $159 plus tax (a 20% discount) and choose a Hodgepodge Hardware Kit from the Spring/Summer Catalog for FREE (a $27.95 value). Finish choices are: Antique Brass, Pewter, or Aged Copper. And the great part is that you never, ever have to sell a thing if you don't want to or maybe you just want to get the demo discount on everything that you order personally. SU! has very low quarterly minimums. Or maybe you are interested in making enough with your business to purchase whatever you want without dipping into your personal budget. Ask me if you'd like more details about any of these options!!! But don't delay because this offer ends on May 31, 2008.

On the homefront, I am so excited to share that we finished our standardized testing today!! Now it is all downhill for the rest of our school year. Woo-Hoo!! Have a great day and I'll post again soon because I've been playing. :0)

~Amy

Another day....another shell card!!

I am just loving this Seaside stamp set from Stampin' Up! (R). I am so excited with how this card turned out!! I started with Chocolate Chip card stock, then I used the great new Afternoon Tea Designer Series Paper that you can see in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Next I used a little piece of Naturals White card stock stamped with Chocolate Chip shells. I made the scalloped edge using the Corner Rounder Punch without the guard on it. I added some Chocolate Chip Tafetta Ribbon. The little added accent was done with the Scallop punch (with Soft Sky CS) and the 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches (choc chip and naturals white). My words are from Happy Everything and stamped with Chocolate Chip ink. I used Soft Sky ink to stamp the shell in the background. Isn't this so beautiful?!?

For the inside, I used a layer of Naturals White so that it was easier to see the message that you would write. I stamped some shells in the bottom corner to add a little beauty to the inside.

I really love this stamp set and all of the wonderful things that you can create with it. I can't wait to have a little more time to play with it again. :0)

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by. I'm getting closer to 5,000 hits every day!!

Crayon Resist Starfish

This card is done using the Crayon Resist Technique. This is an easy technique, but you must start with Glossy White card stock. Then you use a permanent ink, like Black Stazon for this card. Let it dry for a few minutes so that it does not smudge (I've learned that the hard way....benefit from my mistakes!). Then use your white crayon (or another color, if you would like to play around more with the technique) and color in some areas that you would like to remain white. Next you can use a brayer, if you would like one color all over your glossy card stock, or you can use q-tips or sponge daubers like I did for this card so that I had a variety of colors on the image. (I used Cameo Coral, Mellow Moss, Creamy Caramel and Bashful Blue for my starfish image. I think that you can see the picture a little larger if you click directly on it.) Once you have fully colored your art, then take a tissue and gently rub around it and any ink that has stuck to the spots where you colored with crayon will come right off, leaving the white card stock showing through. And this is CRAYON RESIST. :0) Fun!! Now, you go and give this technique a try and send me some pictures of your artwork!! (If you give me permission, I will even put the pictures on my blog and give you credit.)

The other picture shows the other fun thing that I did with this card. I used my small oval punch on the top layer of the card. Then I stamped my "for you" words through the hole, so that they are on the inside of the card. Then I used a piece of the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware from the Occasions Mini catalog around the oval opening!!! Just the right size and shape...almost like Stampin' Up! designed it that way!! What do you think?!?

By the way, the Occasions Mini Catalog sales period has been extended until the end of June!! You can an extra month to get all the things that you have been wanting from it. Whoo-Hoo!!