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Friday, December 23, 2011

Bring on the Bling Baby! It's gonna be a GREAT year!

It's not that this year was a bad year (it was pretty awesome in fact!), but I just LOVE all the hope and promise that a new year brings.

Last January, I attended Leadership for the first time and had a FABULOUS time! The theme for this past calendar year was +ONE. If you're a Stampin' UP! demonstrator, you've seen our +ONE grow over the year - it's GORGEOUS!! This past year, I've +ONE'd my business to 14 team members and I've also +ONE'd my workshops and sales. I can't WAIT to see what 2012 brings!

At Leadership this coming January, Stampin' UP! will announce a new theme: My Way. I'm so excited to see what it entails! I can tell you that I'll continue to run my Stampin' UP! business MY WAY with LOTS of fun and enthusiasm and just a little sparkle and shine to keep things fun.

Like this:



Have you SEEN these before?? I discovered them this week on Pinterest and had one of those, "OH. MY. GOSH. Why didn't *I* think of that?" moments. I mean really. How simple and how fun could this be??

It's a custom "skin" for my iPhone 4. It's made of paper, unlike the skins that you can buy in the kiosks at the mall. that are vinyl and cost a FORTUNE!! I figure the cost of the one above is about 15 cents. Maybe a bit more because of the Silver Glimmer Paper.

I made two yesterday and the cost of BOTH of them together was probably 10 cents. I kid you not.

The beauty of these is that, if you wanted to, you could change it out EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Twice a day even! Have one for daytime and another one for evening. They're THAT easy to make!

There's no stamping on this one. I just used my Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Sizzlits to cut out the numbers and added a strip of Silver Glimmer Paper to the right hand side.  That's all there was to it!

If I don't get to visit with you before Christmas, I wish you a VERY Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year filled with LOTS of good things!

Happy Stampin'!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Bring on the Cake from the Stampin' UP! website

I just LOVE that the many talented designers at Stampin' UP! have created such wonderful samples to showcase our products.

This card will be a gift in and of itself when it is handmade by you. When you combine Textured Impressions Embossing Folders, Designer Series Paper, and the Bring On the Cake Stamp Set, you have a happy birthday for anyone.
Isn't it GORGEOUS?

SUPPLIES:
  • Big Shot Die-Cut Machine
  • Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Die 
  • Bring On The Cake Stamp Set
  • Jet Black Stazon Pad 
  • 2011 In Color Stampin Write Markers 
  • Certainly Celery Stampin' Write Marker 
  • Pink Pirouette Stampin Write Marker 
  • So Saffron Stampin' Write Marker
  • Pool Party 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
  • Soft Suede 8-1/2 X 11 Card Stock
  • Whisper White 8-1/2 X 11 Smooth Card Stock
  • Subtles Designer Series Paper
  • Designer Buttons
  • Scallop Edge Border Punch
  • Stampin' Dimensionals
  • White Bakers Twine
Here's an idea!!! I'm adding this card to a class! On January 7th, I'll be teaching a class during which we'll be decorating the Perpetual Birthday Calendar and creating FIVE Birthday cards to get you well on your way to sending out birthday cards in a timely manner during 2012. Since I like this card so much, I'll create it and YOU can create it too as part of the class. How does that sound?

I only have a few spots left in the class and the cost is only $20! You can't afford NOT to come!!

Happy Stampin'!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

BREAKING NEWS!!!

I wanted to put this up as a new post so it would GRAB your attention! Since it's SO close to Christmas, the Stampin' Queens have decided to offer up a gift to three of the participants who join us this week!

So, head on over the to the Stampin' Queens site and link up your creation. YOU could win a prize!!!

Happy Stampin'!

Garden Green for the Stampin' Queens!

So...you know that song, "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas"? Well, I don't want a hippopotamus, I want a new camera!!! I don't even care if it's new to me (in fact, if Santa brings me one, I hope it's NOT new) as I would REALLY like a Canon 30D. It's a discontinued model, but I had the 20D (it was stolen) and this one is a step up. You can get them used for a fairly reasonable price.

WHY do I want a new camera? *sigh*

THIS:

is why I want a new camera. While I LOVE my iPhone (in fact, I just figured out to BLOG from it, which should be a BLAST at Leadership next month!), it SUCKS at taking pictures of my work. *sigh* On this one, I ended up with glare from the Whisper White AND the Basic Rhinestones. I want the rhinestones to sparkle, but this is ridiculous!

Anyway...I started off with a base of Garden Green. I want to call it a scrapling, but I'm not sure if it qualifies as scrapling size. It's 2 1/2 x 5". I have a LOT of pieces that are 2 1/2 x 11" because this past summer I made some 3 x 3" golf cards for a charity event. It was kind of short notice, so I didn't have time to order 12 x 12" cardstock. I had to trim down my 8 1/2 x 11" and ended up with the 2 1/2 x 11" pieces.

When I started making the card, I didn't really like the 5 1/2" size, so I trimmed it down to 5" and that made me happier.

I added a couple of layers...some Whisper White and Wild Wasabi Designer Series Paper. The labels were made using the Matchbox Die and I stamped the sentiment from Bring on the Cake in Wild Wasabi.

The card was based (kind of loosely - LOL!) on this sketch:


What do you think?

STAMPS: Bring on the Cake
INK: Wild Wasabi
PAPERS: Whisper White and Garden Green Cardstock; Wild Wasabi DSP
ACCESSORIES: Sponges (for the edges), Big Shot + Die, Baker's Twine, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Stocking Builder Punch

We have just received word that the Stocking Builder Punch will NOT be carried over to the next catalogue. If you'd like it, it will ONLY be available while supplies last. Click on SHOP NOW in the left sidebar to order yours today.

Happy Stampin'!

--
Hugs~
Christyne xoxox

A peek at the Stampin' Queens

Happy Tuesday!! Are you ready for CHRISTMAS??? If you count today, there's only FIVE more shopping days! YIKES!!!

While your heart rate returns to normal after processing that information, here's a peek at the Stampin' Queens card you'll see tomorrow:


Don't forget to come back for the FULL reveal!

Happy Stampin'!

Monday, December 19, 2011

January Team Cards

How cute is this:

Well...THAT was annoying! I typed out a WHOLE post and all I got was the "How cute is this" caption and even IT was in the wrong place. CLEARLY Blogger mobile needs some TWEAKING!!!

Anyway...these are my January Team Cards for the Canadian Blossoms. It's been a year since I launched my Stampin' UP! business into high gear! In that year, my "team" grew from me to FOURTEEN members! How awesome is THAT? I didn't keep track of how many cards I sent out this year, but I know it was a LOT! My team gets a card EVERY. SINGLE. MONTH.

This particular card was CASE'd from Diana Gibbs with a slight modification on the ribbon treatment. It was such a cute card, I couldn't help myself!

There's STILL time to get YOUR name on my list for January! My team cards go out on the first of the month (MOST of the time - LOL!), so you still have 12 days to join my team and be on the January list.

Don't despair though! If you can't can't join my team this month, I'm more than happy to have you join in January and add you to my list beginning with the February team cards. I haven't designed them yet, but I'm pretty sure they'll be awesome! :)

What do you think?

STAMPS: Aviary, Smarty Pants
INK: Basic Black, Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist, Old Olive, Poppy Parade
PAPERS: Whisper White, Marina Mist, Old Olive
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

This is only a test

I just enabled mobile blogging and want to see the results.


Sent from my iPhone
With hugs and kisses
Christyne

Caged Birds for the Stampin' Queens!

A little humour for you today...


Or...at least *I* thought it was funny. Get it? The birds found each other? But they're both caged? No? Oh well...I'll just keep chuckling to myself. It might just be the insanity of the season that's affecting me. Who knows?

And, my apologies for the blurriness...I'm pleading high on sugar from baking the lemon shortbread that I stamped with my Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps. They're lemon, so they're not my cup of tea but I had to taste them to make sure they were good. My hubby, however, loves them. Better on his hips than mine!

Anyway...I used this:


to stamp the cages! In the 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue, Stampin' UP! introduced Clear-Mount Perfectly Placed Guides. These cling to the Clear Mount blocks to allow for PERFECT placement of stamps. You can line them up right on the block before you even start stamping. BRILLIANT! There are some in the package that fit right on the blocks and others that you can cut to size. There's even one with circles on it for circular text and one with wavy lines for wavy text - LOVE!

After I stamped the cages, I added the birds in Marina Mist. I probably should have used my Stamp-a-majig because the birds look like they're floating. We'll just say they're excited to see each other, OK?

The sentiment, from A Word for You, was stamped in Marina Mist and hand cut. It was added to a piece of Blushing Bride before being adhered to the front of the card.

Last but not least, here's the sketch on which the card was based:



What do you think?

STAMPS: Aviary, A Word for You
PAPERS: Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzazz Cardstock; Nursery Nest DSP
INKS: Pear Pizzazz and Marina Mist
ACCESSORIES: Clear-Mount Perfectly Placed Guides, Stampin' Dimensionals, Embossing Folder. Big Shot

Happy Stampin'!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Doing the Mojo with CCMC in Basic Poppy Limeade

Confusing enough for you? LOL! Well, it's MONDAY and I actually got to DO the MOJO Monday ON the actual Monday...which I can assure you is NO small feat!

I also decided to use the CCMC colour challenge, which is kind of Christmas-y, but sort of not. I mean...it's red and green, but I can't wrap my brain around how bright the colours are. KWIM?

Anyway, here's the card:


The CCMC colour challenge this week was Basic Grey, Poppy Parade and Lucky Limeade...which are KIND OF Christmas-y, but not really what I would call traditional Christmas colours. Maybe that's just me. You can let me know what you think in the comments section below.

The only Basic Grey I had was 12 x 12" textured cardstock, so I started off with that, trimming it to 8 1/2 x 11" and then in half to 4 1/4 x 11". I then added a piece of Basic Grey Designer Series Paper from the Neutral paper pack. It's cut to 4 x 5 1/4". I added some more Designer Series Paper from both of the In Colour packs.

I stamped the ornament in Poppy Parade and the little string in Lucky Limeade. I punched out the circle using the 1 3/4" circle punch and then sponged the edges using Poppy Parade. I adhered the punched circle to a piece of Lucky Limeade which was punched with the 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle Punch and stuck it all to the front of the card using Stampin' Dimensionals.

The sentiment was stamped on Whisper White in Poppy Parade and trimmed it to a skinny strip before turning it into a banner.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Tree Trimmings, Short and Sweet
INK: Poppy Parade, Lucky Limeade
PAPERS: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Lucky Limeade and Poppy Parade Cardstock; Basic Grey, Lucky Limeade and Poppy Parade DSP.
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

Good morning friends! I do hope you've had a WONDERFUL week!!!

My INTENTION was to post each day in December - sort of my OWN version of "December Daily". Alas, my crazy life has TAKEN OVER! I just keep telling myself that I only need to get through ONE. MORE. WEEK. My last stamping commitment is on December 11th - PHEW!!!

Have you got all your Christmas shopping done? What's top on the list this year? Me? I want to stop MISPLACING my supplies - LOL! It took me HOURS to find the rhinestones for this card. HOURS! Where were they? Somehow, they managed to end up UNDER one of my cabinets. *sigh* ONE. MORE. WEEK.

At any rate, here's today's card:


I thought that perhaps I should invert the order of the circles to make it more like a snowman...but then, I FINALLY found my rhinestones and EVERYTHING just worked out - PHEW!!

I stamped the images on Whisper White using Night of Navy Ink and punched them out using various sized circles. They were adhered to a hand cut tag of Night of Navy and blinged out!! The Bashful Blue panel was run through the Snow Burst Embossing Folder.

And here's the sketch on which it was based:


What do you think?

STAMPS: Snow Swirled
INK: Night of Navy
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue and Night of Navy Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Basic Rhinestones and Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Peekin' at the Stampin' Queens!

Happy Tuesday! It's sneak peek day for the Stampin' Queens!


Be sure to come back tomorrow for the FULL reveal!

Friday, December 2, 2011

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Or at least I WISH it was! No snow here today in MY part of Southern Ontario, though a few of my friends are reporting white stuff a bit further north and west. Lucky them! I can't wait for it to start snowing in earnest. I just love, love, LOVE this time of year!

The Christmas specials are all on TV (next week is A Charlie Brown Christmas!) and last night I watched the CMA Christmas Special - Scotty - swoon!

Anyway...since there's no snow on the ground, you get snow on my card today - in the form of a snowman from Snow Much Fun. I'm pretty sure this my FAVOURITE winter/Christmas set this year. I just keep reaching for it over and over! I CASE'd this card from a fellow demonstrator, but I did a BAD thing and forgot to make note of who it was - OOPS! If it was YOU (or you know who it was), PLEASE let me know so I can give proper credit.


I stamped my snowman in Staz-ON on Whisper White and actually DID use my Watercolour Wonder Crayons and Aqua Painters to colour his hat, boots, scarf and ADORABLE carrot nose! Oh! And those cute little birdies too.

Now, for the most part, I don't use water on Whisper White Cardstock, but since it was such a TINY bit of water, I got away with it. If you try and use too much water, your cardstock will pill and you'll end up with a nasty mess. A light hand is key here.

This is just ONE of the six (times 3 = 18) cards we'll be making at my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack on Saturday December 10th. I still have a few spaces left and you'll have 18 (!) cards completed in under 4 hours. The cost is $40 and if you RSVP with payment on or before December 6th, I'll have a SPECIAL treat for you!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Snow Much Fun, Tags til Christmas
INK: Staz-ON, Cherry Cobbler
PAPERS: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler Cardstock
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painters, Baker's Twine, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots

Happy Stampin'!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

It's December 1st - Let's Get STAMPIN'!!!

DECEMBER

MONTH-LONG OBSERVANCES
Awareness Month of Awareness Month’s Month
Bingo Month
Colorectal Cancer Education and Awareness Month
Hi Neighbor Month
Identity Theft and Prevention Month
Learn a Foreign Language Month
National Drunk and Drugged Driving Prevention Month
National Safe Toys and Gifts Month
National Sign Up for Summer Camp Month
National Stress Free Family Holiday Month
National Tie Month
National Write a Business Plan Month
Operation Santa Paws
Prevent Blindness Month
Quince and Watermelon Month
Read a New Book Month
Rising Star Month
Root Vegetables and Exotic Fruits Month
Spiritual Literacy Month
Take a New Year’s Resolution to Stop Smoking Month
Tomato and Winter Squash Month
Universal Human Rights Month
World AIDS Month
Worldwide Food Service Safety Month
Write to a Friend Month

WEEK-LONG OBSERVANCES
First Week
First Week of Advent
Cookie Cutter Week
National Tolerance Week
Recipe Greetings for the Holidays Week

Second Week
Second Week of Advent
Coats for Kids Week
Human Rights Week
National Hand Washing Awareness Week

Third Week
Third Week of Advent
Halcyon Days
International Language Week

Fourth Week
Christmas Bird Count Week
Fourth Week of Advent
Gluten-Free Baking Week
It’s About Time Week

Fifth Week
Kwanzaa

December 1st
American Civil Air Patrol Founded (1941)
Day Without Art Day
Eat A Red Apple Day
Jan Brett's Birthday (1949)
National Pie Day
Rosa Parks Day
Special Kids Day
World AIDS Day

December 2nd
Ann Patchett's Birthday (1963)
Charles Ringling's Birthday (1863)
Cold Moon
David Macaulay's Birthday (1946)
Georges Seurat's Birthday (1859)
Gianni Versace's Birthday (1946)
National Fritters Day
National Mutt Day
Play Basketball Day
Special Education Day

December 3rd
Andy Williams' Birthday (1930)
Ear Muffs Day
International Day of the Disabled Person
Joseph Conrad's Birthday (1857)
Let’s Hug Day
National Roof-Over-Your-Head Day
Ozzy Osbourne's Birthday (1948)

December 4th
Cracker Jack Day
Gemma Jones’ Birthday (1942)
National Cookie Day
National Dice Day
Santa’s List Day
Wear Brown Shoes Day

December 5th
Bathtub Party Day
George Armstrong Custer’s Birthday (1839)
International Ninja Day
International Volunteer Day
National Communicate With Your Baby Day
National Sacher Torte Day
Play Hooky Day
Repeal Day (Repeal of Prohibition)
Rose Wilder Lane's Birthday (1886)
Walt Disney's Birthday (1901)

December 6th
Coats and Toys for Kids Day
Dave Brubeck’s Birthday (1920)
Ira Gershwin’s Birthday (1896)
Joyce Kilmer’s Birthday (1886)
Miner’s Day
Mitten Tree Day
National Gazpacho Day
National Pawnbroker’s Day
Put on Your Own Shoes Day
St. Nicholas Day

December 7th
Harry Chapin’s Birthday (1942)
International Civil Aviation Day
Letter Writing Day
Marie Tussaud’s Birthday (1761)
National Cotton Candy Day
National Pearl Harbor Day
Ted Knight's Birthday (1923)

December 8th
Bad Hair Day
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
James Galway’s Birthday (1939)
James Thurber's Birthday (1894)
Jim Morrison's Birthday (1943)
Mary Queen of Scots' Birthday (1542)
National Brownie Day
Take it in the Ear Day
USSR Ceased to Exist (1991)

December 9th
Christmas Card Day
Clarence Birdseye’s Birthday (1886)
Donny Osmond's Birthday (1957)
International Anticorruption Day
Jean deBrunhoff's Birthday (1899)
John Milton's Birthday (1608)
Judy Dench's Birthday (1934)
Margaret Hamilton’s Birthday (1902)
National Pastry Day
National Salesperson Day
Nightgown Day
Weary Willy Day

December 10th
Bobby Flay’s Birthday (1964)
Day of the Horse
Emily Dickinson's Birthday (1830)
Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales Day
Human Rights Day
Kenneth Branagh's Birthday (1960)
Melvil Dewey's Birthday (1851) (Dewey Decimal System)
Nobel Prize Day
Rumer Godden's Birthday (1907)
Susan Dey’s Birthday (1950)
Treaty of Paris Signed (1898)

December 11th
International Mountain Day
King Edward VIII Abdicated Throne (1936)
National Noodle Ring Day
Pilgrims Land on Plymouth Rock (1620) see 12/21 too
UNICEF Anniversary (Est. in 1946)
UN International Mountain Day
William Joyce's Birthday (1957)
World Choral Day
Worldwide Candle Lighting Day

December 12th
Bob Barker’s Birthday (1923)
Bonza Bottler Day
Edvard Munch's Birthday (1863)
Gingerbread House Day
Gustave Flaubert's Birthday (1821)
International Children's Day
National Ding-A-Ling Day
Poinsettia Day

December 13th
Christopher Plummer's Birthday (1927)
Dick Van Dyke's Birthday (1925)
Ice Cream Day
Mary Todd Lincoln’s Birthday (1818)
National Cocoa Day
New Calendar Day
New Zealand Discovered (1642)
St. Lucy Day
Steve Buscemi’s Birthday (1957)
Violins Day

December 14th
Buy a Tree Day
Monkey Day
Morey Amsterdam's Birthday (1914)
NASCAR founded (1947)
National Bouillibaisse Day
Nostradamus' Birthday (1503)

December 15th
Alexandre Gustave Eiffel's Birthday
Betty Smith’s Birthday (1906)
Bill of Rights Day
Cat Herders Day
National Lemon Cupcake Day
Tim Conway’s Birthday (1933)

December 16th
Barbie and Barney Backlash Day
Boston Tea Party Anniversary (1773)
JANE AUSTEN'S BIRTHDAY (1775)
Ludwig Von Beethoven's Birthday (1770)
Margaret Mead's Birthday (1901)
National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day
Noel Coward’s Birthday (1899)
Underdog Day
Zionism Day

December 17th
Arthur Fiedler's Birthday (1894)
Bill Pullman's Birthday (1953)
Duff Goldman’s Birthday (1974)
Cookie Cutter Day
John Greenleaf Whittier’s Birthday (1807)
John Kennedy Toole's Birthday (1932)
National Maple Syrup Day
Wright Brothers Day

December 18th
Bake Cookies Day
Jacques Pepin’s Birthday (1935)
International Migrants Day
National Roast Suckling Pig Day
Play Bingo Day
Steven Spielberg’s Birthday (1947)
Wear a Plunger on Your Head Day

December 19th
Chocolate Pizza Day
Eve Bunting's Birthday (1928)
Look for an Evergreen Day
Oatmeal Muffin Day
Poor Richard's Almanac Published (1732)

December 20th
Games Day
Go Caroling Day
Hanukkah Begins at Sunset
International Human Solidarity Day
Irene Dunne’s Birthday (1898)
Mudd Day
Sacagewa Day

December 21st
Ann and Samantha Day
Cold Moon
Crossword Puzzle Day
First Day of Winter
Forefather’s Day
Look at the Bright Side Day
National Flashlight Day
National French Fried Shrimp Day
National Haiku Poetry Day
National Homeless Persons Remembrance Day
Paul Winchell’s Birthday (1922)
Phileas Figg Win a Wager Day
Pilgrims Land on Plymouth Rock (1620) see 12/11
Ray Romano’s Birthday (1957)
Winter Solstice
World Peace Day

December 22nd
Barbara Billingsley’s Birthday (1922)
Giacomo Puccini's Birthday (1858)
Maritime Day
National Date Nut Bread Day
National Regifting Day
National Haiku Poetry Day
Popcorn Popping Day

December 23rd
Family Caregivers Day
Festivus
Roots Day
Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear (1888)

December 24th
Christmas Eve
Ignatius Loyola's Birthday (1491)
Johnny Gruelle’s Birthday (1880)
Kate Spade's Birthday (1962)
National Chocolate Day
National Egg Nog Day
Noel Streatfield’s Birthday (1920)

December 25th
Annie Lennox's Birthday (1954)
A*Phabet Day or No “L” Day
Christmas
Clara Barton's Birthday (1821)
David Sedaris’ Birthday (1956)
Humphrey Bogart's Birthday (1899)
National Pumpkin Pie Day
Saint John Feast Day
Sir Isaac Newton's Birthday (1642)
Washington Crossed the Delaware (1776)

December 26th
Boxing Day
Carroll Spinney’s Birthday (1933)
David Sedaris’ Birthday (1956)
Henry Miller's Birthday (1891)
Kwanzaa Begins
National Candy Cane Day
National Thank You Note Day
National Whiners Day

December 27th
Fruitcake Forever Day
Louis Pasteur's Birthday (1822)
Make Cut-Out Snowflakes Day
Saint John Feast Day
Visit the Zoo Day

December 28th
Card Playing Day
Childermas/Holy Innocents Day
Hanukkah Ends
National Chocolate Days
No Interruptions Day
Pledge of Allegiance Day

December 29th
Jude Law’s Birthday (1972)
Mary Tyler Moore's Birthday (1936)
National Chocolate Days
Pepper Pot Day
Saint Thomas of Canterbury Feast Day
Tick Tock Day

December 30th
Bacon Day
Davy Jones' Birthday (1945)
Falling Needles Family Fest Day
Festival of Enormous Changes at the Last Moment Day
Mercer Mayer's Birthday (1943)
Michael Nesmith's Birthday (1942)
National Bicarbonate of Soda Day
Oh My! Day
Rudyard Kipling’s Birthday (1865)
Sean Hannity’s Birthday (1961)
Tiger Woods’ Birthday (1975)
Tracey Ullmann’s Birthday (1959)

December 31st
Blue Moon
Diane von Furstenberg's Birthday (1943)
First Nights
Henri Matisse's Birthday (1869)
John Denver's Birthday (1943)
Make Up Your Mind Day
New Year's Eve
No Interruptions Day
Smoke Alarm Day
Universal Hour of Peace Day
Unlucky Day
World Peace Meditation Day

with thanks as always to Jane Hignite

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

Welcome back to another week of Stampin' Queens! Today marks week 15! Here's this week's sketch:


And here's my take on it:


I opted for a square instead of a circle for this week...mostly because I already had a coloured image - LOL! The image is stamped in Staz-On on watercolour paper and coloured in using both the watercolour crayons/reinkers and AquaPainters. I trimmed the image to 2 1/4" square and then matted it on Riding Hood Red and Soft Suede.

I added three different patterns of Riding Hood Red from the Regals Patterned Paper Stack to the Soft Suede layer before adhering it all to the Crumb Cake base.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Little Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes (Sentiment)
INK: Staz-On, Soft Suede
PAPERS: Riding Hood Red and Soft Suede Cardstock; Riding Hood Red DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Watercolour Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painters, Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Frostwood Lodge - It's not just for Christmas Cards

Welcome to week 14 of the Stampin' Queens Sketch! WOW! Have you been playing along?

Here's this week's sketch:


And here's my take on it:


I was inspired by Carrie Gaskin to use Frostwood Lodge on something that WASN'T a Christmas Card. Carrie happened to use the Cherish Friendship set too!

I stamped the image in Staz-On ink on Watercolour Paper trimmed to 2 x 2". I used my watercolour crayons and aqua painters to colour the image.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Cherish Friendship
INK: Staz-On
PAPERS: Cherry Cobbler and Garden Green Cardstock; Watercolour Paper; Forestwood Lodge DSP
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Aqua Painters, Watercolour Crayons

Happy Stampin'!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Stampin' Queens Sneak Peek!

Better late than never, right? If you're my Facebook friend, you know I've had a CRAZY busy day! While I was having a crazy day, I used up my quotient of awesome for the day *sigh* After I picked up my van at the mechanic, I realized AFTER I got ALL. THE. WAY. HOME. that I forgot my house keys in the loaner car I used. Now...if you had SEEN my house key chain thing, you'd be amazed too. It's HUGE - lanyard, key fobs, etc...more STUFF than keys. Yeah...and I forgot it. Again, *sigh*

Anyway, so THAT'S why my sneak peek is SO. DARN. LATE. However, if you come back tomorrow for the full reveal, I'm sure you'll agree it was worth it!

Here's your peek:


My apologies for the blurriness. iPhone. *sigh*

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the full reveal!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Are you ready for THIS??


Oh WOW!!! Can you just imagine? AWESOME products for an even BETTER price! And TODAY ONLY, you can get the Simply Scored and/or the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps for 20% off! That SUPER special on TWO BRAND NEW PRODUCTS is available TODAY ONLY! Until midnight (MT), that's 2 a.m. EST if you want to wait till the last possible second. Keep in mind though, that NONE of these sales will be extended. Once the deadline has passed, that's it!

BIG NEWS
Were you thinking of attending my Perpetual Birthday Calendar Class on January 7th? If so, NOW is the time to book!
Stampin' UP! has reduced the price of the Perpetual Birthday Calendar during this online extravaganza so I'm reducing the price of my class!
You MUST book AND pre-pay no later than November 30th to take advantage of the reduced price!
When you book and pre-pay before November 30th, pay only $20 instead of $25. On December 1st, the price goes back up to $25.
You can see all the details of this class here.

Happy Shopping! It's a GREAT time to get your Christmas shopping done!

Happy Stampin'!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

Happy Wednesday! Welcome back! I hope you didn't miss me too much last week, but as I mentioned yesterday, I came down with a nasty cold/sinus infection - SO not fun! I have some antibiotics on board now, so I'm feeling MUCH better!

Here's the sketch with which we were working. I just LOVED the layers:


As always, a sketch is a jumping off point, so I did a liberty here and there, though I did pretty much stick with the general idea this week.  My brain is not QUITE up to snuff, so I don't want to go TOO crazy - LOL!

Here's my take on the sketch:


I started off with the centre panel. I had an idea to use Lovely as a Tree, but then when I chose my paper, I decided I wanted to go with something a little more whimsical and I chose Season of Joy instead. I stamped the tree in Versamark ink and then sprinkled it with Wild Wasabi Stampin' Emboss Powder and heat it with my heat tool to set the powder. I also used the Versamark ink to add a watermark to the Wild Wasabi cardstock panel.

I attached all the pieces to Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Series Paper panel before attaching the brads and then adhering it to the front of the card.

When it was all together, I SMOOCHED it!!!

What do you think?


STAMPS: Season of Joy
INK: Versamark, Wild Wasabi (used inside)
PAPERS: Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi and Garden Green Cardstock; Holly Berry Bouquet DSP
ACCESSORIES: Wild Wasabi Stampin' Emboss Powder, Brads, Smooch Spritz, Stampin' Dimensionals

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

It's good to be back - with a peek at the Stampin' Queens!

Dear friends, I am SO sorry for my long absence! I came down with a cold early last week that then became a sinus infection. Needless to say, I wasn't up to much of anything let alone blogging.

However, I'm back now and will be sharing the Stampin' Queens card with you tomorrow. Today, you get a little peek!


Don't forget to come back tomorrow for the full reveal!

Happy Stampin'!

Monday, November 7, 2011

MDS Monday - Brigid

This...is Brigid:


I created this page using pictures (with permission) of my young friend Brigid. Brigid has Mitochondrial disease. She fights a daily battle with a disease that, when treatment ends, will see the Kidd family with one less member. This is their reality.

Unfortunately, Mitochondrial disease has no cure. There's also not much funding for these families.  To that end and to help my dear friend, I have created some jewelry pieces to sell, most of which are green as this is the colour that represents this disease.

I know you usually come here to see all my card projects, but just for a moment, I'd appreciate if you thought of the Kidd family and little Brigid. Please purchase a piece of jewelry if you are so led as the profits from the sales go directly to them. Brigid needs a new walker and SO many other things that AREN'T covered by medicare.

Here are a few of my more recent pieces. If you see something you like, please let me know and I'll be happy to send it off to you.

Thank you.









Wednesday, November 2, 2011

It's a BLOG HOP - SUDSOL STYLE!

The SUDSOL blog hop is one of my favourites and I do my best to participate in as many as I can! SUDSOL is SUCH a great resource that I use ALL THE TIME and the blog hop is my way of giving back. Joining SUDSOL is one of the first things I did after becoming a demonstrator. If YOU are a demonstrator, I can't recommend it enough! If you'd like to see what it's all about, click on this link and take a two week tour - FREE!

For this blog hop, we're featuring Holiday Projects. These cards were inspired by other talented demonstrators and I put my spin on them. They were featured at my most recent Christmas Card Class at which the ladies had a GREAT time and half of them have ALREADY signed up for my next Christmas Card Class - I can't wait!


STAMPS: Merry & Type
INK: Chocolate Chip, Versamark
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
ACCESSORIES: Aqua Painters, Seam Binding, Glue Dot, Stampin' Dimensionals


Did you know that there all KINDS of templates, ideas and inspiration on the SUDSOL site? You can check out my gallery here, just to get an idea! I've been a featured stamper twice and have been on the design team - hard work, but VERY rewarding.



STAMPS: Gifts of Christmas
INKS: Island Indigo
PAPERS: Whisper White, Island Indigo, Silver Glimmer Paper
ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensinals


STAMPS: Snow Swirled (greeting)
INK: Garden Green
PAPERS: Whisper White, Crumb Cake and Garden Green Cardstock; 
Holly Berry Bouquet DSP
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Filigree Brads, Buttons, Bakers Twine, Glue Dots


I do hope you've enjoyed this stop on the tour and hope you will continue along to visit all the other talented SUDSOL demonstrators blogs.

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour

Happy Stampin'!

Something happy this way comes!!!

This post is sticky at the top until the day of the blog hop, so please scroll down to see what I've been creating. You WON'T be disappointed!

It's Wednesday! That must mean STAMPIN' QUEENS!

Happy Wednesday Friends! It's time for the Stampin' Queens!

Here's the sketch we were given this week:


I took a BOAT LOAD of liberties with this one as you can see from the finished project:


And...it's not a card either! It's a folder in which you can place pictures/notes/wish lists, etc. Want to see the whole thing?? You'll have to come back tomorrow - 3-D Thursday!!!

There's NO stamps on this one. I used the Letters To Santa Designer Series Paper and the Letters to Santa Quick Accents.

Now...here's the deal. Leave a comment here AFTER you've participated in the sketch challenge and link me up in your comment so I can see your AWESOME creation. Then, TOMORROW, come back and leave a comment to let me know what you think of the finished product. Everyone who does those two things will be entered into a random draw and be eligible to WIN the folder.

What do you think?

STAMPS: NONE
INK: NONE
PAPERS: Letters to Santa DSP
ACCESSORIES: Letters to Santa Quick Accents, Ribbon

Happy Stampin'!

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

A Peek at the Stampin' Queens

Happy Tuesday! Did everyone have fun trick-or-treating last night??  My youngest had a bit TOO much fun, so he stayed home sickie today. He'll be back to school tomorrow...it was more of a precaution than anything.

Here's today's little peek at the Stampin' Queens Sketch:


You'll want to be SURE to come back tomorrow! Cristena is offering BLOG CANDY on the Stampin' Queens Blog and I'll be offering you the chance to WIN my creation!

It's November 1st - Let's get stamping!

MONTH-LONG OBSERVANCES
Adopt a Senior Pet Month
Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Apple Month
Aviation History Month
Banana Pudding Lovers Month
Child Safety and Protection Month
Christmas Seals Month
COPD Awareness Month
Diabetic Eye Disease Month
Epilepsy Awareness Month
Family Stories Month
Gluten-Free Diet Awareness Month
Good Nutrition Month
Great American SmokeOut
Greens and Plantains Month
Historic Bridge Awareness Month
I am So Thankful Month
International Drum Month
Latin American Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month
MADD’s Tie One On for Safety Holiday Campaign
Military Family Appreciation Month
National Adoption Month
National AIDS Awareness Month
National Alzheimer’s Disease Month
National Diabetes Month
National Epilepsy Month
National Family Caregivers Month
National Georgia Pecan Month
National Healthy Skin Month
National Home and Hospice Month
National Impotency Month
National Inspirational Role Models Month
National Life Writing Month
National Long-Term Care Awareness Month
National Marrow Awareness Month
National Model Railroad Month
National Native American Heritage Month
National Novel Writing Month
National Peanut Butter Lover's Month
National Pet Cancer Awareness Month
National Pomegranate Month
National Roasting Month
National Scholarship Month
National Sleep Comfort Month
National Stomach Cancer Awareness Month
Native American Heritage Month
NoSHAVEmber
Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Plum and Pomegranate Month
Prematurity Awareness Month
PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month
Real Jewelry Month
Spinach and Squash Month
Sweet Potato Month
TMJ Awareness Month
Vegan Month

WEEK-LONG OBSERVANCES
First Week
Chemistry Week
Diabetes Education Week
Give Wildlife a Brake! Week
Intimate Apparel Week
National Allied Health Week
National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week
National Fig Week
National Patient Accessibility Week
World Communication Week

Second Week
Dear Santa Letter Week
Drowsy Driving Prevention Week
Health Information and Technology Week
International Fraud Awareness Week
Kid’s Goal-Setting Week
National Children's Book Week
National Drug Facts Week
National Nurse Practitioner Week
National Radiation Tech Week
National Young Readers Week
Operating Room Nurse Week
Pursuit of Happiness Week
World Kindness Week

Third Week
American Education Week
Geography Awareness Week
Lung Cancer Awareness Week
National Farm-City Week
National Global Entrepreneurship Week
National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week

Fourth Week
National Adoption Week
National Better Conversation Week
National Bible Week
National Family Week
National Game and Puzzle Week
National Teens Don’t Text and Drive Week

Fifth Week
Travelers with Disabilities Awareness Week


November 1st
Aishwarya Rai’s Birthday (1973)
All Saint's Day
Book Lover's Day
Give Up Your “Shoulds” Day
Lyle Lovett's Birthday (1957)
National Author's Day
National Family Literacy Day
National Go Cook for Your Pets Day
Nutty Pecan Day
Stephen Crane’s Birthday (1871)
Teach a Friend to Homebrew Day
Zero Tasking Day

November 2nd
All Soul’s Day
Cookie Monster Day
Daniel Boone's Birthday (1734)
Digital Scrapbooking Day
ELECTION DAY
Flight of the Spruce Goose (1947)
Look for Circles Day
Marie Antoinette’s Birthday (1755)
National Deviled Egg Day
Piggy Bank Day
Plan Your Epitaph Day
Traffic Director’s Day

November 3rd
Bean Day
Cliché Day
Dennis Miller’s Birthday (1953)
Housewife's Day
International Tongue Twister Day
Ken Berry's Birthday (1933)
Sandwich Day

November 4th
Laura Bush’s Birthday (1946)
King Tut Day
Mischief Night
National Candy Day
National Chicken Lady Day
National Men Make Dinner Day
Pumpkin Chucking Days
Sterling North's Birthday (1906)
Use Your Common Sense Day
Waiting for Barbarians Day
Will Roger's Birthday (1879)
Yanni’s Birthday (1954)

November 5th
Art Garfunkel’s Birthday (1941)
Gun Powder Day
Guy Fawkes Day
National Donut Day
Pumpkin Chucking Days
Roy Rogers’ Birthday (1911)
Sadie Hawkins Day
Sam Shepard’s Birthday (1943)
Vivian Leigh's Birthday (1913)

November 6th
Basketball Day
Charles Dow’s Birthday (1851)
Guiness World Records Day
John Phillip Sousa's Birthday (1854)
I Love Nachos Day
Marooned without a Compass Day
Ray Conniff’s Birthday (1916)
Pumpkin Chucking Days
Sally Field’s Birthday (1946)
Saxophone Day
Zero Tasking Day

November 7th
Albert Camus' Birthday (1913)
Daylight Savings Time Ends
Fala Day
Hug-a-Bear Day
International Tongue Twister Day
Job Action Day
Joni Mitchell's Birthday (1943)
Magazine Day
Marie Curie's Birthday (1867)
National Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day
Republican Elephant Day

November 8th
Abet and Aid Punsters Day
Bonnie Raitt's Birthday (1949)
Bram Stoker's Birthday (1847)
Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day
Dunce Day
Edmund Halley’s Birthday (1656)
Election Day
Harvey Wallbanger Day
Kazuo Ishiguro’s Birthday (1954)
Margaret Mitchell's Birthday (1900)
National Ample Time Day
National Parents as Teachers Day
Parker Posey's Birthday (1968)
X-Ray Day

November 9th
Carl Sagan's Birthday (1934)
Chaos Never Dies Day
Mary Travers’ Birthday (1936)
National Young Reader’s Day
Neon Sign Day
Parade Day

November 10th
Area Code Day
Claude Rains’ Birthday (1889)
Forget Me Not Day
Gingerbread House Day
Josh Peck’s Birthday (1986)
Martin Luther’s Birthday (1483)
Sesame Street Debuted in 1969
Tim Rice’s Birthday (1944)
Toothpaste Day
U.S. Marine Corps Established in 1775

November 11th
Air Day
Death/Duty Day
Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Birthday (1821)
George Patton’s Birthday (1885)
God Bless America first performed in 1938
Kurt Vonnegut's Birthday (1922)
Origami Day
Remembrance Day
Veteran's Day

November 12th
Anne Hathaway’s Birthday (1982)
Auguste Rodin's Birthday (1840)
Chicken Soup for the Soul Day
Domino Day
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Day
Grace Kelly’s Birthday (1929)
Nadia Comaneci’s Birthday (1961)
National Gaming Day
National Pizza With the Works But No Anchovies Day

November 13th
Chris Noth’s Birthday (1954)
Garry Marshall’s Birthday (1934)
International Tongue Twister Day
Mom's and Dad's Day
National Indian Pudding Day
Robert Louis Stevenson’s Birthday (1850)
World Kindness Day

November 14th
Aaron Copeland’s Birthday (1900)
Claude Monet’s Birthday (1840)
Condoleeza Rice's Birthday (1954)
Brian Keith's Birthday (1921)
Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day
National Girls Day
National Teddy Bear Day
Operating Room Nurse Day
Prince Charles' Birthday (1948)
Spicy Guacamole Day
William Steig's Birthday (1907)
World Diabetes Day
World Orphans Day

November 15th
America Recycles Day
Ed Asner’s Birthday (1929)
Georgia O'Keefe's Birthday (1887)
I Love to Write Day
National Bundt Pan Day
National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day
National Philanthropy Day
Pack Your Mom Lunch Day
Robert Cavalli's Birthday (1940)

November 16th
Button Day
Have a Party with your Bear Day
International Day for Tolerance
National Educational Support Professionals Day
Prematurity Awareness Day
Quit Smoking Day

November 17th
Electronic Greeting Card Day
GIS Day
Great American Smokeout
Guiness World Record Day
Homemade Bread Day
Lee Strasberg's Birthday (1901)
Martin Scorcese’s Birthday (1942)
National Family Volunteer Day
Rock Hudson’s Birthday (1925)
Take A Hike Day
Unfriend Day
Use Less Stuff Day
World Peace Day

November 18th
Christian Siriano's Birthday (1985)
Margaret Atwood's Birthday (1939)
Mickey Mouse Day
Occult Day
Owen Wilson’s Birthday (1968)
Push-Button Phone Day
William Gilbert’s Birthday (1836)
William Tell Day
World COPD Day

November 19th
Calvin Klein's Birthday (1942)
Equal Opportunity Day
Have a Bad Day Day
Gettysburg Address Delivered by President Lincoln in 1863
Indira Gandhi's Birthday (1911)
Meg Ryan's Birthday (1961)
National Adoption Day
National Family Volunteer Day
National Survivors of Suicide Day
Pencil Day
Play Monopoly Day
Pop Tarts created in 1965
Rocco DiSpirito’s Birthday (1956)
Tommy Dorsey’s Birthday (1905)
World Toilet Day

November 20th
Absurdity Day
Beautiful Day
Cat Days
Children’s Day
Edwin Hubble’s Birthday (1889)
Mexican Revolution Day
Name Your PC Day
Peanut Butter Fudge Day
Richard Dawson’s Birthday (1932)
Time Card Clock Invented in 1888
Traffic Light Day
Universal Children’s Day
World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims

November 21st
Beaver Moon
Dave Hignite’s (My Husband) Birthday (1961)
False Confession Day
Harold Ramis’ Birthday (1944)
Marlo Thomas' Birthday (1943)
Pumpkin Pie Day
Voltaire's Birthday (1694)
World Hello Day
World Television Day

November 22nd
Abigail Adams’ Birthday (1744)
Go for a Ride Day
Hoagy Carmichael’s Birthday (1899)
Humane Society Anniversary Day
Jamie Lee Curtis’ Birthday (1958)
Start Your Own Country Day
Stop the Violence Day
Thanksgiving Dinner 101 Day

November 23rd
Boris Karloff's Birthday (1887)
Bruce Hornsby's Birthday (1954)
Dr. Who Day
Eat a Cranberry Day
National Cashew Day
Rick Bayless’ Birthday (1953)
Tie One On Day
You're Welcomegiving Day

November 24th
Arundhati Roy's Birthday (1961)
Celebrate Your Unique Talent Day
Dale Carnegie’s Birthday (1888)
Frances Hodgson Burnett's Birthday (1849)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's Birthday (1864)
Macy Thanksgiving Day Parade
Scott Joplin’s Birthday (1868)
Shopping Reminder Day
Thanksgiving Day
Turkey-Free Thanksgiving Day
Use Even if the Seal is Broken Day

November 25th
Amy Grant's Birthday (1960)
Black Friday
Blasé Day
Buy Nothing Day
Flossing Day
International Aura Awareness Day
Marc Brown's Birthday (1946)
National American Heritage Day
National Parfait Day
Sinkie Day
You're Welcome Day

November 26th
Charles Schulz's Birthday (1922)
College Fraternity Day
Flossing Day
John Harvard’s Birthday (1607)
Maize Day
MY BIRTHDAY!!!!
Natasha Bedingfield’s Birthday (1981)
National Cake Day

November 27th
Buffalo Bob Smith's Birthday (1917)
First Sunday of Advent
Jimi Hendrix's Birthday (1942)
Manalo Blahnik's Birthday (1942)
National Day of Listening
Pie in the Face Day
Pins and Needles Day

November 28th
Cyber Monday
Ed Harris’ Birthday (1950)
John Bunyan’s Birthday (1628)
John Galliano's Birthday (1960)
Jon Stewart’s Birthday (1962)
Make Your Own Head Day
Polaroid Camera Day
Red Planet Day
William Blake's Birthday (1757)

November 29th
Busby Berkeley’s Birthday (1895)
C S Lewis' Birthday (1898)
Chuck Mangione's Birthday (1940)
Electronic Greetings Day
Garry Shandling's Birthday (1949)
Louisa May Alcott’s Birthday (1832)
Square Dance Day
Turkey Leftover Day

November 30th
Ben Stiller's Birthday (1965)
Computer Security Day
David Mamet’s Birthday (1947)
Dick Clark's Birthday (1929)
Jonathan Swift's Birthday (1667)
Lucy Maud Montgomery's Birthday (1874)
Mark Twain's Birthday (1835)
National Meth Awareness Day
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Day
Sacher Torte Day (also in December)
Sir Winston Churchill's Birthday (1874)
Stay At Home Because You're Well Day

With thanks as always to Jane Hignite