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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Gone but not forgotten!!!!

Don't give up on me! I am busy working on a total overhaul of my craft room so that I can better utilize the space! I will be back in the new year with some more new creations, and some things featuring sets from the new Mini Catalog that starts in January!

So please stay tuned!!!

Until then, Happy New Year!!!!!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Craft Sale Picture

Last weekend my friend, and Downline, Michelle and I had a craft sale at The Pathway School in Audubon, PA. It went well, and I even had a special order from it! It was only the second sale either of us had ever had, and the first one was not a very good one for any of the vendors from what I hear. In retrospect, I need to make more cards and such with other colors. There is an awful lot of Bashful Blue in this picture!!! This is a picture of just my creations.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Christmas card for Claire



This month for our PhillyInkers Mail swap, I had Claire again. (My wonderful Upline!) I wanted to go a little out of my comfort zone, and made this card for er. It features Real Red and Naturals White Cardstock. I also used my Stampin' Write Markers to color the image. The image is from "Big On Christmas", and the little sentiment (on the Real Red cardstock) is from "Heard from the Heart". The little stars on the flap are from "Seeing Stars". I finished it off with twill tape, a staple and some clear embossing powder on the little balls on the tree.
I actually had this done a while ago, but wanted to wait until Claire received it, before I posted. :)

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Moonlight Dasher

I wanted a simple "quick" card to include in my Sweet Deal Club's packages this month. I watched a DVD that my Upline Claire Lawrence lent to me. It had SU Demonstrators from all over demoing cards, and techniques. Melissa Ellis, showed the deer from Winter Post, in front of a sun on a hill. I didn't have that set, nor did I have the More Mustard ink that she used, so I tweaked it a bit, and came up with this. It uses Dasher, and the Sentiment from Snow Swirled. The moon is done by punching a 1 3/8" circle out of a Post it note, and the rest is sponged with Night Of Navy (on Whisper White Cardstock), and although it is hard to see here, I sponged a bit of Bashful Blue on the top of the hill. The ribbon is the 1/4" Night of Navy Grosgrain ribbon. I used a circle punch to punch a hole to thread the ribbon through. I added a little of the Dazzling Diamonds on the snowflakes by Dasher's antlers.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Philly Inkers Shoebox Swap

Today I was able to attend the semi Annual brunch that the PhillyInkers group holds. When we have these, we get together, have wonderful food and conversation, and afterwards, those who are able, participate in a Shoebox swap. This brunch was held at Heather Y's house, and she made FABULOUS Quiches and Skier's French Toast! YUMMY!!!!
This is the card I made for the Shoebox swap. It uses Real Red, Whisper White, and Handsome Hunter cardstock. The snowflakes are from the "Serene Snowflakes" set, and the sentiment is from "Heard From the Heart". The brads are from the Vintage Brads set. I also added a little Dazzling Diamonds here and there for a little sparkle!

Sweet Deal Club items

I have two Sweet Deal Stampin Up Clubs. One is a 6 month club, and one is a 12 months club. Each month the members purchase a minimum amount of merchandise, and then they take turns being the hostess. A win win situation! They get to buy a little Stampin' Up at a time, but they still get the chance to get the Hostess benefits!
My Sweet Deal Clubs, I have two additional benefits. The first being each month I draw a name and that person gets a free gift. The second is that each month I include a little project for them. Now last month I was not able to get the projects done in time, due to illness, so this month everyone will be getting two items. Each one will receive one of these Tic Tac holders. They all feature Stampin' Up products. The color options are the Dusty Durango with Dusty Durango Designer Paper. The second option is the Bashful Blue with the Bashful Blue Designer Paper. Either one uses the sentiment from the "Oval All" stamp set. I also used the Scalloped Oval Punch and an Oval punch. They are tied together with Whisper White Grosgrain ribbon.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

A Card for Claire


Each month at the Philly Inkers we have a Mail swap. Last month I drew Claire, my awesome and fearless Upline! She was nice enough to take this picture of the card for me, as I forgot to take one before i sent it to her! (Thanks Claire!)
I wanted to make a fun card for her, and somewhere along the line my creative juices turned over to winter! Seems that's all I have been working on!
Anyway I used the snowflakes for the background from "Snow Swirled" and "Serene Snowflakes". The Polar bear and his accessories (each piece is a different stamp) and the sentiment are all from "Cold and Cuddly". These are all sets that Stampin Up has to offer! The cardstock I used was Bashful Blue, Brilliant Blue, and Whisper White. And I used black StazOn, Bashful Blue, Real Red and Brilliant Blue Classic Inks.
I hope she likes it as much as I enjoyed making it!!!

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Craft Fair Time!!!

Today my friend Michelle and I attended our very first Craft Fair. Neither of us really knew what to expect. It was a little slow as far as customers in general, but it wasn't too bad. (A few "Seasoned" sellers mentioned that this sale was not as successful as others in the area) We are going to try to do another one this season now that we have an idea what we are doing!!!


Most important we had fun, and learned some new things, and found out what we need to make more of for the next time! In the next couple of posts are some of the items we had for sale. I made some cards, which I didn't post here since most of them were posted elsewhere in my blog, or were cards that we made in Card Club.

Items for a Craft Fair - Tic Tac Holders

I made these little cuties to hold packs of Tic Tacs! The two Snowman ones I used Circle punches and Square punches to make his body. For the backgrounds I used snowflakes from "Snow Swirled" and "Christmas Punch" which are both sets Stampin Up has to offer. The one with the sentiment, i also used the Scallop Oval punch, and the Wide Oval punch also by Stampin Up. The snowman ones have a little saying attached about Snowman kisses.

Items for a Craft Fair - Magic Reindeer Food

My daughter helped me make these. She wanted to know what made it "Magic" so I had to think fast on my feet and this is what I came up with:

"Abra Cadabra Hocus Pocus
With a Hug and a Kiss and a Christmas Wish,
make this reindeer food light the way
For Santa's Reindeer and their Sleigh.
May their travel be safe and swift
And bring a Christmas Wish
To wake up to on Christmas Morning!"

Hey it worked, she really thinks she made it magic! :) I typed the saying up on the computer, Stamped on my new favorite "Dasher" stamp from Stampin' Up and colored the title with my Stampin' Write Markers!

Items for a Craft Fair - Snowman soup

These were also a lot of fun to make! It was a little hard though, as my daughter kept asking for a candy cane, and I had just enough canes for the projects. Then she wanted marshmallows....then it was Hot Chocolate...LOL. She did finally give me some peace and let me finish them! I think this is my new favorite way to make snowmen! Just a few Circle Punches, and a couple Square punches and some scraps of orange for noses. Viola! Snowmen made and no cold hands!!! LOL! I used the snowflakes from Stampin' Up's "Christmas Punch" hostess set, and from "Snow Swirled"

Items for a Craft Fair - Candy Purses

These were so much fun to make!!!! I dug out my trusty cutting system and made the ovals. Then used circle punches and the Scalloped Circle punch for the little decoration on the front. The bags are closed with Velcro, so te happy little girl (or big girl) can refill it with her favorite candies if she chooses! :) The stamp set i used on these was Stampin' Up's "Think Happy Thoughts".

Post it note holders a second look

I decided to go back and add a little something extra to go with the PostIt Note holders. And the "Oval All" stamp set was perfect! I paired it with the Scallop punch and the Wide Oval punch. I think as simple as it was, it added that little bit extra that the project was lacking!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Items for a Craft Fair - Post It Note holders

Here are just a few of the Post It Note holders that I made for an upcoming Craft Fair that I am doing with my friend and Downline Michelle. I love these little holders! If you are like me and have trouble finding post it notes this may be a little easier for you to keep track of them! LOL. The Designer Papers and Cardstock are from Stampin Up and the ribbon is from what I had on hand.

Items for a Craft Fair - Card Holder


I love making these! This is a folder I made that when opened revels a bookmark and three cards! I Stayed within the same colors so that it would coordinate nicely. The Snowflakes are from Stampin Up's "Serene Snowflakes" from the 2009 Holiday Mini and the tree is from "Snow Swirled". The ribbon ans tassel are from stuff I had on hand.

Items for a Craft Fair - Kiss Holders

When I went to the crop a couple of weeks ago, my friend Terri had made these cute little Kiss holders. So of course I had to CASE it! I used the little tag punch from Stampin Up's Hostess set called "Christmas Punch". I have to be honest, I have not filled them as of yet, because as a lot of you know, Chocolate has a very short survival time in this house! LOL. I love these little things! Perfect for a little something to cheer someone up!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Shoebox Swap

OK first can I say that we just switched over to Fios. My hubby has been pacing the floors practically, waiting for it to arrive in our township, and we had it installed yesterday. I was unimpressed until about 30 seconds ago! I no sooner hit upload picture when a screen popped up and said the picture was loaded. OK I am officially impressed! It used to take FOREVER to upload! Don't tell him I said so though! :)
OK so anyway, I made this card the otherday for a shoebox swap that I went to last night with some of the PhillyInkers. At first I was going to make a Christmas card, but I decided that maybe it was a bit too early for Christmas (although I did make some others that I have to upload) so I took a nap, and when I woke up this is the idea that had come to me! (See naps are for grown ups too! LOL) I used Rich Razzleberry for this card, along with Very Vanilla cardstock. and Rich Razzleberry Ribbon. This may be a card I offer in an upcoming card class if anyone is interested in learning how to make it, please let me know! The design was made using on of Stampin Up's Texturz Plates, and the BigShot.

If you are on the wall about purchasing the BigShot, please know that there are so many other things that you can do with it other then just cut things! There are all sorts of ideas out there, so if you are unsure, look around! I am hoping to build onto my Dies library so that I can continue to make more creations with it.

I do have a few other cards to upload, however Inky, our cat, did not appreciate me interrupting her afternoon nap and sunning in our front window so that I could take pictures. She all but pushed me out of the way! So I had to take this one out on the front step, and I wasn't impressed with the results, so the other pictures will have to wait for now. Maybe if I am good, she will allow me to take them tomorrow....?

Friday, October 2, 2009

Fall Fest 2009

Ok first let me say that Fall Fest was AWESOME!!! It was so cool meeting lots of Demonstrators from all around our area!
So let me tell you I was swapping out card fronts that I had made and Karen Barber asked if I would like to swap with me. I was so honored!!!! I turned to my friend Heather (and fellow PhillyInker) and said "I got a Karen Barber card!!!" I was so excited. Then a little while later I was swapping and a very nice lady handed me a swap and I am looking at it thinking that it looked like a Michele Zindorf. I looked up and there standing before me was Michele!!! Can I tell you it was like meeting royalty meeting the two of them! Later they both joined the PhillyInkers that were in attendance for lunch. It was a little unnerving sitting at the table with two extremely talented ladies! But they both were super nice and very sweet!
While at Fall Fest we had a chance to sit with both ladies and create cards that they were teaching. So I came home with a Karen and a Michele card that I swapped AND a card that each of them had taught me to make.
So here are some pictures I'd like to share:

That's Michele getting ready to teach us our card. Trust me it was awesome! You will surely be seeing it soon!


And that is Karen getting ready to teach us the Black Magic technique! I am working on perfecting that one and you'll be seeing it soon as well.




Just a little side note. If you are looking for a group of ladies that you would like to join as a Demonstrator for Stampin Up, can I suggest you seek out the PhillyInkers? You don't have to contact me, if you don't want, there are many other great ladies, and a Gentleman in our group. There are quite a few of us from PA, NJ, DE all the way to Ill, and NM. After spending the day with the ladies at Fall Fest, I came to realize what a great group of ladies they really are. I already knew that they were supportive and all very nice, but I came to realize this past weekend that it is more then that. In Stampin Up we say that the person we sign up under is our Mother, And the person she signed under is our Grandmother (which by the way Karen is our Grandmother) and there are sisters, etc. Last weekend I came to realize that it is more then just a great group of ladies, but the group really IS a family. And I am so proud and honored to be a part of it!


And now my friends I am off to a class with my AWESOME Upline, (and mother) Claire! I have more to post about Fall Fest, but I have to be on my way for tonight!

Until then, Happy Creating!

Friday, September 25, 2009

Card Club is under way!!!!!

Here is my kitchen table, all set up for my Card Club that was here last night! We have a great group of ladies that come out once a month to make cards, and socialize also! Last night we made two different card designs, a Quilted card, adn a Brayer card.

Each month we make 6 cards. The dates vary by month depending on my hubby's days off. Check out my website for the upcoming dates!
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/gina_thornton/

Hope to see you soon!!!!!

Fall Fest 2009 here I come!!!




I am headed to Fall Fest tomorrow and I have to say I am excited! I made these cards for the swaps that will be happening amongst the Demonstrators that will be attending. Fall Fest is a gathering of the Downlines of Tina Rosenkratz. She would be like my Great Grandmother (I think) in my Stampin Up family. I have never met her, so it will be nice to finally meet her also! Aunt Karen (Barber) will also be there, and Michele Zindorf! Yeah it will be like Hollywood! LOL!
Anyway I planned on making 75 cards fronts for the swap, but had to stop at 58 as I ran out of Dusty Durango cardstock (gasp!) I colored the image with my new Dusty Durango Stampin Write Marker highlighted areas with my Really Rust marker and the stems are Old Olive. Luckily last weekend my daughter had a busy social calendar, and I was able to color most of the images while she was attending birthday parties. :)
These cards are a perfect example of not judging without giving a chance. When I first got the Dusty Durango, I wasn't too sure about it. Then I made the Card for Heather, and then these, and I have to say that I am glad I gave it a second chance!
The pumpkin is from Autumn Harvest.
Cardstock Dusty Durango, Very Vanilla and Soft Suede, Dusty Durango Designer series Paper.


Saturday, September 12, 2009

Asian Artistry revisited

I have a confession to make. Often times I look at a stamp set in the catalog and I just am not sure what I would use it for. I always love getting in orders for my stamp clubs so that when they order sets I can see what they look like in "real life". My friend Albert was always costing me money when I would see his orders!! LOL. He would order sets that i wasn't really sure if I "needed" and they would arrive and then I would HAVE to have it! But since I enabled (this is a term we fondly use on my favorite Message Board. Someone shows us a project, or a tool etc and we in turn HAVE to have it. There are a lot of enablers on that MB! :)) him into Stampin' UP I guess it is only fair right? Well this time my friend and Downline Michelle enabled me to get this set.

This card was made using the new In Colors. Melon Mambo, and Soft Suede, and paired with Very Vanilla cardstock. The inks are the classic inks also in Melon Mambo and Soft Suede. I stamped the sentiment on the Scallop oval punch and matted it with the Wide Oval punch. I gave it a little pop with Dimensionals. The stamp set I used was the Level 2 hostess set Asian Artistry. The little bird (I choose to make him to be a Bluebird) is colored with my Brilliant Blue watercolor crayon using my blender pen.



We made a variation of this card in my card class last month. I made a few samples, and I found it really neat that the ladies that attended made the design their own by switching out te main image, sentiments, adding and taking away elements. It was cool to see how they came up with new versions of my samples.

Monday, August 31, 2009

A room with a View


This is one of the views from my craft room/office window. Actually this is the window that is right above the computer desk. I love the Spring and summer when I can get lost in thought staring out the window at all of the little visitors to my butterfly bush. I've seen all sorts of butterflies, and bees and birds flitting from branch to branch. Its nice because I could literally reach out and touch each one of them, but they either don't see me, or don't think I am going to cause them any harm. On this particular day I just happened to have my camera within reach and snapped these photos of a Tiger Swallow perched on one of the flowers. These pictures are shot from my room looking out.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Has it been that long????

Ok so my goal of posting to this blog once a week isn't going so well. August has been such a whirlwind of events, running here, running there, you know, life. We had birthday parties, and preparations for yard sales, and another birthday party, and trips to the zoo, and being sick.

I DID however make a few things and as soon as I can find my camera to take pictures I will post some of them.

Don't give up on me yet, I will try harder I promise!

7 days until I got back to work. For some reason summers just don't last long enough! Three months fly by so quickly! Sadly the weather put a damper on so many things I had planned on doing. The pool, camping, fishing etc.

So anyway, I just wanted to come and let you know that yes I am still alive and I will try harder at getting back here to post!

Keep Creating!

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Crazy About Cupcakes and In Colors!


I am working on using all of my current stamp sets by Stampin' Up! This time I used the Crazy For Cupcakes stamp set. The background is doe using Stampin Up's Backgrounds 1 Texturz plates, which I ran through my BigShot. I used Melon Mambo and Very Vanilla Cardstock. The image is stamped in black StazOn ink and colored using my Stampin' Write markers. (The cupcake liners are actually a mix of two colors, as I made a booboo and started coloring them with the Going Gray instead of the Bashful Blue that I had meant to color them). Then I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig to properly line up the sentiment over the top of the cupcakes. And I finished it all off with my Ticket Corner punch.

Again, no sun. I may need to come up with another light source!

A card for Ann Marie

Some of the PhillyInkers are taking part in a mail swap where we make one card and send it to someone in our group. We draw names of who send to. For July I drew Ann Marie. And since am so into the brayer cards right now, I decided to make her one! I used my brayer to layer the colors (one by one) onto the card. The inks I used were Summer Sun, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and Dusty Durango. Then I stamped the Upsy Daisy image onto the labels. The cardstock is hard to tell (still no sun), but it is Bravo Burgundy, Basic Black, and Whisper White. The ribbon is Basic Black. The sentiment is from Heard from the Heart and stamped in black StazOn.

Circle of Friendship - Using scraps

In keeping with the "use all of my Current stamp sets at least once" tradition, here is the card I made today. I used the "Circle of Friendship" stamp set by Stampin' Up! The colors are very hard to tell in this picture. My light source (aka the sun) isn't cooperating today. I may have to try again tomorrow.
So anyway, I made this card using all scraps of Cardstock. I wanted to try using a few pieces of the craps I have from differnet project. I used the following colors of cardstock, Barely Banana, Dusty Durango, Old Olive and the little flower is stamped on Whisper white. The ribbon is 1/4" Very Vanilla Grosgrain ribbon and a silver brad. Inks that were used are Dusty Durango, black StazOn, and So Saffron.


Sunday, July 19, 2009

Crazy about Cupcakes

I was playing around a little last night. I wanted to make a card, but couldn't get my creative juices flowing. But this is what I came up with. I used the "Crazy About Cupcakes "and "Itty Bitty Backgrounds" stamps sets. The image is colored with my Stampin' Write markers. The sentiment is punched with the awesome Scallop Oval Punch. On the corners I used the Ticket Punch. Cardstock colors are Pretty in Pink, Real Red and Whisper White. All items are by Stampin' Up!

Monday, July 13, 2009

A Card for Heather Y.

Side view:
I made this card for a fellow PhillyInker, Heather Y. We participated in a card swap among some of the PhillyInkers. I LOVE making these quilted cards! They are so cool and each one can look different depending on which papers or Cardstock that you use.
For this one I used the new In Color Dusty Durango Designer Paper, Dusty Durango and Whisper White cardstock, and Dusty Durango Classic Ink. I used all of the following punches also: Large Oval, Scallop Oval, 1 1/4" Square punch. I also used the Top Note Die exclusive to Stampin' Up. I finished it all off with some Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain ribbons and some Stampin' Dimensionals. Then I added some little stitch marks so it looked more like a quilt. All items are by Stampin' Up.
I hope she likes it!!!

Stampin' Up presents - Deal of the week-Week 3

This weeks deal is the Square Rhinestone Brads for $6.99, that's over 30% off!This offer includes-approx. 80 brads per package (4 colors in 2 sizes)-includes lilac, light blue, turquoise, and green.
Hurry Limited time offer!! Available only from Monday July 13 and runs until Sunday July 19

Sunday, July 12, 2009

In Colors Friend Card

I made this card for the Swap tomorrow night for the PhillyInkers group. I used the NEW In Colors, Dusty Durango Designer Series Paper, Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry Cardstock. The sentiment is stamped in Dusty Durango Classic ink on Very Vanilla Cardstock. The sentiment is fro the Stampin' Up set "All Holidays". It is a great set, full of sentiments! I used the Stamp-a-ma-jig for proper positioning of the sentiment.



Thursday, July 9, 2009

Stampin Up's Stampin Write Marker Club

Have you always loved Stampin Up's markers, but just don't have the money to put out all at once to purchase them? I have a solution for you!
I am starting a new Marker Club that will include the NEW IN COLOR markers AND the Neutral markers! This club will include 4 members and last 4 months from August-November.(or whenever it is full)

Each month, each member will get One color family (12 markers) of the wonderful Stampin' Up markers. The Color Families are: Bold Brights, Earth Elements, Rich Regals, and Soft Subtles.

On the month you are "Hostess" you will receive:
Your set of 12 markers from one color family and in addition ALL of the following items:
1 set of the Neutral Markers (4)
1 set of the NEW IN Color Markers (6) These are NEW to SU's catalog!
1 Level One Hostess Stamp Set You choose
$15 in free product of your choice!
AND the Storage Case that holds the 48 Markers from the 4 color families!

And what does all of this cost you ask? The cost is just $50 per month for 4 months. You will also pay shipping from me to you for 3 of the months ($4.80 provided postage doesn't increase...again) On your Hostess month, I will pay the postage to you. That is a savings of about $10 (larger box)! All items will be sent out via Priority mail. You will be given a Delivery Confirmation number, and all packages will be insured.

If you sign up you must commit to all four months. It takes 4 people to make this work, so that everyone can get hostess credit! This is a great way to get all the markers that SU has to offer, but spreads the price out over 4 months. At the end of four months, each member will have a complete set of the 48 markers with the Storage Case, all 4 Neutral markers, all 6 of the new IN COLOR markers, a Level 1 Hostess set and $15 in FREE merchandise.

Please email me if you are interested!

GRKIDDO at Verizon dot com

Monday, July 6, 2009

Deal of the week- Week 2


Stampin' Up is continuing the "Summer Fun" savings with this great deal! This week only, you can purchase the Doctor's Bag - a great bag for transporting your Big Shot or other Stampin' Supplies. The bag is on sale for $49.99 this week. That's almost a savings of $20!!! Contact me to order your's today!

Friday, July 3, 2009

It's official! The new 2009 Idea Book and Catalog is here!



The new Catalog is officially here! It is full of great new items, and colors! The new 2009 In Colors are absolutely delicious! There are so many great new sets, and lots of the classic items as well!!! It has everything you could need in there! From Cardstock and adhesive to scrapbooking kits, to the Big Shot! Don't take my word for it, contact me to get your very own copy!
Also new is the Fall Winter 2009 Definitley Decorative catalog! It is full of great items to decorate EVERY room in your home! From Living room, to your Kitchen, to your Children's rooms! It also gives you a choice of colors so that it gives your room that perfect YOU touch!
Stampin Up also offers Online ordering! The convience of ordering right from your computer! How great is that!!! Take a look at the catalog, and place your order 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Visit my website for more Details!
Happy Creating!!!!!!!

Stampin up presents - Deal of the week!


Stampin Up is offering a deal of the week every week for the month of July!


For the week July 1st through 6th you can order the Scallop edge punch for only $10.99! That is a savings of over 30%! Don't wait order yours today!!!!
Also being offered is the Mini Starter Kit. Join Stanpin Up's family July 15th through August 31st and you can get the AMAZING starter kit! For only $85 you will receive the Fabulous NEW IN COLORS, 2 packs of cardstock, a stamp set and business supplies!!
The items that are in the kit are:
For All You Do stamp set- valued at $28.95
Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin' Pad- valued at $5.95
Melon Mambo Classic Stampin' Pad- valued at $5.95
Crushed Curry Classic Stampin' Pad- valued at $5.95
Dusty Durango Classic Stampin' Pad- valued at $5.95
Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad- valued at $5.95
Soft Suede Classic Stampin' Pad- valued at $5.95
Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")- valued at $7.50
In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")- valued at $7.95
If you choose yo may substitute any of the sets for an equal or lesser value set!

Why should YOU become a Stampin' Up Demonstrator??? Stampin' Up offers so many great products!! From stamps to scrapbooking to embellishments and everything in between!
As a Demonstrator, you get 20% off! AND when you place your first order (over $150) in your first 45 days, you will even receive a 30% discount!! Contact me for more details!


Friday, June 26, 2009

PhillyInkers

Some of you have aske what the Philly Inkers is all about. The Philly Inkers is a group of Stampin Up Demonstrators in the Philadelphia, New Jersey and surrounding areas. They are all members of Claire Lawrence's downline. Claire is the one in the center, at the head of the table. This is taken at Kristin's beautiful house in New Jersey. This is her classroom. It was taken at our Brunch in May.

Interested in becoming a member of Stampin Up and of the Philly Inkers? Ask me about becoming a demonstrator today!

Flight of the Butterfly and new InColors!


As soon as I saw the new InColors I had to make something with it! Of course it has taken me forever to photo it and get it posted, but that is another story! I am trying to get pictures in natural light, which considering all the rain we've had, has been hard to do.

So anyway I made these little cards using the new Mellon Mambo, and Soft Suede InColors. The image is stamped onto Very Vanilla cardstock in Mellon Mambo and Soft Suede Classic inks. I used my trusty Stamp-a-ma-jig to get the butterfly background lined up with the butterfly dot pattern. Oh and also the sentiment. It took a little practice, but I finally got it all straightened out! I used the Eyelet Border punch for the edge and tied it up with some Very Vanilla ribbon.
All items are by Stampin' Up!

This is on my Butterfly bush, which I can look out my window next to the computer and see. It is very relaxing to see the butterflies flitting around. And occasionally some bees and birds visit as well. Last year the bush was filled with butterflies of all kinds! Can't wait to see who comes to visit this year!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Just Buzzin' By

I just knew when I saw the "Just Buzzin By" set that I NEEDED to have it. It is such a cute set! The little bee faces are just so pinchable! This is only using a few of the stamps from the set, there is even more cuteness in store!
I stamped the honey pot in Going Gray so it blended a little nicer on the card. The bees and sentiment are all stamped in StazOn ink and the the bees are colored in with my Marvelous Markers. I used blender pens to color their wings with the Going Gray stamp pad because I thought the Going Gray marker was still a little too dark, and wanted the wings to have a more translucent look to them. I went with the Inchies because they are kind of the "thing" in Cards at the moment. And they are perfect size for these bees! I used my Scallop square punch to give it a little more detail.

Thanks for looking!

Markers and Inks and Papers OH MY!




Look at all of the BEAUTIFUL colors!!!! Here they are the 2009-2010 InColor Colors by Stampin Up! And new this year is the InColor Markers! Isn't that awesome???? I love that we are finally able to get markers for the InColors to match all the inks, papers, cardstock and....RIBBON! Don't even get me started on the ribbon! There is also new InColor Polka dotted ribbon. I didn't order mine yet, and I am kicking myself for it!
There are SO MANY new things in the upcoming catalog! You just have to see this catalog! Oh but wait, you have to wait until July 1st for it's official release, that's when you can start buying your own beautiful InColor merchandise!
Contact me today if you would like to be the proud owner of the new catalog!!!! :)


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Echos of Kindness and Pretty Petals card


Another picture that didn't come out very bright! It doesn't do the card justice!
Anyway I made this one for a Swap with the PhillyInkers SU group that I am a memeber of, for a shoebox swap. The background is a background stamp from Stampin' Up called Pretty Petals. The sentiment is from a hostess set called Echos of Kindness. I stamped it in Real Red classic ink on Very Vanilla card stock. I then distressed the edges a little with the Real Red stamp pad. The Sentiment is stamped on Pretty in Pink cardstock, adhered to Real Red cardstock. I tied it up with a Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, and adhered it to a Real Red card.
Sometimes I think background stamps get overlooked. I don't know why. They make such great backgrounds on cards! And since Stampin Ups are big, they fit a A2 size card perfectly! Distress the edges for a nice look.

Soft Summer card

I am trying some differnent things to get better pictures of some car that I am creating. So you never know where you may see a picture taken next!
I made this card for a swap with the PhillyInkers group. I tried to take a picture with natural light, so I propped it in one of the trees that line my driveway. (which I always end up backing up into when I back up in the drive! )
I used the Soft Summer stamp set by Stampin Up for the flower. I stampd it on Very Vanilla cardstock with my StazOn ink. Then I used sponges to first sponge on some Pretty In Pink all over, and then sponged on Pixie Pink along the edges. Then I used my Stampin Write markers to color the image. I used the ticket corner punch for the corners of the Very Vanilla Piece. Adhered that to Pixie Pink, then onto Pretty in Pink. The sentiment is from Heard from the Heart also by Stampin Up.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

A new Charity!

So Melissa posted on my blog about a new charity, and I have contacted them to see how MANY cards I can donate! I love being in swaps, but it seems I don't know that many people to send all these cards to! I love making cards, and will keep on swapping, but with three Photo boxes and another bigger box overflowing with just cards that I have made, I think it is time to start parting with them! So time to break out my camera, and start taking pictures! After all that takes up a lot less space!!

Now I am not going to send ALL of my cards....but I do have a nice pile! I am just awaiting answers to a few questions before I send them!


Thank you so much Melissa!!!!

Oh if anyone else is interested, here is the charity:
http://www.stillsomeone.org/

I can't wait to brighten some folks' day!!!!!

Sunday, April 5, 2009

"Just A Note"








Do you want to know something funny? When I first saw this set “Petal Pizzazz” by Stampin’ Up, I thought, “I’ll never use that”. But after I attended a Demonstration with my Upline, Claire Lawrence, I looked at it again, and bought it. I never really knew what to do with stamps that were a solid design. I have learned so many things since selling Stampin’ Up last July.
So I made another card using the “Petal Pizzazz” set. It is pretty much the same card, just different colors, but I like it anyway. I used Brilliance Inks for it, Pearlescent Sky Blue, Pearlescent Purple, and Pearlescent Orchid. I stamped the sentiment in StazOn ink. The sentiment is by Rubber Stampede! I also used the Stampin’ Up Scallop edge punch for the edge.

Friday, March 13, 2009

A cool site for backgrounds!

So I wanted to spice up my blog, and today I was blog surfing and found this site:

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/free-backgrounds

It has some really cute free backgrounds! Check them out!

I fought the knife, and the knife won!

So I learned a valuable lesson last night. If you are having dinner, and a steak knife slips off of your plate, as long as it isn't going to hit a child or pet, don't try to grab it!!!!!

Last night I settled onto the couch, which is where I have been eatting when David is off since mom is with us. I was already to sink my teeth into the juicy steak that David had grilled out. And the steak knife slips off my plate. I tried to grab it and instead, stabbed myself right in the palm of my right hand. As the blood was gushing, yes gushing, from my hand I yell to David for papertowels! He just looks at me, until my mom started yelling! He rushes me to the ER. I am trying not to pass out or vomit as he talks to all the people he knows from work (he is a prison guard, and one of the "residents" was also in the ER).
The Doctor said he wasn't going to glue or stich it as he wants it to drain. They gave me a tetnus shot as I wasn't sure when my last one was. He shoved the little piece of "meat" back into the hole and cleaned it up put me on an antibiotic and sent me home. He was glad that the knife was clean before I stabbed myself! (I guess you have to have something good to look at!)

This is not the first time I have cut myself with these knives, but the first ER visit. Sad thing is, I bought the knives for us Christmas 2007 as I wanted better knives! They are pretty sharp!

David brought me home, reheated my dinner and cut my steak for me!

Cheyenne was in the room when it all happened, but she told me when we got home that she thought it was barbeque sauce. It was probably a good thing! But she was upset that I bled on her jacket! (Maybe that will teach her to hang it up like I tell her!)



Sooooo anyway, I will try to stay motivated and still post, but please...no poking me with sharp objects if I fall behind!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Wow Flowers Card



I needed to make some cards for the folks in my Stampin Up club, and also some cards for my 2009 Addicted to Cardmaking swap. I also wanted to show the difference that using Stampin Up products make when you create a card, so I went ahead and made these.
Now please know that I CASEed (Copy and shared everything) from a design by a fellow PhillyInker, Ilina Crouse. (thanks Ilina!) She had designed this card for a ShoeBox swap that we had at one of our PhillyInker meetings. I used the Stampin Up set “Wow Flowers”. The card on the top used all products (except the ink colors) that I had purchased at one of the big box stores. In the card below, I used all Stampin Up product. The cardstock is Real Red and Pink Pirouette. The ribbon is the 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain ribbon. I also used the Real Red Classic Ink along with the Pink Pirouette Classic Ink. I used the 1 ¼”, 1 3/8”, 1 inch circle punches, along with the Scallop circle and the scallop border punches, all by Stampin Up.