Christmas Pals

Hi Stamping Friends!

Well I finally stamped a Christmas card.  It's about time!  I have my family Christmas card all planned out, but it doesn't involve tons of stamping.  It does involve lots of cardstock being cut out with the Big Shot though.  And lots of my favorite Olive Striped Ribbon, but that's all I'm gonna say!  We used to send out about 120 cards each year, but I cut the list down to 100.  As soon as I get our cards mailed out, I'll post pics of them here at the blog.  I wouldn't want anyone to see it too soon!

Today's card combines a fabulous sketch from my favorite Stampin' Up! only online hangout Stampin' Addicts.  They offer a different challenge every day of the week and Thursday is sketch challenge day.  So if you love to play in Stampin' Up! challenges, come join the fun!  We are looking for more players.  This is for challenge SACC35.  The second challenge is a theme challenge from Pals Paper Arts called Christmas Cheer.  Yay!  Christmas!  Here's my card:

The card base is Old Olive layerd with Real Red Textured cardstock.  The DSP panels are from the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit.  The ornament is from Delightful Decorations and is so easy to cut out with the coordinating Ornament Punch!  I added a Circle Fire Rhinestone brad and some silver cord to add a little extra bling.  So fun to finally do Christmas!  I have my club gals coming over Sunday, so I'll be thinking up Christmas projects all week.  Maybe we should just make this card.  Why reinvent the wheel right?!

Delightful Decorations  #116517  $21.95

Ornament Punch  #116794  $15.95

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Tween Birthday Boy and a Final Jingle!

Hi Stamping Friends!

Just thought I'd share the Tween Birthday Boy card pack I will be selling for my mission fundraiser.

I used Kraft cardstock for the bases and Kiwi Kiss, Basic Gray, Basic Black, Baja Breeze, and Very Vanilla for various elements.  The DSP is called Urban Oasis.  Bummer is it's retired!

And for the grand finale... the last Christmas Jingle card.  This is number 20 out of 20.  Remember, tomorrow is the last day to take advantage of the Early Bird special of $40.  After tomorrow, the price is $45 and includes all supplies to make 20 cards, plus envelopes, a glue stick, and a pack of Dimensionals.  What a bargain! 

The cute ornament is made using the Delightful Decorations stamp set that is featured in the Holiday Mini Catalog.  It's punched out using the new Ornament Punch, also in the mini.

If you can't make it to stamp all 20 cards with me, I can make you a kit and send it to you.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Fall Inspiration

Hi Stamping Friends!

Today I have a card that was inspired by this photo from the Pottery Barn:

Isn't it gorgeous?!  It's a challenge from the Pals Paper Arts PPA9.  I love the colors of fall.  Green and brown being my two faves.  I've got different shades of the two all over my house.  I put together a quick card for this challenge, because I almost missed the deadline!  This card needs something, I just don't know what.

I kept it clean and simple.  The Always Artichoke Top Note panel reminds me of the vases in the photo.  The Really Rust and Crushed Curry leaves are a Sizzix die.  The little pumpkin is from the Autumn Harvest stamp set.  The sentiment is a current Level 1 Hostess set called Holiday Best.  The card base is Kraft cardstock.

And here's a Christmas Jingle card before I go.  Only a couple more left!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Jingle all the way!

Hi Stamping Friends!

Didn't want you to think I've already abonded my blog!  So I thought I would post another Christmas Jingle card. 

Remember, the Early Bird price of $40 is good until October 1st.  After that the price is $45.  Your registration payment must be received by October 15th.  I look forward to stamping with you on Nov. 14th and 15th!

I've got more mission card packs designed... Tween Boy Birthday and Tween Girl Birthday, but haven't taken any pics yet.  I've got a crazy busy week ahead and hope to be able to post them soon.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

More Mission Cards

Hi Stamping Friends!

Juat thought I'd do a quick post of another set of the cards I'm making to raise funds for my mission trip.  These are the Birthday Girl set.  Same layouts as the boy set, just more girly! 

And I can't leave you without showing you another Christmas Jingle card!  Be sure to mail in your payment by Oct. 1st to take advantage of the Early Bird Special! 

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Cards for Missions

Hi Stamping Friends!

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I had the priviledge of attending the 15th anniversary celebration of Students International.  It's a Christian mission organization that has mission sites in Guatemala, Dominican Republic, Figi, and Costa Rica.  Our church has been partnering with them for a number of years.  Our high school and college students have the opportunity to go on a two week mission trip during the summer.  My husband has been to the Dominican Republic site and had an amazing time. 

So fast forward to the dinner/fundraiser that we attended.  I was enjoying the food, listening to students give testimonies to the awesome experience they had with SI.  Then the director's wife steps up to the mic and starts talking about how they had their first Women's Only trip to the Dominican Republic last year what an incredible experience it was and they are so excited to plan a second one for this coming February. Well... I want to go!  So I'm in the process of planning card bundles to sell to help raise funds for my trip.  Each bundle will have 5 cards and will cost $15.  I'm planning on sending out an order form to all my family and friends. 

Here's the first pack that I've designed.  This is the Birthday Boy set: 

I have the Birthday Girl set designed as well.  Hopefully I'll have time to post those tomorrow.  I hope to have a teen set, plus a set for women and one for men.  I was also thinking of doing an All-Occasion set, as well as a "Blue-Plate Special".  I'm sure my plans are bigger than my energy, but God will provide!

Of course the day would not be complete without a Christmas Jingle card.  We are getting to the end of our Christmas card parade.  

I have a couple challenges I want to partcipate in, so I should go get stamping!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Quick Post!!

Hi Stamping Friends!


Just wanted to leave a quick post, as I'm short on time this evening. This first card is one I created for two challenges over at Stampin' Addicts, my new hangout. I love this website because it is almost entirely Stampin' Up! stuff, which I'm all about! This card is a combination sketch challenge and color combo challenge. I really love how it turned out!























The colors are Basic Black, Basic Gray, Pale Plum and Rich Razzleberry. Don't ya love it?! I never would have done this color combo on my own, that's why I love challenges... gets you outside your box. And we all know I need to get outside my box every once in awhile! The stamp sets I used are Just Jawing and Extreme Elements (a current fave!).



The second card is another Christmas Jingle card.





















I really wish I was a better photographer, because these cards are so much cuter IRL! Anyhoo! Remember ther Christmas Jingle Early Bird Special ends October 1st!
Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!

Diva Disaster!

Hi Stamping Friends!

I couldn't wait to partcipate in the sketch challenge over at the Diva Coffee Break Designs blog DCBD145! I tried to use a stamp set I haven't touched in awhile. I tried to come up with an unusual color combo. I tried to be creative. But all I really ended up doing was making a mess! :)

So here's my first attempt at this sketch:




















UGH! Isn't it awful?! It's like a train wreck. Your eye doesn't even know what to look at 'cause there's so much (TOO MUCH!) going on. The stamp set is Fresh Cuts. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The DSP is Autumn Traditions, which is how I came up with the color combo... Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant, Ruby Red, More Mustard and Soft Suede. Really too many colors to try and fit on to one little card front! Because this card was such a disaster, I could not sleep until I had redeemed myself.

This is my second attempt at using this sketch:




















Isn't it so much cuter?! I used the Crazy For Cupackes set. The sentiment is from Wow Flowers. The DSP is Razzleberry Lemonade. The colors are Rich Razzleberry, Melon Mambo, Pumpkin Pie, and Crushed Curry. The Pumpkin Pie panel is embossed using the new SU! Impressions Folder called Petals-A-Plenty in the Holiday Mini. Even though there are just as many panels and colors going on, this card is easier to look at!



Of course I also have another Christmas Jingle card to show you. We're on card #12. Only 8 more to go! We are going to have a blast at this Stamp Camp. You don't want to miss it!!















Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!

Our Coach Rocks!

Hi Stamping Friends!

I have a few challenge cards made, but I didn't have time to take pics yet. Hopefully tomorrow. But I do have a couple of cards for you anyway! My 13yo DS and 11yo DD have been on a USA swim team for a year now. It's amazing to see how much they have improved in that amount of time. I'm really proud of them. I could never swim as much as they do. I can barely make it 25 yards, let alone the 3,000 yards (and sometimes more!) that they swim at every practice! Our coach is a really nice guy. I stamped a "thank you for a great year" card and gave him a gift card to a local car wash.

I'm really lovin' the Extreme Elements stamp set. It makes a really cool, hip card, without a lot of fuss! The sentiment is from the Just Jawing set. The colors are Bermuda Bay, Green Galore, and Summer Sun. Pretty close to yesterday's color combo, but I wanted a brighter yellow. The DSP, Good Morning, is retired.

I also have another Christmas Jingle card. I think this is number 11. I can't remember!

Don't forget to send in your registraion payment ASAP!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

PPA8 plus CTD60 equals a Double Challenge!

Aren't these colors fun?! So bright and summer-like. I was really excited to see the Color Throwdown challenge CTD60. I decided to combine it with the Pals Paper Arts challenge PPA8 which was to make a K.I.S.S. card. In other words Keep It Simple Stamper! :) Here was the challenge:

**Clean with lots of "white" space

**Simple Design

**Minimum time to create

**Limited Layer and Embellishments

This was VERY difficult for me to do. I always like to keep adding stuff to cards. I'm definitely a "more is more" kind of gal. Here's my card:

I think I took the "white space" stuff a little too seriously. It's not that I don't like this card, it just needs something MORE! :) But in staying with the challenge, I'm going to keep it simple. Maybe if I had added another ribbon loop. Maybe that would have helped. Or maybe I could have made the large Whisper White panel Barely Banana instead. Who knows! It is what it is. Obviuosly I was quite challenged with this challenge! I used the Flight of the Butterfly stamp set and finally opened my Butterfly punch. It works so awesome with this set. It's definitely a must have!

I also have another Christmas Jingle card to show you:

Hope to see lots of you on Nov. 14th and Nov. 15th at the Christmas Jingle Stamp Camp!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

More Jingle!

Hi Stamping Friends!

Here's another Christmas Jingle card for ya! Remember, if you can't come to the Stamp Camp, I can provide a kit for you. Just email me ASAP!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Christmas Jingle #8

Hi Stamping Friends!

Well I didn't have time to stamp today, but I still have something to show you! If you are keeping up with my 20 days of Christmas Jingle, we are on card #8. Remember, my Christmas Jingle Stamp Camp will be held on Nov. 14th and Nov. 15th. You will be creating 20 unique cards using the elements out of the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrapping Kit. The cost is only $45. If you are unable to make it and would still like to make the cards, I can prepare a kit for you. If I need to mail it, it will be extra for shipping and handling. Registration is due by October 15th. If you have any questions, email me! And without further chit chat... here's my card:

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

A Sketch and An Inspiration

Hi Stamping Friends!


On my trek to make some thank you cards, I decided to combine two challenges. The sketch challenge SSC116 comes from the Stamping 411 blog found HERE. Here's the sketch:










And the inspiration challenge comes from Makeesha Byl's blog Inkspirations found HERE. Here's the inspiration piece this week:









Make sure you check all the other challenge players on both blogs. It's one of the ways I've found some really awesome blogs. I love when I find a Stampin' Up! only blog. Especially if it includes a challenge!

So here's my card:


















As you can tell, the colors really inspired me! I used Yo-Yo Yellow and Brilliant Blue. It was fun to work with Bold Brights. This is such a summery combo. Bummer is there isn't much in the way of embellishements in these two colors. I could only find the brads. The ribbon is really Summer Sun and it doesn't match as much as I would like, but it works! I used the stamp set Eastern Blooms and Matchbox Messages for the sentiment. The impressions folder is a new one out of the Holiday Mini called Petals-A-Plenty.


I also have another Christmas Jingle card from my upcoming Christmas Stamp-A-Stack:

















Let me know if you are coming ASAP! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Diva Jingle!

Hi Stamping Friends!

I have two cards for you today. The first is for a fun Stampin' Up! only blog challenge at the Diva Coffe Break Design BLOG. It's been quite a while since I've done one of their challenges, so I decided to combine this week's color challenge DCBD144 with last week's sketch challenge DCBD143. The colors to use this week were: Soft Suede, Pale Plum, Bermuda Bay, and Rich Razzleberry. Quite an interesting combo. But I like it! This is what the sketch from the previous week's challenge looked like: And here's my card:
























I flipped the sketch on it's side. I used the Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set, because I thought the colors had a funky, modern feel to them and it made me think of this set. Plus I needed to dust it off as it hasn't gotten enough love lately! The "Thank You" sentiment comes from the Enjoy Every Moment Set. I'm still trying to make enough thank you cards from my birthday!



My second card for today is the 6th card from my Christmas Jingle Stamp Camp. Can't wait to see all of you in November!























Thanks for stopping by! Happy Stamping!

Christmas Jingle #5

Just a quick post tonight as I've only been home for about an hour today. Swim meets in 100+ weather... NOT fun! Anyhoo! Here's another Christmas Jingle card for my Stamp-A-Stack. Don't foret to send in your registration payment.






















Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!

PPA7 and SACC30 and CJ4

Weird title post! Sounds like some sort of secret code for something. Actually its the "keywords" for two challenges I played in today. The first PPA7 is for Pal Paper Arts, which is a blog of SU! demos who post challenges each week. You can find them HERE. This is the first time I've participated in one of their challenges. (Well lets face it... it's the first time I've done any stamping lately!) Here's the sketch:

The second keyword SACC30 is for Stampin' Addicts Color Challenge #30 found HERE. The colors to use for today's challenge were Summer Sun, Old Olive, Night of Navy, and Kraft. I've never paired these colors up before, but I really like them together! Here's the card I came up with after I combined both challenges:

I was pleasantly surprised at how cute it turned out. I used the Petal Pizzazz and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets. The Night of Navy strip is embossed using the new SU! Petals-A-Plenty Impressions Folder out of the Holiday Mini. I think they're supposed to be Poinsettias, but I think they look like regulare flowers too. The Olive Press DSP is retired. I bought it because OO is one of my favorite SU! colors. The silver brads come from the HPH set. I used the Modern Label punch to punch out the sentiment. I punched it out a couple of times to shorten it. The ribbon is Kraft Taffeta, another one of my faves! I had to make another Thank You card for all the great gifts I got for my birthday. Now if I would get motivated to send them!

So I'm sure you're wondering what the CJ4 stands for. Well it's for the 4th card in the Christmas Jingle series of course! I'm thinking of offering this class as a kit. If you are not able to make it to either the Nov. 14th or 15th class, I could still put a kit together for you and you could use your own stamp sets. The cost would still be $45 plus shipping if necessary. Don't forget to sign up ASAP as the registration deadline is Oct. 15th. So here's another fabulous Christmas Jingle card from the class:

Funny thing about this card. After I took the pick, my 11yo daughter was playing around with a Very Vanilla snowflake I had punched out, but didn't use. She layed it in the upper left-hand corner of this card and BAM! Perfection! So this card is even cuter than what you see here! The sentiment is from the Sincere Salutations stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

18 More Jingle Cards

Here's another card from my Christmas Jingle class. Remember, seating is limited, so you don't want to wait too long to reserve your spot!














This is one of my favorite cards in the set. Probably because it's one of my favorite layouts! There is no stamping on this card. All the pieces are die-cut stickers from the Christams Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit. The sentiment is popped up with dimensionals to give it a little extra "wow".

I also was able to play along with the Sketch Challenge today over at Stampin' Addicts. I made a halloween card using Halloween Frights. I don't know why, as I do not normally send out halloween cards and I really need to be making some more thank you cards for the "BIG" birthday I just had. Well, I guess that just means I need to do some more stamping! This was a fun sketch to work with. I love playing in challenges and just recently started partcipating again. Hopefully life won't get too hectic and take away my fun! I used Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie and Rich Razzleberry for my solid colors. The DSP is Razzleberry Lemonade. Who knew a paper with such a cute name would work so well for a "spooky" card?! I tries my hand a sponging, but made a miserable mess of it. But I was determined to move on and left well enough alone. I do not have the cute fence wheel, so I ended up using my Right On Track wheel instead. Yes, I know it's supposed to be a train track, but doesn't it look like a fence to you too? I love when a stamp can multi-task!

Thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stamping!