Cheep Talk for Cupcake Challenge 53!

Hello all! Hope you're enjoying your Saturday. It is a beautiful day in Southern California - clear and sunny in the mid 70s! I thought I'd post a card I made for the Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge #53, using my brand new Cheep Talk stamp set and Good Morning Sunshine Designer Series Paper. I wanted to use Pacific Point because I've been so inspired by how clear and blue the ocean's looked the last couple of days! While I know I said I wish there was more of a winter here in CA, it's been too gorgeous out to not enjoy this great weather:) Here's the card:

What do you think? Hope you like it! I've been having a lot fun adding accessories to my cards. I can't believe how I used to just hord my accessories because I didn't want to use them up - isn't that silly? Well, I'm glad I grew out of that phase of my papercrafting life! I used the Rhinestone Brads for the center of the flower buttons from the Button Bouquet and then I also used the big blue circle button from those accessories as well. Did you happen to notice the texturz background? It's been a cool little background paper-dresser-upper. I am currently in love with the Trio Flower punch, too, which I can't believe I waited so long to get! It's just such a sweet trio of flowers! This was a great sketch to play with. I think I'll be making more with this layout.

So, besides putting this card together this morning, I've also gotten in touch with my "inner PC." Being the nerd that I am, I have been having fun toying with the new computer and getting my bearings around the Vista operating system. It definitely is different. I feel like there's a lot to learn as well as just a lot of new navigation to get used to. I like that the computer feels smarter. I didn't have to reload my Camera driver software - it just recognized it when I plugged in the USB port - how cool is that? It's amazing that I feel like I just got out of the dark ages, when I thought I was doing a pretty good job staying abreast of all the techie things. Imagine that! Well, I'm gonna say Ciao for now, so have a great night. Thanks for stopping by!

Oops! One last thing, actually. Today is my parent's anniversary, so I wanted to give them a quick little shout out:

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MOM & DAD!

Yay - our new computer is here!

How excited am I right now?! Our new computer arrived this afternoon and is now up and running. Well, there are still a few things that I need to install on it, like the Adobe Photoshop elements that I'm still waiting on from Amazon and I still need to get Microsoft Office. But the computer itself is functional...all I need to do is get a little familiar with Vista. Hopefully, I'll be able to edit and add watermarks to my pictures again in a few days and then I'll be all set! Well, I just wanted to report that...I know, I am such a techie nerd! Off to explore what my new computer can do. Have a great night!

Freebie Friday 4!

Happy Friday everyone! Well, first of all, I just want to say that I am SOOO excited that I've gotten over 10,000 hits on my blog as of Thursday...WooHoo! So, that makes for an extra special Freebie Friday! The winner of today's Freebie Friday will be getting the following prizes:

This is one of the card binders I made for my January class project. It has pockets for each month of the year, ready to hold cards for every occasion!

This stamp set is from a retired Hostess. It's a great set to make cards for any event! Hope you like them!

All you have to do to qualify for today's giveaway is to lease leave me a comment posted with today's date by midnight PST, aand also include your email address so I can notify you! Of course, I'll be announcing the winner on my blog on Monday as well, but the winner will also definitely get an email from me! You can answer either of these questions, or both if you want! 1) What is your favorite holiday? 2) For you sports fans, who do you want to win in the Superbowl this weekend - Cardinals or Steelers? Have fun! I can't wait to reading your comments! Good luck and have a great Friday!

Top Note Baby Girl Card!

I was so excited to hear that one of my dear friends gave birth to a baby girl this week! This friend is a former roommate of mine from post-college days and now lives out of state so I don't get to see her often. Here's a card I made for her little one. The picture is a little darker than I'd like, so apologies for that. I think I need to tweak some of my camera settings!

I had so much fun making it because I got to use the Texturz plates again on both the top note die and the pink pirouette cardstock layered behind it. How cute is that eyelet border punch, too! Lots of fun elements..down to the Button Bouquet flower with the Pretties pearl center. What fun! I hope she likes it...it's going in the mail today!

Stamp-a-Stack Class on February 8th!

Here are the 5 card projects for my upcoming Stamp-a-Stack Class on Feb 8th. I've made the class with 2 options - you can do 1 of each of these 5 cards for $10 or do 2 of each at $20. You'll be making cards for Birthday, Thank You, Sympathy, Anniversary, and Baby, which are great to have on hand so you're ready for any occassions throughout the year. For the baby card, you have the option to make a boy or girl card if you do the 5 cards, and you'll make one of each if you do 10.

If you take a good look at the cards, you'll notice that we'll be using a lot of awesome new accessories like the Texturz embossing plates, the Simple Flower embosslit and the Butterfly die cut, to name a few. And of course, we'll be trying out a new stamp set and some new designer series papers! Make sure to sign up for the class by next Wed, Feb 4th - you won't want to miss it! The class is from 2-5 pm at my home. At the end of the day, you'll be taking home 5 or 10 cards with matching envelopes and instructions complete with the recipes and supplies so you can recreate them on your own. If you're interested in attending and are in the Los Angeles area, please send me an email at rosediehlstamps@yahoo.com and I will give you the details! You can register for the class using the Paypal button in the right column of my blog or send me an email as well. Look forward to seeing you!

Raspberry Tart meets Bella Rose and Georgia Peach goodie

For today's post I wanted to share a goodie that I made with 3 different designer series papers (but I think they all go!) based on my Freebie Friday 3 giveaway project. I simply changed the papers and got a whole new look! As you can tell, I can't get enough of this fun Raspberry Tart paper, mixed in with some Georgia Peach and Bella Rose, of course! I love that the Big Shot projects allow me to get full use out of my papers! I also like this project because I think it's a good use of the Scallop Envelope die, which I hadn't used as much, but now have new inspiration to do so! Here are a couple pictures:

Here's the recipe for these cute little goodies:

*Scallop Envelope Big Shot die
*Medium envelope cut in half, then scallop edged
*2 pieces of 2"x5" Designer series paper
*Rose Red double stitched grosgrain ribbon
*Button Bouquet
*3 2"x3" cards and 3 strips of 1/2" x 2" designer series paper
*Trio Flower punch and brads

Finally, I packaged them in a cello bag and tied a ribbon. I actually made 2 of these little goodies to give to a couple of my friends. Aren't they just so sweet? Hope you like them!

Love the Texturz!

Morning all! So yesterday, I got to play with some of the new products I got from the Stampin'Up! Spring Summer catalog. I was really looking forward to seeing how the Texturz embossing plates worked, so naturally, that was the first thing I ripped open from the packaging :) The plates are larger than the Cuttlebug embossing folders, and the mechanism for it to emboss does require the use of the squishy silicon pad and the impression pad. It's pretty easy to use. In comparison to the Cuttlebug folders, the embossed images from the Texturz impressions have a little more of a softer look to them, since the image is being embossed from one side, rather than both. The silicon pad does a good job though! My Mojo challenge card from yesterday used one of the embossed images from the plates, but I thought I'd post a sampling of the cardstock I ran through so you can see some of the other images:

I don't think the picture gives you the full effect of the embossing - you can definitely see it more in person. If you want to see it larger, you can click on the picture to bring up a larger view.

I also wanted to play with the new embosslit flower and leaves sizzlet that I got, so I created this card to show a combo of the Big Shot products I used:

Voila! I love how this card looks so delicate! I added the Pretties pearl in the center of the flower and dressed the card up a little with the brads and the small oval punch. Here's the recipe:

*Texturz Stampin'Up! Backgrounds embossing plates
*Simple Flower embosslit, Little Leaves sizzlit
*Pretties flower
*3 1/2" x 5" Whisper White Note cards
*Small Oval punch, brads

All in all, I had lots of fun playing with my new Big Shot accessories! I think they definitely add a new dimension to any card making projects. I'd highly recommend them!

Taylored Expression Cupcake Challenge # 52

This weekend, I was very excited about participating in the Taylored Expression Cupcake Challenge #52, especially because it's also her 1 year anniversary of Celebrating a Year of Cupcake challenges! I wanted to make sure I got my entry in on time, so I did it over the weekend. The downside was, I didn't have my new goodies to play with, but I still had my fun Raspberry Tart DSP, which is one of my new faves from the Stampin'Up! Spring-Summer catalog. Here's the card I came up with.

I decided to make my own cupcake for this challenge, so I created the "muffin top" out of the wide oval punch and embossed it with my cuttlebug folder and I made the cupcake container using the scallop edge punch and paper piercing template. Hope you like it! Thanks for peeking :)

Mojo Monday 71 Challenge

Hello all! It's Mojo Monday and I finally had a chance to go to the library today to download the pictures of my cards off of my camera. I am happy to report that I also got a notice from Dell saying that our computer shipped! Woohoo! I can't wait til our system is set up again at home. It's looking like that will happen by next week - Yay! I'm so excited.

Anyways, on to the challenge. The sketch this week is the square card pictured above. Not only was I looking forward to the challenge today, but the UPS man came by this morning with my package of Stampin'Up! goodies from the new catalog, so I got to play with some fun new toys! Here's the card I came up with.

I decided to use the Good Morning Sunshine DSP and the new Texturz Stampin'Up! Backgrounds embossing dies for the Big Shot. You can see the subtle, yet pretty flower print on the brown cardstock. The embossing dies are lots of fun and give the cardstock that extra texture pizazz! I love that these particular backgrounds coordinate with Stampin'Up! images. For the sentiment, I used one of my favorites from the All Holidays stamp set - "My dear, kind, and wonderful friend." That says a lot, don't you think?

Hope you like the card. Thanks for stopping by!

Freebie Friday 3 Winner!

Hello all and Happy Monday! It's time to announce the Freebie Friday 3 winner...and that is Donna Bagwell! Congrats, Donna! Below are the results from random.org.

So what I did was entered all eligible names with verifiable email addresses in the chronological order of the comments and then ran the List Randomizer to get the winner, who is listed in the #1 slot. Thanks for playing everyone!

I'll be posting a couple more things today, but need to do some photo downloading at the good ol' library a little later today to get my pics on my flash drive. Stay tuned for my Mojo Monday sketch entry and my Taylored Expressions cupcake challenge entry too! In the meantime, enjoy your Monday!

Feels like Winter in California

Yay! It's Saturday! Not only that, but we're actually getting some winter-ish weather in California. I'm not going to say it was freezing or anything, but yesterday was a rainy, gloomy day in California and I loved it! I guess we've had such weird weather - like super warm days in the 80s and 90s last week - that this change feels awesome!

Today, I'm sharing a Thank you card using the Organic Outline stamp - it's the same layout as my first Freebie Friday giveaway actually, but I just changed the colors and stamp set. I like the simplicity of the card and I thnk it's a nice and easy way to use these note card sized cards (3 1/5" x 5"). They come in packs of 20, so you can whip out a nice stack of Thank you cards pretty quick and have them on hand! I'm calling this card "Organic Summer" because I associate this color palette with summertime!

Hope you like it! Enjoy your weekend :)

Cards for KWerner's Color Design Challenge

Happy Friday afternoon! I made a couple cards to play in this week's kwernerdesign.com Color Challenge #39. If' you've been following my blog, you'll know that I've recently gotten hooked on doing card challenges, particularly the Mojo Monday challenges, and I've peeked at a few of Kristina's color challenges before, but this is the first time I'm participating. I've inserted a picture of the colors for this week. Now, here are the 2 cards I made. Both of them are very different. I'm still not sure how I feel about them, but thought I'd play in the challenge anyway.
This first one I'm calling "Toile Petal":

And this one is what I'm calling "Summer Whimsy Thanks":

What do you think?

Freebie Friday 3!

Happy Freebie Friday, everyone! I had fun coming up with today's giveaway. I used the scallop envelopes bigz die to make these cute little envelopes and matching inserts:

I used the kraft designer series paper from the 6x6 hostess sampler in the Fall-Winter catalog and then embellished with the felt flowers and rhinestone brads. Here's the packaging:

I made this out of a standard card size envelope (this would be the "Medium" envelopes in the Stampin'Up! catalog). I sealed the envelope, cut it in half and then scallop edged it. Then just dressed it up a bit with the kraft DSP and chocolate brown double stitched ribbon and viola! Cute little packaging for the envelopes and inserts.

Sorry about the resolution - I had to take these pictures on my cell phone again so I could upload them quick on my computer. Boy - can I just tell you I can't wait til our new computer comes? In this day and age, it seems ridiculous to have to wait so long! Oh well, I guess I have no choice but wait til it gets here!

Anyways, back to the Freebie Friday giveaway. After a couple weeks of doing this, I've come to a few logistical conclusions. To play in Freebie Friday, please leave me a comment on today's post before midnight PST, and also, please leave me an email address as well - that way I can contact you right away if you win and can email you directly for your address info :) If I don't have a valid email address for you, I won't be able to include you in the drawing. So today's question is multiple parts, actually: 1) Have you ever used a die cut machine? 2) What kind? 3) What's your favorite die cut or embossing plate? Remember, you can also leave a general comment or you can answer today's questions :) Look forward to hearing from you!

Urban Wishes

Happy Thursday, all! Today's card share is what I'm calling Urban Wishes - it's a get well card I made for a friend of mine. I hope he gets better soon!

Here's the recipe:
*Paper: Urban Garden Designer Series Paper, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
*Stamp Sets: Petal Pizazz, Sincere Salutations
*Stamp Pads: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss
*Accessories: Old Olive Grosgrain ribbon, Wide Oval punch, Scallop Edge punch, brad, Not Quite Navy marker, Button bouqet and Pretties kit, corner rounder

I really like the soothing blue and green tones of this Designer Series Paper - it actually complements the new Urban Oasis paper in the Spring Summer catalog. Here are the the samples of the Urban Garden Designer Series Paper.

Here's the new Urban Oasis Designer Series Paper - I think it's got a nice sophisticated feel to it and also coordinates well with the Manhattan stamp set:

Hope you like the card and previews of the papers! Have a great Thursday. It's supposed to rain in Southern California today, so it might be an indoor day for me :)

Raspberry Treats!

I just love the new Raspberry Tart paper and wanted to make more cards using the pretty papers. I used it in the Cupcake Challenge card I posted yesterday, and since I already had it out, I decided to play some more. Some of the papers have bolder prints on it, so I used the kraft cardstock to make the color palette a little more subdued for the effect I was going with. Here's the first card I made, which I call "Friendly Pizazz":

Here's the card Recipe:
*Stamp Sets: All Holidays, Petal Pizazz
*Paper: Raspberry Tart DSP, Kraft, Whisper White
*Stamp Pads: Rose Red, Cameo Coral
*Accessories: Brads, Rose Red Grosgrain double stitched ribbon

The next card is a similar layout, though instead I used the Love You Much stamp set to make a Valentine's card. I embellished with the Boho Blossoms and Heart to Heart punches, used the Pretties kit pearl, then added a little scallop with the scallop edge punch. I used the white gel pen on the heart and on the Rose Red scallop edge. I also rounded out the corners of this card with the corner rounder:

What do you think? Hope you like these! Have a great Wednesday :)

Taylored Expressions Cupcake Challenge 51

Ok. I know I just did a challenge yesterday, but I happened to run across this challenge on Taylored Expressions that I had to play! Here's a picture of the sketch:

And here's the card I created:

I love me the cupcakes! Here's the recipe:

*Stamp Sets: Crazy for Cupcakes, Wow Flowers
*Paper: Raspberry Tart DSP, Whisper White, Cameo Coral
*Stamp Pad: Basic Black
*Markers: Cameo Coral, Old Olive, Rose Red
*Accessories: Trio Flower punch, Ticket Corner punch, Pretties Kit, Word Window punch, Scallop Edge punch, Brads, Chunky Glitter

What a fun sketch! I had so much fun with this cupcake challenge! As you can tell, I'm back to a pink-ish palette, but this really is more raspberry than pink. I love this new Raspberry Tart DSP - at first I wasn't the biggest fan, but once I got it and saw it in person, all the papers are really yummy! Hope you like this card!

On to current events for a sec - today is going to be one for the history books! I'm excited to be a part of history in the making, as we swear in our 44th President, Barack Obama. Hope you all have a great and memorable day!

Mojo Monday #70 Sketch

Here's this week's Mojo Monday sketch. For today's card, I was really determined to use colors that were not in the pink family, since I am going through a very pink phase with my palette of choice lately. I tell you, for some reason, these challenges really inspire me to try different and styles, so it's been a good way to push myself out of my comfort zone and try to think a little more out of my stamping box. So, after some thinking and deliberating, I decided to go with a card in the blue-green family. I think it's a nice and soothing palette and I daresay may even qualify as a masculine-ish card. I chose the Urban Garden designer series paper and went with the Organic Outline stamp set. Here's what I finally came up with:

I liked that I got to use a lot of different elements on this card, like the flower button and pretties pearl in the center. I also like the touch of scallops from the scallop square punch and scallop circle die cut. What do you think? Thanks again to Julee and her team for making another great Mojo Monday challenge! And thanks again to all of you who stopped by to take a peek!

Stamper's Showcase Surprise!

Wow! Imagine my surprise this morning when I logged on to the Stampin'Up! website for demonstrators and found that one of the cards I submitted was posted on today's "Stamper's Showcase"! WooHoo! That just made my day!! Here's the card I made:

Here's the recipe:

*Stamp Sets: Crazy for Cupcakes, Party Hearty
*Paper: Sweet Always DSP, Pink Pirouette, Whisper White, Confetti White, Regal Rose
*Ink Pads: Chocolate Chip, Regal Rose
*Markers: Pretty In Pink, Chocolate Chip, Real Red
*Punches: Scallop Circle and Scallop Edge, 3/4" Circle
*Accessories: Top Note Bigz Die, 5/8" Regal Rose Grosgrain ribbon, Chunky glitter

Hope you like it!

Ordering from the New Stampin'Up! catalog starts at Noon today!

The time has finally come for the Spring-Summer Stampin'Up! catalog! Starting at noon today, you'll be able to order from this gorgeous catalog directly from my demonstrator website. Need a catalog? Feel free to contact me!

Freebie Friday 2 Winner!

Hello and Happy Monday, all! It's time to announce the Freebie Friday 2 winner. Drumroll please....


Not sure if you can read that, but in the #1 spot, the winner is Sherry! Here's her comment:

sherry said...
I love jumbo eyelets and also glitter. (even with the mess).
I also like the embossing folders for the cuttlebug and now for the Big Shot.
cant wait to order them.

Sherry

Sherry - please send me an email with your address and info and I will drop your freebies in the mail!

I will most likely do another post this afternoon for the Mojo Challenge. I think I'm hooked! I haven't seen yet what the sketch is, but you'll see it soon enough...make sure to check back this afternoon.

Going, going, gone on the 18th!....

It's almost time to say goodbye to the retiring stamp sets and farewell to the Inventory Blowout promotion...all ending on Jan 18th! Now's the time to order those favorites before they're gone. Then, on Monday, you can welcome all the cool new products that Stampin'Up is introducing. My list is already getting longer by the minute!

A tribute to CrossFit Birmingham

It's a new year and a popular goal for a lot of people is to get fit and work out. I'm no different - one of my goals is to stay on top of my workout regimen! That said, I am posting a little video montage of the making of CrossFit Birmingham, since my brother, Richard, has inspired me to make fitness and excerise a priority. He's a fitness guru, gym owner, and great CrossFit evangelist. Heck, he introduced me to the kettle bell, which has kicked my butt and made me sorely aware of muscles I didn't think existed! Below is the journey of CrossFit Birmingham, which opened in October 2008. You'll get a glimpse of my bro's family, friends and dedicated CrossFit members in Birmingham, who all have a common goal of creating and building a strong and fit community.

Find more videos like this on CrossFit Birmingham

Now, if you're sitting in front of the computer, humor me and carve out some time to work out today ;)

Freebie Friday 2

Good morning all and Happy Friday! Here are pictures of today's freebie giveaway:


Sorry for the not sharp resolution on these pictures, but I am back using the phone on my camera, since I don't have any editing software on this loaner computer we're using. I can't wait til our new computer comes! Anyways, I hope you can at least get a feel of what the giveaway looks like. It's super cute and super easy to make! I used the Georgia Peach paper, Pretties kit for the flower center and the trio flower punch. For the packaging, I used the Top Note Die cut and the Rose Red Double stitched ribbon. If you happen to like the Georgia Peach paper, now's the time to get it because it will only be available for the next couple of days. Hope you like the blog candy!

To play in today's Freebie Friday, just leave me a comment! The winner will be announced on my blog post on Monday. Here's a question you can comment on (or you can leave me any sort of comment as long as it is marked with today's date!): What are your top 3 favorite embellishments?

Just a reminder...there are only a couple days left to order from the Stampin'Up! Fall Winter catalog and the NEW Spring Summer becomes effective on Monday! Have a great weekend and I look forward to reading your comments :)

So into trees!

I know I'm late in the game, but I really do like that Season of Friendship tree! Speaking of, this is the last week to order it from the Holiday Mini, since the new catalog will be implemented starting on Monday! How exciting! Anyway, back to the card - I made another sample of the Season of Friendship tree, similiar to the one I posted the other day, but this time, I'm calling it "Pretty in Pink Blooms" and dressed it up a bit. Here's the card:

I used the Georgia Peach Designer Series paper, which I love! I also got to play with the Hodgpodge Hardware and the Rhinestone brads. I hope you enjoy!

On the computer front, I just got my estimated shipping date for Feb 4th - yikes!! I was hoping it would be sooner. Thank goodness I have a loaner computer in the meantime, but there's no application on it that allows me to edit my photos. I am thinking about getting Adobe Photoshop 7 and wanted to ask a general question out to you all, if you are familiar with it, how do you like the application? I'd love to hear your feedback. I had Adobe Photoshop 3 on my old computer and it was fine, but I don't think it had all the fancy bells and whistles that the newer versions had. I am just curious about what other features the new applications have that I didn't have access to. I guess this computer thing is a little blessing in disguise - now I'm finally able to have the updated applications!

Well, hope you all have a great day. Ciao for now!

Idea from my Demonstrator Website Project Gallery

Good Morning! Today I thought I would post an idea from my Stampin'Up! Demonstrator gallery. Have you stopped by to check it out? The projects in the gallery are a combination of things that I've posted as well as projects that Stampin'Up! has created, so it's a great mix of ideas. Here's a fun journal project that you can check out:

Isn't it cute? My gallery also has the complete recipe to make this project and you can check that out here:

It's a warm and beautiful day in Southern CA. It doesn't even feel like winter! I think I'm gonna head out for a run right now before it gets too hot! Have a great day :)

Mojo Monday Challenge #69

Here's this week's Mojo Monday Challenge. Last week's was so fun, I thought I'd give it a whirl again. Who knew I would get so excited by these challenges! I think one of the reason's I like them is because you don't have to figure out what the layout of a card is. Instead you're confined to a layout and you need to use your creativity to fill it. Does that make sense? If you haven't tried one yourself, I would encourage you to do so. You might get hooked as well! For today's card, I've been wanting to use the "Little Somethin'" stamp set, which is a new hostess stamp set in the upcoming Stampin'Up! Spring-Summer Catalog. I've also been wanting to use the colors from the cover of the book "Friday Night Knitting Club", which incidently is the book selection for one of the book clubs I'm in. Yes - believe it or not, I belong to two! Well, enough rambling from me. Here's what I came up with:

What do you think? It's a little bit out of my element, but I wanted to try something different. I used the following:
*Baroque Motif stamp set for the flourish and "Rockstar" stamp from the Little Something' stamp set
*Rose Red, Summer Sun, Old Olive, Whisper White, Basic Grey and Basic Black cardstock
*Rose Red and Basic Black stamp pads
*Scallop Edge, big and little star, 1 3/4" and 1" circle punches
Thanks for visiting!

First Winner announcement!

Hi all! I am excited to report the winner of my first Freebie Friday giveaway. So what I did was I entered the number of each post and then used Random.org to pick the winner. Here are the results:

Based on that, the lucky winner is the 4th commenter on Friday, who turns out to be Aimee! Aimee - please email me at rosediehlstamps@yahoo.com with your address info and I will get this in the mail to you today!
Now, let me update you with my computer situation. Well the good news is we're gonna get a new computer! We're gonna stay with a PC afterall, part of it was that it's just more cost effective right now then a Mac. So, the bad news..we're ordering it from Dell so it could take about a week or so, hopefully sooner. In the meantime, that means I'll be blogging from the library.

It's amazing what I've discovered by going to the library practically every day. It's an interesting little subculture. Lots of students in the afternoon, and mostly seniors in the morning. While I'm gonna try my best to upload a picture to my blog on a daily basis, I just want to put it out there that I may miss a day or 2 here and there depending on logistics, camera phone, and that sort of thing.

I DO have a picture to share today. Here's a card I made using a stamp set from the Holiday Mini catalog, which will only be available til the end of the week before the brand new catty becomes available to order from. I was inspired by trees on a quilt I saw in the Pottery Barn kids catalog, as well as a stamp set in the new catty....(hint, hint). It seems I get a lot of my inspiration these days from catalogs and various textiles. Anyways, hope you enjoy and I apologize again for the lack of copyright on the photo. The library doesn't have any editing software, so it is what it is. This is created by me :)

I used:
*Green Tea DSP
*Season of Friendship and Say it with Scallops stamp sets
*Whisper White and chocolate Chip card stock
*Chocolate Chip and Tangerine Tango ink
Have a great Monday!

Look at what the UPS man brought...

Yup! I got my new Spring-Summer Stampin'Up! catalogs (BIG smiles!). I'm so excited they came - I've been pouring over the pages and studying all the new things and I think you all will be thrilled to see what Stampin'Up has come up with - they honestly overdeliver EVERY TIME! Just a sneak of a few things..
*texturz - embossing plates for the Big Shot!
*new circle cutter
*lots of new Big Shot Dies!
*more cute papers
*adorable new STAMPS!
*great Decor Elements additions (lots of them, in fact!)

I think you all will be quite pleased. Stampin'Up! has done a fantastic job evolving with the times and staying on point with the latest trends in papercrafting and creative inspiration. I really am so glad to be part of this company! I can't wait to show you all the latest and greatest. Oh, and of course, you can contact me if you'd like a catalog or want to book a party! Have a great day! Ciao for now :)

First Freebie Friday!

Happy Friday everyone! I am so excited to kickoff this First Freebie Friday Festivity! Here are a couple pictures of today's giveaway. These were also taken on my phone, so please bear with me for the resolution and lack of watermark :)


The freebie includes 2 Thank You cards with envelopes and they are packaged in a cello bag with a Top Note Die topper. I used the Baroque background in So Saffron, the Curly Label and the matching Thank You stamp, and a Petal Pizazz flower. I also finished the flap of the envelope with Bella Rose Designer Series Paper. Hope you guys like it!

Are you wondering how you enter the drawing? Easy! Just leave me a comment on this post! The post must be dated anytime on 1/9/09 in order to qualify. My question for you is - What would you like to see in the upcoming Spring-Summer Stampin'Up!catalog? I will be choosing the winner on Monday and will try out the random.org site that I've seen other bloggers use to pick their winners. Please include an email address with your comment so I can contact you to get details on where to send to! I will announce winners on my Monday blog! Good Luck everyone and have a great weekend! I hope to have a new computer by next week :)...wish me luck too!

Sharing a little Love You Much calendar

Hello there! It's Thursday and I'm still without a computer. I think now we're going to end up getting a new one, so I need to do some research - PC or Mac? Well, in the meantime, I am experimenting with my first picture post from my phone. Since I don't have the software to add my watermark, it's just going to have to go as is. I am at the library right now creating this post! Thank goodness for free internet and flash drives! This is a little Calendar I covered with the Love You Much stamp set.

We got the calendar as a Holiday mailer from one of our insurance agents, and I thought I'd give it a makeover to look a little cuter. What do you think? Thanks for looking!

List of retiring accessories

Hi again! I made my way to the library to use their computers, so thought I'd make a quick post of the retiring accessories list. Here it is:

Item # Product Description Availability
111377 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS ROOF GARDEN
112012 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS SEASON TO SHARE
112088 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS TRUE ELEGANCE
102782 ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 12X12 Not Available
104188 ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 6X6
105384 ALBUM LINEN POST MELLOW MOSS 6X6*
104516 ALBUM LINEN POST NAVY 6X6
105381 ALBUM LINEN POST REAL RED 6X6* Not Available
103977 BUTTONS BOLD BRIGHTS*
103978 BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS
103981 BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS & NEUTRALS
105446 BUTTONS RICH REGALS
105445 BUTTONS SOFT SUBTLES
103604 DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 12X12
102174 DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 8 1/2X11
112465 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER BANBURY
112462 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GEORGIA PEACH
112463 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GHOSTLY GREETINGS
112040 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GREEN TEA
112470 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAIKU
112460 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAWAII PAPAYA
112469 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HOLIDAY TREASURES
112458 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER JUNIOR VARSITY
112459 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MAINE BLUEBERRY
112466 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MUIRFIELD
112149 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PARISIAN SUMMER
112467 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PRESTWICK
111355 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SUMMER PICNIC
112039 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER WINDSOR KNOT
112963 ELEMENTOS PARA TARJETAS DIAS FESTIVOS HECHOS A MANO SIMPLY SENT
106523 ENVELOPE TEMPLATE FIVE-IN-ONE CARD COVER
104104 ENVELOPE TEMPLATE MINI
107298 ENVELOPES CONFETTI WHITE MEDIUM
110695 ENVELOPES OPEN END KRAFT SMALL
109115 ENVELOPES OPEN END VERY VANILLA SMALL
103372 METAL EDGE TAGS ALUMINUM WHITE SQUARE
107925 ON BOARD BITTY BOOK*
109190 ON BOARD CLIPBOARD 9X9*
109180 ON BOARD SIMON UPPER
112086 ON BOARD SOMETHING SEASONAL
107923 PAGE PROTECTORS RING 3.25 X 3.25
104942 PUNCH 1/4 INCH CIRCLE Not Available
104943 PUNCH 1/4 INCH SQUARE
107273 PUNCH 3/4 INCH SQUARE
104389 PUNCH DOUBLE CIRCLE*
100391 PUNCH HANDHELD 1/8 INCH CIRCLE Not Available
104830 RIBBON GINGHAM CARAMEL
104829 RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT BLUE
104828 RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT PINK
104831 RIBBON GINGHAM MOSS
109037 RIBBON GROSGRAIN MORE MUSTARD 1/4 INCH
110282 RUB ON ANCHORED
111806 RUB ON CHILLS & THRILLS
111805 RUB ON SCHOOL DAYS
111417 RUB ON WORD FLURRIES
110283 RUB ONS TAKE NOTE
112193 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN I WISH
112186 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN PINA COLADA
112068 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN SUMMER HOME Not Available
112043 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN U R SWEET
112061 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN WINTER RETREAT Not Available
112016 SIMPLY SENT CARD ELEMENTS HANDMADE HOLIDAY
109868 SIMPLY SENT CARD KIT LIFELONG NOTES
103647 STAMPIN STORE MINI
105813 WRITE ME A MEMORY FONT CD VOL II
Retiring Wheels
107212 MATEYS MAP
106749 BRIGHT BULBS
109672 BRONCO Not Available
104100 MAKING TRACKS
108978 SANDY SHELLS
110332 SNOW
101233 SNOWFLAKE
109694 SWEET STARS
111249 TAKE A NUMBER

Note that some of these items are already marked as "Not Available" - that's because once Stampin'Up! sells out of their inventory, then that's it! So if there is anything in particular that you've been interested in, feel free to contact me or order online from my website :)

I hope to be able to upload some pictures by tomorrow. Bye for now!

Technical difficulties...

Good morning all! Well, I am sad to report that my computer is having hardware issues...meaning it won't even turn on! I took it to get repaired yesterday. So I am blogging today via my cell. It looks like it'll be a few days until I have access to my computer (if it's fixable) or we'll need to get a new one. It is amazing how we've become so dependent on technology. I am already going though computer withdrawal. Silly, huh? In the meantime, I'll try and make do with the mobile blogging and try to figure out how to post some pictures. I'll keep you all posted. Have a great Wednesday!

Eastern Blooms Thanks

Can you tell I really like the Pink Pirouette, Kiwi Kiss and Rose Red combo? I am currently in love with that palette! Here it is again with my Eastern Blooms Thank You card for the day:

Hope you like it!

Retiring Products and Stampin'Up! Blowout Sale

Just wanted to announce that Stampin'Up! is having an inventory blowout sale on selected items from Jan 5-18th:

--->Link to the Inventory Blowout Sale flyer!

Also, here's the list of retiring stamps that you can purchase until the 18th.

--->Link to the full Retiring Stamp List available til Jan 18th

You can view a picture of each of these items by clicking on shop now on my demonstrator website, and then click on Specials to view the products on sale and retiring sets as well.

Mojo Monday

I just discovered a fun site this afternoon called Mojo Monday. They have card challenges every Monday and I just had to give it a try! Below is this week's sketch. Feel free to go to their site and play if you want to upload your own card!

I'm so excited to put in my very first entry for the Mojo challenge! Here's my card for Mojo68.

Here's the recipe:
*Craft, Whisper White, Kiwi Kiss, Rose Red, and Pink Pirouette paper
*Baroque and Sanded background stamps
*Hugs and Wishes and Petal Pizazz stamp sets
*Pretties kit and brads
*Cuttlebug embossing folder
*Small Oval punch and corner rounder

Hope you like it!

New Year, New Start!

Good morning and Happy Monday! Since today is the official start of the first work week in 2009, I decided I'm going to get "back to work" in earnest on my job search! In addition, I also want to celebrate this fresh new start of 2009 by introducing new ideas on my blog. For one, I want to introduce Friday Freebies! Starting this Friday, I will be offering up some "blog Candy" for anyone that leaves me a comment that day. Just leave me a comment that includes an email address, and you'll be entered in a drawing where the winner will be picked at random. Sound fun? I'm excited about it! I'll announce the winner on Monday and send out the Freebie then too. You'll have to check back on Friday to see what the giveaway is :) It can be anything from a handmade goodie by me, to some crafting or stamping accessory or maybe even stamps! You'll have to just come and see. I know this is not a new concept - as a matter of fact, I've seen that lots of people do some fun offerings like this on their blogs and it just sounds like a cool idea and a great way to interact with all you folks that stop by and peek at my blog! So stay tuned for that bit on Friday.

For today's share, I am posting a Thank You card I made using some In Color colors that I think have a summery/masculin-ish feel to it. Here it is:

What do you think? Here's the recipe:
*Baroque background stamp and Wow Flowers stamp set
*Pacific Point, Whisper White, Tangerine Tango and Kiwi Kiss cardstock
*Scallop Circle and Photo corners punch
*Pacific Point ink
*I also used some dimensionals to pop up the punch details

I hope you like it! In the meantime, have a great Monday ahead! It looks like it's gonna be a chilly (though beautiful and clear) day in Southern California.