Halloween Greetings

Halloween spooks to you, dear blog friends!  Hope you had a fantastic Halloween!  This is a pic from our evening's festivities.  It was lots of fun!  Let's just say, my little owl had a HOOT! :)

Have a great night!  Bye for now.

Sell-a-stamp SPOOKTACULAR is {TODAY}!

Hi all! Just wanted to remind you that Sell-a-stamp Spooktacular is happening today where you get 15% off on most of  the stamp sets.  View my earlier post HERE for details.  You can shop at my Demonstrator Store website any time today - but don't forget that this sale is today only!

Also starting today thru Nov. 5th is the cool Digital promotion where you get 3 free downloads and 50% off all Digital kits!  What a great day to get your shopping on, huh? :)

As an incentive for you, anyone that places an order of $50 or more TODAY from my Demonstrator Website will get this super cute Stampin'Up! shopping bag from me :)

Have fun shopping and have a great week! 

MDS Ideas and some great pricing news!

Hello again!  Have you guys taken a peek at the new MDS2 yet?  It's not only a great digital scrapbooking app, but it's an AWESOME tool for party planning, too!  You name it - invites, favors, banners, signs.  You have to give it a whirl.  Now, there's even more incentive because Stampin'Up! has dropped their print services pricing pretty significantly, so their offerings are competitive with the other photo services out there!  The cool thing is, you have the option of using existing templates or having total flexibility on creating your pages or projects however you like!  Here's a quick and simple page I created of my favorite subject:

Isn't he a cutie?  I can't believe how fast time flies.  This was taken at the end of April and he has grown so much already since then.  I'm glad I captured the moment.  For me, the convenience of digital scrapbooking makes it so nice and easy to make a memorable layout.  If you're like me, you can do one page at a time and feel like you've accomplished something in just a few minutes!  The second page I created uses the same basic layout, but here, I share some of the party favors and decor I created for Denver's party using MDS. Whaddaya think? 

 
You can check out the new MDS2 printing services prices here.  Definitely worth a look!  I'm incented to finish putting his book together! :)  Hope you have a great weekend.  I'll catch up with you guys soon!

Tinkering with my blog using MDS2

I decided it was time to give the bloggie blog an updated look, since it had been neglected for so long on my part!  So tonight, I fired up the MDS2 that I just downloaded and worked on some background ideas.  At first, I tried out one of the DSP patterns, but didn't feel like it was quite the right look for me.  What I finally went with was a background I created myself using the Epic Overlays digital stamps and the Keep this Memory digital embellishments and the finished product is what you see in the background of my blog!  What do you think?  Would love to get your feedback. I started with an 8 1/2" x 11" custom landscape page, and this is what I filled it with:

Once I started, it was fun and easy to put together!  Then I uploaded it as my background in Blogger and viola!  I also created my new header the other day and just made a few tweaks on the sizing and layout.  That was a lot of fun, too :)

My next thing is updating my sidebar labels, so I hope to get those done in the next day or so.  What I found is that MDS2 is definitely a great digital app, not just for scrapbooking - it's an awesome tool for creating blog graphics!

Gonna call it a nite...it's late for me.  Chat with you all soon.

Retiring stamp sets...

Hi there, dear bloggie friends!  Hope you all are doing well.  Can you believe it's already that time of year to take one last look at the retiring stamp list? If you're thinking that it seems earlier than usual, well, you're right!  Stampin'Up! is in a transitional catalog year where we'll be starting the new catalog in JUNE! This year, there are lots of stamps that we'll be saying good bye to, so be sure to take a good scan of the list to make sure you don't miss one!  You only have until May 31st to take the plunge to scoop up your faves before they're gone!  You can check out the full list here.  You can also shop 24/7 at my online store.  Don't you fret too much about the retiring list, though - it just means that there's going to be that much more NEW stamps to feast your eyes on soon.  I am personally looking forward to that!

Meanwhile, I did want to do a quick recap of Easter - how was yours?  Hope you all had a great one!  It was especially fun this year with our little guy.  He's at such a fun stage!  He's on the brink of walking, so he just loves taking your hand to go go go!  Here's a quick 8"x8" page layout I created in MDS using the Eggceptional Easter digital download {I did switch up the colors to this layout just a bit!}:

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Catch up with you guys soon! :)

St Paddy's Day and some MDS fun

Hello there blog friends!  Hope you guys had a nice St Patrick's Day!  It also coincides with my mom's birthday, so we got to spend some time with her today, too.  Here are a couple of pics from our St. Paddy's day that I thought I'd share.  I had fun putting this layout together in MDS.  I used the Downtown Grunge and the 2012 Modern Prints Paper.  It really is so much fun tinkering with the layout.  I know this is a pretty basic one, but fun nonetheless!  I started with an 8 1/2" x 11 page layout, but cropped this to a 5x7 print size so I can put it in a frame. 

I was on a roll, so I created the layout below, too, using the On the Go digital papers and embellishments.  So cute!  I have been wanting to use this digital paper with this particular picture because it totally matches my little man's shirt!  Here's the look at the 5x7 page, which I also want to put in a frame...or maybe I'll make an album.  We'll see, but I'll be prepared with a hard copy of it either way :)

So, there you have it!  I am totally loving MDS.  The cool thing is, if you want to check it out, you can do a 30 day trial for free!  I think it's a pretty awesome offer, but you should definitely see for yourself if it's worth it for you.  You can check out the deets and download the software here.

Well, my dear friends, it's WAY past my bedtime, so I'm gonna say bye for now.  Hope you guys have a great rest of your weekend!  Since it's a rainy weekend here in Southern California, I may get to do more digital crafting or stamping afterall, so stay tuned!

Sale-a-bration is {HERE!!}

Yay!  This is one of my favorite times of the year as far as crafting is concerned!  It's Sale-a-bration, and that means you can earn some FREE crafty products with each $50 purchase of Stampin'Up goodies from January 24-March 31, 2012!  Isn't that a deal?  Not to mention, there are additional benefits when you:

• Host a party!:  Get a free tote when your workshop total is $150 or more, or you can qualify for a product bundle with a workshop total of $400 or more {Product bundle includes: Fresh Vintage Stamp set, Every Day Enchantment DSP, and Every Day Enchantment Ribbon and Brad pack!}
• Join my team!: You can join by purchasing a starter kit for $125, AND in addition, you get your choice of a free Designer Series Paper or Free Digital Downloads each month for the rest of the year! 

Sound like fun?  You can shop online 24/7 at my demonstrator store anytime.  Or, if you'd like to find out more info about the Stampin'Up! opportunity, you can always email me with questions you may have and I'll be more than happy to talk you through! :)

Enjoy!  Hope you have a great day.  Toodles for now.

Sale-a-bration Sneaky Peeky

Hello there dear friends!  I'm back with a combo Sale-a-bration Sneak Peek using the yummy Everyday Enchantment DSP in a layout I created in My Digital Studio {MDS}.  AND, I got to incorporate a few more pics from the Stampin'Up! Leadership conference, too!  Mark your calendars, cuz Sale-a-bration starts tomorrow!!  For those of you that may be wondering what Sale-a-bration is, it's an awesome annual Stampin'Up! promotion where you can earn free stamps or products from the Sale-a-bration catalog for every $50 you spend in Stampin'Up! Merchandise!!  It's quite the deal if you ask me.  I personally LOVE this Everyday Enchantment DSP, which comes in double sided 12x12 paper as well as in Digital format, too!  In fact, all the new Sale-a-bration offerings are available as a Digital CD download as one of the free product options.  Pretty cool, if you ask me! ;)

Now, here's a look at the 2 page layout I created:

I am having a lot of fun learning and experimenting with all the different elements in MDS.  Not to mention, after seeing all the different books and pages that you can purchase in the printed products, I am really hooked!  I have a few projects lined up that I want to try - first, my Leadership Conference book, and then a board book for my cute little guy.  I'll definitely share once I have them ready to go.  Don't you worry, though - I am still a stamper and paper crafter at heart, so more cards and papercrafting projects are coming up soon.

In the meantime, I am gonna continue going through my photos and will post more soon.  In the spirit of Chinese New Year, I want to wish you all "Gong Hei Fat Choi!" {Happy New Year!}

Some highlights from Stampin'Up! Leadership

Hello there bloggie friends!  I am back from the Stampin'Up! Leadership conference and came away with so many new creative ideas to share as well as some new ideas for making my Stampin'Up! "My Way."  First, let me share some fun pics of the displays that definitely gave me fresh inspiration:

 I love how they made flowers out of the Fashionable Hearts embosslit!  So so pretty!

How about these sweet little love notes?  Such a cute idea with the card and pen holder, AND the Balloon Frame.  Do you see that heart box with chocolate in it?  We got to sample some of that chocolate and it was DELISH!!!  Home made by a Stampin'Up! employee!

Here's a broader look at the display - love the Doily banner.  Just gorgeous!

And I love the yummy ice cream cone card - not to mention those fun jelly brad embellies!

These pillows using the Dresden die are truly inspiring me to learn to sew better.  How pretty are these!

You know I LOVE me the buttons, so I just loved this display of button ideas.

And, last but not least, the gorgeous Blossom punch.  The card idea is so so fun and summery - must case or recreate in some way!!

And, here's a picture of the fun group of gals that I got to spend lots of time with - from left to right: AnnMarie, Michelle, Liz, {me}, and Norma. 

So, besides all these awesome creative displays and fun Make and Takes, Leadership was also a great source of motivation for Demos to take an introspective look at their own businesses and provide insights on areas of growth or improvement.  What I really liked was this year's theme of doing business "My Way."  Being a working mom, many of you that have been following my blog know that I'm still trying to tweak my schedule to incorporate my stamping and blogging.  So, it's really nice to know that I can create my business to suit my needs and adjust as necessary.  Of course, I'm totally motivated now about my stamping business, so I'm rejuvenated by the idea of optimizing my schedule to fit everything in that's important to me.  Let's say it'll be an active work in progress, with more regular blog posts with stamping and crafting ideas coming in the future :) 

Here are a few highlights of the classes that we got to take:

• Why Women Buy - sounds like such a simple concept, right?  Carrie Cudney shared some great insights about the buying patterns of women and what made me laugh was her example of how a woman shops at the mall vs how a man shops.  Hilarious.  Bottom line is that we women want what we want - isn't that right?
• Then, we also got to learn about our individual career plans and benefits.  Bonnie Thurber was the presenter and I just LOVE her.  She's got such a great sense of humor that made it even more fun and entertaining to learn about the great benefits at the Sr Supervisor level of being a demonstrator and gave us inspiration to shoot for the stars ;)
• As you all know, stamping and papercrafting spans across a broad demographic of women of various generations.  Amy Swartz and Paula Critchlow shared with us how to include new generations to share the love of stamping.  I couldn't agree more - the art of stamping should be shared with young and old alike, so exposing a new generation to stamping is a no brainer in my book.  And, I just love how digital stamping makes it even more accessible!  {Love me the MDS, too!}

The biggest highlight, as always, is getting to see Shelli. 

She's one of those amazing women that just never ceases to inspire. It was great seeing her and getting to chat one-on-one for a quick second, too. Thanks, Shelli!

I took so many photos - I just need a bit more time to look through and edit so I can post more card samples and conference pics to share with you all! Will do that soon. Thanks for visiting! Bye for now!!



from our home to yours...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just a touch of some papercrafts this year with our napkin ring/ place settings...

May you all have a wonderful day with your friends and family.  Wish you a day filled with thanks and gratitude.  We have so many things to be thankful for, especially for our sweet little blessing!

Have a wonderful Turkey day!

Stampin'Up!'s Online Extravaganza starts Monday, Nov 21!

Hey there, bloggie peeps!  Have you been waiting for some Stampin'Up! deals for this holiday season?  Then you won't want to miss the Online Extravaganza that starts on November 21st and goes thru Wed, November 30th!  You can shop 24/7 on my Demonstrator Website, so no need to rush out and drive anywhere!  Just log on starting November 21st and you'll be good to go. 

Here are some very KEY THINGS TO NOTE:

• There will be a special 24 hour sale on 2 specific items starting November 21st from 12:01 am until 11:59 pm (Mountain Time).  It's so top secret I don't even know what they are yet...you'll want to check it out!  I would hate for you to miss these 24 hr only deals!!
• Some sneak items {just to give you a little taste} are: FREE digital downloads valued at $40 when you buy My Digital Studio Express, 60 percent off select Designer Fabrics, and 30 percent off an exclusive ribbon bundle!

This is great time to get gifts for your crafty friends and family, or indulge on the items you've been wanting for yourself {everyone needs to do that every now and  then, don't you think? wink, wink}

Get ready to start the week with some great crafting deals in advance of Black Friday!!!  Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.  I'll catch up with you guys soon!!

I {heart} sweet potatoes!

Hello blog friends!  How are you all?  Getting ready for Thanksgiving?  I know it's been a while since my last post.  Thanks for hanging in :)  Theres lots of stuff going on as usual, but I wanted to share the latest developments with our little boo!  He's already 5 1/2 months old...where does the time go?  Well, I am excited to share that he has made his foray into solids.  First, the rice cereal.  Then came the sweet potatoes.  It was fun watching his reaction to new flavors :)  At first he was tentative, but after a few spoonfuls, he went to town.  What's not to like?  It's SWEET potatoes afterall ;)  Next flavor of the week - squash...just in time for Thanksgiving. 

I had fun making the layout using My Digital Studio {MDS}.  The layout above uses the Noteworthy paper, and the Pennant and Circle punch.  Digital scrapbooking is really starting to get addictive!  What I love about it is that I just took these pictures last week, downloaded them and then was inspired to make a layout.  I think I do love the convenience factor - all my supplies in one spot.  In my computer.  And, the best part?  No cleanup!  Just save the files and viola - I'm done.  Heehee.  I say that as my stamp room sits in dire need of a reorganization and heavy duty picking up.  That's one of my projects for the weekend!

How about you all?  What are your plans for Thanksgiving?  Well, I will be back with a post shortly for this month's Final Friday Giveaway AND a bonus giveaway for surpassing my 250,000 hits!! Woot woot!

Hope you guys enjoy your weekend.  Thanks so much for stopping by!!

Digital Scrapbook day and {free} digital downloads!

Hi there bloggie peeps!  I am finally over my cold and feeling much better.  Hard to believe we're already into November though...yikes!! I need to get started on my Christmas cards!!  Have you guys started?  Well, I guess that's really a topic for a separate post altogether.  Today, I've got some fun news to share!  Since tomorrow is Digital Scrapbooking Day,Stampin'Up! is making a big to-do about it by giving away some free digital downloads starting today, November 4th through November 7th!  Isn't that cool?  I have to say, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the images and layouts in this free offering.  Head on over to MyDigitalStudio.net to check them out and download.  They are free for ANYONE and EVERYONE!! You don't need to have My Digital Studio to use the downloads..  You can use them with any of your digital applications {so AWESOME!}.  Here's the link to all the deets.  It's definitely worth the while to take a peek! 

Just to share a sneak...Here's a digital card I created using one of the free layouts. It was originally a "Home For The Holidays" layout, but I changed it up a tad to be more harvest/Thanksgiving-y to match the photos I wanted to use.  I've used a few of the pics in other layouts that you may recognize, but some are new, too.  The sentiment I used is one of the freebies from the stamp brush set - I love the font!:

What do you think?  I really am enjoying the digital scrapbooking.  My little boo boo has inspired me to capture and remember all those precious every day moments in life.  It's truly amazing.  Pictures are such dear snapshots of life unfolding before your very eyes.  I think becoming a mom has given me a whole new perspective.  It has reaquainted me with the innocence and sweetness of youth, which I am greeted with everyday seeing my sunshine's smile.  Now, I see the pull of scrapbooking.  Taking pictures and capturing the emotions of the moment is addicting!  Ahh, but as usual - my enemy is time and trying to find enough of it to enjoy life AND chronicle it, too.  There's the rub.  I think you'll probably see more of the digital scrapbooking on the bloggie blog, woven in with posts of my cards and papercrafting.  Afterall, this is Rose's World, and it's continually evolving and starting to "revolve" around the little guy.  Stay tuned.

That said, I've got some stamping, crafting, and some "me" time ahead of me this weekend!  I'm going to Sandy Hancock's Demonstrator meeting tomorrow, and I'm excited about it.  I have a feeling I'll have lots crafty inspirations to post about in the coming weeks!

Well, my friends, that's it from me for now.  Hope you guys have a great weekend!  I'll catch up with you guys in a bit!

Happy Halloween from the King of the Jungle

Hi all!  Happy Halloween to you!  Our little lion will be celebrating his first Halloween!! Being sick the last few days has kind of impeded my grand plans of making a lot of Halloween cards, but I managed to put this together using MDS.  So fun!

Have a great one!  I'll catch up with you guys soon...

Woot Woot Winner Time!

Hi bloggie peeps!  Happy Friday to you all!  It's time to announce this month's Final Friday Winner.  I was SO excited to be able to easily see the NUMBERED comments - yippee!  And this month's lucky winner truly had luck on her side....ready to find out?  Here we go.  The lucky winner is:

Lucky #22, who happens to be:

TanySol!  I was so pleased to discover that it also happened to be her BIRTHDAY on Oct 25th!  Congratulations, Lucky Birthday Girl!!! 

I enjoyed reading your comments and discovered from TanySol and many of our international friends that they don't celebrate Halloween in their countries.  For those of you that DO celebrate Halloween, I had fun reading up on your traditions and memories!  It's so nice to hear your stories.  Thanks so much for playing along! 

On a side note - how do you guys like my little banner?  I am having so much fun tinkering with My Digital Studio!  There's so much you can do with digital images...not only can you scrapbook, but for blogging, I'm finding that it's a GREAT way for me to create images for my blog.  I am discovering that the possibilities truly are endless!  And...I'm excited to share a little tidbit - next week Stampin'Up! will be giving away free digital Downloads at mydigitalstudio.net!  Stay tuned...more info to come soon :)

In the meantime, hope you all have a FABULOUS weekend!  Bye for now!

a trip to the {Pumpkin Patch!}

 Hey there bloggie friends! Just wanted to share some pics from today - we went to the pumpkin patch with Denver and had so much fun! He was being so cute, too!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!  Thanks for stopping by!

Fox and Friends Thank You

Hey blog friends!  Happy July and Happy belated Independence Day! I know it's been a long time since I've last posted, but Denver has kept me and the hubs pretty busy behind the scenes!  We are really enjoying him and can't help but revel in all the new developments that we see every day in our darling little boy!  It's incredible to me that he'll already be a month old tomorrow!!  I truly can't believe how fast time flies!  I know many of you have told me, and I am in fact witnessing it to be all too true.

Believe it or not though, I have a card share today!  It's actually the thank you card I made (and continue to make..heehee) for Denver's Thank Yous.  I love the Fox and Friends set - especially with the tie in to our safari trip, too...I just love the adorable animals and I thought they would be great for these cards. Here's a closer look:

I've also been having fun dabbling with MDS - here's a few simple things I've created:

a little page commemorating my birthday this year with a family photo!

I also made another version of Denver's announcement from the hospital photos we got:

and here's the back side:

Hope you enjoyed these!  Bye for now :)

Big News in Rose's World!

Hello there, blog friends!  I know I haven't posted in a little while, but there have been major things going on behind the scenes....all good though!  I am so excited to announce that there is a NEW addition to my world......my hubby and I are so proud to announce the birth of our son!! 

He is so precious and perfect.  We're so blessed to have him in our lives.  So, my dear friends, forgive me if my blogging and crafting posts become erratic in these coming months as I adjust to motherhood and all the wonderful things that come with!  I just wanted to pop in real quick and share the news.  :)

Hope you all are doing fab!  I'm thinking this new development will probably get me more involved with digital scrapbooking.  I whipped up this announcement using My Digital Studio {so convenient!}.  And, already, I'm taking tons of pictures every day!  How could I not?  He's just so adorable and makes the cutest faces.  I'm sure every mom says that about their children  {now I totally get it!}.

Well my friends, I'm off for now, but will be back to post and share as time permits.  I've just discovered the true meaning of sleep deprivation, so bear with me :)

Thanks for popping by today!  Bye for now!

Happy Easter!

Hi there blog friends!  Hope you had a very Happy Easter!  Just wanted to pop in with a quick share of our Easter celebration  After attending mass this morning at our church with my parents, we met up with our friends for brunch.  It was a great time had by all!  And I am still stuffed!  I put together this quick layout using My Digital Studio - so fun!  With the new camera and all, I am more excited about getting into digital scrapbooking!  These are just a few photos, but we ended up taking a bunch throughout the day.

Hope you like these! 

Happy Easter!!!

It's time for Sale-a-bration!!

Hi blog friends!  I have to say that today is the start of my favorite annual Stampin'Up! promotion - Sale-a-bration!! This is the time of year where you can earn free Sale-a-bration products (like stamp sets, papers, and digital images) for every $50 in merchandise you buy.  Doesn't that sound cool?  This promotion kicks off today, January 25th and goes thru March 31, 2011. 

Wanna check out the Sale-a-bration catalog? 

It has all the excluse Sale-a-bration products you can choose from, plus lots of other options from the main Idea Book and Catalog, too!  So many cool things!  You can shop anytime on my Online Store from the comfort of your computer, or you can send me an email if you'd like to go that route, too. 

Oh - and how do you like my little digital Sale-a-bration owl graphic I created?  I used My Digital Studio (MDS) to create it, and most of the graphics are from the brand spankin' new Sale-a-bration Digital Content CD {all the exclusive images from the Sale-a-bration catty..which happens to be one of the free items you can earn}.  If you're an avid digital scrapbooker or digital designer, it's an awesome supplement to MDS and definitely worth getting...I love all the images and embellies!

Enjoy, dear friends!  It's a fabbie time to be stamping and crafting, or, for you newbies out there, take this opportunity to start your crafting arsenal!!  Have a great day!  Thanks for dropping in for a visit. :)