Baby Shower Invitation

I made these invitations for my niece's baby shower. I love the way they turned out. Originally, I was going to do the onesie invitation, but I wanted something a little more formal. I love making those bows now! Here are the details:
Cardstock:
Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip
Stampin' Up! Pretty In Pink
Stampin' Up! Whisper White

Ribbon:
from Michaels

Designer Paper:
Making Memories: Brooke

Accessories:
It's a Girl charm from Michael's

Baby Bunny Rescue

Our Weimaraner, Emmett, spied a baby bunny in the yard last night and my husband rescued it before Emmett did. Everyone had a chance holding it for a few seconds. I'm sure the rabbit nest is in our neighbor's yard, because they are the only one within four houses that don't own a dog. :)

Get Well Card

I'll add more details later....

Stamps are from My Favorite Things and everything else is Stampin' Up!

My Cricut can do THAT?

I was at SCS today and found a thread about using your Cricut for scallop punches. Now, when the Stampin' Up! Scallop punch came out (and So Many Scallops during Sale-a-Bration), I almost couldn't stand the excitement. I *love* my punch and all the other ones I have, so I'll still be grabbing those first. However, sometimes, you just don't have the size you need. I was going to splurge after getting a bonus for a task force I was on in my school district and buy a Wizard and Nestabilities. Then, I just couldn't do it. I couldn't justify spending $99 for the machine and then over $80 for the dies and that was just for the circles. My parents bought me the Cricut for Christmas and I got some cartridges with the rebate that Cricut offered.

So, like I said, I found the thread today about how some Cricut cartridges have scallop circles. I ran *like wildfire* down to my basement.....I *HAVE* those cartridges.

So, I spent the next 60 minutes cutting out circles, squares, rectangles, ovals and scallops. I plan on using these as size guidelines for all my Stampin' Up! stamps. I still cannot figure out why the same number with different shapes are different sizes. I don't even touch that "real dial size" button, because I still have NO idea what they are talking about. Tell me if you know!!!!! Also, none of the images are a "border" or "background", it's just the regular cut.

I will always pull down one of my Stampin' Up! punches when I can, but when I can't, I can use my Cricut. Also, how cute would a scrapbook page be with giant circle scallops? How easy would it be to mat some pictures?

Here are the details:
Mini Monograms cartridge
Scallop Circles (Real Red)
Circle (Kraft)
Scallop Square (Glorious Green)
Square..rounded corner (YoYo Yellow)

George and Basic Shapes cartridge
Square..sharp corners (Only Orange) R + shift
Oval (Bordering Blue) W + shift
Rectangle (Perfect Plum) Y + shift

My Color Inspiration #3 Card

I have been making stuff for the past few days and finally completed My Color Inspiration #3! All materials are Stampin' Up! I love the way this turned out! Never would have used the colors together, had it not been for the pretty inspiration picture!

Stamps:
Pick-a-Petal
Mini-Mates

Ink:
Real Red
So Saffron

Cardstock:
Real Red
So Saffron
Gable Green
Whisper White

Ribbon:
Certainly Celery

Pay It Forward Blog Candy

I won some blog candy from Mary Dawn's blog My Pink Mexico. So, as a result, I will be giving away THREE envelopes with blog candy. Here's what I am including:

• brown ribbon (1 spool)
  
• tan ribbon (1 spool)
  
• Vellum marker dual-tipped (1)
  
• double sided adhesive (1)
  
• Just Jinger scrapbooking element (1) (each envelope will be different)
  

The first three posters to this thread (U.S. addresses only) will win my blog candy. Here are the details:

• To be eligible, you must be willing to Pay It Forward yourself.
  
• You must be a blogger.
• You will put together three PIF packages to give away on your blog as "Pay It Forward".
• I will email you when you post to get your US address.
  

Decor Elements...new line

Stampin' Up! introduced a new line of products yesterday called Decor Elements. Here are some photos....I'll post more info later! These products will be available to customers beginning on July 1st!
Here's what I can post quickly:

• over 100 images in Phase 1
• available in three colors
• REMOVABLE !
  

Wedding Card

My friend Krissie is getting married on Saturday. You may have read about her proposal on my blog a while ago. The bridesmaids are wearing different shades of pink, this is the card I made for them. I used my Koh-i-Noor pencils, mineral spirits and blending stumps to color the flowers. I used Stampin' Up!'s Sweet Treats and sentiments from My Favorite Things. I also used Stampin' Up designer paper. The Stampin' Up! ink and card stock colors I used are:

• Blush Blossom
• Regal Rose
• Rose Red
• Shimmery White

I got a Target gift card for them a couple months ago and just left it on the kitchen counter. So, after I made the card, I go and dig out the card and when I open it up, here's what it looks like:



Do you believe that? A cake with pink flowers....it matched perfectly and I hadn't even seen the gift card. Funny how that worked out. Here's what they looked like side by side...I also stamped the inside of the card with a Versamark pad and Itty Bitty Backgrounds (SU).

I hope they like it!

My Color Inspiration #3

As soon as I got this email, I knew it would be the next My Color Inspiration! There is nothing prettier than fruity drinks or strawberries in lemonade. Mmmm...

This week's colors will be:

• So Saffron
• Gable Green
• Real Red
• Whisper White
  

The only rule is that your creation has to use all the colors above! Make a card, scrapbook page or an alterable and send me a link or photo! I'll post mine tomorrow....

Who wants Free stuff?

The new Fall-Winter Idea Book and Catalog is almost here! See the countdown calendar over there on your right?

You know there is going to be *so* much in that catalog that you want, but your budget just cannot afford it all right now! I have an easy solution for you! My buyer's club!
5 stampers get together with me and we all spent $25 on anything in the catalog each month. They email or call me with their order and we never actually got together as a "party". By all 6 of us spending $25 each month, the order was at least $150 each month. With the "workshop" over $150, it qualified for hostess benefits. So, each one of us got a turn being the "hostess" on of the months. As a virtual hostess, you earn at least $15 in free merchandise, plus a free stamp set that only hostesses can earn.

Some of the "hostesses" wanted to earn more benefits, so I actually did a workshop at their house and they invited their friends. You could also have your stamper friends look at the catalog and we can collect outside orders. The orders from the workshop got added on to the buyer's club orders and she earned more. Also, because there were 6 of us, the club went for 6 months.

Here are the details:

• Free Fall-Winter Idea Book and Catalog
• Free hostess stamp set
  
• Free merchandise (at least $15)
• 6 month commitment (August-January)
  
• Spend $25 per month
• As a sign-up bonus, I am including 4 free double-sided adhesive runners
  

Sound interesting? Email me with questions. I have a few slots open for the upcoming club!

What if you're not in Illinois? Not a problem! I will ship directly to you!

Stampin' Up! Retired Stamp List

Hello readers! Today, Stampin' Up! announced their Retired Stamp List. You can order these stamps through August 10th and then they'll no longer be available.

Here is the Retired List by catalog page number.


Here is the Retired List alphabetical by stamp name.

Retired accessories (tools, paper, wheels, etc.) list will be available on July 21st.

And the winner is...

Thanks to the big whopping 13 of you who entered my first blog candy. Hehe! So, since there were WAY too many entries to write numbers and cut them out, I decided to go with Random.org to pick a number for me. Geesh, I'd be writing and cutting forever otherwise. :)

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Here are your random numbers:

3

Timestamp: 2008-06-12 22:54:35 UTC

So, here it goes...
Congratulations to Brandi Parshley! Send me your snail mail address and I'll send it right out!

Brandi Parshley said...

Great blog! Love to read the story behind your card creations!

June 11, 2008 2:00 PM

My First BLOG CANDY...here it is!

Here it is! My first blog candy! They are pre-made scrapbooking embellishments.  Here's what you might win:

• Just Jinger Dream Tags
• JingerBread Shoppe Beach
• JingerBread Shoppe Baby Boy Block

All you have to do is post a comment below!  I will be drawing a winner on Thursday around 5 p.m.  

The fine print: I won't ship out of the U.S.  Sorry!

There's gonna be blog candy!

Check back later for my FIRST BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!

Sale-a-Bration 2009

Stampin' Up! just announced today that Sale-a-Bration 2009 will be from February 1-March 31. That's two whole months to earn free stuff!

With Enough Caffeine, I Could Rule the World

I was trying out the watercoloring technique with this coffee mug and really had no intention of actually making a card. But after I colored it, it actually wasn't hideous, so I decided to try it out. Magically, the Stampin' Up! designer paper matched the colors of the cup perfectly. It was by total accident. I love when that happens. I was going to mat the sentiment, but thought, "Hey, what if I just stamp it right on the paper?" And voila....a card that took me about 5 minutes to make after the image was colored. I think that may never happen again. It's one of the beautiful things about designer paper...cards look like they're so much more embellished than they really are.

I think I'm going to change this design up a little bit and make a name frame with it for my office....

I won Gina K.'s Contest!!!!

Didn't I say on Friday that I was no Gina K. and needed a tutorial? Well, not only did she post a tutorial, but I won the contest! Check it out below...

Gina K.'s Koh-i-Noor Package Winner

I should have asked for a one-on-one tutoring session! Hehe! Thanks Gina K.!

My Color Inspiration #2 Cards

Did I say how much easier it is to start a card when the colors are already chosen? Holy guacamole. I love this. It is a total time-saver.I decided right away (I don't know how) that I would use Stampin' Up!'s All About U stamp set. I was going to make two identical cards, but ended up scrapping one of them because the eyelets were all crooked.

Then, I thought I would use Grandma's sewing machine to sew on some red ribbon (that I just paid $80 to have tuned, or whatever it is called). I wanted to sew it around as a border kind of haphazardly around the U like in the bag. You would think that you could just kind of wad up the ribbon and sew it on and it would look kind of quirky, like in the photo. Not so much. It looked like I wadded it up and sewed it on.

So....(no pun intended), I ended up without one of the card bases and had to start over. I decided to still include the ribbon on card #1, but I used my ever-so-sticky red line tape instead and was much happier. For card #2, I just stamped a few flowers instead of doing the whole ribbon thing again.

When it was all said and done, I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Did you try it? Send me a photo or a link and I'll include it here.

My Color Inspiration #2

Let's try this again! I also found this page for My Color Inspiration in my Country Living Magazine. This time it's from the June issue on page 48. Isn't that a cute, little bag, by the way?

So, for the color rules this time, let's go with:

• Wild Wasabi
• Real Red
• Brilliant Blue
• Whisper White

Seems easy enough, right? The only rule is that you have to use all the colors above somehow. Make a card, scrapbook page, alterable item, etc. Send me a photo or a link and I'll post it here. My card will be coming tomorrow!

50% Michael's Coupon

Need a 50% off Michael's coupon? Click HERE.

Let me know what you bought!

Stamped Summer Library Bags

Every year, the kids sign up for the library summer reading club. The problem is that with three kids, we end up getting about 30 books each week and they end up everywhere. So last year, I made Kylie this bag and never got around to finishing the bags for Carter and Makenna. We took our first summer trip to the library last week and I quickly remembered why we needed the bags.

The bags come from Michael's and come in a three pack for $9.99, but if you use the coupon they're cheaper. They come in both the tan color and white.

Makenna wanted a zoo bag and Carter wanted an Elvis bag. I stamped the names with the Big Deal Alphabet (page 155). Makenna's is stamped with Wild About You (page 70). I think I'm going to go back and sew some ribbon along the top edge and "glam" it up a bit. I stamp the image, but because of the rough surface of the bag, I go back over and colored it with Sharpies. I used the Elvis line from Cornish Heritage Farms for Carter's bag.

White Sox Game

I do not know what is up with the formatting of this post, but I can't get it fixed. Sorry about the wonky fomatting!




We had a great opportunity on Saturday to go to the White Sox game and sit in the Jim Beam Club. It is the most exclusive seating area and we absolutely loved it! Here is Carter, Kylie and Frank.
















Here I am with Kylie. Makenna got to stay with Grandma and Grandpa for the night.









On the way to the game, it absolutely down poured and we worried the game wouldn't even happen. In fact, there were tornado watches everywhere. When we got to U.S. Cellular Stadium, the rain tarp was on the field and it was just barely raining. There was a rain delay in the bottom of the first inning, but it was all good after that.









We were sitting in the Jim Beam section and got to enjoy the free buffet and open bar before and during the game. You can sit outside in the big, cushy padded seats.












Or you can sit inside where all the food is! There was a cheese platter, pasta, chicken, mashed potatoes, taco bar, a carving station with roast beef or turkey, plus a ton of other stuff. My favorite were the pretzel rolls. Mmmm.....
















Kylie opted for the chopped salad and some mashed potatoes. Carter had crackers and mashed potatoes.








We found out that there is a different menu when you go to the outdoor seats that is traditional baseball food. The menu included hot dogs, hamburgers, nachos, tater tots, loaded french fries, soft pretzels, boneless wings, popcorn, rueben sandwiches, BBQ pork sandwiches or beef tenderloin skewers. And of course, anything you wanted to drink.

You sit in your seats and the servers come take your order and bring it to you! You never have to leave the game to go get food! And, it's all free!








About in the third inning, they put out the dessert buffet. Kylie got ice cream with sprinkles, candy and gummy bears. There was also cheesecake, brownies, cookies, etc. I opted for loaded nachos!







The game was so exciting. The Sox scored home run after home run! Crede was awesome! The final score was 11-2!

We had an unbelievable time!









At the end of the game, there were fireworks!

















The whole baseball field experience was so exciting for everyone! There's loud music, lots of cheering, fun games during innings, plus the roar of the crowd when you hear the ball smack the bat and go flying into the outfield. We can't wait to go back and do it all again.

These boots are made for walkin'

Today I came home from work and had two new stamp sets in the mail from My Favorite Things! It was my first order from them and I was super-excited to try them out. I also gave my new Gina K. order a try...mineral spirits, blending stumps and Koh-i-noor Woodless pencils. Let's just say, I'm no Gina K. (Did I ever mention my mom's name is Gina K.?...every time I read Gina's blog, I think of my mom.) Anywahoo....I definitely need another tutorial on using these pencils because I have no idea what I'm doing. Any of you who can post a great tutorial, it would be mighty appreciated. A video tutorial would be even more awesome!

So, my new sets from MFT are called Ride 'Em Cowgirl and Essential Sentiments. I thought the cowgirl stamp would go well with my Stampin' Up! Bronc Buster set (which it did!). The cowgirl image and sentiment on the front are from MFT, the star-swirly thing is from Bronc Buster and the sentiment inside says "I'm Here for You" is from Essential Sentiments.

I plan on sending this card to a friend at work. Her husband is being a poopy-head and she needs some cheering up!

Stamps:
Ride Em' Cowgirl (My Favorite Things)
Essential Elements (My Favorite Things)
Bronc Buster (Stampin' Up!)

Ink:
Chocolate Chip (Stampin' Up!)
Memento Black

Koh-I-noor Pencils

Cardstock (All Stampin' Up!):
Kraft
Pretty in Pink
Whisper White

Other stuff:
Gina K.'s Blending Stumps
Gina K.'s Mineral Spirits
Twine
Mini-glue dots (Stampin' Up!)
Brads (Stampin' Up!)
Transparent Glitter

My Color Inspiration #1 Card

After posting the first My Color Inspiration yesterday, I promised to show you what I came up with! This is the first time I tried this and it was so much fun. :)
The Stampin' Up! colors to be used were:
Rose Red
Elegant Eggplant
Sky Blue (In Color)
Whisper White

I used solid color cardstock, except I decided to use the Rose Red Designer Paper. As many of you know, I am a DP hoarder, and it just about kills me to cut it up! However I thought that the Rose Red DP was perfect for this project, so I took the plunge.

I also cut the paper in the opposite direction that I usually do. The sentiment just seemed to fit better that way. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the way this turned out. I was bummed that when I looked at my ribbon stash, I had nothing to match! I think I'm needing some ribbon on my next order. :)

In addition to the cardstock above, I also used Stampin' Up!'s square Ice Brads and non-SU punches. The stamp set is Time Well Spent. I wanted to use this set because I have a dear friend who's going through a rough time right now and I'm going to give her this card.

Don't forget to send me your photos if you tried this My Color Inspiration and I'll post them here.

Raise your hand if...

...your children have been on summer break for less than three hours and somebody needs a time-out already! Geesh!

Grandma's Peonies

Before my grandma died, we dug up the peonies in her yard and split them up between myself, my brother and my parents. The first few years, nothing really happened and they barely bloomed. This year, I got some huge blooms and decided to cut some of them for a vase. This year, I counted 19 blooms all together. I cut off about 7 of them for the vase and left the rest on the two plants. I hope one day, they will get huge so I can split them and be able to line a big area with them. Every year they get bigger!

Inspired by Berries~My Color Inspiration #1

Whisper White
Sky Blue

Rose Red

Elegant Eggplant

I loved the idea of using a magazine photo to inspire a color combination, like in the post below. Today, my new issue of Country Living came and I found this gorgeous photo of berries. For any of you that have this issue (July 2008), it's on page 132. I love the color combination, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. In fact, I even am calling it My Color Inspiration #1, just in case there actually might be a #2 or #42.
I started by choosing the Stampin' Up! colors that matched the photo. (Anywahoo....here are the colors:
Rose Red
Elegant Eggplant
Sky Blue (In Color)
Whisper White

I will post the card that I made tomorrow (Thursday), so stay tuned to see it. In the meantime, try it for yourself! The only rule is that you have to use every color listed above in some way! Send me your photo or email me a link and I'll post them all here! Ooohh, this is gonna be fun.