Stampin' & Scrappin' with Donna

YOU GOTTA LOVE A GOOD DEAL

During FEBRUARY & MARCH, 2013 purchase my "Love is in the Air" product bundle for just $75 (includes shipping and taxes) and you'll not only get a FREE Sale-a-Bration item of your choice, but you'll also receive full instruction sheets with colour photos to make:

• 5 different cards, suitable for Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, birthdays or just to say hello
• 8 scrapbook pages, 8"x8", use as 4 double page layouts, or frame individually as gifts
• 1 cute & frilly gift box, 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" high

All the projects are made using the products in my featured bundle, and after you've made them all, you'll STILL have supplies left to play with! All you need to provide is your favourite adhesives, a paper trimmer and some scissors.

Email me today to join the club & I'll have your product bundle shipped directly to your door via UPS!

cheers,

 

 

EMAIL: [email protected]

PS: Watch for my next online club with product bundle  ... starting in April!

IT'S 2012 HOLIDAY HELPER TIME

Every year I send out 12 brand new Holiday Helpers to all my Newsletter Subscribers .. a little thank you gift from me to you. The first email will be in your inbox on Mon Nov 12 & they will continue for 12 days.

Not a subscriber yet? Just enter your email address in the form up in the top left corner of this blog and you too will receive all 12 holiday projects!

Thank you all for another fun year with Stampin' Up! You make it all worthwhile ... enjoy!

OLD MEETS NEW

I need a 50th Anniversary card for a very special couple's party next weekend and a store-bought card just won't do, kwim? (Hey, if you know this couple too, keep this post under your hat until next Saturday, ok?)

It's been a long time since I sat in my craft room and just played, but today I gingerly picked my way around the piles of retiring stuff slated for my crafty yard sale later this month, relocated the wobbly pile of UFOs from my chair, and rummaged around my desk for the last cards I had worked on before the dry spell hit me.

Lo and behold, I found a bunch of black & gold cards I had started, with the intention of using up some retiring Designer Series Papers - a good beginning, I thought. Next, I pulled out my still unused framelits and coordinating stamp sets from the new 2012-2013 Catalogue that I've been dying to play with ... added some gold embossing powder and a jumbo half pearl and voila!

The picture doesn't do this justice as the paper really shimmers irl, but you get the idea.

I like this layout because it's easy to change the feel and occasion without having to rethink the whole card - just swap for a different pkg of Designer Series Papers, change the sentiment and you're done.

Inside I added a second white medalion with the phrase "Happy Anniversary" and room to sign our names.

SUPPLIES USED (100% STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS):

• card stock: basic black, whisper white
• Designer Series Papers: Mocha Morning Specialty (retired May 31, 2012)
• stamp sets: Memorable Moments (#126682, clear mount, NEW*) & Itty Bitty Banners (#126257, clear mount, NEW*)
• Big Shot die cutting machine
• Sizzix Framelits: Bitty Banners (#129267, NEW*) & Labels Collection (#125598)
• Gold embossing powder
• Jumbo Pearls
• Soft Suede ink pad
• Stampin' Dimensionals

It sure felt good to be creating again ... especially when I had the recipients in mind as I was stamping!

Until next time,

THIS LAST YEAR HAS FLOWN BY

Yesterday the family gathered to celebrate Miss Norah's very first birthday. We marveled at how one little girl has the power to draw all of us together ... two years ago I didn't even know some of these people, and now I consider them all members of my extended family. She is one lucky girl to be sooo loved by so many.

The guest of honour, meanwhile, marveled at the silly antics we all went through .. fourteen people singing Happy Birthday to her and showering her with gifts ... it was a hoot to watch the puzzlement on her face as she looked from one person to the next.

 

But the best part was watching her "discover" chocolate cake ... when placed in front of her, she daintily poked her fingers into the icing and gingerly tasted the sugary icing for the first time in her life - an instant hit!

I have to confess that I didn't make my grandbaby's birthday card this year, so I can't share that card today ... instead, I have a photo of one of my favourite cards from the Make & Take session at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference, held back in January in San Antonio, TX.

With a little modification, I think this would make a great kid's birthday card - the rotating wheel could be stamped with numbers instead of kites ... then just twirl the wheel to the right number for a personalized birthday greeting. Oh, and check out the adorable closure on the envelope .. now how cute is that! (Stamp set is "Send Me Soaring", found on pg 37 of the Occasions Mini catalogue).

Until next time,

APPARENTLY, MARCH IS BABY MONTH

A year ago this month our family was blessed with our first grandbaby ... it's hard to believe she's already a year old, and at the same time I can't remember what life was like without her being a part of our family... I am in Grandma Heaven!

On the same day our granddaughter arrived last year, my cousin Sherrylee in St. Catherines became a grandmother for the first time too! Her little grandson is quite the handsome dude.

 

And my nephew's little angel celebrated her first birthday this March out in British Columbia with her big brother and sister.

Now fast forward to March of this year ... my cousin Marlene became a grandmother on March 2nd in Guelph, ON; ANOTHER cousin  (yes, I have a lot of cousins, lol) became a first-time daddy about week ago in London, ON (yay Scott!) and today a good friend and member of the Artful*Inkers team, Janessa, gave birth to her second child up in Barrie, ON!

Something tells me I've missed one in there somewhere ... no doubt I will hear about my forgetfulness, pronto.

It's doing me a world of good to hear about all these new little babies ... it reminds me that life goes on, even after someone you love passes away. I look forward to telling little Miss Norah all about her great-grandad someday.

Here's an adorable birth announcement card that I recently received from another friend, neighbour and team-mate, Joanna - celebrating the birth of her precious little girl in December.

This card was made using Stampin' Up! punches, cardstock and embossing folder ... inside is a picture of her sleeping beauty and all the details of her birthday.

Go ahead, click on the photo for a closer look. Now, how cute is that!

ACRYLIC DISTRESS TECHNIQUE

Stampin' Up! featured this technique in their March issue of Stampin' Success, a kewl monthly magazine they send to all their demonstrators.

It's called Acrylic Distress and the only thing you need besides your Stampin' Up! stash of goodies is a bit of acrylic paint (the kind that is sold everywhere in squeeze bottles for a dollar).

Here's a photo (left) of the card we made at our last team meeting when Samantha Forrest demoed this technique - I put the embossing folder backwards onto the painted card stock, so mine is "de-bossed" by mistake & you don't get the same stand-out effect, but ...

... this second photo (right) is from Stampin' Up! - same colours, different design - but you can see the effect better on this card since the embossing was done right side up (grin).

 

I can see all kinds of uses for this technique with all of Stampin' Up!'s embossing folders and with all kinds of different colours of acrylic paint. Click on this link to download a prointable PDF instruction sheet, and give this one a try!:  Acrylic Distress Technique

PS: The DEMONSTRATOR STARTER KITS (both Standard and Digital+) are on sale right now for $150 CAN (regular $215). With this purchase, you recieve a minimum 20% off all purchases, the Stampin' Success magazine, password-access to Stampin' Connection and the Demonstrator Website, a ton of free and discounted Stampin' Up! products, and lots more. I mean, it has to be a good deal or why else would I still be with this company after 10 years, right? For more information, CLICK HERE. Sale price ends March 31, 2012.

I'll be back on Monday with more paper crafting projects to share - have a great weekend!

 

HEARTS & CLOVERS

Ok, the actual holidays may have passed me by this year, but I was still thinking of all of you on the day and I still received some very kewl cards for Valentines Day and St. Patrick's Day this year ... both of the cards shown here are by a very talented member of the Artful*Inkers team, Robbyn Sorli. (Not to say that the rest of my team has no talent .. no, no! They are ALL very gifted and very creative stampers!! ... removing my foot from my mouth now)

BAck to the topic of today's post ... I love how Robbyn created her own unique background on this Valentine, using a variety of romantic stamps & ink colours. Almost all of the stamps shown came from P.S. I LOVE YOU stamp set on page 8 of the OCCASIONS MINI CATALOGUE ..  the only exception (I think) is the dotted pink heart in the upper right corner ... I'm not sure which set that belongs to)

Robbyn "aged" her Valentine by roughing the edges of the card, sponging some light brown ink (possibly she used Stampin' Up!'s DISTRESSING ESSENTIALS KIT, pg 203 of the current Idea Book & Catalogue) and topped it all off with a few squirts of BLUSHING BRIDE SMOOCH SPRITZ from the OCCASIONS MINI.

 

 

 

Robbyn made this all-green card both for St. Patrick's Day and for a team challenge to "Think Green". Not an easy task to make a card using only one colour, but I think she pulled it off brilliantly!

The banner is from TAKE IT TO HEART stamp set and the greeting is from TEENY TINY WISHES stamp set.

Unfortunately, Stampin' Up! doesn't have a shamrock punch, so Robbyn created it using the new HEARTS COLLECTION FRAMELITS DIES from the OCCASIONS MINI ... pretty clever, eh?

 

 

 

Tomorrow I'll show you the card & envelope we made at last Monday's team meeting - featuring a kewl technique with acrylic paint and the new DIAGONAL INSERT for the SIMPLY SCORING TOOL.

 

SOME STAMPIN' THERAPY

Life is slowly returning to normal after losing my father to Cancer earlier this month. The spring bulbs are blooming this week, which gives us a sense of renewal and a fresh start. I've been edging myself back into my routines, and I thank you all for sticking by me while I find my way back to a creative frame of mind.

Last Monday I got a real boost in the arm when I attended our team's monthly meeting which Samantha Forrest and Diane Hilborn had all planned out (thank you both, and Julie Leblanc too in February for keeping the team going in my absence!) Having friends is always a treasure, but having Crafty Friends just brings an extra special bond and warmth ...  and the Artful*Inkers team are true-blue crafty friends. Thank you all for being there for me on Monday, and over the last few months too.

So, back to getting creative again ... so much has happened while I was absent - I missed sharing my Leadership projects with you in January; Valentines Day has come and gone without a single card from me, and St. Patrick's Day is history too. Now we're all focusing on Spring themes in our creations, along with Easter and Mother's Day - whew! I have a whole pile of cards I received over the last couple of months that I plan to share here with you, as well as some of my Leadership projects. Since the products are still all currently available, I hope you'll bear with me as I play catch-up over the next few weeks with my posts.

For today, I wanted to show you some cards that my team mates and I made for a creative challenge called "white spaces" - which just means keeping the card clean & simple, letting lots of white show through .. you know, the type of stuff we RARELY do when we get out all of our stash and start adding layer after layer of goodness. Well, sometimes CLEAN AND SIMPLE is good too! Enjoy ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#1- by Diane Hilborn, featuring SPRINKLED EXPRESSIONS stamp set, EVERYDAY ENCHANTMENT ribbon, & DESIGNER FRAMES embossing folders from the SALE-A-BRATION brochure (expires March 31, 2012)

#2 - by me, Donna Henley, featuring ADORNING ACCENTS embossing folders & Edgelets dies, LARGE PEARL BASIC JEWELS, MIXED BUNCH stamp set, & BLOSSOM punch  - all from the OCCASIONS MINI CATALOGUE (expires April 30, 2012)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#3 - by Samantha Forrest, featuring one of the 2011-2012 In Colours, CONCORD CRUSH, as well as the ELEMENTS OF STYLE stamp set from the current Idea Book & Catalogue (expires May 31, 2012 - NOT June 30th, by the way!). Samantha used the SPOTLIGHT technique, one of my faves.

#4 - by Vanessa Manklow, featuring LOVE & LAUGHTER stamp set (from the Occasions Mini), Basic Black 1/8" TAFFETA RIBBON, the FINIAL PRESS embossing folder & Big Shot, and silver embossing powder to really make the stamped image stand out.

I'll have some more team swap cards to share with you all tomorrow...

GOODIES FROM LEADERSHIP

I have a confession to make - there are sooo many brand new products sitting here on my desk that I don't know what to play with first! What a terrible predicament to be in, eh?

I blame it all on Stampin' Up! - they really spoiled us at the Leadership Conference last week .. just look at this list of loot I brought home with me:

• Totally A-maze-ing stamp set (Occasions Mini)
• pkg of Maze Games (Occasions Mini)
• Sale-a-Bration MDS Downloads CD (SAB)
• Fresh Vintage stamp set (SAB)
• Mixed Bunch stamp set (Occasions Mini)
• Loving Thoughts stamp set (Occasions Mini)
• pkg of Jumbo Pearls (Occasions Mini)
• pkg of regular Pearls (IB&C)
• pkg of Rhinestones (IB&C)
• roll of Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon
• pkg of Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper (SAB)
• Blossom Builders designer Printed Kit
• On Board Art Journal (IB&C)

PLUS two sneak peek stamp sets that I can't even talk about until they come out in the new Idea Book & Catalogue - what a great haul, right? Stampin' Up! is the most generous and supportive Direct Sales company I have ever come across and I will always be glad I joined their ranks, that's for sure!

I still have to finish the five make & take projects that we were given - I was too busy talking with folk to get them done in the allotted time; big surprise there!) .. I'll post pics once they're done.

In the meantime, here are some of my favourite swap cards from Leadership ... enjoy! (I neglected to get the creators' names so if you see your work here, let me know and I'll give proper credit!)

And if you'd like to join the fun as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator so you can go to the events and get the freebies too - I'd be honoured to have you on my team, the Artful*Inkers. Now, during Sale-a-Bration you can purchase either of the Demonstrator Starter Kits for only $150 and you'll also receive a free pkg of Designer Series Paper or free My Digital Studio downloads every month for the rest of 2012! YOu can read all about it (and sign up online as an Artful*Inker) by clicking HERE

 



I can't believe the holidays are almost here! As a thank you gift to everyone on my email newsletter list, I am sending out a special gift - you will be receiving the 2011 Twelve Days of Holiday Helper projects from me - one each day for 12 days, starting on Monday November 21. If you prefer not to receive this gift, just let me know before the start date. If you aren't on my list yet, you can sign up for my newsletters in the upper left corner of this screen. I hope you like these projects and that they help you enjoy your holidays just a little bit more!

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN COOKIE SLEEVE

Here's a kewl project using our new cookie stamps (they're so much fun I can't stop baking, lol)

Product Highlight:
Stamp Set Sweet Pressed Cookie (#125152)

Take your love of stamping into the kitchen! Create fun and tasty stamped cookies for any occasion. Fit a silicone stamp over the bottom of wooden handle and press into dough—it’s that easy! Let the kids help! Food-safe, easy-to-clean (dishwasher safe). Suggested cookie recipes included. Each includes set of 3 silicone stamps (jack'o'lantern, snowflake & heart) and 1 handle.

For More Details: Visit My Gallery

cheers,

WHAT A WHIRLWIND

The wind has been blowing leaves all around our house for the past week & the trees are almost bare, but at least the sun is finally shining today! This week's activities will be a whirlwind too ... I'm not quite over my cold but there's no more time to nurse it ... my inks, stamps and papers are calling to me, lol!

Tonight in Guelph I'm running my PAPER MEDALLION WREATH CLASS (aka lolly wreath) and we have room for a couple more folk. If you'd like to join the fun, just shoot me a quick email or phone call! COST: $25, TIME: 7-9 PM ... just wait til you see how much easier it is to make this wreath using the Simply Scored tool!

 

Thursday night I'm teaching my TRI-FOLD PHOTO CARD CLASS in Clifford - you'll get to make two different cards, plus have the written instructions to make more at home. These hold three photos and make great holiday cards to mail to far-off family & friends! COST: $15, TIME: 7-9 PM. Call or email me to reserve your seat!

 

And the grand finale of this whirlwind week will be the ALS SCRAPBOOK DAY OUT in Guelph on Saturday, October 22nd from ... are you ready for this ... 9 am til midnight!!!! (Yes, hubby & I will be staying in a hotel room in town afterwards) This event is raising money for a friend's mom who was recently diagnosed with ALS and will need a lot of specialized equipment down the road. The organizers have invited several vendors to be on hand, and have gathered some AMAZING prizes to raffle off throughout the day! I will have my Stampin' Up! booth there all day and night, with a try-it-out table, retired stuff for sale, AND I will personally be scrapbooking with MY DIGITAL STUDIO - you can watch along on the monitor! I'm donating 20% of all retired stuff sales and 10% of all catalogue sales that I make on the 22nd. Let me know if you are going to be there ... and if you haven't registered yet, I'm sure we can get a few more people in even at this late date, so give me a call or email if you want to join in the fun!

That's my week ... I'll need to rest up on Sunday, 'cause I have THREE MORE crafty events on my schedule for the following week ... you can check it all out here on my EVENTS CALENDAR

cheers

SNEAK PEEK @ MY OCTOBER CLASS PROJECTS

Make this festive PAPER MEDALLION WREATH for your own home or as a gift; your choice of Autumn colours as shown, or in Christmas colours.

DATE & TIME: Monday October 17th, 7-9 pm

PLACE: Crafters Cupboard, 430 Laird Rd, Guelph

COST: $25 (includes all supplies to make 1 wreath & written instructions so you can make more @ home with your own stash)

RESERVE YOUR SEAT ONLINE & PAY AT THE CLASS

*****************************************************************************************************

Make 2 TRI-FOLD PHOTO CARDS - one in Neutral Masculine colours as shown; the other in Traditional Christmas colours. This card folds to fit in a standard envelope (included), making them ideal mail-away gifts to far-off family & friends.

DATE & TIME: Thursday October 20th; 7-9 pm

PLACE: Wellington County Public Library, Clifford

COST: $15 (includes all supplies to make 2 Photo Cards & written instructions to make more @ home with your own stash)

RESERVE YOUR SEAT ONLINE NOW & PAY AT THE CLASS

***************************************************************************************************

Stamp 6 Monogrammed note cards (letter of your choice) & make a window box to hold all six plus their 3 1/4"x3 1/4" envelopes (included). Holiday Party Season is approaching ... this would be an ideal gift for the hostess ... maybe a Secret Santa gift at the office ... or how about one for your child's teacher or care-giver!

DATE & TIME: Monday October 24th; 7-9 pm

PLACE: Crafters Cupboard, 430 Laird Rd, Guelph

COST:$15 (includes all supplies to make 6 cards and 1 box, plus written instructions to make more)

RESERVE YOUR SEAT ONLINE AND PAY AT THE CLASS

cheers,

The Most Wonderful (and Busiest) Time of the Year

The Most Wonderful (and Busiest) Time of the Year

 Ah yes, it is that time of year ... back to school, then Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas ... and then there’s the new year and Valentine’s Day is not too far behind. It’s the time of year when the holidays seem to pile up on each other and our “To Do” List seems to keep growing. But don’t put card making or handmade gifts to the wayside.

Here are some reasons why:

It’s relaxing...

Take time for yourself to enjoy your hobby and check things off of your list of things to do at the same time. A fun gift to create are little treat boxes with the Matchbox Bigz XL Big Shot die (#114890), some labels, and the It’s a Wrap Holidays stamp set (#122770 - wood/#122772 - clear). Stamp the labels, wrap them around mini candy bars and put them into the Matchbox and they are ready to give. Embellish the Matchbox for an added touch. And don’t forget to enjoy some chocolate while you are stamping for some added relaxation.

It’s personal...

You can create cards and gifts that reflect your personality or that are personalized for the recipient. Handmade, stamped cards and gifts are the things that the recipient will hang onto long after the holidays are over. There is just something about the thoughtfulness of a handmade card or gift that makes it that much more special.

The new Stampin’ Card Keeper (#124107) makes a great gift filled with some handmade cards, and also makes a great way to keep organized during the holidays.

It’s festive...

Start a family tradition. Create wreaths for the different seasons or holidays as family and let each member of the family create and add a personal element. You can even incorporate Simply Adorned charms (#116799) into your project and family members can create different inserts to change with the seasons.

My pleated paper wreath class will be in Guelph on Mon Oct 17 and in Clifford on Thurs Oct 20; 7-9 pm. Visit MY EVENTS page to RSVP your seat online!

 

 

 

 

Pull out your catalogues, plan your projects, order your supplies, and then you will be ready for what the holiday season brings you. If you would like personal design assistance for your holiday projects, please contact me and I would be more than happy to help!

cheers,

 

 

 

GUELPH: CULTURE DAYS & TRUNK SALE

I'm packing up all my retired-and-no-longer-needed stamp sets today ... they'll be at my booth this weekend at Crafters Cupboard's TRUNK SALE and Culture Days Event ... come see me on Friday, Saturday, Sunday 'cause they're PRICED TO GO ... I don't have the space to keep them anymore; my collection is bustin' at the seams, lol!

Check out this link for times and location:

CULTURE DAYS/TRUNK SALE

 

All the Crafters Cupboard vendors (including me!) will also be on hand, demonstrating their skills and you can watch the demonstrations or even get your hands in there and try them out for yourself! Be sure to drop by my booth for the official launch of my SCRAP IT paper crafting kits - and be sure to fill out the survey to tell me which project should be my next kit release!

SNEAK PEEK @ STAMP CAMP PROJECTS

The last day to register for our FALL TECHNIQUE STAMP CAMP in Guelph is coming up this Friday, Sept 9th - that's so we have enough time to order in all the products that you'll receive at the big event - yours to keep!

Here's a peek at some of the twelve different techniques you'll get to play with - a different greeting card for each technique ... PLUS 12 full-colour, fully illustrated, full-size technique instruction sheets to take home, refreshments & prizes!

Register now for SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 24's FALL TECHNIQUE STAMP CAMP (12 noon - 4:30 pm) by clicking on this link ... don't delay; registration CLOSES this Friday, Sept 9th!!

BUILD-A-WHEEL BIRTHDAY CARDS

Join me to make these cheerful birthday cards and bag while we experiment with Stampin' Up!s Stampin' Around Build-a-Wheels ... they're small, but they're versatile - you can change the wheel combos & ink colours for a whole new look!

GUELPH CLASS: Mon Sept 19; 7 pm @ Crafters Cupboard, 430 Laird Rd

CLIFFORD CLASS: Thurs Sept 22; 7 pm @ Clifford Public Library

COST: $15.00 - RSVP your seat by clicking on the above location of your choice - it's easy!

cheers,

INTRODUCING: "SIMPLY SCORED" SCORING TOOL & CLASS

I'm so excited about the newest tool in my Stampin' Up! toolbox, and as of today it's available to my customers too - WAHOO!!

What is it, you ask?

Stampin' Up!'s original scoring tool--designed exclusively by and for Stampin' Up! With etched grooves every 1/8", and the ability to score card stock up to 12" x 12", the Simply Scored scoring tool helps you create perfectly measured score marks.  It's great for creating multiple projects or projects with a variety of score marks!

Features of the Simply Scored Scoring Tool

• Comes with a high-quality stylus instead of a plastic bone folder.
  • Stylus is ergonomically shaped and features a comfort grip.
  • The high-quality metal tips on each end of the stylus--they come in two sizes--glide smoothly over your paper.
• Features a unique set of place markers that let you mark your score lines when creating multiple projects with the same score lines.
  • Includes three place markers.
  • Additional place markers can be purchased for flawless scoring.
• Includes a hidden storage compartment in the back of the base to hold your scoring tools.
• Accommodates card stock up to 12" x 12".

Here are some Product Details:

• Item 122334; $38.95
• Simply Scored includes
  • 1 scoring board
  • 1 stylus
  • 3 place markers
• Dimensions of scoring board: 15-1/8" x 13-1/4" x  1"

• Additional products available:
  • Simply Scored Stylus
    • Item  125624; $5.95
    • Dimensions: 5-7/16" (13,8 cm)
  • Simply Scored Place Markers (pack of 6)
    • Item 125625; $3.50
    • Dimensions: 1/4" x 1" (6,4 x 25,4 mm)

I love using mine on projects requiring a lot of score lines .. like box templates & fancy fold cards. It also makes adding background texture to your cards and pages a breeze!

And best of all, take a look at this beautiful wreath made of scored paper medallions designed by Stampin' Up! ... I love this wreath SO much that I'm featuring it in October's Paper Crafting Techniques class on Monday Oct. 17th in Guelph ... come join the fun!

And don't forget to contact me or shop in my online store to order your own Simply Scored scoring tool ... get a close up look on page 6 of the new Holiday Mini catalogue (#122334; $38.95)

cheers,

WHAT A GREAT DAY!

Tuesdays and Thursdays you'll find me in my little stampin' room/office, working at my business - and today was just one of those warm fuzzy kind of days ... lots of activity, but lots of friends and fun too!

I started off pretty early with some alone time on the 'puter while hubby slept in. (That's the best time to compose blog posts, class descriptions and email replies ... when he isn't staring over my shoulder like he is right now! Hey, whadda-ya know - it worked; hubby has left the building, lol)

Next, I did a couple of scheduled calls with members of my team on Skype. This is a new offering to my downline and it's getting pretty popular, especially with the gals who live too far away to attend our monthly team meetings. I loved having the chance today to talk with them one-on-one, showing them some cards, storage tips, and getting caught up on their lives and businesses too. See ... warm & fuzzy!

Then my demonstrator pal Ruth Millard dropped by for lunch and an afternoon visit ... what a treat! She surprised me with a make & take project from her quilted card class, and she wasn't sure how far along I was in the unpacking stage, so she brought everything with her - punch, dimensionals, ink, EVERYTHING I needed to make this beautiful card:

Based on the Dresden Plate quilt pattern, using retired Designer Series papers and a greeting from the new 'Perfectly Penned" stamp set (pg. 154, IB&C) -this card really does look like it's been quilted once it has been run through the Big Shot using the "Square Lattice" embossing folder!

100% Stampin' Up! supplies were used on this project, as with all the projects I feature on my blog.

 

Right after Ruth left, hubby & I started to put up some much-needed shelves in my little stampin' room ... and we got to talking about moving one or two things around ... and well, by the time we were done, I don't think a single thing stayed in it's original space.

Here's some quick pics of my new layout - my flash didn't work on one, but that's the change I'm most happy about - my desk/stamp table is now facing the window - WAHOO!! Now I can stamp by natural light and get my fill of sunshine all at the same time!

All three photos were snapped from my doorway ... left side of the room (where my desk used to be), centre (window & desk) and then right side of the room). Nothing is sorted yet, but you get the idea. I'm hoping Ruth sees this blog post - she won't believe it's the same room we were huddled in all afternoon - it's much more spacious now! <grin>

cheers

EMBOSSED VELLUM WITH CLASSIC INK

As promised, here's the card that Julie cooked up for our make & take project at Thursday's team meeting .. it was inspired by a demonstration she saw at the Stampin' Up! Convention in July:

TECHNIQUE: Embossed Vellum with Classic Ink

First we stamped the butterfly from the "Strength & Hope" set onto vellum cardstock, using Classic (dye) ink, then we quickly dipped the image into clear embossing powder, heat set it, then cut it out.

Normally you need to use Craft (pigment) inks or VersaMark ink if you want to emboss an image, but this time we were able to use Classic (dye) ink! That's because vellum is non-porous so Classic ink doesn't dry as quickly as it does on regular card stock or paper - in fact you have to be very careful not to smudge the image before it's embossed.

We punched a window in the card front, then attached the vellum butterfly using Glue Dots in the wing tips.

 

The butterfly was stamped again on a piece of Whisper White card stock and positioned so that it lined up through the window with the vellum butterfly. Actually, now that I think of it, we did the white butterfly first and adhered it to the inside of the card - then we attached the vellum butterfly so that the two images lined up.(Yep, much easier that way, wink)

The flowers are from a new 2-Step set called 'Field Flowers" (pg 120, IB&C) and the ink colours are Wisteria Wonder, Concord Crush, and Lucky Limeade - all three are In-Colours, which means they are current, trendy and hip ... and they won't be around forever, so if you like 'em, grab 'em!

cheers,

SWAP CARDS TO SHARE

I had an such an awesome time at my team meeting last night in Guelph... I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Artful*Inkers team ROCKS!! I've never met such a bunch of great ladies for sharing ideas, supporting each other and boosting my mojo to the rooftops; after one of our meetings I could stamp all night with the inspiration I get from our team!

Take a look at the cards they brought to swap with each other ... I think all of them are terrific! Can you spot the new products on each card? (As always, you can click on the photos to see a close-up)

 

PHOTO #1: Pink card by Debbie Laine; Yellow butterfly card by Dusty Weber

PHOTO #2: Snowman card by Julie Leblanc; Green card by Samantha Forest

 

PHOTO #3: Flower Heart card by Joanna Johnson-Russwurm; Espresso card by Ruth Hill

PHOTO #4: Sailboat card by Sandra Panio; Red butterfly card by Diane Hilborn

 

 

 I hope you are inspired to make a card and send it to someone this week! Tune in tomorrow to see the make & take card that Julie created for us to try!

cheers,

SNEAK PEEK OF THIS WED'S CLASS

Looking for a few more people to attend this Wednesday's Paper Bag Scrapbook class - I'll be teaching it at the Crafters Cupboard on Southgate Drive in Guelph ... it's my first class at this location and I need an encouraging turnout! <grin>

Here's a sneak peek of this month's project:

You have the choice of two kits - one stripes, one flowers. All the pieces are pre-cut; embellishments will vary slightly from kit to kit.

This project uses a mixture of retired & current Stampin' Up! supplies, demonstrating how easy it is to adapt this project to make more with the supplies you have at home!

CLASS: $25 - includes one complete kit, plus access to my punches and extra embellishments, plus tea/coffee. Bring your own adhesive, scissors & bone folder if you have one.

RSVP NOW to attend this month's Paper Lunchbag Kit Klass on Wed May 25th from 7-9 pm ... email: [email protected] or sign up at the store!

Additional kits will be available to purchase at the class or in the store afterwards, while stock lasts - %15 per kit. Some adaptation may be requred to make the kits at home if you don't own the punches & extra embellishments that I'll be bringing to the class.

BIG NEWS: It's official - I'll be holding PAPERCRAFTING KIT KLASSES on a regular basis on the last Wednesday of each month at Crafters Cupboard - with a new kit each month, and additional kits available at the store AFTER each class is held. Stay tuned for a sneak peek of June's Kit Klass, coming soon!

cheers

A CHEERFUL TREAT

I just made this tri-fold card using MY DIGITAL STUDIO software from Stampin' Up! and the Level One Hostess reward, the CHEERFUL TREAT Digital CD ... and the most recent pictures of my grandbaby ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to try out MY DIGITAL STUDIO for yourself? Let's book an hour or so and I'll show you just how easy it is to design your own card, page, framed art, tag, newsletter, or book!

And if you like what we create in our time together, you can get it printed through Stampin' Up!'s professional services for 30% off - but only until May 31st, so call or email me soon to get your private MDS session!

cheers

HOW MANY PROJECTS CAN ONE STAMPER HAVE ON THE GO?

Sounds like the start of a bad joke, like ... how many stampers does it take to ... never mind.

I'm one of those gals who can't finish anything in one sitting ... as a result, I have TOO MANY unfinished projects on the go on any given day (week, month, even year!)

Funny thing, but In the last six days (coincidently the same length of time my dear daughter has gone past her due date to deliver my precious grandbaby) ... I've had the urge to pick up several half finished projects and as they say, "get 'er done"

So I thought I'd share what I've managed to finish this past week or so ... and I'd love to hear your comments: are you a multi-tasker like me, or one of those "must-finish-this-before-I-start-that" type of crafter? (I can't imagine what that lifestyle would even feel like!)

 

First, a quick card I made for my son-in-law's birthday earlier in March ... with a retired set from Stampin' Up! that fits our family's activities so well that I kept it in my stash. SiL is an avid canoer, camper & fisherman ... I tied the bike onto the back of the jeep to represent all the kiddy stuff he's gonna have to start taking along on their camping trips <grin>

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next - here's a super fun and easy pop-up card that I found online and used as one of the make & take projects at my team's March meeting.

It starts with an 8x8" piece of card stock, add some scoring, glue one corner, and decorate to your heart's content - couldn't be easier! We used the "Ice Cream Parlor" designer series papers, self-adhesive die cuts, printed ribbon and buttons - all of which are FREE with purchase during SALE-A-BRATION this month - gotta love the free stuff!!

Next up is a personal favourite .. this bookmark was our second make & take project at March's Artful*Inkers Team meeting .. designed and presented by Joanna.

I love the bright colours that Joanna used - this also looks great in Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, and Melon Mambo - all from the Brights Collection, which coordinated perfectly with the stack of Brights Patterned Designer Series Papers ... clever girl, our Joanna!

 

We used five different Stampin' Up! punches to make this - can you name them all?

I loved the bookmark project so much that I added it to the roster for my "Mom & Me" March Break class, held last Wednesday afternoon. We all wore hats (for the Mad Hatter Tea Party theme) and decorated them with these flowers, made on the Sizzix Big Shot die-cutting machine:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our final project at the "Mom & Me" class was a Friendship Book .. a mini scrapbook made from plain drink coasters bound together using my little sprial binding machine.

The girls had a grand old time choosing their papers, ink colours and chipboard embellishments to give each book it's own special touches.

Of course, we had to leave room inside to add photos of our best friends later, along with lists of our favourite movies this year, books we've read, and anything else we wanted to remember about 2011!

Then we wrapped up the afternoon with a tea party upstairs in my dining room .. I wish I had gotten photos of everyone who came; but here's one of the person who travelled the farthest to attend!

Thank you all for sharing part of your March Break vacation crafting with me!

Ok, more projects to share tomorrow ... for now, make sure you've ordered all the freebies you want out of the Sale-a-Bration brochure 'cause it ends March 31st.

Also, this Wednesday is the last day to register for our final session of the Techniques Stamp Camp - this time to be held in Waterloo on Sat April 2nd.

And I'm still offering 10% off orders placed before my grandbaby arrives .. something tells me you shouldn't dawdle on this one! <grin>

cheers

 

 

NEW MARCH CLASS: "FRIENDLY WORDS"

Grandbaby number one is due in just five days, and the waiting is unbearable ... so I've just added a new class in March to help make the time go faster, lol. And due to my ongoing March madness, I'm giving away lots of extras with this class!

Join me on Tuesday March 22nd @ 7:30 pm for my "FRIENDLY WORDS" class ... featuring the "FRIENDLY WORDS" Stampin' Around Jumbo Wheel!

At this class you'll make a gift bag with tag, and four co-ordinating cards with envelopes to go inside  .. Stampin' Around wheels are a great complement to many stamp sets and projects! Let me show you how you can create 11 different techniques using our Stampin' Around Wheels at this class ... oh, and get this: the $25 class fee includes a "FRIENDLY WORDS" wheel to take home! (pg 138, 2010-2011 IB&C)

OPTIONAL: Bring a Jumbo Handle if you own one, along with your favourite adhesive, bone folder, paper snips or scissors, and paper trimmer with scoring blade. New to paper crafting and you don't own all of these basic tools? No problem - I have some you can use during this class; and if you order any of the above at this class, I'll give you 10% off the regular catalogue price!

PLUS: everyone who attends will receive a FREE surprise bag of 10 hand-stamped cards/card fronts; you can use them to send to friends, or just for ideas & inspiration when you stamp your own.

Call or email me to register for this class ASAP, so that your "FRIENDLY WORDS" wheel will be here in time for class.

cheers

ADDICTIVE BEHAVOUR

OK, these "Make It From Scraps" cards are just waaaaay too much fun! I thought I'd make up a second set to display at tonight's class - just to give folks a starting point to work from ... next thing I knew it, the afternoon was gone! Good thing I have a ton of pre-cut kits already prepared, 'cause I think you're gonna want more than just the twelve we'll be making in class!

There are still a few seats available for tonight's class @ 7:30 pm ... or you can catch the second one on Thursday March 10th ... just give me a call or quick email to save your seat. Better yet, get a few friends together and I'll bring this class to your home!

Click here to see my first set of cards (they're totally different; all pink & feminine!)

Click here for full class details ... then register you and your friends!

cheers,

TRIPLETS?

I know, this is my third post this week about making mini cards ... I can't help myself, lol. Once you start on these little devils, they become sooooo addictive!

 

 

 

 (click on the photos to make them larger)

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of my favourite little cards - both on a baby theme, naturally ... and the most recent photo of my daughter (the gal on the right) and her long-time childhood friend, taken Sunday at a baby shower.

Both girls are expecting their first child; my daughter in due in 3 weeks (OMG!!!) and her friend's baby will be here about a month later. This was the first time the girls have seen each other in 20 years, and we're all going to meet up again (grandmas and mommas!) after the babies are born ... I can't wait!!!!

Oh, and the title of this post? I was just referring to the third post in a row about making mini cards ... there are NO multiple births in our near future - gotcha!

cheers

 

MORE LITTLE ONES

Every time I finish a bigger paper crafting project, I try to take a few minutes to make some quick mini cards with the leftover bits of paper and cardstock before I put everything away. Hey, all the coordinating stuff is already there in front of me, and it keeps my "scrap pile" from growing, so why not?

Mini cards are great to have on hand ... tie one to a bottle of wine, slip a note into someone's lunchbox or briefcase, add to a bouquet of flowers, use as gift tags -  there's no limit to the ways you can use these little treasures!

 

All of today's samples start with a 3x6" piced of card stock, folded in half. With the exception of the pink ribbons in the third photo, everything shown here came from Stampin' Up! (some Designer Papers and stamps are retired)

cheers

THINK SMALL

I've always loved to create mini cards - call 'em gift cards, tags, note cards, what have you .. small sized cards are great because:

• they're a great way to use up leftovers from a larger project
• you can make a whole bunch in just a matter of minutes
• the smaller surface means you don't need a lot of details to make them pop
• they're versatile .. just change the feel by changing the sentiment

 

 

 

 

 

 

Give it a try ... start with a 3x6", 4x8", or 5-1/2x4-1/4" piece of card stock, fold it in half, grab your bits & pieces, and think SMALL!

Happy Family Day to everyone in Ontario and Alberta,

MAKE IT FROM SCRAPS

The frugal stamper is very pleased with this weekend's creations ... I started out with an old issue of Sheetload of Cards from 2007 and I ended up putting together a class that shows you how to make tons of cards while using up your stash of leftover card stock, designer papers, ribbons and embellishments - you know, the stuff that's too small to make anything with but too pretty to throw away? <wink>

For this class you'll get to pick your favourite colours from a large selection of pre-cut pieces. When you go home, you'll have 12 finished cards and envelopes for a variety of occasions, plus the cutting pattern and the know-how to make many more cards with stuff you already have at home!

This class is a more relaxed format than my usual fare ... it's easy because you start with a basic card layout and yet it offers you the chance to try out several ways to step-it-up just a little - and all while you are using up leftovers from other projects!

Oh, and if you have a stash of embellishments you want to use up, feel free to bring that to class - buttons, brads, ribbon bits, rhinestones, whatever you've got on hand! If you don't have a lot of embellishments, don't worry; I have plenty of odds and sods to share. If you do bring your stash, you'll have the opportunity to swap stuff with your classmates so everyone can go home with more of a variety!

I'll supply everything else - pre-cut designer paper and card stock pieces, blank cards & envelopes, stamps & inks, adhesives, punches, sponges, inspiration boards and instruction sheets. Plus, everyone gets 3 metres of 1/8" wide taffeta ribbon & 3 sponge wedges from Stampin' Up! to use during the class and to keep afterwards!

These cards are easy to make, easy to embellish, and easy to re-create at home when you need to make more. I'll show you ways to embellish using what you already have in your stash - and YOU choose whether to keep your cards simple or step-it-up with sponging, corner rounding, distressing, etc, etc... I'll have all kinds of samples to help you decide, so bring your camera.

DATE: Monday Feb 28 or Thursday March 10th

TIME: 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm

COST: $25 per person or 2/$40 when you bring a friend!

Call me: 519-823-8891 or email me: [email protected] to register for this class - tell me which evening you're coming, who you're bringing with you (if you want the discount price), and how you want to pay for your class ... cheque, cash or credit card (thorugh PayPal) are all accepted.

cheers,

 

 

VALENTINE'S DAY IS COMING!

FINAL FIVE SHOEBOX CARDS

Here we go, folks ... the last five projects that I got to make with my demonstrator team & friends at last Saturday's STAMP-4-FUN event .. and to give everyone credit for their wonderfully creative talents, here's a list of ALL seventeen artists:

DION PACHECO, DUSTY WEBER, SANDRA PANIO, BRENDA, CAROLYN HELDER, SAMANTHA FORREST, VANESSA LEAPER, DEB LAINE, DIANE HILBORN, JULIE LEBLANC, PAM LAMONT, RUTH HILL, JOANNA JOHNSON, HEATHER ARSENAULT, CAROLE MOORE, JANESSA BOTT, (and yours truly, DONNA HENLEY).

Thank you ladies for making this quarter's STAMP-4-FUN one of the best ever! (A special thanks to Carolyn Helder and Ruth Millard for their enthusiastic Leadership presentation; we all want to go with you next year in San Antonio!)

Enjoy these cards! (You can see the other twelve by going to my blog posts on Sunday Jan 23 and Monday Jan 24, 2011)

 

 

 

TAKE TWO ON SATURDAY'S SHOEBOX SWAP

It's Monday ... I hope you all have set some time aside to stamp and get creative; it's the best kind of therapy I've found for Mondays <grin>

Here are six more of the wonderful shoebox swap cards we made last Saturday during the Artful*Inkers' quarterly Stamp-4-Fun day. (Check out yesterday's blog post for a full description of our day's activities) I'll be back tomorrow to show you the last five projects and I promise to list ALL of the creative demonstrators' names - they certainly deserve recognition for their beautiful designs!

Enjoy!

 

 

 

SHOEBOX SWAP

I hosted a Stampin' Up! demonstrator event yesterday called Stamp-4-Fun; I do it once every quarter for my downline the Artful*Inkers and assorted demonstrator friends I've gotten to know through attending Regionals, Leadership, Convention, Stampin' Palooza, and through chatting online on demonstrator-only groups. (Hey, if you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and would like to be on the mailing list for the next one in April, send me your email address!)

Anyway, back to yesterday ... eighteen of us braved the cold and snowy day to get together for a great presentation by two demos who just got back from the Leadership Conference in Nashville, followed by a delicious lunch catered by the cafeteria staff at ARC Industries (mmmm, that roasted veggie soup was delicious, ladies!) and then we stamped the afternoon away! I can't think of a better way to spend a wintry Saturday, can you?

So where do the shoeboxes come into the picture? Well, each one of us designed a card at home, cut up enough kits for everyone to make, and packed all the necessary tools, stamps and kits into ... you guessed it, a shoebox! (or plastic tub, crate, stack-and-store, basket, whatever) and brought them on Saturday. Then we just moved from shoebox to shoebox to make each card while we chatted and visited with old friends and new!

And what did we end up with? OMG, what a bunch of talented gals they all are! I LOVE every single project we got to make - seriously! I started to take photos of a few to share here, but I couldn't bring myself to leave a single one out, lol.

Sooo, here are the first six that I randomly pulled from the pile .. I'll post another six tomorrow and the final five on Tuesday. (PS- I can't remember who designed each card, so to be fair and give due credit to everyone, I'll list ALL of the creative gals' names in Tuesday's post)

Enjoy!

 

 

 

QUICK AND EASY VALENTINES

Busy, busy, busy ... why is that phrase always on our lips? Before I tell you WHY I'm so busy, I wanted to share some QUICK AND EASY Valentines I made yesterday - all four of these 3"x3" cards took about 20 minutes total ... which is about all the time I could spare, lol. (PS - I LOVE Stampin' Up!'s new GLIMMER PAPER ... it's so red and sparkly!)

I try to stamp something every day, but this week I've been occupied with getting ready for this Saturday's STAMP-4-FUN day with my team of demonstrators - I LOVE getting together with these gals ... Artful*Inkers, you ROCK!

And of course, there are a lot of details to iron out for the SALE-A-BRATION TECHNIQUE STAMP CAMPS - my team is putting on this event on four different Saturdays in four different towns - how's that for ambitious! What can I say; we just love creating and we want to share the fun with everyone!

Have you registered yet?

• GUELPH: EVENT DAY: Sat Feb 5th, REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wed Jan 26th
• CAMBRIDGE: EVENT DAY: Sat Feb 26th, REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wed Feb 16th
• CARLISLE: EVENT DAY: Sat Mar 5th, REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wed Feb 23rd
• WATERLOO: EVENT DAY: Sat Apr 2nd, REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Wed Mar 23rd

You can check out this blog post to see what we'll be making - it's gonna be a FULL day of stamping!

And you can click on this link to register for Guelph's event, or contact me to register for one of the other three events ... I'll be participating at all of them!

cheers,

BRILLIANT IDEA FOR VALENTINE TREATS

Good morning! I'm here in my studio for a 12 hour marathon session today .. it's one of my three OPEN STUDIO DAYS that I've scheduled for January. If you're in the neighbourhood, drop by for coffee and a card ($2), or to work on your own projects - you can use my stamps and tools while you're here!

I thought I'd start my day with a quick inspirational blog hop through my downlines' blogs to see what Valentine ideas they've come up with. Here's one I had to share with all of you right away - it's perfect to make for inexpensive class valentines, especially if you want to include a treat but you hate to think of the kids ripping your creation apart in a frenzy to get to the sugar (how's that for a visual image? LOL)

My downline ANDREA WALFORD spotted this project by Susan on the Scrapyland blog, then modified it to make it her own design - I LOVE IT! If you follow my link to Andrea's blog, she has a video tutorial and a PDF instruction sheet that you can download too! Oh, and if you decide to join her brand new Paper Crafters' Library - tell her Donna sent you <grin>

cheers

 

JAN '11: NEW DIGITAL DOWNLOADS FOR MY DIGITAL STUDIO

Here are the latest digital downloads from Stampin' Up! .. and there are more to come in January! If you've been following the news from the recent Leadership Conference, you'll recognise some of these downloads as samples made available to Leadership attendees - check out the adorable oversized postcards designed as baby announcements, the desktop calendar, and the 8-1/2" x 11" scrapbook .. all you have to do is add your photos!

			Item  Description  Image  Price  Content    124030  Tempting Turquoise Patterns Designer Series Paper        $2.50  Four Tempting Turquoise Designer Series Paper Patterns 124031  Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Paper    $2.50    Four Old Olive Designer Series Paper Patterns 124033  Pretty in Pink Patterns Designer Series Paper         $2.50  Four Pretty in Pink Designer Series Paper Patterns  124022  Sweet Stitches Designer Buttons          $3.75   Three button styles in Tangerine Tango, Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip, and Daffodil Delight. Total of 12 buttons.      124028  Pattern Pieces Stamp Brush        $2.50  One oversized fabric pattern. Coordinates with the "Oh Sew Suite" product line.     124018  Blossom Petals Punch       $1.25    Four-piece stamp brush set and one 5" x 7" greeting card designer template.    124019  Build a Blossom Stamp Brush Set        $7.95  Twelve-piece stamp brush set. Coordinates with the digital Blossom Petals Punch.   124027  Eat Chocolate Stamp Brush Set        $4.95  Four-piece stamp brush set.    125161  Top 10 Photo Book Template        $18.50    This 24-page designer template (11" x 8-1/2") was used to make the My Digital Studio Professional Print Product Sampler, demonstrator supply item #124261.  125162  2011 Pennant Desktop Calendar        $18.50     This 25-page calendar template (5-1/2" x 6-1/2" calendar with easel) was used to make the My Digital Studio Professional Print Product Sampler, demonstrator supply item #124261. 125623  Baja Breeze Flower Bouquet Birth Announcement        $2.50     Double-sided baby boy announcement postcard designer template. Colors are Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, and Basic Gray.    125163  Regal Rose Flower Bouquet Birth Announcement        $2.50     Double-sided baby girl announcement postcard designer template. Colors are Regal Rose, Kiwi Kiss, and So Saffron.  This template was used to make the My Digital Studio Professional Print Product Sampler, demonstrator supply item #124261.   125164  Play Date Invitation Designer Template        $2.50    Birthday greeting card invitation template. Front and inside of card are pre-designed. Template includes nine embellishment pieces and was used to make the My Digital Studio Professional Print Product Sampler, demonstrator supply item #124261. 125165  Snowflake Flurry Holiday Trifold Card Designer Template        $2.50     This 4" x 9-1/4" trifold card designer template was used to make the My Digital Studio Professional Print Product Sampler, demonstrator supply item #124261.    124542  Chat Room Rock Star Stamp Brush Set    $7.95  Ten-piece stamp brush set.    124543  Chat Room Friend Stamp Brush Set         $7.95  Ten-piece stamp brush set.    124486  Chat Room Baby Stamp Brush Set         $7.95  Ten-piece stamp brush set.

My Digital Studio is an intuitive, creative software program created by Stampin' Up! - that makes designing on your computer oh-so-easy! Click here for more information about My Digital Studio.

And if you already own another brand of digital design software, don't forget that Stampin' Up!'s downloads are compatible with all the major brands of software.

If you would like to view Stampin' Up!'s complete list of My Digital Studio download offerings, go to the my business website's homepage, click on Store, then Digital Crafting. 

cheers

TECHNIQUES STAMP CAMP

 TUESDAY JANUARY 25th is the LAST DAY TO REGISTER for this event .... hurry!

My team and I've been working on putting together a major event for you and we're finally ready to announce the details ....

SALE-A-BRATION TECHNIQUES STAMP CAMP

Saturday February 5th

10 am - 4 pm

ARC Industries building @ 8 Royal Rd, Guelph

Come learn 12 stamping techniques to make the most of the stamps you already own! Participants will receive a mini album of all technique instructions, and you'll also make a full card for each technique!

A catered lunch, door prizes & a Sale-a-Bration display are all included in the $40 fee.  

Register by Jan 25th & receive a FREE pkg of rhinestones!

Just click on this link to register yourself and up to eight friends.

If you have any questions about this event or if you'd like to pay your registration through PayPal, please contact me by either phone: 519-823-8891 or email: [email protected]

Thanks for your support & enthusiasm in the best hobby ever; I really look forward to seeing you at this stamp camp!

PS - if this date doesn't work for you, we'll also be offering the same event in Waterloo, Cambridge and the Carlisle/Waterdown area ... contact me if you'd like information on those dates!

cheers

 

A MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD

Wishing all of my scrappy friends a wonderful Christmas and all the best in 2011! Here's my MDS card to you:

1) card front  2) inside

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Boxing Day I will post the remaining Christmas Countdow swaps for you, as well as a Boxing Week special that you won't want to miss ... just a little holiday something from me to you <wink>

cheers

DAY 19: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Here it is, Sunday already ... and less than a week to go before Christmas arrives ...

OK, true confession time: I'm a fraud. I actually wrote this last Thursday night and I basically haven't been home since I wrote it, what with final exams wrapping up on Friday and travelling on Saturday to the other side of Toronto and then heading north to attend several family functions this weekend including a surprise birthday party AND a Christmas concert .. lately my life is running on as long as this sentence has!

Good thing the next week will be quiet and relaxing - NOT! I still haven't finished my Christmas cards, let alone the shopping, wrapping and baking! I sure hope your pre-holiday days are in better shape than mine, lol!

Thank goodness for all the little gifts I've been opening this month; they remind me of the good friends I have and all that is truly important in life. That and stamping in my studio keeps the holiday stress at bay; without friends and creative outlets ... I'd be a basket case.

Speaking of gifts and good friends, here's today's swap surprise in the Artful*Inkers' Countdown to Christmas swap ... made by the effervescent Eva-Marie (aka Nathalie) waaaay up in Deep River, Ontario:

LOVE this colour combo: Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy and Whisper White. The box you've seen before - it's the very versatile Fancy Favour Box Bigz XL die (made by Sizzix exclusively for Stampin' Up!) and the snowflake embellishment on the front is also cut on the Sizzix Big Shot with the new Northern Frost Decorative Strip die, another Stampin' Up! exclusive.

I've included a pic of the back of the box to show you the all-over snowflake pattern stamped in Not Quite Navy Classic ink, and the punched holes to tie the box closed with ribbon. Once you've cut and scored this box on your Big Shot machine, it practically makes itself!

What's inside, you ask? Eva-Marie gave us all some lovely bath salts and some very unusual candies - I've never seen candy-coated chocolate sea shells before this; they remind me of little hermit crabs! Can't wait to dig into them as soon as we're back home.

I'll post again on Monday (this time in "real time") to share Dec 19th's surprise.

cheers

 

DAY 18: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Before anything else today, I want to send out wishes for a very Happy 80th Birthday to my hubby's dad up there in the Kawarthas ... we'll see you VERY soon!! (nudge, nudge, wink, wink .. shhhh, I've said too much already ... whew, it's a good thing he doesn't follow my blog ... at least I don't think he does - !??)

While I remove my foot from my mouth, why don't you take a look at today's surprise in the Artful*Inkers Countdown to Christmas swap?

Dusty W. in Cambridge wrapped up her gifts in confetti white tissue paper with a quick and easy belly band using Designer Series paper from one of Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scrappin' Kits, topped with a circle-punched stamped image.

Poking & prodding, squeezing and shaking - I still couldn't figure out what was inside; sure glad today rolled around so I could open it up, lol!

Dusty made these neat wrappers to hold a package of gum - which just slides in and out, easy as you please. (Just click on the pictures for a closer look)

I love how she used non-Christmas stamps to stamp an all-over design in traditional reds and greens - even the greeting isn't your normal holiday wish. Just goes to show you that the stamps in your stash can be very versatile if you just think outside the proverbial box. This little treat is going right into my purse, wrapper and all!

I'll be on the road tomorrow (shhhh, Donna - not another word or you'll spoil the surprise!) - but I'll still post Dec 19th's gift here for all of you to see.

cheers

DAY SEVENTEEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

OK, I'm not really here at my computer today ... I'm pulling a very long day at the University, proctoring exams. But, through the magic of modern technology I am still able to share today's Chirstmas Countdown treat with all of you ... (drat, I meant Christmas - spell check, don't fail me now!)

Now my friend Brenda S here in Guelph was all worried and stressed that her swap gift wasn't up to par with the rest; can you believe it? Her adhesive didn't want to cooperate .. she had to use patterned paper that isn't from Stampin' Up! to finish her swaps .. and I guess she felt rushed to get them done in time too - but hey, girl - we still love you! (Especially with all the sweet stuff that you got to fill up the bags - this is a serious amount of sugar and I for one am in heaven!)

It's good to know that I'm not the only one trying to use up my stash before I buy more ... and I'm not the only one who gets frustrated when I'm finishing stuff in the eleventh hour, lol.

  All I can say is I'm lovin' all the sweets that have been coming my way during this month of gifts ... I won't be overindulging during Christmas 'cause I've been sampling all along! (grin)

(PS - Brenda found the directions to make this paper bag purse on Split Coast Stampers.)

Check back tomorrow for Dec 18th's surprise ... with all the presents I've been opening each day, I'm thinkin' that we should have called this swap the 24 Days of Christmas!

cheers

 

SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP: WEEK 7

Here it is ... the link to the 7th and FINAL week of the Sizzix blog hop (I'm sorry to see it end!)

This week features the Treat Toppers die - again, we don't carry this die at Stampin' Up! but I'm sure you'll see how easy it would be to adapt some of these projects using the Sizzix dies that we DO carry ... like the Top Note die, for one!

Enjoy your tour through these very creative blogs - and drop by sometime to try out the Sizzix Big Shot die-cutter at my studio! Better yet, consider joining the next round of my Big Shot club which starts in January 2011 - click here for all the details, then send an email to [email protected] to reserve your spot.

cheers

DAY SIXTEEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Better late than never ... here's today's surprise in the Artful*Inkers' Countdown to Christmas swap ... made by my team mate Kimberly H from Alma, Ontario:

Purple, blue and white .. how fun is this colour combo?! I love non-traditional Christmas colours, Kimberly!

This folder is cheerful and mysterious .. I couldn't wait to rip it open (I'm not kidding!) to see what was tucked inside ..

.. and look what I found: a yummy packet of gourmet hot chocolate!!

Here's a closer look at how Kimberly made the slot to hold the hot chocolate in place:

She punched two small holes with her hand-held circle punch on either side of the folder, then cut two straight lines from each hole on the left to its counterpart on the right. Easy-peasy!

I can see making something like this to hold one of those chocolate covered marshmallow hearts for Valentines Day .. or how about a package of flower seeds for Mothers Day or Easter! Hmmm, I must keep that ideas stored away for later ...

See you tomorrow with Dec 17th's surprise!

cheers

DEC 15: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Guess what ... I have another matchbox card to show you today - I told you it's a versatile project! <grin>

Brenda H had to mail us her swaps all the way from Ottawa (I'm thinking of you gals up there with all the snow you've been getting!!) You may not be able to see by the photo, but the Confetti Cream card front has been embossed using the Sizzix Big Shot and one of Stampin" Up!'s Sizzix Texturz Templates ... or is it an embossing folder? I'm too eager to see what's inside to stop and look it up in my catalogue, lol. The ornament punches are hung with Stampin' Up!'s Linen Thread, and there's some Old Olive Super Nova Stampin' Glitter on one ornament to give it the finishing touch.

Brenda made her matchbook card a little bigger than Karen's from yesterday. Why? Well, to hold a CD, of course! Brenda decorated a CD label with a cute snowman, lots of flakes and a greeting - now I'm not sure if she stamped the labels by hand and coloured them in or if she used the new digital CD Label template that Stampin' Up! just released for MY DIGITAL STUDIO .. I'll have to ask her!

At first I thought the CD was an ornament ... I checked the back; nope, no decorations there ... so for the heck of it I popped it into my computer and ....

Christmas music!!! Wahoo!!! I'm listening right now to a selection of Brenda's favourite carols by Aretha Franklin, Faith Hill, and a whole range of different artists - how kewl is that?!!! Thank you so much, Brenda!!

I'm getting really excited for Christmas now - can't wait to see what the next swap surprise brings! I'll meet you back here tomorrow and we'll open it together, ok?

cheers

 

DAY FOURTEEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Check out today's surprise in the Artful*Inkers' Countdown to Christmas swap ... made by Karen of Fergus (got it right this time, Karen & Sandra D!)

I love this card front - red glitter stripes, polka dots, and a clever use of stamps and scallop circle punches to make a wreath! Who'da thought Pirouette Pink and Baja Breeze would make perfect holiday colours along side Real Red and Garden Green - not me! (All supplies are from Stampin' Up!)

The most versatile card ever designed is the matchbook card - it can hold anything flat; I've used it in the past to hold a gift card, photo, invitation, recipe, candy, chocolate (which as we all know isn't candy but a food group), my business card, hot chocolate, microwave popcorn, perfume sachet, calendar, coupon, mini sewing kit ... well, you get the idea.

Look what Karen put into her matchbook card .. I'm gonna enjoy a lovely cuppa Lady Grey tea today while I finish up addressing my family's Christmas cards! Thank you, my friend!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the reveal of Dec 15th's swap surprise!

cheers

SIZZIX TRIPLE PLAY BLOG HOP: WEEK 6

Ooops, I did it again - I forgot to post the link to the week six of Sizzix' Triple Play blog hop ... which started last Thursday  .. December 9th (I'm so embarrassed, especially since I've been thoroughly enjoying my hop through the 50+ blogs - without sharing it with all of you... how rude of me!)

I'm here to make amends right now ... here's the link to week six- all the projects this week feature the Sizzix Bigz XL die called Album, Brackets. I think you're really gonna enjoy this week because I can see a lot of ideas we can adapt to use Stampin' Up!'s Sizzix Top Note Die instead - wahoo!

SIZZIX BLOG HOP, WEEK SIX:  Sizzix Bigz XL Die - Album, Brackets

Be sure to check out week six now so you are fresh and ready to see week seven's tour which starts this coming Thursday, Dec 16th! Week seven will be the final leg of the blog hop: I hope you've enjoyed seeing all the creative ways to use Sizzix dies as much as I have!

And the fun isn't over yet ... I just learned today that the Sizzix designers responsible for this blog hop will be launching a new website to continue the inspiration! Stay tuned for details...

cheers

DAY TWELVE: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Why is it that my day off ends up being busier than the rest of the week ... what's up with that? This is the first moment I've had all day to photograph and post December 12th's surprise, so since I've kept you waiting this long ... here goes!

My long time buddy Debbie in Brantford whipped up this package of goodies using her Big Shot die cutter and the Sizzix Pillowbox die in classic red and white Christmas colours.

Classy yet quick: Debbie attached a piece of red satin ribbon to the top side only, letting it drape over the edges. Then ends of the pillow box were held close with a bit of adhesive.

Inside I discovered some ribbons and candies ... yum! Thanks, Debbie!

I'm off to pre-post tomorrow's surprise so that it's here first thing in the morning!

cheers

DAY ELEVEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

10 gifts down and 15 to go ... that's right, there are only fifteen days until Christmas Day!

Today's gift is one of my favourites because it looks soooo dificult to make but with a Sizzix Big Shot machine, it's a breeze to whip up a bunch in no time flat!

CORRECTION: Sandra D, near London made these nifty snowflake candle holders for everyone in our team swap - aren't they great looking? These can be cut from any thin metal, from pop cans to aluminum flashing to copper sheets - the Big Shot can handle them all!

If you look in the centre you'll see that Sandra used an eyelet to hold two snowflakes together (rotate a quarter turn to slightly offset the snowflake points) and then gently bent each snowflake point upward, forming a cup to hold the tealight candle in place. Very kewl!

I'll be back tomorrow with December 12th's goody!

DAY TEN: CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Today's surprise in the Artful*Inkers' "Countdown to Christmas" comes from Wilma in Kitchener - another great way to make treat bags with Stampin' Up!'s mini paper bags (featured in the Holiday Mini catalogue).

Wilma added some special touches: the Bashful Blue card stock has been embossed with the Northern Flurry Sizzix embossing folder to give some added texture; a half circle of velcro holds the flap closed & keeps the goodies tucked inside; the petal card punch was used to create the pocket on the front, and a white grosgrain ribbon handle adds the finishing touch. Oh, and don't forget the glitter on Frosty's hat and scarf!

Thanks Wilma for an adorable little gift bag in a really sweet colour combination!

We're almost halfway through the Christmas Countdown - and there have been some amazing hand-crafted creations so far ... wouldn't you agree? I can't wait to see what's still in store!

cheers