Okay, once again I’m away!  This time I’m at a Stampin’ Up! conference in Orlando.   Then Disney with the family and then resting in Ft Myers.  I’m hopeful that all the sun and warmer weather will yield a healthy Allen family!!

Anyway, so my blog doesn’t sit without any posts….I used the Frosty Day DSP from the Holiday mini to make a hanging at the pool page!  The colors just worked perfectly.  Another reason I absolutely have an addiction to SU! DSP - its versatility!!

Supplies
Stamp Set
Jumbo Outline Alphabet, Simple Serif Alphabet

Inks
Classic Pads: Black Stazon, White Gel Pen

Card stock/ Paper
Tangerine Tango, Bashful Blue, Close to Cocoa, Frosty Day DSP, Washington Apple DSP

Tools
scallop edge punch, paper piercing mat, paper piercer, Tombow multipurpose glue

Accessories
chipboard, Chunky Glitter

Tags: chipboard, chunky glitter, Designer Series Paper, scallop edge punch

Stampin’ Up! announced an Inventory blowout sale today!!!  Up to 50% off select retired, retiring, and current items!!    Check out more details here.  To see pictures of the images click here.  (Please note: when you’re looking at the image pictures, the ORIGINAL price is listed - NOT the sale price.  To see the sale price see the list of items.)

Contact me ASAP to place your order or simply order online here. (Be sure you see my name in the top right corner when placing an online order to ensure you get the lowest s/h cost!)

Happy Shopping and Stamping!

So, this is one of the two pages I was referring to in my last post about my stamping New Year’s resolution.   These are all pictures of my son this past November enjoying Disney.  (Club members, go to your section to see both pages and the other January layout.)

Supplies

Stamp Set
Owl Together Now

Inks
Classic Pads: Old Olive, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip,
Black Stazon, Old Olive Marker

Card stock/ Paper
Old Olive, Whisper White, Real Red, Baja Breeze, Ski Slope DSP, 6" x 6" Chocolate Chip Envelope (that come with Scallop Notes)

Tools
Blender Pen, Color Spritzer Tool, My Way Punch, 1" circle punch, scallop circle punch

Accessories
Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Silver Hodge Podge Hardware, silver eyelet (can’t see in picture)

Tags: blender pen, grosgrain ribbon, scallop circle, Scrapbooking, watercoloring

I try really hard to keep this blog strictly stamping related, ie. not much mention of my family/life unless there’s stamping involved.  Although I’m not posting any pictures with this post I believe the post still holds true to my unwritten rule.

As I was designing some scrapbook pages for Monday’s club tonight (yes, I’ll try to post a picture tomorrow!) I couldn’t help but think of my DD#2 (the pages definitely lean toward a child theme).  She just turned 4 and she has loved stamping ever since I can remember.  She got into my stuff just like the other two did (well, the youngest still does - where’s my Old Olive marker cap, baby boy???) but she is still very interested in all the stuff behind my desk now in a proactive way versus a destructive way! LOL  My older daughter enjoys stamping as well but she doesn’t have a desire to stamp nearly as much as my 4 year old does. 

So anyway, while I was stamping I was thinking I really need to let my 4 year old stamp more often.  She asks me A LOT if she can make whatever I’m making, if she can have a baggie (I bag up all my cards individually for workshops and always have leftovers that I store in my laterals) to stamp a card for whomever, if she can sit on my lap while I stamp, etc., etc.  And a lot of times I get silently frustrated by this because I’m trying TO WORK and I know most times in her eyes it looks like I’m playing and why shouldn’t she be able to do so as well?!  Sometimes I say yes, and she pulls out a baggie, the stamps, a blender pen, a few ink pads, a tape runner, some dimensionals, and always the bone folder (LOL), and creates away; and she’s actually good (relatively speaking for a 4 year old)!!  But probably more often than not I say ‘not right now’ or ‘mommy’s working’ or ‘go pull something out of your own craft closet.’

But tonight I was thinking I just need to let ‘it’ go more and just let her stamp more and here’s why. 
I LOVE that:
- she had the biggest grin on her face while opening her birthday card this year.
- she slept with said birthday card for two nights.
- she thinks I stamp everything she sees on the computer screen (although she’s  realizing lately that this isn’t true and I really do tell her no, mommy didn’t make it!).
- she knows the UPS truck and airplane by sight and has for a LONG time.
- she knows the SU! logo and used to point and say ‘Stampin’ Up!’ very excitedly whenever she saw it.
- she wants to help me separate my orders whenever possible.
- she loves to help bag the projects, set up the tables and chairs, put out the stampin’ scrubs, adhesives, packets, etc.
- she’s very close with several of my stamping customers/friends and gets excited when it’s their night to stamp at our home.
- she knew which Christmas cards were handstamped and which ones weren’t just by looking at the envelopes.
- she wanted to open all the aforementioned handstamped cards first!
- she’ll often yell down the stairs (to where we stamp) “Mommy, can I come give you a hug?” which translated means “Mommy, can I come see what all your stampers and you are doing??”  LOL
- I know I can always count on her for an honest opinion of my creations.
- I look forward to showing her my creations and getting her reactions.  (side note: Yesterday’s reaction was super cute.  I showed her the card I made for Kristina’s challenge and asked her if  I had showed it to her already.  Her reply was ‘no, can I have it?’  I said, ‘no, Mommy’s going to keep it for a bit.’ Her response: "who are you giving it to?’  I said I wasn’t sure yet and she said ‘well, in a few days if you haven’t given it to anyone can I have it?’)
- she knows nearly every tool SU! makes, what they’re for, how to use them, and often explains things to her older sister!
- there’s someone in the house who appreciates what I do!

So, with all that said, I think my first (and possibly only) New Year’s Resolution should be to let her stamp more and not allow her to lose her enthusiasm for stamping, which is a wonderful activity we can be doing together for years and years to come.  Thanks for letting me get that out there and I promise the next post will have a handstamped picture for you all!

Okay, so this one I’m actually on time for!  LOL  These thank you’s were for my DD#2’s 4th birthday party which just happened on 12/13.  (You may remember me posting her invitations here.)  I conitinued the color scheme and the balloon from the Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set.  I used the same retired DSP as on her invite, just a different pattern in the package.  I watercolored the balloons with the retired Cool Caribbean ink refill and then colored over it with the Versamarker and embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder.  The ‘thank you’ is from All Holidays and stamped in Always Artichoke.  The card stock is Kraft, Old Olive, Cool Caribbean, and Whisper White.  I used the blender pen with Sahara Sand ink over the string on the balloon.  And the ribbon is the Always Artichoke 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.  These will all go out in tomorrow’s mail (and I finished them on New Year’s Eve!  Woohoo!  It must be a new record for me for getting thank you notes made and out in a timely manner!)

Happy New Year!!

Tags: blender pen, Designer Series Paper, embossing, grosgrain ribbon

I LOVE these colors!  Again, I pulled not only from the colors but the image Kristina gave as well.  This really cute pin cushion has the colors Kristina chose (Rose Red, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, and Whisper White) and see the flowers?  Well that helped me choose my stamp set to use (Petal Pizzazz).  I also added some silver brads to mimic the pins and I added a butterfly from Flight of the Butterfly to mimic the little butterfly on one of the pins.  The polka dot background (yes, I markered all those!) is something I loved in the bib found here.  I love polka dots and I love playing with this new Petal Pizzazz stamp set!  So fun! Thanks for a great challenge Kristina - I love all this ME stamping time this week! LOL

Happy New Year!

The Inspiration Piece

My Creation:

I know my Rose Red looks more orange-y but I promise you it’s Rose Red! I’ll try taking another picture tomorrow during the daylight and all the freshly fallen snow around it!  Good night!

 Okay, is this one better? It’s kind of gray out today but I thought I’d take a new picture anyway for comparison. :)  (I know, I’m obsessing over the photos - I should just break down and get a light box!)

So, guess what?  Last week and this week I finally sat down and made the thank you cards from my DS’s 1st birthday!! (For those keeping score his 1st birthday was 9/1!)  But better late than never, right??  Thank you to Nicole for letting me borrow her Little Trucks stamp set (I think that was the name of it) so I could get that tractor image.  We had a tractor themed party and my FIL gave tractor rides that day, so it was a perfect stamp!  The designer paper used was really, really old so I have no idea what the name of it was.  I just know it was old because it is not double sided!  And now, of course, all of SU!’s dsp’s are double sided.  The card base is Wild Wasabi (a retired In Color from last year) and then I used Summer Sun and Brilliant Blue.  The ‘thank you’ comes from the now retiring Take Three stamp set.  I used the large star punch, 1" circle punch, and word window punch and popped up that sentiment with a dimensional.  It’s a simple design, but I am pleased to have made them all, written them all, and sent them all!!!!  If I find a copy of his invite lying around I’ll add that to this post.

Happy New Year’s Eve!

Tags: blender pen, Designer Series Paper, punches

A day early… but I needed to stamp something!  The craziness of the holidays didn’t allow a lot of stamping time so it felt good to stamp again today.  And… I took a picture of it that I think actually came out well and now can’t find my USB cord for my camera - go figure.  So here’s a scan of it - oh well.  (Remember, anyone can join PaperCraftPlanet.com!!)

The inspiration piece from a sale Pottery Barn catalog I received in the mail the other day.  The colors are: Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip and Naturals Ivory or Very Vanilla.

My creation:
 

It uses a NEW stamp set from the upcoming Spring/Summer catalog coming out in January.  The set is called Petal Pizazz.  I took apart a few of our rhinestone brads and simply glued the rhinestones in place.  The layout I took from a Christmas card we did in a class in November.  Hope you like it!  What can you create with these colors?

Tags: oval punch, rhinestone brads, scallop edge punch

Okay, so a few of you had asked if I could offer my Flip Scrapbook Class to go and I’m happy to finally be able to answer YES to that question!  If you’re unsure of what the Flip Scrapbook Class is, click  here for more details. What you will receive in your Class To Go Kit:

• One entire half of the Just Delightful Simply Scrappin’ Kit (This kit is no longer available from Stampin’ Up!.  Kits sell for $19.95 US.)
• Complete, detailed instructions with full color pictures.
• All card stock and designer paper pre-cut for you!  But I’m also including  cutting diagrams in case you wanted to re-create it with a different Simply Scrappin’ kit.
• All accessories (brads, ribbons) for the flip book.
• All leftovers from your half of the Simply Scrappin’ Kit are yours to keep!

Class To Go Fee:  $25 - (includes s/h) You may purchase the kit via PayPal below or e-mail me to pay another method.

Of course I LOVE receiving hand stamped Christmas cards and this year I have received SO many and I can’t get over how great they ALL are!  I only let the girls open them IF they see the handstamped ones come in!  DD#2 especially loves opening the hand stamped ones and knows exactly which envelopes those are!  I had to share them with you.  I’m so fortunate to have so many caring and creative friends and customers.  Thank you everyone and Merry Christmas!