HSS 129

Hi stampers!  Where did the weekend go and how can it be Tuesday already?  I had four days off and they went just like THAT!  But alas it's Tuesday and that means it's challenge time over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week is a super fun theme....it's anything but a card time....PARTY FAVORS!

How fun!!!  Who doesn't love a good party, right?  I chose to do a cute little Halloween favor since you all know Hween is one of my faves!  I loved the toxic treat box in the mini catalog so I wanted to figure out how to make my own!  I found a box pattern on Splitcoast and just kind of winged it:-)  I think it turned out pretty cute!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Toxic treats
Paper:  Basic black, very vanilla, tangerine tango, howlstooth and scaringbone DSP
Ink:  Staz-on
Accessories:  Finishing touches edgelits, neutrals buttons, linen thread, neutrals brads, window sheets, labels collection framelits

I didn't have any candy to fill it so the tissue paper will have to do for now:-)  I will try to do a video in the next few weeks to show you how simple it was to make with our simply scored and the framelits!  I changed it up just a bit but I love it!  It's going to look super cute....I mean spooky with some Halloween candy in it!

Now head on over the the HSS site and see what the rest of the design team party animals made and play along with us!  I can't wait to see what YOU come up with!

Happy stamping!

Masculine Monday...I think

Hi stampers!  And so begins another week!  It's the last week of "summer" for me as football starts next Wednesday and I see that as the end of summer:-)  I don't know where the summer went and I'm not ready for my busy season to begin!  Well...I guess I do know where summer went...it was in Vegas and St. Louis and Salt Lake!  It still feels like summer out though!  Glad we got a break from the high temps last week and I hope that trend continues for football! 

I didn't have any mailable Monday cards ready so I thought I'd go with a masculine one...at least I think it's masculine...or could pass if it had to:-)  I got the idea for this card out of our demonstrator magazine called Stampin' Success.  The magazine has TONS of great project ideas in it along with fantastic business information!  It's just one of the MANY perks you get as a demo!  Don't forget you can sign up for only $99 now and get $125 of merchandise!!!  If you have a wish list greater than $99 you might as well sign up!  You don't have to buy a penny more (although you're totally going to want to, teehee) but if you do you get 20% off!  And should you chose you can actually make money off stamping:-)  The kit is totally customizable now as well so you can order anything you want for your starter kit!!! 

And speaking of signing up there is a WICKED COOL promo during August!  If you sign up with me during August we BOTH get this totally  KA-YOOT printer's tray kit!  It comes with everything you need to make it!

Who doesn't want a great value on stamping supplies AND a cute kit like that?  Contact me today if you're interested or have more questions!  I'd be happy to talk with you!  I'll have more detailed pictures of the tray later this week too!

Ok, onto today's project (even though I can't stop thinking about that tray, ha).  Like I said, this card was inspired by a card in the demo magazine and uses the new wonderfall stamp set and die in the Holiday catalog which you can get on August 1!  If you need a holiday catalog please let me know!  And you totally need one so you can get your hands on yummy stuff like this:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Wonderfall, perfectly penned
Paper:  Very vanilla, early espresso, cajun craze, orchard harvest DSP, first edition DSP
Ink:  Early espresso, cajun craze, more mustard
Accessories:  Scalloped border punch, bronze buttons, linen thread, autumn accents bigz die

Isn't it pretty?  I didn't have the stamp set they used for the sentiment but I have to say I like perfectly penned better!!!  I also took my early espresso marker and a ruler to make the dashes all around the base.  Now, since the die isn't framelits there is a little trick to stamping them.  Basically you cut first and then lay the paper on the stamp.  I'll have a video up later this week to show you exactly how it's done...with another cute project of course:-)

Again, please let me know if you think you'd be interested in joining my team and getting a great value and the CUTE printer's tray!

Happy stamping!

I love my mummy!

Hi stampers!  I just got back from a fun weekend with my momma (and my hubs too, hehe)!  We went to Indy to do The Color Run!  If you haven't ever heard of this you have to got check it out and watch the videos on the site!  It was SO fun!  Basically it's a 5k where they throw colored dust (cornstarch) at you each kilometer so you're all splattered by the end! See....all clean and white before the race...

 And all colorful after...

We didn't get as splattered during the race as we thought we would but after the post-race throw we were a little brighter....just look...

My legs were really covered!  I thought my legs might be green for the rest of the day when I took a shower, ha!  And pay no attention to my mustache....in hindsight it was probably a bad idea since it didn't readily wash away, lol!  I have to say though that this look DID inspire a card today!

And not only was the run in and of itself fun but there were SO many crazy people (around 30,000 we think!) and they had a bunch of DJ's and played fun music and stuff!  We asked my mom to go with us and she walked while we ran!  It was her second 5K and I was proud of her!  I hope she had as much fun as we did!  Anyway, if there is a color run near you I highly suggest doing it!  Tons of fun even if we did have to get up at 5am!!!

But all the fun I had with my momma inspired me to make this card with the cute little mummy because I love my mummy..I mean mommy:-)

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Googly ghouls, teeny tiny wishes
Paper:  Very vanilla, basic black, tangerine tango, howlstooth and scaringbone DSP
Ink:  Staz-on, crumb cake, river rock, tangerine tango
Accessories:  Blender pen, googlies, 1/2" striped satin ribbon, linen thread, brushed bronze designer buttons, circle and scalloped circle punches

Squeeee! Isn't that mummy just the cutest?  I used my blender pen and some crumb cake and river rock ink to dirty him up a bit.  It's kind of a busy card but I think it works!  And if you don't agree I'll send my mummy after you;-)  Off to wash everything from yesterday, lol!

Happy stamping!

Stamps for a good cause

Hi stampers!  I have a card today that uses a stamp set we got for FREE in the closing session at convention!  Now, I LOVE free stamps but I also love stamps that support a good cause and Moving Forward which is at the VERY back of the catalog does just that!  For every set purchased, SU will donate $3 to Ronald McDonald House Charities.  I've personally had some friends and family who were helped by this wonderful charity so it's near and dear to my heart and I'm so glad it was there for them when they needed it!  So, not only is the set adorable but it's helping out a great organization!

And you can make cute stuff like the card which I made for the Create With Connie & Mary sketch challenge!  I really like this sketch by the way:

And the card....

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Moving forward
Paper:  Whisper white, gumball green, primrose petals, raspberry ripple, orchard harvest DSP
Ink:  Basic black, raspberry ripple, primrose petals
Accessories:  Delicate doily sizzlit, 2.5" circle punch, large scallop edgelit, essentials paper piercing pack, gumball green satin stitched ribbon

And who would have thought that I could make a non-fall themed card with the orchard harvest DSP?  This set is just so fun and cute I can't stand it!

Time for me to sign off and rest up!  We ran the Color Run 5K today and have been up since 5!  It was SO fun....if you haven't heard of it you should google it!  I'll post pics tomorrow once I'm rested up!

Happy stamping!

Try stampin' on Tuesday...er Thursday

Hi stampers!  I had the day off yesterday and today so I got a LOT of stamping done!  I kind of needed a kick start after convention so the first thing I did was play with the Try Stampin' On Tuesday sketch challenge. 

I got the world spectacular DSP in my last order because I knew I'd be coming home with the You're Amazing set as we got it at convention!  I loved this set when I saw it in the catalog and it was hard to have to wait to get it, ha!  So, I wanted to be ready to put it to use!  I came up with this card....

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  You're amazing
Ink:  Early espresso, daffodil delight, cherry cobbler, island indigo
Paper:  Very vanilla, early espresso, island indigo, world spectacular DSP
Accessories:  Dotted scallop punch, gold smooch accent ink, gold stampin' dazzle marker

It's not my favorite ever but I don't hate it:-)  I added some of the smooch accent ink around the edges in the end and I think I should have done more of that on the other layer.  I'm sad that stuff retired!  It is fun to use!  I also used the new stampin' dazzle marker to accent the little star and some of the line.  These are in the new Holiday catalog which goes live on August 1!  We got them (both the gold and silver) FREE at convention when we walked into the awards night party!  They seriously spoil us!

I think this would make a good masculine card with the colors!  This one may find it's way to my hubby....because he's amazing...even if he does leave a gallon of milk in my car for two days when it's over 100:-) 

Happy stamping!

Artisan finalist swap

Hi stampers!  So one of my goals I set at convention last week was to post more videos.  Honestly I quit doing them because my memory card got full and I didn't want to take the time to delete pictures, lol!  Lazy!  I know!  Anyway, I'm back up and running and hope to have at least one video per week for you!

I thought my Artisan swap would be the perfect place to start!  I wanted to do a card that was both "wow" and me at the same time....and by me I mean clean and simple.  I fretted for weeks over the card but I'm really pleased with how it came out and I hope the other finalists and Shellie (OMG) liked it too!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Greetings of the season
Ink:  Midnight muse, marina mist reinker
Paper:  Whisper white, crumb cake, midnight muse
Accessories:  Large pearls, dazzling details, white frost shimmer paint, stampin' spritzers, bigz snow flurry die
 
I used the new snowflake die in the Holiday catalog to create a stencil and made my own shimmer mist.  Hard to see in the photo (and sorry I couldn't get it to photograph better) but it's very subtle and shimmery!  The new stampin' spritz bottles are awesome and CHEAP!  Cheap enough to have one for every color:-)  The following video shows how I did it...and has a few oopsies in it...I hope they make you smile.  I chose not to edit my mistakes out so you can see I make just as many as anyone!  LOL!  I also added dazzling details to the smallest snowflake.  I also have to mention that I had all of these (26 of them) out on the kitchen table drying and I threatened my hubby within an inch of his life to NOT touch them!  I could just see him picking one up to tell me he liked it (he's such a good hubby...always humoring me about my projects) and totally smearing or messing them up, lol!  Poor guy...it was like he was in trouble without even doing anything;-)  Oh and sorry about the dog barking!  She barks so much I didn't even realize it while I was filming, lol!  The cats across the street LOVE to sit outside and torture her!



And finally I had a question on my post from yesterday asking if I used the new ink pads on my deer card and YES!  I have ALL the new inks and they are all I use!  The old ones are packed up and I LOVE the ink coverage of the new pads! 

And if there's anything you are interested in seeing a video of please let me know:-)

Happy stamping!!!!

A deer reject

Hi stampers!  I've got a lot of photo editing to do so bear with me....I'll have stuff to show from convention....one day, ha!  I am taking Thursday and Friday off so I hope to get a lot done then AND a lot of new stamping done too!  I am also going to be sharing my Artisan projects in a blog hop so be looking for that too....and you can see ALL the runner up projects! 

But today I have a card for you that almost made it to convention!  I decided kind of at the last minute that I wanted to change one of the cards I was doing for an organized swap and I was also working on ideas for the Artisan swap with all the finalists (I'll share that soon too) so I came up with a few cards that didn't quite make the cut!  Now, this card didn't not make it because it wasn't cute...it totally is but it was way too much work to make 20-26 of, lol!!!!!  I love the new paper piercing pack and mats but OY would a bunch of these taken for-ev-er!!!!!  But I'm totally in love with this card and I was sad I didn't have a chance to share it earlier!!!!! 

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  No peeking, more merry messages
Ink:  Early espresso, cherry cobbler
Paper:  Very vanilla, early espresso, cherry cobbler, island indigo, lucky limeade, orchard harvest DSP
Accessories:  Window frames collection framelits, finishing touches edgelits, festive piercing pack, cherry cobbler seam binding

Squeeee!  Isn't it cute????  It's basically the same layout as an earlier card I used with these colors and the perfectly preserved bundle.  If you're stuck for ideas just take a card you've made before and tweak it a bit!  Viola!  And I probably wouldn't have ever put these colors together on my own for a Christmas card but they totally work and I love how you can use the DSP for more than just the obvious.  And I LOVE the new happy Christmas sentiment!  That's from the new Christmas set called more merry messages!  It just makes me happy!

I'll try to be back soon with my other swaps that actually made the cut to SLC:-)

Happy stamping!

HSS 128

Hi stampers!  Oy!  It's been a day here so this post will be short!  Long story short my car is now the milk mobile....I got in it this morning only to find that a gallon of milk got left in it while I was gone over the weekend.  And it's been over 100 degrees....and it exploded so you can imagine how wonderful my car smells!  So my evening was spent dealing with that....but....

It's time for a new challenge over at HSS and it's perfect for the HOT weather we have been having!

And here's something fun from our honeymoon!

Supplies:  My digital studio

I love MDS and totally need to use it more!  AAAANNNNDDD....MDS2 should be released on August 1st!  I got to preview it at convention and it's AWESOME!  It's so much better and easier to see and use!  You can see double spreads and it's all sleek looking with a black background!  There's a splatter tool too AND you can recolor parts of stamps with a marker tool!!!!! Oh and change the color of DSP's...and that's just a few things!  A bunch of the SU employee's had on shirts with numbers and each with a different feature of MDS2, it was so fun!  I should have tried to take a pic of each one, ha!

Anyway, go check out the rest of the team's projects and play along with us....this is very fitting for my life right now...life's a beach;-)

Happy stamping!

I am....sad

Hi stampers!  Quick post tonight as I'm back home and back to reality which means work tomorrow...boooo!  I should really get to bed!  But I thought I'd pop in and say hey and share a few pics!  I'm way too tired to edit them so please bear with me! I had quite an interesting time at the airport and an interesting flight so I'll fill you in when I'm more rested...whenever that will be, lol!  But, I do plan on sharing a lot of photos of both projects and people with you in the next few weeks!  But I also need to work out a lot...too much good food in SLC....and blueberry white chocolate truffle cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory last night...well enough said;-)

So here are a few cute things from this past week:

 The nice view from our room!  That's the convention center or the Salt Palace...and see that BIG mountain in the back....well that's where Wendy took me hiking and running Saturday morning!  Needless to say I'm thinking of her often today...each and every time I stand up or try to walk in fact, lol!  But OHMY was it pretty up there!  I'll share more of that one day soon!

Cool project!  Looks like MDS maybe and some buttons!  Ok, lots of buttons!

Cool stamp set we got for attending classes!  See, don't you want to go hang out with me next year and have fun and get FREEEEE stuff??????

And I had to share this....did I share the bag already? Well this is it and I LOVED it and it was adorable and I guess my little Ellie loves it too!  She cuddled up with it on the bed...and then ON it when I put it in my craft room, lol!  She's such a little weirdo!!!!  But I was so happy to cuddle with her!  Off to do that now!

Happy stamping!

I am.....Jazzed!

Hi stampers!  So the theme for convention this year is I am...

It's all about doing it "my way" this year!  The great thing about SU and this business is that each of us can run our businesses our own way....or I guess in my case run my hobby in my own way:-)  Well, I think I've decided that I want and need to take it to the next level and actually try to make some money at this stamping thing:-)  And I'm jazzed about it!  I mean, it's impossible to come to convention and not feel jazzed....and amazing and inspired and motivated and about a million other things:-)  I really can't wait to come home and start sharing all of the amazing things I learned and cool projects I saw!  It's kind of overwhelming!

As you know, I recently started a stamping podcast and I'm jazzed about that!  I'd really love any feed back you can give me and would love to know what you want to hear about or any questions you may want answered "on air". Please email me if you have any!  And if you're a demo and you'd like to be a guest....please let me know:-)  And something else exciting is that I think I'm going to start my own challenge blog!!!!  I don't have all the specifics but I'll keep you posted!  It will likely be color challenges, sketches and maybe some themes!  I'm so excited!

I'm also going to try to do videos again!  I'm going to shoot for one a week and if you see me slacking let me have it;-)  And I'll try to take requests if you have any!

Anyway my thoughts and ideas are going a million miles an hour and I'm so excited to try new things!  For now though...since I know it's what you came here for....I'll get on with the convention eye candy:-)  My camera isn't awesome but I think you can get the idea from these pics!

The ever-adorable Shannon West came all dressed up as a witch to show us some spooky projects with stuff from the holiday mini!

Like our clear cello bags using black and white stazon and dazzling diamonds to make cute polka dot treat bags!

Or how about a little Frankie with brads for bolts:-)

So fun and so cute!  These are just a few of the many ideas we saw today!  You know you could join me next year....the starter kit is only $99 and TOTALLY customizable now!  You really can't go wrong!  I just might be having some incentives to join my team soon so stay tuned!

I better get off here and to bed as my 6am run with Wendy is going to come fast again!  I've got to work off the 10 pounds of food I had for dinner at Kneader's tonight...I had no idea the amount of food I was ordering, oops:-)

Happy stamping!

You are too sweet!

Ok, so I'm exhausted!  Just got in from awards night and the after party....where I got to meet Shellie...FINALLY, yay!  So, I don't have photos to share at the moment since I'm half asleep but I wanted to say THANK YOU for all the kind words of encouragement and support!  I truly appreciate each and every one of you...both on my blog and those of you I met today!  Please don't be shy if you see me at convention:-)  I was honored to be included in such a amazing group of artists and still can't believe it's real.  And when I say I'm a loser it's all in fun....I really don't think I am....it's just my odd sense of humor:-)

I should have some time tomorrow night to share more with you I hope!  Today was nuts as per usual!  Gotta get to bed before I fall asleep at the keyboard so I can get up and run again with Wendy!

Thank you guys so much!!!!!!

Happy sleeping, hehe:-)

Non-winner

Hi from SLC stampers!!!!  So it's official....I'm a loser:-)  I didn't win the Artisan design contest BUT that's ok because it's been super fun anyway and I'm totally over the moon jazzed for my friends who won!!!!  I was a bit surprised in the manner we found out (a letter at the awards booth) but was happy to just be a finalist and see my stuff up on the board!!!!!  And no, I know I'm not a loser but it's funny to joke about it...and no, I didn't cry....but I totally would have had I won, how messed up is that? LOL!  So here's me with my letter....which I had no idea said anything about winning or losing:-)

My smile wasn't quite as big after reading it but I was happy I didn't have to fret about what to wear to dinner with Shellie, lol!!!!  And here I am with most of my projects.

I'll share all of them once I'm home and can edit pictures and show you more details!  It's late here and I've been up since 5 and got a run in with the AA winner Wendy Weixler!!!!  Then we've done about a million other things and had a cool class with Shannon West and the concept artists who make the samples in the catalog!!!!  Oh and there was Momento Mall shopping...and more to do tomorrow, hehe!  How am I going to get all this stuff home????  OY!!!!  I'll try to post again tomorrow but with awards night and the after party it may not happen, lol!

Remember to follow BadaBing Paper Crafting on facebook and Bada Bing Stamps on Twitter for more real time updates!!!  And check out my podcast earlier this week!  I'll do a convention wrap up one in a week or two! And send in any questions you might have too and want answered on air!  Ok, I'm really off to bed now....6am and a run will come really fast again;-)

Happy stamping!

Hi stampers!  So I have some exciting news!  I'm starting to host a stamping podcast!  My hubby has wanted me to do this for a while now so with his help and my good friend Wendy we finally did it!  It's a bit unorganized but we had fun and we were a bit giddy about convention.....which is where I'm posting from now!  Good old Salt Lake!

So, take a listen if you want!  Please feel free to send us comments and suggestions or any questions you might have that we can answer on air in the next episode.  I'm hoping to have a new one every two weeks or so!  I'll be back tomorrow with more news from convention!

Episode 1

To save, right click the link, and click on "Save link as..."

(And thanks to my hubby for posting this for me, love ya:-)

Happy listening!

HSS 127

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday.....and travel day!!!  I'm currently on my way to sunny Salt Lake City for SU convention!  Whooooo-hooooo!  I'm so excited to meet up with old friends and make new ones....although there will be a few people I really miss;-)

Anyway, short post today (because I'm doing this the night before and I have GOT to get going....my parents are here and ready to take me to their house...can't keep mom waiting, right?  LOL).  The theme this week over at Hand Stamped Sentiments is dazzling diamond dust!

What a pretty technique and one I hadn't done in a while!  It's super easy and SUPER pretty!  You can find a tutorial over on Splitcoast Stampers if you're not familiar with it!  Now, I usually do it around Christmas so it was fun to play around with it at a different time and I did something just a bit different:-)

Stamps: Perfectly preserved
Paper:  Very vanilla, cherry cobbler, early espresso, orchard harvest DSP
Ink:  Basic black, cherry cobbler, lucky limeade, island indigo
Accessories:  Framelits, linen thread, woodgrain embossing folder

You can see the sparkly detail better up close.

And yes, I know this is two HSS challenges in a row with this set but too bad, hehe!  I love it!

Now, head on over the the HSS site and check out the rest of the dazzling projects and play along!

And check back often as I hope to have updates from convetion!  You can find me on Facebook at BadaBing Paper Crafting or follow me on twitter at BadaBingStamps!  I'll try to have real time updates!!!

Happy stamping!

Googly Ghouls

Hi stampers!  I've been quiet again....still plugging away at pre-convetion stuff!  I got all my swaps done and bagged and tagged this afternoon and I got most of my packing done too!  Now, I just have to get through the work day tomorrow, ha!

I took a quick swap-break the other day to play with the Dynamic Duo challenge....but then I didn't get around to blogging in time to enter!  Whoops  I really loved the colors and my poor old olive has been pretty lonely since lucky limeade came around! :-)  And I really wanted to use the ka-yoot stamp set Googly Ghouls!  They are super cute little Halloween critters that have big eyes and go with our new googlies!  These things just make me laugh!!!  My poor little witch has been sitting cross-eyed on my desk for days, lol!   Just look:

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Googly ghouls
Paper:  Whisper white, basic black, old olive, rich razzleberry
Ink: Rich razzleberry, basic black
Accessories:  Window frames collection and apothecary accents framelits, bright brads, basic rhinestones, googlies, silver dazzling details

It's not my favorite card ever but I was running low on mojo the other day thanks to all the swaps!  I probably should have added the eyes to the little spider in the corner too!  I added the rhinestone for a little extra pop and then I did her buckle on her hat in the new silver dazzling details! 

Anyway, that's a few more sneak peeks from the upcoming Holiday catalog! I'm going to TRY to give updates from SLC!  I'm not sure if we have free wifi....I hope we do!  And I've set up a Twitter account to do "live streaming" via Twitter and Facebook so you can follow me there as well.  If you're tweeting make sure to use the hashtag #SUconv2012!

Can't wait to see some of you in SLC!  Two more sleeps!!!!!

Happy stamping!

HSS 126

Hi stampers!  It's Tuesday and time for a fun new challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  I have to say that this week had me stumped (I wasn't feeling any of the few fruit stamps I had)....

....for a while...and then I got my Holiday Seasonal (formerly the mini) pre-order!!!!!  One of the first things I played with was the canning bundle or the perfectly preserved bundle as it's official name is.  I LOVE this bundle/suite!  It's got fun and pretty DSP, a cute stamp set with a little Mason jar and things to put in it AND the best part...FRAMELITS!!!!!  To cut out all those cute little things!  And something else cool...if you want the stamp set and the framelits you can get them in a bundle at a 15% discount!!! Yah-hoo!

Anyway, I loved this little suite because it brings back fond memories of my mom's mom or my "granny".  She had a farm and a big garden and would can all sorts of things from beans to beets (yuck) and even meat!  LOL!  No meat stamps here but seriously, have you had homegrown/canned beef?  It's so yummy!  We would make pot roast with it but the best way to eat is was cold out of the jar, lol!  Is that odd??? :-) Anyway I love this suite because it makes me think of happy memories with granny helping her can!  Just look how cute it is:

Stamps:  Perfectly preserved, netting
Paper:  Whisper white, cherry cobbler, lucky limeade, island indigo
Ink:  Basic black, early espresso, cherry cobbler, lucky limeade, island indigo
Accessories:  Finishing touches edgelits, cannery set, window frames collection, and bitty banners framelits, island indigo ruffled ribbon, cherry cobbler baker's twine, vintage faceted buttons, festive paper-piercing pack

Ack!  This is probably one of my most favorite cards in a long time!  I love the colors which were inspired by the DSP and you'll see a new framelit on there too!  And I just love the pear, it's so cute!  Now, I did make a bit of a goof but you'd probably never notice but I'll point it out.  I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with the card and I realized after I'd put it together that the DSP has very vanilla and I had stamped on whisper white!  Hate when I do that, lol!

Now, head on over to HSS to see what the other DT members came up with and get a little fruity...we all know I am:-)

Happy stamping!

Thank you!

Hi stampers!  Sorry I've been quiet!  I'm still not caught up from my two weeks of travel and I'm way behind on my swaps and other projects I have to get done both stamping (I have some fun and exciting things to share soon) and otherwise before convention which is...EEEK....only a week away!  So, I haven't had much time to stamp for fun and show you what I made! Which is really a shame since I got a HUGE box of goodies last week from the upcoming Holiday Seasonal Catalog!!!!

 I'm also getting closer to FINALLY being able to reveal my stamp studio.  It's been a long time in the works, I know!  But with a recent trip to Ikea it's getting there.  My wonderful hubby put together my new stuff today.  Now, I just need a bookshelf or two and I'll be all set!  I couldn't get them last time because my SUV wasn't long enough for them, ha!  I've had a few questions about it and just wanted to let you know I haven't forgotten....I'm just slow:-)

And finally I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reads my blog and or leaves me comments here or on Splitcoast or emails me!  I read every message/comment I get and they truly make my day:-)  Stamping is fun but the stampers are the best part of this hobby!  And thank you all for the kind comments about the Artisan Award contest!  I really appreciated all of your congratulations even though I STILL can't believe I made it and I'm in a group of such amazing artists!  And now we are doing a swap with each other and with SHELLIE!  OMG!!!  The founder of SU!  No pressure there, right?  LOL!  It's a bit over a week away and I STILL have no clue what I'm going to make, eek!!!!!

Anyway, I didn't stamp much last week as I was tired most of the time but I did manage to get this one done so here is my thank you to all of you!

Stamps:  Blooming with kindness, perfectly penned
Paper:  Very vanilla, summer starfruit, midnight muse, first edition DSP
Ink:  Summer starfruit, midnight muse
Accessories:  Apothecary accents framelits, midnight muse stitched satin ribbon, faceted vintage buttons, linen thread

I really love the color combo here!  It's so rich!  And those faceted buttons are just my favorite thing ever I think!  So sparkly and pretty!!!!

If you're a demo make sure to look me up in SLC at convention next week!  And for those of you not going demos or otherwise I will TRY really hard to do some updates both here and on my facebook page so you can get in on some of the crazy...I mean excitement:-)  And I'll have lots to post when I come back with swaps and my AA entries and samples and what not!

Happy stamping!

Happy Halloween...er....

I mean happy fourth of July!  LOL!  Hi stampers!  Why the funny title?  Well because I got my pre-order from the new Holiday Seasonal catalog yesterday!  Remember, they aren't called minis anymore...even though I'm sure I'll slip up and call it that!  They aren't called minis because they aren't:-)  They of course are thinner than the annual catalog but they are the same size at 8.5 x 11.  Which means....they have packed a TON of stuff in there...and I feel like I ordered it ALL when looking at it all spread out on my floor!  Where in the heck am I going to put all this? LOL!

Anyway, I finally got to stamp this morning.  I didn't get anything done last night because the fireworks we were going to watch were last night instead of tonight like we had thought they were.  I always have a hard time deciding what to use first when I get new stuff so I sat and stared for a while today:-)  I finally decided that since Halloween is the next holiday that I should start there!  I chose the new single stamp frightening feline which is funny because I wasn't even thinking of ordering it until my friend Rita pointed it out and told me she loved it...BUT I got it free with the awesome special going on this month!  For every order (or workshop) over $450 you get EXTRA hostess dollars!

I thought he would look totally cute using emboss resist!  I did two layouts because I couldn't figure out which I liked better.

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Frightening feline, teeny tiny wishes
Paper:  Very vanilla, basic gray, tangerine tango, more mustard, howlstooth & scaringbone DSP
Ink:  Versamark, basic gray, tangerine tango, more mustard
Accessories:  labels collection & bitty banners framelits, basic rhinestones, 1/2" striped satin ribbon, houndstooth embossing folder, clear embossing powder

I LOVE the patterns and colors in the new halloween DSP...but boy is the name a mouthful, lol!  I don't use much tangerine tango so I'm glad this color is in the DSP since it will force me to use it!  I think I like the one without the ribbon the best but I wanted to try to use it since it's new! 

I hope everyone has a great fourth!  And a big thanks to all our service people for keeping this great country a terrific place to stamp:-)

Happy stamping!

HSS 125

Hi stampers!  Happy Tuesday...another short work week with the holiday thrown in here!  I don't know if I'm going to be able to work five whole days in a row next week, lol!  But now it's time for a new challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments!  This week it's a fun color challenge!

I had a hard time getting back to stamping after being gone for almost two weeks but this challenge really helped me get back into the groove.  It took me all weekend....but I got it and a few other cards done!  Now, if I could get my diet and exercise back on track after eating out soooo much!  Ugh!!! 

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Sweet essentials
Paper:  Whisper white, daffodil delight, calypso coral, floral district DSP
Ink:  Baja breeze
Accessories:  Blossom punch, circle punch, finishing touches edgelits, daffodil delight seam binding, subtles glimmer brads

Not a lot of stamping here...maybe that's why it was a good card to get started back to stamping:-)  Now, head on over to HSS and check out the rest of the design team's creations and play along with us! 

Happy stamping!

Back at it

Hi stampers!  I'm finally back in town for more than a few days:-)  I've been gone for almost two weeks!  We were in Vegas for about 5 days and then I was home for the weekend and off to St. Louis for a work conference!  I missed lots of things including my puppy and stamping:-)  I've had a hard time getting back to stamping though!

Maybe it's because I've been preoccupied with the new holiday seasonal catalog pre-order!  I always have a hard time stamping when I have new stuff on the brain!  I could place my order today so I was making my list yesterday and today...I finally placed my order an hour or two ago and totally messed up and short changed myself on my free hostess dollars!  Ugh!  I'm going to try to call SU tomorrow and see if they can fix it...if I have time...silly lunch meeting at work:-)

If you'd like a copy of the seasonal catalog please let me know!  They aren't calling them minis anymore because they aren't! They are BIG...the same size as the annual catalog at 8.5 x 11!!!!  And it's full of awesome stuff of course....but anyway....onto the topic at hand....

I decided to play in the challenge over at Create With Connie & Mary in their new catalog challenge!  I needed a sketch or something to get me started!!!  You can still sign up for the New Catalog edition and get tons of great projects...including mine...which is coming up in July!  And you can enter the challenges each week too...and make fun cards like this!

Stampin' Supplies:
Stamps:  Blooming with kindness
Paper:  Very vanilla, summer starfruit, midnight muse, comfort cafe DSP
Ink:  Summer starfruit, midnight muse
Accessories:  2.5" circle punch, chevron embossing folder

Of course I love any type of banner so I loved this sketch.  I'd been thinking about blooming with kindness all week when I was away so I knew I wanted to use it!  I love all the different patterns and the texture of the embossing folder.  It felt good to get back to stamping!

I wish I was going to be able to stamp tomorrow night but I have a date with my BFF to see Magic Mike....I guess that's a pretty good reason so not stamp, lol! ;-)

Happy stamping!