Utah Divas International Color Challenge #1

Hello Friends,

I am soooooooo excited.  One of my great stampin' friends, Gretchen Barron is now hosting a Color Challenge every Tuesday on our UDI blog - http://www.utahdivasinternational.blogspot.com/

I have participated in the UDI Saturday Sketch Challenges and have missed them.  I wanted to try something different and knew that a Color Challenge would be great.  I tend to stick to the same colors and so by joining this kind of challenge, it would help me to work with colors I never or very rarely use. 

This weeks Color Challenge was based on this - (Remember the challenge is based on color not the actual picture.)

The base of my card is Crumb Cake Card Stock.  A color that I LOVE and one I haven't used in a l-o-n-g time.  Early Espresso Card Stock is one I LOVE and use a LOT.  I ran this layer through the Big Shot using the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder. 

I then added some Pear Pizzazz Stitched Poly Ribbon and tied a knot with the Rich Razzleberry Taffeta Ribbon.  Next I stamped the "Friends Are Flowers That Never Fade" sentiment from the "Friends Never Fade" Stamp Set in Rich Razzleberry Classic Ink on Whisper White Card Stock.
 
I stamped the flower image again, colored it with the Pretty in Pink Stampin' Write Marker and cut it out and placed it on top of the already stamped flower with a Stampin' Dimensional. I layered it on a piece of Early Espresso Card Stock and then on some Pear Pizzazz Card Stock.  I added some Jewels - Basic Pearls. 
Next I put some Crystal Effects in the middle of the flower and added some Pink Stampin' Glitter then left it to dry.

Friends Never Fade - Clear-Mount Stamp (120618) Price: $13.95

There are fewer images more elegant on cards and home décor projects than floral silhouettes. Our Friends Never Fade set provides four more fabulous options for layering on luxury. Use them for subtle backgrounds and bold but delicate accents to make a lasting impression. Available both in wood-mount and clear-mount. Set Quantity: 4

*Be sure to visit next Tuesday - I cannot wait to show you the picture Gretchen sent us for our next Color Challenge :) If you would like to see what my awesome friends came up with for this challenge - click here :)

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Have a wonderful day!

Weekend with Laurie Krauss in Manchester, Michigan

Hello Friends,

I have just had one of the most wonderful weekends.  I was invited to speak at a downline event in Manchester, Michigan by one of my most special friends, Laurie Krauss.  There wasn't one glitch with anything - EVERYTHING went smoothly.  My life is not 'smooth sailing' so this weekend has made me so happy.
This is a picture of Laurie, her adorable grand daughter, Sophie and myself.  I must tell you about Sophie !  I instantly loved this little girl.  There are some kids that are ok, some not so ok, some great and some absolutely awesome.  This little gal was the absolutely awesome type and just warmed my heart and I am so happy to have finally met her. She is so cute and had wonderful manners and was THE highlight of my day!  I hope it is the first time of many that I get to see her.

When I walked into Laurie's 'stamp room' - I instantly broke the 10th commandment - "Thou shalt not covet" :) It is amazing.

What a fabulous view.  I was completely amazed at the space.  Just look at all this card stock and the way it is displayed.

 After staring in amazement for a L-O-N-G time, Laurie showed me my room.  I got to sleep in the 'cupcake' room.  I stayed in Sophie's room (her bedroom at Grandma's.)
Look what was waiting for me !

Laurie had made this most beautiful 'framed art' for me along with this cute necklace.  I couldn't thank her enough.  I was just so excited about this.....and still am.

Along with my gifts were two baskets.  One was full of toiletries - Shampoo, Conditioner, Toothpaste, deodorant.  Laurie told me all I needed to bring was my toothbrush AND guess what I forgot? :) She hooked me up - PHEW!  The other basket was full of goodies -OH MY GOSH there was even a packet of Jaffa Cakes in there.  I could barely contain myself. :)

I joined Laurie and her customer friends for a wonderful evening of stamping!  It was so nice to be the stamper and not the Demonstrator.  It was so relaxing, sitting stamping and mingling with wonderful people.

Look what Laurie woke me up to the next morning (IT was early but worth it!)

When Laurie told me she and her customers are 'Stampin' in Deerland' - she was not kidding!  So beautiful.

We went out to breakfast.  It was great.  I haven't seen so much meat stacked on my plate for breakfast - 4 sausages and 4 bacon rashers.  I am not kidding you - this was THE BEST bacon I have ever tasted in the United States of America.  I loved it.  Laurie made Jackie and I laugh when she was describing how she wanted her scrambled eggs cooked......she was very specific :)

We had a fabulous day with Laurie's downline, upline, sideline and other demonstrators she had invited.  Dawn Griffith and her daughter Jess came from Pontiac (MI) and we had a fabulous day.  I spoke to these fabulous demonstrators and shared many ideas, tips and suggestions and of course my love for Stampin' Up! 

After the event, Laurie, Jackie and I got to stamp while Dave (Laurie's husband) cooked us a wonderful dinner.  Chicken, Potatotes, Brocolli and gravy!  It was delicious. 

I had a truly amazing weekend and am so happy Laurie invited me.  I came home to a very clean house.  My husband, Lance had done all the laundry, cleaned the house which included scrubbed toilets, bathrooms floors - in fact he had cleaned all the floors in the house. (Tiled and Hardwood) He even had a roast in the oven.  WOW was I ever impressed.  To top all this off, he actually worked at the VA this weekend too!!! - Lance is #1 in my book :)

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Have a wonderful day!

A Spin on Christmas

 Hello Friends,

9 years ago today - the earth stood still!  My heart goes out to all those affected by the September 11th tragedy. xx

Time to start thinking about making Christmas cards !! Have you ever made a spinner card?  We made this card at Alicia's downline meeting I attended in Canada.  We made this same card at my downline meeting this past Tuesday.

Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler make the perfect 'Christmas Color' combination.  Add a little bling and some grosgrain ribbon along with a punched out ornament and Designer Series Paper and you have a fun Card. 

I will be posting my events shortly for October, November and December.  Be sure to sign up.  Remember if you have a minimum of 6 people attend a class either at your house or mine, you get to make your cards for FREE.

Contempo Christmas - Clear-Mount Stamp 120594  Price: $11.95


With two favorite Christmas holiday images in tow along with cheery messages of the season, this set is ideal for quick greetings on Christmas cards and gift tags alike. Plus, with its exclusive ornament decked out in a trendy, but festive design all ready for the punching with our Ornament punch, it’s a great companion to our Delightful Decorations set. Use the pair to trim all your Christmas projects. Available both in wood-mount and clear-mount. Also available in French.  Set Quantity: 4

Click here to shop online 24/7 and don't forget to check out the Clearance Rack by clicking here.

Have a wonderful weekend !

A creation from Gwen

Hello Friends,

Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, you meet and get to know so many wonderful people both in the real world and in 'Cyberspace'. 

'Gwen Webb' happens to be one of those wonderful people you meet in Cyberspace.  Gwen took advantage of my special offer in August - 20% off My Digital Studio.  Since then we have become 'friends' via e-mail.  I have learned some amazing things about Gwen and the fact that she lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area made her a friend for life. ( I lived in Dallas for 4 years back in the early 90's and my oldest daughters were born there)

Not only receiving this card made my day but the fact that Gwen made it especially for 'ME'.  Boy did this make me feel special.  This card was created using images from the My Digital Studio software.  The awesome thing about this is Gwen has given me a great idea for a card to create with Stamps, ink and paper.

Thank you Gwen!  I am enjoying getting to know you. 

To learn more about this fabulous program - click here for more details.

I am MDS certified and look forward to helping you create your scrapbooks, cards, calendards, DVD's etc.

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Have a wonderful day!

Beautiful Items made with Stampin' Up! Fabric

Hello Friends,

Yesterday my post was about FABRIC.  When I saw these fabulous projects posted on the Stampin' Up! website, I just smiled from ear to ear.  I absolutely LOVE them.  My Mom bought me a sewing machine over 10 years ago when I lived in England and I gasped when I took off the gift wrap and saw it.  Not because I was delighted but I because I had no clue how to use one or what to do with it.  I took some sewing lessons back in High School and by the time I had threaded the 'monster' the class was over :))

Who knows???? I couldn't create cards or scrapbook pages before I became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and learned how....so I can NEVER say NEVER, right? I have been told that you don't need to be a 'sewer' to make pretty projects using our Fabric and with the help of my favorite toy - the BIG SHOT, I may just start having lots of fun.

Here are some more projects that were posted - Check out this fabulous Big Shot Die to help you create awesome projects and cards.

Tasteful Trim Bigz Die 120893  Price: $42.95

Never be without the perfect trim for fabric and paper projects again! Our Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die allows you to create custom edges and borders with any kind of material any time you need it. Includes scallops, rick rack, and pinking designs--you’ve got a fantastic variety of classic options for all your projects.


■ Bigz XL Die


■ 6"x 13-3/4"


■ Use with Extended Cutting Pads


■ Trim and border shapes for accenting your fabric and other paper crafting projects


■ Designed for use with fabric, paper, card stock, and more

Look at this beautiful purse! I WANT it :)

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Have a wonderful day!

Stampin' Up! introduces Fabric

Hello Friends,

Did you know?  Beginning with the 2010 Holiday Mini Catalog, Stampin' Up! is now offering Designer Fabric. This new product line combines our exclusive designs and colors with high-quality fabric—making coordination with our other products a cinch!

Designer Fabric details:
•100% cotton


•Patterns coordinate with select Designer Series Paper designs


•Each assortment includes three coordinated designs in an extra-wide fat quarter size (28" x 18")


•Each assortment includes an instruction booklet highlighting five projects you can create using the fabric

Upper 3 are the "Deck the Halls" selection and the lower 3 are the "Candy Cane" selection.
Look at these "ADORABLE" buttons to match -

Click here to see a short video clip of Sara Douglass (Shelli Gardner's daughter) introduce our fabric line.


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Have a wonderful day!

Spooky Scrapbook Page

Hello Friends,

I planned on spending my whole weekend making projects until Kayleigh, my college student surprised us all.  I was able to sneak just a few minutes in my stamp room and that is all it took to come up with this FUN page.  This literally took approximately 10 minutes to create.
On page of the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog you will see a pack of "" Designer Series Paper.  I took one of the sheets out the pack "Wicked Fun Speciality" adhered it to a 12x12 Basic Black Card Stock.  (This gives the sheet a firm backing for the sake of scrapbooking.)  The hard work was done.  All I had to do was add more 'fun.'

I cut out two 4 1/4" x 6 1/4" Basic Black Card Stock for the photo mats.  I used the Photo Corners punch to punch out two Cajun Craze corners.  I ran these through my Big Shot using the "Spider Web" Embossing Folder which can be found in the Holiday Mini.

I cut out a Scallop Envelope using Basic Black Card Stock and ran it through the Big Shot using the same Embossing Folder.  I added some Old Olive Ribbon (as I did on the Photo mats too.) and stamped "Have a Wicked Halloween" on Rich Razzleberry Card Stock in Basic Black ink and then punched out with the Curly Label Extra Large Punch.  I added some Cajun Craze Card Stock which I will use for journaling.

I stamped some bats and spider web using Basic Black to the page.  Once I have added the pictures, the cute witches hat and adorable boots will add that extra touch.

Card Stock:  Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Cajun Craze
Designer Series Paper: Wicked Fun Speciality
Classic Ink: Basic Black
Stamp Set: Wicked Cool
Embellishments: 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon/Old Olive
Punch: Curly Label Extra Large
Big Shot & Dies: Spider Web Embossing Folder, Scallop Envelope

How about catching up with your Scrapbooking?  What about 'starting' your Scrapbooking? Contact me for information on my Scrapbooking Classes - maxstamps@yahoo.com or 801 897-0429


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Do you have your own copy of the Holiday Mini? If not, e-mail me at maxstamps@yahoo.com to request one.  For now check it out online.

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Have a wonderful day!

Gratitude

Hello Friends,

Hope you have had a wonderful weekend.  I have had a fabulous time.  Our daughter, Kayleigh who left for college just 3 weeks ago, surprised us all by coming home for the weekend.  What an awesome treat.  I haven't had much time to stamp (like I had planned :) so todays project is a beautiful card that was posted on the Stampin' Up! website.

Many people worry about becoming a Demonstrator as they are concerned about their creativity!  That was my major concern.  I hadn't stamped before and really was worried I wouldn't be able to create anything worth looking at.  I was pleasantly surprised.  There are so many resources to help us.  If you are interested in becoming a Demonstrator, contact me for more information.  Click here to see what you will receive FREE if you sign up (Sept 1 - Oct 18th.)

Be sure to sign up for my Card Class in October.  We will be using this fabulous stamp set "Day of Gratitude".  More details to come soon!

Decorative leaf images are often reminiscent of the fall when the natural world is a frenzy of earthy colors and smells. The folksy images in this set look almost like they were hand carved in a New England wood shop, evoking the most nostalgic feelings of the Thanksgiving season. Adorn your thank you cards and table settings this year with these images to help create cozy, down home memories for your loved ones. Available both in wood-mount and clear-mount.

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Have a wonderful day!

Big Shot Storage

Hello Friends,

One of my most favorite Stampin' Up! products is the Big Shot.  Stampin' Up! partnered with Sizzix back in 2008.  I was excited back then, but even more excited now.  This beauty saves me so much time and effort.  I own every die in the Catalog. (For those of you who know me well, that will come as no surprise.)

Organization is the key!  With things set up just like this - it makes things so much easier.  You may be wondering what is inside the 'blue bag' :)  This is how I store my Embossing Folders.

Do you own the Big Shot?  Interested in purchasing it?  Contact me for more details about my 'Big Shot' Club.  This makes purchasing the Big Shot and Dies much easier on your bank account :)

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Click here to view the Holiday Mini and other catalogs- Would you like your own copy?  Send me your address to maxstamps@yahoo.com

Click here to see what is on the Clearance Rack.

Have a wonderful day!

Stampin' Up! Tote and Holiday Mini

Hello Friends,



If you have ever thought about joining Stampin' Up!, September would be a great time. Sign up anytime in September and you will receive this cute tote FREE.


WOW! This is so exciting as not only is the starter kit just $175, *previously was $199* but you will receive this tote too. So many wonderful reasons to join my team.  Contact me today to learn more about being a Demonstrator for the BEST company ever.

Today is the start of a brand new Mini Catalog - our HOLIDAY Mini.  It is absolutely fabulous.  Click here to see it online. If you don't have your own copy of this, please let me know.  I will be happy to put one in the mail for you.  Would you like to be on my e-mail list to hear about my specials?  Contact me today.

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Click here to see what is in the Clearance Rack - Awesome deals.

Have a wonderful day !