21st Birthday Brew

My daughter’s boyfriend turned 21 this month!  I wanted to make a special card for him, because that’s a big milestone.  He’s a great kid … smart, kind, plays football for the University of Redlands, and he’s is also a fraternity brother.  So, I thought beer bottles would be very apropos.  (In moderation of course!)  The Bubble Over suite of products was an obvious choice. I really wanted to try… Read More »

#TGIFC156- Because Kindness Matters

Happy Friday!!!  It’s time for another TGIF Challenge, and this week it’s an inspiration challenge!  The challenge is random acts of kindness.  I love this so much!!!  Nothing’s better than surprising a special friend or family member with something totally unexpected. To see all the designers projects, go to the TGIF Challenges website. I decided to make a card for my sister and her husband!  I’ve been traveling to southern… Read More »

Autism Awareness Blog Hop 2018

Welcome to the Autism Awareness Blog Hop!  April is Autism Awareness Month, so my friend and fellow demonstrator Maria Willis organized this blog hop to promote autism awareness and acceptance, share our personal stories, and help raise donations.  If you’re following the hop, you’ve come from the amazingly talented Elizabeth Price. Be sure to continue on through the hop using the “Next” button below, or there’s a list of all… Read More »

Mermaid Kisses #GDP133

Happy Sunday!  I got a little time to craft this weekend, so I thought I’d play with the color challenge over at the Global Design Project.  The challenge includes the following three colors. Not only is it a color challenge, but the winner gets the opportunity to be a guest designer!  Go to the Global Design Project website to see all the designers’ amazing projects using these colors. The colors… Read More »

March 2019 Desktop Calendar

Hello, and welcome back to the latest installment of my 2019 Desktop Calendars.  I try to design one of these calendar pages each month for the following year, so by December, I have full sets to give out as Christmas presents.  My friends and family love getting them each year. The calendars measure 4″ x 6″ to fit in a standard frame.  (That way, you can cut six calendars out of… Read More »

Update on Retiring Lists/New Color Collections

Yesterday, I posted the retiring lists for the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog and Occasions catalog.  (You can access those lists on the Catalogs Tab of my blog.)  Since then, I’ve received some questions, so I thought I’d clarify.  There are numerous bundles listed on the retiring lists.  Look carefully, because frequently it’s only the bundle that’s retiring not the stamp set or the coordinating die cuts.  When new stamp sets and… Read More »

March 2018 Paper Pumpkin

I’m a little behind!  It’s already April, and I’m just writing about the March Paper Pumpkin kit!!!  I do not know where the time went.  Anyway, I finally got a little time last weekend to work on some alternative ideas for the kit.  If you follow my blog regularly, you might remember that I had an earlier post where I used some of the March Paper Pumpkin supplies.  You can see… Read More »

Retiring Lists

It’s that time of year!  Stampin’ Up! just released the lists of retiring products from the 2017-2018 Annual Catalog and Occasions Catalog.  (See links to downloads below.)  This is your last chance to purchase some of your retiring favorites before they are gone for good. Please note that all retiring products are available while supplies last.  Some of the most popular ones will most likely sell out fast, so be… Read More »

#TGIFC154- Color Challenge

Welcome to another TGIF Challenge!  Today, we have a color challenge including the following three 2016-2018 In-Colors: I was so excited to see these colors!  They are perfect for spring and very “girly.”  That totally worked for me, because one of my goals last weekend was to make an extra special birthday card for my daughter, who’s turning 20 this month!!!  Oh my gosh, I can’t even believe I typed… Read More »

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter! Last weekend, I made some little treats to send off to my “kids.”  While they are grown up, they still enjoy Easter treats, so I made up small care packages for both of them and their significant others.  I have to admit that I didn’t have a lot of time, so these are pretty simple, but at least I got them done and mailed!!!  Yay! Tami White posted some… Read More »

Last Days of Sale-A-Bration!

There are only a few days left of Sale-A-Bration!  (It ends Saturday, March 31, 2018.)  This is a great opportunity to stock up on basics like cardstock, envelops, re-inkers, and adhesives, because you can earn a free gift for every $50 (level 1) or $100 (level 2) you spend.  Click on the Catalog Tab for links to download all three Sale-A-Bration brochures. Today, I have another project using the Springtime… Read More »

Blossoming Basket

Sale-A-Bration will be over in one week!  This is Stampin’ Up!’s biggest sale of the year, when you can earn free products with every $50 (level 1) and $100 (level 2) purchase.  One of my favorite Sale-A-Bration products this year is the Blossoming Basket stamp set and coordinating Basket Weave Dynamic Textured Impression Embossing Folder.  These products come in a bundle as a level 2 Sale-A-Bration gift, and the Basket… Read More »

Galaxy Birthday

My nephew is turning 21 next week!  That’s a big one, so I wanted to do something special for his birthday card.  He is currently a Junior at U.C. Berkeley with a double major: Astrophysics and Physics!!!  Yes, he’s a smart one … but on top of that he’s also one of the nicest guys ever.  I was recently talking to my mom about his upcoming birthday, and she planted the idea… Read More »

#tgifc152 Technique Time

It’s time for another TGIF Challenge!  This week is a technique challenge … marker to stamp!!!  “Marker to stamp” is when you use markers to draw directly onto your stamps, instead of inking them with a pad.  It’s one of my favorite techniques, because it’s how you can add multiple colors to one stamp. To see all the AMAZING projects the TGIF designers created using this technique, go to the TGIF… Read More »

Sale-A-Bration Favorite

There are some really amazing products you can earn for free during Sale-A-Bration this year.  One of those is the Springtime Foils Specialty Designer Series Paper, which happens to be one of my all-time favorites.  This paper is a level 1 Sale-A-Bration product, which means you can earn it for free when you make a purchase of $50!  But, remember that Sale-A-Bration ends on March 31, 2018.  So don’t wait!… Read More »

New Sale-A-Bration Products!

Sale-A-Bration is coming to an end on March 31, 2018.  This is Stampin’ Up!’s biggest sale of the year when you can earn all sorts of free products with every purchase of $50 (Level 1) or $100 (Level 2).  And, what’s even more exciting is that yesterday Stampin’ Up! added even more products to the list of free items you can earn! Here’s a look at all the new items. … Read More »

#TGIFC150 Sketch Challenge

TGIF!!!  It’s time for a new sketch challenge, and this is a really fun one! This week’s sketch is a legal size card (9″ x 3-3/4″), designed to fit into a standard legal envelope.  How fun is that?  To see all the designers’ creations, go to the TGIF Challenges website.  At that site, you can also link your own design.  Each week, we pick a winner!!! I made two similar… Read More »

Sale-A-Bration Springtime Foils

This weekend, I had just a few hours to stamp.  Between my work, helping my husband with his work, visiting with my daughter who’s home from college, gardening, and cleaning the pool, the weekend was gone before I knew it!!! Finally on Sunday night, I carved a little time out to play with two new products I was DYING to use:  1) My new Stamparatus positioning tool and 2) new Springtime… Read More »

February 2019 Desktop Calendar

This is the latest edition to my 2019 Desktop Calendars.  My goal is to work a year in advance, designing one calendar a month.  I make eight sets and give them out as Christmas gifts to my friends and family. The February page uses the Heart Happiness stamp set, centering around my favorite stamp … the striped heart. To stamp the striped heart, I used Stampin’ Write Markers  (Blushing Bride, Flirty Flamingo, and… Read More »

Half Full Birthday

Last weekend, I had to make FOUR masculine birthday cards!!!  I was sitting there with all these beautiful new products with flowers and baskets and girly things to color, and I couldn’t use any of them!!!!  I know, it’s a sad story … I decided to double up and make two cards each of two different designs.  (I had to clean the house, and help my husband with work, so… Read More »