Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you and your family have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Diana

Online Holiday Extravazana Promotion Starts Today!

Get a head start on all your holiday shopping. Between now and November 30 you can save up to 50% off on some great Stampin' UP! product bundles for that special on on your christmas list. This is special is avaible on orders through me or only. If ordering online don't forget to order from my website to make sure you get the preferred pricing.

Please let me know if you have any questions and have a happy and safe holiday!

Diana

A Lot of Bling to Ring in the New Year!

What a crazy week! After being on a business trip last week I'm really glad to be home and spending time with my guys. Chris is finally feeling better after being sick and Aidan and I have enjoyed some quality time together. I'm really looking forward to the upcoming holiday season but wanted to do something different for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge, so I made a New Years card.

I started with a card base of Barely Banana cardstock. The next layer uses Basic Black and I made a mixture of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and Rubbing Alcohol and spritzed the paper and let it dry. The main image uses the champagne glasses stamp from the Cheers to You stamp set. Then I colored in the drink with my Barely Banana Stampin' Write Marker before filling it in with Crystal Effects. After the Crystal Effects dryed I used my 2 Way glue pen to apply Dazzling Diamonds to the little spritzes out the top of the glass.

The next square uses a technique I've seen all over the internet right now. I took a piece of Bride Speciality Paper and applied Barely Banana ink with a Brayer. After letting it dry for a couple of seconds I wiped of the paper with the tissue so the design showed through and is really pretty (I can only imagine all the possibilities for this technique). The last piece of cardstock is Barely Banana to create the square layers.

The greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and is then punched out with the Modern Label Punch.

This was a great layout and I had a lot of fun with all the different layers. If you like this card make sure to sign up for December's Stamp-a-Stack because this will be one of our projects.

Have a great week!

Christmas Card Fun

Happy Thursday! As promised I wanted to show you the great cards we made last Sunday, they really are making me excited for the upcoming holidays. We had a great time and these are some great ideas that would make great christmas cards for your friends and family.

Stamp Set: Dasher, Warm Wishes

Stamp Set: Yuletide Greetings

Stamp Set: Winter Post, Many Merry Messages

This card uses the Patty Bennett's great embossing folder technique, check out the original.

Stamp Set: Big on Christmas

Note: this card uses the Joy card fold technique, which was a huge hit.

Our last stamp-a-stack of the year will be December 13th at 2:00 PM and will be a mix of holiday and regular cards. If you're interested contact me or check out my website for all the details.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week!

Thanks,

Diana

A Train for My Little One

What a crazy week! After a great weekend I started off last week by getting sick and spent three days in bed with Bronchitis (not fun!) Thankfully Chris was very supportive and took care of Aidan and everything that needed to be done while I just rested. Thankfully I recoved in time for our Stamp-a-Stack today and while we were a small group everyone loved the great holiday cards we created (I'll be posting pictures later in the week so stay tuned). Aidan even joined us for stamping and he definately likes the new Dasher stamp set.

For this weeks Stamping 411 challenge I decided to make a card for my favorite little stamper. I have to travel out of town this week for work so I decided I would leave this card on his bed before I leave so he finds it when he goes to bed.

I started this card by picking out the designer paper and thought that the Pawsitively Prints DSP from the Mini catalog was perfect for a little Boy. I also used the Choo Choo stamp set and Right on Track Stampin' Wheel for the main image (I ordered this set when it came out in the last mini catalog but never actually used it. I used Ballet Blue, Pumpkin Pie, and Garden Green. Since I stamped the sentiment to be part of the trains load I added Silver Brads to the bottom corner to help balance the card.


This is not a card I would normally do for a challenge but think Aidan will love it and hope you do too!

Have a great week,

Diana

Holiday Extravaganza Promotion

Stampin' Up! wants to help you take care of all the gifts on your gift giving list. Click here to see our exclusive gift giving guide, with gift ideas for everyone.

And starting now until January 4, 2010 every $50 you spend on items from this exclusive gift giving guide you'll get any Decor Elements ($16.95 and under) for free. This is on top of any hostess benefits you may earn on qualifying orders, so act now to take advantage of this great offer and "wrap" up your holiday gift buying in time to enjoy the holiday season.

It's a Great Pumpkin!

It's the first day of November. After have a great halloween, Aidan was Bumblebee the Transformer and had a great time hanging out with friends and definately got his fair share of candy. As I was taking down the halloween decorations this morning and putting up the fall items I decided to embrace Thanksgiving for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge and the Autumn Harvest stamp set is perfect.

This weeks sketch was great and I had a lot of fun. I started with a card base of Dusty Durango and stamped the leaves with Dusty Durango ink along the left side of the card. I stamped the main image on Very Vanilla cardstock and cut out a pumpkin and gord so that I could mask the images. I used a a blender pen and a variety of inks, including Dusty Durango, Pumpkin Pie, Real Rust, Crushed Curry, Old Olive, and Soft Suede to add some texture to the picture. The greating was stamped with Dusty Durango ink with the Teenie Tiny Wishes stamp set. This pieces was then matted on a piece of Soft Suede cardstock.


I took another piece of Soft Suede cardstock and used the Scallop Border punch so it kind of creates a grassy bed for the pumpkin. I used a piece of Old Olive Taffeta ribbon (from the Mistletoe Ribbon Originals package).




Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend and enjoy your extra hour today.

It's Party Time....For Pirates and Princesses

The last October Deal of the Week is all about parties. If your planning an upcoming party for your favorite Pirate or Princess this special is for you.

Item Number 116214
Description Princess Party Kit
Special Price $9.99

Item Number 116213
Description Pirate Party Kit
Special Price $9.99

If you want to take advantage of this special make sure to place your order by October 31.

It's Time for a Sketch Challenge...With a Twist!

Good afternoon Ladies. We had a great time this weekend and everyone had a great time discovering all the great things you could do with a Simply Scrappin' kit, on top of just scrapbooks. Thank you all for attending. I decided that after the class was over that I really needed spend some time trying out Stampin' UP!s new digital crafting software, My Digitial Studio. While working with this great new program I decided to combine my pratice with this weeks Stamping 411 challenge, so my entire project was created digitally.

I used the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' kit designer paper and embellishments from the , as well as the Winter Post stamp set. This was really fun and I'm looking forward to seeing all that this software has to offer.

Have a great week!

Deal of the Week #3

I'm excited to announce this weeks Deal of the Week! This week it's all about accessories....you can save big on Grommets, Brads, and Library Clips. See the details below and don't forget to go to my website to place your order for this weeks special is over on Monday, October 26 11:30 AM EST.

Item Number 109857
Mini Library clips
Original Price $12.95
Sale Price $8.99

Item Number 112581
1/2" Library clips
Regular Price $6.95
Sale Price $3.99

Item Number 114348
Basic Jumbo grommets
Regular Price $6.95

Sale Price $4.49

Item Number 112571
Circle Designer brads
Regular Price $5.95
Sale Price $3.99

Happy Hippo Birthday!

I'm so happy it has stopped raining and the sun is finally starting to come out. Aidan has been very upset the sun hasn't been out...gotta love the mind of a 4 year old. For this weeks stamping 411 challenge I decided to use a stamp set new to this years catalog which I hadn't actually used yet. When I first saw the Look Who's Turning stamp set I was detemined that I had to have it for all the kids birthdays we celebrate but everytime I looked at it I had a hard time getting inspired.

The card starts with a base of Rich Razzleberry cardstock and then is layered with a piece of Old Olive cardstock that I wrapped a piece of Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon around. On top of that is a piece of designer paper from the Write Stuff Specialty paper and Crushed Curry cardstock. The main image is stamped on Whisper White cardstock and uses Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Crushed Curry ink. I definately had to use the Stamp-a-maj for this project. The greating is from the same stamp set and is stamped with Rich Razzleberry ink on Crushed Curry cardstock. I used the modern label punch to cut out the greating and then attached it using Vintage Brads.

I had a bit of hard time taking the picture but I really like how it turned out and think a kid will definately like it. Hope you enjoy and stay tuned tomorrow for the announcement of next weeks Deal of the Week.

Deal of the Week #2

Week 2 Deals of the Week!

If you have a Sizzix Big Shot or die cutting machine, these are for you:



Perfect Setting Bigz XL die
Item Number 115961

Regular Price $42.95
Sale Price $25.99

Flower Burst Embosslits die
Item Number 114515

Regular Price $11.95
Sale Price $5.99

Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die

Item Number 116760
Regular Price $39.95
Sale Price $25.49

The second deals of the week are from October 12, 10 AM (MT) through October 19, 9:50 AM (MT). For more information on the Deals of Week and to place an order, see my website.

It’s time for another Sketch Challenge…What a Crazy Cast of Characters!

Happy Tuesday! I hope you are enjoying the nice fall air as much as we are. It’s nice to be able to open up the windows and spend time with friends and neighbors on the front porch in the evening. The coming of fall is telling me the holidays are upon us to what better theme for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge then Christmas.

My card this weeks was inspired by the Holiday Lounge DSP. I had a stamp-a-stack this weekend and I had a great time hanging out with the ladies. After we completed the cards we were just sitting around looking through the catalog and commenting on all the things we loved. This DSP was one of the items that caught our eye and I realized I hadn’t tried it out yet...so off we go.

The card base is Taken with Teal and has a layer of Holiday Lounge DSP and Ruby Red cardstock. I cut the cardstock a whole inch wider than the DSP so that I could scallop both edges. The main stamped image is Holiday Lineup. I love this set but don’t use it often since you have to do lots of coloring to make each of the figures jump out. I used my Stampin’ Write markers (you all know how much I love them; especially that they have a wide and thin tip so I can get into the little spaces). The finished image was layered on top of a piece of Sahara Sand Textured Cardstock. The greeting is from the Christmas Punch Hostess set (any set that fits in punches is a fav!) and uses Taken with Teal ink on Ruby Red Cardstock. I used the Wide Oval punch to cut it out and then mounted with dimensionals. What about that…easy as pie.

Enjoy and have a great week!

Deals of the Week are Back!

I thought I'd share with you Stampin' UP!'s NEW Deal of the Week for the month of October. This week's current Deal of the Week actually lasts from today until Monday, October 12 at 9:50am Mountain Time. The new deal will be posted on the same day at 10:00am MT.


5-Petal Flower punch, Item Number 109041,$10.99
Trio Flower punch, Item Number 109183, $10.99
My Way punch, Item Number 110709,$11.99

These punches are normally $15.95!! To place your order for these punches or any other Stampin' Up! items, please click on this link and then click on the SHOP NOW button in the top right corner! When you go to place your order, the regular price is shown, but when you go to checkout, the DEAL price is shown in the shopping cart.

Stampin' UP! Announces CLEARANCE RACK - Shop Today for Great Deals!

New Clearance Rack Available in the Online Store September 29, 2009 - surplus inventory of discontinued items are now available for purchase in a new section of the online store called the Clearance Rack.

Click on my SHOP NOW Button for great deals.

REMEMBER these products are available only while supplies last!

Happy Shopping!

Diana

Batty for You!

What a beautiful day! After a very wet day yesterday I'm loving the sunshine today, it's actually making it a little tough to stay inside but at least I'm stamping!!! After a couple of weeks off I'm all set for another Stamping 411 challenge. I've pretty much finished all my halloween cards for the year and I had a make a concerted effort not to use the Batty for You stamp set since it's one of my all time favorites, great for any age.

The card starts with a Basic Black card base and then uses a piece of the Cast-a-Spell designer paper was well as Pumpkin Pie. I wrapped a piece of Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon around the seam and then tied a knot in Basic Black and Old Olive Grosgrain. For the main image I used my Stampin' Write Markers to color directly on the rubber to add multiple colors. This was cut out with the 1 1/4" circle punch layered with an Old Olive circle and a circle scallop from Pumpkin Pie using our punches. The greeting is from the All Holidays stamp set and was stamped with VersaMark and then embossed with White Embossing Powder.

What a cutie....I think I'll have to give this to Chris since he has a thing about stinky feet! Have a great week.

Holiday Mini Catalog Samples

What a crazy week!

After having a great Big Shot class this weekend (thank you all for attending) and prepping for the next class this Friday, I haven't had the chance to do any stamping this week (yeah, hard to believe). So instead I thought I would show you the 2 cards I made for the Mini catalog swap I participated. They're pretty straight forward cards so rather than going into detail I'm just going to list the supplies used.

Stamp(s): Serene Snowflakes, Yuletide Greetings
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Old Olive, and Christmas Cocoa DSP
Ink: Real Red, Soft Suede, Old Olive
Accessories: Oval Scallop Punch, Large Oval Punch, Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon, Big Shot, Petals-a-Plenty Embossing Folder (love this, stamp the paper first and then run it through your Big Shot to creat dry embossed paper)


Stamp(s): Delightful Decorations, Four the Holidays
Paper: Whisper White, Night of Navy, Old Olive, and Christmas Cocoa DSP(this is the great, soft flocked paper)
Ink: Real Red, Night of Navy, Old Olive
Accessories: Decoration Punch, Gold Brad, Gold Elastic Cord

This is a very simple card but would be great if you have to make a large quantity.

Hope you enjoy!

A Quiet Evening Alone....

Good evening! So I'm having a rare evening. Chris and Aidan are enjoying a night out with friends at the Nationals-Phillies game so I had a quiet house all to myself. What am I do with all this new found time? Stamp of course! I started by participating in a training webinar on the new My Digital Software.....this was the first time I had seen the software and I must say, I'm in love! This program is great and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

For this weeks Mojo Monday challenge I decided to embrace the new In Colors. My cardbase used a piece of Rich Razzleberry cardstock with a piece of Melon Mambo and Old Olive layered on top. On the Old Olive piece I stamped the flower image from the Razzle Dazzle Stamp set and Old Olive ink.

The 3 pieces of designer paper are all from the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP and shows off some of my favorite patterns. The main stamped image is also from the Razzle Dazzle stamp set which I colored on the stamp with our Stampin' Write markers (don't we all love the new markers in the In Colors??) I used a sponge and the Melon Mambo ink to sponge around the end of the cardstock before using SNAIL to adhere the cardstock to the card.

Crushed Curry Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon is tied around the card and the sentiment was from the All Holidays stamp set with Rich Razzleberry ink.

Hope you all enjoy this card. I just heard the garage door open so I guess my quiet evening has come to a close. Hope you all have an enjoyable weekend and for those of you coming to this weekends Big Shot II class, I'll see you on Saturday!

Stamping 411 Challenge - In a Halloween State of Mind

So I was busy all last week making custom halloween cards and photo albums that my mom ordered (thanks mom!) and I spent so much time getting her halloween cards done that I thought I might as well start working on our cards so it's not last minute. When I saw this weeks Stamping 411 challenge I knew that I would be making a halloween card and the new Night and Day DSP from the mini catalog would be perfect. The card base is Basic Black and the first layer is this beautiful designer paper, this print reminds me of an elegant dvorack picture.

The main focal image uses the Haunting Hill Jumbo wheel (also from the mini catalog). Originally I had not planned on coloring the image but I just thought it was to much of one color. I colored the image in with a variety of techniques, Stampin' Pastels for the dirt and moon, Stampin' Markers in Going Grey for the tombstones, and a blender pen and ink pads for the grass and walk ways. For the sky I used the Stamping Sponge first with Bashful Blue and then with the Not Quite Navy.

The image is matted on a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock. The ribbon is Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain which I notted on the left side. I also notted a piece of Black Gingham ribbon. The greeting uses the Teenie Tiny Wishes stamp set which I embossed with Black embossing powder on Elegant Eggplant cardstock. I cut the greeting with the Modern Label punch and attached it with Vintage Brads.




Hope you enjoy this card. I'm off to enjoy the last day of our holiday weekend, take care!

Holiday Mini Catalog Released today!

The Holiday Mini catalog was officially released today and I have to say....I love it. Some of the great new items to check out are: sweet treat cups and matching stamp set (great for holiday gifts), new Big Shot Dies, Shimmer Paint, exclusive Build-a-Bear stamp sets and Big Shot dies, and mini catalog exclusive hostess sets, just to name a few. Click on the link to the right for the full catalog.

Also, just announced today, the new digitial Scrapbooking software, My Digital Studio is available for preorder today and will be available for all customers to order Starting October 1.

What better way to kick off the mini catalog with a great new promotion? Between now and November 30 when you host a workshop totaling $250 or more you can choose any one item* from the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog for only $10! *Offer excludes hostess sets and My Digital Studio. To make things even better, starting October 1 when you host a workshop over $400 you can order the My Digital Studio at a 50%, on top of the $10 mini catalog item and the usual hostess benefits. There is no better time to host a workshop, so contact me soon to book your personalized party!