CANDY CANE CHRISTMAS DSP ALMOST SOLD OUT...

Because of the unusually high demand for our Candy Cane Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper (available in the Holiday Mini, #120809), there is a possibility that we will deplete our inventory within the next week, and we will be unable to order more.
If you were interested in this adorable, glittery paper, please place your orders now before supplies are gone! Once the Candy Cane Christmas Specialty Designer Series Paper has sold out, we have other beautiful holiday alternatives you may want to consider: Jolly Holiday (#117159) and Deck the Halls (#120810).

Don't miss out!

Christmas Bells are Ringing

What a crazy raining day! After such a hectic few days the start of the new week has actually brought a level of calm. I was able to squeeze in time on Sunday before Stamp-a-stack to make a card for this week’s Stamping 411 challenge. Even though thanksgiving is about a week away I seem to be focused on Christmas lately so this week’s creation is another Christmas card. I used some great items from the Holiday mini catalog for this card, including the Bells and Boughs stamp set, the fabulous Deck the Halls DSP and coordinating fabric. I started with a piece of Cherry Cobbler cardstock for the cardbase and used the scallop trim border punch on a piece of Always Artichoke cardstock before layering it with a piece of designer paper. Then I had a piece of Deck the Halls fabric laying on my desk that was already cut out with the Tasteful Trim Bigz XL die so I decided to use that as well.


The focal image is stamped with Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla cardstock before being colored in with a blender pen and classic inks and pastel chalks. This piece was then matted Early Espresso and Always Artichoke cardstock before being added to the card. The greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (have I mentioned how much I love this greeting set?) and was punched out with the Curly Label punch and tucked under the fabric. The last item is a small bow tied with Very Vanilla 3/8” Taffeta Ribbon that is glued on with glue dots.

So I use to say that the “vintage style” was definitely not me but with all the great coordinating products Stampin’ Up! Offers it makes it very easy to pull together a beautiful card. Thanks for checking it out and I hope you enjoy.

Have a great week!

Diana

Don't Miss out on this Promotion!

Stampin’ Up! Just announced a promotion that is too good to pass up! If you have ever considered becoming a demonstrator, or just want to get a discount on products, this is for you. From November 15 through November 30, 2010 you can purchase the Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits for only $87.50--that is 50 percent off the regular price of $175 for over $310 worth of paper or digital crafting and business supplies! FIFTY PERCENT OFF!


I love being a demonstrator and all the great people I’ve had the opportunity to get to know, along with fabulous productions and I encourage you to take advantage of this never-before-seen offer before it ends on November 30, 2010! You can sign up any time beginning November 15th quickly and easily by going to my official SU website and clicking on Join Now. My recruit authorization password is bristowstampers.

Here's the Details:

• The Simply Amazing Recruiting Promotion lasts from November 15 through November 30, 2010. Do not put it off!!! This would be a great Christmas gift to ensure you get what you really want this year!

• Both the Standard Starter Kit and the Digital+ Kit are available at 50 percent off the regular kit. These are full starter kits, not mini or reduced-content kits. AMAZING!

• Recruits can still add the Stampin' Memories or Digital+ Add-On and will pay the regular add-on price. These are a really good deal, too--be sure to look them over!

• Recruits who join during the Simply Amazing Recruiting Promotion are still eligible for all programs available to a new recruit. This includes but is not limited to the extra 10 percent Instant Income offer, Stampin' Start, the opportunity to purchase a Business Booster Kit, and a free two-month Demonstrator Business Web Services (DBWS) subscription. Plus, you get to be part of my team!

• As always, the demonstrator Starter Kit is only available to new recruits and not to current demonstrators.

• Download the full color flyer here Download Starter_Kit_Flyer_1110_US

Please call me if you’re interested (703) 403-8244 or email: cdeichfeld@msn.com. I'd love to chat about how Stampin' Up can fit into your life!

Holiday Gift Fair

For those of you who aren’t quite finished with your holiday shopping (or maybe haven’t even started) I wanted to let you know that I’ll be participating in a Holiday Gift Fair tomorrow, November 13 from 8:00-4:00 in Gainesville. There will be 24 different vendors so you are sure to find something for everyone on your list.


There will also be a children’s craft area where children of all ages will be encouraged to make something special that they can keep or give as a gift.

The Fair will be at the Church of the Word (the blue house next to McDonald’s on 29 (14215 Lee Highway).

I hope to see you there!

Stamp-a-Stack Projects

Happy Monday.  Today I wanted to share some of the projects for this Sunday's Stamp-a-stack.  This month we're focusing on holiday cards so the 4 main card designs are holiday themed and the card option is an everyday card.  Here a a few of the cards we'll be making.  The remaining two designs will be saved for the class attendees on Sunday.

This card uses the new fabric and big buttons, you've got to see it in person!

There's still time to RSVP, just call or email me by Friday.  Hope to see you there!

Have a great week!

Diana

Bells and Boughs

Things have been so busy with our family that my stamping time has been drastically reduced, which I missed.  Thankfully I had enough time between our final TBall game and appointments to sit down for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge.  The arrival of the cold weather is really making look forward to the upcoming holidays and all the fun family moments we get to share.  That was the inspiration for this weeks card.  I started with a cardbase of always artichoke then that added a piece of crumb cake cardstock.  Then I added 4 strips of Deck the Halls DSP. 

I used the Big Shot to cut 2 Top Notes out (one in Very Vanilla, the other in Cherry Cobbler).  I trimmed the edge off the Very Vanilla piece and then sponged always artichoke around the edge.  I used the large poinsetta image from the Bells and Boughs stamp set and stamped it in always artichoke.  A stamped the image a second time on a piece of scrap paper and cut it out so I could mask the image by stamping in crumb cake with the En Francis background stamp.  The image was colored in with a blender pen and always artichoke, Cherry Cobbler, and Regal Rose classic ink pads. 

To add some bling to the center of the poinsettas I added some champagne shimmer paint (to apply it in little dots I used my paper snips and dipped them in the paint and then dotted the paper).  I used a piece of Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon and cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon (tied with a Basics Glimmer Brad). 

For the greeting I went to my go-to stamp set (it has practically any greeting you need), Tiny Tiny Wishes and stamped with always artichoke ink on crumb cake cardstock and punched it out with the Modern Label punch.   The greeting is mounted with dimensionals so it pops.  The final touch was small pearls in the top right corner and medium pearls on the greeting. 

I love how this card turned out, very elegant.  No check out the inspiration for this card.

I hope you all had an enjoyable weekend and halloween. It's always great to see all the neighbor kids all dressed up and so excited.  I thought I would share a quick picture of my little Indiana Jones (so cute!) and daddy.

Have a great week!

Cute Christmas Greetings

Today I have a very simple, cute card that showcases the Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP. Now some designs in this paper pack have glitter and are sparkly, this paper has so many different images that it kind of stands up all on its own. I added a piece of Real Red 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon (it’s actually covering up words that didn’t make sense the way I cut the paper) and mounted to a Garden Green card base. The greeting is from the Word Play stamp set and again uses Garden Green ink before being punched out with the 1 ¾” circle punch. A piece of Blushing Bride cardstock punched out with the 2 3/8” scallop circle punch help frame the greeting. The final touch is a Garden Green Button from the new Candy Cane Big Designer Buttons package (these buttons are huge compared to our standard buttons and work equally well with our fabric and paper projects).

There’s still time to make you personalized cards for the upcoming holiday season. Just give me a call and we can get together to look at samples and come up with a design that’s perfect for you and you’re family.

Hope you enjoy!

Diana

Grateful Thanks

Another beautiful weekend has come and gone.  We enjoyed spending time at the TBall game and then we were able to just relax and hang out as a family.  With all this nice fall weather I was definately channeling the colors of fall for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge. 

This weeks card started with the new Autumn Spice DSP and the Day of Gratitude Stamp set.  To create the multi-colored main image I used various Stampin' Write markers and colored directly onto the stamp rubber.  Then once I finished I "huffed" on the rubber to reactivate all the ink and just like that, multi-colors with only one stamp.  I took a Stampin' Sponge and added Cajun Craze ink around the edge of the Very Vanilla paper before matting first with Old Olive and then More Mustard cardstock. 

I added a piece of Early Espresso 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon along the bottom to anchor the card.  The greeting is from the stamp set is is punched out with the Small Oval Punch and then matted on a piece of Cajun Craze punched with the Oval Punch and attached with Dimensionals.  The final touch are two small pearls on the far edges of the larger oval.

  Now this was the sketch layout for the week, really open to all sorts of uses.  I love how this card turned out, nice and warm.

We had one big event this weekend, we officially adopted a new puppy, Mocha.  Here's a picture of Chris, Aidan, and Mocha right after we signed the paperwork.  Mocha's starting to get adjusted to his new home and we love him. 

Fall Candle

One things I absolutely love about all of Stampin' Up's catalogs is that every page is full of samples and projects that just make me want to buy everything so I can make everything.  One thing that really caught my eye in the Holiday mini catalog was the candle that was decorated with the Paisely Prints stamp set.  I knew this candle idea would be perfect for fall decorating.  This all came together when I found these great candles at a local craft store that look like a basket weave. 

All I did was add some Old Olive 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon and an Antique Brad.  I stamped 3 leaves from the Paisely Prints stamp set with Pumpkin Pie and Cajun Craze classic ink.  I cut the leaves out with Paper Snips and used linen thread to attach them to the ribbon. 

Tada!  Instant fall decorations that will look perfect on the mantel.  This just goes to show how simple it is to create fabulous decor without costing a lot.

Enjoy!

A Christmas Sketch, with Bling

 After a very busy weekend, it's been strangely calming to get back into the work week routine.  When I saw this weeks Stamping 411 challenge I knew I would enjoy it because of all the possibilities.  One of my favorite Christmas stamp sets right now is Jolly Old Saint Nick, from the Holiday mini catalog and I knew it would be perfect.  I paired this with the Candy Cane Christmas DSP (love how two of the patterns are glittered!) and the Real Red Satin Ribbon.

To get the snowflakes around Santa I first stamped the Santa in Basic Black ink and then stamped him again on a piece of scrap paper.  Then I cut out the Santa from the scrap paper and placed it on top of the first stamped image so when I stamped the snowflakes they did not go inside the image.  The greeting is from the same stamp set and is punched out with the Oval Punch and mounted on a piece of Real Red cardstock punched with the Scallop Oval Punch.  The greeting is mounted to the card with dimensionals so it "pops".  The final touch is a couple of Rhinestones to add some extra bling!

What a cutie!  I love how cute this card turned out and the fact that Stampin' Up makes great products that coordinate so great looking cards are a breeze.  There's still time to make your families holiday cards so contact me to get some great ideas and order all these great items.

Have a great week.

Diana

Letterpress - Trick or Treat

One of the great new products in the new Holiday Mini catalog is Letterpress Plates for the Big Shot.  This are plates which allow you to emboss an image while also applying ink inside the emboss.  So I was finally able to play with my new Trick or Treat letterpress plate this weekend and it’s kind of cool.  It’s important to remember to that you get the best results with Craft Ink on these plates, versus our classic ink and one of our thicker papers (like watercolor paper).  I decided to use Old Olive ink on Basic Black cardstock.  I also used the Big Shot Crease pad versus the standard cutting pad; this is how it turned out. 

This image is so big it does take up the majority of the card front so all I did was matt it on Pumpkin Pie cardstock and tie some Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, and Old Olive ¼” Grosgrain ribbons.This is kind of fun and I’ll definitely be using these for more projects. 

One of our Christmas cards during the Christmas stamp-a-stack next month will use the letterpress plates, so make sure to attend so you can try them out for yourself.

Enjoy!

Diana

October Stamp-a-Stack

As promised I wanted to share the projects for this month’s stamp-a-stack.

You will absolutely love this new technique for background coloring so you won’t want to miss this.

There's still time to register so just email me to reserve your spot for this Sunday, October 10.

Christmas Greetings - Sketch Challenge

 What a great weekend! I was able to attend Stampin’ Up! Regionals in Baltimore, MD yesterday, and all I can say is “Awesome.” We had such a great time and learned so many new things that all I want to do is try everything immediately. I also had the opportunity to site with some great ladies from PA along with my travel buddy, Patti. So this morning I hit the stamps early and my first project with for this week’s Stamping 411 challenge. I really liked this week’s sketch since I don’t usually use multiple panels like this so it was something new.

This card uses the Bells and Boughs stamp set and the fabulous Deck the Halls DSP from the Holiday mini catalog. I used two different patterns and matted them on Always Artichoke cardstock before placing them on the Crumb Cake card base. I took a piece of Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding ribbon and wrapped it around all three panels. Then I tied a bow with the ribbon and the new Basics Glitter Brads (I saw this great ribbon technique on Gretchen Barron’s blog (check hers out here). The great is stamped with Early Espresso in and punched out with the new Decorative label punch. I used sponge daubers to apply Cherry Cobbler ink around the edge of the label before using Dimensionals to adhere the label to the card. The final touch is three small pearls in the top right corner.

I wasn’t sure how this card was going to turn out when I started but I really like how elegant it turned out.

Have a great week!

Diana

Stampin' Up Regionals

As you read this I'm in Baltimore attending Stampin' Up! regionals (whoo hoo)!  I've been looking forward to this for months and can't wait to meet lots of fun and talented people and learn some great new techniques.  In addition to fabulous presentations I'll be swaping cards with the other attendees and it's always exciting to see what others create.

I thought I would share a picture of one of my swaps.  It uses the Wicked Cool stamp set and turned out great.  This card also uses the Wicked Fun DSP, Raven Lace, and Rhinestones (who doesn't love a little bling??).  I stamped the candle sticks alternating with Rich Razzleberry and Cajun Craze Ink.  The spiderweb in the main image is stamped with Basic Grey and then "stamped off" one before stamping the cardstock to soften the image. 

I hope you have a great weekend and I can't wait to share all details.

Enjoy!

Diana

Bella Toile Stationary

Good evening.  It's been raining like crazy here for the past couple days and it always amazing me how rain seems to make me just want to stay at home and relax in PJs (and lots of people I talk to feel the same way).  Unfortunately things are crazy at work so I've been running nonstop, at least the weekend is almost here. 

Today I wanted to show you a card I design for a coworker.  She was going to a wedding and wanted to give the bride and groom custom stationary as a wedding gift.  I designed this card after looking at their wedding invitation.  It uses Crumb Cake, Very Vanilla, and Early Espresso.  I used the Bella Toile background stamp to stamp the design at the top.  The wedding invitation had a kind of metallic copper paper so I took the Early Espresso cardstock and spritzed it with some shimmer spray I made with rubbing alcohol and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  It's hard to tell from the picture but it really had a metallic looked that mimicked the invitation.  I used Early Espresso Satin Ribbon to wrap the band around the center.  The monogram initial is stamped with Early Espresso ink and the Sweet Monogram stamp set and matted on piece of Crumb Cake that was punched out with the Scallop Circle punch. 

I love how this card turned out and my friend was very happy with it, I can't wait to hear how the newlyweds liked them.  I love being able to send out written cards to friends and family and making your own stationary is so simple and fun.

If you're interested in custom stationary but don't have the time to make it yourself don't hesitate to contact me and we can design something perfect for you and any occasion.

Enjoy!

Diana

Sketch Challenge: So Many Thanks

Another weekend has come and gone, where does the time fly?  At least we finally got a break from the heat and were able to just relax and enjoy the cooler weather today, I'm definately ready for fall.  I made a quick card for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge. 

The stamp set is So Many Thanks (I love these single, a la carte stamps which make great cards without costing a lot).  This also showcases some of the great new colors, including Daffodil Delight, Marina Mist and Early Espresso, along side Real Red.  The card also uses the Scallop Trim Border Punch and Daffodil Delight 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon.

Love, love, love it!  If you love this card make sure to be at next months Stamp-a-stack as this will be one of our cards.

Have a great week!

Diana

Big Birthday Wishes!

What a beautiful weekend!  Aidan had a great TBall game Saturday morning and then we were able to spend the rest of the weekend just relaxing.  I was also able to spend some time in the office just stamping which was great!  We have lots of friends with September birthdays so as soon as I saw this weeks Stamping 411 challenge I knew it would make a perfect birthday card.

I decided to use the new Word Play stamp set and Celebrations DSP as the inspiration.   This stamp set is perfect since it has a great assortment of greetings that make quick and easy cards.  The card is pretty straight forward and also uses the new 2 3/8" Circle Scallop and Decorative Label Punches.

So fun and cheery I can't wait to send it out this week with special birthday wishes.

Enjoy and have a great week!

Diana

Halloween Decor

I seem to have halloween on the brain lately and I'm so excited.  At convention this year I saw some great samples of halloween decor that I just fell in love with and knew I needed to incorporate in this years decorating.  Since Aidan is 5 the key to halloween decorating is to have nothing too scary (I'm already dealing with ghosts). 

I CASED this frame idea from the current Holiday Mini catalog but when I went to the store I found this great graduation diploma frame for 75% (love a sale) so I decided to jazz up the double mats with some of the Wicked Fun DSP.      Since my large mat was 11 x 14 I had to cut the piece of DSP down the middle and adde another print as an accent along with pieces of Black Raven lace ribbon.

 I stamped the images on a piece of Whisper White paper with images from the Wicked Cool stamp set in Basic Gray and Cajun Craze.  I also added rhinstones to the centers of each of the spider webs because doesn't every girl love a little bling? 

The actual Decor Element is actually on the outside of the glass so it looks like a shadow box (can you tell from the picture on the right??).  The final touch was little bats cut out of the same DSP with the new Bat Punch. 

I'm so excited how this turned out and even Chris was very impressed.

Enjoy!

Diana

Halloween Cutie!

I love how the weather has changed and we're finally able to enjoy spending time outside, it really helps get you in the mood for fall.  I just received the new Greeting Card Kids stamp set and just knew it would be perfect for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge.    These images are so cute and perfect for the upcoming holidays.  The main image is stamped in Basic Black and then I used the Coluzzle to cut the image into an oval and cut a mat out of Old Olive.  The image was colored in with a Blender pen and classic ink pads, then I used a 2 way glue pen to run some glue around the edge of the oval and added the new Champagne Glass Glitter.  Since the glass glitter started to come off when I tried to use Snail on the back of the oval I used Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere the image to the card.

The colors all came from the Wicked Fun DSP.  There are two pieces of ribbon across the center, 5/8" Basic Black Grosgain Ribbon and 3/8" Rich Razzleberry Taffeta Ribbon.  The greeting is from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set and punched out with the Word Window Punch.   The mat is Basic Black and punched with the Modern Label Punch.  I had to double stack the dimensionals on the left side of the label to be up to the same height as the right hand side (because it sits over the oval). 

I really like how this turned out, she's too cute!!  I hope you enjoy and have a great week!

Diana

Halloween Greetings in Peach Parfait

I'm totally in love with the new Holiday Mini catalog.  As many people know, one of my favorite tools is the textured embossing folders for the Big Shot and this new Spider Web Embossing folder is the "the bomb."  After running the Black cardstock through the Big shot I spritzed the paper with the Silver Smooch Spritz to add a little dazzle.  I wrapped a piece of Peach Parfait 1/2" stiched ribbon and tide a knot.  The greeting is from the Grateful Greetings stamp set and is punched out with the 1 1/4" square punch and then mounted on a piece of Peach Parfait cardstock punched with the scallop square punch. 

A great simple card and this picture doesn't do it justice.  You will definately find many uses for these new items.

Enjoy!

Diana