Joyfully Stampin'

Home Decor for Fall

2010-10-02T12:49:00.000-07:00

I've been working on decorating my house for fall. I was at Michael's and found some cute little frames I really liked. I thought it would be fun to make something fall-ish to put inside. I just got a couple of new things from Stampin' Up! (R) I was looking forward to playing with, too, so it worked out perfectly! The first one I made was this little owl frame.The owl is a punch - yep, a punch! I punched out two different owls. One in the patterned paper and another in the black. It's fun playing with it and figuring out which pieces to use. I really like how it turned out.Here's the frame with my decorations. What do you think? Yes, my dog decided she was part of the decorations and to make it official we put her pumpkin costume on her.

The second project I knew I wanted to do involved a new stamp set I got called "Greeting Card Kids". Such a cute set! All I did was stamp it, color it with my watercolor colored pencils, use my blender pen and it was done. So simple and Oh, so cute!

Happy Fall!

Upcoming Classes

2010-09-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm finally finding time to do some stamping, I figured it was time to put some classes together!! The first one will be Saturday, October 9th from 10am-noon. We will be making four fun fall projects and the cost to attend is $8. I will post the projects we will me making for that soon so keep checking back!
The second class I'm planning is a Christmas Card Stamp-a-stack. Every year it's a favorite class and I'm hoping this year will be no exception! The date is November 6th (first Saturday in November) from 10am-1pm and there will be five different card designs and you have the choice of making 2 or 4 of each! (If you are making four of each, please allow for a little more time). The cost for 10 cards (includes envelopes) is $15 and the cost for 20 cards (includes envelopes) is $25. Bring a friend and take $5 off your class fee! Place a $30 order at the class and you can take $10 off your class fee!!
RSVP is required for both of these classes! For the one in October, please RSVP by the 4th so I can make sure to have enough prepared for everyone. For the class in November, you MUST RSVP by October 29th so I can make sure to have time to order enough materials. Also, please make sure to bring your own adhesive to the classes! If you have questions, please leave a comment and I will answer! If you'd like to attend but those dates/times aren't good, please let me know that, too, as I may try to schedule another date.
In order to do the classes, I am looking for a minimum of three people attending otherwise, I will cancel.

INCENTIVE for you from ME

2010-09-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Because I am new to this area and trying to get my business up and running again, I am offering an incentive to anyone who hosts an in-home or catalog workshop with me from now until the end of the year! If you host a workshop and it closes at at least the minimum $150 show, you will receive FREE from me either a Simply Scrappin' kit of your choice (valued at $19.95) OR a Simply Sent kit (valued at $11.95). I will add it to your workshop order!
For those of you who aren't sure about hosting a workshop but would like to place an order, if you place a $50 order with me between now and the end of the year, you will receive with your order a free ink pad of your color choice.
Call or email me ASAP so we can get your workshop scheduled and enjoy a fun night with friends! Don't forget Stampin' Up! isn't just about stamping anymore! We have home decor, fabric and more!!

Way TOO LONG!!!

2010-09-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how much time has passed since I last posted anything on my blog. I apologize and thank you to those of you who still check in occasionally! Since my last post I have moved and I think I'm finally getting settled in enough to start stamping and, hopefully, holding classes. I do so miss getting together and sharing my love for this fun hobby. I have enjoyed doing a little stamping for myself, though, and have made a commitment to being better about actually SENDING cards to people. I used to be so good at it which is one reason I got into this business and then, oddly enough, found that the busier I was with "business" the less cards I sent! SO, to family and friends I apologize for letting that happen and please hold me accountable! If you're reading this blog and would like to get a hand-stamped card from me (even if we've never met) post a comment with your address, and I will send you one ASAP!!
Please stay updated as I'm having incentives and classes coming your way!!

Link for Flowers

2010-05-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

This is NOT the original link I found for making these flowers BUT it's still good. As I said, they are easy to make and super fun. If you make some, let me know! Or, better yet, send me a picture!

Thank you gift

2010-05-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I had my last rotating hostess club meeting here in ND. I wanted to give the ladies a little something to say thank you and I found a tutorial on making these adorable paper flowers so I knew I had to incorporate them into my gift. Here's what I came up with:

The picture is of the group of them because the picture my sweet hubby took for me of the one by itself was, unfortunately, blurry. He did also take this picture, though, so he made up for it! I used some retired patterned paper but was pretty pleased with how they came out. What do you think? Oh, and I'll have to find the link again for the flowers because they're SUPER EASY and so much fun and cute to boot!

BIG changes, coming SOON!!!

2010-04-09T18:03:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! I was out of town for almost a week. Got back, was checking the Stampin' Up! (R) website and found out that BIG changes are coming in our color collections! They are totally doing away with the Earth Elements family group! They are getting rid of quite a few of our current colors, bringing back some old IN Colors and adding a few we haven't seen before! Here's a page that features what our new color collections will look like:

Here's the page that shows all the colors that will be retired! Can you believe it? That's a LOT!!
Definitely a few I'm sad to see go BUT I'm also excited to see some of the old In Colors come back plus get to know some new colors. Styles and fashions change and Stampin' Up! (R) is making sure we're staying on top of the current treads so I can't blame them for the change. I figured something had to be done soon since things had been the same for a while now. If you want to get some of the old colors before they're gone, make sure to place your order in the next couple of months! The current catalog ends at the end of June and the new colors will go into effect with the new catalog! Exciting stuff!

2010-03-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

Although the temps here are still pretty chilly, the snow

has melted a lot and you can actually see the grass, the dakrats (prairie dogs for the non-locals) are out, so spring must definitely be here! I was feeling in the mood for just that with this card. I got the new Beautiful Wings embosslit die for the Big Shot and knew I HAD to use it! Plus, I've been seeing lots of projects with the ribbon all crinkled up and wanted to try my hand at that, so this is what I came up with! I used Barely Banana, Old Olive and Bermuda Bay. And my desk looks like spring! For the background I used one of my impressions templates, ran my brayer over it using Barely Banana, put it through the big shot and you get a very soft, lovely background! I am LOVING the butterflies - they are SO EASY and SO pretty, I can see myself using them quite a lot! My other favorite thing on this card is the new Well Scripted stamp set featured in the mini catalog. It is by far my favorite font verse set we have. The great thing about this card, too, is that it can be an Easter card (as I have shown) or birthday, Mother's day, you name it! I love versatile!

I hope you're enjoying your spring - wherever you are!

Bundle of Joy

2010-03-23T15:04:00.000-07:00

I've had quite a few friends having babies lately and I'm OUT of baby cards SO for my last rotating hostess meeting (this past Sunday) I decided one of the projects would be...you guessed it - a baby card! While I was skimming through blogs one day I came across a fun project using the Medallion stamp to make "lace" on Patty's Stamping Spot. I decided I had to try it! Knowing those two things, I came up with this project.

The ladies seemed to really like it - even though it is a little more time - intense! Here's a close up:

Some of the ladies told me they really thought it was lace or ribbon when they first saw the project so I know it really accomplishes its design!

Friend Card

2010-03-22T15:04:00.000-07:00

For my rotating hostess in February, I made a "Friend" card using the Vintage Vogue stamp set from the Spring mini that's out right now. I just got the Elegant Bouquet textured impression embossing folder and thought it was perfect to start getting into the mood for spring! The colors I decided on were Pale Plum and Rich Razzleberry - I LOVE those colors together!

The design is actually pretty simple but it comes out looking so elegant and pretty.

Here's a close up so you can see some details.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

What I've Been Doing

2010-03-19T12:33:00.001-07:00

The last week or so I've been BUSY making invitations for the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) tea that I am responsible for. The theme is "An Evening in Paris" and the colors are Black, White, and Melon Mambo (pink). I was really excited about the cards until I got a quarter of the way into making them and I thought "Why did I do this to myself?" BUT, I pushed through it and finallly got them (all 60) made and even out in the mail by 1 o'clock!

Here's a picture of them all together and ready to go:

Here's one up-close:
Here's a really up close look so you can see the details:

With the theme being Parisian, I had to add some bling both with the brads and the glitter. So girly and so fun!

Attempt at an Easel Card

2010-02-25T14:20:00.001-08:00

I can't believe it's almost the end of February already! I guess I haven't been doing a whole lot of stamping lately. I did have my rotating hostess club this past weekend so that gave me something to stamp for! (Or, at least motivated me to do something about!!) I have been looking around at blogs and such and kept seeing cute easel cards everywhere so I finally decided I needed to make one. They are pretty easy to make (not a lot of cutting, folding,etc which I like - I'm kind of a simple gal, can you tell?!) and I was pleased with the way this one came together. Yet once again I let the DSP be my background (just makes life way more simple) and I used the new flower punch as my focal point SO not a lot of actual stampin' on this card! The one extra little "bling" was that I used heat and stick powder on a clear button and added some gold glitter to give the center of the flower that extra "wow"!

It's funny (sad, actually) but even though I'm in the card making business, I have a bad habit of letting people's birthday's slip by so this one was appropriate (as long as I mail it on time!) Happy Stampin'!

Sweet Baby Card

2010-01-28T21:04:00.000-08:00

I made this card a WHILE ago for a workshop but finally got a picture of it before I send it to my cousin who just had her first baby - a girl! I must admit I saw this idea on splitcoast - to use Forest Friends for baby cards. People are just so creative! Lovin' the pink and brown still - wonder if I'll ever stop?! Here's a close-up so you can see the texture! Oh, and in case I haven't mentioned it lately - I LOVE my Big Shot!

Medallion Thank You

2010-01-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

I made this card for workshops in December - I thought it was a nice thank you that could be Christmas-y but wasn't necessarily. Simple and elegant. Gotta love that!

Christmas Joy

2010-01-26T14:53:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is completely a CASE (Copy and Share everything) from Stampin' Up!'s monthly magazine. With my name being Joy I tend to have quite a bit of Christmas decorations and when I saw this, I knew I had to make it! I ended up leaving it pretty simple because I never could decide what to add. If you have ideas, I'd be happy to hear them! Since I never did get anything added to it, it's just hanging in my stampin' area. Maybe next year I'll get around to "completing" it with a hanger and everything!

Winter Love

2010-01-26T14:45:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post some projects I made last year and never got around to posting! This one is perfect for the weather we're having right now. It's a hot chocolate holder perfect to give to a friend as a "happy"! The stamp set was featured in our winter mini and I'm sure we'll be seeing it again because it's just too darn cute!

Sale-a-Bration is HERE!!!

2010-01-10T14:22:00.000-08:00

Sale-a-bration time is here in the world of Stampin' Up! (R). Some of you may be wondering what on earth Sale-a-Bration is so let me share with you the details of this too good to be true event!

As a Customer:

For every $50 you spend on stamping merchandise during Sale-a-Bration you get to select one of the items from the Sale-a-Bration flyer absolutely FREE!!!!

As a Hostess:

Host a workshop of at least $300 (before tax and shipping) and receive a FREE Sale-a-Bration item!

As a Demonstrator:

Join as a demonstrator and choose ANY stamp set - a value of up to $47.95 - from our current catalogs. Plus, get 15% off the price of the Starter Kit!!

You just can't lose! Contact me NOW to schedule a workshop or place an order so you don't miss out!

Christmas Ornaments

2010-01-10T13:12:00.000-08:00

Yes, Christmas is over but I had taken some pictures of Christmas ornaments I made and thought the pictures turned out pretty cool so I wanted to share! These ornaments are SUPER EASY to make and turn out SO nice! All you need is clear glass ornaments, stamp pad ink refills, and glitter!! What's fun is changing the color of the glitter but using the same ink creates different results to the possibilities are endless! Plus, the glitter and all is on the INSIDE so no mess when you pick it up and touch it!

The first picture is of all the ornaments together - I made them to give to my MOPS group as a Christmas present for each mom plus I showed them how to make them so they could do it themselves if they wanted to! Here's a close-up of the red ornaments. I used the same red ink just different kids of glitter so that's why you see differences!For the green, I did use three different kids of inks and a few different glitters so I got a different result A LOT!!

Christmas Stamp-a-Stack Cards

2009-11-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Here are the projects we will be making for my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack. It is happening this Saturday - December 5th and you can make 10 cards for $15 or 20 cards for $25. You must RSVP to me ASAP!!! Every year I try to make each card different from the others so that you're walking away with 5 different unique designs. This year is no exception!

The first card design is completely CASE'd from my friend Amy. She sent me it a couple of years ago and I really like the colors.

The second card uses a color combination inspired by some of our current Christmas designer series paper and uses our new stamp set Delightful Decorations with its coordinating punch.The next card uses a unique color combination that comes from the designer series paper used in it. I also used a little bit of glitter to jazz this one up even more.The next card I CASE'd but can't remember from where. I just love the deer transformed into Rudolph! This card gets jazzed up with an embossed background and bright, fun ribbon. The last card is one I've been wanting to try and finally took the plunge - using acetate (window sheets). I love how this is a simple card but looks like so much more because of the clear sheet! Too fun!

I do hope to see you this Saturday! If you have questions or comments, please feel free to contact me!

Halloween Card

2009-10-28T19:10:00.000-07:00

My rotating hostess club has been doing swaps each time we meet and last month (September) we did Halloween/Fall cards. I typically do something more fall-like instead of Halloween but as I looked at the stamp sets I had on hand I realized I didn't have any really good fall sets I wanted to use PLUS I had just gotten the Night and Day specialty designer series paper found in the holiday mini and knew I wanted to use it! So, the ideas started swirling and I ended up with this:

Here's a close up that shows a little more of the details.

Josh's Grad party Favors

2009-06-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well, graduation was a month ago but I realized I never posted pictures of the party favors we (Colleen, Josh, my mom and I) worked so hard on. I still have a few left over so that's what I took the picture of. We made almost 60 total. Josh's school colors were maroon, black and silver so that's what colors we used - of course!

Josh designed the labels using his school's mascot.

Craft From Ellie's Party

2009-06-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well, I shared with you Ellie's banner and I thought I would also share with you the craft I put together for the kids to make. Using my big shot, I cut out scallop circles from craft foam sheets in various colors, then I cut out each child's initial using the alpabet dies and white craft foam. I punched a hole in the top and put a jumbo brad so they can either hang it on a nail or put ribbon through and hang it that way. I bought some foam stickers and they were able to make their own initial "plaque!" Here's a picture of what Ellie's looked like (that I put together)!

I really love how the big shot allows you to be able to do fun stuff like this. I hope this inspires you to create a fun craft for your kids!!

Eliana's Banner

2009-06-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

June 12th of this year was my daughter's 2nd birthday. Because life had been so crazy with my oldest's graduation from high school, I didn't make invitations to her birthday party BUT I did borrow my friend Robyn's alphabet and pennant die cuts so I could at least make a banner. I'm not sure the pictures do it justice, see what you think!

The colors I used matched the plates she "picked" out that was kind of tropical. I used Pink Passion, So Saffron and Gable Green - very bright and girly!

Gifts for my Girls

2009-05-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our last night of Wednesday night activities so I wanted to make a little "something" for my girls. My friend, Robyn, had a cute little frame that I saw the other night and she told me she got it at the dollar spot at Michael's. So, I was there the other day and looked and, sure enough, they had some! I got some in different colors and then after I bought them thought that, perhaps, I should have gotten them all in the same color that way the girls wouldn't be saying stuff like "Oh, I wish I'd gotten the pink one", etc. I decided the easiest way to take care of it was I wrapped them in decorated white paper sacks and just passed them around and told them they couldn't negotiate with each other! :) Here's the picture of all of them:

and a couple of them by themselves so you can see them close-up.

Here they are all wrapped up and ready to go!

Birthday Card Stamp-a-Stack Projects

2009-04-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

We are a little over a week out from my May Birthday Card Stamp-a-Stack and I have the pictures to post of the projects we'll be making. I'm really excited about the class and hope you'll be able to join me! We will be doing the five projects pictured here and you can choose to either make two or four of each of the designs. It's $15 for 10 and $25 for 20 and the cost includes envelopes. To register for the class, call the Arts and Crafts Center at 747-3482. You can attend on either Thursday, May 7th from 7-10pm or Saturday, May 9th from 10am-1pm. What's great about these cards is most of them can be anything - they don't HAVE to be birthday! So, if you need a Mother's Day card, just put a mother's day sentiment or if you're thinking ahead to Father's Day - make one of your cards that! I try to have out different greetings for you to be able to personalize to meet your needs! I look forward to seeing you there!

The first project is such a fun, colorful one perfect for a child or even just a fun card for an adult friend!

The second one is such a pretty card - I love Cameo Coral and Kiwi Kiss together! This is also a fun pop up card so it's different from a standard card! (I want to tell you a little story behind this card. I was trying to finish up all the designs yesterday and was down to this one and had it started and realized I wanted to use Eastern Blooms. I went to get it from my shelf and couldn't find it. I looked and looked and couldn't find it anywhere! I had a meeting to go to last night and by the time I got home I was ready for bed so I didn't look any more then but was awoken at 3:30 this morning when my daughter fell out of my bed - hate to say I'd fallen asleep and totally forgotten the fact that she was in bed with me! Well, I couldn't go back to sleep because I kept thinking about this stamp set and trying to figure out where it might be and kept praying about it and stressing about it! I finally went to sleep around 4:30am but never got up to go look! When I did get up this morning, though, that's the first thing I did was go look for it and I finally found it - it had fallen down behind my paper holder where I couldn't see it along with another set I'd totally forgotten I had. To say I was elated is putting it mildly! I said a sincere "Thank you, Lord!" and quickly finished up my project!)

Can't have a birthday card class and NOT use Crazy for Cupcakes! I still love this stamp set using Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip! As you'll notice, this card has a fun surprise to it, too! The next card I made using the bird from the Always set - I just love the bird in this set and think this makes such a pretty card!

We needed a masculine card to go in with all of these cards so I used the Inspired by Nature set to make one. Both my husband and oldest son really like this one so that must be a good sign! I must admit it wasn't my original idea. I got the idea from this card on Splitcoast.
Well, now you've seen them so come join me in making them!

Spring class this week!!

2009-04-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I finally have the projects together for the class I'm doing at the Arts & Crafts Center this week! I played and played, changed some things and these are the projects we'll be doing. The theme is "Spring" so I tried to keep that in mind plus I know Mother's Day is coming shortly so I though these would be great for that, too!!

These pictures are the outside and inside of a "stationery set" we're making. What's nice about these projects is that you can do some "double time" stamping and get some great cards in a matter of minutes! Plus, using this set, Fifth Avenue Floral, it's easy to make your own background paper in no time!

The cards on the inside are simple and elegant and can be used for any occasion although I did

make mine "Thank you" cards because we can always use those!! For these projects, I used all In-Color colors: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss and Baja Breeze - I love the way they look together!

The next two projects are color coordinating and depending on how many people I have for the class, I may just supply different patterned papers and coodinating card stocks and everyone's will be slightly different since I only have a few sheets of the Bella's Bloom paper and Riding Hood Red card stock. These can either be used as a Mother's Day ensemble or as a birthday gift for a friend.

Don't they look pretty? I'm excited about sending this to my mom for Mother's Day!

Here are pictures of the outside and inside so you can see it's a notepad cover!

This is the coordinating card - as you can see, it's the same design as one I made for the swap I did a couple of weeks ago. I just love it! I hope to see you at a class! The class dates and times are Thursday, April 23rd from 7-9pm and Saturday, April 25th from 10am-12pm. The cost to attend is $10 and you need to sign up by calling the Arts and Crafts center at 747-3482.

Swaps from Jeanne

2009-03-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hey, there! Sorry I didn't end up posting anything yesterday - it was a busy day and I just didn't get a chance to sit and get it done. Today I am sharing Jeanne Lobsinger's swaps with you. She's out in Texas and was one of my roomies at convention last year!

Pretty cute, huh?! Thanks, Jeanne!

Amy's Swaps

2009-03-25T19:09:00.001-07:00

Although she has them posted on her blog, here, I went ahead and took some pictures, too, to share with you!

I thought they all turned out so nice and I thought it was interesting that she also used a sage shadow/chocolate chip combo - great minds think alike!

Swaps

2009-03-24T07:58:00.001-07:00

Since it's been a while since I posted, I thought I'd be nice and do two posts in one day!! My friends and I just did another swap together and I've been dying to share mine with you but didn't want to ruin the surprise in case one of them happened to look at my blog! SO, now that everyone's received them, I am finally posting them! The theme for this swap was Spring/Floral/Easter. So, it was pretty broad which gave us a little more flexibility to do what we wanted rather than being tied to one stamp set.

The first one I made using the Always set (LOVE this set - especially the bird!). I originally made this for a workshop I did for my now down-line, Robyn. She's really into vintage/shabby chic so I really wanted to come up with a project I thought she'd love. I got my inspiration from this card on splitcoast. Sage Shadow isn't one I use very much but I'm pretty pleased with the way this card came out!

The next one I made was for another workshop I did for Kelly. She's a young, hip mom to a one year old and I wanted to come up with a project using another one of my favorite stamp sets - 5th Avenue Floral. I used the spritzer tool and everyone really loved that - it is a pretty cool little tool!!

For the next project, I knew I wanted to use Bella's Bloom but it's such a small set, I wasn't sure how to incorporate it on a full-size card. So, once again, I got my inspiration from splitcoast and this card. I couldn't find any patterned paper I really wanted to use with it so I finally decided to use the texturez plates for the big shot to create a pattern. Here's what I came up with.

Here's a close-up of the background I made using the texturez plate.

For my final project I just happened to get a box with new stampin' supplies the day I wanted to sit and finish my projects so I HAD to use a great new set from the mini that starts April 1st called Great Friend - LOVE the butterfly. I guess there's something about an image with flowers and all drawn into it for me! For this card I actually got my inspiration from page 92 of the current Idea Book and Catalog - it uses a butterfly similar to the one from Great Friend.

Here's a close-up of the butterfly - I layered two of them. One I stamped in Baja Breeze and the other in Pretty in Pink. On the top one, I used Crystal Effects to add a little shimmer (not sure if you can see it in this shot or not)!

Well, I took pictures of the swaps I received and plan to share them through-out this week so keep coming back to see the great swaps!

Card from My Upline

2009-03-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

I received a card from my up-line, Beverly, on Saturday and I thought I would share it - it's really cute! She sent it because I had two recruits for the month of February - very exciting for me!

Thank you, Beverly, for the cute card!

Always Birthday Card and Giftcard Holder

2009-03-09T13:17:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago my good friend and downline had her birthday. I got her a Starbucks gift card and decided I wanted to make a matching card and giftcard holder. I took pictures of them before I sent them but didn't want to post the pictures until she got them! Well, as I mentioned that was a couple of months ago and I never did post them so I wanted to do so now. Here is the card:

And here's the giftcard holder:

The inspiration for the colors was the Always paper and it was fall so the colors seemed appropriate.

Valentine's Gifts

2009-02-11T12:04:00.000-08:00

Ian and I have been busy the last couple of days making Valentine's for our friends at church tonight. I have been teaching the 3rd and 4th grade girls since the beginning of January and we are having a Valentine party tonight so I wanted to make a little something for each of them. I was at the Christian bookstore on Sunday and saw some cute pencils and remembered seeing cute pencil holder things so I decided I would make that for the girls. Here's how they turned out:

I ended up using some paper I got last year from my bunco secret sister to make them so it's not Stampin' Up! paper but I still think it turned out pretty cute!

Ian decided that for his Valentine's for friends he wanted to make some of the Kit-Kats with the covers. Here's a picture of what he's made so far:

We used some old Stampin' Up! (R) paper from a few years ago then punched out some of the circles from the same paper and put it on a layered tag. He did these by himself! I helped design it but he's the one who has done the work.

I have some more of these prepped for the girls to be able to make tonight during our party. Should be fun! I hope you're getting ready for the day of "love" too by showing your friends and family how much they mean to you!

Open House Project

2009-01-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

I had my New Catalog Open House on Saturday. It was a very last minute deal so I wasn't sure if I would have anyone show up or not. I ended up having three ladies come and it was good just to chat with them a little bit and revel over the new catalog. I finally used my Crazy for Cupcakes set and thought it turned out pretty cute.

Projects for Valentine's Class

2009-01-22T20:52:00.000-08:00

I finally have the projects together for the Valentine's class I'm doing next week at the Arsts and Crafts center. I'm really excited about these projects and hope you'll like them, too! We'll be doing all of what you see pictured here for $10 so call the Arts and Crafts center now to sign up! You can attend either Thursday night the 29th from 7-9pm or Saturday morning the 31st from 10am-12pm. I look forward to seeing you there!

An altered mailbox from Target - love the greens and pinks together!! In the mailbox are 4 3x3 cards that use the same designer paper as the mailbox. I'm really loving the "A Happy Heart" stamp set! In fact, we're using it for all of our projects!

This is something you'll be able to give that special someone in your life - your hubby, your best friend, your mom/dad, or your child! Pull the ribbon on the top and a yummy chocolate bar comes out - just right for Valentine's day!

A card that matches the chocolate treat but doesn't have to! I used the Big Shot to make the little envelope and think it's the cutest thing!

Bow Holders

2009-01-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

I finally got the last of the bow holders made from the craft fair back in December and delivered them yesterday. I have one more still to get to the rightful owner but I feel like at least I'm making progress! I was so glad to hear that the people who ordered them liked how they turned out! Here are the three I delivered yesterday!

This is actually for my neighbors little girl - Marlene. Her room colors are pink and brown, so I went with those. Because the "M" was so much bigger than the other letters, I had to do a bigger base and do it horizontally with more ribbons - so she lucked out! :)

These holder are for twin sisters and she requested one to be pink and one to be purple. I came up with these and was a little nervous as to whether or not she would like that I combined them but she told me she loved it and since they share a room they were perfect! I was so happy to hear that! When I was making them the only thing I was disappointed about was that I didn't have purple ribbon that matched so I had to stick with pink and white ribbon. All-in-all though I thought they turned out pretty cute!!

The NEW CATALOG!!!!!!

2009-01-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right it's new catalog time! It officially starts the 19th of January. Although I don't always like seeing stamp sets go it is fun to get new stuff in the catalog!!! This one is sure to please - I already have a long wish list myself!! To introduce to new catalog properly, I am having a New Catalog Open House on NEXT Saturday - the 24th of January from 10am-noon at my house. There will be snacks, a make and take fun stuff to look out and information on upcoming classes and clubs. I've had quite a few people indicate interest to me in a swap club so I'd like to try and get that going with a sign up sheet at the open house. If you have questions about where to go or know you won't make it but would like to get a new catalog, please email me at joyfully_stampin@gra.midco.net. Bring a friend that isn't a current customer and you'll get a free gift from me!! Plus, there will be doorprizes! You won't want to miss it! I look forward to seeing you soon!!!

Projects Ordered at Craft Fair

2009-01-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

I haven't been doing a whole lot of stamping lately except for my Christmas/New Year's cards (yes, I'm still working on them!!!!) and finishing up orders placed at the craft fair in December! I hadn't finished them all before the holidays because they told me no rush but I did get the ones done that were Christmas presents. Anyway, I took some pictures of projects before I gave them to their owners!

These are affectionately called orna-mints! My friend Amy introduced them to me (you can view her blog listed on the right) and I had one person order more from me! Here are the ones she ordered all grouped together. I think they're pretty cute!! Oh, and since you can't tell - they're a sandwhich and their center is a Peppermint Patty!

This is a fun pen holder/utensil holder/whatever you want holder! I got this idea from my friend Erin (you can go to her blog on the right also). The same customer ordered two and I just finished the other one last night but I love the colors on this one!!

This is a stationery set just like one of my previous posts but different colors.

The projects I finished last night were some more bow holders. I'll have to take some pictures of them because they are all really cute! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to 2009 and all that's in store both in the Stampin' Up! (R) world and otherwise!!

WOW it's been a month!

2009-01-08T18:29:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe it has been a month since I've updated this site and there is SO much going on in the Stampin' Up! (R) world! First of all, the new catalog starts in a little over a WEEK!!! I can't believe it! I've really liked this catalog so it's going to be hard to let it go, but I'm looking forward to seeing all the NEW FUN stuff!! You can go here to actually see the stamp sets that are retiring! They are only available through the 18th of January so contact me ASAP to order any that you have your eye on!! Also, there are accessories that are being retired. If you'd like the most recent list of those still available, please let me know! I will say that most of the patterned paper is being retired as well as a good number of the Simply Scrappin' kits!

Another exciting thing going on right now is what Stampin' Up! (R) is calling an Inventory Blowout Sale. They are actually offering retired stamp pad colors (In Color pads from last year) at reduced prices! You can view the list by clicking here. This sale is also going on through the 18th of this month!

Last but certainly not LEAST is SALE-A-Bration! This year it is happening in February and March. It's a GREAT time to host a party, be a customer AND be a new demonstrator!! Contact me SOON to book a show or find out more!!

FREE SHIPPING!!

2008-12-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

That's right - you read it right!!! From now (December 9th) through the 23rd of December, Stampin' Up! (R) is offering FREE SHIPPING on ANY order of $70 or more. This is the first time I've seen Stampin' Up! (R) offer a special like this so you won't want to miss out! You can contact me: joyfully_stampin@gra.midco.net to place an order or you can order directly from my Stampin' Up! (R) website at http://www.joyfullystampin.stampinup.net/. What a great way to either stock up on supplies or order some great Christmas presents for your stampin' and scrappin' friends and family! PLUS, the new retired set list is out and you get 10% off any stamp set that is on the list!!! So, if there's one on there you've been wanting, NOW is the time to get it!! So, contact me soon to take advantage of these great specials!!! Merry Christmas!!!

Craft Fair Items

2008-12-09T13:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry it has been a while since I last posted - life has been a flurry of activity! I made the last minute decision last week to do a craft fair that was happening locally so although I knew I wouldn't be able to mass-produce things, I did take orders. It went pretty well. There wasn't a huge amount of people that came but I did get some orders and made back my money on the table plus some. Here are some pictures of the things I made:

These are some hershey bar goodies - you pull up the ribbon (without untying) and the hershey bar comes up. Great little stocking stuffers!

This is a little stationery set - it can be personalized with different patterned paper and colors/initial.

These are some journals - a couple had matching pens.

Here's a picture of my best selling item of the day:

It's a monogrammed bow/barrette holder. I have quite a few of these I still need to make! If you would be interested in ordering any of these items, please let me know by leaving a comment with your contact info and I'd be happy to get back with you with more information!!

This was the first craft fair I've done as a "crafter" instead of a "business". It was a lot of fun and something I would definitely consider doing again. I just wish I'd had more time this time to mass produce but people didn't seem to mind ordering from me.

Home Decor

2008-10-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well, like many other demonstrators that attended convention this summer, I was determined to make one of the home decor things I saw. I finally sat down and did it a week or so ago but just took a picture of it so I can share it with you. I love this time of the year and the yellows with the reds. Some ideas others have mentioned is replacing the inside for every season because, I don't know about you, but I am very blessed and should be thankful in every season! Enjoy! (I'm attaching two pictures because although I'm not really pleased with how either of the pictures turned out, together they are okay.) The saying is "Season of Thanks, Season of Blessings, Season of Love.

Christmas Cards for Stamp-a-Stack

2008-10-27T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally have the samples done of the cards we'll be doing at my Christmas card stamp-a-stack being held at the Arts and Crafts Center here Thursday, November 6th from 7-10pm and Saturday, November 8th from 10am-1pm. If you would like to attend, you must call the A&C center at 747-3482. The cost to attend is either $15 for 10 cards with envelopes (2 of each design) or $25 for 20 cards with envelopes (4 of each desing). This will be the first "class" I'm doing at the Arts & Crafts center and I'm really excited about it! If you need more information, just leave me a comment and a way to get in touch with you and I'd be happy to send you more info! Here are the 5 cards we'll be making:
I think it's a good variety and a little something to please everyone! I hope to see you at my class!!

Fall Projects

2008-10-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had my fall projects class. I always have such a hard time narrowing down the projects I want to do and this time was no exception!! I ended up doing a bag in a box (got the idea from Amy), kit-kat goodie wrappers (LOVE THEM AND SOOOOOO EASY!!! I got the idea from Erin.), a card and a potpourri bag. The potpourri bag and the card coordinate - I was trying to give examples of how to use all the parts of the Big Shot Top Note die cut.

I almost like the back of the potpourri better than the front!

I'll be having a Christmas card stamp-a-stack soon so be checking for projects soon!!!

The Rest of the Eastern Blooms Swaps

2008-09-20T17:59:00.001-07:00

Okay, I've decided just to post the rest of the pictures of the swaps I made.

I love this set - it's so versatile and easy to work with!

Eastern Blooms swap

2008-09-19T19:45:00.001-07:00

I got this idea from our Idea Book and Catalog. I love the simplicity. It's hard to tell but I used the brushed silver cardstock and it adds a little touch of elegance.

Inspired by my cousin's wedding thank you's

2008-09-17T05:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I received a Thank you card from my cousin for the wedding gift I had given. Within a couple of days I was working on some swaps that me and my roomies from convention were doing for one another. I knew I wanted to do something with black and white and remembered the thank you card and just kind of took off with it. Although I don't have a picture of the thank you card to share (which is a bummer, sorry!) here is what I did come up with!

I will post each of the swaps I made individually over the next few days. To see the great swaps I received from my roomies, check out Amy's stampin' blog!

Mr Big Shot, Who do you think you are?

2008-09-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

I had my Open House today and although it wasn't quite the turn out I was hoping for, it still went really well and the ladies who did come are excited to get stamping so that's a good thing! One of the things I had out for it was a sign up sheet that I entitled the same as this post - Mr. Big Shot, who do you think you are? (Please tell me you know the song I'm referring to in this title?!) Anyway, here's what the rest of the sign up says:

Okay, you've had a chance to acquaint yourself with the NEW Stampin' Up! (R) Big Shot and NOW you have a dilemma... You WANT IT!! But, how, when it's so expensive and your husband wouldn't approve if you bought it all at once? Well, what about a "payment plan" where you'll be able to get the Big Shot PLUS earn other stuff FREE??!! Sounds good, right, where do you sign up? By signing below you are indicating that you are interested in being in a big shot club for 4 months! Each month you'll spend $50 and with-in 4 months you will have your new big shot ready to play with. Plus, because you'll be earning hostess benefits, you'll be able to pick something from the catalog for free plus get a hostess only stamp set. Now, that's a great plan! There will be four members (although if I have more that puts the price per month less!) and each person will be hostess once. I can't wait until you get your Big-Shot!!

I have three ladies who indicated that they are interested in being in the Big Shot club. So, now all I need is 1 (or more) other person to indicate that they would like to be in the club and we can get it started. YAY!! If this sounds like something you are interested in, please let me know and I'll get you on the list and we'll be able to get things going!

The photos I've included are of the project we did today at my Open House. It features the Big Shot topper, Fall Flair hostess set, plus the new Riding Hood Red In Color! I thought it'd start to get us in the mood for Fall since it is right around the corner!!

RAK from my downline, Amy

2008-08-15T09:51:00.000-07:00

I am blessed to have wonderful ladies in my downline. My good friend, Amy, is part of my downline and she sent me some cute stuff! We try to send each other samples of cards/projects we've done and she's been better at it lately than I have but this week in the mail I got another goodie! She took all the pictures she's taken from convention and put them on a cd and had a cute little cover on it (pictured). Along with it she had a cute pop-up kind of card and I was just tickled pink! I love getting stuff in the mail!! On top of all that she did a great roomie gift for us (her roomies) at convention. It's a little purse with matching stationery. You can check out her website for more samples plus the link to where she got the idea! Thank you, Amy, for these wonderful goodies and please know that I have something in the works for you but I don't want to spoil it by putting it on here!

Exciting Stuff In the Stampin' Up! (R) World!

2008-08-06T13:05:00.000-07:00

There are so many new and exciting things happening in the world of Stampin' Up! (R) and I'll try and share as much of it with you as I can!!!!!

First, Stampin' Up! (R) has partnered up with Sizzix to create our VERY OWN Big Shot!! Along with that we'll be carrying our own line of exclusive dies that will coordinate with our exclusive stamp sets. Click here to see the complete flyer of all that is available!!! The picture is one I took at convention of the Big Shot with accessories plus a great bag you can get to fit it all!!

The above pictures are just a couple of took of some fun things you can create using the Sizzix!

Second, there are going to be three starter kits options available starting August 11th at just $99! You can choose between the Stamping, Scrapbooking or Home Decor Options! Click here to see the flyer with all the details!! These kits are especially designed for those of you who've been Stampin' Up! (R) customers for years and don't need everything that's usually included with the Standard Starter Kit. OR if you're new to Stampin' Up! (R) and choose to start your Stampin' Up! (R) career with the standard starter kit option, you will be able to choose a stamp set from the Fall-Winter Sampler or Idea Book and catalog FREE!!

Third, starting August 11 (the day the new catalog is available) there is going to be never-before-seen savings on brand-new stamp sets: 15% off select new, die-cut stamp sets from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog--no additional purchase necessary!!!!! Click here to see the stamp sets that are featured!!

Convention was GREAT!!!

2008-08-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Wow time has flown by and it's been a while since I've posted anything. We have finally arrived at our new home in North Dakota and are getting things settled. In the midst of the chaos of boxes, I got to go to Stampin' Up!'s yearly convention in Salt Lake City. It was a great time getting to see friends, downline, uplines, sidelines, etc. plus 6000 of my closest demonstrator friends!! (Plus, I took the opportunity to get my picture with Shelli - the CEO and co-founder of Stampin' Up! (R)) There are some exciting things in store on the Stampin' Up! (R) front and I can't wait to share them with you! I've also started a new Stampin' Up! (R) website and you can check it out by clicking here. One of the exciting things coming this fall is the ability for you, my customers, to be able to order directly from my demonstrator website!! How cool is that? Any time, day or night you'll be able to order those supplies you need to make whatever project you might be working on!

So, more about convention. Well, first of all I realized the day before I left that my return ticket was scheduled for Saturday and not Sunday as it was supposed to be. NOT GOOD!!!! My wonderful husband tried to work some things from home for me but the cheapest we could find was a $345 ticket home. Unfortunately, that means I had to keep my original ticket and miss the last day of convention. I must really be in a chaotic state because not only did that happen but one of the days I was there I realized, while walking to the convention center that my engagement ring was not on my finger and I didn't remember taking it off. Well, when I returned to the room that afternoon we searched all over and couldn't find it. My friend, Dana, kept saying, "Joy, you were digging around a lot in your bag this morning, keep looking there." Well, sure enough, there it was in the bottom of my bag! I was so relieved and thankful - thankful not only to have found it but to have such good friends who were just as worried about not being able to find it as I was. THEN, that same night we were at a group meeting and I realized I didn't have my camera that had my ID and credit cards in it. I went back to the room thinking I had left it there but couldn't find it. I went back to the meeting room to find it and it wasn't there. I had to walk back to the convention center and PRAY that someone would be there that could help me. Well, the Lord was listening because I saw one girl coming out from one of the rooms that was on staff and asked her where I might be able to find a lost camera. She asked me what it looked like and if I'd had make and takes that day. I had, indeed, had make and takes and she told me they'd found one in that hall. Well, she walked with me all the way there and helped me to convince security to let us in. We looked all over where she thought it was there but couldn't find it. We then went back across the convention center to the Gathering Place to see if there was a lost and found at the Info Booth. She looked all around for me then came out and said, "Is this is?" I was so excited because, yes, it was!! I gave her a great big hug and thanked her for staying with me and helping me. Even funnier, I was looking at my pictures from convention and came across a picture I hadn't taken - it was the group who found my camera and she's in the picture!!! (The one who helped me is the 2nd one in from the left). The staff at Stampin' Up! (R) truly are amazing and I really do think the Lord was looking out for me because she doesn't normally help in the make and take area but they had needed extra help there that day so she'd come over to help! If that hadn't happened, she wouldn't have known what I was talking about! So, THANK YOU!!!

There was so much that happened at Convention and so much I learned and am excited to start trying to implement in my business but, to be honest, my favorite part was hanging out with my downline and other roomie (Amy's friend that joined us) and sharing ideas and trying to motivate one another. Plus, seeing my uplines Beverly and Mimi and being encouraged by them - especially while out running with them one morning! I hope you'll stay posted for more information about the exciting things going on with Stampin' Up! (R) and if you're up for making some great new friends and being part of a fantastic company - contact me on how to become part of the Stampin' Up! (R) family!

Ellie's Birthday Invitations

2008-06-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

Once again it has been a while since I've posted on here. We are gearing up for our move and the craziness is beginning but in the meantime we are having a little get together for our daughter's first birthday this weekend! I wanted to make something girlie and fun and I found a great card design on split coast that I knew I wanted to duplicate. Click here to see the original design I liked. I also knew I wanted to use the Berry Bliss patterned paper and here's what I came up with:

Here is a close up of the flower on the band:I used the scallop punch, cut out the flower from "One of a Kind" and used a build a brad for the center. Let me know what you think! I will say I'm totally loving the Purely Pomegranate and will be sad to see it go!

The Jars are DONE

2008-05-09T08:42:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe how long it's been since I last posted anything - WOW!! Life has been a little crazy and I haven't been doing much stamping so there wasn't much to post. I did get the baby jars finished for my bunco gals and, as promised, I took some pictures so I thought I would share! I just gave them to them last night and they all said they were cute. I ended up filling them with wint-o-green lifesavers. There was a total of 20 jars and I did two of each style so there ended up being 10 different designs. Because I included myself, by accident, in the number count, I had one left over to keep! (I'm kind of glad because I'd had the thought that I should make one to keep so it all worked out!)

Birthday Card Class

2008-03-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

Somehow last week I was able to pull together a birthday card class. I had planned it the week before and knew I'd only have a few days to get the projects together after getting back from a few days at the beach but figured I'd be okay. What I didn't figure on is that Ellie would get sick on Monday and then Josh and I would get sick the next day! My class was Thursday evening and I was wondering if I was going to have to cancel. I was feeling better Wednesday although still not 100% but I was able to put together 5 projects plus all the prep work (enough materials for 10 cards each). Now, the nice thing was I was able to pool from projects I've done before but I tried to do some original things, too. One of the projects was one of the "simple" cards I've already posted using the She's All That set with Rose Red and So Saffron. Another one is just like the monogram Baroque Motifs card I did with a twist. It's the first time I've used my Build-a-brad pack and I really like how it turned out!

I had two feminine cards, so I needed a "manly" card. The only good "manly" stamp set I have right now is Noble Deer so I, of course, had to use it again. This card came pretty easily from another card I've done before using a different set.

I then wanted a good "kid" card so using a design by my friend Amy I came up with a card that used some great "kid" colors - Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie, and Brilliant Blue with a little Bashful Blue thrown in.

The hard part was then deciding what kind of card to finish with. I finally decided to do another "girlie" card. What's funny is the previous card uses the design of my friend, Amy's card, but I used the color scheme from her card for this one. I would include a picture of Amy's card but I didn't take a picture of it and my camera is not available for the next couple of days! When I get it back I'll be sure to take a picture and include it. Here's the final card:
I charged $1 per card and the 3 ladies who ended up making it to the class (two ladies had to cancel at the last minute) each made two of each. My mom participated and made one of each. It was a fun night getting to know those ladies a little better and it was especially fun to do a class again!!

Save on Shipping Until March 31st

2008-03-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

Place an order with me of any amount from now until March 31st and save on shipping! For any order under $40 the flat rate shipping is $3.95. As of April 1st Stampin' Up! (R) is increasing the flat rate shipping fee to $6.95. In order to take advantage of the rate as it is right now, I will waive the shipping fee for any order over $20. If your order is under $20, I will do half price on shipping. For orders over $40, shipping is usually 10% of your order total. If your order is $50, the shipping is $5 SO, that's a savings of $5!!! The savings only goes up from there based on your order total!! So, email or call me now to take advantage of the savings before Shipping goes up!!!

More Simple Cards

2008-03-11T08:44:00.001-07:00

I was on a role with making cards so I did a few more over the weekend. I tried to shake it up a bit and came up with these three designs. The "Here comes the Bride" one is for my cousin who just got engaged and is getting married in August. I, unfortunately, won't be able to make it to the wedding so I thought I would at least send a "congralations" card for now. The others are "just for fun" cards!

Scrapbooking

2008-03-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

In order to get rid of some "dead weight" for our upcoming move I'm going through back issues of Creating Keepsakes dating all the way back to 1999!! What I've been doing is tearing out pages of layouts I like, making notes as to why I like them and then just putting all those pages in a folder. Then, I'm able to throw away the magazine. I'm now up to 2003 and have another years worth of magazines to go through and then I should be done! Anyway, because I do have stacks of ideas piling up, I really wanted to scrapbook over the weekend. I haven't done any since a couple of weeks ago when I did Ellie's opening page. We just had Ellie's pictures done around Valentine's Day and I have some really cute pictures of her PLUS I found a cute title from one of the tearout title things Creating Keepsakes used to do so I did a layout. It's only one sided right now because I can't decide which pictures to put on the opposite pages: other pictures of her in her Valentine sweater OR one of the other pictures from her photo shoot. If you have a suggestion, let me know. Here's the page:

Simple Cards

2008-03-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, I sat down yesterday and finally made some cards!! I have been in need of some birthday as well as pregnancy cards. I had a design in my head and finally brought it to life yesterday. Now, for those of you who have never stamped before or think stamping would be too hard, etc. then these are the cards for you. These are so simple but, I think, classy and nice. You can make them elegant, fun, retro, etc. This stamp set "She's All That" really lends itself to a nice, clean design and I just used patterned paper to help with color and texture. Remember from an earlier post I mentioned that patterned paper can really help you out and it did so again for me with these. Let me know what you think!!

Yes, I'm Here!

2008-02-28T10:12:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted anything because I've been a little busy trying to get my taxes together to send my mom (who works for H&R Block and can do mine for free). I think I've about got that done so I took some time yesterday to play. Because I do have a baby, I have lots of baby food jars and I hated just throwing them away (for some strange reason they don't recycle glass here) so I finally had the thought to save them and make them into little gifts to give my bunco pals at our last bunco (coming up in May). So, yesterday I put one together. This is what I came up with:

What do you think? I like the play on words "little things" because I'm probably going to fill them with "little" candy like mini m&m's or something like that. Plus, it's a little jar. Post a comment and tell me what you think! I doubt I'll make them all the same but this one came together pretty easily. Yes, I'm still loving the scallop circle punch - what's not to love about it?!

I'm inspired to Scrapbook!

2008-02-19T09:43:00.000-08:00

YAY! I haven't scrapbooked in so long and my friend, Amy, was in a mood to scrapbook over the weekend and posted some of her pages on her blog. After looking at them I was inspired! So, last night I actually sat down and created Ellie's title page for her scrapbook. Until Friday I didn't even have an album for her but I saw one at Hobby Lobby and knew it was the one:

Notice the brown and pink theme, right? Plus, I love paisleys - I think I get that from my husband! {smile} I haven't replaced the picture on the front yet so obviously that's not Ellie! It's on my to do list - I have to find just the right picture! So, here is the title page I created. You will notice it's quite simple but that's okay. I used the 8x10 hospital picture (that I don't really care for) and since it's 8x10 there's not a whole lot else you can do... (Did you notice my continuing love of the scallop circle punch? Plus the pink and brown - not sure if all the pages will be pink and brown, though, because I have some other beautiful patterned paper and colors to use!) I'm already working on the next page but have to wait for a couple of pictures to come in before I can completely finish it. I'll post it when I have it done. I'm just excited to be at it again!

A Special Offering!!!

2008-02-12T12:02:00.000-08:00

Since our move, it's been quite hard getting business going and we'll be moving again in a few months so it's even harder to pick things up now. So, I'm offering a special to anyone who views my blog and would like to take advantage of a great deal!!! As most of you know, Sale-a-bration is going on now (see previous post to find out more) and with every $50 you spend, you are eligible to pick a set from our Sale-a-bration mini-catalog absolutely FREE!! Well, from now until Sale-a-bration ends (March 17, 2008) I am offering in addition to that, a FREE ink pad of your color choice (we have 48 exclusive colors PLUS our In Color colors to choose from) PLUS any of the following retired sets I have ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!!!!
The sets are:
Alpha Shadows, Burst into Bloom, Delightful Doodles, Festive Four, Fresh Fillers, Fun Filled, Holiday Blocks, Hung Up on the Holidays, In the Sky, Itty Bitty Borders, Made from Scratch, Mini Messages, Mostly Flowers, Pocket Full of Posies, Quick & Cute, Simple Wishes, Stars & Swirls, Teeny Tinies, The Fine Print, Very Merry and Very Punny.
If you are unsure as to what some of these look like, you can see most of them here. If there's one you don't see a picture of and would like to see one, please let me know! You can email me at lewisfam4af@comcast.net or by leaving a comment. I look forward to hearing from you!!

Baby Thank You Cards

2008-02-11T11:15:00.000-08:00

A while back before Eliana was born, I got on a role of making Baby thank you cards to send for shower gifts and gifts we got in the mail. I got quite a few made but, unfortunately, after they were gone, I haven't ever made any more so I'm WAY behind on sending out thank you's! So, if you sent us a gift, we do appreciate your thoughtfulness and we apologize for not thanking you sooner! Before I mailed any cards, I did take a few pictures and I really like how they look all together so I decided to share a couple of the pictures. As you can tell, I went with a pink and brown theme and everything I used has since been discontinued but I still love them. Using patterned paper can make your cards quick and easy plus spice them up at the same time!

Personalized Cards

2008-02-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through Splitcoaststampers the other day and came across a card I loved (click here to see the card on this person's blog) and knew I had to CASE (copy) it. I changed the colors a little and made four of them since I was on a role. Here's a picture of all four:

Yes, I'm still into Baroque Motifs! {smile} I think these look really classy and you can use them as thank you, thinking of you, or just about anything cards! There are three different cards and two of them are the same, can you find them? I really love the Groovy Guava - it's one of our "In Color" colors this year and it's pretty groovy! I hope you are able to sit and create some cards for yourself!

Ian's Valentine Mailbox

2008-02-09T11:38:00.000-08:00

Ian ended up not having school yesterday. Apparently there have been so many illnesses, the school decided to close on Friday so they could come in and disinfect (sp?) everything. So, that means we had an unexpected day together. It worked out well because it gave us some extra time to do his mailbox for class that was supposed to be due Friday but because of no school it's due Monday! I allowed Ian to pick whatever patterned paper he wanted and he ended up picking this paper that I think was from last year's Sping mini. I tried to be good and let him have "creative control." I did draw the line when he wanted to use red ribbon, though! {smile} Because it's for school, we did his name on the front. I think it turned out pretty cute and he really likes it and that was the point!

Now is a GREAT time to join a GREAT company!

2008-02-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

During Sale-a-Bration not only will you receive a FREE stamp set of your choice from the Spring-Summer collection (up to a $47.95 value) you will also receive 20% off the cost of the starter kit!!!!!!!! You can click here to see the flyer. The starter kit from now until March 17 will be $159!!! This is a great deal. Contact me NOW if you are interested in joining a great company and being a part of my team!

Projects for Spouse Social

2008-02-01T09:16:00.000-08:00

I was asked to do a craft for a spouse social that's happening on Monday and I finally sat down to put it together last night (nothing like the last minute, right? Actually I wouldn't put it past me to have waited until Sunday evening so, technically, I'm a little ahead! {smile}). This is what I came up with. These are supposed to be for our hubby's but what's nice is that it could be for a friend, too. The picture on the top is the projects with the pull-out closed and the one on the right is with the pull-treat open so you can see what it does. For the card I used a set that's been retired for years but I love it and thought it was appropriate for that night since the theme for the evening is CHOCOLATE!! From my previous post you can tell I've been on a Baroque Motifs kick so I thought it only right to use it for the pull-treat. I would say for $2 the ladies that come and do these are getting a pretty good deal, wouldn't you?

Baroque Motif cards

2008-01-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a little behind getting these posted but thought I'd share with you some cards I stamped a week ago. I finally got out Baroque Motif and did some playing with it. You'll have to let me know what you think!

Retired Stamp Sets for Sale!!!

2008-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, everyone. I am going to be moving in a few months and we were almost overweight this move so I promised my husband I would do my best to get rid of some of my retired stamp sets before we move again and, so far, I've failed!! In order to live up to my end of what I said, I am placing my stamp sets on here for you to view and, hopefully, PURCHASE!! I have marked them down significantly and if you find one you're interested in but aren't sure about the price, ask me - I may be willing to negotiate! Some of them are new never been mounted, some are mounted but never used and then some others are a little more used and loved! So, click here to see pictures and prices. Again, if you have any questions about any of them, please contact me! There is a total of 55 items so make sure you look through the whole list. If there are multiple sets you are interested in, I am willing to combine for shipping as well as cut a possible deal. So, this is a great opportunity to get some great sets at GREAT PRICES!!! Happy Shopping!!!!!!!!

Sale-a-Bration is COMING!!!

2008-01-18T09:18:00.000-08:00

February 1st is the first day of Sale-a-bration. What is sale-a-bration? It's a wonderful time in the Stampin' Up! (R) year because it means FREE stamps!!! Check out the Sale-a-Bration catalog - you can ONLY get these things FREE!!

How it works:

As a Customer for every $50 purchase you make between February 1st and March 17th you will receive one item out of the Sale-a-Bration catalog FREE!!
As a Hostess if you host a workshop during that time and it closes at $300 or more you can pick something out of the Sale-a-Bration catalog FREE (on top of all the other wonderful hostess benefits)!!!
If you sign up during that time to be a Stampin' Up! (R) Demonstrator you will not only get all the great things in the kit you will also get ANY set from the Spring/Summer Collection FREE - up to a $47.95 VALUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, don't miss out! Contact me today to set a date to host a workshop or to get a catalog to pick out some fun stuff to earn a free set! You can have a catalog party if you live away from me but still want to be a part of Sale-a-Bration! If you have any questions, please contact me!!!

What a great company!

2008-01-18T08:59:00.000-08:00

One of the things I have always appreciated about Stampin' Up! (R) is their desire to help others and truly touch other peoples lives. Well, they've gone and done it again by reaching out to some guard guys in Utah. Click here to see the whole article. I'm so glad I'm part of a wonderful, caring company!

Our Christmas Card

2008-01-16T09:40:00.000-08:00

This may not be the greatest picture of my card, but it's the best I could do for now. This was our family Christmas card this year. I was going for simple. I'm pleased with the way it turned out just feel bad that I didn't get all of them made that I wanted to! I still technically have more I want to make to send - I may change the tree to something else and put a different greeting! Ah, well!

Christmas Goodies for Hubby's CoWorkers

2008-01-16T08:35:00.000-08:00

I have a great and easy recipe for Peanut Brittle and Brian wanted me to make some for his co-workers but I didn't want to have to make a HUGE amount of it to fill tins so I opted to make cello bags and fill them. I'm pleased with the way they turned out. I totally CASE'd the topper from a card sample my friend and downline, Amy, gave me - boy was I ever grateful because I sure didn't have time to sit and come up with something totally original. So THANK YOU, Amy!

Now I've Gone and Done it!

2008-01-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Well, now that I've created a blog to share all of my stampin' stuff I'm hoping it's going to motivate me to actually get in my stampin' room and STAMP!! I have created this site for a couple of reasons:

I love to read other stampin' blogs for ideas so I thought it only fair to share my own - or at least my takes on other projects I've seen.
I'm hoping to actually be able to update customers on classes and ideas once I finally get things rolling again.
To motivate others into stamping - if I can do it, so can YOU!!!

So, I hope you enjoy and leave comments! I love to hear new ideas!!