Remind you of something??

It's basically the wreath from the cover of the Holiday Mini-Catalog!! So...in an earlier post I had mentioned that fabric was SO not my friend...seriously I am not joking!! So I really can't believe that I made this!! I had tons of help from my friend and downline Anne (thanks Anne!!). She made one using the Candy Cane Christmas fabric (121715). This one uses our Deck the Halls fabric (121716) it just matched my home decor so much more...and it is now hung in my newly painted bathroom in our basement~ LOVE IT!! It will be there to stay forever and ever!! Here is a close up of the flower embellishments:

Instructions on how to make this wreath and a bunch more cute projects come with the fabric so make sure you hang on to your instruction sheet. Now...I can normally follow instructions but I have to admit that in making the yo-yo flowers I had some difficulty...but it was probably just that I wanted it to be PERFECT and I am new at sewing...so I ended up going to YouTube and searched several 'how-to' videos and wound up ordering a a product called the Yo-Yo Maker made by Clover~ Sew easy !! I know I will be ordering some more sizes and shapes in the future because Stampin' Up! will have more fabric coming in the next catalogs....Shhhhh!!! Isn't that excited??? Just wait until you see the next Occasions Mini Catalog...its going to 'freak your freak out'!

Speaking of fabric...here is a cute little card I made using a scrap piece I had laying around...and I didn't even need to sew it!! All I did was placed a strip of sticky strip and stuck the fabric on scrunching it up as I went along. Now the card I took a picture of at an angle to show how it was scored: start with a standard card 4 1/4" x 11". Fold in half as you normally would, then score a 1/4" up from that center fold and down a 1/4" from the center. Mountain/Valley fold to create a gap in your card to hold a little treat:

The greeting inside is one of our personalized stamps: I love these because if there is a saying you love or a special nickname for a loved one...you can have Stampin' Up! design what you want!! The candy I just attached with two glue dots.

Remaining card details:

Card Stock: Sahara Sand, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso

Stamp Set: Tags Till Christmas (120847 W) (121169 C)

Access: Decorative Label punch (120907)Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder (120175), Deck the Halls Big Designer Buttons (121002), linen thread (104199), stampin' write markers.

Happy Stampin'~Erin

Spectacular Savings!!

It's SPECTACULAR!!

Just announced today~ Stampin' Up! has a great promotion that will run for 9 days!! Click here to view an online PDF that contains all savings some up to 50% off!! Have you been thinking about ordering the new My Digital Studio?? Order today...at half off!! Plus our fabric (yup...that too is 1/2 off!!) There is so much more to mention...don't wait~so check it out!!

Plus when you shop online and spend a minimum of $150 your shipping is FREE!! So get your friends together and order today!! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Happy Stampin'~ Erin

Ouch!!

For those of you who know already I am heading to Tuscon, AZ on Black Friday. My mother had surgery yesterday...here is the procedure she had done: an anterior cervical laminectomy with fusion. OUCH!! (I am not even sure I can pronounce it!!) She will be feeling much better by then (we all hope) but will still be needing some help with getting around (she can't even drive for 5-6 weeks!!). I will always remember my first visit out there..I am an east coast girl and perhaps always will be but WOW!! What a totally different environment and I honestly LOVED it!! My memory card on the camera was full of photos and some of the things I loved to photograph?? The quails!! I loved them...and when Stampin' Up! came out with this stamp set I knew I had to add it to my collection! Inside :

Card details: CS- Whisper White, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie

Stamp Set- Happy Together (114314), Three Little Words (113254)

Accessories- Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder (117335), linen thread (104199), Brights Designer Buttons (119747), Big Shot (113439), Bigz XL die Tasteful Trim (120893)...LOVE IT~

Ink-Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry

So, just a quick post tonight and a cute & simple card for mom...just to let her know she's in our thoughts!! Happy Stampin' ~Erin

Great Deal on Starter Kit!

If you have been thinking about signing up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator...then the time to do so is now!! Click here to see a fabulous promotion that has NEVER been offered before!! Please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns about signing up. I would love for you to become part of something wonderful!! Happy Stampin'~Erin

Give Thanks..

Honestly the only thing I like about this time of year are the Holidays!! If you know me...you know I hate the cold, being cold, losing my tan (okay...that was a joke!) I never have a tan!!

But I love the Holidays!! Things seem to slow down a bit and you are able to spend time with family and friends. How amny of you only send those cards out...to long lost relatives but once a year?? Shame on you!! Just kidding...I'm guilty too!! This time of year is for giving thanks and counting your blessings and truly appreciating what you have.

Sure the decorations are fun...the fall colors are BEAUTIFUL and the food?? YUMMY!!! So whats not to love?? I can handle a few cooler/COLD days and spend them in the basement stamping!! This upcoming Friday I am hosting a Stamp Camp...hopefully in the basement~ it's currently under construction...we decided to re-paint the walls. It's a bit stinky down here so as long as it's completed and not overwhelming with toxic fumes we'll be down here, otherwise we will stamp upstairs in the kitchen or dining room..not to worry folks...I have it under control~wink wink!

Here is the first card we will be making: Lot's of goodies were used on this card. Stamp sets- Growing Green, En Francais and Elegant Thank-you (the inside). CS- very vanilla, sahara sand, garden green and Woodland Walk DSP. Ink- garden green craft spot, sahara sand. Access- vanilla taffeta ribbon, clear embossing powder, antique brads.

The second card: Loved this one~ thanks to www.splitcoaststampers.com I was totally inspired to make this beauty~ I LOVE this stamp set and if you look closely at the background it was made using just the inked clear block!! I know....genious right?? I just can't take the credit for it...it's a total CASE!!

Now I was hoping to show how to make a cute wooden 'tree' coaster as seen in this month's issue of Country Living Magazine and have ordered my BEAUTIFUL birch logs...it's just they are coming from Canada and not sure how long they will take to arrive. So if they are not here by Friday...that will be available at another Stamp Camp. I think it will make a great gift!! But not to worry, in it's place you will make another cute little 3-D treat!!

So if you are in the area, come on by!! Contact me if you have any questions!! Happy Stampin'~Erin

I did it!!

So yesterday I attended my downline's Holiday Open House...she did a great job and had different stations set up for cards, walnut pumpkins, fabric...and more!! Anne...you are the best and did a FABULOUS job!

So..as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator we get a nifty little magazine called Stampin' Success and it's filled with tons of ideas and techniques (new ones EVERY month!!). For the month of November I knew immediately that I wanted to re-create a shirt that they had made using the Big Shot and the Flower Folds die (115970) (my absolute favorite!!) The key is to have a material that is 95% cotton/ 5% spandex so when it's cut the fabric starts to curl. You sew on your flowers and ta-da!!

She also loved the embellished shirt and made one like the day after seeing it in Stampin' Success..then when she showed me?? I BEGGED her to show me how...paper is my friend (not so much fabric...but I'm learning!!) I have two other ones I am working on and will post those when finished. Here is a close up of the frillies!!

Cute huh?? Now one thing I CAN do with our new fabric (since it doesn't require any sewing) is make cute little rings~ I made a ring for her as a 'thank-you' and also one for her newest recruit Jean!! I hope to get a video together on how easy these are...great for the holidays. The cute little box was made using the Big Shot and the Matchbox die (114890). Jazzed it up a bit with the coordinating Deck the Halls DSP (120810), Victoria crochet trim (118481), Vintage Trinkets (118764) and added a 'hand-made' tag with the Tiny Tags stamp set (118592 C) (118091 W) and jewelry tag punch (117190).

Sometime next week I should have the tutorial complete. In the meantime let me know if you have any questions!! Thanks and Happy Stampin'~Erin

Knock~Knock!!

Here is the another Christmas card (this was the third card from my Holiday Extravaganza Stamp-a-Stack). I was planning on posting this MUCH sooner...but had major computer failure!! When you call the professionals and they can't help and need to refund your $$..that's when you know that it't time for another computer!

Here is a close-up of the opened door, stamped with 'Holiday Greetings' from the Sincere Salutations (115068) stamp set. The ink and card stock are in Cherry Cobbler..which is so yummy!! This is a beautiful red~ perfect for the holidays!! The little ribbon was made with Real Red Taffeta, I tried using the re-inkers on the white taffeta ribbon but this was a close enough match and since we were making 4 of these cards..inky fingers and Whisper White card stock?? No bueno!! Hard to tell from the photo but I used the new embossing folder in the Holiday Mini catalog called Northern Flurry (120902). In my opinion, this folder is a MUST have~ order yours today!!

So now that things are running smoothly and no more computer issues you can be sure to expect some more cards and crafts to be shared in the near future!! This one was a favorite of mine...plan on making TONS for this Holiday Season. This was cased by Nance Lempinen-Leedy. Click here to see her blog and how the wreath was made, looks intimidating but it's SO easy and if I can do it, you can too!! Now...what was cute were the ladies here that night who loved the card but didn't realize that it was a door!! I know silly huh?? The wreath and door knob didn't give it away?? Beth..if you are reading this...sorry!! (wink wink).

Now speaking of door knobs...recently our neighbors and dearest friends celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary. I found this cute little wine bottle stopper that was made from a wrought iron door knob!! I swear there are TONS of such creative people out there! So along with their gift I made this card: Another super yummy red color?? Poppy Parade...how do they do it?? (Stampin' Up! packs SO much umph of color into their card stock and accessories...) I think my husband would kill me if I mentioned that I wanted to paint another room a Stampin' Up! color!! So this card was pretty much cased by Erica Cerwin...check out her blog if you ever need some inspiration..she just oozes talent and creativity! She mentioned on her blog that this card was originally inspired by Mary Fish (Stampin' Pretty). So how could I not love it?? I tweeked it just a bit and like the way it turned out...such a unique way to use the Curly Label Extra-Large punch (119851). Well...thanks for stoppin' in and I hope you leave inspired~see you next time!! -Erin