ESTABLISHED ELEGANCE

This is your lucky day!!!  Because I goofed off and went swimming in the pond all day yesterday, I am way behind on my schedule with tons of things to get done yet before my family gets here, so this is going to be short.  In the process of cleaning up my studio this morning, I realized I had a scrap left over from my post the last time, so made another card before I took care of the materials.  (At least that was my excuse.)  So forgive the pattern because it is very close to my larger, long card before.  Just used different stamps.  Here is what I came up with:

The base of this card is Crumb Cake Card Stock, with the stamped panel also on Crumb Cake layered on Close to Navy, with a strip of punched Riding Hood Red Card Stock.  The other panel is from the Well Worn Designer Series Paper (that was my left over from card before -- LOL -- my excuse to make a card this morning instead of working).  I used the new Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate, inked with Very Vanilla Craft Ink.  The panel is stamped with the  Notable Ornate and new Established Elegance Stamp Sets.  Watercolor Wonder Crayons and Distressing (Blue) Ink were used to color.

So there you have it, hope you like.  I see there are around 10 people down in the pond, and here I am stuck in the house cleaning and baking.  Oh well, I will play all next week.

Until next time,
Sandi
"Make me to know thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths."  -- Psalm 25:4
"Heavenly Father, when a new path seems too steep for me, help me pause and listen for Your voice telling me whether to go ahead."  -- Mary Brown

TIMELESS TREASURES

Good Evening Everybody!!
I took the day off today from Spring cleaning (there is a method to my madness, just don't ask) to get my fingers inky.  I was surprised when my granddaughter called early this morning to ask if she could come over to scrapbook and swim.  Well, being as I already knew I was taking the day off, I told her to get herself over here so we could get started.  She scrapbooked when she was younger, but is really starting from scratch almost because she is using the "best" product now.  So yes, she had to be shown how to use SU's big cutter, Color Coach, and a few of their other tools.  Before I was introduced to Stampin' Up, I already owned tons of product from that "other" company that doesn't sell stamps.  However, I can't even get her to use it (and she used to love it) because none of the colors coordinate, they didn't have ribbon or any accessories, and after stamping cards with me for a couple of years she absolutely refuses to use "those stickers" from that company (I don't blame her, I wouldn't either -- no comparison with a piece of real rubber).  I just look at all those thousands of dollars I spent on product from the other company (which at the time I thought was the best) and shake my head.  The only thing I will use it for now is when the little ones come over and they want to "play" with crafts.  Long story short, she ended up doing a beautiful 2-page spread with awesome Stampin' Up product, learned a lot, and was very happy.

So back to my original plan to create a card to update my sorry blog (don't worry, I will get back on a schedule again sometime).  I didn't actually get to "really" work on it until after dinner because all I got done when my granddaughter was here was make decisions on my color scheme, designer paper, and stamp set.  The layout of this card was inspired from a card my BFF sent me for my birthday.  I actually saw it when I was at her house in Arizona last November, loved it, and asked her to send it to me for my birthday (only good friends can do that you know).  So this is what I came up with, and I hope you love it as much as I do:

All Stampin' Up Product Used:  Timeless Treasures and Notable Ornate Stamp Sets; Textured Basic Black, Crumb Cake, and Night of Navy Card Stock; Mocha Morning Speciality, First Edition Speciality, and Well Worn Designer Series Papers; Vintage Ink Distressing Essentials; Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Neutrals Button Collection; and Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim Ribbon.

This was a fun card to make and I am so in love with the Mocha Morning Speciality Designer Paper.  The flocking makes it look so rich, and of course, I love all vintage-looking designer paper!!!

Until next time,
Sandi
"And lead us not into temptation, but deliever us from evil. . . ." -- Matthew 6:13
"Lord, You bore the agony of the Cross for us.  Have mercy on all who are in pain." -- Mark Collins

REMEMBER WHEN: SUNNY FUN

Wow, I cannot believe it has been 2 weeks since I last posted.  Talk about setting a record!!!  The last two weeks have flown by -- busy, busy, busy.  I did manage to get in a Scrapbook event the last week of June, put in some orders, and finally get a chance to stamp for myself a couple of times this week (very short times). 

This last week has been a "week in a dust bowl."  Usually every Spring we have something major done to our house to either update or just repair.  Well early in March we contracted with a company in Wisconsin to come and restore our log house.  Specifically to remove all the layers of paint to restore it back to its original log finish.  No problem right?  They come in, do their job, and it is done.  Ha, ha the joke was on us; or me, specifically.  My husband failed to mention to me that they would be "corn blasting" -- notice I did not say "water blasting" -- to remove the paint.  And you know me -- the ditsy blond that I'm not -- I just figured that was a term they used in Wisconsin for water blasting.  The 1st day I pulled my drapes so they couldn't spy in and didn't notice much, only that it was really noisy and seemed like it was foggy in the house (of course my husband said it was in my head).  The 2nd day I decided to go downstairs to my studio to get away from the noise so I closed the patio doors to our 4-season porch because they were blasting the back of the house.  Well I came up when my husband got home and opened the patio doors to go out on the porch and about had a heart attack.  The entire room, going the length of our house was covered in a thick layer of corn dust!!  I mean EVERYTHING!!!  What is in the room:  bookshelves loaded with books, DVDs, family videos, my sewing machine that was open, another antique sewing machine, TV, satellite dish, DVD player, speakers, tons of toys for little kids, 2 couches, table and chairs, popcorn maker, 5 quilts (it gets cold out there and the kids like to snuggle when watching TV), and lots of do-dads.  I wanted to just close the door and hope the whole porch would fall in.  That is when I found out 2 major things:  "corn blasting" means fine-ground corn is used with the water blaster; and more important, "four-season room" means it is not well-insulated!!!  Four hours later we had most of the top layer done but I will still have to take everything out again when they are done (hopefully in another week).  The other rooms just need a good sweeping and waxing; along with washing all the bedding, curtains, etc.  Now you know why I have not been around -- shouldn't even be here tonight, but a girl has to take a break.  Plus the workers left to go home to their families until Monday, then they will be back.  They really needed a break because they were here every morning at 7:30 or before and worked 12 hours every day with only a couple of 15 minute breaks. 

MORAL OF THE STORY:  "Corn Blasting" means exactly like it sounds!!

See what happens when I don't blog for 2 weeks -- you get a novel!!  But I do have a couple of samples to show you.  I completed my first set of cards to send out for my "Remember When" series.  I talked about this in my June 12 blog.  I used a card kit from Stampin' Up when they were offering their "grab bags."  Some of the product is discontinued but I added current product to finish the card and album pages.  The last pictures are my album pages I made with my card as an embellishment when scrapbooking (Card Versatility).


The cards feature the Summer Fun and Word Play Stamp Sets.

 

Same card kid just different design.

 


Card Versatility:  My album pages (12 x 12) using one of the cards for an embellishment and the new Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper.  I also used some discontinued Vintage Letters Rub-Ons.  (Click on the picture to enlarge).



Close-up of left page.

 

Close up of right page.

I have one spot left to receive my Remember When cards, so leave me a comment and tell me why you would like to receive them, and I will pick a winner.  (You might want to make sure your go back and read the first post so you have an idea of what I hope individuals will do with the cards.) 

Until Next Time,
Sandi

"The birds of the air nest by the waters; they sing among the branches." -- Psalm 104:12
"Thank you, God for teachers who open our eyes to the beauty at our feet and the glory in the skies."  --  Fred Bauer

FLOWERS & CACTI

Have you had enough rain yet????  It's hard for me to decide because with all the rain, the tree foliage is so vibrant and full that I am nothing but mesmerized when I'm sitting here looking out my window.  My laptop PC sits in front of a window looking out to the back yard and all the oak trees, the pond, and woods behind.  This is one of my favorite spots to sit when I am in the house.  My studio and PC is in the lower level of the house and we are on a hill so the view is gorgeous.  I wish I could paint a picture or Stampin' Up would create an irregular oak tree stamp (you know, one of those big gnarly ones with all the imperfections).  Boy oh boy, can you imagine all the different scenes you could create? 

And that leads me into one of my pictures I'm showing today.  This comes as no surprise to everybody that knows me, but I am known for killing all plants and flowers (i.e., I do NOT have a green thumb).  That is why I love looking at trees obviously, but also why I buy so many flower stamps for my cards.  I may not be able to grow them, but don't get me wrong, I love to look at them.  All that being said, I can't believe that I have found a plant that I can't kill:  CACTUS!!!  One of my customer friends brought me a few pieces over, and I just dropped them in between rocks (no dirt added or anything) and they just stay alive.  Don't ask me what they are called, because there is no reason for me to know the names of flowers/plants when I can't grow them - LOL.  I am so proud of the fact the cacti are still alive that I had to share.

This same customer friend who gave me the cacti, gave me some pansies she had crocheted.   For me, anything that is not Stampin' Up product (when crafting), can be duplicated.  I told her that SU sold beautiful crochet flowers and they could be colored to match our card stock, and promised I would do this technique to show her the effect.  So one of the cards uses her hand-made pansy and the other is Stampin' Ups'.  This is just to show you how awesome they are and how Stampin' Up makes it easy to shop for all your crafting needs in one place (one-stop shopping).


This is the flower my friend crocheted that I used with Stampin' Up product (see below).  The colors came out beautiful with my Classic Ink Refills.

  

This is the same card with different colors using the following product:  Happy Greetings and Flower Fancy Stamp Sets; Daffodil Delight, Concord Grape, Melon Mambo, and Whisper White Card Stock; Concord Grape, Daffodil Delight, and Perfect Plum Classic Stamp Re-inkers; Aqua Pen; Always Artichoke, Concord Grape, and Old Olive Classic Ink; Daffodil Delight 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon; Fleurettes II, and Big Shot Top Note Die.

 

And here are my cacti  just starting to bloom.  Today there are many more that have opened up, but as usual, too much rain so I couldn't get a picture.  If anybody knows the name of this plant/cactus, please leave me a comment and let me know what it is.

 

This is a close-up of one flower.  Isn't it beautiful.   I can't even believe that it is growing in my rocks and isn't even in the ground.  Plus, they are still alive after more than 2 years.  So there is hope for me!!!


Have a wonderful weekend (even tho I believe it is suppose to rain both days)!

Sandi
"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." -- Ephesians 4:32
"Lord, let the power of forgiveness be at work in my life today and always."  -- Eric Fellman

MORE FATHER'S DAY

Hello all!!  Thought I would just jump in with a quick update tonight to show you one of a couple of cards I made tonight for Father's Day tomorrow.  I decided I did not want my son-in-law's to feel neglected because I make my daughters Mother's Day cards, so after dinner I thought I better get busy.  I could not use any of the new nautical stamp sets or embellishments because my daughters already made a lot of cards using those product for Father's Day.  Of course, I did get to use it for my husband's card (previously shown).  So I decided I better not trust my memory as to what I have given them before (good thing huh?) and did a design I have never tried and a stamp I have never used. 

Yes, the products used (stamps and designer paper) will be retired at the end of the month (another reason you should buy it before it is gone).  I have wanted to do an origami (sure am glad spell check caught my spelling error on this word, I almost had an x-rated post) shirt for years, just never got around to it, so it was really fun doing these cards.  And I'm ashamed to admit how easy it was.  Yes, even with the kids coming over to swim and me taking a break with them, it probably took me 15 minutes total to do a few of these cards (most of that was deciding what designer paper I was going to use -- decisions, decisions!!).  I will definitely be doing this in a class, I know the ladies would love it -- anything fast and easy is loved.

So here it is:

Yes Tami, I thought of you the whole time I was doing this card (black and white/vanilla only).  Kinda crazy with all the patterns but I like it and this is the way men dress anyway as they don't have a clue when it comes to not putting stripes with patterns together.  Actually I think anything goes in today's world.  Products used:  All Holidays and Smarty Pants Stamp Sets; Love Letter Designer Series Paper; Very Vanilla Card Stock; Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder; and Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch.

I am going to sooooo miss my Smarty Pants stamp set.  I have used it for so many different occasions and totally love the sayings.  Of course this is one that I will keep forever, so you better get yours before it is gone forever at the end of the month (mine will never go on sale no matter what someone wants to pay for it).

Enjoy your time tomorrow celebrating Father's Day, until next time,
Sandi

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. . . ." -- Romans 12:6

CARDS, CARDS, CARDS

Do you ever wonder (especially if you are a demonstrator) what to do with all those cards you have accumulated (from swaps, card class samples, presentations, etc.)?  Of course we all send out tons of cards through the year for special occasions, etc.; but, I still have tons left over.  I've been saying for years that I should sell some, but I just don't do it.  I always think it is not worth the work involved, nobody will buy, I don't feel it's right, and the list goes on and on.  So a couple of days ago I came up with this brainstorm of an idea when I was working on my heritage album.

Everybody knows that the most important thing we can give to our children is love.  (No, that wasn't part of my brainstorm.)  Besides monetary things like food and housing, second on my list would be teaching them about how to live and providing them with memories.  These two things include many things you do on a daily basis.  But why not include our knowledge and memories with something we love to do:  STAMPING!!  So here is what I am going to do for at least the rest of the year -- not only for my family but my friends.

I will be sending out "Remember When" cards on no specific date or time -- just at least once a month to many people.  My "Remember When" cards will include a printed note telling them about a memory we shared or one that I or my ancestors had when growing up.  In my first card to that person, I will tell them that they will be getting these cards throughout the year, and that I hope they will create a scrapbook using their cards and "Remember When" stories on their album pages.  If I have a picture, I will include that with the card.  How awesome that would be to create a heritage album based on actual stories from the past.  This will be especially important for my children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews because they are always asking me questions about their family heritage, or what it was like when I grew up (I know, that is not the "norm" for kids, but I guess my personality has rubbed off on them more than I thought).  Actually, my mother passed it on to me and my siblings so they would love to do this too.  It also helps because most of my family has scrapbook albums.  I would love to get a handmade card in the mail with a "Remember When" story -- wouldn't you????  I will keep you posted on how this works out, but wanted to share my idea to all those that love to pass on memories.  After all, memories teach us so much about life and values on how to live, plus they can pass them on to their family.

Okay, this is about the most serious post that you will ever read of mine again so don't start thinking it will continue.  What will continue is pictures of my projects.  So with that in mind, here are some pictures of my thank you gifts this month for my customers.  These were so fun and fast to make.  I got the pattern measurements from Holly Krautkremer if you would like to check it out.


I used the Two Tags Bigz and Fun Flowers Bigz L Dies for the boxes, that were embossed with the Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.



The gift tags for inside the box were made with the same Big Shot Dies.



And you thought I was going to posts lots of cards, didn't you!!!  Sorry about that, but I will next time.

Until then,
Sandi

"He has made everything beautiful in its time. . . ." -- Ecclesiastes 3:11
"Every day is a gift, Lord, each moment a treasure, give us eyes to see beauty, hearts to hug pleasure." -- Fred Bauer

FATHER'S DAY AND MORE

Okay, I know you are all wondering what is more important in my life than updating my blog?  I hate to let you down, but there really has been a lot going on that was more important.  This is always the busiest time of the year for me with birthdays, dinners, and cleaning inside and out.  And before you ask; yes, stamping is more fun than all of those things but a girl has to get the "obligatory" jobs done so she can make others happy.  For those of you with husbands, you know how important it is to keep them happy so they don't feel neglected when you stamp every day in your life (sometimes for me it is the whole day long!!).  So there is a method to my madness, as I think anybody who does those mundane/obligatory jobs has to have a very big reason!

Trust me, I have been stamping a lot this last week but couldn't quite fit in the time to update my blog.  I'm going to get back on schedule by posting at least twice a week.  If I start to fall off, please leave me a comment and tell me to "make time."

Today I am going to post the last two cards from my stamping event last month.  I made both of these cards at Ronda Wade's last Baggie Book event featuring product from the Summer Mini Catalog.  I loved them so much that I added them to my card event.  Everybody totally loved them, especially the bleaching technique used on the "Sail Away" card.  The first card below is my swap card from last night's RubberQueen meeting.  I can't wait to show you Ronda's make'n take cards we made at the meeting -- but you are going to have to wait because we used all new product featured in the "2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog."  I don't like showing product before it is released because it takes away the joy and surprise (plus, I feel like it is old before it even comes out).  So make sure you stop back, as I have some really good posts coming up.


Watercolor Crayons swap card product used:  Happiness Shared Stamp Set; Wild Wasabi, Melon Mambo, Pretty In Pink, Garden Green, and Watercolor Cardstock; Watercolor Wonder Crayons (cardstock colors and Rose Red, Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Basic Gray, Crumb Cake, and River Rock); Pearls; and Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch.

 

Father's Day Card products used:  The Open Sea and Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Sets; Not Quite Navy, Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake Card Stock and Classic Inks; Very Vanilla Card Stock; Baker's Twine, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Folder; and Sponge.



Sail Away Birthday Card products used:  Sail Away, Sanded, and Teeny Tiny Wishes Stamp Sets; Basic Black and Marina Mist Card Stock; Whisper White Craft and Versamark Ink; Black Embossing Powder; Neutrals Brads; Hemp Twine; Distressing Essentials Kit (Precision File).

Well I guess it is time for me to get some "wifely" duties done, as I am expecting company and probably should at least get dressed now that it is after 1 p.m. and I am still in my PJs (aaah, I live such a hard life).

Until next time (when I hope to have a very interesting post for you).
Sandi

"He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge. . . ." -- Isaiah 33:6

"When we are puzzled Lord, and wonder why, assure us we'll know in the sweet by and by." -- Fred Bauer