Stampin' & Scrappin' with Donna

FEB 8: A VALENTINE A DAY, AND A CONTEST

Only six more days until one of the biggest card-giving events of the year is here ... Valentine's Day! Have you decided what your hand-crafted Valentines will look like yet? If you need some help, I've got two card classes and a Girls Night out scheduled this week and there's still room to join in! Check out all the details on my Event Calendar, then call or email me to reserve your spot - and remember, if you are in my Stampers Club you can attend one class a month for only $5.00, which leaves you $20 to spend on more Stampin' Up! supplies for your stash! <grin>

On to today's Valentine (if you're just tuning in, I've been posting one Valentine a day since Feb 1st; just scroll down to see all earlier ones) ...

Today's card was created by Tami White, who swapped with me at Stampin' up!'s Leadership Conference last month in Phoenix (boy, I sure could use some of that warm sunny weather today!)

SUPPLIES:

Papers - Blush Blossom, Basic Black & Shimmery White card stock

Inks - Basic Black & Blush Blossom

Accessories - Finial Press embossing folder, Big Shot machine & Stampin' Dimensionals

Stamps - "I [heart] Hearts" & ??? (I've been through the catalogue & I can't find this greeting - who can tell me which stamp set it comes from? I'll send you a card if you're the first to answer in the comments section of this post!)

cheers,

FEB 7: A VALENTINE A DAY

Although it's Sunday and I'm not really working - I pre-scheduled this post to appear today so that we can continue our fourteen day series of hand-crafted Valentines. I didn't want to disappoint you all! <grin>

I'm really lovin' Stampin' Up!'s new "Sending Love Notes" in the Occasions Mini catalogue - I have to admit I skipped over them on my first viewing, but once I saw all the kewl things you can do with them, I was hooked! And they come 20 to a package (Hugs for $6.95; Kisses for $5.95) - that REALLY appeals to my frugal side!

I made this little Valentine with the "Hugs" sized note, which fits perfectly into the Rectangle Glassine Envelopes sold on the same page of the mini. See the kewl scalloped edges on the card? They come that way! All I did to accent the scallops was drag each of the four sides across my Chocolate Chip Classic ink pad.

After I wheeled "Very Vintage" across the card with Cameo Coral Classic ink I stamped the Friends image in Chocolate Chip Craft ink and heat embossed it with Iridescent Ice embossing powder, just to add a little bling.

The friends stamp, the bottom border stamp (in Ruby Red ink) and the phrase (in Chocolate Chip and yes, I stamped it both crooked & off-centre, grin) are all from the new Vintage Vogue stamp set. To finish off in true vintage style, I used my Chocolate Chip marker and Stampin' Up!'s Colour Spritz Tool to create that speckled look.

Don't forget to come back tomorrow and every day until the 14th for more Valentine projects!

cheers

CATALOGUE LINKS HAVE BEEN UPDATED

My bad ... what with flying off to Leadership right after New Year's and being down there when the new Occasions Mini catalogue, the new Definitely Decorative catalogue insert, AND the 2010 Sale-a-Bration brochure all hit the stands, I completely forgot to update my catalogue links so that you could view all three online right here on my blog!

A thousand apologies from your most humbled Stampin' Up! demonstrator; will you ever forgive me?

Here's the (newly updated) link to my CURRENT CATALOGUES page

(or, you can always find them by clicking on the red button in the upper right, labelled "SHOP HERE")

Why not grab a cuppa something warm right now, curl up in front of your computer and peruse these three treasures at your leisure ... then when you've finished making out your wish list, give me a shout and I'll help you get everything you want!

cheers,

FEB 6: A VALENTINE A DAY

I'm having a lot of fun with this 14-day series of Valentine posts ... the hardest part is deciding which cards to share!

This one appeals to the whole chocolate side of Valentines Day, don't you think? It was created by fellow Leadership attendee Lisa Ziebarth. Easy to re-create and with just the right amount of detail to step it up a notch ... glad I swapped with her!

SUPPLIES:

Papers - Rose Red, Regal Rose, Whisper White & Old Olive card stock

Stamps - Teeny Tiny Wishes & the "I Love Love" Jumbo Wheel

Inks - Chocolate Chip Classic ink

Accessories - Old  Olive 5/8' grosgrain ribbon, gold brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Modern Label punch, Word Window punch, and the new-style Small Heart punch (the last one is from the Occasions Mini catalogue)

Last night I got to stamp with five great kids and their moms - it was a Valentine-making frenzy as they stamped 3x3 cards for their classmates, made 'Love Bot" treat boxes for their Special Valentine friends and family, and decorated tin mailboxes to hold all their Valentine treasures. All they have left to do is fill the treat boxes and deliver - definitely a great event that I will repeat next year!

cheers,

FEB 5: A VALENTINE A DAY

Thanks for coming by .. I'm posting a Valentine a day from now til the big day on Feb 14th - of course, the lovin' shouldn't ever stop ... we can send cards that say I Love You all 365 days of the year!

I fell in love with today's card the moment I saw it on Tracey Parrot's blog, StampForJoy ... so much so, that I sat down to make it on the spot!

(It helps to have a stash of stuff handy, just for these OMG-I-WANT-TO-MAKE-THAT-NOW! moments)

Sorry about the poor picture quality - my little camera is having a tantrum, so I ran upstairs to take this on hubby's office floor, using his super-camera (think I need a few more lessons). Click on the photo for a closer look, plus you can always see the original on Tracey's blog - the only thing I changed was the ribbon - I wanted to use Stampin' Up!'s awesome new Satin ribbon - yummy!

SUPPLIES:

Papers - Pretty in Pink & Whisper White card stock; Night & Day Designer Series paper

Inks - Basic Black & Pretty in Pink Classic ink

Stamps - Holiday Best (available to Workshop Hostesses only)

Accessories - corduroy button, "Heart-to-heart" punch, Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon (from the Occasions Mini catalogue), Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Big Shot machine, sponge, Circle Scissors Plus.

I'll be back tomorrow with another Valentine for you ... have a great weekend!

cheers

FEB 4: A VALENTINE A DAY

Here's the fourth Valentine card in a series of fourteen ... one a day until Valentine's Day ... enjoy!

I love square cards. Maybe because I started out as a scrapbooker, used to a 12 x 12 square canvas on which to create. Or maybe I love 'em just because we don't see as many square cards as the more traditional 5-1/2" x 4-1/4" A2 sized card.

Whatever the reason, my team-mate and friend Samantha Forrest has made the most of this smaller 4x4 surface - isn't it adorable?

SUPPLIES:

Papers - Basic Black & Whisper White card stock; "Sending Love" Designer Series paper (from the new Occasions Mini Catalogue)

Stamps - "Well Scripted" (also from the Occasions Mini - I LOVE these fonts paired together!)

Inks - Real Red Classic ink

Accessories -White satin ribbon, Scalloped Circle punch, Small Heart punch (in Stampin' Up!'s new easy-to-use style of punches)

cheers,

FEB 3: A VALENTINE A DAY

It's day three of my plan to deliver a Valentine each day until Feb 14th ... enjoy!

Today's card is another that I swapped for at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference in January; it's also one of my favourites.

Made by fellow demonstrator Laura Hoffman, it has the right amount of detail, balance & bling to look great without overdoing it, don't you think?

SUPPLIES:

Papers - Pretty in Pink, Real Red & Whisper White card stock

Inks - Basic Black, Real Red & Pretty in Pink Classic inks

Stamps - Holiday Best (only available to workshop hostesses)

Accessories - "Perfect Polka Dots" embossing folder, "Heart of Hearts" embosslit die, Big Shot machine, Real Red satin ribbon, "Full Heart" punch

My favourite new discovery is how a Full Heart punchie fits exactly over a Heart of Hearts die cut, with only the scallop edges peeking out from behind. In case you're wondering, Laura punched a red heart, then ran the punchie through the Heart of Hearts embosslit to create the tiny dotted heart pattern, then she mounted it on a Whisper White Heart of Heart embosslit ... too kewl!

Have you given any thought to making Valentines for the special someones in your life? You know, a hand-crafted card shows just how much you care! If you want any help, give me a call!

cheers

FEB 2nd: A VALENTINE A DAY

Just for you ... a Valentine a day for fourteen days ... together we'll count down the days til February 14th ... WHY? Because "Love is in the Air!"

Feb 2nd's card was created by fellow demonstrator Yapha Mason. Yapha & I swapped cards at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference last month.

SUPPLIES:

Papers - Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip & Whisper White card stock

Inks - Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Almost Amethyst &barely Banana Classic Inks

Stamps - I {heart} Hearts (from the new Occasions Mini Catalogue)

Accessories - Pretty in Pink 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder, Big Shot machine & Pinking Hearts Border punch

Technique: masking, dry embossing

cheers

FEB 1st: A VALENTINE A DAY

Just for you ... a Valentine a day for the next fourteen days ... together we'll count down the days til February 14th ... WHY? Because "Love is in the Air!"

 

FEB 1st's card was made by a fellow demonstrator and I received it in a swap ... unfortunately she or he didn't put their name on the back, so I can't give proper credit to the creator  :(

SUPPLIES:

Papers - Real Red, Basic Black & Whisper White cards stock; Sending Love Designer Series Papers

Stamps - "I {heart} Hearts" & "Well Scripted" (both from the new Occasions Mini catalogue)

Accessories - Pinking Hearts Border Punch, Build-a-Brads, Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Have you hand-stamped your Valentine cards yet? If you need any ideas or supplies, I can help!

cheers

ONE MORE CARD ... AND THEN THE WINNER

Ever notice how some creative folk work best when they're up against a deadline? Come to think of it, I'm that way myself ... and so is the creator of this last entry in my birthday card contest.

This pretty card was hand-delivered tonight; well within the time allotment to qualify for a contest entry, lol. Thanks, Amanda!

(You can see the rest of the entries in my last post)

Please excuse the poor lighting of this photo - I wasn't in my studio when I took this shot.

And now, to announce the winner .....

I received 13 birthday cards in total, but three were from one person, so although she has a heart of gold, she only gets one entry in the contest (gotta be fair!) ... which brings us down to ten entries.

I numbered all of the cards from one to ten (as they appeared here on my blog post) then I used www.random.org to choose one number at random (hence the name random.org, duh) .... so our winner of Stampin' Up! product is:

List Randomizer

There were 10 items in your list. Here they are in random order:

1. 4
2. 9
3. 7
4. 3
5. 2
6. 1
7. 5
8. 6
9. 8
10. 10

Timestamp: 2010-02-01 05:19:28 UTC

CARD NUMBER FOUR!!!

Hand-stamped by Leigh-Ann M!

Congratulations Leigh-Ann; I'll be in touch to give you your prize!

*****

Thank you to everyone who took the time to make me a birthday card - turning fifty was actually enjoyable, because of all your kind thoughts and beautiful stamping!

cheers,

IT'S IN THE MAIL

Well, my Birthday Card contest ends today, and I must say, all of you who mailed or gave me a card are very talented stampers indeed! It was a lot of fun to sift through the mail each day to find your treasures, and I thank you for your thoughtfulness.

In return, all of your cards have been assigned a number and tonight I will choose the winning number through www.random.org - that way everyone has an equal chance, 'cause I could never pick just one card on my own - they're ALL wonderful!

I'll announce the winner tonight ... but for now, here's a photo of each of the cards I received...

(As always, you can click on any photo to see it up close)...

 

  

Thank you again for participating in my contest and for all the wonderful birthday wishes you wrote!

As promised, you will ALL receive a card in return (provided you gave me your snail mail addy) ... the card is in the mail!

cheers,

MY 50th BIRTHDAY = YOU SAVE 50%

Yep, even though I'll be getting the cake & ice cream,

YOU get a present!

Just place a Stampin' Up! order with me on Friday, January 29th, 2010 of three items or more, and receive 50% off the lowest priced item!!!!

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

And don't forget about Sale-a-Bration ... if your order comes to $65 or more, you'll also get to choose a FREE stamp set, punch or Designer Series paper pack from the Sale-a-Bration brochure!

Now everybody sing:

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EVERYONE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!"

THE FINE PRINT: payment must accompany your order; cash, cheques and credit cards are all acceptable forms of payment; orders placed through my online shopping service will pay full price and receive a gift certificate equal to 50% off the lowest priced item; Club members may not use this special for their February club orders; orders must be placed by midnight January 29, 2010 to qualify for this special; lowest price refers to the catalogue price, before shipping & taxes are calculated; Sale-a-Bration orders must total $65 or more in catalogue price, before shipping & taxes a re calculated; if you are still reading this you are a very patient and detail-oriented kind of person and deserve a pat on the back; go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back and then place your 50% OFF order!

cheers,

WHEN INSPIRATION HITS ...

You know the drill ... I'm cruising along the internet, surfing through my fav blogs, just seeing what everyone's up to ...

When BLAM! I stumble upon it ... not any old card, but THE card. The one that stops me in my tracks, hits me where I live, stirs my creativeness, and draws me to my stampin' studio like a moth to the lantern.

Forget the laundry, the pot on the stove, and the hubby calling me from another room ... I am oblivious to it all. I MUST STAMP!

Yesterday was just such a day, and Jan Tink was my muse. I needed to come up with two swap cards - one for Valentines' Day and one that could be anything BUT Valentines' Day - and I needed to come up with them FAST (as in they have to be in the mail today or they won't arrive in British Columbia in time.) Well, thanks to Jan, and a little playing with colour, punches, and stamps - NO PROBLEM!

30 cards (and a quick trip to the Post Office) later and presto, my creative craving is appeased for another day.

Here's a closer look at the two I made, based on Jan's Serene Snowflakes original:

 

cheers,

BETTER THAN CHRISTMAS MORNING

I LOVE this time of year ... it's SALE-A-BRATION time, and the goodies are starting to arrive!! 

You should have seen my poor UPS man struggling at my front door today, trying to balance three very heavy boxes while he rang the bell. Of course I rushed to help him, purely out of concern for his well-being ... really!

Once unpacked, my dining room table looked something like the Stampin' Up! warehouse in Utah - what a rush! No wonder the boxes come with a warning ... 

Just look at all this stuff - free punches, free stamp sets, free designer series paper ... you gotta love the free stuff, and during Sale-a-Bration, it's all about FREE!

Can you spot YOUR order amongst all these goodies?

Yes? Then come on over and pick it up; it's all sorted & ready to go to new homes.

No? Then give me a shout & get in on my next order - with a $65 purchase, you too can have your choice of free Sale-a-Bration products.

But don't wait too long - Sale-a-Bration won't last forever, you know.

cheers,

A MONTH OF BIRTHDAYS

January is filled with birthdays in our immediate (and extended) family - the cards, presents, balloons & cakes just keep on coming...how's a girl supposed to keep to her healthy eating plan (read: diet) with so much temptation all around?

My life partner & best friend, known to all on my blog as "HUBBY" had his birthday last Thursday & I actually made him a card this year! I'm pretty proud of it ... there's a bit of an inside joke to this card; see if you can figure out the significance to the wording and the colours of the hats...

SUPPLIES:

• Card Stock: Ballet Blue, Real Red and Whisper White
• Stamp sets: All Holidays, Rough Edges Alphabet (retired), the cute penguin set from the last Holiday Mini (retired), and a maple leaf stamp from my stash (non-stampin' Up!)
• Techniques: masking, water colouring, layering
• inks & Markers: Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Basic Black, Real Red, More Mustard, Handsome Hunter

Have you guessed the riddle? Post your answer under comments ... the first person to post with the correct answer will get a hand-stamped card in the mail!

cheers,

KEEP THE BIRTHDAY CARDS COMING!

OK, it's sooooo true: it feels TERRIFIC to collect the mail and discover a birthday card mixed in with all the bills and flyers .... it makes my heart do a little flip ... someone remembered me!

It's especially nice when that someone took the time to MAKE the card themselves - no disrespect to printed card companies out there, but really - when it's hand-made, that's a REAL Hallmark moment!

So now that you know what joy it gives me to receive a card, it shouldn't be a surprise to you all that I am blatantly ASKING for cards this month; in fact one could say I'm bribing you to send me a card, since everyone who does is going in a draw at the end of January for some kewl Stampin' Up! stuff!

Hey, I won't make a habit of this kind of behaviour - but a gal only turns 50 once in her lifetime, and I want to be surrounded by things that I love - and by extension, surrounded by the people that I love to be around - crafters like you!

Soooo, please take a few minutes to put together a birthday card and pop it in the mail (scroll up and you'll see that my address is temporarily posted at the top of this blog). Just remember to use only Stampin' Up! images please! (papers, embellishments, ribbon do not have to be Stampin' Up! - use what you have).

In return, I will:

a) post your card here on my blog,

b) send YOU a hand-stamped card in return if you include your address, and

c) enter your name in the draw.

Contest closes Jan 31 ... and for those of you who've asked, my ACTUAL birthday is Jan 29; yep, I'm an Aquarius. (That explains a LOT about me, he-he-he)

I have received some cards already ... tune in tomorrow to see photos of them here!

cheers,

MY FLOWERS ARE MELTING!

At my team stamping day on Saturday I demonstrated a kewl technique to make fabric flower accessories, using the Big Shot, some synthetic fabric, and a heat tool.

I saw this project demoed at Leadership by the textile goddess, Jill Olsen (Google her, or go to StampingJill.com for more fabric ideas - but not until you read this post first!! Come back here!!)

First, I cut my flowers using the "Flower Folds" Bigz XL die (this die has four identical flowers on it, in different sizes.) Because this particular die has both cutting and scoring lines on it, I learned from Jill to put only 3 layers of fabric through at a time. If I had used a die with NO scoring lines (eg the scalloped circle die) then the Big Shot will cut up to eight layers of fabric at one time - talk about a time saver!

Next step is to stack the flowers one on top of the other, with the largest at the bottom & working up to the smallest on top. I then hand-stitched a simple X in the centre to tack it all together.

I stuck the flower onto a wooden clipboard using my temporary Dotto adhesive and applied heat to all the petal edges with my heat tool. (Another way to do this is to temporarily clip the flower to the end of a wooden tongue depressor or Popsicle stick, so that you can hold the opposite end of the stick while you apply the heat ... no scorched fingers!)

You need to watch carefully at this point for A) evenly curling edges and B) smoke coming from the fabric and/or wood ... go ahead, ask me how I know that one, lol. Better yet, ask my hubby who got out of bed early one morning to query if the house was burning down. Ah, the hazards of living with a crafty wife!

The photos shown here are ones I took at Jill's demonstration - I won't show you my own sample, 'cause they didn't turn out nearly as beautifully as Jill's. Let's just say that it's important to use the right fabrics for this ... cotton/poly blends won't work because they don't melt, they BURN!

Now the two fabrics I used at Saturday's demo were both definitely synthetic, but one was kinda gauze-like and definitely see-through, while the other was more solidly woven and thicker in weight. As a result, all the thinner layers melted into lumps long before the thicker fabric began to curl at all.

I'm going to try it again with all my layers made from the same fabric ... but this time I won't stand directly under the smoke detector!

Hey, if you want a personal demonstration of the Big Shot die cutting machine, I'm your gal! OR if you would like to purchase your own Big Shot and/or some new dies, call me! If you prefer the budget plan, I have one opening left in my Big shot Club which starts on Tues Feb 23rd!

cheers,

STAMP-4-FUN WITH THE ARTFUL*iNKERS

When this post hits the web, I will be smack in the middle of my favourite way to spend a Saturday ...  stampin' with my fabulous team of demonstrators, the ARTFUL*iNKERS and invited guests.

Sure, we get together every month to chat about business stuff, but once each quarter I host a just-for-fun day of stamping, displays and demonstrations - it really helps us all remember what we love about crafting and why we joined Stampin' Up! in the first place!

Today we're exploring using textiles on the Big Shot die cutting machine and turning our scraps of card stock into cute punch art creations. I'll show you our projects soon, but for today I thought I'd share some of the treats I've made for everyone attending...

This has to be the EASIEST Valentine treat ever! I made 30 or so and swapped them at Leadership earlier this month ... then I sat down and made another couple of dozen for the gals at today's event. (Actually, I can't lie - my good pal Julie came over and helped cut the pieces out on the Big Shot and punched the pink hearts with the Full Heart punch ... but I supervised!)

Inside I've tucked a wrapped Peppermint Patty and the instructions to make more - I got five of these candy covers from one sheet of 8-1/2 x 11" card stock, so it's very frugal, too.  <wink>  Here's a close up:

SUPPLILES:

• Two Tags die & Big Shot die cutting machine
• Scalloped Heart of Hearts Embosslit die
• Full Heart punch
• 1/4" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon
• Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper
• Real Red & Chocolate Chip card stock

Then, for my three pals who agreed to demonstrate today, I burned each of them a CD of my Leadership photos & made a quick label for the cardboard cover using MY DIGITAL STUDIO - I've been using that software for everything BUT scrapbooking so far, lol!

SUPPLIES:

• Scallop Square die & Big Shot die cutting machine
• MDS images: star punch (x3, 2 are resized smaller and coloured in Kraft, the third is original size in Not Quite Navy), and stitched edge in chocolate chip on all four sides.
• cardboard CD sleeve, sponge & Not Quite Navy Classic ink.

A big thank you to Heather Arsenault of London, Ruth Millard of Waterloo and Mary Louise Hamill of Milton for helping me out today - you ladies ROCK!

cheers,

Donna

STAMPIN' UP! HELPS HAITI

Stampin′ Up! demonstrators have a long history of making a difference in the lives of others--especially when disaster strikes and the need is greatest. So it was not surprising that so many demonstrators have contacted us in the past week asking what the plan is for helping to provide relief for those who continue to suffer from the effects of the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12.

Here is the plan:

From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set sold will be donated American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Product Name	Item #	Price
I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount  (block D recommended)	118571	$24.95
I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount	117010	$35.95

This is a simple and straightforward plan; the more stamp sets Stampin' Up! sells, the greater the difference we all make. Often it is the simplest plans that work best!

To order your I {Heart} Hearts stamp set, contact me by phone or email, or use my handy online shopping cart (SHOP NOW). Together we can help relieve some of the suffering in Haiti.

CELEBRITY PHOTO

If you know me irl, you know that I'm not the one who bugs celebs for photos or autographs; I'd rather have a few cherished moments of real conversation. Actually, I don't really buy into the whole celebrity scene - we're all just people, sharing space on the same planet.

When I was asked by a fellow demonstrator to take a pic of her & Shelli Gardner at Stampin' Up!'s Managers' Reception earlier this month, I complied and then stood nearby while they chatted. I really do admire Shelli for what she's accomplished and how she consistently makes all of us demonstrators feel as if we're part of her family, but this was a dinner party and I thought she deserved some down time, kwim?

Well, you should have heard the internal argument I was having with myself ... Ask her, Donna! ... No, I hate that sort of thing ... When will you get another chance? ... Well, maybe .... You're gonna kick yourself later if you don't! ... Yeah, I will regret it ....

So here's the resulting photo (thanks, Laurie for taking it and sending it to me - YOU ROCK!)

When I asked Shelli if she & her daughter Sarah would pose with me, she was so genuine and said "Don't be silly. Of course we will! Why would you even hesitate to ask?"

Seriously, I LOVE working with Stampin' Up!

cheers,

Donna

CARDS FOR ANY OCCASION ~ AND A REAL WINNER!

Got an occasion coming up?

Then you definitely want to check out Stampin' Up!'s new OCCASIONS MINI CATALOGUE ... 44 pages of new stamps, papers, dies, embellishments, stencils, chipboard, and a lot more that I'm probably forgetting right now 'cause I don't have the book in front of me.

(It's actually on my night table - I drift off to sleep each night dreaming of all the wonderful things I'm going to make; don'tcha know)

If you missed the FREE SHIPPING offer at my Open House/Occasions Mini Kick Off yesterday, no worries - you can still get a great deal with Stampin' Up!'s biggest promotion of the year: SALE-A-BRATION is here! Order $65 of product and you can pick a free item from the SALE-A-BRATION brochure, or from selected stamp sets in the 2009 - 2010 IDEA BOOK & CATALOGUE.

More news from my Open House: the winner of this cute Designer Shopping Bag AND the brand new stamp set "With All My Heart" ( from the Occasions Mini, page 12) is

.........

 DANA H. - WAHOO! Congratulations Dana, and thank you to EVERYONE who came out yesterday!

.........

Finally, don't forget to mail me a hand-stamped birthday card this month ... you could be the lucky winner drawn on Jan 31st!

cheers,

Donna

TIME TO STEP-IT-UP

As promised, here are the three cards we made last night at my "STEP-IT-UP" card class: a Shadow Box card, a Ribbon Pull card, and a card using the Faux Tile Technique (aka Grid Technique). As always, you can click on the photo for a closer look.

I'm really excited about all the possibilities this class has to offer for those who want a little more than the basic card making. I'm a real technique junkie who loves to share ... and I also have a whole collection of cards that pop, slide, push and pull that we'll be making over the coming months.

Because these types of projects take a little more time, we only made one of each during the class. However with that one as a sample, it's easy to make more at home, adapting them to whatever occasion you need.

And wait til you see what we're gonna make NEXT month!

cheers.

Donna

KALEIDOSCOPE CARDS

This month my Quick & Easy card class features Stampin' Up!'s Kaleidoscope Designer Series papers - a bit on the wild side (or funk-a-delic as we used to say back in the day) but an appropriate choice for this Age of Aquarius birthday gal ... and while we're making comparisons, it reminds me a lot of the scenery in the movie Avatar, too ... far out! (Really? Did I just type that?)

Here are the cards we made - I tried to show the versatility of the different papers in this series; something that you can't tell just by looking at them in the catalogue - you gotta FEEL it, man! (OK, this verbal trip down memory lane has got to stop).

This class is for those who want everything pre-designed and pre-cut for them. The cards are quick & easy to make (duh) and everyone goes home with eight cards (2 of each design). Each month I feature a different Designer Series paper pack.

For people who want something a little more challenging, I have a new "Step-It-Up" card class - where we can get into making more intricate cards, special folds, and different stamping techniques. I held the first one tonight & it went really well! You'll have to come back tomorrow to see those cards, though. It's been a busy couple of days & I'm heading to bed ... maybe tomorrow I'll get to unpack the rest of my goodies from Leadership!

cheers,

Donna

Just a note .. I'll be home in loads of time for tonight's "QUICK & EASY" card class - we've got room for 3 more stampers, but you gotta email me quick!



Thursday's "STEP IT UP" card class has spaces available too - just drop me an email to reserve your seat, then pay at the door.



And don't forget to come out this Saturday for my "Occasions Mini" launch party - I've spent all week collecting project ideas to display for you on Saturday, so bring your cameras! details for all these events are on my Event Schedule (the link's at the top of this page)

I'M ON MY LAST LEG

I'm ALMOST home from Leadership - this is the last leg of my trip. My wonderful hubby met me at the Detroit airport last night and since it was already 9 pm, we decided to stay overnight and have a leisurely drive home (read: check out Target & Hobby Lobby before we cross the border into Canada, but I'm letting the poor man sleep a little longer before I tell him that last part, lol!)

If you follow my Stampin' & Scrappin' Page on Facebook, you'll have noticed that I uploaded some photos last night - so far, just the "people" pics are up there, but I'll be adding more from the events soon. Much as I'd love to share all my photos here, I averaged about 300 shots per day, so ... ahh .... no.

However, here are some more projects from the live demonstrations on the first day - I managed to see all of the demos, even though I spent MOST of my time watching the quilting demo over & over (I couldn't help myself - all those pretty fabrics being cut on the Big Shot & turned into amazing projects - I still get a shiver of excitement just thinking about it now!)

Patty Bennett demoed some amazing creations from the "Love Bots" Valentine Kit and the "Eggcellent Eggs" Easter Kit, both found in the  Occasions Mini catalogue that just started on Jan 5th (got your copy from me yet?)

Anyway, Patty can really think outside the box, especially since her kids are grown and don't really get into Valentine's day or decorating Easter eggs the way they did when they were young - I can surely relate to that!

You won't believe all the different ways she used the contents of these two kits - truly talented, that gal. FYI: if you sign up for February 6th's  "Mom & Me" Valentines class, you'll be getting some hands-on contact with the Love Bots kit. I'll be basing a class or two on the unique projects I saw using the Eggcellent eggs kit too - likely in March.

Thanks for sharing your ideas with us at Leadership, Patty!

cheers,

Donna

cheers