Happy New Year!

The new year signifies a fresh start for many of us.  I've had to take some time away from my blogging and stamping to bring balance into my life.  People have often asked me how I am able to do all the things that I do......wife, mother, chiropractor, and stamper.  And the answer is that I've always had a lot of help.  My husband is very supportive and is wonderful about helping around the house and with the children.  He is truly my partner in life.  I've been blessed with excellent staff at my office, a fabulous housekeeper, and a childcare provider that is amazing. 

However, the demands of my real job have increased dramatically within the last year and I've realized that my priorities would have to change.  I hit the wall in October and it took me almost 6 weeks to recover from bronchitis.  I often tell my patients that if you don't listen to the signals your body sends, then your body will eventually fail you.

I seriously considered giving up my stamping business.  Don't worry!  I only considered it for a short time before my husband talked some sense into me.  I will simply have to budget my stamping time more this year.  This should be a good thing for my blog readers, too.  I am sure that many of you have busy lives and I am going to focus on providing you with quick, easy projects throughout the year.

 
And today's project is FAST!!!!  I wanted to create a calendar for my office.  My patients always ask about my kids and I thought this would be a great way to showcase some family pictures.  I purchased the 2011 Notable Desktop Calendar Digital Kit which features templates for all 12 months plus a cover page for a 5-1/2" x 6-1/2" destktop calendar.  The cover page is at the top of this post.  I simply inserted a family photo from our recent Disney World trip and the page was done!

The pages for January are below and they were just as easy.  All the formatting is there and you can always change the elements if you prefer a different look.  I just kept all the templates as is, added my photos, and was completely finished in 30 minutes.  It only cost $19.95 to have the calendar printed and I can't wait to see the finished product.  I'll share it with you when it arrives.

 

 
 

I will be hosting a series of classes on My Digital Studio in January & February.  You can find complete details about this and other upcoming events on my Stampin' Up! website.

Stamp Club Projects

At stamp club last month, members made these three projects.

The first project was the anti-bacterial soap holder inspired by Erica Cerwin.  She has great instructions on her blog on how to make the box.  I used the Owl and Bitty Bat punches to create the vampire bat.  The fangs were cut free-hand and I used a red marker on the tips.

The 12" x 12" scrapbook page also features the Owl punch....I used it to create the spooky ghosts.  The pumpkins were created with the Ovals die and the big shot with Pumpkin Pie card stock.  I sponged the edges to make them stand out a little better.

The final project was this adorable test tube holder.  The test tubes have been collecting dust in my closet for a couple of years.  I know I'll probably get questions regarding where to purchase them....I got them in a bulk buy from another demonstrator, but if I find a new source, I'll let you know.

Lisa Somerville has several patterns for test tube holders on her blog.  I used the Wicked Cool stamp set, the Spider Web embossing folder, Raven lace trim, and Nite Owl Designer Series paper to really make this project pop!

Be sure to check out the Clearance Rack on my Stampin' Up! website.  There are many items for sale at drastically reduced prices.  It's a  great time to get your hands on some fun stamping supplies.

Happy Stampin'

6 Pages in 60 Minutes

 

• 
  
  Are you new to scrapbooking and need some creative ideas to get started?
  
  


• 
  
  Are you an intermediate-advanced scrapbooker and looking to learn new techniques?
  
  


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  Are you a demonstrator that needs scrapbooking samples to expand your business?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you are going to LOVE my newest class, 6 Pages in 60 Minutes.  I have designed 3, 2-page 12" x 12" layouts that are simple, fun, and perfect for your summer & vacation pictures.  Most of the layouts have room for 4-5 pictures with embellishments that add to the layout and will not distract from the subject matter.

So sorry!  This class is now sold out!

My Stamp Club members were my "test subjects" for this new class.  They finished the pages in about 1 hour, 10 minutes.  A few of the club members got creative with their kits and modified the layouts.  This one was created by Amy Harris.

And here are a few pics of everyone working on their layouts.  I think they all stood up so that they could work faster.  LOL!  I do that at home, too!

 

If you would like to receive notification of upcoming local classes like this one, be sure to sign up for my mailing list in the right column of the blog.

 

 

Extreme Motorcycle Layout

  Since it is National Scrapbooking month, I thought I would share another 12" x 12" layout with you.  This page uses the Extreme Elements stamp set which is on special this month (check it out below).  I also used the Motorcycle single stamp and the Vanilla Smooch from the Summer Mini catalog. 

This is a picture of Joe, the massage therapist at my office.  He got his new bike last year, so I made this page for him.  I gave it to him in a nice shadowbox frame and he loved it!

Close-up of the Vanilla Shimmer Smooch Spritz

Motorcycle Stamp from the Summer Mini Catalog with Extreme Elements stamp set 

  Jumbo Pewter Eyelet border and stamped Basic Gray textured card stock

National Scrapbooking
Month Promotion

Take your
scrapbooking to a whole new level with Stampin’ Up!

During
National Scrapbooking Month, get a FREE package
of Designer brads with the purchase of My Digital Studio (item
118108) or any of the following stamp sets:

Page	Description	Wood- Mount Item	Wood- Mount Price	Clear- Mount Item	Clear- Mount Price
81	Extreme Elements	115181	$26.95	---	---
119	Framed with Love**	114389	$27.95	---	---
128	Certified**	113706	$27.95	---	---
129	Circle Circus	115778	$28.95	---	---
12*	Elements of Style	118611	$27.95	120045	$19.95
13*	Momentos	119910	$27.95	120105	$19.95
13*	Éléments de style	119900	$27.95	120099	$19.95
14*	Rough Type	118659	$26.95	120072	$18.95
22*	Sentimental Journey	118513	$23.95	120075	$17.95
25*	First Day	118521	$23.95	120051	$17.95
25*	Camino a la Escuela	120152	$23.95	120154	$17.95

*From the Summer Mini Catalog

**A Last Chance stamp set!

Choose from the following Designer
brads with qualifying purchase:

Page	Description	Item
179	Flower Designer brads	112579
179	Filigree Designer brads	112577
179	Circle Designer brads	112571
179	Star Designer brads	112572

View the flyer for more information and some great
scrapbooking ideas. Then contact me to place your order or schedule your
scrapbooking workshop!

SUDSOL Blog Tour Stop #19

Today, I am featuring samples using the Tropical Party stamp set, Island Oasis Designer Series Paper, and the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  These are actually my workshop projects for the month of June.  In a workshop setting, I will demonstrate at least one project and provide my guests with 1-2 hands-on project(s).  Lately, I've been focusing on just a few items from the mini catalogs for all of the projects.  This shows my customers that they don't need to own everything in the catalog to create beautiful items and also shows them how versatile our stamps, ink, and paper can be.

This card is a great make & take project.  It showcases the stamping with markers technique and only takes a few minutes to put together.  You could use this card for just about any summer occasion---birthdays, a party invitation, thank you, etc.

The Tropical Party stamp set really reminds me of all the fabulous trips that I have taken to Tropical Destinations with my husband.  I think this stamp set is perfect for scrapbooking, too!

 

A great perk of being a Stampin' Up demonstrator is that you have the ability to earn wonderful incentive trips.  The first trip I earned was a cruise to the Mexican Riviera.  While we were in Puerto Vallarta, my husband and I found a tree named Ficus Benjamina.  Of course, I made him get his picture taken with it!

This scrapbook page is simple to demonstrate.  Stampin' Up offers many tools to create circles and this page utilizes punches and the circle cutter.  The circles form a scallop border around the photo mat, as well as a fabulous accent at the bottom of the page.  I also used the Flower Layers Originals die, but you could easily substitute the Island Floral die or any of our other Big Shot flower dies.

I have prepared a pdf file with measurements & basic instructions for both of these projects.  Feel free to use these projects in your upcoming workshops.

Download Tropical Projects 

If it weren't for SUDSOL, I probably would not have been a demonstrator for the past 8 years.  I count myself very lucky to have found this group several months after I signed up as a demonstrator.  My upline lives in another state and SUDSOL has really filled this void by providing me with creative ideas, class outlines, motivation, and an enormous amount of information that has helped me grow my business over the years.

If you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, you can receive a FREE 2-week trial membership to SUDSOL and check out everything it has to offer.  Just click the button below to get started.

 

While you are there, be sure to check out my SUDSOL gallery.  It even has samples dating back to 2004.  Yikes!!!

Happy Stampin'

 

Scrapbooking with Sweet Pea--Traditional & Digital Layouts

As promised, today I am sharing the scrapbook pages that coordinate with the cards from this post.

The layout may look familiar.....I used it on my St. Patrick's Day scrapbook layout last month.  You can use the same paper measurements to create this page.

The colors are the same as the card--Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, and Taken with Teal.  Below is a close-up of the journaling block.  I used one of the Hugs Sending Love notes, a few die-cut butterflies made with the Beautiful Wings embosslit, and another rub-on from the Chat Room Rub-Ons.

This next layout was created using My Digital Studio.  Did you know that you can add on a Sweet Pea download and it includes:

ALL of the Sweet Pea Designer Series papers

AND

ALL of the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt elements

AND

the Sweet Pea stamped images--the stamp set is not even available in the U.S. yet!

The page tells the story of my daughter and her wubby.  We used cloth diapers as burp cloths when she was a baby, and she has to have one with her at all times---even at 3-1/2 years old, we don't leave the house without a wubby.

One day after I had finished the laundry (folding & putting away at least a dozen or so wubbies), I found her in her room as you can see in the top right picture.  She was gathering wubbies to use as blankets for her baby dolls.  I think she was worried when I caught her that I might be mad (notice the uh-oh look in the bottom right pic).....but I just helped her gather them up so she could take them to the living room.  It's hard to tell, but there is a big smile behind the wubbies in the main picture.

If you would like to order My Digital Studio or any of the additional downloads, you can SHOP NOW on my Stampin' Up! website. 

Happy Stampin'

 

 

Lucky You!

My monthly scrapbook club was held today and I wanted to surprise my club members with something a little different.  We usually do a 2-page 12" x 12" seasonal layout, so I thought St. Patrick's day would be a perfect theme.  However, I don't own any stamps with shamrocks, clovers, or leprechauns.  Time to get creative......

The base of the pages are Kraft & Old Olive card stock.  I added Garden Green and various patterns of paper from the Sweet Pea Designer Series paper pack.  But here is the show-stopper....

Isn't he adorable?  And aren't you LUCKY?

I have the directions for you to download!!!!!

Punch Art Leprechaun Instructions

There are still 2 days remaining for my Bunny Blog Candy giveaway and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment somewhere on my blog.  Let me know what you think of the little Leprechaun and you'll be entered!!

 

Paper Rosettes Video

As promised, here is the video on how to make the paper rosettes:

Below, is a picture of the scrapbook page that was featured in the video and that we made at scrapbook club in January.  It has three rosettes using different pattern papers from the Sending Love designer series paper pack. 

And here is the coordinating page:

I would love to see what you create using the Paper Rosette tutorial.  Leave a link to your project in the comments section to share your creation.  I'll select my favorite at the end of January and the winner will receive a package of the Real Red Sending Love epoxy brads. 

Happy Stampin'

  

Going Digital

WARNING:  My Digital Studio may cause you to ignore your family, responsibilities, and personal hygiene. 

Perhaps that warning is a little harsh, but I would seriously like to stay in my pajamas for a weekend and do nothing but play around with this program.  I have YEARS & YEARS of digital photos stored on my computers that have never seen the light of day.  My digital studio is helping me bring them out for everyone to see. 

Stampin' UP! has already released a few additional downloads for purchase on the website, including a Pumpkin Patch stamp brush set.  I loved this stamp set from the Holiday Mini catalog, but I had already spent too much and one more set was not in the budget.  However, I was able to load it onto MDS for just $5.95.  They also have the Cast-a-Spell DSP, which from my previous postings this week, you can probably tell that I like this paper.  Now I can use both anytime!

And did you know that you can purchase the downloads to use with your existing software, such as photoshop?  Check out my websitefor all the downloads available.

So, here is what I created with my new downloads....

 
  
These pages took me less than one hour to complete, and get this.......my stamp area isn't a mess!!!  Now, I think that is a great bonus.

The top page I made from scratch and the bottom page was based on a template.  I just had to change the colors and DSP, then add the pumpkin stamp and journaling.  So simple!

I have one more Halloween project to share with you this week and it's a goodie.  Check back tomorrow for your final treat!

September Scrapbook Club Layout

Here is a great scrapbook layout for the Fall season.  We made this at out monthly scrapbook club meeting.  This layout was designed by my very talented downline, Tiffany Cline.

 

 

Supplies

• Stamp Set:  Falling Leaves


• Ink:  More Mustard, Elegant Eggplant, Soft Suede


• Paper:  Whisper White, More Mustard, Ruby Red, Elegant Eggplant, Soft Suede, Autumn Traditions DSP


• Accessories:  Basic Small Grommets, Silver Brads, Circle Designer Brads, Orchard Ribbon Originals, Twill Tape, Big Shot, Billboard Die, Leaves #2 Die

Here are a few close-ups of the fun details:

 

Happy Stampin'

Cupcake Craziness

I promised to share this month's scrapbook club project with you after the class today.  This project is a little more involved than the layouts we typically do, but I think my ladies enjoyed doing something different.

Below is a picture of the album cover:

 

The base of the album was made from 3 brown paper lunch sacks.  If you have kids, you probably have some....somewhere.  I purchased the "giant size" bags from Target.  You get about 50 for less than $2.

The bags were folded in half, then layered with the open end going in different directions.  Using the crop-a-dile, we punched 3 holes along the spine of our album and tied light pink grosgrain through the holes.

The large cupcake was paper-pieced using Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink and Melon Mambo paper.  The image was stamped onto each cardstock and then the individual layers--cherry, icing, and liner--were put together.  The liner was crimped with the paper crimper to make it look a littler more realistic.  Crystal effects was used on the cherry and to adhere the pink beads or "sprinkles" onto the top of the cupcake.

Here is a peak at the inside pages:

 

 

 

 

And a peak at the pull-out pages:

 

I hope you've enjoyed this project.  The complete list of supplies is below if you would like to make one yourself.  And if you need to order any of the supplies, be sure to visit my Stampin' UP! website.  You can place an order anytime and have it shipped direct to you.

SUPPLIES

Stamp Sets:  Simple Birthday Thanks, Crazy for Cupcakes, Cupcakes Wheel, A Little Birthday Cheer, The More the Merrier (hostess set)

Ink Pads:  Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo

Markers:  Chocolate Chip, Melon Mambo, Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron

Card Stock:  Whisper White, Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo, Chocolate Chip

Paper:  Melon Mambo Patterns Designer Series Paper

Accessories:  Crystal Effects, Pink Bead Duo, 5/16" Neutral Brads, Crop-a-Dile, Scallop Edge Punch, 1" circle punch, 1-1/4" circle punch, Light Pink Grosgrain ribbon, dimensionals