Stampin' Crazed

MDS Blog Hop

2012-01-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

This has been one unbelievable week for us. I'm still reeling from all that's happened in just the last few days. Today on the hop we were supposed to post something that had to do with the "Outdoors", but I just haven't been able to get in any design time. So, today I'm just going to post another sample from Leadership with the hope that I'll be able to get back on track for next week.

For this sample, I was asked to create a 12x12 page using the Creative Elements, Distressed Dots and Bulletin Alphabet & Numbers stamp sets and the Pocketful of Posies DSP. I was a little worried with this one at first, because none of those are really my style. And I'll be honest - I'm not a huge fan of the Pocketful of Posies DSP. However...it was on the list and I had to come up with something so I gave it my best shot. Not too shabby, eh?

Oh, and just FYI, lately it's seemed to me that when I post my projects they look very pixellated. For the life of me, I can't figure out why. Maybe they're not and I'm just imagining things, but either way - I'm sorry if it's a looking a little blurry!

Here are the links to the rest of the blog hop - enjoy!!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (Nice to see you!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Cindy Schuster

8. Erica Shaw

9. Heather Summers

10. Alesha Walls

11. Holly VanDyne

Dinner Invitation - leadership samples

2012-01-26T07:13:00.000-08:00

I was also asked to create a dinner invitation using the Now You're Cooking stamp set and Domestic Goddess papers. I found an idea on Tiny Prints that I liked and then I tried to recreate it using MDS. It came together pretty easily and I'm pleased with the end result. Hope you like it too!

Front and Back

Inside

I had a few problems with Inlinkz - it wasn't uploading my images, so I'll have to come back later and add in the supplies I used. :)

Until tomorrow!

Leadership Samples - Christmas card

2012-01-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

I'd planned to post a few things earlier this week, but I came down with a cold and I just haven't been thinking straight. Lucky me, my sweet husband took the day off so I could rest and then I remembered - I need to post my Leadership samples!

Here is a double-sided Christmas card I made with the Letters to Santa paper and embellishments. It was a lot of fun to put together and really quick!

Letters to Santa DSP	Merry & Type stamp set	Letters to Santa Embellisments	Tree Trimmings stamp set
Old Saint Nick stamp set	My Digital Studio software

InLinkz.com

Come back tomorrow for more of the projects I created for Leadership!

MDS Blog Hop - Sketch Challenge

2012-01-20T05:04:00.000-08:00

Well...I haven't had time to do the sketch challenge from Mandy. So sad. I've been super busy preparing for a craft day at church tomorrow and I just haven't had time to open MDS. I still plan to do the sketch though - it's adorable!

I noticed that Erica posted the samples she created for Leadership and I thought that was a great idea! I was also asked to create a few things for Leadership, so I'll start posting those designs over the next several days. Stay tuned!

This is the first project I created, a cute little tag. I had a lot of fun with this one - I did a front and a backside. I'll come back and post links to the products, but I'm short on time this morning. For now, I'll tell you that I used the Berry Blossoms DSP and the Best of Everything stamp set.

Have fun on the rest of the hop!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

7. Aly Schilling

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

MDS Blog Hop - Something New...again!

2012-01-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week our theme is to pick something new - which is the same as last week's theme. I'm definitely ok with that! There are so many great downloads to choose from. It doesn't matter if it was released last week or 3 months ago - every time I purchase a new download I'm excited! I have a pretty big wish list ;)

I've wanted to redesign my blog using MDS for quite some time, so I figured that this would be a great week to do it! I feel in love with the Tickets and Tags kit when it was released and I finally bought it a few weeks ago. It was just the look I wanted on my blog.

So...that's my project for this week - a blog redesign. I created my header in MDS on a 12x12 page, exported it to a jpg and then opened it in Photoshop. From there I was able to crop and resize the header and then upload it to my blog. Easy peasy. Really - the hardest part was trying to decide on the final design! I also created some tabs for my side bar - the elements in the Tickets and Tags kit made that really simple. Click on the picture below to go to my website - you can purchase the kit from there. Have fun designing!

Now it's time to carry on with the hop and enjoy what the rest of our team members have created for you this week!

1. Jeanna Bohanon

7. Aly Schilling

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

FREE kit from Stampin' Up!

2012-01-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

I wanted to let you know about this before the opportunity passes by - Stampin' Up is giving away the Day In the Life kit digital kit for free until January 10th! You need to click on the link on their Facebook page to download it. You'll have to scroll down a bit, but it's there. Once you click on the link you have to fill out a short survey and then the kit is yours! I just got mine and can't wait to start playing - I plan to use it for my 52 weeks album this year.

Enjoy!

MDS Blog Hop - Something New!

2012-01-06T07:14:00.000-08:00

Welcome 2012! I hadn't planned on taking a hiatus from blogging, but it happened anyway. What is it about the new year that makes it feel like a fresh start? Maybe it's all the hype about New Year's resolutions. I'm not much for the resolutions - I prefer to set small goals throughout the year - but I am feeling the desire to attack this year with more energy and purpose. And I have to say, I like it. I haven't felt like this for awhile, so I welcome the change.
Now, on to the reason you stopped by - the fun MDS projects! We were challenged to use something new and that wasn't too hard - Stampin' Up! has been putting out some adorable downloads the last few weeks. I want them all! But for now, I had to pick just a few. We did just finish Christmas after all.
We're doing a Super Saturday (a giant craft day) for our activity this month at church and I needed some Valentine cards to go along with this adorable envelope we're making. I found some free downloads online and could have used those, but then I saw all the fun Valentine's downloads and decided that I would be making my own. They're too cute not to! Here's my version:
Front:

And back:

Each card is 4 x 2.5, so they're small, but this way I was able to fit 8 on a page. They're perfect for just a quick little note to my kids each day.

Here are the downloads I used:

Hearts Collection Punch	My Cute Valentine	Sweetest Ever Valentine's Designer Template	I {Love} Love stamp
Thoughtful Overlays stamp	Love Impressions DSP	Pretty in Pink Designer Series Paper	Taffeta Ribbon
1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon	Polystitched Ribbon	My Digital Studio software

I hope you enjoy the rest of the projects on the Blog Hop! I know there are a couple of ladies who aren't participating this week, so I've taken their names off. They plan to be back with us soon :)

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Amber Meadows (nice to see you!)

5. Cindy Schuster

6. Erica Shaw

7. Heather Summers

8. Alesha Walls

9. Holly VanDyne

Until next week!

MDS Blog Hop!

2011-12-09T13:12:00.001-08:00

Whew! I bet you never thought you'd hear from me again, huh? So sorry for the incredibly long absence from my blog. Besides being super busy I've caught two colds in the last couple of months and I just haven't been on top of things. :(

No matter though, I'm back now - and even though I'm late posting this - I do have a project for you today! We'll be showing Christmas ideas for the next few weeks which is perfect, because I finished our Christmas card at 2 am this morning! I had to stay up late - I'm just not getting anything done with the kids lately.

I am super excited about our card though. I copied an idea that was featured on MDS.net several weeks ago. The second I saw this trifold card I knew that I had to try it for our family card this year. It took quite a bit of time, but I've realized that it's only because I'm a crazy perfectionist. And...once I got started I had so many ideas that I knew they wouldn't all fit on one card. I had decisions to make and let me tell you...it was hard to leave some of those ideas on the cutting room floor.

So, drumroll please... Here is our Christmas card for this year:

I sent my design to Stampin' Up today for printing and I cannot wait until they get here! Is it too soon to expect them tomorrow? Probably. I'll just have to be patient. :) By the way, I'm super happy about the Bulk Buy Pricing! My address list seemed to grow exponentially over the last year! How does that happen?

I've got to run and get my kids ready - we were invited to a friend's house tonight, but I will come back and update this post with the supplies I used. Make sure to check out the other projects from our fabulous team of MDS designers!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (good to see you!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

MDS Blog Hop - almost finished!

2011-11-18T06:07:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday! This week has flown by and I honestly don't know what happened to it. Ah. Such is the life of a stay-at-home mom. In my heart I know that my children are the most important thing and that's why I've chosen to be home with them - but my head still tries to run the show and fit every tiny thing into my day that is inhumanly possible. So when I can't get the laundry done, sweep and mop the floors, vacuum, dust, make breakfast, lunch and dinner, keep in touch with friends and family, keep my blog(s) updated, help Andrew with his homework, volunteer at school, volunteer at church, workout, spend quality time with each child and my husband all in one day - I whine and complain that I haven't accomplished anything. Sound familiar anyone? I have the sneaking suspicion that it does. We women are so hard on ourselves aren't we?

Well, I've decided that it's about time I stopped fighting against the inevitable and just roll with the punches. I will never accomplish everything on my To Do list in one day, because I can always add to that list. Besides, prioritizing and staying organized have never been my strong suits - I'm distracted far too easily for that, haha!

I guess my point is, that even though I've severely neglected this blog in the last couple of weeks - I'm still here and I'm still trying. Don't give up on me alright? :) I'm working on my project for today and so far, Simon is playing happily on his own. Let's keep our fingers crossed that he can give me another half hour of that!

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy hopping around to the rest of the blogs on our tour!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (you're here)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

MDS Blog Hop

2011-11-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

Yikes again! I have had the craziest week ever and just barely remembered that I didn't post anything for today! A thousand apologies. This week's challenge was to incorporate a calendar into our projects. However, as previously stated, I forgot. Doh! I'm sure the rest of the team remembered though, so here are their blog links - take a look and prepare to be amazed!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (that's me)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

I also need to give a HUGE shout out to the three team members who made it as finalists in the My Digital Studio contest! Jeanna, Rochelle, and Heather - you ladies rock!! Congratulations on such a great accomplishment :) If you haven't already, you can head on over to www.MyDigitalStudio.net and vote for your favorite entries - 6 of the 10 finalists will be the grand prize winners. Just click on the Contests tab at the top.

MDS Blog Hop - Christmas Picture Cards

2011-10-28T07:30:00.000-07:00

Yikes - I'm a little late getting this posted. So sorry! I thought that since I was sick this week that I'd be able to sit and scrapbook to my heart's content. Not so. Every time I picked up a book or turned on my laptop I fell asleep. Maybe next time - because I'm pretty sure there will be a next time ;)

Our challenge this week was to create a picture Christmas card. We haven't had family photos done for awhile, so I had to pull pictures from the last shoot. I'm not sure what I'll actually do for our Christmas card this year, but I'll figure something out. For now, here's what I've come up with:

I used a template to start from and just replaced the elements with my holiday themed papers and embellishments. The only time consuming part was deciding what elements to use! Here's the original template (it's included with the Petite Pennant Punch download):

I had a lot of fun using a new download - the Very Merry Twenty-five Designer Tags. It's oh, so adorable! I have a few other ideas that I've been playing around with, so with any luck I'll be able to post those in the next couple of weeks.

You'll want to create your own Christmas cards with My Digital Studio this year, because Stampin' Up is offering bulk buy pricing. Here's a link to the price list. I can't wait to finish mine and have them printed. This year my Christmas cards will be on time!

I used the font Blackjack and these are the supplies I used in making my card:

Jolly Holiday designer series paper	Very Merry 25 Designer Tags	Petite Pennants Punch	Crochet Trim Ribbon
Taffeta Ribbon Color Pack	My Digital Studio software	Vintage Trinkets

InLinkz.com

Enjoy your time on the rest of the Blog Hop - I hope we've inspired you to make your own cards using My Digital Studio!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (that's me!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

MDS Monday - 2 designer series papers

2011-10-24T05:23:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope you had a fantastic weekend! We had gorgeous weather but we weren't able to really enjoy it - there is a cold running through our house. Now it's my turn to be sick on the couch, but I'm trying to look at the bright side - maybe I'll get lots of stamping and MDS time in :-)

Our challenge this week was to use two different Designer Series Papers. I got a little carried away and used more than that, but it was lots of fun to see what I could put together. I found a layout on Pinterest to scraplift and that was that - easy peasy!

For my fonts I used Pea Bhea Script, Big Caslon and BlairMdITC TT. Here are the digital supplies I used:

First Edition Designer Series Paper	Noteworthy Hostess Set	Play Date designer series paper	Greenhouse Gala designer series paper	Jolly Holiday designer series paper
Flag Punch	Engraved Greetings stamp set	Upsy Daisy stamp set	Striped Grosgrain Ribbon	My Digital Studio software

InLinkz.com

As always, please stop by the Utah Divas International blog to see what the rest of the design team has created for our challenge. Have a great day!

MDS Blog Hop - Out of the Box Designer Series Paper

2011-10-21T05:39:00.000-07:00

It was a super crazy week but I was still able to finish my challenge for today - wahoo! I was really looking forward to this one - using DSP in an "Out of the Box" way. A lot of our papers can be used for multiple projects - for instance, just because something is labeled as Christmas doesn't mean that you only have to use it on Christmas projects.

I chose to use the Nursery DSP - I love the color combination with this kit; it's fun and bright, but soft at the same time :D

I created photo boxes, filled them with my DSP and then added some stitching to resemble a quilt. I also used a couple of different techniques to add shadowed edges to my flower and create petals out of grosgrain ribbon. You can find both videos on MyDigitalStudio.net, search for "Sponging a Punch" by Mandy Grant and "Adding a Pleated Ribbon" by Cindy Schuster under the videos section.

Nursery Designer Series Paper	Heard from the Heart stamp set	Vintage Overlay	Simple Stitches and Corners
Bakers Twine Add-on Pack	1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon all core colors	Basic Pearls and Rhinestones	2011-2013 In Color Pack
Downtown Grunge Photobook Template	My Digital Studio software

InLinkz.com

Make sure to visit the rest of the blogs in our tour - you're sure to be inspired by everyone's creativity!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (You're here!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

MDS Monday - Buttons!

2011-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

This week our challenge is to create a project with lots of buttons. I actually didn't have time to create a project - mostly because I put off sending in my entries for Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio contest to the very last minute. I did the same thing last year...you'd think I'd learn.

Anyway, I didn't want leave you all empty handed so I decided to repost a project I did a few months ago - it just so happens that I used a lot of buttons. =) It's one of the best pages I've ever done I think - and one of my favorites. I explained how I created the page in my orignal post, so if you haven't seen this already you're welcome to take a look.

This page did take awhile to create because I had so many layers and it slowed the program down, but since then SU has released a few updates to My Digital Studio and I think it runs much better. I'd recommend grouping your layers together - that seems to help.

Now you can hop on over to the UDI blog - I hope you enjoy the projects from our talented design team members!

An Offer to Die for!

2011-10-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

I've already posted this offer on my Promotions page, but I found this video from Shelli and thought I should share it. I've already had one customer join my Stampin' Up! team this month and I'm so excited for her to get her free Big Shot! Won't you join my team too? It'll be lots of fun - promise!

I LOVE being a demonstrator for Stampin' Up! - it's one of the best decisions I've ever made. If you have any questions you know you can contact me, right? Phone call or email - either one works for me :)

MDS Blog Hop

2011-10-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

It's 8:49 am and I just remembered that I was supposed to create a Gratitude/Thanksgiving project for the MDS Blog Hop and have it posted by 9 am today. Hello?! Where has my brain been this week? And how could I have forgotten? I love the blog hop!

Well, I'm sorry I'm a slacker this time around, but I'm pretty sure the rest of the team have come up with some amazing projects.

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

7. Aly Schilling

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

MDS Monday - Template Challenge

2011-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited to see the projects created by our design team today! Our challenge this week was to use an existing template to create our own project. I chose to use the Today & Everyday template - it's 24 pages of cuteness :)

Here's the page that I chose to recreate:

I used the Hostess CD Noteworthy for my page. I switched out most of the colors and elements but basically left the layout the way it was. I didn't realize it when I started the page, but the Noteworthy template includes a bunch of stamps that were just what I needed. You'll definitely want to host a workshop and use your Hostess Benefits to get this CD!

If you haven't already, head on over to the Utah Divas International blog and take a look at what the rest of the design team has created. See you next week!

Products I used:

Today & Everyday Designer Template	Noteworthy Hostess CD	Simple Stitches and Corners	Bakers Twine Add-on Pack
Sending Love Epoxy Brads	My Digital Studio software

InLinkz.com

MDS Blog Hop - Halloween Party!

2011-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Are you glad it's Friday yet? I know I am - can't wait for the weekend.

This week I was the lucky person to choose a challenge for the blog hop and I decided on Halloween Party. I left it open to include anything that you might use for a party; decorations, favors - whatever! I'm pretty excited to see what the rest of the team has come up with.

I finished my designs yesterday, but didn't have the time to run to Kinko's and get them printed - so sad :( I was really looking forward to showing you my mantle, all decorated with MDS goodies. But...I will print them before the month is out, so I'll just have to do another post with the finished product. For now I'll just show you the files I created. (It's going to be a long post!)

First, I started with some Halloween Subway Art. Have you noticed how popular Subway Art is? It's all over the place! There are some great free downloads from lots of fun sites, but I've wanted to make my own in MDS. When I saw the stamp set Midnight Musings I knew it would be perfect for this project - here's what I came up with:

Next, I needed a banner for my mantle. I thought about making it a hybrid project and adding some ribbon or something to the pennants, but then I looked around my house - noticed all the junk lying around and the layer of dust on my blinds - and realized I'd be lucky just to get the banner printed and hung by this weekend. So, I did the whole thing digitally. I really like how it turned out. It will say Fright Night once it's all put together.

I had one extra pennant, so I decided it would be perfect to go in the middle of the words Fright Night, so that's what I'm doing with the pennant that has the tree. I just have to say, aren't those spiders creepy? Ugh. I'm shuddering right now. The only reason I put them on my adorable banner is for my oldest son, who thinks spiders are cool. I knew he'd love it. Maybe if I keep looking at it then I'll lose my fear of spiders...

And last, but not least, I copied this idea straight from the girls at Eighteen25. Have you seen their site? Amazing! So much inspiration on that one little site. They featured these adorable soap bottles and tags the other day (I borrowed their picture) and I thought they would make great party gifts. Or maybe just a gift for a friend? Either way, I'd love to get them. Who doesn't love Bath & Body soaps?! My kids definitely love them so I certainly wouldn't hesitate to give them out at a kids party. It's more useful than a bagful of dollar store toys, right?

I decided to make mine to match the rest of the decor that I'd already created and I couldn't help myself - I just had to add some ribbon and patterned paper! Everything was really easy to create using the Spooky Treats kit - it comes with all kinds of stuff to create fun party favors and decorations. You'll love it!

Products I used:

Spooky Treats Designer Template	Bold Branches stamp set	Midnight Musings	Jack of All Trades stamp set
Simple Letters Punch	Petite Pennants Punch	Taffeta Ribbon	1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon

Whew, that was a long post! Thanks for sticking with me :) Now, hop along and see what the rest of the design team has created.

InLinkz.com

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (that's me!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

12. Holly VanDyne

MDS Monday - Halloween!

2011-10-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

It is officially October and for me, the holiday season has begun! I'm still working to get all my Halloween decorations out, but hopefully it'll all be done today :) Maybe I should have taken my son's advice and started a month ago!

In the spirit of the holidays, we're creating Halloween projects today. I decided to scrapbook a picture from a few years ago - it was taken at a Halloween party at my mom's house. She surprised us all and dressed up as a clown - I loved it! It brought back memories of when I was a kid. I remember one year in particular; my brother and I came home from school to find the front door locked. My mom made us stay outside for a few minutes (I think she was finishing up her costume) and when she opened the door we were shocked to see a witch standing in front of us! That's one thing I've always loved about my mom - the way she always tried to surprise us with something. Little or big, it didn't matter - I loved it all!

Here are the supplies I used:

Jack of All Trades stamp set	Calendar Numbers	Vintage Overlay	Polystitched Ribbon
Pompom Trim	My Digital Studio software

InLinkz.com

I also used the 2010 In Color patterned paper and the set, Eat Drink and Be Scary - which is included in the MDS software.

I hope you have fun looking at the designs from the rest of our team. Happy Halloween!

MDS Blog Hop - color challenge

2011-09-30T03:49:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! I have yet to finish my project for this week, which makes me sad because I've been working on it all week. Last week my kids were sick and this week I've been battling a little cold myself. Add the usual busyness into the mix and there you have it - my unfinished project is still open in MDS. Poor thing, it must be feeling neglected... :(

However, I will work to finish it and get it posted ASAP. Julie suggested a fun color challenge: Pear Pizazz, Cajun Craze, Night of Navy, So Saffron + Neutral. I know some of our other team members have their designs posted already so you'll want to check them out!

1. Jeanna Bohanon
2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (you're here)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

MDS Monday - Happy Fall!

2011-09-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

I decided to do another card for this week's challenge - I really do need the practice. I kept it pretty simple this week - no new techniques, just some stamps, punches and embellishments.

Here are the supplies I used:

Spice Cake Designer Series Paper	Vintage Overlay	Bright Blessings Stamp Set	Bold Branches stamp set
1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon	Simple Stitches and Corners

InLinkz.com

Make sure to go the Utah Divas International blog and take a look at the projects our design team has created!

MDS Blog Hop - Let's Get Organized!

2011-09-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Whew! After a long day of playing with lots of different paper combinations and snuggling a 4 year old with a slight cold, I've finished my project! I've wanted to make some chore charts for my kids for some time now and awhile ago I saw the perfect one on The Crafting Chicks. Have you been to their site? It's one of my favorites!

As I said, this chore chart has been on my To Do list for awhile so when Heather suggested the theme, Let's Get Organized, I knew exactly what I wanted to make. Honestly, I copied it straight from The Crafting Chicks - why mess with a good thing? But from the beginning I'd wanted to try making it in MDS (even though they provided a free template), and now I've finally done it. All I need to do is print them, frame them, and put my kids to work!

Once these are framed, all the kids have to do is mark off each square with a dry erase marker. No stickers or magnets to keep track of!

Here are the supplies I used:

Sweet Details DSP

Downtown Grunge Photobook Template

Extreme Elements Stamp Set

Simple Stitches and Corners

InLinkz.com

Have fun looking at all the projects designed by these super talented ladies!

1. Jeanna Bohanon

2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (that's me!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

MDS Monday - Two for One!

2011-09-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Last week I missed posting for MDS Monday, but as luck would have it, so did everyone else! So I have two posts for you - this week's theme is Welcome Baby and last week's theme was Back to School.

I used the fonts GG Bean and GG Sarah. The original inspiration for this page came from one I found on DesignerDigitals.com. Here are the elements I used; click on the link to go to my Stampin' Up! website.

Downtown Grunge Photobook Template	Noteworthy Hostess Set	First Edition Designer Series Paper	Timeless Stamp Set
Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware	Bakers Twine Add-on Pack	Simple Stitches and Corners

InLinkz.com

Ok, onto this week's challenge: Welcome Baby. I haven't done a card in such a long time - I've been so focused on getting my scrapbooking done that it just made more sense to keep going with it. However, I do still love making cards and even need them from time to time ;) This was a good opportunity to brush off my skills!

Spice Cake Designer Series Paper	Nursery Embellishments	Hip and Handsome Overlays	Schoolbook Serif Numbers stamp set
Chat Room Celebrate stamp set	Sweet Stitches Fabric Brads	Crochet Trim Ribbon	Simple Stitches and Corners
Bakers Twine Add-on Pack

InLinkz.com

Ok, now don't forget to head on over to the Utah Divas International blog and take a peek at what the rest of the design team came up with!

Happy Fall Y'all!

2011-09-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA this last week, but now I'm back with a post for our Friday MDS Blog Hop! This week's theme is Fall. The way the weather's been the last couple of weeks, I'm fully realizing that summer is over. I adore Autumn, but I'm always nervous about what comes next - Winter. Blech! I only like snow for the Holiday season and then, as far as I'm concerned, the snow and cold can just go away. I'm trying to push all that to the back of my mind and simply enjoy the cooler temperatures and beautiful scenery around us :)

When I saw our theme for this week I knew immediately which pictures I wanted to use - our trip to Cox Farms last year. It's a great place with fun slides, a corn maze, hay rides and all kinds of farm animals. Our favorite parts are picking out apples and pumpkins - and let's not forget the fresh apple cider! Mmmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Can't wait to go back this year :)

I had fun with some new downloads for this page - one is the Spice Cake DSP that's in the Holiday Mini catalog. Isn't it adorable? I think this will remain one of my favorite paper packs for a long time to come.

Here are the other downloads I used:

Jack of All Trades stamp set
Bold Branches stamp set
3/8" ruffled ribbon
Downtown Grunge

Fonts: Pea Anna-Banana, Pea Kadee

Here are the links to the rest of the design team - enjoy the blog hop!

5. Amber Meadows
(you're here)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. AlySchilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. HeatherSummers

11. Alesha Walls

MDS Monday #28

2011-09-05T07:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day everyone! This week's MDS challenge was, of course, Labor Day. I was absolutely sure that I had pictures of us playing miniature golf with the kids last year, but I can't seem to find them. Guess it's time to reorganize all my pictures...

It seems like we usually have a picnic on Labor Day anyway, so I found some pictures of last year's Memorial Day picnic. I think we can let it slide this once :

MDS Blog Hop - Week 5

2011-09-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

Good morning! Are you ready for another round of fabulous projects? I can't wait - the MDS Blog Hop is one more reason to look forward to Fridays!

I was sad to miss out on last week's challenge, but we were at the beach that weekend. The good news is that I came back with some great pictures to use for this week's challenge! Rochelle chose our theme - the Great Outdoors - and we had to use at least 2 pictures. Here's what I came up with:

I had a lot of fun with this page. I wanted a background that looked sandy and I was able to get that look by using several layers. I started with a piece of Very Vanilla textured card stock and then added two different stamps from Vintage Overlays. That was actually a mistake that turned out to be something I liked - don't you love it when that happens? I also used a script stamp in the corners, but for the life of me - I can't find which stamp I used. I'll keep checking and update the post when I find it.

I also wanted to create a few waves on my page, so I pulled out my Autumn Elements stamp set. I thought the flourishes looked a bit like waves.
Here are the rest of the elements I used:

Rough Type Alphabet
Summer Splash stamp set
Notes and Details stamp set
Downtown Grunge kit
Limited Edition embellishments
Scallop Dot Ribbon
Pea Anna-Banana (font)
Pea C-squared (font)

Alright, now it's time to hop to around to see the fabulous things the rest of the design team has created!

1. Jeanna Bohanon

2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (that's me!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Cindy Schuster

8. Erica Shaw

9. Heather Summers

10. Alesha Walls

MDS Blog Hop - Week 3

2011-08-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Well, I'd planned to post my page yesterday but as luck would have it, we had a huge thunderstorm and lost power for quite awhile. Really, just as I saved my page and was about to open blogger the power went out, which means the internet was out as well. Bummer. So...I'm very sorry for my tardiness, but at least I finished the page :)

Our challenge was to do a project with either cupcakes or cooking. I could have done a cupcake page easily, but then I remembered some pictures I'd taken of my son playing with his kitchen and I suddenly had a very good reason to purchase the Domestic Goddess paper pack!

When I first saw this paper pack I didn't want it - I really couldn't see myself using it very much. I've since changed my mind! I also bought the Now You're Cooking stamp set and I had a lot of fun playing with it . I must say, I'm also in love with the new ruffled ribbon! So pretty!

Here are the links to my store:

Domestic Goddess DSP $4.95
Now You're Cooking Stamp Set $1.95
3/8" Ruffled Ribbon $3.95
I used the fonts BluePlateSpecial and PilGi.

If you haven't already, make sure to check out the creations from all the other talented ladies in our blog hop!

1. Jeanna Bohanon

2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (that's me!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

MDS Monday #27

2011-08-15T04:42:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was to create a project with layers. I use about a bazillion layers in most of my projects, so my interpretation of the challenge was to just keep doing what I'm doing. :)

I found the layout idea on shabbymissjenndesigns.com - it was really quick to put together and I just adapted it to fit with Stampin' Up products. This time around I wasn't sure what pictures I wanted to use, so I created the layout first and added the pictures last. When I started looking through pictures, I found these right away and thought they'd work perfectly.

Supplies:
Play Date DSP
Textured card stock
Modern Label, Rounded Corner and Simple Letters Punches
Staples and Stitching
Hodgepodge Hardware
Wide Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon
Button Latte

Don't forget to check out the UDI blog to see projects from the rest of the team members!

MDS Blog Hop - Week 2

2011-08-12T06:38:00.000-07:00

Well, it's already 7:30pm and I still haven't finished my page. What a busy day! I figured I might as well post it now and then I can go back later and put on the finishing touches. Who knows? Maybe I'll decide to leave well enough alone! I'm happy with it so far and maybe it really doesn't need anything else. My hubby is always reminding me to walk away from a project when I'm stumped. His solution: Play a video game for awhile and then come back to it. It'll work wonders!

Our challenge this week was Birthdays:

The sweet little boy pictured above is now almost 4 and is at this moment tugging on my arm, begging for a game of catch. I think that's my cue to wrap this up - you've gotta give the people what they want!

1. Jeanna Bohanon

2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Julie Leblanc

5. Amber Meadows (That's me!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Aly Schilling

8. Cindy Schuster

9. Erica Shaw

10. Heather Summers

11. Alesha Walls

MDS Monday #26

2011-08-08T07:35:00.000-07:00

Today's theme is "Christmas in August". There are some really adorable new Christmas downloads that will be available in the upcoming Holiday Mini, but for this page I decided to stick with the downloads that I already have. Here's my end result:

After opening my Christmas photos from last year, I realized that I'd taken them all on my iPhone because my real camera was struggling. Translation: the dumb thing took terrible pictures and I figured cell phone photos would be better than none at all. Sadly, using these pictures on a scrapbook page is proving to be a challenge. Luckily for me, I had just read a post from Stampin' Up on MDS.net where the idea was to take less than perfect photos and change the opacity, thus turning them into a watermark.

For the photo on this page, I changed the opacity to 60%. When you change the opacity on any object, remember that your background will begin to show through. To get around this I layered my photo on top of a square of Very Vanilla card stock - worked like a charm!

I then added a Vintage Overlay on top of the photo to give it a more vintage feel - left alone the photo simply looked washed out and grainy. The downside to Vintage Overlays is that you can't change the color (not that I'm aware of anyway), and since I didn't want a stark black image over my photo, I changed the opacity on that as well. It's certainly not an ideal photo, but then again I'm not a professional photographer and I'm bound to have plenty of less than perfect pictures. Thank goodness for this technique!

I also wanted a different texture for the striped background paper, so I layered a Hip and Handsome overlay in Very Vanilla on the top. It's different, but I like it.

Supplies:

Christmas Cheer (patterned paper)
Christmas Cocoa II and Christmas Cheer (elements)
Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Taffeta Ribbon
Vintage Overlays
Hip and Handsome Overlays
Font: Pea XOXO

Introducing...the MDS Blog Hop

2011-08-05T05:45:00.000-07:00

There are several people on MDS.net that I regularly stalk - they are very talented and I love to see their work. So imagine my surprise (and delight) when the amazing Erica Shaw emailed and asked if I'd like to join in a blog hop that she wanted to start. I really admire the women in this group and I'm so excited to be a part of it.

Each Friday we'll be posting our projects, so be sure to visit our blogs and see what we've been up to. Our posts will include a list of everyone's blogs so that you can easily hop around - it's a great way to find inspiration for your next MDS project!

This week our theme is Back to School. School won't start for us until the day after Labor Day, so I decided to use some pictures from a couple of years ago when my oldest son started preschool.

When I started my page I was pretty excited about how it was coming together but now that it's finished there's just something bugging me. It's very possible that I've just been staring at it too long. I get obsessed with details every now and then :) I'll revisit the page in a few days and see if I still have the same opinion.

Now don't forget to check out the other projects - you're gonna love them!

1. Jeanna Bohanon

2. Rochelle Gould

3. Mandy Grant

4. Amber Meadows (that's me!)

6. Terri Mongeon

7. Cindy Schuster

8. Erica Shaw

9. Heather Summers

10. Alesha Walls

11. Julie Leblanc

MDS Monday #25

2011-08-01T09:40:00.000-07:00

This week we had the option to create any project we liked. I had my kids' pictures taken while we were visiting family in Utah last summer - I have a photographer there that I absolutely love so I couldn't pass up the chance to have her do a photo shoot. I decided on a location that's close to my parents' house, right at the foot of the Wellsville mountains. It's one of my favorite places in Cache Valley.

I've scrapbooked a couple of these photos but still have some work to do on the album, so I thought I'd get started there. I started with the Downtown Grunge templates (12x12) and here is my finished project:

I added stamped images from Watercolor Trio, Pedaling Past and Define Your Life sets. I also used an image from Hip and Handsome Overlays to give a subtle texture to the background.
Wanting to keep the picture the main focus of my page, I made sure to only use a couple of colored elements. I didn't want anything competing with the cutie on the page :) The paper is from the Sweet Details pack, and the other elements I pulled from Lucky Star and Vintage Trinkets.

Using the templates that come with the kits is a definite time saver! It was really easy to add my photo and a few embellishments. That's the kind of scrapbooking I like!

MDS Monday #24

2011-07-25T10:51:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was to create a punch art animal. Honestly, I don't think think I've ever done one of those before so my first thought was, "Oh, dear...I have no idea what to do for this page." Then I started thinking and remembered that I still needed to scrapbook some pictures from a recent trip to the aquarium.

I had an idea in my head for a fish, but it wasn't turning out quite right - so I pulled up stampinconnection.com (a site for demonstrators to share their projects and ideas) and found a TON of punch art fish. This blog had a cute card that I decided to copy for my project.

Not too shabby, eh? I used the wide oval, the blossom petals, butterfly, small heart and circle punches for my fish. Since I couldn't draw lines onto the fins to give it some dimension, I simply layered stamp images on top of the punches. I used Island Indigo and Pool Party for my fish colors. For the fins, I decreased the opacity of the stamped images to 60% to soften the look. The smaller fish came from the Cute Cats stamp set - and I have to say, I never thought I'd use that one. Guess I was wrong!

For the background paper, I kept it white and then added a Vintage Overlay in River Rock. It reminds me of sand! The fonts I used were Gilligan's Island, Blue Type and Pea Gentry.
Oh, one more thing about the fish - I added shadows to it using a technique I found on MyDigitalStudio.com. It creates an awesome effect and is super easy!

Sponging a Punch in MDS from Mandy Grant on Vimeo.

Remember to check out the other Diva's Creations on UtahDivasInternational!

MDS - not just for scrapbooking

2011-07-20T04:01:00.000-07:00

This is pretty different from the stuff I usually post, so hopefully it doesn't offend anyone - but I thought the idea was too cute not to post.

The other day I sat down with my laptop, intending to find and print the potty chart that I'd used for my oldest son. My youngest has been very resistant to the idea of "becoming a big boy" and up until now I've let him have his way. We didn't fight with Andrew and it was a fairly easy and stress-free process - I intended to do it the same way. Why not use the same chart I'd already created? As it turns out, the file doesn't transfer from my PC to my Mac. I could have just run downstairs and printed it out, but then it occurred to me: Couldn't I make a spiffy new one using MDS?

I set to work immediately and found a couple of graphics online - Thomas the Tank Engine underpants and a potty. Perfect :) I saved them to my desktop and then pulled the graphics into my project in MDS. Here's the end result:

How's that for a potty chart? I laminated it and we use a dry erase marker to cross of an underwear each time he sits on the potty. Simon loves it! He's still resistent to the whole idea, so this is going to be a long process, but he has managed to cross off "all the underwears" once already.

If you're wondering about the title of our chart, I took it from a favorite book of ours by Mo Willems. Simon thinks it's hilarious and it gets him excited about the whole process. Wish us luck!

MDS Monday # 23

2011-07-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

Oh dear - I've missed the last two MDS Monday posts :( This summer has been unexpectedly busy! Normally I stay home with the kids all day - being a one car family will do that to you - but I recently met a new friend and we've been taking our kids everywhere. She and I became walking buddies and before we knew it, we were shuttling the 4 little ones around to all the greatest parks, museums and splash pads! It's so nice to have a friend who doesn't mind chauffeuring me all over town :)

Anyway, on to my post. Of course, I didn't finish it in time to be included on the UtahDivasInternational blog, but next week for sure! Our theme this week was "Lots of Circles". I used the blog header on my family blog for inspiration and I'm pretty pleased with the end result. It took forever and day because I was working with so many layers, but sometimes I don't mind creating a page like that - it's a nice challenge.

A couple of weeks ago the boys had an obsession with The Game of Life - on this particular day we played twice and both times I beat Andrew by $5,000 - what are the odds? I think you'd be surprised to know that Simon can make it through the entire game without losing interest. My favorite thing is when he says, "I'm getting married!" and, "I had a baby!". Cutest. Thing. EVER!

Supplies used:

*Hoppy Memories elements
*Staples and Stitching
*Vintage Overlays
*Buttons Pack Brights
*Punches: Bird Branch, Bird Wing, Rounded Corner, Lots of Tags - shape 2, Rounded Tab Half
*Fonts: "Leslie", "Pea Mee-Mee", "GG Bean"

MDS Monday #20

2011-06-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

This week our MDS challenge was to create a project with the theme "Celebrate Summer". My first instinct was to use bright colors and maybe a picture of the kids at the pool, but then it occurred to me that I could use the photos from our recent vacation to Hershey, PA. We never made it to the water park - there was so much to do and not enough time - but we did have a lot of fun.

This page may not be what I originally pictured, but I love it and it will always be a great reminder of our first summer vacation with the kids!

Elements used:

Eat Chocolate - stamp set

Extreme Elements - stamp set

Sweet Details - paper pack

Downtown Grunge - elements

Taffeta Ribbon - Marina Mist

Vintage Trinkets

Tag punch

"Cut 'n Paste" - font

"bmbold" - font

MDS Monday #19

2011-06-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

This week's MDS Monday challenge was for Father's Day. I have so many pictures of my kids with their dad that it was hard to choose the ones I wanted for this layout. In the end, I decided on the ones from our second son's birth. It was a great day and I'm amazed at how many details I can still remember.

My boys love their dad like crazy and clamor for his attention the second he comes home from work. I'm grateful to be married to such an amazing man - I couldn't ask for a better father for my children!

I used a few downloads that I've purchased recently, Downtown Grunge, Bright Delights and the paper pack Sweet Details. The fonts I used are CAC Pinafore, Brody and Shark Random Funnyness. If you have any other questions about the page just leave me a comment and I'll get back to you :)

Oh, be sure to check out the UDI blog and see what the other ladies on the design team have come up with!

MDS Monday #18

2011-06-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry to be so late in posting this - but Blogger wouldn't let me in for most of the day. Grrrr.... But I'm here now, so I guess that's all that matters :)

This week's challenge was to make a project to honor the grandfathers in our lives. I immediately thought of these pictures I had taken with my dad and my oldest son, Andrew when he was only a few months old. My dad adores each of his grandkids (he has 6) and he's a wonderful grandpa. We miss living so close to them; the kids love to go out on the boat with Papa. Andrew caught his first fish last summer!

I used a bunch of new downloads on this page:

Downtown Grunge - 126056

Lucky Star - 124577

Simple Stitches and Corners - 126025

Simple Letters Punch - 127166

Hip & Handsome Overlays - 125753

You can click here to go to my website. Click on the link at the top right hand corner for my online store and then click on Digital Designing to browse all of the available downloads for My Digital Studio. I really had fun creating this page; I hope you enjoy it too. :)

MDS Monday #17

2011-06-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

I actually had a few ideas for this week's challenge which was "Masculine Birthday". Here's the one I finally settled on:

I created this card using punches and stamps, and then just a few embellishments. I played around with different elements for the longest time and finally had to walk away for a bit. Once I came back to it I decided that it was blog-worthy and I could stop fussing over it. Although, just for good measure, I showed it to my 6 year old son and he approved. That settled the deal. :)

I used 3 stamp sets: Party Hearty, Create a Cupcake and Chat Room Birthday.

Time to Say Goodbye

2011-06-02T06:42:00.000-07:00

The Last Chance list came out yesterday - sorry I'm late getting the links up. There are some great products retiring to make room for all the new stuff in next year's catalog, so make sure you stock up on your favorite things before they're gone!

*Click on the picture above to go directly to my website - you can place your order from there.

Here are links to the PDF files - products are organized by page numbers:

Last Chance Stamps

Last Chance Accessories

Last Chance Definitely Decorative

*Keep in mind that the Accessories are only available while supplies last, so if you see something you want don't wait - order before they run out! You can place an order by going to my website www.stampincrazed.stampinup.net or contacting me directly.

*I'm also taking preorders for the new catalog. If you'd like one, the cost is $10 (FREE if you book a workshop with me). Please email me to reserve your copy of the catalog - I'll be putting in my order in the next couple of weeks.

stampincrazed@gmail.com

New Classes

2011-06-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have a few classes this month - you can check out all the details on my Events page at the top of the blog.

The first class is scheduled for this Friday (June 3) at 7:00 pm and I still have some spots open if you're interested. We're making this Scrapbook on Canvas - does that sound artistic or what? Honestly, I couldn't think what else to call it, so it'll have to do :)

The cost of this class is $18 and includes all supplies except your photos. You'll need to bring an 8 x 10 and a 5 x 7 to the class.

My next class is scheduled for Saturday, June 18th at 10 am and we're making this Gratitude Journal. You might recognize it from the SU catalog - it was so adorable I just had to make one for myself! The cost is $12 and all supplies are included.

With either one of these classes, I'd be happy to schedule the class on a different date if you're interested. Just gather some friends together and we'll have a great time!

MDS Monday #16

2011-05-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't able to finish last week's MDS Monday challenge - I apologize for my absence - but I did create a card for our Red, White and Blue challenge today. It's in honor of Memorial Day, of course!

I wanted something simple and was surprised at how quickly this project came together. Sometimes it seems like my "simple" projects take longer than my more detailed ones. I wonder why that is...

I wish I'd made this card earlier - it would have been nice to send one to my dad, father-in-law and brother. I guess I can always send it a little late. :) I'm grateful for the men and women who serve - and have served - our country. I don't think I'll ever truly understand just how much they've sacrificed, but I have a deep respect for them.

Don't forget to check out the Utah Divas International site to see what the rest of the ladies created!

MDS Monday #14

2011-05-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

This week our theme for MDS Monday was "Shades of Blue". I've never attempted a monochromatic layout before, so this was definitely a challenge.

I decided to create a journal cover this time around. I was thinking about my son who's finishing Kindergarten this year, and I realized that his summer vacations will probably seem very short now that he has to go back to school in the fall. So why not make him a journal that's just for his summer vacation? He's still learning to write, so it'll be great practice for him and he can draw pictures as well. I had to use pictures from last summer, since I obviously don't have any from this year, but that's ok - it works :) I think he'll have a lot of fun looking back on his summer journals. I wish I could remember what I did with my summers when I was growing up!

I like this version a lot, but I really wanted to add some color and different elements so I thought I'd mess around with it a bit more. Here's my second draft:

What do you think? One design, two different looks. I love it!

Birthday Tags

2011-05-10T15:18:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up came out with some fun new templates a little while ago and one of those included gift tags. Last night I gave a friend a birthday present and I needed a gift tag, but didn't have the time to make one. So, I decided that should take advantage of the new templates to create some tags. I can print several and keep them on hand for those last minute gifts.

MDS Monday #13

2011-05-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

Isn't Mother's Day great? It was always fun to surprise my mom with stuff when I was a kid, but now that I'm a mom I enjoy it even more. What can I say? I'm a girl who likes to be spoiled and Chris and the kids do a fantastic job of it. :)

Here's my Mother's Day card for the weekly challenge at UDI - it's a 6 x 6 card. I found my original inspiration over at TinyPrints.com, but my finished project looks nothing like what I was copying. I like to think that means I still have a little bit of creative juice left in me - even after a long day of dealing with children who seem to need every minute of my time. *Sigh* Did I mention that I'm grateful to be a mother? 'Cause I am. Even when they suck my energy away :)

I think I've already posted a link to this video, but here it is again. It explains the technique I used to color my flower. I believe the technique was discovered by Leah Fedynak and the video was created by Cindy Schuster - you can find both ladies on www.MyDigitalStudio.net and they are amazingly talented!

Find more videos like this on My Digital Studio

Thinking Outside the Box

2011-05-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I posted anything but digital projects, so I thought I'd enter the realm of traditional paper crafting once more. Oh, that I had all the time in the world to create every project idea that pops into my head!

I made this for a friend who needed a sympathy card. Her friend's father recently passed away from cancer and even though I don't know this friend, I wanted to help in some way.

I was looking at a card that I made at the Baltimore Regional last autumn using the Day of Gratitude stamp set and it occurred to me that just because we used fall colors it doesn't mean it's only a fall stamp. It's called the "think outside the box" principle - I remember to use that now and again ;-)

Using the same layout idea and some bright colors, here's what I came up with:

I'm always amazed at how you can achieve different looks with one stamp set!

MDS Monday #11

2011-04-25T06:18:00.000-07:00

This week's challenge was to use butterflies in our layouts. I remembered pictures we'd taken of Andrew's first visit to Hogel Zoo in SLC and it just so happens that there was a butterfly exhibit there that year - perfect! Combine those pics with a layout I'd been wanting to copy and here's what you get:

I like the end result - mostly. There's something bugging me though (no pun intended) and I just can't put my finger on it. I'll keep playing around and see what I come up with.

MDS Monday #10

2011-04-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

This week's theme for the MDS Monday Challenge was an Easter project. I just finished an Easter card - which I've had printed at Stampin' Up. It's my first time sending something off to their printers, so I'm pretty excited to get it back. Hopefully I ordered it in enough time to get the cards sent out for Easter.

Anyway, since I already did an Easter card, I wanted to do an Easter page. I still haven't scrapped last year's Easter photos. Actually - now that I've said that, I realize I haven't scrapped ANY Easter photos. Hmmm...guess I'd better get a move on.

I was inspired by the stamp set Easter Blossoms which has the saying, "Sending Springtime Smiles". I didn't need the word "sending" but I liked the rest. I also knew I wanted to use the Chocolate Bunny stamp and the Greenhouse Gala DSP paper. Here's what I came up with:

I found the layout idea online and although I changed the elements around about 100 times (each), I stuck with the original layout. The page turned out completely different from what I had in mind originally, but that's what I like about digi scrapping. I can add and delete to my heart's content without wasting a thing. Although - I should set a time limit on myself. I have a tendency to spend too long on a page, which would explain why I'm so behind on my scrapping, haha!

I used the drop shadow technique to give some color to my branches and I must say - it's a pretty cool effect. It took a little time, but not nearly as much as I thought it would. I'll definitely be using this technique more often. :)

Head on over to the UDI blog to see what the talented divas have in store for us this week!

MDS Monday #9

2011-04-11T16:24:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm very late getting this post up - because I just barely finished my page! I kind of forgot, and then once I did start working on it I was having technical difficulties. MDS has been running super slow since the last update, so I'll definitely contact SU to find out what to do.

This week our challenge was to create something that had a bird on it. After much perseverance, I finished a page that I've been wanting to do for a couple of weeks. I found this kit online at another digital store - I know, it's not SU - but I'll show you how I got around that in just a minute :)

Here's what I wanted to CASE - and since Stampin' Up doesn't have anything like this, I had to be really creative and use a combination of punches and stamps to create the sun and trees.

And here is my finished page:

I could take forever to explain how I created everything, but I need to take a break from the computer! I'll try to keep it short. If you have any questions or want a more detailed explanation leave me a comment and I'll be sure to get back to you :)

For the tree branches and trunks, I used the bird leg from the Good Friend Stamp set and just turned it upside down. I also used the bird beak from the same stamp set to create the branches in the blue trees. I set it atop a square punch that I had sized down to resemble a trunk.

For the smallest green tree, I used the Curly Label punch and resized it to a rectangle rather than a square. For the middle green tree, I used the Boho Blossoms Large Flower punch, layered with a second color to give it some dimension. And finally, for the last green tree, I used the 2 Step Bird Wing punch - flipped and rotated.

And because we're all in search of great fonts - you should know that I used Pea Bev, Pea Jamie Lea and the alpha from the Summer Home kit.

Now, do you see how you can take inspiration from other designers and make them work using MDS? Just 'cause Stampin' Up doesn't offer something you want, it doesn't mean you can't create it!

Don't forget to check out the other Diva creations!

MDS Monday #8

2011-04-04T00:00:00.000-07:00

Our challenge this week was to have some "Pun Fun". I really struggled with this at first - I had no idea what to do. Then, one day I received an email from Tiny Prints (I like to get ideas from their site) and I saw this adorable card:

Immediately, I knew I could create that in MDS. I didn't exactly know how - but I knew it would involve punches. So, I sat down and got to work - but at this point I wasn't creating it for this week's challenge. I just wanted to see if I could do it.

I pulled up my punches and guess what I found? The Blossom Petals Punch. Eureka! It worked like a charm and in no time at all I had bunny ears sprouting from my kids' heads. Simon loves his bunny ears. It's pretty cute to see him get all worked up about it. :)

I didn't want to put a third picture on the card like my sample, so I decided to create a carrot. At first I considered an easter egg, but then I had an idea of how to create a carrot - again, using punches - and I had to give it a shot.

For the carrot, I used the tall heart punch and an oval punch layered to create the top of the carrot (both of which are included in the software). For the black lines, I used the oval punch again and shrunk it down until it was almost nothing. I had to zoom in quite a bit in order to move the lines around, but it wasn't too bad.

I hadn't quite figured out the carrot leaves, but I got distracted and started looking for a stamped greeting. I stumbled across the Cheep Talk stamps and realized that I could use the branch for my leaves. Genius! I copied and pasted my leaves, moved them around to form the carrot top and then used a square punch (filled with white) to cover the leaves I didn't want showing and layered the carrot on top of that. Ta Da!

In the midst of all this tweaking, the greeting, "Somebunny Loves You" came to me and I thought, "Aha! I can use this for MDS Monday". It's funny how things just fall into place :)

Ok, just so you know - I really don't consider myself a genius (my college transcript will confirm that) but sometimes, I amaze myself. MDS is so cool!

And before I forget - I wanted to share with you a video tutorial that showed me how to put my pictures in a punch. The video was posted on MyDigitalStudio.com - which anybody can join - by Heather Summers. She is amazing! She was one of the MDS contest winners and I love to see all the things she shares on this site. Here's her video - it's for Mac users. There is another video for PC users and you can find that on www.MyDigitalStudio.com

Oh - don't forget to check out the other Diva's creations. :)

MDS Monday #7

2011-03-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

This week we were supposed to use some of the Sale-a-Bration digital downloads in our pages, but I don't have that so I'm doing another page with a Spring theme.

My mom came to visit last Spring as well and we were able to go to the Cherry Blossom Festival one day. We saw the Kite Festival - which was a lot of fun. I'd never seen so many different kites. This year's festival just started yesterday, but the weather has been so cold (we woke up to snow this morning) that I'm not sure we'll be able to go kite flying this year. Guess we'll have to see what next weekend brings.

Now you can hop on over to the UDI blog to see what digital designs my friends have come up with!

MDS Monday #6

2011-03-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

This last week has just flown by! My mom is here visiting from Utah and we've been busy trying to squeeze some fun out of every day. I'm already dreading Saturday, as it's the day that I have to take her to the airport.

I was able to squeeze some time in for My Digital Studio to make a card for this week's MDS Monday. It was a spring theme, and I had about a million ideas running through my head. So many ideas, so little time!

I came up with a couple versions of my card - my mom and I had differing opinions on which version was better. Here's my favorite (and the one that I turned in to be posted on UDI):

And here's the first draft - my mom's personal favorite. :)

Sooo...what do you think? Don't worry - there's no right or wrong answer :)

Blog Award

2011-03-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

When I checked my email this morning, I found a sweet email from a girl who has, unbeknownst to me, been following my blog. Who knew? Honestly, sometimes I think my mom (who is extremely supportive of me) is the only one who ever checks it, lol.

Kendra from Kendra's Creative Corner gave me this blog award and I thought it was so nice of her!

I'm supposed to list 8 things about myself and then send the award to 8 other bloggers. I don't mind telling you a little more about myself, but sending out the award gets a little tricky. I don't spend much time blog hopping anymore - I was spending WAY too much time looking and not much time creating. So although I do pull up a few blogs now and then for some inspiration, I can't allow myself to do it very often. That darn internet just sucks me in!

Here are a few things you might not know about me:

1. I don't like t.v. - I LOVE it. Yup, not afraid to rot my brains out in front of that screen that sits in the corner of my family room. Unfortunately, it's also something I will waste a great deal of time on, so I have to limit my watching to a few shows. Currently, my husband and I are watching Chuck and Castle. Both are excellent :) When time allows I love to pop in an episode of Seinfeld or Everybody Loves Raymond. I never get tired of those episodes and I still laugh at each one.

2. I have two boys, ages 6 and 3 and have been a stay-at-home mom for the past year and a half. I thought that I'd be dying to get out of the house, but it turns out that I love nothing more than being home with my kids. It makes me grateful for the precious moments I have with the both of them. I'm sure it sounds cliche, but I love them more every day.

3. I'm into technology because my super cool husband is. He keeps me up to date on all the lastest and greatest. Without him I'd be back in the stone age, refusing to use a cell phone for anything but emergencies.

4. I love sunshine! Can't live without it. In fact, on gloomy days I get gloomy myself. Just call me Eeyore :)

5. Music is an addiction for me. I just love to listen to music - especially when I'm cleaning or crafting. Sometimes I listen while I'm getting ready in the morning, but then I can't hear what the kids are doing downstairs, so that's more of a hazard. Some of my current faves are, Taylor Swift (and I'm not even a country fan), Maroon 5, Matt Nathanson, Plain White T's, Daniel Powter, Jack Johnson, Eric Hutchinson, Ingrid Michaelson, Matt Kearny, Josh Groban... See what I mean? It's an addiction.

6. Chocolate makes the world go round. At least my world. I've never understood why people try to limit their chocolate intake. Embrace it, my friends!

7. Reading is the most magical thing in the world. I have so many good memories of hours spent in the library, or just reading on my bed. Sometimes I wish I didn't have so many other interests (and responsibilities) so that I could just spend my time reading. Preferably outside, in a hammock, with chocolate nearby and a soft breeze blowing through the trees.

8. I love a good Girls' Night Out. It rejuvenates my soul and is so much cheaper than therapy. Not that therapy is a bad thing! At the same time, I get nervous and have lots of mom guilt if I'm out too late. I've never liked missing out on bedtime with the kids - bedtime one of my favorite things.

Whew - ok, that took longer than I thought. Guess I should have given shorter answers, haha!

Thanks again for the award Kendra, it was great to find your email in my inbox this morning!

MDS Monday #5

2011-03-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

I'm not really into St. Patrick's day - never have been - but since this week we were supposed to use green in our designs I thought, why not? I could have done any number of things, but I thought it was as good a time as any to move out of my comfort zone. I looked on Stampin' Connection for some inspiration and found this card by Meryn Foster. Loved it! Had to copy it!

I studied it for a few minutes and thought I could make my own using MDS. Punches are my new favorite thing ;) Here is my version:

When lining up the buckles and the brads, I found the easiest thing to do was click "Arrange", "Align" and then you can choose "Top", "Middle" or "Bottom". Play around with it a little bit and you'll get comfortable with it quickly - it's super easy. I found a video tutorial on MyDigitalStudio.net by Heather Summers that will show you what I'm talking about .

As always, the girls over at UDI have done a great job on their designs. Make sure to check them out!

Pot o' Gold

2011-03-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

I was working on a card for next week's MDS Monday and suddenly, inspiration hit. It occurred to me that I could make a rainbow and pot of gold out of punches. So...I messed around with the idea a little bit last night and then again this morning and here's what I came up with:

Honestly, I've never done punch art until a week or two ago, and now ideas are popping up in my head like crazy! Gotta love MDS :)

MDS Monday #4

2011-03-07T00:00:00.000-08:00

This week's challenge was to use punches - and I'll tell you right now that I didn't start out with a birthday page in mind. Seems like I've been doing a lot of birthdays lately. However...as I was looking through photos, I came across the pics from Chris' birthday last year and they were so cute I just couldn't resist.

I have to ask though - do my pizzas really look like pizzas, or is it just that I've been staring at them for so long my mind doesn't know the difference anymore? As I said in my previous post, I've never done punch art before, so this is a whole different ball game for me!

Punches used:

Circle
Small Photo Corner
Scallop Border
Modern Label
Lots of Tags Shape 2
Small Heart

For stamps, I used the Notes and Details and Enjoy Every Moment. I used paper from the Love Letter pack and my font was Pea Bhea.

Don't forget - the lovely ladies at Utah Divas International have all posted their punch challenges, so take a look!

Gumball Machine

2011-03-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

I know I said that I have some new stamps that are waiting to be used, but I saw this adorable card from a fellow UDI friend on Monday and just had to copy it. I've never really been into 'Punch Art', although I do love my punches. So I thought I might as well give it a try - and seriously, it was a blast!

I used a square, circle, oval and a cupcake base flipped upside down. I used a square punch to cover the bottom of the scallops on the cupcake. Really, it was pretty easy and quick to put together.

I plan to play a little more and come up with a few versions of this card, then send them to Stampin' Up! for printing. I need to update my card stash a little bit and this is a great option. A few minutes on MDS and then I can send away for multiple copies. Perfect. :)

MDS Monday #3

2011-02-28T00:00:00.000-08:00

I'd planned to work on a few projects last week - I have some new stamp sets and paper that are screaming to be used - really, I can hear them all the way from the basement - but this was a tough layout for me. I found the idea somewhere in cyberspace and I just had to try a version of my own. It was an easy layout, but I think the problem started when I couldn't let go of the original design. Yup - I was so focused on recreating the layout that I kind of forgot to tap into my own creativity. Strange how that happens...

Really, if I'd been smart, I would have set it aside and come back to it, but I just couldn't let it go. I worked on it all week, tweaking different elements, rearranging, adding and deleting. I think I finally have a page that I can say I'm happy with. And I'm done tweaking - PROMISE!

So, drumroll please...here's this week's UDI MDS Monday Challenge:

What do you think? Is it worth a week of fussing? Maybe, maybe not - but I like it and I doubt Andrew will be as critical as I am when he's looking through his scrapbooks. :)

Don't forget to check out what the rest of the awesome UDI ladies created for the challenge!

MDS Monday #2

2011-02-21T00:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of President's Day, our MDS Monday challenge was to use red, white and blue in our layout. I really wanted to think outside the box on this one and come up with something that wasn't patriotic, but I just couldn't get the U.S. flag out of my head. I decided the best idea was to stick with what I know. Lucky for me, my sister's birthday falls on July 4th and since I haven't scrapped the pictures from last year's celebration I had plenty of material to work with.

One of my favorite things about working with MDS is that I can change the size of any stamp, embellishment or punch. It's so much fun to use one stamp and then change the size to make it look like another image. Rubber stamps - as much as I love them - can't do that!

Make sure to check out some of the other Diva's creations on the UDI blog!

Mmmm...ice cream cones

2011-02-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

I was looking through my blog posts and found a draft from last summer that I never posted - oops! These are a few cards that I made using my Sweet Scoops stamp set, which I think is retired, but definitely a fun set.

I can't quite remember where I saw the idea, but to get a marbled look for the ice cream, I used the baby wipe technique. I'll explain how that works for those of you who may be unfamiliar with that.

All you need is a baby wipe and some re-inkers; I chose a pink and a brown ink for these cards. First, I folded the baby wipe a couple of times and then, alternating colors, I put a drop of each on the baby wipe. Voila! You have your very own custom stamp pad. Simply ink your stamp on the baby wipe like you would a normal stamp pad and you'll have a yummy looking scoop of Neapolitan ice cream!

Sweet Scoops is available as a digital download, so you still have a chance to make some fun projects with it. In fact, I think I'll open up MDS right now and see what I can come up with!

A Message from Shelli

2011-02-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

I love all these images from the home office. Such great products and amazing creativity!

MDS Monday #1

2011-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

Some of you may know that I belong to a great group of stampers called Utah Divas International. I haven't been involved in the forums for the last few months, but Max (our fabulous leader) asked for volunteer designers for their upcoming MDS Monday blog posts. I thought it would be a great opportunity to get involved again, so - here I am!

My first creation for MDS Monday is a fun Valentine's Day card. I have to say, I'm a recent convert to this holiday. During my Jr. High and High School days, I was always so irritated that I didn't have a boyfriend to send me flowers that I did as any jaded teenager would do - I proclaimed that Valentine's Day was "lame".

Now that I have an adoring husband and two handsome (and kissable) little boys, I'm singing a different tune. I've realized what I should have known all along - V-day is a great excuse to show the special people in your life just how much you care.

I'm busy looking for all kinds of ways to make the holiday fun for my family - and that includes sending cards! Wouldn't you love to get this in the mail? It was so much fun - and so fast - to create using My Digital Studio.

Supplies:

Stamps - XOXO, Love U, Framed with Love, Chat Room Love

Papers - Perfect Plum and Pretty in Pink DSP

Embellishments - Love Birds Digital Kit, Staples and Stitching

School Valentine

2011-02-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

I've seen these cute Valentines of kids holding suckers all over the blog world lately and I absolutely HAD to make one. I'm not sure how long the idea has been floating around, or even who started it - but I found my inspiration here. Adorable, right?

It would have been so easy just to add some text to the photo and print it, but the scrapper in me couldn't leave well enough alone. Why not pull the picture into MDS and make some fun Valentines for my adorable little kindergartner?

Andrew and I put our heads together and this is what we came up with:

Would you believe he picked the background paper? I did the rest and he gave it his stamp of approval.

I should tell you that my little man was a little grumpy when we took this picture because I made him change out of his pajama shirt and put on a nice red one. What's the big deal? I let him keep the bottoms on! After a little teasing about how his grumpy face was going to break my camera, he perked right up and gave me some awesome goofy smiles.

I procrastinated too long to be able to print them at the copy shop, so I had to use my own printer. Not great quality, but it gets the job done.

Using my hobby blade, I cut two slits in the picture and slid the sucker through. Super easy, and Andrew loves them!

Love Birds

2011-02-02T10:19:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with My Digital Studio today and opened up one of the new downloads I just got - the Love Birds kit. It's adorable - I've been eyeing it in the catalog since it came out - and I was so excited to see it become available for MDS. I absolutely love that the same papers and embellishments I use all the time are also available in a digital format. Stampin' Up designs are the best out there!

My friend Stephanie - also my upline - is having her first girl (after 3 boys!) and she mentioned that she'd wanted to create some wall art for the nursery using MDS. I offered to send a few ideas her way, however the visions that were in my head just don't seem to be coming out right on paper. Good thing I'm not actually wasting any supplies!

Anyway, as I was playing around with yet another idea, I stumbled onto this design and thought it would be perfect for a Valentine's card. Simple, not too many elements. I like it. I think my hubby might like it too :)

I really wanted to add a scalloped rectangle, but since that punch doesn't exist I had to make my own. I used the square scallop punch and expanded it to the size I wanted. I duplicated the square and then overlapped them to make the rectangle.

After that, I used the Paper Fill option. I had to line up the paper so that the seam wasn't noticeable, but it wasn't too hard. I double clicked on one square to bring up the paper, and moved it around until it was where I wanted. Just FYI, you won't be able to add a drop shadow if you use this technique, because it will show the seam.

Now - I'd better get back to that wall art!

Business Card

2011-01-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

For quite awhile now I've wanted to design my own business cards and I was sure that I could do it using My Digital Studio. I put it off forever, but then I got an email from VistaPrint advertising lots of free products, so I thought it was time to get on the ball. Here's what I came up with:

It was much easier than I had anticipated. All I had to do was create it in MDS using the dimensions of a business card, then I saved it as a jpg and pulled it into Photoshop Elements. There I was able to crop the design, save it again and upload it to VistaPrint.

I had so much fun with that, I decided to keep going and design some address labels. Here is the finished product:

And after that was finished, I noticed there was also a deal for free lawn signs, so I thought - why not? All it took was some rearranging and I was all set.

I had to pay a small fee for each design uploaded - about $1.50 each, and then there was shipping. So, for the business cards, some business card magnets, address labels and a lawn sign I paid just over $30. Not too shabby! Best of all, it's all my own design and I love that I was able to use Stampin' Up! products to do it.

I'm planning to purchase some software that will allow me to make video tutorials of My Digital Studio. I'm pretty excited to show you all the things I've been able to create using this awesome program!

My Digital Studio Contest

2011-01-20T19:53:00.000-08:00

I meant to blog about this a couple of weeks ago, but I'm just trying to get myself back into the habit of blogging (it's a New Year's Resolution) and since I have 4 blogs - I know, that's insane - it's taken me a little while.

Anyway, on with my post. A few months ago Stampin' Up! announced that they were holding a contest for My Digital Studio. All you had to do was enter 2 scrapbook pages and a card design. SU! would select 10 winners - 5 customers and 5 demonstrators - and those winners would receive $400 worth of digital downloads!

Instantly, I wanted to enter the contest. I'm a huge fan of digital scrapping and I've been trying to learn more about it. Besides, I've purchased almost every digital download that Stampin' Up! has come out with, so you can imagine the kind of heaven I'd be in with that kind of prize.

I got to work and finished one page. I was excited about it and liked how it turned out, but then life got a little crazy and I didn't get back to my computer to work on the other two entries. I was feeling pretty bummed about it and sad that I'd missed my chance, but then I thought - why give up? I still had a few hours until the deadline and it's really easy to create in MDS, so why shouldn't I still try? At least I could say that I entered and gave it a shot. So, I sat down at the computer and after a few hours, had a scrapbook page and a card that I was mostly happy with.

I remember coming upstairs and telling my husband that I thought my entries were all too much alike and that if Stampin' Up! was looking for someone with lots of creativity - it definitely wasn't me!

Imagine my surprise when a few weeks later I got a phone call from Elizabeth at Stampin' Up!, letting me know that I was one of the winners of the My Digital Studio contest!! Honestly, the phone call had woken me from a nap, but I did my best to sound perky and completely awake. I'm not sure how convincing I was. Regardless, Elizabeth was super nice and when I said, "No way! Are you serious?", she replied, "Yes, I'm serious!" I wonder if she gets that response a lot...

I couldn't tell anyone about winning the contest - other than my husband - until the winners were announced this month and it was so hard! Every time I talked to my mom or sister I had to bite my tongue to keep from spilling the beans. Finally, the winners were announced on the Stampin' Up! website and I could post the good news on Facebook and call my mom. It was great.

I'm still pinching myself, wondering how in the world they chose my entries - but I'm pretty grateful that I was one of the winners and I feel really blessed to have received such a fantastic prize.

I can't post my entries on this blog because SU still owns the rights to them, but you can head on over to their website and take a look at the card I submitted. If you go to the MyDigitalStudio site, you can see one of my scrapbook pages. My entries showed up pretty small - the file I sent must have been too small, but you'll get the idea.

Huge Sale at Stampin' Up!

2010-11-22T06:44:00.000-08:00

I look forward to this sale every year! I'm not a big fan of waiting in line and fighting crowds in the wee hours of the morning for the Black Friday sales, so anything I can do online definitely grabs my attention. Stampin' Up has put select items on sale starting today - anywhere from 20-50% off!

Have you had your eye on My Digital Studio? It's 50% off from now until November 30th. How about a few extra Digital Downloads to go with it? Those are 20% off! Big Shot dies? Yep, you'll find a few of those on sale too. :)

Click on the shopping cart (or picture above) to go to my online store and get started on your Christmas shopping! As for me, I'll be handing my wishlist to my husband... :)

*Remember orders of $150 or more will ship for free, so if you only have a couple of things on your wishlist, get together with a friend or two and combine your orders. I'm all about saving money - especially during the Christmas season!

Starter Kit 50% off!

2010-11-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

Starting on Monday, November 15, you can purchase the Starter Kit for $87.50! That's amazing! The kit includes over $300 worth of items, so this is an incredible deal. You have two options, the Standard Kit or the Digital Kit. The details of each kit are listed below; click on the picture for a larger image.

Think of it this way: If you wanted to purchase My Digital Studio, you would spend $80 - still a really good deal for the program and content that is included. However, you could purchase the Digital Starter Kit and not only have the program, but extra stamps and supplies to go with it! Those of you who know me well know that I am a major bargain shopper and this is a killer deal - I'm so excited about it!

If you've thought about becoming a demonstrator before, now is the time! I'd love to have you as a part of my downline - can you imagine all the fun we'd have together at Convention and Regional activities? Not to mention the yearly Stampin' Up incentive trip! Next year's is Disney World :)

You can also purchase the kit just for the contents and the discount on products; Stampin' Up calls them Hobby Demonstrators. As long as you meet the quarterly sales requirement you will always get your 20% discount.

Purchasing the kit is easy; simply go to my website and click on the tab, "Start Your Own Business". Then Click "Join Now" to get started. You'll need my Recruiter Authorization password: stampincrazed. Fill in your info and choose your kit products and you're on your way! Oh, and did I mention that you get free shipping? It just can't get any better :)

If you have questions, you can contact me through phone or email. My info is on the blog under the "Become a Demonstrator" tab.

Holiday Bundles at 20% off!

2010-10-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Check out this great new promotion from Stampin' Up!

*I just heard from Stampin' Up! that the Decorative Label punch is on backorder due to unexpected shipping delays from the supplier. They hope to have the backorders filled quickly - probably within the first couple weeks of November. You can still order the bundle and your stamp set will ship first, followed by the punch as soon as they are received.

Designer Fabric

2010-09-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest, when I saw this Designer Fabric in the Holiday Mini - I screamed. Out loud. I was so excited! You can use it for anything - you don't have to know how to sew, but I'm thinking I might need to learn to sew anyway. Check out some of the cute projects made with this new fabric:

Play Date DSP in My Digital Studio

2010-09-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

I just bought the Play Date Designer Series Paper for My Digital Studio, and it came with this adorable layout! I just added my pics and journaling and that was it. So easy!

There are lots of coordinating stamps and accessories for the Play Date DSP - the possibilities really are endless! You can buy the digital downloads or the traditional paper packs, or both! Digital downloads can be used with My Digital Studio, or another program like Photoshop. They're also compatible with either a Mac or Windows operating system. Click on any of the pictures below to start shopping :)

The Holidays Aren't Far Away...

2010-09-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up! never disappoints with a new catalog. They're always full of fun and exciting things - my favorite in this catalog? The Designer Fabric and Letterpress Plates for the Big Shot. Oh, and I can't forget the Candy Countdown Calendar Kit and Stampin' Sound Cards! Really, I could just add everything to my list of favorites. :)

You can download a copy of the catalog for yourself by clicking on the Catalogs link at the top of my blog. Click the picture above to start shopping!

Bird Punch Flowers

2010-08-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was 3 months ago. I just barely gave my mom and mother-in-law their gifts. Aaahh! How sad is that? In my defense, I had the gifts ready on time but I just couldn't find a box big enough to send them. Next time, I will think about the shipping aspect before deciding on a gift. So, Mom and Ginger - I'm very sorry it took so long to get your gifts to you. Next year will be better!

Here is the card I created for both of them:

I saw these pretty flowers all over the stamping blogs and forums that I check regularly and definitely had to make one. They're made from the wings of the 2 Step Bird Punch - who would have thought? On each of the petals I sponged some ink to give it more dimension and layered them together with SNAIL adhesive.

I really had a lot of fun making this card. You could change the greeting to anything - Congratulations, Get Well, Happy Birthday - whatever you can think of!

Circle Circus Thank You

2010-08-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

I found this card online and just had to copy it! I love the Circle Circus stamp set and I'm always excited to see new ideas for using it.

After making a few small changes to the color scheme and greeting, here is my finished card!

(the date setting on my camera was apparently turned on, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to turn it off!)

Get Well Soon

2010-08-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

I made this card for my father-in-law who recently had surgery. There were a few complications and he was in the hospital longer than anyone anticipated, but we feel blessed that he's home and doing very well now. Harry loves his dogs, so I thought the Wellness Wishes set would be perfect. However, when I made the card I had no idea that he'd be as sick as he was. :(

I CASE'd this right out of last year's Idea Book and Catalog and only changed the ribbon. The original card used black striped ribbon and I only had red. This particular red (Riding Hood Red) is now retired, but SU offers it in Real Red.

I colored in the dog using my blender pens and ink pads - very quick and easy!

Catalog CASE

2010-08-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I was looking through my catalog and I realized something: it's filled with ideas that I want to try to duplicate, but I never do! It also occurred to me that with two little boys running around - usually in my stamp room, trying to drive me crazy - that I don't have the creative energy I used to. Sitting down to design a project seems like a monumental task when I'm exhausted - and that's most of the time.

So...why am I not utilizing my catalog? It is called an Idea Book after all. I decided to start at the beginning of the catalog and start CASEing the layouts I already love. In case you're unfamiliar with this term, CASE is an acronym from Stampin' Up! that stands for Copy and Share Everything.

Here is my first CASE from the new catalog:

I copied it from page 16 of the catalog. The hostess benefits this year include an adorable Simply Sent Kit - it's a must have! Since I don't have the kit, I had to use some retired supplies, but I love the end result.

I can't remember the name of the stamp set I used, so I'll have to look it up when I'm back home and I'll put a supply list on here for you :)

Quick Birthday Cards

2010-08-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

I needed to make some quick birthday cards and these definitely fit the bill. I wish I could remember where I got the inspiration for the layout, but...it's already been a couple of weeks since I made them, so of course I'm not going to remember ;)

The Designer Series Paper and striped ribbon is now retired, but the stamps and and cardstock aren't so you can purchase those if you'd like :)

Supplies:

Card stock: Bashful Blue, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Pacific Point
DSP: I honestly can't remember what it's called - when I get back from vacation I'll look it up.
Stamps: Birthday Bliss
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi and Bashful Blue
Accessories: Blender Pens, Scallop Edge punch, Big Shot Circle Die
Embellishments: Pumpkin Pie and Bashful Blue striped ribbon

*Retired supplies are listed in red.

Thank You

2010-08-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

If you saw the video I posted a little bit ago about the new colors, then you've already seen a version of this card. Carrie Cudney created it and I just had to CASE it - adorable!

I didn't have enough of the Marina Mist card stock to make as many cards as I wanted, so I changed the colors around a bit and used Pretty in Pink for the card base. I love the way it turned out. So easy and fast, but it makes a beautiful thank you card.

Circle flowers

2010-07-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Now that my studio is organized and I can actually find my supplies, I'm back to stamping! I just can't stay away from my room. And I'll admit it - the kids are watching lots of T.V. while I'm down here. I justify that by having them watch educational shows :)

I recently had a crop night with some friends from church and I designed this card for a make and take. Although we didn't have a great turnout (everyone is out of town on vacation), my sister and I had a great time putting these together. I think they turned out adorable!

I'll warn you now, most of my projects lately use at least one retired item, but I'm not trying to tease you with products that you can't purchase. It's just that I haven't been selling the way I used to, so I haven't earned as much free stuff from Stampin' Up! as I have in the past and without the extra income I haven't even been able to order from the new catalog! Just in case you're wondering - it's killing me!! I'm drooling over all the new papers, embellishments and ribbons!

However, with my studio put together I'm feeling more professional and I think I'm up to holding an open house so that I can get back in the swing of things.

Stampin' Up! demos can access a Ning site called 'Stampin' Connection' and it's a great place for all of us to share ideas and stamping tips. That's where I found the inspiration for this project. :) Putting these cards together was simple and fast - I think I made eight of them in a little over an hour.

I used my Big Shot to cut out the circles, then sponged ink around the outside and crumpled each one. After that I layered them all together and put a brad through the middle. I adhered it to the card using a Pop Up Glue Dot and that was it. Super easy!

Supplies:

Cardstock: Pacific Point, Green Galore, Apricot Appeal, Whisper White

DSP: Rainbow Sherbet

Stamps: Sweetheart, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Punches: Word Window, Modern Label

Big Shot Die: Circles #2

Embellishment: Rhinestone Brads Circle Fire

*Retired products are listed in red.