Sassy Stampers Stamp Camp - January 7, 2023 Longmont, Colorado

This is the card the campers will be making at my table. I wanted something bright and cheery as we begin this 2023! The card base is Balmy Blue with a layer of Polished Pink and then a piece of dsp from the Fitting Florets designer series paper pack. I used Balmy Blue ribbon and added a scalloped oval in Polished Pink with a Bright White layer stamped in Polished Pink with a Framed Florets sentiment. Both ovals were cut from the ovals die set. The white stamped oval was embellished with gems from the Fine Sparkle Adhesive Backed Gems pack. 

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Snowed In!

We were gifted with a wet and heavy blanket of snow overnight. Luckily we did not lose power or our internet/tv/phone services. Others were not as lucky. I know that PA and NY state had a lot more than this, so we feel pretty lucky (and we really need the moisture)! We lost a big branch in the backyard and the grape arbor is a real mess, but otherwise we are very fortunate. The bird feeders out front have been busy with birds clearing the snow off and having their breakfast!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

15 Years Ago ...

15 years ago on December 29, 2007, I started this blog. It's been with me through lots of changes and experiences and I am grateful for all of you who come to visit and all of you who leave me comments. As I embark on another year I can't help but think about the journey I have been on to get here and all of the things I have done and all the things I still want to experience. The future looms ahead of me and I am excited!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!   

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Festivus and best wishes for any other holiday your family may be celebrating. We are in a bit of a deep freeze but it doesn't seem to have dampened spirits around here. I hope that you and your families are all safe, warm and happy!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Another Winter Card

I can't seem to stop making winter themed cards! Here is the latest:

I saw several cards online using this technique and I dug out my Snowman dies and decided to give it a try. This was made from scraps that were laying on my (very messy) desk and the sentiment is from the Snowflake Wishes set and is embossed on the black card base with white embossing powder. I have had mixed results with heat embossing, but I think this came out just fine. Not sure what the blue colored paper is, but I think it's Orchid Oasis. I added some blue rhinestones from last year's Holiday Rhinestone Basic Jewels to the center of some of the white snowflakes and called it done!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Changed my mind ...

After consulting with my fellow demos and experimenting with other color combinations, here is the card the campers will be making at my table at Stamp Camp North:

Basically the same card, but switched up the die I used for the sentiment and used a Soft Succulent card base. I added a red rhinestone to the sentiment since I wasn't using the fancier die from the Labels Aglow die set. I really love the Soft Succulent paper and am sad that it will be retiring in May. One can only hope that it will show up again in the next color refresh as a regular SU color! 

Camp on Saturday looks to be a really good one with lots of campers and the demos are planning to go all out to celebrate the holidays. Also, my granddaughter Isabella will be coming with me and she is a favorite of the campers and my fellow demos alike. She's a really special kid and is also a very talented artist. She is now a junior in high school and this afternoon I got totally lost looking at all my pictures of when she and her twin brother were born and from their earlier years. She is growing up to be a really great person and I just love her so much. I will try to take a picture of her on Saturday and share it with you.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Card for SCN - December 10, 2022

Here's my card for December's Stamp Camp North:

I really love the Boughs of Holly dsp! The card base is Mossy Meadow with a layer of Real Red and then the dsp. The greeting and it's coordinating die cut are from Brightest Glow and Labels Aglow and I stamped it in Real Red and mounted it on a scalloped circle of Real Red that I die cut from the Layering Circles dies. I added a few Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels for a little bling! I don't know what I will put on the inside yet, that's a task for next week.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Stamp Camp North - December 2022

Next Saturday, December 10, is Stamp Camp North. Always a fun event, but even more fun in December when we have our Christmas celebration. Here's more information on this event:

Sure hope you can join us for a really fun event! 

Now that I have finished my design and cutting for our Sassy Stamp Camp, I've started thinking about my card for Stamp Camp North. I think it will be a holiday card and I am really liking some of the cards I am seeing using the Boughs of Holly designer series paper. Think I may play around with that a bit! Stay tuned for more on that soon.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Cards for Sassy Stampers - December 2022

I am planning to give the campers a choice of dsp at this month's camp. Here are the cards:

Card bases are Basic White heavy cardstock with a layer of Night of Navy and a layer of dsp from the Storybook Gnomes pack. I added a laser cut snowflake from the Wonderful Snowflakes pack and sentiment from Joyful Flurry and silver foil strips cut with the dies from the Frosted Flurry dies. Many thanks go to my friend Cathy Hansen for the suggestion of the sentiment as I didn't think I had one that said "Let it Snow" that was current and she pointed it out! Thanks Cathy!

The inside is layered on a piece of Night of Navy cardstock and contains a snowflake and sentiment from the Joyful Flurry stamp set.

This camp is always lots of fun and the weather is predicted to cooperate! It snowed last night and part of today but there was not much accumulation. Glad we got errands run yesterday!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Sassy Stampers - December 2022

December is rapidly approaching as is our December Sassy Stampers stamp camp. We have a ton of fun at this camp and here is some more information about how to get signed up:

I'll be back tomorrow with a sample of my card so stay tuned!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I want to send out thankful wishes to all of my American friends that celebrate Thanksgiving Day! When I stop to think about all the people in the world who are suffering, who don't have a bountiful, hot meal or heat in their homes or homes at all, I feel so thankful and grateful to live in a country that, while flawed, is still a better place to be.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Longmont Senior Center Christmas Class

Today is my Christmas class at the Longmont Senior Center. I look forward to this class every year. Here is the goodie bag the students will receive:

In the bag are a couple of Ghirardelli chocolates, and some tags and a desktop calendar that I made. Here are the cards they will be making:

The cards are variations on some other cards I have made and they will add some Wink of Stella to both images to spice them up a bit. The holly stamp is from Dyan Reaveley called Holly and the Ivy and was colored using Stampin' Blends. The Santa stamp is from October's Paper Pumpkin kit and was also colored using Stampin' Blends. The dsp is from the Lights Aglow set from SU.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  \ 

f you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

More Christmas Cards

I've kind of been on a bit of a roll with Christmas cards this year. Here are a couple more:

I used the same dsp - Boughs of Holly - and added labels cut from the Labels Aglow die set along with some snowflakes from a couple retired SU sets. The sentiments came from the Brightest Glow stamp set and were stamped in Real Red and Evening Evergreen. Card bases were Evening Evergreen and Soft Succulent. Layers of Evening Evergreen and Real Red were topped with the pieces of dsp from Boughs of Holly. Added gems from the Red Rhinestone Gems and 2021-2023 In Color Opal Rounds.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Couple of Christmas Cards

Well, it was snowy and cold this morning, so I hunkered down in the craft cave and made some Christmas cards. I recently got the Christmas Banners bundle and thought I'd give it a spin:

The snowflakes on the bottom card are from a die set from SU last year. The dsp is from the Boughs of Holly pack. The top card has a Cherry Cobbler card base with a layer of Evening Evergreen. The bottom card has a card base of Evening Evergreen with a layer of Real Red. I stamped both banners with Real Red and Evening Evergreen.  The die cuts on the top card are from the Christmas Banner die set cut using Mossy Meadow, Evening Evergreen and Cherry Cobbler. These were fun to make and I hope to make a few more. The gems are Red Rhinestone Basic Jewels.

We decided to venture out this afternoon to get our flu shots. Then, since it had stopped snowing and the roads were pretty clear, we dropped cards off to Cathy Hansen for Crazy Card Chics. More snow due tonight - yuck!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Crazy Card Chics - November 2022

It's time again for another Crazy Card Chics virtual stamp camp. Here is the card the gals will get in their kits from me:

The Grinch is one of my favorite Christmas characters so I thought I would make a card using Grinch-y images! I found a Grinch font and got some stamps from Crackerbox Stamps (they have some awesome ones) and picked up a few more fun graphics from Etsy. The card base is Granny Apple Green with a layer of Poppy Parade that was embossed using the Whimsical Woodland 3D embossing folder. I used punches for the sentiment and the scalloped circle under it and the Grinch was colored using Stampin' Blends and cut out using one of the dies from the Color and Contour dies. I added a couple of yellow gems and added the inside (computer generated). A very fun card to make and I have a couple of folks in mind to send mine to!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!   

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Veteran's Day

Veteran's Day honors those who have served in the U.S. armed forces.  My dad and my brothers all served. It is a day to remember why we have the freedoms that we have and to be grateful to all of those who ensured them.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  
 
If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Stamp Camp North - November 2022

Stamp Camp North at the Elks Lodge in Westminster, Colorado is this weekend and I am really looking forward to it. It's our semi-annual craft sale as well and you can come and pick out some gifts or you can also get some fun crafting supplies and make your own gifts! Here is my card:

Santa's hat and beard are highlighted with Wink of Stella and I used a Cherry Cobbler marker on his hat and Stampin' Blends #SU800 on his face. The gold snowflakes were die cut from the Chic dies and the littlest one is from the Frosted Flurry dies. The main color on this card is Cherry Cobbler and I used Gold Foil and some papers from the Lights Aglow 6x6 paper pack. Santa is from October's Paper Pumpkin kit and the sentiment is computer generated and cut out using the Stitched Rectangle dies. Fun card!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Fitting Florets products now for sale!

I recently received an order that contained the Fitting Florets stamps, dies and designer series paper. Here's what I made with them:

The papers in this pack are absolutely gorgeous! I am loving them. The top card is on a Night of Navy base with a layer of Basic White under the dsp. I used stamps and dies from the bundle to create the rest. The spray is cut in Silver Foil and I die cut two of the flowers from the dsp to go at the bottom of the oval and embellished the centers with Fine Sparkle Adhesive Gems. The oval was cut in Night of Navy and Basic White. The sentiment was stamped with Night of Navy. The bottom card is on a Soft Succulent base with a layer of Evening Evergreen under the dsp. I stamped the Happy Birthday from Celebrate With Tags and popped it up on dimensionals and added the little leaf cluster stamped in Evening Evergreen and colored with a Soft Succulent marker that I then die cut.

It is fun playing with new products! This suite of products is available from November 1 through January 4. You can get more information on my Stampin' Up! website.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Another fun card!

I saw this card and immediately fell in love with the color combination so I wanted to give it a try. Here is the result:

I used the layering squares dies to cut the colored images which were added to Granny Apple Green scalloped squares and then popped up using dimensionals. The card base is Gorgeous Grape with two strips of Gorgeous Grape added to a Basic White layer which was then embossed using a retired SU folder called Bark 3D. I did the Thinking of YOU cards using it one way and the Happy Birthday using it the opposite way. On both cards I used the de-bossed side of the paper. The flowers and the Happy Birthday sentiment are from Happiness Abounds and I believe the Thinking of YOU is from an old Paper Pumpkin set. Both were stamped with Gorgeous Grape prior to embossing. I added some gems from the Glossy Dots Assortment to give it some bling. Flowers were colored using SU markers. I made two of each sentiment and they will be packaged in an acetate box for sale.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Some more technique playing

I saw this technique on this blog and (of course) I had to try it. Soft Seedlings is one of my favorite sets from the July-December Mini catalog and it worked very well for this technique.

I made 2 each of the sentiments and have boxed them up to sell at one of the craft sales this month.  I have another card to show you tomorrow that I am also going to box up and sell. 

The card base is Pumpkin Pie with a layer of Daffodil Delight. I stamped the leaf cluster in Daffodil Delight, then in Pumpkin Pie and finally in Cherry Cobbler. I just love this color layering effect! Sentiments are stamped in Pumpkin Pie and the Thinking of You is from Soft Seedlings and the Happy Birthday is from Happiness Abounds. I added some Glossy Dots Assortment to give it a little bling.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials usedn the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.

Playing some more ...

I saw this technique called Four Corners Stamping on Mary Knabe's blog and just had to try it out. I used an 8½  x 11 sheet of basic white paper trimmed to 7½  x 10.  Then I stamped in a line at the halfway point both horizontally and vertically. I cut the paper into 3½  x 5 sheets and arranged them on basic white card bases with a layer of Mossy Meadow. I stamped using Mossy Meadow, Pear Pizzazz, Crumb Cake and Cherry Cobbler. I made 4 cards and used some sentiments I had (of course I can't find them now - I really need to clean up in here).

I am busily preparing for all the great activities in November. Sassy Stampers is on the 5th in Longmont. Stamp Camp North is on the 12th in Westminster. Both camps have holiday sales going on at the camps! The Crazy Card Chics are having a virtual stamp camp so I will be prepping some card kits for that. The Senior Center in Longmont is hosting my monthly Creative Card Making class on the 21st and it is our annual Christmas Class! Fellow teacher Cathy Hansen and I will have several Christmas related projects for the ladies to make. 

Then there is Thanksgiving! We customarily have all the kids and their kids here for dinner that day and I am looking forward to doing it again this year. We (or should I say "he" and I help a little bit) cooks all the basics and then the kids fill in the extras. It is a fun time for all!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you are all staying healthy and safe!  

If you have any questions about the techniques or materials used in the work displayed on this blog, feel free to use the email link on the left and I will gladly answer your questions.