Happy New Year

 

I would like to wish each and every one of you a very Happy New Year!  Thank you so much for your business this past year and I look forward to working with you this coming year.

Best Wishes for a wonderful 2011!

Stampers 6 Clubs

With a fresh new year almost upon us, I am starting up a new Stampers 6 Club!!! Would you be interested in learning new techniques every other month? Maybe try some new products Stampin’ Up! comes out with? No obligation to clean your house, invite guests or prep food, but still have an opportunity to earn Stampin’ Up’s amazing hostess rewards while enjoying a fun night out with the girls? Joining a Stampers 6 Club may be just want your looking for!

What is a Stampers 6 Club? It’s a great opportunity to meet other stampers who love and enjoy stamping as much as you do while spending an evening doing just that! I keep my clubs small (groups of 6 people) so the evenings are fun and relaxing. We meet in my home once every other month over the course of a year (works out to 6 club meetings). Each time we meet, I’ll have new and exciting projects we’ll stamp – we may learn new techniques or try using new products! If there is a particular technique or product you’d like to try, I will certainly do my best to accommodate that during the club! Each club member will have the opportunity to receive all the hostess benefits and rewards from that club meeting during the duration of the club!

Here are a few of the club projects I've offered at previous clubs:

What’s required? At each club meeting, each club member is required to place a single Stampin’ Up! order of a minimum of $35. This guarantees that each club member will receive the hostess rewards.

I would LOVE to start up a new club in January. If you’re interested in joining a club or maybe you have a group of friends who would like to join as your own club, definitely let me know!

Questions? Send me an email or give me a call and I would be happy to answer any questions you have.

I look forward to hearing from you!

Happy Stamping!

A Ribbon Slider Card - Dress up a Gift Certificate!

I LOVE gift certificates...I love giving them...I love receiving them. When I give someone a gift certificate though, I usually try to "dress it up" a little just to personalize the gift a bit. I've found that a ribbon slider card is perfect for gift certificates! This is one I made with my downline the other night.  (Click the pics for a closer peek)

It fits a standard size gift certificate perfectly!  Pull up on the ribbon and the card slides up out of the pocket!

If you're like me, you probably need to see a picture to fully understand how this is supposed to work. ;)  I've attempted to put together a rough drawing to explain it:

 

The ribbon is threaded through two punched holes at the top of the red cardstock with one "tail" on each side of the card.  The gift certificate is placed in the center of the ribbon and pushed down into the pocket pushing the ribbon down at the same time. (The ribbon keeps the card from sliding out the bottom of the pocket)  Then, the ribbon is tied at the top.  When you pull up on the ribbon, it slides the gift certificate up with it.
 

Add a package of hot chocolate mix and you've got a quick little stocking stuffer or gift for a friend or coworker.

SO cute!!!  Depending on the size of the pocket, this would also work with a package of gum or any other flat item!  If you're interested, I would be happy to post a simple tutorial so you can make your own!  Just leave me a comment below to let me know!

Happy Stamping!

12 Days of Christmas Count Down

I wanted to do something different this year and surprise my hubby with my own "12 Days of Christmas" count down. I've seen a few different versions and decided to keep it simple. I cut out 12 small boxes using my Big Shot and my Candy Wrapper die.  (An even simpler design would have been to use stamped envelopes).   I kept the decorating to a minimum and just used a punched piece of retired Christmas designer paper I had on hand along with a number I printed off my computer.  (Click the pics for a closer peek)

Each box contains a small slip of paper with the name of a "gift" on it. I've included a number of items including a box of his favorite cookies, a "date night in" allowing him to choose the movie, chocolates, etc.  (I really hope he's not reading this!!!) ;)

Along with the first box he received this morning, I'd written a quick note in a Christmas card just explaining the boxes.  I think he liked it!

Happy Stamping!

Pretty Poinsettia

One of the other hobbies that takes up some of my spare time is home decorating. I love shopping at thrift stores and garage sales searching for those hidden "treasures" to decorate our home. I'm also a huge fan of finding over priced items and then recreating them for a fraction of the cost!

One of the items I've seen a lot recently are pillows with beautiful fabric poinsettia flowers. I can sew and enjoy it, so when I started seeing these gorgeous pillows popping up online, I decided I wanted to try my hand at one. Rather than cut out each individual petal by hand, I decided to cut them out using my Big Shot and my 5 Point Star Bigz Die.

I had some thick white and green felt in my fabric stash and so I starting cutting. I sewed them together, added a few gold bells and I was finished! I'm so happy with the way it turned out!!!  (Click the pics for a closer peek)

Wouldn't this look adorable attached to a headband for a little girl?  Or what about an inexpensive present topper!  Decorations on a mantel?  So many ideas!!!


Now I just need to sew the actual pillow to attach it to.

Hope you like it!

For Sale Items - Updated!!!

I've just added a couple items to my "For Sale" list. Take a peek and definitely let me know if anything catches your eye.

Happy Stamping!

So, how much IS that?

You've probably seen Stampin' Up!s new Designer Fabric in the mini catalogue and noticed it's listed as a "fat quarter". Maybe you don't sew, or maybe you're like me and do sew, but still have no idea how much fabric that actually is! I "googled" it online and found this answer:

What is a Fat Quarter:  It's a quilters' cut of (usually) cotton fabric or other good quilting fabrics. It's a quarter yard of 44" wide fabric, but instead of being a strip that's 9" x 44" as it would be if you just bought 1/4 yd of fabric off the bolt, a fat quarter is an 18" x 22" rectangle. A piece of fabric 36" (1 yard) x 44" is cut into 4 equal pieces.

Fat eighths are 11" x 18" in case you see those advertised somewhere, too.

AND just because I'm a very visual learner, here's a picture:

With the 50% off sale on our fabric last week, I decided to order a package of each; our Candy Cane Christmas and our Deck the Halls.

Each package contains 3 different fabrics neatly folded up.  The Candy Cane Christmas came in a clear cello wrap and the Deck the Halls arrived in a white box...not sure why but that's fine. ;) 

I ripped the packages open as soon as they arrived...and immediately wished I'd ordered more!  The colors are absolutely GORGEOUS!!! I can see these looking beautiful folded and on display on an open shelf! ;)

I'd also forgotten that each package comes with a project brochure with directions for a few fabric projects.  Click on the pics for a closer peek:

Candy Cane Christmas

Candy Cane Christmas (fully unfolded)

Deck the Halls 

(partially unfolded - I just wanted to show you the patterns/colors)

You may notice that Stampin' Up! advertises the fabric as an Extra Fat Quarter.  I grabbed a measuring tape and quickly noticed that each piece is 18" x 28" - that's 6" wider than a regular fat quarter. :)

Gorgeous!  I can't wait to incorporate this beautiful fabric in to some of my craft projects.

Oh, and just something to keep in mind...with the release of our upcoming Occasions Mini on January 4th (as a demonstrator I've already received my copy of the mini), there may possibly be more gorgeous fabric coming. *wink*   Oh my gosh - I am in SO much trouble!!! ;)

Happy Stamping!