Last Day Holiday Extravaganza, Blog Candy, and still hoping to hear from DS in Iraq….

Today is the last day to take advantage of the Stampin’ Up! Holiday Extravaganza sale… with items on sale at up to 50% off… you can’t lose!  Be sure to shop my online store HERE for specials today!

Blog Candy is nearing it’s goal.. 205,000 count, and I feel it is very near.  The candy offer was originally posted a couple weeks ago and will be given away when my visitor count reaches 205,000.  I hope you have left daily comments or more to increase your chances, I know Jennifer and Sandy have been in tight competition for the blog candy!  The number will be chosen randomly through random.org when the counter reaches 205,000… be sure to leave a comment to be entered to win!

On a personal and side note, please keep our DS in your prayers.  Garrett (we call him Gary) was deployed to Iraq in early September.  Initially we thought his functions would be similar to the last deployment (desk/air/internet/phone/guards) and have since found out this is not the case.  Gary and his friend Jeff are both in Iraq, working hard at their jobs in the USAF and have had little or no contact with families at home :(  Although we had hoped to hear from one or both of them at Thanksgiving, we did not… and to date have not.  They are both very strong, intelligent, with good heads on their shoulders… but you know when a Mom doesn’t hear, she begins to worry… so does Dad, so does Sis…

I’m working on my one sheet wonder and the Club cards for this week.. and they are turning out quite fun!  I will be sharing them along with some handmade jewelry this week, hope you’ll check back.

Thanks for your prayers, your following, and hugs to you and yours…

Technorati Tags: holiday extravaganza,stampin up,iraq,family

Pretty Christmas Cocoa Gift Card Holder

Yesterday I shared the Punchy Santa Gift Card Holder… and today I’ll share another gift card holder.  This one was for my downline team meeting swap last week… Each month we have a swap contest, and the team members always pick out my swap right away, so I try to change it up a bit… but they still know it’s mine :(  Can’t seem to fool or trick them!

The gift card holder is made from a 4.25 x 11” piece of whisper white cardstock which is scored at 3”, 5.5” and 8” and then folded to make one mountain, two valleys… kind of like a big W.  The center (smaller) sections are glued together (only along the bottom edge), and a word window punch is used to make a slot in which to insert the gift card.

Stampin’ Up! Supplies

Stamps:  Christmas Punch (hostess Level 2)

Classic Ink:  Soft Suede

Cardstock:  Whisper White, Ruby Red

Accessories:

• Christmas Cocoa DSP
• Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon
• Wide Oval Punch
• Paper Snips
• Stampin’ Dimensionals
• Snowflake Punch
• Playground Designer Buttons
• Linen Thread
• Mat Pack & Piercing Tool
• Eyelet Border Punch
• Word Window Punch

Dimensions:

Whisper White Cardstock

• 4.25 x 11” scored at 3”, 5.5”, and 8”
• 3/4” x 4” to punch eyelet border
• scraps to stamp and punch greeting and  snowflake

Ruby Red Cardstock 4 1/8” x 2 7/8”

Christmas Cocoa DSP:  4” x 2.75”

NOW… I know some of you are going to ask how I nested the greeting with the wide oval punch.  I wish I could say I had the perfect size punch to nest with the wide oval but I don’t so… I simply used paper snips to trim around the greeting on the line which was part of the stamp!  Then to hide any disparities I lightly inked the edges of the greeting by rolling in on my Soft Suede Classic Ink Pad…  perfectly nested duo!

The ribbon was not tied using one of the popular fancy tools, instead I opted to use the old ‘bunny ears’ technique which my DH used to teach the kids to tie their shoe laces!  (make two loops aka bunny ears, wrap one around the other, and down through the rabbit hole).  A little snail adhesive on the back side of the bow loops to hold them in place too.

See you tomorrow!

Technorati Tags: GIFT CARD HOLDER,Hostess sets,christmas punch,bunny ears,tying a bow,downline,team,swapa

Punchy Santa Gift Card Holder

This year has really flown by, hasn’t it?  It won’t be long until Christmas is here.. Yikes!  With our children overseas, and family out of state.. Gift Cards and handmade items are going to be the gifts of choice this year!

Segway to the Gift Card Holder:

Just playing around with scraps and rejects on my very cluttered stampin’ room table… and trying to come up with a swap for last weeks’ Downline Team meeting and this guy appeared!

The Kraft Cardstock was crimped and then turned 90 degrees and crimped again to give it the texture shown in the photo… and Santa’s beard was made by punching out an ornament from a finial press embossed sheet of whisper white cardstock.  I used the Designer Label Punch to take a bite from the top of the ornament to make room for Santa’s face.  A whole lot of punches used in a whole lot of ways…

Stamps:  Winter Post, Sanded

Ink:  Old Olive, Real Red

Cardstock:  Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White

Accessories:  Christmas Cocoa DSP, Crimper Tool, Crop-a-Dile Tool, Jumbo eyelets, real red narrow grosgrain ribbon, Finial Press Embossing folder, Word Window Punch, 1” Circle Punch, Ornament Punch, Stampin’ Write Markers, Stampin’ Dimensionals.

Remember the Santa’s Magic Key Ornament Card I posted a while ago?  I did tell you I was going to add something else to the ornament… and I did!  Almost forgot to share the finished Magic Key Card…

Isn’t it amazing what one little dimensional bird can do for an otherwise plain card?  Check out the original Santa’s Magic Key Ornament Card Post… Isn’t this one much better?

See you tomorrow with the Gift Card Holder I made for the Downline Team Meeting Swap last week!

Technorati Tags: punchy santa,ornament card,santa's magic key

A Lovely Day for a Lovely RAK… Guest Stamper Richard Garay!

They call it Black Friday… but today it’s RAK day, which makes it a very lovely day too!  RAK’s are Random Acts of Kindness… and these are the TWO RAKS I received in the mail this week from a demo friend, and today’s guest stamper: Richard Garay!

The first card share is… believe it or not, a card using the Pumpkin Patch Stamp Set from the Holiday Mini Catalog!  But, these pumpkins are cleverly disguised as glittery and glowing Christmas lights… How cool is that?

 

Stamps:  Pumpkin Patch, Four the Holidays, Sparkle & Shine (Jumbo Wheel)

Cardstock:  Old Olive, Real Red, Whisper White, Chocolate Chip

Classic Inks:  Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Old Olive

Accessories:  Scallop Edge Punch, dazzling diamonds, chunky glitter, crystal effects, 5/8” old olive grosgrain ribbon, jumbo wheel handle, stampin’ dimensionals

And here’s a second fun and fabulous RAK from Richard, featuring the “More the Merrier” Hostess Level 3 stamp set from the 2009 Idea Book & Catalog!

Stamps:  The More the Merrier, Sassy Sparkles (Jumbo Wheel)

Cardstock:  Bashful Blue, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White, Pretty In Pink

Classic Ink:  Basic Gray, Bashful Blue

Accessories:  Scallop Edge Punch, Silver Brads, stampin’ dimensionals, scallop oval punch, large oval punch, chunky glitter, Stampin’ Write Markers, tombow glue, Swirly sizzlit decorative strip die, Pink/White Narrow Gingham Ribbon

Hope you enjoyed these lovely RAKS, I know I did!  Be sure to stop by Richard’s Blog:  Fun Stampers’ Corner, and say Hello!

Have a wonderful Black Friday too!

Hugs,

Technorati Tags: raks,richard garay,fun stampers corner,chunky glitter,holiday mini catalog

A Blessed Thanksgiving to All

This is such a special time of year, as we gather with family and friends to celebrate the bounty and fruits of our labors.  In my own family, we are so fortunate to have been adopted by close family friends to share feast and friendship… a newer tradition for us, and certainly one we have come to enjoy and appreciate dearly.

Today, I thought I’d not only share a Thanksgiving card, but the memory of my first Thanksgiving Holiday with my sweet husband.

First the card…

Stamps:  Holiday Best, French Script

Card Stock:  Very Vanilla, Old Olive

Designer Series Papers:  Thoroughly Modern, Merry Moments

Accessories:  5/8” Old Olive Grosgrain, Crystal Brads, Wide Oval Punch, Soft Suede Classic Ink, and Sponge Dauber

I have to revisit my own family holidays… with Grandma preparing a feast for everyone and more food than we could ever consume.  That tradition of course continued with my own Mother, who stepped it up a notch to create not only a feast but an exquisite culinary achievement complete with enough home made desserts and pies to last for weeks!

Much to my new husbands’ surprise, when I prepared for our own first Thanksgiving dinner, the feast included so much food that we had to call all the neighbors to partake!  Imagine his face when I spread the table with:

• A 15 lb. turkey roasted in the oven
• Dressing
• Mashed Potatoes
• Gravy
• Tossed Salad
• Congealed Salad
• Apple Celery Salad
• Cranberry/Marshmallow/Pineapple Salad
• Corn
• Peas & Pearl Onions
• Green Bean Casserole
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Rolls and Butter
• Sour Cream Apple Pie
• Traditional Apple Pie
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Cheesecake
• Cookies, Brownies, and More…

Our holiday meals are much more simplistic these days… one meat, a yellow and a green vegetable, and perhaps one starch, one dessert.  We still over-eat… but we don’t have to eat leftovers for months!

Wishing a happy, safe, and blessed Thanksgiving Holiday to all of you!

Wellness Wishes.. Sick Puppy?

Honestly, I never even expected that this stamp would be mounted… when I first received it at the Stampin’ Up! Convention 2009, I truly wondered “What were they thinking?” 

But… over the past few weeks I have been quietly surveying my Stampin’ Up! Customers to make sure that they are happy with not only the quality of cards and designs we make in camps and classes, but also the types of cards we make.  Through the survey results, I discovered a very interesting void in my classes… a lack of Get Well Cards!  We make plenty of Birthday, “Thinking of You”, “Just a Note”, “Sympathy” and “Praying for You” cards… but for some reason we miss that always needed “Get Well” card.

That revelation forced me to take a second look at this little, inexpensive stamp set… and a “get well” card surfaced which everyone was quite happy with!  The little sick puppy on the pillow doesn’t seem so silly now… and perhaps we’ll find more use for this stamp set soon too!

Supplies

Card Stock:  Ruby Red, Whisper White, Sahara Sand, Bermuda Bay

Classic Ink:  Close to Cocoa

Designer Series Paper:  Holiday Lounge

Accessories:  Mat Pack and Piercing Tool; Stampin’ Write Markers in Ruby Red, Creamy Caramel, and Bermuda Bay; Silver Brads

Tomorrow is the American Thanksgiving Holiday… I’m missing both my children this year, my DD in Germany and DS in Balad, Iraq… luckily I have very close family friends which my DH and I will celebrate the season with.  I hope you and yours stay warm, enjoy wonderful friendships and food, and have a blessed holiday!

Technorati Tags: Wellness Wishes,Stampin' Up,Bermuda Bay,thanksgiving

Announcement… New 50/50 Club Enter Today!

What’s a 50/50 club?  Well, it’s an opportunity to win FREE merchandise from ME to YOU!  Easy as that… absolutely FREE.

For every $50.00 in merchandise purchased within a single paid online, telephone, or email order your name will be entered into one square of my 50/50 board.  There are 50 opportunities to win, and you will can have multiple opportunities to win too!  For each $50.00 merchandise increment, you get another square, and another, and another…

When all 50 squares are filled, one lucky winner will win a FREE $50.00* shopping spree… applicable to any current Stampin’ Up! Catalog…now, how cool is that?

And.. you can use your $50.00 merchandise shopping spree right away, or you can save it for a rainy day!  Simply place your order at my ONLINE Stampin’ Up! Store! 

*Note.. only redeemable through Sharon Field, Independent Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator

Questions?  Simply Contact Me!