Aww.... little Hopper!

I'm not sure if our family gets an award for three casts in a month, but that's what has happened, unfortunately! 

First, my Mom took a spill and broke her ankle - right after returning home from the Stampin' Up! convention. Not what she needed at all!

Then our grand daughter, Kaylee, took a spill on a three-wheeler and broke her arm. Big ouches! And very lucky she wasn't hurt worse!

And now her sister, Hope

- or as she is affectionately called "Hoppers" took a nasty spill on a trampoline last weekend and didn't fair too well. 

She's a bright eyed, bouncy little gal - our youngest grand-daughter and I have a feeling she won't be slowed down much!

Headed in for surgery, or a "nap" (as she was told) so the Doctor can fix her arm.

More than ready to go home after surgery!
Love the color you chose for your cast!
Feelin' for you, Hope, and hope you heal quickly.

And, hopefully, that's the end of broken limbs!

There's only one more day to take advantage of the great Spooktacular Offer!

Click here for details!

Happy Birthday, Dear Dad!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Our family has quite a few birthdays in August and two of them were this last weekend. Actually, the oldest and youngest men in our family! My Dad was one of them. I thought I would share the card I made for him  along with one of my favorite pictures of him.

At school, in Germany, age thirteen.

And a little more up-to-date!

My Dad on the right, his twin in the middle (yep, they're twins!) and my brother on the left. Now, I do have to say that if any one of these three guys knew they were on my blog they .... well, I'm not sure they're going to find out! You're not telling, right?

Dad, we love you muchly! Right to the moon and back and wish you a year of health and happiness!

And here's the little guy that turned one!

He's our youngest grandson and he's a sweetie.

Cody bug, you're the best! Love you bunches!

 

Here is how I custom sized the label.
Stamp sentiment. Die cut one label,
off centering the sentiment

Die cut it again, scooting the card stock over so the
sentiment is centered

 

The Vintage Trinket Brads - love them!

And Brushed Bronze Buttons!

About the card - check out the wonderful Natural Composition Specialty paper, the Bronze Designer Buttons and the perfect little Vintage Trinket Brads.

Natural Composition Specialty Paper

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Vintage Trinkets

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Brushed Bronze Buttons

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A Brand New Tutorial! Summer Harvest in a Jar!

Summer Harvest in a Jar!

Welcome to a brand new tutorial! Have you noticed how Mason jars are so popular right now?

Well, so has Stampin' Up! and they've created a wonderful stamp set called Perfectly Preserved along with a coordinating die, Cannery Set. They also have a new Designer Series paper, Orchard Harvest, and coordinating fabric!
It's available now in the Holiday catalog.

 I've fallen in love with them and created an ensemble that's perfect for fall gift giving. The set includes two cards, a recipe card holder (with recipe cards), gift tags in their own little pocket holder and a gift box all dressed up ready to go.

Here's the inside of the Recipe Holder - cute as can be!

How about a woodgrained card complete with a see-through Mason jar filled with fruit!
Sweet!

And then there's the Kraft Gift box stamped with Mason jars and dressed up ready to give!

The tutorial and/or kit are available today!
But wait there's more! Stampin' Up! has created bundles - when you purchase the Perfectly Preserved and the Cannery Set together you save 15%! Very nice, but..... when you purchase the bundle online through stampsnsmiles you receive the tutorial for free and receive an additional discount!

Summertime fruit isn't the only thing that's sweet!

I've streamlined the tutorial (you're going to love it!), so for those of you who like to work quickly and efficiently, you can now cut all your paper at once, complete all your stamping and then just sit down and assemble!  The tutorial includes 25 pages of clearly written instructions including many photos.
I haven't forgotten those of you who may just want to create one project at a time - those instructions are there also.

Summer Harvest in a Jar is also available as a kit. Mailed to you within three business days, with all supplies pre-cut ready to go! Invite a friend and stamp together!

         Summer Harvest Tutorial $3.95                            Summer Harvest Kit $24.95

        immediate download                                            incl. tax, s/h and download
                                                   

Perfectly Preserved Bundle

                                   Wood Mount                                             Clear Mount

                            $49.95 incl. tax & s/h                              $43.95 incl. tax & s/h
                          free tutorial download!                              free tutorial download!

                                                                               

Just a Sneak Peek of Summer in a Jar!

I hope you're having a wonderful Friday....

the kids are back in school, the summer's coming to a close and it's time to have some fun creating! To help you do just that I have a new project ready to go! Just a sneak peek of it for today, tho.

Summer in a Jar! 

Memories and seashells,

Photos and sand.

Apples and cherries,

Pears from the land.

Scrapbooks and paper,

Ribbon and twine.

Help preserve mem'ries,

Especially mine.

Summer's 'bout over,

Fall's peeking thro'

Quick stamp a card!

Create something new.

Alrighty,then! Not sure what prompted all that, but I am excited about my brand new tutorial that celebrates this time of year! It's streamlined to help you create quicker than ever.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow as I present

"Summer in a Jar!"

Okay... one more sneak peek!

 

Halloween Challenge!

Thinking about the fun and spooky holiday coming up? Me, too! I decided to play along with the Pals Paper Arts Challenge PPA141

 Banners are all the rage right now - easy to create and a great embellishment! 

To add a little something I trimmed the selvages from a length of Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon and then frayed it a bit. Adds just the right amount of wispy eeriness!

The sentiment is from a new stamp set Seasonal Sayings, which includes special wishes for Christmas, Valentines, Thanksgiving and birthday (or any occasion).

Seasonal Sayings

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And check out these great bronze buttons - new in the Holiday catalog, also!

Brushed Bronze Buttons

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Keep watching for a great Halloween tutorial - available in September!

A Spooktacular Offer!

Just a reminder..... this Spooktacular offer ends on August 31st! Sign up as a demonstrator today for only $99.00 (and receive $125.00 of product customized by you!) and receive all the supplies to create this amazing decorative tray. Change it out for the seasons. Let's make one together!

One of the many things that I love about Stampin' Up! is the ability to do busines "My Way". It's Stampin' Up's theme this year and they are helping us do just that.

 "My Way" , personally, is to create a business that I can manage mostly online. I've made friends around the world while sharing what I love to do. I enjoy being able to work from home (sometimes in my jammies!) and set my own hours. I like the ability to keep my family a priority and still earn an income. And I love having fun!

Join my stampsnsmiles team today and here is what you'll enjoy!

• Receive all my tutorials for free! Use them for yourself or as ready-made classes
• A 20% discount on all your orders!
• Free monthly Stampin' Success magazine!
• Access to Stampin' Connections - thousands of online inspirational ideas!
• An opportunity to create income from home and/or online!
• Earn Great Rewards - free product!
• Earn amazing incentive trips! Any one of these is a great reason to become a demonstrator.
  Join the fun today!

Simply click here to join now or contact me to chat.

By the Seashore is back!

Happy Tuesday! I decided to bring back one of the cards that was a bit in the background yesterday and tell you a bit more about it.

I absolutely love the Woodgrain embossing folder! In muted colors and combined with shells it reminds me of driftwood. It's brand new and featured in the Holiday Catalog pg 33.

I used it for my background on the 3" x 3" love note.

The card base is Baja Breeze.... ahhhh - love the sound of that!

The shell is done in Crumb Cake (I used MDS2!) and then edged with Glass Stampin' Glitter. I combined the Champagne and Silver glitter to give it a real beachy feel.It's simply adhered with a bit of Multipurpose Glue.

Wouldn't a set of six of these make a perfect little gift?

      Click here to order your By the Seashore Digital Download

or contact me here for more info.

By the Seashore Digital Download
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By the Seashore!

Creative bloggers may be working on fall projects and the kids may be back in school, but it is still summer! 

So, let's not hurry the season. Take a step back, breathe in the summer breeze, feel the sand under your toes and just relax for a few!

I have a sign in my stampin' room that simply says "breathe" and sometimes that's what I need to do. Seriously, I do forget to breathe on occasion! Okay, maybe I don't "forget" but I do tend to not breathe every once in a while when I'm going a million miles an hour! Anyone else do that?

So, today some nice refreshing, beachy type cards. Cool, summery colors with just a bit of embellishment. May they bring a calmness to your day!

Here's a close up of the bow dealie. I frayed a four inch length of the brand new 7/8" Cotton Ribbon 127844 and tied around it with Crumb Cake Seam Binding Ribbon. Notice the wonderful shell tied in behind? It's from By the Seashore.

 It's a beautiful set, that I didn't happen to have, so..... I did what any good stamper would do - I downloaded it! I love MDS2! A minute later I had it ready to use!

All from By the Seashore... you'll be wanting to add it to your collection, I know!

Receive your free trial of MDS2 today! Check it out here! And did you know that while you're enjoying the free trial you can also purchase any of the downloads?

By the Seashore is only $3.95  Purchase here!

By the Seashore

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OR

 By the Seashore Digital Download
(includes card layout)

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Back to School Again!

Just a few more back to school cards...

and then I'll move on to fall and other fun things!

I just love combining the Perfectly Preserved stamp set and Storytime DSP - apples and school have always gone together.

And just one more....

Greeting Card Kids, what a sweet little stamp set! Perfect with lined paper from Storytime DSP and a brand new No. 2 pencil.

Just a little pop of color on the kiddos!

Greeting Card Kids

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Perfectly Preserved Bundle

(save 15%)

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Order your products online today!

My Digital Studio 2 - check it out!

My Digital Studio 2

Hello, happy Friday to each of you. Today I want to share a great video that introduces MDS2 - Stampin' Up!'s amazing updated digital studio program.

It's easy to order, easy to download and easy to use. Perfect for the person on the go and gives you access to hundreds of creative ideas for scrapbooking, cardmaking, wonderful party favors and treats.

Here are a few of the reasons I love it.

• No waiting for an order to arrive - download immediately!
• Less expensive than the actual product
• Quickly change the size of fonts and stamps for any particular project
• New downloads every Tuesday

Click here for more info!

And It's Back to School!

Well, it's not September, but it is back to school for many. Does it not hold the best of memories? New clothes, brand new backpack, crisp apples and sharp No. 2 pencils! Can it get much better than that?

I loved the beginning of school; notebooks with blank pages to be written in, what should I wear on the first day, and new friends just waiting to be met!

I think I loved the new start it was. I would plan out my clothes - how long could I go before having to wear the same outfit again? I'd plan breakfast - always Cream of Wheat, weird, huh?

I'd write out a schedule, I guess I've always loved the planning. Just have to work on the follow-through! Anyone else in that same boat?

So here's a back to school card - five grandkiddos in school this year!  K, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th, how time flies! Treats to make, cards to send, teachers to thank! Oh, my, I need to get busier!

Storytime Designer Series Paper - I love the bright colors and have to say I'm really enjoying Gumball Green!

Memorable Moments is a great stamp set and look how beautifully the label stamp works with the Labels Collections Framelits. It's so easy to get a crisp, clear look to your work.

Perfectly Preserved works perfectly for back to school also! You'll be seeing many, many projects using this stamp and die set this fall. And, did you know, it's available as a bundle! Save 15% when you purchase the stamp set and the die cut together. Shop now!

Perfectly Preserved Bundle

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Memorable Moments

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Oh, Canada!

As you may know, we took a bit of a break and spent some time in Canada last week. Most of our time was spent in Harrison Hot Springs, BC - a wonderful resort area, but we also managed dinner on Bainbridge Island, sightseeing in Vancouver, and brunch at the Space Needle (yummy!)

To back it up a bit (like 35 years!), as very young newlyweds, we lived in the Yukon Territory of Canada. 

  During our two and a half years there we made some very, very good friends. Most of them we've seen only once, maybe twice, since we moved away; but during our time there we became close, as you tend to do when you're living in a rather remote area.

So... last week, a dream came true and eighteen of us originals got together at Harrison, reminiscing, boating, coffee-ing, eating,  talking, coffee-ing, eating, talking. It was an absolute perfect time together! 

 Sadly, we lost one of our friends two weeks before our reunion and that made our time together seem more special and now we've made plans to get together again in two years.

Now we're back home, the laundry and unpacking is done and it's time to get the thank you's made and mailed. I decided to  use the Canadian flag as my inspiration, keeping it simple but with a bit of embossing.

I was able to just squeak the maple leaf die onto the corner of the card front (who else wishes all the dies were now Framelits so you could just place them any old place on the card? I do!)

Did you notice how perfectly the "thank you" fits onto the Apothecary Framelit - lovin' it!

 Autumn Accents Bigz Die 127812

Apothecary Accents Framelit 127003

Stripes Embossing Folder 123128

Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder 117335

Perfectly Penned122890w

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And CONGRATULATIONS! to Paula Newman for being chosen to receive the Lacy & Lovely Stamp Set! So many of you guessed correctly - it was the Blue Ribbon stamp set that I used.

 Paula, your stamp set is in the mail! I hope you enjoy it and perhaps you'll share one of your creations with us!

And because I know you want to see a couple of pictures from Harrison - here they are!