Keeping Updated

Happy Monday to each of you! Just one more day of 2013 .... how did that happen? We have quiet plans for New Year's Eve this year..... how about you?

 

I was reminiscing about last year. We had quite a few friends over and all of them (even the ones younger than ourselves) left before midnight! We were joking that either we need to find a batch of younger friends or spice the evening up a bit.

 

A quiet New Years eve, or not, it's time to make some New Years Resolutions. So here are a few of mine - nothing earth shattering, just learning how to live better and kinder.

Say please and thank you oftener.

Read more books.

More dates with the hubby.

Help my Mom gently live her last days.

 

And to get ready for Valentine's Day - some fun products for you!

 

 

 

Click here to shop!

 

Monster Girl Hugs 132163 (come in boys too!)

 

Your kids will love giving these cute monsters away to their friends and classmates. Buy them the cutest valentines around. Only available for a limited time. Comes with 18 girl monsters, 18 googly eyes, 18 adhesive hearts.

Clearance Rack Blitz!

 

There's still time to enjoy the incredible savings! Check out all the wonderful products available to you at an amazing savings. Perfect for stocking stuffers.... for yourself, lol!
No, really, for your best friend, a fellow stamper or as an introduction to stamping for a neighbor or co-worker (and, yes, for yourself also)

 

 

Best of Christmas 132384

 

There's still time to stamp! Enjoy the best of the best for Christmas with this wonderful set. A great gift!

 Start shopping here

 

Coffee Cup Gift Cards

 

The Christmas season wouldn't be complete without a post of my Coffee Cup Gift Cards .... more on the way also. These little delights fit into a 3" x 3" envelope to send as a love note, or package a bunch of them for a wonderful present or thank you!

Punching a small hole at the top to create gift tags is another option. The Coffee Cup Gift Card directions can be found here.

 

And just an update on my sweet Mom.... as her ALS progresses a little more each month we benefit from her amazingly positive spirit. It's a tough, tough disease but she's sweeter and because of that she's the winner.

We're in the beginning stages of creating a blog for her - orleansjourney.blogspot.com and I'll be posting more on that soon.

 

Got a little mistletoe?

 

 

Are you feeling a like a little mistletoe would make your day? Me, too!

I'm so glad Stampin' Up! created this darling stamp - shown here in chalkboard style as an accent for a holiday card.

 

The extra cool thing about chalkboarding is that if you get a little extra embossing powder strewn here and there it doesn't much matter - just adds to the effect! I'll take every little help I can, how about you?

Add some awesome burlap ribbon on a snowflake embossed background of red and you have a simple card that's ready to go and sure to please.

 

 

Click here to see the flyer! You won't want to miss it! And click here to start shopping!

 

Festive Flurry

Add a little festive flare to your holiday decorating with Stampin' Up's new Festive Flurry Ornament Kit!
Top presents, embellish cards, create a wintery garland, or trim the tree. How you use them is up to you!

The kit includes everything you need (minus adhesive) to create 10 snowflakes, including

• 10 feet of Soft Sky Ribbon
• Printed cardstock - die cut and scored, ready to be assembled (Soft Sky, Crumb Cake, Whisper White Cardstock and Silver Glimmer Paper)
• Large Rhinestone Basic Jewels (40)

All for just $14.95  Order your Festive Flurry Ornament Kit online here today!

Thankful

 

Thankful...

Every season is a season for being thankful .... and fall just captures it best of all.  Don't you just love the autumn colors and the feeling crispness in the air?

I combined all kinds of new products in this card and had a good time doing it. I especially love the Thinlits and how well they work. Hint: I place a piece of waxed paper between my cardstock and the Thinlit Die so the sentiment pops out easily!

Expressions Thinlits Die #132171
Shop for them here!
 

 

 

Chocolate Cranberry Truffles
(my name for them)

 

And a new recipe today in my gradual effort to work towards eating more raw food. Any raw foodies out there?

I found this delightful recipe here, at ohsheglows.com and changed it up a bit with what I had on hand by substituting dried cranberries for the cherries and adding a tablespoon of water to make it moist enough to create these amazing energy balls...... yummy!


And now... how to use the Thinlits
 

 

It's a Most Wonderful....

 

So, here's something wonderful! A beautiful collection of My Digital Studio downloads at 30% off! Now that's a nice early present and allows you to save a little while creating amazing Stampin' Up! projects.

 

Click here to download the flyer!

My Mom....

 

I'm breaking blogger rules today and smiling the entire time. I'd like to showcase a Halloween card creatively crafted by my Mom (read more about her here). It's not the Mom part that breaks the rules, but the fact that all the supplies aren't current, smile! Just using what she had on hand and helping me out by using up some of my outdated supplies.

 

 

I love her use of Witches Brew DSP which lends itself so well to trimming for a unique border.
 

 

And my Mom, with her sweet smile and amazing attitude.... the best of the best! Thank you cousin Kevin for coming to visit - loved every minute of having you here.

 

        Witches Brew 132185

 
 
 
 
 
 
An

 

A Fun Way to Build a Stampin' Up! Business

 

Would it completely make your day if someone handed you a lovely little 3 x 3 card wrapped in a simple cellophane bag? I would love, love it!

 

Learning from my awesome upline, Becky Roberts, it's a simple way to build this amazing Stampin' Up! business!

 

Keep a couple of small cards or projects in your purse and as you go about your day, to the grocery store, the post office, the park, the gas station, you will come in contact with lots of people - many of them that go the extra mile or have an extra smile. That's the person you'd like to gift with a simple little thank you! Just a heartfelt "thank you, you did a great job" and then hand them a little card, complete with your contact info on the back. Mine say
"more fun projects at stampsnsmiles.blogspot.com"

 

And then leave it there.... if it piques their interest in your business and how you make such fun stuff, great. If not, they'll still appreciate the thank you and you'll feel like your day meant a little more also.

 

Awesome stuff - this Stampin' Up! business!

 

Click here if you'd like more information about how you can join my Stampsnsmiles team!

All Kinds of Fun Things!

We’ve got a party for you: 25% off 25 stamps from October 22–28. (Not to mention a delicious looking cake for your screen staring pleasure. We recommend you go buy a real one and turn this whole screen thing into a 4-D experience. Then get busy stamp shopping.)

 

Click here for the flyer!

 

 

Congratulations to Karen, Kathryn and Brenda - brand new Stampin' Up! demonstrators. I'm so glad you chose to be part of my team!

 

The fantastic promotion that allows you to sign up for only $25 has been extended through midnight tonight, October 22, 2013.

 

Here's a great little perk that goes along with it:

First Workshop Perks

• If you place your first workshop order of at least $150 within 30 days of your start date, you can:
• choose any stamp set from the 2013-2014 annual catalog (redeemable with your first demonstrator order in December).*

Get started today by clicking here or click here to see some of the additional benefits of being part of my team!

It's time to join!

It's the last day of this amazing offer! 

If you've ever thought (even once) of becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, just for fun, for money, for discounts or to build an incredible business - well, now is the most perfect time! It's the perfect time because; it's right before the holidays, everyone wants to create, we can all use a discount and we all love special access to thousands of new stamping ideas.

 

For two weeks only, October 7 - 21, 2013, Stampin' Up! is offering the opportunity to sign up for only $25.00!!

 

Here's the skinny on this wonderful promotion:

• This offer is only good for two weeks, so take advantage of it right away!
• During this offer, only the special $25 starter kit will be available; the regular $99  starter kit will not be available. The $25 Starter Kit includes
• $26.95 worth of Stampin' Up! product (it must be more than $25, but not more than $26.95 before tax)
• Business pack which includes
  • A box of annual catalogs
  • A package of the current seasonal catalog
  • Getting Started DVD
  • Customer Order Forms
  • Customer postcards

In addition, when you place a $150.00 order within the first 30 days you can:

choose any stamp set from the 2013-2014 annual catalog (redeemable with your first demonstrator order in December).*

receive 30% instant income on your first order and any eligible hostess benefits if hosting your own event.

Sound fun?

So click here to see what else is available to you when you join my Stampsnsmiles Team and then click here to get started!

Endless Wishes

 

It's October, but Christmas is just around the corner so I'd like to introduce you to two brand new photopolymer stamp sets from Stampin' Up!

 

 

Download the flyer to get an up close and personal view of the wonderful greetings included in this set. I love, love clear stamps and this one is sure to bring a special festivity to each of your holiday gift tags and projects.

 

 

 

Download your Endless Wishes flyer here!

 

And.... as always.... start shopping here!

Truly Grateful....

 

 

I love this card in it's simplicity.... just a bit of DSP dressed up with Glimmer Paper and some embossing. Stampin' Up! just makes it easy!

 

And today I'd like to share one of the things I'm truly grateful for....

 

As some of you may know, my sweet, sweet Mom has been recently diagnosed with ALS or, as commonly known, Lou Gehrig's Disease. A disease without a cure. A disease where your muscle slowly atrophies until your lungs are not strong enough to breathe.

 

So, why am I grateful? For the amazing spirit she has that makes the journey easier for each of us. She finds so many things to enjoy and be thankful for each day and her focus is truly on others and never lingers on herself. I love her "why not me?" attitude that is so accepting but still with the spunk and fight to look at healthy alternative answers that will allow her to live to the fullest. I so want to be just like her when I grow up!

 

 

So grateful to you, Mom, for the amazing example of living life just the way it's meant to be lived.

Happy Birthday!

Bring on the Cake!

 

It was birthday time again in our family - this time our sweet daughter-in-law!  So a sweet and quickly put together card, perfect for the occasion.

 

I love the paper; candles and polka dots paired easily together with a scalloped border. Bring on the Cake has been one of my favorite go-to stamp sets for birthdays since it was first introduced.

 

And.... the birthday girl. The beautiful Mom to two of our handsome grandsons!

Happy Birthday, Isaiah!

 

 

Our amazing grandson, Isaiah, turned six recently and he decided a gift card would work best for his birthday present. He wanted to combine it with his brother's birthday gift card so they could get something really big and then share it. So, off to Target I go!  Gift card shopping is wonderfully simple and they have very creative gift cards. I originally was going to make a gift card holder that went along with this little monster (the gift card, not the grandson!) but then decided I'd use it as the embellishment on the card instead.
 Kabing, kabong, done!

 

Isn't he handsome? He also has one of the greatest little personalities ever.... love, love you, Isaiah!

And now, a little about me...

I've been slacking a little with blogging lately, so thought it best to give you a peek into the changes in our household.

My parents have had some challenges with their health the last year or so and they have sweetly agreed to come stay with us for awhile. We're settling into a routine and are having a great time with them. In our move upstairs to our new suite, I managed to misplace the battery charger for my camera (which is now perfectly dead!) so have a new one on order and will be taking photos here in no time at all. I'll be back to regular posting shortly.

 

Meantime I'm enjoying leisurely days of chatting with my Mom, lunch on the front porch, sunset vistas from outdoor rocking chairs and just enjoying little snapshots of them each day as they share some time with us. It's a gift to be able to enjoy unhurried hours - they have so much to offer and I feel blessed to share in their reminiscing.

Love...

 

 

All righty, all ready... just had to post another card done with Gorgeous Grunge and the new Thinlits! I mean what's not to love, right? I love the delicateness of the "love" and only wish I had about a hundred sentiments in Thinlits!

 

 

Done up in the new In Colors and Tangerine Tango, then blinged a bit with rhinestones, this card goes together in ten minutes easy! And inside..... well I guess it could say anything, couldn't it?

 

 

Bundle Item	Page in Catalog	Description	Retail Price	15% Savings Price	Amount Saved!
135311	90 183	Butterfly Bundle (Clear-Mount) Papillion Potpourri Clear-Mount Stamp Set Bitty Butterfly Punch	$30.90	$26.27	$4.63
135312	90 183	Butterfly Bundle (Wood-Mount) Papillion Potpourri Wood-Mount Stamp Set Bitty Butterfly Punch Purchase your Butterfly Bundle here! View the flyer here!	$34.90	$29.67	$5.23

Old School

Old School September Kit - 134978Transition into school and fall with a retro trendy look

What an incredible new MDS download from Stampin' Up! Can you imagine how many, many projects you could make with this terrific set? I love office type stamps and anything to do with school so I can't wait to get started!!

Old School September Wallpaper - 134979
get your FREE download here!

 

Chillin' Out Pocket Cards - 134980

 

Purchase these and hundreds more here!

So Sorry...

 

When the occasion arises for a sympathy card, and we hope it's not often, this is one of my favorite sets. It has a sentiment for many types of losses or just when you need to say "I'm sorry!" (and we all have those moments, don't we?)

 

I cut the card base at 5" wide to allow room for the DSP to extend over the sides (1/4" on each side) and it would still fit in a regular size envelope.

This card was made for a very special family that recently lost their simply wonderful Father and Grandfather and friend to many.

Secret Garden
131940w129144c

So Sorry
132585w 126527c

Gorgeous Grunge!

 

You may be asking "Gorgeous Grunge? When is grunge gorgeous?" Well, I have just the answer to that question: When it comes from Stampin' Up! and it's stamped up in some of the new In Colors, of course! Really, this refreshing stamp set is one of my favorites in the new catalog.

 

Seriously isn't this gorgeous?
So, today being a Saturday, (I realize it's Monday in blog land) and since Saturdays quite often arrive with a list of things to do, I slept in a bit, tackled my list which consisted mostly of thank you cards and packages, along with some laundry and organizing and then got busy making a few kits we were given at the Stampin' Up! convention in July.

 

I don't know about you, but I'm not very good at following directions when it comes to stamping and kits. So, true to form, I found myself changing this up somewhat and I'm ever so pleased with it. Don't you need that "hi" thinlit? It's the perfect pop (literally) for this otherwise one dimension card. I just rolled up a few Glue Dots and popped it up on them. I also trimmed to card to 4" wide so I could let the arrow extend over the edge a bit and still fit in an A2 envelope.

 

Here's what they suggested .... sweet enough, but mine is more me and I have just the person in mind to send it to....

 

 

 

Here's what I used.... and you can too! It's easy to place an online order 24/7 right here!