Hip Hip Hooray

So exciting my cute owl card has made is a top pick at the Paper Craft Crew this week!!   Thank you Paper Craft Crew such a great sketch site and so many talented designers to inspire you week to week.      Check out their site and all the talented designers that made the top pick with me.

Thank you!

Thank you Paper Craft Crew and Create with Connie & Mary!

I am so excited my card was chosen as top pick on both sites!  

Thank you!

Thank you!

I just saw that my Marilyn Monroe card was chosen as a challenge winner at The Paper Players challenge site!!!    I had so much fun creating the card and I was so happy to see among the top picks of the week.   This is my first time being recognized on their site and I am honored to be in the company of such talented designers.

Click here to check out the site and all the amazing designers!

Two Weeks in a Row

 I am truly honored and grateful to have my cards chosen for the second week in a row as top picks in on my favorite challenge blogs.   Every week I check out what the design teams create with the sketch or challenge and I am blown away by what they create.   So when I say I am honored I truly am.   So much creativity and talent out there and I am always excited to see my projects as top picks.

My Tinkerbell card was chosen as a Top Pick on the As You See It Challenge blog.

My black and white floral card was a winning entry chosen on the Freshly Made Sketch of the week.

Thank you Fusion!!

Thank you Fusion!!!  I am so excited to be chosen for the second week in a row as an honorable mention on their site this week!

So much great inspiration from their design team and their top picks WOW!    I am honored to be chosen.   I am looking forward to playing along in future challenges!

Thank you again Fusion!

Thank You Fusion!

Thank you Fusion!!!  I am so excited to be chosen as an honorable mention on their site this week!

So much great inspiration from their design team and their top picks WOW!    I am honored to be chosen.   I am looking forward to playing along in future challenges!

Thank you again Fusion!

350,000 Milestone and Blog Candy!

2014 came to an amazing end on my blog.   There has been over 350,000 visits!!!  

Thank you so much to everyone who has visited my blog, for leaving comments, for placing orders and for pinning my projects on Pinterest.

Who knew when I started I would see over 100,000 visits never mind 350,000.  I am happy to say I am rated #35 of all top stamping sites!

To celebrate this milestone, I am giving away blog candy!!   The blog candy includes the Flower Patch stamp set in Photopolymer and set of 5 stamp pads in the following colors:   Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey and Tangelo Twist.

Please leave a comment below.   I will choose a winner on Tuesday morning, January 6th.

Thank you again everyone!!!    Here's to an amazing 2015 and to finding time to be creative this year!!!

Thank you!

Thank you Freshly Made Sketches for choosing my card as winner of this week's sketch.    So many beautiful cards were chosen along side mine.   How do you choose when you have so many beauties!    Thank you for choosing mine.   It is an honor to be chosen among so much creativity!!

Click here to check out the announcement on the site.

Happy, Happy Days

I can't believe it!!   I am in total amazement!!!   I have gotten happy news from the Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking world two days in a row!

First I got happy mail letting me know I am honorable mention winner of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking magazine’s 2014 World Card Making Day Contest!  Check out this link from Paper Crafts announcing the 2014 World Card Making Day Contest Winners! Stay tuned to see my entry in the Hello/Thinking of You category of the April 2015 issue of Paper Crafts! Once the magazine is released, I will publish the card on my blog.  

Thank you Paper Crafts! What an honor to be chosen out of thousands and thousands of entries!!   Paper Crafts chooses 3 winners from 5 categories.   They also choose an additional honorable mentions in each category.    When the April 2015 issue comes out there will be a contest to choose a winner from the 5 honorable mention category to win the 675$ prize package.   So I am going to be asking all of you the biggest favor and choose my card when the voting begins in April!!

This makes it 4 year that I have a winning entry in the World Card Making Day contest!  2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014.

As the week progressed, I was upset when I saw that winners were chosen and I was starting to chalk up this year would be the year, I would not win.    But I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw the email from Paper Crafts!!!   From being on Pinterest, visiting blogs and viewing each issue of Paper Crafts I know how incredibly hard it is to be chosen.    The talent that is out there is extremely overwhelming how amazing it is.    So I am truly honored!

Day two, I check out Moxie Fab World to find that Teri choose my card as the winner of the Fabulous Friday: Something to "Chair" Challenge.     I did the happy dance when I saw my name.   Here was my Something to "Chair" challenge.

So happy happy days filled with happy, happy news!    

Yahoo!!!

Very exciting my Spooky Creepy Crawly card got a shout out by the amazing Teri Anderson on Moxie Fab World today!  

I love the Moxie Fab World, Friday's Teri posts all of her Fun Friday Finds!   My card made it on the week's list.

Thank you Teri!   You made my day and my week!     There is still time to play  Fabulous Friday: Graphic Garland Challenge, so click on the link and join the fun! 

Happy Dance

I am doing a happy dance.   My card that is in the June issue of Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking is featured on their blog today!    Check it out along with other amazing cards for the men in our lives!

Click here to be brought to the Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking blog!

Paper Crafter's Library

Very Exciting, one of my cards was featured on the Tuesday Trend on Paper Crafter's Library.    Tuesday Trend featured paper straws.    How fun are paper straws!  

Here is my Make a Wish card that was featured on the site.      I turned my paper straws into candles with a string of baker's twine!

Click here to visit Paper Crafter's Library and see other amazing projects made with paper straws.
Click here to see my blog post that featured the Make a Wish card and the ingredients to make the card.

June Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking!!!

Very Exciting!!!   The June Paper Crafts & Scrapbooking is out and on page 80 you can see my Don't Stop Believin' card!!! 

It is one of my favorite songs and I am so happy that they choose my card to be published.   

Paper Crafts is amazing.   Every edition they publish I am floored by the talent that is showcased in their magazines and their website.  

Here is my card that was published the June2014  edition as well as the ingredients to make the card:
Stamp Sets:   Stampin' Up! Tape It! and Grunge Rock and stamp set from the local craft store
Ink:  Stampin' Up! Smoky Slate
Paper:  Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Real Red, Basic Black
Accessories:  Stampin' Up! Rhinestones, Gems from a local craft store
Font:  Lemondrop

Event Display Stampers

Stampin' Up! is searching for event display stampers for the 2014 annual Convention!!!!

The event display stampers have the privilege of inspiring thousands of Convention goers with projects made with products from the 2014-15 Idea Book and Catalog on the convention display boards.

To be considered for three cards, one scrapbook page and two 3D items need to be collected or created.

I decided to try my hand and submit my projects for the honor of being an 2014 event display stamper.    I did a mix of creating as well as collecting for my submission.

After looking through my blog posts the last couple of months, here are three of my favorite projects that I have collected to submit.

Here is a polaroid valentine banner.   All you need to do is just add pictures!

Ingredients to make the project:
Stamp Sets:  Banner Blast, Hearts a Flutter, Peachy Keen
Ink:  Raspberry Ripple
Paper:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Pink Pirouette, Raspberry Ripple
Accessories:  Doilies, Pearls, Very Vintage Designer Buttons, Cherry Cobbler Chevron Ribbon, Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine
Tools:  On Film Framelits, Small Heart Punch, Hearts a Flutter Framelits, Expressions Thinlits, Hearts Collection Framelits, Banner Punch, Decorative Dots Texture Impressions Embossing Folder

Next is a Mother's Day card made with elements from the Everyday Occasions Cardmaking Kit.

Ingredients to make the card:
Stamp Sets:  My Mother, Bright Blossoms
Ink:  Strawberry Slush, Pistachio Pudding and Baked Brown Sugar
Paper:  Whisper White, Strawberry Slush Prints Designer Series Paper, Everyday Occasions Cardmaking Kit
Accessories:  Whisper White Button, Whisper White Tafetta Ribbon, Pearls
Tools:  Circle Framelits, Big Shot, Honeycomb Textured Embossing Folder

I just love chevrons and our amazing chevron border punch.  

Ingredients to make the card:
Stamp Sets:   Loving Thoughts
Ink:  Raspberry Ripple
Card Stock:   Whisper White, Raspberry Ripple, Primrose Petals, Strawberry Slush, Melon Mambo, Blushing Bride, Pink Pirouette
Accessories:   Rhinestones
Tools:   Chevron Border Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Circle Card Thinlits, Small Heart Punch, Owl Builder Punch

Here are the three projects I created to submit.   It gave me a chance to play with some amazing products from the Occasions Mini.    Not to mention the retiring ABC-123 Outline Alphabet & Numbers that I am very sad is leaving us!

For my scrapbook page, I decided to feature my little nephew Jacob.  It is my first of I am sure many scrapbook pages that will have this new addition to my family.

Stamp Sets:  Baby, We've Grown, ABC-123 Outline Alphabet & Numbers, Label Love
Ink:   Smoky Slate, Soft Sky
Paper:  Whisper White, Soft Sky,  Smoky Slate, I Am Me Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Soft Sky Buttons, Doily, Pearls, Smoky Slate Chevron Ribbon
Tools:  Label Love Punch, Triangle Punch, Envelope Punch Board, Tasteful Trim Sizzex, Big Shot

Don't you just love the Just Sayin' stamp set.   So cute, versatile and definitely on trend!!!
Ingredients to make the card:
Stamp Sets:   Just Sayin'
Ink:  Marina Mist
Card Stock:   Whisper White, Basic Black
Designer Series Paper:  Watercolor Wonder
Accessories:  Subtles Candy Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals
Tools:  Word Bubbles Framelits, Big Shot, 1/2" Circle Punch, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Itty Bitty Banner Framelits, Circle Thinlits, crop-a-dile

For my last 3D project I found these great frames in a local store and decided to dress it up and put a sentiment to make me smile and remind me to shine!    I made a sunburst stencil by cutting triangle into a center of card stock.   Once that was done all I needed to do was sponge on some ink.

Ingredients to make the project:
Stamp Sets:  My Mother, ABC-123 Outline Alphabet & Numbers
Ink:  So Saffron, Coastal Cabana
Paper:  Whisper White, So Saffron, Coastal Cabana, Watercolor Wonder Designer Series Paper, Coastal Cabana Patterns Designer Series Paper
Accessories:  Pearls,  Good as Gold Card Kit, White Organza Ribbon
Tools: 2 1/2" Circle Punch, Stamping Sponge, Circle Thinlits, 1 3/8" Circle Punch

10 Year Anniversary with Stampin' Up!

What an amazing journey it has been the last ten years with Stampin' Up!   It all started with a rubber stamp.   My friend Diane came home from a Stampin' Up! workshop and was raving about all the amazing products she saw.   With that one phone call, the excitement and the lure of the rubber stamp came calling.     We then decided to co-host a workshop and from there the craft collection was started and has continued growing....    Here is my very first catalog that all the fun started with!

A year later after lots of shopping, I joined Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator and have enjoyed every minute of it!    I have meet so many Inkredible ladies who have now become life long friends.     And every time I shared my love of stamps, customers have become friends.
Here is my first Stampin' Up! convention at Orlando.    Here we are at downtown Disney dressing up like princesses.      Remember the thrill of going to convention and seeing the catalog for the first time.    Feel the Magic was theme.    What an eye opener to be in a room with so many people who as crazy as me for Stampin' Up!

Here is a photo of one of my first displays that I put together for open house.   Yes, all my classes and open houses were in my apartment.    My first stamping studio was in my walk in closet!


Here is my sister-in-law and sister stamping in my kitchen.

Here are me and the girls hosting a Stamp Camp.   I was so excited to see how much people enjoyed stamping and creating.     The thrill of someone holding a stamp for the first time never gets old.  

 

Many moons ago, we submitted projects to the Stampin' Up! home office on for monthly contests in the hope of winning stamps and the thrill of seeing your work on the Stampin' Up! website, company publications and display boards.   Every morning we would sign on and see what cards were chosen for Stamper's Showcase.    Here is my first card that appeared on Stamper's Showcase back in April 2004.   What a thrill to see one of your cards being recognized.

Here is the first card I got to see published in a publication, it was in the Stampin' Up! company publication.   It was in May 2005

 

The bug to have my work recognized didn't stop there in 2008, I got brave and submitted to Paper Crafts magazine and to my delight my Cherish card was published in May.    A few month's later, I got the pleasure of winning the World Contest Making Contest sponsored by Paper Crafts winning the Hello/Thinking of You catalog.

 

One of the most amazing experiences was being interviewed my Stampin' Up! staff as a Special Guest Artist in the Stampin' Up! publication! 

One of my favorite things is going to Stampin' Up! regional events.   Wish we still had these events!!   They were so much fun.   A one day event where you learn stamping and business ideas, meet new and visit with friends.   The smaller venues made visiting with Shelli the CEO one of the highlights.  

Here I am back in 2006 with Shelli, the CEO and our amazing leader of the Inkredible group, Tina Rosenkrans!

Here are some photos of me and friends at Regionals.

 

 

Through the years, here are me and my convention roomies!

 

 

 

 

The fun part of Stampin' Up! events is seeing my Inkredible family.   My uplines and sidelines!    Here are some group shots at Convention of my stamping sisters.

 

 

 

In 2011, I joined the Stamping Royalty Design Team and I got to meet some of my fellow design team designers at this past Convention.   So happy to meet these talented and amazing women in person.

 

Stampin' Up! opened the door for me to volunteer and be a part of the Little Falls Junior Woman's Club.   We were the little engine that could and volunteered our time and energy in helping the three surrounding communities.    Here we are at a Halloween event.

 

I even got to be on the Martha show and be a guest blogger in 2011!   Here is me and my friend Colleen along with fellow bloggers on the set of Martha! 

 

Here is another fun regional event called Dream Night.   Fellow demonstrator Dawn Rapsas won a dream night where Shelli came to her event.    Well Dawn made it a fun event and invited a few hundred demos to join in the event.   Here is a picture from the night.

 

But the best part of Stampin' Up! is the friendships I have made with new friends.   Being able to share all the fun of crafting with my old and new friends.

 

Here is a fun picture of me and best friends all wearing our Scrapbook Princess shirt.   We couldn't have planned it better with all three of us wearing the same shirt the same day!

 

Hope you enjoyed my Stampin' Up! 10 year anniversary post.   I have had so much fun going through my photos and seeing all the great memories I have made through out the years.    So many things have changed in the last ten years.   Trends have come and gone.   Remember our paper crimpers and eyelets.    When I first started I was afraid of creating with designer series paper and now I can't imagine life without it.   One thing that has been a staple through out the years has been Whisper White cardstock and Stampin' Dimensionals.   I don't think there has been an order without those two items!     One thing I have learned is to learn to trust Stampin' Up!   They have been and continue to be on trend and always bringing us the amazing products we all want and sometimes don't realize we want until we get the latest catalog and can't live without them now.

 

As we say at our Regional events....

I LOVE STAMPIN' UP!

 

Thank you Stampin' Up! for all my amazing memories!