Christmas Ornament Fun

Last night had the good fortune to make these awesomely wonderful ornaments with a group of lovely ladies ... think at times there was more laughing than crafting ... but IMO that is the great thing about stamping - making memories with those you love!

If you've not had a chance check out the clearance rack as there are over 300 new items there to add to our Christmas list :)

Happy Stamping
Margaret!

It's a bird! It's a plane! No, it's a new app from Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! has rolled out a coolest new Digital Card making app 'Simply Sent' for the Iphone and the best part is it's available for FREE! A cute selection of Designer Series papers, ribbon accessories, embellishments, text and photo insert options! 

The app is really easy to use ... I just made this little cute e-card in just a minute or two and with quick share options to various social media outlets it was easy to share ~ I am loving it already!

When you have a moment go on over and check out the Itunes store to download the Simply Sent app to your mobile device today just in time to make some cute free e-cards for the upcoming holidays!

Also just want to share it is just about time to start our annual online sale ~ the Stampin' Up! Online Extravaganza ~ which begins this Monday, November 19, and ends on Wednesday, November 28. 

We've got a fantastic selection of stamp sets, accessories, and tools that will be discounted up to 50 percent! Plus you do not want to miss the first 24 hours of the sale when the Big Shot, Doctor's Bag, and Simply Scored Diagonal Plate will be 20 percent off retail price!

Please remember to check out my Online Store on Monday morning to take advantage of these 24-hour-only savings, as well as oodles of other popular products discounted up to 50 percent! 

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Spooktacular Stamp Sale ~ Today only!!!!

For one day only, Stampin Up will give you 15 percent off almost every stamp you buy! The goal is to sell more stamps in a single day than ever before. October 29 is the one-day Sell-A-Stamp Spooktacular! As a extra bonus from me I will match that and give you and extra 15% off your order, so you will now save 30% off any stamps ordered today ~ October 29th. Please feel to forward or share this sale with all your friends and family so everyone can take advantage of it.

Here are the details:
Starting at 12:00 AM (MT) and ending at 11:50 PM (MT), almost every stamp we sell will be 15 percent off. This means all stamps in our current catalogues including:

• Background stamps
• Personalized name stamps
• Cookie press stamps
• Single-image stamps

This DOES NOT include

• Hostess sets
• Bundled stamp sets
• Digital stamp brush sets

There is no minimum purchase, and no limit to the number of stamps you can order.

To receive the extra 15% from me your order needs to be submitted through me, any orders placed online will only get the 15% being offered by Stampin' Up! To order through me either shoot me an email or give me a call on my cell phone.

If you wish to order more then just stamps, you will receive my 15% discount on your additional items, shipping and taxes apply to the original price.

All orders must be received no later then 9:30 pm tonight so I have time to input them orders received after that time will miss out on the discounts.

Stay dry and Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Time for preording Christmas cards

Just wanted to take a moment to share a few Stampin' Up updates with everyone!

Stampin' Up just added over 70 new items to their Clearance Rack ~ an opportunity to get some awesome products at up to 60% off from digital software content to die cutting tools to specificity paper and embellishments .... there are lots of awesome finds ~ check out my online store for ordering information!

Also for those who love the look of homemade creations and cards but just do not have the investment or space for paper crafting in your own home please remember to check out my classes and workshops where you can come out to my home and make cards or scrapbook layouts with out having to invest in equipment or storage space ~ you just pay for the cost of the workshop and create your master piece for taking home!

 

Also as much as I am enjoying the sunshine and warm weather the reality that Christmas in coming shortly is upon me ~ less than 10 weeks away and 6 weeks until Xmas cards should be mailed out ~ if you are interested in purchasing some of my premade Christmas cards or ordering custom made Christmas cards this year please let me know ASAP by email so that I can start planning to have all orders filled in time to meet your needs .... costs for cards are listed belong!

Ready made Price List
$3 each
$12 for set of 5
$20 for set of 10

Custom Designed Price List
$5 each
$20 for set of 5
$35 for set of 10
Add a gift box to any card set for $5

Happy Stampin' 

Margaret 

Back to Spool with a new crafting space!

 Just wanted to pop on and share the Back to Spool special for September is coming to a close ~ last week to take advantage of getting some free Ribbon!

Also wanted to give an update that our basement renovations took way longer than anticipated but are finally almost complete ~ it sure cuts into finding time to craft and blog but the light is finally getting closer at the end of that tunnel and I so cannot wait to have some spare time again to make use of my new crafting space.

This weekend I finally got my craft room almost 'complete' ... just need to put together a couple of the IKEA mirror door inserts to hide some of the clutter and than do the 'decorating' of some art work for the walls so thought I would share some photos so far :)

View from the door looking to the right ... Michaels had their Recollection cubes on sale this month and I went a little overboard but am totally LOVING the outcome! Desk is from IKEA and I need to get a new chair down the road as this is one of my 'class chairs' and while ok for an hour or so not for all day crafting!

Invested in some IKEA Expedit cubes ~ loving how much these hold .. combination of all my craft stuff and the rotation toys for the daycare and all the kids books conveniently organized in one area.

 Close up view of my desk top ....  love how the little cubes hold all my knick knacks at my finger tips!

 Made use of every last inch of space for storage ... Recollection cubes under the desk hold my card samples, envelopes, straps of paper in the drawers and so forth.

Initially I was going to use the IKEA towel racks on the wall for punch storage but while shopping I noticed that this IKEA side desk drawer option was a PERFECT size to hold all my punches and embossing folders and so forth ... the Stampin Up new punches all stand up so I can pull open the drawer and see what is there by the image plus they are all contained so when I am sitting reflecting there is less visual chaos on the wall to distract my creativity.  

The Recollections 12x12 hanging file cubes are perfect for keeping all my paper at my finger tips, neatly organized and free from light and dust ... well worth the investment!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Try the My Digital Studio 2 for FREE

Stampin' Up's My Digital Studio 2 is here and you can try it out for FREE for 30 days to see if you like it by clicking HERE ... I now after 30 days you are going to love it so than you can give me a shout and I can hook you up with the full program and all the fixings to get you started either making 100% fully digital creations or amazing Stampin' Up hybrids that combine digital and traditional use of ribbons, buttons, brads and other embellishments to give it that 3D effect!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Missing Loved One

I know my blog has been a little AWOL lately however I need your help ~  Darrell Reihl a family friend has gone missing from the St Catherine's Ontario region on Tuesday August 14th ~ his loved ones are beside themselves with worry for Darrell and they could use all the prayers and positive support possible to help bring him home!!!

Let's work our blogging magic ~ one never knows where the help Darrell needs to get home might be found so please regardless of your home based location if you could please SHARE this photo on your blog or Facebook or other media options to help spread the word it would be an awesome ~ I thank you in advance for your love and support!!!!

Victoria Day weekend celebrations

Here is hoping that everyone had an amazing Victoria Day weekend! After two months of battling the worst strain of pnemonia I have ever had I am starting to feel human again with a little extra energy for more than just making it through the work day and sleeping! 

I spent my long weekend gardening and landscaping the front and backyards for the summer while my spouse repaired our fences and built storage in our outdoor sheds - however I did squeeze  in a wee bit of paper crafting time on Sunday afternoon with my upline to finally put something new on my blog here for you all! 

We made this cute little dual drawer gift box  ... this project features the Matchbox Bigz Die which is on the retiring list so if you like what you see be sure to order it before May 31st when it will be gone.

 The drawers could hold jewellery, candy, tea bags, lottery tickets or whatever your imagination can think of as a little 'thank you' hostess gift or thinking of you gift for a loved one!

I finally got a chance to get a sneak peek at the upcoming 2012-2013 catalog and I am SO EXCITED by some of the new products we are coming out with and some gorgeous new stamps sets and In Color paper ... plus we have revamped our Stamp Pads and I got to try one at my upline this weekend and WOW LOVE THEM ... nice even yet juicy coverage of ink and no needing to twist to get into the nooks and crannies of the bigger stamps - it was awesome!

I will be sending out my June newsletter at the end of the month with my upcoming class schedule and new catalog kick off Stamp a Stack for June so let me know if you are wanting to attend!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

April's Retiring List

Well that time of year is approaching yet again - time for Stampin' Up to preparing for the unveiling of the brand new 2012 - 2013 catalogue which not only has a new slicker look but will unveil exciting new stamp sets, accessories and paper crafting products! 

In order to make room for the NEW products that means spring cleaning some of the older yet still awesome and amazing but 'retiring product' from the current catalogue! So now is the time to get your wishlist and make sure that if there are any of the 'retiring product' on it that you snap it up before May 31st. 

Click here for a page by page list of retiring product.

Plus - do not forget to take advantage of the CLEARANCE RACK because in addition to our wonderful catalogue Stampin' Up! places some awesome and amazing previous paper crafting products onto the clearance rack in order to make room in the warehouse for NEW product and this month they have added 55 previously available products to the rack - including the old style punches which retired last year.

Now I am off to spend some time in my stamp room playing with some of my all time favorite 'retiring' stamps!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

To Gnome You is to Love You ...

Wow - where did the last month go? Holy cow it was a long haul there - not sure what I have been fighting but it knocked me off my feet with exhaustion trying to get over it!

Here is a little spring offering with the new Gnome Sweet Gnome Stamp Set - hopefully with my energy returning a wee bit at a time I will be able to carve out some more time in the craft room in the evenings and get back on top of blogging with everyone! 

Happy Stampin

Margaret

Happy Valentines All!

I am still loving the Everyday Enchanted paper from the Sale-a-bration catalog ... the color palette is so versatile and well just YUMMY!

Have used it here to make this clean and simple Valentine Card using our new Heart Framelits, the Scalloped Heart embosslit and the Take it to Heart stamp set from the Occasions mini!

Added a little bit of paper piercing around the end for texture and quick easy 5-10 minute card depending on how quick you pierce :)

Just a reminder that that the Free 30 Day Trial for the My Digital Studio Express is still going on - if you have not already downloaded it for your free 30 day play now is the time to do it ... click here to download . 

Hop on over to the My Digital Website here to check out resources, support and awesomely wonderfully inspirations of what you can do with the My Digital Studio program!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret

Royal Love

Over at Stampin' Royalty blog they offered up the following inspirational photo this week ... love the shades of pink and the little heart throw pillow which I thought were perfect for this submission inspired by my upline from a recent class!

Petal Cone heart embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper and embellished with the Fun Flowers die embossed with the Square Lattice ... offers lots of texture and packs a lot of love - I am going to hide my mans Valentine in this little envelope card and tuck it in his lunch box on Tuesday!

If you are looking for inspiration hop on over to the Stampin' Royalty blog and check out what others were inspired to make with this fresh photo!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Kissed by Nature

Here is another 'Kissing' card from tonight's Technique Tuesday class ... we used the Inspired by Nature stamp set in Pink Pirouette which was kissed with the En Francis in Early Espresso and featuring a 'framed' Labels collection ... and a little Framed Tulips and the Tasteful Trim in Baja Breeze.

I used my Color Coach for the palette and the layout was inspired from over at 'Just Us Girls' which was a nice simple but elegant layout. 

If you have a moment hop on over and check them out ...

 Just a reminder that this month Stampin' Up is offering paper crafters a chance to try out the My Digital Studio Express for FREE for 30 days so that you too can fall in love with everything it has to offer ... check it out here!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Superbowl 'Kissing' Distrations

I took advantage of the men being distracted by the big screen, cold beer and munchies today to spend much of the afternoon hiding in the 'women cave' aka my Crafting Corner ... who knew I would grow up craving to be sent to the corner for the afternoon???

So with my free time I spent this afternoon coming up with this wonderful offering of 'love' for my Technique Tuesday class this coming week .... with February being the Month of Love I thought we would revisit our KISSING techniques ;)

 The butterflies were 'kissed' in numerous ways from the stamped off kiss, uninked kiss and finally two toned kissing ... you cannot see it too well in the photo but the Upsy Daisy was kissed with some En Francis two toned kisses .... seriously who doesn't like some kissing such a cute and fun little technique?

My creation this week was inspired by the wonderful Sketch challenge over at 1{heart}2stamp .... hop on by and check out the wonderful inspirations from the Design Team and other bloggers!

 The color combo of Basic Black, Real Red, Regal Rose and Whisper White from over at ColourQ ... some wonderful inspirations go check them up too.

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Rosette fun

Loving my new Rosettes Die  ... making the Rosettes is just so quick and easy - love the texture and detail they add to a card ... this card features the Take it to Heart Stamp set and the Short and Sweet sentiment set along with the Enchanted Elegance DSP from Sale-a-bration and the color combo of Poppy Parade, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla!

Happy Stampin'

Margaret 

Enchanted Elegance for OWH

Wow ... feels great to slowly be reentering the land of the human beings ... spent the past week trying to keep a nasty cold that has been going around at bay and well some days it felt like I was loosing the battle but this morning I am feeling like I might have finally won the war and carved out some time to blog before I have to tackle the weekend chores while I have the energy to!

So so excited that Sale-a-bration formally started this week and the catalog this year is full of some wonderful treasures for us and are now available to customers with every $60 purchase! 

This card features Everyday Enchanted Designer Series Paper, the Enchanted Ribbon and Brad collection and the stamp set Elementary Elegance all FREE from Sale-a-bration catalog!

I used this Sketch Challenge from over at Operation Write Home for my layout inspiration incorporating the Top Note die and using the Pretty Postage punch instead of squares and a the 1 1/4 inch squares behind instead of a larger strip ... t his is the great thing about sketches as you can follow exactly or use them as a jumping point  ... hop on over and check out the other awesome entries and see how you get inspired!

Happy Stampin

Margaret

Poppy Medallion

Playing with the new Designer Rosette Bigz Die which allows you to make Rosettes of all sizes in minutes .... paired  this Rosette made with the Everyday Enchanted DSP with the Poppy Parade medallion which I embossed with clear to give it some shine and pop! 

The DSP, the pretty button and the Calypso Coral ribbon accent are all available FREE in just two more days time via the Sale-abration promotion starting on January 24th!  

Just a shout out thanks to Try Stamping on a Tuesday for the inspiration on the layout - did not get a chance to share it in time for the challenges but had fun playing along regardless ... check out the awesome entries made!

 Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Lost Mojo ...

Wow - what a week - not sure what is going around but I am exhausted and have had no energy and have been spending quiet time resting myself and by the end of the day just too wiped to think about blogging!

This was  card inspired by last weeks Mojo Monday which I made to share but with my tiredness - I missed the deadline but figure I can still share with all of you :)

Loving the couple on the bike image from the Take it Too Heart Set .. great for Valentines, Anniversary or just a 'because I love you' card!

Here was the sketch that inspired my layout ...

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Queen for a Day

Playing along this week with a couple awesome challenges to create the following offering  ... using a sketch inspired by Freshly Made Sketches, a Color palette from the Color Q and adding a Crown embellishment for over at the Just Add Ink to help celebrate their 100th birthday!

Reduce, reuse and recycle is the name of the game here by using the negative section of the Labels Collection Framelits to make a cool frame for the birthday sentiment.

 The Elementary Elegance stamp set is just divine and embossing it in silver makes it really elegant!

 I love the little Trinkets from the Simply Adorned line...

See what others created with this sketch here ....

Be inspired by Color over at the Color Q ...

And wish the ladies over at Just Add Ink a 100th Birthday over here ...

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Stampin' on a Tuesday 411 style

Another Inspired by Nature offering using the Pastels, Color Combination from Stamping 411 and the template this time from Try Stampin' on a Tuesday from last week and the every lovely Everyday Enchanted.

Stampin' 411

 Try Stampin' on a Tuesday

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Inspired by Challenges

Nothing like a good challenge blog to get the creative juices flowing in the ole craft corner ... and this week has been full of a few ... I combined the Stamping 411 Color challenge of Island Indigo, Pool Party, Coral Calypso and Lucky Limeade with the Friday Mash Up use Pastels on a Birthday themed challenge and finished it up with the Just Us Girls layout sketch challenge to come up with the following offering!

 

The Inspired by Nature stamp is so fun to use the pastel chalks on ... the cone flowers just pop right off the page!

The new stamp set Take it to Heart has a little ribbon stamp that I just LOVE as a sentiment accent for a card. I can see myself using this on a scrapbooking layout too! 

The Loving Thoughts stamp set in the Occasions mini was designed to fit perfectly inside this which is awesome! However the other great thing about Stampin' Up is our coordinating products - cause it fits so many of our other sentiments neatly inside it as well so if you do not have the Loving Thoughts stamp set yet - not worries ... I used the Wish Big sentiment from Short and Sweet stamp set and added some pearl accents to balance it off.

The paper piercer is also a marvelous tool - my card felt a little 'lopsided' to me so I added some subtle paper piercings up in the corner - which helped to balance it out for my anal mind!

I am just loving this color palette of the Sale-abration Everyday Enchanted paper .... if you love it too you can earn it FREE with a $60 order as of January 24th or you can book a workshop during Sale-abration and you can earn hostess dollars AND free Sale-abration products ... win win! 

In the mean time hop on over to the following blogs and check out the wonderful offerings other card designers have come up with using these challenge inspirations!

The Friday Mashup

 Just us Girls

Stamping 411

Happy Stampin'
Margaret