TWO new catalogs!

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Breathe deeply….  it’s THAT time of year!

Stampin’ Up! has made the Sale-a-bration and Occasions Mini catalogs available online a few days early to make sure everyone has a couple of days to work on a wish list.  I’ve already placed a demonstrator pre-order but there are plenty of items still on my list from these two great offerings.  Be sure to click on the links to see what all the excitement is about!

The products in these catalogs will be available for order through Anne’s Online Store or directly through me on January 5, 2010.

Occasions 2010 mini catalog

Click on the image to download the 2010 Occasions Mini catalog

Sale-a-bration 2010

Click on the image to download the 2010 Sale-a-bration catalog

Late Night Stamping

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In November I discovered a stamping forum called Late Night Stampers.  Since I’m

  1. a chronic late-night crafter and
  2. a minimum of 2 time zones earlier than the Continental U.S.

this group seemed tailor made for my style.  I could be Late Night with them and even get to bed on time!!  I’ve hovered around their forum for some time and finally am participating in a stamping challenge.  How could I not?  The challenge was to use brads and I couldn’t ignore such a simple offer.  Without further ado, here is my entry to LNS Challenge 51:

Vintage Vogue LNS Challenge 51

  • Stampin’ Up! Vintage Vogue Clear Mount stamp set
  • Stampin’ Up! Very Vintage Jumbo wheel
  • Crushed Curry, Barely Banana, Mellow Moss and Whisper White card stock
  • Crushed Curry, Barely Banana, and Mellow Moss Classic ink pad
  • Scallop Trim Border, 1/2″ circle punch, 1/16″ hand held punch
  • Circle Rhinestone brad, white taffeta ribbon, stampin sponges, paper snips

Did you notice that bit about the Clear Mount stamps?  Stampin’ Up! is taking the leap, and the best news of all is that we now have two options.  All the new stamps in the Ocassions Mini Catalog running January 5 to April 30 are offered in your choice of clear mount or wood mount.

I’ve spent some time with those clear mount stamps and love how easy it is to position your image through the clear block.  These stamps are rubber, not acrylic, and they give the same crisp, beautiful image that classic wood mounted stamps yield.  They also store more compactly in a clear DVD-style case and I know I’m going to use that fact to justify just a few more sets!

Hey – did you click on the Ocassions Mini link a couple of paragraphs above?  It will take you to a pdf of the new Mini Catalog so you can see for yourself!  Happy browsing.

Wait! Don’t toss those cards…

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Re-use, reduce, recycle.

If you love paper and paper crafts, then it’s likely you save old cards – even commercially printed cards.  I’m guilty as charged, and further guilty of saving pretty ribbons from Christmas packages as well.  In the past, I’ve used a hand-held tag punch to create small gift tags, but this year I stepped it up.

Recycled cards from Two Tags Bigz

I certainly hope you bought the Stampin’ Up! Two Tags Bigz die (#115954, $21.95) when it was on sale during the 12 Days of Holiday Sales promotion, because that’s what I used to make these tags.  A stack of old cards, a pile of Christmas ribbon and about half an hour with the Big Shot yielded a bunch of tags ready for duty next year.  Here’s a closer look:

Recycled Santa tag

To encourage my family to wrap their own packages, I have gift wrap, ribbon and tags readily available around the first of December.  The tags and some stamped gift card holders are in a basket and everyone knows it’s first come, first served – this year we ran short on the afternoon of the 24th!  Getting a head start on next year’s tags avoids panic in December and keeps me from looking like a crazy bag lady when my family discovers packages of old cards stashed with the Christmas decorations.  Be sure to check that there’s nothing written on the inside of your image; someone else’s message about their kid’s moment of glory at the band concert shouldn’t compete with “To Kimo,  Love Tutu”.

I think there’s another stash of old cards somewhere.  Off to crank out a few more tags.  Re-use.  Reduce.  Recycle.

Happy New Year.

What could be cuter?

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There was a surprise shower on Sunday for my wonderful friend and upline.  There’s something about a new baby that brings out the best in a group of women.  We were all so happy to come together to celebrate Crystal and her February baby.

I was thrilled to be included and quickly offered to make favors for the shower.  It didn’t take me long to decide what to do – I’d seen a card posted on Lyssa Zwolanek’s blog  Song of my Heart and knew it would make a great favor.  There was a little trial and error involved to get the proportions right.

Scallop Circle Baby Carriage

  • Dotted Wheel (retired)
  • Bashful Blue and Close to Cocoa cardstock
  • Bashful Blue Classic Ink
  • Scallop Trim Punch (SAB Sneak Peak)
  • Big Shot and Scallop Circle #2 Bigz
  • Tombo Adhesive, Small Cello bag, and Bashful Blue narrow grosgrain ribbon
  • Retired button, Non-SU silk flower, DMC Embroidery Floss, and Hershey Nuggets

The scallop circles are adhered to a “2-4-6-8” box with the dimensions adjusted to 1.25 x 2.5.  Four Hershey kisses are squeezed into a Cello bag that fits perfectly into the box.  It was a little bit of work, but well worth it for a sweet baby and mama.

A Mom’s gotta brag a little…

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My son loves to take photos.  He has the ability to see ordinary things in an extraordinary way.  A year and a half ago he bought a new digital SLR camera, and we’ve all enjoyed seeing  the world through his lens.

For the past two years, I’ve teamed up with him at Christmas to produce cards using a selection of his photos.  This year he bought a macro lens and took amazing plant photos last summer at Lotus Land and his Grandma’s garden, both in Santa Barbara.  (Sorry, Grandma doesn’t have a web site!)  It was really hard to narrow it down, but we finally decided  on 6 floral shots.  Before I show you the cards, I have to warn you that I’m not much of a photographer, and taking pictures of pictures is harder than you can imagine!

Poppy and Roses

Waterlilies and Rose

Lotus and Cosmo

The prints are standard 4×6 prints, mounted on a coordinating piece of cardstock 4 1/4 x 6 1/4 and attached to a 5 x 7 card.

Of course, there’s a custom stamp on the back to identify the photographer.

A Christmas reflection

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Peace be with you.

Whether you celebrate the birth of a poor Jewish boy who would become a Messiah, the arrival of a Jolly Old Elf by way of the rooftop, or simply a new dawn, I wish you peace this morning.  In a complex world where we often focus on differences, perhaps today we can focus on our common humanity.  If we recognize the things we share instead of those which divide us, we bring the dream of peace just a little closer to reality.

Each of us has the ability to make a positive difference in another person’s life.  What may seem a small gesture can have a great impact.  One of the greatest, wisest women of our time said it well:

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.                 Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas.

Poinsettas a Plenty

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‘Twas the night before Christmas…and the elves they ‘twer flying!

A quick post and a quick card for a busy day…I think this one could use something more, but everything I tried annoyed me.  My creative muse is a fickle creature (no relation to me, of course) and cannot be rushed.   I’ll leave this one as a simple card and be satisfied with that.

Poinsettas a Plenty

  • Berry Christmas stamp set
  • Real Red, Glorious Green, Brushed Gold and Whisper White card stock
  • Real Red Classic ink pad and Encore Gold ink pad
  • Scallop Trim punch
  • Big Shot and Petals a Plenty Embossing folder

Just one more sleep ’til Christmas!

Looking back, looking ahead

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I know I repeat myself…certain persons in my household have accused me of it on multiple occasions just to be sure I’m aware of that flaw.  Guilty as charged.

There are some sets on the Stampin’ Up! Dormant List that will retire in January which I will be very sorry to see leave.  One of the challenges of being a demonstrator – yes, we DO have challenges – is when a stamp set retires, we have to decide if we will allocate precious storage space to stamps we can no longer demonstrate.  If you’ve followed this blog at all, you know I don’t often do a very good job of letting go of retired things.  It’s partially because I get attached to the images, and partially because I’m something of a pack rat.  Eventually, I have to let go to make room for all the wonderful images being released.  It’s that time of year.

Wonderful Watercolors SC 260

  • Wonderful Watercolors and En Francais stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Regal Rose, and Pretty in Pink card stock
  • Mellow Moss Designer Series Paper from the Hostess Prints Pack III
  • Mellow Moss and Regal Rose Stampin’ Write Markers and Ink Refills
  • Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint and Aquapainter
  • Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon and Mini Glue dots
  • Scallop Trim Border (SAB  sneak peak) and Stamp-a-ma-jig
  • Big Shot, Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die and Elegant Bouquet Embossing folder

This is a SplitCoastStampers Sketch Challenge layout, SC260.  I’ll add the sentiment later when I’m ready to sent the card.  The little flowers look like the flowers on what I only know as Butterfly Bush, although I think the originals only come in lavender.  Artistic license! There’s Shimmer Paint mixed in with the Regal Rose ink refill on those little flowers.

The crazy Mainland weather has created some chaos in our household.  My middle daughter had an epic journey home from university in Boston, and her dear roomie who was to spend Christmas with us will instead arrive Christmas night.  They’re laughing about it now, in agreement that it will be one of their best college memories, but on Sunday as they dealt with cancellations, delays, and planes that loaded and de-planed without going anywhere, none of us were laughing much.

Safe travels.

Best Mail Call Ever!

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Kim Bolzenthal did the kindest thing you can imagine – she sent me her stash of Riding Hood Red striped grosgrain ribbon.  I am so touched by her generosity that I’m still floating around the house a couple of hours after bringing in the mail.  I’m overwhelmed and delighted!

And look at her beautiful card…

That Winter Post stamp set is so charming, and I struggled long and hard over whether or not to purchase it.  It didn’t quite make sense here in the tropics, but I know it suits Kim’s corner of the world.

Make someone’s day…send them a note they’re not expecting.

Trendy Little Birthday Trees

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I saw a card posted the other day that made me stop and think.  The creator of the card said she didn’t think it looked like a birthday card, but since it didn’t seem to suit any other occasion, she chose a birthday sentiment.   I’m sure there are exceptions, but in my opinion just about any card is a suitable birthday card.

  • Trendy Trees and Upsy Daisy Stamp sets
  • Not Quite Navy, Real Red, Soft Sky (retired) and Whisper White card stock
  • Retired Designer Series paper
  • Real Red, Not Quite Navy, Soft Sky (retired) and River Rock (retired) Classic ink pads
  • Riding Hood Red (retired) taffeta ribbon, Scallop Border punch, and Stamp-a-ma-jig

I have to admit that it took me a while to find the right sentiment for the birthday greeting.  It wasn’t so much the words as the font that I struggled with.  I also confess to struggling with retired colors.  I get really attached to some of them!  River Rock was one of those colors that I didn’t especially care for until I started using it.  If Stampin’ Up! revises their standard color palette, I really hope River Rock gets a permanent slot.  Oh, and Baja Breeze.  And Kiwi Kiss.  And Riding Hood Red.    I guess I have some issues to deal with, don’t I?