REMINDER

I just wanted to give you a quick reminder that the May Specials will be ending tomorrow, so if you were planning on taking advantage of all the wonderful specials May has to offer then we are down to the wire. So don't hesitate and call me or email with your order today. Here is the link to review those specials.

http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Picture_the_Possibilities_US.pdf

Also Stampin' Up will be releasing the LAST CHANCE list on June 1st (this coming up Monday). This list will let you know what items will no longer be available for purchase. So you might want to pull out that Wish List on Monday and see if one of your favorites is on that last chance list and get it while you still can. Once that list is published those items will go quickly. So stay tuned for more details.

BOLD BIRTHDAY

Here is another one of those family birthday cards that I've been telling you about. This one was made for my husbands Aunt. I thought I would try something a little different in the way that it opened. I really like how this turned out. I'm going to be brief with my post today because I have limited time. I should be doing house work and trying to enjoy the weather but I thought I would take a break from the chores. Shhhhhh don't tell my husband ;0)!This card was very quick and simple and I love quick.

The recipe for this card is as follows, if I missed anything or you have any questions please feel free to shoot me a email.

Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Hand Drawn Bundle DSP(level 3 Hostess)

Stamp Set: Party Hearty

Inks: Rose Red

Accessories: Scallop Circle Die, Scallop Circle Die #2, Sticky Pages, Big Bold Cupcakes sizzlits, Small Polka Dots Texturz Plates, Chunky Glitter,Small & Large Tag punch, Clear Rhinestone and Baja Breeze Stripped Ribbon

So as you can see this card did not require alot of stampin' or cutting the punches and dies do most of the work. If you do not have a BIG SHOT I would suggest getting one. It took me awhile to get my mine and now I don't know why I waited so long this is one of those gotta have. Enjoy your weekend.

MISS MAY SWAP~ CHEERS TO YOU

Here are the Cheers to you Miss May Swaps that I promised I would post today. If you are one of the creators of these great cards and you don not see your blog link attached please feel free to email me and I will update your information. Thank you again Jenna B. for Miss Swaps. If you would like to visit Jenna's Blog you can find her here: http://stamptimesomewhere.typepad.com/

Created By: Barbara Jean Smith

Created By: Missi Hackman

Created By: Hilary Reynolds

***Miss May Cheers to You swap continued on next post.

CONTINUED MISS MAY SWAP~ CHEERS TO YOU

Created By: Tina Taves
http://tinataves.blogspot.com/

Created By: Rachel Taasaas

http://stampinwithrachel.blogspot.com/

Created By: Blythe Klipple

http://www.stampinwithblythe.com/


Thank you again ladies for all the wonderful swaps.

MISS MAY SWAP~ TRENDY TREE

I was asked to participate in the Miss May Swap. So I decided to go ahead and join in the fun. I thought what the heck why not it will be fun and I will get a stack of cards for ideas from ladies from all over. I have to be honest though I wasn't quite sure what to expect I had never been in a card swap other than with the ladies in my demonstrator group that is here locally where I live. So the thought of a mail swap and sharing cards and ideas from ladies that share my same passion and obsession of stamping sounded really fun. I have to say that this swap was way more than I expected all the swaps were wonderful. So thank you ladies for the wonderful cards. I sure hope you like my swap as much as I love yours.

note: some of the cards did not photo very well but don't let it fool you they are great. I also included the name of the creator and blog if I was provided with that information. Also if you are one of the creators and you do not see your blog attached email me and I will correct it.
Created By: Missi Hackman

Created By: Julie Ramos
http://www.stampyourdream.blogspot.com/

Julie is a friend of mine. So I was surprised to see that she was part of the same swap but not surprised by the creativity and quality of the card (loved it Julie). You can also find her blog located in my favorites.


Created By: Barbara Dykhouse


***Miss May Trendy Tree swap continued on next post.

CONTINUED MISS MAY SWAP ~ TRENDY TREE

Created By: Cheryl Schroeder

Created By: Tonya Allen

http://stampingwithsweett.blogspot.com/

Created By: Jenna Cotton
http://jennasinklink.blogspot.com/

Thank you again Ladies for all the wonderful swaps, and Jenna B. for asking me to participate in such a great swap. Stay tuned tomorrow for the Cheers to You swap.

SUMMER FUN HOSTESS BONUS PROMOTION

Summer Fun Hostess Bonus Promotion

Dates: June 1-30, 2009

Promotion Details:
The Summer Fun Hostess Bonus Promotion has two parts:
Hostesses who hold a $250-$399.99 workshop will receive an additional $20 in hostess free merchandise dollars.
Hostesses who hold a $400 or more workshop will receive an additional $40 in hostess free merchandise dollars

This is extra FREE merchandise on top of the current hostess plan click on the link to see current hostess plan: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/lorrainetoll/benefits

A Stampin’ Up! workshop is so much more than just learning to stamp. It’s a fun event in your home, with little effort on your part. It’s creative crafting advice and fun new projects delivered right to your door. It’s a chance to get your hands on exciting new Stampin’ Up! products. And most of all, a workshop is a great time with friends! So are you ready to book your workshop, or buy that BIG SHOT you've been waiting for? Now is the time to do it so don't hesitate call or email me today!

OPERATION GRATITUDE

Happy Memorial Day! I hope that everyone is enjoying the great sunny weather (if your in California) and spending time with your family & friends. This card is headed for Operation Gratitude, military service members stationed overseas. Today's post was inspired by a blog that I follow on a regular basis. So I stopped by Stampin' Pretty by Mary Fish (you can visit her blog here http://www.stampinpretty.com/) and there it was a patriotic card for one of our soldiers. I thought to myself that idea was great and then I thought I could do that ,that I could be apart of Operation Gratitude and all that it would cost me is my creativity and most of all bring a smile to a Hero's face.

So here it is : It's not too late if you would like to participate. Sending cards from your "stash" is appreciated so that soldiers can send them to their families for birthdays, thanks yous and more.

Here's the address:

Operation Gratitude

16444 Refugio Road

Encino, CA 91436

Here are guidelines to follow when sending cards to our troops:
*any size card is acceptable
*the cards cannot have any glitter on them
*no candy or food items can be included or attached to the card
*keep the message positive and stay away from political comments
*do not seal the envelope that will be used to send the card to the military

member; all cards are subject to screening and review
*include your name, address and e-mail if you'd like to receive a reply back

It's nice to include another card(s) that they can send back to their family and loved ones (cards are difficult for our military serving in combat areas to purchase). I'm sending a dozen :)
If you are sending more than one card, place all of your cards in a Ziploc bag with post-it notes on the cards that are to be sent for the service member to mail back.

Thank you for stopping by and I hope that you feel inspired to create some cards as much as I did. Thanks again Mary F.

MISS MAY'S SWAP~ TRENDY TREE

This is my second swap for the Miss May's swap. The stamp set to be used for this was trendy trees. I'm hoping and waiting for the mail man today and looking forward to possibly getting my swaps. I was pretty happy that this is the stamp set we had to use I love this set. I am not always to good with the 2 step stamping but I have to say that this set is extremely easy to use.

This is a standard size card that was cut in chocolate chip. I matted this card using the Kraft Manchester DSP. My trees were stamped onto Very Vanilla using Chocolate Chip and Mellow Moss for the colors.I then matted my trees onto Brocade Blue, Mellow Moss and Chocolate Chip. I cut a strip of Chocolate Chip and scalloped the edge with the eyelet scallop edge punch and tied Mellow Moss taffeta ribbon around it. I stamped my thanks so much sentiment on Very Vanilla in Mellow moss and punched it with the Large Oval punch. I also punched the Scallop Oval in Chocolate chip to matte. Before popping up my sentiment with dimensionals I added a couple pewter brads. I hope that the participants that received my swap enjoy it. Check back tomorrow I just might have a participant from the swap to share.

CHEERS TO YOU! MY MISS MAY'S SWAP

I was asked to participate in the Miss May's Swappers. I thought that it would be fun and who doesn't like to get a hand full of cards. So I decided to go ahead and participate. The stamp set that was supposed to be used was the Cheers to You. This is my swap that I came up with. I will post the other demonstrator swaps as they arrive which I'm crossing my fingers will be tomorrow that was the goal date.

The base of this card is Bashful Blue. All of the DSP used on this card is Washington Apple I thought that it was a nice bright and summery colors to use for this card. I used Bashful Blue and the stripes from the Washington Apple DSP to create the top note. The ribbon used is the stripped So Saffron. The corner rounder was used to round all of the edges. I stamped the "cheers to you" in Riding Hood Red and punched it with the 1 1/4 circle punch and the 1 3/8 circle punch to matte. My cocktail was stamped in Going Gray to give it a softer look and I colored it in using blender pens. I added a bit of glitter to the glass and crystal effects to the fruit slice however it is a bit hard to tell in the pictures. I had fun with this card and I'm happy with the way that it turned out. Thanks for stopping by and check back tomorrow for more Miss May's Swappers.

SWEET 16

This card was made for my little sister. Can everyone guess how old she turned? Yes you're right sweet 16! This card required very little stamping and was really quick to make. This is a standard size card.The base of this card is Riding Hood Red textured card stock. The DSP that was used for this card is Rockabilly Specialty ( love it, remember May's promo buy 3 dsp/12x12 textured CS and get 1 free). The cupcake was made using the Big Bold Birthday Sizzlits. For the flower I used a rhinestone brad in the center. The cupcake was placed on Whisper White CS and matted on Riding Hood and polka dot Kiwi Kiss which I scalloped at the bottom using the scallop edge punch. The 16 was stamped from the Short Order Numbers stamp set. My "sweet" was stamped from a retired stamp set called So Very. I didn't have any other set that had the word sweet in it so made due with what I had. I punched the Scallop Circle in Riding Hood Red and matted with the 1 3/8 circle punch in Kiwi Kiss and punched the sweet 16 with the 1 1/4 circle punch. I added a bow using our white satin ribbon that is in our mini occasions catalog (retires june 30th) and called it a day. I hope that you enjoyed this card I had fun making it. Check back tomorrow I was part of a Demonstrator Swap and will start posting the cards as they arrive. One of my swap cards will be posted tomorrow.

BECOME A DEMONSTRATOR TODAY!

In celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator for only $75 with our limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit. This offers runs through the end of May. In this starter kit you will receive a stamp set of your choice up to $43.95, one craft ink pad, a package of 12 x 12 textured card stock and one simply scrappin kit all these items can be personally selected by you. Whether you want to join my team to support your hobby, add a little extra pocket money or even to make a business career out of it, it's what ever you decide to make of it. So if you have been pondering the idea now is the time to jump on board on my team! It's this is the best deal I have ever seen yet so what do you have to lose contact me today so we can get you signed up and going!

WELCOME HOME

I have a cousin that just moved out of her parents house and moved into a new home. It's such a fun and exciting chapter in a persons life when they take the next step onto new responsibilities, it can also be a bit scary all at the same time. So I thought I would make her a Congrats/Housewarming card.

The base of this card is confetti cream. I matted it with Always Artichoke but before I adhered it to my base I ran it through the Big Shot using the Backgrounds 1 texturz plates. Using the Welcome Home stamp set I stamped the 2 outside houses in Chocolate Chip to Very Vanilla and the middle house in Always Artichoke which I popped up a bit with a dimensional. I matted it to Baja Breeze and Manchester DSP. My sentiment was from the Bella's Bloom stamp set that was inked in Baja Breeze and Always Artichoke I then punched it out with the Curly Label punch. Added some Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon and another card completed. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to drop a line and tell me what you think!

"VOILA" HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Good afternoon my Creative friends. I made this card for one of my many cousins. As I said in a earlier post the next couple of months are pretty busy for my family with birthdays, so this is one of the many birthday cards that you will be seeing.

This is a 5x5 card. And if your wondering yes SU! does make envelopes that fit this size ;0). The base of the card is Kraft CS and matted with Manchester DSP. Using Manchester DSP I cut the Scallop Circle using the Scallop circle die cut and the coluzzle to cut out the center. My chef is from the stamp set Voila. I stamped him using black stazon ink and stamped him onto Very Vanilla CS (I cheated to be honest, I was trying to avoid coloring him in so I thought very vanilla was my best bet). His chef jacket and hat are Manchester DSP as well. The Hat was popped up using dimensionals. The inks I used to color in the cake and his scarf are Always Artichoke, Baja Breeze and YoYo Yellow. "Just for you on your birthday" sentiment is from the Chit Chat rub~ons (love em'). I added a touch of dazzling diamonds to the candle for a bit of sparkle. To finish it off I tied a bow with Baja Breeze striped grosgrain ribbon. Voila and there you have it. I will be sad to see the in colors retire especially Baja Breeze I love it and use it often. I liked the way it turned out and hope you do too.

TIP: I used the stamp~a~ma~jig to ensure that my chef and the cake were exactly where I wanted them positioned. To find out more look on pg.189 in your SU! catalog.

PARTY HEARTY~ HAPPY 60TH

So if you are anything like my family the next couple of months are pretty busy with birthdays, so I have lots of cards to make. I actually made this card a few months back for my father~in~law. I thought that I would share it with all of you because I think it's a cute and simple card. Most of all it was made for a man and I definitely struggle with a masculine card but I think I made it work here.

OK so let's get started on the recipe for this card. This is a standard size card and the base of it is Textured Baja Breeze CS. At the bottom of this card I cut Basic Gray CS and matted Urban Garden DSP. I stamped the 60 in Basic Gray using the Short Order Numbers stamp set. I also matted the number 60 onto Baja Breeze and Basic Gray CS (which I cut to size myself). I popped the 60 with dimensionals to give it a little more dimension. The "B is for Birthday" sentiment was from the Party Hearty stamp set and was stamped in Not Quite Navy onto Whisper White CS. I matted that to Baja Breeze and Basic Gray CS. I added a jumbo eyelet to the corner of the sentiment and ran Basic Gray taffeta ribbon to make it look like it was hanging from the card. In the center of the "B" I added just a bit of glitter and stamped party hearty to the bottom right hand corner. I am happy with the way this card came out. What do you think of it?

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there. Today is the day to pamper yourself and do whatever is you want, you deserve it. It's a beautiful day so enjoy it. I think that we deserve it more than once a year ;0)! So today's post are cards that I made for the mom's in my life. I can't take credit for the idea, my up line Bev showed us this card at our last imprints meeting and I loved it. I believe that she said she got it from her up line Karen (hope that's right I apologize if that's incorrect). I changed it just a bit to work for me. I thought this was such a good idea who doesn't love to get flowers and on top of it one's that won't die in a week. I hope you enjoy this card. Thank you Bev for the idea. I hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend and Mother's day thanks for stopping by.

SUMMER LOVE

So for those of you that do not live in California, it is a rainy day and I love days like this. For me it's the best time to scrapbook and create some cards because I'm not missing out on a bright sunny day plus I just like the rain.

Today I was playing around with my rub~ons which I absolutely love. I must say that they are really easy to work with and look great too. I made a 3x3 card today, these are great to add to a gift, whether it be for a baby shower, bridal shower, birthday, etc. SU! also sells envelopes that fit perfect for this size card. Today I used the Summer Love rub~ons and applied it to 3M transparency film. Tip:I used glue dots to hold this card together so that it would have a cleaner look. On the inside of the card I lined it with the Walk in the Park DSP that can be found in the mini occasions catalog. Adding a bit of Very Vanilla CS to the center so that my image would be better seen. I used the corner rounder punch to round all the edges and a bit of very vanilla taffeta ribbon to complete. This made for a quick and cute card. I am really happy with the way it came out. Thanks for stopping by.

SCRAPBOOKING PROMOTION

During the month of May, we are celebrating National Scrapbooking Month. This is a great opportunity for you to get together with friends and family who are avid scrapbookers or even brand-new to the hobby and host a workshop. In the month of May Stampin' Up is offering a variety of promotions :1st on DSP(designer series paper) and Textured 12x12 CS so not only will you receive hostess benefits your guest can receive benefits as well. 2nd Stampin Up! is also giving us a sneak peek into the upcoming 2009~2010 Idea book & Catalog of the new Jumble Alphabet stamp set that will only be offered for the month of May and will not be released again until the next catalog release.

Click on the link for more details. http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Picture_the_Possibilities_US.pdf
In honor of Mother's Day, I as a Independent Demonstrator and this is just a exclusive offer from me to you and not from Stampin Up! the company I will be covering your S&H and Tax until May 15th this does not apply to online orders. Orders will have to be placed with me directly. So be sure to take advantage of all these wonderful promotions and happy Scrapbooking!