Ladystamper

SAB is on the way!!

2012-01-05T06:38:00.001-07:00

Its a new year and Stampin' Up! has tons of exciting new stamps and accessories for YOU! Check out my website to see the new stuff you can get for FREE! I am so darn excited about this new stuff!! Check back to see what I am making with my new goodies! Yes, as a demonstrator I got to order it early. A benefit I LOVE!!
Time to schedule a workshop! My house, your house, or online! No matter how you do it, you'll get great stuff! Contact me today!
www.beckiecarlson.stampinup.net

2012-01-01T20:57:00.000-07:00

A brand new year. In the past I have made it a point to NOT make resolutions. I think it was basically because I don't like doing what every one else is doing. I'm not the kind to follow the crowd and do things simply because it is popular. This is also my excuse for being such a dorky outcast all through junior high and high school. Yeah, it was all part of my plan. Whatever.
This year, I think I may actually set a few goals. I have been very impressed by my son's diligence in keeping to a strict schedule. He almost always goes to bed before everyone else in the house and it up and out the door before I have hit the snooze button for the second time. He has a crazy busy schedule and serious goals in mind and has done extremely well so far. He has inspired me to try and get to bed on time. I have to admit a bit of hesitancy here because...I am quite a night owl. I always have been at my most creative in the middle of the night. Now, before you get any weird ideas about that statement, I am referring to doing last minute essays and other homework, finishing up 150 swaps for a Stampin' Up! event, or feverishly sewing the last bits of the Christmas projects I put off til Christmas Eve.
Looking back, I think what I may have considered "creative night owl syndrome" may really be more of a "conquistador of chaos" (thanks goes to Juli Morgenstern for that term). I wait until the last possible moment and then voila! I pull the proverbial rabbit out of my hat and it all works out. I don't know that I work well under pressure like that, but I don't quit til I'm done.
I am wondering what will happen if I actually start things in the morning. You know, that time BEFORE the kids are gone to school. That time of day when my crazy sister goes bike riding and working out and all those things that cause her to injure herself and look good while she does it. Maybe I would sleep better planning ahead for the next day instead of lying half awake hoping and praying I finished everything on time. I don't know...it is an idea. Besides....I keep hearing that "early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise" run through my head. And seriously.....who couldn't use a little more health, wealth and wisdom? I'm 'up' for the challenge...first thing tomorrow. Cause I said so....

***this was meant for my 'other blog' ....sorry about that. If you liked it and would like to read more of my daily rantings, go to www.causeisaidso.wordpress.com. Thanks!

holiday yummies

2011-12-11T00:17:00.001-07:00

See No Bake Peanut Butter Fudge and 1000's of others - or share your own on Cut Out + Keep

pocket full of faces

2011-11-16T09:35:00.000-07:00

I like to send Christmas cards that have a family picture each year. I also like to make super cute Christmas cards using Stampin' Up! products. This is an idea that has been around but is always cute. Make a simple pouch using cardstock. I scored my cardstock (using the simply scored) at 3 and 7-1/4 on the long side, and 5-1/2 on the short side. I cut off the extra at the bottom sides and folded the sides in to make the pouch. Clear as mud? Basically, fold your cardstock around the photo or inside that you want to have slide out. I stamped my pouch with the big Christmas Collage stamp. Old olive on Old olive. I positioned the stamp so that the circle with 25 in it was on the lower left. I used the Joy stamp from the Perfect Punches set and embossed it in gold on both Burgundy and Vanilla paper. I punched out the center of the vanilla and the scallop of the burgundy and layered it up on the front, right over the 25. The ribbon on here is what I like to call "wed weave wibbon" but is actually called the Quilted Satin ribbon from the holiday mini catalog. It is yummy!
The inside is just a pull out where you can put your family picture or a Christmas greeting. Lots of variations available for this idea. Enjoy!

perky tree

2011-11-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

This is one of the cards I did at my workshops last week. I totally cased it from Araceli...in fact, this is her card! I used white seam binding instead of twine, current DSP from the mini catalog, and just stamped Merry at the bottom right on the card. The cuteness factor is in how she did the tree. This is the small pennant punch. Punch three scallop triangles and three straight ones. (i also used a stamp from the pennant set instead of the embossed paper). layer your triangles and fold them all in half. This is much easier if you use the simply scored tool to make a crease in the triangle. Then you simple snail the triangles together, leaving the back open so you can stick it to the card. It is a super cute 3-D tree when you are done. Clever girl...thanks for the idea Araceli!

bearly scored

2011-11-14T09:26:00.002-07:00

I have been having a ball with my new Simply scored tool. I love how easy it is to use! I made quite a few little fan flowers using it but decided I wanted to try something bigger. I used 3 pieces of 12 x 4 DSP for this fan flower. Instead of scoring every 1/4 inch like I did for the smaller fans, I scored every 1/2 inch for this one. It is super cute and looks like fabric! I ended up spraying it with the smooch spray and sponging the edges to add to the rustic feel. I added a string of punched hearts that I had sewn together on the sewing machine. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but....it's cute!

Super Saturday!!

2011-11-10T12:43:00.010-07:00

I am hosting a Super Craft Saturday on November 19th, from 10-2pm. Each item is sold individually. We decided to do bigger projects than I normally offer at a stamp camp. These are great gift ideas for others and for YOU! You can make as many as you wish of each project. Registrations are DUE by November 16th. Space is limited so do not delay! I am not requiring payment in advance, but if you sign up you are telling me you will buy the project! Be a dear and don't back out or I will have to have advance payment from now on. Thanks!

Prices: 12 x 12 Advent calendar in Frame $25
Star mini album: $15
Double swing out photo card: $6
Joy wall hanging: $8
Fabric ornament: $3
3 different gift card holders: $10

I don't know how to list the price under the picture it goes with so hopefully it is obvious. The card with the Brown ribbon and tree on the front is one of the gift holders. It pops up in the middle...super cute! There are two other designs not shown.

Please email me at ladystamper@earthlink.net
to register. Please send your name and the number of each project you want to make.
This is a come and go event so you can come when you can between 10-2pm. NOTE: If you are making a lot of items, please don't show up at 1:30 or 2. Each project takes approximately 1 hour to make. If you are making several of one item, it will be quicker because you can do them at the same time. There will be doorprizes through out the day and gifts to anyone that registers someone I don't know. I am doing this with my downline so if you see this through them, be sure to tell me your demonstrators name so I can keep everyone straight.
Can't wait to craft with you!!!
Questions: call me...480-361-8103
**If you cannot come and wish to order the supplies to make these projects at home,that is totally allowed. The price is the same but I will include adhesive (and possibly shipping if you are out of state) in the deal.

sacks of spirits

2011-10-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up! has so many fun dies...it makes it so easy to make packages quick and easy! I used the petal cone die to make this little hanging pounch hoohaw....what would YOU call it? I cut it out twice and just built it up. Super duper easy! I added one of the fan flowers to the front but it was a bit big so I freehand cut it down, purposely wiggly, so it would fit. The tag on the front and the handle are from the Pick your Poison Quick Accents kit. The accents are self adhesive cardstock die cuts, so I just used a strip of spiders and a strip of stripes stuck together to make the handle. I stuck it all together with dimensionals to make it really pop. When I was done, I sprayed the whole thing with black and yellow shimmer spray. The shimmer spray is a great way to get a uniform look when using lots of different elements. It kind of ties it all together.
You should make one of these! It is perfect to give to friends, coworkers, neighbors, kids,....etc. just stick a treat in there and they will love it! I thought about what I could put in one that said 'spirits' on the front....maybe one of those small bottles of alcohol? lol maybe not for my friends......
Enjoy!

glitter and ghouls

2011-10-12T17:20:00.005-07:00

halloween has not, typically, been one of my favorite holidays. But, as I have mentioned for at least the last two years, I have fallen in love with the super fun Halloween designer paper and stamps that Stampin' up! has been offering. I have even been stamping spiders! It is truly amazing.
I am hosting a class at my house tomorrow night for anyone that wants to come and make this super cute Halloween banner, or one close to it. I always encourage personalizing and going beyond my designs. I do make a point to tell my students that if they make something WAY cuter than what I made as the sample...I may keep their project and pass it off as my own at the next class, but...so far I have restrained. I love the ideas people come up with tho and have learned a lot from my students over the years.
The class is $10 and includes everything you need to make a Halloween banner. I have to made the disclaimer here that I don't actually have any more black rhinestones, but I do have loads of clear so....it will be even more sparkly!
Please RSVP if you plan to attend so I can save you a spot!

Fan Flower

2011-09-17T21:52:00.002-07:00

I didn't know what else to call this...

I am having fun with my Simply Scored tool! I made these cute cards for my group swap this month. It was fun and pretty easy! Enjoy!

classy halloween

2011-08-29T10:51:00.002-07:00

This has to be one of my all time favorite cards from convention this year. It really POPS in person! The background is embossed...both dry and heat!
I will be demoing this card at an upcoming technique class in September.....wanna come? This card and more can be yours.......:)

Hello case

2011-08-28T10:48:00.002-07:00

When I saw this set in the catalog, I was not impressed. It just didn't do anything for me. That being said,...after seeing all the samples at convention I had to buy it! I really like this card by Sharon Skelton. I love Blue and Brown together! Add a little bling and..what's not to love! The white square is embossed with the polka dot embossing folder. I was going to case it and post my version but....her card is just perfect!
(I may case it anyway! ) Thanks for sharing Sharon.

Blue memories

2011-08-27T09:21:00.002-07:00

When I make a card I like, I like to make more than one. I really liked the card I showed yesterday, but a couple of the elements were retired Stampin' Up! items. I made this one using all current ingredients. Again, the same butterfly with the tree and 'swinger', but this time no rosette. I also left the tag off since that is not a Stampin' Up! item. Instead of sponging with espresso and blush, this card has suede and bashful blue. I think it turned out pretty cute. Enjoy!

Remember when....with pearls

2011-08-26T09:13:00.000-07:00

I was in a nostalgic mood the other day. I was looking through my stamps and came across this Forever Young set. I love the tree and the feeling of days gone by it gives me. I really like how this card turned out. It makes me remember days of carefree youth swinging on my grandmothers swing out back.
I used vanilla cardstock for my butterfly and word base. The tag in the background is an actual premade tag from the local craft store. ( I have hundreds...don't ask...) I sponged it with espresso ink and stamped the brocade image from the Daring Adventure set. It turned out a bit bold and smeared so I put my Aqua painter to the task and really smeared it around. Hey, if you can't beat it, join it, right? My favorite DSP is in the background of course, heavily sponged as well. I added some vanilla seam binding through the hole in the tag and then tied the original tag string around that. Pearls and a fabric rosette finish it all off.
Does it give you the same feeling? Let's go swing!

Grow Green

2011-08-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Does this stamped image look familiar? yes, it is the same as yesterday. I really like it. But, again, I am missing the razzleberry ribbon. Did you send in your request yet to Stampin' Up!
I absolutely love this DSP! It is from the Spice Cake collection....coming out in September. It is SUPER yummy and has fabric to coordinate! Schedule a workshop and I will bring it to entice you!

grow through life....

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

This stamp is one they gave us at convention. Exclusive! Gotta love that! I think it is cute and I love the saying, "don't go through life, grow through life." Words of wisdom for sure.
I stamped the image with Old Olive and then used an aqua painter to add some color to the flowers, leaves, and butterflies. Not to bold....I just wanted a bit of interest on there. The card base is Soft Suede with a strip of old olive at the bottom and a matte of Rich Razzleberry under the image. Did you know Stampin' Up! doesn't have any Razzleberry polka dot ribbon? I was very upset frankly. I think we should all request that TODAY! lol I used some vanilla seam binding instead and it works for me. The background image is the large Good Works stamp stamped with Soft Suede. My downline may be seeing some of these cards.....its prize week!

fall life

2011-08-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

I always dream of the fall. Dream the the leaves will change color and fall and the air will get crisp and cool and that I suddenly live in Vermont. lol Arizona autumns leave a bit to be desired. Here we are, almost at the end of August and we are still waking up to 80 degree mornings and 100 degree lunches. sigh...
I can, however, live out my fall fantasies with stamps. See? Stamping makes all your dreams come true! I love this Gently Falling stamp set. It is beautiful with both the layers, or just one or the other. For this card I used pumpkin pie, more mustard and soft suede stamp pads. The ribbon is actually chocolate chip but, we won't tell, will we? Can you see that I even sneaked a bit of my newsprint DSP on here? I told you it went with everything....

Easy does it

2011-08-22T08:50:00.003-07:00

I had a big sale at my house this weekend. I have SO much retired paper and stamps and wheels and....well, you get the idea. The people that came got a screaming deal on some wonderful crafting supplies. I still have more so, I may be doing it again this weekend.
As was expected, I had a easy little make and take at the sale. This is the card my guests were able to make. Have I said how much I love this DSP? It goes with everything! The package is huge! It just lasts and lasts! I think I may actually need to order more....but it has lasted a long time and I've used it on almost everything lately.
The card base is Soft Suede. The stamp is from the Button Buddies set. Instead of buttons for flowers I used the retired Rosettes. I actually like these quite a bit. I miss them already!
My office is almost done! I only have one more wall to do. yay! Here is a little sneak peek of some amazing organization tools I found. These little shelf units are from organizemore.com. They hand make each unit when you order it so, it's 'just for you!' The have brackets on the back so you can hang them on the wall, but I chose to put them on my shelves. I emptied a few of my drawers so I could move some other things around. It is working great!

Bloggers sketch

2011-08-19T11:41:00.006-07:00

My internet has been giving me a hard time. On and off....is it me or is it Qwest....? We don't know. I blame them, they blame me. Either way, it has kept me from being consistent on some web items like the bloggers challenge.
This week our challenge is in the form of a sketch.
I love sketches. It gives me a base to go from. I can just add my own touch to it then.
As soon as I saw this one, I knew I wanted to use the new stocking set and punch from Stampin' Up! I love it! Of course, it is not available til Sept 1st.....but you can book a workshop with me and I will bring it and let you use it! Sept is right around the corner! I also decided I wanted to use my snowflake die instead of a circle in the background. I don't know if this card turned out 'exactly' how I wanted....but it does have some sparkle and I do love that! The edges of the stocking as well as the red strip along the bottom are from the Red Glitter paper. I LOVE it! I stamped JOY with Real Red and added a fun button to the O. A 1/8inch hole and some linen thread and it is done! I originally started out making a square card but my JOY wasn't enough to fill the card. wow...does that have a double meaning? lol maybe!
Enjoy! And check out what the other bloggers did with this sketch using the links below.

Key 'fob'

2011-07-30T00:38:00.011-07:00

For convention this year I joined Amy's 3-d business WOW swap. I love doing Amy's swaps because you know you are going to get some amazing things back.
For my swap I made Key Fobs. They are basically a bracelet key chain. They were super easy and fun to make. I made this short video for my downline to show them how to make them. They would be a great camp project or even a hostess gift. All the supplies are from Stampin' Up! except for the metal ring and the thread. I'd love to see what you come up with. Be sure and share!
Enjoy!
Tutorial

(let me know if this link isn't working...like I said....no pro....)

I am certainly no pro with the video camera so....viewer discretion is advised. And if you are wondering, I am wearing my Dave Robbins Shirt. I'm such a slacker...

Sunday is sweet

2011-07-25T20:25:00.000-07:00

I admit it...I broke down and used my new craft table before I shellaced it. I couldn't help it! It is THE place to stamp in my room and I needed a baby card stat! Karen has her awesome challenge every Sunday so I used her sketch for my card. It isn't always a good idea to put your entire card together before you have a focal point image....but I tend to do it alot. I absolutely love DSP so that tends to be where I start. Then I have to hunt for a stamp to top it all off.
This may be my only 'official' baby stamp. I will have to look through all my stuff....but it works! It is from the new all occasions set Easy Events. I love stamp sets that have lots of images for all different occasions. This little ducky is adorable and so are the rest of the images. Its also a great starter set if you are just getting into card making.
I used retired DSP (sorry) from the Cottage Wall collection. I love the Rich Razzleberry color paired with all the greens. Purple and green! My favorite! I figured it would work for a baby boy...
I colored my ducky in with my SU Markers. I stamped the umbrella onto a piece of the DSP where it was solid RR and cut it out. It is stuck on with a dimensional and dotted with the white gel pen.
I noticed several cards at convention this year that used Vanilla paper with White paper. I always thought that was kind of taboo. Kind of like....no white shoes in the winter and all that. But, apparently, a new law has been passed that allows those two colors to play nice together. I kind of like the vanilla silk ribbon on here with my white paper. The base is a Vanilla Naturals piece. White and vanilla. Kind of like french vanilla ice cream with whip topping....yeah, I could do that....:o)
Enjoy!

Bloggers Summertime

2011-07-24T14:57:00.004-07:00

This week our Bloggers Challenge was "summertime." I did this card for a shoebox swap at convention and figured it fit the theme pretty good. I used the scallop circle die as well as the large circle die to cut my paper. I love this new set, Best of Everything. It was number one on my wish list for the new Stampin' Up! catalog. It is so darn cute and easy to use! The branch can also be stamped as a little tree. I saw some real cute ideas at convention I plan to CASE soon.

In Studio news, my big craft table has it's first coat of black on it. I have some shellac to put on the top and then it will be ready to use. I can't wait! I will be painting my ceiling in the next week or so....school starts Wednesday for SOME of my kids so....I'll be scheduling around that. Then all that is left is a bit of decorating and shifting and I will be ready to share some pictures. I am excited for it to be done!
Enjoy your day!

Cherish for a friend

2011-07-23T12:30:00.001-07:00

As I was surfing around on Facebook the other day, I came across this amazing picture of my friend Nanci and her husband. I fell in love with it! She admitted she had not scrapbooked it yet...I don't know why....I think she has about 16 kids under the age of 4 now.....
I asked her if I could scrapbook it and she said yes. I was so excited, I started right then! I have to admit, good pictures make scrapbooking SO much more enjoyable! (and easy!)

I started out by putting the photo on a piece of textured Blushing Bride cardstock. I used my blender pen and a Pretty in Pink stamp pad to add some pink to the roses around her neckline.

I used a piece of torn newsprint DSP that I had stamped flowers and clocks on with pretty in pink and sahara sand ink (Flower Fancy and Sense of Time sets) along the left side.

I had some die cut butterflies left over from a Convention swap so I pulled them out and stamped the damask image from the Friends 24-7 set with sahara sand ink. After stamping them, I used a scrunched up piece of plastic (read:random plastic bag) dipped in Shimmer paint to dab 'shine' over the butterflies. This is the "Mother of Pearl" technique. The shimmer paint dries really quick. After it dried, I sponged a bit of pretty in pink on the edges of the wings. I LOVE how they turned out! I'm always just...bothered by naked butterflies! I mean, the real body of a butterfly is not very 'attractive', but they just look weird without some sort of body. I figured a strip of pearls would do the trick.
When I was all done, and played around for a bit placing my butterflies and some word strips from the Always set...I just wasn't happy with it. It 'needed' something more. I turned to MDS (My Digital Studio) to solve the problem. I used a punch image in Vanilla, added a Mat in Pretty in Pink, used the words from the accessories, and the same damask image as before - only digital, and came up with the perfect tag! I love it. I did have to cut it out....horrors...but it was a small price to pay to get just the right element for the page.
As a finishing touch, I added some more pearls here and there and called it good. I like it so much...I may not send it to Nanci! Just kidding Nanci...it is on it's way!

Keeping Cards

2011-07-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

One of the Make and Take projects at convention this year was this card keeper box. The box will be available in the Holiday mini catalog that goes into effect on Sept 1. It is a really sturdy little box! It comes flat and has templates for covering the top included. We covered it with some of the YUMMY fabric Stampin' Up! carries. I LOVE this fabric! It is just to beautiful!! The flower on top is made using dies and punches. Lots of layers in there! Wanna make one? Come over and I'll show you how!!

Long overdue....

2011-07-21T16:37:00.000-07:00

My best friend has been complaining that I never make HIM anything when I craft. So, I decided to make a modified version of a scrapbook page I saw on a blog this week. I used a piece of ChipBoard that is approx 7-5. I covered it with black cardstock and then added a smaller layer of the Text DSP. I drew a heart on the DSP and tore it out by hand. After gluing it down, I smeared Liquid Tombow on the exposed black cardstock and then filled it in with tiny punched hearts. The hearts are from the Love Letter Collection, which I LOVE! One side is red and the other is white with black polka dots. I used both sides randomly to add interest. After I put all the hearts on I sprayed the whole thing with Shimmer spray in clear and brown. I also used a Stipple brush (remember those? I miss them!) to add some shading around the edges. I still felt like the heart needed to stand out more, so I took my black Marker and made some faint squiggly lines around the edge of the heart. The picture is mounted in the red DSP as well as black cardstock. I was excited to use the vintage tag...I never know what to do with them! I think it looks good here. I topped the whole thing off with tons of pearls on the hearts in the heart and elsewhere.

After I finished I realized I didn't punch holes or anything to hang it up, so I came up with a makeshift 'easel' on the back. I simple took a piece of chipboard and folded it in half. I stuck one side to the back of the project and used a ribbon with jumbo glue dots to stick a ribbon between the two 'legs'. This keeps the legs from opening all the way. It works good!

Hope he likes it.....if not, he can give it back, cuz I do!

Home and inspired

2011-07-20T16:30:00.002-07:00

The annual Stampin' Up! convention was last week in Salt Lake City. I love love love getting together with hundreds of other crazy stampers and sharing ideas! It is fun to see old friends and to make new ones. We had loads of fun! I came home feeling rested and ready to create!! Thank goodness for my friends that took tons of pictures and that shared them with me. As I was looking through them today, I decided to try my hand at some of the projects I saw.
This cute memo board is one that I saw at the Stampin' Up! distribution center in Riverton. It is super easy! Just take a frame (I have tons, kind of a sicknes...) and put some DSP in it. I added some stamped images and small layer of text DSP .... just cuz I wanted to! I also added the flower to the outside of the glass for more detail. The cool thing is that you can write right on the glass with a dry erase marker and it wipes right off! Very cool idea! now....if I could just find some space on my desk to set this......
Enjoy!

Vacation ready....

2011-06-05T22:54:00.004-07:00

Karen has another cute sketch on her blog today. I love her card....she is so amazing! I tried to do something creative.....it turned out 'ok.' I don't like the umbrella but I think my straw is pretty cool. I used a q-tip with the fluffy ends cut off. I drew the lines on with an orange marker. lol I think it turned out....looking a lot like a straw! Makes me want to go make some lemonade when I look at it! Check out what the other creative people came up with on the blog hop! Enjoy!

sweet Sunday sketch

Betty boop

2011-06-03T22:40:00.000-07:00

Betty Shultz is so darn creative! She is usually doing awesome things with punches for swaps. I was therefore excited to see a non punch card done by her this month. Until I realized....we have a cupcake punch! Yes, this is also a punch card. I just love how she did the lace punch peeking out from above the yummy black and white striped ribbon. And yes, there is glitter on the sprinkles on the cupcake. yum yum!

Bloggers pet challenge

2011-06-03T18:52:00.004-07:00

Better late than never? lol I actually had this done earlier today but I've been 'mom-behind-the-wheel" all day. whew! Our challenge today was "pets". I have a super cute dog stamp set, Friends Furever, but... darn it....there isn't anything cuter than my puppy! (kids excluded) Fantine is the best dog we have ever had. She was my late husband's 40th birthday present and has been great for us!
For this card, I used the Simply Scrappin Playful Polkadots kit and black cardstock. I added pop dots under the 'self adhesive die cut frame' and a bow with a glue dot.
Quick and easy card that made me want to scrapbook!!
No, you can't have my dog Shari......

oh Julie....

2011-06-02T22:53:00.000-07:00

Julie is another awesome stamper....that I love to copy! This is her swap for May. So simple but so beautiful! She stamped the flowers onto glossy white paper and colored them in with markers. The extra shimmer is that Champagne shimmer mist. Gotta love that stuff! The butterfly is a die for the Big Shot. I may copying this one for convention swaps....in purple of course....lol Enjoy!

Sneak peek of the Studio

2011-06-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I recently added on a Stampin'Studio to my house. I absolutely love it! I had all my stampin/craftin supplies in my bedroom before this. Needless to say....it was not the most workable situation. I decided to bite the bullet and pay the big bucks to enclose my smallest garage. I still have a lot of 'tweeking' to do to make it my own little piece of creative heaven, but here are a few pics for now. I have a painter coming later this summer to help me do some funky stuff.....just you wait and see!

Jeannie scissor hands

2011-05-31T22:43:00.000-07:00

You may remember cards from Jeannie from days gone by. This is the card she submitted for our May swap. She 'loves' to cut out things. It is obvious in her work. I love how detailed and beautiful it is! She has a great eye for composition as well. You might not be able to see it, but the background is the damask embossing folder sprayed with the shimmer mist. It is truly a beautiful card.

Purple daisies

2011-05-30T14:19:00.000-07:00

The summer has truly begun at my house. The traveling is going to be non stop all summer! I've never had a summer quite like this one and I'm excited!
I wanted to share some of the awesome swaps I've been getting. This card is done by Jimi Felder. She is a stamper I greatly admire. Everything she does is just wonderful! She used the Flower, Daisies #2 Die, and the scallop squares duo die for the Big shot....with purple dsp! The polka dots are made with the embossing folder, also using the big shot. It's a real touchy feely card. I love it!
Enjoy!

Sweet Sunday....already?

2011-05-29T00:15:00.003-07:00

My 'sister from another mother' Karen is an amazing stamper. She hosts a challenge every Sunday on her blog. I decided to play along this week, just for fun....I'm sure my card is nowhere near as fantastic as the others that link to her blog, but it is fun to have a template or 'sketch' to work with. Gives you a nice jumping point for your creativity.
I knew I wanted to use this DSP and the butterfly embosslet, so...here it is! I pretty much hated it til I added the words. NO! Don't look too close, cuz ...(they are crooked)....but once that touch of black was on there to anchor everything, I decided it wasn't too bad. I did have a moment of panic when I couldn't find my pearls....what the heck! I order those and the rhinestones by the case! Well, not really, but golly I have a lot....Come stamp with me! I'll share!!

Black and white and red all over

2011-05-28T09:45:00.002-07:00

This is my birthday card from Araceli. I love how she stamps! She is amazing at layers and everything she does is so professional! Check out all the punches she used on here. I think she used five different punches! DSP, punches, Ribbon....gotta love it!

blogger challenge shimmer

2011-05-27T10:06:00.004-07:00

This week at the bloggers challenge, we are doing "shimmer". fun! the hard part is getting it to show up in my pictures! I was inspired by some blogs I hopped this morning that had floral layouts similar to one I did. I don't remember where the blogs were...so don't ask....anyway! I tried something a bit different. Well, it was different to me. I used markers to ink up my stamp and then spritzed it with the shimmer spray from Stampin' Up! I didn't get a real even coverage because it kept clogging....need to figure out how to keep that from happening. But I like the effect! In person the flowers have nice shimmer to them. In the picture...not so much. I also added a sponging of the Frost white shimmer paint around the edge of the white. Also something not so evident in a picture but nice in person.
Be sure to check out the other bloggers in the challenge. Enjoy!

sweet Shari....

2011-05-26T11:09:00.000-07:00

Shari is an amazing stamper...she always wows me with her simple clean totally cute cards! This is the card she sent me for my birthday this year. I absolutely love how she used the buttons! (I have about 5 million buttons...) I will totally be copying this one! Thanks Shari!!

when in doubt...bling it out!

2011-05-25T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is another card I made with scraps and left overs from my desk. Yes, I had quite a mess...don't judge! The black is a left over page from my mini scrapbook from a few weeks ago, I just cut off one edge so it would fit my card. The DSP was from another project, and the flowers are from the triple punch I'm addicted to (see yesterday's post). I had the card all done and had to actually get UP and get a greeting to put on it. I know, horrors....I stamped it in black and...yes, my black pad needs to be re inked. But I didn't want to get up again so....I used my 2-way glue pen and dazzling diamonds glitter and...you can't tell how pathetic my black ink is! yay for a dazzzling fix!

Photo punch

2011-05-24T23:00:00.002-07:00

I am loving the triple punches at Stampin' Up!! I had some left overs from the scrapbook page I made a few days ago so I decided to do a "don't get out of my seat" creative session. It is a challenge for me not to get up and get more tools or embellishments when I am creating. This card is made just with left overs that were on my stampin table. I love how it turned out! I'm a bit addicted to roughing up these flowers....seems like an easy way to get a dimensional flower without having to layer or use much paper.
enjoy!

Inspiration challenge

2011-05-20T07:29:00.006-07:00

Now that I am done with school for a while, I decided to jump back into the bloggers challenge group. I like having an 'assignment' each week. It helps to spur on my creative juices. This weeks challenge is an inspiration piece. We were to use the colors or feel of the picture to make our project. I used the Nautical expedition DSP from Stampin' Up! for my background and aged it with the distressed kit. The ship is stamped with Soft Suede and then I used the aqua painter and just a bit of marina mist ink to add dimension to the ship. It was a step outside of the box for me....just what I needed! Be sure to check out the other players this week or play along yourself!

pink and blue

2011-05-19T08:26:00.002-07:00

My dear friend Michele sent me this sweet card for my birthday last month. I love the colors she used. The little bling on the greeting is just fun! I'm so blessed to have such talented ladies in my group!

Birthday butterflies

2011-05-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

My friend Holly sent me this amazing card for my birthday last month. I love it! I have it on display in my studio for all to see. Maybe I will attempt to make one of my own...maybe....

Summer mini

2011-05-16T06:24:00.003-07:00

Here is the other project we made at my super fun scrap night last Saturday. It's an easy mini album that focuses on photos more than frill. The covers are made with the naked chipboard from Stampin' Up! that we covered with DSP. It is easiest to cover the chipboard before you cut it out. I used TomBow liquid to adhere the DSP to both sides and then ran it through the Big Shot to cut out the covers. The interior pages are simply the same die cut shape using cardstock. I added a few buttons here and there but mostly just used photos and the white gel pen. This would be a fun project to make before the summer starts to keep memories in as you travel or just hang out this summer.
The mini album is shown with a ribbon holding it together here, but I did find some metal rings to use instead. The pages turn much easier with that than the ribbon.
Enjoy!

Tiny scrapper

2011-05-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

My niece loves glue! She is so cute...squirting it out all over her 'projects'....Gotta love a tiny person that loves to craft!
This is another CASE page I did last night. I love the fun colors on these papers. They really go well with my silly 13 year old's personality. She is fun fun fun! I wanted to use the ribbon punch but realized I didn't have it....shock! So, used the scallop lace border and just punched both sides of a strip of Chocolate paper. sigh...if only the paper tasted like chocolate...I'm so in the mood!!
Are you scrappin?? It's national scrap month!

Scrap night

2011-05-14T23:03:00.005-07:00

We had a great time scrapbooking tonight. It has been toooo long! Nothing makes me feel quite as good as scrapbooking my family memories. I love it!
This is the page I had for everyone to make. I copied a layout I found in Creating Keepsakes from a few months ago. Again, same basic layout but totally different paper, color, theme, etc. Gotta love a good copy!
All the papers I used are from the same DSP packet from Stampin' Up! I love how the papers all coordinate with each other. They have really take the guess work out of things!
The flowers in the faux photo strip were made with the new three layer flower punch. It is amazing! I punched out the flowers and then crumpled them up and separated the layers in the paper to give them depth and texture. Its a fun technic but my tiny neice didn't like the 'ripped up' flowers for HER project...lol she is so cute.
Enjoy!

little sis

2011-05-10T21:31:00.000-07:00

My other sister is beautiful too. Blonde hair...blue eyes....sigh....
I made this scrap book page for her on Mothers day. I made a point to use silly pictures of her family....cuz they are a crazy bunch of people! I love them all! I think she liked it.....it has polka dots so....she must have!

the runt

2011-05-09T21:21:00.001-07:00

My baby sister is beautiful. She really is. She was only four when I moved out and I missed out on so much with her and the others! She has grown up quite nicely in spite of my absence tho.
I made this scrap page for her for Mothers day. Just a couple pictures of her and her fiance and my neice. They are the cutest little family....I just love them!

mothers day

2011-05-08T21:17:00.002-07:00

I don't think I shared this card before.....this is the card I made for my mother...a couple months ago. I used the owl punch to make the flower. It is one of my most favorite cards ever! I almost didn't give it to mom. But, she is an amazing mom, so....she deserved it!
I also made her this cute and quick scrap page featuring all the girls in our family. Mom and future moms. It is from last Christmas...or Thanksgiving...I forget....We don't get the whole family together very often, so it is pretty special!

crazy hair

2011-05-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

My son Ethan is a one of a kind guy. He is super sweet and fun and just a joy to be around. He really got into spirit week this year. He actually wanted me to take these pictures!
I used another winning layout from the Stampin' Success magazine. This one was by Connie Collins in TN. She made her quilt blocks a bit smaller....I went with the size they popped up as when I selected 'use as a page element'....cuz...well...I'm lazy. :o) I think it still looks good. I love how the chocolate stitching between the blocks makes it hard to tell how crooked they are. yay! Enjoy!!

instead of showering....

2011-05-05T06:21:00.002-07:00

My dad came over yesterday to help me build a table for my stamp studio. Yes, I've decided to call it a 'studio'....seems more creative than just stamp room. The table is going to be fantastic! It will seat 8 cozy and 6 comfy or just two the way I tend to spread out...lol You know what I mean!
Because of my crazy excitement over getting my studio fully functional, I found myself doing some digital scrapping this morning during my shower time. Sorry world..... I had been browsing the Stampin' Success magazine earlier and found some really great My Digital Studio winning layouts. I really liked one in particular done by Amber Meadows so I decided to try and duplicate it. Here is my take. The original was ....well, completely different in color, theme, and subject matter, but basically the same layout. I love it!! My sister and her daughter are just to photogenic....Enjoy!

supa ninja

2011-05-03T21:30:00.002-07:00

My son Ethan has been doing MMA (mixed martial arts) and he is getting pretty good! He loves the weapons best. He seems to be a natural! I snapped these pictures the other day while he was practicing.
I like this page....it is actually a monochromatic page in a way. The background is from one of the new digital downloads for My Digital Studio with a textured background stamp over it. All the stamped images and the photo mats are done with black. I just changed the opacity of the black to give it dimension. Its a bit busy for my taste but...then again....I'm not a guy! I think Ethan will like it!
This month is National Scrapbooking month! Stampin' Up! is offering the digital scrapbooking start up kit at a discount as well as loads of scrapping supplies at 30% off! check out my website to see the details or send me a message.

Easter sweeties

2011-04-26T21:58:00.002-07:00

My sister loves to sew. Every time I see her she has sewn something new and wonderful. For Easter she 'whipped out' these skirts for her and her daughter. The other daughter has one too....so cute! I had to snap a picture of them going through the eggs after the egg hunt on Easter. They were too cute.
I used My Digital Studio for the scrap page. Most of the elements are from the new Cheerful Treat hostess CD that will be available next month. The pink background paper is from the SweetPea collection. I love the soft pinks and yellows. The leaves and flowers are one "stamp" so they show up all in pink. I simply layered a green leaf over them from the same Cheerful treat set. It was quick and easy!
I love the ease of the digital scrapping but I'm itching to get my hands on some good old paper soon! School is almost out and I am going to do some scrapping!

manly scraps

2011-04-14T06:16:00.002-07:00

Every now and then I challenge myself to make a card or project with only the materials that are lying on my desk. That is what happened with this card. I had been working on the previous card with the bird and these are some of the left over pieces. The DSP is the other side of the pretty floral and the newsprint DSP was a left over piece from the bird card as well. The black rhinestones are from Halloween...I keep all my pearls and rhinestones on my desk in case of emergency....you never know when you will need to add some bling! I like how this card turned out. It has a patriotic, manly feel to me. Manly is not my strong suit so....yay me!
Working on a mass amount of cards for my amazing downline today. Love those ladies!!
happy stamping!

triple punch

2011-04-13T06:36:00.002-07:00

I am so excited about this new item Stampin' Up! is carrying! It is a three step Punch! Yes, you read that right....it is a punch that punches out three separate shapes. It is SO cool! If you look close you can see all three shapes on my flowers. The light pink outside, the full flower base, and the lightest pink pinwheel center. All you do is slide the little button to get three different punches. Making super cute multi-layer flowers is totally easy! Sarah and I had fun playing with these flowers. There are two punches like this....just wait til you see the other one!
Get punchy!

little things

2011-04-12T10:05:00.002-07:00

I'm feeling inspired being in my new stamp room. I love being able to get to everything so easily! I'm not quite ready for pictures, but stay tuned!
I made a few of these cards for people I needed to thank. The base is Bravo Burgundy with a piece of the new Paisly Petals DSP. This paper is really mature and has beautiful colors in it! I layered a piece of Artichoke under a scrap of newsprint and put my greeting on there. The bird is from Punch Potpourri (fits in the bird punch!) and stamped with Night of Navy. Can you see the tiny pearl for the eye?
Hope you feel inspired to stamp today too....and find the time! I am home with two sick boys so....I'm taking advantage of it!

like mother like daughter

2011-04-11T08:31:00.004-07:00

I got so spend some time stamping with my daughter Sarah yesterday. It was a rare treat cuz she is such a busy girl! I had made this card for my class Wednesday so she made one as well. I think it turned out great! Can you tell which one belongs to who?

New stampers!

2011-02-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Okay so technically....she may not be a 'new' stamper, but this is the first time she has stamped with me so....she is new to me! My friend Marcy came to my stamp night on Friday and made this totally adorable card! I love the colors she put together....not colors I would have chosen, but they rock! This is a Valentine card for her son. It looks amazing in person. Very dimensional. On the inside, she put the negative of the punched hearts along the bottom border. super cute! I hope she keeps coming so I can steal more ideas from her!

Scissor wizard

2011-02-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Jeannie is amazing with scissors! She always sends me the most amazing cards! I don't know where she finds the time to do all the cutting! She says she enjoys it. I think it is awesome! She sent me this card for Valentine's day. Yes, I felt the love. Thanks Jeannie!!

Love from below

2011-02-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

My sweet downline Araceli made me this totally adorable card a few weeks ago. She is ooober talented!! It is made using the saleabration set Bliss, the embossing folder Framed Tulips, and the awesome red glitter paper. I love the layout and the colors and everything! totally a copy-able card. Feeling the love for anyone? make them this card! I can help!

Foofy bookmark

2011-02-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

This cute book mark is made using the Flower die in the mini catalog and some wide grosgrain ribbon. Totally easy! Punch out the flowers, sponge the edges, layer together with dimensionals, add a vintage brad to the top and voila! Foofy bookmark. One your boy children probably won't steal but...watch out for the girls! Before you know it, it will be tied around their head like a head band. Not a bad idea.......

What I do instead of homework....

2011-02-24T19:30:00.004-07:00

yes,I have tons of homework to do so, I decided to scrapbook instead! Why not? In the long run, isn't keeping your family memories alive more important than being able to graph vectors and inequalities? Yes, they are. I am attempting to post the 'movie' I made of my February 2011 Digital scrapbook. I used My Digital Scrapbook from Stampin' Up! for this. The pages were all designer made. I only changed a few things here and there to personalize them. I think the colors and layout are perfect for my little album. This whole thing only took me about an hour to do. If you haven't tried MDS....you've got to try it! Loads of fun! It doesn't quite satisfy my urge to get out the paper and scissors and stamps and glue....but it will do in a pinch!

Wishing Big

2011-02-24T06:57:00.002-07:00

Now that I am back in Arizona, I have the opportunity to go to my upline's group meetings. I love meeting with other demonstrators! These women are especially creative. I love all the great ideas I come home with! I wanted to share this particularly cute card done by Jimi. I love the colors and the texture and all the dimension on here. She used the big shot die Movers and Shakers for the window and circle punches for the colored circles on top. It is way cute! Thanks for the idea Jimi!

Eye of the Artist

2011-02-15T09:07:00.000-07:00

I was showing my friend Marlene the wonders of the water color pencils the other night and came up with this card. It was intended to be a quick..."this is how these work" project and not really a card, but the peer pressure got to me quick to make it into something. I guess this stamp is actually a fern of some sort, but the great thing about being the 'artist' of the card....it is whatever I say it is! So, either a mighty cold fern or a new breed of flower. I decided to play off the yellow tips of the 'flowers' and do a yellow card base. Not my favorite choice of colors, but I think it works. And of course...when in doubt, add glitter! I just dabbed a bit of tombow to the edges of each 'flower' and dumped some dazzling diamonds on there. NOW it looks good. You never know how it is going to turn out....just go with it!

It's a manly card matey!

2011-02-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

My mom joined me at my stamp night on Friday. I'm so glad she is willing to come stamp with me...even tho she 'says' she is creatively challenged. Whatever. I will bring out that inner stamp artist! It is my goal!
Anyway, she wanted to make a birthday card for my son who will be 17 next week. I think part of her problem is the overwhelming amount of 'stuff' that can be used to make a card. I helped her out by giving her a base to work with. I gave her the card base, DSP and red stars. She was able to use it to make this totally cute card. I think it turned out awesome! Good job mom!!

My fingers are stuck together

2011-02-12T08:47:00.006-07:00

Yes, it is true. I had a real 'run in' with a bottle of Liquid mono, or Tombow last night. I had seen this tutorial online for making beautiful roses using Stampin' Up!'s owl punch. What??? You say? Yeah, no kidding! This woman is amazing. I had to try it! It was surprisingly easy. This is my very first attempt at the owl rose and it turned out great! I'm not going to describe how to do it, just watch her tutorial. But be warned...if you are not careful, you too will have your fingers glued together. Gotta love that Tombow.....

http://valitasfreshfolds.blogspot.co...unch-rose.html

I'm a jeweler

2011-02-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

The rosettes Stampin' Up! carries are so yummy! My stampin' Grandma gave me these earrings at leadership made from them. Super easy! Just glue the rosette to some empty earring bases. I thought it would bee cool to have a matching ring....so I ordered some ring bases from a place online and made some! Hot glue, a big SU button, and a rosette and you have a super cute ring! My 13 year old HAD to make one too. You KNOW it's cool when the 13 year old likes it. I may just be Hip today! lol

stamp a stack of love

2011-02-10T06:07:00.007-07:00

This Friday I am hosting a card making class at my home. Here are some of the cards we will be making. Please email me and let me know if you can come and what cards you would like to make. Card are made in a 'stack' meaning you get to make 4 of every card you choose for $6. Come stock up and be prepared for the coming month!
If you need cards that are not pictured, let me know and I will have them available too! The greeting on all cards can be changed to meet your month's needs. Can't wait to stamp with you!

brOOch

2011-02-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

What a weird word. Seriously....Brooch. Anyway, this is the brooch we made at leadership.....kind of. I modified it for the stamp camp. Instead of using a clear tile in the center we used a clear button and a rosette. I like the way it fluffs up so cute. The fabric Stampin' Up! carries is so colorful and classy. I really like it a lot. This brOOch could also be used as a hairpin or on a bag or any number of things. Super easy to cut out with the Big shot and just hot glued together. If you look reeeeealy close you might see that there is some newsprint paper in there as well as a shimmer paint colored daisy from the pretties kit. SO shabby chic.....you need one in every color pallette!

Boxes of love

2011-02-08T19:30:00.001-07:00

Here is another project we did at stamp camp this month. This little chest of drawers is made using the Match Box die for the Big Shot. It is so cute! We filled the drawers with red hots and other Valentine candies. Fun stuff! You could also use it for little earrings or other fun gifts.

Insta-wow

2011-02-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

My new friend Marlene came to stamp with me this week. We had a great time chatting and being creative together. I made this card and then she made one too. She didn't really like the way she stamped the flowers on hers until she fed it through the Big Shot using the waffle weave embossing folder. Wow! It really made it pop! Then, she loved it! The paper looks like fabric after you emboss it. I love the effect! Talk about taking a so so card to instant wow!

Glitter fish

2011-02-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

Diane Kileen is another demonstrator friend that comes up with the cutest stuff! This is her card from our last upline meeting. I love how she used the Ornament punch to make these fat little fish! How stinking cute is that? I am also totally in love with this red glitter paper! You NEED some of this!!

casing Julie

2011-02-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Some people are under the false impression that to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator you have to be super creative. Not so! There are SO many good ideas out there, you can go a long way on just copying other people! For example....at my last upline meeting, Julie Hicks brought a super cute card that I promptly brought home and copied. Her's is cuter than mine, so I'm not showing it! I love her idea to use the scalloped circle thingy behind the heart. I will be showing a tutorial on how to do this next week. I know, you are still waiting on the ink in embossing folder technique I promised two weeks ago. Have you ever seen The Money Pit? well....they will be done in 'two weeks.'.......really...

I LOVE stamp camps!

2011-02-04T19:08:00.004-07:00

I haven't done a stamp camp since I moved back to Arizona and I have missed them! Camps are one of my all time favorite things to do. I love getting together with my stampin friends and just crafting all day! Camps are also where we get to do bigger more involved projects than just cards or scrap pages.
This is one of the projects we will be doing tomorrow. The block is from the Decor blocks that Stampin' Up! sells. They come in a set of four, but I thought this was a fun and cute idea to use them independently. I used the new newsprint DSP to cover the block and then used the Big Shot to cut out LOVE. I kept my color scheme to black and white with just the pop of red here and there. The photo holder is made from 14 gauge wire I picked up at Home depot. I used wire cutters and pliers to bend them into the shape I wanted and then hot glued it to the top. I hope my campers like this project!!

Sign of Creativity

2011-02-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I am an organizer by trade. I love organizing craft rooms more than any other room. I am thinking I might need to make myself a new craft room. Right now, my craft room is just crammed into less than half of my bedroom. I thought it would work but....not so much. I want a place I can do my classes and have everything 'right there' so I don't have to run to my room every half second.
In the mean time...this is my work space. And, it isn't even in my craft area. It is my formal dining table. I know.....crazy....but seriously....what does YOUR space look like?? touche.....

Flowers to die for....

2011-02-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

I saw a lot of these flowers at leadership. They are made using the new Fun Flowers XL die for the Big Shot. Talk about easy peasy lemon squeezy! One run through the BS and you get enough flowers to make this super cute pin or brooch or whatever you want to use it for flower. You gotta get this one! Mine is on it's way.....just you wait Henry Higgins....beautiful things will be made next week using this one!

Too easy.....

2011-01-31T00:25:00.000-07:00

This card was just that. Too easy! Chocolate chip base, DSO striped paper, one LOVE stamp and a button! I added the mini library clip, but other than that...oober easy! You can do this one! I was inspired by a card on Tami Waddells facebook. I liked the easy but cute look of it. Gotta love those big buttons!

XO

2011-01-30T00:19:00.002-07:00

I have been in the mood for Valentine's day lately. It seems so fresh and new after the long holiday season. It means spring is just around the corner! I am loving the Love DSO from Stampin' Up! I used the xo paper and thought my big XO dies from the Big Shot would work great! I used going grey paper and then glittered them using the 2way glue pen and dazzling diamonds glitter. Gotta love the bling! Quick and easy card!

To the nines

2011-01-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

I love this designer scrap page from Stampin' Up! It is the perfect colors and theme for these pictures from our family trip to Sedona in 09. The great thing about these pages is that you can modify them to fit. On the original page there was a bicycle image. I removed it and added the flourish under Sarah and balanced that with making the clock by Ethan a darker brown. I also added the brown brads on the two sides. It is nice to have such a great jump start on making your own design. You can also change the colors of the paper and use the layout over and over again! gotta love it!

Vintage family

2011-01-26T08:25:00.000-07:00

Stampin' Up! has been adding loads of awesome downloads for My Digital Studio. I love how quick and easy it is to get more stuff! I just click, pay, and download and I can use it instantly!! Talk about instant gratification! Gotta love it!
This page is one that was designed by Stampin' Up! I just added the silver accents. (gotta make it my own!) I decided to go with a black and white photo of the family to fit the vintage feel of the page. Yet another thing you can instantly do. Change a color photo to black and white. Very cool.....
I have some cute Valentine projects to share....stay tuned!!

Another birthday

2011-01-25T06:13:00.003-07:00

Today is my dear friend Kimber's birthday. She is my 'stampin' mama'. She is the one I signed up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator under.....15 years ago! She has been super supportive and a great friend for all those many years. We have gone to lots of Stampin' Up! events together.
In honor of her birthday, I made this digital scrap page for her. These are pictures from leadership in Nashville just a few weeks ago. I used a designer template from the Always Elegant collection. I love the soft colors. I added the bermuda ribbon and changed the other blues to match. I was trying to match my awesome sweat suit I was wearing to the Make and takes. Yes, I did wear my cowboy boots with that. Hey, make and takes is all about US! No need to dress up for that one...I had to be comfortable! Besides, by this point, I was just about worn out from all the fun! Do I look punchy in this picture? Yeah....I was......and I even went out on the town after this! Gotta love Nashville!

Mom and Me

2011-01-24T16:03:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's birthday. I thought it would be nice to do a scrapbook page for her in honor of her special day. My mom is a wonderful person. Really. She is just one of the best people I know. I am honored to be her daughter. I hope I can be half as wonderful as she is when I grow up.
My mom has been scrapbooking longer than I have....well, let's say...she has been buying scrapbooking supplies longer than I have. She is a real perfectionist when it comes to...well...everything. Scrapbooking has been hard for her.
I introduced her to My Digital Studio last fall and she is doing awesome with it! She has probably scrapped more in the last few months than she has in 10 years! So, if YOU are wondering if MDS is for you....if you are like my mom, it IS!

Happy Birthday mom! I love you!!

Button love

2011-01-23T21:55:00.001-07:00

Here is a Love card in a less traditional color scheme. I love how the artist used a button for the O and cut the V out of blue paper. Very cute. The striped ribbon is toooo yummy!! yes, I do have a huge drawer overflowing with ribbon. My Name is Beckie and I hoard ribbon......lol

2011-01-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

I know this is a big jump away from the red cards I've been featuring lately, but I really love the texture on here. The artist used embossing folders on the bottom half, as well as on the flower. It is super cute in person. Bright and sunny.....I'm in no hurry for summer!

Love the pom poms!

2011-01-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

If you are a touchy feely person, you would love this card! It features the cute new pompom trim along the edge. It is so soft and fun! This is a card you could make a lot of to send out to all your Valentines this year!

Love tea?

2011-01-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

I love the simple sweetness of this card. The little envelope as a tea bag is so cute! The heart punch makes perfect little tea leaves...or whatever they are. wouldn't it be nice if we could actually make a pot of love? When we are feeling down?

More love

2011-01-19T21:44:00.000-07:00

Since I am on a Valentime theme, I will share Diane's card next. Diane Killeen was one of my roommates at leadership. She has been a demonstrator for almost as long as I have. We had a lot of fun together this last week.
I love her card! She used crystal effects over the water in the LOVE to make it really pop. The heart is with Glitter paper....great minds! It also has a cute fold that could work for any number of occasions. Great idea Diane!

Love grows....

2011-01-18T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, I did actually make swaps for leadership. I decided to make Valentine cards since I am working on a Valentine themed Stamp Bowl in February. I wanted to use this awesome tree, cuz I LOVE it, and thought hearts would make perfect little leaves. I got out my glitter but discovered, gasp, that I was almost out! Horrors!!! Fortunately, I had a new package of our new Red Glitter paper handy. It worked perfectly! I LOVE this paper! In fact, I made a second swap using the same paper. I made 80 swaps and only used 1-1/4 sheets of the glitter paper.
I thought they turned out pretty cute. I LOVE our new Valentine DSP (designer series paper) and used every last inch of every sheet!

Leadership in Nashville

2011-01-17T21:34:00.003-07:00

Leadership was wonderful! Such great ideas for both business and stamping. I am home and ready to share! I have lots of swaps to share with you!
I am starting with my all time favorite swap that I received. This cupcake stamp set and matching punch were a big hit at leadership! Lots and lots of awesome samples! I love the soft colors on this one as well as the glitter. It looks good enough to eat!
If you are wondering how the edges were done, stay tuned! I will be posting a short tutorial this week showing you how!
Until then,.....enjoy!

Leadership day one

2011-01-13T05:44:00.003-07:00

I am in Nashville for Stampin' Up!'s leadership conference. It is beautiful here. Snow on the ground, stampers everywhere and music in the air. Nashville boasts itself as the music capital of the world. There is live music at the airport and everywhere you go there is an obvious focus on the great music that is born here. I am in heaven! What more do I need? Well, maybe my family here with me. I do miss them! Thank goodness for my awesome mom and mother in law home taking care of my babies. My mind is at rest knowing they are well taken care of.
Last night we partied hard at the Wild Horse Saloon in downtown Nashville. It was awesome! David Robbins, the famous songwriter/singer entertained us first. He was amazing! Not only incredibly talented, but also a super nice guy. I got to spend some time with him after he performed. He looks 40, acts 25, and is actually older than me! I won't tell his age....he likes to surprise people with it.
After Dave we had a line dancing class that rocked! I finally got it! Yes, it's true, I caught on! It was a blast! After the lesson Brother Trouble played for us and we danced the rest of the night.
One of the things I love about Stampin' Up! events is the entertainment. I always come home with new music. I love it! Two new cds! yay!
Today we start the business part of the conference. Training,new policies, stampin samples,.....and lots of swapping! I can't wait to see all the creativity that is going to be gathered in one place. If you have never been to a Stampin' Up! event...you are missing out! The creatiity hangs in the air like a heavy mist. It is intoxicating!
Hope your day is as wonderful as mine!
You can see picture updates of my day on facebook. If you aren't my friend yet, find me! Beckie Laux Carlson.
Happy day!!

December

2011-01-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

When I use My Digital Studio, I almost always make my own page instead of using the designer ones that have been premade. For this month, since it was the last one of the year, I decided to just do a group of pictures so I used a premade layout. It was super easy to just drag and drop pictures into the slots. I picked pictures that made me laugh or smile about the previous year.
You have the option of using a premade layout for every month. If you did that, it would be amazingly fast! I like to do my own thing so, I'm really glad for the options.
Now it's your turn! Get your MDS out and get scrappin! It was totally easy, fun and fast to do this calendar! I'd love to see what YOU come up with!

November

2011-01-11T00:18:00.000-07:00

This is our 'official' family picture for 2010. At first, I was really irritate that Sarah was looking so goofy. But the more I look at it the more I see her personality just shining through. I love it. It was a bit of a windy coldish day and we had about 30 people running around trying to do a photoshoot, so .....it is amazing we got any good ones! I think my family is just beautiful! I love them so much!

October

2011-01-10T00:16:00.000-07:00

Sarah has always been an adorable girl. As a baby, people would stop me in stores or wherever I was and tell me how beautiful she was. They would tell me to get her on TV or modeling. We lived in California at the time so, it was possible, but I knew that would make her life something we really didn't want it to be. As she has grown older she has just gotten cuter both in looks and in personality. She is a hoot! Always fun fun fun! I just adore her!

September

2011-01-09T00:13:00.000-07:00

Here is my other August birthday boy. I don't mean to brag, but I think this is an amazing picture of Ethan! He looks like a model. He even likes this one. I took this when we were out riding quads with my friend Val. Ethan was having a good time and it just shows! Ethan is a sweetheart....he is my hug boy. He always knows when I am sad or needed a hug and he is right there! He has also developed a real soft spot for my grandmother. If we are going somewhere, he wants to be the one holding her arm and helping her walk. It makes me so proud of him!

August

2011-01-08T00:11:00.001-07:00

We actually have two birthdays in August, Thorin and Ethan. Ethan's comes first in the month, but I let Thorin have this page due to Seniority. Thorin is all boy and rough and tough and as hard headed as a bull! We do have our rough times but all in all he is an amazing kid. He can make friends anywhere and he is really smart. No matter now he denies it. He can do anything he sets his mind to. Unfortunately, that is usually just video games.

July

2011-01-07T00:08:00.000-07:00

Another month with no birthdays but a month full of action around here. I usually have my Stampin' Up! convention in Salt Lake and we are doing as much fun summer activity as we possibly can handle. Lots of pool time and any other activity that is 'cool'...as in, not hot!
My mother in law took some of the kids to the Grand Canyon last year and did some hiking. She is awesome about doing fun, non expensive stuff. I want to be more like that!
I went with some deserty, summer colors on this page. Can you feel the heat of Arizona?

June

2011-01-06T00:05:00.000-07:00

June belongs to my American Girl. Maegan was born on Flag day, which is kind of fun! We always fly a flag on her birthday. She is becoming a real adult and that is scary and very cool all at the same time. We can share clothes and stories about boy friends and it is just really cool. She has no idea how amazing she is. I wish she had a little bit of that knowledge....just to prod her along a bit more. She is capable of so much more that she thinks.

May

2011-01-05T00:03:00.000-07:00

My Benny boy was born in May. I honestly had doubts that he would ever be born when I was pregnant with him. The boy cooked about 10 months in there. He was nice and comfy and saw to reason to come out. We had to cut him out, the little turkey. He is a joy to me now tho. He is full of imagination and incredibly smart. He is always saying the cutest things and acting out skits. He keeps me humble and reminds me that I need to be a better mom, all the time. He is incredibly photo-genic so, I have loads of pictures of him, but this is one of my all time favorites. He is so happy and 'boyish' in this one. It just makes me smile!

April

2011-01-04T01:58:00.000-07:00

April is a good and bad month for me. Yes, my birthday is in April, but I also lost my sweetheart in April so....a bit bitter sweet. I do love the spring time and the not yet hot time of the year so, I am able to cope. These pictures were taken at Thanksgiving and I just cropped myself out of group shots. lol Gotta love how we can customize photos these days. My mother was just telling me the other day how she can cut and paste faces onto bodies in our family picture so we all look good....I guess that is kind of cool, but I kind of want to remember the events as they are. Even the family pictures where Sarah and Macey are being silly and look ridiculous...I will always remember how much fun they had together when they were 13. They may be mortal enemies (heaven forbid) when they older so, it is fun to have these good times now. Of course, if I have a huge zit in my picture, photoshop that baby!!!

Retro chic

2011-01-03T20:37:00.001-07:00

I was a dorky child. It's true, I don't care what my mom says. She is biased. I was a skinny, tall, bespecled, buck toothed child that was extremely shy. Dorky. I got better....I grew up and gained confidence, fixed my teeth, found contacts, and decided I did have things to say. It was a long hard road at times, but it made me who I am today. When I look back at pictures from my awkward years, decades, I hardly recognize that girl. Who is she? I have vague memories of her but, not many. Maybe I have covered up those memories with new, better memories....or maybe I just wasn't paying attention. Who knows....All I know is I am happy with who I am today. I am so glad I've always had a family that has stood by me through all my phases.
I found this picture on my computer....probably due to my brothers efforts at some point in time. This is actually a 'non-dorky' picture of me. We all look pretty good. I used some of my newest MDS designer paper. Something that doesn't look Stampin' Up! at all to me, but I love it! Just goes to show SU has something for every taste!!

March

2011-01-03T01:55:00.000-07:00

Moving right along through my calendar, we are up to March. March is actually really full of extended family birthdays but none in my own little family so I decided to spot light Fantine, our puppy. Okay, not technically a puppy, but dog sounds so impersonal to me. She was Brad's dog and I think she really misses him a lot. Whenever a man comes over whether it is a family member or a complete stranger, she is instantly by his side looking for some affection. It's kind of sweet, and annoying at the same time.
She is a good sport, as you can see from these pictures with Ethan. There is also a picture of her backside with the glasses....using the tail as a 'nose' but..I didn't really want to look at that for a whole month!