My Sweet Stampin Spot

Sale-A-Bration

Earn FREE, exclusive products during Sale-A-Bration, our annual sales event with perks for shopping, hosting a party, or joining Stampin’ Up! You can take advantage of all Sale-A-Bration has to offer from January 28−March 31.

 

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A Hundred Years from Now

Flipping through the radio channels one day in my van this week I stopped to listen to Garrison Keillor. My dad got me started listening to Prairie Home Companion and now I stop when I hear his voice. I was really struck by a poem he read. You can read or listen to it on The Writer's Almanac website, but here is the poem. 

A Hundred Years from Now

by David Shumate

I'm sorry I won't be around a hundred years from now. I'd like to
see how it all turns out. What language most of you are speaking.
What country is swaggering across the globe. I'm curious to know
if your medicines cure what ails us now. And how intelligent your
children are as they parachute down through the womb. Have
you invented new vegetables? Have you trained spiders to do your
bidding? Have baseball and opera merged into one melodic sport?
A hundred years....My grandfather lived almost that long. The
doctor who came to the farmhouse to deliver him arrived in a
horse-drawn carriage. Do you still have horses?

No Layer Birthday

This week's SUO Challenge is to create a card with No Layers! I am a clean and simple girl, but I find myself generally having 1 layer. So to truly do a no layer card took some restraint.  I'm loving all the watercolor themes lately so I wanted to try my hand at that. I played around with several coloring techniques and finally ended up with a usable card ;)

I placed drops of 3 colors of ink (Melon Mambo, Real Red, Calypso Coral) on the Stampin Up C acrylic block and with a light hand blended them together with my aquapainter. I worked my way from right to left stamping the block. For the 3rd pass I added a bit of rubbing alcohol with my aquapainter to get it wet enough to stamp again. This ended up giving the colors a bit more definition and "bubble" effect. 

Again with a birthday card since we have so many in the family this quarter. I wanted a candle image but couldn't find a current one. I ended up pulling out one of my oldest stamp sets - Perfect Party. This set came in my Starter Kit way back when. I only have a handful of retired stamps and this is one of them. The top edge is torn to add to the watercolor vibe of the card. I painted a stripe of color on the inside of the card for contrast. 

Supplies: Naturals Ivory cardstock, Real Red, Calypso Coral and Melon Mambo reinkers, Stazon Black ink, Aquapainter, Sassy Salutations and Perfect Party stamp sets, Simply Rhinestones, Acrylic Block C - all by Stampin Up. 

Weekend Baking

A couple of months ago I started the Artisan Bread in a Day method of bread baking. I have my lovely buckets of gooey dough in the fridge and when I'm ready for freshly baked loaf I just pull off a piece and bake :YUM: Our big meal this weekend was a turkey dinner thanks to me stashing the post-thanksgiving sale turkey in the freezer. So of course we had to have some fresh bread for that. 

 

 

 

Today I got a craving for cookies. I go to cookie is always chocolate chip, but I opted to go for a slightly healthier cocoa oatmeal raisin. Due to my son's egg allergy, I either use vegan, egg free or susbstitute traditional recipes. This one is from my well loved Bakin' Without Eggs cookbook by Rosemarie Emro. I've been tweaking it slightly as the cookie is not a chewy cookie and is fairly crumbly. 

Want to know the secret to making yourself not gorge on the cookies once you've made them? Just forget to add the sugar <smacks head> I was so focused on my changes that I completely missed adding the brown sugar. I did get the white sugar added so they're not completely horrible. I salvaged them by drizzling with a powdered sugar glaze. 

 

School Spirit

Hello again friends! After quite the long hiatus, I am finally resurrecting my long neglected blog. I was derailed by lack of computer, time and a relocation. I am finally settled in my new town - well as much as I can be for now. We endured a whole house remodel and 4 moves in 3 months last year. We all survived intact with only a few scars ;) 

I've changed the look of my blog a bit to reflect what I hope to do as I move forward. Previously my blog was dedicated solely to my Stampin Up business. Since I'm very much into food as a creative outlet, I've decided to add the occassional post about food. My time spent as a volunteer for Kids with Food Allergies has allowed me to help teach others how to be creative in the kitchen when faced with new challenges. My son was diagnosed with food allergies over a decade ago so I'm not new to the rodeo. I hope you like what you see and want to come back and keep tabs on my little corner of the world. 

Today's project is for my daughter's school auction. Her class is doing a school spirit theme. The colors are black and gold. I found a clearance keychain that had a few silver and black baubles on it. Perfect for my purposes. I was able to tear it all down and use a few of the pieces while adding some amber gold accents and the Stampin Up bottle cap. I sealed the paper insert (words blurred for privacy) with a layer of Crystal Effects. I may have to go back and pick up a few more as I suspect some teachers and other staff may want one. 

Cherry Scented Valentine

One of the most fun new products Stampin Up is offering is scented clear embossing powder {yum}. It's available as part of the Sweet Shop Suite of products in the Ocassions Mini Catalog. So in addition to the lovely look of heat embossed images on your projects, you add the allure of a scent. They currently are offered in 3 scents - vanilla, cherry and melon. What a fun surprise! Don't think this stamp set is only for Valentine's Day - the sentiments also include a You're So Sweet and Happy Birthday.

Scrumptious! Since the scented powders are clear, you'll need to use a colored craft ink if you want your image colored.

Supplies: Sweet Cake stamp set, White Craft Ink, Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso cardstocks, Cherry Cobbler and Early Espresso markers, Cherry Scented Embossing Powder, Heat Tool, Full Heart Punch, Twitterpated Designer Paper.

Interested in learning embossing techniques? Contact me today to schedule your party.

Twitterpated Scrap Page

I created this page was for a recent scrapbook workshop. I was inspired by a page layout I saw at Leadership. The hostess has a new daughter and wanted something girly, but not strictly baby so the other guests weren't excluded. The new Twitterpated Designer Paper perfectly fits that bill!  

This 8x8 page features several products from the Occassions Mini Catalog - Twitterpated Designer Paper, Blossom Builders Designer Printed Kit, Loving Thoughts stamp set, and Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon. I also showed the guests how they could easily mount this on a 12x12 page if that's the size they prefer or would like to frame. The flower layers include a Triple Flower punch of the Twitterpated paper layered over a die cut flower from the Blossom Builders Kit, topped off with a halfback Pink Rhinestone also from the Blossom Builders Kit.

You can view the Occassions Mini Catalog in pdf form HERE

To purchase Stampin Up products, stop by my Online Store anytime. It's always open :)

FREE My Digital Studio Express Trial

Over considered digital crafting? Now you can give My Digital Studio a try for free! My friend loves digital scrapbooking because she can do it on her laptop during the many hours of waiting at her kids' various practices and games. When she's done, just close the computer - no mess to clean up! You can download or purchase other Stampin Up products in my online store at www.kwilliams.stampinup.net. Just click SHOP NOW. Here are some FAQ's about the Trial Offer: Q: How long can we take advantage of the My Digital Studio Express trial? A: This is an ongoing offer. We want all our customers to be able to try My Digital Studio. Q: What digital content comes with the My Digital Studio Express Trial? A: My Digital Studio Express includes one stamp brush set, 12 Designer Series Paper patterns, 81 embellishments, 26 punches, and 5 designer templates. Q: What's the difference between My Digital Studio and My Digital Studio Express? A: My Digital Studio Express is My Digital Studio software that you can download directly to your computer without having to wait for discs to be shipped to you. The program functionality is exactly the same as the disc version of the software with less digital content. Q: Do I have to have access to the Internet to use the trial? A: Yes. You need access to the Internet both to place your order (as an online order for customers) and to download the program. Q: Can I get the My Digital Studio Express Trial on a disc? A: No. The My Digital Studio Express Trial is only available as a download over the Internet. However, the file is not large, so even if you have a dial-up internet connection, you will still be able to download the program. Q: How do I order the My Digital Studio Express Trial? A: As a demonstrator you can add the free My Digital Studio Express trial (item 129600) to your online shopping cart. You do not need to purchase any other items with the My Digital Studio Express trial, but you can add it to an order with stamping supplies or other digital downloads.

More Leadership Swaps

And onto the other 2 swaps I took to Leadership. This first one is the my Group 2 swap for Lyssa's Convention Quality Swap.

You never know where you'll find inspiration, this card was inspired by my shampoo bottle :) I was going to add the pic of it, but apparently they've changed the design. So my lovely little leaves are double stamped. First in Pear Pizazz, then in White Craft. I'm sure there's a name for this technique, but I just wanted to soften the look and add a subtle white.

Supplies: French Foliage and Occassions Alphabet stamp sets, Pear Pizazz, Basic Black and Whisper White cardstocks, Basic Black and Pear Pizazz Classic Inks, White Craft Ink, Black Taffeta Ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals.

I decided to go for a fun bright card for my general swapping. I only took about 20 of these since I was already involved in the organized swap.

The Wish Big sentiment is framed by a pennant starburst. Easy and quick, but a great fun punch of color and pattern.

Supplies: Word Play stamp set, Poppy Parade and Whisper White cardstocks, Just Add Cake Designer Paper, Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze and Wild Wasabi markers, Scallop Circle and Pennant Punches, Stampin Dimensionals, Simply Rhinestones.

My Leadership Stuff

Hello Friends! My poor blog has taken a back seat to volunteer work I've been doing. I'm a volunteer for Kids with Food Allergies Foundation. KFA has an amazing online community with a variety of support forums, recipe database, and a ton of resources to help families navigate their journey of food allergies.  If you or anyone you know is dealing with food allergies, I encourage you to check it out.

My newest goal is to get back on track with my blogging and daily stamping work schedule. I was fortunate enough to go to Leadership a couple of weeks ago. Despite some travel drama (tornado weather, running in airports, missed flights and a flooded hotel room!), it was an amazing trip! San Antonio is a wonderful city and Stampin Up absolutely spoiled us, again. The bag we received is so cute - I immediately switched all my purse stuff to it.

You can see my adorable bag tag made by my friend and roomie Lyssa. The bag features a fun bright new design that will appear in the next catalog. I love these great summery colors.

I joined 2 groups in Lyssa's organized Convention Quality Swap and brought 1 more design for general swapping. All of my swaps were gorgeous! I didn't have a dud in the bunch. Such talented stampers out there. And I got to meet up with some friends and meet new ones, including a friend I went to high school with and hadn't seen in 18 years. It was worth all the drama.

Wanna look at one of my CQS Swaps?

Be kind - this is actually my sample and not one of the swaps. I used my StampA Ma Jig for the swaps so they were straight ;) I like how it turned out, but I'm not much for fussy stamping, thus why I rarely use the All in the Family set.

Supplies: All in the Family and Baroque Motifs stamp sets, Basic Black and Very Vanilla cardstock, Designer Frames embossing folder, Wide Oval Punch, Stazon Black and Classic Black inks, Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon