My Sweet Stampin Spot

Don't Mind the Mess!

A new look for the New Year! My blog is going to undergo some cosmetic changes in the next few days as I update the look of it. I'm so excited to add a personalized look with the use of My Digital Studio! And since I'm not the most tech savvy person in the world, it's gonna take some tweaking to get it right. Or at least mostly right ;) So don't mind the "Under Construction" mess.

Looking back at the Ice Storm

Today's Workshop Wow Demonstrator challenge on Splitcoast was to do one of the Dirty Dozen Fan Club challenges and make it Stampin Up Only (SUO). One of the Fan Club challenges was a calendar page layout, perfect for My Digital Studio! I decided to do a 12x12 scrap page and started with a color. In this case, I chose Baja Breeze. This was an In Color last year and is no longer available except in the My Digital Studio format. Then I went browsing through my photos. The pictures of last year's ice storm really jumped at me since they coordinate with this color so well. One tip I have for you is to use the Drop Shadow feature. This gives each element a shadow, creating a look of dimension on a digital image. Otherwise everything looks very flat. These pages can be printed singly or entered into an album.

I really enjoyed making this page. Who knows, I may actually start scrapbooking ;)

**Any projects created with MDS must bear a Stampin' Up! copyright stamp. Mine appears in the lower left corner. I turned back the opacity to create more of a watermark image.

My Digital Studio software and current downloads (compatible with either MDS or other photo editing software) can be purchased through my ONLINE STORE. Click Shop Now and browse the MDS items.   

MDS projects coming soon

I've spent the day playing with my new My Digital Studio program! I was a bit hesitant to install on my desktop computer because it has just the minimum RAM requirements, but I have been very pleased with it so far. It doesn't seem to be noticeably slow. However, I have been sidetracked by some needs in my MOPS group. I am providing meals to a couple of families who are in need this week. So I will be finishing and posting some MDS projects tomorrow!

Bargain Hunting

Are you a bargain hunter searching to score post-Christmas sales? Well, don't forget about the Clearance Rack at Stampin' Up! It features a selection of retired merchandise at a discounted price, available only while supplies last. You can shop by going to my ONLINE STORE, or click the Online Shopping button at the right. Then click on SHOP NOW. You will find the Clearance Rack in your choices on the left. And don't forget - the Holiday Mini Catalog expires on January 4. Most of the Mini Catalog items will never be available again, so order yours before January 4.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you peaceful Christmas blessings on this day.

Luke 2:9-14

And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

Lazy Day

Today is a lazy day for us. The kids are actually dressed, but only so they could play outside while the weather is so nice. Just a light jacket today until the rain comes. I ran last minute errands late last night so we wouldn't have to go anywhere today until church service tonight. My son wanted to bake gingerbread cookies for Santa, so we've got those done. I have also attempted an egg free version of a Lemon Pie. We'll be using whipped cream instead of meringue. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will turn out yummy! My son has an egg allergy so we bake all the time! We'll also be baking little mini Banana Chip loaves for a few local friends. I hope you remember all the important people in your life this week. Give them a call, send a card, give a little goodie. If you package it up pretty, it looks even more important - and shows them that you care. Just a little ribbon, a homemade tag, some pretty paper. That's all you need to share your love.

Scallop Circle Tree Tutorial

I was inspired by a card I saw at the Stampin' Up! Regional Seminar in Cincinatti. The card featured a tree made from a 1/2 circle that was then folded to create a Christmas tree. I decided to use my Scallop Circle Bigz die to give the edges a fun pattern. I chose Merry Moments Designer Series Paper. Since I'm a visual learner, I decided to make a quick tutorial to show how to make this tree from your Scallop Circle die.

First, the finished card.

To make your tree, die cut your paper with the Scallop Circle Bigz die, then cut in half. If you aren't good at eyeballing the 1/2  mark, count 15 scallops.

Now you'll start folding. The scallops provide an easy road map for making your folds. Your scallops will end up in rows of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. The first fold will be at 5 scallops.

Now count the next 4 scallops and fold in the opposite direction.

Now fold at the next 3 scallops in the opposite direction.

 
 

And the last is at 2 scallops.

To secure my tree folds, I used Snail adhesive. I wanted mine to be flat for mailing. If you'd like more dimension to your tree, well, use Stampin' Dimensionals :) The finishing touches on the card include a Word Window punch trunk, Small Star punch tree topper, Scallop edging and a Modern Label Punch and Word window punch sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes. Leave a comment if you enjoyed my tutorial and have fun making your own trees!

Supplies: Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, Scallop Circle Bigz die, Sizzix Big Shot die cut machine, Merry Moments Designer Series Paper, So Saffron, Whisper White and Chocolate Chip cardstock, Chocolate Chip classic ink, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Edge punch, Small Star punch, 1/4" Chocolate grosgrain ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals, Snail adhesive.
   

Christmas Chaos

The countdown to Christmas is now being measured in hours, and it's been one of those crazy days. I had to take the proverbial cattle prod to my children this morning to get them out the door for a few quick errands. I got some pumpkin pies in the oven, only to turn around and have to plunge toilets. I have an 8 year old son - need I say more?? So now the bathroom and I have been thorougly disinfected and the kids are actually playing and getting along. For now.

Now I'm rushing to get at least some of my Christmas cards in the mail today. I was able to make 50 of them in 2 hours at a Mom's Night Out last night with my MOPS group. Despite my best intentions, I just have not gotten any in the mail yet. And now I'm working with my *very* old mailing list since I can't find my recent one. The upside to doing them this late is that I've already received so many I can use the return addresses since I can't find my list LOL!

Here are the 2 cards I complete last night. This first one is a CASE of myself from THIS CARD. I changed it to the Season of Simple Grace stamp set and sprayed Shimmer Mist (a mixture of Champagne Shimmer Paint and rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle) on the main image.

Supplies: Season of Simple Grace stamp set, Kraft, Real Red, Choclate Chip and Very Vanilla cardstock, Chocolate Chip and Real Red Classic Ink, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon, Champagne Shimmer Paint, Rubbing Alcohol, Spray bottle, Oval Scallop Punch.  

The second card is a CASE from Jennifer Charboneau (Miss Boo on splitcoaststampers). I omitted the ribbon since I wanted the card to be flat for easier mailing. Just a simple 1 layer card in a fun retro color scheme. I used a technique called Generational Stamping, or Stampin Off, which basically means that you ink your stamp them stamp multiple times before inking again. This gives a multi-tonal look to the images while using a single ink color.

Supplies: Dusty Durango and Whisper White cardstock, Dusty Durango and Basic Gray Classic Ink, Eyelet Border Punch, Snow Swirled stamp set.
 
 

A Flock of Penguins

Teacher Gifts. One of those necessary evils when you're a parent. Not that I don't want to thank and appreciate the teachers in my kids' lives, I am so thankful for everything they do. But coming up with ideas can be daunting. I mean, we don't really know them on a personal level usually, they are a wide variety of age and gender, and it has to fit in my very small budget. After creating my Santa Pants bags, I decided to let my 8 year old son make up some of his own, but he opted for a character. After looking a lots of samples of characters made from the Top Note die, we decided on the penguins. Thanks to all the creative stampers out there doing fun creative things with punches and dies! He also decided to add a few extra people at school this year, so he ended up making a total of 12 bags.

Since he's learning measurements in school, I also had him figure out how many sheets of cardstock he would need for each element. He cut the cardstock and only had a little trouble with the 1/4 inch marks since that's not something they've worked on yet. I'm super proud of him! He did a great job and had lots of fun. When we were about halfway done, he said "This Stampin' Up! stuff is exhausting!" LOL He also made all the beaded pens we included in the bags for the female teachers, with a little help. That Sticky Strip paper can be tricky to peel on a pen!

The bags and pens were a big hit with the teachers. They loved how cute they are and were impressed that he did it himself.

Supplies: Whisper White, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie cardstock, Top Note die, Sizzix Big Shot Die Cut Machine, Heart to Heart punch, 3/4' Circle punch, Large Oval punch, Polka Dot Real Red grosgrain, Signo White Gel pen, brown paper treat bags.
 

Simply Adorned Availability

  
We are pleased to announce the availability dates of the following Simply Adorned products:

Item	Description	Date Available
116798	Simply Adorned Charm 1" x 1-1/4"	January 5, 2010
116797	Simply Adorned Charm 1" x 1"	January 5, 2010
116800	Simply Adorned Chain 24"	January 5, 2010
116853	Simply Adorned Chain 34"	January 5, 2010
116799	Simply Adorned Charm 1-1/2" x 2"	TBD

These products will be available in perfect time for Sale-a-Bration; they make great products to help you earn Sale-A-Bration rewards! Contact me today to schedule your Sale-A-Bration or Simply Adorned workshop.

Please note: The Charming stamp set featured in the Holiday 2009 Mini Catalog (item 116519; p. 32) will continue to be available for order through the duration of the Occasions 2010 Mini Catalog (through April 30, 2010).