12 Days of Holiday Savings

Stampin' Up! is having a big sale on Big Shot products... these special prices are available until December 22nd!

Item	Page #	Description	Regular Price	Discounted Price
114515	195	Flower Burst Embosslits die	$15.95	$11.96
114516	195	Cherry Blossom Embosslits die	$15.95	$11.96
115957	195	Thanks Embosslits die	$15.95	$11.96
114513	195	Sweetest Stem Embosslits die	$15.95	$11.96
115952	195	Hi Embosslits die	$15.95	$11.96
115951	197	Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlits die	$99.95	$79.96
113446	197	Build a Flower #2 Set Sizzlits 4-Pack die	$26.95	$22.91
114509	197	Big Bold Cupcakes Sizzlits 4-Pack die	$29.95	$25.46
113448	197	Hearts Set Sizzlits 4-Pack die	$26.95	$22.91
113457	198	Tulipe Bigz die	$29.95	$22.46
115954	198	Two Tags Bigz die	$29.95	$25.46
114524	199	Fringed Flower Bigz die	$26.95	$21.56
114523	199	Decorative Accents Bigz die	$26.95	$21.56
114534	199	Flower Bigz Clear die	$26.95	$21.56
113473	199	5-Point 3D Star Bigz die	$26.95	$22.91
113472	199	Circle 3D Ornament Bigz die	$26.95	$22.91
113470	199	Flower Layers w/Leaf Bigz die	$26.95	$22.91
113465	199	Bird w/Leaves and Flower Bigz die	$26.95	$22.91
115961	200	Perfect Setting Bigz XL die	$57.95	$43.46
113483	200	Pennant Bigz XL die	$53.95	$40.46
113484	200	Baskets & Blooms Bigz XL die	$53.95	$43.16
116760	201	Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die	$53.95	$40.46
116759	201	Pop-Up 3D Ball Bigz XL die	$53.95	$40.46
114890	201	Matchbox Bigz XL die	$57.95	$49.26
113458	202	Flower Layers Originals die	$21.95	$18.66
114336	158	Kraft Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
114334	158	Dark Gray Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
114337	158	Chocolate Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
114335	158	White Décor Elements sheets 12" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118797	n/a	So Saffron Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118798	n/a	Rose Red Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118799	n/a	Taken With Teal Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118800	n/a	Pretty In Pink Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118801	n/a	Bashful Blue Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118802	n/a	Real Red Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118803	n/a	Old Olive Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118804	n/a	Black Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118805	n/a	Night of Navy Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118806	n/a	Certainly Celery Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118807	n/a	Tempting Turquoise Décor Elements Sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118808	n/a	Clear Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118809	n/a	Pumpkin Pie Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118810	n/a	Pixie Pink Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118812	n/a	Sahara Sand Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118813	n/a	Gable Green Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118814	n/a	Basic Gray Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$15.50	$11.63
118815	n/a	Chalkboard Décor Elements sheets 15" x 24" (2)	$17.50	$13.13

Sorry I've been gone so long...

We've had a lot going on and my "to do" list is just getting longer and longer! I haven't had much time to spend at my computer so that's why it's been so long since my last post. I know I still have the December card contest to post which I hope to do very soon... I started but was interrupted so just need to find time to finish. Soon, I promise!

In the meantime, I just thought I would pop in and post a card that I made for a workshop last month. It's using the Dasher stamp which many of you have ordered... It's a quick and easy card, especially when you use the Designer Series paper (this is from the Holiday Mini). The ink colour used on this card is Soft Suede.

Okay, must run! I hope your holiday preparations are going well... Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Door Prize Winners...

We had a wonderful day today with many of our stampin' friends dropping by for the Open House. It was great to see you all!

For those who could not make it, I thought you might like to see the cards that we had to be stamped. They are all simple cards. This first one is made with a stamp that most people don't even know about... it's called Simple Snowflake - it's an individual stamp for $9.95 and it's designed to be used with the Jumbo Snowflake punch. You could easily substitute any holiday greeting onto this card - this one comes from the Many Merry Messages stamp set.

Next, we used another stamp from that very last page of the Idea Book & Catalogue - this one is called Dasher and it's a $10.95 stamp. Dasher is stamped in Soft Suede and to give this card some bling, there is some Brushed Gold card stock - we discovered that many of you don't know about Stampin' Up!'s Brushed Gold and Brushed Silver card stock - you can find them on page 159. The greeting on this card comes from the A Cardinal Christmas stamp set. By the way, this is Rich Razzleberry card stock and ink on this card - a great, rich colour if you're looking to use something other than reds on a Christmas card this year.

The third card uses the For All You Do Stamp set with Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant and Old Olive ink and card stock. It also uses the Scallop Square Punch which is on sale until November 30th for only $16.07! The ribbon on this card is from the Holiday Mini Catalogue so is only available for a limited time - it's an Old Olive taffeta ribbon.

Now, I know some of you are checking in to see who won the door prizes... just before I get to that, let me just mention that for those of you who were not able to come, but did place an order between November 1st and 28th, that your name was entered in the draws. We had 6 different draw bags and everyone put their names in for the favourite door prizes. I hope that all of the winners will enjoy their prizes! So, let's get to announcing the winners:

Winners of door prize #6 ~ Patterned Pine stamp sets (there were 3):
~ Karin
~ Jessica
~ Jayne

Winner of door prize #5 ~ Christmas Greetings stamp set, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware and Crafters Tool Kit ($106.85 value):
~ Loletta

Winner of door prize #4 ~ Define Your Life stamp set, Scallop Edge Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch and Vintage Brads ($107.35 value):
~ Jo

Winner of door prize #3 ~ Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, Flight of the Butterfly stamp set, Colour Coach, Adhesive Eraser, Designer Buttons Playground, Filigree Brads and Clips Assortment ($106.50 value):
~ Ingmarie

Winner of door prize #2 ~ Tabletop Paper Cutter and In Colour Assorted Card Stock ($75.45 value):
~ Debbie

Winner of door prize #1 ~ Colour Caddy with Extender Kit ($105.90 value):
~ Jana

Congratulations to everyone! Again, thanks to everyone who came out and made today fantastic!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Huge Sale - Save 30%, 40%, 50%!!!

Stampin' Up! is having an amazing sale, but it's only here until November 30th! You can order these items online through my demonstrator website (www.bevennis.stampinup.net) or by contacting me... For those who received my email announcement of this sale, you may have noticed that I said this special pricing was only available through an online order... I've reread the "fine print" and discovered that this is not the case - you can order through me for the discounted price as well!

I'll be placing orders on Thursday, Saturday, and Monday if you would like to take advantage of any of these specials!

Description	Regular Price	Discounted Price
Framed with Love Bundle Framed with Love stamp set Full Heart punch	$59.90	$29.95
Thank You Kindly Bundle Thank You Kindly stamp set Scallop Edge punch	$41.90	$20.95
Thank You Kindly Bundle (French) Tous mes remerciements stamp set Scallop Edge punch	$41.90	$20.95
Animal Crackers Bundle Animal Crackers stamp set Star Designer brads	$35.45	$17.73
Corduroy Button Bundle Kraft Corduroy buttons Pumpkin Pie Corduroy buttons Summer Sun Corduroy buttons Basic Gray Corduroy buttons Chocolate Chip Corduroy buttons	$67.50	$33.75
Game Night Bundle Card Games stamp set Game Night stamp set	$54.90	$27.45
Four Square Bundle Four Square stamp set Scallop Square punch	$42.90	$21.45
Heart to Heart Bundle Love You Much stamp set Heart to Heart punch Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon	$69.85	$34.93
Heart to Heart Bundle (Spanish) Te Quiero Mucho stamp set Heart to Heart punch Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon	$69.85	$34.93
Heart to Heart Bundle (French) J't'aime beaucoup stamp set Heart to Heart punch Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon	$69.85	$34.93
Chipboard Letter Bundle On Board Timeless Type On Board Loads of Letters	$33.90	$16.95
Double-Stitched Ribbon Bundle Bashful Blue 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon Rose Red 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon	$27.00	$16.20
Ultimate Stampers' Starter Bundle* Best Wishes & More stamp set Eight Great Greetings stamp set On a Pedestal stamp set Earth Elements Stampin' Spots Earth Elements assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11") Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11") Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon Flower Designer brads	$170.95	$102.57
Build-A-Brad Bundle Calendar Alphabet stamp set Pewter Build-A-Brad Antique Brass Build-A-Brad	$56.95	$34.17
Enjoy Every Moment Bundle Enjoy Every Moment stamp set Circle Designer brads Flower Designer brads	$58.95	$35.37
Enjoy Every Moment Bundle (French) Profiter de chaque instant stamp set Circle Designer brads Flower Designer brads	$58.95	$35.37
Cheep Talk Bundle Cheep Talk stamp set Note cards Pumpkin Pie Corduroy buttons	$57.40	$34.44
Sock Monkey Bundle Sock Monkey stamp set Sock Monkey Accessories stamp set Chocolate Chip Corduroy buttons	$78.40	$47.04
Sock Monkey Bundle (French) Sing-chaussette stamp set Sock Monkey Accessories stamp set Chocolate Chip Corduroy buttons	$78.40	$47.04
Alphabet Bundle Jayne's Type Alphabet stamp set Lovely Letters stamp set	$115.90	$69.54
Simply Said Bundle Simply Said stamp set Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon Full Heart punch	$73.85	$44.31
Simply Said Bundle (French) Amitié stamp set Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon Full Heart punch	$73.85	$44.31
On Board Bundle On Board So Tweet On Board Batch of Blooms On Board Essentials	$56.85	$34.11
Christmas Décor Bundle #1 Holly Berry Wreath Décor Elements (Kraft, Real Red) Small Real Red Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements Small Chocolate Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements	$100.85	$60.51
Christmas Décor Bundle #2 Holly Berry Wreath Décor Elements (Chocolate, Real Red) Small Real Red Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements Small Chocolate Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements	$100.85	$60.51
Christmas Décor Bundle #3 Holly Berry Wreath Décor Elements (Old Olive, Real Red) Small Real Red Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements Small Chocolate Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements	$100.85	$60.51
For All You Do Bundle For All You Do stamp set 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$50.20	$35.14
For All You Do Bundle (French) Merci pour tout stamp set 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$50.20	$35.14
For All You Do Bundle (Spanish) Por todo lo que haces stamp set 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$50.20	$35.14
Striped Ribbon Bundle Bashful Blue 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon Pumpkin Pie 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon So Saffron 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon Real Red 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon	$71.70	$50.19
Bling Bundle Sticky Pages Sticky Cuts Sweet Fine Supernova Stampin' Glitter Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter	$61.10	$42.77
Fresh-Cut Bundle Fresh Cuts stamp set Fresh-Cut Notes 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$50.85	$35.60
Fresh-Cut Bundle (French) Fraicheur exuise stamp set Fresh-Cut Notes 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$50.85	$35.60
Pendant Note Bundle Pendant Park stamp set Pendant notes 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$53.85	$37.70
Pendant Note Bundle (French) Adorable parc stamp set Pendant notes 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$53.85	$37.70
Pendant Note Bundle (Spanish) Un dia en el parque stamp set Pendant notes 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$53.85	$37.70
Sporting Bundle #1 Large Night of Navy Sporting Décor Elements Night of Navy Just Sports Décor Elements	$91.90	$64.33
Sporting Bundle #2 Large Chocolate Sporting Décor Elements Chocolate Just Sports Décor Elements	$91.90	$64.33
Sporting Bundle #3 Large Black Sporting Décor Elements Black Just Sports Décor Elements	$91.90	$64.33
Ginormous Flowers I Décor Elements	$53.95	$37.77
Ginormous Flowers II Décor Elements	$53.95	$37.77
5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$11.25	$7.88
5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads	$9.95	$6.97
Scallop Square punch	$22.95	$16.07
Full Heart punch	$22.95	$16.07
Heart to Heart punch	$22.95	$16.07
Scallop Edge punch	$22.95	$16.07
Circle Designer brads	$8.50	$5.95
Flower Designer brads	$8.50	$5.95
Star Designer brads	$8.50	$5.95
Small Wonderful Flowers Décor Elements	$53.95	$37.77
Medium Wonderful Flowers Décor Elements	$93.95	$65.77
Small Wonderful Leaves Décor Elements	$53.95	$37.77
Medium Wonderful Leaves Décor Elements	$86.95	$60.87

*This bundle is only available while supplies last.

A new Santa's Workshop

Many of you will already know about the new Santa's Workshop - with all new cards - that I'm planning for the first weekend in December. There are only 2 seats left for the Friday night class - if you'd like to join us on December 4th at 7:00 pm, be sure to register quickly! And, there are lots of seats left on Saturday, December 5th if you'd like to come then.

This is a card that we had at the last Santa's Workshop and these cute little snowmen were quite popular! I really like the addition of the Snowflake Window Sheet at the top - makes for a really fun card! This card will not be included in the December Santa's Workshop - we'll have all new cards for that event!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

October Card Contest Entries and Winner!

Well, there were only 2 entries in the October Card Contest... These two came from Tiffany and her mom, Jamie. Here's Tiffany's first... This ice cream stamp set retired a while ago, but I had fun using it for several cards when it was current. I like how Tiffany added the bottom scoop of ice cream (although I'd be sad to have this happen if it were real ice cream!). The bright colours are vibrant and fun - I think anyone would love to receive a card like this.

Jamie's card is also fun and I love how she created the big bright moon in the background. I expect she likely cut out a circle and layered it on her background paper then used a brayer to ink up around it. When she removed the circle, this nice moon appeared. Notice also how she used glitter - maybe Iridescent Ice Emboss Powder (?) to create the stars. Definately a great card for a cat lover!

Okay, so let's get to announcing the winner... Using the list randomizer here's the outcome:

1. Tiffany
2. Jamie

Congratulations, Tiffany! You have $20 in free product plus a hostess stamp set - I'll email you a photo of the hostess sets that you can pick from later today! Thanks to both Jamie and Tiffany for sharing their creativity with us!

Now, we'll try another contest for November... The theme won't come as a big surprise and most everyone should be able to make a submission - it's Holiday/Christmas cards! Just to recap on the "rules" for the contest, your submissions must use only Stampin' Up! products (current or retired) and in emailing me your submission, you are giving me permission to post it on my blog. The prize will again be $20 in Stampin' Up! product plus a hostess stamp set. You will receive one entry in the prize draw per submission. Your submission (by email to be at bevennis@shaw.ca) must be received by November 30th.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Santa Punch Art

Here's a fun and cute little Santa punch card... I've seen variations on this card on several blogs so I'm not sure who the original creator is, but whoever it is must be a very creative person! This little guy takes some work to create - lots of little pieces to fit together.

We enjoyed another afternoon of Santa's Workshop today... one more to come on Friday evening. The upcoming class is full, but if you are still interested, please let me know and I'll try to schedule a fourth date. I'm also interested to know if anyone would be interested if I put together a second Santa's Workshop with all new Christmas cards... If you would be interested, please email to let me know!

I'll be back tomorrow night with the October card contest entries and to announce the November card contest.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Punch Art Ornaments

Here's a fun and easy way to create Christmas card... this card comes from my friend Melanie and it is just so clever! Use your punches to create ornaments by punching them out of your favourite Designer Series Paper. Notice how she use a heart punch to add the little ornament holder at the top... is there a proper name for that part of the ornament? Hmmm, if there is, I don't know it! It's a bit hard to see in the photo, but Melanie added some glitter to the ornaments to dress them up a bit. Very cute!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Santa's Workshop was a lot of fun!

With Christmas music playing, twelve stampers worked away at creating holiday cards this afternoon... It's always such fun to share our creations with enthusiastic stampers and today was certainly very enjoyable!

This "JOY" card was one of the choices and many people made it. I was really proud of this card. I think it's one that would really stand out in a Christmas card display. As many of you know, I love using the Big Shot and this card is a good example of that!

This card was not one of the Santa's Workshop cards... but I wanted to share it with you here. Isn't this little Build-A-Bear adorable? He takes a bit of work to cut and assemble, but he's sure worth it! I should probably add some white to the pom-pom on his hat... just noticed that now as I'm looking at on my computer.

There are still a couple of seats available in next Sunday's Santa's Workshop... email if you'd like to join in the fun!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Butterflies...

I think that every single card with a butterfly on it makes me happy! This adorable card was a make and take at one of our demonstrator meetings. I had hidden it away with the idea that I would use it as a card for a Stamp-A-Stack... unfortunately I hid it so well that I managed to forget about it! Fortunately, I was doing some organizing in my craft room a couple of weeks ago (not that you would be able to tell now!!) and I found it. I adore the layout on this card. Maybe it will re-appear in a Stamp-A-Stack in the spring when we are getting back to butterfly season!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

More Santa's Workshop Dates, Open House, and Deal of the Week

Hey everyone! Just popping in to give you the latest news quickly...

First, click over to my website to see details of this week's deal. If you want to try some new embellishments on your cards, scrapbook pages and other projects, this is the time to order!

I've been busy the last couple of evenings getting cards ready for this year's Santa's Workshop... we have 11 ready to go and two more that I will create tomorrow night. I've finally managed to work out some additional dates (thanks for your patience!). There's still space available this Sunday, October 25th starting at 1:00 pm. And, the two new dates are Sunday, November 1st at 1:00 pm and Friday, November 6th at 7:00 pm. If these dates don't work for you and you are still interested, please email me to let me know and I'll see if I can schedule another.

And, at long last, the Open House date is scheduled... It will be on Saturday, November 28th. Please mark your calendars - you won't want to miss this! I'll post more details soon, but let me just say that I am super excited about the door prizes - one door prize is the Tabletop Paper Cutter! Woohoo!!

Hope to see you soon... Until then, happy stampin'!

Bev.

Welcome Baby

Here's a quick and easy baby card that I made a couple of weeks ago... Actually, I made two - one in Regal Rose and one in Lavender Lace. I liked both and although I only spent about 20 minutes making both of them, I was quite pleased with the outcome. A few details... the stroller is from the Fun & Fast Notes set and the greeting is from the Short & Sweet set. I stamped both using StazOn ink and I carefully watercoloured using an AquaPainter. On the layer under the stroller, I ran the card stock through the ink to darken it a bit and give it some texture. I ran the background card stock through the Big Shot with one of the Texturz Plates to duplicate the dots that are on the stroller. And, of course, some ribbon finished the cards off perfectly!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Deal of the Week - Week 2

Here are this week's deals...

Item	Description	Special Price
115961	Perfect Setting Bigz XL die	$34.99
114515	Flower Burst Embosslits die	$7.49
116760	Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die	$34.99

These special prices are available until October 18th. Order today to be sure you don't miss out!

It's time for Santa's Workshop!

Announcing the first date... there will be more!

This is one of the most popular stamping classes each year so I will offer additional dates. But, the first date will be Sunday, October 25th starting at 1:00 pm.

This class will feature all Christmas cards, in the same format as a Stamp-A-Stack. Cost is $15 and includes up to 7 cards, or you can keep stamping and we'll calculate your total based on $2 per card. Register at bevennis@shaw.ca.

This is a great way to start getting inspiration for your Christmas cards! The card shown here is another make and take from my last downline meeting. This one is Alicia's creativity. Isn't this stamp set - Lovely as a Tree - one of the most versatile sets? It's great for all seasons.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Be thankful

As we get ready for the Thanksgiving weekend, I thought I would share this lovely card that was one of the make and takes at my group meeting last weekend. This one is the creative work of Sonia. I just love the colours of fall and am so enjoying watching the leaves change colour right now... The designer series paper on this card make it a quick and easy one to create, but it's very beautiful.

I hope that you enjoy the Thanksgiving weekend. I look forward to reflecting on all the many things in my life for which I am thankful.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS - I know that many of you are anxiously waiting to hear about upcoming classes... I will post dates over the weekend, including the date of my Open House!

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Magical Birthday Wishes...

I'm just getting ready to head out to a 4th birthday party for little Chantal... I finished making her card and then realized that I had it all sealed in the envelope and had not even thought to take a picture! Silly me...

So instead, I'm sharing this adorable card that I received in a swap from my friend Alicia. I love how Alicia chose to colour this image... it could be one that would be very time consuming, but looks perfect just outlined in colour. Another idea for this that I've seen is to leave it completely uncoloured (is that a word? I don't think it is... oh well!) and then attach a couple of crayons to the front of the card so that the little girl who receives it can do her own colouring. I was thinking about that idea just now and then thought that you could maybe attach the horse layer with magnets to your card front so that she could take it off, colour it and then have a fridge magnet. That would be fun! Oh, but I would recommend stamping the image in Jet Black StazOn if you did this because it will not be as prone to fading as the Classic ink would be... or you could stamp in Craft or VersaMark ink and emboss in black which would be really cute!

Okay, I better go get showered... I have to go help decorate and then I'm in charge of entertaining the kids at the party today so I can't be late! : )

Bev.

PS - Happy birthday to our little neice Brooklyn who is turning 2 today! Wish we could be in Calgary to celebrate with you, but we will be thinking about you!! : )

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

September Contest Cards

I received 3 submissions for the September contest... what great submissions! Here they are:

This first card was made by Tiffany. Some of you may have met Tiffany when she's come to stamping classes here with her Mom. She's a great little stamper and I always enjoy when she's able to come and stamp with us! I adore her ghost card. She's cut the ghosts and clouds out by hand and then used circle punches to make the moon and pumpkin. I particularly like how she dragged the stamp pad over the background card stock to make it look like night. Cute card, Tiffany!!

Tiffany's Mom, Jamie, also submitted a great fall inspired card. She did a lovely job of colouring in all these images... And, I really like the ground that she coloured in. It looks like Jamie used Watercolour Paper which makes watercolouring so much easier.

And the last card was submitted by Carol Lynn. I was thrilled to see her use these leaves. Stampin' Up used to carry them, but they were retired quite a while back. I always loved them, but unfortunately they were one of those things that I treasured so much that I never used them myself! It looks like Carol Lynn used the French Script background stamp on this card. This is such an elegant card.

Thanks to all of you for entering the contest and sharing your artwork with us!

Now, it's time to announce the winner. Remember, your name goes in once for each card submitted and then I use a list generator to choose the winner... Here's what came up this time around:

1. Carol Lynn
2. Tiffany
3. Jamie

Congratulations to Carol Lynn! You have a $20 credit to spend towards any current Stampin' Up! products and you can select one of the following hostess sets: Love Bug, Live Like You Mean It or Dear Friend.

Okay, time for a new contest... For the month of October, the contest theme will be KIDS! Anything for the littler ones in the crowd. Same "rules" as always... your submissions must use only Stampin' Up! products (current or retired) and in emailing me your submission, you are giving me permission to post it on my blog. The prize will again be $20 in Stampin' Up! product plus a hostess stamp set. You will receive one entry in the prize draw per submission.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Deal of the Week is Back for October!

October looks like a great month! Each week, a new "deal" will be announced... but it will only be available for that week. Check back often to be sure you don't miss any of the great offers! You can always check out the specials on my website - click here.

WEEK ONE DEAL: From October 1 - October 12th you can purchase any or ALL of these great punches for the listed sale price.

Trio Flower Punch

Page 186

$15.99 SALE! $22.95 Regular

5-Petal Flower Punch

Page 187

$15.99 SALE! $22.95 Reg

My Way Punch

Page 187

$16.99 SALE! $22.95 Reg

Happy punchin'!

Bev.

Two more days to enter...

the September stampin' contest! I have two entries so far and would love to see your creativity! Here's a reminder of the "rules":

The theme is "autumn" - anything that is inspired by the beautiful colours of fall. Perhaps a Halloween or Thanksgiving card, leaves, trees... let your imagination flow! And, for this one, you could submit an autumn inspired card or scrapbook page! Just remember, your submissions must use only Stampin' Up! products and in emailing me your submission, you are giving me permission to post it on my blog. The prize will again be $20 in Stampin' Up! product plus a hostess stamp set. You will receive one entry in the prize draw per submission.

Submissions must be received by September 30th and the winner will be announced here as soon as I can after that!

The card shown here uses a popular stamp set - Lovely as a Tree. It's stamped in Basic Brown then coloured using a Blender Pen and More Mustard, Old Olive and Ruby Red ink.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

By popular demand...

And, I do mean demand! LOL. Some of you saw this card at my Stamp-A-Stack on the weekend and asked me to post it to my blog so here it is! This is a card sample that I received from my upline, Alison. Like many of you, I was instantly drawn to this great card. It's a fairly simple card, thanks to the great Ornament Punch, but it's very eye catching. Thanks for the wonderful card, Alison!

Here's another card made with this same stamp set, Delightful Decorations. This card also uses the new Textured Impressions Folder Petals-A-Plenty and the greetings set called Four the Holidays.

Yes, autumn arrived today and it's time to start thinking ahead to Christmas cards already! : )

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Stamp-A-Stack... space still available!!

I've been busy stamping for the last couple of days, getting cards ready for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stack. Fortunately, I also had some help from my stamping assistant, also known as Mom! We now have all 12 cards ready to go... It's always exciting once the cards are all ready - we always look forward to seeing which ones are popular with the stampers!

I thought I'd give you a sneak peek at a few of them... This first one is probably my favourite - using lots of the Build-A-Bear products that were introduced in the Mini Catalogue! You probably already know that I'm a Build-A-Bear fan so it likely comes as no surprise that I'm loving these new products. This card is easier than it looks - all the pieces are cut using the Big Shot and it only takes three times through the Big Shot to get all the little parts that you need! Isn't she cute?!!

This next card is certainly inspired by the beautiful colours of autumn. It uses the stamp set called Season of Friendship. You may remember this set from one of the previous Mini Catalogues - it's now available in our current Idea Book & Catalogue. The colours on this card are Dusty Durango, More Mustartd and Chocolate Chip. It's actually quite a quick card to make.


And, the last one for tonight... this is such a fun card! It uses the new Sweet Treats Cups that are in the Mini Catalogue - the cups are holding some yummy treats that are just right for Halloween! They are so easy to use and can be filled with so many different little things...

I do still have seats available for both Friday night and Saturday morning at the Stamp-A-Stack so if you are interested in joining us, please reserve your seat by emailing me at bevennis@shaw.ca.

Well, I'm off to sleep... tomorrow is a big day as I am heading to Vancouver with a friend to see the Keith Urban concert! Can't wait!! : )

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!

A bunch of information to get things rolling!

September is here and it's time for me to get back into stampin' mode! No new cards to share today, but I will have some soon... I do have a bunch of information to let you know about though so here goes...

Stamp-A-Stack dates... Friday, September 18th at 7:00 pm and Saturday, September 19th at 9:30 am. Please email (bevennis@shaw.ca) to register... Please note the new class price - minimum class fee of $15 includes up to 7 cards, $2 per card if you stamp more than 7.

Punch Your Art Out class... Thursday, October 8th at 7:00 pm. We'll be making 5 new punch art cards for $15, includes instructions. Again, please email to register.

Open House... I will not be able to hold my Open House in September, unfortunately. There just aren't enough weekends this month to do everything I would like to or need to do! So, I will have it October, date to be announced soon! It will be worth the wait... I have some great door prizes ready this year! : )

Mini Catalogue... The new Holiday Mini Catalogue is here! You likely received a copy in the mail, but if not, you will find it online here. Did you see that Stampin' Up! has partnered with Build-A-Bear? I'm beary excited! : ) I've already ordered almost all of the Build-A-Bear products so you can be sure that some will be featured in the next Stamp-A-Stack! Please note that the "My Digital Studio" package shown on pages 38-39 is not yet available but will be on October 1st.

Specials... Please check my website for details on the September promotions.

September stamping contest... It's time to get back to the stamping contests! For the month of September, I'm going to make the theme "autumn". Lots of possibilities here - anything that is inspired by the beautiful colours of autumn, or perhaps a Halloween or Thanksgiving card, leaves, trees... let your imagination flow! And, for this one, you could submit an autumn inspired card or scrapbook page! Just remember, your submissions must use only Stampin' Up! products and in emailing me your submission, you are giving me permission to post it on my blog. The prize will again be $20 in Stampin' Up! product plus a hostess stamp set. You will receive one entry in the prize draw per submission.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Sometimes I have a hard time saying good-bye...

Do you ever make a card and then have a difficult time giving it away? It happens to me all the time... And, this is another example of a card that almost didn't make it into the envelope! I might have to make myself another one.

I was invited to a surprise birthday party for one of my stamping friends, Carol Lynn. We had a lovely evening and it was so nice to be able to be part of the celebration. Oh, and Carol Lynn was completely surprised which made it even more fun! Carol Lynn shares my love of panda bears and she has also come to all of my Punch Your Art Classes so I knew that a punch art panda would make the perfect card for her. I had seen a punched panda bear on a blog once, but it didn't seem quite right to me so I was basically designing it myself... I took out a little panda bear that I have and went to work. I was quite pleased with the final card.

Some of you know that I started taking cake decorating classes recently. My schedule makes it difficult sometimes to fit the classes in, so it's been interesting as I started with the first class of level 2, had to miss the second half of level two, and then today I took a 10-hour level 3 class. I start level 1 tomorrow night! Nothing like challenging myself! So, the project for level 3 was a wedding cake with fondant. We made roses out of fondant. We also made Easter lilies, poinsettias and petunias with royal icing... I thought you might enjoy seeing my cake. It's pretty plain - we ended up only having about 2 hours to put the fondant on, assemble and decorate our cakes at the end of the day. I would have liked to have made more flowers because I think it would look pretty with some roses on the bottom layer. It took about 10 minutes to make each rose though so these three were all I had time for!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All stamped images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

Lovely as a Tree

This is one of the most popular stamp sets... I know many of you have added it to your own collection. It's great for so many occasions. This is a simple card, but is very nice and would be great for a man's birthday. For the tree, I inked it in Mellow Moss ink and then coloured the trunk on with a Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker and used an Always Artichoke Stampin' Write Marker to touch on some darker leaves. The main card is Kraft card stock with Chocolate Chip and Mellow Moss.

I haven't actually stamped in a little while now, but I'm going to be getting busy helping a friend make wedding invitations. We've settled on the layout so now it's time to start mass production.

Hope things are going well for your summer so far!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2009 Stampin' Up!)

A day in my life when there is no stamping time...

Okay, I must admit that this post will have absolutely nothing to do with stamping... It's just been such an eventful day that I can't resist taking a moment to reflect back on it, laugh a little and think that maybe I can share some of the highlights.

As many of you know, we having been doing respite care for children in foster care for a little over a year. This weekend, we have three kids - a 6-year old girl, and two boys aged 5 and 4. Things were relatively calm when we started the day... Then I decided to make iced tea with the 6-year old. Not just any iced tea though - real iced tea, as in brew tea, cool it, add some juice to sweeten... Okay, so we brew the tea and then I am helping her strain the tea leaves out as we pour the tea into a mug. I've done this countless times before, but for some reason today, the bottom blows out of the mug and I rapidly have 2 cups of hot tea all over the counter, pouring down the front of my dishwasher and onto the floor. Okay, clean up number one. Oh wait, that was actually clean up number 2 because I had already cleaned up a spilled glass of juice that morning...

Okay, so we get the iced tea made and then just to bring a little more challenge into my day, we add two more children - 7 and 3 year old girls who come over for their English "lessons". Okay, not so much lessons, but Cantonese is their first language and we are spending time with them to expose them to English. All is good... for the first 5 minutes until the 3 year declares that this is a "messy day" and takes a full bag of like 72 balloons and tosses it around the living room. Okay, no big deal... Fast forward though to a little after lunch when I'm sitting in the bedroom with the 3 girls who are sharing (mostly) one doll that has been stripped of its clothes because it apparently needs to bathe. Of course, they "need" soap so I let them use a bottle of baby shampoo - yes, real baby shampoo, but of course I'm wise and tell them that they just have to "pretend" and not open the bottle. Yep, you know it, that lasts about 2 minutes, I get distracted and suddenly there is shampoo on the doll! So, just as I've finished cleaning up that little incident, I hear noise coming from the bathroom... this is really when the day got interesting.

So, the 5 year old has not managed to schedule enough time in his busy afternoon of play to get himself into the bathroom. Okay, he got through the door but that was it... I hear my hubby dealing with that incident and I decide that I better go and lend a hand to save him from his first wet pants incident. As I arrive, the 5 year old is now sitting on the toilet and being told not to move. His 4 year old brother arrives on the scene just ahead of me and goes rushing in. Brent hollers "stop", but of course I only realize why this is as I see the 4 year old slip on the "puddle" that is in the middle of the bathroom floor and end up on his back. Yep, two wet children. I make eye contact with my amazingly still calm husband and I tell him that I've got it, perhaps he can go supervise the girls... So, unscheduled baths for the boys, an extra load of laundry, and a pretty funny story afterwards. No one was hurt... just a little wet! It actually could have been a pretty good comedy routine.

All in all, the day went fairly well, but my hubby has now left town! Seriously, he has. But it was a planned trip and now I'm home with 3 kids. Good news... naps followed shortly after the bath, I put my feet up for a few minutes and then decided to dive into baking cookies with the three kids after naptime. Things went really well and there was very little mess! Oh except one more spilled glass of iced tea. But that didn't even phase me by this point. I was doing so well that we sat down for supper, and as I got up to take the last batch of cookies out of the oven, I had to double check the time - yep, it was 4:53 pm and we were nearly done supper! Oops, guess when I looked at the time on the stove and felt panicked that I needed to get supper taken care of because it was nearly 6:00 that I was actually looking at the timer that was keeping track of when the cookies had to come out! : ) Too funny!

What a day!

Okay, I'll post a card now - thanks for sharing in the tale of my event-filled day!

Bev.