Happy Holidays!

Here's a card that I made for some of my November classes. This one uses the Dashing Designer Series Paper - you could use all of the different designs in this package with the three different stamps from this Big on Christmas stamp set so create lots of different cards! This is a quick and easy card... it would be perfect if you need to make lots of cards for the holiday season! Remember that all of the Designer Series Paper is on special this month - buy 3 get 1 free!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

FREE SHIPPING!!

Here's some wonderful news...

From November 5 through November 30, Stampin' Up! is offering free shipping to Canadian customers!

My next order will be going in this Thursday evening... contact me if you need anything!

A new technique...

This is a card that you can stamp at Santa's Workshop (coming up on November 23rd - space still available!). It uses two new stamp sets - Holy Triptych from the Holiday Mini Catalogue and En Francais. The new technique, which I have no name for but it makes me think of colour washing, can be seen in the background of the oval. First, I stamped the Holy Family in VersaMark and embossed with Gold Glory Emboss Powder. Then I used an Aquapainter and picked up some River Rock ink and washed the background with the ink. You need to make sure that you have a fair amount of water on the bristles of the Aquapainter when you do this if you don't want too much colour left behind on your cardstock. As with so many things, you are better to add more if you don't get enough, but you can't take colour away once it's on. I used Very Vanilla card stock for this technique - the result is stunning! It actually almost looks like the card stock has a bit of a shimmer once this technique is done. This is a very simple but elegant card. Click on the card to see a larger view. I'm now thinking about other cards that I can create using this technique!

Our craft fair went really well this weekend... it was nice to see so many of you drop by! We were sold out of Snowman Soup shortly after the fair opened this morning - very popular little items! Mom will be busy making more this week in preparation for the Calico Christmas Craft Fair next weekend...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

November Special

I love using Designer Series Paper. It's beautiful and it's colour coordinated which makes it easy to use with all of the other great Stampin' Up! product line. And, it's a quick way to add some colour to a card or scrapbook page! For the month of November, it's easier than ever to add some Designer Series Paper to your collection - when you buy three packages, you'll receive one free! Check out all of the Designer Series Papers on pages 170-173 of the Fall-Winter Collection 2007. And, click here to see some great projects featuring the Designer Series Paper - you will also find the pattern for the great stars which are shown on page 171 of the catalogue.

I'll be sending in an order on Sunday, November 4th in the evening - contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca to place your order!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images cpyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Getting ready for Craft Fair season...

Well, my Mom has been busy stamping away, getting ready for craft fair season. She's in three fairs this year, the first one being this weekend. It's the Strawberry Vale Christmas Craft Fair - come and see us there! It's on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day at 11 High Street (corner of High and Burnside). These are this year's version of the Snowman Soup packages... we don't have many made for this weekend's craft fair but will likely be busy making more before next weekend when we are at the Calico Christmas Craft Fair at Pacific Christian School. By the way, you can click here to see the instructions that I posted last fall for the Snowman Soup... These make great little gifts!

We've had a busy week... Yesterday was my Dad's 80th birthday and we had a wonderful surprise celebration (yes, we pulled off the surprise!). There were 16 of us there and we had a lot of fun! I'd show you a photo or two of the event, but at the moment he entered the room and we yelled surprise, I realized that the new batteries I put in my camera were not so new so I don't have a single photo... I must remember to check these details ahead of time - always turn the camera on after changing the batteries just to be sure! But there were lots of other cameras so I'll get copies eventually!

Looking forward to craft fair season and some upcoming stamping classes... Don't miss out on Santa's Workshop on the 23rd of this month - it will be the same cards as we did in October's Santa's Workshop but if you didn't come last month, you'll want to be sure to be there on the 23rd!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Things that make me proud to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

I've always been proud to represent such a wonderful company as Stampin' Up! I have been a Demonstrator for the past 5 1/2 years and I've been impressed by the integrity that the CEO and Co-founder, Shelli Gardner, has shown time and time again. Recently, we learned that the General Manager of Stampin' Up! Australia, Dave Abbott, passed away. In Mr. Abbott's honour, Stampin' Up! has decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from the worldwide sale of the stamp set, All in the Family, during November to Mr. Abbott's wife and 3 children. I think this is an extraordinarily thoughtful, generous and meaningful tribute to Mr. Abbott and his family.

Here is part of the communication we received from Stampin' Up! regarding Mr. Abbott and his many contributions to the development of the Australian office. It is obvious how well respected and loved he was by the Executive and staff of Stampin' Up!

Dave-the man who lived life with a sparkle in his eye and a schoolboy grin, and who saw life with such a positive perspective.

Dave Abbott, Stampin' Up!'s Australia general manager, passed away on Thursday, 18 October from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare blood disease. Dave became ill in November 2006 and went through various treatments to fight the disease. Although he was in and out of the hospital, Dave remained keenly interested in building the company and involved with the demonstrators to the very end. Dave was a great friend and employee as well as a beloved manager and mentor.

Dave joined Stampin' Up! in October 2005, six months prior to our launch in Australia. His energetic, outgoing, and caring personality drew us to Dave as we searched for a general manager. Dave was instrumental in establishing the business in Australia and growing Stampin' Up! over the past year and a half.

In Dave's honour, we're setting up a fund to help his family through this difficult time. During the month of November, we're donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the 28-piece All in the Family stamp set in all our markets to directly benefit Dave's wife and three children.

Dave taught us so much, and he was a remarkable man. We miss him.

I will be ordering this set for myself in November and know that when I use it, it will be extra special knowing the contribution that is being made.

With warm regards,

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

SPECIAL - Wishing You Cheer

Stampin' Up! is offering the adorable little stamp set called Wishing You Cheer (page 33) for 20% off the regular price from now until November 3rd only. It's such a cute set and for the price of $15.95 how can you go wrong? Don't miss out - email me to take advantage of this very time limited offer.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS - I will be away celebrating my Dad's 80th birthday for the next couple of days so if you don't hear back from me right away, don't worry... I will be placing an order on November 3rd and will respond to all of your emails as soon as I can!

Happy Halloween!

Here's a cute Halloween card that we made at a class last weekend. The pumpkin is stamped from the Carved & Candlelit stamp set. The background was stamped with Background Basics set and the greeting comes from the All Holidays set. The little corner folded up and tied with a piece of hemp is a nice touch.

I'll be holding another Santa's Workshop on Friday, November 23rd at 7:00 pm. This evening is great for Christmas inspiration - I'll have 15 different cards for you to choose from. Contact me to register - only 8 seats remain!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Trick or Treat!

I received a couple of Halloween surprises this week... The first is this card that came in the mail from a customer and friend, Jo. Isn't it fun? It sure made me smile to see that in my stack of mail! I've never actually given Halloween cards, but receiving this one may have inspired me to rethink this! It's always fun to receive a handmade greeting so any occasion is worth letting someone know you are thinking about them. Thanks for thinking of me, Jo!

Last night I went for dinner at Japanese Village (yummy!) with friends and received this cute little stack of York Peppermint Patties from Sonia. What a cute little gift! And what a simple way to dress up some goodies! I was thinking that this idea would also be great for Christmas so keep this in mind! You could set a table with this little stack to decorate... Or give them out to everyone at work... Or have them set out at your holiday party... Sonia used the Scallop Circle Punch and attached one punched out piece of card stock to the top and bottom of each Peppermint Pattie. She stamped an image from the Batty for You set and attached it to the top. Thanks for this great idea, Sonia.

Halloween is an extra special day in our family because it's my Dad's birthday. This year is his 80th so we are looking forward to celebrating this milestone!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

It's a day to celebrate!

This adorable card was a make and take at one of our demonstrator meetings - the original was made by Robin. I was so thrilled to stamp this card because ladybugs have taken on a special meaning in our life... I'll get to that in a minute though! The ladybug is made using two circle punches - 1 1/4" and 1 3/8". The wings are made from the Pick a Petal stamp set - isn't this a creative way to use the petals in a different way? The antenna and the ladybug's trail are drawn on using a Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler. And the little scalloped edge at the bottom was created using a slit punch - just punch repetitively making sure that each scallop is connected as you punch across the card stock. I will definitely be making this card again!

So, why are ladybugs special to us? Well, there is a belief that ladybugs are a sign of good luck for China adoptions. We can certainly use as much good luck as possible these days! The basic story is this: Several years ago in China, as the international adoption programs were beginning to take off, there was a fall season where the ladybug population grew unusually large. This was thought to be a lucky charm for those that were adopting, so now whenever ladybugs are seen, it is said that more beautiful children are being referred to wonderful waiting parents.

Today was the perfect day to post this card because... we received word of our login date (LID)! What does this mean? First, it means that we have confirmation that China has received our dossier (application). Second, it basically tells us where we are in the waiting line... everyone else with this same LID will receive their referral at the same time as us.

This is a huge milestone!! I couldn't believe my eyes as I read the email... when we received word that our file had been sent to China on September 27, I thought, "wouldn't it be amazing if our login date is our anniversary?" We didn't really think that it would happen that quickly though. Still, on our anniversary, I kept wondering if maybe our file was being received in China... Well, our LID is October 12, 2007 - our 11th wedding anniversary! Oh my gosh, I can't even believe it!! And, I can't tell you how happy we are!

Since I've strayed off of stamping and am again talking about our adoption, I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who has already given/sent us a piece of fabric and a wish for our 100 Good Wishes Quilt. We're still collecting and will be for some time - my sister is going to put our quilt together for us, but it will be sometime in the spring before we start this... Click here if you'd like more information. If you need ideas for your good wish, have a look at this blog where you can see the good wishes that another adoptive family received.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Fun night of stamping!

Tonight was a fun evening of stamping! Twelve enthusiastic stampers managed to create 120 cards! Very impressive...

I think that almost everyone stamped this card tonight. It was certainly popular! It's such a fun card, and very simple to make. The main card is Whisper White and I've added a strip of the textured Soft Sky card stock at the bottom. The greeting is stamped directly on this piece so you need to stamp it firmly to get it on the textured card stock. The only ink colour used is Blue Bayou and it's just one stamp set - The Snowflake Spot. The Blue Bayou Stitched Grosgrain adds just the right amount of detail and the Rhinestone Brad in the middle of the big snowflake adds some fun bling!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Is the week really almost over?

Oh my goodness, does anyone know where the week has gone? I had good intentions of being back here to blog sooner than this, but time just got away on me... This will be a quick post since it's late - yes, the time on this post is the actual time that I am blogging! I just finished getting everything ready for this weekend's Santa's Workshop. We have 15 new Christmas cards ready to go! And, I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with them!! This is a preview of one of them... Isn't it cute? I saw a similar card online somewhere (can't remember where just now, sorry!) and I adapted the idea a bit. This is a simple card that would be great to mass produce!

This birthday card is one that I received from my friend, Stacey... my birthday was a couple months ago, but I just hadn't scanned this card until tonight. I've always thought that the Unfroggetable stamp set is really fun! This card brings a smile to my face.

Well, I better call it a night... need to get some rest before a busy stamping weekend ahead! I'm looking forward to spending time with some of you over the weekend!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

I'm back!!

We were in Edmonton this past weekend for my niece's wedding - it was a beautiful day and things were perfect for this wonderful event! Now that I'm back, I'm getting things ready for Santa's Workshop this weekend... lots of fun Christmas cards for everyone to stamp!! If you haven't registered yet, there are a few seats still available on Saturday morning - be sure to email me (bevennis@shaw.ca) if you'd like to come.

Here are a couple more cards that might inspire your stamped creations... The first card was stamped by Alicia for our Christmas card swap. This card is very eye catching with the bright Real Red combined with Bashful Blue and Old Olive. The stamp set, from the Holiday Mini Catalogue, is called Season of Joy. So far, I have not ordered this set for myself but if I keep getting such nice cards made with it, I may not be able to resist much longer!

Alicia also made this next card and we had it as a make and take at our group meeting. I wasn't able to resist on this one... I had to order the Stem Sayings stamp set so that I would be able to duplicate this card! The flowers come from the level 2 hostess set called In the Spotlight... Notice how it is punched out with the Scallop Circle punch and the centre is punched with the 1/2" Circle punch. This is such a cute card!

I wanted to share a couple more cards, but Blogger is not being cooperative tonight so I'm going to end my post here and I'll post some more cards tomorrow night if things are working better!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

More art from Lucie...

You've seen Lucie's beautiful creations on my blog before and here's another! This was a card for our techniques swap - Lucie did the Cracked Glass technique on this very elegant and antiqued card. There are so many details that Lucie has pulled together on this card... She used the Slit Punch to create the corners and added eyelets. She has used different colours of ink on the Fine Lace background stamp - I'm guessing that she inked the stamp in Apricot Appeal and then sponged some Handsome Hunter ink on top of it. The ovals were cut using the Coluzzle and the main images are stamped with the Wild Rose stamp set - one of Lucie's favourites! I love the added touch of Mellow Moss Tafetta Ribbon. Thanks for another wonderful card, Lucie!

I'm going to be away from my computer for the weekend so will be back next week with some more posts... Just a reminder that Santa's Workshop is coming up next weekend - Friday night is full but there are seats still available for Saturday morning (the 20th). Send me an email to register - bevennis@shaw.ca - and get ready to stamp some fantastic holiday greetings!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Bugs & Kisses

Here's a cute card made by Kirsten using the Bugs & Kisses stamp set... You might not notice unless you have a close look that Kirsten used the Popping Pastels technique on this card. That's what makes the caterpillar look so soft and fuzzy. She stamped him in VersaMark ink and then used a sponge dauber to apply Stampin' Pastels to make him pop off the card stock. Such a happy little card that would be perfect for a young one or someone young at heart!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Techniques Swap

Last weekend, I participated in a techniques card swap with my group... I've already posted one of cards from that swap and here are three more. They all look better in real life so you'll have to see them at the next stampin' class that you come to!

This first one uses Glitter Windows so it's full of sparkle! This one was stamped by Robin. I love how she used the different circle punches to create the windows on this card. It's a very fun card using the Priceless stamp set!

This next one is Stacey's design using the Joseph's Coat technique. The stamps are all from the Just Like You stamp set which is our Ronald McDonald House Charities set for this year - see it on page 150. A donation of $2 will be made to Ronald McDonald House Charities from the sale of each one of these stamp sets.



And, this card has the Waxed Crayon Resist technique. Alicia made this one using the Doodle This stamp set. The greeting comes from the level 3 hostess stamp set called Vases in Vogue.

I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Card making... for men!

Here's a little humour for your day... Click here to watch a man's version of card making! You might enjoy sharing this with the men in your life who claim that they can't make you a home-made card... this might give them some inspiration!

I'll be back later today with a few card samples... Happy Thanksgiving and of course, happy stampin'!

Bev.

World Card Making Day

Today is World Card Making Day! To recognize this, Stampin' Up! is offering all of the Simply Sent card kits for 20 percent off their regular price until October 8th! You can see the five different Simply Sent on pages 12-14 of the Fall-Winter Collection 2007. These kits make stamping cards quick and easy with pre-cut card stock and all of the supplies needed to make the great cards that are shown in the instruction booklet included in the kit. I will be placing an order on Monday, October 8th in the evening so if you would like to order these kits during this special, please contact me!

I hope you are able to find some time to stamp on this rainy day...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

100 Good Wishes Quilt

Warning - this is not a stamping post! : ) I've always tried to keep this blog focused on stamping, but I'm going to temporarily "hijack" it for this post...

As many of you know, my husband and I are in the process of adopting a baby from China. We received some fantastic news last week - our dossier (application) was sent to China on Thursday, September 27th. So, now all we have to do is wait for our referral and get ready to welcome our Baby Girl into our family. And, we have one big project that we would love to invite you to help us with... We are creating a 100 Good Wishes Quilt. To welcome and celebrate a new life, there is a tradition in the northern part of China to make a Bai Jia Bei, or 100 Good Wishes Quilt. Friends and family contribute a square of cloth and a wish for the baby. The pieces of cloth are made into a quilt, and the good wishes go into a memory book. The quilt is said to contain the luck, energy, and good wishes from all the families and friends who contributed. This wonderful quilt will wrap our baby in love and good wishes.

Since we have received so many good wishes from my stamping friends already, I thought some of you may be interested in contributing to our 100 Good Wishes Quilt. Here's what you would do if you want to contribute:

~ Choose any 100% cotton, washable fabric that you like. You can get creative and have fabric that represents something special about you or you can pick a colour or design that you like.

~ Please prewash the fabric so it has done all the shrinking it is going to do before you cut it. Send an 8"x 8" square of the fabric for the quilt.

~ Think of a good wish for Baby Girl and include it on a piece of paper with a scrap of your fabric (glued to the paper). Your wish can be simple or elaborate, handwritten or typed. It can be something you wrote or a favorite poem, lyric, quote, or anything else that strikes your fancy. Please don’t stress over the format or worry about the wording - what matters is that the wish comes from your heart. Your wish will go into a memory book so that Baby Girl knows where all of the pieces of her quilt came from and can read your good wishes as she grows up. Your good wish can be of any size up to 8 1/2" by 11". Remember to sign your wish and include your city and province/state.

~ If you need our address, please send me an email (bevennis@shaw.ca).

~ If you need inspiration for your good wish, do a Google search for "100 Good Wishes Quilt" and you will find lots of examples.

We love the idea of welcoming Baby Girl into our home with a quilt that represents the good wishes for her from our family and friends.

There are some new stamping posts below so be sure to scroll down...

Thanks so much for reading this post!

Bev.

More Christmas Inspiration...

This card was created by Stacey for our Christmas card swap and I loved it so much that I ordered this stamp set - Baby Jesus is Born.

Stacey has been amazing me lately with her watercolouring technique... she does such a lovely job! Notice how she even coloured the little lambs in white using the Whisper White Craft Pad. I didn't know that this would work - doesn't it look fantastic? Thanks for another beautiful card, Stacey.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Puttin' on the Glitz!

Make your holiday cards glitzy this year with a little help from the Holiday Glitz card kit. With our precut card stock and Designer Series paper, festive zigzag ribbon, and Rhinestone brads, spreading handmade holiday cheer has never been this easy! And there’s no limit to the number of kits you can buy!

There are two ways to take advantage of this fantastic kit while supplies last:

~ Purchase one of holiday stamp sets (below) and get the Holiday Glitz card kit (110286) for the special price of $34.95 each, or
~ Purchase the Holiday Glitz card kit (110286) for $39.95 each with no additional purchase required.

Each Holiday Glitz card kit makes 15 cards and includes:

~ Precut card stock and Designer Series paper (15)
~ Whisper White Envelopes (15)
~ Rhinestone brads (15)
~ Real Red zigzag ribbon (15)
~ Full-colour instruction sheet (1)

Purchase one of the following stamp sets and you will be able to buy the Holiday Glitz card kit for $34.95:

Snowfall ($32.95 )

The Snowflake Spot ($28.95)

Flocons piquetis ($28.95)

Big on Christmas ($25.95)

Love & Joy ($32.95)

Simplify your holidays with Stampin’ Up!’s Holiday Glitz card kit! Contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca to place an order.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Snow...

This card was made by my upline, Alison, for our Christmas card swap. There are some important details that get lost in the scan - Alison used Shimmery White and Brushed Silver card stock which adds some sparkle to the card. I love how she has embossed the Snow Jumbo Wheel (from the Holiday Mini Catalogue), added a piece of Navy Grosgrain Ribbon and then used the Scallop Circle Punch to create a main feature on the card. The snowflake comes from the Season of Joy stamp set, also in the Holiday Mini Catalogue. This is a great card!

Santa's Workshop on Friday, October 19th is filling quickly... only a few seats remain so be sure to register soon! There's lots of room still available on the Saturday morning though...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Christmas Creations

Here are a couple of the cards I received in a Christmas card swap with my downline group. This first one is Lorraine's artwork. She has used the Season of Joy stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalogue. The colours are perfect for this set - Purely Pomegranate and River Rock with a bit of Always Artichoke ink added in. Lorraine also used little touches of Crystal Effects to bring a bit of shine to this card. This is a very nice, classy card.

Robin created this next card which has so many pieces that draw your eye in. The tree and round "Do Not Open Until Christmas" stamps come from the hostess stamp set called Perfect Presentation and the greeting is from The Snowflake Spot. I love how Robin used the Word Window Punch to tuck the piece of Designer Series Paper in and how she added some bling with a Rhinestone Brad to top the tree. And, of course, the Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon ties this all together for me. I love this layout!

Thanks for the great cards, Robin and Lorraine!

I've just posted the dates for this year's Santa's Workshop on my class schedule... They will be held on Friday, October 19th and Saturday, October 20th. Be sure to register early - space is limited and will fill quickly! I will likely have another date in November...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Happy Fall!

Okay, it's time for some new cards! I've had a very busy week... lots of stamping and lots of other things going on... Yesterday, I got together with other Stampin' Up! demonstrators and we had so much fun. There were 14 women together in one room with stamps, ink, card stock and chocolate - it doesn't get much better than that!

So, I thought I would share a couple of our make and take cards and one of the swap cards that I received with you tonight. The "Happy Thanksgiving" card was designed by Melanie. I'm now in love with the Sanded background stamp that she used on this card. The colours on this card are great - Wild Wasabi, Really Rust and Close to Cocoa.

Sonia designed these next two cards. The first one was part of our techniques swap - she used the Waxed Paper Resist technique on the top of this card. Interesting how similar but yet how different Sonia's and Melanie's cards are! This is a fun Halloween card! The stamp is from the Batty for You set and the designer paper is from the Creepy Crawly package.

And, one more from Sonia... This one was a make and take and I could have done a much better job of stamping it! But I wanted to share it with you anyways because there is a very brilliant idea on it. Look at the faux stitching around the edges of the card stock... this was stamped on with a stamp from the All in a Row set. Isn't this a great idea? I wish I had managed to stamp it on a bit better - Sonia's sample looked much better, but I'm sure that with a bit of practice, this would get much easier!

I'll be sharing some more of the great cards from this weekend during the week... check back!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Last day of Fall Frenzy!

This is just a quick post this morning, but I will be back later today with lots of exciting NEW card samples to share with you... Yesterday was my annual group meeting with members of my Stampin' Up! team and I have lots of great new inspiration! So check back this evening!

For now, I just wanted to remind you that today is the last day of the Fall Frenzy special. I know lots of you have already ordered some of the stamp sets included in this special, but I wanted to make sure no one misses out! The Stem Silhouettes stamp set from the Holiday Mini has certainly be the most popular so I thought I would post this simple card that we made with it at the last Stamp-A-Stack.

I will be placing an order this evening, so if you would like anything, please let me know!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Simple...

I picked two really simple cards to share with you tonight... both cards look very nice, but are so easy to make! The butterfly card is one that I made some time ago. It uses the Sweet Shapes stamp set. The Tempting Turquoise card stock "pops" from the neutral background that's made with Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa and Creamy Caramel card stock. One thing that I really like is how the Horizontal Slot Punch has been used to tie a little length of ribbon to this card.

Of course, we never want to need a sympathy card, but this one is such a nice card for such a time. This card is made with the Close as a Memory stamp set. The soft colours - Brocade Blue, Sage Shadow, Sahara Sand and Very Vanilla - make a nice combination. I've added some of the new Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon on this.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Another Garden Whimsy Card

I adapted a card that I saw created by Liane Binder to make this beautiful card... I love the colours - Rose Red, Elegant Eggplant and Old Olive. This card is bright and cheerful! In addition to using the Garden Whimsy stamp set, I also used the Fine Lace background stamp on the strip of Rose Red card stock and this fantastic greeting comes from the All Holidays set. This card looks better in real life, but hopefully this gives you some inspiration!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

More Fun & Fast Notes!

Have I mentioned how much I am enjoying this stamp set? I know I have, but I just have to say again that it is so versatile and easy to use... We actually used it for two cards at the Stamp-A-Stack this weekend. This great birthday card was one that we CASEd from Eleonor. I loved the colours on this as soon as I saw it. It's such a fun card!

We had a great time at the Stamp-A-Stacks this weekend... twenty stampers created 176 cards! I always enjoy watching our cards being re-created. I especially enjoy seeing some of the adjustments and changes that are made as stampers get creative... I had posted a baby card that I made for the Stamp-A-Stack a few posts ago... we also made this card in Groovy Guava. This card turned out to be quite popular and we saw lots of creativity as different images were used - the birthday cake, the hedgehog, the bird and the wedding cakes were all popular and looked great! I liked the wedding cakes on this card so much that I stamped a couple tonight... A few of the creative stampers this weekend flipped the Double-Sided Designer Paper over and used the other side which looked fantastic with the wedding cakes so I did the same thing. And, I added some Irridescent Ice Emboss Powder to the cakes using a VersaMarker. I love these cards - beautiful in both Soft Sky and Groovy Guava!

Last night and today, I've been creating some new Christmas cards and I used the tree from Fun & Fast Notes for a couple. Here's my favourite. I used Certainly Celery, Ruby Red, Close to Cocoa and Old Olive on this card. I stamped the Ruby Red piece with the Canvas background stamp and the greeting comes from the new All Holidays stamp set. I coloured the tree with Stampin' Write Markers, but I thought the pot looked a little dull when I coloured it in solid so instead, I used the fine tip of the marker and left some white space. I'm quite pleased with this card!

Well, I'm going to get back to stamping... I hope to get one or two more cards created tonight!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

This post's for you...

Trish! This card was stamped by my friend and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator, Lucie. Lucie is an amazingly creative stamper. And I'm posting it here tonight by request... Trish saw it at the Stamp-A-Stack tonight and asked me to post it to my blog because she really liked it!

Lucie used the Pick a Petal stamp set to make the flower and each petal is cut out individually. She also sponged them and drew the veins in the petals by hand. This makes a very unique card... I think that Lucie, like so many stampers, truly does stamp "from the heart" so this is a special creation!

Thanks for the great card, Lucie!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Take Three

Here's a card that I designed the other night... It was one that came to me quite easily - I love it when that happens! I was working on cards for the Stamp-A-Stack and noticed this stamp set on my shelf... It's called Take Three and it's a set that I liked as soon as I first saw it introduced, but I haven't used it enough. So, I decided to see if I could come up with a card and this is it! It's a simple card, but I really like it. The colours are Really Rust, More Mustard, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip. I crumpled the Chocolate Chip piece to give it some texture and I stamped the More Mustard piece with the Canvas background stamp then swiped the stamp pad over it to add some streaks of colour. The two More Mustard brads add a nice finishing touch.

Here's a card that I made a while ago... I still like it a lot because it is quite unique. There's a lot of cutting involved in this one! This one uses Ruby Red, More Mustard, Not Quite Navy and Old Olive. I used the Canvas background stamp on it too... These two stamp sets can combine to make lots of great cards!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Crayon Resist

This is going to be a quick post as I'm still working on creating new cards for the Stamp-A-Stack this weekend... and watching the Canadian Idol finale at the same time!

This is a card that Mom stamped this summer. I love the colours. It uses the Crayon Resist technique which many of you have learned in my Techniques Classes. The two different colours of ink - Certainly Celery and Tempting Turquoise - are applied with Sponge Daubers. I like the little tab that's added to this card...

Okay, I have to get back to stamping!

Enjoy the sunshine and happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Confessions of a Stamper...

Okay, everyone, I'm about to type something that you may find shocking... I've been suffering from a terrible condition these last few weeks and it got frightfully serious this weekend. I was nearly ready to seek medical attention, but thankfully I managed to recover just in time. You see, it seems that I came down with a terrible case of "stampers block"! It's true... not only had I seemingly lost my creativity, it got to the point that I was even lacking the will to try to create! Last night, I was home alone - the perfect opportunity to hide in my stamping room to create, but I sat at the table and had no idea what I might make... I pulled our stamps, ink and card stock, but nothing seemed to go well so I gave up and started to clean instead. Can you imagine? Cleaning on a Saturday night instead of stamping?!! Well, I'm happy to report that this afternoon, with a brief intervention of some serious card surfing on Splitcoaststampers, I am fully recovered! And, here's the proof... I started by "CASE"ing a couple cards and then the creative juices started to flow again!! PHEW!!

The first card is one that I created on my own... It was the fourth card I made this afternoon. It uses the Fun & Fast Notes stamp sets - one of my new favourites! It's such a fun set that's so easy to use. And this card was really simple thanks to the Prints Designer Series Paper that I used in So Saffron, Almost Amethyst and Certainly Celery. In fact, the Prints Designer Series Paper came in very handy tonight... I also used it on the next three cards. The basic ideas for all three of these cards came from Splitcoaststampers...

This baby card is also stamped with the Fun & Fast Notes. I really like the Soft Sky card stock and am planning to make this same card in Groovy Guava for a girl. The Double-Stitched Grosgrain adds a nice finishing touch to this one. This will be a card choice at next weekend's Stamp-A-Stack - spaces are still available on Saturday morning... email be at bevennis@shaw.ca to register.

I love this next card!! This is the first time I've used this stamp set - Garden Whimsy. I've seen so many fantastic cards made with this set - I just had to order it and was excited to use it today. Aren't the colours eye-catching on this card? The main card is Blue Bayou and I've also used the Double-Stitched Grosgrain in this colour. The background papers are Soft Sky Prints with a striped Purely Pomegranate paper from the new Holiday Harmony Designer Series Paper in the mini catalogue. Also notice the little photo corner that I punched out to anchor the main image... The greeting is from the Amazing to Zany set.

This card uses the new stamp set called Stem Silhouettes from the current Holiday Mini Catalogue. It's a very different set which I think that I will really enjoy using for a change. This set is on sale this month - 30% off when you place a $40 order. I also used the wide grosgrain ribbon on this card for a little something new... I think this is the first time I've used it and I do quite like it.


Okay, one last confession for this post... I went to a birthday party today and I didn't bring a stamped card! Don't worry, I didn't bring a store bought card either - no card at all! It was a birthday party for one-year old twin girls... I did bring gifts but thanks to my lack of creativity, I just didn't manage to make the cards. I figured it was just their first birthdays and they'd never know... Well, the birthday girls didn't care of course, but their Mom did comment. I felt very guilty as their Mom dug through the gift bags looking for my card and then seemed quite surprised to learn there wasn't one... So, I made the girls each a card tonight! I wanted them to be similar but not identical. And, I did resort to a retired set - Pretty Princess - because it has the best cake with just one candle on it, perfect for a first birthday card! So, even though this set isn't available anymore, I thought I'd share these two cards with you because I am quite proud of them. I used the Faux Diamond Dust technique on the cakes which adds a little bling. Isn't it amazing how different a card can look just by changing the colours?

Well, that's it for confessions tonight... I'm off to tidy my stamping room after this day of great creativity!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Fall Frenzy

I'm not quite ready to say farewell to summer yet... come to think of it, did summer actually arrive yet?!! But, fall is just around the corner so here's a September special to help get us ready!

When you purchase $40 in regularly priced merchandise, you qualify to purchase one of each of the following stamp sets at 30 percent off!

Bitty Boos Too ~ $17.47

Haunting Halloween ~ $18.17

Thoroughly Thankful ~ $22.37

Autumn Fest ~ $23.07

Elementary Essentials ~ $27.27

Stem Silhouettes ~ $30.77 (from the Holiday Mini Collection 2007)

This special ends September 30th...

And, hopefully you have had a chance to look through the fantastic new Holiday Mini Collection 2007! There are some really nice new holiday stamps in this collection. I'm looking forward to using my new Tags for All set to make Christmas gift tags this year. I love the new Holiday Harmony Designer Series Double-Sided Paper on page 12 and I'm really excited about the Elastic Cord in Silver and Gold on page 11! But, the best news of all - all of the stamp sets in this collection are die cut... this means that there is no cutting involved when you receive your stamps! I put mine together in no time at all!! Click on the catalogue to the left to see all of the new products that are available now until November 30th!

I'm back from a few days out of town and am looking forward to some stamping time this weekend... and, I'm looking forward to sharing my new creations with you soon!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)