The Weekend & October Stamping Classes

Hello! Did everyone have a fantastic weekend? I sure hope so!! We had a really nice weekend. On Saturday we went out of town to do some shopping & have some fun. We went shopping for Halloween costumes for the boys & they both picked out something they really really like! Then we went to the mall and made our way through several stores. After the mall everyone was getting hungry so we went to Olive Garden & enjoyed a wonderful meal. I can't remember what mine was called but it was soooo yummy!! It was a dish of angel hair pasta with mozzarella, fresh tomatoes & basil in a light cream sauce topped with grilled shrimp. Is your mouth watering? LOL!! Like I said Yummy!! After the Olive Garden we made a stop at Michael's. The boys weren't too thrilled--what can I say they are all boy! But they were both really good and I was able to pick up a few things while we were there.

On Sunday we went to church & then out to eat with my Mom & Dad. Our afternoon was kind of laid back, nice & relaxing. Sunday night we went bowling. I haven't been bowling since before I started having all the problems with my arm so I had to bowl with my right arm. It took a little while to get the hang of that--I'm sure it was a sight! LOL! At first I felt like no matter what I did I didn't have any control over the ball. But as the night went on it seemed to get a little better. The boys seem to really enjoy bowling especially Evan, he gets so excited!! My Mom & Dad even came out to the bowling ally for awhile & my Dad came out and bowled with us for one of the games.

I can't believe we are nearing the end of October & soon it will be Halloween!! I just hope that the weather will still be nice at the end of the month!! You just never know in MN!!

I wanted to share with you the cards that we made this month in class. This first card is a fun Halloween card with a twist on the fold. The stamp set that was used for this card is SU Autumn Apparitions, which can be found in the SU Holiday Mini Catalog.The second card is a Reflection card. The Tutorial for this technique can be found Here. I think this was the favorite card for the night!! I know it is one of my favorites!! The stamp sets that were used for this card are SU Wanted & So Many Sayings. This is the first time for inking up the Wanted stamp set & I love it!! I already have several ideas sketched out in my book!!
For the last card a CTMH stamp set was used, Victorian Snowflake. I really love this stamp set, it has such a lacey look.
Thanks so much for stopping by & I hope you have a wonderful week ahead of you!!
Smiles!
Heidi

You Make Me SMILE!

Wow!! What a fun award!! I have to say a special THANK YOU to my newest bloggin' buddy Corie, she nominated me for the You Make Me Smile Award!! Corie makes me smile too!! You have to check out her blog--she does some amazing design work!!
So now it's time for me to nominate 5 ladies that make me SMILE! The first lady I am going to nominate is Ema, she makes me laugh & smile all the time! Ema & I met a little over a year ago when we were on a Design Team together & we have been great friends ever since. She just recently started her blog. You have to check it out! She has some really funny post & wonderful design work--check out the post about the can opener!! LOL!! *wink* Next is another very sweet friend Renee we met on a MB some time ago and have become really great friends. You'll have to check out her blog, she makes wonderful PBA's!! Do you like Photography? If so you will have to check out Deb's Blog! Deb also just recently started her blog and has been busy posting her beautiful photography. Jessica is another wonderful artist! I say artist because Jessica is so creative & loves all forms of art. She is stamper, bead maker & loves photography just to name a few! Sue makes me smile! I love looking at her blog! She is always busy creating wonderful designs!

I hope all of you ladies will play along! Now it's your turn to nominate 5 ladies that make you smile!

Thanks so much for stopping by & checking out my blog! I hope all of know how much I appreciate your wonderful comments & I also love checking out all of your blogs!! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Smiles!
Heidi

A Couple More...

Designs for Halloween. I love this time of year! I love the colors, the crisp scent of fall in the air, wearing sweatshirts & cooking all of the great comfort foods.

Today I have a card & a little treat bag to share with you. Both of these designs were for a recent Halloween Class. I was so excited about making the card! This is my first card using the new Nestabilities from Spellbinders! These are sooooo wonderful!! As my friend Ema would say--they are Wicked Awesome!!! LOL!!
On the large scalloped oval I sponged SU-Summer Sun & then SU-Pumpkin Pie.
Supplies~
Paper~SU-Wild Wasabi, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White
Stamps~SU-Autumn Apparitions
Ink~SU-Wild Wasabi, Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Always Artichoke (marker)
Other~SU-Crimper, Paper Piercing Tool & Mat Pack, Spellbinders-Nestabilities, My Stash-Ribbon & Brads, Stickles-Orange Peel, Lime Green, Black Diamond
Supplies~
Paper~SU-Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie,
Stamps~SU-Autumn Apparitions, Autumn Leaves (wheel)
Ink~SU-Basic Black
Other~SU-Small Cellophane Bag, Scallop Punch, Stickles-Lime Green, My Stash-Ribbon, Staples, Mailing Labels, Hershey Nuggets

~Love Much~

Just a quick post to share a wedding card with you. I made this card today & really like the outcome! Yesterday I received my package from Prickley Pear so I thought I would try out some of my new stamps--gotta love fresh rubbah!! I made the background paper with one of the larger stamps. I think it almost looks like printed paper. For the cake I cut out three rectangles using Fiskars Shape Cutters. Then I used the Textile Embossing Folder from the Cuttlebug & ran it through the Wizard. I thought this would give it the appearance of frosting. I also rubbed a Versamark ink pad over each piece & then added some pearlex. I still wanted to give it a little bling so I punched out several tiny flowers, adhered them & added a pearl bead to every other flower.

Supplies~
Paper~SU-Whisper White, Very Vanilla, The Luxury Stack-Pearlized PP
Stamps~Prickley Pear-All Stamps
Ink~SU-White Craft Ink, Pale Plum, Versamark, Distress Ink-Antique Linen
Other~SU-Gold EP, Lg. Oval Punch, Crystal Effects, Pearlex, Fiskars-Shape Cutters, EK Success-Flower Punches, Cuttlebug-Embossing Folders, Wizard, My Stash-Ribbon & Pearls

I hope you all had a Wonderful Wednesday & just think the week is already half way over!! Thanks for stopping by!
Smiles!
Heidi

Cards from WCMD

As I'm sure most of you know this past Saturday was World Card Making Day and in celebration of this day I had a make-n-take here at my home. Isn't it wonderful we get to have our own special day!!

Here are some of the cards we made for WCMD. This time around I kept the cards pretty simple, but the ladies still really loved them & I think it makes for a little more of a relaxing time. Gotta love a stress free day of stamping!! *wink*

On Saturday I actually had three different styles of this card, but this one is my favorite. Almost all of the materials use to make this card are from the SU Simply Sent Kit~Simple Delights. I also used the paper piercing tool for the holes. For each example I used the exact same supplies from the kit and demonstrated how easy it is to achieve different looks from very simple to advanced.
Supplies~
Paper~SU-River Rock, Soft Sky, Chocolate Chip, Very Vanilla
Stamps~SU-Simple Delights
Ink~SU-Chocolate Chip, Soft Sky
Other~SU-Brad, Dimensionals, Paper Piercing Tool

Supplies~
Paper~SU-Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White
Stamps~SU-Thoroughly Thankful
Ink~SU-Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie, Garden Green (marker), Basic Black
Other~SU-2-way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamond Glitter, Dimensionals, My Stash-Ribbon

Supplies~
Paper~SU-Whisper White, Elegant Eggplant, Lovely Lilac
Stamps~SU-Happiness, Little Flowers, Little Bits (wheel)
Ink~SU-Elegant Eggplant, Lovely Lilac
Other~SU-1/2 in. Circle Punch, 2-way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamond Glitter,Dimensionals, My Stash-Ribbon

Supplies~
Paper~SU-Garden Green, More Mustard, White Glossy
Stamps~SU-Spooky Skyline (wheel), Autumn Apparition (mini catty)
Ink~SU-Pumpkin Patch (spectrum pads), Basic Black
Other~SU-Lg. & Sm. Tag Punches, Silver Brad, Dimensionals, My Stash-Ribbon

Supplies~
Paper~SU-Whisper White, Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue
Stamps~SU-Big On Christmas, Snow (jumbo wheel-mini catty)
Ink~SU-Bashful Blue, Ballet Blue, Real Read (marker), Glorious Green (marker)
Other~JoAnn's-Liquid Appliqué (snow), Heat Tool, My Stash-Ribbon

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you all have a great day!!
Smiles!
Heidi

Wonderful Weekend

Hello!! I know it's been a few days since my last post! I hope you all had a great weekend! How many of you were able to take a little time for yourself & enjoy World Card Making Day? I hope each of you were able to do something fun over the weekend & enjoy some creative time!!

We had a pretty busy weekend around here. On Saturday I had a Stampin' Up! Open House with make-n-takes to celebrate WCMD. I really enjoyed the day & it's always fun to be able to visit with the ladies! I want to say Thank You So Much to all of the wonderful ladies that came on Saturday!! Later that evening I went to a Surprise Birthday Party! One of the ladies (Miriam) that comes to my stamping classes had her 60th Birthday on Saturday & her Daughter had a surprise party for her! It was a really nice party with family & friends & really yummy food!

When I came home I had my own surprise!! I received an email from Liz at CHF (Cornish Heritage Farms) letting me know I had won a 'mini treasure' from the Worldwide Treasure Hunt!! I won the Summer Fun stamp set!! I can't wait to play with it!! I already have a few ideas sketched out-LOL-so I will be ready!! You should hop on over to CHF and check out the new line of stamps by Kim Hughes!! She has some really fun designs!! I have to say the Treasure Hunt was so much fun!! Along the way you had to look for CLUE WORDS & throughout the journey the Treasure Hunt took me to some wonderful sites with some amazing design work!! I thought it was a great way to celebrate a new stamp line.

On Sunday after church we spent the day at the Big Island Rendezvous & Festival. It's a great way to spend the day with family and find out what life was like 150 years ago! They have entertainment, merchants, & lots of yummy food!! I will post more about that tomorrow...

Here are a couple of cards that I made this last week. They were for customer orders but they were also for my friend Miriam (Surprise BD Party). I love how both of them turned out!! I didn't realize it until I was going to do this post but I forgot to take pictures of the card I made for her from myself! LOL!
Supplies~
Paper~SU-Elegant Eggplant, Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Whisper White
Stamps~SU-Flourish, Lace (both retired), Hero Arts-Lady, A Stamp In The Hand-Script, Anna Griffin-Sentiment
Ink~SU-Elegant Eggplant, Versamark, Black Stazon
Tools~SU-Distress Tool, (Punches) Ticket Corner, Circle 1/8, 1-1/4, 1-3/8, Heat Tool, Sponge
Other~Pearlex, Twinkling H2O's-Royal Orchid, Iridescent Gold, Stickles-Diamond, Brenda Walton-Adhesive Rhinestones, My Stash-Black Velvet Ribbon, Gold Ribbon, Chipboard & Pop DotsSupplies~
Paper~SU-Regal Rose & Very Vanilla, The Luxury Stack-Printed Paper
Stamps~SU-Cherish, Me & Carrie Lou-Dress
Ink~SU-Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, River Rock, Rose Red, Versamark
Tools~SU-Distress Tool, 1/8 in. Circle Punch, Lg. Oval Punch, Spritz Tool, Aqua Painter, Fiskars Embossing Corner Punch, Cuttlebug Embossing Folder, Wizard, Heat Tool, Sponge
Other~Gold & Pearl Pearlex, SU-Gold EP, Brads, Ranger-Crackle Accents, Joann's-Pearls, My Stash-Ribbon, Lace, Pop Dots

Thanks for stopping by & I hope you have a Marvelous Monday!!
Smiles!
Heidi

Email--UGH!!

Sorry but this is going to be a little vent!

Last night I received an email from one of my customers and she had some questions & said she hadn't heard from me in a while. I thought this was a little strange since I had sent her a few emails in the past several days & some of the questions she had I had already answered in previous emails. So instead of starting a new message I just replied to hers & it went through, she received it in just a few minutes. I started thinking about it & realized I had only heard from just a few people, so I was wondering if other people hadn't received the emails I was sending out. It was getting kind of late but I quickly sent out a few emails to ask some of the ladies if they had received any emails from me in the past few days.

This morning I checked my email & I heard back from a few of the ladies. Some said yes they had received it but just hadn't replied back yet & the others said NO, but when they went & looked in their junk mail and there it was!! For some reason the past few times I have sent out mass emails about SU classes & workshops some of the computers are filtering them out as JUNK mail!!!

The worst part is I am having a make-n-take here at my home on Saturday for the World Card Making Day and now hardly any of the email flyers were received!! So this morning I will be spending my time sending out individual emails to everyone & make several phone calls. Not what I had planned for the day!! :(

Anyways--thanks for listening to me vent! I guess I have to look on the upside & hope for the best!

It's Wednesday & the sun is shinning!! We have been having RAIN RAIN RAIN so it is nice to see the sun!! I hope you all have a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!!!

Smiles!
Heidi

A late post...

These are a couple of ATC's that I made for a swap. I am in a monthly ATC swap at our LSS and in August our theme was travel. The theme for September was Red but I haven't taken any pictures of them yet. So I'm running a little behind with posting this-lol!For the center image I used some printed paper (sorry I'm not sure about the company!) that I had bought at Archiver's some time ago & I have been hoarding it for just the right project. Do you hoard your supplies? Isn't that awful!! I am trying to use things more, I mean it's certainly not doing anything for me tucked in a corner sitting on a shelf in my craft room! *wink* The images were on a 12 x 12 sheet & I don't know if you can tell from the pictures but each one is embossed.
This is a picture of all the images I used for the ATC's. I used the Fiskars Stamp Paper Edgers to make a faux stamp & sponged Distress Ink by Ranger-Frayed Burlap on the edges.For the background paper I used SU Designer Series Brocade Background. I stamped several different images on the printed paper, added some pearlex & distressed the edges.

Supplies~
Paper~ SU-River Rock, Brocade Background, (?) Embossed paper
Ink~SU-River Rock, Ranger-Distress Ink Frayed Burlap, VersaMark
Stamps~Hampton Arts (Paris), Hero Arts (Stamps), Autumn Leaves (Flourishes), A Stamp in the Hand (script)
Other~SU-Pearlex, Distress Tool

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you are all having a GREAT week!!
Smiles!
Heidi

Spooky Stampin' Night

On Thursday I will be having a haunting good time & making some spooktacular goodies! I am having a Halloween class & these are a couple of things we will be making.
For this card we will be doing masking for the technique. I will also be demonstrating how to get the most out of your chipboard and using it for a stencil-this is how the moon was made.
I love these little votive cups!! They are so cute & a nice decorative touch for Halloween!We will be making a set of votive candle holders, two cards & goodies bag.
Stamp set~SU Haunting Halloween, Spooky Skyline (wheel).

*+*+* MN Renaissance Festival *+*+*

OMGosh talk about a total blast!! It had been a few years since our last visit to the MNRF--pre youngest DS & he's almost 5 1/2!! The sites, sounds, smells, merchants, entertainment & you can't forget the food (the yummy delicious food!!) it is almost more than you can take in!! If you have never been to a Renaissance Festival & are given the chance you HAVE TO GO!!

This was the 37th year of the festival and it is one of the largest in the country. When you walk through the entrance it will take you back in time to the 16th century!! It is tucked away in a wooded area in Shakopee, MN on 22 acres, like a little hidden city from time passed. There is jousting, belly dancers, wenches, muses, gypsies, the royal court along with the king & queen, stockades and numerous street entertainment!!

This was also an extra special day because 8 years ago Eric & I went to the MNRF on our very 1st date!!

Here are some pictures from our day! I hope you enjoy!! *wink*

Goggle-eyed Halloween

I have been having so much fun playing with the new SU Haunting Halloween stamp set!! I Love Halloween!! This set is so cute & I just couldn't resist putting the goggle eyes on the little frog! Isn't he cute? I used SU pastels (chalks) to color in all of the images. Then to give them a little bling I added touches of shimmer with Gelly Roll Glitter pens, SU Dazzling Diamond Glitter & Souffle pens. I also used (SU) Crystal Effects along with three different colors of SU dye ink to create a green glaze for the bubbles brewing in the pot. The background pieces was made using the Cuttlebug Spots & Dots Embossing Folder & the Wizard die cut and embossing machine.
Paper~SU-Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Green Galore, Basic Black, Lovely Lilac
Ink~SU-Black Stazon
Stamps~SU-Haunting Halloween
Other~SU-Scallop Punch, Crystal Effects, (Refill Ink) Green Galore, Certainly Celery, Yo Yo Yellow, 1/8 Circle Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Sakura-Gelly Roll Pens, Souffle Pens, My Stash-Gems, Black Ribbon, Goggle-eyes

Just a side note--we had a wonderful time this weekend!! Eric & I went to the MN Renaissance Festival & had a total blast!!! I wanted to share some pictures with you but I am having some issues with the computer--it won't let do what I want it to!! lol! I will try and get them posted asap but in the meantime if you are interested in seeing some pictures from the MNRF website HERE is a link to the MN Renaissance Festival and once you click on the link look to the right side--it will say click here to view the 2007 Brochure--if you click that you can see some pictures from the festival. Hope to be able to share this with you soon!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend & a great start to a new week!!
Smiles~
Heidi

Simplicity...

You know I think it has taken me longer to think of what title to use for this post than it did to make the cards! lol! Recently I have been working on Sympathy cards and I don't know why but I have a hard time making them. I guess in the back of my mind I am hoping and praying that I won't be needing them anytime soon. Do any of you have a hard time with sympathy cards?

I came up with two designs that can be used for a man (still working on the lady cards), they are very simple but I thought they were nice. I used the SU Lovely as a Tree stamp set. I know that set has been around for a while but I still really love it! Not too many people know it but I have a thing for trees!! I just love trees--they are so beautiful. I love riding in the car and looking at the trees. They kind of remind me of people, each unique in it's own way. I was talking to my Grandpa one day and I was telling him how much I loved looking at trees, he smiled and said, "you must have gotten that from your Grandma, she loved trees too". Funny how things can happen, I never knew that about her. I always knew that one of her favorite colors was green and when I was younger I didn't like green at all but the older I get the more I love it! Especially a good earthy green! ;)

Anyways I'm finding myself rambling here --focus-lol! Back to the cards! *wink*

This is the 1st card that I designed.

Supplies~
Paper~SU-Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Kraft
Ink~SU-Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke (markers for both)
Stamps~SU-Lovely as a Tree, Warm Regards (retired)
Other~My Stash-Green Ribbon, Silver Brads, Popdots

This is the 2nd card that I designed

Supplies~
Paper~SU-Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Kraft
Ink~SU-Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke (markers for both)
Stamps~SU-Lovely as a Tree, Warm Regards (retired)
Other~SU-Paper Piercing Tool & Mat Pack, My Stash-Ribbon, Popdots

I like them both but I think the 1st one is my favorite--I just love the oak tree stamp!!

Thanks so much for stopping by & I hope you had a wonderful Wednesday!
Smiles~
Heidi

Just playin' around

My 1st Halloween card of the year. I had a little time this morning to play around with one of my new SU sets -- Autumn Apparitions. What a fun set!!
I also had fun playing with my punches. I used the Word Window punch and the 1-3/8 Circle punch to create the fence & moon. First I punched out the Circle and placed it onto the CS, sponged Groovy Guava & Pumpkin Pie around the moon, then Basic Black over the rest of the sky. Then I stippled Wild Wasabi along the bottom of the card front. I took off the circle punch & then stamped the bats & sentiment. When I put the moon back on I adhered it just slightly down from the stipple circle, this left a little sliver of Apricot Appeal. For the fence I used the Word Window punch, sponged the edges & outlined with the marker. Lastly I added the cat & pumpkins & some stickles. For the small pumpkin & the cat I used popdots.
Supplies~
PAPER~SU-Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin Pie, Summer Sun, Whisper White
STAMPS~SU-Autumn Apparitions
INK~SU-Basic Black, Chocolate Chip (pad/marker), Groovy Guava, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi, Always Artichoke (marker)
OTHER~SU-Word Window Punch, 1-3/8 Circle Punch, Sponges, Stipple Brush, Stickles (Ranger)-Orange Peel, Lime Green, Black Sparkle

Thanks for stopping by!! I hope you are having a great Monday!!
Smiles~
Heidi

U ROCK--take 2

Another Birthday for a teenage boy & I was in need of a card! The 1st U ROCK card that I designed went over Great with the young man who received it so I thought I would make another one. I didn't want it to look exactly the same & I was trying to think a little outside of the box, I wanted to have a really cool background. Then it hit me--the new SU Snow Burst Stamp Set would make an awesome background!! So that's what I went with & here is the result. What do you think?
Supplies~

Stamps: SU-Snow Burst, Well-Worn Alphabet, Canvas

Paper: SU-Real Red, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: SU-Real Red, Basic Black, Going Gray

Other: SU-Ticket Corner Punch, Small & Large Tag Punch, Black & Silver Brads, Black Ribbon, Jo-Ann's-Metal Squares, , Skull Button

September Classes

Today is the 1st day that I have been migraine free since Sunday!! Woo-hoo!! I was hoping and praying that I would feel better today since I had a class tonight.

This is going to be a quick post but I wanted to share with you what we did in class.

This is the 1st card that we did. I know if you come to my blog on a regular basis you have already seen this card from an earlier post. But after one of the ladies (Miriam) that comes to classes seen this card she asked if we could do it for class. All of the info for the card can be found here.
This is the 2nd card that we made. I think this one was a favorite for the night! The technique is called Iris Folding. The pattern for the bat came from Circle of Crafters. They have several patterns for iris folding along with complete instructions. They also have a monthly newsletter with free patterns.This is the 3rd card that we made tonight. These buckle cards are so fun to make and I got to use one of my new sets!
Like I said this is going to be a quick one tonight! I will come back tomorrow and add all of the info (stamps, paper, ink...) to the post.

Thanks so much for stopping by! I am hoping I can get caught up on everyone's blogs in the next day or two!!

Hope you are having a great week! It's almost the weekend!!
Smiles~
Heidi