Love you!

Doing some virtual stampin' with my old pal Lisa Henke today!  We try to get together virtually (since we're about a 3 hour drive apart) once in awhile to stamp by sharing challenges with each other and stamping at the same time.  Today Lisa suggested we try the Color Throwdown challenge.    I also combined it with the Create With Connie & Mary sketch but missed the deadline by about 2 hours.  UGH!  Hate it when I do that.  

I have a little journal that I keep solely for stamping challenges.  Oftentimes I'll take some time to write down 6-8 current challenges then refer to my journal the rest of the week to work on them.  Unfortunately I rarely remember to write down the due dates.  Oh well, they get me stamping and that's the important thing!  

Funny thing... at first I thought I couldn't work with these colors- they just didn't appeal to me.  But I stuck with it and finally came up with something I really like.  Hope you do to!

Thanks for visiting!  Be sure to stop by Lisa's blog to see what she's been up to also.
~Kristin

SUO Supplies

Stamps:  Betsy's Blossoms, Itty Bitty Banners

Colors:  listed above

Accessories:  large scallop punch, smaller scallop punch, Boho Blossoms punch, antique brad, Vine Street embossing folder, Bitty Banners Framelits, 5 petal flower punch

Happy Hour!

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You Light Up My Life! A 12x12 Layout.

Have you seen the new Parker's Patterns Designer Series Papers in the Spring Catalog?  They include many great, masculine patterns and colors which I thought were perfect for these pictures.  You can get a glimpse of a few of the other patterns at the top left corner.  I did those with the Bitty Banners Framelits.  I rarely do a page with just a single picture, even though I love the look, but I always have so many pictures I want to include.  This time I just put all the rest of them on the opposite page.  Works for me! 

Gotta love pictures of your kiddos when they are getting along!  Especially now that they are 13 & 11.

   

So does anyone else that scrapbooks chronologically leave a blank page in the front and back of the album?  I seem to rarely remember to go back and add that title page... so recently I did two, one for 2004 and one for my 2005 album.  I'm planning to keep them simple so I am more likely to get them done from now on.  For this one I used an old Simply Scrappin' Kit called At Home.  

And this one uses the Tickets and Tags Simply Scrappin' Kit.  Love these kits!!  Saw a page similar to this on Pinterest and HAD to put my spin on it.  I added a few little embellishments and some giant chipboard numbers which I stamped with a large background stamp.

So tell me, how do you wrap up an album on the last page?  One time I typed up a summary of the entire album and an expectation for the year to come.  I really enjoy going back to read it so maybe I'll try that again.  Let me know what you do! 

An Easter Layout

Good morning!  Who is up for some scrapbook pages?!?  Now that I've finished the 215 wedding invitations (picture at the bottom) I've had some spare time to scrap.  What a job that was- but I'm happy to say it went well thanks to good planning and working a few hours a day on them.  

For this layout I used the new Tea for Two Designer Series paper available in the current Spring Catalog.  Thought it was perfect for an Easter page with the soft springy colors.  I also used my new oval framelits for the Big Shot as well.  I wanted to mimic the hexagon shape from the paper so I used my very old Creative Memories cutting system for the pictures on the right.  

 Here is the left page... the title and the bunnies were cut with my daughter's Cricut.  Love that thing!

I am glad to say I've completed my 2004 Family Album and am now diligently working away at our 2005 album!  I am actually happy that I'm so far behind because I love the pictures from when my kids were so little.  They've changed and grown so much since then.  

Here is the box of wedding invitations I completed on February 27th.  Believe it or not, I did really enjoy doing this project!  By the last few days I was ready to get it over with because it had consumed all my free time for quite awhile, but thankfully I allowed just enough time to get them to the bride right on time without rushing.

Thanks for stopping by!  I'll be back with more scrapbook pages and then I'm sure I'll be back to doing some cards soon.
~Kristin

Pinterest Overload!

 

I was sick last week.  A strange kind of illness- didn't feel good sitting... so I kept busy (not working on the wedding invitations I should have been working on but they require sitting).  But look what else I got done- all kinds of Pinteresty things.

 These signs over my kids' toilet.  These things I've said to them probably 9,482 times since they were old enough to do them.  As soon as I saw THIS on Pinterest I knew I had to try my hand at making my own.  Not too hard with My Digital Studio and a HUMONGOUS stash of Designer Series Paper!  Want to try them yourself?  I have shared my files HERE so you can! 

Best part:  recycled frames so cost is $0.  Worst part:  daughter accidentally kneeled on one of the frames at the VERY last step and shattered the glass.  Even worse:  Walmart no longer carries these.  So the WASH sign is laminated with no glass for now.  UGH! 

Notice the ribbons on the shower curtain?  Those are new too.  I went a little nutso!

 Trash to treasure!  An old bookcase of my grandfather's (who passed away in 1995) that my uncle no longer wanted.  The glass is missing from the doors, but I will replace it eventually.  For now, in my haste, I just added some black & white wrapping paper to line the back for FUN and visual interest.  It looks like I've painted it in the after picture, but I haven't YET (just different lighting for the pictures).  I need to take a photo of the vintage, retro door pulls- they are AWESOME!!

Had some left over wrapping paper and this "M" already hanging on the wall so just added a piece to the back for a little change up!  Took less than 2 minutes!

And finally, have you seen all the pins for cleaning up and repurposing old jar candles that are black with soot and have very little wax left?  Well I had a ton of those just taking up needed space.  Wish I would've taken pictures of the process- it was interesting!  I tried a few things and can say- the freezer method did NOT work for me.  I poured boiling water into the candles which melted the wax so it floated to the top and hardened when cool.  Then just take it out and pitch it... or if it is still warm you can roll it into balls and save it to reuse in your wax warmer.  I had a few candles that were much fuller but I was on a roll so I sat those in a pan on the stove with water (maybe 2") and heated until the wax was completely melted then poured the wax into an old ice cube tray.  Again, saved them for my wax warmer. 

 

These two jars worked perfectly for cotton balls and cue tips in the kids' bath, and I did something similar in my bathroom.  The rest of the jars were put to various other uses, some still empty waiting on a genius idea to strike!  Ooh, already found the idea:  Pinterest to the rescue again!  So doing this one next!

 

 

All the while, here is my table of wedding invitations just waiting for me to buckle down.  Actually, I took this picture maybe a month ago.  Happy to report they are all in the final stage (ribbon tying) and I am ALMOST DONE!  If I can stay off Pinterest for awhile I could even finish today. 

Then will be back to stamping again!

Thanks for stopping by!  Sorry for the long absence!!
~Kristin

PS- If you've tried to subscribe lately and it didn't work, well it is working now!  Please try again (in the sidebar on the right!)  UGH:  STILL NOT WORKING.  SORRY- NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS.

Swarovski Snowflakes and a Baby Card

 Good morning!  Thought I'd share a picture of these Swarovski Crystal Snowflakes I made for my family for Christmas this year.  Like true snowflakes, no two are alike. I had fun finding different color and bead combinations!   This free tutorial by Bead Animation was so wonderfully done and helped me tremendously.  The first snowflake took me about 2.5 hours but they got much easier and faster each time!  If you'd like to see each one individually I have them posted on my Beading and Jewelry page (link at the top of my blog).

 I made this baby card a while back for some friends who had their 4th baby boy (!!) just before Christmas...  great idea, but I still haven't sent it.  I know, I'm such a slacker!

Here's the simple inside.  These Designer Series Papers (Sycamore Street DSP) and the Island Indigo ribbon are both new to the Stampin' Up! lineup, and are each FREE with a $50 purchase due to the fantastic Sale-a-Bration event going on now until March 22nd.

So glad you visited me today!
~Kristin

Custom Wedding Invitation

Here it is, the project that has all but consumed me for the last month or so and the actual assembly part is JUST beginning.  If this looks familiar to you it is THIS card you are remembering.  The bride's mother found it on the internet somewhere which led her to asking me if I'd consider doing 215 wedding invitations!  Fortunately I helped two friends last summer with wedding invitations so I had some experience, but I mostly did the design and step-by-step instructions for those, along with a little bit of hands on help.  This time they are ALL up to me.

The label across the heart will have the bride & groom's names in a pretty script font that they chose, which will coordinate with the actual invitation wording on the inside.  There will also be a little band on the inside cover which will hold the RSVP and Reception cards in place.

So far I have really enjoyed the challenge and the process, and getting to know the bride a bit.  I have even learned a few things along the way.

Do you like how I embossed the envelope flaps to coordinate?  Well guess what, my Big Shot broke down right in the middle of that process!  Yep.  Thank heavens my dad was here visiting and is far more handy than I.  He had it fixed in a jiffy and got me back to work.  Then he even stood next to me and handed me envelope after envelope for probably an hour!  Thanks Dad!

I've also learned to always save my MDS (My Digital Studio) files as a .pdf file instead of a .jpg for the printer, and that you can not over estimate how much time the whole designing process will take.  Plus I've learned tons of neat tricks on MDS that I never would have known.  Makes me excited to try this again some time (ask me how I feel in a month after gluing 430 birds, branches and wings down!)

Special thanks to my kiddos also for helping me with the little things so far, like punching and scoring!

Thanks for stopping by again!
~Kristin

Lots of News!

OK, yet another example of why I stink as an SU demonstrator... my first post about Sale-a-Bration includes a card with no SAB stamps.  Sorry, haven't had much time to stamp lately... I'm in the middle of making 225 wedding invites for a client which need to be done in a month. (*Yikes*)  However, I did use this new Designer Series Paper from the new Spring Catalog called Parker's Patterns.  I just adore the masculine, but fun look!  

Check out the links below for more great details about not only Sale-a-Bration and the Spring Catalog, but also a most exciting new offering called Paper Pumpkin, a monthly surprise creative treat in a box from Stampin' Up!  

 If you are interested in placing an order for any of these totally cool Stampin' Up! products, or would like to host a Workshop Wow contact me by clicking on my profile at the top right, or leaving a comment with a way to contact you!  (If you'd rather I not publish the comment just say so, then no one else will get your contact info.)

Also, the sketch I used for this card is from Splitcoast Stampers sketch last week!  If you'd like to try it out click here:  Sketch Challenge.

Thanks for stopping by!  If you'd like to see the wedding invitation I'm working on stop back tomorrow.
~Kristin

Madison Avenue Thank You- FULL of Sale-a-Bration!

How's this for colorful?  I used a recent Mojo sketch for this one, as well as my new Designer Series Paper called Sycamore Street and stamp set Madison Avenue, plus the coordinating Petite Curly Label punch and stamp set Pretty Petites (all FREE during Sale-a-Bration!). 

Interested in earning any of these free products for yourself?  Just contact me to place an order of $50 or more, to schedule a Workshop Wow for you and your friends!

You may also notice some embossing along the edges there.  That is an embossing folder I borrowed from a dear friend Karen.  I forget what it is called, but it is not offered by SU.

Have a great day!
~Kristin

 

SUO Supplies

Stamps:  Madison Avenue, Petite Pretties

Colors:  Summer Starfruit, Island Indigo, Rich Razzleberry, Tangerine Tango

Accessories:  1 3/4" circle punch, Petite Curly Label punch

Thank You

As I mentioned yesterday, my pal Lisa Henke and I decided to do some virtual stamping together on Monday as we occasionally do.  Basically that means we chat via email and choose challenges to do together then enjoy stampin' with a stampin' buddy (sort of).  It is fun because we live about 3 hours apart and rarely get to see each other. 

So Lisa chose our first challenge which is the Clean and Simple challenge from Splitcoast.  The challenge was actually a color challenge to use Bermuda Bay (or any tuquoise color), Kiwi Kiss (lime green), Ruby Red (any red) and Chocolate Chip (brown).   I did use the Burmuda Bay on the sentiment, but the background blue is actually Pool Party. 

Before the holidays of 2012 I had the privledge (as an SU Demo) to preorder a few things from the now current Spring Catalog which runs through May as well as the Sale-a-Bration catalog which runs from Jan 22- Mar 22 (SOON!).  It was hard to get all those new goodies during such a hectic season but it was worth the wait because I had so much fun playing yesterday! 

You have probably noticed by now the two new embossing folders I put to use.  The top one is appropriately called Cloudy Day (from the new Spring catalog) and the bottom one is Vine Street (FREE during Sale-a-Bration)!  If you are like my your stash of embossing folders is growing because they are ADDICTING!! 

In an effort to keep this as CAS as possible I kept the stamping to a minimum with just a flower and a sentiment.  BUT, the stamps and even the tiny punch are ALL BRAND NEW also!!  The flower is from a Sale-a-Bration (FREE) option called Madison Avenue and that tiny little thank you is from Pretty Petites which coordinates with the new punch Petite Curly Label (both FREE during Sale-a-Bration!).

Gosh, that's enough info I'd say.  But here is a quick shot at the inside detail.  I just stamped the vine image 3 times then punched out two of the stamped flowers and put them on dimensionals so they pop out. 

Thank you for stopping by today!
~Kristin

 

SUO Supplies

Stamps:  Madison Avenue, Pretty Petites

Colors:  Kiwi Kiss (retired), Pool Party, Ruby Red (retired), Chocolate Chip, Bermuda Bay (retired), Whisper White

Accessories:  Petite Curly Label punch, Cloudy Day embossing folder, Vine Street embossing folder, Big Shot, 2 1/2" circle punch, Coredinations cardstock (in Pool Party), sanding block

Above & Beyond

Is it too late to say Happy New Year?!?  I hope your 2013 has kicked off nicely and you have hopes for a great year ahead.  I am getting a slow start but ready to dive in with some thank you notes that are always needed just after the holidays! 

This great new Honeycomb embossing folder could sit here no longer without being used!  It is a fabulous new addition to the Stampin' Up! lineup in the new Spring Catalog which is good now through May 31!  Also new is the Bitty Butterfly punch which coordinates with the Elegant Butterfly punch.  Can you tell that I tried to make the butterflies progressively come off the page with the bottom one flat and the top one ready to fly off?  Not sure if I accomplished that but I can at least tell you of my vision.  ;)

To kick off my stamping for the year I decided to try out two challenges, and some virtual stamping with my good friend Lisa Henke!  Every now and then Lisa and I "get together" and choose challenges to work on at the same time, then we get to ooh and ahh over each other's creations.  These are the challenges I chose.  Tomorrow I'll post the card and challenge she chose.  Thanks Lisa!  The color scheme for this card is brought to you by ColourQ while the awesome sketch is from Fab Friday... check them all out (Lisa's blog too!).

                                      

One more thing, Stampin' Up!'s annual Sale-a-Bration begins January 22nd so be sure to contact your demonstrator (hopefully me!) to schedule a Workshop Wow which will be sure to dazzle you and your guests!

Thanks for stopping by, and here's to a fabulous and creative 2013! 
~Kristin

SUO Supplies
Stamps:  One in a Million

Colors:  Basic Gray, Night of Navy, Going Gray (retired), Crumb Cake, Daffodill Deligh,. Whisper White

Accessories:  Big Shot, Honeycomb embossing folder, Bitty Butterfly punch, Basic Rhinestone

Christmas Wrap-up

 Better late than never?  Here are the last few Christmas cards of the season.  I haven't sent the first one yet... wonder if I should just get started for next year and forget about it this year??  I don't think I've EVER sent them out on time.  UGH! 

 Does this design look familiar?  HERE is the original I copied.   A quick and easy one!

 

And maybe a better picture of yesterday's card. 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and get to stay home and enjoy a relaxing day today.  Here in Ohio we are facing a blizzard, hoping for 10-12 inches of snow!!  Then we'll be off to sled. 

Thanks for stopping by,
~Kristin

Sparkly Noel

Back in November I found THIS STUNNING CARD by Robin Merriman and immediately saved it to my "cards to copy" file!  Well, I finally did, with a Christmas twist.  Obviously I loved her layout and design, plus just HAD to copy the music notes!  For this one I used the tree from Snow Swirled and added some glittler ornaments to the tree.  Colors:  Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Confetti Cream, Sahara Sand. 

I hope you get the gist in this crummy photo- it is actually quite pretty in person.  Thanks for stopping by!
~Kristin

Merry!

Still not much sunlight to take better photos so I'm just going to forge ahead with the photos I've got.  This was another experiment with my new Cordinations cardstock in Pool Party with my Northern Flurry embossing folder.  Fun, quick and simple. 

Hope you are staying warm and safe in your current weather.  Here in Ohio we're facing high winds and the likelihood of snow throughout the night and tomorrow.  Are you ready for the upcoming holidays?  I just finished my wrapping tonight- PHEW!  Have a few more gifts to make out of paper and beads.  ;)  Oh, and need to get started on my Christmas cards.  Better late than never. 

Thanks for visiting today,
~Kristin

SUO Supplies

Stamps:  Pennant Parade

Colors:  Early Espresso, Pool party, Gumball Green

Accessories:  Northern Flurry embossing folder, Early Espresso baker's twine, clear rhinestone brad, Pennant Punch, jewelry tag punch

Down to Your Toes

Hey there!  Guess what- I STAMPED!  I know- shocker, right?!  Well I did.  And I made five Christmas cards and I really like them all, and just for fun I'm going to spread them out.  Might as well since I haven't posted since November.  I apologize in advance for the less than stellar photos.  Didn't have much sun to work with this afternoon.  Maybe I'll get better pics of the rest before I post them. 

Here's my first one.  I've paired Bootiful Occasions with my new Pool Party Coordinations cardstock.  See the lighter color on the textured area??  You get that just by lightly sanding.  Such a neat effect!  Also new to me is this Vintage Faceted Designer Button that I tied on with some Island Indigo Baker's Twine.  Other things to note:  the oval which I cut out with the ALL NEW Ovals Collection Framelit, will be available beginning January 3, 2013 in our luscious new Spring Catalog!

I did stamp the inside too (remember my resolution?) but kept it pretty simple so I didn't bother photographing. 

Well, thanks for stopping by and not dropping dead from shock that I've actually posted something.  If you want to see what else I've been working on go to the top of my page here and click on "Jewelry and Beading."  ;) 

~Kristin 

PS- Just Add Ink is having a final hurrah Christmas challenge so I'll click on over there and link this just for fun!

Lace, Vellum & Pearls

Look what I found... I made this card last week sometime then promptly forgot all about sharing it.  I borrowed the sketch from the Clean & Simple blog.  

 Quick peek at the inside...

...and the sketch. 

 

Thanks for visiting today! 

~Kristin

 

SUO Supplies

Stamps:  One in a Million, Flowering Flourishes

Paper:  Pink Pirouette, vellum cardstock, Whisper White

Accessories:  Lacy Brocade embossing folder, white organdy ribbon, basic pearls, White embossing powder

 

NOTE TO SPAMMERS:  DON'T BOTHER.  I WON'T PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT SO GO AWAY!!!

Many Thanks: MDS

I know, it looks a little different from what you normally see on my blog.  That's because this is a digital card.  Made entirely in MDS, My Digital Studio.  MDS is Stampin' Up!'s digital software for scrapbooking, card making or any other project you can come up with.

I've used it to make my blog header, business cards, wedding invitations, birthday invitations and thank you notes as well as projects for my home!  I am new to MDS so am just learning all the neat tricks that you can do with digital. 

One of my favorite things about creating digitally is that you get to control the size, color and location of everything- FULL CONTROL!  It's the best for a control-freak like me. 

I'm not good enough yet to give a full description of just what I used, but I can tell you this- the patterned paper inside the letters... I made that myself!  And I can share it with you! Thanks to the wonderful MDS blog and all the incredible people on the forums willing to answer my silly questions!  Best part is, the MDS blog is available to everyone, not just SU demonstrators!  You can find the custom paper I made HERE and while you're there you can join the group and be my friend!

So anyway, if you haven't considered MDS yet now you can give it some thought.  I'm planning to crank out some scrapbooks with it so I'll be able to share those with you eventually.  Don't worry, I am not going to stop my traditional scrapbooking! 

Here is the Paper Players challenge I am participating in today.  Giving thanks!  Have a great day and thank you for stopping by!
~Kristin

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Thanks to Hurricane Sandy we've got some white stuff outside and even for Ohio this is crazy weather!  We hit almost 80 degrees last week.  Thank goodness we got most of our yard work done although my ferns are still hanging on the front porch looking pathetic. 

 

Since snow makes us think Christmas I might as well share these two Christmas cards I made the other day.  These little "inchies" were laying on my desk from previous projects so I couldn't let them go to waste.  Added them to the Apothecary Accent Framelit that I hadn't used yet then decided to layer the whole piece on this Embossed Holiday Frame.  I don't do much white on white layering, but I think I like the clean look.  What about you?  Finishing touches include a Mini silver brad and two regular sized silver brads, along with some dotted scallop ribbon which I tried like the dickens to tie in a bow but it just didn't work out. 

Here are more little inchie squares I had left over so made this one very quickly! 

 



 And here is the inside using the one pattern that didn't lend itself to a 1" square.  The paper is called Be of Good Cheer DSP.

And finally, a peek outside my backdoor.  It is supposed to change to rain soon so thought I'd take a picture before it is all gone.  We are all happy to have a day off from school today thanks to Sandy!

Have a great day!  Safe and warm wishes to our friends on the East coast being affected by the hurricane and her after effects! 

~Kristin

SUO Supplies
Stamps:  Joyous Celebrations, Many Merry Messages

Colors:  Very Vanilla, Soft Suede,  Cherry Cobbler, Gumball Green

Accessories:  Big Shot, Holiday Frame Embossing folder, square punch, postage stamp punch, silver brads, Cherry Cobbler scalloped dotted ribbon, Apothecary Accents Framelits, small oval punch, Be of Good Cheer DSP