Stamped Silly

2012-02-18T13:07:00.000-06:00

This was one of the cards we made this morning at the Appreciation....don't you love it?

Edited to add: Photo taken with my cell - don't mind the poor quality - you know better anyway right? And those little buttons are actually pink. Hmmm....must be what happens when your sweet lil' one year old throw your phone into a bucket of paint! Just never works as well!!!

2012-02-18T13:04:00.001-06:00

If you weren't able to make it to my Stamp Club Appreciation this morning, you missed making this beauty!!!!

Hostess Cards for February!

2012-02-15T22:08:00.003-06:00

Howdy! Ahhh....I know I haven't been around a whole lot here lately. I'm sorry. Somehow I've gotten myself into/onto some of our Church's committees and have been busy with meetings and getting things done for an upcoming Comedy Cabaret that we put on. I printed 400 tickets today!!! Now I've got to put a perforated line thru all of them and get them cut out, and stapled into groups of 8. I think my super sweet hubby will becoming friendly with a stapler in the next day or so! I did design the tickets in My Digital Studio, if that counts for anything! :) I also designed some bag toppers for Will's 6th Birthday Treats at school using MDS. So quick and easy!!!

Anyway....I know, You are here to see some creativity. I'm going to show you a couple of cards that my February Hostesses are getting as a part of their hostess gifts. I created 4 cards and a box to contain them, here are 2 of the cards:

Sorry for the not so wonderful photography - I was trying something new....wasn't so great. Back to the drawing board there.

These cards and the box were all made with the Spring Fever Simply Scrappin' Kit. The only thing I added on were Whisper White Cardstock and buttons. Talk about economical! Those kits get you a long way. I still have lots of paper and stickers left over!

You're jealous right - wish you were hosting a party with me! I still have a few spots open for March, and I can guarantee you that March hostesses will be treated well to! Go ahead and contact me to be a hostess too - you'll get much more than what you see here.

Vellum strip Card:

Spring Fever Simply Scrappin'

Whisper White Cardstock

Vellum Cardstock

Designer Buttons - Neutrals

InLinkz.com

Birthday Banner Card:

Spring Fever Simply Scrappin'

Whisper White Cardstock

Designer Buttons - Brights

InLinkz.com

2012-02-14T14:04:00.001-06:00

Made this for the parents of the lil' guy I watch. My kids' feet are too big for this project....I think! Happy Valentines!

Makeover Monday Week 6!

2012-02-13T14:28:00.002-06:00

I know, I KNOW!!! You've all been chomping at the bit wondering where my Makeover Monday card is! You are liking this series - right???

Well, I've got to keep this short and sweet - I've got Valentine's that need finishing up - just a mere 40 of them. UGH! I've been so swamped, I had to put them off til today. Thanks Goodness for my Silhouette! It cut them all while I whipped up the card for today!

So here is today's card from Dawn McVey:

I alway in awe of her color choices, her bold style, and she throws it all together in a simplified way! Swoon....
Here is the card I created using only SU products! :

The flower and hello come to you from the Posy Punch set, doily is from Hello Doily and the leaves are from Build a Blossom. I was disappointed in the way my edging turned out on the white piece. I used the Labels Framelit dies and the flower covered up the point. I could have used the edgelits, but it wasn't going to show much either. OH well. Lesson learned. I think I would use the decorative label punch next time to come up with a squiggly edge.

Oh - in case your are wondering - that layer behind the flower - ya, it's SU too!!! Just the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle punch and then I notched each scallop. nifty huh??? I love the way that turned out. A little more up to date than a plain scallop.

Whaddya think? I'd love to hear - your comments keep me motivated!

Perk Up!

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

Meet today's card! I was feeling like I needed to color a bit. And this Morning Cup stamp set has been very neglected!

I do like to use my markers with watercolor paper. It just makes those colors way more blendable! Hope you like!

Pool Party CS	Whisper White CS	Domestic Goddess DSP	Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon	Morning Cup
Scallop Trim Border Punch	Neutral Markers	Blender Pens	2011-12 In Color Markers

InLinkz.com

Leadership samples!

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

Hi...super quick post today! Just wanna share with you some of my favorite samples from Leadership. I'm always in awe of the creativity the powers that be have at SU! This pillow was probably on the top of my list! That adorable fabric flower is made from fabric that will be available June 1st. I'm pretty darn sure this is the fabric I'm gonna use to finally decoate Aubrie's room. Oh....and the flower was created using the dresden die - in Occasions Mini.

You are simply wonderful!

2012-02-08T14:34:00.000-06:00

I know, I've been slightly scarce. Sorry. Things have been crazy. I'm working on things for the Artisan Studio that is about to open mid-month over in Woodbine, YAY! I've been working on designing tickets for our church's fundraiser - a Comedy Cabaret. Somehow I got myself on the committee - and I'm really not sure how. I recall volunteering to help decorate and design flyers. The next thing I know, we're having meetings, etc. Oh well. It's for the church, and I'm all for it! Plus I've got meetings coming up for our church's summer Parish Picnic. (that committee I knew I was on!) PLUS, I've had stamp clubs to prep for and Will's birthday party. He's gonna be SIX! in case you are wondering. Doesn't seem possible. At. All. He's been home sick for the past two days - he went today, but then I got a call from school that said he left church this morning complaining of a tummy ache and they said he was green. Well, yesterday he stayed home b/c he had an icky cough and ran a fever with it in the middle of the night. So, to here symptoms of a tummy ache, I was surprised. He seems fine once home, and I'm thinking he's working on his drama skills with the teachers!

I hope that caught you up!

Onto today's card. This one actually uses the sketch over at Clean and Simple Sketches. And let me tell you - 5 minute card. Okay, maybe 10 minutes. But it was a quicky!

Aren't those little flowers darling? They are from the Blossom Builders Designer Printed Kit in the Occasions Mini. And let me tell you a little something. I was seriously not even considering buying this kit when I saw it. It just didn't appeal to me. Then they had a kit in our make and take bags at Leadership. OMG! Fell. In. Love. I've purchased more. Several more. Watch out Stamp Clubbers - you'll be falling in love too. One thing I love about them....they are patterned on one side and plain colored on the other. They are made from a slightly textured cardstock so they have some guts to them. Go on - get yourself some. Check out the links on the bottom of this post to go directly to my website to get some for yourself.

Supplies used:

Lucky Limeade Cardstock	Baja Breeze CS	Very Vanilla CS	Friendly Phrases Set	Blossom Builders
Brights Button Collection	Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies	Lucky Limeade Bakers Twine	Distressing Essentials

InLinkz.com

Makeover Monday, Week 5

2012-02-06T08:59:00.000-06:00

Good Morning Stampers! So sorry for my recent absence...I was doing so darn good....and then the ol' Tax Man needed some of my undivided attention for a few days. After I was done with my taxes, I cleaned my stamp room and rearranged some tables around too. I had been using one of those white banquet tables - you know the ones that aren't as heavy as their older wooden counterparts. Well, I was noticing that I wouldn't always get a nice clean stamped image because the table had too much "give" to it??? Not sure if that was why, but I opted to move one of the old wooden style tables over to work on. MUCH BETTER! I was using that table for my Big Shot, Silhouette, and Sewing area, so I really rearranged the whole room....it was a two day project, and I still have some work to do in there. Like a never ending project. Next is the closet in that room. It's full of fabric and things from my sewing days and isn't real useful at this time....so I need to clean and purge! UGH!

Anyway....I hope that I'll have a lot more to show you this week. Let's start with this week's Makeover Monday card! This weeks card comes to you from Kristina Werner . Her blog was probably one of the first that I started to follow when I was just starting to stamp. I like her style, and the way she thinks outside of the box. She used to be a designer at Stampin' Up! and I love some of the stamp sets she designed. Here is her card:

And here is my take on her card:

This one was pretty easy to recreate - and you could do this yourself too! I used the Varsity Alphabet for the large X's and O's, Empire Alpha for the smaller letters. The rest of the images come from P.S. I Love You, found in the Occasions Mini. I did opt for the larger sentiment just because I thought the {XO}llent image went perfectly with the theme of the card!

Hope you like today's card....now...go stamp something!

Makeover Monday! Week 4

2012-01-30T11:39:00.001-06:00

Howdy folks! Welcome back to Makeover Monday. While this is a fairly new series, I'd like to explain what this is all about. Makeover Monday was developed because I have a fondness for many designers in the industry that DO NOT use Stampin' Up! products. (heaven forbid!) I love what they come up with using things that are non-SU. Sure, I could purchase what they are using, but that would not be good business practice. So, I decided that I am going to conquer some of these designs using SU products that I have on hand. Are you all following me here? You will soon find out that I am quite partial to Dawn McVey's style, I redesign her cards often. In fact, her card is once again my inspiration! Here is her card:

And here is my creation:

While I loved the sunny colors that Dawn used, I opted for something more colorful. I used doily from Wilton - you know those that you put on a plate under the cookies??? I love the look of these doilies on a card - but you could use SU's new die for that also. I just haven't purchased that yet! Then, the scalloped circle comes from the Perfect Pennants die. Don't forget that some of those dies have other items tucked in there! The patterned paper is from Domestic Goddess - I just love this floral design. Sweet lil' touch of vintage! The butterfly - Beautiful Butterflies then stamped with Delicate Doilies. The ribbon - Poppy Parade. Now, I did have to use some buttons from my "stash". The flower one is SU - in Real Red - but the other buttons were too large and overpowering. You guys don't mind that I used other buttons tho, do you??? I'm kinda partial to a mish mash of buttons anyway!

So, there you have it! It's made over, and I think it's sweet as can be. FYI - this was a VERY fast card to put together. Will be whipping up several more to send to my customers that place orders from my website this month! Yep - that's right! You can receive this card in the mail too! Just place an order from my website - http://jenarkfeld.stampinup.net Don't worry - I'll write you a note on a sticky note so that you can reuse the card!

'til next time - keep on stampin' !

Scrappy Sunday....

2012-01-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

Today is the day I meet with my Scrapbook Club. While I can't show you yet what we will be working on today...I can share with you what we made last time we met (we meet every other month). We typically complete 3 12x12 pages. Here is one of the double page spreads that we made. Forgive the photography!

left side

right side

These pages used the Tickets and Tags Simply Scrapping kit in the catalog. I love this set - It's full of hip and trendy patterns and the die cut stickers are awesome! I have quite a few left overs that I need to play with.

Alright - I must keep at the task at hand....til tomorrow folks!

Few of my Fav Swap Cards....

2012-01-28T05:00:00.000-06:00

Howdy! Just a quick one today! Want to share some of my favorite cards that I received as swaps at leadership. JUST SOME OF MY FAVES! In no particular order...

Pretty sure she used glimmer paper for the center sentiment, but it might be Smooch Spritz. Either way - really like it. Love these colors together.

To DIE for!

Sparkly fun! And I love the combination of colors.

Yep - this shore is my new go-to paper....I'm just smitten with it!

I really like how she pinned on the knot! And the Smooch Spritz!

You're a gem!

2012-01-27T20:50:00.000-06:00

I know, I KNOW! You thought I flew the coop again, right? Nah, I just needed a couple of days to regroup and get caught up after being gone. Like laundry and cleaning. And reading to my kiddos. And grocery shopping. All of my fave things! Ya - NO!

I was able to get a set of cards stamped:

All fo my downline members will be getting this card in the mail. I need to let them know that I completely appreciate them and I do think they are all gems. Without them, I would not have qualified to go to Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference last week. After getting back, it renewed my energy for this business and for my downline. So, I made them a card. This one uses a big sneak peak for them and all of you!

You see, at Leadership, SU! gave us an unreleased stamp set, Everything Eleanor - it won't be available until JUNE. I used that set to create these cards. I can guarantee you that the flourish in this set is going to see a LOT of ink! It's the perfect flourish, The label shape is also from this new set.

I love the look that I created by stamping the flowers in Peach Parfait on Peach Parfait and then overlaying the flourish in Whisper White. I acheived the exact look I was going for.

What do you think? You likey???

2012-01-24T10:57:00.002-06:00

Click to view catalog

Howdy friends! It starts today!!! Sale-A-Bration is here!!!!! I know I've been showing you many sneaks of my newly favorite DSP and Stamp Set - Everyday Enchantment and Fresh Vintage. Guess what? You can NOW get these for yourself. For every $50 you spend you can pick a free item. We all like free right?

But do you know what is even better??? If you join my team, you will get a FREE pack of Designer Series Paper OR a FREE Digital Download every month for the rest of the year!!! That is on top of the discounted Starter Kit! Ya - you can get the starter kit for $125 plus free paper or digi items. Do the math - that could be $120 in free paper - or even more on digi items (there is no price limit on the digital downloads!) AND, you can alternate these. So, if one month you want paper, the next month you can get a download. It's completely up to you! Stampin' Up! lets you do this YOUR WAY! If you'd like to know more about joining my team - please contact me! We'd love to have you be part of the Stamp Us Silly team!

Would you like to earn tons of freebies? Hostess will get an amazing prize package during Sale-A-Bration. With a $150 workshop, you'll go home with THE most adorable tote out there. Host a $400 workshop and you'll go home with a product bundle to die for! Click on the logo above to learn more. If you'd like to hostess your own workshop, contact me. My dates are almost filled up tho, so act fast!

All of this is a great reason to SALE-A-BRATE!

Technical Tuesday

2012-01-24T10:37:00.000-06:00

Good Morning to you! I was kinda sad when I turned on my 'puter this morning and there weren't any new My Digital Studio downloads. It's one thing that I really really look forward to on a Tuesday. I mean; it's TUESDAY! What else do we really have to look forward to? Tacos. Not usually. Oh well. Guess that means I'll be more excited next Tuesday when the downloads are released.

Today tho, I'm sharing with you a project that was one of our Make and Takes at Leadership. We all love Make and Takes right - even us demos. It's great when everything is pre-planned and pre-cut and we can just assemble. Even this number. I didn't get thru all of my M&T's - I was too busy gabbing (surprise, surprise!). I think I only got 3 of them done and there were like 12 or something like that. Ya - they really, REALLY spoil us! Anyway.....

I made this when I got back. What does it have to do with Technical Tuesday or MDS???? Well, the phrase was designed in MDS and printed by the SU printers. All of the MDS printing that I have done has been printed at home, but when I touched and felt what the SU printers do, I was highly impressed! The quality is top-notch. Duh! It is Stampin' Up! What don't they do that's top-notch???

So, this is a little hybrid project - a pleasant mix of digital and paper crafting. Isn't it awesome? We need to keep in mind that with MDS - you can create til your hearts content. With this the possibilities are truly endless!
I was fortunate - it so happened that I already had a white/vanilla frame to put this one in. As soon as I saw it, I knew immediately that it was going to go in my daughter, Aubrie's room. She has some SU vinyl on her wall that says "We are too great for small dreams" and I thought this was quite fitting! I was thrilled and a bit surprised when I showed it to her and she was in awe - she did a little "awwww" and then I told her that we should put it in her room. She grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs. It was a sweet moment - and so gratifying to see that her little 20 month old mind was very appreciative of this!

Aren't those flowers and gems cute? They both come from the Occassions Mini - Blossom Builders Designer Printed Kit (p. 18). And what a steal - you get two 12x12 pages of printed, die cut flowers - and they are printed on BOTH sides - one side is patterened and the other is plain. Plus you get these pink gems in two sizes - all for just 9.95. For this flower, I encircled the big gem with the little ones. Just one more way you can change things up! You can get some for yourself by going to my online store - http://jenarkfeld.stampinup.net . And don't forget - Sale-A-Bration starts today! An added bonus for your $50 orders! Happy shopping!

Makeover Monday Week 3!

2012-01-23T14:41:00.000-06:00

Howdy folks! I'm running a little behind with today's post, but I've made it!!! Phew! Today is Makeover Monday. This is where I take a card from some of my favorite (non-SU) designers and make their creation over using Stampin' Up! products. While I'm only 3 weeks into this series, I've been hearing from many of you that you are loving this so far - that's wonderful to hear! I'd like you to keep the comments coming - feedback is always good, whether constructive or supportive!

Today's card is brought to you from Dawn McVey's blog. I know I've said it before, but I adore her style. She is one of my favorite designers and constantly inspires me! This is Dawn's card:

And I'd like you to meet my card:

This stamp set was waiting for me when I got back from Leadership Conference. I was ready! I don't know why I hadn't gotten this set before - it is a hostess set. But I love the graphic style, the clean lines, and the "funk" - do you consider it a bit funky???

A couple of things that I did different - I did heat emboss the flowers. I stamped them in Real Red Craft ink and then used clear ep. I wanted that shine. I've been using my heat tool extensively lately. Someone at Leadership even asked if I heat embossed everything? (my swaps had a lot of embossing) I also added a textured background on the Melon Mambo piece using a texture plate. Sometimes I forget about the texture plates - and they are great when an embossing folder is TOO much texture. I also used textured Very Vanilla cardstock for the scalloped edges.

I'd like to hear - what do you think???

That's it for today - I'll be back tomorrow with Technical Tuesday and a little something that we made at our Make and Takes at Leadership!

Leadership....People you see!

2012-01-22T17:30:00.002-06:00

Leadership's theme this year was My Way, meaning, all of us Stampin' Up! demonstrators are encouraged to run our business Our Way.

Today, I'm going to highlight some of the people I had the opportunity to meet this week - and first up - is the reason all of this was even possible - the co-founder of Stampin' Up! - Shelli Gardner!!! She is so sweet in person and absolutely delightful.

Then there is Diana Gibbs - she's an absolute hoot.

This is a picture of my roomie - Liana and I at the make and take tables. Obviously I was sitting too close to the flash! Oops. Liana was the best roommate I could as for. We got along perfectly and had so much in common. I am truly blessed to work with a company that nurtures relationships. Without this opportunity, I would have probably not ever met Liana.

Gosh - next up is Patty Bennett - I wish I would have had more time to chat with her. I was a bit droopy looking in this pic. Liana and I walked to the convention center everyday, and this particular day is was a bit foggy, which completely wiped out my hair. Not to mention the fact that I had to wear my glasses because I think I had some allergies to something in the air down there. UGH!

This picture is of me and Mary. She is my Fiji partner. We are working together to support, encourage, and motivate each other to earn the Fiji Incentive Trip. It was so wonderful to meet her in person and she was even more delightful than I could have ever imagined! Again - a great company that brings new friends together!

That's all I've got for you today - I'll be back tomorrow with Makeover Monday - but I may be a bit late.

Ta-ta!

FREE Stamp Set!

2012-01-21T16:09:00.004-06:00

Greeting y'all! I caught a little Texas accent after being in San Antonio for the week! Ok, well, maybe not...but it's fun!

I had a wonderful time at Leadership Conference, and have plenty of pictures to share with you....but for now I've got something else!

We received SO many wonderful prizes throughout the week, that I feel like I need to share with those who helped get me there! YOU - my wonderful customers!!!

I have a gift up for grabs, so let me tell you how you can get your hands on it..... Anyone who places an order with me between NOW (Saturday Jan. 21st) and Friday Jan. 27th (other than a club order) will have their name thrown into a hat to win Fresh Vintage! It's a Sale-A-Bration set that you receive free with a $50 order. However, in my little contest, you are entered regardless of your order size! You can place an order by calling me, texting me, or going to my website! Good luck!

Another swap card!

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a look at another one of my swap cards:

Nothing terribly tricky here! I will be doing a video tutorial on a similar card to show you how I did the edge of the patterned paper. It was done with one of the new Label Framelit Dies. It's a simple technique, but easier to SHOW than tell!!!

I went with a cheery color combo - Certainly Celery, Early Espresso - pattern paper from the Berry Blossoms DSP. A little Rose Red, and it's a beaut!

I'll be heading home from Leadership Conference tomorrow morning. I won't be able to promise that I'll have a post tomorrow, but I'll try my best...maybe a post from my phone if nothing else. Have a great weekend!!!

2012-01-19T17:52:00.001-06:00

Remember the Alamo!!! Great day at Leadership! 76 Degrees here today? do I want to go back to Iowa?

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I do!

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Hello folks! As most of you know, I am currently at Leadership Conference in San Antonio! Today, I'm showing you one of the swaps that I made to, well, swap! This card was super easy, and I think it just speaks classiness.

This one started with a base of Basic Gray. I then repeatedly stamped the floral image from the Fresh Vintage stamp set in So Saffron on So Saffron. I love how this turned out. Almost looks like patterned paper. Then I took a strip of Basic Gray Satin Ribbon, attached it - just with snail. The center image was cut with one of the new labels dies. I used two of the other images from Fresh Vintage and heat embossed them with clear ep. (I'm really into heat embossing these days - amazing what happens when you keep it plugged in at arms reach!) This was popped up. Then I stamped the sentiment in Basic Gray on Whisper white, punched it with a 1 3/4 in. circle punch, popped it up and added a blingy diamond.

What a beautiful card for a beautiful day! Wouldn't you love to receive this???

2012-01-18T15:04:00.001-06:00

2012-01-18T15:02:00.000-06:00

Make and take!!!

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2012-01-18T14:01:00.001-06:00

At make ad take tables

2012-01-18T13:00:00.001-06:00

This hotel is supposedly haunted...google St. Anthony Hotel!!

2012-01-18T12:56:00.001-06:00

Greetings from San Antone. Waiting for my roomie to get here. This is the lobby area of our gorgeous and historic hotel. Will head to the Conference as soon as she gets here!!!!

Everyday Enchanted Daisy Class

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

I am now offering all of my classes in TWO locations!

PLEASE NOTE!!!! The date for the WOODBINE location has changed to FEBRUARY 1st!!!!

If you would like to attend this class - in either location - please be sure to register by January 21st. Click on the above picture to print the flyer and mail it back to me! Call me with any questions! Hope to see you there! We always have a blast!

Technical Tuesday

2012-01-17T05:00:00.000-06:00

Hiddy Ho! I'm back today for another edition of Technical Tuesday. And since I will be hoping a plane to San Antonio today for Stampin' Up's Leadership Conference, I have scheduled this post ahead of time. Much like most of the posts you'll read the rest of the week.

Some of you requested some tutorials on My Digital Studio, and since Stampin' Up! provides us with some wonderful tutorials, I'm just going to share one of their videos with you. I may put quite a few of these up over time as they are SO helpful. Sit back and enjoy! Hope you learn something!!!

Makeover Monday Week 2

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to round 2 of my Makeover Monday series. In this series I "makeover" a card that I find out in web land and redo it using Stampin' Up! supplies (that I have in my collection). I'm doing this because I'm infatuated with a couple of other well-known Stamp/Paper companies and their designers, but since purchasing from those companies is a hinderance to my business, this series came about.

Today's card is the actual card that sparked my idea about this series to begin with. This one comes to you from Dawn McVey (one of my fave designers out there!)

I CASED her card almost to a T. This one was pretty darn easy. I tried not to let the sentiment stump me. Cuz, I LUV the sentiment she used. But, it so happened that the new Outlined Occasions set was sitting on my desk and that was perfect!

Here is my card:

I used the buttons from the Holiday Mini - wishing I would have stocked up on these. I did actually sew them on with bakers twine and tacked the tails onto the back of the Melon Mambo layer with snail.

What do you think? Good makeover??

You're My Vintage Type!

2012-01-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

Good morning! How are ya today? Wanna know something? I'm just a little smitten over this typewriter stamp! I have a thing for retro and antiques. I have quite a few antiques in my house. Nothing of great awesome value, except maybe the antique stove that sits on our porch. But I've got some cool old fans from the 50's, some old thermoses, old kitchen utensils, crocks and canning jars, etc, etc. So this old typewriter image is up my alley. I just need to come up with some more ideas to use this stamp.

This was one of the cards we did in Stamp Club this month. Remember, I told you that we were doing emboss resist on patterned papers. I thought the doily image paired well with the vintage typewriter, as did the text patterned paper. Here we stamped the doily in whisper white, then heat embossed it with white EP. Once it was cooled, we sponged over the top with Crumb Cake to make that doily pop. You may have to wipe some ink off the doily after you've sponged.

I also incorporated two of the new dies from the Occasions Mini - Adorning Accents die - AND Embossing folder and the Label die around the typewriter. I just love the way the Edgelit die and the embossing folders work together - it adds so much.

Wanna know more about my stamp clubs? I have 3 stamp clubs that meet monthly and I always try and teach a new technique. We meet in Defiance, Denison and Schleswig. If you are interested in joining us, just shoot me an email and we'll make room for you! I'm also working on starting a club in Carroll and Harlan, so if that is better for you, just give me a hollar!

Til tomorrow!

Jen

Recipe:

Stamps: You're my Type, Hello Doily

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, First Edition, Flirtatious
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Adorning Accents die and EF, White EP, Victoria Ribbon, heart punch

Won't you be mine???

2012-01-13T05:00:00.000-06:00

Before I dive too far into today's card, I have to share some pretty exciting news! For some time, off and on, I've been submitting work to Paper Crafts to be published. Well, today I got the best email ever! I've been accepted!!! I'll have a card published in the July/August issue of Paper Crafts. I will admit, while very exciting for me, I was much more excited the very first time I was published - which was a couple of years ago in PC's special publication called Card Creations. Don't get me wrong. I stopped what I was doing and danced a little jig!! Last time I called my mom immediately, but she's in meetings in Atlanta, so I didn't want to bug her. I called my husband tho - he showed slight enthusiasm for me!!! (he's not an overly affectionate kinda guy, and not terribly emotional so slight enthusiasm is good!!!) Anyway - I'm super excited. It's so worth all of the times that I've been disappointed with NO acceptance email. And it goes to show, you've just got to keep trying. If you give up, you'll never succeed.

Now, onto today's card:

This is one of the cards that my Stamp Club members made this month. Our technique this month was emboss resist, except we did all of emboss resist on patterned papers. It just adds a little more interest this way.

For this one, I heat embossed the hearts using clear embossing powder (be VERY careful not to overheat, or the powder melts right into the paper), then I sponged on some Blushing Bride ink and then some Basic Grey ink over the top of that.

Recipe:
Stamps: I {heart} Hearts, PS I love you

Paper: Blushing Bride, Basic Grey, Twitterpated DSP, Whisper White, Ridinghood Red
Ink: Basic Gray, Ridinghood Red, Versamark
Accessories: Full Heart Punch, Clear EP, Modern Label Punch, Basic Gray ribbon, button, white bakers twine

2012-01-12T16:33:00.001-06:00

This too is a test

Edited to add: YOU KNOW what this is?? I've FINALLY figured out how to blog from my phone!!! And you know what that means??? I can blog from Leadership! YESSSSS!!! I wasn't planning to take my laptop - it's gonna go to the dr. for a much needed checkup. Anyway - don't count on the picture quality being wonderful - it wasn't that long ago that Aubrie dunked my phone in a bucket of paint. So, what you see above it what you'll get. But it's something. I'll also try and schedule a few posts while I'm gone to keep you entertained!

2012-01-12T15:49:00.001-06:00

This is a test

Stamping 411: Saturday Sketch Challenge

2012-01-12T10:45:00.000-06:00

Good day! I think blogger is experiencing some technical difficulties today, so I'm gonna keep this short and sweet before it gives me the ol' boot!

My card today is for Stamping 411's Saturday sketch.

I broke out my much beloved, yet underused as of late, Crazy for Cupcakes. Went with a new color scheme that I could fall head over heals for - Tempting Turq, Pear Pizzazz, Rose Red, and a titch of Always Artichoke (sponged on die cut).

I used the Herringbone Embossing Folder to add some texture. And opted for some Smooch Pearlized Accent Ink to to the frosting instead of my go to Dazzling Diamonds - way less mess!!!

Oh - and how about that ever so sweet brad? You can find that in the upcoming Sale-A-Bration catty! If you didn't get one in the mail - contact me and I'll send one your way!

I {heart} Flowers

2012-01-11T12:19:00.001-06:00

Hello! How's everyone today? I think Winter has decided to finally arrive in Iowa. It is cold and very windy today! We've been experiencing an unusually warm winter and a lack of snow. Some Iowans rejoice in this fact. I one the other hand am one who relishes in the change of seasons. I like SNOW! I don't love super cold - but I like to hang out in my turtleneck sweaters, sweatshirts, etc. I like to hunker down and enjoy a hot cup of coffee and watch the snow fall, or the wind blow the snow into works of art - some may call them snowdrifts, but I think they are beautiful. The way Mother Nature can blow the snow around into curvy, billowy wonders! Now, while I'm ready for a good snow storm, it really needs to wait until after Jan. 21st. I need to be able to make it to Leadership Conference next week in San Antonio! And my husband says that I need to make it back! (don't you feel the sarcastic love!)
I can't wait to go to Leadership - it's my first ever! What a thrill to be able to chum with 1300 other Stampin' Up! Demonstrators - on a trip that's a tax deduction - in a place that is warm, magnificent and historical! This is one of the perks of SU! I GET to go to a conference that will be SO MUCH FUN! I'll be taking classes that I am anticipating. How different from the Continuing Ed classes that I HAD to take when I worked in the Insurance Industry! How would you like to join me next year? I'd love to have you join the Stamp Us Silly group of demonstrators - if you would like to hear some more information about this wonderful opportunity - CONTACT ME! There is a wonderful special coming around the corner that you DON'T want to miss out on.

Now - how about today's card?

This one was created using an old sketch from the Clean and Simple archives - you can go to their site and print off all of their old sketches if you'd like for future reference. The good thing about a sketch is that they don't usually go out of style!

This card was so quick to make. I used the I {heart} Hearts stamp set for the hearts (inked in real red) and cut them by hand. I placed them where I wanted to (without sticking them down) in order to gauze where I wanted the stems to be. I used the ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration catalog to create the stems. Pretty easy - they were glued down with two-way glue. THEN I popped up the hearts. I love how the Real Red patterned paper (from the Stacks) goes so good with the doily print from Twitterpated DSP. Do you ever mix and match your DSP??? The sentiment comes from P.S. I love you (Occasions Mini).

Of course, I feel like it's missing something....some ribbon - oh wait, I did use ribbon...BUTTONS!!! I need to throw in some buttons! Personally, I think I should have put a cardstock layer under my strip of gray, and I think it would have looked more complete. What do you think?? I know. I know. You're too busy wishing you could go to Leadership Conference with me! Guess what - you can! Next year!!!!

Technical Tuesday

2012-01-10T13:43:00.001-06:00

Hi there! I'm back today with another edition of Technical Tuesday. Today I'd like to tell you about a little problem that I had with My Digitial Studio.
Recently I was creating a couple of wedding invitation samples for a customer. Her colors are eggplant and champagne. Well, when I was trying to get my Elegant Eggplant onto my invite "As a page layer" I was having a difficult time. You see, most of the time, I use the icons on my left sidebar as opposed to the right sidebar. Well, Elegant Eggplant wasn't showing up as a cardstock option on the left sidebar. But, it did show up on the right sidebar, but I couldn't add as a page layer on that side. I then noticed that I was missing several colors of cardstock. So, I emailed SU. The "helpers" at SU are wonderful. They emailed back with the solution.....I simply hadn't downloaded all of the free updates to the colors. Do you have all of the colors you need??? Here's how you get them:

What you want to do is go to http://www.mydigitalstudio.net/. Then run your cursor over the tab that says Resources and choose Updates from the drop down menu. Everything is there that you need to get your MDS updated.

I'm all fixed up and ready to go now! I'd know like to show you what I came up with for the wedding invites, except there's one little problem....I haven't taken any pictures of them yet....Maybe I'll get them photographed and have them up here to so you next week! SORRY! In the meantime - take a look at the new downloads that Stampin' Up! released this morning:

Tell me, how cute are those Crush on You Color Printables??? ka---ute!

Makeover Monday....

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-06:00

So, I have a little confession to make. Some of you already know what I'm about to tell you, and to some, you'll be shocked!!! What's my secret? Well, I'm infatuated with another stamp company and it's designers. I'm obsessed! I love most things Papertrey Ink. There. I said it. Are you happy?? In fact, I love PTI and their designers so much that I often find myself jealous! I love their stamp sets. I love the designs. Their designers just rock my world. Dawn McVey, Betsy Veldman, Maile Belles, Lisa Johnson, and of course! Nicole Heady!!! I keep a file on my computer of cards that I love and I have to admit that most of the file consists of cards by these fab ladies. However, being in love with PTI is NOT good for my business. I really do try and resist purchasing things from them. Now, that's not saying that I haven't, or that I won't buy certain things from them, I just don't want it to get out of control. So, what am I getting at??? Well, my love for these gals' creativity and my jealousy to own all things PTI got my brain storming. I can't always justify buying PTI stamps (or any other company for that matter), and so I need to look to SU to find similar stamps of theirs and then CASE (Copy and steal everything). That leads me to this new little segment I'd like to start - Makeover Monday. Each Monday I'm going to take a card from my file and make it over using Stampin' Up! products. Now, there may be times that I'll have to sneak in some other products - like dies or something, but my goal is to stick to SU only!!! We'll see how I do!

The first card on my line up - one by Dawn McVey. She's a peach - I love her blog, and find her work pure inspiration! She's got it going on! Her style is pretty clean and simple, and she does wonders when it comes to layering dies. The card I opted for here is one she actually did for her Studio Calico design team. I'll be honest, sometimes I feel that the Studio Calico designs she does is a little more busy than her typical vibrant work, but none-the-less, this one pulled at my heart strings. Here is her card:

And this is what I came up with - using only Stampin' Up! things that I have on hand!

Sorry for the poor lighting in this picture. Not sure what happened here. My card isn't as bright as her's, but I still like it anyway. It was a little difficult to come up with a replica for several reasons, but when I CASE, I don't always want it to be exact.

So let's disect this card shall we?

First off, I used textured Very Vanilla cardstock for my cardbase. Then I grabbed some paper from the Everyday Enchantment DSP pack (go figure-eh?) and heat embossed Hello in pewter from the Elementary Elegance stamp set - another SAB item! For the ruler border that Dawn used, I opted for some Early Espresso taffeta ribbon. I picked this one, because when I started the card, I smooched the base with Log Cabin Smooch. I wasn't thrilled with how it sprayed on this card, but you know what, I think that's something I just have to get over. It'll never spray just the way I want it to. Is anyone else hoping that SU comes up with many more smooch colors??? I like it, but I really like how Dawn usually gets just a couple of drops on her cards and not a big spray. I need to play more. I then did mix up some of my own smooch with Frost White shimmer paint, Pool Party reinker and a bit of water. I must not have mixed it well enough, because I can see that the paint settled to the middle??? More practice! I applied the dots by dipping an old paint brush into the bottle and letting it just drip onto the card. I really like this method as it/s a little cleaner looking. Will practice a bit more with this.

For the flower, I started with a base of Crumb Cake that was cut with the new Framelits Label die. I stamped that with one of the circles in Circle Circus, using Whisper White Ink. The flower was cut from First Edition with a couple of dies - The very back layer and the top layer were from the Blossom Pary die, and the center scallop was from Scalloped Circle #2. I could have just used my punch, as they are pretty much the same. I used a sponge dauber the apply some Poppy Parade ink to each layer. I took my bone folder to curl up the edges and then stacked them together. I put a cute little button from the Twitterpated buttons in the center. The leaves are cut from the Build a Blossom punch - I used Nursery Neccesities Dsp. I think that's the DSP????

It was really a quick card to create - in fact, I was able to make four of them at once. Each a little different b/c of the smooch spray variations!

So what do you think? Do you think you'll enjoy this segment on my blog? If there is anything you'd like to see me makeover, send me an email, I'd be glad to give it a shot!

That's all for today...enjoy!

Clean & Simple

2012-01-08T02:00:00.000-06:00

How are you today? We are still recovering from the stomach flu at our house. I have never seen my little Alex so quiet, so still, so pleasant??? :) The poor little guy is on his third day of being down and out and that is just so unlike him. Usually he's in time-out at least 10 times/day and talks constantly. Seriously. Constantly. Will and Aubrie have sprung back to "normal", and Andy seems to be on his way back - well, he's lipping off to me again, so he must be feeling better! I'm still escaping the evil bug, but my stomach has been churning since Friday. I'll keep my fingers crossed to elude this nastiness.

So, how about another sketch challenge today? Are you tired of them yet? I have to tell you - I do best working off of a sketch, and I don't do so well with Color Challenges. In fact, I have a book of sketches that I've been accumulating for quite some time. Most sketches are from Clean and Simple, Taylored Expressions and Karen Giron. Recently I added a whole bunch from My Favorite Things. I've never participated in their challenges, but do like their sketches. In the front of my sketch book is a "color board" of my fave color combos to work with. However, I do best working with the colors in a patterened paper. That was kinda how I came up with today's card.

I went pretty literal with this card. I really liked how SU used the butterfly with the embossing on the cover of the Sale-A-Bration catty, that I wanted to do something like that. And I am loving how this card tured out. I realy like the minimal colors - Pure Poppy and Very Vanilla with that small touch of black. I had to use the black (Black Craft ink + Black Embossing Powder) in order for the sentiment to show and not get lost in all that pattern. Doesn't this kind of remind you of those red and white quilts or needle work items???

Wondering about my scalloped rectangle? I created that with the new Adorning Accents Dies. It was pretty simple - I cut my paper to 4 x 5, then cut one side with the die (use a little masking tape to keep the die from moving), then I cut the top, lining up the die just right with the last whole scallop. Then I worked my way around. Maybe I should do a video on this to ease verbal/typed instructions???!!! Anyway, it wasn't difficult to figure out, and it helps that the SU edge dies have the cutting edge right at the edge of the die so you can tell exactly where it will cut.

What do you think of my card??? Let's hear your thoughts!

Mojo Sketch

2012-01-07T05:00:00.000-06:00

I'm back today with yet! another sketch challenge card. This one comes from MOJO Monday's blog. This is another great source for sketches - and hundreds of them!

For this sketch, I opted to use my new fave DSP - Everyday Enchantment. It's a good thing that this paper is a Free Sale-A-Bration item. And I'm so glad that as a demonstrator, I could earn it free ahead of time! Cuz, wowza!

I used the Fresh Vintage SAB stamp set for this one too, along with the sentiments from Thoughts and Prayers. I was in need of a couple of sympathy cards this week and thought that this worked well for that.

The flower is from the retired Sizzlet die - Birds and Blooms. I love the size of flowers this creates. I don't love the bird in the set, but I absolutely love the flowers! I am hoping for a set that includes this sized flowers in the future...I'll pray to the SU Gods!

I liked this sketch enough, that I came up with another card, from the same DSP, just with a completely different color scheme. This is one thing I love about Stampin' Up's DSP - it really takes the guess work out of figuring out what colors will go together.

What do you think??? Do you like? I'd like to know.

On the homefront...the kids spent the entire! day on the couches. Watching episode after episode of Curious George (Alex), thanks to Netflix. Aubrie tho was WOUND UP! She felt better for sure. I think tomorrow they'll all be perky. Bad news, my dear hubby went down for the count tonight! Poor guy. He said he shouldn't have eaten any supper.....yick! I'm praying for an escape. It doesn't look too promising. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Love you!

2012-01-06T10:42:00.001-06:00

Good Morning! I tried and tried to write this post last night so that it was up right away this morning....but my kids had other plans. We ended up having 3 kiddos with the stomach flu. Started at 3 yesterday afternoon and ended at 8am this morning. I'm just waiting for my turn. Aubrie seems to be the only one who doesn't want to lounge on the couch today. Even I want to lounge today. After being up most of the night, I'm a bit wiped out myself. So....as I type this, I'm still in my pj's and rubbing Will's feet occasionally! He's a dramatic sick kid. He goes thru spurts of whining about how bad he hurts, only to make his head hurt worse. Alex is a great sick kid. He just takes care of himself and yells for us to empty his bucket! :) Aubrie, well, she just doesn't understand yet. I think it really freaked the poor little thing out. She seemed so helpless. But, to look at this with a positive note, I have to be SO terribly thankful for Stampin' Up! Why? Because I'm a demonstrator with them, I CAN stay home with my kids. I CAN take care of them when they need me. And on days like today when I didn't sleep much, I CAN take a little snooze later if I need to. I wouldn't be so lucky if I was still working full time. It's just one of the many perks to this business!

SO, you want to hear about today's card right - not about our sicky household!!!

This one is so, SO simple and easy. I followed the sketch (yeah, another sketch challenge!!!) from CPS .

The most difficult part about the card was my attempt at not smashing the heart embossing strips as I tried to emboss the next strip. The hearts were from the brand new Adorning Accents Embossing folder pack. There are two other mini folders that coordinate with the new Edgleits Dies! And I LOVE them all!

That little chocolate dipped strawberry - you're wondering how I did that??? Maybe? Well, really pretty simple. I colored the stamp with markers, stamped it, then went over the "chocolate" part with a Versamarker, and heat embossed with using the new scented embossing powder. Don't you wish you could smell thru your computer?? I used the cherry scent....and it is smelly!

Okie doke....must get back to nursing my kids back to health. Wonder how long I can justify sitting on the couch with the kiddos? I'm thinking some Pinning on Pinterest might be in order while they watch their movies today! But, maybe, just maybe, I'll slip into "my room" and do some stamping while they veg. I do have two cards sitting on top of my desk that didn't get finished yesterday when I was interrupted.....

Sweet Sunday Sketch #149

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

I told you earlier that one of my "goals" for 2012 is to participate in more sketch challenges. So, I might as well start the first week of the year off on the right foot. One of my favorite challenges is that hosted by Karen Giron. I love her sketches and love her work too. I've been following her blog for a LONG time, back when I started Stampin' Up!, and she was still with them too. She has a wonderful way with layering...

Anywho....here is my take on her sketch. I love the fact that she's now keeping her sketches alive for 2 weeks. This gives me another opportunity to play with this one.

I'm not really sure I love what I've done here. It seems a bit fussy for my taste, but I really wanted to try the paper doilies that I see everyone using. I just don't love my mesh of DSP. I like them on their own, but here I think it's too busy or something??? I don't know. I'll try it again in something a little more clean and graphic.....

Recipe:
Paper: Baja Breeze, Ridinghood Red, Whisper White, Basic Grey and Twitterpated DSP
Stamps: P.S. I love you, Heart to Heart
Ink: Basic Grey, Ridinghood Red
Other: Tasteful Trim Die, Rhinestone Jewels, Pinking Circle Die (Nestie), Paper Doily

New Mini Catalog is LIVE today!!!

2012-01-04T08:10:00.001-06:00

Click on the photo to see a pdf copy of the catty.

Starting TODAY! you can get your hands on the new awesome products in the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog!!! Oh....and Stampin' Up! has stepped up it's game!! We all know that they offer the best products on the market in terms of quality and design, so to know that they are finally jumping into the pond of nestable dies....I'm just giddy with excitement. These dies are made with awesome quality and are much larger than those other favorite nestable dies I've used in the past. Let's cross our fingers that they keep on offering more, more, more!!!

Be the first to get your hands on all of the amazing products by going to my ONLINE STORE!

Wondering what you can still get out of the Holiday Mini? Here is a flyer with the products that are being carried over:

Click on picture to see in full!

Exciting stuff for today - see ya back here tomorrow for much more!!!

Technical Tuesdays

2012-01-03T08:52:00.001-06:00

Greetings....Tuesday's are release days for new My Digital Studio downloads. I always look forward to Tuesday's because you just never know what the powers that be at SU will come up with next. I especially like the fact that usually the designs that they come up with are unique to My Digital Studio...and I even sometimes wish that they would/could release them in actual paper....Like that Number One Kit above...Those papers look super cool. However, I can use the papers digitally to no end....I love that.

What are you doing with MDS? Would you like to learn more about the things you can do with it? In the coming year, I am going to devote Tuesdays to the technical aspect of MDS so that you can learn and USE your program.

One thing I get asked most frequently is: How do I print an A2 card at home so that the card front does not print right in the middle of the paper?

Here are the steps:

Open card template in MDS.
Create card, then duplicate that card (so that you can print two of the exact same card on one sheet of paper. To duplicate, right click on the card's icon at the bottom of the page, and insert duplicate page.
Go to file, page setup. Change your margins to 0. My computer won't change to completely zero, but it's close.
Now click on the print icon. Select your two card fronts. Down in the lower left corner of the print screen, click on advanced.
Change the first section (Size of Image Area) change that to Custom, width 5.3, height 4.1 (if you are doing a landscape A2 card). Depending on your printer, you can adjust these to as big/small as you need, in order to get your image just right.
Now go down to Image Layer adjustment and change that to Custom Layout. You will want to adjust your top margin so that your card front moves down to the bottom corner of the page.
Now, in the center of the screen, change the number of images per sheet to 2. This will put your second card on the page (as long as you had initially selected both of your card fronts)
Lastly, click okay, then click Print!

You will notice that the Number of Images will only allow 2 once you have your margins all set just right. If your Custom width and height aren't just right, you will only be allowed to print one per page. Just keep adjusting, even by 0.1 until your see that the number of images per page can be increased. And keep in mind, if you didn't select both card fronts initially, you won't be able to print 2 per page. You can also print 4 card fronts using this same technique as long as you have duplicated your image 3 times and select all 4 card fronts on the initial print screen.

I hope this helps you out, and PLEASE feel free to comment or email me with any questions. Now, go have fun with My Digital Studio.

Sparkly snowflakes....

2012-01-02T21:33:00.000-06:00

Heidi Ho Friends....
Just popping in to show you a quick card. This one combines some wool felt that I've had stashed in my craft room closet from my old sewing days. ( I used to do a LOT of sewing before children - It's dangerous when I open the "sewing closet" door - I kinda miss sewing!)

I did completely CASE this card from one by Dawn McVey. I won't pretend to have come up with this one on my own. When I saw her card....I just couldn't resist. Pure beauty!

I'm secretly hoping that SU comes out with some similar dies in the future. I'm also crossing my fingers and toes....I hate to buy from other companies, but sometimes I just can't resist!!!.......

That's all for now!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T10:08:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you rang in the New Year safely and are ready for a fresh start to 2012! I have so many grand plans for twenty twelve and am anticipating a successful, fulfilling year. I'm entering into this New Year with my head held high and I'm going to face some of my obstacles head on!!!

Do you make resolutions? I've got a few. I've already mentioned before that I plan - or am resolutioning? - to make an appearance on this poor neglected blog more frequently! I"m off to a good start - right???
I'm also putting on my goal list - I REALLY want to earn the Stampin' Up! trip to Fiji. With half way to go, I'm just under the half way mark. And, with my head held high, I ~~think~~ know I can do it!!!! In an effort to get to Fiji, I will be holding more workshops and classes.

That leads me to the photo collage above. Let me introduce a new little venture that I'm getting involved with: Artisan Studio. Artisan Studio is a new cooperative of artists opening up in Woodbine, IA. It will be opening this month and I will be teaching monthly classes of various sorts there. Sometimes I'll have more than one class/month. The collage above is a collection of the cards in my first class. Here are the deets:

What: Everday Enchanted Daisy Card Set and Box Attendees will make 6 cards (envelopes included) and a sleek box to hold them all. If you are looking for quick and easy cards to make that have a real "wow" factor, then this class is perfect for you! Plus, you'll get your hands on some great newly released
When: January 25th, 6:30pm
Where: Artisan Studio, Main St, Woodbine, IA
Fee: $30 - all supplies are included, you just need to bring scissors and adhesive - and yourself!
Deadline to sign up for this class is January 14th.

I will also be holding the same class in the Denison area, with date and time to be announced early this week. Along with that I will be posting my class schedule for the next 6 months so that you can plan well in advance.

Is there anything that YOU would like to learn about? I love to teach new techniques (even OLD techniques) Leave me a comment with the things YOU would like to learn in 2012 and I'll try and work them into my class schedule! And if I can't work them into my hands on classes, you might just see them here on the ol' blog as a video class!!! :) That's another little fun thing I'm working on...video tutorials. I'm telling you - 2012 is going to be so much fun, I can hardly stand it!

Winter Wishes

2011-12-30T15:48:00.002-06:00

Well, it doesn't quite feel like Winter here in Iowa. We've been having temps in the 40's and 50's which is about 20-30 degrees above normal. I'm okay with the temp - I'm not okay with the lack of snow....that's right - those of you who know me well, know that I like my snow. My boys are on Christmas break, and we haven't even been ablt to go sledding....one word.....boooorrrrinnngggg!!!

Today, I'm sharing with you some cocoa packets that I made for a couple of recent craft fairs. These were a popular item. This one that I'm showing today was made with some retired DSP and a non-SU stamp set. (I had to pay for that stamp set somehow...so put it to use!)

I stamped the belly band with images from Winter Post (one of my all time fav stamp sets). The belly band slips off to reveal a card of cocoa! I found the template over on Debbie Olson's blog.

Pretty darn cute - huh?? My Stamp Club gals had fun making these also....just a different version.

Okie doke - I probably won't be back until New Years Day! We've got a football party to go to tonight and Christmas (the last of 6) to go to tomorrow....But, I swear, I'm gonna start the year off right by making a darn good attempt to blog (almost) daily. Back me up here peeps - I wanna hear some comments from all of you!!!

Have a great New Years - see you in 2012!

2011-12-29T21:00:00.000-06:00

Well...I told you I'd be back with some goodies I created with the new DSP out of the Sale-A-Bration catalog that will soon be live. Here is one of those said goodies! Oh - I just am in love with the DSP - it's called Everyday Enchantment - and let me tell you, lately, I've been enchanted with it everyday! It sets on top of my desk, and I'm about to embark on my second package of it already! :)

These are cute little notepads I created to sell at some craft fairs before the holiday. I have been infatuated with a stamp set by another company that is geared towards notes. Well, I kind of recreated that stamp set in My Digital Studio, and have printed a couple of sheets out in a couple of different colors. I'm crossing my fingers that Stampin' Up! will release a similar set soon. Until then, MDS will fit the bill!

That little bit of organza ribbon that you see - it too is a Sale-A-Bration item. It comes with 10 yards of Lucky Limeade, 10 yards of Calypso Coral, AND some rocking cool printed brads. I'm currently hoarding the brads - I just drool on them and put them back on my shelf. I can't bring myself to use them!!! :)

Wanna know something really cool? During Sale-A-Bration (Jan. 24th - March 31st) if you hold a qualifying workshop, you automatically get the DSP, Ribbon and Brad bundle and a matching stamp set free! That's in addition to the other benefits that you get anyway!!! If you'd like to earn tons of free stuff, contact me today and we'll get a workshop for you on my calendar.

That's all for today folks!

Stamping 411's Saturday Sketch Challenge

2011-12-28T21:22:00.002-06:00

Hi-dee HO folks! I know I've been pretty skittish on the ol' blog. I am planning to resolve that here in the near future. I've got quite a few new things planned for the New Year, and I'm including "scheduling" some time in each day to blog. I feel like I've been letting a lot of you down by not being here consistently, and I don't want to feel that way. So, blogging is making it onto my New Year's Resolutions List! My hope is to inspire YOU more in the coming year. I just need to MAKE time to be here.

One of the other things that I would like to accomplish more in the coming year is to participate more regularly in sketch challenges. I'm starting out this week with a sketch from Stamping 411's Saturday Sketch Challenge:

This is what I've created:

I don't know that it's completely "my style" but I don't dread it - it's just a bit frilly (?) for my taste. There are a few things I might change if I were to re-do however - this card is dripping with great new products that you will soon be able to get your hands on! The DSP - a new line called Twitterpated! The cute little buttons - also from the Twitterpated too. The focal stamp set - it's a freebie from the upcoming Sale-A-Bration! There are some AWESOME new products in the Sale-A-Bration catalog - including some paper that I'm currently infatuated with! Don't worry - I told you my goal (and NY's Resolution) was to blog much more....you'll soon be seeing some great projects made with this paper!

Alrighty - that's all for now.....more to come!

What I've been up to...

2011-12-13T14:23:00.001-06:00

I have been BUSY! To say the least! Seems like one rollercoaster ride after another these days. As soon as I feel like things are non-chaotic, they blow up again. I know we all feel that way, especially this time of year. I thought the holiday season would be much calmer when I made the move to stay home with the kids a couple of years ago....but really, they aren't!

Anyway...let's move on. One of the projects I had to tackle a couple of weeks ago was for a photographer in a nearby town. She wanted me to "play" with a couple of her pictures and make some cards out of them. I fell in love with this winter scene from the town of Woodbine, IA - where she resides. In these parts Woodbine in known for it's brick main street. Well, and cowboys and camo too. The photographer is working to open up Artisan Studio in Woodbine. It's a co-op of sorts for artists and such. I will start teaching classes there once a month starting at the end of January. And I'm super excited about the opportunity!!!

So, back to this picture. She had an pre-open house event at the beginning of December and wanted as many cards with this picture as I could do. The bad part about that was, we met on a Tuesday afternoon, and I had a craft fair coming up on Saturday that I really needed all of my free time for to create for that. BUT, I pushed that aside and told myself that I would take ONE DAY to create as many cards as I could. These are three of the 8 designs I did. Guess how many cards I can make in one day??? (without going bonkers?) 41. That's right 41 cards in less than 24 hours, using 8 different designs (which were all very similar to each other) That first one above, I made 20 of it. I knew because I incorporated 'from Woodbine, IA' on it, it would be a mover and a shaker.

This one was very popular too. I simply die cut the holiday from sticky pages and stuck it on the project and glittered it up. Oh - I did outline the word before I peeled the red liner off and glittered. It needed that. Otherwise it was far too blah!

This one I heat embossed the "be still" in Cherry Cobbler EP and die cut the Peace from the Silver glimmer paper. Very striking in person.

So, this was one project that kept me busy for - will a mere 24 hours.

Now, I need to go and design my class for her.

FYI - for those that are local - the photographer is Bracinda Blum. You can contact her at bracindablum@gmail.com if you would like. Her Artisan Studio is set to open Jan. 1. I can't wait~!~!

Scrap Club page

2011-11-05T03:00:00.000-05:00

Hiya! Guess what? Today I'm sharing a scrapbook page. Yeah. You heard me. A scrapbook page! I know, I know. I don't usually post these. Primarily b/c they are hard for me to photograph; as you'll see in the poorly produced photos below. But also because I rarely put pics on my pages. That reason....b/c I rarely print my pics!!! They sit stuck on my computer for.ev.ah! It'll be my goal in 2012. I really kinda like the pages I come up with, I just need to add some pictures to them. Here's the deal - I typically only scrapbook (if you'll call it that) when I need to come up with pages for my Scrapbook Club. Seriously. And you know what. When I'm done with those pages, I'm usually really proud of the outcome. So, it's not that I don't like to scrap, it's just that I'm not terribly comfortable with it. Isn't that funny. I can create a card in a jiffy. I may not always love the results, but I feel like I'm not out a lot. When I create a scrap page, I feel like I better do the process justice or I've wasted a ton - of paper, of time, etc. Yet, I'm usually really happy with my end result. So, I just need to do it more.

Anyhow....here's one of the pages we created at Scrapbook Club in Sept.

Again - so for the poorly photographed page. It's hard to get my lighting right on these bigger pages. Hopefully you get the jist tho.

I LOVE these leaves. Simply die cut with Leaves #2, inked with the Woodgrain stamp and then crumple the $%!& out of them. They turn out lifelike everytime.

What do you think? Love it. Just so-so??? I'd really like to know. Please comment....Puh-lease!

Last day Christmas Stamp A Stack options + details!

2011-11-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

Okie Dokie --- Here are the last two cards in Round One of my Christmas Stamp A Stack.

Card #7 - Snowflakes of Noel

Another clean card, but with lots of texture. I like how the houndstooth texture works to warm up the card - like a scarf, or a sweater (what I wouldn't do for a cable knit embossing folder!)

The snowflakes are edged in glitter to add some pizzazz.

Don't they just sparkle beautifully??? We had a touch of snow the other day.....ALMOST wish it would have stuck around...ALMOST!

Card #8 - From Our House to Yours

Alright - first off.....I couldn't help it. I pulled out a retired set for this card. It's one of my fave sets, and it just worked so perfectly with this card. So, sorry - but I HAD to do it. So, that being said, many of you have asked for a card that can include family photos. This is it!

Here is the card completely closed - it's got a lip there, and is a tri-fold card.

Here's what you see when you open the first flap. I went over the top of the flourishes with some Smooch - they aren't blurry, it just didn't photograph well.

Here it is partially opened. Again, the glimmer in the smooch is just reflecting oddly.

And fully opened. Here you have three spots where you can attach photos. Don't have that many photos - not a problem, I'll show you how to fill in the blanks!! That's the joy of having ME as your teacher and guide!

So there you have it - the first round of cards for the 2011 Christmas Card Stamp A Stack. Now the nitty gritty!

Of these eight cards, you pick the cards you'd like to make. I cut you 10 of that card and put them in a "stack" for you to stamp and assemble! It's a great and quick way to get cards made - I'll do half of the work for you!!! In the time allotted, you can complete 2 "stacks" and some of you could easily complete 3 stacks. You will work at your own pace, these cards will be set up in stations. Can't decide? Split a stack with a friend!

When: November 19th; 9am - 1pm
Where: Denison Municipal Utilities Bldg, Broadway and 7th St
Fee: $20/stack - all supplies are included - you just bring your adhesive!

Can't make the class? Not a problem, I will do all the same as above, and mail you the unassembled supplies. The fee is the same, plus the cost of shipping.
Please register and prepay by November 12th. You can call me (712-269-2714) or email me ( thearkfelds at fmctc dot com ) with your options. Let me know if you have questions!

Day 3 - Christmas Stamp A Stack options...

2011-11-03T05:00:00.000-05:00

SO.....I'm back again....see! Have faith in me....I can blog! I really can! It's all about taking photos of my work and getting them on this computer. That's the key. Take the pics. I can tye during commercials of Revenge (my new fav show btw!)

Task at hand.....Christmas Stamp A Stack Day 3. Here are two more cards that you can make if your heart desires.

Card #5 - Sparkly Ornament

Of the cards in my line up - this one is probably about the easiest to assemble. The colors are a little on the modern side, but I think that makes this one a little bit quirky. and bright. In fact, I'm kinda smitten with this card!

When laying closed, it shows off more of the scalloped edging, and the use of three different greens. I like that monotone look with the punch of color. and the glitter, and one single rhinstone. It just says "Ka-chow"!

Card #6 - Skating on Ice!

When I asked Will, who is five, what he thought about this card, he said that it looks like the skaters are cold! It does have a wintery look, that's for sure! This card involves some heat embossing and sponging - the emboss resist technique. One of my favorites! It's like magic.

I think the strip of glitter sets this card off. It really needs that bit of glitz.

Alright - I'll be back tomorrow with the last two cards in the offering for Round One Christmas Stamp A Stack. I'll have all of the details for you as well. Round Two will shortly follow. It will include these cards plus 6 completely new cards! Stay tuned for deets!!!

See ya all tomorrow.

More Stamp-A-Stack options...

2011-11-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

Heidi Ho! I told you I'd be back...

I'm popping in with some more card options for my Christmas Card Stamp-A-Stack, so let's jump right in shall we?

Card #3 - Dashing Dasher

This card is a bit masculine, a bit lodgey (newly found word) and yet has some shine to it too. See that quilted ribbon! Bee-U-ti-Ful! This is probably my favorite card that I've got in the line up so far. (Granted - I'm still waiting for stamp sets to show up in the mail....I have things up my sleeve....but I may have to have Round 2 of the Christmas Stamp-A-Stack just so my ideas get put to use if those stamps don't show up SOON!)

Ol' Dasher is quite dashing when done up with Cherry Cobbler Embossing powder. I have a thing for heat embossing this year! I'm just warnin' ya! This one too is quite easy to put together, and is so striking in person!

Card #4 - Musical Stockings

I'm going to throw this out there right away - this card might be a bit trying for some of you! :) First off, the music notes are done with a wheel. I know how some of you feel about that! The polka dots are stamped multiple times, so require some lining up - but that's not all that difficult - for real! Threading the jingle bells might actually be the hardest part about this card!! But they are so worth it....cuz - hello - they are so stinkin' cute!

Anyway - it's not a terribly hard card - but just requires some patience!

So, there you have it - the next two cards in the line-up. I'm still waiting to here what you'd like to see in a Christmas Card. What are you thinking of these designs?? What would you change? Please leave me a comment or two - I really need some input here folks!! It's simple - just click that comment tab below!

2011-11-01T05:00:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends! I know, it's been awhile. I know, I know, I know!!! I've been a bad blogger - and I'm terribly sorry for that. It's just life. Life gets in the way sometimes and unfortunately it's the blog that takes a back seat. So....let's get after it, shall we?

I've been working feverishly on some Christmas Cards for my annual Christmas Stamp A Stack. This is where I need YOUR help. I honestly need to know what you think of these cards. I have been feeling as tho I'm in a creative slump, and it seems like no matter what I come up with they just aren't screaming - THIS IS IT! at me! So, please tell me what you think of my first couple of creations.....

Card #1 - Christmas News

This card might have a clean and simple look to it, but the inside holds a whole lot more. Many times I'm asked to create a Christmas Card that can accomodate a newsletter. Well, I actually spotted this card on Kristina Werner's blog a year ago, and held it in my memory bank for this year. I've transformed it to a Stampin' Up! card, and I'm okay with the final product. And it's definitely mass producable. The sentiment is heat embossed with White EP, and the rest is a matter of folding and adhering paper. Pretty quick and simple.

Card #2 - Peaceful Dove

This card again is pretty clean. And, also very easily mass produced. The image is heat embossed with some faint accents of watercoloring. There is nothing difficult about this card at all.

On this last pic, you can see a little better that this card is on Shimmery White Cardstock. Oh, it adds sooooo much to a card.

Alright - these cards will be in my Christmas Stamp A Stack lineup. This event will be held on November 19th at 9am - 1pm. You will have plenty of time to complete 2 "stacks". I will be posting more details shortly. I will also continue to post more cards this week ( I have about 15 cards done) and would like feedback on them. So, your turn. Leave me a comment about what you like, what you'd change, what you don't like. And please, be very honest. I can handle constructive critisism - I'm not afraid!!! I'd also like to hear what YOU'D like to see in a Christmas Card.

Thanks all!

On Opportunity to DIE for!!!

2011-10-16T07:27:00.000-05:00

***Edited to add - I am going to keep this post at the top of the blog for a while. Be sure to scroll down to see new posts!***

Wow! If I wasn't a Demonstrator, I 'd be signing up to get one. If you already got one, no worries, how about $100.00 of free stuff?

Check out more information here.

If you've been looking for an opportunity to do what I do, while getting a 20% discount on your favorite products, now is the perfect time! During October, you'll get a FREE Big Shot when you join my awesome Stampin' Up! family as a Demonstrator. Use the Big Shot die-cutting machine and Stampin' Up!'s exclusive dies (dies are sold separately) to create uniquely beautiful projects in a flash. In addition, the new-demonstrator Starter Kit--a steal at just $175--contains over $345 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and business supplies-everything you need to start your new business.

There are so many benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, including

•A 20 percent product discount!
•A free monthly issue of Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator-only magazine, Stampin' Success!
•Sneak peeks at brand-new products!
•Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events!
•Regular get-togethers to stamp!

•Free access to an online community of 30,000+ crafters/stampers and creative artists, as well as 160,000+ project samples!

•Plus, access to an exclusive video and training for your new Big Shot!

Don't miss this BIG deal! Contact me today to learn how you can take advantage of this great opportunity and get your FREE Big Shot! I would love to answer any questions you might have.

Don't forget about your free stamp set as a Welcome gift from me for joining my team (free stamp set is an incentive from me only and not Stampin' Up!)

Joining is easy and can be done on-line and you can begin placing orders right away!

I'm back!!!

2011-09-22T22:04:00.002-05:00

So....I've been missing for a while, yeah, yeah, yeah....I know! What else is new??? I was on a roll there blogging every day....and the last time I blogged, I mentioned a headache that i'd had for a week. Well, it lasted another week after that. I'm actually finally beginning to feel human again. For me, having a headache for two weeks, was like being near dead. I don't ever get headaches - unless self inflicted. So, to have one for that long was killing me. Nothing touched them, not ibuprofen, not Excedrin Migraine, not Tylenol. For a few days I thought it was my coffee, so I quit using sugar in it. That didn't work. I gave up the coffee. That didn't work. Then one day. Poof! It was gone! It was like the skies opened up and all was well again. Now my little sister has had this headache. Apparently it's a virus that is going around. And it's icky! If you get a headache and it just doesn't go away....good luck!!

Having told you that story...there hasn't been a whole lot of crafting in the last couple of weeks at my house. :( Hopefully I can get something accomplished this week.....yet I"ve got a few things in my bag of tricks for you.....

Here's a card that I haven't shared yet - I need to play some more with this set. I just think it's so stinkin' cute. I love the bright cheerful colors of the DSP, the cuteness of that little seal...

I hope this brightens your day!

Sweetness...

2011-09-11T21:24:00.003-05:00

Just popping in quick with a card that got denied in a publishing call. The call was for creative uses with baker's twine. SOOO, on this card, I wrapped the twine in a circle onto a sticky strip circle, then overly sprayed it with Smooch Spray - Vanilla Shimmer. FYI - most of the paper is from a non-SU company and the stamps are from a MS set I had bought a long time ago to make some ornaments for Alex's Gingerbread Man Christmas Tree.

That's it from me today....I've gotta go tend to this week long headache of mine....hoping for a new relief treatment tonight!

We're doing it again...!!!

2011-09-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

If you would like to join us for a fun filled day of papercrafting and shopping - let me know. I'm taking table reservations now!!!! And let me tell you, I've been getting some great donations for our goodie bags - from A Walk Down Memory Lane, OCTOBER AFTERNOON, Moxxie, HERO ARTS, Paper Crafts Magazine and more to come!!! Be sure to get signed up - we have door prizes too - possibly a Big Shot and maybe even a Cricut!!! You don't want to miss out on this event - CONTACT ME NOW!

This is WHY I do what I do....

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Once in a while, someone will ask me why I am involved with Stampin' Up!. There are multiple reasons, but mainly, it's because of them. Those 3 sweet little faces.

I started Stampin' Up! almost 5 years ago when Will wasn't quite one. I really wanted to scrapbook all of his cute little memories. You see, I've always been a creative person. It's something I have to have in my life. Before Will was born, I was doing a lot of sewing and painted crafts - think snowman, painted signs, etc. Once he came along I packed all of it up and put it in the closet. Then I became miserable. Just ask my husband. One day, I flipped my lid and blew up. I closed myself in my craft room and made some curtains that day. It fulfilled me. It gave me some self worth, a sense of accomplishment. It wasn't long after that that I took a card class at the local junior college with a then co-worker. Let me tell you, in a matter of minutes, my bucket was filled! Not long after that I was invited to a Stampin' Up! workshop. Wow! There were all of these really great things in a catalog - and those items could be delivered to my door. We didn't have a scrapbook shop in our town, and the stores that did happen to sell scrapping supplies had dated items that weren't of great quality. It took me a month - I did some research, discovered some blogs, and was hooked. I called the demonstrator and signed up. I wanted those high quality products at a discount. At the time I was working full time, but knew I really wanted to be home with Will. I was missing so much of him growing up while I was at work. So, with a bit of work, I continued to grow my business, and today, I'm lucky enough to be able to stay home with those 3 cuties!

With a little more work, I'm going to earn a trip for my husband and me to:

That's Fiji folks! It's gorgeous - and Stampin' Up! wants to send us there - FREE!!! Seriously! Want to come with me??? It's possible - and I'm really not exaggerating. This is a trip that is easily accomplished with some work. I can guide you and show you how to get there. You just need to make that first step - CONTACT ME!

More Quilting!

2011-09-08T22:10:00.000-05:00

Here is another card that we made at my August Stamp Clubs....

This was a super simple card. Seriously simple. Take 6 squares of DSP, attach 5 to a piece of cardstock - 4 in the outer corners (leaving some border) and one in the center. Take the sixth square and cut it in half across the diagonal. Then cut those triangles in half again so that you have 4 triangles. Adhere those in the empty spots and then run thru the Big Shot with the Lattice EF. Seriously that simple!!!

I think the EF really enhances this quilt look and makes it really look like fabric. I added the snowflake punch and button to break up the quiltiness (new cool word there for you!)

Go ahead, tell me what you think....I dare you!

Stamps: Heard from the Heart, Snow Swirled

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive, Letters to Santa DSP, Whisper White
Ink: Versamark, Whisper White
Accessories: Paper Piercing Tool, Snowflake Punch, buttons

Crrreeepppyyyyy!!!

2011-09-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a fun card I had in my stash that hadn't been photographed yet. I did this one up for my Open House back in July, showcasing the Hello, Doily Stamp. I wanted to use it in unconventional ways....this seemed to fit the bill. I used black embossing powder on black cardstock for the doily. I didn't want it to show a lot, and wanted kind of an Elvira look....it worked! (at least I think so!) For the house, I used clear embossing powder on Elegant Eggplant. Then I took a little paint brush and some bleach to do the windows and moon. I really was thrilled when the moon turned out blotchy like it did. Kind of like the real thing!

That's it for today folks....

Stamps: House of Haunts, Hello Doily

Paper: Basic Black, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant
Ink: Versamark. Jet Black Stazon
Accessories: Black and Clear Embossing powder
Techniques: heat embossing, bleaching

Wish Big!

2011-09-06T10:45:00.001-05:00

This little beauty is a card that we made in my August Stamp Clubs. It also happens to be one of the favorite cards I've made recently. It's bright, yet nostalgic, clean yet busy (is that possible....). I don't know what it is...I just love this card!

I did a little faux stitching on this one. I love using my paper piercer to make the stitching look really real! And on this one, I just free-handed the piercing. Most of the time I use my mat stack and get them a little more evenly spaced.

You know, if you were in one of my Stamp Clubs, you could be making fun cards just like this one! I have 3 clubs that meet once a month - surely one would fit your schedule. I do need to warn you tho - we have a lot of fun, and usually laugh more than we should!!! Contact me if you want to know more about my Stamp Clubs!

Stamps: Delightful Doilies, Word Play

Paper: Pool Party, Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Domestic Goddess DSP

Ink: Calypso Coral, Versamark

Accessories: Buttons (PTI), Perfect Pennants Die, Half and Half Die (PTI)

Bling this!

2011-09-05T15:33:00.001-05:00

We all love a little bling in our lives, right? It makes us feel special, and a little bit glamorous....at least I think so! I always have a little more self confidence when I've got something sparkly on. Lately you see TONS of cute colored blingy things to add to our paper crafts. A lot of times those come in huge packages and I think, "Golly, will I really ever use that many purple rhinestones?" (if you know me - I would not use many PURPLE rhinestones at all - right Cindy???) Once in a while you'll stumble upon a package that doesn't have enough of a particular color. I am here to solve your problems today peeps! Grab your package of ol' plain Jane rhinestones or pearls. We're gonna rock their world in one quick, painless little step! You just need to introduce those gems to their new BFF:

The Sharpie Marker!

You can get Sharpie's in a multitude of colors. I even saw they now have metallic ones! Take you marker and color right over the top of your gem.....and you'll end up with something like this:

Or this: (which is blurry due to camera operator shakes...)

Pretty stinkin' cute - huh!!! Just let them dry - it only takes a few seconds....and place them on your project. FYI - I use my Paper Snips to place them; it helps to be sure I get that little bit of glue to stay attached to the gem.

Whatcha think....you're already looking for those long lost Sharpie Markers aren't you????

Spiced Cupcakes

2011-09-04T04:00:00.000-05:00

I know....you are probably getting tired of all of my project showcasing the new Spice Cake DSP - but what can I say??? This paper is to die for. This time I thought I would pair it up with one of my all time favorite sets - Crazy for Cupcakes. It's been a while since that set has seen any ink....so, I've created Spiced Cupcakes.

Kinda cute - eh? I am totally smitten over this paper. Totally! So, I'm sorry, but you are just going to have to bear with me on this ride!

By the way....you can leave me a comment...there is no fee.

A week late....oh well...

2011-09-03T04:00:00.000-05:00

So, I told you yesterday that I had done a card up for Karen Giron's Sweet Sunday Sketch, but didn' get it photographed or blogged. Well, this is that card. It was really simple and easy, just layer that DSP up and it looks so nice!

I pulled out those super cute button brads that I've been hoarding. They were just the right color and size for this card. However, I didn't want the "legs" to show thru on the back side of the front of the
card, so I cut the legs off and glued them on with Tombow Multi MOno (my favorite go-to glue!

I opted to go with some ribbon instead of the paper scallops...like this look, although it's not trending right now. Oh well......

That's it for today folks!

Stamps: Simply Soft, Happiest Birthday Wishes

Paper: Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Spice Cake DSP

Ink: Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Soft Suede

Accessories: Soft Suede Taffeta Ribbon, Vintage Trinkets

Cheer up!

2011-09-02T10:27:00.002-05:00

Looky here - I played along with another little sketch. Karen always has great sketches...I just don't always take the time to play along....or I do, and like last week, didn't get my card photographed and blogged! I'll post that one tomorrow for ya.

For this card, I went with a non-SU stamp...for so long I wished that SU would come out with an Umbrella set. It seemed like every time I turned around, I was making Bridal Shower and Baby Shower cards and invitations. So, I caved and went to my stand-by stamp company....and I actually got this one used from another paper crafter. But all of the paper is SU....that's good right??? ;)

I like this sketch - think I'm going to try it again in a Halloween motif. I've got the new Halloween paper from the Holiday mini and it's whispering to me...cut into me...go ahead...play with me.....in a really creepy voice! So, I'm gonna go play....

Stamps: Scattered Showers (PTI)
Paper: So Saffron, Basic Gray, Whisper White, Berry Blossoms DSP

Ink: Tempting Turquoise, Basic Brey

Accessories: Felt (PTI), Button (PTI), Fun Flowers Die (SU)

Christmas starts NOW!

2011-09-01T21:42:00.002-05:00

Season's Greetings!!! Really....I wanted/needed to play with that new DSP in the Holiday Mini. You all got that in the mail right??? If not, contact me ASAP so that I can get one to ya!

I wasn't so sure about this paper at first. Once I saw it in person....it's on my hoarding list. It's really pretty awesome! I'll be having more fun with it soon.

I did this card using the weekly sketch over at Splitcoast Stampers. I usually steer clear of sketches with crooked layers, but this one seemed to work out okay for me. And by the way - love the Holly Berry Buttons in the mini - VERY cute. Plus - lots of buttons!

I know I have shared with my Stamp Club members the trick to creating colored rhinestones - just color the tops of them with a Sharpie Marker. Let dry and place on your project. That simple. Seriously!

Okay - now, I want to hear some comments folks - PLEASE!!! ;)

Stamps: Snow Swirled
Paper: Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla, Real Red, Holly Berry Bouquet
Ink: Choc. Chip
Accessories: Rhinestones, Sticky Strip, Red Cosmo Glitter, Holly Berry Buttons, Sharpie Marker

Meet today's card....

2011-08-19T05:25:00.000-05:00

Bonnie - are you sitting down? What about you Tami???

Let me start off by saying - Spice Cake DSP - mmm, mmm, good! This paper is on my list to stock up and hoard!

Yeah - look at how pretty this card is!! Now, I'm not going to take full credit - I cased it from this card over on Maile Belles' blog. I think I changed enough up to make it not identical tho. I don't usually like to copy everything.

I did use My Digital Studio to print the sentiment in Soft Suede directly onto the cardstock. One great way to create sentiments that may be lacking in your stamp line up. Plus I like that I can print in SU colors to match!!! BONUS!

I just love the color combination and the overall patterns. This card just makes me yearn for fall...how about you???

Comments??? Anyone, anyone????

I {heart} this day!

2011-08-18T04:30:00.000-05:00

Today was Will's first day of Kindergarten! He was so excited to go, was happy to have his picture taken - by the front door. He clearly stated that he did not want me to take his picture by the bus. So, this was my lesson to him that he can't always have his way! Mamma get HER way on things like this....

Reason #2 that this was a good day....this card. I LOVE it! I will tell you that I could scream from the rooftop that the new Spice Cake DSP in the Holiday Mini ROCKS!!! I love the colors - they are so IN. I even have the new Spice Cake fabric and just need to figure out what I'm going to do with it. It's beautiful! I so love it that I would really like to have yards and yards of it! Seriously - that BEAUTIFUL!!! Back to this card:

The stamp set is Fallen Leaves ( I think that's the right name???) And yes, I did fussy cut those leaves and acorns. And yes, I do wish there was a die, but I managed, and most of you know that I don't mind cutting. See that paper a little closer? Cool - eh? I also used the new houndstooth embossing folder on just a portion of the sentiment piece, then used a sponge dauber over the top. Loving the houndstooth!

What do you think? Leave some comment love for me would ya??? That means you - Bonnie!!! :)

We had Christmas in July....

2011-08-16T21:45:00.007-05:00

Christmas in July Card class that is! And today, I'm going to share the cards that we made so that you can see what you missed out on!!!

First up is one of my favorites - I just love the nostalgic look of these carolers in the A Christmas Carol set. I opted to only color the little boy. I wanted him to stand out among the rest - and it worked. He just looks like he's giving it his all!

I do think that next time I will use the music wheel in the background on this one! Is it just me tho - is the guy playing the bass a little on the creepy side???

Card #2:

Nothing really over the top here...but I do love the ruffled ribbon flirting out from under the sentiment section!

Card #3:

I was having a hard time incorporating that blue plaid that comes in the Letters from Santa DSP. I'm too traditional! In the end tho - I really like this card - almost the best. We used Irredescent Ice EP on the ornaments - it gave some extra pizzazz!

Card #4:

A little woodgrain, some snowflakes and a Merry Christmas!

Real stitching or faux? Faux it is! Some paper piercing does the trick on making it look really real!

Card #5

Clean, simple, and sparkly! Right up my alley - look ma - no DSP! OMGoodness and no buttons! What the....someone take my temp...I must be sick!

Sparkles on here were easy - some Crystal Effects and Dazzling Diamonds. However, just hold onto your hats, because SU will have an even easier solution for this starting Sept. 1 - Dazzling Details!!! It comes in a little bottle - liquid glitter.....watch for it. I think you'll see a lot of it in your future.

Card #6

Snowflakes stamed with Frost White shimmer paint - my stamp must have had some residual ink on it b/c it stamped a little on the Pink Frost White side???

That's all for today folks....Merry Christmas!

Finding Inspiration...

2011-08-14T22:09:00.002-05:00

Do you ever have trouble finding inspiration? Today, this card was purely inspired by a pillow I saw on Pinterest. If you haven't jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon yet - it's a time sucker. But there are so many great sources of inspiration, you just have to be disciplined with the amount of time you are on there. Well, I have to be disciplined.....or I'm sucked right in!

So - for today's card - I found inspiration from this Crate and Barrel pillow I spotted on Pinterest. Pretty simple, yet pretty graphic in the same boat.

And this is the card I came up with:

photo credit - Pinterest

I kinda like it - what do you think?

Sending Thanks!

2011-08-08T22:18:00.001-05:00

Here is a SUPER quick and easy card....

My lighting wasn't great on this card, it's much brighter in person really! But let me tell you how simple:

Cut your DSP a half inch smaller than card base, distress, and adhere to card front. Adhere ribbon strip to card front - this is the new ruffled grosgrain ribbon in Lucky Limeade. Die cut your flowers from felt - I always use a good quality wool felt because you won't end up with frayed edges. I stamped polka dots on the turquoise flower with white craft ink, but they don't really show. Sew the flowers and button all together with some bakers twine, attach to card front with glue dots. Lastly, stamp your sentiment and punch out! Easy peasy!!

Recipe:

Stamps: Petite Pairs

Paper: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Just Add Cake DSP

Ink: Whisper White, Crumb Cake (for distressing)

Accessories: 1" Circle punch, Felt(PTI), Button (PTI), Lucky Limeade ruffled ribbon, White Bakers Twine

Buy 3....Get ONE FREE!! Plus a Big Shot giveaway!

2011-08-02T14:24:00.003-05:00

This is always my favorite promotion that Stampin' Up! offers! Most of my customers know that I HOARD paper. And a lot of you know that I just purged a ton of paper at my Catalog Kick-off Party!!! Now, it's time to stock up on paper again! It's so easy - buy 3 packs of DSP and get 1 Free!! Buy 6 packs, get 2 free. Buy 9 packs......oh, you get the picture! Contact me today to order yours!!!

Also - I still have a few spots to fill on my calendar! You've heard of my Big Shot give-a-way, right??? No??? Well, I'm giving away a Big Shot. Yeah - FREE! F-R-E-E!!!! One of my August or September hostesses is going to win a BIG SHOT. What's more, I have the 6 remaining workshop dates written on envelopes. You pick your date, and you get what's in the envelope(items range from punches to ink pads to watercolor crayons, and DSP). So, you are going to get something above and beyond the awesome merchandise you'll earn at your workshop anyway. Then, I will put all of the hostess names in a hat and after the last workshop, I'll draw a name from the hat. That person is my Big Shot winner. My available dates are:

August 18th

August 23rd

August 25th

September 8th

September 22nd

September 28th

Contact me today to schedule your workshop. Your chances of winning a Big Shot are better than your chance at winning the lottery!!!

The crowd favorite

2011-08-01T21:52:00.003-05:00

I recently had my 2011 Catalog Kick-off Party, and this card was by far the crowd's fave! Gosh - and it was the simplest, most clean and simple card on the scene!

There wasn't a whole lot to this card - I simply stamped the Hello, Doily stamp in Whisper White onto a piece of Very Vanilla, then heat embossed it with white ep. Once it was set, I very lightly used a sponge dauber inked with Crumb Cake, and swirled it on, starting at the center, and moving to the tips of the doily very lightly. I didn't want to over do it, just a soft look to the card. I love the way it turned out, and would like to note that I've tried other color combos without as striking of a look.

Again, super easy and super stunning! What do you think - I'd love to hear from you, so just leave me some comment love!

Favorite Color Combo??

2011-07-19T14:34:00.004-05:00

I've got a little poll going on over there in the right hand side-bar. On Friday night, I'll pick one random person to receive a hand stamped Thank You card from me in the winning colors. You will need to leave a comment in this post so I know who voted! Go on, VOTE!

New My Digital Studio Goodies!

2011-07-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm really beginning to look forward to Tuesdays. New My Digital Studio artwork comes out every Tuesday. What's really fun, is that you are likely to see My Digital Studio exclusive Designer Series Paper. When I saw this week's Sun Garden, I went goo goo ga ga!!! Isn't it bright and fun? Add it to the list! Here's a peek at this week's offerings:

To see all of the new MDS downloads, go to my website: http://jenarkfeld.stampinup.net and click on SHOP NOW in the upper right corner. From there click on Digital Designing. I just know that you'll find something that you have to have.

In the meantime, I'm busy trying to get things wrapped up for my Catalog Kick-Off Party that is this Saturday. Lots of new samples for you to eyeball and some great deals too! So, if you want to beat the heat - head on over to the Denison Municipal Utilities Bldg from 10am - 4 pm (come and go), enjoy some snacks and refreshments, I've even got Make and Takes! Hope to see you there!

It's an OPPORTUNITY...you shouldn't pass up!

2011-07-18T10:55:00.004-05:00

I'm SO excited about this FABULOUS opportunity…. not only is it super affordable to join the Stampin' Up! family this month ($99 instead of $175) but you get a FREE, EXCLUSIVE, SHELLI GARDNER SIGNATURE KIT that is a $40 value… and there's NO other way to get it!

Here's a look at this AMAZING Kit that comes for FREE!

The Christmas Keepsake Box Project Kit–a $40 value–contains the following products (quantities are 1 unless otherwise noted):

» Pines & Poinsettias Set (wood-mount)
» Keepsake box
» Scallop borders (cut from Tasteful Trim Bigz XL Die)
» First Edition Designer Series Paper (3)
» Holly Berry Designer Series Paper (6)
» First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper strip (2)
» Holly Berry Designer Series Paper piece*
» Real Red Top Note (cut from Top Note Bigz Die)
» Real Red Decorative Label (cut from Matchbook Bigz XL Die)
» Wild Wasabi Card Stock strips (3)
» Naturals Ivory Card Stock piece
» Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Fabric*
» Real Red 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon
» Real Red 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon
» Victoria 5/8" Crochet Trim
» Linen Thread
» Champagne Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter
» Vanilla Pearl 1/2" Simply Adorned Bauble
» Pearl Basic Jewels (1 pkg.)
» Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Buttons*
» Large Wild Wasabi
» Small Real Red
» Mini Vintage Tags
Don't you just HAVE TO HAVE IT!?!?!? Then all you have to do is spend $99 to buy THIS kit (BUT – it's CUSTOMIZABLE so YOU actually pick what goes in it – these are just suggestions!!! You can pick ANYTHING you want for equal or lesser value!):

COMPLETE KIT CONTENTS (Customizable):

Page Item Description

57 123225 Easy Events Clear-Mount Set*
69 122740 Pennant Parade Wood-Mount Set*
177 102277 Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
177 105216 Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad
177 103133 Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
177 119706 Brights 8-1/2" x 11" Assorted Card Stock
180 101179 Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
182 107311 Whisper White Note Cards (20)
185 124339 Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper*
195 124142 Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon*
203 122129 Blender Pen (1)
205 118486 Clear-Mount Block C
206 104332 SNAIL Adhesive

*New to the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog!

When you purchase kit, there are NO STRINGS ATTACHED. However, if you decide to embark on the wonderful opportunity that you can choose to take along with it, Stampin' Up! needs ALL KINDS of Demonstrators! What kind would you consider being?

» FRIENDS & FAMILY DEMONSTRATOR: You just want to buy all your stamping and scrapbooking supplies at a great discount and help your "friends & family" get their supplies too! Also want access to great "demonstrator only" websites and monthly idea magazine–always tons of ideas at your fingertips! No pressure to sell to others, attend events, or communicate with anyone – you just simply order when you want to.
» GIVE IT A TRY DEMONSTRATOR: You join Stampin' Up! to see what it is all about – with no long-term commitment or plan. You purchase the kit (which is a great deal all by itself,) have a couple of workshops or classes, just to see if you might like it. If you find it's not for you–you can become a "discount purchaser" or just say "good bye!"
» HOBBY DEMONSTRATOR: You like the idea if doing workshops and earning extra money, but only when it’s convenient for you. You might work a lot some months and very little, or not at all, during other months. You love to stamp and/or scrapbook and like to support your own “hobby" so that you can buy everything that you want with the money you earn!
» PART TIME DEMONSTRATOR: You see the potential to do a little work and earn a little money on a consistent basis. You want no pressure to ever do more than you want, but you want help and support from a "upline" who truly cares about you and your goals. You may have specific goals in mind–pay for preschool, college tuition, car payment, new furniture, etc…
» CAREER DEMONSTRATOR: You recognize the potential of being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and want to build a business with long-term career goals. You want to pursue management and want to move up the career ladder. You love attending Stampin’ Up! events and building relationships with other demonstrators and customers. You intend to work at your business in a consistent and outgoing manner.

2011-07-14T07:29:00.002-05:00

Alrighty...I'm gonna throw this out there right off the bat....this is NOT my best creation. I do not love this card. Heck, I don't even know that I can say that I like this card! But, I've got to show you all SOMETHING instead of being stagnant over here - right??? I just need to get my cards all rounded up and get the photographed and edited for your viewing pleasure! And, with that being said, I don't want to show you EVERYTHING! I want to save some of my master creations for my Catty Kick-Off Party (see post below).

Anyway....this card shows you something fun you can do with that fancy new Lace Ribbon Border punch - cut that puppy in half and use just a smidgen of it. It's like having your little lace slip flirting out from under your skirt! A little sexy, a little, well, flirty! Kinda like the paper on this card - Flirtatious!

Well, that's all I've got. Need to go get the other two kiddos out of bed and then we are going on a road trip for the morning. I've got to deliver orders in three different towns today. I'm guessing I'll put 100 miles on the ol' van this morning...I'm also guessing that the three kiddos couped up in the van will cause some frustrations on my end. Just as well pack the kids music and plan on singing for about two hours.....joys! The wheels on the bus go round. and. round......

2011 New Catalog Kick-Off Party

2011-07-13T22:18:00.002-05:00

So, today, I mailed out over 100 invitations to those on my mailing list to my New Catty Kick-Off party. If you aren't on my mailing list... no worries. I would never turn you away. You can find the details on the flyer below (click to enlarge). I have a ton of really cool things that I've been working on for giveaways, displays, etc. You won't want to miss out! We'll have so much fun!!!

I also included an invite to my upcoming Christmas in July. I've got two brand new Christmas Stamp Sets that we'll be using. This is a great class - what's not to like - new stamps, new paper, new designs!!! Ahhh....it is heaven.

So, go ahead, RSVP for both of these events with me!

New EVERYTHING!!!

2011-07-04T09:12:00.003-05:00

Hi all.....Happy 4th of July!!! This isn't quite a 4th of July appropriate card...but oh well. I was meaning to post this earlier thru the weekend, but as I type this, we are camping, and my internet connection hasn't been the best. I am just thankful for a bit of a connection...it keeps me a bit in touch with the outside world.

We've actually had quite a busy weekend. Family picnic, fireworks, family reunion, etc. It's all been great fun. Yesterday afternoon and evening it was just nice to sit by the campfire and RELAX!!! Today we've got a parade and other festivities to do and then probably packing up the camper (my least fave job) and heading home in the morn. Then it's back to reality.

So, for today, my card. Umm....gotta say these new Delicate Doily stamps and I have been having an absolute blast! They work wonderful with embossing powder! Here I used black ep and even embossed the sentiment, which is now retired - sorry! And the black on the new Calypso Coral is AWESOME. This is such a simple card! I LOVE it!

Well, that's it for today folks....best get in gear for parade watching!!!

Oh, my pennant love....

2011-06-29T18:05:00.003-05:00

So...pennants are hot! They're everywhere. Scrapbook pages, cards, home decor....they are HOT! And I've got to give Stampin' Up! HUGE kudos for jumping on this bandwagon with one of my favorite paper crafting items - the punch. That's right folks. Starting in just one day, you too will be able to order this fun little punch. It's great because not only does it punch the scallopy outside, it also punches the middle rectangle.

The results - too too cute! And the ribbon. Swoon. Adorable! I've used just about an entire roll! One side is polka dotted and the other not. I didn't think I would like the polka dots and the scallops - I thought it would be too over the top. Umm....I was wrong. My husband would love to hear those words more often. I WAS WRONG! Again *swoon* !!!

The new Pool Party color - what do you think? I thought it would be too close to Bashful Blue or Baja Breeze. Nope. It's great! It's got a slight bit of green undertone to it. I'm really liking it.

And while I was at it - might as well make a girly one too!

I actually used Blushing Bride for the pink in this card. It went great with that So Saffron piece of DSP - which is from the new Just Add Cake DSP pack. There are some great patterns in that pack! And just think....starting tomorrow (after 1pm central time) you can start ordering those new goodies!

Who has more fun than us???

NOBODY!

To Infinity and BEYYOOOOND!

2011-06-29T14:45:00.002-05:00

I really should have saved this post for the 4th of July. It's kind of appropriate for the holiday....kind of.

Heads up - other than the paper, there is nothing Stampin' Up! about this card! But I just love the way this turned out, I had to share. Okay with you???? Hope so. If not, turn away, right now. I mean it. If you are here only for Stampin' Up! goodness, you need to walk away from your 'puter. NOW! Now, if you are here for all things paper crafting....keep reading!

I could not create a card that my boys loved more. And the fact of it is, this card and it's counterpart took me about 2 days to complete. Simply for the fact that I was continuously stamping and coloring other rockets for my boys to fly around the house. I believe I created 7 other rockets before they were satisfied enough to leave me alone! I'm not kidding. I was getting quite frustrated with them, but their smiling little please's, I just cave under!

I created this card with a stamp set from Papertrey Ink, and that rocket, yeah, there is a coordinating die. I'm a sucker for things like that! The moon too - coordinating die!

And while I was at it, I figured it could be a cute girly card too. Simply switch out the colors, and

VOILA ~~~~~

FYI - this had nothing to do with my Summer Card Camp! This was just for fun....

Miss me??? :)

2011-06-28T15:38:00.002-05:00

Hi all....sorry for my recent MIA. Life just gets busy ya know.....while I would love to have the time to blog daily, somedays it just doesn't fit into my schedule.....so here we are. My thought right now is that you should be seeing a lot more from me in the coming weeks. I've got a lot of stuff that I've been working on and would love to show you. So, sit back and enjoy the show!

First off -

I am on Day 2 of my Summer Card Camp. Didn't you just love going to camp as a kid. I can't really say that I did. I never really went to camp. But I did do some summer classes. One I remember was a sewing class at our local sewing store. I can't really remember the name of the store but it was something like Vanhorst's. Maybe my mom will comment and let us all know? It was run by a foreign lady with a great accent. And I'm pretty sure that me and another little gal drove her crazy. I recall that I sewed a shirt complete with pockets and it was adorned with pearliscent snaps. That's right = SNAPS! It even had some white piping I believe. Think semi western style shirt. Hey - I was like 12....and it was 1980something.
So, wouldn't YOU love to relive some summer camp life? Guess what? You can. You have until June 29th to sign up for this Card Camp. They send daily PDF's with great info. And videos. And the designers involved? To DIE FOR!!! Many, Many of my all time faves. Go check it out!

So, here is my first card with this week's color combo.

I used the sketch from this weeks CPS Card Sketches. All in all, it's pretty clean and simple. Would I have it any other way? I used some retiring SU DSP paper - along with some new SU paper. The card base is Pool Party. I was going to go with Baja Breeze, but these colors seemed to melt with the Pool Party much better.

And, check out this embossing:

I tell you what. My poor heat gun has seen so much action in the last few weeks, it's about to overheat! These new embossing powders from SU are wonderful. I held back for quite a bit before ordering them. I don't know why. This is Tangerine Tango on Rose Red cardstock. Stunning. I really could have gone without the purple on this card, but I think it ended up working okay. I'm not a fan of purple....I don't know if anyone can get me to sway on that one.

BTW - it is a Top Ten day here in Iowa today. OMG! It's rare when we can have windows open in the house at the end of June. There is NO humidity, the sky is a beautiful blue, and a mild breeze with a temp of 75. THIS is what I could go for all year!!! Helps too that I can sit out on the patio with my 'puter and look out over the gorgeous Iowa countryside and take it all in too. (and the wrens beside me singing so pretty...make my day!) This is the life!

TTFN people......

2011-06-01T07:22:00.002-05:00

Well, folks, today is the day! We can start the countdown for the NEW 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalog and we start saying farewell to some of the stamp sets and accessories we've become fond of. If there are items on your wish list that are retiring, you better hurry and get them! Especially ACCESSORIES. They are on a first come first served basis.

Want a little extra bonus? Order $50 worth of retiring products and receive a little gift from me, plus a $5 Gift Certificate to use on your first order from the NEW Catalog! (Stamp Club orders do not qualify for this promotion from me.)

CLICK HERE TO SEE STAMP LIST

CLICK HERE TO SEE ACCESSORIES LIST

CLICK HERE TO SEE DEFINITELY DECORATIVE LIST

Contact me to place your order via phone or email. Or go to my website and click on the Shop Now icon in the upper right corner! What are you waiting for? Get shopping! :)

Me + My Digital Studio = FUN!

2011-05-31T09:30:00.002-05:00

Did you know that My Digital Studio is compatible with other digi embellishments and papers out on the market? I know that Stampin' Up! has a TON of embellies and such, but I was looking for some more things like doilies and flowers and pennants and what not. So, I went for a search. I landed at Two Peas in a Bucket and bought a couple of digi packages. I didn't want to get a lot for fear that they wouldn't be compatible. I wasn't going to be overly sad if I was out $4, so took the plunge. I also spent the weekend searching for some online digital scrapbooking classes to educate myself a little more. Well, in my research, I noticed that those classes all seem to revolve around Photoshop in some way, shape, or form. I HAVE Photoshop, I use it to edit my photos. But, I have to tell you this. My Digital Studio is BY FAR much easier to use and manipulate. Stampin' Up! thought of all of us when they developed this program. I really appreciate the ease of use of MDS. And I'm sure that I could TRY to learn Photoshop a little more, but for the cost of the online classes, no thanks! I could have paid for MDS 3 times over. Plus, it's pretty darn self explanitory to use, and if you get stuck - I'm just a phone call away! I'll help you, walk you thru issues, for FREE! I am your tech support. And if I don't know the answers, Stampin' Up! has great helpers that will help too - for FREE!

That page above I made in MDS. Most of the elements are from another source. The background paper is SU, but it was quite easy to add those other items in. The page below is almost all SU. I am diggin' the new tapes they have available. So real looking, and such a fun touch. While I still like a "real" scrapbook page, I am falling very quickly in love with digi scrapping. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get more pages done before my kids graduate - which is 12 years from now. But at this rate, I'm already 5 years behind!!! :)

Keep in mind - today is the last day to sign up as a demonstrator and receive a 30% off discount on the Digital Starter Kit! Don't delay any longer! Contact me and I can guide you thru the sign up process!

Love....

2011-05-24T20:20:00.004-05:00

Here is one of the three cards that we made at our May Stamp Clubs. This month our technique was Easel Cards. Funny, I thought this would be a tough card to make....but hello....not so! These were super easy. Just a little more paper and cutting on my end. They sure were cool tho!

I just love the way they prop themselves open. It gives your recipient something to admire, whether it's propped up on thier desk or table. This one was super easy and SO beautiful at the same time. That Medallion stamp is versatile, just add a little bling for some extra punch. And I simply LOVE these sentiment stamps. They are one of the Level 3 Hostess Items. Want some of your own? Contact me ASAP! You can easily earn them, but you better do it before the end of JUNE! Seriously - CONTACT ME! We'll have a PAR-TAY!

BLING, BLING!

Recipe:

Stamps: Medallion, Occassional Quotes

Paper: Peach Parfait, Basic Gray, Whisper White

Ink: Peach Parfait, Basic Gray

Other: Peach Parfait Twill Ribbon, Basic Rhinestones, Edger Die (PTI)

Junk in my truck...

2011-05-23T18:33:00.003-05:00

...or maybe just apples. Actually - I do have junk in my truck, and in my trunk! I've been busy prepping for a garage sale that I'm having later this week with a girlie friend. I'm trying not to let it consume my days, but geesh - I've got a TON of little kids clothes that have been taking up space. Alot of clothes for the kids we have gotten as hand-me-downs, and those we just handed back down to the next kiddo, so I'm really surprised to have collected so much on our own! Good Golly! And a true sign we are done having children - I'm selling all of my maternity clothes! YIPEE!!

Alright - enough of that....onto today's card. (who is surprised to see me now 4 days in a row - yee-haw!) I played along with Karen's Sweet Sunday Sketch.

How'd I do? No Fabulous Flowers here! I've been having fun with this little truck too. He's so fun to color (yes, this is a boy truck). And I also challenged myself to use these colors:

Tempting Turquoise, Garden Green, Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke

I challenge YOU to try those colors together.

Recipe:
Stamps: Countryside, Sweet Sentiments
Paper: Pear Pizzazz, Always Artichoke, Kraft, Watercolor Paper,
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Basic Grey
Accessories: Buttons, Markers, Blender pen

More flowers....

2011-05-22T09:07:00.000-05:00

So. Another card. With Fabulous Florets again. I don't know if you should be more surprised about that or the fact that I've blogged 3 days in a row for once. I created this card with two challenges in mind. The Clean and Simple Sketch Challenge and Embellish's Tag and Color Challenge.

I did tweak the sketch in a couple of ways. One, I didn't want to "over do" my card with the piece of scallop paper. So I skipped it. And, obviously I switched out the circle for a tag shape. I also frumped up my card with and actual bow. Let me just go on the record as saying, it wasn't pretty. I think I retied it 4 times. Then I biffed the sentiment when I stamped it. So, because I didn't want to retie that ribbon AGAIN, I slipped it off. Fixed the sentiment piece, then slipped the ribbon back on.

How did I biff the sentiment. Well, sometimes when you stamp with die ink onto DSP, it really doesn't take. Mine was real faint, and didn't seem to want to soak in. SO. Plan B:

I grabbed my versamark. I inked up my stamp in Versamark, then in Basic Grey, then stamped it and Clear Embossed. And actually, when I used the Versamark with the Basic Grey, it was fine. It stamped much better. But, might as well as some punch with the EP.

While that embossing powder is out....

Emboss that flower. Packs a punch.

So, that's it tonight. Gotta hit the sack.

2011-05-21T16:21:00.002-05:00

Here's another card with Fabulous Florets. Again, pretty clean and simple. (would I have it any other way?) I do feel like it's missing, I don't know some buttons??? What do YOU think?

And yes, it took me a bit to cut those flowers out, but don't they just look smashing? I find something a little bit soothing about fussy cutting. Those of you who know me, know that I like to cut! I like to cut little difficult things. I would of course prefer a die, but I'll cut away!

Would you like to play with this stamp set too? Head on over to my website and order yourself one!

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Thank You Kindly
Paper: Crumb Cake, Poppy Parade, Very Vanilla, Newsprint DSP
Ink: Poppy Parade, Early Espresso
Accessories: Edgers Die (PTI), Early Espresso Tafetta Ribbon

Fab Florets

2011-05-20T16:06:00.002-05:00

I am in love with these little flowers in the Fabulous Florets set. I need to get out some Poppy Parade and color them - wouldn't they make the most darling Poppies??

For this one, I didn't take much care to perfect coloring. *gasp* I KNOW! So unlike me. For one, I used Basic Gray as my ink, and it's not a waterproof ink, so when I used my blender pen, I didn't want it to smear something horrible. See, method to my madness.

The card pretty well speaks for itself, clean, elegant, simple. Ah, bliss!

FYI - If you've been thinking about hosting a Stampin' Up! workshop - you need to get on my calendar! June is filling up, and I will be offering a little extra bonus to all of my June hostesses. AND - the retiring product list will be out June 1 !!! Get your hand on those items that will be gone for good! Contact me today to book your workshop.

Stamps: Fabulous Florets, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Crumb Cake, Baja Breeze, Basic Grey, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Gray,
Accessories: Black Satin Ribbon, designer button, watercolor crayon, Elegant Lines EF

2011-05-09T09:32:00.002-05:00

Hey all - just popping in real quick.

Are you a fan of my Stamped Silly Facebook Page?

*gasp* NO!

Well, head on over there - (link is on the right side). I've got a little poll I'm doing. I'd love to get your opinion.

Plus, once my fan count gets to 100, I'll be having a little giveaway. Well, maybe a BIG giveaway. I'll give little sneaky peaks as my fan count grows, so spread the word!

More pages...

2011-05-05T13:44:00.002-05:00

Here's another look at one of the pages I created for my friend. This one was a little tricky, but I worked it out. Remember, they each wrote a letter to the Graduate, and this one was long again. So, I knew I needed to tuck it away. And when I looked at the pictures I had to work with for this page, the one of the girls sitting in the grass with their Grandpa stood out to me. It's the one I took my inspiration from and decided to use some kites on the page. I wanted the page to have some brightness to it, but not overpowering.

I let the kites have all of the color. I also used up some ribbon scraps for the kite tails. A perfect use for those tidbits of ribbon.

I of course had to throw in some buttons. I also doubled up my pop dots for some extra dimension. The particular kite above had to have pop dots only on half of the kite, because....

I needed to be able to lift that cloud up out of there. Whatcha think? I'd really like to hear. Comment PLEASE!!!!

Also - have you liked my Facebook Page yet? If not, you should. I'm offering up some prizes over there, plus, there may be some Facebook Only Promotions here in the near future!! Head on over and see what the fuss is about!

It's National Scrapbooking Month...right??

2011-05-04T22:09:00.003-05:00

And guess what??? I've been scrapbooking. Just not for myself. I got hired to do some pages for my friend. Her niece is graduating, and they were putting together a scrapbook that the relatives were to contribute to, along with a letter to the Graduate with memories, etc. What a neat idea!
I will admit, it is a little tough to scrap other people's pictures, but it sure was fun! Really got me in the mood to scrap, however, I've got other work that needs to get done first.....graduation decor, Stamp Club projects, publication calls.....I just keep pluggin' away.

So - let me tell you a bit about these pages.... Like I said, each person's page was to contain a letter to the graduate about memories, etc. Do you see the letter on this page???

No?

Look again!

Did you see that tab at the top....I stuck it in there. The letter was too big, and would have consumed the whole page.

I wanted to keep the same feeling on my pull out as I did on the actual page, so repeated the chocolate scalloped edge, and added some flowers.

And you all know how I like dimension on my cards....same goes for scrapbooking.

Check out the sheen in the paper. THis paper is from the Sweet and Sour DSP. I really like that embossed flourish on here.

Here is the facing page. I continued the flowers and did you notice the actual stitching on there?

And that same flourish is on this side too, but turned.

Do you like? Do you ever scrapbook for someone else? Have you been scrapping this month? I'd like to hear what you've got going on. Leave some comment love would ya?

Let the Scrapbooking begin!!!

2011-04-29T14:13:00.002-05:00

Stampin' Up has announced that they are starting the National Scrapbooking Month Promotion 2 days early! Click on the banner above to get all the details or CLICK HERE.

In addition to this awesome promotion....Now is a wonderful time to join my Stampin' Up! Team! Why? Ya better sit down for this:

The Digital + Starter Kit is 30% off the entire month of May. I'm NOT kidding! Isn't that an awesome deal? 30% off. So, not only will you get My Digital Studio, you will also get lots of great stampin' supplies, and you can customize what stamp sets and ink pads and markers you get. All for $122.50 That's really a HUGE deal. And if you wanted to add the Stampin' Memories Add-On, you can for a mere $35. FOR REAL!

It's a simple process - head on over to my website: http://jenarkfeld.stampinup.net and click on the Start Your Own Business icon in the upper right corner. The sign up process is VERY easy!

Keep in mind, you'll be starting YOUR own Business. You can work as much as you want or as little as you want. While you may own your own business, you are not in business alone! I am here to help you with whatever you may need.

Maybe you just want to earn a discount on those products that you love so much. Bingo - perfect time to do so!

What are you waiting for? Become a demo today!

Mom Gift Tins

2011-04-27T14:39:00.005-05:00

Howdy folks. I told ya I'd be back for some exciting news! This first tin I'm showing you today was showcased over on the October Afternoon website today! Hop on over there and take a look! I used mostly October Afternoon goodies that I had gotten in my Santa Sacks last Christmas. Ummmm, I have to say there were some really fun things in there!

Wouldn't your Mom lover getting a gift card in this fun tin? I love the vintage goodness of the patterned paper, and added some layered scallop trim and ric rak to give it a bit of an aprony feel. The doily image was cut with my Silhouette.

Here's the inside:

Isn't it adorable?

The flower was cut with the Big Shot (which I do love more that my Silhouette) and the SU Birds and Blooms die.

And here's another using an October Afternoon Wild Card:

Can't you just wrap yourself up in that vintage feel? It feels so homey to me.

Did I ever tell you that I used to fantasize about being June Clever when I grew up? While I have the role, I could never play it as well as she does. But I still swoon for those slower, less materialistic and more neighborly days.

The inside is pretty clean and simple. I always like to leave some space for a personal message.

I love the look of that Pinking Hearts Border Punch from SU. Worked perfectly with this one.

And in case you are wondering.....these are up for grabs on my Etsy Shop. Link is over on the right hand side of the ol' blog!

Ta Ta!

My Digital madness!

2011-04-26T22:32:00.003-05:00

Remember the other day I was talking about how great the My Digital Studio new downloads were - I think it was more the just the other day - probably about a week ago. Well - the above is an example of some cuteness that you can easily create. (FYI - I tried to enlarge this pic and it just gets more pixelated so if anyone can tell the girly how to overcome that I would be ever so grateful!) You can click on the pic to enlarge. Do you remember how I was talking about the super trendy, so cool Delightful Digital Tape? Yeah - that's how I colored her dress in. Almost a watercolor look to it! Super!
Gonna keep this short and sweet - it's late (for me) and I gotta get up super early so Aubrie and Alex and I can head to "the city" to do some marathon shopping and be back to pick up Will at school at noon! Please say a prayer for me. It could get interesting!
I may be back with a tib bit of exciting news tho on Wednesday....stay tuned!

Card uses Sweet Serendade Stamp Brush and Sweet Details paper.

I'm in HEAVEN......

2011-04-26T11:37:00.003-05:00

Yeah - I logged into Stampin' Up's website today and checked out the new Digital Downloads for the day. My chin hit the floor, and a puddle of drool suddenly emerged. There it was. Some of my favorite DSP of all times. Just waiting to be downloaded! Maine Blueberry! Sweet Main Blueberry. Paper that I've been hoarding for a couple of years and have been using only snippets of here and there because I don't want it to disappear from my stash. Now I can have it in digital form and NEVER run out. And NOW there is a digi stamp to go along with it. I think I may have piddled! I'm too excited!
The pennants. Yeah, gotta have those too! Pennants are HOT. I must have them. Must.

I know you want all these downloads too. Just go to my website -

http://jenarkfeld.stampinup.net, Click on Shop Now in the upper right corner, then select Digital Designing. You will surely find all kinds of wonderful digital things you must have!

OR CLICK HERE to go directly there.

Happy Shopping!

Hope your Easter was Blessed!

2011-04-25T09:54:00.004-05:00

I hope all of you had a fabulous Easter, and took the time to reflect on the true meaning on Easter.

We had a great day, and it was sunny for the first time in about two weeks. So nice to see the sun. We started the day off with a great Easter Service at church, then headed over to my Grandparents for a delicious meal and time with family. All of us enjoyed some time outdoors, walking, stroller rides for Aubrie, baseball for the boys. It was wonderful. Lots of tired kids by the end of the day, and one tired hubby too.

Here were my contributions to the kiddos Easter baskets:

I saw this idea on the Bo Bunny website, and just knew I had to redo! I grabbed as many Pumpkin Pie DSP sheets as I could find. Most of which were retired. But, it was good to use up some of my stash. Same thing goes for the green "leaves". I actually pulled those out of my scrap drawer and then let Will run them thru my paper crimper.

The labels were easily mass produced, with more scraps. The white scallops were stamped with the Dot, Dot, Dot set in a stamped off shade of Perfect Plum. The sentiments were a mix from All Holidays and A Good Egg.

Sorry for the fuzzy pics. I had to take these on a quick fly by as we were trying to get the kids ready for church.

That's if for today....hope you liked!

My Digital Studio Release!

2011-04-21T08:39:00.005-05:00

Hi all! Have you been checking out some of the new releases for the My Digital Studio program? Every Tuesday Stampin' Up! has been releasing new papers, new stamp brushes, new embellishments. Some of these items are exclusive to My Digitial Studio - at least as far as I know. Last week there was some tape embellishments that are - ummm - really awesome. If you keep up with paper crafting trends, you know that decorative tape is HOT! Well, the digital tape comes in several colors and several "tear" images. Some torn pieces are overlapping each other, some are long torn edges, etc. I was playing with these last night, and was able to "color" the inside portion of a dress. ( I'll post the card later today if I get the chance )

Anyway, there are so many cool techniques I've been learning with MDS, I think it's time to share! I'll be hosting another class on MDS soon. Just need to book the meeting room and I'll let you know. In the meantime, go check out all of the newest releases here.