Meet today's card....

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!

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....

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...

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!

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!

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

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??

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!

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!

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.

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

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!!!

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....

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!

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??? :)

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......