What a year! What a month!

Earlier this year I moved from the province of Alberta out to the west coast. This was my first Christmas here on the Sunshine Coast. And it was a wet one. The rain did let up a bit on Christmas Day, which was good as I was in charge of 12 dogs here at the Mountain and Wave Dog Resort. We were able to spend some time outside in the afternoon. When it started getting dark, we headed inside for nap time.

This is in the huge dog room. There are dog beds covering the floor as well as various pieces of furniture for the dogs to relax on.

They don't look like it in these photos, but they were actually a pretty lively bunch! It was fun to spend the day with dogs and a welcome break from my job. Yes, I now have a job. After a 4-month break I decided it was time to go back to work. I am a part-time cashier at a very, very busy pharmacy. I started on Halloween. The whole month of December has been extremely busy and I had to work the 23rd, 24th and 26th.

Also, one of my sisters and her husband made the move out here at the beginning of Dec. Other family members came out to visit and help them get settled in. Needless to say, I haven't had a lot of time for stamping or blogging!

Just want to share one of my few Christmas projects - a gift bag, sometimes called a Bag-a-lope, made from a large business size envelope. This is a technique I love to demonstrate at workshops.

Here's what I used for the envelope:

Stamps: En Francais background stamp, Bells and Boughs

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Crumb Cake

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla

For the card;

Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Always Artichoke

Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Deck the Halls DSP

Now it's time to focus on spring projects. There are some delightful stamps, DSP and embellishments in the new Occasions Mini Catalogue which is coming out January 4. Later in the month, starting January 25, it's Sale-a-Bration time! This is a great time to earn fabulous FREE stamp sets!!

In the meantime, have a Very Stamping Day!

In stitches ...

Knitting stitches, that is! Like many stampers, I have in the past done many other crafty-type things. Such as knitting. I love this set called Hand Knit. It can be found on page 65 in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue. While doing some blog surfing, I came across some very cute things done with this set. Sorry, I don't remember who to give credit to for the originals. I try to keep notes of designs I CASE (copy and share everything), but have misplaced the note for these.

With winter - and Christmas - approaching, I'm sure many knitters are busily working on wonderful creations destined to be cozy gifts for someone special. What better way to make it extra-wonderful than to include a hand-stamped gift tag such as one of these:

Here's what I used:
Stamps: Hand Knit
Paper: Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Real Red, Night of Navy, Whisper White, Confetti Cream, Bella Rose DSP (retired)
Ink: Real Red, Marina Mist
Other: Eyelet Border Punch, Modern Label Punch, Large Oval Punch, Round Tab Punch, Extra-Large Tag Punch, Crop-a-Dile, Corner Rounder Punch

Now, I must get back to creating. Have a Very Stamping Day!

A sad card to make

I had a request to make a sympathy card for someone who had lost a pet. I was given a picture of Arnie to use and this is what I did:

Stamps: D is for Dog

Paper: Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, River Rock, Very Vanilla

Ink: Always Artichoke

Other: Texturz Embossing Plate, Big Shot, brads

I had actually met Arnie a couple of times. He was a very sweet springer spaniel who had been rescued from a bad situation and was lucky enough to spend a few years with people who really cared about him.



Holiday a la Carte

The eagerly awaited Holiday Mini Catalogue has so many gorgeous stamps, ribbon, Designer Series Paper and even fabric that it is hard to keep my wish list from growing! If you are a fan of vintage or love the Christmas cards you remember from childhood, you will love the stamp sets in this catalogue. I had to order a few and then it was tough decided what to try first.

I finally decided to show you what I did with one of the stamps from the a la Carte collection. This is an assortment of single stamps that are very affordably priced and ideal for stampers at all levels. This stamp is called Christmas Postcard and is perfect for my favourite technique of watercolouring.

Stamps: Christmas Postcard
Paper: Cherry Cobbler, Crumb Cake, Always Artichoke, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Crumb Cake and markers in Cherry Cobbler, Rose Red, Daffodil Delight, River Rock, Old Olive and Always Artichoke
Other: Victoria Crochet Trim, Newsprint DSP, ticket corner punch

Click on the Holiday Mini on the left to go to my Stampin' Up web site, then click on Shop Now to place an order on-line. Or contact me if you would like to know how you can get some of these gorgeous products free by hosting a work shop!

Check back for more Holiday Mini projects and have a Very Stamping Day!

The Higgledy Piggledy Parade

I got to see my very first Higgledy Piggledy Parade! The little town of Roberts Creek on the Sunshine Coast does things in a big way for its annual Creek Daze celebration. I had enquired earlier this month about putting a table in the craft fair but had been told that all the spaces were booked. Then I got an email the day before the event asking if I was still interested as there had been some cancellations.

Well, it was a scramble but I managed to pull some things together and my Mom donated a few items, such as the Flower Power Bags. My Mom and my sister Kathy also spent the day with me. It was a blast! My spot was right on the bridge of the road that leads down to the ocean and what a view we had. Check this out:

View of the Pacific Ocean from the bridge in Roberts Creek. That's Vancouver Island you can see in the distance.

Apparently over 200 people took part in the parade. Here are just a few of them:

There were decorated bicycles ...

... and people on stilts ...

... and a "float" from a local business featuring the signature emblem of Roberts Creek - the gumboot ...

... and dogs ...

... and hula hoops ...

... and what parade doesn't need a ghost??

After the parade, everyone headed down to the Mandala where the entertainment went on all day with local musicians and singers performing all day:

The Mandala is freshly painted every summer.

There were lots of booths selling a wide variety of products and food. Here are a couple of my favourites:

Street food, Asian style.

Wind chimes - Roberts Creek style.

I met a lot of interesting people, such as this young woman in her delightful hat:

All in all it was a tiring but very fun day. I sold enough to cover the fee as well as the table I bought to display my wares. I am on the list of vendors for the Christmas Craft Fair and I'm really looking forward to that! I'm planning for it already.

I have some projects to share with you next time, so be sure to check back. Have a Very Stamping Day!

My Mom!

Today's post is dedicated to my Mom. She is a master recycler! Give her almost any object and she can make something out of it. For a few years now she has been taking plastic shopping bags, cutting them into strips and then crocheting them into other useful objects. She has made a round, 4-ft. in diameter rug for a deck, numerous fishing hats and over 200 tote bags. Everyone in the family saves plastic bags for her as many businesses out here on the Sunshine Coast either don't use them anymore, charge for them, or use biodegradeable bags. This is a messenger bag she made and gave to me. Lucky me!

Since I am still unpacking, I have been going through clothes that I know will never fit me again in this life! So, I took a bunch of jeans and my Big Shot and the Scallop Square die and the Bigz Island Floral die and the Bigz Clear Flower die and the Beautiful Butterflies die to my Mom's one day and this is what happened! I call them Flower Power Bags.

Bag #1

Bag #2 Front

Bag #2 - Back

This is a great way to recycle old, worn out denim jeans and clothes that would otherwise be thrown away.

Have a Very Stamping Day!

Gone to the dogs!

Since I am living at a Dog Resort and also working on a casual part-time basis with the dogs, I just had to have this Level 2 Hostess Set in the new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue - contact me to find out how you can earn this cute set FREE - and this is what I've done with it so far.

I also used the D is for Dog set for the paw prints and bone images. And the cardstock is all new colours! The base is Cajun Craze and I layered Daffodil Delight and Pear Pizzaz then Whisper White. The ink is Cajun Craze and Early Espresso. A very easy card to make!

I'm off to play with the dogs again. Have a Very Stamping Day!

Cake anyone?

It's been exactly two weeks today since I arrived here on the Sunshine Coast. Every day has been a wonderful adventure, full of new sights and spending time with some of my sisters and my Mom. In fact, I've been so busy visiting and sight seeing that I have hardly done any unpacking. But, I think I'm avoiding the boxes because I moved out of a two-storey, 3-bedroom house with a LARGE storage shed which was full of boxes - into a 3-ROOM apartment with very limited closet and storage space. That means I'm going to have to make some brutal decisions as to what I really, really want to keep. Other than my stamping stuff, of course! It may be painful, but I will have to face it.


Needless to say, I haven't been doing a lot of stamping lately. However, I had an order waiting for me here at my new address and I finally had to play. I saw these Tealight Cakes on Splitcoast Stampers and had to break into my new package of Greenhouse Gala DSP to make them. They are really fun to make. This is what I came up with:

And here is a top view:

This is what I used to make these:

Paper: Greenhouse Gala DSP, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Blue, Pear Pizzazz

Punches: 2-step Bird Punch (for leaves), Boho Blossoms

Other: battery operated tea lights, Tombo Multi glue, white gel pen

I'm really enjoying being so close to the ocean! With views like this, who wouldn't like it?

I promise I will get back to doing more regular posts - in between unpacking, of course! In the mean time, check out the brand new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue for some great new products and ideas and have a Very Stamping Day!

Tropical Invitation

What a long time has passed since my last post! In my defence, I have been a bit distracted by some events that happened very quickly. The most major event is that I sold my house, quit my job and I'm planning on moving to the west coast of British Columbia!! I'm very excited about it as I am moving to the Sunshine Coast where my Mom and my youngest sister have been living for almost 25 years.

So I have been busy packing, packing, packing!! My goodness I have a lot of stuff. And I haven't even started on my stamping stuff yet. It's getting down to crunch time, so I have to get going on that right away - like tomorrow!! I was debating whether or not I should pack it first - so I wouldn't be tempted - or leave it till last - for stress relief.

I also held off on placing my pre-order for the new catalogue that will be available on July 1. I finally got my order in yesterday and it's being shipped to my new address. Now I really can't wait to get there! There is some fabulous stuff in the new catty.

Once my friends and co-workers heard the news, I got a few "rushed" orders for cards before I leave town. Also was asked to make invitations for a 50th birthday party for the father of a co-worker who happens to be a Parrothead. I'm also a Parrothead and was excited to be able to use the Tropical Party stamp set from the Summer Mini. It was the first thing on my wish list, along with the Island Oasis Designer Series Paper. I CASED the design from Cherie Franklin. Take a look:

Stamp Sets: Tropical Party, Elements of Style
Paper: Pacific Point, Tangerine Tango, Glossy White, Whisper White, Island Oasis DSP
Ink: Sahara Sand, Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette and markers in Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun
Accessories: markers, circle punches, sponges

This will  probably be my last post until I'm settled in my new home. I'm hoping to be on the road by the end of this week. Thanks for stopping by and have a Very Stamping Day!

Summer Mini Madness!

There are so many things I love about the Summer Mini Catalogue. To see what's in it, click on the link to the left to go to my Stampin' Up web site or click here .

The first thing I want to share with you today is another project using the Elements of Style stamp set. Can you tell I really, really like it? Here is what I used to make this:

Stamps: Elements of Style, Sincere Salutations

Paper: Sahara Sand, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Rich Razzleberry, So Saffron, Regal Rose, Old Olive, Mellow Moss, Sahara Sand

Accessories: Big Shot, Top Note Die, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, markers, Aqua Painter, sponge, Wide Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch

And here is how I did it:
First, I stamped the big flower image from Elements of Style using Close to Cocoa ink on Sahara Sand cardstock. I then coloured it using my favourite watercolour technique and Stampin' Up markers. Then I ran it through the Big Shot using the Top Note Die. I trimmed it following the line of perforations left by the die. I put it through the Big Shot again, this time using the Square Lattice Textured Impressions folder. Love the texture this creates! Using a sponge, I rubbed Sahara Sand ink all over it. This gives it even more texture and depth.


I mounted this image on Old Olive cardstock. Now, because I like to try to use every scrap, I took the cut-out left over from using the Top Note die, and placed it around the image. Because I had trimmed the image, this leaves a nice border of Old Olive showing through, and nothing gets wasted! This was then mounted on the card base of Rich Razzleberry.


The sentiment from Sincere Salutations was stamped on Sahara Sand using Rich Razzleberry ink and punched out with the Large Oval Punch. It was mounted on Rich Razzleberry punched out with the Wide Oval Punch. "Thinking of You" is a sentiment that could be used for many different occasions.


CASEing Shelli
I have been faithfully following the experiences of Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up, as she criss-crosses the continent conducting a series of Workshops of a Lifetime. Several demonstrators in Canada and the US won the privilege of having Shelli visit their homes and actually conduct a workshop! I can just imagine what an awesome event it would be, to watch Shelli do a workshop.


On her blog, So Shelli, she writes about each workshop and posts the projects for each one. They are always inspiring and amazingly simple yet striking at the same time. Perfect to do for Make 'n Takes. I just had to CASE this next project.


Here are the supplies used:
Stamps: Favourite Thoughts, Tropical Party
Paper: Whisper White, Taken With Teal, Island Oasis DSP
Ink: Old Olive
Accessories: 5-Petal Punch, Big Shot, Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, mat pack, paper pierceing tool, brad (non-SU)

This card was very quick and easy to make. In fact, I did several of them and used all of the stamps in the Favourite Thoughts stamp set. I had to make a couple of substitutions. Shelli had used Tempting Turquoise for her flowers, a colour I don't have but will be ordering soon, as the Taken With Teal that I used will be discontinued soon. I also didn't have yellow SU brad to use for the centre of the flower.

For the flowers, I ran a piece of cardstock through the Big Shot, using the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and then punched out the flowers with the 5-Petal Punch.

The pattern from Island Oasis Designer Series Paper really lends itself to this design, as it is perfect for cutting in a strip.

I'm going to send one of these cards to each of my 5 sisters. If any of them are reading this, watch your mail closely!

If you like what you've seen here, there are many more great products in the Summer Mini Catalogue. Products can be ordered from this mini until August 31.

Thanks for stopping by and Have a Very Stamping Day!

Best Friends!

Just a very quick post before I go to work. I snapped this photo on Sunday. The mini-dachshund stretched across both pillows is my dog, Milo. The other one is Teller, who has been staying with us for a while. They are both the same age - 13. It's a good thing they like each other!

Summer Mini Catalogue now available!

Just had to do another post tonight to let you know the new Summer Mini Catalogue is now available. Just click on the picture to go to my Stampin' Up web site, then click on Shop Now and you can view this catalogue as well as all the other current catalogues.

If you would like to book a workshop and earn free product and cool hostess gifts, contact me to set one up for you.

You can also order on-line through my Stampin' Up web site.

The first thing that caught my eye and that I just knew I had to have was the Elements of Style stamp set. It is gorgeous and has so many possibilites! Here is the very first card I created with this set. I can't claim it as an original design. It is a total CASE (Copy And Share Everything) of a card done by Heather Mills in the Shabby Chic style.

Stamps: Elements of Style, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Sanded Background Stamp
Paper: Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, Sahara Sand
Ink: Sahara Sand, Close to Cocoa and markers in So Saffron, Old Olive, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Aqua Painter, Very Vintage Brads, Scallop Border Punch, Word Window Punch, Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Linen Thread, Bone Folder, sponges
Technique: watercolouring, distressing, sponging

I stamped the flower image using Close to Cocoa Classic Ink on Sahara Sand cardstock. With the markers, I scribbled them on top of a plastic stamp case and picked up the colour with the Aqua Painter. This makes the colours very subtle, like watercolour painting. It's also easy to build up shading with this technique.

To do the distressing, I used the Bone Folder to rough up the edges and create the folds and tears. Using a sponge dauber, I dragged the Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon across the Sahara Sand ink pad to dirty it up a bit.

I love this look and this stamp set. Check back to see what else I've done with it!

Dogs and Stamping!

What a fun weekend! Yesterday I spent the day at a Fun Match with some friends from the Crowsnest Pass and Lundbreck. Judi ( http://sawhda.blogspot.com/ and http://shadowbarshepherds.blogspot.com/ ) was judging at the event which was held at Paws on the Run. I got to meet her new Shelty pup, Drummer Boy. He's only 19 weeks old (I think) but he sure is a bright and cheerful little guy and can already do some obedience and Rally. Here he is doing his down/stay.

What is a Fun Match you ask? It is a practice dog show. It's an opportunity for handlers and their dogs to do the same routine they would do at a dog show with a similar type of set up and a judge. It gives them an idea of what still needs to be worked on and what is working well.


Judi also brought two of her German shepherds, Swayze and Mesa.

My friend Sharlet brought her GSD Ryder, but for some reason I didn't get a picture of him yesterday! He is such a nice dog and has stayed at my house, along with Sharlet. He is a joy to have around and gets along very well with my mini-dachshund, Milo and my cat, Jack. This is a photo of Sharlet and Ryder that I took last November at the Lethbridge Dog Show.

And now for the stamping part!

I had the whole month of April to do the colour challenge issued by my upline, Lisa. Inspiration eluded me for the whole month. I finally started working on my project at 9 p.m. Friday night. I had to have it finished and posted by midnight! Made it just under the wire.


I decided to make a Flowerpot card. The challenge was to use So Saffron, Dusty Durango and Old Olive. For a neutral I went with Sahara Sand. I'm liking that colour a whole lot.


The ruffled flower was done by punching So Saffron and Dusty Durango cardstock with the Scallop Circle Punch. Ran them through the paper crimper many times and then crumpled and scrunched them until the layers pulled apart. Piled the layers on top of each other and held together with a brad.


For the other flowers I used various sizes of circle punches. Ran them through the crimper and scrunched then pulled layers apart. The So Saffron flower is held together by sewing a button from Button Latte on it using Linen Thread and a needle. The Dusty Durango flower is held together with a brad from Vintage Brads.

I stamped the Happy Mother's Day sentiment on Sahara Sand with Dusty Durango and punched out with the Word Window Punch. It's mounted on the Modern Label punched out of Old Olive.


For texture on the bottom of the pot, I stamped in Sahara Sand Classic Ink with the Sanded background stamp. The edge of the "rim" is done with the Eyelet Border Punch. I used Linen Thread to tie it around the Very Vanilla Taffeta ribbon.

And now I better get some of the chores done that I didn't do yesterday! But, I figure chores can always wait and I would rather spend time with friends I don't get to see very often. And of course, anything to do with dogs is too much for me to resist!

Thanks for stopping by!

What a month!

I hadn't planned to take this long a break between posts, but some kind of very tenacious virus got hold of me Easter weekend. Had to take a couple of days off work and had no energy for anything - even stamping! Finally starting to feel like I'm getting back to normal - whatever normal is!

We had a severe spring storm here last Wednesday with lots of heavy, heavy wet snow. Our power was off for many hours and I couldn't go to work (no power at the store), couldn't vacuum or do laundry, couldn't do any cooking (no coffee either!!). But I could stamp! So I made some more tulips using the Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch from the Occasions Mini Catalogue. (Items in this mini are still available until April 30.)

Both cards were for people I work with. The first one is for a girl who says her favourite colour is black. So I thought there probably are black tulips somewhere! I sponged the edges of the tulips with Whisper White Craft Ink. The "grass" is made with Garden Green card stock punched with the Eyelet Border Punch and run through the crimper. I then used the Paper Snips to make the "blades" of grass. The Whisper White CS was run through the Big Shot using the Texturz Impressions and the bottom is punched with the Scallop Border Punch. The sentiment is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and stamped on Whisper White CS punched out with the Word Window Punch and mounted on Basic Black CS punched with the Modern Label Punch.

For the next card I went back to Perfect Plum, Rose Red and Summer Sun for the tulips. I just got the Bigz Clear Large Scallop Square die and punched it out using Whisper White CS. The recipient of this card is a fan of pink, so I used Rose Red for the base. The bottom of the Rose Red is stamped with the vine stamp from Vintage Vogue using Rose Red Classic Ink. The sentiment is from Sincere Salutations, stamped in Rose Red on Whisper White CS and punched out with the Large Oval Punch then mounted on Rose Red CS punched with the Scallop Oval Punch.

Ok, I think I have the tulip thing out of my system now! I have lots of new stamps and a new embossing folder to play with, so check back to see what I've been doing!

Punch Fun

In my last post I showed you how to use the 2-step bird punch. This time I'll show you a variation by using just selected parts of the punch. I've seen this done on a few sites and loved the one done by Julia Bettancourt.

I used Perfect Plum, Summer Sun, Rose Red, Certainly Celery, Old Olive and Whisper White cardstock. The Whisper White CS was run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Details Texturz Plate. To change it up a bit, I then used the Top Note die on some of the embossed CS.

The tulips were made by punching only the wing part on the Two-Step Bird Punch. Each "petal" was then sponged with the corresponding ink. For the stems, I used Certainly Celery and just punched the branch part, leaving out the leaves.

On the sample not using the Top Note die, I was trying to think what to use in place of ribbon. There happened to be a scrap laying near-by of Old Olive CS that I had punched for another project, using the Eyelet Border punch and then ran through the crimper. So I picked it up and used the Paper Snips to cut into it to make it look like grass and placed it over the bottoms of the stems.

I thought these designs would be good to use as Easter cards and used the sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes - such a useful set! - stamped on Whisper White and punched with the Word Window Punch and then layered on the Perfect Plum CS punched with the Modern Label Punch.

There are many things I love about Stampin' Up products. One of those things is the versatility of the punches. I love the Extra Large Two-Step Bird Punch. It's a new punch design that I find much easier to use and it also is easier to store. This punch is available until April 30 in the Occasions Mini Catalogue.

The punch has 3 elements: the bird body, the wing and a branch with leaves. In this first sample, I used it with both the bird part and the branch part and I paired it with the basket from the Basket & Blooms die for the Bigshot. Both of these are in the 2009 - 2010 Idea Book & Catalogue.

First I sponged clouds on Whisper White card stock. I used a torn sticky-note and sponged around it with Bashful Blue. Then I tore more sticky-notes and placed them across the bottom part of the card stock and sponged in the grassy area with Certainly Celery. The grass was stamped with the Inspired by Nature set in Garden Green.

For the basket I used Bella Bleu Designer Series Paper and trimmed down the sides. The edges were sponged with So Saffron. The bird's wing is also from the Bella Bleu DSP. I coloured the beak with a Pumpkin Pie marker and used a Basic Black marker for the eye.

The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes and stamped in Garden Green on Whisper White, layered on So Saffron punched out with the Modern Label punch. I used Linen Thread to "hang" it from the bird's beak.

Does the cyber-world really need one more blog?

Apparently! So here I am.

I am a Stampin' Up demo and also work in the photo lab of a pharmacy chain store. Stamping has been my creative outlet for almost seven years now, and I am still excited when the new catalogues and minis come out. I love all the techniques I have learned through the years, but my all-time favourite is watercolouring. I think it's because I've always wished I could be an artist. That's the appeal of stamping to me - it makes my feel like an artist. So I'd like to share with you my latest attempt at being an artist. This was inspired by a design I saw on Splitcoast Stampers.

The stamp set is Peace Within. I embossed the image on Kraft card stock by first loading the stamp with Versamark and then Chocolate Chip Classic Ink. Then I bleached the areas I wanted to colour in, except for the chair. On the chair I used the white watercolour pencil.

My preferred method of watercolouring is to use the markers and scribble them on the lid of a stamp case and then pick up the colour with an aquapainter. Markers used for this were Not Quite Navy, Summer Sun and Old Olive. The centres of the flowers were done with a white gel pen.

The image was matted on Whisper White CS and the bottom edge punched with the new Scallop Trim Border punch from the Sale-a-Bration mini. That was matted on Summer Sun and the base is Old Olive.