Happy Halloween!

Look at these CUTE gifts I got in the mail from my mom today!



She made these using the Top Note die and the Sizzix Big Shot machine. They're just the right size for a Reese's pumpkin and a Starbucks card! Yay! Thanks, mom! She's the best!



Don't forget to sign up for the coaster class! I'll extend the deadline to Saturday, November 1st. Remember, you get to make sets of 4 personalized stone coasters for only $10! The ink on the coasters will not run, and you can make them to match any decor! Email me (cari@ksu.edu) to register today!

Happy Stamping!

You Make Me Laugh

Here's a little card that was so fast and easy! You just have to try this card!



Stamp Set: Say It With Scallops, Chit Chat rub-ons
Colors: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Riding Hood Red
Accessory: Button Bouquet

Happy Stamping!

Coaster Class--and you're invited!

These coasters are fun and fast to make, and they're sure to be a hit with your friends and family this Christmas! Come make as many sets of coasters as you please, and customize them however you want! Get all your Christmas shopping done in one night!

You’ll have open access to all my stamp sets and all the Stampin’ Up! ink colors!
The cost is $10 per set of 4 coasters (includes coaster wrap). Just email me (cari@ksu.edu) by Friday, October 31st and tell me how many sets you plan to make!

These are my monogram coasters:

...but you can make yours however you like!

Manhattan Class Times

• Tuesday, November 4th 7-9p
• Sunday, November 9th 2-4p

Topeka Class Time

• Wednesday, November 5th 7-9p

**Registration deadline is Friday, October 31st**

Happy Stamping!

Halloween Treats!

Happy Halloween! (almost) As usual, something went off in my crazy brain and said, "Make Halloween gifts for all of your employees!" This same little voice seems to always speak when any kind of holiday is on its way...so here's what I made:



These little 3" x 3" cards were inspired again by Kristina. She has such cute stuff on her blog! Here's an up close look at one of the cards:



I did use the retired Halloween DSP from last fall. I have a whole bunch of it left over! The solid colors I used were: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Kiwi Kiss, and Orchid Opulence.

For the glitter band, I simply cut a piece of Whisper White card stock to about 1/2" x 4-1/4". I then ran the card stock through the Versamark ink pad, leaving about an inch at one end for me to hold onto without getting my fingers icky. Since I only actually needed 3" of glitter, I only inked up a little over 3" of the strip. After completely covering the card stock with Versamark, I covered the strip in Heat & Stick powder. Using the heat tool, I melted the powder. I then sprinkled purple glitter on the sticky part and re-heated the strip to set the glitter. I cut the strip to be 1/2" x 3" and adhered it to my card! Yay for glitter!



What would Halloween be without a little candy (even for fitness center employees!)? Using my Word Window Punch, I made a slot on each side of the card to hold a mini Hershey's bar. To make sure my slots lined up, I carefully measured where the slots should be on a scrap piece of 3" x 3" card stock. After punching those slots, I used that scrap paper as a guide. It only took me a few minutes to punch all 25 cards!

Thanks for looking!

Stamp Set: Batty for You
Colors: Basic Black, Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Really Rust, Kiwi Kiss, and Orchid Opulence

Happy Stamping!

Coaster Class

I apologize for the late notice. My coaster class was originally scheduled for tomorrow night (October 28) and Sunday afternoon (November 2) in Manhattan. I have had to reschedule both Manhattan class times due to conflicts. The coaster class will be held on both Tuesday, November 4th from 7-9p and on Sunday, November 9th from 2-4p in Manhattan. The same class will be held in Topeka on Wednesday, November 5th from 7-9p.

If you are on my mailing list, you will receive an invitation soon. I hope you can make it!

Christmas Cheer!

How about a little Christmas cheer for you on this dreary, rainy, almost wintry day?



I copied this idea from Kristina on her blog. It was pretty simple to make, and I always love Christmas things :-)

Supplies: Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi (retired), Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit (retired), Silver stretchy cord (current--Holiday mini catalog)

Happy Stamping!

Pop Can Tutorial

I've been duly corrected with my terminology. I did not use just any old pop can for my samples. Instead, I used exclusively Diet Dr. Pepper cans as they of course are the best type of can :-)

Additionally, I've had a few requests for a tutorial on how to use a Diet Dr. Pepper can in the Big Shot. Unfortunately, I let my mom borrow my Big Shot and all my dies, so all I have is the Diet Dr. Pepper can part :-) I'll finish the tutorial without pictures for now.

**Be sure to watch for the cut edges of the can. You are cutting metal, and the edges can become VERY sharp**

Step 1: Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut through the rim of the can at the mouth of the can. I used my rubber scissors as I no longer need them to cut stamps (yay for die-cut stamps!)


Step 2: Cut the top of the can off. Be sure to cut right on the edge of the "lip" of the can. If you cut too far into the flat part of the can, your can won't be wide enough to fit on the die. If you don't cut far enough, your can won't lay flat. You may have to play around with the cutting of the can until you find a place that works best for you (because all cans are not created equal--they are all inferior to the Diet Dr. Pepper can).




Step 3: Cut a straight line to the bottom lip of the can.


Step 4: Cut the bottom of the can off in the same way that you cut off the top of the can.


Step 5: You now have a nearly flat surface. Since your can has been in a cylinder for most of its life, it will want to curl.

I just take the can and roll it up in the opposite direction to help flatten it out. Once you run it through the Big Shot, it will be plenty flat, but it helps to flatten it to begin with (especially if you're trying to adhere it to something before you cut it).


From here, you are ready to send the can through the Big Shot. When I made the albums I showed a few days ago, I adhered the pop can to a piece of card board before I sent it through the Big Shot. Click here to see the full post.

Be sure to always put the good side down on the die when you use the Big Shot. This way your image will always look correct!

Happy Stamping!

life is good...

...yes it is :-) Although things in my life have been completely crazy over the past few months, it's been helpful to think about all the good things in my life. I have all my basic needs, plus I have an amazing husband and family and I get to stamp! I know it's not Thanksgiving yet, but there's never a bad time to count your blessings!

Despite the fact that I've tried my best to think about all the good things in my life and have a good attitude today, this card did not end up on my list of good things...



I tried another Mojo Monday sketch from Julee (which usually results in an amazing card), but unfortunately, today I did not have the mojo going! Oh well! Maybe it was the circle...I really don't do well with circles! But at least it gave me a reason to get out the good 'ole Coluzzle :-)

Stamp Sets: Best Wishes & More, Text & Texture
Colors: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Really Rust, Kiwi Kiss

Happy Stamping!

Autumn Album

Well, I mentioned a few days ago that I was having a really good time embossing on pop cans and cutting fun embellishments with the Big Shot...so it's no surprise that I created another embossing-on-a-pop-can project :-)



I LOVE how this turned out! The leaves look engraved on the aluminum!



This look was so easy to create! All I did was use the Versamark ink pad to randomly stamp the leaf image from "Best Wishes & More" on the aluminum pop can. Then I covered the stamped images with clear embossing powder. I shook off the excess powder and heated the can. Be careful! Aluminum is a heat conductor (at least I learned something in Chemistry...). I just set my can on top of a piece of scrap paper on the ground to emboss it. I made sure it was cool before I picked it up :-)

Then to make the fun album, I used the cardboard that comes in the back of every package of Designer Series Paper and cut pieces that were 4" x 5". I adhered the pop can to one side (good side facing out), and adhered a piece of DSP to the other side of the cardboard. The cardboard was completed covered and only served as a sturdy "core" piece for my album.

Once all the layers were adhered together, I put the pop can/cardboard/DSP (all adhered together and all at one time) into the Big Shot on top of the Top Note die. Ta-da! The album cover! I cut three more pages just like this (except with DSP on both sides of the card stock). I then used my Crop-a-Dile to punch through all 4 pages (yes, all at the same time--a total of 4 pieces of cardboard, 7 sheets of DSP, and a pop can!!). I used 1-5/8" Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon to hold the album together. Yay! Now all I need are some Autumn pictures :-)

Here are a couple other similar albums I have made (no embossing on these):



I made this album for my friend after her bachelorette party and mailed it to her as a little memento from the evening. I used the pop can for the cover and the Pretty In Pink Prints DSP for the album pages.




We always refer to our family as "The Fam." I guess it's kinda an inside joke, but really I just ran out of room to write the whole word "family" in chipboard :-) Here's the inside page of this album. I really like this image on the DSP from the Sweet Always Designer Series Paper pack:



If you'd like to use the Big Shot to make an album like this of your own, be sure to register for the Topeka Big Shot class coming this Thursday, October 23rd at my mom's house. Contact me for more info!

Happy Stamping!

Topeka Big Shot

I've heard through the grapevine that some of you don't know what the Big Shot is and you're scared to come to the class! My jaw is on the floor! This machine has completely changed the way I create! I'll do my best to explain what I can about this incredible machine, but the best way to understand this machine is to use it! That's why you'll have a chance to see and use the machine yourself this Thursday, October 23rd at my mom's house in Topeka. If you're on her mailing list, you'll receive an email soon with specifics about the class.

In the meantime, click here to see the projects I did about a month ago with the Big Shot.


This is the machine itself. It is a lightweight manual die cutting machine (it requires no electricity). It is super easy to use and can help you create beautiful shapes and accents for your cards, scrapbook pages, and home decor items.


This is a picture of the SU! exclusive Top Note die. I apologize for the low quality picture--this is the best my camera would do. Basically these dies can cut through several layers of card stock at one time to make bulk projects a snap (think Christmas cards and thank you notes)! There are two types of dies: Steel Rule dies and Chemically-Etched dies. The Steel Rule dies can cut through 8-10 sheets of card stock at one time, or you can experiment with tons of other fun materials. Here is a list of 50 materials you can cut with Steel Rule dies and the Big Shot. The Chemically-Etched dies are smaller and can only cut through one sheet of card stock at a time.

If you'd like more information, feel free to contact me or register for the Topeka Big Shot class by Wednesday, October 22nd.

Here are the three projects we'll be creating at the class on Thursday:

Mini Album (with room for up to 6 pictures):



Greeting Card:



Cute Gift Filled with Candy (perfect for ANYONE!):



The registration fee is only $20, but spots are limited! Email Cori today (cori@tfmwireless.net) to reserve your spot! Registration deadline is Wednesday, October 22nd.

Happy Stamping!

It's beginning to look a lot like...

...uh oh. It's October and the holidays are right around the corner. I know that if I don't start my Christmas cards soon, I'll never finish them before Christmas. Things just get too crazy and overwhelming to try to finish them in December. As I was trying to get into the Christmas spirit, I went a little overboard and made a card with a whole bunch of fun techniques. Hopefully you'll learn something today!

Here's the front of the card:



I used the Big Shot die cutting machine (so cool!) and the Top Note die and cut the image out of a pop can (no joke--it's a pop can). Then I used the snowflake image from the Best Wishes & More stamp set and stamped with versamark and embossed with Whisper White embossing powder to make the white snowflakes.



I did my best to get all the extra white embossing powder off of the pop can before I used the heat gun, but some specks were left. I actually like the finished look because it makes it look like a light dusting of snow. It's very Christmas-y! :-) I found that embossing on the pop can and cutting out images with the Big Shot is actually very fun and it makes for really neat stuff! I'm sure I'll be sharing more with you in the coming weeks.

As if the front wasn't cool enough, here's the inside:



SO MUCH FUN! Here's a quick tutorial on how to make the spiral pop-up on the inside of your card:

Step 1: Cut a circle with the 1-3/8" circle punch. I think this technique works a lot better with the new 1-3/4" circle punch, but sadly I don't have that punch yet.

Step 2: Start cutting around the circle making a spiral toward the center:




Step 3: Attach the center of the swirl to the inside of the card with a mini glue dot. Attach a second mini glue dot to the other end of the swirl. Simply close the card and the swirl will attach itself to the other side. Cut out 5 snowflakes. Attach one snowflake over each end of the swirl to cover the ends, and attach the other 3 snowflakes to the swirl itself. Make sure that the card will still close and the swirl will still collapse correctly when you add the snowflakes. I used mini glue dots rolled into a cylinder to attach my snowflakes to the swirl, but you could also use the 2-way glue pen. Be sure to not use too much adhesive so that the snowflakes do not stick together.



So for the card itself, I used Not Quite Navy for the card base, then I layered Baja Breeze on top of Whisper White for the front of the card. I stamped the snowflake randomly with Baja Breeze ink on the Baja Breeze layer on the front. I stamped the sentiment on the front with versamark ink and then embossed with silver embossing powder. The silver stretchy cord is from the Holiday Mini catalog. I also lined the inside of the card with Baja Breeze card stock and stamped the snowflake image randomly with versamark ink.

Colors: Not Quite Navy, Baja Breeze, Whisper White
Stamp Sets: Best Wishes & More, Heard from the Heart

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Stamping!

Drumroll please....

...and the winner is...

Camilla Roberts! Congratulations! I'll be in contact with you to get you your prize!

In case you're wondering, I did a random number generator, and Camilla's post was the lucky winner! Thank you to everyone who submitted a holiday recipe for me to try. I'm really excited to try all of them! My favorite holiday recipe is listed at the bottom. I just made a batch yesterday, and I just can't eat enough!

My birthday yesterday was one of the best birthdays so far in my life :-) When I woke up, I found this beautifully made card from my husband:



along with two tickets to see "Chicago" the musical in Topeka in a couple weeks. Although I am really excited to see Chicago (it's my favorite musical), the hand-made card from my husband was probably the best part of my day :-)

He gave me permission to post it here for you all to enjoy. I'm not sure how late he was up making the card, but I know it was pretty late based on the story he told me of making the card :-) He knew he wanted to use the "All About U" stamp set to stamp the "love U" part, but that set is retired and it's one of the sets that I have for sale. All my stamp sets that are for sale I keep in a box in the closet. Unfortunately, Ben didn't know that the All About U set was one that I was selling. He said that after he spent quite a while looking through all of my stamp sets, he remembered about that box in the closet and had to go searching for the box. He's so great! Anyway, he ended up using 3 different stamp sets, AND he even found the matching ink for the paper he had chosen. I told him that for next time I'd show him my ribbon drawer so he could add even more :-)

After the beautiful card in the morning, when I got home from work, I found this beautiful vase full of 2 dozen roses. Aww...



Anyway, I had a great birthday and I thank everyone for their kind birthday wishes!

My favorite holiday recipe:

Pumpkin Bread
INGREDIENTS
* 3 cups canned pumpkin puree
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 4 cups white sugar
* 6 eggs
* 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

Happy Stamping (and baking)!

Polka Dots!

Wow! I never realized how much I like polka dots! A good friend of mine got married this past weekend, and she LOVES polka dots. I thought of her as soon as I saw this card over on Dawn's blog. I almost 100% CASE'd the card, but she used non-Stampin' Up! colors and images.



I just really liked the color combo on this card. I have a hard time (for some reason) using Very Vanilla. It's probably because I'm a little obsessive about matching things and I don't have any Very Vanilla envelopes (not kidding--I really have a hard time putting a Very Vanilla card in a Whisper White envelope...hmmm...maybe I need some stamping therapy??) Anyway, I just loved the Real Red ribbon on top of the black and cream. What a great card! I'm definitely going to add Dawn's blog to my list of favorites! I hope you enjoy this card as well!

**Don't forget! Thursday is my birthday and I'll be drawing for the winner of my blog candy! Add your comment now!**

Stamp Set: Best Yet
Colors: Very Vanilla, Basic Black, Tempting Turquoise, Kraft, Real Red

Happy Stamping!

K Werner Color Challenge

So I've found yet another blog with amazing inspiration! Kristina has some wonderful color inspirations on her blog. I decided to step outside my comfort zone and find a color combo with a color of paper that I never use. This one stood out to me:



Bravo Burgundy (that color I never use), Rose Red, Regal Rose, and Bashful Blue. (Her color combo used Soft Sky instead of Bashful Blue, but since Soft Sky retired in August, I replaced it with Bashful Blue)

Here's the card I came up with:



Definitely not my favorite, but I think it looks better in real life. I purposefully made it with little embellishment because I'm helping my mom design some cards for a huge stamp camp she's holding for a friend. Since many of the ladies will be first-time stampers, I didn't want to overwhelm them with too many techniques and steps.

Anyway, I hope you take some time to visit Kristina's blog as she has some great ideas!

P.S. Don't forget about my birthday blog candy! Don't miss out on an opportunity for free stuff!

Stamp Set: Embrace Life
Colors: Bravo Burgundy, Rose Red, Regal Rose, Bashful Blue, Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon

Happy Stamping!

Birthday Blog Candy!

It's my birthday!...almost...

Next Thursday is my birthday, and in celebration I thought I'd give away a little "blog candy." I LOVE the fall/winter holiday season. It is truly my most favorite time of the year! I know that once my birthday comes that all the holiday craziness is right around the corner.

Here's what you could win:

• Love & Happiness Rub-Ons (4 sheets: basic black, whisper white, chocolate chip, old olive)
• Unmounted (die cut) "Bitty Basics" stamp set (current hostess set)
• 5 hand stamped Birthday-themed cards
  

So how do you win this great package of Stampin' Up! stuff?? All you have to do is write a comment on this post and include your favorite holiday recipe (Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc.). I know everyone has a favorite recipe! Next Thursday, October 16th (my birthday), I'll randomly choose a winner who will receive all this great stuff!

Now remember, my birthday is next Thursday, so don't hesitate to drop a nice hand-stamped birthday card in the mail ;-)

Happy Stamping! Remember to leave a post and have a chance to win some blog candy!

Card Kit Update

Sorry I forgot to add this to the last post:

October's featured Accessory: Flower Fusion Accents and Elements set ($14.95 $12.70)
October's featured Stamp Set: Simply Said ($25.95 $22.05)

Other Add-On Items:

• Versamark Ink Pad
• Chocolate Chip Classic Stampin' Pad ($5.25)
  
• Snail Adhesive ($6.95; $4.50 refill)
• Mini Glue Dots ($4.95)

Place your order soon!

October Card Kit of the Month

Here you are...October’s Card Kit of the Month designs! Remember that for only $20 you’ll receive all the consumable supplies (cardstock, ribbon, etc.--minus the Accessory of the Month) to make 6 copies of each of these two cards. PLUS you’ll receive the step-by-step instructions for two other card designs using the same materials.




















Remember that you can purchase both the featured Accessory of the Month as well as the featured Stamp Set of the Month for 15% off with the purchase of this kit!

October's featured Accessory: Flower Fusion Accents and Elements set ($14.95 $12.70)
October's featured Stamp Set: Simply Said ($25.95 $22.05)

Be sure to contact me for more information! Order your card kit soon—the deadline is this Friday, October 10th!

love

I love scrapbooking! And I love scrapbooking with Stampin' Up! because they make things so easy! I remember when I first started scrapbooking. I hated having to spend hours upon hours in the scrapbook store trying to pick out patterned paper and then trying to match solid card stock and accessories. It took forever and I was rarely satisfied with the outcome of my matching abilities...

Fortunately, all of Stampin' Up!'s paper (both solid and patterned), ink, and accessories match! Plus, they sell scrapbooking kits that include everything you could ever possibly want to put on your page! For today's page I did not use a kit, but putting the page together was still super-simple:



I wanted to make an 8-1/2" x 11" scrapbook page to use as a binder cover for one of my binders I use all the time. Seeing my husband's face (and my beautifully matched Stampin' Up! scrapbook page) always makes me smile :-)

Stamp Set: Best Wishes & More
Colors: Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Old Olive, Whisper White
Accessories: On Board chipboard "Timeless Type", Mini Library Clips, Aluminum Metal Edge Tag, Craft Ink, Whisper White Embossing Powder

Happy Stamping!

Hey, Big Shot!

(Make your very own custom mini album like this one! Read on to find out how!)

Have you heard me talking about the new Big Shot non-stop for the past month and would like to have a chance to see it and play with it in person? Here's your chance!

Come Tuesday, October 14th and spend a few hours playing with the new Stampin' Up! exclusive Sizzix Big Shot die cut machine. You'll get to make three fun projects:

• Mini Album (with room for up to 6 pictures--a sample album is pictured above)
• Greeting Card
• Cute Gift Filled with Candy (perfect for ANYONE!)

The registration fee is only $20, but spots are limited! Email me today (cari@ksu.edu) to reserve your spot! Registration deadline is Friday, October 10th. See you next week!

Happy Stamping!

Hello

Here's another card we made at the KC Regional last week. The flower on this card is actually made from Whisper White taffeta ribbon. On the backside of the Riding Hood Red card stock, we stamped the snowflake image from the Scandinavian Season stamp set (new in the Holiday Mini catalog). Using the paper piercing tool, we used the snowflake image as a guide to punch the holes to thread the ribbon through. It was really easy and makes a cute variation of the normal stamped flower. Enjoy!

Stamp Sets: Fundamental Phrases, Scandinavian Season
Colors: Bashful Blue Patterns DSP, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip (ink only)

Happy Stamping!

The Holiday Mini and So Much More!

It's here! The 2008 Holiday Mini catalog is now available for you to view and order from. There are tons of new holiday stamp sets, designer series papers, rub-ons, ribbons and MORE for you to enjoy! My favorite part of this catalog are the felt snowflakes (just like the felt flowers in the regular catalog). They are so great! Stampin' Up! has also made holiday decorating easy this year. They are selling a set of chipboard ornaments with matching Designer Series Paper. Everything is already cut and scored so all you have to do is stamp! You just have to see it for yourself!

Click here to see the new Holiday Mini catalog online.

There are also several specials I want you to know about:



Spooky Spider: Be a spooktacular with your Halloween decorations this year! This spider comes in three different sizes, so choose the one that best fits your decorations! These spiders will only be around until Halloween, so be sure to order yours today!



Recruiting Special: YOU can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for only $99! Enjoy all the benefits of being an SU! demonstrator, like exclusive product previews and discounts, tons of ideas straight from the Stampin' Up! home office, and at least a 20% discount on all your purchases! What could be better? Hurry! Time is running out! You only have until October 11th! Click here to read more details or visit my business website to sign up today.



Extra Hostess Benefits: From October 1 through November 30, host a workshop of $350 or more and get a FREE stamp set from the Fall-Winter 2008 Catalog Sampler in addition to the already amazing hostess benefits! Contact me to schedule your workshop today!



Happy 20th Birthday Stampin' Up!: Stampin' Up! is celebrating their twentieth birthday by giving YOU a 20% discount on selection of birthday stamp sets with the purchase of $20 of any Stampin' Up! products. Birthday stamps are some of the most popular and widely used (because EVERYONE has a birthday!), so take advantage of this special offer before it ends on October 31! Click here to read more.



World Card Making Day: In celebration of World Card Making Day, Stampin' Up! is offering all their Simply Sent Kits for 20% off from October 4-11 (no additional purchase necessary). World Card Making Day celebrates the art of handcrafted greeting cards, and Stampin' Up!'s Simply Sent kits include everything you will need to hand make greeting cards of your own!

Remember that you can buy any of the products RIGHT NOW! Just visit my Business Website and click on the "shop now" button in the top right corner. Place your order all on your own!

Happy Stamping!