A Doodle Here.. A Doodle There....

Our end of the year party in the 2 year old preschool class had a "Sea You Later" theme. The goodie bags were actually these sand buckets filled with treats. We have a little motto here, "If it sits still, stamp it!" -- and so I did.

I used the Black Staz-on ink to personalize the buckets with the Doodle Alphabet (only availabe through the end of the month when the Spring Mini Catalog expires.) And since Crab and Company is one of my faves, I also inked each bucket with the "Shore Do Love You" sentiment and added the playful lobster to the shovels.

The Staz-on (solvent) ink (101146) really does work on plastic and just about any other surface you might want to ink!

Need to see more Doodle Alphabet in action. Check out what Hillary did with hers for Memorial Day!

Friends

This was another end-of-the-year project -- a class gift from our little Superstars to their teachers. I pulled out one of my all-time favorite sets -- the retired Crayon Kids (RIP) and the matching wheel. I had recently traded another demonstrator for the wheel to make things for the Quota District Conference we are planning. But it was too perfect to pass up for this.

I gave each student a page of cardstock (8x8) from the Bold Brights collection for them to create a page. Then I took a photo of each one and used it opposite their own creation. I inked the wheel to match the cardstock and made a "frame" of sorts for the individual photos.

For the covers I used Black Staz-On for the images and blender pens with all the coordinating Bold Brights Ink. The titling is in the Doodle Alphabet from the Spring Mini Catalog. The ribbons are from all over my ribbon stash. But far and away my favorite part is the "friends" sentiment from the Crayon Kids. At our preschool everyone is everyone's friend. It rolls off the tongue dozens of times a day. It's a wonderful thing for children to learn -- this being friends thing!

Growing a Garden of Friendships...

I know you haven't seen me around these parts much lately -- I actually have been crafting like crazy! Here is one recent project.








This "Friendship Garden" booklet with seed packets is part of our end of the year teacher presents.



I copied it from Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Amy Celona back in Chester County. So many of her projects inspire me and her directions and downloads are always top notch! I did the booklets in two different color palettes -- this is the Marigold Morning/Regal Rose/Tempting Turquoise Set. I also did some in Certainly Celery. The stamp set is Office Accoutrements from the Spring Mni Catalog.

A Taste of Chocolate

This group of items features the "Au Chocolat" Designer Series Double-Sided Paper (108504) in the Spring Mini-Catalog. Having one package of patterns and the coordinating cardstock and ink (in this case, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla) can maximize your stamping time. And that item in the center is a "Note Tote" -- made from a single piece of 8 1/2 x 11 Cardstock it is the perfect presentation for your own handmade cards when you give a set as gifts.

You can make the entire set and have lots of extra Designer paper to take home for other projects (Scrapbook Pages for instance!). Just use the email link at the left and I'll tell you all about it.

The Doodle Wallet

This is that super-cute photo holder I copied from that Stampin' Up! convention. We didn't have to be there to share the creativity. This class is being offered one more time this week. Use the email link at the left to let me know you'd like to come and create it!

Happy Mother's Day!

This is the card I made for my Mother. The woman who nurtured creativity within me. The woman who could take a remnant from The Piece Goods Shop and whip it into the best costume ever. The woman who ran up against 11th hour deadlines and ALWAYS got the project finished in time for school in the morning. And really, she is still hanging onto the felt yardstick holder I made in summer craft camp more than 35 years ago. For that alone she should get a prize.

Instead she is getting this little number made from Almost Amethyst Cardstock and a subtle piece of the double sided Designer Paper in the Palette o'Prints Promotion. I stamped the Big Deal Alphabet in White Craft Ink and embossed it with white embossing powder. It's finished off with white grosgrain ribbon.

The inside sentiment is hand-written with the White Signo Pen. It says "Mom is simply Wow turned upside down".

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Love Ya Bunches

This is a card I made this weekend with the soon-to-retire Love Ya Bunches set. I love this set bunches because it contains a "Happy Birthday" stamp and a "Thank You" stamp -- so I reach for it a lot. This stamp set disappears from the Stampin' Up! roster June 30th along with more than 200 of its closest friends.

Browse the list and see what you need. I've got a buying incentive for retired sets -- send me an email at the link on the left for the details.

My late-night inspiration for this card came from an awesome stamper named Kurtis/Stampin' Kub. His Mom is a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and he is a stamp artist. If you've never seen his blog, check it out here!

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling....

Those retiring Stampin' Up! Stampin' Around Wheels are rolling right off the shelves. And once a retiring wheel is sold out -- it is sold out for good! 22 are already gone and more are sure to go.

Marni, a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator who is creative AND computer tech-y created this FABULOUS INTERACTIVE LIST of retiring sets and wheels. Give it a browse and see what you need before the end of June.

There is a little extra incentive to purchase a retiring set ( or two or three!) from me. Just drop me a line with the email link at the left and I'll tell you all about it....

Get Ready to Say Goodbye...

It's out with the old to make room for the new at Stampin' Up!. The retirement list has been released and nearly 2/3 of the stamp sets in the Idea Book and Catalog will be gone after June 30th! Wow!

That means two things to you. One -- if you see that a set you love is about to retire now is the time to go for it. And two -- all of those sets are going to be replaced with fabulous merchandise -- making for a great July!

You can view the retirement list by catalog page number or stamp name here. Another great way is to get over to my Stampin' Studio where my Idea Book and Catalog is clearly stamped with what's going and what's staying.

If you're ready to purchase a set that is about to retire I've got an extra deal for you. Just hit the e-mail link at the left for details. Get ready for a workshop using some retiring favorites one more time. Add to that the excitement of a new catalog packed with great stamps and my own "Rubber Rummage Sale" where you can pick up some of the retiring sets I own for a song. Except for Pretty Princess. That one you'll have to pry out of my cold, dead hands!