Boo!

This one won a second place ribbon in the "Holiday' category at the North Carolina State fair this year. This Stampin' Up! stamp set is "Wicked Cool" and I have nearly worn it out these past few Halloweens!

Wishing you all treats and no tricks!

Menu Plan Monday!

Monday: Meatless Baked Ziti using delay bake feature on oven (not home from soccer until 7:30)

Tuesday: Lime and Garlic Shrimp/Corn & Black Bean Salad (Recipes from the 6 o'Clock Scramble)

Wednesday: Honey-glazed Chicken Breasts/Rice/Mixed Vegetables

Thursday: Oven-roasted Turkey Breast/Whipped Cauliflower/Broccoli

Friday: Slow-Cooker Meatball Subs (2 soccer practices, not home until after 7:00)

Saturday: Kids Choice of hamburgers or hot dogs on the grill (Mom and Dad have an adult party to attend)

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday: It's getting busier this week as all three soccer practices begin for the season. That means more nights of relying on my slow cooker and the delay bake feature of my oven!

 Monday- Creamy Taco Filling on Tostadas A crowd favorite around here in the slow cooker. Browned ground beef, bag of shredded cheese, can of rinsed kidney beans, can of mild Rotel tomatoes, can of chili without beans.

 Tuesday- Honey Dijon Shrimp, Saffron Rice, Broccoli Simple marinade and the shrimp cook in minutes on the grill

 Wednesday- Pasta Night at the Club! Hooray!

 Thursday- Boca Burgers on the Grill/Okra/Salad

 Friday- Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes on slider buns (Excellent recipe from Slow Cooker Revolution) and Tater Tots for fun on the side (2 soccer practices -- not home until late)

 Saturday- Pizza for Kids (Mom and Dad have an adult birthday party to attend)

 Sunday- Best priced Catch of the Day on the Grill

Getting Wild!

This is the birthday party invitation I created for my daughter's celebration which will include an entertiner who brings live animals.  Just another excuse to grab one of my favorite sets of all time, "Wild About You". This invite is simple because I needed to recreate it assembly-line style.  The strip of patterned paper is from the "Berry Blossoms DSP" and the featured colors are Calypso Coral, Lucky Limeade and Wisteria Wonder.

All products by Stampin' Up!

Happy Bird Day

Every once in a while I try to challenge myself to give some love to my old products --  the ones that are taking up all that space in the craft room!  I needed a little boy birthday card in an appropriate color combinaton that didn't scream that it came from a house of girls

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Pear Pizzazz, Pumpkin Pie, Baja Blue, Whisper White
DSP: Greenhouse Gala from 2010-2011
Lattice Embossing Folder
Sentiment from a retired hostess set: "Picture This"
Other birdie from WAY retired favorite "Wild About You"
Daffodil Delight Ribbon
Large and small tag punches and label punch
All supplies Stampin' Up!

Menu Plan Monday Here's what's cooking this week: Monday- Tilapia Tacos (simply tilapia pieces marinated in taco seasoning, tossed on the grill and served in taco shells with all the fixings). Tuesday- Grilled Chicken Breasts with cous cous and mango chutney. Wednesday- Turkey Tenderloin, corn on the cob, dinner rolls Thursday - Grilled Cheese and Fruit Kebabs (easy because I host book club) Friday - Orange Shrimp, rice, salad Saturday - what we grill depends what's on sale after Wednesday....

Menu Plan Monday

My organizational obsessiveness requires that I wake up each morning knowing exactly what I'm feeding the gang for dinner. Menu planning also keeps me from having to dash into the grocery store every afternoon on my way to after

school carpool! Even though school is in session, the girls' activities aren't in full swing so the nights are a little easier right now. That changes when all three soccer practices get going in the middle of August! Monday - Chicken Tacos, (slow cooker style from Slow Cooker Revolution) *Violin Lesson Night* Tuesday- Popcorn Soup, (kid request, crowd favorite from Dinner Doctor book) Wednesday- Basil Meatballs over Spaghetti (meatball recipe also from Slow Cooker Revolution) Thursday- Asian Drumsticks on the Grill/Frozen Rice/Frozen Stir Fry Vegetables *Evening rugby story - drumsticks are in the freezer marinating in a Sesame Pineapple Vinaigrette to Daddy Dollars can grill those and microwave the rest while I am working Friday- Pizza and Salad Saturday- Griller's Choice, based on what's available after the specials flip on Wednesday

Summer Reading Logs

Our summer break from year-round school is a short one and we are constantly on the go, but I like to encourage the little Lucy Lous to read as much as they can. This year I quickly crafted a few summer reading logs to help them track their progress. I totally lifted the template from Rebecca Cooper's blog. I have admired her style since the good old days of Simple Scrapbooks (rip). These came together quickly with my never ending stash of Stampin' Up! supplies. The cardstock is Crumb Cake and the initials were stamped in Soft Suede with a long-retired, but favorite large alphabet stamp, called Big Deal. The ribbon is Baja Breeze. Rebecca also shared a download for the logs that fit inside. I printed those and tucked them inside. As a group the four of us are reading The Lemonade War

by Jacqueline Davies. We're our own little book club this summer! Stamping, reading, kids books

The Craftin' o' the Green

 

Here is a very simple St. Patrick's Day card. The color scheme is Garden Green and Whisper White. The "lucky" setiment comes from Stampin' Up!'s "Define Your Life" set.

Love You Much

 

Valentine's Day is almost here.

Don't forget to send a little handmade love!

Stamp Set: Love You Much (113756)

Ink: Basic Gray (109120)

Paper: Love Impressions DSP (121780), Pink Pirouette (111351, Basic Gray (121044), Whisper White (100730)

Accessories: Crystal Effects (101055), Dazzling Diamonds (102023), Heart to Heart Punch
(119881)


Remember to go ahead and sale-a-brate -- free stuff with every $50.00 purchase!

Order online, anytime HERE.

Time to Sale-a-brate!

It's the most wonderful time of the year to shop with Stampin' Up!

Every $50.00 merchandise purchase is rewarded with free stamps or accessories.

Click HERE to see what's free!

Shop online/anytime on my official Stampin' Up! site and UPS will deliver it all to your door!

A Stampin' Spectacular!

Loads of goodies marked down just in time to buy yourself a little something for the holidays. (I suppose you could give these items as gifts, but at these prices I am keeping it all for myself!)

Click to my ONLINE STORE to see the sale and place your order!

It's an AMAZING time to become a Demonstrator!

That's because Stampin' Up! is offering the Starter Kit at 50% off -- but just until the end of December!

It's simply Amazing!

What do you call it when you get over $310 in crafting and business supplies for only $87.50? You can call it an amazing deal, but we're calling it an amazing opportunity! From November 15-30, you can purchase either our Standard or Digital+ Starter Kits at 50 percent off the regular retail price of $175 (plus free shipping!), and enjoy these great benefits as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.

•Earn additional income while sharing creativity.
•Make new and lasting friendships.
•Enjoy access to nearly unlimited creative ideas.
•Receive a free subscription to our exclusive monthly magazine.
•Receive free two-month subscription to your own business website.
•Opportunity to earn free products and incentive trips.
Both the Standard Starter Kit and the Digital + Kit are available at this amazing price! The standard kit includes a variety of paper crafting products, and the Digital + Kit is a great option to showcase both traditional crafting products and our exciting digital design software, My Digital Studio.

This irresistible offer is only available until November 30, 2010.

*You can substitute items and colors in the Starter Kit to make it work for you
*You will get 30% off the first order you place after you receive the Strater Kit.
*You don't have to hold classes or parties. You can belong just for yourself and make only your own purchases. In these parts that's called being a "Hobby Demonstrator".
*You can join online through my official Stampin' Up Website.

Be a part of the Raleigh Running and Rubber Company -- join Stampin' Up! by November 30th!

Blue Ribbon Stampin'!

 

I am lucky enough to have brought home another Blue Ribbon from the North Carolina State Fair! I entered five projects in different rubber stamping categories. You drop it all before the Fair starts for judging, and you don't get a chance to see how you did until you actually spend time at the Fair. And for us, we went on the very LAST day.

I won three ribbons this year, and I'll share this one first because it is Blue!

This card features the "Day of Gratitude" Stamp Set in the Holiday Mini. The category was 'Holiday Cards".

It's a Sale!

I know, I know... Halloween isn't here yet but this REALLY is the time to get your holiday crafting going! And Stampin' Up! is making it easier than ever by bundling up Christmas Stamp Sets with coordinating punches or designer papers -- all at 20% off.



Take advantage of the ABC's of Handmade Holiday Greetings by ordering them from my online shop!

It's in the bag!

 

Stampin' Up! has these great little "mini lunch sacks" in the Holiday Mini Catalog. They are the perfect size to stamp, fill and deliver with goodies! The bags come with a scalloped edge border that perfectly coordinates with the scallop edge border punch.

The Tuesday Stamp Club wheeled them with the "Web" wheel (super easy way to stamp something up fast!) and added Designer Series Paper from the "Wicked Fun" collection along with a sentiment from the "Wicked Cool" Stamp Set. Trick or Treat!

Treat yourself by ordering online/anytime by clicking HERE!



Stamp Sets: Wicked Cool (w-118738 c-120600), Stampin' Around Web Wheel(115666)

Paper: Wicked Fun DSP (117400), Rich Razzleberry (115316), Basic Black (121045), Whisper White (100730)

Ink: Basic Black (101179)

Accessories: Oval 1 3/4" x 7/8" Large Punch (119855), Scalloped Oval XL Punch (119856), Scalloped Edge Border Punch (119882), Rich Razzleberry 1/4" Grosgrain (119774)

Rock 'n Roll Gratitude

 

Here is another card with the new "Day of Gratitude" Stamp Set in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini. I saw many examples online of other stampers coloring in the intricate details of this beautiful medallion stamp. I don't tend to have that much patience, so I gave it some color variation by using the Rock 'n Roll technique -- an inking classic! It is as easy as picking two contrasting ink colors. Ink the entire image in the lighter shade, then roll the edges (only) around in a darker color. Ta da!

We'll be Rockin' and Rollin' with this stamp set at the Tuesday Stampers Club in October!

Stamp Set: Day of Gratitude (w- 120835 c-121148)

Paper: Autumn Spice DSP (120808) Cajun Craze (119684), Early Espresso (119686), Old Olive (100702), Very Vanilla (101650)

Ink: Cajun Craze (119671), Early Espresso (119670)

Accessories: 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain (1090054), X-Large Oval Punch (119859), Silver Brad (104336)

Order any of these goodies online, anytime by clicking HERE.

Autumn Spice Thank You

 

I am just back from a trip through the North where I felt temperatures in the 50s and 60s for the first time in many months! Back here in Raleigh it is still in the 90s, so my brush with Fall was fleeting.. But I have been working on a few projects that showcase some "Autumn Spice" in the Stampin' Up! Holiday Mini.

This card features the brand new stamp set "Day of Gratitude" -- crisp, rich, detailed images that I love for Fall and beyone. The Designer Series Paper is "Autumn Spice" also in the mini.

Stamp Set: Day of Gratitude (w-120835 c-121148)

Paper: Autumn Spice DSP (120808), More Mustard (100946), Cajun Craze (119684), Very Vanilla (101650)

Ink: Early Espresso (119670), Cajun Craze (119669)

Accessories: 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain (109054), Scallop Square Punch (119884) ,Designer Label Punch (119862) Word Window Punch (119857),Square Lattice Embossing Folder (119976)

Order your new Fall goodies online -- anytime! Just click HERE.

Presenting the Holiday Mini.....

The Holiday Mini is up and running with loads of great new products!

Click HERE to take a look.

And click HERE to order anything you need from it -- 24/7!

Crumb Cake with Daffodil on Top!

 

Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft) moved up a little in the world with the newest Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog. This fabulous neutral not only received a name change, it got some matching ink to go along with it!

I am pulling this color out even more than I used to, knowing I have the option now to match the ink. This color combo is Crumb Cake, Soft Suede, and Daffodil Delight. And that ribbon is the brand new 1/8" style that is just darling!

Stamp Set: Great Friend (113792)

Paper: Crumb Cake (120953) , Soft Suede (115318), Daffodil Delight (119683)

Ink: Soft Suede (115657)

Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (120175), 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon,(119254), Scallop Trim Border Punch (118402)

Order online/anytime by clicking HERE!