Sprinkled Expressions

The Girls had no school today. My littlest went to a very fun party at Sprinkles this afternoon...BYOB~ Bring your own Banana! (and if you have little ones, maybe you know the little ditty and can join me in having it singing through you head..."peel banana, peel, peel,banana. Slice banana, slice, slice banana...")  It was a bit of a busy day after all. We had piano lessons, some shopping and some month end stuff to get finished. Hoping by tomorrow night I can get back to my craft table.

I do have this card to share that I made for an SAB swap at the beginning of the month.

I used the new little embossing folder with hearts and bordered it with the open scallop punch. The white circle is another punch, the scallop I was able to cut out about five at a time with the Big Shot scallop die. I love my Circle Scissors which I marked with Sharpies for common sizes like the Melon Mambo layer. I embossed the heart and words seperately, melting the powder in between stamping. And tied it all up with a bow using my favourite ribbon of all time...the seam binding!

smiles,
Laurie

Valentine Blog Hop

So hopping around myself today, and found a great group of cards by some talented gals...and an invitation to add my own creation to their group. Another first for me! Throw into the mix that I didn't have a card made...and we were having dear guests for supper. So with a limited time challenge and rubber still to be mounted..but excited by the challenge,  here is my addition.
The serendipity of it is certainly getting to play with some new things I have, purposeful reason to complete mounting a couple sets I hadn't yet and ultimately, the joy in the actual act of stamping.

I used the new Take It to Heart set, embossed on white paper with Melon Mambo powder. The little 'love you' from P.S. I Love You, embossed in Cherry Cobbler powder. The Hearts Collection Framelits (I am sooo excited and happy with these new framelits that Sizzix and Stampin'Up! have worked together on!). The Pennants punch, embosslit hearts and also the heart embossing folder from Adorning Accents, tied up with a bit of Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine. Yay! that is a lot of playing for such a simple card! Thank goodness for an excellent sketch from a la card Monkey . (oh, I'm bummed I just went to catch that link and one of the cards that isn't part of the blog hop is so similar to mine...and I hadn't seen it before...it's certainly different enough, but same elements and sets...can I say, I guess great minds think alike when they see this sketch...I love her little flowers between the pennants!)
Now lets see if I can figure out how to get you to the next site on the blog hop... and if I am part of it...
a quote comes to mind about technology and me just now, I wonder if I can find it...

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. ~Arthur C Clarke

Abracadbra!

Come on and join the blog hop, it's easy:

Rules are simple:

1. Anything goes, card, 3D project - just has to be Valentines.

2. Add the hop to your post, by using the code from Linky tools.

3. Add the above badge to your post with a link back to Shirley's blog.

4. Has to be a new post.

This is a Blog Hop!

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1. Youre a Gem Valentine!

2. Marie

3. Box of Valentines

4. Margaret Raburn

5. Envelope of Love

6. Patti Corriere

7. You Rock My World!!!

8. Terry

9. Heidi @ Stuck on Stampin

10. love

11. First Hop

You are next... Click here to enter

Talking Crops

So I was just talking to a girlfriend about an upcoming weekend getaway we're planning together mid February in Red Deer...not nearly as thrilling to say as San Antonio...but I think the weekend is going to be Fantabulous! And super wonderful to spend time with her. All the rest of the event will be an added bonus to our time together.  Reminding me a bit of a quote from one of the newest Stampin'Up! sets, Tea Shoppe...a long time favourite quote of mine from a favourite author.

"Stay" is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary. ~ Louisa May Alcott
The Crop-a-ganza has a package called 'Stay and Play', combining 2 of my favourite words!

(You can get the deets at crop-a-ganza...there are a couple spaces left, barely...but mention me if you do enroll and I'll treat you to a coffee together!)

I'm in the midst of organizing my craft room. a) to get ready for the crop and b) to keep a scrappin' spot open all the time for a page in progress, even while I prep for card classes. More about that I would think over the coming weeks...
Sadly, horizontal spaces are not empty spaces in my world for long...and you can often find me kneeling on the floor for a bit of space to work on. Aiyaiyai! (is that a common blog word?)

So sharing that explanation of time spent today because I was planning on taking a photo of the Swap I did choose and make...but instead I'll leave you with this one I modified from my Christmas class by switching out a silver stocking for this fabulous flower from the new set Mixed Bunch.

I used DSP from Pocketful of Posies, and ran the panel layer through the Big Shot with Petals a Plenty Embossing folder. Accented all that Razzleberry with Basic Black. Stamped and punched out a flower, a center, and a sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.      

smiles,

Laurie

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

One of a kind...

swap that is... one idea I worked on while pulling together a bunch of swaps with this set: Mixed Bunch, in the new Stampin'Up! Occasions Mini. Buying the set, matching punch, a roll of ribbon and a paper pack...you earn a Sale-a-bration set of your choice as well. (now if I can just figure out how to add the link button to my website you'd be set! How do you like that itty bitty little MDS image up there...LOL working on it!)

Simply Irresistable

I had classes the  last couple days featuring a few emboss and wax paper resist ideas. Stampin'Up! has a site for demonstrators to share ideas...and I used an idea from there to show off the wax paper using the Giraffe from Zoo Review..an added bonus was re-teaching some of the gals how to mask. We also played with some of the new stamp sets form the new Occasions mini catalogue (hey, do all countries spell catalogue with the ue on the end?! or is that a Canadian thing). ...but so many more things to work and play with...I must sit down with my calendar and figure out next class dates and maybe a special Stampin' day, too. My list of  'want-to-dos' runs long in the arena of creating. Including getting something printed from MyDigitalStudio...and exploring all the options it has. A couple girls wanted a brief introduction last night and while I was clicking and filling punches, I was thinking...wheeee. How cool and tidy to switch out this colour for that DSP, no that colour, drop a shadow and enlarge that one for a layer...off to play (Okay, actually off to a school performance for my littlest, then errands, and afterschool schtuff...and next computer time certainly needs to get me adding a little bling to this poor site!) Enjoy your day!

smiles,
Laurie

My first Post

Entering the arena of blogging! A bit confused and curious how it will shape up. It should be an adventure! Once I figure out how to post a picture I'll show off some cards and link in with others to have you see more creativity. Hopefully you'll see my blog evolve with all the fancy add ons...for now it's just me. I'm a Stampin'Up! demo for the past 9 years and enjoy other blogs so much I thought it might finally be time for me to share, too.

I've just come home from Leadership in San Antonio! Loads of fun gals to meet up with, ideas to share, creativity to ogle over. Fabulous fun!
 I loved the information shared in one class I attended: Including a New Generation In Your Stamping Business taught by Amy Swartz and Paula Critchlow. I am looking into the books mentioned to further understand all the new ways of associating with this younger group. Time to get Hip!
I also loved Change Anything with Ellen Richardson, a class about the book by the same title. It was wonderful session. Ellen shared from her life to help guide us through the strategies in the book. The book has a membership that I joined and I have been receiving snippets of news over the past couple months. The CEO recently wrote an article that echoed the ideas of so many of the speakers this year.  Donna Griffith introduced Patsy Waggoner who gave great hands on tips and again rounded out what had been said by Amy Swartz and Paula Critchlow and the use of social media. Carrie Cudney presented Why Women Buy, illustrating gender differences in a humourous light with some video clips...makes me want to watch When Harry Met Sally all over again (how many great lines come from that movie!?)
On the Main Stage: Shelli Gardner was her effervescent self, Scott Nielsen surprised us all by outdoing his Stampin' session from last year's talk with a singing and dance act!!! (You had to be there) More dancing on stage, literally, the Head Office all came out and danced the Happy Dance...(and looked pretty dang good!) when Donna Griffith announced a new accessory for the Simply Scored (Shannon West said we had our own funny language in one of her presentations and it gives me another pespective as I'm talking...)
Everyone was doing it 'My Way', a Harley on stage, Fly fishing stories, give aways. Yay! and then Rich Jutkins. He evokes such vision for this company and he is the right person to make it happen, utilizing the corporate team and the chain on down to each of the demonstrators. It's a pretty exciting time!
San Antonio is so fabulous with the Riverwalk meandering throughout the downtown! Leaving behind the deep freeze for the week was just perfect.

Now to go figure out how to add a signature line!!!

till then,
smiles,
Laurie