Here’s my latest Stamps by Mail project, a “12-Days of Christmas” Explosion Photo box that used the Holiday Harmony Designer Series Paper and the Hand Selected Accents & Elements tin from our Holiday Mini Catalog. It was a cinch to put together and I especially like the gorgeous Purely Pomegranate Satin ribbon that closes it off so elegantly. I’m offering this project and all materials with instructions for only $40. You’ll be able to complete three of these boxes AND still have ribbon and designer paper leftover! Photographs and instructions with hardware are all included so all you have to do is worry about when you can sit down and whip these wonderful Memory Boxes out and figure out how you’ll be able to part with them!

 Been a little tied up lately working on card and scrapbooking “strip” designs for my class this weekend. Between that and the laborious task of my Constant Contact newsletter, I’ve been so heads-down focused, I’ve been getting major neck cramps that only my heating pad has been able to ease!

Oh, the sufferings of a stamp artist! )

Card and scrapbooking strip class 

You can still sign up for this weekend’s class! Just give me a jingle and put a grin on my face by bringing a new friend, too! The class is $15 and you’ll need to choose between the cards or the scrapbooking strips. Add $5 and you can do both! Don’t forget to bring your adhesive! Click here if you’d like to see what were’ making.

I had a lot going on at the beginning of this month (new nephew was born and just returned from a wonderful Cancun vacation) and I needed a quick but striking card for a bi-monthly swap commitment that had to be Halloween, Thanksgiving or Fall. 

My first inspiration hit with the color selection. I wanted to use some of the Apple Cider Designer Series Double-Sided Paper that I fell in love with and had to have out of the Holiday Mini catalog.

I didn’t want anything too busy and loved the warm tones of the Really Rust polka dot pattern and River Rock dots. So, the color combo of Really Rust, River Rock and Pumpkin Pie was born! I had to make 25 of these cards so the piece I used had to be small. Add the River Rock Double Stitched Ribbon, a circle punched out acorn accented by the COOL new Scallop Circle punch and my Pastels leaves from the Autumn Fest stamp set and I had my design.

To make the whole swapping creation go quickly, I randomly stamped  & chalked (see Poppin Pastels technique here) the leaves all over my whole sheet of Vanilla card stock and THEN CUT IT!! Sure here and there I had to fill a few blank spots, but with this method I was shocked on how SO EASY and FAST the process of this card really was.

So, if you’re thinking  “I don’t have time to make Fall/Thanksgiving cards”, THINK AGAIN!! You could whip out 25 of these cards in just a couple hours of relaxing fun one evening! Call and pop by and I’ll even cut your card stock for you!

Last weekend, I celebrated World Cardmaking Day at the Annual Aston Gardens Senior Living Holiday Bazaar. I set up a booth with samples and a free Make & Take for those stopping by. They made two cards–one for themselves and one for Tampa’s Ronald McDonald House charities. (It’s not easy keeping those 14 Card Keepers filled!) In addition, I’d offered up a FREE class for those purchasing ANY Simply Sent Card Kits that were on special that weekend. If the following photos don’t make you fall in love with these versatile and handy card kits, I don’t know what will! To check out the different kit offerings, click on Simply Sent kits.

The free class was last weekend and this past Tues. and I have to say that I’m SUPER proud of my stampers! I gave them alternative designs and supplies to make a quantity of 2 cards of 5 different designs. I was THRILLED with how they put their creative interpretations on these card designs. It was amazing how different all the cards looked just by changing the colors and stamp sets. Following are some of the cards: (Note: I put my blog signature on all the cards but most of these were made by my customers based on the alternative designs on display.)

Okay, okay…so it’s been awhile since I blogged!! I’m sorry! But, there’s been some really crazy things going on in my life and I had to prioritize. Blogging just wasn’t on my “clipboard of fun” agenda (quoting my wonderful friend and downline Samantha Parisi , aka Rubber Stampin’ Diva).What counts is that I’m back and with something really fabulous! This project was created while I was visiting my friend Amy Celona in August. She had begged and begged for me to come and speak at her group meeting until I finally relented to her pitiful wailing! Whew…that woman made me earn that free airline ticket! Tomato picking (it was also their annual “Family Reunion Tomato Sauce Making” weekend — how convenient!!), fixing meals for her munchkins, AND stamping her bonus gifts for pre-registered downline meeting attendees. It was WAY MORE than just a “speaking engagement!” I had wanted to do this project for my own downline and stamp club members and she plied me with Mike’s Hard Lemonade until I agreed to do this project for her gang, too!

The premise of this candy is that you get several “purses and handles” (tucked under and not shown in this photo) and you can decorate them with the “stamp candy” and strips provided. Then use these cute purse embellishments for your cards, scrapbook pages, giftables and packaging! I used metal edge tags, buttons, brads and Pretties Kit pearls and rhinestone brads to create the bling we  all love on purses, too! Pretty cutie patootie, huh?

Actually with all this razzing about Amy, I have to really give her props! She’s been a wonderful friend and inspiration. And, despite some incessant nagging about me not “posting” here more often, I would never have gotten this far in the blogging world without her patient teachings and on-the-ball additions of specials, improvements and the lastest blogging gadgets.  Love you to pieces Amy and thanks for all you do! Go to websbyamy.com and see how she can guide you to blogging success, too.