Hello there! Welcome…welcome! Are you ready for a refreshing stop on your exploration of creativity with the many talented princesses?

Ahhh…feel the fresh balmy breeze, hear the lapping waves of the ocean and the shouts of the sea gulls and smell the coconut scent of tanning oil……couldn’t you use a sip of………………………

Ahhh….yes, a fruity cocktail would be nice right about now, wouldn’t it!?  I know, I know … I shouldn’t have teased you like that but I just felt that this adorable Coconut Cocktail card deserved a proper introduction!  In fact, when you tune in the first week of May, you’ll see a link to a You Tube video tutorial for this card as well as a way for you to download the coconut card pattern! So be sure to subscribe to my feed in the right-hand sidebar so you’ll not miss a thing (and be eligible for my blog candy–see below)

This was a card I created for a Summer Mini catalog swap I participated in this past month with other Stampin’ Up! cruise achievers. It uses new products from our new Summer Mini catalog starting May 1, including:

• 119976 Stampin’ Up! Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder $7.95
• 118871 Stampin’ Up! Island Floral Bigz Die $21.95
• 118309 Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (3 punches) $16.95
• 117173 Island Oasis Designer Series Paper $9.95

Since I was gearing up for vacation, I was in the tropical frame of mind and kept on going with the theme when I needed packaging for cruise achiever friendship gifts:

Wish I could give every one of you who visit my blog one of these adorable bags(which uses the same die and punches as above plus the 115690 Treat Boxes — only $3.95 for 5 boxes, p. 159 in the Idea Book & Catalog), but alas, that would definitely break my bank! But, what I will do is give one lucky winner one! Yup– one of these cutie bags ALONG with the Level 3 Hostess Lovely Flowers Bundle which includes  the Lovely Lines stamp set, Lovely Flowers Designer paper and Lovely Lines Rub Ons! This way you can get tropical, too!

How to Win!

All you have to do is post a comment about your favorite project posted in this entry AND sign up to receive creative ideas from me in your in-box! (See my right sidebar subscription invitation- it says: Get a Semi-Daily Dosage of Ideas Sent to Your In Box! Subscribe Here!) That’s it! I’ll throw all the subscribers/posters names in a hat and draw a winner! You’ll then receive:

• the Lovely Flowers bundle
• the Tropical Treat Bag (above) AND……
• photos of the 20 pages of my Tropical Brag Book below! – 

Just to whet your blog candy appetite, here’s a photograph of two of the brag book layouts:

The brag book is our newest 6×6 offering in the Summer Mini catalog and the pages were created with the118515  Tropical Party stamp set (118515 Wood Mounted for $17.95 or 120081 Unmounted for $13.95) and Island Oasis Designer Series Paper (117173 $9.95 for 12 sheets, 2 of each of the 6 double-sided designs!)

Aren’t they fabulous!!? They are actually a sneak peek for an event I’m having called Scrapa-palooza! scheduled from 5 to 10 pm Sat., May 22 at Golden Corral Restaurant on Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa! If you’re in the area, you need to mark the date for this one! More details will be announced when I return from the Stampin’ Up! Incentive Cruise in early May!

And, finally, here’s the last sneak peek card for the Summer Mini catalog products:

This is another card I created for a Summer Mini catalog swap that I’m in! I used the new Party Favor boxes (117178 Island Oasis Party Favor boxes $5.95 for 12 boxes – 6 ea of 2 designs) to create the flower pot base.

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Pretty cute…pretty cute! When I return from vacation, I’ll create a YouTube video to show how I did it!  So it won’t be top secret for long! I really LOVE this double pocket card and can’t wait to make more! It also uses the new Itty Bitty Bits stamp set (117056 $11.95 Mounted and 120060 $8.95 Unmounted) as well as the Island Floral Bigz Die, Punch Pack and Island Oasis Designer paper mentioned above.

So, I hope you enjoyed your Tropical Getaway! The Blog Candy winner will be notified by e-mail so be sure to leave the important info in your posts and subscription so you can win the blog candy! There’s lots more fabulous works of art ahead of you. Enjoy but be sure to come back and enjoy all the offerings I have coming up that are not to be missed!

Aloha!

 Only two more days and you can order from the new Summer Mini catalog! WAHOO! And just to wet your salivating stampin’ apetite, here’s a lovely sneak peek using the Watercolor Trio stamp set soon to be unveiled:

So many new products were used to make this card! One of them, the new Square Lattice Embossing folder is fantastic! I swear it feels and looks like a thick piece of upolstery material after you run it through your die cutting machine! Here I used it on the black card stock. After stamping the Watercolor Trio image in black on the exquisite Nouveau Chic designer paper (p. 160 of the Idea Book & Catalog) and matting it on black, I layered it on more of the Nouveau Chic paper then on Sage Shadow card stock. This panel and the black textured pieces all layered on a Basic Gray card panel. Then I accented the black stamped image with the gorgeous gray satin ribbon! YOWZA! Quite elegant!

This stamp set even comes with three beautifully scripted greetings, "From the Heart", "Thanks So Much" and "Birthday Wishes". This one will definitely be on a lot of wish lists! And for only $22.95 wood mounted or $16.95 unmounted, it’s affordable, too!

Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek. Tomorrow you’ll get even more sneak peeks when you join me on the Royal Blog Tour. Be sure to come back and hop in your Royal Carriage for a magical ride of creativity!

Caio!

 While I’m on vacation, I thought I’d share a couple projects I provided as make & takes at my April workshops. Workshops are the lifeblood of my business so always appreciate those who work hard to get their friends together for me to come over and share my passion for rubber stamping and scrapbooking! If you’d like me to come and stamp with your friends at your convenience in my home or yours, drop me a line and we’ll start planning projects we can do at your workshop in the next couple months!

Below is one of the cards I provided using the Trendy Trees set that is on sale 20% off until the end of this month!  It’s not too late to get yours! )

The paper at the bottom of the card was from the gigantic Sweet Pea paper pack, which includes 48 sheets — 2 ea of 24 designs. These are the cutest papers I’ve seen Stampin’ Up! come out with since I started as an itty bitty baby demo in 1999. LOVE THIS PAPER!

The cheery color scheme of Chocolate Chip, Tempting Turquoise and Certainly Celery just makes ya smile! And the Certainly Celery Satin ribbon didn’t hurt either.

The other make & take project I offered up several times was this post-it note project using Green House Garden stamp set also on sale at 20% off. I didn’t realize how tropical this set was until i used it more!

Here I used Apricot Appeal, Pumpkin pie, Tempting Turquoise and Taken with Teal, Pink Passion and Rich Razzleberry inks. The cute Scallop Border punched and Apricot Grosgrain ribbon provide the perfect touch for an inexpensive, useful and cheery gift!

If you’d like to order any of the supplies or Stamp Sets on sale (until  April 30!!!), please go to http://www.stampvamps.com and place an order with me!

Have a wonderful day!

 Here’s the last layout from my Crop N’ Cards class! I decided to use up some of my Shades of Spring Designer paper with the Garden from the Heart stamp set in this layout since I had so many sheets of the pink left. I really loved using this paper and will miss it when it goes away for good at the end of this month.

All the images were stamped in Basic Gray then water colored using only Lavendar Lace, Pretty in Pink and Mellow Moss ink and the Aquapainter. The bird image in the upper right small square coordinates perfectly with the Curly Label punch, and the drying flowers image on the bottom right was stamped on the Hugs Love Notes (don’t you just love those teeny tiny scallop edges?) making this layout surprisingly quick and easy.

This would be a great layout for garden parties, Mother’s Day or even adorable nieces in their pretty Easter dresses! Click back a few entries to see them. )

Thanks for stoppin’ in! Check back soon for a couple projects I demo’d at my workshops this past month!

Remember the above mentioned stamp set and paper retire at the end of this month. Feel free to order them or any thing else from my Stampin’ Up! website http://www.amanda.stampinup.net . 

Adios!

After I had posted some info about my monthly stamping visits to our local Senior Living facility, several of you folks e-mailed to ask me about what projects I do with the my elderly ladies who are mostly all 80+ (one just turned 90!). I figured I’d give you an update while I’m on vacation.

At my March visit, I also took some photos of my senior friends and their projects so you can see why I find their endearing big grins of accomplishment  so inspirational:

Aren’t they so cute with their little bag clips made from punched flowers and clothes pins? When I’m ready to design projects for my Aston Gardens Assisted Living pals, I try to create things that are easy to do and practical–something that they can use.

In February, we did mini corkboards:

We put magnets on the back so they can put them on their fridge or metal doors for messages. The buttons in the centers of the flowers were thumb tacks. They LOVED making these. We used Craft ink pads.

This month, they recycled their mini water bottles and we made the following flowers and vase from skewers and punches. I pre-punched all the punch pieces and all they had to do was glue! They loved having something cute to brighten their rooms!

I punched out flowers with our varied punches and they glued them between two skewers. I also gave them a piece of designer paper to cover the water bottle and helped them tie a ribbon around for the final touch.

These ladies really are a joy to teach–no matter how many times I’ve got to repeat steps to them or come to their rescue when their fingers fail them. I firmly believe that these projects really help them strengthen their minds, provide entertianment and something different from their daily routines. We each look forward to seeing each other every month! And, in a way, working with them makes me feel closer to my grandmother who passed away five years ago.

So, if you still have an elderly person in your life, make sure you hug them and tell them how much they are loved. Their favorite gift is a gift of your time!

Take care!

 Howdy folks!

As promised, here’s another layout from my Crop n’ Cards class! I wish I would have taken some close up shots of this or at least zoomed and cropped on the cute elements. Unfortunately, the original photo was deleted during an "emergency memory delete"  during my niece’s birthday party pony ride highlight! (Why is it that the memory is full message comes up during the most CRITICAL times! ha ha ha!) And, I’m swamped so I don’t have time to take another and edit it.

I purposely left the baby rattle element from the absolutely fabulous and versatile Something Sweet stamp set ( in the upper left) blank in the center so you could crop in a photo if you want. Or, some of my stampers put a punched star in there just like the card below. On the upper right, I used a small square glassine envelope from the current mini catalog to tuck in a fun little pocket for memories or a lock of hair or a tooth–whatever special keepsake you want to save! I stamped "A star is born" from the "Picture This" hostess set also in the mini. All the other word embellishments are from the Little Angel stamp set. I’m really going to miss all the wonderful products in the Ocassions Mini catalog, aren’t you!? If there’s any favorites you haven’t purchased yet, NOW’S THE TIME!! )

Here’s the coordinating card from class:

As you can see, I used blue in the layout and pink in the card. I arranged for my stampers to be able to use either color depending on their needs for the layout and the card. Are they spoiled or what? (I LOVE MY CUSTOMERS!! Spoiling them is fun!) You can see that I used the Little Angel stamp set words as a "background" of sorts on the right hand side of the card. My customers could choose from pink or blue ribbon and pink and blue scraps and inks were also available. I also used So Saffron Print Patterns designer paper for both the layout and card with the Scallop border punch to provide just the right whimsical touch!

Well, gotta start packing! If you’re reading this post on Sunday, April 25–I’m on my way or IN Puerto Rico ready to set sail to the Southern Caribbean! Thanks to all my wonderful customers for your support! I wouldn’t be on this all-expense paid trip WITHOUT YOU!! Keep tuning in, though! I’ve scheduled a few posts and the Royal Blog tour with some "TROPICAL" contributions on my part is next weekend! Be sure to check it out! I’ll post some highlights of my trip when I get back!

Bon Voyage to me! Woo HOO!

Layout and Card Supplies:

• Picture This Hostess set
• Something Sweet Stamp set
• Little Angel Stamp Set
• So Saffron Print Patterns Designer paper
• Large Star punch
• Small Star Punch
• Scallop Border Punch
• Pink and Blue striped ribbon
• Word Window punch
• Small oval punch
• 1 3/4" Circle punch
• Small Square Glassine envelope

Helloooo! Been nutsville around here but I promise you’re going to understand why very soon! I’ve been up to some fun stampin’ shenanigans! And you’rrrrrreee gonna LOVE IT!  Plus, I’m getting ready to hop on a plane to Puerto Rico in a few days to enjoy 7 glorious Southern Caribbean days on the SU! incentive trip! WWAAAAHOOOOOOOOOO!!! Can’t wait…I’m ready to go now! 

But, I do have some things I can share with you today since I have been neglecting you! Recently had my Crop n’ Cards class where we made:

CUTIE PATOOTIE! Don’t you just love that lil’ monkey guy hanging down? Even cuter is the coordinating scrapbook page created with the same AWESOME stamp set, Fox & Friends:

This is one my favorite scrapbook pages I’ve done in awhile. I just love that turtle trying to drag that Zoo wagon. Here’s a close up:

I really hope this Occasions Mini stamp set makes the new Stampin’ Up! catalog. It is so cute and I haven’t worked with it as much as I would have liked. Last night I demonstrated with it at a workshop and created an adorable baby shower gift card holder made with an envelope and it was stinkin’ cute. I stamped the giraffe in Bashful Blue and added a saffron button under each of the sets of legs. Adorable! I kinda demo’d it off the cuff so I didn’t have my camera with me to take a picture! There’s just so much potential with this stamp set and it’s going away at the end of this month! 

SO, if you want to purchase this fabulous set, give me a buzz or e-mail and I put it on the order I’m placing this Saturday before I leave on vacation. Or, don’t forget, you can always order online: http://amanda.stampinup.net . BUT–THE LAST DAY TO ORDER FROM THIS MINI CATALOG is APRIL 30!!

Here’s the recipe for the above projects:

• Fox and Friends Stamp Set (117020 $18.95 Wood  or 118565 $14.95 Unmounted)
• 115678 Tall Tales Designer paper $9.95
• 115951 Stampin’ Up! Timeless Type Junior Alphabet Medium Sizzlit dies  (exclusive to SU!) $74.95
• 113463 Stampin’ Up! Top Note die $21.95
• 107217 3/4" Circle punch for Wagon Wheels $10.95
• 104390 1/2" Circle punch for Wagon Wheel hubcaps $5.95
• Card stock colors: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, Whisper White ($5.50 for 24 8 1/2 x 11 sheets)
• Classic ink colors: Chocolate Chip, Soft Suede, Old Olive, Dusty Durango, So Saffron ($5.95 ea)

Thanks bunches! I’ll post another layout and card tomorrow! Caio!

I’m behind…I’m behind! Aacck! You wanna know which die did this cute truck, don’tcha, huh? Huh? Who won the Blog Candy? Should I make you wait until I chat all about my Easter and birthday!?

The main guess was the matchbox die. But it wasn’t iiiiittt! Naaa…naaa…naaa…na..na-na! 

I’m gonna make you wait a bit longer. I’ll share some Easter and birthday photos first! Heh … heh!!

Easter was a lovely day spending time with the family. The nieces loved their little baskets (I even made an extra for their friend who I think secretly lives with them they’re together so much! )  )

L to R: Elizabeth (friend) and my nieces,Vanessa (5) and Savannah (4)–my brother’s girls

Aren’t they adorable? (The girls not the baskets, silly!) They had so much fun looking for eggs this year and I had a blast following them around with the camera. My mom has this beautiful batch of Snapdragon flowers growing that perfectly matched their dresses so they bravely risked ant bites for Aunt Amanda to get these pictures:  

And here, they proudly display the results of their hunt:

My sister’s youngest, Canyon ( 2 1/2), cracked us up when he found eggs. His method was to hunt them, load up his arms and then go dump them in his Easter bag. He was Mr. Serious!

Here’s the whole gang (including my sister’s husband, Uncle Al) after they finished the Egg Hunt:

This is what keeps me smiling, week to week. Can you tell? Even though I don’t have any children of my own, it sure is fun to borrow everyone else’s, spoil them and then give them back to do the rest!  ha ha ha!

So after the big Easter Hunt and Feast, we also celebrated my birthday! (April 5) Here’s my mom putting the candles on my cake:

She’s so funny! She was trying to get everyone together to sing and I jokingly said, "Wait! Where’s my birthday hat?"

She laughed and said, "Oh, I’ve got a hat for you." She then proceeded out the back door, to the shed and comes back with the hat I’m wearing in these photos. Not quite appropriate, but hey–it will do!

The lil guy, Canyon, loves to blow out the candles so he always gets the lap seat during the seranade:

Here I am with my silly hat and birthday candles:

And in case you were wondering what I got for my birthday….

I was sillily calling the money, my "Pay the GEICO deductible fund" since there was a little incident with my car and a bent up hood, broken grill and dented bumper that I’m in denial about and not talking about. SO don’t even ask! A $500 deductible being yanked from my SU! Caribbean Cruise mad money is not making me very happy!

So there you have it…This is what’s been keeping me busy doing other things besides stamping. And we won’t even talk about the taxes that still aren’t done yet!……. 

So, have I held you in suspense long enough?

AND THE BLOG CANDY WINNER!!! IS. . .

Kadie Labadie….WOO HOO!!

She correctly guessed that I used the Box #2 to create the truck box! Good observation, girlfriend! Send me your address so I can mail you your goodies! I promise I’ll be making some more of these lil’ trucks for Father’s Day, so stay tuned! And if you got this far in my blog post…I’m darn proud of ya! You are awarded the most loyal blog reader EVER! )

Thanks and have a great week!

Hello!

Sorry I haven’t posted the last couple days. Easter flanked by my nephew’s 16th birthday and my birthday got in the way of my postings! So, in order for you to forgive me–I’m bribing you with some blog candy! Read on:

Thursday night, I started with the cute idea to make a box to put some small items in for my fabulous nephew’s 16th birthday. My sister and brother-in-law were surprising him with a truck for his BIG PRESENT and he had no clue. After some configuring and snipping and re-configuring, here’s what I came up with:

As you can see, once I was done with the box it was too small to fit any presents in (I had purchased him some small things like a SUNPASS for the Expressway tolls, car freshners to hang and a key ring with some tool gadgets on it.) so it became a focal decoration for the top of his present stack from Aunt Amanda and Uncle Patrick.  He’s not loved very much! (Not only is he well-mannered and handsome, but he also carries a 4.7 GPA in advanced classes as a sophmore in high school, sings like an angel in the school choir AND is in a fabulously talented high school singing and dancing troupe called Entourage! Okay…I’ll stop bragging..ha ha ha!)

Here’s a close up of the paper crafted truck (photos of the real truck and the nephew are coming up!):

Isn’t it ADORABLE? Can you guess what die cut box I used to make this? If you can, I’ll give you some chipboard, retired Flower Fusion felt pieces and brad bling Blog Candy!  I’ll post the answer and winner on Tues.!

Now keep in mind that my sister said the truck was blue. I asked her if it was light blue, dark blue, what kind of blue? She said, "It’s just blue!" (Can you tell she’s not a stamper? Love ya sis!)  So, I figured I’d be safe going with Brilliant Blue and come to find out it’s Night of Navy!…sigh… )  

Here are some photos of the birthday boy (I should say "handsome young man) and his REAL truck:

 That’s a good looking truck, but he’s better looking, don’cha think?

Okay, enough bragging by a proud auntie! Look forward to the posted guesses on which die was used to make the paper-crafted truck!

More pictures from Easter and my birthday tomorrow! Adios, amigas! (y amigos)