Jan's Stamping Jems

Monday, June 29, 2009

2009-06-29T17:46:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends,
Yeah, my computers are fixed! I am back on-line. Wow am I lost without my computer. I have both a lap-top and a desktop. Can you believe they both went out the same day! My laptop totally died and the desktop just wouldn't connect to the internet. Anyway, all fixed.
I have a share for you tonight. My friend and massage therapist came over tonight. She wanted to make a couple of stamped pieces to frame. So, we used Asian Artistry the new stamp set. We used Bermuda Bay and Barely Banana cardstock. Both are stamped in Versa Mark in and gold embossing powder. Colored with the new Bermuda Bay Marker. We also used the Big Shot and the Frame, Oval Scallop. Here our her prints: I hope you like them. I thought they came out very well. Don't forget, the new Catalog comes out on Wednesday!
Happy Stamping!!!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

2009-06-24T06:28:00.001-07:00

Hi Friends,
Sorry, this is going to be short and not so sweet. I experienced a computer crash. I am on a borrowed computer right now. I will post again as soon as possible. Please keep checking - I'll be back soon, I promise
Happy Stamping!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

2009-06-21T19:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Fathers Day!
Sorry I didn't post Friday or Saturday. Yesterday we made a trip down state for a graduation party for our great nephew. It was a lot of driving but it was worth it. We also got to see our Son, daughter-in-law and grandsons. That is always a treat. I made a great graduation card and forgot to take a picture! Dah, what was I thinking or should that be what wasn't I thinking??? I'll do another and share it. So I dug a little and came up with a card I cased. It was originally done by Patty Bennett who has a great blog with lots of tutorials on it. Patty can be found at Please check her out. Now for my card This is a great card and lots of fun. I used Petal Pizzazz for my flowers in this card and Chocolate Chip for the flower pot. You can use many other flowers. I don't have it handy but I will be happy to share it with anyone who'd like it. Just email me and ask. I hope everyone had a great weekend.
Happy Stamping

Thursday, June 17, 2009

2009-06-18T16:49:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!
Well it is Thursday night. I had Andrea pick a name from everyone who left a comment in the last week and the Winner is . . . . .
Mary Davis! Mary you did not leave a way for me to contact you so please contact me with your information so I can send you your Candy!!! Thanks to everyone who participated, I really appreciated all of your comments.
This was a lot of fun for me so keep watching I plan to do it again!! I am also going to really make an effort to post at least every other day.
I do have a card share for you tonight also. This was a tutorial by the talented Sandi MacIver - thanks ever so much Sandi - visit Sandi at . Here is my version of her "mountain technique".
Sandi has a wonderful tutorial on her blog so I won't do again what she has done so well already. This was really a fun card and I will definitely be trying some more color combinations. Thanks for checking in. Please come back soon!
Happy Stamping!!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

2009-06-17T20:07:00.001-07:00

Hi
Everyone,
Wow! Are you impressed?? Two posts in one day! I am. I am very proud of myself keeping up with almost daily posts. Now, I just have to keep it up. Comments and nudges are definitely welcomed! Tonights card is a technique that a number of my fellow stampers do so well. Patty Bennett and Sandi MacIver both have wonderful samples on their blogs. Please check out their blogs, they are both wonderful stampers. and So here is my card:I don't think this is the best picture I've ever taken but hope you can get the idea. This is done by brayering the sky on glossy card stock. I did this a while back and don't remember the colors I used. I am planning to do some more so will post them with directions very soon. I've had lots of people commenting on my hand and warning me to take it easy so let me first say "Thank you" for everyone's concern and also tell you that many of the cards I've posted in the past few days I did before my surgery. I am taking it easy mostly because there are just a lot of things I can't do one handed. I thought this would be a piece of cake. I never realized how much I use my left hand!! OK - tomorrow night is the drawing for the blog candy. You have until 6:00 pm to leave your comments. I will post the winner tomorrow night around 9:00pm. Good Luck to all of you. Please keep checking and leaving your comments even after the drawing and I will keep posting.
Happy Stamping!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

2009-06-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

Goodmorning!
I was all set to post last night and I lost my internet connection. So, here I am and I will post again tonight. Therefore, I'm going to make this post short & sweet. Here is my card share for this morning. This was my first attempt at making clouds. I unfortunately, cannot remember who came up with this neat way of making clouds but Thank You whoever you are!! I will explain this in a later post. For now, enjoy and I'll be back tonight. Keep those comments coming folks!!! I love it.

Monday, June 15, 2009

2009-06-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
First of all I have to say thanks to everyone who has left messages on my blog. You have all said such nice things and you know it really does encourage me to keep posting! So keep them coming please. Only 3 more days until I will draw (or my daughter will) for the God's Beauty Stamp Set. You may leave more than one comment. For each comment you will get your name in the hat. For those who have to leave their comments as annonymous - please put your name and email in the comment so I will be able to contact you. Or, if you don't want your email address on the site, just leave you name but check back Thursday or Friday to see if you won and contact me.
Many of you ask how my hand is doing and I thank all of you for your concern. I got all my stitches out but it is still immobilized in a splint. My thumb joint was so badly damaged from arthritis that much of the joint was gone. Because of that, it can't possibly be done again so I have to be extra careful not to dislocate it before it heals. But it is coming along well, no more pain pills so I almost always know what I'm doing. (LOL - as much as normal anyway) Ok, I have a card to share tonight that I made using the Big Shot and the Flower Daisie #2 die. I cannot however, take credit for the design. I CASED this from a fellow demonstrator and when I went back to find her name I couldn't find the card again. So if this is your design, please let me know so I can give you credit and thanks for sharing.
I love this die. I think this is a great card for something that was so easy. The base of the card is Chocolate Chip cut 5 1/2 x 4 1/4. Then I cut Summer Sun 10 x 3 3/4 and folded in half and attached to the Chocolate Chip. The Flower is cut with Summer Sun and put together using a build a brad with a piece of DSP in Chocolate Chip. I used a piece of Double Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain Ribbon acrossed a piece of Whisper White cut 4 3/4 x 3 1/2 with the Flower above it. That's it. I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to check back tomorrow for the next installment and maybe another sneak peak!!
Happy Stamping

Thursday, June 11, 2009

2009-06-11T16:46:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
Well it sure isn't Monday is it? I am one very frustrated lady. I thought this surgery on my left hand wouldn't be too bad and I'd still be able to stamp - no problem - Wrong! I did my class on Monday night so spent Sunday and Monday getting ready. Even though you don't use your left hand that much you think - it didn't feel good when I was done! But, it will be worth it in the long run. So I'm really not whining, I just really wanted to post much more frequently and it has definitely not happened and probably won't change as much as I would like for the next few weeks. I went to the doctor today and although I don't have a cast - I do have a pretty extensive splint and can't move my thumb at all. But I promised blog candy and I'm going to do blog candy! If you look back at my posts for the "Blog Tour" you will see that the set I used was "God's Beauty". That will be the main give away for the Blog Candy. I will be adding a couple of surprises with it too. To qualify all you have to do is comment on my blog. I need I want to start posting very regularly - bug me - encourage me - help me PLEASE!!!!
I have a couple "Sneak Peak" cards to share tonight. Here are two cards I made just for my blogging friends. The stamp set is a New Level 2 Hostess Set out of the 2009/2010 Catalog that will be released July 1! This is a great set. I think everyone will want it. So if you agree you'll want to start thinking of your guest list for your workshop to earn this set. I'd love to help you earn it! The cards also feature two of the new in colors and their matching ribbons. Also, the bird was colored with a brand new matching marker! This year we are also offering "in color" markers! Please contact me to find out how to reserve your copy of the new catalog. It is one of our best. So with no further ado here is your "sneak peak" Hope you like this and are now very excited about the new catalog. Start leaving you comments and I will have my daughter select a comment next Thursday to win the "God's Beauty" stamp set. Have a great weekend.
Happy Stamping!

Friday, June 4, 2009

2009-06-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I've done it again. I have been MIA again. I have had a really good reason though. I had surgery on my left hand. I had to have my thumb joint replaced due to arthritis. While they were in there they took care of my carpal tunnel too. This is the first day I have been able to do much of anything. So this will be a short post. Next week, I will be posting some blog candy. So please check back on Monday and I'll get that going. Have a great weekend. Happy Stamping !

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

2009-05-19T11:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I am so sorry I didn't make my post yesterday. I spent most of the day preparing for my evening class and when the class was over I was just exhausted! You know that say "getting old isn't for sissies"? Well it certainly isn't! Don't get me wrong, I'm not old by any stretch, I just feel it! Anyway, I am glad to be back. I want to share a couple cards I did for yesterday's class. I have to say right up front that these cards are totally CASE'd. Case'd is stampers lingo for copied. Maybe with changes, maybe not. The first card I cased from Jane Baldwin (Thank you Jane) In this case I made a few changes but it is still definitely Jane's design. Here is my version My card has a pink pirouette cardstock cut to 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" folded. I then took baja blue and cut a piece 5 1/2" x 4 1/4" which was then punched with our scalloped border punch on two sides. I stamped the the blue with stamp set with baja blue ink. I then cut a strip of pretty in pink strip 5 1/2" x 1" and stamped the sentiment from God's Beauty and punched the end with the scalloped punch again. I stamped on white cards stock the flower from God's Beauty three times with pretty in pink and cut them out. I attached those to the pink strip. That's it. My second card was cased from Maria Pobre (thank you Maria) The only thing I changed here was the ribbon. Again this card base is Pink pirouette. This time cut 4 1/4" x 11 1/2" with a top fold. Our two square punches are used. The large one was used to cut 4 squares with Kiwi Kiss. Then the small square punch was used to punch 4 squares. Two were rose red card stock and two were Raspberry Tart DSP. The butterfly is and sentiment are from the Friends set in our Occasions Mini (love this set)the butterfly and sentiment are stamped in Kiwi Kiss. The butterfly was cut out and attached with a dimensional. The antenna and the little dashed were added with our black marker. The ribbon is our satin Kiwi Kiss. Thanks again to my fellow Stampin' Up demonstrators for their great ideas. I hope you have enjoyed these cards! Check back tomorrow for some more cards.
Happy Stamping!!

Welcome to the May 15th & 16th Blog Tour

2009-05-14T21:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the May 15th & 16th Blog Tour. Stop # 22, Tour #6

This tour features 22 blogs! Each blog will show case a beautiful project using items from Stampin' Up!'s - Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog.

Don’t forget to bookmark your favorite blogs as the links that make up this tour will disappear at midnight on May 16th.

I am featuring the Level 1 Hostess Set "God's Beauty". It is a simple set but beautiful. I have had so much fun creating these samples for the tour. If you like them and you would like to have this stamp set, it can be yours FREE! Invite me to come and do a workshop for you and your friends and with a $150.00 order you can get this set absolutely FREE! I'd love to help you get it. Now here are my creations. This card base is Pirouette Pink, with a strip of Tea Party DSP punched with our eyelet punch on both sides. I stamped all the butterflies, leaves and flowers on white cardstock and colored with our Markers, They were all cut out and the flowers and butterfly are adhered with a dimensional.
My second card is made with a base of Not Quite Navy with a second layer of Kiwi Kiss punched on the bottom with the eyelet punch (I love this punch)I then stamped the leaves twice with Kiwi Kiss in the center of the Kiwi Kiss cardstock. The butterflies were stamped in black, colored with markers and cut out. I added some Dazzling Diamonds and adhered with a dimensional..

My last card is on Kiwi Kiss with a top fold. I used the Scallop Circle #2 Sizzix die cut to cut out in Tangerine Tango the scallop circle and adhered to the center of the card. I cut a circle of Very vanilla for the center and stamped the saying in Kiwi Kiss. The flowers were stamped in black on white cardstock and cut out. I then attached each one with a dimensional.

The last thing I want to share is a Butterfly Pin that I made with a the help of a great tutorial made by Amy Celona inspired by Kelly Purkey. I love them and they are so fun to make. You can view Amy's tutorial on her blog at Ustamp4fun.com
Here are my butterflies
Please bookmark my blog or subscribe to it as I will be giving away some Blog Candy next week. I'd love to hear your comments today. Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your tour!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

2009-05-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

Well, I blew it last night. No Post. I did however, have a very good reason. My computer went out. I finally got it working but it was very late and I didn't think anything I wrote would make sense. Anyway, I do have a card to share today. This is a technique that Patty Bennett came up with! It's beautiful, fairly simple and lots of fun!

The base of the card is Cameo Coral (one of my favorites). The next layer is So Saffron. The top is our Exclusive Textured Impressions Die, Manhattan Flower. On the debossed side (that is the side with depressions, I brayered lightly and hit & miss the following colors,
barely banana, so saffron, pretty in pink and cameo coral on white cardstock. I then cut out the image. The Ribbon is So Saffron from the Sale-brations ribbon duos.
Tomorrow is the Big Day! The Blog Tour Begins. Check my blog first thing in the morning. Grab your doffee and be prepared to be dazzled! These ladies are super talented! You will enjoy it.
Happy Stamping.

Wednesday, May 12, 2009

2009-05-12T17:29:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone!
I am pretty proud of myself but I sure could use some comments to spur me on to keep posting daily! I am really trying to stay motivated to post everyday if possible and at least every couple. Is everyone getting excited for the Blog Tour! I am. I've been very busy trying to create great projects for everyone. I sure hope everyone will like them as much as I have loved making them.
Tonight I want to share two cards I made for a Man's Card. These are both made with the And Many More Stamp Set from the great Occasions Mini.

Both cards feature background paper from To the Nines Specialty paper. This paper is fantastic. If you haven't tried any of our new Specialty DSP's I strongly suggest you try it. It is so heavy you actually don't need card stock. This is a great time to try it since we have our DSP special this month. Buy 3 packs of DSP or 12x12 Textured Card Stock and get 4th free! Both cards also feature our Ribbon. One has 5/8" Olive Grosgrain and the other is 1" Double Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain. There is also an olive button. This set is great for manly cards.
That's it for tonight. See you tomorrow.
Happy Stamping!

May 11, 2009

2009-05-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

Good Evening,

I hope it is as beautiful a day where you are as it is here. It wasn't super warm but the sun has been shining beautifully all day. Doesn't the sunshine just make you feel better. I have been stamping today preparing for the Blog Tour on Friday. Please don't miss it. There are some extremely talented people participating and you will undoubtedly see some real works of art! I will be giving some "Blog Candy" away that visitors to my blog during the tour will have a chance to win. So please keep watching for details.
I want to share a card with you tonight that I made for a friend to give her Mother for Mother's Day. I cased this card but I am going to have to look up where the original idea came from. I hope you like it. If you would like to learn how to make this card, sign up for one of my classes and learn how. This card was a lot of fun to do. The technique used on the butterfly I got from a tutorial by Amy Celona who got the technique from Kelly Purty. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed making it.
Stay tuned for more......
Happy Stamping!

Mothers Day, May 10, 2009

2009-05-10T15:37:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day to all the Mothers, Mothers-to-Be, Step-Mothers, Grandmothers, Aunts, Friends and anyone else I may have missed. Being a Mom is definitely the toughest job I've ever had. Of course, I have had a lot of experience - not with a lot of children, as I have two. A grown son with two sons of his own and my daughter who will be 30 next month and is severly Mentally Impaired. She is both a blessing & a joy! But as her Mother's Day card said, she can also be a real STINKER! Since I have never shared her picture I thought today would be a good day to so. Here is my baby - Andrea. She is a cutie if I do say so myself. This picture doesn't show you how little she is. She is 4'9" and weighs a whopping 90 lbs.
I do want to share a card with you today also. This is a quilt card. Trust me, this is the only type of quilt I will ever make. Sewing is not something I do. This is made by punching out squares of Bella Rose DSP and covering in rows a piece a little larger than
exclusive Stampin' Up Top Note die. I used our glue stick, when dry I put it through the Big Shot and presto, you have a quilted Top Note die cut. Then put a ribbon through and finished card. This is really a fun way to quilt without having to sew. Hope you like the card. Thanks for looking.
Happy Stamping All

Saturday, May 9, 2009

2009-05-09T10:49:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon everyone,
I am very excited. If you notice on my sidebar I am going to be participating in a Blog Tour! They had done these a few weeks ago and I wasn't a partipant but I was a visitor. What fun! The creations that I saw were amazing. So I hope you will join me on the adventure. It will be one of the best trips you take and you can even go in the comfort of PJ's & slippers! Keep watching, more details will be coming!
Today, I want to share a couple of cards that are so much fun & easy to create. I have to thank Patty Bennett as she is the one who came up with this idea. You can see Patty's blog by clicking going to http://pattystamps.typepad.com/. She is awesome! Here is the first one:
This was done using Pink Pirouette Cardstock for the card base. The dress and the border are made from Raspberry Tart DSP. The Ribbon is our Kiwi Kiss Satin Ribbon. The dress is made with the Big Shot Scallop Circle. Isn't it great? I have a second one I want to share. I was asked to make a card for a friends daughter who is pregnant with her first child. So this is what I came up with: I made this one the same way as the other but I used cotton to make the belly. Making these dresses is so much fun. It's like shopping for a dress. You pick out the dress and then the accessories. My friends & I had such a good time. I hope you enjoyed these. There will be some more tomorrow, so be sure to check with me then.
Happy Stamping!!

Wednesday April 22, 2009

2009-04-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
What a beautiful spring day today. Not very warm but the sun is shining and they are predicting temperatures in the 70's this weekend. It has been a really long winter here in Northern Michigan. Spring is a very welcome site. Today I did my second class. I think it went well. Todays class was a heat embossing class. We did 4 different types of heat embossing. We did regular heat embossing, emerging color, and Joseph's Coat. Here are the cards:

I think everyone enjoyed the designs and the techniques. I so enjoyed giving the class. Next Tuesday evening is a repeat of last weeks All Occasion cards and on Thursday an Open Stamp to use all my stamps, inks and paper to creat cards for our men & women in the armed forces.
The last card in todays post is the technique Joseph's Coat. I have admired this technique for quite a while but was afraid to try it. It really isn't too difficult and I love the way it came out. You brayer on glossy white card stock with a spectrum pad. After that dries, use your embossing buddy and cover the card stock. Take any outline stamp and stamp all over your card stock with versamark and then cover with clear embossing powder. Then heat it with the embossing gun. Then brayer over your entire card with a dark classic ink such as black. Then with a paper towel wipe off the excess ink. Isn't it a great look. If anyone would like directions for any of the rest of the cards, please email me and I'll be happy to send you the directions. Thanks for looking. I appreciate all comments.
Happy Stamping!

Friday, April 10, 2009

2009-04-10T09:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!
As usual I am late with my post. Does that old adage "Better late than never" work? I promised some Easter surprises and here they are:

Aren't the cute? The little baskets are made with the Big Shot. It uses the exclusive Stampin Up Scallop Envelope die. I cut two of them out of cardstock. Then with DSP I cut two pieces 2x3 and glued to the front of then envelope dies. The two envelopes are glued together with small pieces of cardstock added to the sides. The handles were made by cutting two strips of cardstock 8 1/2" x 1 1/2". I then punched both sides of the strip with our Eyelet border punch. Then attached a small strip of DSP to the cardstock and attached the handle to the sides of the envelopes with a brad. These make not only adorable little Easter baskets but just cute little May baskets. These versatile little envelope dies can be used to make a multitude of gifts. The bunny is made with all punches. One of the classes I will be giving soon is a "Punch" class. It is amazing all the things you can create with nothing but our wonderful punches. If you are interested in my punch class, please send me an email. I'd love it if everyone would leave comments on today's post. Keep watching. I promise some more ideas very soon.
Happy Stampin!

Friday, April 3, 2009

2009-04-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
As promised, here is my post for today. I am seriously going to really try and post every couple of days. As I said in Wednesday's post I have classes starting up on the 15th. I have so many ideas floating around in my head that I am having a little trouble narrowing them down. Therefore, if you have an idea for what you would like to learn in a class, please leave it in the comments. I would love to hear from you. Even if you live half way around the world and can't possibly attend one of my classes, I'd still like to hear all idea's. Thanks for any imput!
Here is my card for today:
This is Stampin Up's new Manhattan Flower Impressions Die for the Big Shot. I think this will be very popular. I know I love it. Plus we have a matching Stamp set, Fifth Avenue Floral and Decor Element. I embossed the copper DSP from our new Taste of Textiles DSP. Isn't it rich looking. After embossing it, I cut out the top of the flower and mounted it on our Very Vanilla cardstock. Then I embossed "Thinking of you" in gold embossing powder. I think it makes an elegant card which could be used as a Sympathy card or for any occasion where you want someone to know you are keeping them in your thoughts and prayers. Next post: Look for some Easter ideas.
Until then,please leave comments and Happy Stamping!

April 1, 2009

2009-04-01T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I know it's April Fools Day but I promise there will be no jokes in my post! We are back from our vacation and we had a great time. We have been home for a week and are still catching up. We came back renewed and rested. It had been a long time since we had had a vacation so we really enjoyed ourselves. Our daughter got an A from her Aunt & Uncle and our dogs got a pretty good report also. I have decided to make a real effort to post on a far more regular basis now that I have scheduled my classes. So look for regular posts.
Tonight I want to share a couple of renditions of a card I created a few days ago.

I thought these would make lovely Easter cards. They are made with our own Stampin Up Fifthe Avenue Floral Stamp Set. I stamped the lilies on our Shimmery White card stock and cut them out. Then I made the flower pots out of the Designer Paper Delicate Dots from Celebrations. I did the flower pots free hand. I then stamped the stems and attached all with Snail. On the one card I used our new Eyelet Border Punch. I colored the center of the lilies with a summer sun marker. I hope you like todays cards. Please check back on Friday for another Spring card idea.
In the meantime - Happy Stamping!

March 16, 2009

2009-03-16T17:09:00.000-07:00

Greetings from sunny Florida!! We left last Wednesday for our much needed vacation. When we left home it was 18 degrees, snowing with 60 MPH and now I am in Cape Coral where it was in the 80's. I spent the day poolside. I feel so blessed. I took a couple of pictures tonight to share with you. It was a gorgeous sunset. For those of you still in the cold I thought you might like to see it.Isn't it beautiful. God certainly does good work! I also took a picture of a card that we will part of one of my classes which will start the first part of April. I had hope to get them on my calendar before I left but my daughter was home way more than she was at her program so I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. Please check the very end of March. I doubt that I will get another post until I get home. But you never know. Enjoy St. Patty's Day and the rest of the month. Here is the card:
Happy Stamping!!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

2009-03-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I have been so, so remiss! It has been over a month since I've posted. February has been a very uncreative month for me. I just got the winter blahs I guess. But March is starting off with a real bang and quite creatively! This past Monday and I went to our local Catholic School, Our Lady of the Lakes and taught with the Art Teacher all day. The kids all made St Patrick's Day bag toppers. They did a great job and really enjoyed themselves. Here is a photo of the kindergarten class proudly displaying their projects! They did such a good job, I really enjoyed meeting all the students.

Aren't they cute. The school goes to 8th grade. All the children were really a joy. I hope I will be going back one day.

I attended a local stamping day today. We meet once a month at a local restraunt. We do a card exchange. The card I took today was stamped with one of Stampin Up's free Sale-a-bration sets. All products used for this gate fold card are StampinUp. I did the same card but in two different colors. Here are the cards:

Stampin Up has some great offers right now. If you place a $50 order during Sale-a-bration you get a stamp set from the Sale-a-Bration catalog free. In addition to that, if you place a $50 order on line through my website or the link on my blog, you will get a free Spring/Summer catalog in addition to the free stamp set. We have some wonderful new products. I'm going to be featuring many of these products here as well as many of our wonderful stamp sets. But before I begin that I am leaving next week on my first vacation in over 4 years. My wonderful husband of 35 years and I are going on a 2 week vacation. My great brother and his wife are taking our daughter, our terrific neighbors are taking our two dogs and we are off to Florida. I don't promise to do any other posts before we go (although I'll try) but when we get back at the end of the month I will posting regularly as well as beginning classes. Please check my calendar as I will be posting my class schedule for April before we go. Thanks for your patience - I promise my website and this blog will get better come April.
Happy Stamping

Sunday, February 1, 2009

2009-02-01T11:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I have been so remiss in updating my blog that I have just got to get better! I plan to share a great many things with you today to make up for being so remiss. The first thing I want to share is a card I made for a challenge. It is in honor of my daughter - who loves butterflies. I call it "Flight of the Butterflies" It is a Black & White Challenge. Let me know what you think.
Next, I've been working on a new set from the Spring/Summer Catalog Just Buzzin' By. If you haven't seen our new catalog yet, please contact me for your copy. It is fabulous! I think it is our best every. Here are some samples of the Buzzin' By set:

This is the first card I did. I know that you can't see it in the picture but I used Shimmery White Cardstock. It really looks great. Here are the next two I did I have found this set to be a lot of fun as well as versatile.

Here are a couple more cards I made from the new Echoes of Kindness Hostess Set. If you like this set - have a Workshop in your home and earn it! I'd love to help you with that.

The first two feature our new DSP called Raspberry Tart. I love our new papers especially this one. When I first got this one - I thought - Ohh way too bright for me. I'll never use this. Now, I love it. Sometimes, it is just a matter of stepping outside our comfort zone.
I'm expecting a shipment from Stampin Up tomorrow so promise to share a new post in the next few days. It won't be tomorrow as tomorrow is my 35th Wedding Anniversary! Can you believe it. I'm very proud of us. Not many people these days get to celebrate that many years. I have a great husband. Very supportive and a wonderful partner.
Happy Stamping for now.

Monday, January 19, 2009

2009-01-19T08:10:00.000-08:00

It's here! The New Stampin'Up Catalog is here. I am soooo excited!! I must say, it is the best catalog ever. I am not just saying that either. I really wasn't looking forward to this one. I liked the last one but was just kind of getting used to it and liking some things I wasn't all that keen about in the beginning. So just wasn't looking forward to this one. But, the very first time I looked through it I said to my husband, Ohh are you in trouble. I just love this catalog. And Everytime I go through it I find more things I just have to have. I have catalogs available. If you need a catalog, please contact me. I will sell you a catalog for $5.00 and you will receive a $5.00 off coupon that you may redeem with your first $30.00 order. So,essentially your catalog is free. My regular customers receive their catalog's free.
One of my favorite sets for this catalog is our new "Buzzin' By" Here is a sample from that set

I am going to make every effort to update my blog a few times a week and share samples for all of you. Please leave your thoughts on the samples I share. Share if there are other things you'd like to see that I'm not showing. All comments are more than welcome!!!
By the way, I keep promising to post my upcoming classes. This has been a process that has been slow in happening. My husband and I are in the process of moving my stamping area again, as I just don't have enough room. I am hoping to have that done by February. Please don't give up on me - Classes are coming!
Happy Stampin' and Enjoy the new catalog. It will be available today at 2pm EST.

January 6, 2009

2009-01-06T18:24:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope that everyone's New Year is starting off well. I have several things I want to share with all of you. First - please check either my Stampin Up site or the company site as we have several things I don't want any of you to miss.

The Retired Accessory list was announced yesterday. But they added something new - An Inventory Blowout Sale! There are items that have been retired, will retire as well as current items for as much as 50% off. Please check these out as there are some great deals.
This sale ends on January 18th and retiring items are only while supplies last. If you want something, please contact me ASAP or order on line...which you can access from my blog.

The second thing I want to share with you is some monogramed note card sets I've been making. I love these. They are fast, easy and either elegant or whimsical if you want. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed making them.

I also made this matching box

For these sets I used Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, Whisper White and Ski Slope DSP for the Red & Blue Set. For the second set I used Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White and Bella Rose DSP. Both sets are made with Lovely Letters Stamp Set, Scallop Punch, 1 3/4 Circle Punch and 1 1/2 circle punch. I had the best time making these. I gave them both as gifts and they were really well received. Martie Shea was the inspiration for these. Thanks Martie. If anyone would like the patterns, email me and I'll be happy to share them. I will be sharing more very soon.
Happy Stampin!

December 31, 2008

2008-12-31T17:38:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Can you believe tomorrow will 2009! It sure seems like the years go faster these days even though I know it isn't possible.
I had a great day yesterday. I met another Stampin Up demonstrator and we had a great day stamping together. Kim is from downstate but has a cabin up here. She spends a lot of time up here and decided she needed someone to stamp with. She checked the demonstrator locator and found me! We had so much fun and I think we created some very nice cards. We cased them from one of my favorite demonstrators, Gretchen Barron. Thanks Gretchen. Here are two of the cards we made:

These are from the Valentine Bundle. Now, I had decided not to purchase this and then Kim brought if with her. Guess what? I Love It!! I have to have it. The stamps are great, as is the punch and the DSP is beautiful. It is very versatile. Here are two more samples:
These were really fun to make. Of course, it is always more fun when you stamp with someone. I really want to thank my new friend Kim for coming over and introducing me to the Valentine Bundle.
I stamped today also but haven't yet photographed the projects. So check back over the weekend and I'll share those. We are heading downstate to see our family tomorrow. We'll be back by the weekend. Everyone, please have a safe holiday. I wish for all of you a Happy, Healthy 2009!
Happy Stamping

Sunday, December 21, 2008

2008-12-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

As promised, here are a couple more of the projects I have been working on. I have finally finished my own Christmas cards so they will be mailed tomorrow. They might be a little late, but better late then never right? I promise myself every year to be earlier and cut my list. Neither one ever happens. I just love sending Christmas cards! Anyway, hope you enjoy these projects. I sure enjoyed making them.

Happy Stamping

December 20, 2008

2008-12-20T15:47:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Well here is another one of the projects I have been working on.

This is an ornament and matching box. I got the pattern from Scor-Pal's December Magazine. I was very pleased with the way it turned out. It makes a lovely gift, don't you think. If you'd like directions let me know and I'll attempt my first tutorial.
Happy Stamping

December 19, 2008

2008-12-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I have updated I am actually embarrased. I apologize to everyone who has been faithfully checking. I promise to try and do a better job in the future.
I will be posting pictures of the projects I have been working on over the last month over the weekend. I and my daughter have both been sick and that has put me behind in everything. Card maker that I am - I am still making my own Christmas Cards! Shame on me huh? In my own defence I have made over a 100 cards this year - I just more than half of those to our troops. Not that I am sorry, because I certainly am not. That is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done and I plan to continue. I now have two contacts - one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. I look forward to the day when I will have to look for a new place to send cards. I wish a very Happy Holiday to all of those serving our country and that includes the family members who are keeping the home fires burning. I pray for all of you each day.
Well it is certainly winter in northern Michigan. We have had over 40" of snow already this year. We got another 8+ just yesterday with more on the way Sunday and again Tuesday. Finally today my grandsons got snow also. My oldest grandson has actually shoveled snow off the grass onto the sidewalk so he could shovel the sidewalk! They got several inches one day last week and their neighbor very kindly blew all the snow while Nick was in school. He was so upset when he came home and had no snow to shovel. Oh to be that young and excited to shovel snow! We sure could use him and his shovel up here.
Again, thank you all for hanging in there with me.

Here is one of the projects I have been working on. These are orgami ornaments made with Stampin Up DSP. They are so fun to make! Aren't they cute? Check tomorrow for more of the projects I have been working on.
Happy Stamping!

November 17, 2007

2008-11-16T23:11:00.000-08:00

Hi All, Well this is the 4th time I have tried to update my blog tonight. I have lost 3-4 drafts! Not my night. Sorry I have been so remiss in updating. the first thing I want to share tonight is the pictures of my handsome grandsons on Halloween in the costumes that were the inspiration for the Halloween cards I posted in my last post. Here they are:

Aren't they great! I am not too proud
a grandma. Grandpa and I and Auntie
all got to share this year with them
and we really enjoyed it.

Now I want to share my favorite
card from my "Spa Day" I Cased it from Sudsol but I am sorry I can't
remember where I copied it from. Thanks whoever it was. He is my favorite snowman - Hope you enjoy him. He is made with Stampin Up's Big Shot Top Note Bigz Die. I have found this to be one of the most versatile tools I have ever bought. I hope you like him..........

Now I'd like to share two cards that I CASED from Gretchen Barron. I Case her stuff often. Our taste is so similar I figure our houses are decorated the same! He our my two interpretations of Gretchen's cards.

I think you will all agree Gretchen does nice work. Please check out her blog listed on mine. The last cards I'd like to share are also Christmas Cards. I hope you like these also.

October 30, 2008

2008-10-30T19:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!
I hope everyone is enjoying the beautiful fall we are having. Living in upper Michigan is a real advantage this time of the year because it is probably one of the most beautiful places in the world in the fall. It is a virtual kalediscope of color. I have been very busy stamping and preparing for my very first Fund Raiser. It is a Spa Day. There are going to be 17 vendors. I am the only card crafter attending so I am looking forward to a busy afternoon. This takes place on November 8. Guess what I will be doing next week. Tomorrow, hubby, daughter and I are heading downstate to see our two grandson in their Halloween finery! Nick, our 5 year old is going to be Spiderman - making his 1st appearance tomorrow morning in a Kindergarten Parade. Unfortunately it is too early for Grandma & Grandpa to get there. Alex our 2 year old is going to be a Monkey! Here are their Halloween cards...

Here is one more card I'd like to share. This card I made for a very Special young man who has been fighting cancer for a number of years with the determination and bravery that is just inspiring. My prayers are with him & his family every day that he wins this fight. I hope he liked his card.

I wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween

Friday, October 24, 2008

2008-10-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday Everyone. I have been remorse in updating my blog butmy very first fund raiser one week from tomorrow, plus I have be not because I haven't been stamping. I have been stamping up a storm. I have en busy trying to do cards for our soldiers. Quite a while back I had my daughter Andrea at our emergency room and was talking to a woman soldier who was on her way to Texas for training and then off to Iraq. After thanking her I gave her my card and told her if she sent me her address I'd send her and her unit homemade cards. Well, a week or so ago I got a card from "Carrie". I am hoping to send out a box filled with cards very soon. Here is a picture of the Christmas card I have been making to send them....

I hope they will like them. Last Friday I had a group of friends from our Old Car Group come over and stamp. They each made two cards - a card to keep - this one:
and one of the Christmas cards to send to the soldiers. We had a lot of fun.
I recentley purchased to sets of card elements from StampinUp (or myself) and was very happy with the cards. The one set was the Wow elements and the other was the holiday set. I am attaching copies of those cards also. They were very quick and lots of fun. If anyone is interested - please feel free to contact me or we now have shop online which you can click on right here. I hope you enjoy these samples as much as I enjoyed making them. Keep watching, I'll be posting some more things I've been working on before the weekend is over. Enjoy your weekend!

Sunday, October 11, 2008

2008-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

It has been a while. As you can see there are some big changes thanks to Heather Wright-Porto and Michelle at Laycock Designs. Didn't they do a great job designing the new blog? The first thing I'd like to say today is "Thanks" to both of them. Then I'd like to wish my Husband a slightly belated Happy Birthday and to my kids Dave & Cari a very Happy Anniversary! October is a big month for me - all kinds of birthdays and anniversaries in our families and with many great friends! It is a beautiful fall day here in Northern Michigan - I hope everyone is enjoying this weather. I have been working away at some cards I will be adding. I will be doing lots more in the weeks to come. I am doing a fund raiser the first of November and I will be getting many Christmas cards ready to send to our troops. If anyone would like to help with that very worthwhile endeavor please send me an email to jan_mengel@yahoo.com. Have a great week and hope you enjoy the new cards.

Owl Punch Card

2008-09-21T18:58:00.000-07:00

Isn't he adorable? I love this guy. The base card is Tangerine Tango, the DSP is Haiku, the image is stamped on So Saffron. The Stamps used are

Embrace Life (stamped in Old Olive and colored with Stampin Marker in Old Olive) The saying is from Best Yet (Level 1 Hostess Set) stamped in Close to Cocoa. The Ticket corner punch was used. It is definitely a fun card to make. The Owl is made from the Round Tab Punch and 1 1/4" Round Punch; then punched with the Scallop Punch.

2008-09-21T18:49:00.000-07:00

This was such a fun card to do. This card was inspired by Gretchen Barrons. She is an extremely talented person. This is done with Fabulous Flowers - inked in Baja Breeze and dabbed with Kiwi Kiss and Almost Navy. This was a technique I found on Gretchen's blog. Lots of fun, and each image is different. The Base is Kiwi Kiss, the DSP is Urban Garden. The words are "Best Yet" Level 1 Hostess Set. Call me and book your workshop so you can earn this or many other products.

...

September 21, 2008

2008-09-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I must say that deciding what to post has been a little daunting to me, so I haven't posted. I have been busy this week stamping up a storm as my first order out of our new catalog arrived. I also received some new Magnolia stamps which I haven't even touched. I have only used a few of my Stampin'Up Stamps. I love them! I can't wait to use each one. Idea's are rolling around like crazy. I would love to hear comments on my cards. I have a very busy week but hope to be able to stamp some too. I will be announcing some exciting events coming up in October - so please keep checking.
Happy Stamping

Sock Monkeys are back!!

2008-09-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

Back to School Edwin

2008-09-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

My first Magnolia

2008-09-07T10:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Hippo Card

2008-09-07T10:08:00.000-07:00

DSP Candy Box

2008-09-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

Triangle Gift Box

2008-09-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

First Blog Entry

2008-09-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have finally decided to take the plunge and start my own blog. I am a Stampin' Up Demonstrator. I have been with Stampin' Up around 4 years but until now I have been strictly a hobbyist. I Love stamping and I look forward to sharing my passion with you. I hope to have my class schedule up within the next couple of weeks. I will be adding samples of my work within a day or so.

Thanks for looking!

Big Shot Scallop Envelope Die Cut

2008-09-05T10:29:00.000-07:00