Moving On To Valentines' Day

Here is the promotion for Valentines' Day and it's on sale! Not only do you get a whole coordinating set, but you get 20% off the bundle--what a sweet deal! I will be posting projects the next few days using these items.









(To view the flyer click on it and then click on Shop Now in the upper right corner and choose "specials")

So I hope that you are getting all your Christmas decorations put away and are ready to start thinking about upcoming events. I do have a couple surprises that I will be posting in the next few weeks, as I look forward to a stampalicious 2009.

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Thanks for stopping by today! Till next time, Tasha

I knew what we were giving my stepdad for Christmas but put off the presentation till the last minute. The gift is that we are taking him and my mom to a working ranch where they have activities, a chuckwagon dinner, and a singing cowboy show. So here is what I came up with:

I used dsp and stickers from a retired hostess scrappin set. The cs is textured not quite navy I think which I daubed with versa-mark. I used the tool kit to punch the holes and the pumpkin pie marker for the stitching (like Levi's). I adhered the pocket with sticky tape.The ticket I made with with craft and printed the ranch logo off the internet.Hope the holidays are rolling smoothly for you and that you take the time to enjoy your family and friends. Thanks for stopping by.

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Till next time, Tasha

A Mess and A Sweet Card

Okay, okay I am going to fess up and show my "skeleton in the closet". I am a rather organized person but something has happened to me and my stamping area. Part of it is the influx of supplies and equipment and part of it was being so busy through the Christmas rush. But..oh my!! This first one is as I walk in. The blue blanket is where I have been sitting when I work on the floor (see my Scor-Pal to the right?).

The next pic is just to the left. And the last pic. is just beyond the chair. This is where I cut and stamp usually. I hope that this will make everyone else feel better about themselves--not have nightmares!!

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While I was taking these pictures and trying to work on Christmas cards again (that's the green stuff on my table), my dd made this card for me. She was upset that the words did not come out perfectly but found a way to fix them--good girl! I gave her my old dauber duos and she has had fun with those.

Thanks for stopping by today! Till next time, Tasha

In The Christmas Mood

I finally had some time to be home yesterday and today without having to make things for people. It was so fun to get out the decorations! I truly love Christmas with all the decorations and sparkle. It is so very cold and windy out which makes it even better for staying inside.



And the best part is that I finally got to work on my Christmas cards this afternoon. Now, I do have many made already, but these are the ones for our family and close friends that include a picture. I don't like sending a family photo to acquaintances, just feels weird! So, hopefully, tomorrow after church will be spent getting them ready for the mail. I will share them tomorrow night if I get a chance.

Thanks for stopping in! Till next time, Tasha

More Gift Boxes

I'm starting to feel like one of the elves! This combo was for dd's teacher. The top one has chocolates, of course, and the bottom "box" has the second best thing in the world--a stamp set!

For the small box I used the template from scs for the 3x3 Love Notes Box, but scored it wrong so then just had to make a lid to fit!! Colors are real red, garden green, and chocolate chip. The tag was made with the Country Living kit dsp star and the ENJOY I stamped and punched out just the middle with the 1.25" circle. I used craft white for the "to" and "from".

The label on the small box is a rub-on. The green layer is stamped in craft white with the small snowflake from the Country Living and a small poinsettia that I have no idea what set it came from!! The green snowflakes on the craft are the center of the stamp that I used on the larger box. I have no clue what set it was in either! Maybe tomorrow I will take a picture of the chaos I am working in!

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This last gift is for ds's teacher. It is several types of chocolates that I made this year. The top box is the 3x3 Love Notes that I messed up again! The bottom box is the A2 that Beate shared on scs, see previous post for the link. The base color is baja blue.

I also did a really cool jar candle for the oldest ds's homeroom teacher using rub-ons, but had to pack it too fast for even a quick pic. Those rub-ons can be a real life-saver by making things look awesome so quickly!

Thanks for stopping by today! Till next time, Tasha

I Got a Great Card

During Thanksgiving Break (yes, I still think like a college student) I saw a card that I just LOVED on scs. So I commented in the gallery about how much I liked it. Lo and behold that kind and generous artist offered to send one to me!! I was so tickled. And she is so fun to correspond with. Here is what she sent to me. Thanks so much Pat--I love it!
Aren't those girls just adorable? You can't see the crystal effect very well on the shoes , eyes, and cherries. Click here to see more of her wonderful creations.

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time, Tasha

Another Gift Box

This is what I put together for dd's choir director and accompanist. I just love the way white stamps on craft. I found the template on scs--thanks Beate! The ribbon hit my "must have" list the first day I opened the mini-catalog. It is not wired edged but is shapeable. And it smooths out well if you have to re-tie and don't care for wrinkles. Truly a dream to work with. I think both snowflakes are from the Country Living Kit. There were still some kits left when I last checked. It is an awesome buy because you get so much in the kit. Yes, I realize you wouldn't use most of it until next year but I still highly recommend it.

Here is what is inside the box. My neighbor/friend/upline shared her awesome chocolate-covered cherry recipe with me a few years ago. Last year we didn't make them due the the ice storm and week without power so I had to be sure to get them made this year. I also made Cranberry Nut Chocolate Bark and Orange Creams.

That's it for me tonight! Had a crazy day with the high being 11 degrees, having our dog of nearly 14 years put to sleep, taking my dad Christmas shopping so he can get done (nevermind my unfinished list), having the oldest one come home sick from school, etc. The dh just called from work and now I have to go out to feed and water the chickens since that didn't get done while he was home. I think it is 2 degrees now. Ugh! :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great night! Till next time, Tasha

'Tis the Season

I love packaging gifts--always have. Several years ago I gave my aunt a tea bag for her birthday. That's it. Not a box. One. That was all that fit in this cute little pocket thing I had made (and was totally in love with). But it didn't matter that it was only one because the thing looked fabulous!! Oh, the power of packaging...

This is one of Lauren's mytimeless templates called "for keepsake box". I found a pink and rose crystal cross necklace for my prayer partner at church. We reveal our identities and give a gift in Dec. She had listed rose as her favorite color so my base color is rose red with versamark floral background. Wild wasabi is the green and dsp is from one of the Christmas packs. Felt flowers, die cut flower from big shot starter kit, ice rhinestone brad, rose ribbon and brown felt ribbon were all used to embellish. Everything is SU.

This next gift was for dd's friend who turned 7. Another timeless template for the clutch. I winged it for the notepad and colorbox. Hard to tell but the crayon box is 24-set and fits in the clutch. We also included 2 lipglosses that fit in perfectly beside the crayons. I added a little piece of velcro to the end of the clutch and the back of the notebook since dd thought they needed to hook together.

Colors are purely pomegranate (retired) and close to cocoa, dsp is from the new set for Valentine's day. Her name is stamped in regal rose though it looks red here and coated in crystal effects.

This next pic. is awful and I was very disappointed. Guess I need to clean the screen on my camera! Anyway if you squint when you look at it the focus is better. Shows the details on the clutch handle. And color is bad too.

So that's what I did on Saturday in between sorting scout popcorn orders and running kids to birthday parties--oh yeah, and a little shopping. Dh and I did go to a Christmas party that evening and had a great time but didn't get back till 2am!!

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time, Tasha

Donate Life Float

The info. below is from dh's aunt and uncle. Kim is his first cousin and Kevin was her 21-year-old son, a baseball player who died of head injuries from a skateboarding accident.

As many of you may already know ,our daughter, Kim, will be on the 2009 Donate Life Float in the RoseBowl Parade in Pasadena, CA. We will go out there for the big doings. She will be on float # 69, DONATE LIFE FLOAT. There are 89 floats in the parade. She was one of 26 slelected because of our grandson, Kevin Morsching, after he died in 2007 and was an organ donor and 100% donatable. We are asking a favor of everyone. Go to the Web Site donatelifefloat.org and click on the float riders and click on Kim Morsching's picture (just scan down thru the pictures of the 26 riders) and click on Kim's picture. We hope that this will get Kim on the photographers side of the float and then we will all be able to see her. Do this as often as you like as they like to see the hits on the site as that shows support for the program, donate life. So far we know Kevin has helped 55 people besides the major organs that he donated and all are working well. It is such comfort to know he has made so many happy. He definitely brought happiness to us.
Thanks to everyone.
Thad and Betty

Show and Tell

I am finally posting some of my handywork. Still not caught up at home since dd was home today with the flu (I think). Fever up to 104 by bedtime--eek!

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This first card is one I made for a friend's son who just got selected for the state honor band. The words are cranberry crisp and really don't look red like in the pic. And the cs is bravo burgundy. Dsp might be from Holiday Treasures? I have not ever had a music set but just happened to buy this old combo. set at a garage sale a couple weeks ago so luckily I now have 1 music note! Inside the cards says "...and jazz, and march! Congratulations on being selected for the honor band."

The second card is one of several I made for my birthday thank yous. The floral print is something I received as a gift, polka dots is from the paper pack hostess set, base is certainly celery.

Last item I will share is a party favor, tea bag holder. My neighbor/friend/upline and I received these at a swap last Christmas. We had them out at the craft fair and took an order for them in silver and red. Quite simple to make and you can get 3/piece of cs. The individually wrapped teabag adheres to the sticky strip inside.

Well, that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by!

Till next time, Tasha

Retiring and An SU Sale!

Good news! The retiring list is always a much anticipated event for those of us who love SU stamps. And this time we are getting a double bonus. If you find a must-have set (or 2 or 3) on the list they will be 10% off from Dec. 9- Dec. 23! Plus, are you ready for this?... free shipping on orders $70 or more place Dec. 9-Dec. 23.

So head on over to see what you must have from the retiring list and then contact me so we can get that ordered. Or you can do it directly at my business website http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/tashahickert/.

Now I have to let you know I finally found some time to somewhat clean my stamp "room". And I have been busy stamping. Tomorrow I will get the picture-taking table cleared off and that should end my weeks of not posting new projects.

Hope the holiday season is a joyful one for you. I have to say I am enjoying it so far. Except for filling card orders, I am not too busy this year and that is a definite blessing. :)

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time, Tasha

Turkey Cake!

I am sharing a picture of my turkey cake. Some have inquired as to what that is. It all stems from a hunt I had last year for "lamby cake". My SIL's husband's family has few traditions and one thing he remembers from growing up is they always had a cake in the shape of a lamb. With the SIL being out of the country with her job for much of last winter/spring, I took on the job of locating a pan that might be "the one" for making said cake. Ebay to the rescue! I managed to find a collection of lamb and Easter cake pans with one touted as vintage. Lacking time, I had the package sent to them and sure enough, the "vintage" one was it. When we arrived for Easter the cake was made and being decorated. It was fun to hear each time one of his family members arrived and went to the kitchen. All reactions were "hey--lamby cake!! Oh, hi Monica" :)

So shopping last fall at Williams-Sonoma I came across a turkey cake pan and the rest is history!I do have to say I am NOT showing off my decorating job! It was definitely a rush job. And I realize I blurred the beak when I blurred the background, but for those of you who couldn't picture it, at least now you can see it!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Now that Christmas push is on!

For those in the area, just a reminder that I am having the Christmas Tag Punch Art Classes this weekend. There is one Friday night, 7-9 and Sat. morning 10-12. You must RSVP by Thursday night.

SU Sale Detail!

If you already checked out the sale, you may have seen the wrong prices!!! This flyer is updated and shows everything correctly.

Just click on the flyer to see it up close and personal. If you find something you can't live without give me a call or email because the bundles are limited. And, remember, I can have them shipped directly to your door!

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time, Tasha

In A Thankful Mood

I found out a few days ago my grandparents won't be joining us this year for thanksgiving so I had to get a card in the mail today! My grandpa isn't getting up much lately and so the 20 mile trip would wear him out. We will go see them this weekend I hope. I am thankful they are safe and getting along fairly well. I am also thankful my other grandparents are still getting along well in their own home. And I realize how blessed we are to have them all still a part of our lives.

Luckily I ordered a pack of the Autumn Vine dsp recently so this card only took a couple minutes which means I will be able to get it sent today! Everything is from SU!
Here is a quick run-down of the other things I used. Die-cut bird from Big Shot starter kit, leaf stamp and word rub-on from level 3 hostess set, Eastern Blooms branch (I omitted the flowers), and more mustard cs. It's hard to see but I stamped over the leaves with gold and brushed gold on the greeting edge. Marker colors are bravo burgundy, always artichoke, close to cocoa, and really rust. The layout is from last week's scs challenge SC203.

Remember, the big Extravaganza Sale starts tomorrow at Stampin Up! Visit www.tashahickert.stampinup.net Wed. morning for the big announcement!

Thanks for stopping by!
Till next time, Tasha

Stampin' Up! Holiday Sale!!

Starting in about 48 hours is a never-before-seen sale at Stampin' Up! The details are a secret even to us demonstrators, but all will be revealed on Wednesday morning.

Here's what I can share so far:

• sale runs Nov. 26-Dec. 1, it's short--don't miss it!
• discount is on special product bundles
• quantities are limited so you need to order quickly
• you can order by emailing me, calling me, or online through my demonstrator website

If you are looking for a gift for a crafter, check-out the Love Notes Quick Kits about 3 posts down.

I'll post some of the cards from last week tonight but I have to go do some holiday decorating for a client this morning so it's time for me to scoot.

Thanks for stopping by!

Till next time, Tasha

48-Hours of Insanity and Tip of the Day

On Wed. afternoon about 4:30 I read in the paper that our local hospital was having it's annual employee craft fair/bake sale on Friday and any employee/family could call to reserve a table. Well it just so happens that my neighbor/friend/upline (Heather) is also a call-in RN for labor and delivery at that same hospital. So I called her and within 5 minutes we were full-fledged craft fair participants. I do have to mention that it was listed as 8am-4pm which didn't sound too bad but after registering us the lady said "set up starts at 6:30". Eek, that's early! Keep in mind neither of us has done this before and not having planned on it, we had nothing ready! So I headed off to church with the kids for 2-1/2 hours for their Wed. programs and at 9pm we had our kids to bed, Heather came over, and we started planning for our Friday event.

Long story short, we had lots of nice cards, ornaments, and sample cards they could order. We made quite a few contacts that are interested in classes, sold some things, took some orders, and all in all had a good day though we were fairly delirious from lack of sleep. Which leads me to my:

Tip of the Day: Always allow at least 4 days to prepare for a craft show! lol :)

I'll be back tomorrow with new pics. and more ideas. I am heading up Heather's club tomorrow since she is out of town. That should be fun.

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time, Tasha

What I Did With My Time

I tried one of Lauren Meader's templates today. Oh wow! I can look awesome in no time flat, lol, thanks to Lauren. This template is called For Keepsake. I made this for Becky who so graciously donated her time while the kids were at pre-school to help me.

Here is the finished box with tag.

I know I promised to have the ornament Quick Kit on today but am running behind. (Not new.) The Popcorn Kernel duties are taking about 2 hours/day so that doesn't leave much play time. But I think our pack is doing pretty well with sales. Hopefully, we won't have a lot left over!

Thanks for stopping by! Till next time, Tasha

PS The prices will be changing for the Love Notes Quick Kit. I am going to add the shipping right in. See the previous posts for more info.

Ornament Quick Kit

This will be available as a kit tomorrow but thought I would give you a sneak peek this morning!
Thanks for stopping by, Tasha

Quick Kits With Stampin' Up!

This is my first kit to put online. I will release them monthly but since we are headed into the holiday season, I am going to release a few between now and Thanksgiving instead of waiting for Dec.

Love Notes Quick Kit

All images are Best Wishes and More set copyright Stampin' Up!

The bird and flower cards are CASED from regional, the other two I designed to coordinate.

Colors are old olive, ruby red, baja breeze, more mustard, craft, and whisper white.

Accessory finishes may vary.

Click here to purchase Love Notes

All pieces are included for creating this lovely gift set of 8 cards plus envelopes. The pieces come stamped, embossed, and punched. Accessories such as library clips are included as shown. You will use your scissors to trim if needed and adhesive to assemble the cards. Box is pre-cut and scored.

Too busy to put them together? I will ship them completely done and ready to go as well!

The final option is for those that actually want to make the cards.

Love Notes Quick Kit--Crafters Option

• 1 Best Wishes and More stamp set
  


• cardstock for 5 complete sets including boxes
  


• accessories for 5 complete sets
  


• complete tutorial

Click here to purchase Love Notes

Well, that's it for me tonight. I hope you like them as much as I do. It's really fun to see a project all the way through even though you can go a little crazy along the way.

Thanks for stopping by, Tasha

Just In Time For Christmas

Wow, have I been busy. That's nothing new, but this time it's with stamping! Yesterday was my Holiday Open House and last card workshop. It was at my home so I didn't have to do much but haul things upstairs. Oh yeah, and clean my house. ;) A huge thank you to my neighbor/friend/upline who did some last minute shopping for me and stayed most of the day and supplied lots of the samples. And thanks to another friend who helped me power clean!

This was the main display table of projects and products. My Quick Kits are there which I will be sharing later in the week. I am so excited about launching that whole line. They will be available for purchase here on my blog soon. In the frame is a project I did with the Big Shot. The next photo shows it up close.

The message is part of the Big Shot starter kit. You cannot see the texture on the craft cs but I used an embossing folder (from Hobby Lobby) which makes it look awesome. Colors are bravo burgundy, craft, and always artichoke. I love the way it turned out and the funny thing is, I only made it to put in the frame because my Decor Elements Count-down to Christmas didn't arrive in time! I get to look forward to that shipment tomorrow.

We also displayed a fall idea gallery. Plus lots of other cards and inspiration.
The main section of the piano we called "Christmas Past" and displayed many of our projects we made and/or received in the past 10 years! It was fun to get them all out and also to see people's reactions to techniques that we haven't used in a long time.

Today I went to an upline shoebox swap. We made some great Christmas cards/projects. I will share some of those soon as well.

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I hope you have had a great weekend, thanks for stopping by.

Till next time, Tasha

New Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

Welcome Wendy Lutz!! Wendy is the newest member of our Stampin Up! team. I look forward to helping her make the most of being a demonstrator and having her added ideas and inspiration. She is very excited about joining SU! (who isn't) so if you get a chance to talk to her, tell her congratulations.
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Thanks for stopping by,
Tasha

Halloween Didn't Do Me In!

Yes, I am sure some of you wondered what happened to me? Life!! But the good news is today I had a little time to do some creating and the next couple days will be busy with projects. SO...check back and see what I've got cookin'. I promise I will get them posted.

Thanks for stopping by,
Tasha

One More Easy Halloween Gift

Aren't these adorable? They perfectly hold a snack size Kit Kat or Hershey bar. This picture is from Angie Juda at http://chicnscratch.typepad.com .

This is the last thing I've been putting together for Halloween. I saw them at Angie's great blog. You can view her tutorial here. Of course, her's are much fancier and mine were made last-minute to give to 12-yr-olds who will mostly care about what's inside. But you can see how they can be dressed up or down depending on your timeframe.

The cardstock is 10" x 2.5" and scored at 2-3/16", 2-11/16", 6-1/8", 6-5/8". The pattern paper is 9" x 2-1/4". You adhere the pattern paper to the cs starting on the short end. And the use the word window punch on the part that is left sticking out.

Use four small pieces of sticky strip as shown in the photo below. The two pieces by the word window hold it together and the other two are to secure the ribbon.

For the closure, I used the 1-3/8" circle punch and stuck it on the top flap with sticky strip. The I used a tiny piece of sticky strip to close it. (Be sure to put the candy in first!) Angie uses velcro so it can be open/shut repeatedly.

And here is what my neighbor/friend/upline did with hers! She started with the same basic idea but switched things up a little. You can see more of hers on her blog http://heathersheavinlystampations.blogspot.com .

Happy Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by and have a good weekend. It's almost time for my "monsters" to head out.

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Till next time, Tasha

Last-Minute Halloween Gift

These adorable Frankenstein boxes are something I CASEd tonight. Angie Kennedy Juda has a great tutorial on her blog. Of course, the only supply I actually had that was the same was the wire so mine look more like run-of-the-mill monsters! I asked dh if he would bring some of the black wire in from the shed. His reply was "which one"? So I showed him the part of Angie's tutorial where she says "I don't know what it's called but show it to your husband..." He laughed and, yes, he knew what it was

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The basic box requires only a 5"x11" piece of cardstock! You can get the specific directions in Angie's tutorial. These guys are headed to the teachers tomorrow. The grade school will do a costume parade in the morning since the kids are off Thursday/Friday for conferences.

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That's it for me--the laundry is ready to switch so I can now call it a night.

Thanks for stopping!

Till next time, Tasha

1-Hour Simply Scrappin' Album

I have to share my first Simply Scrappin' album. Now I will say it took me two hours since I had to lay out the pages from scratch. But now I can put it together in 1 hour. Super for a gift. This one is for my cousin who got married recently and the colors are just perfect. I haven't fixed up the cover yet but it will be a "First Year of Marriage" album. Best part is you can get 2 albums out of 1 kit!

This page is pretty much a CASE of the sample that comes with the scrappin' kit. The pages are 8x8. These pictures are when I had it in an 8.5x8.5 book but I went to Hobby Lobby and got a nice 8x8 album for $12.99 that is post bound--made it look much better.

Both of these are red pages! Sorry the one looks so orange.

This gives you the basic idea. I will get better pictures and maybe even figure out how to do a sketch of it. But I know some of you were waiting to see the layout so I am posting it "as is".

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Thanks for stopping by!

Till next time, Tasha