At Last...A Sneak Peek

Since tomorrow is the last day to sign up for the Christmas in July Stamp Camp, I thought I better post a little temptation! Yes, you will get to make all 6 projects* during this camp.

• designer series paper gift box with matching tag and gorgeous ribbon
• milk carton caddy, perfect for cocoa mix, candies, etc.
• mini candy jar*
• super adorable nugget purse (2)
• reindeer gift card holder
• designer series paper gift bag, perfect size for specialty bath items
• BONUS, my Mocha Mix recipe which works well in the candy jar or milk cartons

Your paid registration includes all the cardstock, ribbon, and accessories for the projects as shown--colors and patterns may very. Local participants, you can bring your favorite adhesive. Mail kit participants will also need ink, stamps, and some tools to create projects as shown. The templates are yours as well and can be used for many gift-giving opportunities beyond Christmas.

*mail kits will substitute a window gable box for the glass candy jar project

Classes can only hold 10 so there are two sessions.

Friday, July 17, 6:30-9:30pm

Saturday, July 18, 2:00-5:00pm

Stamp Camp by Mail, U.S. only




Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you got a little Christmas fever starting to ebb. See you Monday night for the new catalog Kick-Off Party!! 6;30-8:30pm

Tasha

Happy Independence Weekend

These festive treats will go with us to a picnic tonight. Aren't those Kisses cool? I hadn't seen them before (of course, I don't get out much) but in case you're looking, I found them at K-Mart. Once I saw them, I knew instantly they needed a box with star "windows".These Hershey bar wrappers are quick to make. This idea came from Dawn at her Stamping with Dawn site. They fit the snack size.

• whisper white cardstock cut 3"x 3-3/4", scored at 1", 1-1/4", 2-1/2",2-3/4" on the long side
• blue square is 3/4", stripes are 3" by 1/8" (yes, tiny), trim ends after gluing on
• I fully intended to dot the blue with a white gel pen and add a star punched with the small star punch but those items are hiding from me together somewhere
• finish with 2-way glue pen and irridescent ice glitter on the white parts (correction: the glitter is Dazzling Diamonds, Irr. Ice is embossing powder and that would be way to much work for these!)
  

The box goes together quickly, too!

• measures 4"x4"x1", so I started with a 6"x11" piece
• be sure to stamp and punch and adhere window sheet before assembling box!
• stars are stamped in white craft ink using the stamp from Just Jawing
• star windows are simply punched with Stampin' Up!s star punch

And the last cool tip I have to share is an article over at http://www.pcworld.com/ . This a very good article on photographing fireworks with most any kind of camera. The link is below. (Photo by foxypar4.)

Photographing Fireworks, Step by Step

(Photo by stage88.)

Have a great and safe holiday!!

Thanks for stopping by! Tasha

• Open House Monday night--don't miss it! For those too far to drive I'll have some fun things right here for you. 6:30-8:30 July 6th.
• you might want to join Follow My Blog since my posts have been getting on at all different hours, I hate for you to waste a visit! There are a couple options in the left sidebar that you can choose from.

Is It Right For You?

It's always a great time to become a demonstrator and join the Stampin' Up! family, but this summer the opportunity is extra hot!

Starting your own Stampin' Up! business means free and discounted products, plus a little extra cash--and who couldn't use that? Plus, from July 15 - August 31, you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator for only $85! The special, limited-time Mini Starter Kit contains many of the items you need to get started in your new business, including

-For All You Do stamp set
-In Color Classic Stampin' Pads (6)
-Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
-In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
-Business forms and tools

Or if you want to buy the standard $199 Starter Kit, in addition to the supplies listed below, you'll get all six of the new In Color Classic Stampin' Pads and one pack of In Color assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")--a $43 value!

The standard Starter Kit includes
-Four stamp sets
-A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge
-Stampin' Pastels
-Card stock
-Eastern Blooms Décor Elements and applicator tool
-Five Classic Stampin' Pads
-VersaMark Pad
-Stampin' Scrub and Mist
-Blender pens
-Business forms and tools

These special offers--the Mini Starter Kit and the In Color add-on to the standard Starter Kit--are only available for a limited time, so you must act fast!

Benefits of Becoming a Demonstrator

Whether you just love to stamp, or you want to grow a successful, thriving business, the Stampin' Up! opportunity is the right fit for you. Stampin' Up! demonstrators enjoy many benefits, with just a few listed below:

• Product discount. Demonstrators get a 20 percent discount on all Stampin' Up! products, including stamp sets, paper, and accessories. It's a great way to support your love of stamping and paper crafting.


• Extra income. You'll earn extra income based on your sales and recruiting--how much extra income is up to you. Maybe you just want enough income to pay the electric bill every month, or maybe your goal is bigger--the monthly payment for your new car--it's your decision!


• Flexible schedule. This is your business, so you can put in as much (or as little) time as you'd like.



• Support from Stampin' Up! We love our demonstrators and it shows through our demonstrator support materials, including a monthly magazine, workshop ideas, and audio and video trainings on all kinds of topics available on our Demonstrator Web Site

If you've ever thought about becoming a demonstrator, this just might be the right time. I would love to have you join our group! You can email me with any questions or call me at 620-960-8490.

Stop by tomorrow for a new 3-d sample!

Tasha

Can You Spell E-x-c-i-t-e-m-e-n-t?

Can you feel the buzz? Computers all across the U.S. are busy getting updated. If you try to visit my business page before 1:00pm you may have trouble getting there. Same with the Stampin' Up! Main site. Why, you ask?

The 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog goes live today!! All those sneak peeks can now be yours--at least after 1.

It's also the start of a new month so that means my newsletter is out. Didn't get one? Just add your email address to the sign up box on the upper left part of the blog to start. My card idea for today uses a technique that is shown in this month's newsletter.

To make this card,

• follow the steps for the weathered wood (July 2009 newsletter)
• trim piece to 4"x5-1/4", and attach to very vanilla card base
• cut a piece of twill tape 4-1/4" long, dab with crushed curry and soft suede stamp pads, and attach to card front
• stamp the wheat from Autumns Days in crushed curry on so saffron
• stamp sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes in soft suede
• trim image piece to about 1-3/4"x 2-1/2" and sponge edges with soft suede
• cut a piece of close to cocoa 2"x2-3/4", distress edges and mount behind image
• attach image piece to cardstock with Stampin' Dimensionals
• finish with a mini library clip

Contact me if you don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and would like a catalog. (It's awesome!) And if you're ready to order you can do that directly through my business site or by emailing me.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Tasha

PS There are some fun things offered through Stampin' Up! this summer...stayed tuned. Or subscribe to my newsletter for quicker info!

Animal Gift Box

Instead of a card today, I have a gift packaging idea. Well, technically, there is a card since it includes a gift card.

The stamping is very basic. You may not always want to make an elaborate card, or sometimes you simply don't have time. But this shows you that a few minutes of simple stamping and punching can still make a gift special.

The box is 4x4 square by about 3-3/4" high. I jumped over to splitcoaststampers for my color palette. Today's color challenge is:

• so saffron-- used in cardstock and ribbon
• kraft--makes up the box, tag back, and card base
• not quite navy*--ink, cardstock layering

*actually supposed to be Night of Navy but I forgot by the time I got downstairs!

The decorative edge, created by the eyelet border punch, shows up even more when lined with a contrasting color.

The quick way to get everything to stay securely is sticky strip. I went through so many rolls before Christmas!!

• stamps used are the new Animal Stories and Teeny Tiny Wishes, both available to order starting on Wed. July 1 at noon.

Thanks for stopping by today! Tasha

Don't miss the catalog kick-off party next Monday at My Stamping Place!

Planning Ahead?

Though it's hot outside and the middle of summer break, it really pays to take some time and think ahead. Did you scramble last Christmas season with last-minute gifts and Christmas cards? Were you up late getting those teacher gifts ready?

Well, there's 6 months ahead of us, so with a little effort, you can find yourself ahead of the game and enjoying the holiday season when it gets here. Am I going all holiday for the next few months?

Nope, I'm not a Christmas fanatic.

But I will have holiday-themed card, gift, and project ideas about once a week from here on out. Sort of like having your own personal coach. We'll "train" these next few months and you'll be in tiptop shape for the Main Event come December.

Tip #1: Christmas in July Stamp Camp registration ends next Monday, July 6. If you can possibly make it, this is a great way to get in the spirit and get the mojo flowing.

Speaking of mojo...

It's time for the mojomonday sketch #93! And we may as well think Christmas.

• This card idea uses a mix of old and new. Don't you just love the pine branch? That is from the new Autumn Days set available on Wed. It is inked in Always Artichoke and Close to Cocoa. The berry branch, inked with VersaMark, is from that set also.
• The greeting is from an old set called Warmest Regards. It is inked in Riding Hood Red (retiring).
• The pattern paper is from the new Tall Tales pattern. Whisper white, close to cocoa and riding hood red make up the remaining cardstock.
• The cord is from last year's holiday mini-catalog but can be found readily at craft stores. Just make sure you get the stretchy kind as it is much easier to work with.

As always, if you need any supplies you can email me or place your order directly at my business site, 24/7.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Tasha

A Confession

Have you visited the last 2 days and found no new post? Did you wonder what in the world happened? Well...I have a confession.

I have a problem, sort of an addiction. And while I normally keep it under control, it seems that once during Christmas break and once during the summer I "fall off the wagon".

What could it be you wonder?

It is...reading. I know, sounds harmless enough but once I start a book, I have to read until the end. At the current state in my life I cannot afford to "be absent" for 20 hours. The house falls apart, the blog goes unattended, meals happen but they're nothing to brag about.

This time, though, I thought I was smart and I was only going to read one of my kids' books so that the time involvement would be small. And I did manage to read the first one in 2 hours. And the second, and the third. They're a series--thank goodness we only have the first three!!

But then I made the mistake of reading one of the young Bond books. They're good, but also a slower and longer read so...

Anyway, I am back from my binge just in time for the Unscripted Sketches challenge #12. During one of the times I did pull my nose out of the book and look around I saw that one of my virtual friends is celebrating her wedding anniversary this weekend.

So, Happy Anniversary Rebecca! Of course, I started the card with the sketch for today and the only other stipulation (I made) was that I needed to use Rose Red since we share an affection for that color. The rest just fell into place. I apologize for using a retired set, but the Bluebirds of Happiness were calling to me!

stamps: Feathered Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes (available on July 1)

cardstock: whisper white, rose red, raspberry tart designer series paper, regal rose

ink: black, ballet blue, ruby red, certainly celery, old olive, regal rose, creamy caramel, more mustard

accessories: chalks, modern label punch (available July 1), clear rhinestone brads

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by! Tasha

Recommended reading for pre-teen/early teen boys (and their moms):

• the 39 clues series
• the Young Bond series

Kind and Caring Sketch

It's time for another sketch from splitcoaststampers! Sketch challenge 234 is an easy, straight-forward one that will work nicely for many types of cards. However, the struggle today was with photoshop! Not sure where my background went? At least the card is still there!

This card is very economical as the base is one layer only. The added boxes are a good way to use up leftover pieces of cardstock and designer series paper.

• To keep the base from looking to plain, I paper-pierced the empty corners. Soft suede is the color.


• The cute trees are from Stampin' Up!s new designer series paper Tall Tales and they are mounted on Dusty Durango one of the new In Colors.


• Kind and Caring Thoughts** is the "must-have" new stamp set. The sentiment is stamped in dusty durango. To keep it clean, I placed a scrap piece of cardstock over the words after stamping and then stamped the ginkgo branch over the top in mellow moss. For the finishing touches I stamped another leaf in each lower corner, and striped the square with barely banana at about 1/8" intervals (hard to see in photo). This square is mounted on so saffron.

**You can earn Kind and Caring Thoughts absolutely free! This wonderful set is available only as a hostess set starting July 1. Email me if you would like to host a workshop and get this set.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Tasha

Don't forget...today is the last day to sign up for the local Cards of the Month Club for this month, and COTM by mail starts shipping tomorrow.

Happy Father's Day

Isn't this a cool card? I saw it at splitcoaststampers in the Father's Day card gallery. Talk about great show for little effort! The original idea came from Gina K on her YouTube video but this actual card was created by Starla.

I hope you get to celebrate with someone this weekend. In between storms yesterday, we had a cookout with 3 dads: the husband, my brother and my dad. Then we had to hurry them back home before the big nasty storm hit. They made it just in time before the transformers starting exploding, power lines were arcing, and a big window on the front of my brother's house (closed in porch) got sucked out. Wow! Sometimes it's exciting to live in Kansas!

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by, Tasha

Unscripted Party Hearty

It's Saturday, woohoo! Even though it's summer and Saturday is truly no different than any day but Sunday it's ingrained in me to love the day anyway. After scout camp, then Bible school, we have quite a few things that need to be done around here and today's list is quite long. However, the family was saved by the sound of rain upon waking. Looks as though I'll have to get busy with an inside to-do list!


And the first item is to share my inspiration for the day. A quick check over at unscripted sketches got me started. You can grab the sketch there as well by clicking on the link. This card uses another stamp set that is only available through June 30.
Not sure why the glitter looks so globby in the picture?!

• the Party Hearty stamp set is stamped in tempting turquoise, green galore, certainly celery, and apricot appeal. This set is a fun one, the flags are actually a stamp of party hats cut out.


• Rainbow Sherbet designer series paper fits the bill for a party card. Green galore backing helps transition the different patterns. The card base is apricot appeal and the tabs are tempting turquoise and whisper white.


• a sprinkling of dazzling diamonds glitter on the frosting adds some pizzazz

Tip: if you select your color palette before you start, it makes the card assembly go much quicker!

Thanks for stopping by today and have a great weekend!

Tasha

For The Boys

Another new set today, yes I'm hooked. You will have lots of fun with this set, Lots of Bots, if you send cards to boys--young or old.

• The background is made by stamping the binary code (wow, not sure if that's the right word but sounds good, huh?) repeatedly in versamark ink on ballet blue cardstock
• For texture, I sent the shimmery silver cardstock through the Big Shot with in embossing folder
• The Bot himself is stamped in StazOn jet black and colored in bordering blue and ruby red. *a little barely banana outline helps him come to life

That's it for today since I'm off to teach Bible school. Tonight I'll be participating in the Artwalk downtown. So if you're close enough to come, I hope you'll stop in at Uniquely Yours and say hi!

Have a great day! Tasha

Can't Help Myself

Well, the Stampin' Up! shipment arrived last week and I've been trying not to use all the new stuff until it's available for purchase. But, now that the sets are mounted they couldn't just go back in the box...

Today's card idea is inspired by the Wed. sketch challenge at splitcoaststampers SC223 and displays the many aspects of the new set Kind and Caring Thoughts.

• the base layer of old olive is stamped repeatedly by the small flower inked up with versamark and adhered to the whisper white card
• crushed curry cardstock (new In Color) sets off the Tall Tales designer series paper panel and the image panel
• tucked between is a snippet of soft suede (another In Color) with the rest of the message stamped in craft white
• the large flower was inked in yoyo yellow with summer sun marker colored onto the stamp on the lower petals. After stamping, I lightly applied more summer sun on the underside of the petals. For a little depth, I used the mellow moss to shadow under the flower and along one side of the old olive stem.

You can earn this stamp set free when you host a workshop in July. Email me for details!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Tasha

One Hot COTM Release and Some Mojo

It's summertime and the cards are smokin' for July's Cards of the Month Club. You can join this month's club by clicking on the picture or the link below which will take you to the new Cards of the Month page*.

To sign up for July Cards of the Month click here.

*Warning! The COTM page is part of my future blog so the links for the rest of that page are not working properly. But the COTM sign up is ready to go so I hope you will join us this month

And for your mojo fix, you can see my card below, then head over to mojomonday to play along.

• This narrow card has a whisper white 3"x6" base. All layers are backed with riding hood red for emphasis and unity. Bella rose designer series paper is where I found that cheerful polka dot and the small flower print is on the reverse! (Stampin' Up!'s designer series paper is double-sided so you have twice as many options when creating your projects.)
• The image and sentiment are a sneak peek from the upcoming catalog. To add depth to the spider mum image, the stamp is first colored with regal rose, then ruby red is applied to some of the lower petals and the center. After stamping, I added just a bit more ruby red to the image as shadow.
• Rose red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon adds the finishing touches especially when pinned with a clear rhinestone brad.
  

Thanks for stopping by!

Tasha

Just in Time for Unscripted

You cannot believe how happy I am to be back to my stamping room and sharing a card idea with you. Scout camp was fun, but the adults would be hard-pressed to go one minute longer than the scheduled three days!

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Of course, I had to check the unscriptedsketches site right away and so you can see what I came up with below.

Ready to try it? Here's the sketch so you can play along as well.

My card uses 4 patterns of Stampin' Up!'s designers series paper Bella Rose. The sentiment, from Full of Life stamp set, is inked in close to cocoa and regal rose. The eyelet border punch adds a romantic touch to the whisper white card stock which is mounted on a pirouette pink and rose red print. Rose red ribbon is used to "hang" the sentiment layer from the leaflet.

I hope you're inspired to give it a try.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Tasha

Butterflies Again

Have you been thinking about me at camp? Hopefully this year is much better! I have a card to share with you that is practically straight out of the catalog. You may already have this set and can make it up right now as well.

• This card is the long, skinny 3"x6" size. The base is whisper white topped with a piece of designers series paper from the Holiday Treasures pack.
• The front panel is whisper white trimmed on 3 sides with the scallop edge punch. The sentiment is stamped randomly in mellow moss to break up the white.
• The LOVE letters words are stamped in old olive and then trimmed out. A small piece of so saffron card stock helps the letters stand out.
• The butterflies are in so saffron, the mambo in color, old olive, and bashful blue.
• A piece of old olive grosgrain ribbon finishes off the look topped with a button from the latte pack.

Have a great weekend and thanks for stopping by! Should you need any products you can order directly from my business website OR send me an email and I will be happy to help you tomorrow when I return. Tasha

Off To Camp

By the time you read this I will at summer camp with the Webelos. Thinking about boys, you can see this quick card that would be perfect for adding to a boy's birthday gift. The idea is straight out of the new catalog. Oh Yes!! My new catalog came today and we are going to have so much fun all year long!!

• The enclosure-size card base is night of navy with a 3/4" white strip across the front. A 1/2" strip sits above the white with an even smaller 1/8" night of navy strip on top.
• The helmet and football are from the Just Football set and stamped in riding hood red and close to cocoa respectively.
• "Champ" is stamped in real red and is part of the Sporting stamp set, which, by the way is great to use with all the sports sets.

And here's why I am headed to camp:

Several years back I went the first year with our oldest son. Last summer I went with our younger son since it was only fair. Unfortunately, we had terrible storms (trees down, broken tents, no power for the mess hall, etc) both nights and he didn't really want to go back. So, I get to go again just so he can see how much fun it is!

Hopefully, I will get some great pictures that I can scrapbook later to make it all worthwhile! I do have another card to show you tomorrow, but I won't be around to answer emails until late Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by, Tasha

Summertime...and the living is easy

The July Cards of the Month are screamin' "summer!" and should be lots of fun for you to make. This sneak peak gives you a little taste of what the cards will look like but you will have to wait until the 15th to see them all.

As an added bonus, as a July Cards of the Month Club member you will receive your very own copy of the brand-spanking-new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog! Sign up begins June 15.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day! Tasha

Everything You Want To Know About Stamping

edited at 3:27pm to include the link--sorry about that!
Okay, maybe that's a little ambitious for a blog post. But I found an article that covers rubber stamping quite nicely.

Rubber Stamping Techniques:
The Basic and The Advanced
on a site called Jams World. The article covers the following areas in order:

• Basic Stamping
• Marking and Coloring Methods
• Masking Techniques
• Embossing
• Brayering
• Liquid Applique

If you have been wondering about any areas of stamping you should take a minute to read through it.
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Perhaps the attention-getter for me was the opening paragraph which ends with "The good thing about practicing rubber stamping is that both children and adults, even those without proper art training, will enjoy it, the reason that rubber stamping is now deemed throughout the world as the art for everyone." That's a pretty awesome sentence.
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And maybe it was especially striking because I found this article right after one that stated "stamping is sometimes a hobby for adults in the United States but is unheard of in Europe and considered toys for children." WHAT?! I couldn't find a date anywhere but am guessing that article had to be written pre-internet like 1950s (or 1850s).
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Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
Tasha

-I'll be back tomorrow with a sneak peek of July's Cards of the Month Club.

Isn't It True?

Hi Stampers! I have been busy getting ready for July Cards of the Month Club. The sneak peek is Wed. and sign ups start on Monday, June 15. I also have a card to share with you today.

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I just love the saying on this card, it is so true for me. Since it's Monday, I started with the Mojo Monday sketch #90.

• The designer series paper is all from the Tea Party pack. Those dots, stripes and flowers are all so fun.
• The sentiment is from Full of Life and stamped in garden green and almost amethyst. "Life" is stamped in stazon jet black on pretty in pink then trimmed small and glued on top for added emphasis.
• When I stamped the sentiment on the white panel it was TOO white. So the dotty background comes from Big, Bold Birthday* and is stamped in almost amethyst, certainly celery, and pretty in pink. Tip: I stamped them on a scratch piece of paper first so the print would be light on my card.
• The card base is so saffron and each panel is backed with garden green.

I hope you have some time to stamp today. If you get a chance try out the sketch for yourself. Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! Tasha

*Big, Bold Birthday will be retiring the end of June. Email me or visit my business site to order it while you still can!