Kaleidoscope DSP: Butterfly

The Kaleidoscope DSP paper (from Stampin' Up!) has this adorable butterfly on 2 of the sheets of paper. I turned it into a 3-d embellishment by cutting and layering it and applying a layer of crystal effects. The bright colors in the DSP makes for a fun "girly" page!

'Tis the Season....for Wedding Cards!

I used my lattice die and the 2-step bird punch & heart punch to make this wedding card. It's kind of sparkly & shimmery with some of the Bridesmaid Speciality paper from Stampin' Up! (where else! LOL!). The rhinestones are from the spring mini catalog, came in the Eggscellent Kit, and due to a snow storm this spring I wasn't able to have the class that I bought those for so if you want any of those kits let me know as I have several kits to spare. Those of you coming to the stamp camp on Saturday in Greeley will use some of those rhinestones for our 3-d seasonal ornament project (I'll post that in the next few days).

I have several weddings to go to this month so will be making several more of these pretty cards. This is a super easy card...and if you know the bride's wedding colors you could personalize it with those special colors.

Wedding page

I made this fun wedding page with a photo I took at my nephew's wedding last year. I love to dabble in photography and was excited to have my nephew and his new wife ask me to do their wedding photos a year ago (Happy Anniversary Dan & Sam). This was definitely one of my favorite shots and I love b/w photos so did a little simple editing on this photo.
I used the Big Shot (of course) to make several of the embellishments on this page. I tried to keep the color scheme really simple to let the photograph stand out. The
Bridesmaid paper used on this layout is one of the retiring products from SU! so if you like the look of that vanilla colored shiny & patterned papers you can click the "shop now" button on this blog to go to my SU! website to order some for your own scrapbooking projects.

Easel Card w/ Tulips

This is an Easel Card similar to the card we will be making this weekend at our annual Stamp Camp with my downline Joanne in Greeley, Colorado. The Big Shot machine makes this project very easy. The Two-step bird punch was used (the wing shape) to make the tulips. I used lots of stampin' dimensionals and a little sponging to make those tulips petals pop up off the card front.
Enjoy,
Jennifer

Vintage style card

Here is my take on a vintage style card. I used the Vintage Vogue SU! set from the past mini catalog. Got it free as a demo attending a regional event. I love FREE stamps! :-) I also like cards like this that can double as a decoration, just stand this up on a desk, shelf, table etc. and have a friendly greeting from a dear friend.
Happy stamping,
Jennifer

29 Gifts

Here's a fun and simple gift idea. I used the 2step Bird punch from Stampin' Up! to make a coordinating bookmark/gift-giving list. I used the cover of the book for inspiration for the colors & design.

The bookmark doubles as a gift-giving list. When you read the book you learn about the authors struggles with MS and how she took advice from a spiritual advisor to stop thinking about yourself and give a gift away each day for 29 days. Gifts can be as simple as giving someone a kleenex or spare change. So this bookmark is a great way to keep track of your gift giving. When you read the book you will want to start your own 29 days of gift giving, so the bookmark comes in handy and if you are giving the book away as a gift it is a great addition to this gift.

I was especially excited to read this book as the author mentions stories about growing up in western Nebraska (20 miles from where I live and grew up). She also mentions that when she wants to give thank you cards to people who help her out she goes to the box of handmade cards that her mom makes for her. She has a stash of cards on hand and I know her mom attends stamping classes of mine so I know alot of those cards are the projects and products we use in our classes! :-) So that is how I found out about this book. I've read it myself and have given several books away as gifts.
You can learn more about this book & author, Cami Walker, at:

http://www.29gifts.org

You can watch Cami's interview on the Today show and learn alot more about this gift giving movement.

More Spring cards.

Here's a Mother's Day card (round scallop shape) and another spring card I made recently. I have a few of these Sweet Pea Felt flowers left from class last month so thought I would use them up quick for a few simple cards. Both were quick and easy....which is the best kind of card! :-)

Happy stamping,
Jennifer

Seriously?....where is spring? :-)

I've been busy stamping spring & graduation cards and when I woke up today I found over 4 inches of snow on the ground, ugh! Will it ever be spring? :-) Here is a card design I used at class this past month...thought it was pretty springy with the fun butterfly cutout (Sizzlit from Stampin' Up!).

Here's a few shots of my backyard....seems like I live in Alaska not Nebraska LOL!!!

The kids gave me some adorable garden decorations for Mother's Day. This one is awful cute...even in the snow!

I think this tulip would make a gorgeous digital card with "My Digital Studio". Hmmm, how many more days until school is out? 6 Days, wahoo!!!!! Can't wait to have more stamping time.
Enjoy your spring day,
Jennifer

Smootch Spritz

The new Summer Mini Catalog has a fun new product: Smootch Spritz This is "Vanilla Shimmer" on Soft Suede cardstock....you can really see it on the background area of the card. I also used the new Speciality DSP: Presto Patterns...I rubbed the Soft Suede ink pad on it to make the white "pop" out and turn the rest brown. Also from the mini catalog are the Bitty Buttons, stamps and punch to match (see page 11 of Summer Mini Catalog)

You can pick up a mini catalog at this month's classes. Or let me know if you can't make class and I'll get you a mini catalog,

Jennifer

Why I don't blog more often.....sigh! :-(

I have my heart in the right place as I do want to update my blog more often but I honestly struggle to find the time to do so. So, I thought it would be fun to show you what I do when I am not stamping. I spend alot of time taking photographs for my family and for others.
This week I took my photography class on a field trip to Cabela's in Sidney. Cabela's is a huge store for sportsmen...kind of like Stampin' Up! is for us, but with many stores around the country and it's headquarters 20 miles from Potter. We toured the photography and graphic departments and learned alot.

Niece Taylor at last track meet, it's fun to take action shots.

Can't play favorites, took photo of niece Audrey (on left) and her championship Destination Imagination team which will go to Tennessee for Global finals the end of May.

We drove to Denver for the day during Spring Break to see Body Worlds. Nice to have Alexis home from college. (GO HUSKERS!)

I wanted to also visit the Botantical Gardens while in Denver to see the Henry Moore Sculpture exhibit....my family humored me and posed for several pictures...this is them in the inside of the sculpture with one bystander too.

O.k., I promise the next post will be soon and something stamped!
Have a great day! (11 days until summer vacation!)
Jennifer

Felt Fabric in my Big Shot!

Here are some fun felt projects I made for an upcoming swap. I made these with the idea to use them for a gift card holder or a party favor. Many fun items will fit in here as you can see from some of these photos, everything from candy to stamps! I used the Top Note die for the white part and also used the XL Table Setting die for the flower/leaf (that die was in the fall 2009 mini catalog
It will be fun to get this swap back and see all the other fun fabric projects created from the Big Shot machine!

Enjoy, Jennifer)

Stampin' Up! Regional

One fun part of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is getting to attend Stampin' Up! events with demo friends. Here is a picture of Joanne, myself and Sue attending a SU! regional training meeting in February in Fort Collins, CO. We had a blast and I got awesome cards from swapping with other demos and regional attendees.

I made each of them a fabric flower pin with my Big Shot machine as a little gift for attending this event.
Won't be long and we will be attending convention in SLC (in July!)

Happy stamping,

Jennifer

Ready, Set.....SWAP!

I'll be attending a Stampin' Up! Regional meeting this weekend and have my kitchen table full of swaps. I'm usually stamping at the last minute for swaps like this but my Big Shot die cutting machine really made this project super easy so I got all these done in one day!
I'll share the items I swap these for next week, so check back for more fun ideas.
Happy stamping,
Jennifer

Tootsie pop Valentine Flower Favor

These Tootsie Pop Valentine Flowers are a cute little favor which are great for Febr. 14th. Of course, using the Big Shot make these a super easy project! I've made up several dozen of these flowers to swap at the Ft. Collins 1/2 day regional this coming Friday.
Enjoy,
Jennifer

Heart Treat Cup on a Stick!

Here's a cute Valentine's Day idea. I revamped the project from this month's stamping classes to include a brown/pink color scheme.

January Class projects

These are the projects from this months stamping class. The Two-Step bird punch is in the Occassions mini catalog. The box is made from the Matchbox die for the Big Shot machine. The heart treat cups can be ordered is a box of 12 for $2.95....plan ahead for Valentine's Day projects!
If you missed class this month and would like the projects just contact me,
Jennifer

BRRR.....

The snowflake punch is perfect for cards and scrapbook pages this time of the year. Here is a quick 6x6 layout with my favorite little Reese all bundled up in her winter coat and stocking hat.
Stay warm,
Jennifer

Two-Step Bird Punch

I just love the new 2-step bird punch. It is in the latest Occassions Mini Catalog. I used my Big Shot machine for texturizing the flowers in the background....I really like the look of the sahara sand cardstock with the layer of the embossed piece on the regular cardstock. Using the Big Shot and the dry embossing folders are a really quick way to dress up your cards!

You can view the Occassions Mini catalog through my website....of let me know if you would like a copy in the mail!
Enjoy,
Jennifer

Merry Christmas!

Here is a project I made up last spring for the annual Stampin' Up! Artisan Award contest. I earned a place as a finalist for this award so I was thrilled. I love Christmas and thought these Santa pants would be a fun party favor or little gift bag. I used the Stampin' Up! "Baskets & Blooms" XL Bigz die for the main part of this project.

I also wanted to remind you that many of the stamp sets currently on our dormant list have been available for a year and now it is time to be discontinued. The following stamp sets will be discontinued on January 4, 2010. If they are on your wish list you will want to order before Jan. 4.
Item Number Stamp Set
113407 Back Woods
114492 Beautiful Baby
114486 Birthday Wish
113200 Branch Out
114496 Celebrations
113732 Central Park
113206 Classic Sketches
113226 Classy & Fabulous
114498 Flowers in Silhouette
113405 Font of You
113216 For the Bride
114494 Forever
109425 Friend by Definition
114488 Fun Flowers
113716 Garden Greetings
114490 Glad Friends
111580 Grand Soiree
113242 Hit the Road
113710 Lexicon of Leaves
113236 Man's Best Friend
114423 Ocean Commotion
113728 Playful Petals
109276 Polka Dot
111544 Putt Putt
113240 Quilt Quips
113754 Really Retro
113403 Sip by Sip
113726 Sweet Stems
113250 That's Funny
113688 Wonderful Watercolors
114028 Para la novia
114032 Acuarelas Maravillosas

Hope you all are enjoying the snow, cold and getting ready for Christmas!
Jennifer

Potter Stamp Class - November 10th

Here's the samples of the projects we will be making at the card making class in Potter on November 10.
Class will be at 6:30 p.m., back meeting room at Bags' Bar, material fee $10.
All patterns will be supplied for these fun folded cards.
Please contact me for more information or if you would like to sign up for this class.