Let Me Stamp

Olympic Inspired Halloween Costume

After the 2008 Summer games I decided to give my youngest son an Olympic inspired Halloween costume.  And who was the star of the show in 2008?

Michael Phelps

I tried to explain to Joey (who was only 4 at the time) who he was supposed to be but he just didn't really get it.  I think he would rather have been Darth Vader (which he was the next year!).  Me--I loved his Phelps-in-training (had to have the arm floaties) costume!

We were in Florida for my grandpa's 100th birthday party.  The town has trick-or-treating at all the stores downtown so we headed down there.

As we walked around the crowded area people would say things like "hey--look--it's Michael Phelps"..."way to go Michael"  and others would clap for him.  He got alot of attention and started to think his costume must be pretty cool! 

 

Congrats to Michael Phelps and all our USA Olympians--you make us proud!!!

 

~Melany

Valentine's 12x12 Scrapbook Layout

 

Was your Valentine's Day super sweet? Maybe you have some pictures to scrapbook?

I made a 12x12 layout without the reds and pinks this year.  Love the not-traditional color combination! 

The left page features a picture frame and a sparkly heart:

The right page has a title/journal box and a fun trim made with the Lace Ribbon Border Punch:

The patterned paper is the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper from the 2012 Sale-a-Bration brochure.  You can get this paper pack FREE with any $50 purchase (before tax/shipping) until March 31st!

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST

 

 

Sprinkling Happiness Card

Did you see the whimsical little gnomes in the Occasions Mini Catalog?  I had the chance to use the Gnome Sweet Gnome set recently and came up with this happy card.

I used the In Color 2011-2013 palette--Pool Party, Calypso Coral and Lucky Limeade.  Such a great combo!  The hearts are from the Heart to Heart Punch--I outlined them with my Basic Black marker and watercolored them to match the gnome.

I'm so happy because my 7 year old son just fixed my computer.  Somewhere along the way a setting got changed and I lost all sound.  It's been a pain for the last 3 months and I was planning to take it in to be fixed this week.  He changed something in Skype today and I'm back in the audio world.  Guess I'm not smarter than a 2nd grader!  :-)

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST

 

 

Hot Fudge Sundae Card

Have you browsed through the new 2012 Occasions Mini Catalog yet?  I chose the Sweet Shop Designer Series Paper right away--the yummy prints are so fun to work with! 

The design on this sheet of paper inspired my paper-pieced hot fudge sundae. I just used my Circle Scissor to cut the various sizes of circles....so easy! 

Do you like the large white label behind the ice cream? That's a new product, too--the Framelits Labels Collection. Six sizes of Framelits dies are included--to be used with the Big Shot.

Keep in mind that Sale-a-Bration is January 24th-March 31.  Choose a FREE product from the SAB Brochure with every $50 purchase (pre tax/shipping). 

~~It's also a great time to host your own workshop--you can earn extra FREE products!

~~Or just go for it and join Stampin' Up! at a big discount...you'll also get a FREE pack of Designer Series paper each month for the rest of the year!

Contact me for more details.  :-)

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST

 

 

 

Christmas at Disney World

We had a big Christmas surprise for our boys this year...and we succeeded in pulling it off!  Thank you to everyone that kept our secret...

We told Joey and Matthew that we decided to take a Christmas family vacation since we didn't go anywhere this year during their fall break.  Being EXTREMELY vague about our plans, we got them all the way to Ocala, Florida for the first night of the trip.  For some reason, they had decided we were going to Palm Springs (??)--but we messed that up the next morning when we gave them their Christmas present:

They didn't really understand when I told them we were going to Disney World RIGHT NOW.  But as they had time to think about it they got very excited.  Just hours later we were checked into our hotel and walking into Animal Kingdom for their first Disney experience.  They met Mickey right away:

We got to stay for 5 days--the weather was perfect!

We stayed at the Disney Wilderness Lodge--a great vacation destination of its own! It was the perfect place for boys....and they loved the pool/slide.

My favorite picture from the trip:

The parks and hotels were fabulous with all the decorations up. The boys hated to say good-bye!!

I've been planning this trip and keeping the secret for so long that it's been quite a let-down the past couple of days.  But we had a wonderful time and will have those great memories forever!

Now it's time to think about the new year and the fun Stampin' Up! catalog that starts in January.  Back to stampin'!!!

 

 

Holly Jolly 12x12 Layout

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  My tree is up--I think that's the earliest in years.  It's nice that my boys are old enough now to really help me decorate. 

I had a house full of family for Thanksgiving--18 seats at the table.  It was such a fun and busy week.  

We saw the Radio City Music Spectacular (featuring the Rockettes), braved the crowds at Gaylord Opryland Hotel to see the decorations, and visited the Cheekwood Botanical Gardens and Art Museum.

I wish I had put some thought into what the boys wore to Cheekwood--this would have been a nice photo for our cards without the football and pizza shirts!

 

At my last scrapbook class (second Thursday of each month--join us!) we made this fun, retro-look 12x12 scrapbook layout using the Letters To Santa Designer Series Paper.  

The Red Glimmer Paper adds just the right amount of sparkle. I didn't want to use a whole bingo card on one page--it would take up too much room.  So we cut the card apart!

We added a shadow to the ornaments to make them pop off the page.

Hope you are feeling the holiday spirit!

 

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST

 

 

Give Thanks 12x12 Layout

I've been quilting....not really!  But these pages made with the Spice Cake Designer Series Paper do look like they have quilted fabric embellishments:

One of my customers loved a card by Georgia Giguere from a holiday swap that featured a "quilted" panel.  She asked if we could make the card at my next class.  Instead, I used the panel from Georgia's card on my scrapbook layouts for November. 

I decided to add die cuts from the Leaves #2 Bigz die as appliques on my panels and brushed the leaves with Dazzling Details glitter glue.  Once the glue was dry, I ran the panel through the Big Shot using the Square Lattice Embossing Folder to inlay the pieces. 

I added a tag using the Hand-penned Holiday digital download on My Digital Studio.

I'm going into holiday planning mode.  This is the first year all of my family has come to Nashville for Thanksgiving.  It will be so much fun!  I just know the rest of this year is going to speed by....

Have a fun week!

 

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST

 

 

 

MDS Spooky Skeleton Card

Here I go again---pushing those images from My Digital Studio to the limits.  Remember when I did the same thing with this card?  That's the great thing about digital papercrafting--you can make it however big or small you want to! 

This skeleton is from the "Piece of Poison" digital download (Item 125607).  The same set is available in traditional stamps (Holiday Mini Catalog).

To give the card an eerie feel I added a swirl of Mica Flakes to the background.  The skeleton's head is popped up off the card, too.

I've been working on Halloween costumes for my boys...looks like they have settled on Perry the Platypus and Google Map Man.  Let's see if I can pull those off! 

Have a super spooky week!

 

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST

 

 

 

Harlequin Thank You Card

It seems like I need more "get well" cards this time of the year.  I really liked the cheerful colors of this harlequin print from the Birthday Big Top Designer Series Paper--a great starting point for my card!

Heat embossing with white powder is a simple way to get a crisp look when you need white letters on a dark background.

 

The Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack has been stocked with some amazing holiday products at equally amazing prices!  Order online anytime.

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST

 

 

Gift Givers Shaker Card

This sweet little snow scene from "Gift Givers" is the perfect stamp to use with the new Stampin' Up!  Shaker Frames.  The adhesive frames add depth so you can add glitter or beads to make an interactive card. 

I used the fun new Dazzling Details glitter glue to add some extra sparkle...

Have a great weekend!

All supplies Stampin' Up!

SEE THE PROJECT SUPPLY LIST