Merry Banner

I've really enjoyed using my Big Shot! Here is a Christmas banner I created with the Pennant Die from Stampin' Up! I even added some bling to the chipboard letters with glittery embossing powder. Simply cover the chipboard with white craft ink and pour on Iridescent Ice embossing powder while wet, then heat to set.

Recipe (all supplies from Stampin' Up! unless noted): Big Shot, Pennant Die, Ski Slope Designer Series Paper, On Board Letters, Little Felt Flurries, White Craft Ink, Iridescent Ice embossing powder, heat tool, Stampin' Dimensionals, Pretties kit, 5/8" Chocolate Grosgrain ribbon, silver cord.

Joy to Everyone

Ever see something that touches you so deeply that your breath is taken away? That is how I felt when I saw this new video: the pictures are so stunning and the music so moving and joyous, it was the first time I've truly felt the true spirit of Christmas this year. Really.

The artists that composed the music and took the pictures made this as a gift. Joy to Everyone expresses the hope that everyone feels love, peace and joy this Christmas. This is my hope, too.

To download the song and music free for yourself, click here.

Gift Card Holder

'Tis the giving season, and if you are giving gift cards, this simple and sweet gift card holder is a beautiful presentation. We've been making them in our workshops this month! I used the Basic Brown stamp pad to stamp on the shimmery white card stock because it dries quickly enough to watercolor over without smearing.

Recipe: Ski Slope Designer Series Paper, To You & Yours stamp set, Old Olive and Shimmery White card stock, Basic Brown and Baja Breeze classic stamp pads, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, Aquapainter and Scallop Edge, Word Window and 1 1/4" circle punches.

Score a piece of 6"x12" designer series paper at 6" and 3.25" from each short side. Fold into a "W" and glue around the inside bottom of the "W" to create a pocket (DON'T glue along the fold...that is where your card will go in). Punch two word window slots on the edge of the fold and a half circle to open the card pocket. Embellish as desired.

I love giving (and receiving!) gift cards and money, but if you need more fun ways to present them to friends and family, click here.

Retiring Stamps...on Sale!

Dozens of stamps from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog are dusting off their golf clubs in anticipation of their retirement! This is your last chance to get them--AND while they are available through January 18, 2009, they are all 10% OFF through December 23rd! Combine this great offer with our Free Shipping and Fall/Winter Sampler Sale and you can really stretch your stamping dollars. Click on the picture for more details and to print the retiring list.

Too Good To Be True? NO!

Richard Paul Evans, author of "The Christmas Box" has an offer you can't miss: 25 paperback copies of his book "The Christmas Box" FREE!! You pay only $15 shipping and can order up to 10 boxes...while supplies last. Visit http://richardpaulevans.com/freebooks/ to order NOW!

8 Things

I've been tagged by my SIL Alison at GoldRush Bride. Thanks, sis! My answers are in no particular order of favorites, just a jumbled compilation (like my desk today).

8 TV Shows I Watch (If I have time...usually while I'm ironing or other multi-tasking. The first 4 I watch semi-regularly, the others are very sporadic)
1. What Not to Wear
2. Pushing Daisies
3. Good Things Utah
4. Studio 5
5. John & Kate plus 8
6. Mythbusters
7. Ace of Cakes
8. Lots of Disney Channel when my kids have the remote control

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Ottavio's (Plan on dessert!)
2. Magleby's (Salmon with Mango Salsa)
3. The Roof (In the Joseph Smith Bldg/SLC...only ate there once for an anniversary)
4. Kneaders
5. Cafe Rio (anything pork)
6. Papa Murphy's Pizza (does taking it home to cook count as a restaurant?)
7. Subway
8. Chef's Table (Okay, I really have never eaten there, but want to!!)

8 Favorite Singers/Bands
1. Brad Paisley (such funny/clever lyrics!)
2. David Archuleta
3. ABBA (that dates me)
4. Barbara Striesand (DIBS on her voice when she doesn't make it to heaven...)
5. Idina Menzel
6. OK-Go
7. Carrie Underwood
8. Rascal Flatts

8 books I have read (and recommend)
1. Great & Terrible Series by Chris Stewart (start on book 2)
2. Harry Potter Series
3. Twilight Series (don't hate...every woman wants to feel loved!)
4. Mitford Series by Jan Karon (see a pattern? Give me a good series to keep me busy!)
5. Peacegiver
6. #1 Ladies Detective Agency (another series!)
7. Parenting the Strong-Willed Child
8. The Glass Castle

8 things that happened yesterday
1. Mopped the floor
2. Made a complete Thanksgiving dinner (a few days late, but needed to cook a turkey!)
3. Family Home Evening: Trip to Library, Decorate Christmas Tree
4. Laundry
5. Mailed pictures to my MIL
6. Tried to be only grateful, because I really wanted to complain...fairly successful!
7. Kamryn stayed home from school with stomach ache
8. Read two chapters from 3rd Nephi before falling asleep!

8 things I am looking forward to
1. Next year's sisters getaway!
2. Getting the new puppy potty trained
3. Having all debts paid off
4. Finishing the Book of Mormon (again) by December 31
5. Kiersta's Holiday Choir Concert
6. Kayson getting a job and cell phone
7. Disneyland in 2009??? (See #3)
8. Making time to work on my scrapbooks

8 things I wish for
1. That Autumn lasted for 4 months and winter was 1 month
2. Happiness for my children and husband
3. Unlimited patience
4. More time to work on my own projects
5. Valium for a few men I live/work with
6. Cure for type-1 diabetes
7. A happy ending for my SIL and nieces
8. A jacuzzi!

8 people I am tagging
1. Vickie H
2. Heidi J
3. Kara P
4. Shelly S
5. Lacy A
6. Mindi
7. Kelli B
8. ??

One more good reason to shop at home in your pajamas...

Did I just mention that I love a good sale? Well don't miss this one from Stampin' Up!: 5 DAYS ONLY! Find presents for the stampers, scrapbookers and paper crafters in your life...or just stock up for yourself. Don't miss the organization (Ribbon Storage) and Gift Tins, too! To view the sale, go to MY SU! WEBSITE and click on the SHOP NOW button under my name in the top right corner. You can order online or call me to order: 801-376-8685

I love a good sale...

My friend Sue sells Gold Canyon Candles...and this is a great offer: 20% off and free shipping! 'Tis the season for great sales! Who needs to go to the store this weekend with all the cool stuff online?? Go to her website to order and enjoy some extra "scents" for the holidays :)

How to Fold a Shirt

My friend Seana shared this a while back and I'm still trying to perfect the technique...but for those of you who have a lot of laundry, think of the time it would save if you could learn this!

Now if this woman could teach us how to fold fitted sheets...

Face Painting

Kiersta and friends wanted to do something fun for the Masquerade dance, so they asked makeup artist Haleh to come paint their faces (real masks weren't allowed at Masquerade...go figure). I was fascinated by her talents and watched her work magic most of the evening. Even the boys enjoyed it! We had Spider-man, butterflies, fairies and the Phantom, himself.

Misty Watercolor Memories...

I'm not ready to jump into the winter or even the holiday season quite yet, so here's a tribute to Autumn: Oh, that your vivid colors hadn't faded so quickly!

This is a gift bag I created using a watercolor technique: color your stamp using Stampin' Write markers, then mist lightly with water before stamping to run the colors together. (I use an empty Stampin' Mist bottle filled with water). Isn't it lovely?

Recipe: Inspired by Nature stamp set, Mellow Moss, Ruby Red, Summer Sun and Chocolate Chip markers and card stock, Naturals Ivory card stock, Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon, scallop edge punch, brown lunch bag.

Make It Fit Scrapbooking & Halloween, revisited

The adage "Better late than never" is misleading. If you are late for a wedding, you miss it. Get to the airport late and you'll be looking for another flight. Or too late to file taxes. In my case, I have great intentions of being on time, but it's not a strong suit for me. 9 a.m. church is REALLY hard for me (looking forward to the new year!). Currently I'm approximately 5 years behind in my scrapbooking and I'm finding that my memory isn't as sharp as it used to be. If you are one of those people just getting started on preserving your memories, I'd suggest starting with the most current pictures and working backwards. You'll remember what happened most recently, and maybe as you go back into your history, something will click as you are staring at your 5th grade class picture.


So I'm trying to catch up on my family scrapbooks and thought I'd share this tip for people who may not have a lot of pictures to scrapbook: Use a 6"x6" album! You only need ONE picture per page so you don't have to come up with filler for the rest of the page.



A 6x6 page is also a terrific anchor or focal point on a larger page (in this case, 8 1/2 x 11). Whatever the size, you can make it fit!

Vote

Dressing Up

A younger version of myself believed that sewing Halloween costumes for my children would validate me as a "good mother". I was fairly successful with a set of crayon costumes and one clown ensemble. Then Kiersta wanted to be a medieval princess...after dropping $80 (yes, that was *eighty* dollars) at the fabric store and spending two days hunched over a sewing machine, the perfect princess was clothed! Then I found an (almost) identical dress online for $25. I've never sewn a costume since.

This year we found costumes at a big box store at 60% off the week before the holiday and while standing in the checkout line, a sweet stranger handed me a "Friend & Family" coupon for an additional 20% off! SCORE!

Above: "Mother Nature" and the cutest little witch in our house.

Organized Christmas

Holiday Place Settings by Shelli

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

Many of you have heard me say that I don't like wasting brain cells (the few I have left after childbirth are very precious to me). One thing I want to stress is that I COPY BEAUTIFULLY! I love getting great ideas from other people and sharing them with you. Sometimes my friends discover my inspiration from other sources, but I'm here to share my sources first-hand!

This holiday place setting idea was shared on our local Utah channel 5 by Stampin' Up! CEO Shelli Gardner and if you attend one of my workshops next month, you may even get to make one of these fun items. One simple idea can be carried through any holiday or special occasion...what's not to love about versatility? To see the video, click here.

CLASS: ME Album

We scrapbook about children, vacations, holidays and milestones...but how often are YOU actually in the picture? It's time to allow yourself to take center stage!

At this special class on Saturday, November 8, 2008 (1 p.m.) you will finish an 8x8 album and 16 pages that describe who you are today and what you cherish in life. Cost is $55 and registration must be paid by November 3rd.

**This is one of 4 classes offered over the next few months where you can complete an entire album: Me, You, Us and Them. You may choose to complete one, two or all four! Complete 2 classes~receive a discount on 2nd class!

Call me to register: (801)376-8685. Class held in Spanish Fork, UT. Bring scissors, adhesive (Snail adhesive recommended~you can order one from me, if needed) and paper trimmer (optional). All other supplies will be provided.

Season of Thanks

At convention in July, Stampin' Up! unveiled Phase II of the Decor Elements line~and since Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I had to create this shadowbox for the season! It took me about 10 minutes to create :)

Recipe: Shadow Box and filler, Autumn Vine Designer Series Paper, small black Season of Thanks Decor Elements

Crazy for Cupcakes!

Stampin' Up! is celebrating their 20th Anniversary (hey...I just realized I've been married 20 years this year, too!) so what better way to start off my blog with a celebration card!

This set is one that is featured in our Birthday Promotion (see button on left sidebar).

Recipe (all supplies from SU! unless noted): Rose Red card stock, Cutie Pie Designer Series Paper (retired), Crazy for Cupcakes stamp set, Basic Black, Rose Red and Bashful Blue classic stamp pads, Watercolor Wonder crayons, Aqua Painter, My Way punch, Big Shot and Top Note Die, Sticky Strip, Chunky Sprinkles Glitter

CLASS: World Card Making Day STAMP-A-STACK!

Date: Oct 11
Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Mountain

Celebrate the connection of a hand-stamped card: Create 16 cards (4 each of 4 different designs) for $20 at my Stamp-A-Stack event! Please bring scissors, adhesive and a box or bag to store your finished cards in.

Choose to attend the 10 a.m. session or 1 p.m. session...but space is limited so register early by calling 801-376-8685. Bring a friend for twice the fun!

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting my new blog! Michelle Laycock is designing my new banner while Heather Wright-Porto installs it and sets up my blog with a new color scheme, new side bars, widgets, gallery and more.

Please come back and visit again or subscribe to Squeeze Your Creative Juice by email to stay updated with my posts, samples, and techniques.