My Gift to You: Holiday Helper!

If you "need a little Christmas, right this very minute" have I got a gift for you! Sign up to receive my Holiday Helper~12 Days of creative projects that will not only put you in the holiday mood, but help you enjoy a dazzling handcrafted season! With each mailing, you will receive not only a picture of the finished project, but you will also receive a complete supply list with a step-by-step tutorial that shows you exactly how to do the project.

Subscription is f*r*e*e and painless, Click on the image above and start getting your Holiday Helper on November 1st! If you are already receiving my newsletters, you will automatically receive all the Holiday Helpers, unless you notify me that you do not wish to receive them.  If for any reason you wish to stop the Holiday Helper I have a link on every email page to unsubscribe. Why not click away?

Bubble, Bubble, Toil & Trouble

TRY THIS AT HOME! Today's creativity comes from the kitchen :)

My teenage son came home from a sleepover a few months ago and said, "Mom! You *HAVE* to get the recipe for vanilla syrup from Josh's mom!!! CALL HER NOW!!! It's the best stuff I have EVER TASTED!!!" (No extra emphasis added)

"Well," says I, "if you like it so much, why don't YOU ask her for it?"

So he did. And we love it. AND it's easy. NOT TO MENTION that there is a cube of butter in the recipe.

Need I say more??

Without further ado, I present to you.....Kim's Vanilla Syrup:

Mix one cube of butter, 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup of buttermilk (yeah, more butter!) in saucepan and boil for one minute.

Remove from heat and add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Pour over pancakes or waffles (or just spoon directly into mouth, if you can afford the calories...)

This would probably be about a million Weight Watchers points (so I try to pace myself), but if you need great recipes for that, go to my friend Lacy's Weight Watchers Recipe blog...she's reached her 10% goal and is still going strong!

And thanks, Kim, for contributing to my sugar obsession.

Wish Big

I must be in sync with the gals over at Clean & Simple Stamping because this is the project I took to the cabin in Pine Valley to work on over the weekend:

These are my birthday cards for the demonstrators in my SU! family this year (sorry, ladies, if this spoils the surprise!!) and they just happened to follow the C&S Fall-to-Layout #111:

I am making these cards in lots of different colors, like the one below that showcases some of the 2010 In-Colors (Peach Parfait and Concord Crush). I wasn't sure they would look good together, but this just goes to show you that the hues in each color family prepared by SU! really *are* compatible with each other!!

Want to get one of these in your mailbox for your birthday? It's just one of the many reasons to join my Stampin' Up! family! While you are here looking around, let me remind you that the Clearance Rack Blitz only lasts a little longer, so click here to shop and save up to 80% on crafting supplies :) 

Stock Your Creative Cupboards!

Through October 18th, Stampin' Up! is having a BLITZ in the CLEARANCE RACK...up to 80% off retired product and only while supplies last! For preferred customer pricing, click HERE to go to my online store. EVERY BLITZ ORDER will also get a hand-stamped thank you from me (and don't forget that you can earn FREE Hostess Benefits when you order over $150!).

Seize the Opportunity!

Host a fall workshop with me and choose a free stamp set from my "Bonus Basket" (in addition to the great hostess benefits). Dates are filling fast, so let's plan a fun party for you and your friends (day or evening times available!)

You are invited to attend my Group Gathering on Tuesday, October 5th (7 p.m.) in Spanish Fork, UT to peek into the life of a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator: RSVP by calling 801-376-8685. FREE!

And don't forget New Demonstrators earn the "Tote-ally Awesome" Craft Tote FREE when they join my Stampin' Family by October 18th. Ready to play? Click here and JOIN NOW (my recruiting password is stampwithme).

ROCK the WALK

There are some in every crowd. The people who ROCK to their own beat. The ones who aren't afraid to show some STYLE (even bad style). Those who LEAD the pack...who make a DIFFERENCE. And WE WERE THOSE PEOPLE on Saturday at the Utah County JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes!!!

This boy is one of the main reasons we participate...our "Sexy Diabetic" as he calls himself (though the hair may get in the way of his true beauty):

 

And here is is brother and cousin who came dressed to Kill Support him:

This picture of my sisters (Mindi & Megan) and I would make our Mother Proud (Love you, Mom!):

ALMOST as proud as her son would make her dressed like this (yes, that is my brother Ryan and my son in the background, working the crowd on stage):

We are almost halfway to reaching our goal to raise $2,000 to find a cure for Juvenile Diabetes...every dollar counts, so if you can help by donating even $5 or $10 HERE, you can get yourself an AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO of my family ROCKIN' the WALK! This photo is sure to be treasured for generations, so make your donation today :)

If you prefer to mail in a donation, write a check to "JDRF" and mail it to: Spendlove's Stamp Out Diabetes, 860 E 1050 S, Spanish Fork, UT 84660.

Our dream is to make Juvenile Diabetes OBSOLETE and we have chosen JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) as our charity of choice because they are the worldwide leader in research to find a cure. To find out more about JDRF, click here. 

Sew Sweet Apron!

What is sweeter than candy? This adorable ruffled apron made from Stampin' Up! Candy Cane Christmas Designer Fabric!! But I don't think it looks like Christmas, I think it looks more like Valentines :)

I followed the tutorial by Krista Maurer (found HERE) which she shared a few weeks ago on Good Things Utah. Our 100% cotton Designer Fabric (NEW in the Holiday Mini!) comes with 3 coordinating designs in large fat quarters (each piece measures approx. 28"x18") so I just sewed two 4" x 18" pieces together to get the 4"x36" strips called for, then added another piece of plain red fabric for the waist tie.

I stayed up from 10 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. one night to finish it because it had been on my "to-do" list for 2 weeks, and I really wanted to get it done...for all you seamstresses out there, it would only take you an hour because it is pretty simple to create :) If you like this fabric, it is item #121715 ($9.95) and you can order it from my SU! website. Or try the "Deck the Halls" Designer Fabric assortment for a vintage Christmas look (#121716)

What can YOU create with Stampin' Up! fabric? Share a link to your creations in the comments!

Cards for the Blind

(Sept. 18th: If you are visiting from Clean & Simple Stamping, Welcome! While this card isn't an exact replica of the FTL #108, it was such kismet that I had created it earlier in the week that when I saw the layout, I had to share!)

My friend, Sherrill Graff, asked for donations of birthday cards for the Blind Center in Las Vegas, so I pulled out some of my retired products and started playing. It seemed like a strange request, but when you are making cards for people who can't see (or don't see well), you start thinking with your other senses, like touch and smell.  This is the favorite card I came up with:

I used the Scallop Circle Die and Finial Press embossing folder in the Big Shot to create the shape of the card and the texture on the front. Then I mixed a little orange-flavored Kool-Aid in with some clear embossing powder and embossed the orange image to create a "Scratch-n-Sniff Focal Point"...or would that be a "Fragrance Point"? Want to see more samples I created? "Like" my Facebook page and I've uploaded a few more samples there!

Tote-ally Tess

Sometimes you just need to ignore the housework and do something fun. Which is where I found myself this morning...needing a little creative time. So here is my "Tote-ally Tess"/Poppy Parade version of the Clean & Simple Fall-to Layout #107:

And here is the FTL 107 sketch:

Recipe for my card (all Stampin' Up! Supplies):  Tote-ally Tess stamp set, Poppy Parade, Chocolate Chip, Pear Pizzaz and Shimmery White card stock, Early Espresso Classic Ink Pad, In-Color Markers, Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper, Pinking Hearts Border punch, Brights Designer Buttons, Linen Thread

Speaking of "Tote-Ally" cool...you can get a Greenhouse Gala Tote FREE when you join my Stampin' Up! family of demonstrators before October 18th! Click on the "Tote-ally Awesome" button in the right column for more details or call me: 801-376-8685. Want to see what it's like to be a demonstrator? Attend my Stitched Stampers Group Gathering on Tuesday, October 5th in Spanish Fork, Utah. Let me know if you can come!

Videos for My Digital Studio!

If you have purchased (or have *considered* purchasing) the fabulous "My Digital Studio" software from Stampin' Up! then I have GREAT NEWS for you! There are now instructional videos available HERE to help you get the most of YOUR Digital Studio, and more will be added in the future, too! Once there, you will also notice the links on the left for MDS updates, new downloads and more.

Ready to get your own copy? Visit my website and click on "Shop Now"