Unfrogettable Stamping!

Fabulous MDS Sisters page

This week on the Sisters in Stamping blog we are focusing on scrapbook pages created in My Digital Studio (MDS).  I love this digital design software program and don't use it as often as I should!  If my photos were more organized on my hard drive it would be so much easier... I need to work on that this summer when I have some free time!!

This layout is based on a sketch created by Alesha Walls in her Saturday Scrapbook Challenge photo album on the My Digital Studio website here and is Sketch #13. You must be a member to view anything on this site, but it is totally free to join and is open to both demonstrators and customers!  If you own MDS or are thinking about purchasing it, this is a great site to join!  Lots of great ideas and inspiration.

I believe most of the elements on my page are in the core software program with just a few embellishments as downloads that you have to purchase.  I hope you like my page - I love that Amanda's t-shirt matches the rich razzleberry because I love the polka dot ribbon!  This was so easy to put together since I used a layout that had already been created... why reinvent the wheel, right?!  I did change a few things, but really it took longer to choose my photos than to create the page.

If you'd like to buy My Digital Studio and purchase it from me, I will give you a free MDS 101 class to show you how to get started.  Contact me or purchase it online and if you do be sure and take advantage of the 30% off bundles available through the end of of this month for our National Scrapbooking month promotion!!  Or if you'd rather join my Stampin' Up! team, you can purchase the Digital+ Starter kit at a 30% savings for just $122.50 through the end of May.

For more ideas and inspiration with My Digital Studio, be sure and visit the Sisters in Stamping blog later today!  Thanks for visiting today... have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  My hubby and I are on our way home from our Stampin' Up! Alaska cruise today and look forward to seeing our family again after being away.  I'll be sharing pictures and stories from the trip with you in the coming days!!

May Demonstrator of the Month, part 2

Thanks for stopping by today... I am sharing the 3-d project that my Demonstrator of the Month, Jennifer Rawlings, created.  If you missed yesterday's post, be sure and check out her cards!

This is a CD photo cube that holds Jennifer's envelopes.  Each of the four sides is decorated a little differently but all feature the super-cute Owl punch and Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper pack.  See below for more images!  Isn't this fantastic?!

Jennifer is going to be presenting this project at our June 2nd meeting... I will have more details to share with you next month about it!  I can't wait to learn how to make these!!

Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your talents and projects with us!  I hope her work has inspired you in your stamping.  If you'd like to join my family of demonstrators, please let me know!  There's a great deal on the Digital+ starter kit this month... it's 30% off for just $122.50.  You'll get some great products and be on your way to starting your own stamping business or opportunity to purchase your favorite Stampin' Up! goodies at a discount.  Either way, you get to come to our monthly meetings, participate in our awesome swaps and be a part of a fantastic group of stampers.

Thanks for stopping by!  Make sure you come back on Friday when I share my Fabulous Friday project for the Sisters in Stamping blog featuring a scrapbook layout created with My Digital Studio digital design software.

 

May Demonstrator of the Month, part 1

I'd like to introduce you to my featured Demonstrator of the Month from my Little Debbies team for May 2011 - Jennifer Rawlings.  Jennifer has been a member of my downline since January of 2007 when she signed up during Sale-a-Bration.  Here's what she has to share about herself:

I’m a 2^nd time-around demonstrator with Stampin’ Up!  I signed up years ago, but had to quit due to life circumstances.  But as soon as I was able, I found a great demonstrator (Debbie Naylor) and signed up again in January of 2007.  I work full time, take care of my family full time, and find whatever time I have left to stamp.  Unfortunately, that’s not nearly as much as I would like.  I’m trying to be more of a business demonstrator than a hobbyist.  I have a small but wonderful collection of customers, hold monthly classes, and do workshops whenever possible.

I don’t really have a favorite SU! product – I like it all!  I love learning new ways of using my stamping stuff, which is why I hold technique classes.  Trying out new things to show my customers helps me to find more time to stamp. 

Jennifer created some beautiful projects to share with you all... including some of the techniques that she has taught in classes.

Here is a beautiful card featuring a cross made from the Lattice bigz die.  What a wonderful sympathy card or one to send to a friend who needs your prayers.

This card features the faux Mother of Pearl technique and the flower is die cut from the Fun Flowers die... it's gorgeous!  I love all the different textures.  The sentiment is from the Full of Life stamp set.

Jennifer used the faux bleach technique with this card that features the Fresh Cuts stamp set.  The colors are so pretty together.

Lastly, here is a fun colored card featuring The Nicest Things and Fifth Avenue Florals stamp sets.

If you liked these cards, you're definitely going to want to come back tomorrow when I share Jennifer's awesome 3-d project!

 

Fabulous Triple Layer Punches

If you've had a chance to look through the new Stampin' Up! Summer Mini catalog you will surely have noticed the brand new Triple Layer punches found on page 6... they are so cool!  This week on the Sisters in Stamping blog we are featuring these wonderful new tools.  Earlier I shared one of my Summer Mini swap samples that used the Blossom Bouquet triple layer punch - see it here. 

For my card today I decided to feature the Doily triple layer punch and create a fun dimensional flower.

This is an idea I saw somewhere but for the life of me I can't remember where... so if you first created this flower idea, let me know so I can give you credit. 

They are really easy to make, too... just start by pushing the slide on the punch all the way to the right so you can cut out the full doily.  You will want at least 3 to create your flower.  Stack them on top of each other and put a brad through the hole in the center to hold your layers together.  Starting with the top layer, scrunch the card stock carefully (so it doesn't tear) and then do the same for the middle and bottom layers.  Once it is looking the way you want, add 2 stampin' dimensionals on the back and use it to embellish a card or scrapbook page.

Easy-peasey, right?  For more inspiring projects featuring these great new punches, please be sure and visit the Sisters in Stamping blog later today.

Thanks for visiting my blog today!  I'm so excited to be boarding the cruise to Alaska in a few hours... yippeee!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Fun times in Seattle, WA!

I will warn you... this post has no stamping in it whatsoever.  It is so I can share my trip with my kids and family back home.  Thanks for your understanding!  Trying to narrow down which pictures I wanted to share was really tough.. in just two days I think I have taken over 500 photos!!

Our trip started out a little stressful with multiple delays leaving Lynchburg airport, thankfully my downline and friend Heather Palm (an airport firefighter on duty at the time) hung out with us in the terminal and kept us a little better informed than we would have been if we had to rely on the airline.  With minutes to spare, we made our connection in Charlotte and landed safely in Seattle on time!

We arrived in Seattle late on Tuesday night and woke up yesterday morning to a gorgeous sunny day!  This is the view from the balcony of our hotel... a great view of Elliot Bay both by night and by day!  You can see the Olympic mountain range in the background.

One of the very best reasons for becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is the wonderful stamping friends you'll make!  My husband Joe and I flew into Seattle a few days prior to boarding our Stampin' Up! cruise to Alaska and I got a chance to spend some time with my downline and friend Sarah Eller (remember her Demo of the Month posts?) who lives here.  This is a different view of Elliott Bay that is very close to Sarah's home... she can walk her dog Sugar here every day.  Can you imagine?  The view is just breath-taking!

She took us to the Fisherman's Center for breakfast at a fun little diner with the BEST omelets in the world!  We ordered some that were filled with yummy fresh local seafood and right outside our window at Dock 7 was this fisherman's memorial.  If you've ever watched the show Deadliest Catch about King Crab fishermen in Alaska, you'd be interested to know that the Sea Star can be seen here sometimes... just not the day we visited, unfortunately.  But I did get a picture of the Polar Lady - what an impressive fishing boat! 

Next, we drove over to the Hiram Chittenden Locks... these locks connect the fresh waters of Lake Washington (where the Fishing Center Terminal is) to the ocean water in Puget Sound.  The fish ladders were closed for cleaning but we hope to get back there when we return from our cruise to watch the migration of the smolts (see photo above for explanation).  We did, however, get to see a large yacht go through the locks and visited the beautiful gardens.  The flowers here are amazing... no wonder Seattle is known as the Emerald City - everything is so green and lush.  I think the rhododendrum (rhodies as they call them here in Seattle) are so much more beautiful and seem much larger than the rhododendrum back home in Virginia.  Thank you, thank you, thank you to Sarah for spending time with us and driving us around your beautiful city!

After parting ways with Sarah later in the afternoon, Joe and I explored Pike Place Market - what a fascinating place!  The colors, sights, sounds and smells were amazing.  Here are a few of my favorite photos...

For dinner we met up with my Seattle friend and fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator Denise Jorgensen and her husband Iner for dinner at Elliott's down at the waterfront.  We had Coho River salmon that is in season now - YUM!  Afterwards we walked around and saw a beautiful sunset and got to see the waterfront at night.  What a great first day in Seattle! 

Today, we returned to Pike Place Market to grab a late breakfast at Piroshky, Piroshky (visited by Anthony Bourdain of the Travel Channel) for some Russian fare and then walked over to Westlake Center to do a little shopping and to catch the monorail up to the Space Needle... I am terrified of heights so had a bit of a scare going up in the elevator, but once we reached the top I was okay as long as I didn't look directly down.  What an amazing view of the city - just by walking around we got a 360 degree view of Seattle in all her glory!  While on the top of the Space Needle I happened to run into fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrators and fellow cruise achievers Linda Heller and Jan Burnett - how fun... it's great that many of us got to arrive in Seattle a little early to explore the city before boarding the cruise!!

 

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And my dear sweet husband indulged me as we ended the day with yummy sushi at Red Fin and then back to the Market for dessert at La Panier, a French bakery with to-die-for pastries!  So in just one day we had Russian, Japanese and French food... all delicious!

Tomorrow we will board the Celebrity Infinity cruise ship bound for Alaska right across the street at Pier 66... I hear that the internet connection is very pricey and slow on the ship so I won't be posting any photos of the cruise until we return.  In the meantime I have scheduled some things to share with you while we are gone.  Thank you to every one of my downline and stampers who helped to make this incentive trip happen for me and my husband!  I thank you from the bottom of my heart!!!

May 2011 stamp-a-stack cards

I held my monthly stamp-a-stack for May last week - it was a few weeks early due to my being gone at the end of the month on the Stampin' Up! cruise to Alaska (thank you, Stampin' Up!!).  I featured many of the fantastic products in the Summer Mini catalog.

Here is the first card featuring the Flower fest stamp set... it is a CASE of a card that my Sisters in Stamping design team friend Karla Anders contributed to Fabulous Friday a few weeks ago.  I really love this technique that Karla shared and the colors are so fun!  The "hello" image is from the fun new Swirls & Curls Verses exclusive hostess level 1 stamp set - earn it for FREE with a $150 workshop or single order!!

This is a card I designed to be for Father's Day or a masculine birthday card.  I assumed most of my stampers didn't need four Father's Day cards!!   The ship and compass images are from the Open Sea stamp set and the DSP is from the coordinating Nautical Expedition pack.  Check out the early espresso/white baker's twine... I love this twine!  The shadow block image with the ship is a clear block "D" inked with Sahara Sand ink and stamped on the whisper white card stock.  Cool, huh?!

Simple Friendship is a stamp set I've had since they gave it to us at Founder's Circle a few years ago and I just love it.  Guess what?!  It's on sale 30% off this month as part of the Scrapbooking sale.  The rock-n-roll technique was used to get the two-tone effect with baja breeze and not quite navy inks.... start by inking a solid image stamp with a light color ink, then roll the edges of it on a darker ink pad.  Be sure if you're stamping multiple times that you stamp off each time before re-inking in the lighter color!

This is the fourth card - it features the Flower Garden impressions folder in the Summer Mini.  A piece of whisper white card stock was run through the Big Shot with this folder and then ink was added to the different embossed parts using sponge daubers.  The sentiment is from the Short & Sweet stamp set.

Lots of all-occasion cards this month... I always like to put out several different sentiment stamp sets so my stampers can customize their cards for their upcoming needs.  My favorites include Sincere Salutations and Teeny Tiny Wishes - you can't go wrong with either one of these great stamp sets!!

Thanks for stopping by today... check back tomorrow for Fabulous Friday!!!

Birthday card for Karla

 

My friend and fellow Sisters in Stamping design team member Karla Anders celebrated her birthday earlier this month and this is the card that I sent to her.  This card features the Love & Care hostess level 2 stamp set from the Summer Mini - it is a design I CASE'd by Fran Sabad.  I love the CAS (clean and simple) style and this was fun to make, although I had to pull out my ruler to make the lines that straight.  This flower image is so easy to color using stampin' write markers (melon mambo and old olive).  After stamping them, I added little touches of dazzling diamonds to the flowers... I'm not sure you can see that in the photo.  I love stamping my envelope to match, too!  Because this card is flat, it is perfect for mailing and not requiring extra postage.

Here's the inside of the card... don't worry - I did write something after I took the picture!  Happy Birthday, Karla!

This was a fun technique and I plan to use it again... because it is a little time-consuming having to measure, mark and erase your pencil guidelines to create the outline box it is not a good candidate for a stamp-a-stack class but I would certainly love to teach this in a techniques class or card club.  Interested in learning how?  Contact me for more details!

Thanks for visiting with me... I hope you see how awesome this hostess set is!  Want to earn it?  Call me to set your workshop or catalog party up and you're on your way...

2011 Summer Mini catalog swap samples from Rachel

My friend and fellow Sisters in Stamping design team member Rachel Yurkanin was a guest swapper with us this month.  I loved getting samples from Rachel because I really like her style!

Here's Rachel's first card... lots of coloring, but oh so cute!  This card features the Recess stamp set from the Summe Mini... I love how she used the hopscotch and alphabet images with whisper white ink and made it look like chalk images on a blacktop.  You have to agree that the colors are really fun on this one, too!

And this one is a great card for Father's Day featuring the Best Dad Ever stamp set from the Summer Mini!  I love the doodling that she did around the outside of the stamped panel and isn't it cool that each tie is a different color?  Our stampin' write markers are perfect for this stamp!  Color each image directly on the stamp and then huff on it to re-moisten the ink and stamp - easy-peasey!

Rachel's last card is this bright and cheerful peacock card featuring the Proud Peacock stamp set.  I love it!  The color combination of old olive, daffodil delight, rich razzleberry and pumpkin pie just makes me happy.  Great job, Rachel, on all three cards... thanks for swapping with us this month!

I hope you have enjoyed seeing the wonderful designs that my team came up with this month... isn't it funny that no two cards came out too similar.  I hope you fall in love with the Summer Mini as much as we have!

Thanks for visiting... have a great Sunday!

2011 Summer Mini catalog swap samples from Kris

I am sharing the swap cards from my newest downline and business builder Kris Sennett today... I think she did a great job for her first big swap!!

This first card is a great Father's Day card featuring the Set Sail single stamp and sentiment from Teeny Tiny Wishes.  She used the coordinating Nautical Expedition DSP with not quite navy, crumb cake and a pop of color from the daffodil delight grosgrain ribbon.  This card could very easily become a fantastic masculine birthday card, don't you agree?

Here is a cute card featuring the new Sunny Fun stamp set - lots of coloring opportunities with this set for those of you who are into that!  The images are so cute and perfect for summertime cards!  I'm still in awe of all the coloring that Kris did for this one!  Nice job!

And this last card features the Flower Garden impressions folder.  I like how Kris first stamped the pretty in pink card stock with the butterflies and then ran it through the Big Shot to add the texture.  The "Just for You" sentiment is from the Ovall All stamp set in the big catty.  This is such a soft, feminine card, isn't it?

Great job, Kris!  Thanks for participating!!

Fabulous Sweet Flower Scrapbook Page

Happy Friday!  This week on the Sisters in Stamping blog it is my turn to host and I chose a scrapbook layout as my theme for the week in honor of National Scrapbooking month.  My contribution is this 12"x12" layout featuring the Flower Fest stamp set in the new Summer Mini catalog.  I just love these flowers and this bright color combination of melon mambo, daffodil delight, whisper white and certainly celery really makes me think of summertime.  One of the very first things I loved about stamping when I was first introduced to Stampin' Up! seven years ago was that you could create your own personalized designer paper with stamps and ink.  I still love doing this for one sheet wonder cards and also for scrapbook pages.  I took a single sheet of 8-1/2" x 11" whisper white and stamped all over it with the large flower, small flower and leafy stem images to create my background.  Because our inks match our card stock, I used a 12" x 12" sheet of melon mambo as the base of my page and it coordinates beautifully!  I also know that my certainly celery ribbon will match, too.  Don't you love that about Stampin' Up! products?

One of the great things about this Flower Fest stamp set is that so many of the images work with our punches so putting together projects is a breeze... especially since you know I HATE to cut things out!    If you check in our catalogs, any image that is outlined means that it has a coordinating punch.  Very cool!!  If you know me at all, you know I am a punch junkie... I own them all!

Did you notice the large flower embellishment?  That idea came from my friend Karla Anders when she shared her sneak peek card from the Summer Mini on our Sisters in Stamping blog a few weeks ago.  What a fun (and easy) technique.. be sure and visit her blog for the details!  I attached it with double stampin' dimensionals over a gathered piece of 1-1/4" striped certainly celery ribbon.  To do that I used the new white baker's twine in the Summer Mini and wrapped it around the ribbon and tied it in a knot and trimmed the ends so it would be hidden under the flower.  A little rhinestone sets off the middle of the flower nicely.

I was having a hard time coming up with a title for my page since I don't have any specific photos in mind for this page... "sweet" was pretty generic and I thought could work with a number of different images.  I used my Big Shot to die-cut the daffodil delight card stock with the Serif Essentials alphabet set and for some texture ran the letters back through the Big Shot with my Square Lattice impressions folder.

Remember how I said the punches work great with this set?  Well the large flower can be used with the 2-3/8" scallop circle punch and the butterfly image works with... you got it, the butterfly punch.  I stamped it with melon mambo ink, colored in the dots with a daffodil delight stampin' write marker and then added dazzling diamonds with my 2-way glue pen.  To give them a little more pizzazz, I added a strip of 3 little rhinestones for the body.  The butterflies are attached only at the center with a stampin' dimensional so that they pop off the page.  I stuck with the rule of threes and only added three butterflies to the page.

If you're interested in learning more about scrapbooking or to join a scrapbook club with me, please contact me... and if you'd like to order the products to duplicate this project you can email me or place that order in my online store.  Be sure and check out our scrapbooking special this month!  Don't forget - every $50 order earns you $10 in Debbie's Stampin' Bucks through May 27th and puts you on my $50-50 board.  If you place an online order you'll also be entered into my monthly online order stamp set drawing.  Please note that if you place an order after May 16th you'll have to do so online because I'll be cruising with my hubby and Stampin' Up! to Alaska!!!

I hope you found some inspiration here today and are going to give scrapbooking a try if you've never done it before.  And if it's been a while since you've done a page, why not make some this month.  For more ideas, please visit the Sisters in Stamping blog after Noon EST today to see what Karla, Jacque and Rachel came up with this week.

As always, thanks for visiting with me and be sure and come back this weekend when I share the rest of the Summer Mini catalog swaps I received from Kris and Rachel.  Have a wonderful weekend!