Last Day for Incredible Savings!!!!

Hi there everyone! Wow, what a weekend I have had. My Christmas Card Buffet went over really well and I had 30 happy ladies! I was so pleased! My supplies are still packed up as Sunday was a busy day with the family. I will be getting back on track this week with my blog and my plans for the new year. I will be placing an order Monday evening at 930pm. This will be the last chance to take advantage of the fantastic specials going on right now. Please have a look at the listing.... I wouldn't want you to miss out on any great deals.

Here is the link to my earlier post.

If anyone is interested in ordering products as Christmas gifts you will want to do that soon as well to avoid delays with holiday shipping times. Or, an even better thought is a gift certificate. I have some gift certificates that you could purchase in any denomination and then they can be redeemed during our annual Sale-a-bration promotion which starts 4 Jan along with all the fantastic new products in the Occasions Mini Catalogue. I can't wait for the New Year!!

I hope you all have a fantastic Monday and I will be back later with a creative post. Don't forget the sale ends today :)

Still Cutting Paper!!!

Good Morning everyone!!! I am still busy cutting paper for Saturday. I feel like I haven't even made a dent. 350 is a lot of cards. I will take a picture of all the paper packs when I am done so you can see how busy I have been the past few days.

Quick post to share with you one of the cards we will be doing on Saturday.

This is the card that I am calling Santa Post. I am using the Christmas Punch stamp set (level 2 hostess) for the santa stamp and snowflake and then I used the Winter Post Stamp Set for the postmark stamp. I stamped the postmark image with Soft Suede ink on Soft Suede Patterned Designer Paper. Mounted that on Black CS and then a Real Red Card Base. I used the Black Striped Grosgrain and then Red Grosgrain on top of that with the snowflake punched with a 1" Circle Punch and attached with some Linen thread. The Santa stamp is stamped with Real Red, Soft Suede and Basic Black and punched out with 1 1/4" square punch and then layered on 1 3/8" black squares.

Hope you enjoy! Must get back to cutting paper!! Once I get through Sat, you will see a more regular schedule of posting. I have a ton of things to get on my blog!

Don't forget the great specials for this week only!!

Huge Sale for 1 Week Only!!!!!

Wow! I wish I had a chance to tell you all about this sale first thing this morning, but I had a very busy day and am only now getting to my computer. Wow, what fantastic deals!!! I need to control myself! Stampin' Up! is offering these great deals for just ONE WEEK! Sale starts today and runs until 30 Nov. Orders can be placed through me at cathmsand@cogeco.ca or straight through my website for delivery to your home, HERE!! There are some amazing specials there! Discounts range from 30 - 50% off on over 40 products product bundles. All items will be available right until 30 Nov, even if some items go on backorder. The only exception to this is the "Ultimate Stampers' Starter Bundle", this product is only available in a limited quantity, so contact me today if you are interested!

Click HERE to Link you to the Stampin' Up! website for pictures and prices of products on Sale! Go and check it out! You wouldn't want to miss it!

120280 Framed with Love Bundle
- Framed with Love stamp set
- Full Heart punch
REG Price 59.90 SALE PRICE 29.95

120281 Thank You Kindly Bundle
- Thank You Kindly stamp set
- Scallop Edge punch
REG Price 41.90 SALE PRICE 20.95

120976 Thank You Kindly Bundle (French)
- Tous mes remerciements stamp set
- Scallop Edge punch
REG Price 41.90 SALE PRICE 20.95

120282 Animal Crackers Bundle
- Animal Crackers stamp set
- Star Designer brads
REG Price 35.45 SALE PRICE 17.73

120283 Corduroy Button Bundle
- Kraft Corduroy buttons
- Pumpkin Pie Corduroy buttons
- Summer Sun Corduroy buttons
- Basic Gray Corduroy buttons
- Chocolate Chip Corduroy buttons
REG PRICE 42.50 SALE PRICE 21.25

120284 Game Night Bundle
- Card Games stamp set
- Game Night stamp set
REG PRICE 54.90 SALE PRICE 27.45

120285 Four Square Bundle
- Four Square stamp set
- Scallop Square punch
REG PRICE 42.90 SALE PRICE 21.45

120286 Heart to Heart Bundle
- Love You Much stamp set
- Heart to Heart punch
- Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
REG PRICE 69.85 SALE PRICE 34.93

120310 Heart to Heart Bundle (Spanish)
- Te Quiero Mucho stamp set
- Heart to Heart punch
- Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
REG PRICE 69.85 SALE PRICE 34.93

120311 Heart to Heart Bundle (French)
- J't'aime beaucoup stamp set
- Heart to Heart punch
- Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
REG PRICE 69.85 SALE PRICE 34.93

120287 Chipboard Letter Bundle
- On Board Timeless Type
- On Board Loads of Letters
REG PRICE 33.90 SALE PRICE 16.95

120288 Double-Stitched Ribbon Bundle
- Bashful Blue 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
- Rose Red 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
REG PRICE 27.00 SALE PRICE 16.20

120289 Ultimate Stampers' Starter Bundle*
- Best Wishes & More stamp set
- Eight Great Greetings stamp set
- On a Pedestal stamp set
- Earth Elements Stampin' Spots
- Earth Elements assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
- Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
- Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- Flower Designer brads
REG PRICE 170.95 SALE PRICE 102.57

120290 Build-A-Brad Bundle
- Calendar Alphabet stamp set
- Pewter Build-A-Brad
- Antique Brass Build-A-Brad
REG PRICE 56.95 SALE PRICE 34.17

120291 Enjoy Every Moment Bundle
- Enjoy Every Moment stamp set
- Circle Designer brads
- Flower Designer brads
REG PRICE 58.95 SALE PRICE 35.37

120312 Enjoy Every Moment Bundle (French)
- Profiter de chaque instant stamp set
- Circle Designer brads
- Flower Designer brads
REG PRICE 58.95 SALE PRICE 35.37

120292 Cheep Talk Bundle
- Cheep Talk stamp set
- Note cards
- Pumpkin Pie Corduroy buttons
REG PRICE 57.40 SALE PRICE 34.44

120293 Sock Monkey Bundle
- Sock Monkey stamp set
- Sock Monkey Accessories stamp set
- Chocolate Chip Corduroy buttons
REG PRICE 78.40 SALE PRICE 47.04

120313 Sock Monkey Bundle (French)
- Sing-chaussette stamp set
- Sock Monkey Accessories stamp set
- Chocolate Chip Corduroy buttons
REG PRICE 78.40 SALE PRICE 47.04

120294 Alphabet Bundle
- Jayne's Type Alphabet stamp set
- Lovely Letters stamp set
REG PRICE 115.90 SALE PRICE 69.54

120295 Simply Said Bundle
- Simply Said stamp set
- Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- Full Heart punch
REG PRICE 73.85 SALE PRICE 44.31

120314 Simply Said Bundle (French)
- Amitié stamp set
- Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- Full Heart punch
REG PRICE 73.85 SALE PRICE 44.31

120296 On Board Bundle
- On Board So Tweet
- On Board Batch of Blooms
- On Board Essentials
REG PRICE 56.85 SALE PRICE 34.11

120927 Christmas Décor Bundle #1
- Holly Berry Wreath Décor Elements (Kraft, Real Red)
- Real Red Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements
- Chocolate Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements
REG PRICE 100.85 SALE PRICE 60.51

120298 Christmas Décor Bundle #2
- Holly Beary Wreath Décor Elements (Chocolate, Real Red)
- Real Red Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements
- Chocolate Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements
REG PRICE 100.85 SALE PRICE 60.51

120299 Christmas Décor Bundle #3
- Holly Berry Wreath Décor Elements (Old Olive, Real Red)
- Real Red Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements
- Chocolate Vintage Ornaments Décor Elements
REG PRICE 100.85 SALE PRICE 60.51

120300 For All You Do Bundle
- For All You Do stamp set
- 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 50.20 SALE PRICE 35.14

120315 For All You Do Bundle (French)
- Merci pour tout stamp set
- 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 50.20 SALE PRICE 35.14

120316 For All You Do Bundle (Spanish)
- Por todo lo que haces stamp set
- 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 50.20 SALE PRICE 35.14

120301 Striped Ribbon Bundle
- Bashful Blue 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- Pumpkin Pie 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- Old Olive 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- Pretty in Pink 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- So Saffron 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
- Real Red 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon
REG PRICE 71.70 SALE PRICE 50.19

120302 Bling Bundle
- Sticky Pages
- Sticky Cuts Sweet
- Fine Supernova Stampin' Glitter
- Fine Galaxy Stampin' Glitter
REG PRICE 61.10 SALE PRICE 42.77

120303 Fresh-Cut Bundle
- Fresh Cuts stamp set
- Fresh-Cut Notes
- 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 50.85 SALE PRICE 35.60

120317 Fresh-Cut Bundle (French)
- Fraicheur exuise stamp set
- Fresh-Cut Notes
- 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 50.85 SALE PRICE 35.60

120304 Pendant Note Bundle
- Pendant Park stamp set
- Pendant notes
- 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 53.85 SALE PRICE 37.70

120318 Pendant Note Bundle (French)
- Adorable parc stamp set
- Pendant notes
- 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 53.85 SALE PRICE 37.70

120319 Pendant Note Bundle (Spanish)
- Un dia en el parque stamp set
- Pendant notes
- 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 53.85 SALE PRICE 37.70

120305 Sporting Bundle #1
- Large Night of Navy Sporting Décor Elements
- Night of Navy Just Sports Décor Elements
REG PRICE 91.90 SALE PRICE 64.33

120306 Sporting Bundle #2
- Large Chocolate Sporting Décor Elements
- Chocolate Just Sports Décor Elements
REG PRICE 91.90 SALE PRICE 64.33

120307 Sporting Bundle #3
- Large Black Sporting Décor Elements
- Black Just Sports Décor Elements
REG PRICE 91.90 SALE PRICE 64.33

114864 Ginormous Flowers I Décor Elements
REG PRICE 53.95 SALE PRICE 37.77

114863 Ginormous Flowers II Décor Elements
REG PRICE 53.95 SALE PRICE 37.77

112534 5/16" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 11.25 SALE PRICE 7.88

112533 5/8" Neutrals Jumbo brads
REG PRICE 9.95 SALE PRICE 6.97

112081 Scallop Square punch
REG PRICE 22.95 SALE PRICE 16.07

113693 Full Heart punch
REG PRICE 22.95 SALE PRICE 16.07

113694 Heart to Heart punch
REG PRICE 22.95 SALE PRICE 16.07

112091 Scallop Edge punch
REG PRICE 22.95 SALE PRICE 16.07

112571 Circle Designer brads
REG PRICE 8.50 SALE PRICE 5.95

112579 Flower Designer brads
REG PRICE 8.50 SALE PRICE 5.95

112572 Star Designer brads
REG PRICE 8.50 SALE PRICE 5.95

114785 Small Wonderful Flowers Décor Elements
REG PRICE 53.95 SALE PRICE 37.77

114786 Medium Wonderful Flowers Décor Elements
REG PRICE 93.95 SALE PRICE 65.77

114791 Small Wonderful Leaves Décor Elements
REG PRICE 53.95 SALE PRICE 37.77

114792 Medium Wonderful Leaves Décor Elements
REG PRICE 86.95 SALE PRICE 60.87

* This bundle is available only while supplies last.

Lots of Snowmen Invitations!

A friend of mine made these invites for her son's first birthday. Aren't they just so cute. This Snowman stamp actually comes with writing in the centre for Thank you cards, but we decided that we would use an exacto knife and cut out the centre portion and that way we didn't have to worry about inking up portions of the stamp that we did not want. For my own stamp, I just placed the cut out piece back on the wood where it should belong without adhering it to the block. It sits nice and snug and then can be used for its original purpose.

What a great job she did with all the colouring! She used her Stampin' Write Markers to colour in all the scarves and hats and there were no two created the same. I just think it is so much fun!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Simple Seasonal Thanks $23.95 Item #111548

Time for some Decorating!

Yippee!!! I finally had a chance to stamp something other than a Christmas Card. I had seen this done before and just had to try it out myself. I stamped 10 ornaments from the Delightful Decorations stamp set and punched them out with the Ornament Punch. I scored down the centre of each punched ornament to make folding in half easier.

I started by folding an ornament in half with the stamped side on the inside. I applied my snail adhesive onto the back of the folded punch and then layered another folded punch on top. I continued this process until I had stacked all 10 of the folded punched ornaments together.

I threaded a bead onto some ribbon and tied a knot at the bottom to make a large loop on top of the bead. I then laid the loop down the seam of the stacked ornaments and applied adhesive on the back of the last folded ornament. I then attached the first and last ornament in the stack together to form a circle around the ribbon. I then attached a bow to the top of the ornament with a glue dot. And there you have it. I hope I didn't lose anyone in the explanation. If I did, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will have to show you in person. It is quite simple, just a bit tedious. I am trying to decide how many of these I want to make for my tree :)

I seem to have been posting every 10 days lately, but that will be changing after today! I have missed not being here to share with you. If you haven't checked out the Holiday Extravaganza Gift Giving Guide you will want to do so. There are some great products on there and if you spend $65 on products from the guide you will receive a free Decor Elements (valued at $22.95). This a great way of experiencing our fantastic Decor Elements.

Have a great day and we will see you tomorrow with another post!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set: Delightful Decorations (116517, pg 24 Holiday Mini)

Card Stock: Very Vanilla

Ink: Rich Razzleberry Classic Ink

Accessories: Ornament Punch (116794, pg 25 Holiday Mini), Vanilla Bead from the Pretties Kit, Thin Ribbon to fit through bead, ribbon for bow

Countdown to Christmas

Ok, so it has been awhile since I have posted. Did you think I disappeared off the face of the earth? On Sun 1 Nov, I became completely focused on only one thing..... my calendar class that just happened this past Saturday. I had to get all the pages planned and prepped along with everything else that was happening in this household. It was a very busy week and this week is just the same. I have the Trenton Children's Centre Craft Sale this coming Saturday, 14 Nov. It will be taking place at the Elk's Lodge on Telephone Rd here in Trenton from 10am till 4pm. Come check out my booth and support the Trenton Children's Centre. There will also be a hot lunch available for purchase along with a bake sale and many other vendors. I have making chili and baking on my list of things to do this week as well :) Come see me to browse my sale merchandise along with doing a little make and take. Looking forward to seeing you.

Ok, so onto today's post.... My Christmas Countdown Advent Calendar

I had contemplated running this as a course, but was afraid it would be too expensive of a class. There are a variety of materials you can build your calendar on to keep the costs lower, but let me tell you how I did mine.

Supplies Required:

1/2" Thick Plywood - 16" x 24"

1 3/8" Wide Wood Trim

White Paint

114831 Small Christmas Countdown Decor Element ($26.95)

3 pieces of balsa wood (3" x 24") cut down to 25 pieces at 2 1/2" x 3"

Adhesive Velcro Dots (2 per box - 50 used total)

Jewelery Boxes (I have quite a few available for purchase at $0.30 a box)

Designer Series Paper (1 1/4" x 3 3/4" piece for lid wrap and 1 3/8" x 2 3/8" for bottom of inside of box)

Grosgrain Ribbon

Crop-o-dile

Tea Cup Hook

Picture Hangers

Adhesive

Glue Dots

Steps to Complete:

1. Glue moulding to plywood board. Once dry, paint the entire frame white. Paint the Balsa Wood Strips white.

2. Mount Decor Element in centre of board once the paint has dried. Specific Instructions for this step come with the product.

3. Attach Boxes with 2 Velcro Dots. Place them on the box first and then place the box in position on the board and the other portion of velcro will remain in place.

4. Attach Tea Cup Hook so numbers on wood strips will not sit too low

5. Decorate top of boxes with DSP and Ribbon. Decorate inside as well with co-ordinating DSP, so once the day has been opened you can leave the box open for display.

6. Cut the Balsa Wood Strips down to 2 1/2" x 3". A small hand saw is all we used. Apply the numbers from the countdown directly to the wood pieces. Use Crop-a-dile to punch holes in top of each numbered piece.

7. Now you just need to fill each box. I really like the size of boxes that I got because I am able to put in a couple treats for the kids and then they take turns opening the boxes every day, but they both always get something.

You could pretty much put anything you like in these little boxes - money, candy, chocolates, mini gift certificates, special things to do today notices and whatever else your imagination can come up with.

If you are interested in making one of these for your family's Countdown to Christmas, don't hesitate to contact me for more information, to order the decor element and to purchase some sweet little boxes. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I will be back tomorrow with another post from my calendar class. Have a great Tuesday!!

Happy Halloween

Well, Today's the day!!! The kids are very happy and we will be carving our pumpkins this morning. I thought today I would share a new look for my blog! I have been wanting to create my own blog header since I started this blog, but haven't gotten around to it! Well, my dreams came true when we came out with the My Digital Studio and then I could create a header simple and easy and using all of our actual stamp sets and paper. I am so excited. I already have another look ready to go for the holidays. I hope you enjoy them!

Here are a few little treat boxes and a Halloween card to inspire you today! I hope you have a wonderful Halloween and I hope the weather turns out nice for the trick-or-treaters!

This is the Box #2 Sizzix Bigz XL Die which I cut out of Pumpkin Pie Card Stock and decorated with a strip of the Cast-a-Spell Designer Series Paper. The little chick and greeting come from the Twick or Tweet Stamp set in the holiday mini catalogue. Punches that were used are the Word Window, 1 1/4" Circle, 1 3/8" Circle and Scallop Circle. I love my punches!!!

This next treat box was made with the Fancy Favor Bigz XL Die.
I cut out the box in Perfect Plum Card Stock and stamped images from "From the Crypt" stamp set in Perfect Plum and Basic Black ink. I attached ribbon through the sides of the box to create a handle and made the embellishment on the front of the box my circle punches and the "Eat, Drink & Be Scary" Stamp set. I used my markers to achieve different colours in the greeting.

The second box is done using the same die but this time I actually closed the box with ribbon instead of leaving it open like a basket.

I used the Sweet Treats stamp set and the circle punches to decorate the front of it.







And lastly, the card for today was one that we did at my Halloween class. I wanted to make the focal point the Designer Paper and the rub-on punched out with the Wide Oval Punch.

I made the card out of Pumpkin Pie Card Stock, stamped the Brocade image from the "From the Crypt" stamp set as a background. I layered my Card Stock and Designer Paper pieces together and wrapped the black Wide grosgrain around it and then attached it to the front of the card.
I used the spooky treats rub-ons on Whisper White Card Stock and then punched out using the Wide Oval Punch. To make a mat for that, I used the Lots of Tags Sizzlets Die. I added the crow rub-on, stamped the bat and cut it out and sponged the edges of the main card to finish off the final details. Thanks for stopping by today! Happy Halloween!!

One More Day and Counting!

Every morning Victoria wakes up and tells me how many more days until Halloween! I don't think she has ever been this excited to go Trick or Treating before.

This is one of the cards we did at my Halloween class a little while back. When I was doing my blog browsing I came across a card similar to this. Thanks for the inspiration Michelle Zindorf. I loved the way the sponging was done so thought I just had to try it.

I created the moon first by punching a 1 3/4" circle out of a post-it note. I placed it down on my whisper white card stock and then the sponging began. I started with going gray, then added basic gray and finished off with basic black on the top half of the card stock. Below the Moon I sponged sahara sand and then soft suede. I stamped the tree from the Branch Out stamp set in basic black and sponged around the edges in basic black also.

When you remove the post-it note, it looks like you have created magic. The moon is so crisp and clear and is screaming for the bats to fly through the shadows. I stamped Happy Halloween and punched it out using the Wide Oval Punch and then I stamped the tree again on the punched oval but in stamped off Basic Black ink.

I used Elegant Eggplant as my main card base and sponged eggplant around all the sides. Of course I love ribbon, so needed to add a bit of that as well. And there you have it! I hope you have a great Friday and find some time to create!! I will be... considering I have a calendar class in a week!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Sets: From the Crypt, Branch Out, House of Haunts

Card Stock: Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Going Gray, Basic Gray, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede, Old Olive

Accessories: Stamping Sponges, Post-It Notes, Wide Oval Punch, Elegant Eggplant 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals

A Special Birthday!

My husbands birthday is coming up later this week(tomorrow to be precise) and I wanted to create a card specifically for him. Usually he gets whatever I might have sitting around at the time, but this time I wanted to create a card with him in mind. This is what I came up with.....inspired by a card by Rochelle Gould. I didn't have some of the same stamps, so I altered mine to work with the product I have.

I ran a piece of Close to Cocoa Card Stock through the Big Shot with the Weathered Texturz Plate. Then I sponged Chocolate Chip Classic Ink over the raised impressions to give it the look of grainy wood. I cut my paper up in strips and then attached them to my card front and accented them with brads.

The background is stamped with the Sanded Background stamp and then sponged with close to cocoa classic ink. I stamped the Happy Birthday greeting from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set all over the front. The Tools are stamped with Black Staz-on ink and then Watercoloured and cut out and mounted on the front with dimensionals.

I hope you enjoy today's post. Sorry it has been so long! I have had a busy week and last night I had 11 gals here for the Delightful Decorations Class. It went very well despite the large attendance and I will be sharing the projects with you in the very near future.

Have a great day!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set: Totally Tool 113256 $34.95, Teeny Tiny Wishes 115370 $48.95

Card Stock: Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel and Watercolour Paper

Ink: Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip, Going Gray, Black Staz-on ink

Accessories: Stamping Sponges, Aquapainter, Big Shot, Texturz Plates Kit #4, Paper Snips, Vintage Brads, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Dimensionals

Final Deal of the Week!!

The final deals of the week are from October 26, 10 AM (MT) through October 31, 11:50 PM (MT).

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Special Price
116214	174	Princess Party Kit	$21.95	$13.99
116213	175	Pirate Party Kit	$21.95	$13.99

If you would like to take advantage of these great deals, click HERE to order online or e-mail me at cathmsand@cogeco.ca. Orders must be in by Saturday 31 Oct at 8am.

Get Well Soon.......

I hope everyone is keeping well and evading the cold and sicknesses that are going around. The card I am sharing today is one that I made for a friend who doesn't have a cold or the flu but was hit by a car when riding her bike! Can you believe it? Wearing reflector gear from head to toe, a headlamp on her bike helmet and the driver still didn't see her riding down Hwy 2 towards the base. I couldn't believe it. She was asked by the police why she wasn't riding on the sidewalk! I guess it is allowed in Trenton! She is doing well despite the head spins and nausea she is still having from hitting her head so hard. Stamping has been good therapy for her as she can't read books, watch tv or be on the computer.

I was so excited about the card I made for her. I was having a fantastically (my new word) creative night on Fri night and came up with 4 cards. This one along with 3 other Christmas Cards that will be offered as a class in the near future. I stayed away from the computer this weekend and committed myself to my stamp room. It was a wonderful weekend.

I created the Background on Pixie Pink Card Stock with the Stampin' Up! Perfect Details Texturz Plates and the Big Shot and then highlighted all the raised dots with my white gel pen.

I stamped the band-aid image from the Wellness Wishes stamp set in Staz-on Black Ink and then coloured it in with Pixie Pink ink and a Blender Pen. I cut it out and then mounted it on top of the same image (using dimensionals), which was stamped and punched out with the Wide Oval Punch. I love the Lots of Tags Sizzlets, because there is one that perfectly mats the wide oval punch. I added some Black card stock and ribbon and voila!!! I hope you like it.

Have a great day! Check back tomorrow for another exciting card!

Supplies Used:

115962 Perfect Details Texturz Plate $5.95

115356 Wellness Wishes $19.95

114508 Lots of Tags Sizzlets Set of 4 $29.95

112082 Wide Oval Punch $22.95

115605 Black 5/8" Grosgrain $11.95

A Halloween Hi!

The kids are busy counting down the days until they can go trick or treating! I hope the weather on the 31st will be as mild as the past few days have been. Their costumes are ready to go and now I just need to figure out how I am going to paint their faces :)

This card was another one that we did at the class on 7 Oct. We used the More the Merrier stamp set which is a Level 3 Hostess Set. You can earn this stamp set free by hosting a workshop with sales of $655.

I stamped the pumpkins with Black Staz-on Ink on Watercolour Paper and then watercoloured the image with Apricot Appeal, Dusty Durango, Chocolate Chip and Old Olive. I watercoloured the ground in soft suede and the sky in Bashful Blue.

I used Dusty Durango, Soft Suede and Apricot Appeal Card Stock. As you can see I love sponging and have sponged all the edges with ink. The apricot background was done with the Texture Plates Kit #4 and the Big Shot. This card measures 3" x 6" and fits nicely into our small open end envelopes. This card is also the perfect size for money!!

Have a great day!

Deal of the Week #3 - Embellishments!!!!!

How wonderful to have some fantastic embellishments on sale. Yes, these are the things that make your postage more, but I love using them!! Guess who will be ordering some of all of these?

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Special Price
114348	179	Basic Jumbo grommets	$9.50	$6.49
109857	179	Mini Library clips	$18.95	$12.99
112571	179	Circle Designer brads	$8.50	$5.49
112581	179	1/2" Library clips	$9.75	$5.49

If you would like to take advantage of these great deals, click HERE to order online or e-mail me at cathmsand@cogeco.ca. Orders must be in by Monday 26 Oct at 8am. The next and final deal of the week will be announced on Monday as well.

Friends Forever!!

That is what all of you are to me! I love my Stampin' Up! Business for that reason! I get to meet so many incredible people and the relationships I start turn into lifelong friendships. Stamping wouldn't be the same without all my friends. Thank you all for being such an important part of my life.

Between all the Christmas Cards that I am currently planning I am also busy thinking of my upcoming Calendar Class on Nov 7th. I still have some spots available if anyone is interested. Click HERE to view more information.

6 x 6 Scrapbook Pages always seem much more manageable for me. A few key components to think of and voila.... it's done. You need your photo, a basic layout, a title/journalling and an accent or embellishment. Your photo is your focal point and then I build around it. Because the size is only 6 x 6, it doesn't take much to fill the space.

I do have plans for more scrapbooking in my life and now with My Digital Studio, I think those plans will happen much sooner.

Have a great day!

Supplies Used:

Card Stock: Basic Black, Regal Rose, Rose Red

Ink: Rose Red

Accessories: Pink Flamingo Designer Series Paper, Whisper White 5/8" Satin Ribbon, Photo Corners Punch, Vintage Brads, Big Shot, Billboard Sissix Decorative Strip, Blossom Party Sissix Originals Die, 1/2" Circle Punch, Rhinestone Brad, Sponges, Dimensionals

My Digital Studio Card Creation!

I have been playing with the My Digital Studio as much as I can and I thought I would try out creating a card. How easy and how cool to be able to change the size and shape and orientation of everything. This was a lot of fun and I can even print it either on my own colour printer or I can send it to Stampin' Up!'s professional printer to get accurate colour matching. I am so excited about all the things you can do with My Digital Studio, it is a fantastic promotion. To find out more information click HERE and don't forget about the great promotion I am offering to anyone who purchases the My Digital Studio. I am planning on a "My Digital Studio" Info night in Nov, so stay tuned to more info. This would make a fantastic Christmas gift.

Have a great Friday!!

Simplicity.... Is a Good Thing!

Simplicity in cards is a good thing. Not only can you create a card in minutes the simple elegance is sharp and clean. I love the jewel tones used in this card. Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry and Taken with Teal. The card base is Whisper White Textured Card Stock and each 1 3/4" Punched Circle is also Textured Card Stock. I used the Silver Basic Small Grommets and a large Aluminum Metal Edge Tags. This would be a great card for a Trio of Snowflakes and maybe with some sparkly rhinestone brads in the centers. I think I will give it a try and you might see it at the Christmas Card Buffet on Sat 28 Nov. Have a great day and we will see you soon at my upcoming Christmas Classes!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set: Best Wishes & More

Card Stock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive & Taken With Teal Textured Card Stock

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Taken With Teal Classic Pads

Accessories: 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch, Aluminum Metal Edge Tags, Basic Small Grommets, Dimensionals

Deal of the Week! - Week 2!!!

Time for Week 2 of The Deal of the Week!!! Don't delay! Take advantage of these great offers today. And how exciting that they are Big Shot Dies!!! If you purchase the XL Dies you will also need to buy the extended cutting pads. If you have any questions about the Big Shot or how you can use these dies in your current machine, please drop me a line.

On Sale from Oct 12 until Oct 19th!

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Special Price
115961	200	Perfect Setting Bigz XL die	$57.95	$34.99
114515	195	Flower Burst Embosslits die	$15.95	$7.49
116760	201	Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die	$53.95	$34.99

Phone or e-mail me to place you order. Or Click HERE to place an online order and check out the clearance sale rack that Stampin' Up! has just started to offer!

I hope your Thanksgiving was a nice relaxing one. What's next....... Halloween!! Get ready for some more Halloween posts and then we will be ready to start our Christmas planning! Yikes!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope you have been enjoying a nice weekend with family and friends. For today's post I wanted to share with you the last card that we did for the Falling Leaves Class. Everyone really loved this card and I loved getting some use out of my Big Shot and Leaf Die.

This card is 3" x 6" and fits into our Open End Envelopes. I cut out my leaves first using the BigZ Leaves #2 Original Die and then stamped with versamark on them and clear embossed the stem like image. Sponging the edges really brings everything together, so you will notice every piece has been sponged.

Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set: Autumn Days, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Ink: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke, Versamark

Card Stock: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Mellow Moss

Accessories: Autumn Traditions Designer Series Paper, Leaves #2 Originals Die, Big Shot, Crystal Clear Embossing Powder, Stampin' Sponges, Rich Regal Brads, Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Modern Label Punch, Large Oval Punch, Dimensionals

Cheers to You

I am happy that I made it through the week and am now enjoying a nice long weekend with my family. This is one of the cards we did last Wednesday night at my "a little bit of everything" class. We made a tri fold card, a fall card, a flower card and this masculine card. I find that we never have enough masculine cards and I really wanted to make a card with this stamp set, so here it is.

I had to do some creative masking to get the handle on the left side of the mug and of course using the Stamp-a-ma-Jig made the task much easier. I stamped the mugs on Whisper White Card Stock with Staz-on Black Ink, then coloured them in with More Mustard ink and a Blender Pen. I applied Versamark directly over the coloured image and embossed it with Crystal Clear Embossing Powder. I then punched them out with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch and mounted them onto Basic Gray 1 1/2" Circles. The Striped Paper comes from the Nouveau Chic Designer Series Paper and the Corners were detailed with a bit of paper piercing and then was mounted onto a Basic Gray Card. A strip of Sage Shadow was sponged with Basic Gray and then added to the front of the card, this was then followed by the punched circles which were mounted with Stampin' Dimensionals. To finish it all off I stamped the greeting in Basic Gray, punched it out with the Lg Oval Punch, sponged the edges with More Mustard and then mounted that onto a Basic Gray punched Scallop Oval and then onto the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals! Oh yeah, I did add a Silver Mini Library Clip as well just to step it up a little bit more...... and to cost me more in postage :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Catherine

Here are some catalogue pictures of the product used:

114944 Cheers to You $23.95

115670 Nouveau Chic Designer Series Paper $13.25 (12 - 12x12 sheets)

Boo!!

Boo! Did I scare you? Can you believe Halloween is just around the corner, where is the time going? I have a little bit of a break before my next class, so I thought I had better get caught up with my blog. This card was actually one that I did last year with the In Colours Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango. I really like this layout and the use of the Boo letters that I had to recreate it in some new colours. I just love this colour combo - Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Basic Black. What do you think of it? More posts to come soon with cards from my last class and some new projects created with the My Digital Studio. Have a great Friday!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set: Batty for You, Sanded Background, All Holidays

Card Stock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry

Ink: Old Olive, Basic Black

Accessories: Big Shot, Serif Essentials Alphabet Die, Sponges, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 " Circle Punch, Scallop Circle Punch, Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Grosgrain, Dimensionals

My Digital Studio is HERE!

My Digital Studio is now available for customers to purchase! And believe me, you're going to LOVE it! Watch this quick video for a great introduction to this revolutionary new Digital Crafting Solution and check my blog often for more inspirational projects, ideas, tips and tricks.

Purchase The My Digital Studio software from me (either directly or through my ONLINE STORE - click on "shop now" at the top of the page) during the month of October and I will send you a FREE pack of 8 1/2 x 11" Card Stock (24 sheets -- your choice of 54 different colors) as my gift to you. Just e-mail your color choice to me after you place your order.

Host a workshop during October or November and you could receive 50% off the cost of My Digital Studio if your workshop order totals $525 or more -- how's that for a deal!

E-mail me for more information or to book a workshop!

Deal of the Week!

The Deal of the Week is Back!!! Don't delay! Take advantage of these great offers today.

On Sale from today until Oct 12th!

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Special Price
109183	186	Trio Flower punch	$22.95	$15.99
109041	187	5-Petal Flower punch	$22.95	$15.99
110709	187	My Way punch	$22.95	$16.99

Phone or e-mail me to place you order. Or Click HERE to place an online order and check out the clearance sale rack that Stampin' Up! has just started to offer!

I am off to Stampin' Palooza in Toronto and when I get back I will be sending some inspiration your way. Sorry I haven't posted this week, it has been one extremely busy week.

Hope you are all well,

Happy Stampin'!

Can you believe it is almost October?

Cooler temperatures, pumpkins everywhere and October is just around the corner. For today's post I wanted to share with you another card that we did at my Falling Leaves Card Class last week. I really enjoy watercolouring and these pumpkins are the perfect subject. The stamp set is called Autumn Harvest and I used more mustard, pumpkin pie, dusty durango and crushed curry to watercolour the pumpkins.

So now, after all this talk of fall, I think I am going to dig out my fall decorations this weekend and start bringing the excitement of the holidays into my home.

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Build A Bear Treat Bags!

Aren't these so cute? The kids and I had fun playing around with all the Build-a-bear dies for the Big Shot. So, when the holiday mini catalogue came out I had a really tough time deciding on which dies and stamp sets to order......so I just ordered the whole Build-a-Bear line! I love it and I love all the possibilities and I love that my children and I can have fun together dressing up the bears in all the great clothes and accessories. Check out all the Build-A-Bear products on pages 34-37 of the Holiday Mini Catalogue right HERE.

If you have any questions about these projects please don't hesitate to contact me.

Have a great weekend!

My Digital Studio - only 1 more week until release date!

The My Digital Studio software that is advertised at the back of the Holiday Mini Catalogue will be available to you on Oct 1st. Be one of the first to get this fantastic product in your hands. I just love it. I have been wanting to scrapbook for sometime now, and I finally have a tool that is going to help me get right into it. This fantastic tool is also going to help me to create and plan my cards digitally when I am on the go and then I will be able to re-create them with the actual products without all the trial and error. I am so excited to share this software with you.

This is a page I created using "My Digital Studio". The software is so easy to use. You can pick professionally designed pages and just add photos or you can design your own page from scratch, you can even create calendars and other multimedia projects along with cards. I will be going through a certification course as well so I will be able to properly teach you how to use My Digital Studio. I am busy working on an album so I can have it printed up by Stampin' Up!'s professional printing service, I have to have it done by 30 Sep to take advantage of the discount they are offering to Stampin' Up! demonstrators. Wish me luck! I hope you enjoy the page and my adorable children. You will be seeing them quite often as I venture down the scrapbooking road.

Have a fantastic day!

Tales from the Crypt

I am so excited about my upcoming Halloween class one week from today!! The interest in the class was spectacular so I had to find another date to run it again. I have only 2 spots available for the 2nd class on Mon 5 Oct. Contact me today if you are interested in attending.

This is one of the cards we will be creating at the class. I was so thrilled with myself when I came up with this card. There are so many places out there to get inspired, but when you can be inspired by your own thoughts in your head the feeling is absolutely wonderful. Don't you just love this card! I didn't actually have this stamp set on my wish list when I saw the new catalogue, but then at the spur of the moment I decided to order it since it goes perfectly with the Cast A Spell Designer Paper. I am loving it! Oh, I love the rub-ons too! Check out page 21 of the Idea Book and Catalogue to see all the products used.

I was also happy that I used a product on this card that has yet to be used: The Circle Scissor Plus. I cut out both the white and old olive circles with this neat tool. What else can I say about this card.... just love the white rub-on, the embossed spiders, the designer paper, the sponging and of course the cool little spider with the brad body. I didn't have a large black brad, so I used a chocolate chip one and coloured over it with a black sharpie.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic day!

First Day of Fall!!

What a way to bring in the first day of Fall but with a fun leaf card! This was one of the cards we did last night at my Falling Leaves Card Class. What a great night we had! Thank you ladies for coming!

This past weekend the Sanders family went camping to get one more trip out in the trailer before the winter comes. What a great weekend we had. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, yes a bit cool, but still very nice. I just love seeing all the colours changing. We even took the kids on their first canoe trip. It was a great time had by all. Stay tuned for a post coming this week showing you a scrapbook page created with "My Digital Studio"! I can't wait till this product becomes available to all of you. It is a wonderful tool and I can't wait to share it with you.

Have a great First Day of Fall!

Supplies Used:

Stamp Set: Falling Leaves

Ink: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke Classic Pads

Card Stock: Dusty Durango, Basic Black, Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry and Always Artichoke

Accessories: Big Shot, Texture Plates, Sponges, 1 1/4" Square Punch, 1 3/8" Square Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, 1"Circle Punch, 1/2" Circle Punch, Markers, Dimensionals

Have we started a countdown yet?

Is it too early to be thinking Christmas? It is only 97 days away!

Well, I have been busy thinking about it with all the planning I have been doing with my classes. This card is going to be one of the cards we will be doing at my Delightful Decorations Product Based Class on Wed Oct 28th. I was so pleased when I created this card. I love the ease of using the ornament punch along with the coordinating stamp set. It makes creating cards like this a really quick and easy process.

The class is going to consist of making 3 cards with matching envelopes and 10 gift tags along with a cute little box to store the tags in. The reason I call this a product based class is because it revolves around one stamp set - Delightful Decorations and the matching Ornament Punch. You have an opportunity to purchase these products in advance of the class and receive a significant discount in the cost of the class. If you would like to take part in this class here are your three options to choose from:

1. Come, stamp, have fun and go home with the 14 projects for just $20.00

2. Come, stamp, have fun and go home with 14 projects and the Delightful Decoration stamp set for just $45.00.

3. Come, stamp, have fun and go home with 14 projects, stamp set and the ornament punch for just $70.00.

Call me today to register! To order product in advance of the class, please RSVP by Tues 13 Oct.

Have a great day!

Changing Colours of the Season

I don't know about you, but I love this time of year. I love the beautiful sunny days, the cooler temperatures and the changing of the leaves. This card that I am sharing with you today is actually one of the cards we are making on Monday at my Falling Leaves class. What a great response I have had with registrations to all of my fall classes. Mondays class is full and my other classes are quite close to that as well, so if you were thinking of attending some classes, please contact me right away so we can get your name on the list. I am creating waiting lists as well and if I have enough interest, I will run the class again on another evening.

The stamp set used here is Thoughts and Prayers. I just love this tree and if I can find a place on one of my walls, I would be applying the matching Decor Element of this tree! If you haven't seen our Decor Elements line of products, please check out the Definitely Decorative Brochure link in the right column of the blog.

Have a great weekend!

Live With Passion....

Today's post is a fun gift bag that I enjoyed making for a special someone in my life. Friends are wonderful aren't they! Well, this friend helped me out quite a bit this summer, watching my house, my kids and my dog on many different occasions. I wouldn't have been able to enjoy my summer as much I did without her. Thank you V!

I took a basic white gift sack and decorated only the front of the bag to get this result. Here is exactly how I did it:

- Bermuda Bay Card Stock 7 7/8" x 8 1/2", Grass from the Inspired by Nature was stamped on the bottom using Versamark ink

- The flowers were then stamped using Whisper White Craft Ink

- A 7 7/8" x 2" piece of the Bermuda Bay Prints Pattern Designer Series Paper was then attached to the top of the card stock overlapping 1/2"

- A 10" piece of 5/8" Chocolate Chip Grosgrain was then adhered over the seam of the two papers

- the ends of a 7" piece of the same ribbon were then stuck together to create a loop and then a 3" piece of ribbon was wrapped around the middle of the loop to create a faux bow and this was then attached to the front of the bag using sticky strip.

- The Bermuda Bay Card Stock was then adhered to the front of the bag with sticky strip. I love sticky strip because it is so sticky that you can be assured your project is not going to fall apart.

The note card was created with a 3" x 6" piece of Whisper White Card Stock. To attach to the bag I punched a 3/16" hole in top of the left corner using the Crop-a-dile and then cut a slit between the hole and top of card using my scissors. Then the note card just slide right over the handle of the bag. There you have it!!!

Have a wonderful Friday and don't forget.......LIVE with Passion!!

Wonderful Winter Wedding!

I have been quite busy lately helping a couple of friends design and make their wedding invitations. Here is what we came up with for Angela's wedding in Dec.

I had a great time designing this along with Angela and Lisa and I especially had a fantastic time working together to get them all stamped and ready to send. Lots of hours, but lots of fun with friends.

If you ever need invitations for any sort of event, please free to contact me. We could have a one on one consultation and I can help you create that special project for your special event.

I hope everyone is doing well with the whole back to school routine! Things are busy around here, but happy to be back into a routine. Had a crazy day today with the battery of the van dying! Not the greatest thing to happen when you a ton of errands to do!

Stay tuned for some sneek peek pics of upcoming classes. I have been working hard at getting these classes ready for you! First one is coming up on Monday 21 Sept from 6:30 - 9:30pm at my place. Details are coming out in an e-mail as well as my website calendar is currently being updated.

In the meantime.... Have a fantastic rest of the week!