Hello friend!

Do you like our wonderful markers as much as I do?   In the 2013-2014 annual catalog, you can purchase a New Color Kit of the Stampin' Write Markers (item #130034 on page 163).   For a limited time, you can purchase the new markers individually.  This is a great way to complete your collection!

ITEM	PRICE	DESCRIPTION
130034	$28.95	Stampin' Write Marker New Color Kit Bermuda Bay, Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral, Crushed Curry, Island Indigo, Pear Pizzazz, Pool Party, Smoky Slate, Soft Sky, Wisteria Wonder
131899	$3.50	Bermuda Bay Stampin' Write Marker
131265	$3.50	Blushing Bride Stampin' Write Marker
131902	$3.50	Calypso Coral Stampin' Write Marker
131901	$3.50	Crushed Curry Stampin' Write Marker
131905	$3.50	Island Indigo Stampin' Write Marker
131266	$3.50	Pear Pizzazz Stampin' Write Marker
131904	$3.50	Pool Party Stampin' Write Marker
131898	$3.50	Smoky Slate Stampin' Write Marker
131900	$3.50	Soft Sky Stampin' Write Marker
131903	$3.50	Wisteria Wonder Stampin' Write Marker

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Thinlits!

Hello friend!

Sometimes there are products that you have to see before you realize just how great they are.  Thinlits are one of them!

These new card dies come with extra pieces that have versatile designs so you can use them on other projects, not just flip cards.  (The Circle Card Thinlits Die comes with 10 total pieces; the Label Card Thinlits Die comes with nine total pieces.)

Item	Description	Price
133479	Label Card Thinlits Die	$32.95
133480	Circle Card Thinlits Die	$32.95

Check this out:

Isn't that fun?  I can't wait to make a card like this with you!

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Undefined--Stamp Carving Kit

Hello friend!

This is a new product that looks very interesting--you can carve your own stamps.  There are refill kits for both wood and clear mount stamps available.  This could be fun!

And don't forget to let me know what you think.

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

A "Marvel"ous Quilt!

Hello friend!

This was the last quilt I entered in our quilt show--and boy was it fun to make!

The idea for this quilt came from this paper airplane quilt that I found on Pinterest.  (Have I ever talked about my Pinterest addiction here?)  The first kite I made had bright, fun fabric--but I realized that you rarely see kites like that any more.  I remembered seeing this Marvel fabric as I walked through the Wal-Mart craft aisle a couple days before, so  I went right out and bought it.  

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Eight Square "Quilt" Card!

Hello friend!

Here's another one of the cards we're going to make tonight at Expressions of Faith:

Have I shown you cards with this design before?   Over the years I have made quite a few with this pattern.

It uses 8 squares--four each of 2 patterns.  Our beautiful, double-sided Designer Series Papers are perfect for this, and it doesn't take much so this is a good card to make with scraps. (I'm using a 6 x 6 piece, and it was more than enough to make 2 cards.)

 You could cut the squares with a Paper Cutter, but I prefer using a punch so you know they are absolutely the same size.  This punch is 1 1/4 inches.  I also like to use two designs with high contrast.  If the papers are too similar, they just blend together and you'll lose the impact.












Layer four of the squares on a 3 inch piece of coordinating cardstock.  Be sure to leave a very small gap between the squares and only adhere them to the card stock in one corner.  And it must be consistently the SAME corner all around.  This leaves room to put the second layer of squares underneath, like this:

I rotate the cardstock as I glue the second layer of squares in place.  As you can see, when placed correctly  it appears the four squares create a larger square at an angle.







You can either layer this on another 3 inch square of card stock at an angle, or you can get the same effect by punching a square and cutting it into four pieces to attach to the back of the white corners.

My final card.  I thought it would be nice to trim the blue background, which would leave some of the white card showing on the right edge.  Would have worked better if I opened up the card and ONLY cut the Night of Navy... well, I still like it.  :)

And then I had another idea.  What if the squares were layered on thinner paper (like printer paper) and run through the Big Shot to emboss it? Would it look like fabric?  (since this is a quilt-y type of look?)

You can barely see it here, but I did cut a small square of copy paper to test the theory.

All four squares are attached--no background shows:

After the eight squares were together, I ran them through the Big Shot.  You can see the texture better at this angle.  It seems softer, definitely more "fabric-like."








The final card!   Ta-Da!













Wow, you stuck with me through this looooong post.  Well done, brave stamper!

Wendy

Ta-Da! Our Girl's Snowball Quilt!

Hello friend!

In January I helped to plan my quilt guild's "Snowball Party."  We asked members to bring a snowball block made with bright, child-friendly fabric. We got enough of them to make two quilts--one for a boy and one for a girl.  This is our girl quilt. I forgot to take a photo of the boy quilt--which is so sad because it was so cute and had this blue fish fabric...  Oh well.










After the blocks were sewn together (thanks, Kay) and borders added, I gave it to one of our long-arm quilters (thanks, Melva).  It is so nice to see it finished.  And best of all?  Both quilts have been donated to either Safe Haven or ACCESS to warm up a child in need.



Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Summer Cards

Hello friend!

Well, it has been quite a day.  It started with a walk.  My longest walk since I started "training" for a 5K.  Today I actually walked 3.2 miles!  My time is not fast (21-minute miles) so I won't break any records, but I did it!!!!!

Then I learned that two of the quilts I entered in the quilt show, my ugly fabric challenge quilt (see June 28)  and my kite quilt (see May 10), both won Viewer's Choice Awards for their category!

I spent a couple hours this afternoon stamping.  Needed card samples for Expressions of Faith next week.  Here are a couple of the cards:

 Remember this set?  I loved it, and it was fun to pull it back out.  Its fun because the flowers, leaves and grass are cut out. Love it.

This is my day for pulling our retired sets, I guess.  Here's another "oldie but goodie."  It needs words along the bottom--but I couldn't decide what greeting to use, so I'll leave it blank until I need to use it.

And then to end the day we went to Natalie's softball game.  Her team won the tournament!

What happy girls--a trophy for winning the tournament and a trophy for winning the regular season!

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Quilt Show!

Hello friend!

I'm enjoying a quiet evening at home.  Yesterday we set up our guild's quilt show, and today was the first day.  You've still got one more chance to attend the show--tomorrow from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Park Street Brethren Church, Ashland. You'll be glad you stopped by!

Let me show you some photos I took today.  It is our guild's 25th anniversary....

This Christmas table runner was my entry in a guild challenge:

Hannah made this flag quilt:

This is my entry in the "ugly fabric challenge" and Natalie calls it my "ugly quilt."  (I purchased an assortment of blocks at our guild's auction last year, and managed to put them together into a mass of craziness!)

Happy Quilting!
Wendy

Hostess Appreciation Brunch

Hello friend!

Today was my Hostess Appreciation Brunch!  Each year I plan a fun morning of stamping, prizes, food, and fun for my wonderful hostesses. We start the morning "under wraps" and while we have our brunch, no one can see what we'll be doing.

t

As the morning progresses, more of the table gets exposed...  let me show you some of what they saw and received!


My top hostess receives a gift certificate for Stampin' Up products and the top three receive a gift.  This year I made them these boxes of supplies:



Each box contained ribbons, stamped images, embellishments, and die cuts. All they need are the base cards and some adhesive!

My happy hostesses.... if only they could all attend!  

I always have two projects for them to make.  One was this card:

It uses several new colors to our line:  Smoky Slate and (returning) Crushed Curry. Also part of our 2013-2015 In Color line is Strawberry Slush.

This purse box was made with one sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 card stock--also in one of our new In Colors, Baked Brown Sugar. The Designer Series Paper is Venetian Romance--page 153-- and I love it!  (actually, you cannot see much of it here--trust me, it is gorgeous)  The accent colors are Tangerine Tango and Soft Suede,and the flower stamped on the front was done with Crisp Cantaloupe.  You guessed it, another 2013-2015 In Color color!

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

So much is going on!

Hello friend!

No time for photos today--too much is going on--but I wanted to remind those of you who are qualified for my Hostess Appreciation Brunch on the 22nd that registration is due by tomorrow!  Fun things planned, you do not want to miss out.

Stay tuned and I'll get photos of new cards and quilts and fun stuff on here next week.

Have a great weekend!   
Wendy

Hello friend!

The new catalog is here!  Go to the link on the left to see it, or--even better--let me know that you want your very own copy.  I have also posted the supply list, so you can copy some of the beautiful samples in this book.

Here is the new special for June:

Happy Stamping! 
Wendy

Hello friend!

I just realized I never showed you the Mother's Day cards I made this year:

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Expressions of Faith

Hello friend!

Today I have cards to show you.  Have I ever talked about the stamping group from our church called Expressions of Faith?  We meet monthly to make cards which we sell.  The sale of the cards benefits various charities.  Here are three of the cards we made Tuesday:

If you'd ever like to join in our fun, let me know!

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Kites & Dance & Wedding Dresses. Oh my!!

Hello friend!

There's been so much going on--let me show you!  Two weeks ago we had our guild retreat.  One of the things I worked on was this kite quilt:

Everyone keeps asking, "why a kite quilt?"  I simply don't know... why do men climb mountains?  I suppose the answer is, "because it's there!"  These things pop in my head and I only have one way to get them out-- make them.  (Have you noticed that I seem to be on a kite kick this spring?  It seemed to start with my kite pages from last month.  I even have one more kite quilt to show you--when it is finished. )

Next on our calendar after the retreat was Natalie's dance recital.  Here she is afterwards, with the flowers she received.
She does such a wonderful job, and we are very                    proud of her.

Our last big event was our church's All-Daughter Banquet.  The theme was Wedding Memories and we had over 320 women there.  Lots of work, but even more fun!

We had a wedding fashion show of dresses worn by members and staff from Trinity.  The oldest dress there was from 1910--but some of the older ones were not worn to protect them.

Hannah modeled my dress (from 1987), and also my mom's dress (from 1961).  Here she is wearing mom's gown.  Doesn't she look beautiful in it?

Hope you are having as much fun as we are!
Wendy

Happy Anniversary, Wendy & Tim

Hello friend!

Today is our 26th wedding anniversary!  I wanted to make a funny card for my sweet husband, so I used My Digital Studio to print the shadowed words, which I cut out and made into this card:

(If you do not watch the TV show, Big Bang Theory, I suppose this needs an explanation.  Sheldon is a character on the show and he has a certain cushion on their couch he absolutely MUST sit on.  It is difficult to explain--you should really just watch the show.  From the first season, if possible.)

Wendy

Hello friend! 

Have you seen the Retiring List?  Stamps and accessories?

Go to my web site to see the lists!

Happy Stamping! 
Wendy

Snow?

Hello friend.

Snow. Yes snow. What happened to our warm weather? Oh, yeah. We live in Ohio.

Inside I have warmth, and a Paper Pumpkin package:

The boxes "talk" to you...

 

(Sounds like Paper Pumpkin is a flirt.)

But inside you'll find crafting goodness!

It's so easy to get started. Simply sign up for the program by visiting www.mypaperpumpkin.com and click Get it. Every month a new, surprise project kit arrives at your doorstep. Just think of the anticipation of creating a fun project to pin, showoff, and share with your friends and family every month!

Of course, you'll want to know more. So here's the nitty gritty:

• Each month we send you a unique, surprise kit with a project-cards, journals, décor, and more! (We've even colour-coordinated, measured, and cut everything for you!)
• Each kit includes stamps, ink, paper, and accessories-everything but adhesive. 
• Each kit gives you a 30-minute creativity escape. 
• We will ship your Paper Pumpkin on or around the 15th of the month.   
• You need to sign up for a kit by the 10th of the month to get that month's kit. If you sign up on the 11th of the month, your first kit will come the next month. 
• A Paper Pumpkin membership is $24.95 per month (and shipping is included!) 
• There's no commitment, you can cancel your monthly Paper Pumpkin at any time. You can also skip a month if you want. 
• The Welcome Kit is the very first Paper Pumpkin you will receive in the first month of your membership. The Welcome Kit includes a free gift-a clear acrylic block!
• A Try-It kit is available on the online store if you'd like to try Paper Pumpkin for one month.

Happy Stamping!

Wendy

April Scrap Club Pages!

Hello friend!

There is a lovely group of six women who come to my house between September and April to create scrapbook pages.  They are my "Friday Night Scrap Club" (really wish we'd come up with a more creative name) and while some of them are brand new, some of them have been club members for years.

Well, club has ended (we always break for summer) and we won't be back together until fall.  It is a little sad.  These are our club pages for April:

The clouds are simply Whisper White ink sponged on the Bashful Blue card stock.

This month I wanted to create something for them that was soft and summer-ish.  Since we meet during the fall and winter months, we don't make many summer pages.  Somehow this spring, I've been thinking about kites quite a lot.  (I even have two different kite quilts planned, so be on the watch for them!)

These kites started with two pieces of Tea for Two Designer Series Paper, cut 2 x 2  and 2 x 3 inches.  Cut each one diagonally, flip, and voila!  A kite!  We found it best to glue the four triangles to a scrap piece of card stock to make it easier to move around for placement on the page.  The tails are made by tying thin, torn strips of Tea for Two Designer Fabric to a piece of Lucky Limeade Baker's Twine.

Have fun with this, and go fly a kite!
Happy Scrapping!
Wendy

The Easter bunny had to get creative this year

Hello friend!

The Easter Bunny was a little forgetful at our house this year.  "He" forgot to buy Easter grass for the baskets.  Luckily, there were some beautiful fabrics laid out for quilt inspiration, and this was the result:

It worked well, and we didn't have the mess of Easter grass.  This may be the way our baskets get filled from now on.

Those three in the front are designer fabrics from the Spring catalog, Tea for Two, and I have an idea for a special project for them now that they are out of the basket... so stay tuned!

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

FREE SHIPPING! FREE SHIPPING! FREE SHIPPING!

Hello friend!

I'm excited to let you know that Stampin' Up! is offering something I've never heard of before:  FREE shipping on EVERYTHING April 6-8 (excluding expedited orders)! 

That's right!  There are no minimums or limits and all orders qualify.         
I did tell you this was FREE shipping on EVERYTHING, didn't I?

Don't delay, this offer ends Monday, April 8!

Happy Stamping! 
Wendy

Color Refresh for the 2013/2014 Annual Catalog!

Hello friend!

Here is some news that startled me this morning--but now that I have read through the information Stampin' Up! has given demonstrators, I'm getting excited!  When the last major color change came in 2010, they told us there would be changes every three to five years to keep up with color trends.  Now there will be changes made, and these are our color families coming in the 2013-2014 annual catalog:

As you can see, most of the "new" colors are actually returning In Color colors.  There is only one totally new color: Smoky Slate--and in my opinion it is something we've needed since they discontinued Going Gray so many years ago!

If you see a color on the discontinued list that you know you will miss, just remember to stock up now.  Or look to the color list and see what you can replace it with (for me, I'll miss Not Quite Navy--but Island Indigo is also gorgeous, and I'll probably survive!)

And I am also feeling good about the fact that so many of you already have some of the "new" colors
Please let me know what you think.

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Best of Butterflies

Hello friend!

Somehow butterflies have not been my thing.  (maybe I think of them in the Historical Society collection... mounted on pins.  Ugh!)  But, in the last couple of years, I've started to enjoy our butterfly stamps.  So much so that when a set retired, I'd still keep the butterfly,and continue using it.

This month, Stampin' Up has a collection of butterflies from the past for you as part of the Best of 25 Years promotion.  Check it out:
Best of Butterflies

This makes me want to go pull out a butterfly or two and make something springy!

Happy Stamping!
Wendy

Fabric Frenzy

Hello friend!

I'm so EXCITED!  Monday is the beginning of a week-long promotion:

I love our high-quality fabrics,and whether you sew with them or embellish a card or scrapbook page with them, I believe you will love them!  And at 50% off, there is more to love!

Page	Item	Description	Retail Price	Sale Price
170	126892	Essentials Designer Fabric	$29.95	$14.98
171	126983	Floral District Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
171	126894	Comfort Café Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
171	125411	Summer Smooches Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
171	125412	Twitterpated Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
171	122337	Timeless Portrait Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
171	122336	Beau Chateau Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
171	124066	Spice Cake Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
171	122335	Flirtatious Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
6*	129308	Tea for Two Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98
13*	129307	More Amore Designer Fabric	$9.95	$4.98

*spring catalog

Our fabric comes in extra-wide fat quarters (18" x 26").  The sale only lasts from March 25 to March 31,  so don't delay! 

Wendy

March Scrapbook Club Pages

Hello friend!

These are our pages from Scrap Club this month. We used Designer Series Paper, Buttons, and Ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration Catalog:; Oval Framelits Dies and Paper Doilies from the Spring Catalog; and.First Edition Designer Series Paper and Beautiful Wings Embosslits from our Yearly Catalog.

The "you suit me to a tea" title was printed using Tea Shoppe on My Digital Studio.  The tea cup was printed out to make a template, and then traced on the designer paper.

 A close-up of the tea cup:

A close-up of the tea pot:

Happy Stamping!
Wendy