Sneak Peek!!!

Have you been wondering where I've been?  Well - this is one of the jewels I've been working on over the last week - WHEW!  And it's done!  I didn't order the fancy graduation invitations from Hailey's school...well because that would just be WRONG!  My only child needs something very very special and this was the ticket!

I used the NEW Betsy's Blossoms stamp set - coming out in the NEW 2012 catalog!  Hailey likes bright and beautiful and that's just what I made her.  These invitations were sent out to my family...so I didn't have to make a ton of them.  They are invitations to the graduation ceremony next Thursday.

The invite is a tri-fold - here's what it looks like when you open up the front...it was really fun to use up some of the photos in her Senior Pictures book of proofs for this project.

Don't Stop Believin' is her class song...you know from Journey...I still have that tune running through my head~LOL!  I tried to fit her class moto in...but just couldn't find an appropriate place for it - I think it's really funny:  GO BIG OR GO HOME!!!  I used My Digital Studio software to type up all the words - it was so easy to customize exactly what I needed in a font that I liked.

Here's the whole invite open.

And the actual invite part - I love that you can add stamped images in My Digital Studio too - and make them any color or size that you need.

I had to wait for my invites to arrive at their various locations once I mailed them, before I could post.  My mom is a subscriber and I didn't want her to see these before she got her very own!

I love using my personalized stamp on the envelopes so I can make the ink match too.

In other news...well it's finally DONE!  The pool that is.  

Remember this - 

After alot of stress and hard word on hubby's party - it's officially fun, running and that heater is cranking!  It's a long story and one I just don't want to rehash - it makes my blood boil.  Let's just say the new pool store jacked me around for 11 days before the parts we needed to get the pool up and running arrived.  When they were promised to me within 2 days...urghhhh!  The owner asked me at one point to stop yelling at him...tee hee...he doesn't know what yelling is!!!!  I was just talking really fast at a little elevated level - that was definately NOT yelling.  Anyhoo - here it is - my OTHER baby....the pool...not the man drinking the beer!

And here's the new patio furniture that the man drinking the beer bought me for our anniversary (it's not until July 4th - but we have a big party coming up - soooooo)!

In more OTHER news....I have been slaving away on my kitchen this weekend.  OMG....unbelievable the amount of hours I've spent and it doesn't really look much different than the last photos I showed you.  I'll be sanding tomorrow and then painting with real paint - not primer.  That's taken forever too!!!  I will be sure to post photos as soon as I have something to show you!

Wishing you all a wonderful and safe Memorial Day - please remember our veterans and soldiers in your celebration today!

Thanks for stopping by...

Rescheduled Class

The Assorted Class shown below has been rescheduled to this week:

Oshkosh - Hobby Lobby - Wednesday, May 23rd - 10 am

Omro - Omro Foxview - Wednesday, May 23rd - 6 pm

Little Chute - Party and Print - Thursday, May 24th - 10 am

COST $15

 

Thanks for stopping by...

Not So Serious!!!

I love funny stamp sets and this one definately qualifies!  The NOT SO SERIOUSLY stamp set is retiring!!! OH NO!

Here's one of the cards my stamp clubs are enjoying making this month...I wanted to show you in a little more detail...because the inside is the kicker...

Here's the inside!!!  I also love the saying:

"THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY BUTT...

IT'S ALOT BIGGER THAN MY HEART" - LOL!!!

Stamps: Not So Seriously  Ink: StazOn Black  Accessories: Rhinestones; 3” Circle Die; Big Shot; Ruffled Ribbon 4”; Scallop Edge Punch; Floral Fusion Sizzlit; Bitty Punch Pack; Celery, Chocolate Chip, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade markers; Mini Glue Dots  Cardstock: Concord Crush - 11 x 4-1/4; Lucky Limeade - 2 @ 1 x 4; In Color Indigo DSP - 2 x 4; Whisper White - 4 x 5-1/4; Scraps:  Whisper White; Lucky Limeade; Concord Crush; Island Indigo

 

If you'd like to place an order - click here:

Thanks for stopping by...

The Master is at it AGAIN!

Hailey's been working hard trying to finish high school...and had a little fun being creative with the cover of her Memoir assignment.  She's such a good writer - I can't wait to read it...and this project sure gets it off to a fabulous start!  I came home to a few items laying on my desk...she did a pretty good job cleaning up after herself...but she dug out several retired alphabet sets...I wish you could see this in real life - the silver glitter paper is just stunning!

I just love all the elements - she's soooo darn creative!!!

The more I look at this project - I think I can modify this a little bit and use it for one of the scrapbooking pages for my buffet on Saturday!!!  Click HERE to see the details.  I hope you can make it!

I love stacking flower shapes!

The Flirtatious Specialty Paper is amazing - and I'm sad to say - RETIRING!!!  The Serif Essentials Alphabet dies are retiring too.  I've used these countless times over the last couple years.  I actually received them FREE from Stampin' Up! for an audio interview I did for demonstrator support a couple years ago!

This Alphabet Die Set has served me well - I've used it to make party banners, for titles on my scrapbook pages, to make bulletin boards...the possibilities are endless!  It's a little pricey - but well worth the investment - I will have this for the rest of my life...and there's alot of parties left for me to decorate for!!!

If you'd like to place an order - click here:

Thanks for stopping by...

Lace Ribbon Border Punch

Here's a little blast from the past...I made all these projects for my PROJECT OF THE MONTH last fall.  It's a special newsletter that I send out to ONLY my customers.  So if you've ever taken a class, attended a stamping event, ordered product or card classes, or attended my Used Stamp Sale and you haven't been receiving my PROJECT OF THE MONTH newsletter - let me know so I can add you to my list!

All of these cards are made with the Lace Ribbon Border Punch - a super fun and versatile punch that's RETIRING!!!! OH NO!!!!

_________________________________________

Isn't this pretty?  

• Cut your cardstock 4-1/4” x 11” and score at 5-1/2”
• Insert your cardstock with the score line at the start line of the punch
• Punch twice making four flowers
• Turn your cardstock over and punch the same way on the other side

Tip:  I used a Sharpie Marker to mark the start lines on the front part of my punch so they were visible when I put this card in the punch.

The 1” Circle Punch is the perfect size to layer behind the border for a splash of color.

Here’s the Lace Ribbon Border Punch tucked behind the black layer as a small border.  You can also use the 3/4” Circle Punch to punch out the little center flower to embellish your cards or scrapbook pages.  A Rhinestone Brad in the middle is the perfect touch.

Our 1/8” Taffeta Ribbon is the perfect size to thread through the border.

Here’s a sample with the flowers layered over a white border – I used the ¾” Circle Punch to punch out the Pacific Point flowers in the Lace Ribbon Border and layer over the white.

 

Stampin' Up! Retired Stamps List (available until May 31st)

• Retired Stamps List

Stampin' Up! Retired Accessories List (available until May 31st or while supplies last) CLICK HERE:

• Retired Accessories List (PDF) 
• Retired Accessories List (sortable Excel file)
• Retired Definitely Decorative

If you'd like to place an order - click here:

Thanks for stopping by...

 

It's OWL about YOU!

The Card:Scrap Buffet is this Saturday...and here's one of the pages that will be available to my stampers!!!

Check out the details here:  CARD:SCRAP BUFFET

The Nursery Nest Designer Series Paper was perfect for my page.  Don't you love the ric rac?  I made this with the Tasteful Trim die - I've used this die so much in the past for my card making too!!!

Don't you LOVE the little owl?

And here's my finished page - with an adorable chubby baby...yes that's Hailey! She was so round when she was a baby that she had 4 rolls on the inside of her thighs!  I can remember taking her up north to visit grama and papa and my mom said "oh my - what have you done to my baby?"  She was such a chunker!!!

In other news...It's been extremely stressful around here since last Saturday...we've hit a few bumps and our pool guy really let us down - mind you...I've been working with this guy for 14 years - one of his best pool customers!  I called last week to inform him that we were replacing our pool liner on Saturday.  "Oh, dont' worry Kelly, I'll have everything ready for you!"  When I showed up on Saturday - nothing was ready...NOTHING!  I spent 45 minutes running around his building with him trying to find all the seals, gaskets and face plates that we needed.  I needed about 20 different items and left with 3...YES - I said 3!  Then when the guys went to set the liner in place - some rods were missing.  I think this was almost the last straw for hubby...when he called the pool guy he insulted hubby and hubby hung up!  Too bad for him we won't be seeing him anymore...

Here's the start of the fiasco...

Things are looking a little better here...

And when I left for soccer last night....things were starting to look up...WAYYYY UPPPP!  YIPEE!!!  Huge thanks to son-in-law Scott Haag and friend Eric Meyer - they've been amazing!  And the biggest THANKS goes to hubby - he's been the one in charge of all the maintenance, winterizing and opening of my BABY for the last 14 years - I use my pool almost everyday in the summer and he spends 10 minutes a week in it!  He's a GREAT pool boy - with benefits!!!  Hopefully - my next update will have a pool full of water - that stays full of water!

If you'd like to place an order - click here:

Thanks for stopping by...

It's almost Graduation time!!!

It's approaching so quickly...graduation!  It has an extra huge impact on my life this year...as my BABY graduates from high school!  OH MY!

Here's a GREAT card with a huge WOW....I made it with the Perfect Pennants die - this die made my card making soooo simple and it has the beautiful medallions that I've used soooo many times too - a great versatile die.  The White Baker's Twine was perfect for the tassle.

Here's a card I made last year...a little more jacked up version.  I remember last year that I had to cut all those layers by hand...this year's card was soooo much easier because I used the die!  You can click on the photo to take you back to that original post and see more details.

I've been scanning old photos into my computer lately...got a little carried away...and nostalgic.  Here's an adorable photo from Hailey's Kindergarten graduation in 1999...sniff sniff

And here's one of her senior photos...sniff sniff  I never could have imagined the beautiful, amazing young lady she would turn into 13 years later...sniff sniff  I'm sooo very proud of her!

___________________________________

TICK TOCK...TICK TOCK...

Stampin' Up! Retired Stamps List (available until May 31st)

• Retired Stamps List

Stampin' Up! Retired Accessories List (available until May 31st or while supplies last) CLICK HERE:

• Retired Accessories List (PDF) 
• Retired Accessories List (sortable Excel file)
• Retired Definitely Decorative

____________________________________

It's right around the corner!!!  Get your stamps and supplies ready now and sell them at my Used Stamp Sale so you can get some NEW stuff!!!

Fri, June 8th  9:00am – 7:00pm

Sat, June 9th - 9:00 am – Noon

LOCATION:  738 Depere Street, Menasha

Click HERE for all the details!!!

 

____________________________________

CARD:SCRAP BUFFET

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:  Here are the dates for the next couple buffets..

Saturday, May 19th 9am - 1pm

Saturday, June 23rd 9am - 1pm

Click HERE to see all the details!  Call or email to register!!!

If you'd like to place an order - click here:

Thanks for stopping by...

Card Class on Wed & Thurs

Join me and make these beautiful and fun cards this week!

Join me on the following dates and times:

WHEN:  Wed, May 16

TIME:  10 am ONLY

WHERE:  Hobby Lobby - Oshkosh

 

WHEN:  Thurs, May 10

TIME:  10 am

WHERE:  Party & Print - Little Chute

COST:  $15

Call or email - please register by noon on Tuesday.

Thanks for stopping by...

Shaved Crayon Technique

This is one of the techniques that my class enjoyed on Wednesday.  The skies the limit with color combinations with this one.  I chose Elegant Eggplant, Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Basic Black.  It's a card fit for a ROCK STAR!

 

Here's how you do it:

• Shave some crayons onto wax paper
• Fold the wax paper over and then place it in between some scrap paper
• Iron with a warm iron - be careful not to over heat it or it mixes all the colors together and they aren't as bold and bright
• Die cut as desired

In other news...

Here's what I'm doing today...well with alot of help!  I actually made food for our helpers...and you know I don't like to cook!  I would have rather been scooping yucky leaves...than in the kitchen.  But you have to feed your peeps - ya know?

Our pool started leaking last summer...about 500 gallons a day - HOLY MOLY!  So we had to purchase a new liner and it's time to install it.  Please cross your fingers for me - that the liner was the problem and it's not the underground plumbing!!! 

Here's the guy in charge of what he calls "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" - LOL!  He's done this once before and this guy sure saves us alot of money!  I can't imagine what it would cost for the pool store guys to come do this - EEK GADS!  It's quite a job - once that liner comes out - the walls and pool edging have to be painted.  The new liner is set in place and all the gaskets around the skimmers, jets and light replaced.  Then the pool guy arrives with air blowers (I call them suckers) that suck the air out from under the new liner so it doesn't have any wrinkles while we are filling it with our house and the neighbors hose...it takes two days to fill this puppy up.  So much work to get done before the BIG GRADUATION PARTY at the end of June!!!

Thanks for stopping by...

Get Your NEW Catalog Delivered to your DOOR!!!

It's never too early to start thinking about fun things.  And on May 7, 2012 the  new 2012 - 13 Stampin' Up! Catalog became be available to order!  I received my complimentary copy when I was at Disney World!!! It's AMAZING!!!!

If you are anything like me, you can't wait to get you hands on it.  So why wait?  Place your order now with me and your personal copy will be one of the first to be mailed out when I receive them.  With premium shipping you could have it in as little as a week from the time it's shipped.  That gives you plenty of time to start creating that new Wish List.  Simply click on the PayPal button and order your new catalog.  The sooner you order, the sooner you'll get it!

HOLD YOUR HORSES....If you are joining one of my stamp clubs for the next session - you'll get a FREE catalog.  Or if you placed a $50 order in April - you'll get a FREE catalog too.This offer is valid for US customers only.  

Get your NEW 2012-2013 Idea Book & Catalog mailed right to your door for $7.50 (Priority Shipping included):

 

Or you can order the Spanish Catalog with priority shipping for $6.50 here:

 

Or order BOTH for $8.50 here:

DISNEY...

I have to apologize - things got super busy on my Stampin' Up! trip to Disney and I didn't have time to post anymore photos and then when I got home...well you know how that goes when you come back from a vacation!

So here's a few more photos from my FREE trip:

Epcot

The Safari at Animal Kingdom was my favorite - we actually went on the Safari two mornings in a row! Here's the truck we rode in.

These rhinos were right there...walking around...you can see the side of our truck in the bottom right of the photo.

The Gorilla was not out in the open - I loved him!

Here's the TREE OF LIFE.  It always amazes me - such a work of art. The photo below this one shows the detail.

This is the concerge room we were treated to every day for breakfast, lunch snacks and happy hour.  Only a few demonstrators were treated with this surprise...and a GREAT surprise it was. It saved us alot of money on food!

One of my pillow gifts - this great little bag was filled with NEW product from the NEW catalog!  I can't show you the loot until June 1st!

Thanks for stopping by...