More Gift Cards

We had RAIN on Saturday! It was awesome. First measurable rain for us in 165 days.

The plants were so thankful! The cats - not so much. Interfered with play time outside.

It really poured on several occasions through out the day. I heard there was even hail nearby and snow up in the Laguna Mountains.

I have a real problem going out into the stampin' garage on a sunny day. I've tried many times, and the creative juices just don't flow.

But on a rainy day? Somehow, THAT'S the time - so I took advantage of "the flow" and continued creating gift card holders.


















































And then, after the rains finally decided to leave us, we (the Kidz and I) went out into the backyard to check on everything.













Once we were all back in the house, two of them took over MY chair in the computer room! Honestly - will these two never stop trying to fit into one chair!!??!


Melie actually crawled on top of Mudge and tried to KILL HER! Just kidding - but I'll bet that's how SHE felt!






Don't forget about my Christmas Card Stamp A Stack on Saturday 12/5 @ 10 AM and Sunday, 12/6 @ 1 PM!

Use the PayPal button below to sign up TODAY!

You'll need to let me know which session you'd like to attend via email (sslimak@san.rr.com) or phone (858-271-1924).

Looking forward to seeing you here!

Gift Card Holders

Last year at this time I was cranking out gift card holders and leaving them at my Curves for people to purchase.

I had mentioned, while doing the circuit, that I made hand made cards and other items, and one of the gals asked me about gift card holders. I said, sure, I can make those!

I kept track of how many were sold. I sold 30 in a month! Now I realize this isn't a great source of income, but the exposure is good, so I just kept taking them, til they stopped selling. I did try a few for Valentine's Day, but they didn't sell as well.

I had forgotten about doing that, but when I had my Stampin' Up! products set up at Curves last weekend someone asked me about them.

So, I've spent my evenings this week making some. I'm using the Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Papers (DSP) and I really like how these are turning out using this DSP.

The paper makes all the difference!

And, I decided to go simpler this year. I got pretty elaborate last year and charged $2.00 each - they didn't sell as well as the simpler ones. So, this year they'll all be pretty simple.

Wanna see?


This is the outside - the gift card is opened up so you can see front and back.












This is the inside. The area where the gift card will fit is between my fingers.

This is one of the more elaborate I did.








This one's almost as elaborate.















Some of the others just have one thing on the front cover.















These are REALLY simple to make.

Cut your CS to 11 x 4-1/4.

Fold in half, then fold each half in half again.

Fold each end back towards the fold in the middle. You'll end up with a little book 4-1/4 x 2-3/4 that has a Valley fold, a Mountain fold, and then another Valley fold when viewed from the inside.

Then take the window punch and punch the middle (mountain) fold. You'll need to do this twice, since the punch isn't wide enough to fit the whole thing.

After you've done that, use the 1-1/4 circle punch to punch out 1/2 the circle, right in the middle of the area you punched with the window punch.

This makes a nice place for the recipient to pull the gift card out of the holder.

Then I decorated both the front and the back with DSP; I roller-stamped the inside so it wasn't boring. And I added the "To/From" info somewhere inside. You have lots of geography, so you can vary it from holder to holder.

You can add a decorated belly band if you like, but remember it will need to be a little loose, since it will expand once the gift card is added. Most of the gift cards from stores around here are plastic, so they're about 1/8" thick.

Of course, if you're making these for gift cards you've already purchased, you can simply put it inside before you make the belly band, and you'll be good to go!

Hope you liked my idea for tonight - need more info? Leave me a comment and I'll answer your questions.
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Oh - I haven't posted any photos of those rascally cats lately, have I? Well, Melie thought he heard something outside the garage door tonight, so scrambled up into the rafters (he's pretty much a big chicken). And I got a pretty good photo of him up there in his "safe house".


















Thanks for stopping by!

PS - don't forget about my Christmas Card Stamp A Stack that I mentioned
here! You can sign up throught PayPal right from this post.

Ornament Angels

The other day I was blog-hopping and found the cutest little angel ornaments on Sandi MacIver's blog!

She made them out of the Ornament punch, and I thought - these are just perfect for my Stamp Club ladies! They seem to like it when I show them new ways to use their punches.

And I was looking for something new for them to do. So, they made them and loved them!

One of the gals put on her thinking cap and turned her angel into a choir person!

Look!
Here' s the front - she even gave her a hymnal!


















And here's the back, just so you can see how she attached the skirt:


















I was so glad I'd taken a photo of hers, because, truthfully, I had to look at this photo a number of times in order to duplicate what she'd done later that night.

Here's a photo of the choir person I made. You'll notice I wasn't able to exactly duplicate what Linda had done, but I'm happy with it!


















And, finally, a photo of my whole choir:














The wings are made from vellum which was gold embossed with the Sassy Sparkles jumbo wheel from the Holiday mini-catalog. Some of the bodies were made using pieces punched from paper that used the Petals A Plenty embossing folder, other were just punched from regular CS. They look good both ways, doncha think?

Hope you enjoyed these little angels - do they make you want to try some for yourself?

Tags!

I got the Two Tags Big Shot die a while ago, and haven't really played with it much - too many other toys, I guess!

When planning for my stamp club meeting this month, I decided to let them have the opportunity to make some tags to take home.

I chose a Bermuda Bay/Real Red color scheme. I realize Bermuda Bay is a little more blue than most of our greens, but it does look good with Real Red - and that's certainly a Christmas color!

I also embossed quarter sheets of Bermuda Bay, Real Red and Whisper White with the Petals A Plenty embossing folder, so that I could layer the tall tag.

The die cuts a perforation around the outside of the tall tag (like the Top Note die), which makes it really easy to trim the top layer on those perforations, and allow you to do layered tags with more than one color.



























The other tag on the die cuts a tag that folds up, and catches under a slight cut made by the die. Very easy tag to make - doesn't require a lot of decoration (for one thing, there's not much room!) and would be a quick project when you need a tag.

And here are a couple of tags made using the Merry embosslit from the Holiday mini-catalog. These came out pretty cute, too! And they were very fast to make.















So - do you NEED these two Big Shot items now? Just call or email, and I'd be pleased to order them for you. Or, alternatively, go to my Stampin' Up! website and place an on-line order. Be sure to choose me as your demonstrator - you'll get a better price than if you'd don't select a demonstrator!

My suggestion? Once you get these tools, sit down and make a bunch, then you'll have them for that last minute gift.

A Sample from My Digital Studio

I've been showing you some items I've created using My Digital Studio (MDS). I showed pages out of two differently created books.

The first one I did from templates provided - but the templates only had text and photos boxes preloaded. I added cardstocks, background papers, embellishments and stamps, along with my photos.

The second one I created used the Simply Scrappin' elements that are included. For these pages, not only were the text and photo boxes already placed, but the pages were all decorated as well. I used the Sunny Days kit for the Tale of Two Kittens.

It was VERY easy! I think the hardest part was trying to decide what to journal that would explain all the photos on that particular page.

About a month ago, I noticed that Patty Bennett had posted a couple of pages from a book she was creating that would show what elements are contained within My Digital Studio.

At the time I thought it was a clever idea, but it wasn't something I had time to do.

But these past couple of days, I did take the time to do something similar, and I'm glad I did, because I have a much better appreciation for this product as a result.

There are a TON of emblishments included - which I hadn't noticed until I took the time to copy/paste them one at a time into my new sampler book for MDS.

I'll share some of the pages now, and the rest at another time. The book ended up being 36 pages long - and I didn't include the stamp images that are available in the 40 or so stamps sets included!

I haven't decided whether to have this hard bound, or print it off here at home and put the pages into a binder. (or both!).

Below are some of the pages I've created.



















































Hope you enjoyed the sneak peek inside the MDS software! Maybe now you'll have to ask Santa to bring it to you for Christmas!

Have Santa call or email me to order this for you!

Happy stampin'

And the Winner IS...

... Katie Giblin, from the local Curves!

A group from Curves was able to go up to L.A. on Monday for a taping of The Price Is Right.

One of the members had called and gotten tickets for our group of 30. When I was asked if I was going to go, I hesitated - and my friend, Donna, said "Yes you are!"

Well, to tell you the truth, sitting in on the taping of a TV show was on my "bucket list", and I hadn't ever had an opportunity to do this before, so I went!

Fun trip up on the bus... we played The Price is Right, so we'd have a feel for what showcases were going for recently. Good thing, too, cause they offered some comparable showcases.

We arrived at Noon, the taping was supposed to start @ 4 PM, but finally started about 4:20.

And all that time we sat - and we moved down the benches. And we sat - and we moved down the metal benches, and we sat - and we moved down the metal benches, and, finally, we sat!

Everyone gets interviewed by the producer while sitting in that interminable line - that's how they choose the contestants.

I really didn't want to be ON the show - I don't shop, I don't watch daytime TV - I just came along to watch the taping!

But everyone else wanted them to "pick me!". And they DID pick Katie, who is the owner of our Curves!

She's young, she's vibrant, and she's cute! She got to play the grocery game and didn't win that. But, somehow, (I told you - I don't watch the show!), she was eligible for the Final Showcase.

It was a trip to the Museum of Modern Art in New York, a trip to Norway to see "The Scream", and then on to the Louvre in Paris to see the "Mona Lisa"!

Quite a trip, wouldn't you say? Oh, and I believe it includes a 1 hour private tour in each museum, which would be incredibly cool...

She underbid the showcase, but luckily, the other person WAYY overbid his showcase, so Katie WON!

That is SOOO cool! And I got to be there when it happened!

So, CONGRATS to Katie! And, thanks, Curves, for inviting me to fulfill one of the items on my "bucket list"!
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And speaking of Curves, here is the card I had a few people make while I had my Stampin' Up! products set up there on Saturday morning.



Yes, it's a Valentine's Day card.

From The Heart, the group that sends the cards to the troops overseas, had to send off all Christmas cards by October 31st.

So, we're now making Valentine's Day cards, with a goal of getting a bunch of them to FTH by December 31st.

Would love to have some help in preparing these cards! Come by on Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, and lend a hand! Doors will open at 1 PM...

Here are a couple of shots of my set up at Curves.

That's Becky, standing at the end of the table, looking at my "The Tale of Two Kittens" book I made with My Digital Studio.

Becky works there on Saturday mornings. She used to be an SU demo, too, but took a full-time job, and something had to go...

But she still stamps!









And here's a shot from the other end of the table.

That's Becky's arm reflected in a mirror I decorated with Decor Elements pieces.














And, finally, here's Krystle, using that machine that just KILLS my knees!


















Hope you've enjoyed the recap of my weekend spent with Curves people!

Oh - and to put the icing on the cake, I passed my 1000 Curves visit mark on Friday! I got a very cool pink t-shirt to celebrate the occasion! Quite a Curves filled weekend, wouldn't you say?

It helps keep you young. so you can

Keep on stampin'!

PS - don't forget about my Christmas Card Stamp A Stack that I mentioned
here! You can sign up throught PayPal right from this post.

I Got It!

I got my first book made from our My Digital Studio (MDS) software yesterday.

It's a book entitled "A Tale of Two Kittens" and it was created by --- ME!

I showed you a few of the pages here.

I was SO PLEASED with the book when I received it! It came out, in many ways, even better than I'd anticipated.



Here's the front cover. I chose to have it hard bound, with the title printed on the spine, but there are other options available, if you don't like this one.




For this book I used one of the included Simply Scrappin' layouts, called Sunny Days. I added quite a few pages, simply because I have SO MANY photos of these Kidz, and it just seemed like the perfect way to show off both The Kidz AND some of what My Digital Studio can do.

I also added some cat stamp silhouettes that were included in MDS, that we don't even carry in rubber! These were a very serendipitous find for this book! You'll see them on the pages I linked to above.
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I've been invited to bring my stampin' supplies and set up a table at my local Curves on Saturday from 8 AM to 1 PM. This Curves is on Mira Mesa Blvd., near Denny's, here in San Diego.

If you're in the area, stop by!

We'll be making a Christmas card for the Make and Take, and I'll have items out for everyone who's willing to make a Valentine's Day card to be sent to our troops stationed abroad.

I work with an awesome organization called "From Our Hearts" in supplying handmade cards for the guys and gals who are helping to keep us all free and safe. I've got a link to their website on my sidebar. Take a few minutes and check them out.

They're always looking for more cards since they support more than 200 bases! These ladies (and gents) put in a LOT of their own time to provide the cards. Many of them work a full-time job, as well!

They are the clearing house portion - they take already made cards or card fronts (those still needing some additional work). If it's a card front, they have a group of helpers who make it into a card, then add a regular mailing envelope and a clear mailing envelope to each card.

The regular envelope, of course, is to be used for mailing to friends and family.

The clear mailing envelope is to protect the cards during all the handling they go thru. We want those service people to have clean, beautiful cards for their use!

About three times a year, I try to send them completed cards to forward on. My next goal for shipping is December 31st, as I'm sure they're in the process of getting things ready for Valentine's Day.

The Christmas cards had to be sent by October 31st, so this sounds like an appropriate lead time for Valentine's Day.

If you'd like to help them out, in addition to cards, they can always use packing materials, and, of course, cash. They still have to pay the postage to get the cards to the various bases. And believe me, a 100 greeting cards with envelopes weighs quite a bit!

Come by Curves Saturday and help us out by making a card. While you're there, you can check out "A Tale of Two Kittens" for yourself, AND make a Christmas card for yourself.

I'll also have sign up sheets for my Christmas Stamp A Stack (12/5 & 6), if you'd like to sign up that day.

Thanks for stopping by!

Twice in One Day!

Yeh - it's me again! Can you believe it - two posts in one day?

I wanted to remind you about the Christmas Stamp A Stack, and provide you with a convenient way for you to pay for it, but knew I'd forget about the PayPal button, if I didn't do it when I thought about it!

Hope you can come! I've got some great cards lined up for you to make.
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We had our monthly demonstrator get-together this past Sunday, and, as usual, had a great time.

It's always a challenge to come up with something just a little bit different for this group, because we want to keep each other up to date on the latest things we've learned, and want to share.

But I can always count on these ladies to bring something new to the table.

Here are the cards we exchanged.

My card this month was the Easel card I showed you the other day. They hadn't seen this, so in addition to getting the card I made, I taught them all how to make the card.


















Teresa used the Top Note die from the Big Shot, but cut it out on a fold, so instead of placing it ON a card, it IS the card.

And isn't that reindeer cute! He's made with punches and pieces of the Tulipe die for the Big Shot.














Del used the Petals Aplenty embossing folder and vellum - it's really very striking. She also used the lattice die, and the snowflake punch to add visual interest. To finish it off, she used the Ticket Corner punch.


















Veronica's card is a more traditional one, but certainly not made with traditional colors! I like her color combo.












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Stampin' Up! has some great specials going this month.

Sweet Rewards Hostess Promotion:

* Host a workshop totaling $250 or more and choose any one item* from the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog for only $10! (Offer excludes hostess sets and My Digital Studio).

* Host a workshop of at least $400 and get My Digital Studio for 50 percent off the retail price (retail price: $79.95; promotional price: $39.97) when you use your free hostess dollars!

New Recruit Promotions:

Digital+ Starter Kit
Starter Kit Price: $185 (over $295 value!)

Digital+ Starter Kit Contents:

* My Digital Studio software
* Party Hearty and Petal Pizzazz stamp sets
* Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
* Earth Elements assorted card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
* Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin' Pads
* Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red Stampin' Write markers
* Chocolate Chip 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
* Real Red 1" double-stitched grosgrain ribbon
* Button Latte Designer buttons
* Stampin' Dimensionals
* Mini Glue Dots
* SNAIL Adhesive
* Business supplies (product catalogs, order forms, training DVD, and other supplies)

Digital+ Starter Kit deadlines:

# Mail-in IDA: Wednesday, March 31, 2010 (received in the office, not postmarked)
# Online IDA: Wednesday, March 31, 2010; 11:50 PM (MT)

If you're at all "into" creating on a computer, and you've ever entertained the idea of becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, this is a great deal for you! Just go to my website and click on Join Now button. The password is "stampwithsam". I'd love to have you join my "we StAMp everything" team!

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And here are a few photos of The Kidz. They were tearing around the backyard tonight, stalking each other. It's always so fun to watch, but, believe me, it ain't easy to get good shots of this activity!

I love this picture of Smedley - flat cat! He was getting ready to pounce on Smudge.









She, on the other hand, decided to "take a break", so she sat on the chair for a while, looking beautiful.

She's getting her winter coat, and it's coming in a lot more "smudgy" than her summer one - and nice and thick and soft!






And finally, Velvet just sat in her Adirondack chair and watched the crazy goings-on.






Hope you enjoyed the cards AND the cat photos!

And give having a workshop for your friends and family some thought! You will have personal guidance on choosing those items you'll need to make your own Christmas cards - or at using My Digital Studio!

Or, if you'd rather, sign up for my Christmas Stamp A Stack - you'll walk out of my stampin' garage with them all done - all you'll have to do is address them, put on postage and mail them off!

Thanks for stopping by...