Happy New Year!

Have not been feeling well for the past few days...just after my dear hubby was sick for Christmas and what better pastime than browsing Pinterest to lift my spirits. I came upon such a cute card designed by Joanne James of the UK and I just had to make a couple of my very own!

Luckily, I had all of the elements on hand, the SU daffodil delight ribbon is retired from a few years ago, but I love it so very much that I decided to keep some in my retired ribbon box.

Not sure what she used for the windowsill, but I had some silver washi tape, also SU retired and placed that on a piece of whisper white card stock for the windowsill.

The flowers were made with a retired SU mini floral punch. The background brick embossing folder is current SU and can be found in the Annual Catalog. The tiny heart is from the owl punch. I thought it was the perfect size and shape. The lettering is from a SU rotary wheel stamp that I still have, which is also retired.

So, now you know, I enjoy keeping retired Stampin' Up! items that I know I will use again and for this little pretty, I am very happy that I did just that.

Well, today I am feeling somewhat better. We are probably staying home tonight as we do not like to go out on New Year's Eve...too much nonsense. However, we are invited to a Retirement Party tomorrow afternoon, so I do need to rest up and be well and strong to attend.

Hope that you all enjoy a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous and Blessed New Year!

Happy Stampin' Adventures...

~ Linda

~ NOEL Banner ~

Last night I attended my yearly team Christmas Party. Most of us participated in a gift exchange which I so enjoyed very much! We had make n takes, all kinds of delicious food...appetizers, desserts, drinks, etc.

The banner showcased in the above photo is part of the gift that I put together. I love making these!

There are a few others in  process currently and some of my favorite family members and friends will be receiving one from me!

Well...I am off now to get busy in my studio...I also have a Craft Fair for which I am participating and  need to make a few things to sell there along with some retired Stampin' Up! stuff!

Enjoy you crafting adventures!

Love...

~ Linda

Christmas and Love

Hi Crafty Friends!

The Christmas season for me is all about Love. Love of family, friends and our lives. If it were up to me, I would celebrate all year. The Love part, that is. 

My Stampin' Up! involvement has brought so much Joy to my life...it has enriched me in countless ways mostly by being able to share my creations.

The above sampler is an example of what I Love sharing. Making shadow boxes, wreaths, banners, cards and countless other variations of paper crafting items are all an outer expression of what I so very much enjoy doing almost on a daily basis.  

This was made almost entirely with our beautiful Candy Cane Land Christmas designer series paper.

The frame is 12x12 and the squares are 3" each. 

Hoping that Love finds a way into your Heart this Christmas Season!

~ Linda

Paper Pumpkin Christmas Ornament

Hi Fellow Crafty Friends!

Welcome to my humble blog. Earlier this year, I began subscribing to Stampin Up's My Paper Pumpkin. Each month I received a kit that comes with instructions and all materials to create some very nice paper crafts. Sometimes they are cards, one was a little wreath, which I adore and various 3-D items.

This is a version, my interpretation of the most recent kit. I LOVE Christmas! And somewhere out there in Cyberland I saw this idea and have not been able to retrieve it to give due credit.

So, I somehow figured out how to make my own ornament.

A few years back, Stampin Up sold the mica flakes and I had some other retired tools that made this come together quite effortlessly...was a lot easier than I anticipated! I love when that happens!

Let me know what you think...I might have to make at least another version, perhaps pink or something.

Well...on to my next Christmas project! This past Friday I went to the Briar Patch Christmas Fair at a local high school. So many ideas are swimming around in my head...LOL!

And my little Elfie friend has been busy too decorating around the house...she fears it might be a little too cool to venture out to the shed to bring in some more boxes of goodies :) A nice hot cup of chocolate would probably motivate her!

Well...hope you are enjoying this Christmas season...stay tuned for more adventures!

Love & Blessings...

~ Linda

Gingerbread Greetings

Greetings my fellow paper crafting...rubber stamping friends!

Well...as you can see...I have been quite busy lately!

Our beautiful Stampin' Up! designer series paper Candy Cane Lane is probably my all time favorite Christmas paper so far and I have been using and utilizing every single little scrap and piece to my heart's content.

From the right side of the photo is a tag that I created for a swap that was held in October and the  middle tag was created for a swap with my team members earlier in November.

And my little Gingerbread house was put together yesterday while it was gray, cloudy and rainy here in what is usually sunny and warm Phoenix, AZ. Would a collection of these be really cute in an evergreen swag adorning either a fireplace of doorway? OHHH! Now I have to get even busier and make more! 

Other projects that are in process include...wreath making, shadow boxes, banners, Christmas cards all with beautiful Stampin' Up! Holiday Catalog products!

Hope that you are all warm and cozy and enjoying your crafty adventures...wherever they take you.

Until next time...

Happy Stamping!

~ Linda

Birthday Girls!

In just a few hours I will be attending my little sweethearts 8th birthday celebration! Of course I had to create special cards for my little lovelies...they are full size 5 x 7 inches.

It is hard to believe that they are growing up so very fast into beautiful young ladies...especially in this grandma's eyes. 

Well the recipe is as follows for these little pretties...as Keira just loves hot pink and Kaely prefers purple. They do go quite well together...don't you agree?

Stamps: Paper Pumpkin 

Ink: Melon Mambo, Perfect Plum

Paper: white glitter paper, melon mambo card stock and polka dots, perfect plum card stock and polka dots, silver foil paper, whisper white card stock

Tools: oval punch, scalloped oval punch, dress framelits, flourish thinlets

Embellishments: diamonds, silver thread, silver glitter ribbon (Stampin' Up Holiday Catalog page 37), dimensionals

Well...hope that you enjoyed my share for today...if you are so inclined I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. 

Time to get ready for this very special celebration which only comes once a year!

God Bless...

~ Linda

~ Swirly Bird Sailing ~

Hi My Crafty Friends!

Last weekend I attended a Stampin' Up! Regional hosted by my lovely upline Lorri Heilling. There were soooooooo many ideas that my fellow demonstrators shared all throughout the day.

Well, anyway, when I returned home, I was just so very eager to try this!!! It is called a "Gel Card".
After googling the term, I was inspired to put together this little pretty!

Instead of me re-inventing the wheel, I will encourage you to do your own search of the term...gel card.

Enjoy! Comments are always most welcome!

Happy Stamping!

~ Linda

Annual Retired Stampin' Up! Stamp Sets, Ink & Misc For Sale!

Hi Friends!

It is that time of the year when I take inventory of my retired and very gently used Stampin' Up! items that I no long wish to keep and would like to pass on to a good home.

If there is anything that you do not see here, retired items only, please email me and if I have it and no longer need it, I am more than happy to sell it to you.

I will be adding to this list as I go through the various departments; ribbon, embellishments, designer papers, embossing folders, etc.

Clear Sets 2 set $15.00 & 5.00 shipping/handling

Apothecary Art, Awash with Flowers, Daydream Medallions, Easy Events, Raining Flowers

Clear Sets - $10.00 & $4.00 shipping/handling

Amazing Birthday, A Round Array, Best Thoughts, Bliss, Creative Elements, Cycle Celebration, Delicate Doilies, Forever with You, Hearts a Flutter, Hello Lovely, Just Believe, Lacy & Lovely, Madison Avenue, Mixed Medley, Mosaic Madness, Label Something, Notably Ornate, Outlined Occasions, Oh Goodie, Perfect Punches, Postage Collection, Post Card, Posy Punch, Pretty Postage, Punched Flowers, Punch Potpourri, Spiral Spins, Springtime Hello, Timeless Treasures, Tote ally Tess, Yippee Skippee, You are Loved, You're Lovely, Wildflower Meadow

Ink Sets include: pad, re-inker & coordinating marker

$10.00 & $3.00 Shipping/Handling

Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Gumboil Green, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Midnight Muse, Mossy Meadow, Peach Parfait, Pistachio Pudding, Poppy Parade, Primrose Petals, Summer Starfruit, Tangelo Twist, 

Please email me directly if you are interested in purchasing any of these stamp sets. They are from a smoke free home and are in very good condition.

Payment may be made via Paypal but please email me initially.

Thank you very much!

Happy Stampin'

~ Linda

Lindam530@cox.net

Live ~ Love ~ Grow

Hi Stampers!

Being that the temps here in sunny Phoenix, Arizona have soared recently into the 100's, I have been spending more time in my Stampin Studio.

These NEW Detailed Floral Thinlits are in our big, beautiful annual catalog on page 194, and of course, being that it is floral themed, I had to have this!

The background is night of navy card stock and the cut whisper white card stock is popped up with dimensionals. 

Simple and elegant!

Hope that you like it!

~ Linda

$5.00 Paper Pumpkin $5.00

For today only!!! You can purchase a Paper Pumpkin Kit for only $5.00

This is a ONE TIME ONLY OFFER! 

Just click on My Stampin Up Website tab to the upper right of this post, enter ONEDAYDEAL and you can join me in one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE monthly craft surprises that come right to your door!

**Please Note:
    Offer starts June 9, 5 PM...Offer ends June 10, 11:50 PM

We can work on these kits together each month...you will not want to miss this opportunity!

Happy Stamping!

~ Linda

Swirling Sailing...

All I can say is WOW! Attended my team  meeting last night and that is the one word that I have for this absolutely BEAUTIFUL make n take.

Best of all is that I currently am in possession of ALL of the supplies needed to re-create this little beauty!

When I returned home, my husband asked me if I had any plans for Wednesday evening...I said "no", he then proceeded to let me know that a good friend of his from work was having a Birthday Dinner!

How perfect...I thought! This card is going to good use almost immediately! 

Well you are probably just dying to know how this little creation came together...ok...I will spill the beans.

Recipe:

Stamps: Swirly Bird, Happy Birthday sentiment from Bonus Paper Pumpkin stamp set

Ink: whisper white craft ink, soft suede, dapper denim, real red, daffodil delight, crushed curry

Paper: dapper denim, marina mist, soft suede

Accessories: Swirly Bird thinlits, owl punch (soft suede dots), distressing tool (or edge of scissors), dimensionals

There you have it! Hope that you enjoyed today's sharing and have many happy days of stamping and crafting all year long!

~ Linda

P.S. Post a comment in the section below and I will choose one of you to send something Pretty!

May is the Month...

...of Pre-Ordering All New Stampin' Up! Products from the up and coming awesome 2016-2017 Catalog and Idea Book!

These 5 New In-Color bookmarks will be distributed to a select few of you whom choose to order from me at my June New Catalog Party! 

The names assigned to these beautiful, vivacious colors are, from top to bottom:

Dapper Denim, Emerald Envy, Flirty Flamingo, Peekaboo Peach and Sweet Sugarplum.

Can you guess my favorite? 

Save the Date: Saturday, June 18th 10AM - 12NOON

We will be playing with New goodies from the catalog and of course, some of my favorites!

Hope to see you then!

Happy Paper Crafting and Stamping!

~ Linda

Perfectly Penned

Found an inspirational pretty card on Pinterest showcased by Francie Martin. She is such a lovely, talented Stampin Up demonstrator and I enjoy hearing her cute accent!

Of course, I just had to have one for my very own...so I went searching for similar designer papers that would work, similar to the sample she created.

Recipe:

Stamps: Perfectly Penned (retired)

Ink: Midnight Muse (retired)

Paper: Midnight Muse (retired), Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Fan Fair DSP (retired)

Misc: Lacy Brocade embossing folder (retired), Jewels Basic Pearls, dimensional

There is a point to be made about this card...since the Stampin' Up! Retired List will be announced towards the end of April, I would suggest that if you really LOVE a particular color, embellishment, punch or what have you...order it SOON!!! Especially the retiring In-Colors as they sell out quickly!

Please let me know if I can help you in that endeavor!

Hope your week is Amazing and has some FUN built in to it!

Enjoy!

~ Linda

Happy Birthday Artie!

Another year of celebrating my oldest son's birthday! Yes, today is the day! 

This is a case from a beautiful card that I pinned on Pinterest designed by Carol Lovenstein. 

For Artie's card, I made it into a full size 5 x 7. The Stampin' Up! balloon punch was on back order for a short while, but I received it just in time to make this little pretty!

Recipe:

Stamps: Happy Birthday, Everyone (hostess) soon to be retired, #imbringingbirthdaysback, Gorgeous Grunge

Ink: Basic Black

Paper: silver glimmer, silver foil, whisper white, basic black, black glimmer (retired), blue glimmer (non-SU)

Misc: Balloon punch, Triple banner punch, dimensionals, silver twine 

There you have it for today! 

Happy Stampin!

~ Linda

Happy Easter Chick!

It is hard to believe, but in a few short days, we will be celebrating Easter this year! Have been busy making Easter cards, but in the meantime, forgot to decorate the house...LOL!

So, I suppose that I just might break out my little Easter Tree which holds some mini Easter Eggs at some point!

Not sure exactly if we will be cooking on Sunday or going out to dinner as of today. But I do know that I will be visiting with my two special young ladies...my granddaughters, Keira and Kaely to give them their Easter presents and watch them go on their annual Easter egg hunt!

Oh...ok...

The Recipe:

Stamps: Honeycomb Happiness (SAB Free Set) retiring March 31, 2016, Well Scripted (retired)

Ink: Basic Black

Paper: Calypso Coral, Whisper White, Cherry on Top dip

Misc: small balloon punch, honeycomb embellishments, Lucky Limeade bakers twine (retired)

Well...there you have it!

Enjoy!

~ Linda

Terrarium Time

Spring fever has arrived here in beautiful sunny Phoenix, Arizona...probably a little earlier than most of the country!

Flowers are one of my all time favorites to create...next would have to be butterflies.

This project was inspired by one I saw on Craft Project Central. A dear fellow paper crafting enthusiast used her electronic cutter to make the actual terrarium!

Inside I decided to put a tiny terra cotta flower pot filled with pretty flowers using Stampin Up's Botanical Builder Framelits Dies from the Occasions 2016 Catalog.

The butterflies were made using the big and small butterfly punches, also Stampin Up.

Well...having done a little "research" this morning, I am now inspired to create a Butterfly bouquet that I saw on Pinterest...ok...next project!

Til we meet again...Happy Stamping...Crafting...Creating!

Enjoy!

~ Linda

Sky is the Limit

My dear husband and I celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary this past Friday, February 12th.

Our plans for both our Anniversary and Valentine's celebrations had to be postponed due to the fact that I had the flu.  I did not get the vaccine this year because of another health issue...long story...

Anyway, I have been quite busy in the Craft Studio making cards, crafts and cleaning up a little.

Well...I cased this little pretty from Robin Merriman and turned it into a full size 5 X 7 card to present to my hubby on Valentine's Day...Sunday Morning. 

Stamps: Sky is the Limit

Ink: Black Archival

Paper: black glitter, red glitter, whisper white, real red, basic black

Misc: World Traveler embossing folder, whisper white bakers twine, red satin ribbon (non-SU),

heart border punch, dimensional

By the way...TODAY is the last day that you can qualify to received this beautiful FREE stamp set with a $50.00 Stampin' Up! order! FREE shipping for this week only! (my personal promotion).

Hope that you like it!

Happy Stamping!

~ Linda

XOXO ~ I LOVE YOU!

This is my next favorite time of the year! Valentine's Day!

I enjoy my hobby so very much! It brings me peace, comfort and joy! And I get to share these feelings with my relatives, friends and customers. This is a real blessing in my Life.

Today's little pretty is a combination of new items from our awesome Stampin' Up! Occasions Catalog 2016. If you would like a copy of your very own...just email me with your name and address and I will get one out to you ASAP! Lindam530@cox.net

Recipe:

Stamps: Blooming Love, Botanical Blooms
Ink: real red, pink pirouette, black archival
Paper: real red, pink pirouette, pear pizazz, dazzling details, whisper white
Misc: Botanical Builders Framelits, Wink of Stella clear, dimensional

Well...there you have it!

Happy Stamping & Happy Valentine's Day!

~ Linda

Picture Perfect

Hi Crafty Friends!

I know! Two blog posts in one week! Well that is what happens when Stampin' Up! exceeds my expectations with their latest Occasions Catalog.

Today's pretty is a case from Karen Squires. I LOVE the color combination she chose. 

Recipe:

Stamps: Picture Perfect, Hardwood background

Ink: Black Archival, Bermuda Bay, Smokey Slate

Paper: Whisper White, Smokey Slate, Mossy Meadow, Bermuda Bay, Calypso Coral, Blushing Bride,

Pool Party

Misc: Botanical Builder Framelits, Pearls, dimensional, Pool Party Glitter Ribbon

Enjoy!

~ Linda

My Valentine

My second best favorite Holiday of the year is...yes...you guessed it! Valentine's Day!

This is a beautiful die in the New Stampin' Up! 2016 Occasions catalog which I could not wait to get my hands on!

I love classy stamping and I think this is a fine example. The red, black and silver are a beautiful Valentine color combo!

Recipe:

Stamps: Blooming Love

Ink: Archival Black

Paper: Basic Black, Real Red, Red Glitter, Silver Glitter

Misc: Blooming Hearts Thinlits Die, 1/8 " silver ribbon, Itty Bitty Accents (small flower), Petite Petals punch, Dazzling Diamonds Rhinestones, dimensional

Hope that you are preparing for your Valentine Day Celebration!

Happy Stampin'

~ Linda

Paper Cone Wreath

Happy New Year!

With the New Year comes new ideas, new projects and new crafting adventures!

This project is a Birthday Gift for a beautiful aunt and God-Mother of mine...she is turning 80 this month!

She loves pretty pastel colors, so this is what I came up with! Although it is not SU, I used my next best loved designer paper series Graphic 45. 

I did manage to use some retired crocheted flowers in the center along with some pretty pink retired  Stampin' Up! chevron ribbon.

Let me know what you think! Would love to hear from you!

Happy Stampin!

~ Linda