Clark's Cottage

Imagine the Possibilities

2012-02-18T21:42:00.001-08:00

I have discovered Smooch spritz. OMGOSH!!! How did I go this long without it?

Look at the beautiful pattern of spray on the bottom left. Don't forget the other big trend right now, the lolly. So easy with the new Simply Scored Tool. Do you see that curly cue coming out from under picture? That is a sneak peek item! One of the fantastic things about being a demonstrator is that we get access to stamps before they come out! You'll be seeing this one soon, but I can't say anything else. What I do know is that now is such a great time to sign up! $150 for your starter kit is an amazing deal!!!! Everything you need to get started stamping and if you decide to keep going with it you can earn these awesome perks too!

So what did I use? I've got the Textured Basic Grey 12x12 cardstock, Flowers stamped with Mixed Bunch in Poppy Parade, Calypso Coral, River Rock, punch out with the Blossom Punch, then the 5 Petal Flower Punch layered on top. There's a Jumbo Pearl on one of the flowers. The Designer Paper is Everyday Enchantment paper from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue. The Imagine title is from the Loving Thoughts stamp set. A little Chantilly Crochet Trim to finish it off.

So tell me what's your favorite trend right now?

Fun with Framelits

2012-02-12T18:41:00.000-08:00

I was playing around with the reverse fold technique for my friend's birthday card. It was a while ago but I had to make sure she received it before I posted the photo.

Using the Labels Collection Framelits for the Big Shot.

I love how they all fit together! I've got some Fresh Vintage stamped on the envelope and the inside of the card as it goes perfectly with the Everyday Enchantment paper. Just use your Stamp N' Write Markers to "paint" the stamp different colours. And the only way to get these is to order $60 of product during Sale-A-Bration or $120 if you want both. I added some Mixed Bunch flowers in the background and some Chantilly Lace trim to keep the card closed.

Hope you enjoyed it!

Don't forget to check your calendars for upcoming classes and crops! We had so much fun at yesterday's crop. I'll be posting the projects I got done tomorrow. What a fantastic way to spend a day! Great friends, good food and fantastic chatter!

Upcoming Classes!!!!

2012-02-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

MDS Free Trial Offer

2012-02-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

I downloaded my free trial of the My Digital Studio today. OMGOSH!!!! I have to have this program. I love playing with the paper and the ribbon and all that, but if you need to do something like invites or multiple cards, is this the product for you! Holy cow!!!!

So the express doesn't come with a lot of images or paper, but it does have all the colours of cardstock, grosgrain ribbon and ink. I got the Sale-A-Bration content cd while I was at Leadership, so I added that.

But here's the finished product.

How great is that? And it took less than 15 minutes!

Try it out! Just go here, and click the free trial download on the top right. It will give you 30 days to see if you like the program! And you can print them yourself, print them at Walmart or take advantage of the bulk pricing at Stampin' Up and then you know that the colours will be true in the event that you want to add some 3-D elements after it's been printed. Print a full hardcover book or one page at a time to place in an existing scrapbook! Oh yes, it's that easy!

And every Tuesday, Stampin' Up! comes up with a new set of downloads for you to try!

Let me know if you get it and we'll share our ideas!

A post for me!

2012-02-05T18:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, I finally took some time to finish a scrapbook page of my own. I was painting my basement and when moving a bookshelf I found these pictures of my daughter's one year photo shoot. I loved her outfit and how great is it that it totally goes with the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Paper. Why is it specialty paper? Because it has embossed designs on it!

See the little white polka dots on the background paper? They're raised up! Adds a great texture. I also added a little flower from the 5 Petal Flower punch out of Twitterpated paper. I cut out a Top Note using Whisper White and added some of the Lucky Limeade organza ribbon from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue. I love the Loving Thoughts stamp set! It's so versatile. It's perfect for cards, crafts and scrapbooking! There aren't that many sets that can work for all three things. I had to add some of that pleated satin ribbon in Blushing Bride.

And really, how stinkin' cute is she in these pictures?

Don't forget I've got some classes coming up. I've got my valentine's class coming up next Friday, February 10th at 6:30 and my all day crop where you can use all my tools, stamps, inks etc Saturday, February 11 from 10 to 6pm. Contact me to reserve your spot! I'll show the projects for the Valentine's class tomorrow.

More Leadership Make and Takes

2012-01-31T21:28:00.000-08:00

So here it is! It's late, but it arrived! I had a friend in need, so my crafting fell to the wayside. Anything for my friends! But on that note, do you remember all the awesome pictures of my new crafting space? Remember how awesome it was??? Well, you can click here if you don't remember. (it's okay, after the way it looks now I don't think I can remember). However, this is what it looks like today after a few days of trying to do blog posts and get swaps ready for my team meeting.

Uh. Yeah. That's my desk under there somewhere. And notice the rolo package. My theory is that if it's mini, it doesn't count.

And yes, I have the guilty pleasure of using my 7 year old daughter as the excuse to by the Taylor Swift cds.
Oh the humanity. I guess I know what I'm doing Thursday after my son goes to school.

Avoiding this mess!

On that note . . . Here are the leadership make and takes I finished last night, but was up until midnight doing them, leaving me no time to post (or clean up after myself).

This is my 7 year old daughter. Uh, 7 years ago. I can't believe it! She is still this baby to me. I don't know who the big girl in her bed is. I'm still waiting for the baby to sneak back into her room. Anyway (wipes a tear from her eye), it looks like I'm using all kinds of stuff in this, but really, it's only a couple of products. There's Twitterpated DSP in the background mounted on Baja Breeze Cardstock, a TON of flowers from the Blossom Builders Kit, Brights Designer buttons and the Loving Thoughts stamp set in Lucky Limeade. I also stamped a few flowers from the Mixed Bunch stamp set in Baja Breeze on the Baja Breeze. See how easy that is? (just don't say it 3 times fast).

This was our Ronald McDonald House card. We made one for us and one for them. Great charity. Stampin' Up! donates tons of cards to them every year! My girlfriend helps organize the Cassie Campbell hockey tournament for the Ronald McDonald House in Calgary and she's looking for raffle items, if I read her facebook status correctly today, so if you have something, please let me know and I'll pass it along.
This card uses Daffodil Delight, Whisper White, Lucky Limeade and Poppy Parade cardstock. Teamed up with the Mixed Bunch stamp set, Brights' Designer buttons and the Blossoms Builder kit. I also punched out two Whisper White flowers with the Blossom Punch. I don't know what set the Thanks came from because it was not one of the ones we got for free. But it said "Kind Thanks" on it.

Just watch, that's the name of the stamp. Hang on while I check that out. . .

Nope, it's Thank You Kindly. Duh

And I had to add my gnomes to this post. I love my gnomes. Isn't he cute??? This is the swap card I cased from Ilina Crouse. I just mixed up the embossing. Instead of using the Simply Scored, I used my Adorning Accents Embossing folder with little hearts and used the "To Gnome you is to Love you" sentiment. Tell me you don't love that little man? And I cut him out and popped him and his little froggie friend up with dimensionals. Which I am running dangerously low on. I'm tracking that UPS shipment like it's cocaine man!

That said, I now have to go cut out a bunch of these little dudes and go to bed! Happy Stampin' guys!

Make and Takes

2012-01-29T22:21:00.000-08:00

Yes, more Leadership here. I loved it so much! I came home with a huge bin of stuff I needed to put together. We just didn't have enough time for all the crazy stuff they sent us with. So here's a sampling of a few of them. I'll show more tomorrow, I hope.

I have been desperate to try out the distressing inks. I got to take home the Tea Stain! I love it! I'll have to buy the rest of the distressing inks kit. I used it here on the chipboard piece, cut from the Labels Framelits, that I covered in Very Vanilla cardstock. Then added the little flowers from the Blossoms Builder kit from the Occasions mini! The Brights buttons go with it perfectly! I don't own the die to make this little box. It's the Fancy Favour Die for the Big Shot. I'm going to have to get this one. I just closed it up with some Lucky Limeade Bakers Twine. And the stamp I used for both was the Mixed Bunch stamp set and I used the Loving Thoughts on the card.

This one here I used the Petite Pennant Punch to cut out the pennant in Lucky Limeade, Baja Breeze and Daffodil Delight cardstock. I used the Twitterpated DSP and more Lucky Limeade twine. Stamp the Loving Thoughts sentiment on the Very Vanilla with Poppy Parade ink and you're done. I also distressed using the Tea Stain on here too.

Last one, I used Daffodil Delight cardstock, the Twitterpated paper and the Mixed Bunch stamp set in Rich Razzleberry ink. Then I used the coordinating Blossom Punch to cut out the flower, but I used the Scalloped Edge Border Punch on the DSP. You can get the old style of this punch in the clearance rack too! Add in some of the blossoms and rhinestones from the Blossom Builder kit. Wrap in the Lucky Limeade bakers twine and add a sentiment from Loving Thoughts. Do you see how many projects you can get from just a few products? That's why I love this stuff! It all coordinates!

Okay! All things working out for me, I should be able to get a couple more done tomorrow! If not, we'll be checking out some of my swaps! Either way, there should be some great stuff tomorrow!

If you want to order these products online, click any of the links above or go here. If you want to earn the hostess benefits for Sale - A- Bration though you need to contact me to put in your order as a customer order as the online orders don't get the extra Sale-a-Bration hostess bundles! And don't forget, every $60 in product gets you a free item from the Sale-a-Bration Catalogue! Check it out!

Sale-A-Bration Launch

2012-01-25T21:57:00.000-08:00

Yes. I know. I'm a day behind. Yesterday was pretty busy! I'm making a conscious effort to post everyday now! Leadership has me setting some pretty high goals! This is the most exciting time of the year for me! For every $60 you spend in product you get a free product out of the Sale-A-Bration catalogue. You can download it here. I am totally loving the Fresh Vintage set from Sale-A-Bration!

On that note. I am SOOOOOOO close to promoting again! The next workshop that puts me over, the hostess will receive a free stamp set of her choosing ON TOP of all the other fantastic and amazing offers out there. So you get a free tote with a $200 workshop plus $35 in free product, or with a $525 workshop you get a free tote, $90 in free product and a Sale-A-Bration Bundle! How great is that?

Also, if you want to get started and don't know how, now is such an awesome time to get a Starter Kit! For $150 you get $345 worth of product, a free digital download or pack of Designer Series Paper per month that you are a demonstrator, and a 20% discount on all your orders! That is a fantastic idea my friends!

Think that's all. Oh no! You can't be serious, you're thinking, but I AM NOT FINISHED!!!!!!! Starting Feb 1, Stampin' Up! is offering a 30 day free trial of their My Digital Studio! Try it out! If it's something that is going to work for you, then you can buy it. If it isn't what you are looking for, that's fine too! It didn't cost you anything. What a great way to try out a new medium! I love to touch. That's my thing. I have to touch the paper, the ribbon, the stamps. I have to do it myself. But when I'm doing invites for my kid's parties or for church, it would be really nice to not have to hand make 30 copies. This is my next purchase. I'll be doing a demo at my Sale-A-Bration launch party next Wednesday. It's an open house starting at 10am and going until 2pm. You'll get a demo of some of the fantastic new products from the Occasions mini catalogue and create something beautiful using Sale-A-Bration exclusive products. Come on out!

On that note. We'll see you all tomorrow! Happy Stampin!

Leadership Awesomeness!

2012-01-23T13:05:00.000-08:00

So why do you need to attend a Stampin' Up! event? Let me tell you! These events are full of energy! I was so inspired, as you saw in my last post. Let me spend the next few days sharing the awesomeness of Leadership with you!

One of the AWESOME parts is the showcase of projects from home office. They had these awesome displays of projects you can make with the products from the Occasions Mini catalogue. I apologize for the pictures, I only brought my iphone with me.

How cute is this one using the Twitterpated buttons?????

This was another demonstrator's contest entry card. I love the colours! If you recognize this, let me know so I can give due credit. I didn't record the demo names on the back. Duh!
No, I didn't win. I'm very sad about that. But as there doesn't seem to be any rules, it's mostly just preference. Hmmmmm.

Had to include this one, because Texas is awesome!

That's right folks, free Beer and and Haircut!

Check back tomorrow for more great tidbits!

What leadership is all about.

2012-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

I loved leadership! I will totally be doing this again! It has me so excited to take my mom to convention this summer. I just hope I can convince my husband to let me go! We heard from some awesome leaders. I took a class on Why Women Buy presented by the lovely Carrie Cudney, and Coaching for Performance presented by Natalie White and Jim Pitt, and best of all, I got some tips on engaging my downline by Patsy Waggoner that I will definitely by implementing when I get home! I can't wait to show you all the cool things they had displayed and I have to say, envy Demonstrator should absolutely take the opportunity to attend Leadship. It's more civilized, and so inspiring! It has really renewed my sense of purpose and given me many of the tools I was missing. I love the theme this year: "My Way!". Let me tell you, I love that!

Wedding Season!

2012-01-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

This little beauty features the Hello, Doily background stamp, new this year, and the Love & Laughter stamp set from the new Occasions Mini Catalogue. I love the Pleated Satin Ribbon. That's in the new catalogue too! I used Blushing Bride but it also comes in Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze and Pear Pizzazz. Great texture! I used the Perfect Pennants die to cut out the Basic Grey doily behind the wedding dress, then ran it through the Big Shot again with the Adorning Accents Embossing folder. Love those little hearts!

This next one is the card I made to swap with the other demos at the convention. It's got the Hello, Doily background in Sahara Sand and Early Espresso. Then I sponged the edges so make it look vintage! The sentiment is a FREE stamp you can earn during Sale-A-Bration starting next week! It's called Elementary Elegance. It's yours free with a $60 order! I used Mary Fish's colour blocking technique behind the Happy Birthday and the Curly Label punch is coordinated perfectly with the stamp! I embossed it with white embossing powder on the Basic Black. It's so beautiful! And it was so easy! I'll be showcasing this at my Mini Occasions launch party on the 25th!

Come check out these awesome products online!

Thanks for stopping by! See you tomorrow!

Packed for . . .

2012-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a spot light on the Packed For . . . stamps. There are four in the mini and you can order them individually for $10.95 CAD or get all 4 for $36.95 CAD. As a bundle it works out that you almost get 1 free! AWESOME!

Here I used a combination of Melon Mambo, Basic Black and Whisper White. Very Chic! Makes me think of Paris! Perfect for the Packed for Mom stamp. I added a little sentiment from Word Play as well. Finished off with Scalloped Dots in Basic Black. This was the pack of three that were offered in the ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA right before Christmas. Great deal!

I used the Packed for Dad stamp in a 6x6 scrapbook layout. I had some scraps of Old Olive, So Saffron, Tempting Turquoise and Real Red from another scrapbook layout, which I will share later. Waste not want not, and I can't throw anything away! So that became the colour basis for this one! I also added the U ROCK from the Perfect Words Hostess stamp set. You can only get this baby by hosting a workshop or ordering a minimum of $200 worth of product!

The Packed for Baby stamp was so cute! I used Blushing Bride, Crumb Cake, and Early Espresso as my colour basis. Lots of texture with this one. I ran the Blushing Bride through the Big Shot in the Houndstooth Embossing Folder and the little hearts up above are the new Fashionable Hearts Embosslit, found in, yes you guessed it, the new Occasions Mini! You need to come to my launch party January 25th!

That's it for this episode! We'll see you again tomorrow!

Interested in downloading the Occasions Mini Catalogue? You can find in on my website.

More Leadership!

2012-01-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm still at Leadership! I'll give you the low down when I get back, but here are some more of my creations for our contest!

First up, it's my submission for Bordering on Romance. This stamp set is in the Occasions Mini catalogue. I was having a hard time getting ready, so I used the PPA colour challenge of Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla and Baja Breeze. I find these challenges really help as a jumping off point. The I also used the new Big Shot Edgelits, Adorning Accents. Love that scalloped edge! It's quite plain, but sometimes the clean and simple ones are the ones that stick out.

This next one also uses Bordering on Romance with the sentiment coming from Loving Thoughts, also in the Occasions Mini. Can you see a trend here? See the beautiful edge on the inside of the card? That's cut with the the other Adorning Accents Edgelit, but they also have Adorning Accent Embossing Folders! See how the edge is raised just under the cut? Perfection! I'm also using the Twitterpated DSP and Fabric! I used the instructions for the Criss Cross card on Splitcoast. It's like a card and envelope in one! I used Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride, Basic Grey and a hint of Pear Pizzazz on this card.

Check again tomorrow and don't forget to take a look at these great products on my online store! You can also get a chance to make some of these at my upcoming classes! Let me know if you want to reserve a spot!

Gone to Leadership!

2012-01-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm at the Stampin Up! Leadership Convention in sunny San Antonio, TX! I'm over the moon! Especially since our temperatures here in Millarville are -31! My van almost didn't start today! So to celebrate, I'm showing you the special cards I made to take with me to show off and maybe win some prizes!

The first one is my 6x6 scrapbook layout. I used the Gnome Sweet Gnome and Gnomenclature stamp sets from the new Occasions Mini! I love the sentiment! The second I saw this one, I knew I would be using it for scrapbooking! I used my Simply Scored tool to create the pattern on the Pool Party CS. I just scored at the 1/2" mark and then every 1/8' for three and then skip a 1/2' and start over again. I got this idea from the oh so talented Mary Fish over at www.stampinpretty.com. Please go visit her! She's amazing! I'm really hoping to meet her at this convention!

My second card is using the same two sets. See how much fun these are? And they are so versatile! You can use them for pretty much any occasion! I used some Berry Blossoms DSP for the background and took my colour choices from there. They are mostly 2012-2013 In Colours. Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder, Early Espresso and I cheated a bit with the Elegant Eggplant Scalloped Dots ribbon, but I think it still compliments the Wisteria Wonder. Love how the Scalloped Oval punch matches up with the large oval punch! See! It all works together!

Check back tomorrow! I'll be posting more! And remember, you can order all these sets on my online store!

Not me, but hey, whatever

2011-12-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

So I wasn't sure about this paper, but it came in a special bundle for demos so I took a chance.

I have a new niece arriving here in a couple of weeks and I thought this paper is sweet and reminds me of my Gran's tea set. But what I really wanted to do was experiment with the new embossing folder and Sizzlet edgers. And, I got this great stamp set that fits with it! Wish I could tell you more, but you're just going to have to join me for my Mini Launch party! Wednesday, January 25. Reserve your spot now!

Why the UPS Man is my Favorite!

2011-12-13T23:03:00.000-08:00

A quick post, because it's almost midnight. This little dude is my new fave! UPS man arrived with him this afternoon! However, my prior commitments meant that I had to wait until 10:00 tonight to finally unpack my new stuff! Love it! This new set will be available in the 2012 Occasions Mini Catalogue. Sorry, can't tell you the details, but I can show you a few of my ideas! Also, the paper is going to be available as a free item in the Sale A Bration! That starts January 25 so mark you calendars ladies!

I have lots of classes coming up so make sure you check facebook!

Merry Christmas everybody!

Cookies, and more Cookies

2011-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's my little army! My son's playschool had a toboggan party, so I made TONS of gingerbread cookies. My sister found this recipe, and my kids LOVE it! The cookies stay soft and they don't have molasses so they don't have a bite to them.

So, I'm going to share our family recipe:

Emily's Gingerbread Men
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 cups flour
2 Tbsp milk
1 egg
1 tbsp dark corn syrup
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp clover

Cream butter and sugar together in mixer. Add egg and corn syrup. Whisk all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to wet ingredients. Add to the mixer slowly. Add milk and turn up the mixer for just a sec. Roll out nice and thick so they stay soft. Bake at 375 degrees for 5 minutes. And there you have it.

Add icing ( I used buttercream) and then I put a mint m&m on top. Got those puppies at Safeway. I was pleasantly surprised! They're just for Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everybody!

Big Shot Cards

2011-11-24T21:03:00.000-08:00

Today I'm featuring the Big Shot. What a fantastic tool! It's amazing! I earned mine free for getting the most points in our group last month. What a fabulous prize! I was hesitant to buy one, but I'm so glad I have it now!

So what card did I do?

Oooooooooo! Doesn't it give you shivers? I cut out the flower parts with the Island Flower die and ran the Pumpkin Pie CS through the Square Lattice embossing folder. What I love is that the die has a hole punched through each layer of the flower. So all you have to do it add a brad and it's done! The Celebrate stamp is retired :( but I thought it worked well here. What do you think?

Don't forget to check out online for the great deals with the online extravaganza! Great CURRENT items for up to 60% off and even some great bundles for savings! You can even do it in your jammies!

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to leave a comment and let me know what you think! I need to know that there are people out there reading this!

Stamping for Me Again

2011-11-23T21:02:00.000-08:00

I have been insanely busy getting ready for a major market this past weekend. I have been working up such as storm, I'm totally creatively burned out, or so I thought. I was thinking I needed to get my stash up again, as I completely sold out of cards at the show, so I made a few birthday cards (as I'm also Christmassed out). I promise, I'll show some great Christmas cards soon too.

As I was pretty well burned out, I cased this first one from SplitCoastStampers (SCS) just to get my mojo going.

So what do you think? I love it! I used my new Simply Scored Tool to score four lines on the side and the bottom. Then I ran some Not Quite Navy through a Polka Dot Big Shot Embossing Folder and stamped one of the Pennant Parade stamps in Cherry Cobbler, Not Quite Navy and More Mustard. I then punched them out with the coordinating Petite Pennant Punch and added the fleur in the center. Attach using Cherry Cobbler Baker's Twine and finish off with Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding bow. Love it. And how easy to add some interest with just texture and score lines?

Don't forget to go online to check out the amazing deals this week with the Online Extravaganza! Some items are up to 60% off! I just put my order in! Did you???

Thanks for stopping by today!

Yes! I'm still Alive! Barely!

2011-11-15T22:45:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been a month since I updated! Yikes! It has been one crazy month! I'm getting ready for the annual Bragg Creek Artisans Christmas Market. It has been stressful! I have learned my lesson. Do not sign up for a huge market two months before the market. I will diligently be making things for next year starting January! That being said, what have I been up to? Here's a quick preview of what I'm going to have at the market this weekend!

And there is MUCH more where those came from! So if you're in the Calgary area this weekend, come down to the Bragg Creek Community Center Saturday and Sunday November 19-20 from 10am - 5 pm! I'm in the main gym on the outside wall! See you all there! And hopefully we'll get back to my regular programming!

Thanks for stopping by!

Deal of the CENTURY!!!!!!

2011-10-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it???? If you sign up as a demonstrator in October, Stampin' Up is giving away a FREE Big Shot with the already amazing deal of Stampin' Up products! I have a cricut (shhhhhh. don't tell anyone) and found that it's awesome, but there are so many things the Big Shot can do that my Cricut can't. Like Embossing. Can't do that. And the amazing dies that you can cut with it! YAY! And it will cut fabric. My cricut, while people say it can, can't under my ability, cut fabric. And I quilt. The scalloped square die is perfect for quilt blocks! And it's perfect everytime!

So what are you waiting for??????? It's not getting any better than this!!!! Give yourself an early Christmas present and sign up! You don't even have to sell Stampin' Up! Although, it's so addictive, that you do find you want to keep that extra discount for yourself!

So what do you need to do? Go to my Stampin' Up website and sign up! Become a part of my team, and you'll get to enjoy fun meetings, discounts and special classes!

Also, Stampin' Up has added a TON of stuff to the Clearance Rack. Did you want to finish a project an the paper you wanted was out? Maybe there was a ribbon style that you just have to have? It's all there! Check it out here.

Thanks for checking in!

What have I been doing?

2011-09-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

It's been INSANE here! No I didn't fall off the planet. But I did REALLY enjoy Regionals! We had a great time! There is nothing like going on a road trip with awesome ladies and staying up until 1:30 in the morning making swaps! Even after we declared ourselves too tired to do any more, we still turned out the lights and kept talking! Felt awesome!

I also had to put on my daughter's 7th birthday. We had a blast! But that has consumed all my time since returning from Regionals. I will post pictures of that tomorrow.

What's in store today? I just got the Owl Punch. I have wanted the owl punch for quite some time and have found myself unable to purchase it until now! I love this punch. I mean, really, owls! No no my friend. It does so much more!!

So yes, here is the owl. Awe, isn't he so cute? Fits in perfectly with the fall theme! One of my daughter's teachers is retiring at the end of October, yes its a funny time to do so, and I thought this might be nice.

But lo, whats' this?

Tulips? In a vase? BRILLIANT!!! Just ink the sides to make it look 3-D.

And there's more! I was making up some swaps for my Card Tart meeting tonight, and these little guys are all over the internet!

Boo! How cute is this? I just grabbed my Peekaboo Frames, inked the edges so it would stand out and Voila! Turn your owl upside down and you have a super cute ghostie!

Yes, I am a geek, and I'm proud!

ANNOUNCING!!!! I have a few new customers who have purchased the My Digital Studio, so I'm offering a tutorial on some of the very cool functions from the MDS so if you haven't thought of going digital, here's your chance to check it out! If you went digital and are feeling overwhelmed, come see what you're missing! Wednesday, October 12, 2011, 6:30pm. It's at my house, but that's because my kitchen is close! Let me know if you are interested in joining us!

Also, don't forget you can get all these awesome products online at my store and still receive the preferred pricing!

Thanks for checking me out! Comments are totally welcome!

GOING TO REGIONALS!!!!!!

2011-09-13T21:53:00.000-07:00

I was super disappointed when Stampin' Up!'s regional conference in Edmonton sold out in less than 2 days. I didn't even have time to make up my mind to go before it was made for me. I got a call today from my upline. One of our group members isn't able to go now and is willing to give me her ticket!!!!! I AM SO EXCITED! My super supportive husband is taking the kids for the weekend and I'm leaving for a weekend with the girls and nothing but stamps! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! Unfortunately, it means making SWAPS at the last minute! At Stampin' Up! events we wander around signing up for cool demos and learning new techniques, but while you wander around, you meet cool people and SWAP card fronts to take all these new ideas home! Here's what I made, and I can't believe the inspiration came to me! I've been seriously missing my mojo these past two weeks, but it all came flooding back with my new purpose and excitement!

I used whatever I had on hand. Boy am I glad I stocked up on halloween DSP during the paper promo last month! The colour is a little off with the flash I was using (my good camera is out of batteries and memory right now). But what I'm really excited about was the new Big Shot Bigz die Peekaboo Frames. It's in the new Holiday Mini, but in the Christmas section. Who says you can't use it for EVERYTHING???

See, you just place it over a stamped greeting and it makes it uber fun! My daughter LOVED this! Get your hands on this stuff! She also thinks that Heat Embossing is MAGIC! I think she's right.

Recipe:

Stamps:
Dark and Dreary

Ink:
Basic Black Classic Ink, Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink, VersaMark Ink

Paper:
Pumpkin Pie CS, Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS, Elegant Eggplant CS, Frightful Sight DSP,

Accessories:
White Embossing Powder
Heat Embossing Gun
Elegant Eggplant Scalloped Dot Ribbon
Stampin' Snail
Bigz L Peekaboo Frames Die
Big Shot

On another note, I've got Christmas Club coming up and I still have 5 spots left! Here's project number two!

My girlfriend and next door neighbour did this one. I loved it so much I'm going to do it for club. Don't you love this one? Very vintage! So make sure you sign up before it's too late! It's $30 for 3 classes the first tuesday of October, November and December.

Stay tuned for awesome pictures of Regionals! Thanks for stopping by!

Upcoming Classes

2011-09-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the projects we will be doing in the classes coming up!

Here we have a beautiful specimen using the Day of Gratitude stamp set. So pretty! This is one of the cards in the Fall inspired Card kit for Wednesday, Sept 14th! Sign up!

Here's the Thanksgiving place setting kit. You'll get to make 5 of these puppies! I'm featuring the Spice Cake Designer Fabric and the Spice Cake designer buttons! They are way bigger than I thought they were!

And here's the first project for my Christmas Card Club. There is nothing I love better than versatile stamp sets that you can use for more than one occasion. This card features the Pennant Parade stamp set. It's supposed to be for birthdays, but wait, it's Christmas trees! YAY!

Reserve your spot quickly! Christmas card club is the first tuesday of the month starting October 4, 2011.

Thanks for stopping by!

Rebecca

New Christmas card club!

2011-09-05T16:53:00.000-07:00

Starting October 4th I'll be hosting a few workshops with Christmas cards ideas. You'll get to make 5 cards at each of the three classes so you'll have a stack of 15 cards to send out to only your very favourite family and friends! Can't make it to the class? I'll have some kits for order. I'll stamp the items and you get to put it all together so it's still made by you! Just pay the extra shipping! I'm keeping these classes small so reserve your spot today! Kits are $15 each. Keep watching for the beautiful designs we'll be featuring. I should have the first one in tomorrow's post.

REMEMBER!!! The holiday mini is available now!!! Get a head start on your ordering. And don't forget that the first workshop booked that qualifies for hostess benefits will receive any stamp they want FREE as my gift for helping me reach my goal! Thanks!

Rebecca

Holiday Mini Sneek Peek and Special Offer!!!!

2011-08-31T14:59:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody out there! I've got some really exciting news today!!! It's the last day for Stampin' Up!'s Buy 3 get 1 free sale on paper! If you buy ANY 3 packs of Designer Series Paper, you get the 4th one FREE!!!!! Great time to stock up and today's the LAST DAY!! I've got my order in, do you?

Also, I am one workshop away from promoting to Consultant! Do you know what that means? It means that I can attend Leadership Conference in San Antonio, TX!!! But I have to do it before October! Here's what I propose: The next person to host an in home workshop over $200, I will throw in a FREE STAMP SET, ANY PRICE on top of your great hostess benefits! Great opportunity to get that stamp set that you've always wanted but thought was too expensive to treat yourself with!

On top of all this excitement, the new HOLIDAY MINI is coming out TOMORROW!!!!! My pre-order arrives tomorrow but I did manage to get a few things in earlier, and here's a great preview! This is the best mini catalogue yet! I want EVERYTHING IN IT!!!!

For those who have given up on summer (and yes today is definitely a giving up on summer kind of day in Alberta) here's a look at the new Pick Your Poison DSP. How great is that name???

When you're in a hurry, the "cheater" pages (I call them that because they are already mostly laid out for a scrapbook page, without all the work) are perfect! How about the detail with the stamp set that totally coordinates with this paper? It's called Dark and Dreary! Another fabulous name!
Here's a detail shot of the stamp:

I must say that I like Halloween almost as much as Christmas! It's so much fun! We don't do trick or treating anymore because we have only 2 neighbours within a km, but our community throws the most amazing family dance and haunted house instead! I'm totally looking forward to using the rest of this awesome paper!

Keep checking in guys! I'll be posting the projects for my upcoming class in the next couple of days! Keep stamping guys!

Rebecca

More Beau Chateau

2011-08-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

I have to thank my mom for this picture too. I love this page. I don't remember where I got the ABC but I've had them for years just waiting for the right page! Granted, I am too scared to really fill the page vintage style, but I'll get there. This is one of the pages in Beau Chateau that is pre-set up as a scrapbook page. It really helps make things easy! I love the medallion in the middle.

Here's a "detail" shot. I took Very Vanilla and cut it to fit inside the medallion. Then sponged around the outside. I just love the pearls! Those are my favorite accessory!

Recipe:

Paper:
Beau Chateau DSP
Very Vanilla CS
Marina Mist CS
Marina Mist Patterns DSP
Vellum CS

Ink:
Marina Mist Classic Stampin Pad
Early Espresso Classic Stampin Pad
Marina Mist Stamp N' Write Marker

Stamps:
Notably Adorned
Notes and Details
Artistic Etchings

Accessories:
Antique Brads
Marina Mist Taffeta Ribbon
Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon (retired)
Natural Hemp Twine
Basic Pearls Accents
Decorative Label Punch
Sponge Dobber
Stampin Dimensionals
Stampin Snail

Beau Chateau Generations

2011-08-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Did I mention how much I love this paper? I found a couple of photos at my mom's house and quickly printed them off before we headed out on holiday. Yes, I'm an addict, but in all fairness, my two good friends brought all their stuff too!

One of these friends is very good at the Shabby Chic look. I was trying it on for size with this one. I'm too scared to do it. I was literally CRINGING when I crumpled these papers. And my lighting doesn't do it justice. The thing about Shabby Chic is that there is so much to look at! Mine's still pretty tame compared to her's but she taught me an awesome technique for making your own photo corners. I'll have to post a video some day. If I can figure out how.

Here's the recipe:

Paper:
Beau Chateau DSP
Soft Suede Patterns DSP
Early Espresso CS
Soft Suede CS
Marina Mist Patterns DSP
Whisper White CS

Ink:
Early Espresso Classic Stampin Pad
Crumb Cake Classic Stampin Pad
Marina Mist Stamp N' Write Marker

Stamps:
Notably Adorned
Nature Walk

Accessories:
2 3/8" Scalloped Circle Punch
Antique Brads
Soft Suede Polka Dot Ribbon (retired)
Stampin' Sponge Dobbers
Stampin Dimensionals
Stampin Snail
1 3/4" Circle Punch

Thanks for stopping by!

Back from Holidays!!

2011-08-22T21:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from holidays and well rested! Which is funny as this is my only post in August. Isn't that what august is for? So I rounded up as much Stampin' stuff as my husband would allow me to stuff into the trailer and hauled it over to sunny BC. The next couple of days will be filled with great posts from the holidays!

Today, however, is a post on the projects I plan on having for my Mother/Daughter Stamp Camp on Thursday. I'm really excited! My daughters' class has an abnormal amount of birthdays in the first three months of school so I really like to have a good stash on hand before school starts.

So here's the line up:

Please pay no attention to the cutting board that didn't get put away!
So here are just a few of the cards that are available to make! It's $15 for 5 cards including envelopes and you can pick which ever 5 cards you would like.

This one is using the absolutely GORGEOUS Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper.
Now remember that these projects are for the kids so they need to be fun and easy!

A little something for the boys! Using the Well Worn Designer Series Paper. Love this paper! And this stamp set, Recess, is gone after next week!

This card is using the new nursery suite, Nursery Nest. As my son would say, nice hooters! I don't use a lot of pink, but I think the blues and greens help to off set the bubble gum pink of Pretty in Pink.

And last but not least, the Big Top Birthday Suite! What better way to celebrate! I love the colours in this one too! I bought it solely to scrapbook my daughter's birthday, which you can see here. Doesn't it go perfectly?? Could have used it last year! I also used the hostess stamp set Happiest Birthday Wishes! You can get this baby free when you host a workshop!

So if you have time this thursday night, come out and join us! Send me an email and let me know if you are interested! You can find my contact information on my Stampin Up site! Don't delay!

Rebecca Clark

Clean and Simple

2011-07-28T08:51:00.000-07:00

Not the best photo, but I really love this card! I used the Summer Splash stamp set from the Summer Mini Catalogue. You need to act fast though. This set is only available until the end of August! Unfortunately, I don't have any babies coming any time soon. Just going to have to hang on to this one!

On another note, it's my birthday on Wednesday! I don't dare say how old I am, but I'd like to celebrate with you all! Anyone that puts in an order on Wednesday will get a free gift with their order! So make sure you head down to my online store, or send me a quick message with what you'd like to get and I can add it to my birthday order! So look forward to some awesome new projects with my birthday presents!

Rebecca

Stamps
Pennant Parade
Summer Splash

Ink
Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin Pad
Baja Breeze Classic Stampin Pad

Paper
Just Add Cake DSP
Poppy Parade Card Stock
Whisper White Card Stock

Accessories
Mini Library Clip (whisper white is retired, but you can get these)
Hemp Twine
Triple Flower Punch
White Gel Pen
Basic Rhinestones
Blender Pen

Swaps!

2011-07-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have a Stampin' Up! meeting with my other Card Tarts on Wednesday so I thought I would share my swaps with you! Swaps are a great way to use up your retired stock and get some beautiful cards from other very talented ladies!

What's awesome? Nature Walk, from the spring mini catalogue, made it into the new Idea Book and Catalogue! I love this set! So I made up 7 of these puppies. And with the "hello" sentiment from Pennant Parade it's great for all occasions!

Remember, you can always order online whenever you'd like. Also, Stampin' Up! has a great starter kit promo on only until July 31st! For $119 you can get started with your hobby with NO OBLIGATION to sell. Or, you can be one of our team and participate in these awesome swaps!

Recipe:

Stamps
Pennant Parade
Nature Walk

Ink
Not Quite Navy
Sahara Sand
Early Espresso

Paper
Neutrals Patterns Designer Paper - Sahara Sand
Very Vanilla Card Stock
Not Quite Navy Card Stock
Chocolate Chip Card Stock

Extras
Chocolate Chip Striped 1 1/4" Ribbon (colour retired but click on link for new colours)
Hemp Twine

Tools
Stampin' Sponge
Snail Adhesive
Stampin' Dimensionals

Giveaway!!!

2011-07-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting a great summer Ladies night Tuesday at 7:00pm. For those interested in attending, we'll be making a great framed art project with a matching card (for awesome gift or keep the art and put the card in your stash!). Cost is $15 or FREE with a $30 Stampin Up order! So what's the giveaway? Knew you'd ask! I'm going to be giving away this:

This little baby was courtesy of the Stampin Success magazine. We get it just for demonstrators. I will be handing out the template at Tuesdays event and this little birdhouse for one luck attendee.

If you are interested in this project or attending please let me know!

Rebecca Clark

Getting around to things

2011-07-13T22:31:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting around to a few things. I've been working on my son's quilt, (which is finally done!) my husband's quilt, (which is giving me grief!) and some scrapbook layouts! Here's a great example:

On the first page I used the last of my retired Pawsitively Prints II DSP. It totally matched the argyle on his sweater! And yes, I know my son is 4 and I'm just getting to his 1st birthday pictures. Priorities people! I used Certainly Celery, Marina Mist and Early Espresso to tie into his little outfit (which was one of my absolute faves! Hmmmm . . . another baby. . . maybe . . . not).

I also used the star from the Itty Bitty Bits stamp set in each colour and the Punch Pack to match so they look like custom brads!

Know what I LOVE about Stampin' Up!? That everything goes. Pick three colours, and the ribbon matches, the ink matches, the paper matches! It looks so professional and it was so effortless!

I used the 5/8" jumbo silver brads here to add some bling as well as a Certainly Celery Designer Button with the Marina Mist taffeta ribbon because the journaling looked too plain. Just enough going on here to be interested, but not overdone. It's a baby page afterall and I think they look better fresh and clean, like his outfit! (please pay no attention to the sticky strip backing that attached itself through static electricity to his picture) This is real life right here!

Ah, all finished! And another page bites the dust! Just think, at this rate I may finish when he reaches 40!

Materials Used:
Ink:
Marina Mist Classic Stampin' Pad
Certainly Celery Classic Stampin' Pad
Early Espresso Classic Stampin' Pad
Marina Mist Stampin' Write Marker (Journaling, I told you, it ALL matches!)

Stamps:
Itty Bitty Bits
Notes and Details

Paper:
Nautical Expedition Designer Series Paper (only until Aug 31st)
Pawsitively Prints II Designer Series Paper (retired)
Marina Mist Patterns Designer Series Paper
Crumb Cake 12x12 Card Stock
Marina Mist 81/2 x 11 Card Stock
Early Espresso 81/2 x 11 Card Stock
Whisper White 81/2 x 11 Card Stock

Accessories:
Early Espresso Satin Ribbon (this colour is retired)
Marina Mist Taffeta Ribbon
Certainly Celery Poly Twill (retired)
Punch Pack
Mat Pack
Paper Piercer Tool
5/8" Jumbo Brads
Stampin' Dimensionals
Sticky Strip
Designer Buttons (Subtles)
Two Way Glue Pen
Snail Adhesive

Thanks for stopping by and remember you can always order from me right here and you'll always get the preferred pricing! And hey, if you like any of this stuff I used, I've linked to the store so you don't have to search for it! Making life easy!

Also, stay tuned for a class update! Thinking wall art. Maybe a card or two! Keep reading back! Also thinking of starting a quilting class.

Rebecca

The Creative Gauntlet - Finished!!

2011-07-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Do you remember a while back I was complaining about the creative gauntlet that my sister threw at me? Well, after much procrastination, it's finished! I used the tutorial from Ikat Bag. It was so much more work that I had anticipated! Here's the bag closed:

I used velcro tape to close it up with. Inside you'll see there are little "jars" to hold to magnetic cupcakes, donuts, cookies and frosting!

Here's a close up of the "oven" with the magnet white board as the cookie sheet and it goes in the oven! How cute?

While I love my niece to pieces, I will NEVER make another one of these, so don't ask!

I'm also making her some hair bows to match her birthday dress! More on those later!

Thanks for stopping by!

Rebecca

Bunch o' Punches

2011-06-13T21:56:00.000-07:00

Ah, the new stuff. I got another fabulous arrival today thanks to my great UPS man! So I ripped into it and found one of my sneak peek stamp sets from the new catalogue! Here's the Pennant Parade!

See that cute little hat? It's the Pennant Parade stamp set! It's so awesome! And it works perfectly with the Petite Pennant Punch. Add in the Triple Layer Daisy Punch, the Four Frames stamp set and the Decorative Label Punch and you have lots of great coordinating products. Speaking of which, I used the Just Eat Cake DSP, Peach Parfait CS, So Saffron CS, Poppy Parade CS, Whisper White CS, Marina Mist and Wild Wasabi ink. See, it all matches! Do you see the Wish Big shadows on the right? Versamark ink! It just watermarks your paper so you get a barely visible image! I love it! It's also great when you want to ink on a colour cardstock that you don't own the matching ink yet. Sneaky!

And now, sigh, for the bad news. I love this stamp set. I will be keeping it, even if Stampin' Up! is retiring it. I think that everyone should have this stamp set. It was well worth the money! It's the Define Your Life set.

It totally fits with the Decorative Label punch, and it has a definition for almost anything you could scrapbook or need a card for. It is just such a great set! Can I say that again? Just make sure you get it before it's gone! Stampin' Up! is manufacturing these up until June 30, to make sure all the orders are filled, but the Last Chance accessories are going, going, gone. Once they've sold out, that's it my friend. They are updating their list daily to remove the items that you can no longer order. Trust me, there are some great deals! Some items are 40% off! You can grab these here.

I'm getting these all ready for a craft fair at the lake for the long weekend. So I'm going to be crazy busy again! Just as I was starting to breathe a sigh of relief. I have to get some sewing done too. Oi! It's going to be crazy!

Thanks for stopping by! Tell me what you think!

New Catalogue Sneak Peek.

2011-06-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Just in! I just got my new stuff from the 2011-2012 Catalogue! I delved in, maybe too quickly. I didn't really think this one through, but it's still pretty cool. I used the Pennant Punch and the new Let's Eat Cake DSP. I also used my Word Play and Itty Bitty Bits stamp sets, which are sticking around for another year!

I also got my new catalogue! I was up until almost 2 in the morning going through it. Unfortunately for my husband, who was trying to sleep beside me, I was squealing the whole way through! There is so much I wish I could tell you about it! I guess the only teaser would be that some of the stuff I wish I could have bought out of a bunch of the mini catalogues have made their way into the permanent one! YAY! In the words of Scrooge McDuck, "The spirits have given me another chance!" Can I tell you how happy that makes me? I'm very sad to see some of my favorite stamps leave, but there are some crazy cool ones! So I guess I'll just try to showcase some of the ones that are leaving over the next couple of weeks so you can get them before they're gone!

Check out the PDF file with all the retiring products here. And you can shop online and still get the preferred pricing here.

Praying for Summer

2011-06-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

It's been wet around here. How wet you ask, my front yard has a river running around my house. I'm seriously considering putting in a dry creek bed and a small bridge to go over it. Yikes! So, in an effort to get excited for summer, I whipped out my summer mini stamps, some summer colours and got to the craft room!

I also tried out my new Watercolour crayons in the Brights collection. They are seriously fun! You just colour like a crayon, then use your aqua painter or blender pen and voila! You have a great coloured look! One word of caution when using this technique. I have found that the Classic Basic Black ink runs when you use a blender pen on top. I used the Staz On black ink for this project. The ink doesn't run. Just helps your project look more professional. I actually think I like these better than the Markers for colouring! You get better control of how dark your colouring is. Don't you love the little bite mark out of the bottom?

Stamp set: Sunny Fun and Something to Celebrate (retired hostess set from the Spring Mini)
Ink: Staz On Black, Rose Red
Paper: Soft Suede CS, Soft Suede Patterns DSP, Whisper White CS
Accessories: Scalloped Circle Punch, Basics Rhinestones Jewel Accents, Blender Pen, Dimensionals

This card is just plain fun! Who doesn't want a birthday card with a slide on it? Love this one! And the little button there is holding the flap closed. Then you open it up to see this . . .

It's hopscotch inside! I LOVE IT! Brings just a little sunshine on a very grey day.

Stamp set: Recess
Ink: Staz On Black, Rose Red, Old Olive, Marina Mist
Paper: Tempting Turquoise CS, Rose Red Patterns DSP, Whisper White CS, Certainly Celery CS
Accessories: Circle Scissors Plus, Designer Buttons Brights, Word Window Punch, Dimensionals, Watercolour Crayons Brights, White Gel Pen, Blender Pen.

So there you have it. A little touch of summer to brighten your day. Interested in recreating these? Go to my online store! It ships right to you! And don't forget, any $50 order in June earns you a FREE 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue.

Sending out the love

2011-05-31T18:11:00.000-07:00

Thursday is our 11th Anniversary. 11 years ago, I threw caution into the wind and married my husband. And all I can say is, I found a wonderful man. So I made a card just for the occasion.

Just seemed like a manly combination of Early Espresso, Old Olive, and Cajun Craze. And see, even pearls can look manly! I hope. The sentiment is from the Word Play stamp set.

So thank you honey, for wanting to want to do the dishes!

As the final day of National Scrapbooking Month, I've added a fabulous example. Last year we went to Shuswap with a huge group of our friends. I used Chocolate Chip 12 x 12 textured cardstock, wit the Old Olive, So Saffron and Tall Tales (retired) DSP. Just add some photos and I'm good! Isn't it CUTE??? Just love that cute little smokey?

So, we are ending our special month of Scrapbooking. However, next month is LAST CHANCE month! It's going to be your last chance to order from the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue. It will be sad to see some good friends go. So you need to get them quick before they're gone! I will be putting out a list of the sets that will be retiring to make sure that you get that one that you've been thinking about before it's gone!

Also on that note, the NEW catalogue and idea book will be out July 1st!!! You can email me to pre-order yours for only $12! Any $50 or more order during June will earn you a 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue for FREE!

Don't forget to go to my online store! Or you can just email me your have to have list! Thanks for stopping by!

Rebecca

Last Chance

2011-05-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

It's coming down the the wire! It's your last chance to take advantage of the National Scrapbook Month 30% off! Here's a flyer for your perusal. There are several stamp sets on sale as well as the My Digital Studio. You can also sign up for a Digital Starter kit for 30% off! But you only have until tomorrow at midnight

Click here to get my website to buy now online!

On a personal note, I would like to thank my sister for throwing down the creative gauntlet. Last month, she forwards me this link. I think to myself, that would be so easy! I can totally do this. Well, it broke my sewing machine, again. This is a warning to all of you. When you sister sends you a link to a craft and says it would be really cute so you decide to make it for your 2 year old niece, don't scoff. Don't admit to anyone aloud that it would be easy! I think I need frequent flyer miles at the husqvarna technician. Oi!

Hopefully pictures will be forthcoming, but I've promised that in the past, and it doesn't ever seem to work out.

On that note, I'll be going into town tomorrow then to fix my machine. Or I might just say, whatever, and head to the zoo with my son. Hmmmm. Tough decision.

Rebecca

Sneak Peek

2011-05-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the awesome cards that will be available to make at tomorrow's A la Carde Buffet!

Some are CASEd from splitcoast stampers and some are mine. When doing this many cards, you really draw on the other very talented ladies out there!

Cherie Franklin

Mine

Aly Schilling

Erica Cerwin

If you're in the Millarville area, you should come on out! Remember, you can buy any of these materials on my website!

Rebecca Clark

Pirates Arrrrr!

2011-05-16T20:37:00.000-07:00

It was my son's 4th birthday on Saturday. We held a Pirate themed birthday. He loved it! I only have a few pictures that turned out, my lens was dirty. I'll have to get more pictures from my overly shutter happy mom! But in case you thought Stampin' Up was just for cards and scrapbooking, oh no my friend, it's for WAY MORE!

I bought the Cast a Spell DSP off the clearance rack and used is behind my food labels. I found a font online for the pirate handwriting and then sponged Cajun Craze around the outside of the Whisper White. I found little swords at the local dollar store and pierced the strawberry hearts!

Disney Family Crafts website had this awesome tutorial for the eyeball cookies! They were soooo easy! My son helped and had a great time doing it! However, the bags of regular lifesavers looks exactly like the bag for the gummy life savers and without a wonderful husband to make the special trip to save my butt with my mistake, these wouldn't have happened.

I bought the Pirate Party Kit from the clearance rack at Stampin' Up! It had everything! These super cute little treasure chests were part of the kit. I filled them with chocolate coins and mardi gras beads and telescopes and ring pops. I also added the ill fated lifesavers!

I found fishnetting at the local dollar store and added that to the banner that was included in the Stampin' Up! kit.

Using the Beware Pirates stamp set and Cajun Craze ink I printed out the labels for my cream soda and then stamped the ship on there. Then I sponged in a swirly motion with the Cajun Craze to make it look aged! Doesn't it look good?

My son sooo wanted a pirate ship cake. I had to accommodate! I did have to go through two scratch recipes for the cake. We have a friend who's son has a severe peanut allergy so I wanted to make sure the cake was safe for him. No way to tell unless you do it yourself! Chocolate pound cake from the Joy of Cooking book. The sponge cake recipe I tried doesn't work at this altitude so it totally fell when I took it out of the oven! Grrrrr. I used my big shot and a non-Stampin Up die that was a scull and cross bones to add to the sail. You can kind of see it in this picture.

The cupcake picks came with the Stampin Up kit. I sprinkled graham crumbs on top of the cupcakes to make them look like sand. It was fun!

If you can believe it, I had this old trunk! So I covered it in fish net and put all the loot boxes in it. The kids followed a treasure map that I made using the On the Sea and Beware Pirates stamp sets. Sorry, no picture! They suited up as pirates, then tossed water balloon cannons and walked the plank. It was a great party!

If you're interested, the items I used were in the clearance rack, so they might not be there for long! If you liked what you saw, you can purchase them here.

Rebecca Clark

Today's Scrap and Sneek Peak

2011-05-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

I was able to get away to my girlfriend's house last week and got this one done. I used some of the acetate windows found on the clearance rack. It almost looks like it belongs doesn't it? I also love how the Melon Mambo and Rich Razzleberry match my daughter's outfit in the picture! I took this picture nearly 4 years ago on a trip to the coast to visit my Grandma! The weather was beautiful, even though it was October. And while I was involuntarily ridding my stomach of the food from the ferry ride, my daughter stole a few moments in the grass. My mom took the picture. Isn't this why we scrapbook? So we don't forget these awesome moments. I just need to add my journaling, but I'm out of Whisper White at present. Why you ask?

Because I'm getting ready for a HUGE card buffet in just 9 days! Here's a peak at two of the cards that you can choose from to stamp using new stamps from the Summer Mini and some great summer colours!! I LOVE this new set! It's Sunny Fun.

Because I had to be practical and couldn't order EVERYTHING from the mini (lest my husband tied me up and locked me in a room with no internet connection), I had to throw in some of my "old" stamp sets. But Funky Four looks so great in summer hues like Melon Mambo and Certainly Celery. Ah. Summer. You should come! Reserve a spot! There will be PRIZES!!!!

Now if only I could rid my body of Strep Throat! I even had to *gasp* cancel my Build A Bear Workshop today. On the plus side, I'm rescheduling for May 18th so if you're in the area and want to try out the Big Shot, give me a call. Oh, and I got to eat nearly a whole box of heavenly hash ice cream because it was the only thing I could swallow. That's definitely a plus! Let's just hope I'm feeling better tomorrow so I can listen to my children sing mother's day songs to me in church. It's my favorite meeting of the year next to christmas!

Don't forget, if you don't have a copy of the Summer Mini yet, CALL ME or leave a comment below! I will get one to you asap! Thanks for stopping by!

What makes me happy?

2011-05-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

I have been sick, which sort of explains the lack of posts lately. However, the most unexpected thing happened today. My Demonstrator order arrived a full 2 days early today! I will have to bake that man some cookies! His wife is a Stampin' Up! addict as well so he fully appreciates the anticipation his package brings! It's the mother load! I needed to get a bunch of paper for my upcoming Card Buffet so I had an AWESOME surprise!

Here's the booty!

But, alas, an emergency has arisen which makes delving into my pile at present impossible. One of the kids has just noticed a dead fish in the aquarium. Ah motherhood.

National Scrapbooking Month and Carry Over

2011-05-01T21:44:00.000-07:00

For those that didn't know, May is National Scrapbooking month! This means that for the month of May, I'll be doing only scrapbook layouts! Okay, maybe not, but I'll try to get as many in as I can!

This also means that Stampin' Up! is offering a special on signing up and for their special scrapbooking stamp sets. Click here for the list. It also includes many digital downloads for My Digital Studio and printed products through My Digital Studio.

Also, several items from the Occasions Mini were carried over if you are still interested in purchasing them. Items include the Real Red Glitter Card Stock, Petal Cone Die, Game Spinner Hands, Lots of Love Letterpress Plate, and many more! Leave me a comment if you are interested in the list and I'll email the pdf. I can't seem to figure out how to attach the file! Ugh. I need a blogging for dummies course!

Don't forget too that today is the first day for the Summer Mini Catalogue! My order should be here right away! I can't wait! And we'll be using these in my upcoming A la Carde Buffet!

See here for the catalogue online or leave me a comment and I'll get you a FREE catalogue!

Rebecca

Exciting News!

2011-04-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

After an extended delay the Stampin' Scrub is FINALLY available again! This also applies to the refill pads! Which is perfect because mine's needing an upgrade! Getting a little worn out!

Also, I tried my hand at the new My Digital Studio. My downline (aka. my mom) bought the MDS for my sister as she's more techy than we are. So I went over and tried my hand at it. I had to do some sign up sheets for an event at church and it no time flat I had an awesome colour coordinated sign up sheet that is perfect! I'm going to have to invest in this little piece of heaven! So Stampin' Up has made it easier! For half the price you can buy the My Digital Studio Express. Although the full version looks like a pretty good deal:

My Digital Studio includes nearly 2,000 unique elements—stamps, embellishments, designer and photo templates, punches, Designer Series papers, card stock, and more.
Intuitive functionality for easy navigation and project creation.
Automatic photo fill for effortless design.
Boxed software comes on two DVDs, making installation quick and simple.
PC and Mac compatible.
Training and quick start materials available to help you learn more.
My Digital Studio can be used as a design tool, allowing you to create projects digitally before crafting them with paper.
My Digital Studio boxed software is competitively priced at $79.95.

Digital Downloads

Download new stamp brush sets, embellishments, kits, punches, Designer Series Paper and templates to My Digital Studio on a regular basis.
Digital downloads are compatible with other design programs.
Digital downloads feature exclusive Stampin’ Up! artwork and colors.
Many embellishments are true to size, making it easier to combine digital projects with paper crafting.

What's great is that the downloads are instant so you don't have to wait for the UPS man!

Find out more on My Online Store!

Mark Your Calendars!!!!!

To celebrate the launch of the Summer Mini Catalogue, I'm hosting an

A la Carde Buffet

featuring many of the new products from the mini! Minimum 8 card purchase ($16) and $2 per card after that. Compared with the "other" stores, it's cheaper and you get an evening to interact with other ADULTS! That alone is worth the $16! You can choose to do 8 different cards or double up on the ones you really love! Bring your own adhesive and come have a good time! Reserve your spot today!

Tuesday, May 17, 2011 starting at 6:30 pm.

Interested in receiving a FREE Summer Mini? Just drop me a line!

Thanks for stopping by!

Rebecca

Easter and Swaps

2011-04-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

It's going to be Easter. Not a holiday I get too fussed about. I am all about Halloween and Christmas, but Easter? Meh. Should we really take such a sacred holiday and turn it completely on it's ear (pun intended!)? Well, the Martha in me couldn't resist making a few confections though. I really have to stop blogging before my mind is awake. These ideas really just implant themselves deep in my brain before I can resist them! So I grabbed some mini eggs and some rice treats and voila, I am a margerine covered mess.

I used Very Vanilla for the tag and as I'm not huge into Easter, I didn't have any Easter stamps. But Nature Walk has this great egg set. Then I used the Easter Wishes sentiment from the Level 2 Hostess benefit from the Occasions Mini.

I also have a Stampin' Up! meeting tonight with my upline, so I got on making 12 swaps for the girls! It's my first time meeting this group, but I am desperate for a night out! So I grabbed my Pretty Paisley and Four Frames (which you can only get until next friday, just saying) and whipped up these bad boys while watching Memoires of a Geisha. Great movie bytheway! My upline featured me on her blog.
Don't look, however, because the other girls were so much better. I'm going to have to really step up my game with this group!

Stay posted, I'm going to be doing an Ala' Carde buffet to launch the new catalogue in a few weeks. Just need to get my templates done and the ball rolling! Stay tuned!

Rebecca

Love Bird Preview

2011-04-13T17:34:00.000-07:00

Here's a sample of the scrapbook page layout that we'll be doing for class on Saturday. It's coming so quick! Crazy! I used the Love Birds Simply Scrappin' Kit. It comes with everything you need for up to 12 layout pages for only $24.99! And everything coordinates making it really easy to make it look good! I just added the So Saffron ribbon and stamped "good times" from the Notes and Details stamp set in Certainly Celery and Early Espresso across the Whisper White border.

And of course I've got a package arriving tomorrow afternoon! It's my Four Frames stamps and Pretty Paisley paper that I have mentioned I don't know how many times, but I'm really excited! I also added a bunch of stuff from the clearance rack. I have to get my son's invitations for his birthday out so I'm just waiting on order to get those all in order! I bought the Pirate Birthday kit on the clearance rack and it comes with almost everything! And it looks better than what I could find on oriental trading! More updates on that later!

Don't forget, you can add to your own excitement by ordering from the clearance rack online!
Anytime. Even in your jammies, which is how I usually order my stuff!

Rebecca

Class Sneak Peek

2011-04-11T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody,

Here's a quick sneak peek at some of the projects we'll be doing for club this Saturday! I have 2 spots left if you're in the area!

Think Spring! We're going to do a 3-D Easter project and either 3 cards or a scrapbook layout. Email me to reserve your spot!

Don't forget! Only two more weeks to order your Four Frames stamps or Pretty Paisley DSP! Mine are arriving Thursday. Stay tuned to see what I put together!

Rebecca

Another Surprise in the mail

2011-04-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

This arrived in the mail today. It's a certificate of promotion from Stampin' Up and a pin! Doesn't look like much. But, it brought me to tears. I guess I never really realized how important it is to have professional achievement acknowledged. After giving up my career for my kids, I felt so free! But this little reminder of professional worth was so appreciated. It totally makes me want to work harder and get a whole wall of these!

So here's my card today. It's So Saffron and Marina Mist with a Rich Razzleberry Owl from the Fox and Friends set. Just felt like spring today. Just in time for a heavy snowfall warning tomorrow.

Also, the Spring is Blossoming Promotion starts today! You can go to my store and order the Four Frames stamp set and the Pretty Paisley DSP four months before they come out in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book and Catalogue! I'll be showcasing these next week. Also, Stampin' Up! added a TON of extra stuff to the Clearance Rack today! Don't forget to check that out. ANNNND . . . the new summer mini catalogue is now available. Please email me if you want one. As I said last week, this mini is to DIE for!

Can't wait to get my new stuff!

Teacher's Appreciation Week

2011-03-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. So I volunteered to bake 2 dozen muffins for breakfast for the teachers at my daughter's school tomorrow. I know. I'm nuts! But I did it. One dozen blueberry and one dozen banana.

Don't they look scrumptious? Mmmmm. My banana one's fell a little because I got over eager to get them out of the oven. Sigh.

Anyways, I came up with a cute card to go with.

I found the black board type idea online somewhere, can't remember where, but I used some Whisper White craft ink on a sponge to look like a wiped blackboard! Then I added a definition from the Define Your Life stamp set. I thought it looked appropriate. Then I used the Thank You from For All You Do. The Owl Punch is AWESOME! Don't forget to add some wood grain to the brown frame. I used Chocolate Chip CS and the Chocolate Chip Marker to create the woodgrain, but there is a background wood grain stamp out there, I just don't own it. I added some Play Date DSP punched using the Scalloped Circle punch. Added some rhinestones but I think I might change it out for a button. Hmmm . Don't forget to highlight with the white gel pen!

Thank you teachers for all you do and the few thanks anyone gives you.

Rebecca

Under the weather

2011-03-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

Was feeling under the weather today. Just fighting the cold my kids have been fighting for weeks. Got some rest and and I'm feeling much better now. Just hoping it doesn't turn into the Strep that my Dad just got over. Hmmm. Anyway, in an effort to take it easy, I was looking through some photos I had printed a few months back with the intention to get going on my kids' scrapbooks. I found a package of rolos in my desk and got to work. So, with that said, here is the page:

This is from a family trip we took to visit my Grandma shortly after my son was born, 4 YEARS AGO!! Yes, I am a fabulous procrastinator! I loved this photo. It's a little blurry because it is VERY humid on the island, no matter what time of year you go, but I think it just adds to the mystical magic of the shot.

Here's a close up of the title

I am a close follower of former Canadian Demonstrator, Andrea Walford, and her sister Sophia. They are amazing artists! Check out their blog here. They do the most amazing things with sponges and white gel pens. I used one of their techniques here. I sponged the Cherry Cobbler with the same ink only on one side for a shadow and then penned in white gel ink on the opposite side. Looks awesome hey?

I used my Botanical Gazette DSP because it just fit with the picture! It's kinda vintage and it had butterflies, which were everywhere in the forest. Then I used a leftover from my dry emboss on vellum technique class and used it in the corner. That's the butterfly from the Nature Walk stamp set. They fit with this paper perfectly!

I distressed the So Saffron paper and layered it underneath for a frame. Add little bling with the Self Adhesive Pearls and it's done! I love it and my daughter said it looks super cool. Looks like extra points for me today.

Let me know what you think and thanks for checking me out!

Rebecca

New Cards and Good News!

2011-03-25T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I was a good girl. I only bought the batting! My bank account balance was a big reason for this! I am totally drawn to the new Kaufmann Dr. Seuss stuff! It's so bright and vibrant! It just looks like fun! And it comes in Flannel! On a sour note, the flannel I was going to use to fill in my husband's quilt is gone! Dang! I hate having to wait to finish a project. Etsy here I come. They are a great source for material that is out of print? Is that how you say it?

Anyways, my mom and her friend came over yesterday so my mom could do some Thank You cards for all those that have helped her over the past couple of weeks. Here's the template I made up for her.

I thought it was easy so she could do it. Starting with a So Saffron CS (105118) base, I took a 1 3/4" square of Whisper White CS (100730) and stamped the So Many Thanks (123861 FREE Sale-a-Bration stamp set) with Crumb Cake (121030). Then I used my Blender Pen (102845) to remove the ink from the THANKS SO MUCH and used my Wild Wasabi Marker (120975) to fill that in so it would stand out. Then I added a 2" square of Very Vanilla CS (101650) sponged with Crumb Cake ink to frame it. Add a 1 3/4" strip of Wild Wasabi Patterns Paper (117152) and a tag of So Saffron striped ribbon (retired but in the Clearance rack on my webstore). Then I used my Stampin Around Roller (102971) and the Take a Sip (120323) stamp to create the bottom border with Old Olive ink (102277).

Isn't it awesome?

So while she was putting those together I got creative with her Bugs and Kisses set (116580).

I love this one! We always have parties around here, usually at the last minute, so I like to have a few of these on hand! This is the Grasshopper in Real Red (103133) , Old Olive (102277) and Early Espresso (119670). The base is Real Red CS (102482) with So Saffron (105118) and Whisper White CS (100730) frames. I added some of the Play Date DSP (117168) for "grass" and the sentiment is the Level 2 Hostess benefit for the Spring Mini Catalogue! If you want it, you have to EARN it! Call me for information on hosting your own workshop! The mini is only good until the end of April! HURRY! I can walk you through the process to ensure a success and they are always a blast!

Speaking of minis, I went to the mail today and with my April Stampin' Success magazine was the Summer Mini! I called my next door neighbour, Andrea, whose fault it is that I sell this stuff in the first place and we both made inappropriate noises while perusing it's pages! I am sooooo excited! I want everything in it! I was a little unsure about the Spring mini papers, but the next set of stuff is incredible! And, because I'm a demonstrator, I get to order starting on Saturday next week! EEeeeee! I can't wait!

Hope you've found a little inspiration today! Click here to order any of these products!

Rebecca

It's about time!

2011-03-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

With Camping season fast approaching (yes, I saw grass two days ago, even though it's already covered in snow again), I decided I should get my son's camping quilt finished! It was almost done. But Stampin' Up stole my heart for some time! So when I did a quilt for a girlfriend who's baby passed away, the bug hit me again! So I pulled out the quilt top from the unfinished project pail and got started! Here's the teaser picture:

It's already to put together. I put on the two borders, added a couple of strips to the backing and got the binding sewn together. All I need to do is visit my favorite fabric store, My Sewing Room, (squeal!) and restrain myself to only purchasing the quilt batting. I don't know if I have the will power to do that. I'm biting my nails just thinking about it.

So, once I get this done, I can finish my husband's quilt which has sat in unattached block form for a year. Sorry honey.

So let me know what you think! I'm hoping to get this done tomorrow so I'll post the finished pics as soon as I can!

Much Thanking Needed

2011-03-12T15:37:00.000-08:00

I recently had a family emergency. My mom ending up in the hospital this past week, which would explain the sudden absence. My friends really stepped up though! With meals coming out the ears and watching my son, I could really feel the love and feel so blessed to know some of the most amazing women in the world! So I've got a few cards for them!

Thank you Nicki and Dorianne. You are so good to me and words cannot express my gratitude for dropping everything in your lives to help me with mine.

New Promo!

2011-03-01T20:57:00.000-08:00

Promotion dates: April 1-30, 2011
Promotion details: Spring is Blossoming with Sneak Peek products from the upcoming 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalogue. You can get these brand-new products in one of two ways:

Spend $25* on any Stampin' Up! products and become eligible to purchase both the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper.
Host a $460* workshop and get the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper for FREE

*Net sales before tax and shipping
You can get your hands on these exciting, new products in April--three months before the debut of the new Idea Book & Catalogue!

Four Frames Stamp Set
Wood: item 123440 | $25.95
Clear: item 123442 | $19.95
Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper
item 122367 | $12.50

Mark your calendars!

Been a long time coming . . .

2011-02-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is embarrassing. I started a quilt for my daughter last February. Yes, it's true. This is the crazy quilt that broke my machine. I made it just a touch too thick, but it's going to be sooooo warm! I've learned my lesson and pulled it out of the pile of unfinished sewing and with conviction, finished it. And here it is!

I love the colours! My aunt was teaching me to quilt and we found a pattern in a magazine with this fabric and we both fell in love. See my aunt is actually my age. She's 21 years younger than my dad. So our daughters are 9 months apart in age. Thus, this quilt was born. We found the exact same fabrics at the local quilt store in Drayton Valley, AB, aka middle of nowhere, and shrieked with glee! We both bought the same fabric so the girls would have matching quilts. In my defence, my aunt hasn't finished hers either! My cousin's has an orange border and my daughter's is yellow. And I had the original idea that this would be her camping quilt, but I can't let it get dirty! It has pale pink minky on the back and will attract all my dog's black hair, but I have to breathe deeply and let that go. A special Thank You needs to go out to my Aunt Shannon for teaching me how to quilt and holding my hand all the way through. Oh yeah, and talking my husband into buying my Husqvarna Sapphire 850 for our anniversary last year, without which, this quilt never would have happened!

On the Stampin' Up! front, I am dealing with an absolute fiasco! I decided to try the FedEx express shipping for a customer and they threw my package in the mail when it got to Calgary and I can't get any answers as to where it is! I started calling them Friday to see where my package was and found out finally today what happened. It's been 9 days and I'm going INSANE! I think I'll stick to shipping all my orders to my mom's in the city with UPS! WAY FASTER! So here's hoping it's sitting in the Calgary warehouse and I can just go pick it up myself, because as "they" say, if you want a job done right. . . On the plus side though, Stampin' Up! was totally understanding as I phoned them in absolute tears to see what they can do to either re-ship it right away or what other options I have. Thank you Janice at the Stampin' Up! call centre! You were so understanding and a sympathetic ear when I really needed it!

Any feedback is greatly appreciated and I will be randomly picking a comment for some blog candy, if and when my package finally arrives!

Orders In!

2011-02-01T18:59:00.000-08:00

I just got my first Sale-a-Bration order in and Woo-Hoo! I've been playing! Touching each package with a certain reverence! Oooooo. Ahhhhhh. Throw in a girly shriek every now and then! So what did I do with my new found goodies? Well, I didn't have much time because I'm trying to get my girlfriend's quilt done so I threw together a few quick cards!

How fun is this one? So I used Sahara Sand as the base and added Play Date DSP. I'm totally in love with this paper! Very playful. Perfect for little boy scrapbook pages! Then I ran some Old Olive CS through my paper crimper and clipped a Tempting Turquoise bee from Nature Walk to it. I distressed the Whisper White and sponged with Old Olive. Then I inked Word Play in my Real Red and rocked it on the Old Olive. Love that effect, but it's a bit lost in this picture.

This one is using all the same colour scheme. But it looks soooooo different! I took the back side of the above Play Date DSP and inked the Always Elegant background scrollwork in Old Olive. Then I took some So Saffron grosgrain ribbon and knotted it. I ran some Early Espresso through the paper crimper and added a strip of Old Olive. Then I used the Exclusive Sale-a-Bration stamp Bliss! Isn't it awesome? I inked it in Tempting Turquoise and then rocked it on Old Olive. It's all vintage, but it has a really delicate feel.

Don't forget to put in your orders! Sale-a-Bration is in full swing and in addition to awesome Stampin' Up merchandise, you get FREE Stampin' Up merchandise! YAY! Go to my store now!

Happy Crafting!

Sale-a-Bration and a Stamp Camp Preview!

2011-01-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

This is the Stampin' SALE OF THE YEAR! Here's how it works! Buy $60 worth of Stampin' Up! merchandise, receive a free stamp set from the Sale-a-Bration Catalogue. Spend another $60, get another stamp. They also have digital download CDs, Designer Paper and Quick Accents, Accessories! I KNOW! Great time to host a Workshop! When you host a workshop that receives more than $395.00 in sales, you get the free stamp sets you earned, the hostess benefits AND ANOTHER FREE SALE-A-BRATION SET! SHUT THE FRONT DOOR! No wonder I have 4 workshop bookings in the next 10 days!

So let's kick it off with a kickin' card made with a FREE stamp!

That's right! The Thanks So Much stamp is FREE with the purchase of $60 worth of Stampin' Up! merchandise! Doesn't the ribbon look like wings? I used Crumb Cake for the base, Rich Razzleberry Designer Patterns paper and then another layer of Crumb Cake before stampin' on the Whisper White! I inked all over with Crumb Cake and then used my Blender Pen to remove the ink from the THANKS portion and add Rich Razzleberry ink! Then I rocked the whole thing on the Rich Razzleberry ink pad! I love it. You can't really tell from this photo but it has a great vintage quality! Then I sponged the edges of the white with Rich Razzleberry and the edges of the Crumb Cake with Old Olive! Add a Whisper White ribbon tied in a cute knot and it 's perfect. Maybe I should add some Pearls to the bottom, but I'll have to think on that!

On another note, did I mention that I have a crazy week coming up! I have a Mother/Daughter Stamp Camp Friday February 4! Just in time for Valentines'! And I have 2 more spots! So, if you're in the Millarville area and you're looking for some fun next Friday night, give me a call! Kits are $10 and you get 5 cards per kit that you get to put together! Here's a quick preview of one of the cards we'll be doing for the Stamp Camp! I love this one! I CASE'd it, but now I can't find it! I think I got it off of Split Coast Stampers! Awesome resource for the serious stamper!
Editorial note: Found the stamper! You can find her awesome blog here!

We're using the Eat Chocolate stamp set from the 2011 Mini Occasions Catalogue! I love this stamp set! Not one I'll be willing to part with when retirement comes! For more details, you'll have to come to class!

Don't forget, you can still earn your free Sale-a-Bration stamp sets online! So visit my online store! Just click the Shop Now button on the bottom left! Happy Shopping!

Editorial Correction

2011-01-11T18:18:00.000-08:00

And my mojo is so bad I reposted a previously posted card. So, here's hoping this one is new. And that just sums up my day! Happy Tuesday!

2011-01-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

So I've been busy getting ready for stamp class on saturday and have lost my edge. Can't find my creativity anywhere. Good thing I had a couple of stock photos for just this reason. I'm hoping to get my mojo going this week. I woke up this morning feeling like I didn't sleep and I've been off all day. But I'm going for coffee with my sister in law tomorrow to gawk at her amazing pictures of the Cayman Islands which she just got back from. That should definitely get things going!

So today's card is using the, yup you guessed it, Filled with Love stamp set. I've got a Certainly Celery base and Pretty in Pink DSP from the Filled with Love bundle. Add some Certainly Celery ribbon, ink and a heart and it's all good! I rocked the Pretty in Pink heart on some Rich Razzleberry ink for dimension.

Don't forget that this promo is running out! Go to my store and order quickly before it's all gone!

Oh, and after a crazy hiatus on backorder, it looks like the Stampin' Scrub should be making a comeback at the end of January! YAY! I love the Stampin' Scrub. It mean's that my kids can use my stamps without wrecking them! So hip hip hooray!

2011-01-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

So I'm posting more pics because we're snowed in. YAY! Here's some more pictures of the album we'll be doing in club this month. If you haven't signed up yet, let me know right away! Class starts this saturday!

I used the Filled with Love stamp on the corner here in Early Espresso. It's just so cute!

The way I stuck the bags together you get these fun tabs! I love the effect! I've also added some journal tags! I stamped this tag with the For All You Do stamp set starting with Daffodil Delight and rocking on the Old Olive.

I've got a lot going on here. I crimped the Old Olive CS and added a flag from the Filled with Love stamped in Marina Mist. I added some of the self adhesive pearls to the tag holder on the right corner there. I also have a little tab for the surprise pockets you pull out of the bag!

Hope you enjoy! Now I'm sending out the word to gather some old family pics to put in it!

Bad Weather

2011-01-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it's BLOWING snow out here in canada. I'm not talking blowing snow, I'm talking HURRICANE FORCE WINDS! My trampoline would be halfway to montana if it wasn't staked into the ground. So, instead of taking my daughter to Tangled, which she is absolutely devastated over, I'm sitting at home in the gloom teaching her how to make thank you cards.
I know she's only six, but she's got an eye! I'm telling you! She got playing with my Baroque Border Stampin' Around wheel and she saw me sponging and now she is lost to the wonderful world of stampin! This is the one I did. I sponged the Razzleberry Lemonade DSP with Cajun Craze and added the XOXO from Define your life. Then I sponged the bitty button that came free with my Filled with Love bundle and it totally works! I'm thinking I should have put some striped grosgrain ribbon back there, but what's done is done.

Next I have a sneak peek at this month's club project. It's a Paper Bag mini album. These things are a super hot trend right now!

I'm using my favorite DSP again, Greenhouse Gala. It's not done, so I can demo the last half to my club members, but sign up and you'll get to make one. I'll have a couple of different kits available. I found the tutorial (of sorts) here. You have to really pay attention because she sped up the timing on the video.

Don't forget that you can order all these products online 24/7 in my store and get the Stampin' Up preferred pricing.
Thanks for checking me out today! Love it or hate it, let me know!

Free card!!!!

2011-01-05T18:57:00.000-08:00

Yes! That's right. You could make this card for free! How you ask? By booking a workshop and earning free merchandise. Today's card is using one of the Level One hostess sets that you can get for free! I used the Birthday Bakery stamp set, available only when you host a workshop. Isn't it cute? I've got more where that came from! I also cut out some hearts with the Love Patterns paper from the Filled with Love Bundle and added some Pretty in Pink satin ribbon! Nothing says girly like Pink and Espresso! Finish it off with some Jewel Pearls and you're off to the races. Quick, easy and cute card!

NEW OCCASIONS MINI CATALOGUE!!!!

2011-01-04T12:32:00.001-08:00

Here she is! Isn't she beautiful? So the new Mini Catalogue orders start today! How fun it that? I'm going to highlight a few of my favorite things from the catalogue!

Nature walk! How awesome is this for spring. Also great for anything vintage! I'll be using this one for club this month when we do our paper bag album!

And how is chocolate not everyone's best friend? I'm a Bernard Callebaut snob myself, but whatever tickles your fancy! This is the set I was using in my last post. I also included the Decorative Label Punch! LOVE THIS PUNCH! If you remember, it was in the Tags 'Til Christmas bundle and sold out! It's back in stock and sooooo versatile!

The Botanical Gazetter suite of paper! How suite is this? Sooo vintage. I think I'm in love! Another must have on my list!

And don't forget all the fabulous vinyl decor elements! I'm getting this for the playroom! Great way to organize the stuff your kids need for the week. Soccer gear, hockey gear, swimming gear, and all that fun stuff!

Well, there you have it! My favourite things! That doesn't mean they have to be your favourite things! There's lots more in there! Just go to my website and download the electronic copy of the catalogue or send me an email and I'll get one to you asap! This catalogue is good until March and has Valentines day stuff, Easter stuff, Mother's Day stuff! You name it, it's awesome!

Sneak Peek for Mini Catalogue!

2011-01-01T15:50:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everybody! Ah, it's a fresh start! What will this year bring? Well, I'll tell you what Stampin' Up is bringing! A new mini catalogue! Starts Monday! Here's a sneak peek! This card above is using the new Eat Chocolate (121931) stamp set! I've got it mounted on Early Espresso and bound with Rich Razzleberry 1-1/4" grosgrain ribbon. Pretty dark for me, but I was going for masculine. What do you think?

Also, just a reminder of the Filled with Love promo on right now! I've used the Filled with Love (121154) stamp set on this card. You also get paper and a free set of bitty buttons! They are clear so you can used them on anything! I tried the Rock n' Roll technique on this one. You ink up your heart in Pretty in Pink and then I rocked just the edges on the Rich Razzleberry ink pad for great dimension! Top it off with some certainly celery 5/8" grosgrain ribbon and Pretty in Pink dsp and you've got one cute card!

Well, I hope you all enjoyed today's post! Keep checking back! And don't forget that you can order the Filled with Love promo bundle on my demonstrator website!

Also with a new year comes a new stamp club! Every month we meet on the 2nd Saturday and I'll teach a new technique or showcase a new tool that will make you say "WOW"! All you need to do is let me know right away if you're interested in joining, bring your own adhesive, and order a minimum of $25 worth of Stampin' Up products at the meeting. This means that you will get the hostess benefits for one month too! That's free stuff everybody! It also means that there are only 12 spots! Join today before it's too late!

Scrapping Sketches

2010-12-30T13:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everybody! Hope you all had a great Christmas! Ours was nice and quiet, which meant I got some scrapping sketches done. Now if only I could catch up on getting my photos printed for them!

First up is probably my favorite! I used Old Olive as the background and added various circles using the Greenhouse Gala DSP. I LOVE this paper. I loved it so much I had to buy the Stampin Up tote to match! I know, it's silly! So I can add as many pictures as I want on top of the circles.

Products Used:
Paper: Old Olive 12x12 CS 119934; Marina Mist CS 119682; Certainly Celery CS 105125; Greenhouse Gala DSP 117167;
Stamps: For All You Do 115360
Ink: Marina Mist Stampin' Write Marker 119679; Old Olive Classic Stamp Pad 102277
Accessories: Play Date Quick Accents 117172; Neutrals Brads 119736; Candy Cane Designer Buttons from Holiday Mini Catalogue 121718 (today is the last day to order these!) Circle Scissors Plus 112530; Mat Pack 105826; Paper Piercing Tool 116631; 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch; 1-3/4" Scallop Circle Punch 119854;

Wondering what to do with the extra Holiday DSP? Great time to get on top of those Christmas Scrapbooking Moments! Here I've got the Deck the Halls paper which was pretty much already set up for a great looking page! I love it when it's easy! I just added a Top Note frame, sponged the edges because the Real Red wasn't vintage looking enough for the page, and added a few stamps. Love the Tags 'til Christmas sentiment! This one literally took 5 minutes!

Products Used:
Paper: Deck the Halls DSP 120810; Real Red CS 102482; Very Vanilla CS 101650;
Stamp Sets: Bells and Boughs Clear Mount 121142; Tags 'Til Christmas Clear Mount 121169
Ink: Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad 101179; Versa Mark Pad 102283
Accessories: Stampin' Embossing Powder Gold 109129; Decorative Label Punch 120907 (this will also work with some of the new stamp sets coming available on January 4th!); 2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch; Top Note Big Shot Die 113463; Sizzex Big Shot 113439; Heat Tool 100005; Stampin' Sponges 101610; Stampin' Dimensionals 104430

Last, but certainly not least, you'll find the HUGELY popular Candy Cane DSP. This stuff sold out this year! Awesome! If you happen to be fortunate enough to have some in your stash, this post is for you! Super simple, but great for little kids' Christmas memories! It doesn't always have to be crazy complicated! We'll get to those in January when it's cold outside and we don't have anything better to do!

Products Used:
Paper: Real Red 12x12 CS 119940; Candy Cane DSP (sold out); Garden Green CS 102584; Whisper White CS 100730;
Stamp Sets: A Cute Christmas Clear Mount 121133
Ink: Stampin' Write Markers Marina Mist 119679, Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad 102272; Real Red Stampin' Write Marker 100052; Cajun Craze Classic Stampin' Pad 119671; More Mustard Stampin' Write Marker 100076; Blender Pen 102845;
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals 104430; 2-Way Glue Pen 100425 (best way to attach the letters hands down!); Big Shot Die Serif Essentials 113464; Big Shot Die Cutting Machine 113439

Don't forget, you can order all this stuff from me 24/7 and have it shipped directly to you! Just go to my Stampin' Up Demonstrator site where you'll find a calendar of upcoming events, promotions, and more ideas! And keep checking back over the next couple of days for more great ideas!

Filled with Love Bundles Promotion

2010-12-23T20:51:00.000-08:00

I am soooo excited. I have put in my order for the Filled with Love Bundle and some awesome stamps from the new Mini Catalogue that starts January 4th. Should arrive any day now so for now I'm going to tease you with the bundle. With any purchase of Stamp and Paper bundle you will receive a free pack of Bitty Buttons! I'll have some by next week to show you! I'm so excited. What a great Christmas present! Just one of the many benefits of becoming a demonstrator! You get to order from the mini catalogues before anyone else!

So Monday I'll be uploading some of my Christmas scrapbooking sketches with the Christmas mini paper, so you can snatch some up before it's all gone! You can shop anytime, even in your jammies, on my online store! Check it out here.

Happy Stampin! And a very Merry Christmas everybody!

Sneak Peek for Stamp a Stack

2010-12-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

Hey all. It's been crazy around here but all the craziness is coming to a halt this Saturday! YAY! Should start posting challenges next week!

In the mean time, I am posting a few sneak peeks at some of the kits that will be available at this weekend's Stamp a Stack Open House. It starts at 6 and ends at 10 so come anytime in between!

Also a quick note, if you like the first photo, I used Candy Cane DSP and they are running out! If you want some, let me know right away! You can find my Stampin' Up Demontrator Site at http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/rebeccaclarkstamps/ and order any thing under the SHOP NOW button and I can have it shipped directly to you!

Sneak Peek and Online Sale!

2010-11-22T15:12:00.000-08:00

I'm crazy busy this week getting ready for the Millarville School Stop & Shop fundraiser. So I'm taking a quick break to tell you about the AWESOME DEALS on the Stampin' Up website this week and to give you a quick sneak peek at some of the cards I have been making for the fair. Here goes!

Stampin' Up is offering up to 50% discount on many items online including the Christmas Designer Fabric, the My Digital Studio software and countless downloads, Big Shot Dies, ribbon bundles and much much more! Click here to put in your order! Also, any order over $200 gets free shipping! Hooray! Great way to get your christmas shopping done for all your scrapping buddies or get stocked up for your own creative gifts to give away!

Now on to the sneak peeks! I found a lot of these online just searching around.

The first one I found was by Nancy Riley. Fun hey? All using Stampin' Up Punches!

Body of Tractor - 119876 Large Tag Punch; Black Tires - 119860 1 3/8" Circle Punch & 119873 3/4" Circle Punch; Seat - 119881 - Heart to Heart Extra Large Punch; Yellow Hubs - 119868 1" Circle Punch & 119869 1/2" Circle Punch; Smoke Stack - 119857 Word Window Punch; Smoke - 119858 Boho Blossoms Extra-Large Punch; Sponged with 101610 Stampin' Sponges and 102977 Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Ink;
119736 Neutrals Brad in Basic Grey

This one is vintage modern cute! Modern line with a vintage twist.

Made this one up myself using:
120954 Getting Started cardstock pack Rich Razzleberry, Certainly Celery;
117155 Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Stack in Old Olive;
102277 Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad; 120308 Word Play Stamp Set; 114616 Whisper White Satin Ribbon;
104430 Stampin' Dimensionals;

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Greenhouse Gala DSP! It is so boho, just like me. Or like I used to be anyway. And I have the Stampin' Up tote to match! I'm such a lucky girl!

I used:
117167 - Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper Pack (12x12);
105125 Certainly Celery Smooth Card Stock;
100730 - Whisper White Smooth Card Stock;
120173 - So Many Thanks Stamp Set;

This idea I borrowed from Christine Miller at My Stamp Lady.
Isn't it awesome? I stamped clouds in the sky using an extra punched piece of card stock. Her's was much cuter. She had a punched lamb behind a fence, but I digress, I did not have all the punches she does. I have punch envy! However, with owning a Cricut Expression I have the dilemma of do I buy punches or use the Cricut? I'm going to have to by punches to demonstrate with so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

I used:
118874 - 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle Punch;
117155 Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper Pack (12x12);
119686 Early Espresso Smooth Card Stock;
100730 Whisper White Smooth Card Stock;
100867 Night of Navy Smooth Card Stock;
13008 Not Quite Navy Classic Stampin' Pad;
101610 Stampin' Sponges

I also want to mention that I will be launching a few new products for the Clark Cottage Creations Brand as well as having a draw for the Candy Countdown Kit at the fair! Here it is! And it comes with everything! You just need to assemble and fill!

Hope to see you all there!

New Post and New Office!

2010-11-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

I have some exciting news to share! We had a spare bedroom at the end of the hall in the basement. Since moving the double bed in there up to my son's room, it has been sitting empty. A lonely room being wasted. I made up my mind to move my office out of the laundry room and into the spare room. It's larger and brighter than the laundry room and I am no longer bogged down by dryer lint! And it's BIGGER! Oh, all the space, what shall a girl do with it all? So this is the new hub for my life! And it's right across from the play room so I can keep a closer eye on my kids while I work! So I uploaded some pictures of it mostly done!

And everything has a place now! I just need to find a spot for a few things, like the piano that is in this room and needs to leave! I have plans for that spot! I'm thinking of sandwiching a bench between two bookcases on that wall with a massive bulletin board above it for my ideas. Oh yes, I have plans!

I've got a spot for my Cricut all it's own. Doesn't it look soooo at home?

The addition of a closet space for my fabric and ribbons means that I have emptied huge storage spots under the basement stairs, so I think I've got some Christmas Decorations to buy! Spruce Meadows is coming up right away!

Of course these photos of a perfectly organized office do not include the raging mess everywhere else in the house. Yes, I suppose I should be getting on that. After a week of prep for the Mommylicious Fair, getting ready for the workshop this week and getting stock made for the Millarville School Fair I'm letting some things fall by the wayside!

I'm also including a teaser photo of the projects for this Friday's Workshop! We'll be making cards, mugs and coasters for christmas so reserve your spot right away!

Stampin' Craziness!

2010-11-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

It's crazy around here! I've got a trade fair coming up this weekend! If you are in the area, come on down to the Carriage House Inn in Calgary for the Mommylicious Fair this Sunday November 7th from 10 - 3 for some great vendors! I'm one of them! Click the link above to see the other vendors! On top of that, I've got the Millarville Community School Fundraising Fair coming up on Friday November 26th from 1-7 if you're in the neighbourhood! I'm making stacks! Here's a sneak peak at one set of Christmas cards that will be available at the Millarville Show!

And it's my older sister's birthday on Saturday! Happy Birthday Jen! I'm sending her this card!

I also just sent in my Stampin' Up order so I'm expecting some awesomeness coming my way asap! Never knew I would anticipate the UPS man this much! It's got all the goodies for my upcoming Christmas Workshop in it! *Cue Girly Squeal*

I also found a free Amy Butler purse pattern on the internet here and I'm tempted to get going on that, however, I really need to finish the space quilt. It's sitting on my table needing to be pinned. It LOOMS over my head! Need to get it done! Oh yes, the weather is getting cold and I'm getting into the swing of crafting again! Now to fit in classes and parenting . . . hmmmm. Keep checking in for more awesomeness coming your way right away!

Halloween Projects

2010-10-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

Found some really fun ideas from some fellow Stampin' Up Demonstrators this week! The first one comes from Stamp with Amy and a rendition of My Chick n' Scratch.

Aren't they cute? You can find the tutorial for the frankenstein here. Awesome video tutorial! The tutorial for the mummy can be found here. I'll be handing these out for my Visiting Teaching this month! Yes, I'm very late! Best of all, there's a KitKat bar inside!

Materials Used:

Chocolate Chip Cardstock #102128
Chocolate Chip Stampin' Pad #100908
Very Vanilla Cardstock #101650
Basic Black Cardstock #121045
Basic Black Grograin Ribbon #115605
Certainly Celery Cardstock #105125
Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker #102995
Word Window Stampin' Punch #119857

Also made some Triangle Boxes filled with Candies for my daughter's teacher, bus driver and piano teacher. I got these also from Chick n' Scratch.

I thought these were SUPER cute! And you could make them for pretty much any occasion. Wanna learn how? You could look it up, or you could call me for a Workshop!

Materials Used:

Basic Black Cardstock #121045
Pumpkin Pie Cardstock #105117
Circle Punch #119850
Got Treats Stamp Set #119114
Square Punch #119877

If you are interested in ordering any of the above materials to create these projects and you are in the area, please send me an email at play@clarkcottage.ca.

Happy Haunting everybody! Stay tuned for some Christmas Awesomeness coming up!

The Circus Birthday!

2010-10-09T20:35:00.000-07:00

Later than promised, but here it is. This is underlined but I can't change that so bear with me!
Here's the table. I can't change the orientation of the photos either. Grrrrr. We just did snacks so we had fruit kabobs, cookies shaped like lions, seals, elephants and giraffes, cupcakes, lemon tarts, dipped marshmallows and creme puffs! My mom loaned me her popcorn machine for a cool treat!
I took soup cans and blue cardstock. Then I wrapped with red 1/8" satin ribbon. I printed off some circus type clip art and used my circle cutter to cut them out. Voila, colour coordinated can toss. Soooo Martha!
I found Wilton candy melts in the right blue! I melted them, dipped marshmallows in it and sprinkled with red sprinkles! Great for our egg allergy guest! However, may contain trace amounts of nuts so I dipped a couple of the marshmallows in water and then in blue and red sprinkles for our nut allergy guest.

Notice the water in the background? I found some printables at http://pumpkinpetunia.blogspot.com/2010/08/carnival-circus-party-week-free_12.html .
Went to Oriental Trading for the twirly lollipops, borrowed the popcorn "bags" and added a few Little People animals from the Noah's Ark set.

So we set up stations for the kids to do different activities. We had a face painting/tattoo station, can toss, duck pond, ring toss, bean bag toss and a photo booth. The kids used the paper coins to pay for the stations and then collected a ticket at each station. They then used the tickets to "purchase" the goodies for their loot bags. We ordered cotton candy from a local movie theatre and added a couple of parachute men, necklaces and other fun stuff to take home. The kids had a GREAT time! I printed off the photos of the kids at the photo booth wearing their clown noses and put it in their thank you notes. Instead of presents my beautiful daughter had her friends all bring a donation to the Alberta Children's Hospital Diabetes Clinic to help her baby brother. She raised $201.00. I am so proud of her!

More great and exciting news! I've become a Stampin' Up Independent Demonstrator! I am impatiently awaiting the arrival of my starter's kit and I'm raring to go! So we'll be seeing a lot of my paper creations on here! And I'll be setting up a website on the Stampin' Up site for orders! Sooooo excited. So keep checking in! I should have my new stuff by next week! So signing off for now!

Birthday Party Planning and Quilt Making

2010-09-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

Lots going on, which explains the long absence. I've had family coming in, a Dad with an emergency triple bypass surgery and little ones starting school, swimming lessons, piano lessons . . . the list goes on and on. M, my daughter, is having a birthday this weekend. We've invited the whole class. Looks like 15 kids coming. Whew! Doing a carnival theme. Will post pictures this weekend! I'm so over the top! I've been baking cookies in the shape of lions, giraffes, elephants and seals! I made marshmallow pops for the egg allergy in her class. Still have to do the tarts and the cupcakes and the banner and the loot bags and and and. . .

On top of all this, I am making a space quilt for my best friend's son. It's going to be awesome, and it's almost done, but I started it before summer started and it's been sitting on the back burner for most of the summer. I'm just getting that done. I have the top done, just need to get the back sewn together and pin it! I might just go buy that new adhesive spray though. A lot easier on the fingers! Photos on this one next week though.

Keep posted for some fun pics!

New Purse!

2010-08-22T21:34:00.000-07:00

Got some time alone today. Much needed I must say! Needed time to sit, think and belt out Beatles tunes! Yes, I sing along loudly, but my kids think I'm a good singer, so it's all good. That reminds me of when we were kids and my Dad used to sing in the long car rides to the cabin every weekend and we would all groan and moan and make him stop! Anyhoo . . .

So I went shopping, (yes it's an addiction) and got some new fabric. Granted I should use up the stockpile I already have and I should probably be finishing my girlfriend's quilt, but these are immediate gratification projects and my Mom had the kids for the afternoon. Besides, school is going to be starting soon and I'll finish the quilt then! Later is always better!

So I LOVE this fabric. It's Andalucia by Patti Young. Super AWESOME! I saw it months ago and resisted but the bolt was getting low and I had to have some! Besides it was on sale!

Love it. I used the same pattern I made the green purse with. It has become my favorite purse, because, yes, I decided to keep it instead of selling it. This one is up for sale until my willpower gives out.

So one of my girlfriends is addicted to my bows. She checks my facebook for new stock DAILY! It's quite funny really, but her daughter is only 6 months old and she's got a head of hair that would make any mother proud. Children mistake it for a wig! So I whipped this up for her with some of my scraps. It's a case to keep her clippies in. You can just put in the extra clippies that match your child's extra outfits in the diaper bag or take it on vacation with your faves! Found the tutorial on Made By Rae!

This is the inside view. It's got ribbon sewed in to clip the clippies to. Love it! Such a great idea!

Thanks for coming and share your thoughts with me!

More Time Lost

2010-08-21T20:31:00.000-07:00

Ah the summer. Love it! Time with the kids, time at the lake, time at the beach. However, reality comes quickly and so it goes. My reality is a craft fair in two weeks. I have been merrily making bows and bags and nursing covers. I have two babies coming for friends next month! YAY! One's a boy, but the other is unknown! Oooooo delicious surprises!

On that note, here's a preview! The rest can be found on my Facebook Group Clark Cottage! Remember just message me for ordering.

Adding Love Bugs!

Getting Ready for Halloween! We've got bows and Streamer Ponies.

Lollipops! In lots of colours!

We've added Pocahontas, Jasmine and Aurora to our Princess Collections too. Hope y'all have a great back to school!

And the summer rolls on by . . .

2010-07-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month! Got a few things done though! As luck would have it I took care of a few birthdays with my own two hands. My good friend Karla, who has got me through some awesome times had a birthday and she's getting ready for marriage, so I made her this

Hope you love it! I made a matching iphone pod case that slings on the shoulder strap however I made it at the last minute the next morning after taking this picture and I had to handsew the lining closed as it was too small for my machine. Hmmmm, better get one of those sewing machines that are hand held.

My daughter also has a friend's birthday after the long weekend coming up here, so I made her an adjustable craft apron. Made from the fabric packs you get at Walmart of all places, I whipped up this quick little ditty!

I'm planning on filling it with paint brushes and paint and markers and scissors. Great for making a mess at her house! This doesn't really do it justice. I'll have to take a pic of my daughter modelling it. It's super flirty with the pleated bottom ruffle!

Well, happy crafting everyone! It'll be some time before another post. We're off camping for the long weekend, and then camping for a 10 days in B.C. then my sister is coming. Oh yeah, I need to make her son a Thomas bag so I'll post that next week!

Much ado about nothing

2010-06-26T09:35:00.000-07:00

I've been losing days. Not sure where they are going. My daughter finished school on Tuesday and the rest is a blur! Caught a snag though. My new sewing machine isn't sewing. Any thickness to what I'm sewing and it skips stitches. I'm going to have to take it in to get fixed, but can't find the time to do this. TONS of church stuff going on. All just in time for summer. Got a few bows done though.

And I found a really cute purse tutorial. It's got a really cute french cuff on it. Need to go into the city to get handles for it. I might just wait for it and buy online, but I'm sure my need for immediate gratification will overcome the inconvenience of Calgary traffic. Yes, I've finally given up my city roots and gone country!

Next project, a Thomas the Tank Engine bag for my nephew! He's coming up in August from St. Louis and he got serious bag envy when he saw my son's Thomas bag! More pictures when that gets done later this week.

Teacher Appreciation

2010-06-15T21:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it's the end of the school year. I've been working like crazy to get something together for my daughter's kindergarten teacher. I hmmm and hawed and put together a little something.

I've got a Clark Cottage Creation Relaxing Therapy Bag with Lavender and Eucalyptus scent, a candle, a nice Fruits and Passion Exfoliating Cream and a Chapter gift card. Should be okay right? Once it's wrapped up in cello?

I get all worked up about these things. I have been actively blogging to find some card ideas. While going through MANY blogs, I found a great diy project on Not So Idle Hands. I'll keep you posted. I think I'll start it next week, once school is done and things calm down. Oh, did I tell you that new class registration starts Monday? YAY!

Happy Summer!

New Classes at the Cottage!

2010-06-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

Check out the new class schedules for Clark Cottage at www.clarkcottage.ca! Registration starts June 21st. I'll have new stock out, food and crafts! A great time to come check out the insaneness at my house. I'll be offering 10% off all instock items! AWESOME! I'm heading out to the sunshine for a week! Should have the store up and running by the time I get home! New developments to come!

BOWNANZA!

2010-05-26T13:24:00.000-07:00

Well, rainy days make for good times around here. My yard looks like a bog, the dog is leaving BEAUTIFUL pathways on my kitchen floor and the kids are going stir crazy! However, we are hanging out, being crafty! Here are some of the new bows up for grabs this week:

Oooooo. Cupcakes! Love these colours! The bows are $7.00 per pair.

These are super sunny!

Cherry Blossoms! These are infant size for those that like a smaller bow.

This is a crazy bow! Hard to see, but there is a button in the centre!

These are so sweet!

Stay tuned this week! It's supposed to be pretty cold tomorrow to so we'll be making more crafts! Email me if you are interested in any of these! Play(at)clarkcottage(dot)ca

Another Quilt Class

2010-05-12T21:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my second quilt class. Learning lots and finding out all the mistakes I made were really silly on my first two quilts! Should do better now. We just about finished the quilt tops. Here's a pic:

Oooooo. Soooo girly! Now I need to figure out who I'm going to give it to. I just don't know! More on that later.

I found my pocket tutorial! THANKS MADE BY RAE! Can't figure out how to add hyperlinks, but you'll find it here: http://www.made-by-rae.com/2009/06/tutorial-pleated-pocket.html. She's got awesome stuff so check her out! Here's the finished bag and I LOVE IT!

It's for sale. Let me know if you're interested. It has a zippered pocket inside. The liner is the same fabric as the trim. Closed with a magnetic snap. Love it!

School Day

2010-05-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

I love school days. I have only one munchkin running around, driving me crazy trying to find things for him to do. We visited Great Grandma and took her for a walk. Good times trying to get a 3 year old boy to understand that he has to go Grammy's pace. Not so much. Tuesdays are generally clean house days, but with Boy's birthday looming, I thought I'd better put that off until Thursday. So what was on my plate today? Stash reduction! Went through the mountain of fabric in my overstuffed rolling drawers and found a winner.

LOVE this fabric, but have been waiting for something cool to do with it. So, a long purse is the way to go today. At least for now. Movie: Fiddler on the Roof. Candy:

Totally reminds me of childhood. My mom was addicted to Neilson candy. Uh oh. What does this mean for me exactly? Staying up all night sewing, hmmm. Moving on.

I've got the main body, lining and strap done, however, I find myself short of a magnetic clasp and I also would like to put a pleated pocket on the front, but am lacking pleated pocket pattern (say that three times fast). I am frantically searching for one. If you find one online, let me know. Meanwhile, I'll be haunting all my usual tutorial blogs. Here's the masterpiece in progress:

Colour is off a little on this picture, but my colours go yellow under the spot lights and the sun was down. What can I say? Looks like fun though. Still need to do so many bags though! Running out of time to quilt. Running out of time for birthday planning. Just plain running out of time. Next post: Boy's birthday cake! I'm attempting it myself. We'll see how that turns out!

The Mean Reds

2010-05-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Today started off SUPER early. The kids woke up at 6:30 ready to take on the world. I, however, do not do so well first thing in the morning. Combine that with bad weather and a messy house, my mood did not improve throughout the day. We lost the controller to the BRAND NEW Wii, bonked heads several times, whined and complained throughout the day. In the immortal words of Holly Golightly, it was the Mean Reds kind of day.

I did make some cards to stave off the anxiety

I started a layout for my son's newborn photos, but soon realized I need a silver gel pen, and mine has fallen victim to my daughter's many crafting exploits. Here's how it looks so far.
Never mind. The computer isn't working. I'll try to post tomorrow when all the planets align for me.

Busy Nothings

2010-05-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Mother's Day. I received the mandatory kid made cards, several from my daughter, and an easy day. With my Almond Hershey bar handy I went to finish my quilt class homework. I had 18 9 patch blocks to sew, square and 17 background blocks to cut. With two sleeping babies and a husband gaming, I made quick work of it to the movie "Girl with a Pearl Earring". Beautiful story with quiet screenplay. Lovely! Perfect for quilting. Let me set up a picture to tease you with my current project:

Are you as excited as I am? Learned some great lessons this week. Like I've been assuming that my edges were straight already so my lines aren't always straight when I cut. Also learned not to use the lines on my mat, but only my ruler. Sorry Shannon, but the lines on your mat aren't always straight. I also didn't know how to square after you sew a block. Duh! I thought if you cut straight your blocks would be straight. So wrong! That makes so much sense now that I think about it. It also explains a lot of my issues with my first quilt. It was a little wonky.

Tomorrow is Scrapbooking Monday with the girlies, so tomorrow's post should include a few new layouts! Yippee!

It's My First Post!

2010-05-03T20:25:00.000-07:00

Hello out there. While I know it will be mostly family reading this, I hope that I can add to the fabulous women out there that are creating a new cyber mommy support group. I greatly admire those women who have the confidence to stay at home as I recently became one. I guess this blog is a forum to show you what I'm making at home and share some great ideas that I have found out there in the cyber jungle!

Here's an introduction. I love to cook, bake, craft, sew, scrapbook and paint. These are some of the awesome things you'll see me do on here:

I'll do some tutorials, but this stuff is also for sale. Remember, we're trying to save homemade, but save stay at home too!