I'm a Sucker:)

Well, I did manage to send off a few of the Holiday Banners cased from Patty Bennett's blog as Christmas gifts. Everyone I gave them to ABSOLUTELY loved them (or at least that's what they told me:) I made one for my sister, and as my parents are staying at her house this Christmas, both of my parents had seen it. For my dad to comment to me on something "crafty" that I've made is a really big deal, so when he told me how much he and my mom loved it I decided that I couldn't leave them hanging. I didn't have enough of the DSP left to make it the same as the others, but I did have a package of Holiday Treasures leftover as well as some felt flurries which look fabulous with that DSP. After my hubby and I wrapped lastnight I got to work and 45 minutes later...voila! Personally, being an Earth Elements person, these colours are even more me than the other banner. I can't wait to give it to my parents tonight at our traditional Steak and Lobster Christmas Eve dinner!

oooooohhhhhhh, I forgot!

Not only is the Valentine's Bundle available today, but it is also free shipping today! Talk about an amazing deal! I'll put in an order today for anyone wanting the bundle along with the free shipping that have coincided for this one day!

Sneak Peek and Sale all in one!

Okay, now this is just cruel... starting tomorrow, Stampin' Up is giving us a sneak peek of the new catalogue as well as an opportunity to order a bundle at great savings! You're probably asking yourself why this is cruel, so let me remind you what today is... two days before Christmas! How does one justify making a purchase two days before Christmas you ask? Well, Boxing Day shopping I say! My husband's family introduced me to the JOY of Boxing Day shopping 8 years ago. We are the die hards at Starbucks for 7:00am to get our preshop coffee. This year, my sister-in-law and I will be out there again, but this time, I think she may need to do a little desktop shopping ahead of time!

As an SU demo, one of the benefits is the ability to preorder stamp sets etc. I was able to get this fabulous bundle in my hands about a month ago, but really hadn't had time top pull them out and play yet; that is, until tonight! The DSP is gorgeous, and the stamp set and punch are totally adorable! This is not a deal that you will want to miss! If you click on the the image above you are able to see the items in much more detail. Watch for some sample cards this week!

Better Late than Never!

Evrey year I vow to have my parcel ready to send to my relatives in Ontario early enough that I don't have to pay for Express Post. This year was no exception... I vowed and then failed miserably:) I finally got it in the mail today. I'm going to blame the whole thing on the photographer for the boys preschool this year; notice the denial here? I was hoping to have the boys school photos back early so that I could make the ornaments for my Grandma and Aunts and Uncles, but it seemed to take over three weeks this year to get them back. This would have been fine if they were taken in September, but we were the second week of November for photos. In the hub bub of all the Christmas Cards I forget about these. I had purchased the Country Living Kit which had a great sample of these adorable ornaments. The do spin quite naturally on the tree so I have one of the boys on either side of the ornamment, because although I would love an entire tree of pictures of my boys, I do realize that others may not:) Now I'm off to make them for my sister with her own children in them.

These were the little gift bags that I had my ladies make at Technique Club the other night. There's were out of DSP that either coordinated with their cards or with a Christmas theme. I made another lastnight to match another set of the BigZ Tulipe cards that I made. I got the idea for this little bag from Andrea Walford's blog and made some adaptations to make it into a little purse. My only problem in making this purse was the lack of black in SU's wide grosgrain selection. I must admit that I cheated and used a small piece that a friend had given me in some of her leftover ribbons. This bag is the perfect size to fit standard A2 cards and envelopes as well as the 5.25" square cards and envelopes. The presentation is adorable!

Gifts for my ladies who started it all!

Well, lastnight was my December Technique Club meeting. When I started my first club in September I had one woman signed up and decided to go ahead with it anyways. By the time that the actual meeting date arrived in September, I was up to five, and we now sit at 7! If it weren't for these ladies, and a few others who haven't joined club, but have been placing orders since the get-go, I wouldn't have had such a fabulous few months. I have met the most amazing group of women, whether it be through club, or others that they have introduced me to. Anyway, in appreciation to this group of 7 women, I made each a set of 4 monogrammed notecards. Their make-n-take for the evening, little did they realize, was the gift bag to carry their cards home in. We also learned the Faux Metal technique to finish off their bags (I'll post those tomorrow).

This particular set of cards was made for one of my club ladies, and it is the only set without a monogram. I made it using the BigZ Tulipe die which is exclusive to Stampin' Up. You see, Kristen owns the most beautiful floral shop, called Posy, which is in Lynn Valley (where I live). Her decor in her shop is very similar to these cards so I thought personalized for her could have a different meaning. As you can see, I was able to use the negative image of the die cut on the inside matting of the card. I loved the effect. I must admit that I was thrilled with the outcome on this card as it wasn't something that I had seen anyone else do! What do you think?

The Greatest Night Before Christmas Ever!

I had this forwarded to me by a friend and couldn't resist sharing it with the rest of you! Santa sures sounds a lot like my husband:)

Twas the night before Christmas,
I'm glued to the tree.
I'm wondering what Santa brought just for me.
Could it be cardstock or chipboard or lace?
Or a Cricut, I said, with a smile on my face.
And that's when I heard him,"Hi Santa, " I said
"You know....good little girls
should be in their beds."
"I know I should Santa,and now I've got caught.
But I was just so excited
To see what you brought."
"Well, let's take a look in this room
where you work."
He shook his head quickly,
And left with a jerk.
I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear.
"You've got enough crap, I'll see you next year!"

It's still Saturday...isn't it;)

I had promised to do Scrappin' Saturdays a few weeks ago and then somehow in the chaos of Christmas preparation they slipped my mind. At least I had done the pages! These are again part of the baby book for my gorgeous neice! I'm sticking to the Simply Scrappin' Kit on this book as far as papers go because it is all so beautifully coordinated. I've been adding the embellishments using my Big Shot and Cricut, but I will admit that it becomes ridiculously easy when you don't have to sit and ponder colour combinations on each page! The Top Note BigZ die is perfect for adding a journalling spot on pages and the envelope makes a perfect holder for baby bracelets, hair clippings, etc! Next week's pages will be a little more boy focussed as I ordered the Make Tracks wheel to complete the pages for Lucas' Birthday from LAST YEAR! (ahhh). He had a Lightning McQueen party last year so the Stampin' Around wheel was the perfect touch to the page!

The Reason I Haven't Been Blogging

I feel like I haven't been blogging in forever; but in my defence I do have a really good reason! After finishing up with all of my classes at the end of November I thought that I'd better get off of my buns and get my own Christmas cards done. So although it may appear that I've done nothing recently I've actually completed 67 homemade Christmas cards! I took this picture lastnight of just some of them out on the floor of my room. I've since realized that one of my best purchases of the year was my personalized name and address stamp. I can't even imagine writing out our return address info on each of the envelopes after the ease of stamping them this year! This is definitely an investment worth making!

The Retired List (AND SALE) are here!

Wow, who knew that along with the sad news that some favourite stamp sets would be retiring, would come some great news! Not only is Stampin' Up offering 10% off of sets on the Retirement List from December 9th-23rd, they are also offering free shipping on orders of $100 or more! YYYEEEEEHHHHAAAAAA! This means, even if you can't afford the $100, grab a couple of girlfriends and put your orders together so you all benefit! I've decided that I'm going to one up Stampin' Up; the first five people to place orders for the Wide Oval Punch or the Scallop Square Punch during this sale will also receive the Punches Three Hostess Set for FREE! Remember that the 10% discount on retired stamp sets is only on until December 23rd so make sure to take advantage now! The items on the retirement list will only be available for purchase until January 19th!

Last Class Before Christmas!

I sat down yesterday and did my December Newsletter (yes, I know, it was late:). I was feeling awful as I did my December class list, because I really wasn't offering anything. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but I tried to be so organized for people's gifts that all of my classes were held in November. Then, I remembered that I had completed this little project created by Patty Bennett at the start of November and I've been admiring it on the mantle for the past four weeks. I added it to my display that I put out for classes last week and the ladies loved it; hence the addition of this December Class! Make sure to RSVP early as it is limited to 6 spaces and 4 are already full; my newsletter ladies jumped on it! If you don't already get my newsletter, leave me a post and I'll add you to my list! You'll laugh when I tell you this, but I really wanted to have a class in December as my digital box in the room where we craft has now added a holiday music channel. (yes ladies, that means that you don't have to listen to my country music:). I should have my regular ladies who come to club and crop night sick of the Christmas Carols too! By the way, Crop night is already full! Make sure to RSVP early for January to avoid disappointment.

Holiday Banner Class

Date: Tuesday December 9th
Time: 7-10pm
Cost: $15
*Bring along your favourite adhesive!

Final Fall/ Winter Sampler Promotion Starts Today!

Product Offer: December 1, 2008-January18, 2009

Spend $20 and get 20 percent off any stamp set from the Fall-Winter Sampler.

Item # Description Retail 20% Off
111564 Flight of the Butterfly $37.95 $30.36
111752 Sur les ailes d'un papillon $37.95 $30.36

(French Flight of the Butterfly)
111676 Puns From the Past $32.95 $26.36
111660 Just Jawing $30.95 $24.76
112881 Je t'ai en tête

(French Just Jawing) $30.95 $24.76

111624 Dreams Du Jour $22.95 $18.36
112869 Rêves au menu $22.95 $18.36

(French Dreams Du Jour)
111700 Thank You Kindly $16.50 $13.20
111742 Tous mes remerciements

(French Thank You Kindly) $16.50 $13.20
111714 Wow Flowers $15.50 $12.40
112652 Bonheur fleuri

(French Wow Flowers) $15.50 $12.40
111600 Bella's Bloom $15.50 $12.40

*There is no limit to how many reduced priced stamp sets you purchase after spending the initial $20!