got stamps?

If you're a local friend of mine, you know that on most days I'm a t-shirt/sweatshirt and jeans kind of gal. I found my favorite new t-shirt and sweatshirt on Margaret Blount's blog, StampMom. Her husband is a graphic designer and has come up with some really cute stamper designs! My favorite is the "got stamps?"! Other designs include "The Jolly Cropper" (with scissors instead of crossbones!) and "You can take my stamps when you pry them from my cold dead fingers." They offer not only t-shirts and sweatshirts -- there are also mugs, bibs, bags, hats, magnets, bumper stickers, and more!

You can see the stamper designs and make online purchases through this link: StampMom. I received my t-shirt and sweatshirt a few days ago ... the quality is exceptional, and the shipping was incredibly fast!

SCS FEATURED STAMPER CHALLENGE FS43 CUTTERCALLOUS

Today's Featured Stamper (FS43) on SCS is Rose Ann, aka CutterCallous on SCS. Rose Ann's blog, Paper Delightz, is one of my favorite sources of inspiration! Rose Ann's kind words that she leaves in her comments on my posts are always encouraging and uplifting!

THIS is Rose Ann's card I chose to case. The things I changed from her original: a) different color combination, b) different DP ... I used Cutie Pie, and Rose Ann used Petals & Paisleys, c) I opted for no sentiment, d) my flowers are punched out of Cutie Pie DP versus Rose Ann's stamped images from Polka Dots & Petals. There's NO stamping on my card (*gasp!*), e) I omitted the scallop border along the center striped strip.
RECIPE
Stamps: None
Paper: Cutie Pie DP, Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, and Whisper White CS
Ink: None
Embellishments: Bashful Blue Brads, Bashful Blue 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon
Tools: 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Paper Piercing Tool/Mat/Template, Cuttlebug Spots & Dots Embossing Folder
Supplies: Stampin' Dimensionals

STAMPIN' UP! RETIRED STAMP SET LIST REVEALED

When a new Stampin' Up! catalog & idea book is introduced, a list of stamp sets goes into retirement to make room for new stamp sets. Today, Stampin' Up! revealed a list of those stamp sets to gear up for the NEW 2008 Spring Summer Catalog & Idea Book coming January 1.

Click the links below to view the retired list of stamps sets which are still available through December:

Retired List (Alphabetical Order)
Retired List (Numerical)

Click here to view the dormant list. The dormant list includes stamp sets from the 2007 Fall-Winter Collection that are not included in the upcoming 2008 Spring-Summer Collection. These sets can be found online and are considered current Stampin' Up! product.

Items from the Holiday Mini will not appear on the dormant list, but they are not retired. Stamp sets and wheels from mini catalogs will not be included on the dormant list.

The retiring wheels and accessories list will be available online December 10. You can order items from this list through January 1, 2008 or while supplies last.

E-mail me today to place your Stampin' Up! product order... nrileycm@cox.net !

~Nancy Riley

RAKS FROM DOTTIE K AND WENDY BOND

I received my FIRST Christmas card a few days ago, and it was a HAND STAMPED one too!!! ... from Dottie Kinnear. I've crowned Dottie as the "QUEEN OF CHRISTMAS"! I think she's had her holiday shopping done since ... ummm ... October?! Dottie also sends e-mails to me with her helpful holiday planning tips! I tell ya', the girl's got it together!

I love the Bashful Blue paired with the Real Red and Wild Wasabi on Dottie's card! The snowglobe main image has 3-D snow and lots of bling that the photo just didn't pick up.
This next beauty came all the way from Canada from my friend, Wendy Bond. Wendy is also known as joelysmom on SCS. You gotta see her gallery ..... talent galore! I just love the way she used the Fall Flowers DP, the brads in the corners, ... and her ribbon is tied PERFECTLY!
Here's a close up photo of Wendy's unique and genius use of the Round Tab Punch ...Thank you Dottie and Wendy! Your handstamped creations are so meaningful to me!

FLOWERS RAK FROM TAWNI

Look what showed up at my door yesterday! Flowers from my friend, Tawni! Tawni always goes way above and beyond in spoiling me with surprises, and she's really really good at sending unexpected flowers! This is just what I needed to get me excited about decorating the house for the holidays! Thanks, Tawni !!!!
I'm hoping to tackle the holiday decorating next week after I finish a project I'm working on for a client .... invitations for a law firm celebrating their 10th anniversary. The event is formal and being held at a ritzy restaurant. It's a challenging project for me, as it's difficult to make "elegant and formal" without looking like a wedding invitation ... BUT it's coming along!

MORE weSTAMP DEMO MEETING ITEMS

Over the past couple of days, I've been sharing details with you from our weSTAMP SU Demonstrator Meeting. Another aspect to our meetings is a Show & Tell table where members can bring things they've made to share with the rest of the group. The samples brought to the meeting were too numerous to post, but wanted to share one project in particular that was quite a conversation piece! This advent calendar was made by Pam Wood based on Beate John's tutorial HERE. Pam's Advent Calendar uses Stampin' Up!'s Dashing DP, and Wilton metal tins to hold a treat for each day. Pam thought it would be a great idea to have this as an advent calendar for herself where her husband could fill each tin with jewelry! LOL!I also promised the weSTAMP ladies that I would post the recipe to the dessert I brought that evening. It is a dessert that I make often that was given to me by my sister-in-law, Barb.

BROWNIE DELIGHT

1 family size pkg. brownie mix

2 - 8 oz. pkgs. cream cheese

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 - 16 oz. cool whip

2 cups cold milk

1 pkg. (3.9 oz.) INSTANT chocolate pudding

caramel syrup

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Bake the brownie mix as directed on package in a 9" x 13" pan. Cool.

Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar for 2 min. Fold in 1/2 of the cool whip. Spread on brownies. Chill 1 hr.

Combine milk and pudding. Refrigerate 5 min. Spread on top of cream cheese layer. Refrigerate 10 min.

Spread remaining cool whip on top of pudding layer. Drizzle caramel topping and sprinkle pecans.

Keep refrigerated.

weSTAMP CHRISTMAS PRESENT

This is a Christmas present Lorri Heiling and I created and gave to our SU downline and weSTAMP members Tuesday night. The mini loaf pan contains a loaf of fresh baked Pumpkin Bread, and the criss cross card has the recipe for it inside. This gift was inspired by Chat Wszelaki's Fall Gift HERE. The cellophane is secured by holiday ribbon with garland and a cookie cutter.
RECIPE FOR CRISS CROSS CARD
Stamps: In The Spotlight (Level Two Hostess)
Paper: Always Artichoke, Purely Pomegranate, and River Rock CS, Holiday Harmony DP
Ink: Purely Pomegranate Classic Ink Pad
Embellishments: Gold Brads
Tools: 5-Petal Flower Punch, Spring Flower Bouquet Punch, Round Tab Punch
Supplies: Sticky Strip, Pop Up Glue Dot
Note: Tutorial for Criss Cross Card by Beate Johns found HERE. The recipe for the Pumpkin Bread was printed from the computer.

RECIPE FOR PUMPKIN BREAD
3 1/3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
4 eggs
2/3 c. water
2 c. canned pumpkin (1 sm. can)
Sift the dry ingredients together and add to the rest of the mixture. Make into 3 loaves, or 7 small loaves. Bake 1 hr. at 350 degrees.

weSTAMP SWAP

Last month, my SU Sideline and dear friend, Lorri Heiling, and I joined our creative teams for monthly Stampin' Up! Demonstrator meetings. We fondly named our group weSTAMP in conjunction with my blog name. The weSTAMP SU Demonstrator Group is a wonderful group of women that all share a passion for stamping, papercrafting, and Stampin' Up! products. If you are interested in becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator which includes the perk of swapping with this fabulous group of women, please email me! nrileycm@cox.net.

Last night was our second monthly meeting, and our first SWAP. It was the first time most of the Stampin' Up! Demonstrators in attendance had ever swapped, and each and every one of them rose to the challenge beautifully! Our swap theme was very general ... to create any card using any current Stampin' Up! stamp set/paper/accessories. Take a look .....

Lorri Heiling's swap card uses the NEW Time Well Spent stamp set and Cutie Pie DP. Don't you just love the way she snipped the Wild Wasabi CS to make the grass?!
Leah Sinatra's beautiful card uses the NEW Time Well Spent stamp set with Fall Flowers DP. Gorgeous colors, huh?! ... Soft Sky, Really Rust, and Old Olive.
Adriana Gray's SUPER CUTE swap card uses Bugs & Kisses Stamp Set with Cutie Pie DP.
Pam Wood used Illuminations stamp set with lots of BLING ... silver embossing, Dazzling Diamonds, and Stickles. So elegant!
Anne Fundner used Baroque Motifs stamp set to create this beauty with the colors of Always Artichoke, Bravo Burgundy, and Kraft.
Ginny Schembri used the oh-so-elegant Le Jardin DP and Heartfelt Thanks stamp set to create this unique fold to her card.
Ginny's card open:
Jessica Blair brought in the holiday cheer with her Christmas card using Dashing DP, Perfect Presentation stamp set (Level Two Hostess), and a dry embossed Cuttlebug strip.
This was my swap card using Big Bold Birthday stamp set and Creative License Simply Scrappin' Kit (Level One Hostess). My swap card was inspired by Carol Frerich's card found at the bottom of her post HERE (Stamp Like Crazy). It's hard to see in the photo, but the Pumpkin Pie gift is popped up on dimensionals.
RECIPE FOR BIG BOLD BIRTHDAY CARD
Stamps: Big Bold Birthday, Polka Dot Background Stamp
Paper: Textured Soft Sky, Pumpkin Pie and Wild Wasabi and striped DP from Creative License Simply Scrappin’ Kit (Level One Hostess), Whisper White CS
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi and Blue Bayou Classic Ink Pads, Versamark
Embellishments: Blue Bayou Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon
Tools: Word Window Punch, Stamp-a-ma-jig, Scissors
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals
Note: Ribbon is in two pieces. The piece that wraps around the card base is adhered behind the main image with Sticky Strip.

Leah Sinatra won the door prize at last month's meeting, therefore being crowned the provider of this month's door prize. Leah altered these super cute chipboard letters with Fall Flowers DP that spell the word "STAMP".

Funny story .... the winner of this chipboard letter collection was Pam Wood ... the first three letters that Pam pulled out of the gift bag were "P", "A", and "M". We all had such a puzzled look on our faces wondering how Leah knew Pam would be the winner of the door prize to have spelled her name!!!!
This is the Make 'n Take that Lorri Heiling provided our group last night. This is a super cool GUY card using Outlaw DP and Wanted stamp set. This card was GREAT for showing off what the Crop-A-Dile can do by setting the eyelets in the center of the stars (which were punched out using the star punch) and dry embossing the row of circles underneath the main image on the Sage Shadow CS. WANTED ALL OCCASION CARD
Stamps: Wanted, So Many Sayings
Paper: Outlaw DP, Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow, Naturals Ivory
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Sage Shadow
Embellishments: Eyelets
Tools: Crop-a-dile, Paper Piercing Template, Star Punch
Supplies: Adhesive
Technique: Using the crop-a-dile, stamping off (to show movement)

Looking forward to our next weSTAMP meeting and swap in January, girls! Can't WAIT !!!!

SCS FEATURED STAMPER CHALLENGE FS42 TEXASGRAMMY

Today's Featured Stamper (FS42) on SCS is Beverly, TexasGrammy. I didn't have to look in Beverly's gallery for long before I knew exactly which card I wanted to case. THIS CARD of Beverly's caught my eye when it was posted last week.

Things I changed from Beverly's card: a) I used Real Red instead of Bravo Burgundy, b) I used Holiday Harmony DP for the background strips instead of Always Artichoke Prints DP, c) I used Season of Joy stamp set instead of Peaceful Wishes, d) I added X-mas Red Stickles in the center of the small flowers for a little Christmas bling.

This would be a great "mass assembly Christmas Card" ... super easy! Love the Real Red & Always Artichoke combo! The swirl stamp from the Season of Joy stamp set is stamped with Versamark on the Real Red card base. The swirl stamp from Season of Joy on the main image panel is stamped in Always Artichoke for the center image, then stamped off for the other two images. Some of the small poinsettia flowers are also stamped off with Real Red ink.
RECIPE
Stamps: Season of Joy, Fundamental Phrases
Paper: Always Artichoke, Real Red, and Whisper White CS, Holiday Harmony DP
Ink: Always Artichoke and Real Red Classic Ink Pads, Black Staz-On, Versamark
Embellishments: Real Red and Always Artichoke Grosgrain Ribbon, X-mas Red Stickles
Tools: Paper Piercing Tool/Mat/Template
Supplies: Stampin' Dimensionals

RAKS FROM LORRI AND MELISSA

My dear friend, Lorri Heiling ... Confessions of a Stamping Addict ... sent this beautiful card to my family this week, acknowledging the loss of our Uncle Rene. Lorri wasted no time getting ink on this new stamp set, Time Well Spent. This stamp set was sent to all Stampin' Up! Demonstrators as a gift of thanks from Stampin' Up! .... yep, FREE! (another SU Demo PERK!) Time Well Spent will be offered as a Level 3 Hostess set in the new catalog & idea book that comes out in January.Melissa Russell was the winner of my last blog candy here. I was completely surprised when I received this package of goodies from her this week! She had read in one of my tags that I love licorice and sent me a box full of it, along with this beautiful handstamped card! The dry embossed large flower on Melissa's card was done using the Cuttlebug .... so cute! What a FUN surprise! ... so not necessary, but glad you did, Melissa! Thank you!!!!