LOVE & HAPPINESS RUB-ONS

I can't believe Sale-A-Bration ends today. That time went by really fast. Hope everyone earned all the neat stamp sets on their wish list!

I just had to show you a really quick and simple thing I did with my Sale-A-Bration Love & Happiness Rub-Ons. My friend, Karen Laub (nikesmom on SCS) , gave me this reed diffuser for Christmas, and I dressed it up a little with Stampin' Up! rub-ons. These reed diffusers are so popular right now, and I know many of you have them around your home. It took me seconds to alter it with Stampin' Up! Rub-Ons! The SAB Love & Happiness Rub-Ons come in white, black, old olive, and chocolate chip (as seen in the photo). Stampin' Up! Rub-Ons can be used on paper and most nonporous surfaces, even glass, photos, clipboards, candles, and more.

SCS FEATURED STAMPER CHALLENGE FS58 BECKYTE

This card is for SCS Featured Stamper Challenge FS58, featuring the beautiful gallery of beckyTE. HERE is beckyTE's card I chose to case. I kept Becky's layout, but changed the stamp set to A Good Egg, papers, colors, and embellishments to Spring Fling and Pretty In Pink, So Saffron, and Certainly Celery. I used my new Cuttlebug embossing folder, Swiss Dots, on the So Saffron background piece. The egg image from A Good Egg is paper pieced using Spring Fling DP and So Saffron CS, and was inspired by the catalog sample on pg. 30.


RECIPE
Stamps: A Good Egg
Paper: Spring Fling DP, Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Whisper White DP
Ink: Basic Black
Embellishments: Pink Gingham Ribbon, Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbon, Pretty In Pink Brads, So Saffron Button with DMC #772 Embroidery Floss (non-SU)
Tools: Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (non-SU), Photo Corner Punch, 1/8" Handheld Circle Punch
Supplies: Mini Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

DREW HUMOR

My 13-year old son, Drew, has a great sense of humor, and this morning he came up with a doozie! He has a birthday party to attend this afternoon for a classmate. I had a handstamped card for the birthday boy, pulled out a few sentiment stamp sets, and asked Drew to choose a sentiment for the inside of the card. After looking at a few of them, Drew says, "Here, why don't I show up late, and we'll use this one?", while pointing to the stamp on the right. CRACK ME UP !!!!!

WELCOME MAUNA AND NIKKI !!!!!

Two talented and enthusiastic stampers have joined my Stampin' Up! creative team during Sale-A-Bration!

Mauna, Ink~Paper~Scissors

and

Nikki, Nurse Nikki's Blog Spot

WELCOME MAUNA and NIKKI !!!!!

MARCH STAMP CLASS PROJECTS

These are the projects I had available at my March Stamp Classes .. four cards featuring Sale-A-Bration stamp sets, and one Easter card. We had such a great time at both classes ... I've got the BEST customers/friends anyone could ask for!

This first card was designed with the help of SCS Sketch Challenge 166 (SC166). The chick/egg image from A Good Egg stamp set was stamped four times; once on Whisper White, once on So Saffron, and twice on the Certainly Celery polka dot from Spring Fling DP. There is paper piercing horizontally across the top and bottom border of the Pretty In Pink CS base. Inspired by speedystamper's card HERE.
RECIPE
Stamps: A Good Egg
Paper: Spring Fling DP, Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Whisper White CS
Ink: Basic Black Classic Ink Pad, Pumpkin Pie Marker for chick’s nose
Embellishments: Pretty In Pink Taffeta Ribbon, So Saffron or Certainly Celery Buttons
Tools: Paper Snips, Paper Piercing Tool/Mat/Template
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots
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This next card is a case of one of my own designs found HERE using SAB Friendship Blooms. I simply changed the colors to Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, and Real Red.
RECIPE
Stamps: Friendship Blooms (SAB)
Paper: Soft Sky and Blue Bayou Prints DP, Whisper White, Soft Sky, Blue Bayou, and Real Red CS
Ink: Real Red, Blue Bayou Classic Ink Pads
Embellishments: Blue Bayou Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Real Red Brads, Adhesive Rhinestone (non-SU)
Tools: Boho Blossoms Punch
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots, Pop-Up Glue Dots
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This next card uses SAB Birthday Whimsy and is cased from Jean Stayton's original HERE. Jean's new blog is Bear Hugs and Inky Paws. I love the way Jean used a portion of the Scallop Punch for the icing on the cake, along with the Trio Flower Punch and Brad. The White Gel Pen was used to add dots to each scallop, and Diamond Stickles (non-SU) were used on the birthday candles.
RECIPE
Stamps: Birthday Whimsy (SAB)
Paper: Berry Bliss DP, Purely Pomegranate, Chocolate Chip, Pretty In Pink, and Whisper White CS
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Embellishments: Chocolate Chip 5/8” Grosgrain Ribbon, Pretty In Pink Brad
Tools: Ticket Corner Punch Scallop Punch, Trio Flower Punch
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals, White Gel Pen, Diamond Stickles (non-SU)
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I've shown this next SAB So Many Scallops card on my blog before because this is the card I cased from Taylor VanBruggen for our weSTAMP swap (here). See Taylor's original card HERE on her blog, Taylored Expressions.
RECIPE
Stamps: So Many Scallops (SAB), Polka Dot Background Stamp, Garden Whimsy, and Sincere Salutations
Paper: Ginger Blossom DP, River Rock, Ruby Red, and Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, and River Rock Classic Ink Pads, Versamark
Embellishments: Gold Brads
Tools: ½” Circle Punch, Scallop Punch
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals
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The last card features the SAB stamp set, Merci and was cased from {Teneale} on SCS. See her original card HERE.
RECIPE
Stamps: Merci (SAB)
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, and Very Vanilla CS
Ink: Basic Gray, Rose Red, Perfect Plum, and Chocolate Chip Classic Ink Pads, Rose Red, Old Olive, and Perfect Plum Watercolor Crayons with Blender Pen
Embellishments: Rose Red Brads, Chocolate Chip Poly-Twill Ribbon
Supplies: Stampin’ Dimensionals, Sponge Daubers

YOU MAKE MY DAY

Unfortunately, I still don't have any stamped items to share with you, but I will at the end of the week. I've been doing everything BUT stamping and can't WAIT to get freed up to do some challenges!

We found a prom dress for Allie on Saturday, and she was asked to prom on Friday which made it even more important to find "the dress". We found a gorgeous red dress that was, by no surprise, over my budget ... ughh!

My cousin, Crystal, from North Carolina spent a couple of days with us, and left yesterday. We hadn't seen each other for about 23 years (she was 5 or 6 when I last saw her!). We had a great time getting re-acquainted, and showing her the diversity of Arizona by driving her to Montezuma's Castle, through Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Flagstaff, and back to Phoenix on Monday.

I am holding two stamp classes in my home tomorrow and have been preparing for those yesterday and today.

I'm looking forward to stamping again after I get Allie off to Tampa, Florida for Spring Break on Saturday. She's traveling with her best friend and her family....lucky girl!

Two of the most talented stampers I know awarded me with this beautiful "You Make My Day" award: Laura from Scrapnextras, and Chat from Me, My Stamps, and I. Laura and Chat inspire me DAILY with their creativity!

Every single one of my readers make my day, especially when you leave awesome comments! Comments mean so much, and are so very motivating! Feel free to consider yourself tagged just for reading, okay?! Here are just a few of the awesome bloggers that leave me lots of comments that make my days:

Pesc, Pescbrico
Jimi, Stamping With Jimi
Alex, California Stampin'
Amy, amygdesigns

FRIEND PHOTO FRAME

I've been a busy girl cutting lots of cardstock for my stamp class next week, and plan to spend the next couple of days cleaning house to get ready for more company. The weekend holds more prom dress shopping with Allie and company staying with us for a couple of days. I guess what I'm trying to say is ... I'm sorry, in advance, for being a bad blogger! (As much as I'd LOVE to do a challenge card every single day, I'm only one person! ... yikes!)

I'll be giving away this photo frame as a door prize at my class next week. It is completely cased from the incredibly talented Joanne Basil, ...just a little something... Joanne said it literally took her two minutes to alter her $5 Target photo frame, so I thought I'd give it a shot since I had a Target photo frame begging to be altered, and the Sale-A-Bration Love & Happiness Rub-Ons waiting to be used! Yep, Joanne was right .... it took literally two minutes and was super easy with eye-appealing results!

The Love & Happiness Rub-Ons come in four colors -- White, Black, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip .... and can be yours FREE as a Sale-A-Bration choice with any $50 Stampin' Up! purchase until March 17.

Off to cut more cardstock ...
Thanks for looking!

NEW OCCASSIONS MINI CATALOG IS HERE!

Stampin' Up! has done it again ... they're offering more must-have items in the new Occasions Mini Collection! ... new stamp sets that are all Die-Cut!, more Rub-Ons, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Carousel Notes, Poly-Twill Ribbon in Chocolate Chip and Old Olive, and new Designer Paper Packs ... to name a few. You can order from the new Occasions Mini March 1 - May 31, 2008. View the online Occasions catalog HERE.

Don't forget ... you can still earn FREE stamp sets from the Sale-A-Bration catalog until March 17, 2008! Earn one free stamp set for every $50 purchase from the new Occasions Mini Collection or Spring-Summer '08 Collection catalogs.

Contact me for further ordering or class information ... nrileycm@cox.net.

WHAT'S BREWING?

I'm posting much later than I had planned today ... I promised Allie I'd take her shopping this afternoon for a prom dress. If you know me, you know I don't care for shopping, especially when it is in a mall. And shopping for a prom dress is no easy task ... they're all made for barbie doll figures, not normal teenager figures! geezh! Not to mention, they're all very sexy ... hard to find a "hip" dress that is a little conservative! Unfortunately, we came home empty handed, and our search continues. Onto the card ...

This coffee mug image and sentiment are just two of the coffee-themed images from the new Paper Pretties stamp set, Look Who's Perky. I made this card using Jen del Muro's Sketch For You To Try from 2/23/08.

The flower on the coffee mug is a SAB Love & Happiness Rub-On in Old Olive, and the ribbon is the new Chocolate Chip Poly-Twill Ribbon in the new Occasions Mini Collection 2008. I finally used some of my Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware (I must quit hoarding that stuff!).

RECIPE
Stamps: Look Who's Perky from Paper Pretties
Paper: Kraft, Chocolate Chip, and Old Olive CS, Old Olive Prints DP
Ink: Chocolate Chip and Old Olive Classic Ink
Embellishments: Chocolate Chip Poly-Twill Ribbon, SAB Love & Happiness Rub-Ons (Old Olive), Aged Copper Hodgepodge Hardware
Tools: 1 1/4", 1 3/8", and Scallop Circle Punches, Paper Piercing Tool/Mat/Template
Supplies: Stampin' Dimensionals
Note: All Supplies are Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted.

SCS FEATURED STAMPER CHALLENGE FS56 PETAL PUSHER

Today's Featured Stamper on SCS (FS56) is Mary, aka Petal Pusher on SCS. THIS is Mary's card I chose to case today, and HERE is Mary's SCS gallery. The things I changed from Mary's card include: a) different DP and colors, b) added paper piercing along the horizontal section and on the scallop medallion, c) my sentiment is below the main image, and d) I used the ticket corner punch on the Pretty In Pink CS bordering the main image.

I used my new Watercolor Crayons to color in the chick .... I just got them on Friday, and they were FREE! ... my Senior Supervisor promotion bonus from Stampin' Up! woohoo! The chick's shell is paper pieced from Spring Fling DP.

I'm not completely thrilled with the end result of this card, but it just felt good to be able to stamp, even if it wasn't my idea of the ideal stamping time ... I think I started this card around noon today, leaving it several times to do other things, coming back to it several times, and finally finishing it around 7:00 tonight ... lots of interruptions!
RECIPE
Stamps: A Good Egg
Paper: Spring Fling DP, Whisper White, Pretty In Pink, Certainly Celery, and So Saffron CS
Ink: Jet Black Staz-On, So Saffron and Pumpkin Pie Watercolor Crayons
Embellishments: Certainly Celery Brad, Pretty In Pink Brad
Tools: Word Window Punch, Trio Flower Punch, 3/4", 1", 1 3/8" Circle Punches, Scallop Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Paper Piecing Tool/Mat/Template, Aquapainter
Supplies: Stampin' Dimensionals