another fun thing from my daughter's banquet was this scrapbook. as a tradition, the juniors give the seniors a gift. they wanted to do scrapbooks and a mom suggested using an online digital scapbooking company, mypublisher.com. i had so much fun with this program and would love to make more. you just choose your layout and drag & drop the pix into place. the only thing i didn't really like was there wasn't a lot of options to personalize it. i went to joanns and a local scrapbook store, just bee scrappin' and bought clear stickers to put throughout the book. the covers were plain black so i added the oval name plate with the girl's name and purple brads, large plaid ribbon and that cute big flower with a large polka dot brad. the books came in a plastic sleeve and then we wrapped the purple ribbon around it. the girls loved them almost as much as i loved making them!

mini scrapbook card

last night my daughter had her end of season soccer banquet. one of her coaches was hospitalized last week with a serious condition (our prayers are with you!) and she wasn't able to come to the banquet. i wanted to make a card for the girls to sign and write a few words. there are 43 players and 4 coaches so i needed a lot of room so i made a mini album. i knew she would want pix of the the night so it would be the next best thing to being there.
since i had to add the pix when i got home, the girls weren't able to see the finished "book" so i told them they could see it on here. some moms also wanted to know how i put it together so i am adding some instructions too.

this is what it looked like in the beginning. it came in a little kit of weird-colored items.

i couldn't find the right colors i wanted so i made my own to cover the interesting yellow plaid. i used black cardstock and stamped it with white and the flower ctr from the "enjoy every moment" set. i rolled lavender lace cardstock with versamark ink and the "whimsy" wheel.

i placed most of the photos on the back so she could stand it up in her room and see them. the large "behs" was a sticker i found at a local store.

the inside has a team photo and the girls cute notes. the inside was an ok yellow color so i left that and used faces from the "all in the family" set across the bottom.

to the team: the pictures didn't post well. if you want to see them please send me an email and i will send them to you.

another sample for this weeks spotlight set, "live like you mean it".

too creative link

a great online resource for ideas is split coast stampers. in their su galleries section, you can search by the name of the stamp set. hundreds of wonderful projects have been posted by people from all over the world, making creating fun projects quick and easy. plus, like this beautiful bookmark, shows you different ways sets can be used.
if there is a set you aren't sure about purchasing...or one that's been sitting on your shelf for awhile...type in the name and see how others are putting it to use. you will be surprised at the wide variety.
have a great week!

too wonderful set

this week's highlighted set is "live like you mean it", a level 1 hostess set. i really like sets that can be used in many ways and this is one of those. layering "life" and "live like you mean it" makes a great addition to cards, scrapbook pages, frames and album covers. this is one of those sets you will use over and over.

get this set for free by having a party...how easy is that?! send me an email for info.

a week of tags

here is a look at all of this weeks tags. recipes for each can be found on our tag countdown page. i have really enjoyed the requests i receive. if there is a stamp set or technique you would like to use please send me an email.

too creative idea

one of my favorite new stampin' up! dies is the top note. this is another creative use for it.

thanks to patty stamps for sharing Christmas card ideas from the founder's circle retreat.

this mini card would also make a great tag for larger gifts.

made by: nancy
stamps: holy triptych, heard from the heart
ink: white, riding hood red
paper: whisper white, riding hood red, always artichoke, misc. textured brown (substitute: creamy caramel)
extras: corner punch, die cut heart, ribbon, metallic silver pen

start thinking christmas presents

every year my goal is to have all of my christmas presents made by december 1....and every year i am finishing up christmas eve.

"little remembrances" are one of my biggest challenges each year for neighbors, co-workers, etc.

gift tags, whether for christmas or everyday, are a quick project and one everyone will use. our tags to christmas countdown offers a variety of styles. choose a few different ones and make several of each. tie a bow around an old tin or cover it with paper like the one shown and it makes a great container they can continue to store tags in (some of our tags are quite large so keep tag size in mind when choosing a container).

if you have any ideas please post them...i can always use inspiration when it comes to gifts.

birthday sale

save 20% off select birthday sets until the end of october
when you spend $20 on regular merchandise

party hearty

reg. 26.95

this sample was a hit at our wcmd event! everyone loved how mom used the winter post and scandinavian season sets and scandinavian wheel to create this tussy. visit moms page for more details on how to create this.

so the tag countdown doesn't get mixed up with all the posts...and so you can get to them quicker i placed a picture/link on the right side bar. i hope this helps.
thanks for stopping by!

a beautiful winter card mom created using the "winter post" set from the current holiday mini.

tag #19 (72 tags to christmas)


another request i received for a tag was one using non-christmas stamp sets and misc. embellishments/papers to use up scraps. the stop sign is from the set "its a sign". i have included a picture of the set. all of the stamps are quite large and make great additions to cards or stand alone tags.


to get instructions for all of the tags so far please visit our tag page.

tag #18 (73 tags to christmas)

i had a request from a lady in canada for a tag she could place a gift card in. it slips into the pocket, but i put it behind so you could see the tag better.

to get instructions for all of our tags so far please visit our tag page.

#17 (74 tags to christmas!)

this is a simple tag. because of the green background i used when i took the picture it appears to be bigger than it is. i love the "deer friends" set and used my 1" circle punch for a close up of santa. i love using my versamark stamp pad to shade by placing the paper on the pad and pressing. if you do this unevenly it creates a faux finish.
you can get instructions for all tags on our tag page.

tag #16 (75 tags to christmas!)

this one is my favorite so far. i stamped the snowman on the white cardstock and filled it in and added a 1/4" shadow lightly using a grey water color pencil. i also colored the arms brown and one holly leaf green.
i stamped the snowman 3 more times and cut out his three sections. i softened all color with a blender pen (i LOVE these). i used a stampin' dimensional to attach each section on top of the shaded snowman.
for the recipe for this tag and all others visit our tag page.

here they are!

visit our tag page for larger pictures and recipes for each tag.

tag #15 (76 tags to christmas!)

tag #14 (77 tags to christmas!)

tag #13 (78 tags to christmas!)

tag #12 (79 tags to christmas!)

tag #11 (80 tags to christmas!)

tag #10 (81 tags to christmas!)

tag #9 (82 tags to christmas!)

tag #8 (83 tags to christmas!)

i love the cards my mom creates. she is such a talented lady. she comes up with amazing ways to use her new and retired stamps. mom also comes across the best bargains on just about everything...and turns them into beautiful creations.

stamps: scandinavian season, warm words
ink: mellow moss
technique: tree stamped across three strips of paper glued side by side.

where are the tags!

thanks so much to everyone following my "tag a day til christmas". i have enjoyed the emails i have received asking...and some begging for more tags. i am having "picture issues" and am currently trying to resolve them. i will catch up all the tags by friday, but hopefully sooner.
have a too wonderful day.

stampin' up! specials

love is in the air...gotta love 20% off!

Stampin’ Up!’s Love You Much Bundle (item 115405) contains the perfect products to create fun Valentine’s Day projects that say "I love you" from the heart. from December 23, 2008, through January 31, 2009, you can purchase the Love You Much Bundle at 20% off the retail value!

gift certificates available

with the holidays around the corner why not get your shopping done early? better yet, let your family and friends know what you want under the tree this year....the best gift ever! a gift certificate for stampin' up! stuff. order one today!

a tag a day til christmas

tag #7 (84 tags til christmas)

check out all the tags in our countdown!

look what mom did!

aren't these hilarious?!! mom made them from the new su exclusive dies for the big shot, pennant bigz and baskets & blooms bigz.
thanks to shelli, at the stampin' up! convention for the idea to use the basket die for masks. i love how mom dressed them up.

a tag a day til christmas

tag #6 (84 tags til christmas!)

recipes for all the tags so far can be found on my tag page.

only 2 days until world card making day! i hope you are planning on celebrating with us! it will be a really fun day. everyone will go home with lots of goodies.