Last Chance List of RETIRING items is here!

It's that time of year when Stampin' Up! lets us know that it's time to clear out the shelves to bring in fabulous NEW goodies with the new catalogue release in July.

That means that dozens of stamp sets and accessories from the current 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogue, and home decor items from the 2009-2010 Fall-Winter Definitely Decorative catalogue and Spring-Summer insert are permanently retiring, and this month is your last chance to get your favourites!

Availability: Stamp sets and Décor Elements items will continue to be available until the end of June. Accessories are available only while quantities last.


Last Chance list of STAMPS (by page #)

Last Chance list of DECOR ELEMENTS (25% off Retiring DD items)

Last Chance list of ACCESSORIES (up to 50% off some items)

To place your online order CLICK HERE and chose me as your demonstrator!

Milk Carton Die = Quick and Easy Favors

One of my favorite Big Shot dies is the new Milk Carton Die. Making thank you gifts and favors are easy easy easy and quick quick quick...especially for the times when your husband needs 11 thank you gifts and decides to tell you the night before...but that never happened to me. ;) Run it through the big shot with your favorite DSP, add a few strips of sticky strip and a clip on top and...voila, instant favor!

These were thank you gifts for some Grade 3 kids who acted as "younger brothers/sisters" for some of Andy's high school kids this year. They were filled with every 9 yr olds favorite candy: SMARTIES!







Paper: regal rose, pretty in pink, bordering blue, bashful blue, bermuda breeze, tempting turquoise
Stamps: tiny tags,fox and friends
Ink: regal rose, bordering blue, bermuda breeze
Accessories: mini mild carton die, tiny tags punch, pinking hearts border punch, silver cord, clip (dollarama), scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, regal rose, bordering blue, tempting turquoise 1/4" grosgrain ribbon

Stamp-A-Stack Reschedule!

Please join me for an All-Occasion Stamp-A-Stack on

Friday, May 28, 2010 from 7:00PM - 10:00PM
or
Saturday, May 29, 2010 from 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Cost: $25 (includes envelopes)

Where: 1992 Loudoun Road

Stamp and assemble 10 all-occasion cards (2 each of 5 designs) with the pre-cut kits I have put together. I set up 5 stations and once you finish your 2 cards, you move on to the next station. I have room for 15 people (max 3 per station). All you need to bring is your favorite adhesive and a pair of scissors.

Pease RSVP by Thursday, May 27, 2010. Email me at madewithlovebycher@hotmail.com or leave a comment with your email address and let me know which day you would like to come.

The 5 designs pictured below are the cards we will be making. Keep in mind that I have a PLETHORA of greeting stamps so if you would like to change up the sentiment, you are free to do so! Need 10 birthday cards? Done! It is going to be a great girls night out so don't miss out!

Join me for an All Occasion Stamp-a-Stack

Please join me for an All-Occasion Stamp-A-Stack on

Friday, April 30, 2010 from 7:00PM - 10:00PM
or
Saturday, May 1, 2010 from 9:00AM - 12:00PM

Cost: $25 (includes envelopes)

Where: 1992 Loudoun Road

Stamp and assemble 10 all-occasion cards (2 each of 5 designs) with the pre-cut kits I have put together. I set up 5 stations and once you finish your 2 cards, you move on to the next station. I have room for 15 people (max 3 per station). All you need to bring is your favorite adhesive and a pair of scissors.

Pease RSVP by Thursday, April 22, 2010. Email me at madewithlovebycher@hotmail.com or leave a comment with your email address and let me know which day you would like to come.

Stay tuned for a picture of the projects. It's going to be a ton of fun so invite your friends and join me for a great girls night!!

A Chocolate Bunny Good Enough to Eat

A waaaaay late Easter card but it's soooo cute I had to share it anyway. I demoed this card at Lorie's party back in March. (Thanks for hosting such a great party Lor!) Not only does it LOOK like a chocolate bunny, it SMELLS like one too! You can make any image a scratch n sniff image by combining your SUGAR-FREE powder (cherry kool-aid, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg etc) with clear embossing powder. As an added warning, make sure you are using powder that is sugar-free or your chocolate bunny will start to smell like burnt-and-charbroiled chocolate bunny...not quite the same effect!

And that medium jewellry tag punch...now used to make a fence!! Brilliant!

Instructions:
1) Mix 1 part cocoa (or sugar-free hot chocolate) to 2 parts clear embossing powder

2) Using chocolate chip craft ink, stamp the chocolate bunny onto close to cocoa CS

3)Generously cover the image with the cocoa/embossing powder mix and tap off excess.

4)Heat with a heat tool.

Other scratch n sniff ideas:
*Make your cherries from the Tart n Tangy set smell like cherries by using sugar-free cherry kool-aid
*Make your Christmas stamps smell like gingerbread by using cinnamon or nutmeg
*Make your cake or cupcake images smell like chocolate by using cocoa



Stamps: Chocolate Bunny,Well Scripted
Paper: chocolate chip, close to cocoa, bashful blue, WW
Ink: chocolate chip craft & classic ink
Accessories: heat tool, clear embossing powder, medium jewellry tag punch, scallop trim edge punch, Sherbet button, 5/8" white satin ribbon, linen thread

Happy Monday

Here's a card (CASEd from the January issue of Stampin' Success) that will hopefully make you smile on a cloudy Monday. I love the ingenious and unique ways that creative people can come up with to showcase the SU punches. Here, the ornament punch was used and turned on it's side to create kissing fish.



Paper: Rose Red, Soft Suede, WW, real red
Stamps: Ornament, Define Your Life
Ink: soft suede
Accessories: WW 1/4" grosgrain, small heart punch, ornament punch, scallop oval punch, scallop edge punch, 1/2" circle punch, 1/4" circle punch, basic black marker

Out with the old, in with the new!

Stampin' Up! recently announced a color family renovation beginning with the release on July 1st of the 2010-2011 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog. This color facelift has been long overdue and will see the introduction of some yummy new colors (Early Espresso and Cherry Cobbler) and the return of past In Colors (yes, the high pitched squeal you just heard was my excitement over the return of Baja Breeze!!!!) I am thrilled to pieces about this new change! The new color collections are trendy and current and will give our projects a fresh new look.

Sadly, some of our favorite colors will be retiring but we have 3 months to stock up on our favorite ink refills, markers and cardstock. To place an order CLICK HERE and don't forget to check out the clearance rack where you can find many items up to 60% off!

Card Tote

As a full time working mom of three with a Stampin' Up business on the side, my life is consumed with calculating dilutions, emptying backpacks, or cutting out 20 stamp club projects. Rarely do I ever get a chance to make things for me. So this past weekend was devoted to making projects that I have found online (I am so NOT creative enough to come up with these things) that are uber-cute and incredibly frilly and most importantly, make me smile. I hope they make you smile too.

This is a card tote by Becky Roberts. It is designed to hold several standard sized (4 1/4" x 5 1/2") cards. Wouldn't this make a great thank you gift? Sadly, the Parisian Breeze DSP that was used has retired, along with Baja Breeze which, as it turns out, I, and others (Tamara), are still mourning the loss of. RIP Baja Breeze. RIP.

Crafting is good for my soul

I am back from an INCREDIBLE weekend of uninterrupted crafting. Marilyn and her crew from Scrapbookers Anonymous put on a fantastic retreat up at the Lakeview Resort in Gimli, MB. We were showered with lovely goody bags, cute prizes, yummy buffet meals and most importantly, uninterrupted time to: chat with, giggle with, ask advice from, bond with, borrow supplies from, and become inspired by other talented crafters. It really was the ultimate girls weekend.

Not only that but we were EXTREMELY productive.
Tricia = 47 cards








Tamara = 12 scrapbook pages, 8 cards, 2 mini books






Gerry = 114 photos matted and adhered to pages




Renelle = 20 pages, 16 cards





Cheryl = 2 calendars, 1 purse, 1 matchbox dresser, 1 card tote, 2 alligator wallets, 4 cards, 4 sesame street magnets

****Tonight I have a date with my camera and projects (yes, a threesome! ;P) so stay tuned for upcoming posts****

For now, here are some photos of our weekend together.

My extremely organized work area:


Once you completed a project/page/card etc you could take the incentive cone from whomever had it last. If the prize patrol came into the room and you were in possession of the cone, you won a prize! Renelle, Tricia, and Tamara were big winners at our table. In the picture below, I barely made it back to my seat and it was stolen by somebody else.


Our table working hard. Ok so we staged this. Whatever. We still looked good.


One of the buffets that the Lakeview spoiled us with. The food was delicious and the service was amazing.


Gotta love a girl who loves her bacon. See all the fun you missed?


Me 'n my peeps...I {heart} them alot. :)


As I crafted on Sunday, feeling sad that my crafting time was coming to an end, I was washed over with gratitude that I had great friends who love crafting as much as I do, who were willing to leave their families for a weekend to play with paper, scissors and glue. So thank you to Tamara, Tricia, Renelle and Gerry for a wonderful weekend...here's to many more retreats and weekends crafting together.

*sigh* Crafting really IS good for my soul.

Ms. VanDiepen

This quick, 5 minute card is completely CASEd by the fabulous Kim VanDiepen. I stalk visit her blog hourly daily. She has no idea who I am but I adore her projects and would love to be her BFF. Seriously. She is crazy talented.



Paper: soft suede, WW
Ink: soft suede
Stamps: Circle Circus
Accessories: Button latte, hemp twine, rub ons, scallop trim edge punch, finial press embossing folder, 1 1/4" circle punch, 1" circle punch, 3/4" circle punch

Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Sesame Street?

Here is the perfect card for such a gloomy day...I bet you smiled when you saw it. And I also bet that you will be humming the Sesame Street theme song all day long!

Don't forget...only 20 more sleeps until Sale-A-Bration is over! Be sure to click the catalogue on the left to see what you can get for FREE.





Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: real red, brilliant blue, yoyo yellow, glorious green, basic black, only orange, WW
Punches: scallop circle, large oval, small oval, modern label, designer label, 3/4" circle, 1/2" circle, 1/16" circle

A Card for Eloise

With the Olympics over, I need to get over my Olympic withdrawal with some stamping! That or listen to "I Believe" all day at work and imagine the Olympic montages in my head...not that I did that yesterday...a little...maybe for 6 hours...

Regardless, this is a card I made for my friend Nikki who gave birth to a beauty of a girl named Eloise. Congrats again Nikki...she is gorgeous!




Stamps: something sweet,
Paper:choc chip CS, pretty in pink CS, sending love DSP
Ink: choc chip
Accessories: sweet treat cup, 5/8" choc chip satin ribbon, pretty in pink grosgrain ribbon, scallop trim border punch

Stitched Felt

Happy Friday! The new stitched felt pieces make cardmaking a breeze...this card was put together in less than 10 minutes. It is completely CASEd by Ilina Crouse...didn't need to change a thing.



Stamps: Well Scripted
Paper: kraft, bashful blue DSP, pretty in pink
Ink: choc chip
Accessories: sweet pea stitched felt, linen thread, scallop trim border punch

More Butterflies

Another butterfly card for today...I just can't get enough of this embosslit. And kraft cardstock. And the tiny jewellry tag punch. And linen thread.





Paper: kraft, melon mambo, crushed curry, soft suede
Stamps: Tiny Tags
Ink: choc chip
Accessories: med jewelry tag punch, linen thread, beautiful wings butterfly embosslit

Beautiful Butterfly

Holy hannah I love the new butterfly embosslit...it has probably gone through my Big Shot 500 times, no joke. Would this not be perfect for a butterfly-themed wedding or shower?!? Sooooo flippin' pretty. A butterfly tip: to make them look like they are flying off the card, adhere the butterfly to the CS with a mini glue dot or dimensional in the centre of the butterfly and fold up the wings.





Stamps: Well Scripted
Paper: kraft, old olive, pretty in pink, melon mambo, choc chip, Sweet Pea DSP
Ink: choc chip
Accessories: beautiful wings butterfly embosslit, scallop trim border punch, choc chip satin ribbon, hemp twine

Mmmmm...chocolate

Here is a yummy card using my current favorite color combination: kraft and chocolate chip and my current favorite stamp set: Tiny Tags. Inspired by the talented Kimberly VanDiepen, the heart treat cup is filled with chocolate sprinkles that I found at Dollarama. Kim's love for buttons and linen thread is starting to rub off on me. I suppose I should work on my hoarding tendencies and start sharing those buttons I have collected. Sigh. Sharing my accessories is hard to do.





Stamps: Fine Flourish, Tiny Tags
Paper: kraft, choc chop
Ink: choc chip
Accessories: sweetheart treat cups, large heart punch, med jewelry tag punch, hemp twine, linen thread, button latte, perfect polka dots embossing folder

Happy Valentine's Day to the greatest Stampin' Up husband ever

Originally designed to be my sweetheart's Valentine's Day card, I liked it so much it became the project for my February stamp clubs. The hardest part was keeping him distracted during the stamp club while all my girls were making it! And yes ladies, I did not ask him for it back...he gets to keep this one all to himself. So thank you Andy, for letting my girls invade our living room twice a month, sometimes more...I so so appreciate it.







Stamps: Well Scripted
Paper: real red, very vanilla, basic black
Ink: real red
Accessories: XL 2 step bird punch, scalloped heart of hearts embosslit, fine flourish texture plate, vanilla hodge podge hardware, designer label punch

The Birth of a Blog

Welcome Welcome Welcome!
It is with loads of excitement and enthusiasm (mixed with fear and trepidation) that I enter into this whole new world of blogging. So thank you in advance to those who stick around and read the ramblings of a 33 yr old mom of 3, view the projects of a late night, sometimes insomnia-afflicted crafter and tolerate my obsession with anything that is Stampin' Up!, Blue Bombers or big and blingy that I can wear on my finger. In addition, please forgive the run on sentences, typos and bad photography...I will do my best to improve on all 3 counts.

...wow that has to be some kind of record for using the #3 in a blog post....