BE A DEMONSTRATOR FOR JUST $75!!!

Stampin' Up! just announced their greatest deal EVER on becoming a demonstrator......just $75!! This offer runs from May 1 to 31st! Here's the scoop........

In celebration of National Scrapbooking Month, join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator for only $75 with our limited-time Scrapbooking Starter Kit. The Scrapbooking Starter Kit contains the following:

Item Code	Description	Retail Value
113510	Schoolbook Serif Alphabet stamp set*	$42.95
113059	Simply Scrappin' Petal Party	$19.95
108697	Earth Elements Assorted textured card stock (12" x 12")	$11.95
105240	Whisper White Craft Stampin' Pad	$7.50

*Substitutable for any stamp set up to $43.95 value.

Please note: Each of the products listed above may be substituted for like items. Please see the Scrapbooking Starter Kit Order Form for details.The Scrapbooking Starter Kit also contains all the business supplies contained in the standard Starter Kit:

• Getting Started DVD
• Getting Started Guide
• Guest Invitation Postcard (100)
• Idea Book & Catalog (8)
• Occasions Mini Catalog (8)
• To My Hostess Envelope (10)
• Recruit Folders (5)
• Recruit Brochures (20)
• Hostess Brochure (20)
• Hostess Benefits Form (10)
• Customer Order Form (50)

So, if you have EVER thought about taking the plunge.....you should just GO FOR IT!!!

There is another promotion beginning May1st....Buy any three packs of Designer Series paper (including our Specialty Designer Series paper) or 12" x 12" textured card stock, and get one FREE!

I know that I have been putting off buying some much wanted textured card stock so that I could take advantage of this very offer!! I plan on loading up!!! You should too!!

As an FYI......My sisters and I are going to be visiting my mother for the weekend. Last May 2nd my step-father passed away VERY suddenly. It has been a year of much change in her life and this Saturday, the one year mark, will be another hurdle to cross....then her year of "firsts" will be over. So, we are going to spend this coming May2nd hanging out with her and having some fun....making sure that this "anniversary" is not too sad for her. I'm looking forward to it....we are BIG scrabble players, so we will be playing LOTS of it. I'm also bringing our 1st season DVD's of "Columbo".....that way we can really veg-out and have some mindless relaxation....gotta love that!!

All that to say, that I will probably not be posting (or stamping) anything until at least Monday.

Have a GREAT weekend.....until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

FLATLANDER'S CRAFT FAIR

Well, it is just a week until the Flatlander's Craft Fair.....so, I thought that I would post some details for those of you who are local....or those of you who want a road trip destination :-)

Flatlander's Craft Fair
Saturday, May 9th
Craft & Food Booths: 8:00 - 2:00 p.m.
Maywood Center on Avenue 12
Madera Ranchos
Parade begins at 10:00 a.m.

I will be selling cards, card sets, gift card holders, candles, and maybe a few more items. I will also be promoting some upcoming stamping classes and events.....maybe even have a Make-n-Take for those who have never stamped before.

I will also be selling OLIVES!!! Our friend is a producer of olive products and I will have his line of products there as well. These olives are YUMMY!!!! There will be a variety of stuffed olives, marinated veggies, olive oil, garlic, and some jams & jellies. Makes me hungry just thinking about them :0

I will have something for everybody!!! So, come on out to the Ranchos for some local home-town fun!!!

Until next time,
Find some for stamping or eating olives!!!
Blessings, Cindy

PS: Our church, Free Grace Church, will also be hosting a booth at the Flatlander's.....we will be handing out free Bibles and some other literature. Also, it will be GREAT time to meet our WONDERFUL pastor, Matt Troupe!!!

BOXES

Happy Tuesday!! Thanks for checkin' in!!

I keep plugging away at getting things ready for May 9th's Flatlander's Craft Fair. I made some boxes....you can't tell from the picture, but the two small boxes in the front are made from patterned paper and cut with the Big Shot using the Bag w/Scallop bigz die. The others are 2,5,7,10 boxes (click here for instructions) that I made awhile ago.
The ribbon on the Big Shot boxes are only glued to the front. These ribbons that I wanted to use these boxes were too short.... so I began thinking and remembered that I had some self-adhesive velcro dots that maybe I could use. So, I cut them in half and adhered them to the inside flap....boy, this makes for real easy opening of the box!!

Back to the workshop!!
Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

ALMOST DONE

Happy Monday!!! Hope you all had a terrific weekend! We did!

Well, it is now less than 2 weeks before our local Flatlander's Craft Fair on May9th in the Madera Ranchos. I think I'm done with making card sets! Whew!! It has been difficult trying to gauge how much stuff to make....I don't want to make too much and I don't want to wind up short with nothing left. Anyway, below is a picture of the sets that I've made up to sell.....I will also be selling individual cards, gift boxes, gift card holders, and candles (Yikes!!! I need to get busy!!!)
Today, my goal is to make a bunch of gift boxes.....the Big Shot will make this pretty easy!! Yeah (again) for the Big Shot!!! I'll post pictures of those when I get them done.

By the way.....the baby kitties are doing GREAT!!! They are all still strong and healthy and getting cuter with each passing day!! I'll try and take some pictures of them too and post them.

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

FIRST PICTURES

Here are some of the first pictures of Cuddles and her new family....you can't really tell, but there are SEVEN babies in there somewhere! Not a great picture of the kittens....but I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks for some good pictures of those kittens. The kids filmed part of the birth.....but I'll spare you those pics ;-} 24 hours later Cuddles was acting pretty normal....too bad humans don't bounce back from having 7 babies so easily :-D

I'm not too adventuresome when it comes to doing different techniques.....like the ones on Splitcoast, but today I tried something new. I had some white candles from the Dollar Tree....so, I thought....why not give it a try!! Pretty good considering it was my first! It was quick and easy......that's what I like!!
I just tried to find the Stamping on Candles tutorial on Splitcoast and wasn't able to....I'm sure it's there somewhere, since that is where I got it from. Anyway....all you do is stamp on tissue paper and cut around your image. Cut a piece of waxed paper at least the same height as your candle. Place your image on your candle where you want it, put the waxed paper over it and pull the waxed paper tight. Heat up your embossing gun (heat tool) and quickly pass over your image....waving it quickly from side to side. The waxed paper will keep your candle's sides all smooth. You'll be able to tell when the image is melted into the wax...the tissue paper gets "absorbed" into the candle. Let it cool a couple of seconds and then peel off the waxed paper....Viola!!! A gift in minutes!!! I'm going to have to make more of these!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

KITTENS, KITTENS, and MORE KITTENS

Well, Cuddles had her brood yesterday (Thursday) afternoon.....and what a brood she had!!! She had SEVEN!!! Wow!!! They are adorable!!! All of them look healthy and strong. I'll post some pictures of them later today!

Until next time,
Blessings, Cindy

NO KITTENS....JUST A CARD

Well, as weird as Cuddles the cat was acting....no kittens yet. By the looks of her it better be any day!

Last night I just couldn't help myself.....I had to try out my new Circle Scissors Plus and Eyelet Border punch that I recently received. I made this card at about 11:00 p.m. and noticed this morning that the stamping was a bit crooked.....I don't think I was seeing straight last night :-D I think that I'm going to LOVE both of them.....the Eyelet Border punch is soooooo cute!!!
I'm going to dig in and get my work done around the house so that I can play some more.....need to keep those priorities straight!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

Card Ingredients
Stamps: Trendy Trees, Thoughts & Prayers (sentiment)
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Night of Navy
Paper: Night of Navy, Kiwi Kiss, Vanilla, Sand colored paper that I've had FOREVER!!
Accessories: Circle Scissors Plus, Eyelet Border punch, 5/8" striped kiwi kiss grosgrain ribbon

BABY KITTENS ANY DAY NOW!!!

Our cat, Cuddles, is going to have kittens ANY DAY NOW....in fact, we are thinking it might be tonight!!! She has been acting very weird and has been trying to decide where to have her brood for the last couple of days. We have a box/bed on the patio all ready for her.....the kids also made a "bed" for Jesse, our dog, out of the box from our new tv.

Cuddles and Jesse have always been the best of buds.....and I'm now thinking she might have found the perfect place for the delivery room.....I took these pictures around 8:30pm on Wednesday evening.They are both so weird!!

Didn't get to do much stamping today.....I spent most of it out on the patio dusting off all the winter cobwebs from the eaves of the house and getting it all ready for summer. We spend TONS of time on our patio.

Anyway....all that said.....here is a picture of a card that I had started yesterday and finished this morning. I LOVE the Trendy Trees stamp set.....I received it FREE as a reward for my sales during Sale-A-Bration (WoooWhooo!!! I always love free!!!).

I'm not completely pleased with this card, but I was anxious to use my new set!!! Being impatient is a BIG problem with me.....I'm just itchin' to ink up new stamps!!! I'm also all crazy because of the other new "toys" I received just yesterday....my mind is all jumbled....ahhhh!!!
Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Trendy Trees, Yummy
Ink: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango, Chocolate Chip
Paper: Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, Textured vanilla
Accessories: Big Shot, top note bigz die

THANKS MOM!!!

Today, my birthday gift from my mom arrived!!!! Yeah!!! I'm so excited!!! Who could ask for better gifts???!!!

THANKS Mom for your generosity!!!

I'm looking forward to using my new Circle Scissors and the Glass Mat!! I will now have to remember all the great blogs that have posted tips and tutorials on using it effectively. I also received a few punches that have been on my "Wish List"....I just LOVE punches!!!! I know what I'll be busy doing for awhile!!!
Well, since I'm itchin' to get cuttin'....that's all for today!!
Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

NEW WEEK, NEW CARD

Good Monday morning to you!! Hope your weekend was as great as mine!

Saturday we went out to the ski lake for an afternoon of fun with some friends. We spent the afternoon waterskiing, snackin', talking' & lazin'!! It was wonderful! The weather was perfect and the company refreshing!

Sunday we went to church......I just LOVE our church.....you can check out their blog which is listed on Blog List (Free Grace Church). This was mine turn in the nursery.......great way to get my "baby fix"!!. When we got home we spent the afternoon relaxing. The kids worked on their country reports for school and I did a bit of stamping. Steve had to work on Sunday.....which is ALWAYS a bummer!!!

The card I made on Sunday afternoon is a very CAS (clean and simple) card. Very easy too.....The leaves of the tree were inked with Old Olive and then I wiped off the top of the trunk and used my Chocolate Chip marker to color in the trunk....it just seemed to tedious to me to use a marker for all the leaves. It made this card go much quicker! Also, the stamp set Thoughts & Prayers is one of those sets that makes whatever you do look GREAT!!!
I think that I will make a few sets of these for my stash that I'm stockpiling for the Flatlander's Craft Fair on May 9th.....I'm trying NOT to completely FREAK OUT about that. I need to remember that steady plodding brings success!!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

Card Ingredients:
Stamps: Thoughts & Prayers, Pocket Silhouettes (sentiment)
Cardstock: Whisper white, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip
Ink: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate chip marker
Accessories: ticket corner punch , 1-3/4, 1-3/8, 1-1/4 circle punches, dimensionals

A CHALLENGE CARD

I have been having fun stamping this evening....the kids have been watching the old tv series "Get Smart" and I have been in my stamping room having FUN!!!

There is a website called Diva Coffee Break Designs and each week they post a challenge....below is the challenge for this week....This evening I made the following card for this challenge....sorry, the picture turned out a bit dark.
I had fun making this card.....it has been awhile since I stamped just for fun and not for the upcoming Flatlander's Craft Fair on May 9th.

Back to havin' fun!!!
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

HEY LADY! (Bug, that is)

Happy Friday!! Always nice to see the weekend come around again. The weather is suppose to be fantastic....which means we will be heading out to the lake on Saturday so that Steve, and maybe the kids, can get in some waterskiing. The water is still a bit too cold for me to venture into!! Steve will have a chance to take his new waterski out for its maiden ski.....I'm so glad he finally bought himself a new ski. It has been YEARS since he upgraded....waterskiing, like anything else, has its own sub-culture.

In fact, here is a picture of Steve from last summer doing what he loves to do.....WHAT A GUY!!! Gotta LOVE him!!!Well, my allergies aren't trying to kill me today, so I finished doing some housecleaning (in order to not feel guilty) and sat down and made another box using my new Bag w/Scallops Bigz die. I combined a couple of my favorites in this one....the Inspired by Nature stamp set, the Level 1 hostess stamp set Darling Dots, and, of course, the Big Shot!
The "thank you" on the flap was a last minute addition....thought it looked a bit plain, then I thought I wrecked it.....I'll have to see if it grows on me. I'm, of course, going to be making some more boxes. I want to play around more with the grass and ladybugs.

I'm also going to post a picture of our cat, Cuddles, who is GREAT with kitten! We are all sure that she will be delivering her brood ANY DAY NOW!!! We are so excited.....the kids like to feel the babies kick. We normally do not let our animals indoors since we live in the country and there's LOTS of dirt in the country....but we have been letting her come in. She's so cute and sweet!!! Doesn't she look fat and lazy??!! I'll keep you updated on her!!
Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

THERE.....I FEEL BETTER NOW

Even though I just got through writing a post.....here's another one! In case you didn't know, I received the Bag w/Scallops Bigz die for my birthday, so I quickly made a bag using that die! Yeah!!! It made me feel better just knowing that I created something...nothing great and spectacular, but something!

Hardly any real stamping....just used the Oval All stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog, stamped on Whisper White with Bashful Blue ink, punched out using the large oval punch, and mounted on Bashful Blue card stock punched with the Scalloped Oval punch, also in the Occasions Mini. The paper is Delicate Dots designer paper from the now retired Sale-A-Bration catalog....Quick and easy!!! Gotta LOVE that Big Shot!!!!
Now I want do something else!!! Not sure I'll be up to it......My allergies are making me feel like I'm on the verge of a sneeze ALL the time. I have all the typical symtoms.....runny nose, itchy eyes, etc.....but the bright side is that this only lasts a couple of weeks and then I'm fine.

I'm actually missing taking part in some of the SCS Challenges, Mojo Monday sketch challenges, and other challenges that are posted around the internet. Once the Flatlander's Craft Fair on May 9th is over, I'll be back doing those..... I might have to sneak in a challenge or two before then though :-D

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

AHHH CHOOOO!!!

I had every intention of getting my house all cleaned up and doing some stamping today, but with the wind that has been blowing like CRAZY out here, I've been PLAGUED by allergy symptoms which just WIPE ME OUT!!! This time of year for me is a love/hate thing.....I love Spring, but hate my allergies!!! Anyway.....I might sit down this evening and doodle a bit. I'll post it if I do anything

Just so you have something to see.....I did take a picture of some ducks that have been camping out in our pond in the back. They come and hang out every day....not sure where they go in the late afternoon, but each morning they're back. They're so cute!!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME :-D

Today is my birthday.....I'm thankful that the Lord has allowed me these years. I have a GREAT Savior, GREAT life, GREAT family....I am SO THANKFUL for all that God has blessed me with and I don't want to take any of it for granted!!

Last night we went out to dinner in honor of my birthday.....I wanted to go to Rubio's for fish taco's....yummy!!! Rubio's is one of my favorite places. Believe it or not, I wasn't up for going to a restaurant....I just wanted to have an easy, relaxing, and fun time out with my family. Then after dinner we went to Starbucks and each had a decaf coffee....that was yummy too! We're not big Starbucks folks, but like to go there for a treat every now and then. Then we came home and I was able to open my presents......I got the Bag w/Scallops Bigz die!!! Also the extended cutting pads!!! I'm going to have fun playing with that!!!

As promised....here is the other card that we made at Stamp Club on Monday. This card was also very simple. I knew ahead of time that I was going to be having a couple of really new stampers present...in fact, one gal had never stamped before.....so I wanted both projects to be easy and not frustrating.
The only stamping on this card was using the Oval All stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. The designer series paper is Delicate Dots from the recent Sale-A-Bration catalog. The card's base is Certainly Celery, it has a black background piece and then 2 pieces of the Delicate Dots paper topped with a ribbon. The Scallop Oval punch is also in the current Occasions Mini....that punch is GREAT!!! There is no guarantee that it will be in the next catalog, so it may only be available through May (although I hope not!).....better get it while you can!!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Hope you all had a most blessed Easter!!! We had a quiet Easter....we went to church, which was GREAT and then came home, relaxed and waited for Steve to get home from work. We all just hung out and talked and then had a nice dinner together. It was all wonderful!!!

The kids head back to school tomorrow....which seems to get us all into a routine and it should get me back to work on making cool stuff to sell at the Flatlanders Craft Fair on May 9th.

We had a FANTASTIC time in San Francisco....it rained on us in the morning, but we spent that morning touring Alcatraz so we were inside most of the time. We had a picnic on Alcatraz before heading back on the ferry. The kids said their favorite part of the trip was taking BART from Pleasanton under the bay to San Francisco and riding the city bus/trolley. I guess simple pleasures are the best!

Tonight is my monthly Stamp Club and we are going to be making a Mother's Day card. Mother's Day comes before we meet again in May.....so now we should all be prepared and not have to panic because it's Saturday night and we don't have a card yet!

The card is an EASY one.....of course, I had to use my Big Shot (I can barely make a card without it now) and I used my new Thoughts & Prayers stamp set....which I LOVE!!! I also used the Happy Mother's Day stamp from the All Holidays stamp set.

I started with a 1/2 sheet of Certainly Celery and topped that with a piece of Pink Pirouette. The top note is cut from a sheet of textured vanilla cardstock. I inked the image with Certainly Celery and then wiped off the flowers using a Q-tip and colored them using a Rose Red marker. The sentiment is stamped with Rose Red also. The ribbon is from JoAnn's.....I just love the sheer colored ribbons.....my wish is that Stampin' Up! would offer sheer ribbon in their colors!!...right now they just offer white. The top note is sponged around the edges with Rose Red and lightly sponged all over and then mounted with dimensionals. I used the double circle punch, which is now retired :-( , and laced the ribbon from the back and tied a bow....Viola!!
We are going to be making another card but I'm going to save that for tomorrow since I know that I won't be making anything new today....so check in tomorrow and see what else we did at Stamp Club!!

Until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!
Blessings, Cindy

WHEW! FINALLY TIME TO STAMP and THIS HAPPENS!!

This last week was pretty busy....and this next week is stacking up to be the same. This week is Easter break for the kids. We are going to take advantage of the kids being off and spend some much needed time together having fun. We are planning on going out of town for a couple of days and doing some "touristy" (is that a word???) stuff in San Francisco (Alcatraz, Golden Gate, Fisherman's Wharf). I'm really looking forward to hanging out with my family!!!

Also, our cat is going to be having kittens ANY DAY now....we have all been anxiously awaiting the arrival of her brood. She is getting quite round in the middle! Our cat acts more like a dog than a cat....which makes my husband Steve happy.

Anyway....last week I don't think I stamped at all (I need to get my priorities straight :-D). So, this weekend I made a set of cards....and I HATE it when this happens.....when I finished I wasn't pleased with how they turned out. I think they're ugly!!! Arrrrr!!! But I'm going to go ahead and package them up and try to sell them anyway! I don't mind the layout, but the colors are making me NUTS!!! I think I need to stop trying to use ALL my scraps at once and concentrate on making nice cards, NOT cleaning my scrap bin out. Which I might add keeps getting bigger and not smaller....the more I use out of it and more it grows!
I will try to do MUCH BETTER next time......I can't take this from myself!

This will be my last post until probably the end of the week.....so until next time,
Find some time for stamping!!!!
Blessings, Cindy

SORRY FOR NO POSTS

Happy Friday!!

Sorry that I haven't posted anything for a few days but we have been busy doing TONS of yard work, I've had a couple of doctor's appointments, and we had the kids' Open House at school. Today, I am planning on getting the house all in order so that I will have time tomorrow (or maybe even tonight) to do some much needed stamping.

I will probably not be doing too much stamping next week as well since it is Easter break for the kids. We are planning to go to San Francisco, tour Alcatraz, and do some other fun tourist stuff.

Hopefully, I will get something done this weekend....Until next time,

Find some time for stamping!!! (I sure need to)
Blessings, Cindy