Blogger's Challenge #78 - Non-Traditional Christmas Cards

I have to say, that I loved this challenge! But.......I don't love this card.

I like the idea of this card, but after fussing with it and changing it several times, this is what I decided to go with bcuz I was too tired to mess with it anymore!

Those who were at my last 30 Card Christmas Card class will recognize this card, but theirs utilized the narrow White Grosgrain ribbon with a small bow. I'm thinking I should have stuck with that. Oh, well, for better or worse, here are the deets!

I started with a card base of Green Galore and stamped the snowflake image from Season of Joy in Green Galore ink. The focal point layers are Real Red, Pixie Pink and Whisper White. The word block from Season of Joy is stamped in Real Red on the white cardstock. The raised snowflake in the "o" of Joy is from Punch Pals and was stamped in Pixie Pink on Whisper White. I then punched it out with the 3/4" Circle Punch and popped it up on a dimensional.

The snowflake circle and the white and red layers were edged with 2 way Glue and dusted with Dazzling Diamonds to make it sparkle. Since this card has a contemporary feel to me, I added just a strip of Real Red Striped Grosgrain ribbon around the belly and attached the ends under the focal piece. Maybe that's the thing, I'm not as comfortable playing in the Bold Brights colors or doing the "mod" card style. But, that's how we grow as stampers, by stretching our creative wings and learning to fly.

Speaking of, I have to fly out of here - lots of teacher gifts to deliver today since it's the last day of school before Christmas! Emma is anxiously awaiting me at school! Tonight we have a fun evening planned, we are going to see West Side Story at the National Theatre in D.C.

Then tomorrow, Emma has her Holiday Ice Show at our home rink, the Prince William Ice Center from 12p - 3 pm. If you are local and want to come out, admission is free, just bring a canned good for SERVE for each person attending the show. Check their website here for directions. Emma skates around 1:30 and again at 2:40, but we will be there for the whole show. It's a wonderful show that showcases the talents of many local skaters and is a great FREE way to kick off your holidays! If you come, be sure and stop by the National Blades Fundraisers table. There are lots of raffle items and plates of homemade cookies for sale! Mine are the best though bcuz my friend Lissa made them for me! Love ya girl! You made my week!

Oh, and be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players this week by clicking on the link on my sidebar. They will have some fabulous creations for you to view, I'm sure!

~~Robin

My Favorite Card This Season!

Hello everyone! I hope you are staying warm and dry today. It is yukky drizzly rain here and the temps are expected to drop tonight so we'll have some fun black ice in the morning. Good thing I'm staying home and STAMPING!

Speaking of ice, I know some of you are waiting to hear how Emma's team did in Michigan at their competition. They skated their best skate EVER and finished 7th in their group. So, no medal, but their coach was so happy she cried. Apparently this particular event is akin to a national competition at this level because of the types of teams it draws. So for our girls to have done this well is really a feat to be proud of! I have some fun pictures to show you from our adventures there, I will get those up later this week.

I wanted to show you all a card today that I DID NOT make. It's such a beauty and my amazing stamping friend LouAnn Cruttenden from Michigan created this card. I receive a LOT of fabulous samples from amazing stampers all over the country and this year was no exception, but this particular card is truly my favorite of all this season.

LouAnn used the beautiful stamp set Winter Post which has that lovely skating couple in it. She combined Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip and Very Vanilla for this wonderful vintage feel and added that gorgeous Candy Cane striped ribbon. She did an amazing job and I just love everything about it!

If you were at my WOW Christmas Card class this year, you are already familiar with this card since you got to make it! And, some of you will be receiving this in the mail from me too! If you like it, please leave a comment so I can pass it on to LouAnn. She doesn't have a blog and I know she'd love to hear your remarks!

Blessings,
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #77 Christmas Ornaments

Hi everyone! Before I tell you about my challenge piece today, I want to apologize for being AWOL from the blog this week. Since we got back from Michigan we have simply not stopped and life has been really nuts in our home. Nothing serious, praise God, but just very full days and evenings.

I hate not posting, but when there is only so much time and so much of me to go around, something had to give. On the bright side, I do have a lot of projects that will get posted soon, I promise! And Tiffany if you are reading this - THANK YOU for the blog award! You are the best! I'll post it next week with my pass along choices, ok?

Whew, now that I've gotten that off my heart, let me share my ornament with you! This actually is one of the projects from my Procrastinator's Gifts classes this week. Yesterday's group loved it and I hope you will too!

It's pretty simple actually. Just stamp your images with Staz-On ink onto a piece of acetate cut to fit the circumference of your hollow glass ball. Cut a little tab at the top so it stands up in the neck of the ball to hold it in place.

For this one, I used the stamps from Winter Post and stamped with White and Black Staz-On inks. As they dried for about 5 minutes, I cut an exact size circle with my Coluzzle out of the now retired Bashful Blue Prints Paper pack. The edges were sponged with Chocolate Chip ink to age it a bit.

Then I used two Mini Glue Dots to attach the paper to the acetate, hiding them behind the snowflakes. This was then rolled up tight in a tube, paper on the OUTSIDE and slipped into the neck of the ball. The acetate layer will pop out, but you will need to insert a long thin object into the ball to flatten out the paper layer so it all stands straight. I used the end of the Coluzzle knife, but just make sure the cap is on!

To make the snow, I added about a teaspoon of Chunky Glitter in Clear through a funnel into the ball. The cap was added and then shaken a bit to make it stick to the sides a little. For the finishing touch, I cut 5" pieces of the Alpine Felt ribbon and Bashful Blue Taffeta ribbon and single knotted them through the top. Silver Cord was used for hanging it.

I hope you like this fun project! If you wish, you can shop for the supplies to create it yourself from my website HERE. Simply click on the SHOP NOW button and start shopping! Did you know that any order over $70 through the 23rd of December earns you FREE SHIPPING? Yes, it does! That's very cool!

After you are done shopping, take a minute and check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players by using the link on my sidebar. I know they will have great inspiration for you as well.

Stamped Blessings,
~~Robin

I {heart} this card!

Sometimes in stamping it's easy to add just one more embellishment or add another layer to make a project just a little "better".
But, sometimes, LESS is more.

I love this card for it's sheer simplicity. It's probably one of the most simple cards I've ever done, but it has a richness and elegance that is hard to miss. I hope that translates here on the blog photo.

This was one of the cards we did at my 30 card Christmas card class last Saturday and the girls loved it too! It's simply Night of Navy cardstock for a base with a front panel of Whisper White and inside panel of Whisper White as well.

We stamped the treeline from Lovely as a Tree in Night of Navy ink on the front and again partially on the inside panel. The greeting from Many Merry Messages was stamped in Silver Encore ink across the bottom and allowed to air dry -no embossing. We added an inside greeting from the same stamp set in Navy ink to finish the stamping.

The final touch was to just take the 2-Way Glue pen and draw around the base of the treeline. I then used Dazzling Diamonds glitter to make the snowscape sparkle.

Simple is not always my style, but I {heart} this card!

Thanks to all of you who are sending me good luck wishes for Emma and her team. The girls had their practice skate this morning and performed beautifully! We are hopeful for tomorrow morning. They skate bright and early with an ice time of 8 am!

We've enjoyed a fun day in Ann Arbor and I've taken a few pictures that I'll share with you next week (no way to download them remotely). Our meal times have taken us to wonderful places like Zingerman's Deli and Dessert Shop - Google it, you'll be amazed at how famous this place is, I know I was! The Dark Chocolate Gelato I had for dessert was simply put - AMAZING! And, if you are a fan of Food Network and the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, you may remember Krazy Jim's Blimpie Burger when Guy Fieri featured it on the show. Well, we had dinner there tonight and I have to say it was one of the best burgers I have EVER eaten. It was truly a "dive" but it had so much character, we couldn't resist. I'm so glad we didn't! It's the first time Emma has ever eaten a hamburger and she loved it! Finished the whole thing!

So, there you have it, a card project and two restaurant reviews in one posting! Can it get any better than that?
Oh, yes, my online ordering special is still going on - be sure to get your order in before midnight on Sunday to qualify for the stamp set drawing! Click HERE to Shop now!

See you soon!
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #76 - Color Challenge!

Hey, it's Friday and you know what that means! No, not happy hour! Blogger's Challenge, silly!

I LOVED this color challenge - wanna know why? Because I already had this card done from one of my 30 card Christmas Card classes! YIPPEE! That's what I call pressing the EASY button. Yes, I'm excited, because it doesn't happen all that often, kwim?

Anyway, the challenge was to use Bashful Blue, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango and Close to Cocoa with a neutral - mine is Whisper White. I began this card with a piece of Frosty Day Designer Series Paper which has all of those colors in it. When I'm designing a project, I often just use my patterned paper for my color combos - SU! knows what they are doing so who am I to re-invent the wheel!
Anyway, I layered it onto some Chocolate Chip because I wanted a deeper shade of brown for emphasis.

This layer was placed on the Kiwi Kiss card base and then I stamped the greeting from Season of Joy in Close to Cocoa in the bottom right corner.

The focal point piece is simply Chocolate Chip layered with Bashful Blue and then the Whisper White piece. I stamped the tree from Season of Joy in Kiwi Kiss and then highlighted it with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I also used Selene's trick and outlined the panel with glitter for added bling! Voila - finished and fabulous!

I hope you like the card this week! All the ladies at stamp class liked it - at least they said so! LOL! Be sure to check out all the other wonderful creations from the Blogger's Challenge players by clicking the link in my sidebar.

Don't forget my Weekend Online Ordering Stamp Set Giveaway! The ordering has begun so don't miss your chance at a FREE stamp set. a $50 order gets you in the drawing so go to my website HERE to Shop NOW!

We've arrived in Ann Arbor for the skating competition and the girls first skate is at 9ish on Friday morning. Keep your fingers crossed! Go National Blades!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Order Online and Win!

Hi everybody!

We are off on another ice skating adventure - this time headed up to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Porter Synchronized Skating Classic. Did you know that Ann Arbor is the birthplace of Synchronized Skating? Well it is!

Since I won't be in the studio for you these next few days, I thought I'd run a little special for those of you who want to place an order with me ONLINE using my website!

Between now and Midnight on Sunday, December 7th, anyone placing an order online with me for $50 or more in products will go into a drawing for this very cool, now retired, new and Never used stamp set. Order $100 and get two chances to win!

Perfect Presentation was a Level 2 Hostess set last year and is the perfect set for you to use right now for making gift cards, tags and lots of fun embellishments for your holidays!

So don't wait another minute! Go to my website HERE and click the "SHOP NOW" button in the upper Right Corner!

When you've placed your order, I am notified via e-mail so it's just like Santa watching! I KNOW who is entering the drawing! I will pick a winner at random when I return to the studio on Monday and notify you by e-mail and announce it here on the blog.

You never know, I might just pick 2 names or maybe even three! Let's see, if Emma's skating team earns a medal, I might just give away 4 stamp sets - but you won't know if you don't place an order to qualify!

I've prepared some creative posts for you that will appear while I'm gone, so stay tuned for some fun stamping ideas! Now, go on, go shop!

~~Robin

A Star for Shannon

Remember last month when I went to the Regional Seminar in Virginia Beach? Remember me telling you that I got to spend a tiny bit of time getting to know Shannon West? Well, she has an amazing creative mind and one of the things she demonstrated for us from the main stage was this cute little Christmas tree decorated with ornaments she had hand made.

The ornaments were pretty special to her because she loves Diet Coke and used her empty Diet Coke cans and ran them through her Big Shot Die Cut machine with the Ornament Die.

Yeah, I know ! How Cool is that! The only problem was, she didn't have a decoration for the top of her tree. Now, how sad is that? Every Christmas Tree needs a topper and I figured the perfect one for Shannon would match her very cool ornaments!
So, on my last "supply" order from Stampin' Up! I added the 5 -Point Star Die for my Big Shot and started serving extra Diet Coke at my stamp classes! (Thanks for the help, stampers!)

When I had enough cans (5 to be exact) I cut them apart using my Craft and Rubber Scissors -Hey, SU! is going all Die Cut on their stamps, gotta find a new use for those great scissors!

I placed a portion of each can on the die and simply ran it through! It cut like BUTTAH! After I had my 5 pieces, I folded where necessary and stuck two pieces at at time together with Mini Glue Dots. They held long enough for me to use my Crop-A-Dile to punch a hole and add a Silver Eyelet so the pieces would stay together permanently. Once all 5 pieces were together, I took a small piece of one leftover can and rolled it up in a cone-like shape and used the Crop-A-Dile again to punch and eyelet it together.

The strap that holds the cone to the star was made by eyeleting two small strips of scrap can to the joint of two star pieces. I then wrapped them around the cone and trimmed the excess and once again punched and eyeleted with my Crop-A-Dile to hold it permanently.

I hope those directions are clear - it makes sense to me, but then again, I made the thing! If you end up trying it out and have questions, just send me an e-mail or post a comment. I'll get back to you!

Oh, and Shannon has promised to take a picture of the now complete Christmas Tree. I'll post it here when she sends it to me!

Ta for now!

~~Robin

Vintage Mini Albums AND a Big Shot Special!

I don't know about you, but Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I just love all the lights, music, smells even the crowded stores don't distress me! Most of my best life memories were made in December - two of the best are of my wedding, yes, Dec. 7th is our anniversary - 17 years! And my daughter's birthday is the 14th. It's really a great month for our family.

I have so many photos of Christmases past and other fun December events, and I really want to find a way to showcase them all, but not always in a traditional scrapbook album.

These cute little mini-albums are actually a redesign of my Fall Mini-Album that I posted back in August after I got my Big Shot machine. They are the perfect size to showcase just one event or occasion with enough room for journaling to remember the details.

I created the albums with just one die - the Top Note; and some patterned paper from the Bella Rose pack. The stamp set I used was Winter Post - love those skaters! The images and the paper were the perfect combination for a vintage feel so I just went with it and added the striped
grosgrain ribbon band and the Chocolate Chip Felt Ribbon to the rings.

The inner pages are made with Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red and Chocolate Chip Cardstock.
The cover embellishment was made with the Scallop Circle from the Baskets and Blooms die and two of our fabulous circle punches.
These albums came together so quickly - about 1/2 hour total! I love how my Big Shot lets me get really wonderful projects done with very little effort!

Oh, yes, I promised you a special, didn't I? Well here it is!

Robin’s Big Shots Club – Special Offer – Thru December 31st

Purchase the BIG shot Special Edition Starter kit – catalog price - $195.95 (savings of almost $10 if purchased separately!)

and receive a FREE Die of Your Choice – my gift to you! ($19.95 Value)

Plus you will receive a FREE Hostess ONLY Level 1 stamp set ($20.00 Value)

PLUS $20.00 in FREE product of your choice from the Idea Book and Catalog!

Plus, become a member of my Big Shots Club and receive 3 FREE classes (total value $45) to learn all the ins and outs of the Big Shot and create some fabulous projects that you will simply love.

Check out the online Brochure HERE to view all the pieces described below plus all the additional dies and elements.

Here is what you receive in your Special Editon Starter kit:

Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (brochure page 2)
Multipurpose Platform and Standard Cutting Pads (included with the machine)
2 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive BigzTM Dies (Scallop Envelope and Top Note, brochure page 3 )
1 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive Sizzlits 4-Pack (Birds & Blooms, brochure page 3)
1 Stampin’ Up! Exclusive Decorative Strip (Join in the Cheer, brochure page 4)
Decorative Strip Cutting Pads and Extended Spacer Platform (brochure page 2)
Plus

1 FREE die (Valued at $19.95) your choice
FREE Hostess only stamp set level 1 – your choice
$20.00 in FREE product of your choice to spend in the catalog
3 FREE Big Shots Club Classes! (valued at $45 total!)

Your Price - only $229.50 for over $310.00 in fabulous products, tools, personal class instruction and projects!

This special offer is only good through me, your personal demonstrator and only through December 31st. Please place this order directly through me via phone or e-mail. If you order online from my website, you will not receive the special pricing.

If you are adding this to your Wish Lists, be sure to tell them it’s Robin’s Special Big Shot Offer. Their total cost is only $229.50 and I can have it shipped directly to them.

You will also need to have your Level 1 Hostess Stamp set picked out AND your $20 in Extra FREE product AND the FREE Extra die ($19.95 value). Be sure to list these items with this offer.

If there are No selections included, I will default to the “Best Yet” Level 1 stamp set, Cardstock and Designer Series Paper - $20 in product, and the Scallop Circle Die for your FREE die.

This is your chance to own this fabulous paper crafting tool! Let Santa bring it to you for Christmas, or contact me after the Big Day to put your Christmas money towards it!

Happy Tuesday!
~~Robin

"Mr. Twigster is Sooo Cute!"

I am quoting my friend Kelly who has discovered a new 'snow'man in her life!

And I do agree with her - he is just adorable with his little twig legs and cute little boots! He's even more adorable when he is stamped and colored in!

This simple gift card holder idea came originally from a swap I was in last spring - remember "Tart and Tangy"? yeah, another way cool stamp set. Well, I got a swap card using that set and it was this design for a gift card holder.

So, needing to create for a party I did recently (Hi Suzi and gals!) I designed this little goodie! The best part is that it is as easy as it is cute!

I started with a 1/2 sheet of Riding Hood Red cardstock cut at 4 1/4" x 11". It was scored from each end at 3 1/4" and again in the middle at 5 1/2". Once scored, it was folded into the shape of a "W". The bottom points of the "W" are adhered together with Sticky Strip.

Use the Word Window Punch or Key Tag Punch and punch across the inside fold, forming the
slot for the gift card to fit into. Just don't punch all the way to each side - kind of defeats the purpose when the gift card falls out, ya know?

Anyway, all that's left is to decorate! For this little cutie, I used a piece of Ski Slope Designer Series Paper for the background and punched the greeting with my Large and Small Oval Punch on Old Olive and Shimmer White cardstock. The greeting comes from the Short and Sweet stamp set - another MUST own - it's a great all purpose set! I stamped it in Old Olive ink.

Mr. Twiggy is stamped in Basic Black ink on Shimmer White cardstock and colored in with markers and Blender Pens with ink refills. I adhered him to a piece of Riding Hood Red cardstock and popped him up on dimensionals.

The Old Olive Wide Grosgrain Ribbon is just slipped under the stamped panel and tied around the side in a loose knot.

See - I told you this was easy! The hard part is finding the right gift card to put in it! Now, you could choose to give a Stampin' Up! Gift Certificate - that would be fabulous! AND, I can help you with that too! Just shoot me an e-mail or give me a call. When you purchase a Gift Certificate from me to give at the holidays, I'll give your recipient Free Shipping when they redeem it! AND, make you a cool hand-stamped card to give it in too! See - EASY!

Don't forget that you can beat the crowds and shop from my website HERE. Just click on the "Shop Now" Button at the top right corner and you go directly to the Online Ordering page. There you will find some fantastic specials and there are also lots of samples and ideas to inspire you.

And remember, I'm giving away stamp sets during the Holiday Extravaganza Sale! I've given away several already today - are you next?

Happy Shopping!
~~Robin

WOW - What a SALE!

CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TO SEE THE DETAILS OF THIS FABULOUS SALE!

Then go to my Website HERE OR send me an e-mail at stampwithrobin@yahoo.com to place your order!

These Amazing deals will Fly out of here - NO Doubt about it! These are prices like I've never seen before - so Don't wait!

For My Clients ONLY - the First 10 orders received today for the Bundle Specials either via my WEBSITE Online Ordering or via e-mail will receive a FREE, NEW Unmounted Stamp Set from my personal stash!

Whatcha waitin' for?! Go get these deals!

My WEBSITE

My e-mail: stampwithrobin@yahoo.com

Let the shopping Begin!

~~Robin

This SALE is Gonna be BIG!

Huge Holiday Savings with Stampin' Up!

The SALE begins TOMORROW at my Website!

The full details are still a secret, but this is what I DO know.

- Sale takes place from Wed. November 26th through Monday, December 1st

- Bundles of Stampin' Up! products will be ON SALE at 20% to 50% off Regular Prices!

- Quantities are limited....once they're gone, they're gone!!!!

Be sure to check out my Demonstrator Website HERE on Wed. November 26th to see what the product offerings will be.

I am so excited - I can't wait to see what is going to be ON SALE! No, Stampin' Up! hasn't even told US! Can you believe it!?

Orders can be placed online (go to my Stampin’ Up! Website HERE and click on "Shop Now") or by sending me an email (make sure you provide me with a phone number so I can call you to get your credit card information).

As always, if you have any questions, please send me an email. I'm here to help!!!

Happy Shopping everyone!!!

~~Robin

A Proud Mama Speaks!

Just look at that smile, will ya!

We had such an exciting weekend in West Virginia! Emma's Synchro team skated their way to a Silver medal in their first competition of this season!

Way to go National Blades!

I know, this is my CREATIVE blog - but it's MY blog and I want to brag on my daughter for a minute! She loves to ice skate and loves her synchro team so much. They had a pretty hard transitional year last year, only medaling at a few competitions, but lots of hard work and determination are paying off - placing 2nd out of 5 teams in her division at this competition is a BIG deal!

We are so proud, bet ya couldn't tell!

Synchronized skating is a way cool sport - it's amazing to me how 12 girls can do what they do in such tight formations on ice skates and not topple over like dominos! I can barely do a cross over!

If you want to see more, their website is http://www.nationalblades.org/ There is some video on there from some of last years competitions and more should be coming in the next month or so of this year's performances.

Sometimes you can see the college teams perform on ESPN, so if you ever get a chance and you like skating, check it out. It's really amazing!
Happy Monday!
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #74 - Giving Thanks

Hey there stamping friends - Today I am giving thanks for YOU!

At some point over the past two days I have reached 20,000 Blog hits! It's amazing to me that you are reading my blog - I mean, really - you like me that much? Wow - I feel like Sally Field at the Academy Awards - You like me, you really like me!

Anyway, I'll be posting some blog candy next week to celebrate this milestone so be watching for it, ok? I'd do it today, but we are leaving here in about an hour for my daughter's first skating competition of the season! She skates singles, but she is also on the National Blades Synchronized Skating team. She is at the Pre-Juvenile level this year and boy, do we have some travel ahead of us! This weekend it's West Virginia, then Michigan, Boston, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. If you want to see more, check out the National Blades website at this link. The picture of her team is under Teams - they are the Red team.

Ok, enough of the personal stuff - I KNOW you are here for the CREATIVE stuff! I designed this card on Monday for my Just Cards classes and it was a happy accident that is fit this challenge! Yay!

I started with some Old Olive Cardstock which was folded lengthwise and stamped with Old Olive Craft ink using the GORGEOUS Bella Toile background stamp. (This one is a beautiful stamp - you NEED it, trust me!) Once I stamped the image, I embossed it with my Heat Tool and Clear Embossing Powder.

The paper layers are first, a pattern from the Haiku Designer Series Paper and then a layer of Really Rust cardstock. I used my Scalloped Edge punch on the Haiku Paper before attaching it with SNAIL adhesive.

Next, I layered on some yummy Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon. The top ribbon is tied around the entire card front and then I used Selene's ribbon trick to trim the ends all pretty! The bottom ribbon is wrapped around also, but is simply adhered to the card front under the greeting.

Now, the greeting is stamped in Old Olive Classic ink using the Thanksgiving sentiment from the Holidays and Wishes stamp set - another must have stamp set in your collection! I then punched it out with the Key Tag Punch and sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip ink. It's popped up on dimensionals and attached to the front.

Inside the card I added a layer of Very Vanilla cardstock sponged in Chocolate Chip ink so I'd have room to write my greeting.

Hey, be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players by clicking on the link in my sidebar. I know they have some fabulous projects for you to see.

And while you are at it - since you LIKE me so much - leave a comment from time to time - it makes my day when you visit my blog AND post a comment. It's like getting a smile or hug from you!

Have a fabulous weekend and remember - GO BLADES! Yeah!
~~Robin

Big Shot Strikes Again!

Have I told you lately just how much I LOOOOVE my Big Shot? No, well let me just repeat it!

I LOOOOVE my Big Shot! It is the coolest thing since Rhinestone Brads and Taffeta Ribbon!


Looky! I saw this cool idea on one of my up-upline's blogs and had to make my own version with these cute little notecards!


This was actually my hostess gift for Suzi at her party (Hi Suzi!)


The box is made with the Scallop Envelope Die and I used the design to make this box in an earlier blog post. For this project I used the Riding Hood Red Cardstock with Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip and one of my favorite NEW stamp sets Winter Post! Love those skaters! The ribbon is that YUMMY new Riding Hood Red Striped ribbon from the Holiday mini - hey, that ribbon and the stamp set will retire in January - if you want them and don't own them, get busy - go to my website and click the Shop Now button! Yes, you can order from me 24/7 now! Yaay!


These little note cards or gift enclosures are just 3 x 3 in finished size and are super easy to make. The little envelopes are available in a pack of 4o, so you can make plenty of them!


This gorgeous Snowy version was one of our projects at Big Shots Club night earlier this month! Did you know I have a special club night just for my Big Shots? Owners that is!


We used Pacific Point, Baja Breeze and Whisper White cardstock, ink and ribbon along with a Rhinestone Brad! The snowflakes are from the Snow Swirled stamp set which has GOT to be the most POPULAR Christmas set this year! It's so fun to stamp with and look at those gorgeous snowflakes! Love it!


Hey! If you love this and all my other Big Shot projects, be watching next week for my Robin Only special on the Big Shot Starter Kit offer!

You'll be able to add it to your Christmas Wish List and whoever loves you the most can put it under the tree for you!

That's it for today! I hope I've inspired you to GO STAMP Something!
~~Robin

A Major Award!

No, it's NOT a Leg Lamp!

(Ok, if you haven't seen the movie "A Christmas Story" with Darin McGavin - you will NOT get that reference. BUT, if you have, hopefully you are laughing out loud right now!)

My good friend and stamping buddy, Kelly Taylor has sent me this Way Cool Blogger award! I am so honored! Thanks, Kelly!

You see, Kelly is a stamping ROCK Star - she is soooo creative and I love her work. Not to mention she is a really cool gal! You need to check out her new blog HERE. Her work is very whimsical and fun - and PINK!

So, here's the HARD part - now that I've been given this MAJOR award, I need to choose 5 other bloggers that I love and pass it on! There are so many I love and are inspired by every day, but I'll just pick the 5 that come to mind first. Ok, make it 6! LOL! Be sure to check out their work!

Ashley VanCamp at Design with Ink

Dawn Olchefske at DOstamping with Dawn

Makeesha Byl at Inkspirations

Selene Kempton at Stamp a Little Fun

Patty Bennett at Patty's Stamping Spot

Patti Chesky at A Touch from the Heart

Happy Wednesday!

~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #73 - Yummy Color Combo!

Don't you just LOVE these colors together? Wow, I have to admit, I finally sat down last night about 9 pm to make this card and if it weren't for this color combination to get me excited, I don't know that I'd have gotten it done. It has been one heck of a week around here!

Anyway, to add to my inspiration of Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip with Whisper White, I pulled out this AWESOME stamp set that we received as a gift at Founder's Circle. It's called Simple Friendship and will be available for purchase in the upcoming Stampin' Up! January 09 Idea Book. It is so very easy to work with and get fabulous results, I know you are going to love it - so be sure to put it on your wish lists NOW!

To create my card, I started with a base of Baja Breeze Cardstock and layered it with Chocolate Chip. The main panel is stamped with this beautiful Butterfly image in Baja Breeze ink and then outlined with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

For my focal point, I stamped the Friend medallion in Basic Brown (Chocolate Chip color, but waterproof!) and then colored in the flowers with my Blender Pens and Baja Breeze Ink Refill. This was also edged with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter - LOVE that BLING!

I layered it onto a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock cut with my handy-dandy Coluzzle! Yes, I know you don't like the Coluzzle, but I know you are warming to it - just ask Andrea and Paula! (Hi guys!)

This was then layered with dimensionals over two luscious ribbons - Chocolate Chip Wide Double Stitched Grosgrain and Baja Breeze Striped Grosgrain. I used my Ribbon Scissors (really called the Paper and Craft Scissors in the catalog, but the cut through ribbon like Buttah!) to snip the ends into the banner tails.

I really love how this one turned out and it took me less than half an hour to create it - don't you just love when a plan comes together - even when you don't have one! LOL! Well, I hope you like it too - I showed it to my daughter and hubby last night because I needed some instant approval (my tank was EMPTY), but they were too busy playing Wii to notice the awesome coolness of this card. Maybe if I turned myself into a Mii character they would notice........hmmm, that's a thought!

Be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players fab creations by clicking on the link in my sidebar - some very cool creations there, I promise!

Happy Friday!
~~Robin

Because of Kimberly.........

I broke out this old favorite retired stamp set!

She called me today and said she wanted to use it for her Christmas cards this year and knew she wanted to do green with gold embossing. Otherwise, she was stumped after playing with it for a while.

Well, I just couldn't contain myself - I cleared off my worktable and pulled this stamp set - Solemn Stillness out of my Craig's List pile - yes, it's going on the auction block soon, so if you want it, contact me!

With Kimberly on the phone, I pulled out Old Olive cardstock for the card base and layered it with Handsome Hunter which is stamped with the sketchy star image in Handsome Hunter ink.

The main Christmas tree image was stamped on Very Vanilla cardstock with Handsome Hunter ink and then I used the garland stamp and the large open star to decorate the tree. It was inked in Gold Encore ink and embossed with Gold Embossing Powder. Lastly, I lightly sponged the edges of this layer with Old Olive ink.

The Christmas tree image is then layered onto Old Olive cardstock and mounted on dimensionals so it pops up above that yummy, luscious Kiwi Kiss Satin ribbon!

When I put it all together, it seemed to still need something, so I stamped the open star image
one more time with Gold Encore on Very Vanilla cardstock and embossed it with Gold Embossing Powder. This was punched out with the 1" Circle punch, sponged with Old Olive ink and mounted on some Old Olive cardstock punched with the 1 1/4" Circle punch. this was popped up on 2 dimensionals stacked so it rests above the main layer.

So, whaddya think? Do you like it? Well, Kimberly LOVED it and I know she got a kick out of hearing me create! I was very excited that it all came together in less than 15 minutes. Too cool!

So, about that stamp set again - I've got a whole list of retired sets that I've been either too busy or too lazy to put on Craigs list, but it's happening soon, so if you want the list or want just this set, contact me - I have a lot of stamps that need a loving new home!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Cool Rub-On Tutorial!

Hey everyone - my friend and fellow fabulous stamper Patti Chesky has done a great tutorial video on how to apply the Stampin' Up! Rub-Ons.



I thought that since I announced the Rub-On sale here yesterday that I'd share just the basics of how to use the cool embellishments. Patti shows how to apply them to cardstock in her video, but there is so much more you can use them for! Glass, porcelain, tile, plastic, cork - any of these surfaces would be great for adding the rub-ons to.


To view Patti's video, click HERE


Thanks Patti for sharing this great tutorial with us! You ROCK, girlfriend!



To order YOUR Rub-Ons simply click HERE

This link will take you directly to my Shop-at-Home Online ordering page!

And don't forget the great special I'm offering when you come visit me at the Braemar Holiday Bazaar this Sunday! FREE Rub-Ons with any $50 order you place!
Hope to see you there!
~~Robin

Stampin' Up! ON SALE and Chocolate in a Jar!

What could be better than that? Not much, especially when it's Cherry Cordial Kisses - Yumm! But be sure to read all the way through to the bottom for a special offer.......

Don't you just LOVE this cute little jar? You won't believe it, but I didn't STAMP anything! Nope, I used those AWESOME Rub-On's from Stampin' Up!

First of all, I found these cool little jars from my local craft store for just a dollar - gotta love that! When I got them home, I, like most hoarders, wondered "Now what am I gonna do with them?" Well, as I said earlier, nothing is better than chocolate and wouldn't this make a cute little gift for someone's desk this season? AND, since all of the Stampin' Up! Rub-On's are ON SALE this month - yes, I spoke those magic words - ON SALE - I knew they would be perfect for easy gifts, tags and cards!

All of the style names and page numbers are in the chart I've copied here for you. The best part - they are ALL 20% off with ANY $20 purchase! AND there is no limit to how many you can order at the discount!

It's very easy to see all the designs, just visit my website ( Click here to place your order! ) and use the SHOP NOW button at the top right of my webpage. You can go to the page numbers listed in the chart and see them up close and personal. They are regularly priced at $10.95, but this month they are only $8.76 for each package!

To create the candy jar in my post today, I used the stack of presents from the Word Flurries Rub-Ons in White and the tag was created with the same set using the Chocolate Chip Deck the Halls. I simply cut out my rub-on of choice and placed it on the jar. Using the special applicator provided (ok, it's a popsicle stick, but hey, it comes with the package!) I just rubbed over the entire image and peeled off the paper backing. Voila! Pretty Jar.

For the tag, I rubbed the Deck the Halls circle onto some Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with my 1 3/8" Circle Punch. I layered this onto a Handsome Hunter layer punched with the Scallop Circle and dotted with the White Gel Pen. This was layered onto a 1 3/4" Circle of Bravo Burgundy which I also punched out! I added some Silver Cord to tie it onto the Bravo Burgundy Narrow Grosgrain ribbon and easy-peasy - it was done!

Now, for my special offer! I am hosting a Stampin' Up! table at the Braemar Holiday Bazaar this Sunday afternoon from 1 pm until 5:30 pm. It's located at the Braemar Clubhouse 12300 Iona Sound Drive, Bristow, VA (It's the SWIM Club)

Anyway, if you stop by and see me, not only will you get to do a cute make and take BUT if you place an order of $50 or more you will recieve your choice of any package of Rub-Ons FREE as my gift to you! This is a one time offer and only for those of you who attend this event - so come out and see me!

I will have Stampin' Up! Christmas Gift Cards for sale and your recipient gets a special gift from me when they redeem their Cards after Christmas!

Also, when you schedule a Stampin' Party for January, you get to choose a NEW Stamp Set from my stash for FREE as your gift! I'll save it just for you and present it at your party to make you feel extra special!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hope to see you on Sunday!

~~Robin

Crystal Clear Card Swap

Yikes! What's a girl to do? I guess it's time I admit that I am a Swap-a-holic!

In spite of all the wonderful swap cards that I have gotten over the past few months for the season, I just couldn't resist making and swapping 50 more cards at the Regional Seminar! The creativity of all these fabulous Stampin' Up! demonstrators just inspires me so much and I can't STAND to miss a great idea!

So, here is the card I created to swap out. Wanna know what the best part was? I used my Big Shot and the Top Note Die and believe it or not, finished ALL 50 cards in less than 4 hours! Yes, that is start to finish including all the paper cutting and putting my label on the back! Lemme tell ya, that's fast!

To create the clear card base, I started with a Non-Stampin' Up! product! I know, not cool, but SU! doesn't offer any clear cardstock and it's just so neat to work with! If you are looking for it, I purchased a box of 100 sheets of Write-On Transparency Film made by 3M from Staples. It was about $27.00 for the box of 100 sheets. It's heavy enough and thin enough to fold nicely with the Bone Folder and doesn't crack or split. I'll warn you, it will make a cracking sound sometimes, but it's ok, really! I promise! :)

So, after creating 50 1/2 sheet card bases, just like you would for any other card, I placed the fold of my card just inside the outer edge of the Top Note Die and ran it through the Big Shot. Voila! Out came this cute little card base!

Next, I used the ever popular "Snow Swirled" stamp set (this set has GOT to be the most popular set of this season! If you don't own it, you are MISSING out! Call me, we can fix that!) and stamped the large snowflake 3 times with White Staz-On ink. I stamped these in groups of 10 and set them aside to dry for about 3-5 minutes. After completing all the snowflakes, I cleaned my stamp right away with Staz-On Cleaner, a MUST for getting this ink off your stamps.

The greeting was created by stamping with Pacific Point ink on Shimmer White Cardstock and using my NEW Wide Oval Punch to make the embellishment. I layered this on top of two other ovals punched in Brushed Silver Cardstock.

The interior of the card has two pieces of Pacific Point cardstock, one is adhered with SNAIL to the inside front flap as a backer for the front ovals, and the other is adhered opposite it on the other inside flap. SNAIL adhesive works beautifully with this acetate, it clings like cement so be sure to place it carefully!

I did add another layer of Shimmer White to the inside of the card on top of the Pacific Point and then stamped an inside sentiment there, leaving room to sign the card. And lastly, I did cheat a bit from the card in my photo to the ones I made for the swap - I used the corner rounder on my sample, but did not on my swap card. And honestly, it didn't make that big of a difference.

So, can you CLEARLY see how I made this card? haha, Oh, I crack myself up! Yes, I know, you are not laughing, but hey, that pun CLEARLY had to be made!

Ok, I'm done now, I hope you can SEE that I was just having fun! Hope you are too! SEE you tomorrow!

~~Robin

Stampin' Up! Regionals - VA Beach!

Happy Monday everyone! I had such a fun weekend - so much fun that I have done THREE posts today to contain it all! LOL!

As you can see from this first one, I did a bit of socializing on Saturday - really more socializing than stamping - but just ask any of my friends and they will say that's always how it is with me! Thank goodness they still love me even though I talk so much!

The first pic is with Shelli Gardner. I know I've told you before how warm and welcoming she is, but it bears repeating. Stampin' Up! is the fabulous company it is because of the heart of our leader. Shelli takes time to chat with us and puts up with a zillion pictures. I had the priviledge of speaking with her for a minute and for those of you who have been reading her blog, she said her Dad is still recovering nicely from his accident.
This next picture is with Shannon West. Shannon is part of the fabulousness of Stampin' Up! and I was so happy to meet her after hearing Karah speak so highly of her. She is just as sweet as her smile and I hope she was able to get the ice cream we talked about! Hi Shannon! Raising my Diet Coke to you now!
Shannon was one of our presenters and I got some amazing ideas from her that I'll be sharing here in the future.

Next is a picture with Donna Griffith, also someone I love at Stampin' Up! corporate. She was so supportive this past summer when I was a convention speaker and just made me feel very special. The shoe was on the other foot this time, as she was one of our presenters also. Donna had been behind the scenes for a number of years but did a WONDERFUL job with her spots! Did you hear me Donna? I LOVED it and you did so great!

















Last, but not least are a couple of photos with some demo friends. Both Debbie Naylor ( in the first photo) and Lisa Freeman (in the 2nd photo) were with me at Founder's Circle this year and it was great to get to know them there. They are both so sweet and I'm lucky to be able to call them friend!

Happy Birthday Christina!

Another fun thing about Regionals this weekend was surprising my friend and upline, Christina Crawford with a little gifty on her Birthday!

She does so much for me and for my group - she is ultra amazing and supportive, not to mention one of my best buds, I didn't want her birthday to pass without her knowing how special she is.

The group photo is most of my downline that attended posing with us. Left to right is Alisha, Lindsay, Christina, me, Lauren, Jen and Stefanie. We really did have

a fun day!

Christina was very excited about her gift, especially when she opened it and found gourmet chocolates just for HER!
The cute card was made by Jen Brown and Alisha wrapped the chocolates in that gorgeous Bella Rose DSP with Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain.

Hope your day was the best, CC!
~~Robin

Go-Divas Swap Group Shout Out!

One of the great things about attending Stampin' Up! Regional Seminars is all the fabulous Displays! There are thousands of creative folks in the SU! family and I have to say that I am proud to be associated with so many of them.

One particular group of talent is a swap group I formed called the "Go-Divas". These gals are from all across the country and are part of my group because I admired their work and invited them to join me in sharing ideas among ourselves. If you attend my camps and classes, you will often see their work on display or CASED for our stamping time together.

Well, while I was at the VA Beach Regional Seminar this past weekend, I got so excited to see several of my Go-Divas gals swap cards on the display boards there! This is such an honor to be chosen by SU! It means that your work really stands out among all the projects they receive on a regular basis.

All the cards in this post were from our swap round that took place at Convention in August. The theme for that round was "My Favorite Things" The swappers had to choose their favorite new stamping supplies from the NEW catalog and create their cards. I'm sure you'll agree that these cards that were on display are really fabulous work. I'll identify the creators for you from top to bottom:

#1 is Patty Bennett. Her card uses the Bella Rose DSP and the WOW Flowers Stamp set. She also used the New Scallop Edge punch (do you own yours yet? You KNOW you NEED It!)

#2 is Nancy Clark. Her card uses the new Heard from the Heart Stamp set and the Priceless Stamp set from the last catalog.

#3 is from left to right Kelly Taylor and Becky Morris. Kelly

used the WOW Flowers Stamp Set and the Bella Rose DSP as well, but see how different her card is from Patty's? I love that about SU!
Becky used one of my favs - the Seaside Stamp set. She stamped her main image on Vellum Cardstock and dry embossed it from the back so it popped out!

#4 is Jane Allison. Jane used those lucious new In Colors - Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss and Tangerine Tango. Her card is actually a folder with a little
magnet inside the flap!

#5 is Barbara Dondero.
Barb used the Baja Breeze ink and cardstock to add punch to another favorite stamp set - Always. Love how she embossed the bird and colored him in.

I hope you are inspired as I am by these wonderful ladies!
Have a fabulous Monday!
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #72 - The Same, but Different

Hello out there in stamping land! I KNOW it's been a week since I posted and I'm SORRY! Between, my friends' visit, No School Monday and Tuesday, and doing prep work for 4 upcoming classes/workshops - I've been busy!

Part of the busy has been actually spending creative time in the studio though, so that's a good thing. Now, I have a lot of things to post for you, but I'm gonna dole them out one at a time, ok? After I finish this post, I'm leaving for the Virginia Beach Regional Seminar (YaY!) so check back Monday for more creative fabulousness from the studio!

Ok, so today's challenge was to create two cards using either the same layout or same stamp set. As you can see, I chose the same layout for my cards. These adorable cards were created first by my friend Patty Bennett (may she live forever!). You can check out her blog from the link in my sidebar - it's super!

Using the Big Shot and the XL Pennant Die, I cut two pieces of patterned paper with the small pennant. They were adhered to their card base with Snail to form a pocket. On this first card, I used the Green Tea Designer Series Paper and took my color scheme from there. The cardstock

is Pacific Point, Certainly Celery and Whisper White. I used Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon for the accent bow.
The tab was created with the Eastern Blooms stamp set and Baja Breeze ink. I punched out layered circles with the 1", 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" Circle Punches. The sentiment is from the Best Yet stamp set and is inked with Baja Breeze as well. To finish off the card, I inked the edges of the Whisper White insert with Pacific Point ink.

The second card was created using Holiday Treasures Designer Series Paper. I again took my color scheme from there and used Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla and Chocolate Chip.

The tab for this card was punched out with the Round Tab punch with leftover dsp. I accented the Vanilla photo insert with faux stitching from my Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker.

The sentiment on the back of the insert is from the Many Merry Messages stamp set and the oval greeting is again from the Best Yet stamp set. To create the oval greeting, I stamped it with Riding Hood Red on Very Vanilla and punched it out with the Large Oval Punch. This was then edged in Riding Hood Red ink. The layer was punched out with the Wide Oval Punch in Chocolate Chip.

The ribbon is a small piece of the Alpine Ribbon from the Holiday Mini catalog. I just gathered it in the center, stuck it to a Pop-Up Glue dot and stuck it to the back of the ovals. It was then adhered to the front of the card and I trimmed the ribbon ends.

This card was one of the projects we did at Big Shots Club last night! Do you have your Big Shot yet? I know how you can get one!

Anyway, have a great weekend and be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge participants from the link on my sidebar!

~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #71 - Halloween

Happy Friday everyone! We are having just glorious fall weather here in Virginia - I love it when the air turns crisp and cool. Time to break out the sweaters and jackets again and enjoy the beauty of God's paintbrush all around us. The colors are truly amazing, I never tire of looking at them.

This week it was very hard to stamp as I not only have dear family friends visiting for a week, but I'm still trying to put the house back together from all the new floors! So, my Blogger's Challenge card is one that I designed for stamp camp earlier this month.

Today's theme is for Halloween. Well, because we don't celebrate this event in our home, (hey, I'm all for the chocolate, but not at all for the scary stuff) I made this card as a harvest card instead. At camp, anyone who wanted to turn it into a Halloween card was able to add the jack o' lantern face from the Autumn Harvest stamp set to the pumpkin and use the Happy Halloween greeting from the All Holidays stamp set.

For my card base, I started with Old Olive cardstock and overstamped it with the Canvas background. I purposely left it looking mottled and spotty so it would look worn. The next layer is More Mustard cardstock stamped with the leaf from the Autumn Harvest stamp set. I stamped it in Chocolate Chip using graduated stamping for a tri-tone effect. This layer was deliberately cut short on the sides so that gorgeous Chocolate Chip Stitched Ribbon would wrap around it nicely and not stick out.

For my focal point, I stamped the tall pumpkin, also from Autumn Harvest, in Chocolate Chip on to Very Vanilla Cardstock. I also stamped it again on the Tangerine paper from the Frosty Days Designer Series Paper. This was cut out and layered on the Vanilla piece. The stem and grass was colored in using my Aqua Painter and the Old Olive ink refill.

I layered the pumpkin onto Tangerine Tango cardstock and stamped, colored and cut out the little leaf accent. This was mounted on a dimensional and placed just so on the front of the card. Locating a rarely used stamp set in my studio, Loads of Love Accessories, I stamped the Happy Harvest greeting at the bottom right with Chocolate Chip ink.

This was a fun card for me to make and I hope fun for you to look at! Be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players by using the link on my sidebar. There are some really talented stampers there and I know they will wow you!
After you do that, go buy yourself a bag of chocolate and lock the front door - you need it worse than the kids do!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Fabulous Fall - My Favorite Season!

Hello stampers! Just checking in real quick with a pretty fall card. I am enjoying the season with some good family friends who have come to visit us for the week from North Carolina. They will be here through Sunday, so I'll only be posting a couple of projects this week.

If you were at Just Cards camp this month, you will recognize this card as one of our projects. I actually wanted to do a version of my Blogger's Challenge card from earlier this month, but it ended up taking a whole different direction, well, mostly! LOL!

I stamped the large bloom from Fabulous Flowers in the corner of Naturals Ivory cardstock with Really Rust ink. The little flowers are stamped and graduated with More Mustard ink and then the little 'weeds' are stamped in Old Olive. The greeting, which is from the Fresh Cuts stamp set, is stamped in Old Olive as well, as are the flowers on the card base itself. That too is Old Olive cardstock. I even sponged the edges of the main panel with Old Olive ink! Nooooo, I didn't get carried away, did I?

The center of the main flower is done with More Mustard ink on a small piece of Naturals Ivory and trimmed out with my Paper Snips. I added the Old Olive center and a pretty Gold Brad then popped it up on dimensionals.

That whole front panel is mounted a square of Really Rust cardstock and it overlays two strips of More Mustard 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon. Simple, yet elegant. And very easy to create!

It's supposed to be gorgeous this weekend in Virginia, so if you are able, get out there and enjoy all the fall colors before they blow away this season. We'll be headed back up to the mountains to the orchard for apples, apple donuts and fresh cider! Yumm!
Happy Fall Ya'll!
~~Robin