Lovin' this Reindeer!

Hi there stampers! I've just checked and it's still Monday, time for me to get back in the swing of posting again! I felt so bad being gone from here much of last week, but I have GOOD reasons!

#1 - I was stamping!

#2 - I was getting my NEW computer set up and running!

#3 - I was stamping!

Hopefully, you forgive me now that you know I had good excuses!

The card I'm posting today is one that we stamped at my Christmas in August class this past Saturday. I just love this reindeer stamp - Dasher - and so did everyone else who attended. This card is super easy to put together. The Big Shot helps with that a lot! I've used the Scallop Circle #2 Die along with the Circles #2 Die for the focal point. Just be sure to stamp Dasher AFTER you cut the circle out! Ask me how I know! LOL!

The cardstock is Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Very Vanilla and Real Red. New Designer Series Paper that is in the Big Idea Book and Catalog called Merry Moments and the snowflake stamp is from Snow Swirled - last years favorite set! It's still one of my favorites! I took the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes and punched it out with the Word Window punch, layering it on some Real Red cardstock punched out with the Modern Label punch. The ribbon accent is the Double Stitched Chocolate Chip Grosgrain.

And yes, I did add some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter in Dasher's antlers! Every reindeer needs some BLING!

Thanks for stopping by today to say hi - be sure to leave me some comment love so I know you were here!

Stamped blessings,

~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #114

I feel like the White Rabbit...."I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!" So, so sorry to be late posting this today. There has been general mayhem and foolishness in my home over the last 36 hours and it was all I could do to get the photo of my finished card to Selene at 411 to post on the group blog!

But, now that my Christmas in August class is over with for the day and I'm cleaning up I thought I'd take a minute to give you the details on my card for the week. Here is the great sketch we had to go by this week:

And here is my creation:

I have been in the Christmas card mood these past few days and I've also been itching to use some of my new products that are coming out in the Holiday Mini on Tuesday! Yes, you only have to wait 3 more days!

My card starts with a piece of Soft Suede cardstock, 8 1/2" x 11" cut in half to make a piece that is 5 1/2" x 8 1/2". This is folded in half with my Bone Folder to create a card that is 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". The next layer is a piece of Shimmer White cardstock cut at 4" x 5 1/4". I used the fabulous new Medallion stamp to make a background. It was inked with Gold Encore ink and I just barely touched it to the cardstock so it would have a hazy shimmer to it. Unfotunately, it's hard to see in the photograph, but in real life, it's very cool!


The focal point of the card is a piece of Shimmer White cardstock cut at 2" x 3 1/2". I stamped the greeting with Gold Encore ink and embossed it with my Heat Tool and Gold Embossing Powder. The stamp set is called "Christ is Born" and actually the greeting and the verse are on one stamp. I only inked the part of the stamp I wanted to use each time.

This Shimmer White layer rests on a piece of Old Olive cardstock cut at 2 1/4" x 3 3/4". I added two Gold Brads to the upper corners to frame out the words. This was easily done using my Paper Piercing Tool and the Mat Pack. The entire focal point piece is then popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals to make it stand out.

For the bottom piece, I used a piece of the NEW Christmas Cocoa Specialty Paper that comes out next Tuesday in the Holiday Mini! This paper has a soft sheen to it that you just have to see in real life to appreciate. Some of the papers even have fuzzy flocking on them - too cool!~

This one's subtle striping really worked well with the style of the card, so I cut a piece at 2" x 4" and gently tore the top edge all the way across. I then edged it lightly with the Gold Encore ink pad rubbing it directly onto the paper.

The verse was stamped with Gold Encore ink on just the bottom portion of my stamp and I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line it up perfectly! Patti, aren't you proud of me? heehee!

It too was heat embossed with Gold Powder and it adds just the right subtle touch to the card front.

Take a close look at the ribbon I've used here......

it's also new coming out on Tuesday! It's part of the Mistletoe Ribbon Originals 2 pack. This one is the Old Olive Taffeta ribbon and I just LOVE it! I've wrapped a 5 1/2" piece around the panel and used SNAIL to adhere it with, then I used a 4 1/2" piece to tie around the top, making a "faux bow". It's trimmed up with the Paper and Craft Scissors that cut through ribbon like 'buttah'.

I hope you've been inspired by the sketch and my interpretation of it! If you want to play along, please visit the Stamping 411 blog and post your creation to Mr. Linky. You have until Wednesday night to upload your card so get stampin'!

Have a great Saturday night!

~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge #114 - Sketch Challenge!

It's Friday, hooray! I love my weekends because it means I get to spend more time with my family and this weekend some special friends too! I also want to give a birthday shoutout to one of my dearest friends Tiffany Bauer, who is 29 again today! Happy Birthday dear girl! If you visit her blog today, be sure to send her birthday wishes!

Today's Blogger's challenge was to follow this sketch by our Challenge Mom Lisa Somerville. I did take a little liberty with it, but that's what a sketch is, a starting point for your creativity!

Here is my card and I have to say, it's a bit out of my usual 'style', don't you think?

For my focal point piece, I used Naturals Ivory cardstock and cut it twice with the Big Shot and the Top Note Die to create this cool shape! (It's really easy to do, too!) Then I stamped the grass in Dusty Durango ink along the bottom using the stamp from the Autumn Days set. I then sponged the edges with More Mustard ink and a Stampin' Sponge to make it stand out. Lastly, I took my greeting from the Hostess Level 1 stamp set Holiday Best and inked it up with Stampin' Write Markers in Chocolate Chip and Old Olive.

The little pheasant from the Autumn Days set was stamped on another piece of Naturals Ivory cardstock in Chocolate Chip ink and cut out with my Paper Snips. It was curled and shaped a bit with my Bone Folder and mounted on Stampin' Dimensionals to make it stand out.

For the card itself, I used a piece of Dusty Durango cardstock layered with a piece of More Mustard and then I added a piece of the NEW Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper that's coming out in the NEW Holiday Mini Catalog next week! Trust me when I tell you that this pack of paper is simply gorgeous and you will NEED it!

I took the dsp and sponged some More Mustard ink on the edges and added some extra texture to it by running it through my Big Shot with the woodgrain texture plate in Kit #4. Then I used my Sanding Block and distresed the paper a bit more, revealing just a peek of the white core by sanding lightly over the surface. The pictures don't do it justice, you really need to see this one in real life so you can TOUCH it.


The final accents are the layers of ribbon and Gold Brads. The ribbon is a piece of Dusty Durango Polka-Dot Ribbon, flipped over to the plain side - love that this is double-duty ribbon! A piece of 1/4" Apricot Appeal Grosgrain ribbon and they are both wrapped up with a piece of Gold Elastic Cord which is coming back in the Holiday Mini this year!


So, there you have it - I am so happy with the way this one turned out and I hope you like it too! Be sure to leave me some comment love and then go check out the other creative ladies in this group by clicking on the Blogger's Challenge button in my sidebar. There's no telling what they've created with this sketch!



I hope you'll stop back tomorrow too as I'll have another great card for you following the Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch!

Stamped blessings everyone,

~~Robin

Fresh Take on Christmas

Hey everyone, I know, it's super late on Thursday, BUT I DID promise you a post today, so here it is! I would have posted earlier, but me and the DD went for haircuts and pampering after I got my final cards designed for this Saturday's Chrismas in August class. And just in case you are wondering, this IS one of them! So if you are coming, I hope you like it!

I am showing you something old and something new here, NO, I'm not getting married again - stamp sets, silly girls! The snowflakes are new stamps from the Holiday Mini Catalog that makes it's debut in just 5 short days! It's called Serene Snowflakes and can you believe that I almost didn't buy this one? I do have a lot of snowflake stamps, but the delicate laciness of these just called to me and I HAD to have them. I've stamped them in a combination of Silver Encore ink and Elegant Eggplant ink.

The greeting is from an old favorite stamp set, Many Merry Messages. If you don't own this one, put it on your list, it's a goodie! I've stamped the greeting in Elegant Eggplant as well and even used my Stampin' Sponge on the edges of the Whisper White cardstock in the same color. I love the look of this purple against the pale purple of Lavender Lace. It's just so fresh feeling to me.

For the focal point, I've centered the large snowflake on the cardstock and added a Purple Rhinestone Ice Square brad for the final touch. These pieces of cardstock are popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals to give it height and added elegance.

You really don't need a lot of bling or a bunch of supplies to make a great card. This one uses two wonderfully versatile stamp sets, two ink pads, two colors of cardstock and one embellishment. The Many Merry Messages stamp set is one that I've been using for the past 3 years and since it has such a wide variety of sayings and fonts, is one I can use for years to come. You can pair it with any number of other Christmas images to create beautiful greeting cards every year and no one will ever receive the same card twice. In short it was a great investment.

I encourage you to visit my website to view all the products I've used here today. You'll see for yourself that with just a few items, you can make lots of fabulous projects!

Be sure to check back tomorrow for another card project. It'll be Friday and that means Blogger's Challenge!

~~Robin

Don't Send Out the Search Party.........

I've not gone missing, I promise! I've just been super, super busy the last few days and some of that busy includes stamping up some great new projects for you! I'll be back tomorrow with a new project to share - you will love it!

In the meantime, enjoy this fine summer day and go get some ice cream with the family tonight! Nothing tastes better than soft serve ice cream on a warm summer evening! Yumm!
~~Robin

RAK from Claudia

It's Sunday, and around our house that means, church, lunch and a nap!~

So, now that I've done all three, I wanted to post this beautiful card for you to see. No, I didn't make it, (if only!) my stamping friend Claudia Perry did. Isn't it beautiful?

Earlier this month, she did me a HUGE favor and stamped some images for me to use in a special birthday card for my hubby. Not only did she send them to me within hours of me making the request, she included this beautiful card with them. I was just stunned and thrilled! What a special treat and what a special friend!

Thanks again, Claudia - you rock!

Have a great Sunday everyone! Go enjoy some ice cream with your family - Summer is almost over!

~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch #SSC113

Here we are once again on a Saturday morning and you know what that means - another fun sketch challenge from Stamping 411! I am super excited to show you my creation today because it uses some sneak peek items from the New Holiday Mini Catalog that starts September 1st! Have you scheduled your party with me yet? If not, you need to - there is a fabulous Hostess Offer that starts on September 1st and I am sweetening the deal! You'll just have to contact me to find out how!

Now, on to today's card! This sketch is so versatile, you can use just about any image with it and have it turn out lovely. I've chosen one of my favorite new stamp sets from the Mini Catalog, Beary Best Friends. I've used the little girl bear because, well, I have a little girl and I WISH she still wore sweet little dresses like this one! LOL! Now it's just Aeropostale and American Eagle for her! Can you relate? :)

I've stamped her in Black Staz-On ink on Whisper White cardstock and then again on to a piece of Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper. I used my Paper Snips to cut out just the dress, notice I cut around the collar, so the white shows through for extra sweetness! This little cutie was then colored in with my Aqua-Painters and ink refills. I used Creamy Caramel and Close to Cocoa. The flower and shoes were colored in with Stampin' Write Markers in Rich Razzleberry and Basic Black.

This piece was mounted on layers of Old Olive and Pale Plum and I put Stampin' Dimensionals in each corner so it would pop up above the ribbon and other layers. Those two layers are Old Olive cardstock that was edged with the Eyelet Border Punch and another piece of the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper. The ribbon I've used here is also coming out in the New Mini Catalog next month and is the Old Olive Taffeta from the Mistletoe Collection. The card base itself is Pale Plum cardstock in a standard folded card size of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2".

For the greeting, I used yet another new stamp set Beary Nice Wishes and stamped that in Basic Black ink across the bottom left corner, following the sketch. You'll notice that I covered the stamped heart with one punched out in Rich Razzleberry cardstock with the Heart to Heart punch. It is mounted with a piece of Stampin' Dimensional highlighted with Crystal Effects to make it shine! And for a little extra gleam, I added Crystal Effects to the shoes to make the Black Patent Leather and again to the flower in her fun (hair!).

I just love everything about this card and I hope you do too! The new Build-A-Bear Collection coming out next month is simply adorable and I can't wait to show you all of it. There are Big Shot Dies to cut out bears and clothing, cute Designer Series Paper and of course the stamps themselves. We are going to have too much fun playing with our bears!

We at the Stamping 411 blog love it when you play along with our sketches, so be sure to find time to make your card before Wednesday and use Mr. Linky to post your creation. You can find the link on the Stamping 411 blog. If you post to Splitcoast Stampers, be sure to put SSC113 in the title of your card.

Have a great weekend everyone, I'm posting a special RAK card tomorrow from one of my stamping friends, so come back and check out her beautiful work!

Stamped Hugs to you all!

~~Robin

Bloggers Challenge - Punches and Dies!

Happy Friday stampers! I am so glad it's Friday - what a week it's been - have you had one too? Yep, I know, you need some stamping therapy! So after you check out my post today, send me an e-mail and tell me you're coming to stamp with me tomorrow morning at the Just Cards class. There is still plenty of room, but I need to cut supplies for you, ok?

For today's Blogger's Challenge, we had to use Punches and/or Dies. Well, I ended up using both to make this card, and I am SO happy with how it turned out.

I started out by cutting my Whisper White card base (which was folded in half) with the Scallop Square Die in my Big Shot. I created this wonderful size notecard that still fits in our envelopes!

Then I took out my NEW Night and Day Designer Series Paper which is coming in the Holiday Mini Catalog on Sept. 1st. I chose a pattern that reminded me of fashion - don't know why, but this piece did. I cut a piece and layered it onto a piece of Basic Gray cardstock and rounded all the corners with the Corner Rounder Punch. This was adhered to a slightly larger piece of Basic Black cardstock that I rounded the corners on also.

The ribbon - which is also a sneek peek of the Mistletoe Ribbon Pack in the Holiday Mini (I'm using the other ribbon on tomorrow's project, so check back to see, ok?) is simply wrapped around the Gray and DSP layer and adhered to the back.
My greeting is stamped from the Great Friend stamp set which is one of my favs - I use it all the time! I colored the stamp with Real Red and Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers and once it was stamped on Whisper White cardstock, I punched it out with the Curly Label Punch.
The Real Red layer is actually a leftover from this project here. I made 60 of those cards for a swap at convention with the Movers and Shapers Die and the Big Shot. The red piece is the 'hole' from the donut, so to speak. (Can you tell I'm eating breakfast as I type this? LOL!)

It's slightly bigger than the white punch out and makes a great layer - don't you love no waste?

Once I mounted it with Stampin' Dimensionals to the card front, I used my Mat Pack and Paper Piercer to punch two holes next to it and added Silver Brads for an accent. It makes the card kind of say 'uptown chic' to me.....or not, but whatever, I still like it!

For a last little touch, I stamped the butterfly from this stamp set in Real Red on the inside of the card. I've also included a picture of my inspiration for this size card - a RAK from my friend Gretchen Barron. She sent me this little card in a recent swap we did and I just loved everything about it!

So, now that you've seen what I did with Punches and Dies, go check out the other creative stampers by clicking on the link in my sidebar. You will be so inspired by their creations!

Have a blessed day!

~~Robin

Go-Divas Do it Again!

One of the fun things about being a demonstrator is getting to swap or trade cards, projects and ideas with other super talented demonstrators. Honestly, it's where I get some of my best ideas from the creativity of others around me. That's the whole idea of CASING - what we call Copy and Share Everything or CASE for short.

After convention two years ago, I decided to put together a group of stampers whose talent and creativity I greatly admired and as time passed, we have grown to a group of 30 stampers. We even have a waiting list! I never would have believed that! Anyway, we are called the Go-Divas because of a certain person's love for all things Chocolate - get it - GoDivas, Godiva...... Ok, so you get it! The photo below is just 7 of this very talented group (and me too, I'm in the picture with them) who met at convention this year to swap a Small 3-D item.

They are L to R Top Row: Becky Morris, Kelly Taylor, Gretchen Barron and Jane Allison;

L to R Bottom Row: Yvette Sanchez, Selene Kempton, Me and Tiffany Bauer.

Yep - a VERY talented bunch of stampers - and my friends too!

Today I'm posting their swaps for you to ogle and drool over, no details, but if you want info, feel free to contact me, ok? You already saw mine while I was at convention, it is at this post here.

Christmas Note Card Pouch by Yvette Sanchez (there really are 4 cards with envelopes in each pouch!)

ScrapBoard Clipboard by Tiffany Bauer
(This will proudly display my photo with my Go-Divas!)

Layered Paper and Crystal Effects Wearable Art by Selene Kempton
(Amazing and time consuming technique!)

Candy Treat Pouch (with Dove chocolate!) and Gum Wrapper by Kelly Taylor
(We can always count on Kelly for something Pink!)

Halloween Acetate Treat Pouch by Jane Allison (yes, she embossed and HAND CUT all of those bony guys!)

Lollipop Treat Holder by Becky Morris

(It's too cute to eat!)

Envelope Scrapbook Purse by Gretchen Barron

I have posted both outside and inside views for you and it still does not do it justice. Gretchen does have a tutorial on her blog if you want more information.

(She really did make 8 of these! - Amazing!)

And here are my GoDivas acting as the Divas they really are! Love you guys bunches!

I hope you enjoyed seeing all their fabulous projects today, these ladies are Rock Stars in my book and inspire me everyday!

Be sure to check back tomorrow - I have my Blogger's Challenge project all ready to go for you, it's got a couple of sneak peeks for you from the New Mini Catalog that comes out on September 1st. You won't want to miss it!

Love and stamps to you all,

~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch #112

Yes, I did read my calendar and YES, I know it's Wednesday - BUT, I didn't get my card done for the Stamping 411 Design Team before I left for vacation, so I HAD to finish it! KWIM?

So, here is the awesome sketch from our Sketch Queen, Selene Kempton.

And here is my interpretation:
As you can see, I took a few liberties with the layout, but the sketch is supposed to be a starting point for our creativity. We don't always have to follow the layout exactly - that's the fun part of making a project your own!
My focal point is this poor little sick doggie from the NEW stamp set, Wellness Wishes. I just had to have this stamp set when I saw it in the new catalog and the best part was that I didn't have to buy it - I earned it FREE from Stampin' Up! because of my sales total last year! Yippee! I LOVE free stamps!
Anyway, I cut the Whisper White cardstock at 2" x 2" square and then cut the mats at 1/4" larger for each. I used Old Olive and So Saffron there.
The little doggie was stamped in Black Staz-On ink and colored in with Stampin' Write Markers: Creamy Caramel, Blush Blossom, So Saffron and Real Red for the bursting thermometer! I added the red splash with the fine tip to show you just how sick this little guy is!

The white cardstock was sponged with a bit of Old Olive ink and adhered to the two layers with SNAIL. I then mounted it with Stampin' Dimensionals to the card base.
The card base itself is a half piece of 8 1/2" x 11" Close to Cocoa cardstock cut at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" and folded in half to make a card sized at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I sponged all around the edges pretty heavily with Close to Cocoa ink to give it some texture and depth.
The two long layers are Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Paper cut at 2" x 5 1/2" and So Saffron cardstock cut at 2 1/4" x 5 1/2". I added a piece of Old Olive 5/8" Grosgrain ribbon to the left of the focal point and wrapped the open end around these two layers. It's adhered to the back with SNAIL.

Now, for the best part - TIFFANY, I hope you are reading this! I used the STAMP-A-MA-JIG to add the corner greeting on the bottom right corner. Now, to some of you this may not be a big deal, but most of you who know me, know that I stamp by the seat of my pants most of the time and have pooh-poohed the use of said Stamp-a-ma-jig. However, I have come to realize that SOMETIMES you just have to get things in the exact place and for that you NEED the Stamp-a-ma-jig! (I can't believe I just confessed that! LOL!)
Anyway, the greeting I used comes from a NEW stamp set called Beary Best Wishes that's coming out in the Holiday Mini Catalog on September 1st. It's actually part of the NEW Build-A-Bear collection Stampin' Up! has created in partnership with them. (There are even Big Shot Dies!)
The greeting actually says "Hope You're Better BEARY Soon.", so I had to remove the
BEARY for this card since there is no bear on it. AND since I used the STAMP-A-MA-JIG to position it correctly, it really was a snap to do that. I used Chocolate Chip ink to stamp it in on the Old Olive DSP.

To finish up the card, I made two little circle accents out of So Saffron cardstock with the 1/2" Circle Punch. I punched a hole for the Vintage Brad with the 1/16" Handheld punch and mounted both of the circle accents with a Stampin' Dimensional.
I thought it turned out pretty cute and as it turns out, I now have a friend to send it to! We discovered yesterday that a member of our Design Team, Gretchen Barron and her daughter both have the Swine Flu and are very sick. So, please say a prayer for both of them that they recover quickly~!

Have a wonderful day everyone and be sure to check back tomorrow, I'm finally back in the saddle and will have pictures from Convention and some creative projects to post for you this week!

Stamped Blessings,

~~Robin

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Vacation Fun and Food!

Hi there everyone! Just popping in here to share a few vacation pics. We do not have internet access at our condo so Mark and I ran out to the local Starbucks so I could post today.

The first photo is of my dinner last night at Margaritaville. Now, the picture of just the nacho plate alone doesn't do it justice, so that is the purpose of this next photo......
Yes, that plate of nachos is as big as my head! I ordered it with Grilled Fajita Steak pieces and while it was quite yummy, I was S-T-U-F-F-E-D when we left the restaurant. I wasn't even able to finish it all, in fact, I think that whole plate of nachos would have fed us all! As you might have guessed, I haven't eaten anything yet today and it is almost 1 pm as I write this post! LOL! That's one way to stretch your vacation dollar!

This picture is of Mark and I BEFORE the huge plate of nachos made it's appearance. We are having such a good time being away from it all. We've slept in each morning, spent some lazy days on the beach watching Emma and her friend play and had some wonderful ice cream too! Well, not last night, but you understand!

Here is a picture of Emma on the right and her friend at dinner as well. They are buddies on their Synchro Skating team and always have the best time together. Last night, we walked off our dinner by walking over to the Build-A-Bear at Broadway at the Beach so they could shop. I never knew there were so many cute outfits for those bears! They had a great time picking out a new wardrobe for their bears and then did a fashion show for us once we got back to the condo. All in all, a very fun evening!

We'll be coming home on Sunday as the girls start skate camp on Monday, so I'm off to enjoy the last of the sun, sand and surf while I can. I'm actually looking forward to getting back in the studio and doing some stamping. Hope to see you at some classes over the next two weeks - be sure to check out my schedule at the website: www.robinstamps4u.stampinup.net

Happy weekend everyone!

~~Robin

Emma the Artist!

Just a quick brag on my babygirl - who is not such a baby girl anymore!

She got out one of my old, old, old (really!) stamp sets Zoo Fun and made these baked tile coasters for my studio.

She stamped the images on them with Craft ink and also hand drew the clouds, sun and birds with Stampin' Write markers. After coating them with Glassy Glaze, she baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes. When they cooled off, we put cork feet on them and now they have a permanent home in my studio. I'm just so proud of my little artist!
Blessings to you!
~~Robin

Convention Swap Card - Pine Trees

Ok, this is it, the last of my convention swaps - at least I think so!

I had actually done this card with my Christmas in July stamp campers and made extra so I could swap it since I loved it so much.
It uses the long beloved stamp set, Lovely as a Tree, but I teamed it with the greeting from Many Merry Messages and the Texturz plates and my Big Shot. Doesn't the texturizing give it such an elegant look? LOVE that!

The ribbon is Mellow Moss Taffeta to match the layer of cardstock and the card itself is Handsome Hunter. I stamped the tree 3 times on the Very Vanilla piece cut out with the Top Note Die and the Big Shot. It was not re-inked between the stamping so it would give it depth.
A little sponging around the edge and some glitter dotted on and it was done!

Enjoy!
~~Robin

Convention Swap Card - Sunflower Card

Happy Wednesday!
I hope the sun is shining for you today - if not, here is a little bright card to bring a smile to your face.

This was one of my swaps for the SSUS Convention group. Not much stamping going on here, but that Big Shot sure got a workout! The picture doesn't show up very well, but the white background was texturized with the small polka dot Texturz plate, mimicing the Soft Suede ribbon. I cut the flowers with the Daisy Die and Crushed Curry and Chocolate Chip cardstock.
The greeting is stamped out of the Really Retro stamp set, which is on the dormant list right now. It's still available which is a GOOD thing, cuz it's one of my favorites! If you are one of my stamp campers, you know you see this one a lot!

Back tomorrow with another swap card for you!
~~Robin

Convention Pocket Folder Gifts

Hi everyone! As you read this, hopefully I'll be on the road to Myrtle Beach.........if we can manage to get out the door, kwim?



These photos are of some gifts I made for my roommates and friends at convention this year. I used the new Thoroughly Modern Gusseted Envelopes as my starting point and decorated them with the Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper.



My Big Shot was put to work once again for cutting the flowers and the names. I just layered them in different combinations to create unique folders for each person. The flowers and the ribbon were attached with Sticky Strip and a Jumbo Eyelet. Although, I must say that next time I make these, I'll use Tombow Glue for the ribbon. I think it will hold a bit better on this slick surface.



These envelopes are so very fun and were really easy to make! All my buddies liked them and it was great to bring a smile to their faces!

Have a wonderful day!

~~Robin

Oh! What a Night!

WOW! I am still truly in shock over what happened at Awards Night this year. It was an amazing, marvelous evening and much of it is still a blur for me. The first photo here shows me with two of my dearest friends, Stella McKay on the left and Tiffany Bauer on the right, both Stampin' Up! rock stars! We were waiting to go in for the big announcements and celebration.

After arriving home last night from Salt Lake City, I sat down with my family and within about 1/2 hour was asleep on the couch! LOL! All the emotion and energy was finally catching up with me I guess. We are in the process today of packing for our vacation which starts tomorrow, but I wanted to quickly post a few pictures from awards night here for you to see. So many of you have sent such sweet, lovely congratulations along and I appreciate you all so much! It's a wonderful thing to have the respect and admiration of your peers and I can honestly say that I'm humbled by all your kind words and faith in me. I will do my very best for you, I promise!

This photo is of the three of us walking for the Southern Caribbean Cruise achievers. I am electing to NOT show you the photo of our arms raised, no one needs to see my armpits! LOL! Although if you look in the background you can see Susan Elise-Morton sticking her tongue out. I'm not sure who she is looking at, but I think she is having fun!


This next photo just blows me away.

There is nothing in the world that can describe the feeling of having your name called for the Advisory Board. Being asked to serve is the highest honor one can hope for within the Stampin' Up! organization. I am humbled and amazed that Shelli Gardner thought enough of me to ask me to serve here.



Look at my face! Can you tell I was just floored?! The day after awards night, I had so many friends come up to me and say they were yelling and cheering when my name was called, but I honestly didn't hear a thing! I was in such a state of shock, I even looked at Shelli when I was walking up and said "Me? Are you sure?" Boy, the dumb things we say sometimes........!

But, I think this smile says it all.

You know, I view my Stampin' Up! business as a gift from God. He has used it to provide for us financially in more ways than I can count. He has blessed me with friendships that are lasting, real and true blue. He has given me a creative outlet that has endless possibilities and feeds my soul. And now He has provided me with the opportunity to be a voice and an advocate for the demonstrators that I love and admire so much.

If you are a demo friend of mine, I am so glad you are part of my life - promise to pray for me and the other board members that we represent you well.

If you are my client and friend, I value you more than you know and am so glad you choose to do business with me.

If you are my downline and friend, your presence on my team of stampers is precious to me. You guys are the best and I treasure each of you. Let's work together this year to grow our team and share what we love to do!

Stamped blessings to you all!

I'll be on vacation with my family this week, but have some creative posts scheduled for you to view. I'll be back next week with more pictures and stories from convention - boy do I have a lot to tell you!

If you are wanting to attend August Classes and Camps, the schedule is up on my website http://www.robinstamps4u.stampinup.net/

Be sure to e-mail me to rsvp! Can't wait to get stampin' again!

~~Robin

Big Convention News and a Swap Card too!

Hey there! I was going to just pop on here for a minute to show you this card, one of my convention swaps, but I also need to share some amazing news with you.

On Thursday night at awards night, I had the double honor of being named #72 Demonstrator of the Year, and most stunning - I was named to the 2009-10 Advisory Board!!!!!!
All I can say is WOW!! I am still in shock over receiving this fabulous honor. It is exciting and overwhelming at the same time. I'll have some photos to post next week of many things here at convention, including awards night, so stay tuned for that. I don't have the ability to download any from here at the hotel.


I hope you like the card for today. I used Elegant Eggplant and Whisper White along with the Snow Swirled stamp set, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Rhinestone Ice Square Brads, White Organza Ribbon and my Big Shot with the Texture Plates.

Have a wonderful Sunday! I am flying home today and can't wait to see my family again!
xoxoxo,
~~Robin

Stamping 411 Saturday Sketch Challenge #111

It is time for another Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge and again we have an awesome sketch to play with!!!! I am still at Convention and having a great time!!! I will fill you all in very soon on everything that has gone on here!!! Look for some AWESOME news to follow!!!!

For more information about my card for this week's Stamping 411 Blog Challenge just email me anytime.