Did you know that there is a fantastic Valentine/Love themed stamp set in the Holiday Mini Catalog? Did you know that the Holiday Mini Catalog expires in just 5 days?!! Yep, it's true. Which means that you only have 5 days left to purchase the You Are Loved stamp set OR most anything else you need from that awesome collection!
Here's a card we did at my December card classes using the You Are Loved stamp set for a wedding theme.
We used Wisteria Wonder and Concord Crush cardstock - love that purple combo! And the main heart image is stamped with Versamark then heat embossed with Pewter Embossing Powder. Instead of cutting it out, we tore around the image, giving a texture contrast to the layer underneath. It's adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.
For the next layer, we ran the cardstock through the Big Shot with the Stripes embossing folder. To give it the silvery sheen, we took a sponge brush and lightly brushed on some Platinum Shimmer Paint. It dries to the touch within a minute since it's formulated for paper. The card front was finished off with some Whisper White Organza Ribbon and the bow was attached with Mini Glue Dots.
Here's a peek at the inside:
The flowering vine image from You Are Loved was stamped in Wisteria Wonder ink on Whisper White cardstock. The greeting, from Word Play, was stamped with Concord Crush ink.
Here's a look at the stamp set: It's item # 123779 and is only $23.95 in Clear Mount. The Sweet Friend greeting fits perfectly in the Modern Label Punch, and of course, the "Love" image was made for the Decorative Label Punch. I love when stamps and punches coordinate - it makes our stamping that much easier!
You can order this stamp set and everything else I used for this card from my Online Stampin' Store. Just visit my website: http://robinstamps4u.stampinup.net and click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner. Don't forget about my Robin's Rewards Program! It applies for all online merchandise orders of $40 or more! You could be on your way to earning FREE Stampin' Up! product!
Have a great New Year's Eve Eve! Hope it includes some stampin'! ~~Robin
Please forgive me for not posting for the last few days like I'd promised. We traveled to visit Mark's family this year for Christmas, taking my Mom along with us. It was a very different kind of Christmas, one with a great big hole in the middle.
I wasn't sure how I'd feel this year. We got through Thanksgiving pretty well so I thought I'd be good. But I really wasn't prepared for how much I'd miss my Dad on my favorite holiday of the year.
December is usually a crazy, joyful month for our family. Mark and I celebrate our wedding anniversary - this year was our 20th - Emma has her birthday and of course Christmas, the wonderful anniversary of Christ's birth. So, two major life events and a great holiday combined with skating, work and celebrations usually keep us moving pretty well. This year was no exception, but my Dad was missing from all of it. Like I've said before, I wouldn't wish him back at all to suffer the effects of cancer. He's whole and healed in Heaven with Jesus now - how awesome for him! But I felt the loss of his presence so keenly, it hurt physically.
I'm indulging myself today with some pictures from Christmases past. There's no stamping on this post, but I needed to share and hope it helps heal my heart.
This was last Christmas - Mom, Emma and Dad. It's the last photo I have of the three of them together. Emma was the apple of his eye.
One that always makes me laugh is this one of my Dad trying to convince Emma to let him eat one of Santa's cookies. Santa couldn't possibly eat them all, he explains. You can see that Emma is not buying it at all.
When she was little, Dad used to sit with Emma and read to her or share popcorn or just watch tv. She used to love sitting with her Grandpa.
All of us at our Christmas table one year. I remember we had a heck of a time with the camera delay, but we finally managed to get this shot and I treasure it. Mark's Mom is on the far left.
Just a shot of my Dad last Christmas opening his gifts. He loved anything to do with WWII and this is a book that Mark found for him.
Emma got one of those jumbo pillows for Christmas one year and she and Dad were doing a bit of clowning around with it.
Christmas Eve meal after church. We always went to the same restaurant in Manassas for our dinner. And he always got the Prime Rib, his favorite.
I don't have many photos of me with my Mom and Dad and Emma. I'm usually manning the camera, so I treasure this one as well.
A different year at our Christmas Eve meal.
And Mom and Dad at our Christmas table. You were missed this year Dad. There was a big empty spot at our table and a big hole in my heart. I love you.
I have a confession to make. I really dislike gnomes. I do not think they are cute. I do not think they are funny and they do not make me smile. Well, the Travelocity gnome on tv makes me smile, but HE is not cute and someone else is doing his voice, so it really doesn't count.
So when I expressed my dislike of gnomes at a recent team event (after discovering a new gnome stamp set in the Occasions Mini) I was heckled pretty good. Apparently the rest of the world likes gnomes and I'm the oddball. So be it, I just don't like them. And if SU! had just come out with a stamp set of gnome images, I wouldn't have looked twice. BUT, they came out with a companion set of greetings that makes me laugh out loud. You know I like offbeat humor and sadly, I needed the gnome images to make the greetings work. Sigh. I did not want to spend my hard earned $$ or even my freebies on this gnome stamp set. BUT, along comes SU! with an incentive to earn them for FREE. Now I'm all over that, so I did it. I earned them and gladly plunked down my $$ for the greeting set just so I could tell someone that I was "hanging with my gnomies". Yeah, it had to be done.
Anyway, the card I'm sharing today is a pretty simple one - I included it with a gift of gnome salt and pepper shakers that I sent to my heckler in chief for Christmas. Check out that greeting:
Cute, huh? My card is made with Lucky Limeade cardstock and I stamped it partially with the Woodgrain background stamp in Early Espresso. Some of that way cool polka-dot Chocolate Chip ribbon was wrapped around the card front and tied off in a knot. Had to make it cute somehow! Sheesh! For the greeting, I stamped it in Early Espresso on Whisper White cardstock and punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch. It was trimmed in half and adhered just under the ribbon band.
Keeping the woodland color scheme, I stamped the gnome image (cute frog!) with Basic Black on more Whisper White. I colored him in with Stampin' Write Markers - Always Artichoke, Sahara Sand, Pumpkin Pie and Chocolate Chip. The froggie is Lucky Limeade. It's mounted on a piece of Pumpkin Pie cardstock and popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals.
I added a piece of Whisper White cardstock to the inside to write my greeting so I stamped a bit of the gnome on the inside left corner and colored him in too.
So there you have it. I'd love to know what you think about gnomes. Am I the only non-gnomer?
Hey, if you come over to my Open House tomorrow from 10 am - Noon, you'll get to see Mr. Gnome in person. Now that wouldn't be a draw for me, but I will have the other Occasions Mini products out for you to see and you'll make a couple of projects too! On me! There might be a few prizes too AND I'll be letting you get first dibs on signing up for January Product Shares and a New round of In Color Clubs. Let me know if you're coming! I'm doing the prep work today, k?
Being a stamper, there's kind of an unwritten rule that for any card giving, occasion inviting event, that I have to make the cards or invitations. Ok, I know I don't HAVE to, but it sure is more fun to hear " Oh, you MADE these? They're fantastic!" than "Wait, I thought you MADE cards......."
Yeah, you know what I mean.
So, for Emma's birthday last week I made the invitations and of course, Stampin' Up! had all the colors and stamps I needed (that SHE liked!) to make them. Here's a photo:
It's a one panel design sized at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I used the colors we used to create Emma's bonus room this summer, Calypso Coral and Basic Black.
I used the Inviting stamp set for the basic lines of the invitation and the rest of the stamping was done with the Best Friends Forever stamp set. I stamped the heart image first in Calypso Coral, then stamped over them with the vine image inked in Versamark. They were heat embossed with Black embossing powder to give the invitation a raised and shiny, elegant effect.
Emma was thrilled with how they turned out and I was thrilled that they only took about 45 minutes to make! A Win/Win in my book!
Well, I'm headed out to pick up my Mom and bring her back home so we can all leave tonight to visit Mark's family for Christmas. Lots on the to-do list still but I'll be back with another post tomorrow - promise!
Actually, Fair Oaks mall and Potomac Mills mall and Wal-Mart. And a near rear-end accident (again!) on a wet road. (note to other drivers - I do NOT need yet another new bumper for Christmas!) And driving to skating practice and a Christmas Party. And sorting and wrapping presents.
I am a tad tired today. I have also decided that if it's not bought by now, it's not gonna be. Things were going so well when I "thought" I had 99.9% of my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving. There I go thinking again! Ha!
So, to take my mind off Christmas - at least for the moment, you should see the pile of gifts still to wrap - I'm sharing a little sneak peek of some new Occasions Mini catalog products with you today! It's a sweet, simple card, but I LOVE it! And I hope you will too!
I started with Whisper White cardstock and embossed it with my Big Shot and the hearts from the NEW Adorning Accents Embossing Folders. They are 5 1/2" long so they will cover a whole card front! Isn't that cool? And there are 3 designs in one pack - awesome!
The greeting is stamped with Real Red ink and comes from the NEW Sweet Cake stamp set. I loved how the retro feel of this greeting complimented the silhouette image so well. Speaking of the silhouette image - it's NEW too! It's from the Take It to Heart stamp set which has 4 different heart images and a sweet banner image. And if you're wondering how I cut out that heart shape, well.......... Stampin' Up! has NEW Framelits! They are wafer thin dies that work with our Big Shot to perfectly cut out a stamped image. The Hearts Collection has 6 different sizes in one package! You simply stamp your image then lay it on the Big Shot with the platform and cutting pads. Select the size die you need and lay it in place over the area you want to cut out. Awesome and EASY!
For this card, I added some Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the edge of the heart before mounting it on Stampin' Dimensionals over a wrapped piece of Real Red Satin Ribbon. Don't you love it?!!
I know, you are dying to see the new products I've used and talked about here. Has your Mini Catalog come in the mail yet? If not, and you don't already have a local demonstrator, please let me know and I'll send you one in the mail! You NEED it! Trust me. And if you'd like to try out some of these new products for FREE - just RSVP for either of my Thank You Open Houses on Thursday, December 29th. Choose 10 am - Noon OR 7 pm - 9 pm. Come see the new products, make a couple of projects and enjoy some special treats and offers too! All the details are on my Events Page on my Stampin' Up! Website. I'd love to have you in the studio and say Thank YOU in person for supporting me and my business.
So, I know that things are a bit crazy being just 3 days before Christmas and all, I know they are here for me too. BUT, in all the craziness, all the rushing and madness and losing my mindness remember, God is still God. He is still on His throne. He is holding us tight and loving us every minute of every day. His son Jesus is who we celebrate during this special season and He came not only to bring us salvation, but peace and joy!
I have a fantastic, pick-me-up song video to share with you today. It's not a Christmas song - I'll have one of those for you on Christmas Day - but it's one of my favorites when I seem to lose sight of the TRUTH in my life that I've just shared with you. It's upbeat, jazzy and will have you dancing around a little bit as you get on with your wrapping or shopping or baking or whatever still needs to be done. What I really hope is that it will BLESS you. Have a beautiful day my friends! ~~Robin
Going Christmas shopping!! Yes, I'm venturing out into the madness with my friend Lissa, buoyed only by the promise of Chick-fil-A Chick'n-minis for breakfast and the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Aiyiyi, are we crazy or what?!!
But, it has to be done. We both have returns - yes, already! And I still have two, count em' TWO things on my list that must be bought AND I discovered last night that I desperately need shirt boxes. Why oh why, do we always throw away the boxes on Christmas morning when we KNOW we're gonna need them next year? Why not just store them in the Christmas Closet with all the other Christmas paraphernalia? They don't take up THAT much room. Sigh....
Anyway, I had a wonderful, quiet day here at home yesterday and I managed to get 7 Christmas gifts made! WooHoo!! I made two sets of boxed cards for two of Emma's coaches and 5 of these fancy, schmancy Decor Elements Tiles. Here, take a look:
Yeah, I know you wanna say it - Oooh. Aaah! Fancy!! Yep, and you can't really even see the glittery spray all over them. Oh yeah - glitter!!
Look, these were so super easy! I used tiles that we had bought at the big blue home improvement store (not the orange one!). They are called Rialto tiles. Simply wash them off and dry them thoroughly. The design is one section of the Holiday Damask Decor Elements from the Holiday Mini Catalog. I trimmed one out with my Paper Snips and applied it to the clean tile.
Next, I sprayed the whole thing with my own homemade shimmer spritz made with spray hand sanitizer and Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint. Let it dry and it stays put!
Here's a close up:
You can see the shimmer on the tile in the background pretty well here. To decorate the tile, I wrapped about a yard or so of Old Olive Satin Ribbon around the left edge and tied it up in a pretty bow. The tag was made with the Merry and Type stamp set. I stamped the greeting in Real Red on Naturals White cardstock and punched it out with the Decorative Label Punch. The edges were sponged with some Old Olive ink and I spritzed it with shimmer mist too. I punched a small hole in the corner of the tag and threaded it with some Early Espresso Baker's Twine and added a Mini Jingle Bell before tying it off in a bow.
I didn't take a photo of the back, but to hang it, I attached a small sawtooth hanger with Hot Glue.
Super cute and SO easy!! The best part? This whole project cost less than $3.00 total! Shhhh! Don't tell on me, ok?
The Holiday Damask Decor Elements are still available in the Holiday Mini Catalog and you get 27 of them for just $29.99! But, they are only around until January 3rd, so be sure to get them before they are gone.
Also, be sure to get the Stocking Builder Punch if you are still needing it. SU! told us yesterday that it WILL NOT carry over into the next big Idea Book and Catalog and is available now on a While Supplies Last basis! Guess that means that the Stitched Stockings stamp set won't carry over either - just a guess on my part, but it stands to reason, don't ya' think?
Ok, enough chatter - I'm headed out to the craziness that is the Mall. Wish me luck! You on the other hand can stay home and shop from my Stampin' Up! Website! It won't get here by Christmas, but you're shopping for YOU anyway, right? Ha! Don't forget, my rewards program applies to any orders of $40 in merchandise from my Online Store! The punch and the decor elements would earn you more points towards Stampin' rewards!
Stamped blessings, ~~Robin
Place your order for Stampin' Up! supplies at this link here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner!
My title may be a bit confusing so let me clear that up for you - yes, I am saying Hello!, but no, it is NOT snowing here. Thank goodness!! My friend Lissa thinks I'm a scrooge or something because I told her last week that I could really do without snow this year. We've been bombarded the past two years here in Virginia, plus with all our skating travel up north, we see PLENTY of snow. She grew up in Michigan, so she's used to it, but listen, I grew up here - in the South - we always got some snow, some years, but my Winter does not include a prerequisite for snow. 'Nuff said! And I'm not a scrooge! :)
So now that I've gotten that off my chest, how 'bout a card? Here you go:
It's a another quick and easy design for you. I made it for my card classes this month and I think they loved it! I used the Gift Givers stamp set from the Holiday Mini catalog for my image - isn't she just the cutest thing?? That stamp set is great because you can punch out every image in it! Love that! Here, I stamped the little girl image in Basic Black on Whisper White and used my Stampin' Write Markers to color her in. Pear Pizzazz, Soft Suede, Blushing Bride and Blush Blossom. A little Bashful Blue for the snowy hill and flakes and a little glitter too for some sparkle. (I forgot to put it on this card, but it was on my sample!)
It's punched out with the Scallop Circle Punch and layered on a punched piece of Pear Pizzazz cardstock, punched with the Large Scallop Circle Punch. I used my Paper Piercer to add pinholes to the scallops to give it a lacy effect. It was popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals over the Early Espresso Quilted Ribbon. The little knot of ribbon was attached with Mini Glue Dots.
The card front is a piece of Letters to Santa Designer Paper - you really should check out this paper - it's so much more than Christmas designs! Just sayin'! I layered it over a piece of Blushing Bride cardstock on a card base of Pear Pizzazz. What could be easier?
Here's a peek at the inside:
Just a simple panel of Whisper White stamped with the sweet snowball/bird image from the Snow Much Fun stamp set. I colored it a bit with Bashful Blue. The greeting from the same set finishes it off nicely.
So, there you have it, my snowy hello! I'm off to get some major stamping done today - yes, I'm still working on Christmas cards, plus thank you notes, plus In Color Club projects, plus gift wrapping! Aiyiyi! Good thing I opted not to bake this year...... But, man, I sure would love some gingerbread cookies. Sigh. I can make them in January, right?
Still need Christmas cards? If you do, can I tell ya something?
Christmas is 6 days away friend. If you still need Christmas cards ya' kinda gotta get a move on!
Here's a cute, quick idea for you:
This card is so easy to put together and what I love the most is that the colors in the Designer Paper I used coordinate so well with many different button colors. I especially love that I was able to use retired buttons from last year because the colors were perfect! It's awesome to be able to use up your stash and make room for more stampin' goodies!
The card base is Crumb Cake and the top layer is a piece of Whisper White cut at 4" x 5 1/4". I started building the design by adding a strip of Riding Hood Red cardstock cut at 3/4" x 4" across the bottom. Next, I added a piece of Letters to Santa Designer Paper cut at 4" x 3". I left a slight separation in between so I could add a line of Dazzling Diamonds glitter with my 2 Way Glue Pen.
On top of the DSP, I added another strip of Riding Hood Red cardstock and then drew a line of glue across the top of the strip and added more glitter.
The greeting from the Christmas Greetings stamp set was stamped across the top in Riding Hood Red ink. Last, I chose a button and added Linen Thread and a Mini Jingle Bell to it. It was attached to the card front with Mini Glue Dots and all that was left was to add the sentiment to the inside of the card.
Voila! Quick, cute and easy Christmas card.
Now, I'll be with the rest of you and making up a bunch of these tomorrow! HA! Have a fun evening! ~~Robin
Today is a special day in the lives of two very special people to our family. Our Pastor Brandon is marrying his fiancee Ellen during the morning service.
What a beautiful reflection of Christ's love for the church. They wanted their first act as a married couple to be to participate in worship together. Isn't that awesome? Needless to say, we are so excited for them and the future God has for them together.
This past Monday, I had a few close friends over and we had a small "private items' shower for Ellen. Every bride needs to feel beautiful, right? Ellen has very simple, but elegant taste so I made the invitation to reflect her style:
It's done with Very Vanilla cardstock only, the top layer being run through the Big Shot with the Manhattan Flower embossing folder. I embossed the salutation from the Inviting stamp set with Pewter embossing powder and added a simple ribbon bow made with Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding. The vanilla satin rosette was added to the center of the bow with some Mini Glue Dots and it was all done except for the inside.
Actually, it's not, but I'm a good Mom, so what can I say? Stampers, as I write this post, my basement is filled with singing, dancing, squealing and non-stop talking teenage girls. So pardon me if my normal witty comments are replaced by hopeless gibberish.
Yes, I love my daughter so much I let her have a sleepover party for her 14th birthday. WHAT was I thinking???
Actually, so far, it's not so bad. They have plenty of food - pizza, wings, chips, dip, soda - enough to keep them going until midnight when the lights go OUT! Yeah, I'm mean like that.
Anyway, now that the presents have been ripped open and the cupcakes consumed, I can show you the card I made for my girl. We had our family birthday celebration on Wednesday, her actual birthday and it was nice to celebrate in a quieter way. Mark's Dad and Step-mom came up to celebrate with us and it was great to have them here. We missed not having the rest of the grands here as well, but that's just how it is sometimes. So, here's the card:
Emma is an aspiring writer and I knew her birthday card should reflect that so I turned to a brand new stamp set to make it happen. The awesome vintage typewriter image comes from a new stamp set coming out in January called You're My Type. I stamped it here on Naturals Ivory cardstock with Versamark and heat embossed it with Black EP. I used the birthday greeting from the set to add the words to the "paper" in Melon Mambo ink. It's mounted on Melon Mambo cardstock and popped up over the background and accents.
I used a strip of First Edition Designer Paper and added a torn strip of Flirtatious Designer Fabric to the back side of it. I tied another thin strip of fabric into a bow and added it with Mini Glue Dots to the paper strip. The background was stamped with a much loved, retired favorite of mine - Tres Chic. I cannot part with this beautiful background stamp and it proved it's worth once again here. It was perfect stamped in Melon Mambo on Naturals Ivory. I love the text contrast it provides to the type style of the Designer Paper and the greeting. Love it!
My card base is Melon Mambo and on the inside I placed a panel of Naturals Ivory to write my message on. I added just a portion of the small background stamp A to Z to the bottom right corner.
Emma loved her special card and she "got it" right away! Yay!
So, now I'm off to make sure the squealing masses are good to go for the night. It's been a good week.
Okay, okay, I know - I didn't post at ALL yesterday! Can I just tell ya', I don't have enough hours in the day right now. There is so much going on in our life - all of it GOOD STUFF, but Oh, so much of it at one time. And I hate dropping the ball on anything, especially YOU guys!
Anyway, thanks for being so patient with me. You wouldn't believe the number of projects I have stored up to share - and I will get to each one of them!
Today I wanted to show you what the Stampin' Fools made last night:
We had such a great time in the studio together! Christmas was definitely in the air, with lots of gifts and goodies being shared, treats to eat and of course - fun stampin' projects! I love these ladies so much!
So, just in time for Christmas, Santa made his appearance in the studio. I'd seen many projects using Santa's suit over the past few months and finally decided to make my own version. Here is the cute tote:
It's an old, old design idea that uses one full sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock for the tote. From there, you can decorate it however you wish. I saw Selene's photo tutorial for it on Stamping 411 yesterday and it all just clicked for me! Make a Santa tote!! Here's the link to the Stamping 411 tote tutorial for you: Tote or Card Holder Tutorial
For mine, I used Real Red cardstock for the body, Shimmer White for the furry placket, Silver Glimmer Paper for the belt buckle and Basic Black Satin Ribbon for the belt. The fur was made with the Vintage Wallpaper Folder in my Big Shot and I just tore down both edges. The belt buckle was made with the small size on the Scallop Square Duo Die. The handle is Basic Black cardstock cut at 3/4" x 11". It's attached with two Silver Jumbo Brads. I made the tag with the Tags Til Christmas stamp set and used my Tag Punches to punch it out plus the layer. It's tied on with Baker's Twine. SO easy!!
Here's the card I designed to go with it:
All the same supplies, just a regular card size of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" folded.
On the inside, I used two Whisper White panels. One for our family photo on the left (no, the Stampin' Fools did NOT use my family photo, even though some of them asked me for it! ha!), the other for the greeting stamp. I used one from Many Merry Messages stamped in Real Red.
Really quick and easy projects to complete, but they are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face!
Ok, so that's it for today. I'm headed out the door to go pick up stuff for Emma's 14th Birthday Party Sleepover. Yep, I'm a crazy woman! 8 teenage girls all in my basement overnight! Aiyiyi!! What was I thinking?!! I can tell you this - it will be LIGHTS OUT at Midnight! No cranky kid running around here tomorrow! Hmmph! And Momma needs her beauty sleep!
Just a quick post to let you know that I AM still here! I've been busy, busy, busy these past few days having too much fun with friends and family. AND, today is my baby girl's birthday! She is 14 years old!
So we are celebrating by going to her orchestra concert tonight then ice cream and cake afterwards. Party on Friday night!
I have lots of new stamped stuff to show you, so I'll be back tomorrow with a creative post and a personal post to catch you all up. For now, here's a great picture of Emma just two weeks ago at her synchro competition in Connecticut! If you are my friend on Facebook, I put a bunch of Emma photos on there today - what a walk down memory lane that was!
Don't tell me! I KNOW what you're thinking! It's not even Christmas yet and here I am showing you a Valentine!
Well, yes. Yes, I am. Mainly because this week has been especially full of fun and craziness and even though I have MANY stamped projects to show you, this is the only one that I had photographed and ready to go this morning. Ha! BUT, Valentine's IS just around the corner and this is a pretty easy card, so it'd be simple for you to recreate it if you need a lot of them.
My upline, Jan Wakeland, came to Virginia to hold a meeting the weekend before Thanksgiving and the swap theme was Valentines. So this was my swap card. Do you likey?
I likey it a lot! It's so my style - clean and simple, but just enough bling to make it pop. I used Real Red and Pool Party as my color scheme - love those two colors together!
The Pool Party layer was run through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots folder to give it texture. What ever did we do without those embossing folders? I stamped the hearts in Pool Party ink from the I Heart Hearts stamp set on Whisper White, then tied a bit of Real Red Satin Ribbon around the panel. The sparkly red heart was punched out with the Large Heart Punch from Red Glimmer Paper and I added the greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes. It's punched out with the Modern Label Punch and attached with Tombow. You do have to let it dry completely though - it doesn't like to stick to the glimmer paper.
So, there you have it - a completely simple, good for guy or girl, Valentine card.
Thanks to all of you who wished Mark and I well on our Anniversary - we were overwhelmed with all the sweet comments from so many. We had a wonderful afternoon and evening - I promise to blog about it, with photos, but I was waiting so I could include our evening out tonight as well. He not only surprised me on Wednesday with wonderful things, but tonight, he is taking me to the Kennedy Center to the symphony and to enjoy a meal at their Terrace Restaurant. I'm so excited!
Have a wonderful day friends, see you tomorrow! ~~Robin
Today, is a very special day in my life - it's the 20th Anniversary of the day I married my very best friend.
I have so many wonderful memories of our wedding day and the days leading up to it, it would take a novel to write them all, because, inevitably, it would lead into the story of our life's journey together. And that, my friends is a story that continues to write itself.
The photo above was taken at the reception hall when the photographer got us away for a few minutes alone. It's one I cherish and Emma keeps a copy of it in a frame in her room. I don't think we look much like that anymore, but we are still that much in love.
My Mom and I hosted a Bridal Tea for my attendants at Mom and Dad's house two days before the wedding. Here's a photo of me with my Mom and Grandma that day.
I miss my Grandma a lot. She's been with the Lord now for 14 years - she died the year Emma was born, but we figure that she got to meet Emma in Heaven and told her how much she'd be loved when she got here.
This is me with my forever BFF, Missy. We were friends since the day we met in 9th grade. She was the one friend in my life who knew everything about me and loved me anyway! We went through a lot together - another novel - but no matter where we were or what we were doing, we were always friends and that bond was never broken. She was one of my Matrons of Honor for the wedding. Missy is in Heaven now with my Grandma. She died 4 years ago from cancer and I miss her everyday. God has sent me some wonderful new friends - and I love them - but there will only ever be one Missy.
Ok, so now I'm crying, but they are happy tears - because it was such a beautiful day and I had so many that I loved there with me. Here's me with my Dad while we were getting ready. He hated getting dressed up, but never complained once about wearing that tux.
He and my Mom were all smiles. It really was a wonderful day. They loved Mark almost as much as I do, and I know they were thrilled that we were getting married. (Well, they were thrilled that I was FINALLY getting married. Apparently 27 was a little long to wait! Ha!) This is a great picture of them. I love seeing my Mom's smile so big.
My cousin Tina and my Aunt Theresa are in this photo. Tina was my other Matron of Honor. She holds a special place in my heart as we shared a birthday, just 3 years apart. I'd been her Maid of Honor just a year earlier, so this was a special day for us both. Tina went to be with the Lord last April after struggling for years with life issues. I'm so glad we had memories of happy times together.
I'm glad to have this photo of my Dad and I re-creating my walk down the aisle for the photographer. Wasn't he handsome in that tux?
I wish I could find the box of photos that our photographer gave us after we chose our album. There are so many other loved ones that I want to share with you, I just can't find the pictures. We were so fortunate to be surrounded by so many family and friends that day - it was one of the best days of my life!
Here Mark and I are in the back of the limo. Funny story - we had just been served our meal at the reception when our photographer called us away to take some pictures of just the two of us. When we got back, the servers had removed our plates! We didn't get to eat! So, when we left the reception, we had the limo driver go to a convenience store so we could get some snacks. Not many people can say that they had Lays Potato Chips for their wedding meal. Ha!
Mark had this beautiful black velvet cape made for me for the wedding. We figured since it was December it would be cold - not! It was 60 degrees that day! But I was determined to wear it since it was so lovely. He had it lined with fabric that matched my wedding dress. I still have that cape and hope that Emma can wear it one day.
We honeymooned in Camden and Portland, Maine; a place we both loved. Here we are in front of one of the B and B's we stayed in - The Elms in Camden.
And here we are doing what we did the most of on our honeymoon - played Scrabble! Yes, it's true. I came down with a nasty sinus infection the day we flew to Maine and was sick our whole honeymoon. Never a dull moment with us - still isn't!
We were back in time to celebrate Christmas with my Mom and Dad and my Grandma. My Dad made this sign for us for when we bought our first house.
So, there you have it - a glimpse of one of the best days of my life - ever! Mark and I have been through a lot these past 20 years, some good, some not so good, but we've done it together and walked the road together and looked to the Lord to guide us. It's been a fantastic adventure and I can't wait to see what the next 20 years has to offer!
Happy Anniversary Mark - I'll love you forever! ~~Robin
Mornin' folks! I am so happy to be sitting here in my jammies and typing my post for you, knowing that I don't have to leave the house today until after 4pm! Doesn't mean I'm not working, but I at least get to chill and enjoy my coffee today. I'll be in the studio most of the day getting ready for Stampin' at the Firehouse on Thursday - probably won't get to play today with my box of NEW Stampin' Up! goodies that came yesterday, but at least I'll be creating! That's always good.
I did stop everything yesterday and make two cards with some of the fun new treats that are coming out in the Occasions Mini Catalog in January. So fun!! I can't wait to share them with you!! But for now, I'm still focused on Christmas. And my 20th Wedding Anniversary. And Emma's 14th Birthday. And our friends Brandon and Ellen's Wedding. Yep, if it sounds like it, it's true. Things are a little extra crazy around here this month. But it's all good, so we're just gonna go with it!
We head out to get our Christmas tree tonight and FINALLY decorate it! A friend posted on Facebook the other day about describing in one word your Christmas decorations. I put "sparse". I literally have a wreath on the door, a flag in the holder and a wreath and cute towels in the studio bathroom. Got my poinsettia yesterday, but it's currently sitting in the middle of the kitchen table waiting for me to place it. What's that song? "I need a little Christmas, right this very minute.". I don't know the rest of it, but that line describes my home right now.
How 'bout a little Christmas for you today? Here's a card I designed for my Last Chance Christmas Card classes last week, and I really like this one a lot! It's pretty simple, and I think I'll be making a few more of them.....
I used Very Vanilla cardstock and cut it at 4 1/4" x 11". It's folded in half and I then ran it through the Big Shot with the Northern Flurries Embossing Folder to texturize the front.
The embossed oval is a piece of cardstock that was done with the Oval Folder in the Embosssed Frames set with the Big Shot. It was trimmed out with Paper Snips. I stamped the greeting from the Word Play stamp set in Real Red ink on more scrap cardstock and punched it out with the Extra Large Oval Punch. Those layers were adhered together with Stampin' Dimensionals and to the card front as well.
The snowflake was punched out of the polka dot glitter paper from Holly Berry Bouquet with the Snowflake Punch and adhered to the card front with a Mini Glue Dot. A Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon bow and some Basic Rhinestones finish off this very simple card.
Here's a couple of the products I used to make this card:
You can find these products and everything else Stampin' Up! in my Online Stampin' Store. Remember, the Holiday Mini Catalog is winding down - you have until January 4th to purchase your favorites! Most of what's in that awesome catalog will not be available anymore after that date, so don't miss out on something you really, really want!
All Online Orders of $40 or more qualify for my NEW Robin's Rewards Program! Click HERE to read all the details and to download your tracking sheet!
Happy stampin' everyone! See you tomorrow, ~~Robin
It feels so good to be home again! We had a great weekend in NYC and Connecticut for Emma's skating competition, but it was so good to pull into the house last night and sleep in our own beds again. Really, there's no place like home.
Emma's team skated beautifully and out of 13 teams competing, they came in 8th. They skated their personal best and the coaches were giddy, one of them even did a little happy dance in the locker room afterwards. We don't know what those judges see, but sometimes we wonder if they are taking a nap when our girls skate. There were some really good teams there yesterday, no question, but I'm not sure 8th was where our girls deserved to be. Just sayin'. At least the girls were proud of their performance and could leave holding their heads high. And in the end, that's all that really matters, isn't it?
So, having been gone all weekend, I have a LOT on my stampin' plate today, but I want to at least show you another quick and easy Christmas card idea. It's a card I designed for a new stamper, a sister of one of my clients who has decided to make her own cards this year. Here's the design:
I do have to apologize for the poor photo quality. My camera was being a booger that day and I was about ready to throw it out the window! These pics are the best of the bunch.
For this card, I went back to the simple "Z" fold design again. It's a great fold that packs a lot of Wow factor, yet is very easy to do. The card is done in all Riding Hood Red and very Vanilla. All the stamps used in the design are from the Bright Hopes stamp set. So, not only is this card simple, but it's economical as well.
I used the snowflake stamp and covered the front folded back panel with that image, stamped randomly. The wreath image was stamped on a piece of Very Vanilla and punched out with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch. It's sponged on the edges to make it stand out and then some Dazzling Diamonds glitter was added to the image with some 2 Way Glue. The ribbon bow is Riding Hood Red Taffeta and is adhered with Mini Glue Dots. I used a few Stampin' Dimensionals to adhere it to the card front.
For the little banner, I simply stamped the greeting on a piece of Very Vanilla scrap and cut it out with my Paper Snips. It's curled with the Bone Folder and added to the wreath with Mini Glue Dots.
Here's the inside view:
Just a simply stamped greeting behind the fold and room to write your message. The stamped Christmas tree has Dazzling Diamonds glitter on it as well for a little finishing bling!
I was so happy with how this card turned out. It was my first time using Bright Hopes this season, but I think now that I've used it, I'll have to find a reason to do it again! Beautiful stamp set!
Don't forget, you can order from my Online Store anytime to get the supplies you need for this card or any other project on my blog. And any order of $40 or more qualifies for my new Robin's Rewards Program too!
Have a wonderful Monday! Happy Stampin', ~~Robin
Place your order for Stampin' Up! Supplies at this link here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner to get started! Click HERE for details on Robin's Rewards Program!
It's the holiday season - everyone likes leftovers, right? HA! Me too, just not too much turkey, please!
Well, my Christmas Lane Scrapbook project had lots of leftovers - including 4 pieces of 6" x 6" cardstock that were just begging to be made into cards. When my cardstock begs, I just have to answer - don't you?? This size card will fit nicely into our Small Open End Envelopes.
Here's the Early Espresso one:
I love the reindeer stamp from the Winter Post stamp set. He looks so cute stamped in a row, walking across a page or card. Here I just stamped him in Early Espresso and added some Sticky Die Cuts and an Old Olive Button with some Baker's Twine. Simple!
My reindeer friend appears again on the Lucky Limeade cardstock:
I stamped the Dear Santa A La' Carte stamp with Cherry Cobbler on Whisper White and punched it out with the 2 3/8" Scalloped Circle Punch. Using more white scrap, I stamped the reindeer again and added the snowflake from Winter Post in Cherry Cobbler. It's punched out with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch and adhered to the punched scallop. The Sticky Die Cut border was glittered up with Dazzling Diamonds and my 2 Way Glue Pen. I even added some glitter to the scallop punch out before adding the Cherry Cobbler ribbon knot. The background of this card was done with the fun Dec. 25th image from Winter Post in Lucky Limeade Classic Ink.
More glitter on the Cherry Cobbler cardstock:
The background was stamped with the snowflake again in Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink then I added a Sticky Die Cut striped border that I'd glittered up. The cuff of the stocking was coated in glitter as well, then I added a Mini Jingle Bell with some Baker's Twine to finish it off.
Ok, last but not least, the Soft Suede cardstock:
The center of this Sticky Die Cut "ornament" had two Stampin' Dimensionals added to it and before I removed the backing, I added some baby powder to nullify the stickiness on the die cut. I was able to pop it up above the ring for some dimension that way. A piece of Sticky Rik Rak makes the hanging string and I simply added a Lucky Limeade Ruffled Taffeta Ribbon bow and a Cherry Cobbler button with more Baker's Twine.
For an inside panel on each of these cards, cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock at 2 3/4" x 5 3/4". It fits nicely inside and you can stamp your greeting easily along with some images from Winter Post to jazz it up.
So, have you enjoyed the Scrapbook and card projects this week? I know I had a BLAST making them! If you're just coming in on this series of posts, all the scrapbook pages can be found on the last three posts on my blog. You'll also find information on my NEW Robin's Rewards Program! You can also click this link HERE to read more about earning FREE Stampin' Up! product when you order from my Online Store! You're all so good to me, I wanted to give YOU something too!
Happy Saturday everyone! We have a busy day here in Stamford, CT getting ready for Emma's competition tomorrow. She has off-ice with her team this afternoon and an early curfew since we have to be at the rink at 6 AM on Sunday!! Uggh! I think the girls on the team will fare better than the parents...... But anyway - Go National Blades!!! :)
Blessings, ~~Robin
Place your order for Stampin' Up! supplies at this link here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store Simply Click the SHOP NOW button at the top right to get started!
We used Wisteria Wonder and Concord Crush cardstock - love that purple combo! And the main heart image is stamped with Versamark then heat embossed with Pewter Embossing Powder. Instead of cutting it out, we tore around the image, giving a texture contrast to the layer underneath. It's adhered with Stampin' Dimensionals.
The flowering vine image from You Are Loved was stamped in Wisteria Wonder ink on Whisper White cardstock. The greeting, from Word Play, was stamped with Concord Crush ink.
It's item # 123779 and is only $23.95 in Clear Mount.
