Columbus to Salt Lake City and Back Again!

Whew! What a fun few days we had!

Hubby and I were able to fly to Salt Lake City for a few days. I'll be updating more information in the days to come...  :)

My plane was delayed and re-routed and re-re-routed. So hubby got there before I did. We all made it safe and sound so that was the best part!

Check out what I saw when headed to the baggage area in Salt Lake City:

Do I have the BEST hubby or WHAT?!

GREAT, huh? Then off to get the rental car, check into the hotel, and find dinner - those little peanuts or pretzels don't really substitute for lunch!  :)

And I was able to see a couple of my friends while there too.

Me (red), Andrea (gold), and Paul (blue)

Me (red) and Lana (white)
Happy Anniversary Lana!
Beautiful gift you received from your hubby!

Andrea and Lana have just the BEST dispositions. I love when you meet people and they are just as nice in person as they are over the telephone and internet - LOVE that!

OH - and I have to do this little shout-out. Lana just had her wedding anniversary and her hubby must really love her (how could he not?!). She has the most beautiful gift celebrating their anniversary. If you see her in July, make sure you ask her about it. She just lights up!

Well, thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for their help. Grandpa flew up to Ohio IN COLD, RAINY, APRIL to stay with the boy. Do I have the best folks for what?!

Can you tell? I am SO very blessed! Looking forward to blogging later this week too!

My Paper Pumpkin

Check out the cool cards we made for the March My Paper Pumpkin Party! Remember, this kit came with the pieces and parts to make four easy-peasy cards!

March / Starter Paper Pumpkin with a few extras

And four of the five cards shown have extra items on the card. Want to see how much is actually extra?

Original kit plus extras

YUP - that's it! The crafters were able to make one additional card with the four that came in the Paper Pumpkin kit from Stampin'Up! Other than that one card (half a sheet of cardstock for the card and a quarter sheet for the inside), all other papers were SCRAPS! Yes, scraps! And I only used Basic Gray Ink!

Here are the close-ups. Can you tell which one is the "extra" card that was made? Does it look different than the others? Hmmm....

Card #1
I'll give you a hint - this is the card design from the package.
No additional items were used.
So this one isn't it...

Card #2
This one added a doily and a couple of scraps to make the blossom flower.
Added a small piece of basic gray stitched grosgrain ribbon to set it.

Card #3
Added scraps to make the pretty butterflies, a little bit of whisper white taffeta ribbon,
some rhinestones for the bling, and did you notice the extra green outline-type of circle?
Use the negative of the stickers that are left.
So EASY!

Card #4
Added a strip of Daffodil Delight to back the printed paper.
Ran the card through the Honeycomb Embossing Folder, used scraps to make the bird,
and a doily half was cut into thirds and layered using Stampin'Dimensionals.
Like the leaves? Used one of the jagged circles and cut the leaves out of it!

Card #5
Added a doily half, scraps to make the bird, and did you notice the Old Olive ribbon piece?
I saw that on another card and really liked how it dressed it up!

I LOVE this kit! While the first card design is nice, by just adding a minimal amount of extra "things," it really bumped up the card. Can you tell that I really like the little doilies that Stampin'Up! is offering in the Spring catalog too? They are just so pretty!

And with the FREE SHIPPING between now and Monday, you may want to add a couple of the items that I used when you place YOUR order. (All items are listed at the end of this posting.) Just click on the link and you will be taken to my online store to order (doublecheck that you see my name, Dawn Stock, in the top right corner when you place your order). 

And I still have the negatives (or skeletons) of the other sticker punchouts from the kit. I have used negatives in the simply scrappin' kit classes the last couple of months, so many of you are familiar with doing this. It is something that is really easy to do and it looks really nice!

So many options and such a deal at $19.95 - which includes shipping! You can join in the Paper Pumpkin subscription by clicking here to Join Now! Make sure you have listed my name (Dawn Stock, Grove City, Ohio) and YOU can snag the invitation to come and make your monthly kit's projects here at my home. We meet the last Saturday of the month and you bring your Paper Pumpkin kit, along with your Crafter's Kit, and we will put them all together. This one took LESS THAN AN HOUR! How often can you make five different cards in less than an hour like we did? Thank you Stampin'Up! for offering this wonderful subscription!

So - could you tell which one was not like the others? It was card #4, the one with the turquoise bird. I used a half sheet of Basic Gray cardstock, placing a quarter sheet of Whisper White cardstock inside the card. The cards that came in this kit were Basic Gray on the outside with white on the inside of the card. Since we do not sell that kind of cardstock, I improvised, adapted, and overcame! 

Hope you have enjoyed this blog posting and the beautiful cards. Remember to join Paper Pumpkin by the 10th to receive the April kit. And it's a surprise - just like our monthly magazine subscriptions - can't wait to see what the kit is - and what we will do with it on the 27th! See you here!

Items Used to Complete these Cards (click on any of the links to order):
Paper Pumpkin Kit -- sign up for your subscription Join Now!
Tempting Turquoise Cardstock, Item #102067 (part of the Brights Collection, Item #119706)
Daffodil Delight Cardstock, Item #119683 (part of the Brights Collection, Item #119706)
Whisper White Cardstock, Item #100730
Bird Builder Punch, Item #117191
Elegant Butterfly Punch, Item #127526
Bitty Butterfly Punch, Item #129406 - Spring Catalog - only available until May 31st
Blossom Punch, Item #125603
Boho Blossoms Punch, Item #119858
Tea Lace Paper Doilies, Item #129399 - Spring Catalog - only available until May 31st
3/8" Old Olive Striped Organdy Ribbon, Item #129291 - Spring Catalog - only available until May 31st
3/8" Whisper White Taffeta Ribbon, Item #109070
1/4" Basic Gray Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Item #126879
Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Item #129378 - Spring Catalog - only available until May 31st
Large Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Item #129324 - Spring Catalog - only available until May 31st
Rhinestone Basic Jewels, Item #119246
Stampin'Dimensionals, Item #104330
Snail Adhesive, Item #104332
 (Snail Refill, item #104331)

Leadership Class - Social Media

There were a number of classes offered this year for Leadership 2013. I wish I could have taken them all, but unfortunately Hermoine's Time Turner was not available to me.

BUT one of the classes that I WAS able to take was the "Ramping Up Your Social Media Presence" and it was facilitated by Andrea Withers. You may remember Andrea from my posting about Convention 2011 AND the 2012 Chattanooga Regional. Well, she was on stage at this presentation and did a FAN-TAB-ULOUS job! I wasn't able to get her attention until Saturday evening at the Sale-a-Bration Celebration, she was just WAY too busy! Of course, she is one of those rare people who remember names and faces! (It may have something to do with her youth, but I suspect it is actually HER!) When I snuck over and saw her, she gave me the biggest hug. Isn't she just the sweetest person?! This picture was from the Chattanooga Regional.

Me (red shirt on left) and Andrea Withers (red sweater on right)

Well, during the Leadership 2013 class of Ramping Up Your Social Media Presence, I learned a LOT from Andrea Withers, Diane Dimich, Catherine Pooler, and Becky Roberts (had to pull out the agenda to make sure I got everyone's name right!).

Now, I know, I know, I know... We all know what we need to do, but sometimes trying to fit everything in - well, it just doesn't happen so well! One of the points mentioned was to offer videos and although I have a few ideas, what type of video information would you like to see me offer? I did that one small video on the Simply Sent App here and that seemed well received.

Simply Sent App
See my video on how to use it

And I'd like to do another crafting video. Is there a technique you'd like to see? Leave me a comment and let me know!

The New Silicone Craft Sheet - WOW!!!!

I mean really... WOW! Have you had a chance to play with the Silicone Craft Sheet yet? WOW!

School begins tomorrow morning, and as you saw from my earlier post just a couple of days ago (here), I'm working on several projects at this moment. So, the boy mentioned tonight that he'd like me to cover his composition books with his Yoda paper (BIG Star Wars fan). You know, like I did for him LAST year (here's that post). I literally had TWO pieces left. JUST enough for two notebooks for him!  :)

And because he likes to have his name on things, I used my new Typeset Alphabet Bigz Dies. FYI - these are the PERFECT size for names on notebooks! (And, if you have a $400 workshop, you can get this beauty for 50% off!)

Well, if you've ever played with alphabet die cuts, they are little! They don't seem like they are, but when you go to put the adhesive on it, they seem really small! I usually get the adhesive on my grid paper in addition to the die cut!

SO, because I was waiting for the brownies to come out of the oven (gotta have chocolate to pack for the first day of school lunch!), I took the extra minute to pull out my Silicone Craft Sheet. Again, WOW! This thing made putting adhesive on those alphabet die cuts SO STINKIN' EASY! I have no idea why I haven't used it before now - but I'm keeping this thing CLOSE from now on!

No adhesive stuck to my grid paper, the table, anything. It just didn't stick - except to where it was supposed to stick! If you haven't used yours yet, or if you don't have one yet, get one! That $5.95 price is such a deal! You can see right through this thing! And it is SO worth not having the aggravation of the adhesive sticking to my grid paper!

If you are coming to my workshop on Saturday (August 25th) at 1pm, make sure you try the Silicone Craft Sheet - you will LOVE it!

Here's a picture of the Silicone Craft Sheet on top of the boy's notebook with one of the die cuts. See how you can see right through it?! This thing is just wonderful. I may have to order a couple of extras - since they are only in the Holiday Catalog.

The boy's notebook for school

Hope you enjoy the notebook I made for the boy. He's fast asleep now and will be so pleased when he loads his backpack tomorrow with these notebooks.

Parents hold their children's hands for a while, their hearts forever...

(Author Unknown)

Happy Birthday America!

Crafters -

Today is Independence Day! Happy Birthday America!

I was fortunate enough last night to be able to watch the Columbus fireworks on TV with my family. This is Columbus' 200th year, so they really did it BIG! HUGE, as a matter of fact!

Red, White, and Boom 2012 was "BOOMing" as the news reported. If you missed the show, or are looking for something really good on TV tonight at 7pm, here's what one of the local stations wrote on their website: "If you missed the fireworks, don't worry! NBC4 will rebroadcast the biggest Independence fireworks display in the Midwest, Red, White & BOOM!, on Wednesday, July 4 at 7 p.m." and here's the article. Hope you enjoy the show as much as I did!

I loved watching the entire time (it was about 30 minutes or so), but I have to tell you - the last 10 minutes were FABULOUS! The colors, the coordination, the display, and the presentation were WOW! Isn't that neat? We plan our cards using the same thought-process - the colors, the coordination (of those colors), the display of the card, and finally, the presentation to the card recipient. Two totally different things - fireworks and cards - and yet, the behind the scenes thought-process is very similar is some ways...

Later this week, I'll be prepping for my downline meeting at the end of the month. Yes, I'm a bit of a planner...  :)  And the theme for my downline's shoebox swap is the "10-minute card." I may have to listen to the soundtrack from the Red, White and Boom show while I put together my shoebox swap card!

And if you'd like to stroll down Amnesia Lane with me for a minute... Here's me, about 25 years ago...

Me - from many, MANY, years ago...

And my kid brother and me together at our Grandma's...

Although he's my kid brother, he's WAY taller than me!
(don't you just LOVE my 80s hair!)

And our Grandpa from many more years ago...

My uncle and his boys look a LOT like my Grandpa!

When you see our military today, both current and veteran, please thank them. Our many freedoms come at such a price and at great sacrifice to them, yet they do so willingly. I thank God that we have a volunteer military in this country and I thank the many men and women and their families for blessing OUR lives so that we may continue to enjoy those freedoms.

Thank you! And Happy Birthday America!

Change to Stampin'Up!'s Policy

Crafters -

As many of you know, I just rejoined Stampin'Up! after waiting six months (their rules, not mine). Believe me, every time I called them, emailed them or had contact with them, I let them know that I thought six months was a little long. Everyone does things for different reasons, and I won't get into all of that right now, but sometimes changes need to be made.

Well, Stampin'Up! listens to their demonstrators (I'm confident I'm not the only one who contacted them about this). They are changing the 6-month waiting period to just 90-days! While this didn't help me, because it was not effective until this month, it may help someone else.

There is not a card or creative post today. We worked on 5-yards of mulch this evening. Team Stock completed it within 6 hours! And I'm a little tired...  :)  But in a good way. I'll be back at crafting tomorrow - remember the old catalog ends on the 31st. You have but a week to order from the retired lists. Here's what five-yards of mulch looks like in the driveway in the early afternoon.

Five cubic yards of mulch.
When it was delivered, I thought... that doesn't seem like very much.
My body is now telling me that it WAS very much!  :)

And here's what it looks like after dark! But it is DONE!!!! Thanks so much to my wonderful husband for all the help with it. Isn't it nice to have help?

And it is all gone!
YEAH TEAM STOCK!!!!

Jobs and chores just seem to go faster when you are working WITH someone, huh? Crafting time just SPEEDS by when I'm with my friends. How about you?

Then the Lord God said,

“It is not good for the man to be alone.

I will make a helper who is just right for him.”

- Genesis 2:18 (New Living Translation)

Alrighty then, onto the statement from Stampin'Up! If you are a former demonstrator or thinking about changing your upline for whatever reason, here's what Stampin'Up! listed:

********************

Change to Rejoin Policy

May 22, 2012

We regularly evaluate our demonstrator policies, and review your feedback on how they impact you and your businesses. We have recently reviewed several policies based on feedback, and would like to announce a change to our rejoin policy that became effective May 1, 2012 

The previous rejoin policy states that, once a demonstrator drops, she can either sign up again immediately under the same upline (if that upline is active), or wait six months and sign up under a new upline. The change, effective May 1, is that now a demonstrator must only wait 90 days from her effective drop date before signing up under a new upline. The effective drop date is the last day of the month in which she resigns, or the last day of the pending month if she fails to meet her quarterly minimum.

The purpose of this change is to reduce a barrier to returning to Stampin' Up! once a demonstrator has dropped. We recognize that many circumstances can contribute to a demonstrator deciding to drop or resign her business with Stampin' Up!, and there may be legitimate reasons for a demonstrator to join a new downline group. While we want to accommodate these demonstrators' needs, we still need to protect the stability of an upline's business, therefore in addition to the 90-day waiting period, sales history, downline, and title cannot be restored when a demonstrator is dropped and rejoins, and she will be considered a brand new demonstrator.

Over the next couple of months, we will announce a few more changes in policy designed to make your business a little easier, so stay tuned!

********************

Happy Mother's Day!

Crafters -

Today is May 13th and it is Mother's Day. This morning, our son woke up and gave me his store-bought card. He picked out a wonderful card. Then I was served Cinnabon cereal, complete with him pouring the milk for me, I made my cup of coffee and we enjoyed breakfast together - WITHOUT THE TV SET ON!!!!   :)  The boy even read me the comics - wasn't that sweet?

Then the best part happened. He said "mom, why don't we make a Mother's Day card for you?" Well... what could I say? Of course! He told me that he was going to use his own stamps (he has several!).

SO, this is what his work area looked like while he was crafting.

The acorn doesn't fall far from the tree, huh?

And here is the final result

Front of card - in English and Spanish (thanks to Google Translate!)

Inside of the card - in multiple colors!

And the back of the card!

Let me assure you, THIS card will be treasured for years to come.

...his mother treasured all these things in her heart. - Luke 2:51b

AND, he had ink on his fingers - as the saying goes "If there is ink on my fingers, there's a smile on my face." When I told him that, he smiled. What a wonderful gift...

Enjoy your day with family and friends.

OH - he also wanted to make a Mother's Day card for a friend of mine, Donna. She doesn't have children, but she and the boy have a running count of how many more hugs she has than I do (last count was around 700 or so but I'M NOT COUNTING!!!!). Anyway, he told me "she's like a mom to me, so I'm going to make her a card too." We're hoping to see her at church so he can give it to her. Hope she likes it!

Ronald McDonald House Charities - Christmas Cards!

Crafters -

Yes, I know it is nearing the end of November, but it is still "nice" weather here. Although it is becoming a little cooler...

On Sunday, Geneva, Steph, and I went to Ronald McDonald House and made Christmas cards.

Here are the designs we used:

If you recognize the pretty bows - they are made using Lee Conrey's Magic Bow Maker (LOVE that thing!). Geneva demonstrated it at the Dames meeting in October.

And, if you look at the cards and go "those look familiar, but..." you may be right! I patterned them after Sandi MacIver's Countdown to Christmas Project #5 card. In case you didn't know, Sandi and Lee are in the same Stampin' group! How fun is that?

Anyway, we had about 9 children who made about 20 cards, we also had 3 adults making cards as well. It was a kinda rainy, drizzly day - PERFECT for cardmaking!

If you have never made cards at Ronald McDonald House, you should. You will be blessed tenfold. We were so busy, I wasn't able to take pictures of all the cards that were made, but I was able to get a picture of a card that one little girl (and her mom, of course!) made. We all know we can purchase cards that are storemade - but which one would you prefer? I know THIS card has MY vote!

For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. - Luke 12:48b

Hope you are able to join us for the next time we are at Ronald McDonald House to make cards. We are scheduled for Sunday, January 15th. Let me know if YOU are available to attend!

Louisville Regional!

WOW!

What a GREAT time! Yesterday, several of us drove to Louisville, Kentucky for the Stampin'Up! Regional (Thanks so much to Steph for driving the ENTIRE time - YOU ROCK!).

Upon arrival, we saw the fabulous Bonnie Thurber. She was kind enough to pose for a picture.

Stampin'Up! changed the format for this Regional slightly. Some for the better and some I didn't enjoy as well (in my humble opinion). I LOVED how they have us all sitting at the lined-up tables with EVERYONE facing the front stage. That was SO NICE!  It allowed everyone to see the main stage without having to turn around.

After the initial introduction, everyone received crafting time to go to the TWO designated areas to complete the two Make-and-Takes. I wasn't sure about this, at first, then I decided that I really liked this change as well. There were a total of six of us that sat together; we broke into sets of two. Just like a restaurant - it is easier to get seats of two together, rather than a group of six to a table! (smile)

We were able to view all the displays and see the WOW demonstrations! This was the part I didn't enjoy as well. The WOW! demonstrations were throughout the area and they had those fabulous mirrors above the demonstrators so we could see, however - everyone wanted to see! I can say that I cannot blame them, but because of this set-up, you had to stand back and watch SEVERAL of the same demonstration before you could actually get to the front to see the samples and the demonstration displays. I'm not sure how they could do this better, but it did allow us to see the four different WOW! demonstrations up close and personal... eventually.

We then returned to our seats and, after the blessing, received our box lunches - YUMMY!

After lunch, SU! began the demonstrations on stage. The wonderfully talented (and I'm not just saying that because I won!) Carrie Cudney talked about us being savvy shoppers. Many of you have heard me say, because I heard it at Convention a few years ago, that we should purchase stamp sets that we can make five things out of - five techniques, five designs, five different things! That way, you receive the bigger bang for your buck (or the most for your money). And, Carrie discussed that exact same concept and showed us one such stamp set that could do this. She also showed us how to combine the new Dazzling Details with reinkers, to give wonderful color sparkles to our designs.

A little bit of Dazzling Details with a drop or two of colored reinkers

Here is the Dazzling Details with a blue reinker for the background on the scallop - BEAUTIFUL!

My new stamp set!

And the wonderful Carrie Cudney posing for a picture with me -
since I won the Prize Patrol and the stamp set that demonstrated!

Then on to the technologically savvy Holly Linford. She talked about punches and punch art. Now, I have to be honest here... I have several (ok, most) of the punches, but I usually use them for just, well, punch outs! I have altered a few of them, but Holly really took it to the next level. She showed us several cards on the stage, and one of them happened to showcase the local talent of Connie Babbert. I might add... I have this particular card. Connie gave me one of hers at Convention. Isn't this just the cutest?

Holly went on to talk about the Card Keeper that is sold. And she decided to announce that EVERYONE would receive one! Here's the box that it comes in, along with a sample from the screen.

And then Holly, Carrie, and Bonnie went on stage. This picture just does not do these ladies justice - they are all so beautiful. Wish I could have gotten a picture of them all smiling to the camera! Don't they look like they are having fun?

They discussed a Creative Journal Challenge for them and several others, at first. Then a challenge was issued to each of us as Regional attendees. Make your own! So, they gave us the pieces and parts to make our own! Carrie is helping to distributed the journals - I think she looks as happy passing out the prizes as WE are about receiving them. She's at the end of our row at this time.

I won't begin working on mine until after I finally finish my Master's Degree - so it will be AFTER January. I'll show pictures of mine at that time.

Oh, I forgot to tell you! When I won my stamp set, well, you are supposed stand up and wave your arms around (so they can see you clearly!) and are supposed to be just so excited (they actually require us to do that - NOT! - but we do it anyway because we really are so excited!) to receive fun, free stuff! Well, and I knew this, but... my wedding set is a little loose on my hand. When I stood up and waved my arms around, well, my wedding set FLEW off my hand! I heard it land somewhere but didn't see where it landed. Yeah, imagine the sinking feeling... This wonderful lady in the next row, almost to the right end of the row (I was nearer to the left end of our row), well, she found it! I must have REALLY been swinging my arms around! So as Holly is delivering my new stamp set, I'm reaching for my wedding set from this wonderful woman. I know Holly was looking at me really weird, and I wish I could have gotten a picture of her delivering my new stamp set for me, but I think my wedding set was just a bit more important. Thank you to this wonderful woman for returning my wedding set to me! I didn't get her name, but she was kind enough to pose for a picture with me. You will notice my set is not on my left hand in this picture. I've placed it on my RIGHT hand (those fingers are fatter - smile - and I'm really ok with that - NOW!). I'm NOT losing this again!

So, here we are at the end of the day. I've included a picture of two local demonstrators who sat with us. Barb is also one of our crafters at church with our card ministry - she makes the prettiest card designs! Talk about being blessed to know so many wonderful (and talented) crafters!

OH - and one last thing, I promise! Donna Griffith, during her demonstration, mentioned that we need to do some "framping". I had no idea what this was! Do you? It is a combination of the words "friends" and "stamping"! So - go do some FRAMPING! I like that new (to me) word. Friends and stamping. Throw in some chocolate and maybe a little coffee and this is bliss!

Hope you have enjoyed these pictures and the update from the Louisville Regional on Friday, October 28, 2011.

Dames meeting today!

Crafters -

First, let me tell you about the wonderful ladies in my downline. We had our quarterly downline meeting today. These fabulous Dames showed up with coffee, pumpkin doughnuts from the Circleville Pumpkin Festival (thanks Steph!), and chocolate (never met a chocolate I didn't like - thanks Geneva!)!

We had two demonstrations today. I don't know about the rest of you, but I struggle with bow-tying. Am I alone in this? I'm a-thinkin' not!  :)

Stephanie demonstrated how to make bows using brads, first. How come I never thought of this?

Then, Geneva demonstrated bows using Lee Conrey's Magic Bow Maker. Let me assure you, we have a group order for Ms. Conrey! We literally went "Wow..." after seeing Geneva demonstrate it for us!

Then we had our Challenge winner (see this post for our Dames Challenge), Nina. She won on BOTH the closest to $50, along with the most DIFFERENT cards/projects using her items. Way to go Nina! (If you are a new stamper, see how easy it is to make cards?)

Finally, we completed our Shoebox Swaps. I think that is the favorite thing of all. Now, I may be a little-teeny-tiny-bit partial, but I think these are just beautiful cards. I may not be a grammar geek, but I know pretty cards when I see them! Hope you enjoy these lovely ladies' talents!

Nina's card

Steph's card is on the left.
I don't know if mine will be a Valentine's Day card, Anniversary card, or wedding card,
so I left mine blank.

I altered Steph's original design. Here's a close-up of mine.

Geneva's card

Tina's design. Can you tell what the clouds are?
That's right - The top of the cupcake punch!

Dawn's card

Close up of the bird.
Don't you just LOVE how the Crystal Effects brings makes this card really pop?

Dames - thanks so much for spending your Saturday morning with me and thanks for the coffee, doughnuts, and wonderful chocolates. Business relationships may change, but friendships remain strong. I'm so thankful that I have these wonderful friends in my life. Thank you Dames!

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. - Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 (NIV)