Doing the HAPPY Dance!

O.M.G!
I have been given an award from one of my favorite bloggers,
Heather Klump!
(I kind of stalk her...but in a good way.)
She is just one of the nicest people you will ever meet and I am such a fan of her designs.

Now, to return the favor, I must list five bloggers that inspire me!
(It goes without saying, my sister, Penny Thomas, but she was included in Heather's picks.)
I check the blogs of these ladies constantly for inspiration:

Judy's Stamp Pad
Ink Bug's Stamping Fit
Live, Laugh, and Stamp with Karen
To Stamp or Not to Stamp...What a Silly Question!
Stampin' With Di


Also, I must list three things you may not know about me:

1. Cannot miss an episode of either Amazing Race, Top Chef or Project Runway!
(Kinda tricky...sometimes those last two are on at the same time!)

2. I love the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Team!
Catcher Yadier (Yadi) Molina is my favorite.
(Bonus fact - My daughter went to school with
Cardinals' pitcher Kyle McClellan! So we root for him too!)

3. Worked in an elementary school for exactly THREE days.
I couldn't get out of there fast enough! Just couldn't do it!
That's why I hold a place dear in my heart for teachers!
(Plus, I raised two!)

Thanks, Heather! Keep rolling those awesome designs out so I can CASE them!
:o)

Easter Owl

I know Easter is over,
but please indulge me for just a bit.
I came across this little guy originally done by Celia Cawthon.
It is, yet again, another reason to have the Owl Punch.
There is just no end to what you can do with it.
Sorry, Mr. Owl, you are not fooling anyone!
Besides, the chocolate eggs are all gone.

Sail Away

I took part in a card swap with other demonstrators recently
and this card was one of the swaps I received.
I just love it and thought you might like to see it too.
It was made by Marsha Parsons who used the new stamp set called Sail Away.
The designer paper is Nautical Expedition.
The Baker's Twine is new too and is perfect for this card.
All of those new items can be found in the Summer Mini Catalog!

Reminds me of the song by Enya
Sail Away, Sail Away, Sail Away!

Tote-ally Krissie!

A very special young lady in our family recently graduated from Beauty School.
We are very proud of her and wanted a special gift card holder for her.
I thought of the scissors in the stamp set called Tote-ally Tess.
Perfect!
She also wears an apron and looks ready to start styling!

The gift card holder is made from an envelope that has been folded in half.
One side is taped shut and the other side holds the card.
I used a pretty ribbon to tie it closed.
How easy is that?

Congratulations Krissie!
We love ya!

May Calendar

This is the May page of the little calendar my sister, Penny Thomas, gave me.
She used the stamp set called Pocket Silhouettes for those sweet little flowers.
The Itty Bitty Shapes Punch was used to accentuate them,
along with the Basic Pearls.
The sentiment comes from Teeny Tiny Wishes.
Isn't that little butterfly cute? He is from the Embosslits Die
called Beautiful Wings.
The Embossing Folder called Perfect Polka Dots was used for the base
and the Scallop Trim Border Punch just below the flowers.
Thank you, Penny!
And Happy Mother's Day to you too!

May is National Scrapbooking Month

If you like to scrapbook, May is the month for YOU!
Now through the 31, you may purchase selected stamp sets,
hard and soft cover photobooks, individual and double-sided pages,
along with three My Digital Studio download bundles, ALL for 30% OFF!
Check out the link below to see the details and selected items:

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/pamdurso/promotions

Graduation Stars

We have a family member graduating from
the University of Illinois.
(GO ILLINI!)
I just love the look of the embedded technique and applied it to this card for her.
It's so simple and really gives you that 'WOW' factor you want in a card.
After adhering the punched stars and strips at the bottom on
the Whisper White card stock, I placed it in the Square Lattice Embossing Folder
and ran it through my Big Shot.
I even tried it on the flap of the envelope!
This layout would work for a new baby, Fourth of July, birthday
and all kinds of situations when you need a quick, WOW-ful card!

So Many Shopping Bags, So Little Time!

Do you have sheets of Scrapbook or Designer Paper that you would like to use?
Make a shopping bag!
Once I started, I couldn't stop making them.
They are perfect for a small, lightweight gift.
You can coordinate the colors in your card as well.
They are cute to give as gifts too, with a little tag hanging
from the ribbon handles.
I am always searching for the right packaging,
but from now on I'll just dig through my designer papers!
An Angie Juda tutorial.

Tooth Fairy - Treat Cup

When showing you the Pieces of Heart Stampers answer to the latest challenge,
I forgot to show you mine.

It's a little container to hold the tooth in anticipation
of the Tooth Fairy's arrival.
That's exactly what the single stamp is called too, Tooth Fairy!
I added Chunky Glitter and Basic Pearls and Basic Rhinestones to really
'Bling' it up.
On top is one of our Treat Cups with some 'Fairy Dust',
otherwise known as Chunky Glitter.

You need a soft place for that tooth,
so I used our Circles # 2 Die on several pieces of felt,
and sprinkled a little more 'Fairy Dust'.

I guess you could say this is a GREEN project since I repurposed a throw away container.
But I like to think it is more of a PINK project!
:o)
I Love My Job!

Spring Is Blossoming Sneak Peek

Many times, less is more, as in this sample.
I used the new stamp set Four Frames that will be offered in the new catalog in July!
Would you like one?
Check out the details here:
http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/CategoryPage.aspx?categoryID=791
But hurry, the promotion only lasts until April 30!

Vintage Kind of Mood

I was so lucky to be able to attend the Leadership Conference in Nashville last January.
We were given the stamp set called
Clearly For You.
I liked the vintage look to it, but never pulled it out to use until now.
(You can still order this lovely set from the Occasions Mini Catalog until the 30th.)
The card layout is from Julie Marshall.

Wrap Up In This!

The colors in the Springtime Vintage Designer Paper are so pretty.
I love how they soften after being run through the
Square Lattice Embossing Folder.
The punches used were the
1 1/4" Square Punch, Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch
and the Decorative Label Punch.
Look closely at that little butterfly.
He is wearing his 'bling' today!

Clean & Simple

HAPPY EASTER, EVERYONE!

Judy Sumner CASE

I said when I started this blog business that I
Copy And Steal Everything!
This sample is no exception.
I stole this idea from Judy Sumner.
This card looks like a chest of drawers
with a floppy bunny sitting in front.
The card stock is folded Tepee style, and
the legs are formed by using the Curly Label Punch
twice at the bottom.
Unfortunately, the bunny is retired,
but there are so many possibilities to use instead.
Cute for a new baby, or a child's birthday.
Imagine a piece of our new fabric peeking out of one
of those drawers.
Too cute!

Sew Suite!

When attending a Stampin' Up! Event in Branson recently,
I saw a swap that I fell in love with.
I don't have the name of the demonstrator who made it,
but while there, she was recognized for her creativity.
I came home and immediately ordered the stamp sets
Pattern Pieces and Sew Suite
to make it.

It is a little book or folder that keeps an
emergency sewing kit inside.
We can all use one of those. So sweetly packaged!
The wide clip (Clips Assortment) that keeps it closed actually looks like one of those
measuring gages from years ago,
(remembering my Home Ec days).
She used a real button, but I used the Embosslits Sweet Buttons to make mine.
The designer paper is called Sweet Stitches.
All of the Sew Suite items can be ordered from the Occasions Mini Catalog,
but only until April 30!
It never ceases to amaze me how such a simple little gift
can be made so much more with just the right packaging!

Congrats, Kristine!

This is Kristine Thurber.
SHE IS ON FIRE!
She is wearing the Queen's Broach because not only was she the top Demonstrator
for the month of March,
she was the top Demonstrator for the first quarter this year!
We are so proud of you, Kristine.
YOU GO GIRL!

She is also wearing our new tee-shirt.
Thanks to Patty Schnell, who did all the legwork,
and her brother's local printing business,
S-n-S Promotions
(please patronize his business in Florissant)
we now have our own tees!
They are awesome, Patty!

Pieces of Heart Stampers April Challenge (and a margarita....or two)

Every month the Pieces of Heart team gets together for a dinner out.
Recently, we have added a monthly challenge to that dinner.
This month's challenge was to alter the empty plastic container that holds Stampin' Up! brads.
Below, you will find the result of that challenge.

This is Judy's bunny container.
How clever is she? She turned the container on it's side to form the body.
I wish I had gotten a picture of the back because he has a fluffy tail and cute padded feet.
Take a look at her blog to see it:
http://www.judysstamppad.blogspot.com

Next is Jayne's container.
This is a bit of a 'sneak peek' of what you will find in the Summer Mini Catalog!
Look very carefully at that punched flower in the middle!
It is so cute, and you will soon see how it is made!

Patty has used those wonderful pearls to add a sweet touch to her container.
I find that I add them to everything now.
Love those colors.
If you look closely you can see a little piece of chocolate inside!

Mary Ellen's container is next.
By shading the larger flower, it makes it look like two.
Such a soft look.

Here is Kristine's container.
When I saw it I immediately thought, vintage!
Kristine is crazy for cupcakes and this little container reminded us of one.
All fluffy and soft.

This fella requires an explanation.
As demonstrators, we are so blessed to have husbands who understand our passion for stamping.
Patty is doubly blessed.
Her husband, Don, is not only understanding,
but he took our challenge with his own entry!
That's his bunny above!
We have adopted him as our Pieces of Heart Stampers Mascot!

From left is Patty, Jayne, Judy, Mary Ellen, me and Kristine.
Our beloved mascot, Don, is in front.

We have such fun all month long together.
How could you not want to be a part?
Come on! Join our team!

Mr. & Mrs. Peter Cottontail

Variation on the Easter basket.
HAPPY EASTER, ALL!

Bunny Boy

When I see this little guy, he just makes me smile.
He looks like he might have had just one too many chocolate Easter eggs.

Punch Bunny

This little cutie might look familiar.
She was a project made at one of my camps last year.
I thought it would be fun to bring back some of my favorite bunny projects.
So, for the next few days, some of those cuties will hop back over for another look.