Birthday in a Box!

The Big Shot box dies have become my new favorite toys!
This one is called the Bitty Box & Envelope Die.

Inside is a balloon, birthday candle and two pieces of chocolate
covered with an address label stamped with the set called
It's a Wrap Occasions.
A little birthday party waiting to happen!

Awwwww!

This little lamb is so stinkin'
CUTE!
It would be pretty in Bashful Blue as well.
Made with these punches:
Scallop Circle
Word Window
Itty Bitty Shapes
Oval
Modern Label
The background is made using the
Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder
and the
Big Shot
(Free this month when you become a member of my team!)

Awash with Flowers

I have always struggled with this two-step stamp set called
Awash With Flowers.
I think I was trying to make it line up perfectly, and it's not supposed to.
That's it's appeal.
I pulled it out recently, to give it another chance,
and found that I really like it after all.
The fact that it doesn't 'fit' took a lot of pressure off.
It ended up being a really pretty effect.
Change the colors and it will work for any season.
Just might be one of my favorite sets now!

Scaredy Cat Owl

Recently, I attended an all day event for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators. We had so much fun, (thank you Sally and all!). We learned new techniques, saw lots of great ideas, talked about our businesses, ate a great lunch, and of course...STAMPED!
The card above is one of the fun make and takes we made.
I have always loved that little owl, but how cute is he in his witch hat?
It's made using an oval punch and the Petite Pennants Builder Punch.
The paper behind him is from the Frightful Sight package.
Whooooo wants some candy!

GET A FREE BIG SHOT OR $100 IN MERCHANDISE!

An offer to DIE for! If you've been looking for an opportunity to do what you love, while getting a 20 discount on your favorite products, now is the perfect time! During October, you'll get a FREE Big Shot when you join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator.* Use the Big Shot die-cutting machine and Stampin' Up!'s exclusive dies** to create uniquely beautiful projects in a flash. In addition, the new-demonstrator Starter Kit--a steal at just $175--contains over $345 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and business supplies-everything you need to start your new business. There are so many benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, including A 20 percent product discount! A free monthly issue of Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator-only magazine, Stampin' Success! Sneak peeks at brand-new products! Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events! Regular get-togethers to stamp! Free access to an online community of 30,000+ crafters/stampers and creative artists, as well as 160,000+ project samples! Plus, access to an exclusive video and training for your new Big Shot! Don't miss this BIG deal! Contact ME (stamppad@sbcglobal.net or 314-831-3265) today to learn how you can take advantage of this great opportunity and get your FREE Big Shot! *Or up to $100 in FREE Stampin' Up! products **Big Shot dies sold separately

Self Portrait?

After yelling at the poor tree service guys,
(see previous post),
they might be thinking this is a portrait of me!
And, there might be some truth to that.
After my little 'discussion' with them,
I came inside and put my heart into this little card.
It uses the stamp set called Wicked Cool, (kinda the way I felt!).
The cauldron is made using the Ornament and Jewelry Tag Punches.
Our new Simply Scored tool was used to pleat my, I mean her skirt.
Kinda fun to be Wicked Cool every now and then!
I recommend it!

Julie Arvin

"Because I'm Older and I Have More Insurance" *

Okay, maybe I had one cup of coffee too many....

I knew a tree service would be arriving soon to 'trim' my beautiful Pin Oak in the front yard away from the power line. That's a good thing. I would be the first to complain if a storm took out a limb and we lost power. BUT, I have seen the work of these tree cutters and it's not pretty. We have a street nearby that is a main thoroughfare between two busy streets. I travel it often. The trees along that road have been made absolutely ugly by their 'trimming'. The limbs above the line are cut way back and they leave a limb underneath, it just looks awful.
So when the cutters started in on MY tree, I put on my clothes, (kinda hard to be effective in a ratty looking robe), and marched out there and gave them a piece of my mind. The poor clean-up guy got it first. He looked like a deer in the headlights when I started in on him. Then the guy in the cherry-picker-thing lowered himself down with his back to me, (probably because he was rolling his eyes thinking, "Great, another gray-haired hen whose feathers I have to smooth."). I let him have it too. I told him we have lived here 27 years and we love that tree and he better take special care trimming it. I was kinda surprised at myself! I've never done anything like that before! I felt like Kathy Bates in Fried Green Tomatoes, when she turns into her alter ego, Towanda! He let me rant and and nodded his head and assured me they would take care with the tree.
I don't know if my hissy fit made a difference. I do know that they stopped 'trimming' after that. And I think they were especially mindful of cleaning up my yard. I came in the house feeling empowered! Maybe I should blow up more often!
I have a special place in my heart for my trees. Check out my blog from September 11, 2010.
Don't mess with my trees!

*When two snippety young girls ace Towanda, aka Kathy Bates, out of a parking spot she had been waiting for, they laughingly tell her they are younger and quicker. She then rams their car with hers and takes the spot anyway. That's when she tells them off!
Thank goodness I wasn't driving!

This is my world, and welcome to it!

This is my kitchen!
As you can imagine, not much cooking goes on in here anymore.
Not that I'm heartbroken about that,
but it does take some maneuvering to get around.
Notice all the Stampin' Up! boxes?
And, nicely packed inside, are all my dishes
cushioned by that lovely brown packing paper.
Steve and I looked at our calendars and decided we are just too
busy the month of October to move!
So, it looks like I will be maneuvering around these boxes
until November.
In between packing boxes, I still find time to stamp.
See how smart I was....I packed the kitchen first.
My stamping room will be the last packed!
Tee-hee
:o)

Look What We've Got!

I attended a Stampin' Up! demonstrator event recently,
and received this pretty tag as a swap
from Deanna Schultz, (who I steal ideas from all the time!).
But what was really exciting was what the tag was attached to!

A COOKIE!
But not just any cookie!
One made using our new Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps!
The easy to use cookie stamp has a solid wood handle with three
interchangeable stamp images:
a heart, a jack-o-lantern, and a snowflake!
It comes with two shortbread recipes that are deelish!
This item will be available October 1, and at the price of

$16.95!
What a fun way to 'dress up' your cookie-giving this holiday season!
On October 1 you can order them from my online 24/7 store:
www.pamdurso.stampinup.net
or
send an email and I will be happy to place the order for you:
stamppad@sbcglobal.net.
HAPPY BAKING FROM STAMPIN' UP!

Boo Box

Once I started making these little
Boo Boxes,
I couldn't stop!
I had to hurry because Steve kept stealing the candy
I was putting inside.

The stamp set is called
Spooky Bingo Bits.
The top and bottom is made with the
Petal Card Punch.
The
Postage Punch
was used to accent the top.
I used the new
Simply Scored tool
(love it!)
to make the four sides.
A little strip of
Window Sheet
makes the candy pop out at you
when the box is opened.
How cute is that?

Brenda Quintana

EEEK!

Uh oh.
Someone put ghosts into a jar,
and they are
NOT HAPPY!

I, uh, someone used the stamp set called
Spooky Bingo Bits.
The Spider Web Embossing Folder was used on the lid of the jar,
and then spritzed with Smooch to give it a shimmer.
Very Spooky!
And so cute.
But just the same, I'm not going to open that jar!

Michelle Suit

As Demonstrators,
we have so many places to go to find ideas and inspiration.
I saw this card on one of those sites.
(I never worry about having to come up with ideas for my events!
I LOVE MY JOB! Join my team and I will show you how easy it is!)
I used the Blossom Bouquet Punch.
Change the colors and this idea will work for any season.

Quiet Impact

I saw this card originally done with
the stamp set called
Delicate Doilies.
Pooh!
I don't have that one yet,
so I pulled out my set called
Circle Circus.
I think it turned out just fine.
I love having options to fall back on
when I see something pretty
and don't have everything used.
It stretches my creativity and makes it mine
even though I am reproducing a card.

Diana Gibbs
(Love her!)

Love & Care

I just adore this look.
This is a one-layer card with no bells, no whistles.
Just paper, ink and stamps.
After I stamped the flowers,
I drew a line around a template on the edge of the base card.
Unfortunately, Love & Care is retired.
But looking through our catalog,
I see many possibilities
that I am eager to try.
What do you think?

Dawn Olchefske

Penny's September Calendar Insert

Perfectly simple!

In Memory

It's All About the Packaging!

Inside this box is a single stamp and an Ink Spot
for a nice lady.
She would have been thrilled to receive it in a little cello bag,
but I wanted to 'jazz' it up a bit.
To me, the packaging is just as important as the gift.
It shows how special you think someone is by taking the time
to make it pretty.
I used my Big Shot and the Box #2 Die on a sheet of
Crumb Cake card stock to make this versatile little box.
To make the belly band,
I wrapped a strip of Basic Black card stock
and a strip of Real Red Designer Series Paper
around the box.
Then used Black Satin Ribbon and added a
coordinating tag to finish it off.
Pretty darn cute!
Yep! She's gonna like it a lot!

Inspired by Mary Fish

Clean & Simple

Sometimes a messy work space pays off!
I had the base part of this card sitting on my table along with a few other pieces.
It was partially stamped and never finished.
I looked down and immediately saw possibilities!
I love how it turned out.
I just randomly stamped the flourish from the set called
Vintage Vogue with White Craft Ink on
Crumb Cake and Soft Suede card stock.
Tied it up with White Organza Ribbon and
voila'
a pretty, clean & simple card!

Riding Hood Red and Black All Over!

I was given the stamp set, Best Friends Forever, at the convention this year.
I hadn't used it until I saw this great card on
Diana Gibbs blog.
The Wide Black Grosgrain Ribbon is cut down the middle which causes it
to fray a bit and give the card a really cool look.
It uses the designer paper called First Edition.
I used Riding Hood Red card stock with Basic Black.
Love it!

Redbird Thinking of You

This cheery card is just a bit 'outside of the box.'
The little bird, on a punched Jewelry Tag, is attached using a brad.
I also used my new
Textured Impressions folder called Stripes
on the Daffodil Delight card stock.
The stamp sets used were
Trendy Trees and Itty Bitty Bits.