I should have waited

Before I get started on my post today I just wanted to remind you that TODAY is the last day to get in on my own special of FREE SHIPPING for any order over $35.00.  Thank you so much to all the ladies who took advantage of this great deal - my special thank you for helping me to achieve the Washington DC trip.  TODAY is also the LAST DAY to get in on the Designer Paper Special of BUY 3 get 1 FREE.  If you place your order on line I will send you a reimbursement check in the mail for the amount of your shipping cost.

I should have waited for a Sentimental Sunday post but I just couldn't wait to say "Congratulations" to our daughter, Julie, who (one week ago today) earned her RED BELT in Karate!  We are so proud of her dedication to this art.  She and Tyler both have invested hours of training to get to where they are.  I know I wouldn't want to get on her bad side or surprise her in a dark alley because she could for sure take me down, but she could take down her dad and brothers too (something she has been threatening for years!)

 This is the card that I made for her from the stamp set Work of Art - it has all the symbolism of the belt colors in Karate. 1. white belt, 2. purple belt (each belt has a solid color and then a stripe to follow before going onto the next color), 3. Green belt, 4. Brown belt, 5. Red belt.  Her next belt will be red with stripe so I added the Cherry Cobbler Striped Bakers Twine.  The Congratulations" is from BRAVO and is stamped in Black for the final color.  I added some "bling" with the Basic Rhinestones because she is a girl and April is her birth month! A heart because we love her and I made the little star in the center of the "O", red because she is truly a star in our eyes!!  Congratulations Julie, we are so very proud of you!

As a demonstrator we have access to an online site called STAMPIN' CONNECTION which has tons and tons of fabulous ideas from so many amazing demonstrators so if I cased this from one of them I am not sure because I have seen so many use this super new stamp set WORK OF ART.

Thanks for stopping by!
Christi

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Guest Stamper - Carla V

Today I have a guest stamper.  My friend Carla made this card for my son and daughter-in-law when Sawyer was born.

I love how she used the SOMETHING FOR BABY stamp set along with the coordinating BABIES FIRST FRAMELITS.  You can buy this set along with the framelits as a BUNDLE and save 15%.

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Christi Pin It Now!

Calling All Heroes

When this NEW Photopolymer stamp set came out called CALLING ALL HEROES, I wasn't sure I was going to buy it because I am more of a Superman Hero kind of girl, but our (former-sigh) Youth Pastor has taken a call to a ministry in the Chicago area, and I thought that the city sky line could be any big city like Chicago or New York, etc.  It has only been a month or so but I miss seeing them around church so I decided to play with my new stamp set as soon as it arrived.  I took some tips from Stampin' Connection but this is truly my own design.

 BUT - while I was on Stampin' Connection I did see these two other designs and since I was playing with my CALLING ALL HEROES stamp set I thought I should just make up some extras for the store and for my own card sending.  Hoping my little nephews will like the super hero theme to their birthday cards.
This first one was inspired by Kathya Hidalgo

And this one was inspired by Justin Krieger

I love the photopolymer stamps, they are so easy to align perfectly when using alphabet and number stamps.  You can get your very own CALLING ALL HEREOS stamp set by clicking HERE.  And remember for every order of $35 or more (until July 30th) I am giving you FREE SHIPPING as my thank you for helping me to achieve the Washington DC trip.  If you place your order on line I will reimburse you the price of the shipping as this special offer is through me ONLY.

Here are the cards that are out today for the COME STAMP WITH ME class.  My craft room is open from 10 am to 5 pm so come when you can and leave when you must.  Only $1.50 per card you choose to make.

These beautiful cards were inspired by Mary (?) as seen on LeeAnn Greff's blog, Carrie Rhoades, Jennifer Burns, and Pinterest.  Thanks ladies!!

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Christi Pin It Now!

Next Stop...Washington DC!

Kind of crazy, since I just got home from Convention, but I am already looking forward to the Incentive Trip to Washington DC in September.  I just wanted to show you the cute (and very large) mug that my up line, Glenda, gave to me for earning this trip.  It was complete with all the color families of Candy Dots.  SWEET!!

So I thought I would show you a card I made recently using some Candy Dots

Just the two little dots added as door handles for my "cabinet" made it look authentic.  Yes, I know, I used a retired stamp called Fishin' Around but you can still purchase the Photopolymer stamp set call COUNTLESS WISHES which comes in 2 sets.  These particular words come from set #2.   I used the GOLD GLITTER on the base of the fish bowl.

This card was inspired by Lorri Heiling who was inspired by Carol Lovenstein from Stampin' Connection.

I thought this would make such a cute anniversary card.

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Christi Pin It Now!

Sentimental Sunday

Today is my Daddy's birthday!! He will proudly tell you that he is 88 years old!! Sure doesn't seem that old to me!
In Hudsonville where we live and where Dale and I both grew up they have a Veterans Park with some amazing statues of the different branches of the military.  My Daddy was in the Navy.  When we were at the Art In The Park Craft Sale my parents stopped by and I was able to capture these pictures

 When they were constructing this Veterans Park we could purchase a brick for the walkway either in honor of, or in memory of a loved one.  This is the brick that the grand kids all chipped in to buy for them.

Happy Birthday Daddy!
I Love You!
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Sweet Saturday

This is a wedding cake that I made back in June

No I did not make all these cupcakes too, but I thought the display looked really nice when I brought the cake to the Venue.

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Christi Pin It Now!

Charlie and Parkers First Adventure

Look who high-jacked a ride in my suitcase on our flight from Utah!  This is Charlie the elephant...

 And this is Parker the giraffe...  (I named them after two of the cute little boys that were in my care three years ago)

 Gracie was thrilled when I sent her the pictures and she gave me a thumbs up on the names chosen.  Monday, my first day back, was our day to have the grand kids while mommy works and we decided to take them for a walk up to McDonalds for lunch.  Charlie and Parker were excited that Gracie wanted to take them along. This cute little bag from Thirty One came with the back pack I bought Gracie for her next school year and was a perfect size for our new friends to tag along.

 Parker has a little BLING on his neck (Gracie's watch)

 They thought lunch was delicious, but then again, who doesn't like french fries??  They didn't mind sharing with the little Furby Gracie got in her Happy Meal.

So...speaking of french fries - did you see that Stampin' Up! has a French Fry Box Die for your Big Shot?  You are going to love this!!  I took home the empty fry boxes from McDonalds so I could compare the sizes.  The tiny box on the left is from the Happy Meal and the big box is the size Dale and Tyler got, but the cute one in the front is just perfect size, and look how cute!

 Oh Stampin' Up! didn't stop there, they made a burger box die too.  Here is the size comparisons

 A coordinating set!

 Let's try the same thing in a different color

These are so very cute I can hardly stand it!  I will be using these for gift giving and craft sales for sure!!
Don't have a BIG SHOT?  Have I got a deal for you!!
Starting August 1, 2014 if you buy a BIG SHOT for only $99.95 you get to choose from 5 different specialty bundles for FREE!!  These are up to a $60 value!!
Already have a BIG SHOT?  You can buy one of these bundles at a 15% discount.  More details to follow on August first!!

Thanks for stopping by!
Christi

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Gift Card Holder

 When we found out that another baby was on the way we started up a Waite Baby Pool.  This little questionaire had 11 questions and each questions held a point value.  Each participant donated $5 minimum to Baby Sawyer's college education fund.  We collected $145!!  woot! woot!  When baby Sawyer was born we tallied up the points and the winner is... Laura Callahan!  We lived next door to them for 11 years and I was the care giver for their three boys.  No one came close to the points than Laura - it was a clear run-away winner.  This is a gift card holder that I made to hold the gift card to Logan's Roadhouse Restaurant - the prize she won!

This is a simple Z fold gift card but instead of having it "Z" out - you just turn it in and stick it down with red line tape - now all you need to do is decorate it as desired.

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Christi Pin It Now!

Miss You Already...

Any Gramma would miss her grand kids when she goes away, and I am no exception.  I get to see Tyler and Gracie on a regular basis so when I am gone they are always in my thoughts.  Now we have sweet Sawyer and the thought of not getting in any cuddles for a week was painful.  We popped over to get some cuddles and to get these pictures of the three of them together so I could have one to put beside my bed.

We made sure to visit when Sawyer had his awake time and it was so fun to be able to see his eyes and how he would look around when someone would talk to him.  He is a very strong baby with his neck and back and such a pleasure to hold - it was hard to hand him back to mommy.
And this is the card that I made and sent to them the day I left.

I cased this one from Nikki Spencer.  I thought the little monsters were adorable and it gave me a chance to use my fun Owl Builder Punch.
Stamps: Just Sayin', Gorgeous Grunge
Colors: Coastal Cabana, Strawberry Slush, and Crushed Curry.
The little teeth were just hand snipped from a scrap piece of Whisper White

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Christi Pin It Now!

Home Again!!

It is good to be home!  But what a wonderful time we had in Utah!!  So many new things learned to share with you all.  I just need to get my head wrapped around the normal routine again.  I did want to share with you though, the pillow gifts that I made for my two friends who shared a room with me at convention.  I was so glad to have Donne and Carla come to convention and to share our flight as well because I don't do so well on my own in situations like this.

I saw a package like this on Stampin' Connection but changed it up with the NEW designer papers in the catalog.  Which reminds me to remind you that the Designer Paper special is still going on through the end of this month.  Buy 3 get 1 FREE - that is a $10.95 savings AND for July ONLY I am offering FREE shipping for orders over $35.00 It's a win-win situation.

This is the "pillow gift" that Donne gave each of us...

And this is the "pillow gift" that Carla made for each of us...

And even though Glenda did not share a room with us she still gifted us with these

 A handy dandy note pad and pen inside the clear mount case - somehow it just tickled me that she gave us the blue pen to match the designer paper.  I am such a sucker for cool ink pens.

I bet you all would like to see some cards though, right?  These are the cards that are out for you today when you COME STAMP WITH ME!  Come anytime between 10 am and 5 pm for fun stamping, great chit-chat, and hopefully some new ideas.  Remember only $1.50 per card you choose to make.

Once again for the card with the number on it you may make it any number you want or you can leave it blank or you could add a monogram letter.  I made mine say 86 because that is how old my mom will be very shortly so shhhhh.... don't spoil the surprise.  Oh, and yes, I did case these cards from other fabulous demonstrators on Stampin' connection and Pinterest, but the only one I have a name for is Chat W on the Christmas card.

Stampin' Up! Extended a challenge to those of us who attended Convention Create. Inspire. Share. and one of those is that we would sign on one more person than we did last August/September.  Of course I had to take the challenge and my magic number should be easy but I NEED YOU! By the end of September I need to sign on 3 new Stampin' Up! Demonstrators.  When you become a demonstrator you have complete access to the Stampin' Connection to gather fabulous ideas like these.  Contact me now for the details

Thanks for stopping by! - See you SOON!
Christi Pin It Now!

Anniversary Hybrid

This card is what you would call a Hybrid Card.  I used My Digital Studio to print out the Bicycle from the Stamp Brush Set called Pedaling Past (sizing it much larger than the original stamp). Once I cut out the size I wanted all I had to do was add my anniversary greeting from A Word For You stamp set and some banners from Banner Blast to make this card (which very conveniently was inspired by Chat W) I also printed out some extra wheels so that I could cut them out and pop them up giving my card the much desired look of 3D or dimension.

I love the fact that whatever I buy through My Digital Studio NEVER retires.  Also - once I design my card I don't have to redesign it if I want to make more I just hop on into my MDS program and print another copy.

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Christi Pin It Now!

Sentimental Sunday

Another Graduate!

This sweet gal is Alex
What make Alex special to us?
Alex is the gal who asked for a job to earn money to go to Togo Africa on a short term mission trip.  She didn't just ask for a hand out she asked to work for it.  We had her come every other week to clean our little condo, and all the money she earned went right toward her trip.  I was extra thankful that we could extend her job through the end of the year.
Alex is the one who gave us our sweet Togo the Turtle who is a great friend for Henry!

What else sets Alex apart?
Well, she is a triplet, and all three girls are runners (along with their older sister) Alex even holds a school record in one of the events.  They are all musically gifted as well as making the top honors in high school with over 4.0 GPA's.  It was an honor to attend the graduation ceremony and hear Alex give one of the speeches.  Sadly in our day and age the kids are not allowed to say "God" in their addresses, but as a Christian I could tell EXACTLY where she was coming from.  I will miss seeing her smiling face on Sundays when she heads off to college this fall.
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Christi Pin It Now!

Sweet Saturday

This is the cake that I made for an Ordination Service and Celebration for one of the guys at church.  He and his wife along with their three children are planning to head on to the mission field hopefully this fall.

 It was a busy week with cakes so I was glad when they said that 2 of the sheet cakes could be plain and simple - however - they are still VERY delicious!!

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Christi Pin It Now!

To Have and to Hold From This Day Forward

While I am away at Convention I am missing the wedding of a special young friend.  You have seen me post the journal that I made for Jason and Lyndsey on this post HERE. So in the spirit of weddings I thought I would share a wedding card with you  that was inspired by Heather Klump using the Best of Brides and Babies stamp set.

Stamp Set: Best of Brides and Babies
Paper: Whisper White and Smoky Slate

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Christi Pin It Now!

You Rock

This is the third and final Swap Card that I brought with me to Convention.
This idea popped in my head as soon as I saw the YOU ROCK stamp set in the new catalog.

I had my hubby in mind when I made this card because I would rather to NOTHING with him that to do SOMETHING with anyone else - HOWEVER - he is not with me on this trip to Convention in Utah. A very rare occasion when don't do something together.  Love ya, Babe!  See you on Sunday!

I used the YOU ROCK Stamp Set and FROM MY HEART

The colors are Island Indigo and Rose Red

I love the new shape of the small punch from the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack

I embossed the image with the WOODGRAIN embossing folder because rocking chairs are made from wood and it just looked too plain without some embossing.

I hope to come home with a lot of great ideas to share with you all.

Thanks for stopping by!

Christi

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Grunge Wedding

One of the gals who purchases cards from me at the Used To Be New Consignment Shop said that she pretty much cleaned me out of wedding cards so it has been on my agenda to get a few varieties made up. and I love, love, love all the different stamps that just give you texture like the GORGEOUS GRUNGE stamp set for only $17.95

I used the speckled stamp for this wedding card.

Colors used is the brand new BLACKBERRY BLISS and Crumb Cake.  The new ribbon is so SWEET!! Sorry, but the sentiment is a non-Stampin' Up! stamp.  This card was inspired by Lynn Kolcun

Thanks for stopping by!
Christi

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Bordering Blooms Watercolor Thank You

This is my second Swap card that I am bring ing to Convention.  I used the NEW In-Colors: Blackberry Bliss, Tangelo Twist, Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon and Mossy Meadow

 The stamp sets that I used are called WATERCOLOR THANK YOU (this one only comes in wood and is a single stamp) and BORDERING BLOOMS which comes in Photopolymer.  I love this because it was so easy to line up the inside flowers with the bordering bloom.  Once I stamped it all onto a NOTE CARD I thought it still needed something so I ran it through the BIG SHOT with the PERFECT POLKA DOTS EMBOSSING FOLDER

 

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Christi Pin It Now!