Placemats

One of the nice things about having a friend and coworker who is heavy into crafting is having the advantage of learning about all the "in" things in the areas of crafting without having to attend conferences and workshops to learn about them.  My friend Erica Cerwin, an SU demonstrator, recently returned from the National Stampin'Up Conference and raved about how pinwheels were the newest in thing....they were everywhere.  So I decided to try my hand at making something with these pinwheels.  This is what I came up with....we all love to entertain so I decided to make a placemat using pinwheels.  I chose to use some tropical prints and colors.  They so reminded me of our recent trip to Orlando, Florida.  Obviously, you could use this idea for holiday gatherings, birthday parties...the possibilities are endless.

Hope this inspires some of you to try your hand at making some pinwheels they were fun and super easy to make.

Frame

I stole this idea from my SU Demonstrator Erica Cerwin.  You take any standard frame and basically turn it into a scrapbook of sorts.  My local Hobby Lobby had a mega sale....90% off assorted discountinued and slightly imperfect frames.  I recently purchased a DSLR camera and decided to showcase some of my first attempts at amateur photography.  I loved the black and white shots that I took of my kids so I figured I would showcase them in a newly created display. 

I am thinking that I will take this baby to work with me when school starts and hang it in my office. 

Happy Birthday Project

My co-counselor at Beard Elementary is celebrating her birthday on July 25th which coincidently is the same day as my daughter's!!!  She is my crafting and scrapping buddy so for her birthday present I decided to use some of my amateur scrapping skills to create a portfolio gift for her.  Included in her gift were:  gift card for crafting supplies, a clear mount stamp set (so she can start working on baby shower announcements for her first grandson coming in November), and an embossing plate for her Big Shot.  She is a wonderful friend and co-worker so I wanted to make sure that she knew that my gift was coming from the heart.  So here are some pics of the finished product.  She got it a little early...so happy early birthday and happy shopping!!

Stampin' Up Club Projects

Had a great time with friends at our July Stampin' Up Club metting....here are the projects that we made..a card and a boo sign.

Stamp Club Tonight

So looking forward to our Stamp Club meeting this evening.  I can't wait to see what my SU Demonstrator, Erica Cerwin, has up her sleeve tonight.  Check back tomorrow to see what wonderful projects were made at our meeting this evening.   Fun...fun...fun...can't wait for my evening of crafting and friendship.

Thank You

I want to thank the ladies at Stamping 411.  You all have been so welcoming in your comments on both my card and my blog.  I am so glad that I chose Stamping 411 for my first card entry and to debut my blog.  I hope to participate more in the future.

Kimono Kids Card

So here it is...my first official posting of a card project.  This card was made using the Stampin' Up newly retired stamp set Kimono Kids.  It is one of my favorite stamp sets.  It really brings back lots of memories from when I lived in the Far East.  It is one of my favorites because being of Japanese decent, my daughter has a kimono that was given to her by my grandmother from Japan. 
Here is the inspiration for my card.  This is my daughter when she was three.

To make this card I used the design sketch from Stamping 411. Supplies used:  Melon Mambo, Whisper White and Basic Black paper, Petals A Plenty Embossing Folder, Kimono Kids Stamp Set, Pink Passion & Lovely Lilac Stampin' Writes,  Rhinestones.

Welcome to My Newly Created Blog

So...I decided that one of my "to do" summer tasks was to create a blog....so here it is.  It is a work in progress and I am sure that there will be many changes before the summer is over.  My inspiration and mentor in all of this is my Stampin' Up Demonstrator--Erica Cerwin.  Stay tuned for my first project for my blog...a card created with the Stampin' Up now retired stamp set Kimono Kids.