Happy Retirement!

Big news!  Anyone who's been an SU fan for awhile knows that usually once per year head office releases a long list of retiring stamps.  Well, this year's list is out and it's a doozy!  Grab a coffee (or a tea), put your feet up and have a peek.  Retiring sets are only available for a limited time, so if there are any "must-haves" on there don't let them pass you by!  Personally, I failed to buy "Ruff Day" from last year's retiring sets and I may never forgive myself.  I have a number of the retiring sets in my collection and I may be willing to part with some of them if anyone is willing to buy second-hand stamps at a discount price.  I'll keep you posted (anyone eyeballing "French Flair" and "Carte Postale" better buy their own though!).

Here is the list!

Keep in mind that the list of retiring accessories is yet to come.  You can bet that most (if not all) of the In Colours will be on said list.

An additional hint to those of you who are thinking about it -- now until the first week of August is a good time to host a party :)

Happy Father's Day!

I made these fine cards yesterday afternoon to give all the Dad's in my life today.  I decided to use the same colour scheme as was used in the Loonies for Littles kit, which included Pumpkin Pie, Soft Sky, Old Olive and Very Vanilla.  I also decided to incorporate many elements of the office accessories line, including the tab punch, the coil punch, and some office series designer paper.  I think my favourite is the top one, but Jason really liked the one on bottom.  What do you think?

Cheers!

For whatever reason, I have been feeling especially cheery this last little while.  Blame it on the weather, the new job, or the wedding planning -- regardless, I'm feeling pretty stoked.

While I don't have any cards to show you at the moment, I thought I would post an update on the garden situation.  As you can see they are coming along quite beautifully.  The rock garden is in and complete.  Notice we also decided to paint the shutters green.  The green has proven a bit controversial, but I like it.  Stay tuned for a new green door.



This sage plant has been another story.  Picture one is from a week or so ago, while picture two is from this morning.  I have been trying to cut it down to dry it, but it's HUGE.  I've run out of clothes-pins to hang it with.  Anyone have any crafty uses for dried sage?

The last pic is of my veggie garden as of this morning.  Isn't it gorgeous?  It's REALLY filling out, and I love it.  We have been eating fresh salads for a few weeks now, and I can't wait until we have carrots, onions and tomatoes to throw in them as well!

I will post again shortly with Father's Day cards which I am working on today.  I hope you're all enjoying the beautiful weather this weekend!

Remember the last time you went to your mailbox and there was a card, or a postcard, or letter for you?  You were probably thrilled, intrigued, and feeling warm and fuzzy.  Do you remember when the last time you got an e-mail or a text, or perhaps a voicemail that gave you the SAME feeling?  Don't get me wrong, I've had some pretty nice emails in my inbox, but somehow it's just not the same as a carefully handwritten note.  Well, it turns out Stampin' Up feels the same way, and they're offering a special to prove it.

eScape is a kit that is being offered for a very limited time to encourage you to turn of your electronic communication tools and pick up a pen.  Included in the kit is one full-sized ink-pad in Ruby Red, the Circle of Friends stamp set (which coordinates nicely with the circle punches if you have them), a set of pre-cut "Love Notes", and a whole roll of Vanilla twill ribbon.  Your total, if you were to buy each of these items separately would be $51.70, but together in the kit they are being offered at a special price of $36.05.

This kit is a terrific value, and great for someone just starting or still building their collection of stamping supplies.  If you choose to buy this kit from me you will be invited to my house for an evening of stamping, chatting, and girl time.  This is not a class or a party, and I will not have projects prepared for you.  I just want to offer some social stamping time.  You can work on your cards from the kit, or bring another project you've been working on.  I am thinking this night of fun will take place on Friday, July 4th.

AS A BONUS, if you bring a friend who also purchases the kit, but has not attended one of my classes I will have a special gift for you.  Since I do not have to cut or prepare anything, this offer is not being limited in terms of how many can attend.  The more the merrier.  

**Although this kit is being offered through Stampin' Up until June 30th, you must have your order AND payment to me by June 20th in order to participate in the event on July 4th**

Thank You Cards

Jason's family threw us a surprise shower this weekend, which was a total delight!  Not only did they surprise us with a shower, but they made it a garden-theme, which they knew we were wanting.  It was a great time, and I really appreciated how much effort was put into it.

After planting all day yesterday (and sun-burning my shoulders while I was at it), I decided to get creative by making some thank-you cards.  I am very happy with the way these turned out.  This is the first time I have used this stamp set (A Tree for all Seasons), and I have to say it's very cute.

Pictured below you will see my "Zen" vegetable garden, which now has more variety than many grocery stores (thanks Brianne!). Also pictured is a pre-existing lilac bush that has buds, but will not blossom.  Any suggestions?  Down at bottom is a forsythia that I received on the weekend.  I will still be gardening all week and into the weekend.  I will post more pics of the work being done next week.

I am so pleased with the way my card came out I have been inspired to plan a class featuring all thank you cards.  This class will take place sometime in June.  Details are not yet settled, but this class may include a stamp set.  I am thinking it should be a 10 card class (2 each of 5), since I'm sure there are many people out there we should be thanking...  I'll keep you posted, but let me know if you're interested.

Enjoy the weather!

Stampin' Shout Out!

I wanted to give a Stampin' Shout Out to two fellow bloggers who are also Stampin' Up demonstrators.

Heather is my Stampin' Up upline.  She is a creative genius, and I am fortunate to have her as an upline!  Heather is always willing to share her great ideas and is so supportive.  Check out her blog at: http://www.stampwithheather.typepad.com/

Martha is another SU demonstrator who is also in Heather's downline!  She is the one who has inspired me to work on my tiles over the last few days.  Check out her blog at:  http://web.mac.com/aninchofcreativity/An_Inch_of_Creativity/Blog/Blog.html

Here are the other tiles I did this week:

Tutorial

I thought I would post the "how to's" for those of you wishing to try your own tiles at home.  After stamping the image on my marble tiles using Staz-On ink (important!), I coloured them in using both my Stampin' Up chalks and water-colour pencil crayons.  I'm not sure that others use the pencil crayons, but I know for sure that other demonstrators are using the chalks.  I will let you know if through some disaster my water-colour pencils ruin a coaster.  I am hoping that the finishing spray I use is enough to keep them sealed.

I add the chalk pigment to the tile with a Q-tip, dabbing and pressing the colour where I want it to show.  I try to use a number of different colours and shades in each image to give it dimension.  When this pear is done it will likely have 4 shades of green and 3 of yellow in it.

 When I have the colours just the way I want them it will be time to put them in the oven.  I put my tiles in for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees C.  The theory here is that the ink and pigments will bake on to the tile.  I'm not sure about the science behind the idea, but if any of you has the answer, let me know.  Either way, baking seems to do no harm to the tiles.  Once they are cooled I spray the tiles with a Krylon finishing spray.  It is important to keep a distance of about a foot when spraying.  Spraying too closely may dilute your image and blur the Staz-On.  I like to do 3 - 5 light coats of spray using the matte finish.  A friend who used the shiney spray found it left her tiles a bit sticky.  

The final step is to adhere cork or felt do-dads to the bottom in the corners.  This will prevent your coasters from scratching your table tops.  I have heard of some spraying liquid engine sealant on their tiles prior to using the finishing spray.  This is supposed to make your tiles safe to use with hot drinks, as apparently very high heat can damage the finished coating.  I have not ever used this technique, as I don't imagine anything I drink is THAT hot.  Let me know if you have had experience with this though.  I am curious to know if I am omitting a critical step.

What do you thing of this handsome young buck?