WCMD - World Card Making Day is coming!

Can you believe it is almost that time of year? No, not the holidays although they are getting closer everyday. I'm talking about World Card Making Day which this year will be on Saturday, October 3rd. Now you are probably wondering why I would be excited about this particular day, after all it's not a major holiday or anything.
Well, each year I use this day to kick start my cardmaking for the holiday season and this year is even more special because I am planning on sharing it with as many people as I can who would love to make cards with me.
This year I am holding an All Occasions Card Class at my house from 10am to 2pm and I am inviting you to come and join in the fun. We will be creating 5 fabulous cards for just $10 and because I know how busy your Saturdays can be, I am having an open house style class so that you can come and go any time during 10am and 2pm to create your cards. (I recommend that you arrive no later than 1:30pm so that you have time to create your cards). I will provide a variety of sentiment stamps for you to use so that you will have the freedom to create the kind of cards you like to give.
I am also excited to be able to share with you Stampin' Up's wonderful new digital software program, My Digital Studio, which goes on sale October 1st. Come and see all the wonderful digital cards, scrapbooks, calendars and so much more that you can create with this incredible new program. I love that I am now able to find time to scrapbook without the clutter and I can still use Stampin' Up's wonderful colors, stamps and embellishments to create my pages.
I will be demonstrating how to put together a simple scrapbook page as well as design a card using the many features of this great new program.
Need ideas for the upcoming holidays? I will have displays with cards and gift ideas for the holidays as well as details of my new classes to help you get prepared. There will be door prizes and fun incentives.
So if you live in the Northglenn, Colorado area and would like to have some creative fun, please contact me to sign up to save your spot by clicking here to email me or go to my website link for contact information. I am happy to answer any questions you might have about this class or anything about Stampin' Up!. Registration closes Wednesday, September 30th so sign up today to join in the fun.
I will be sharing sneak peeks of the cards that we will be creating at this card class over the new few days, so don't forget to come back and visit. In addition, I will be posting ideas to help you to jump start you preparations for the holidays.
With Halloween (October 31st), Thanksgiving Day (November 26th), Hannukkah (begins December 11th) and Christmas Day (December 25th) just weeks apart, there is no time like the present to make a start and avoid the last minute headaches so you can enjoy the holidays with your family.

Hope you have a great day.
Stamping Smiles,

Tricia

It's Official: Fall is here

Well, today is officially the first day of Fall but it sure feels more like Winter to me. I think it is going to take me a little while to get used to these cold, rainy days and it doesn't help that the forecast for tomorrow morning is our first dusting of snow for the season. The ski resorts in the mountains are already going crazy with the snow making machines to capitalize on the snow that fell in their backyards yesterday. Mind you, the temperatures are supposed to be back in the 80's by the weekend, so there is hope for me yet.

Anyway, to celebrate the official beginning of Fall I decided to share another Fall themed card. This card was one that I had the chance to create at my upline's card class last month using the stamp set Branch Out, which is one of the stamp sets on the Dormant List. What is the Dormant List, I hear you ask? Well, Stampin' Up each year has so many wonderful stamp sets that they can't fit them all in the catalog, so they create a dormant list so that we still have the opportunity to enjoy them for another year. Branch Out is such a versatile set that can be used all year round just by varying the colors you use with it.

To create the look of Fall, I used Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry Cardstock and created the base and stamped areas using Confetti White cardstock. The tree and sentiment are stamped in Chocolate Chip Classic Ink and the leaves were stamped with Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango and Old Olive Classic Ink.

This card design is very versatile and can be used for all occasions and works great for men and women. The reason I point this out? Well, if you are anything like me, you struggle with what to come up with when it comes to the men in your life. Let's face it, feminine cards are a lot easier to design (at least for me) and so when I come across something that would make a great card for the guys, I definitely make a note of it.

Hope you enjoy today's card share. Now, I wonder if I should start planning something for Winter? I mean, how many seasons can you have in one week? After all, it is only Tuesday.

Have a great day.

Stamping Hugs,

Tricia

Stamp Sets Used:

Branch Out 113200 (Dormant List)
Price: $22.95 Set Quantity: 8

Short & Sweet 115060 page 141
Price: $17.95 Set Quantity: 12

Cardstock: Confetti White, Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, Old Olive

Accessories: Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Vintage Brads, Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive

Fall is in the Air

Happy Almost Fall to you all.

Today I thought I would share with you a card that reflects the changing weather here in Northglenn, Colorado. Yes, the balmy days of summer are drawing to a close and there is a definite chill in the air that signals the change in seasons. Today's cold winds and rain have replaced the warm, sunny weather we had this weekend and the temperature has dropped about 30 degrees. Can you say Brrrr!

We took a trip up into the mountains last weekend and the leaves were already beginning to change to the tell tale yellows and russets of autumn. The trees in our front yard are a little slower to change, but I did notice a couple of yellow leaves this morning, so Fall is definitely making its presence known.

Now, I just love Stampin' Up's new In Colors and I just had to use three of them for this card as they are the perfect match for Fall: Soft Suede, Dusty Durango and Crushed Curry. I embossed the Crushed Curry cardstock using my Big Shot with the new textured impressions Folder, SU's Petals-a-Plenty that can be found in the new Holiday Mini Catalog. Now I am a huge fan of the textured impressions folders from Stampin' Up and the Petals-a-Plenty is fast becoming one of my favorites. It provides a wonderfully deep and crisp embossed image over the entire piece of Crushed Curry Cardstock in a manner of seconds with the help of the versatile Big Shot.

Using the maple leaf stamp from the Autumn Days stamp set (one of the newest additions to Stampin' Up's collection), I created my own patterned paper look on Whisper White cardstock with the Crushed Curry and Dusty Durango classic inks for that Fall leaf look.

With the holiday season creeping up on us, I thought that this would make a great Thanksgiving Card so I stamped the Happy Thanksgiving sentiment from the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set (another new addition) with Dusty Durango classic ink. I then punched it out with my large oval punch and framed it with Dusty Durango punched with the scalloped oval punch. To finish it off, I added the wonderful new Dusty Durango Polka Dot ribbon to tie it all together.

Hope you enjoy the card. Have a great day.

Stamping Smiles,

Tricia

Stamp Sets Used:
Autumn Days 115452
Price: $23.95 Set Quantity: 6

Teeny Tiny Wishes 115370
Price: $36.95 Set Quantity: 24

Cardstock: Dusty Durango, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Whisper White

Ink: Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry

Accessories: Big Shot, SU Petals A Plenty Textured Impressions Folder, Dusty Durango Polka Dot Ribbon, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, mini glue dots, dimensionals

Counting Our Blessings

No matter how many years pass, the mention of September 11th still evokes strong memories and feelings in people across the world. As I went about my usual morning routine this morning of getting up and getting my children ready for school, I was thinking in the back of my mind about that Tuesday morning 8 years ago, and what I was doing when the world changed forever. I remember the shock and disbelief as I watched the TV screen while feeding my eldest son breakfast. I remember struggling to take him to school that morning while still appearing normal until I saw the look on my son's 1st grade teacher, and we hugged each other, unable to speak.

I remember calling all the parents on our son's flag football team (my husband was their coach) to explain that practice would be cancelled that day and hearing the same shock and disbelief reflected in their voices.

So today, as I remember that tragic day, I think of how blessed I am and how thankful I am for my life, my family and the chance to be here in front of my computer typing this post. It is easy to get caught up in the negatives that we face each day, but definitely more rewarding to remember the positives that are out there, no matter how small.

Today I would like to share with you a card I created using the chalkboard technique that I first saw on Dawn Griffith's blog a few weeks ago. The butterfly image and the sentiment "for you" are softly colored using SU Stampin' Pastels. The bermuda bay cardstock has been dry embossed using the SU Finial Press Embossing Folder with my Sizzix Big Shot to create texture without competing with the focal image. The melon mambo helps to draw focus to the butterfly floating on the basic black cardstock. I just love the contrast between the strong, bright colors against the darkness from the basic black. Yet in all that strength, it is the soft color of the butterfly that captures your attention.

So tonight, as I prepare for sleep, I will be thankful for the life I have and say a prayer for the many families whose lives were changed on this date 8 years ago.

Stamping Blessings,

Tricia

Stamp Set:
Great Friend 113792
Price: $17.95 Set Quantity: 5

Cardstock: Basic Black, Bermuda Bay, Melon Mambo

Accessories: Big Shot, SU Finial Press Embossing Folder, Large Oval Punch, Scalloped Oval Punch, Stampin' Pastels, Dimensionals, Snail adhesive.

Sweet Days of Summer

With the kids back in school, I look back on the lazy days of summer with a smile. Autumn is just around the corner and with the passing of Labor Day, it is inevitable that soon the temperatures will start to fall and the first snowflakes will not be far away. So in memory of those wonderful days of summer I thought I would share a card that reflects the sunshine and life that we think of on those warmer days, like bright flowers in gardens and butterflies flitting around.

I created this card at a card class my upline, Tara Bazata, held earlier this month. What a wonderful card to cheer someone up or to let them know that you are thinking of them. When I look at this card I can't help but smile. Isn't that what cards are all about.

Enjoy these remaining summer days and store up the warm memories for a chilly winter's day.

Happy Stamping,

Tricia



Stamp Set:
Hello Again 113780 page 114
Price: $12.95 Set Quantity: 5
Cardstock: Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Crushed Curry, Old Olive, Melon Mambo
Accessories: Crushed Curry Polka Dot Ribbon, Dimensionals








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