Nouveau Chic Book

This is the Nouveau Chic book that my Crafter's Club gals made. It was fairly easy with no a bunch of steps or supplies. It's 6x6 which is such a nice size for a scrapbook about a single event or person. And I LOVE the Nouveau Chic dsp from Stampin' Up! It's a departure from their usual styles. It features a nice color palette: Sage Shadow, Basic Grey, Apricot Appeal (a color I havent' used in ages). It's the same paper I used for my banner, twitter page and SU web site. So this book is  a CASE from a project in the Stampin' Success magazine that demonstrators receive every month.

For the cover I used textured Basic Black because it has such a nice feel to it. It's 6x12 with a half inch spine in the middle. The Sage Shadow wraps around it to give extra strength.

The inside pages are divided into three "signatures" which is a grouping of pages. You can kinda see that at the bottom edge of the binding in this photo. If you look in your book collection at a hardbound book, you will see the signatures in the binding - paperbacks are not bound in the same way. The are individual pages glued into the cover.

The pages are Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla and Nouveau Chic cut to 11.5 x 5.25 and folded in half.

Anyway, each signature is pierced about half an inch in and threaded with black embroidery floss which is tied with a bow inside. When I bound the middle signature I added a button and to hold it in place I used a glue dot.

For the front we added our monogram with the Lovely Letters alphabet stamp set in black ink. The we used Versamark and a stamp from the For All You Do set and clear embossed that. The chipboard frame is naked and it's a chipboard collection that is retired. On the side we looped black grosgrain and tied with apricot grosgrain.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for sharing a few minutes of it with me!

Desiree

A safron embrace

I loved making this card! Its a bit different with the recessed center but oh so easy to make. Instructions are on SCS Resources page. I pulled out the Embrace Life stamp set which I love and don't use ofter enough and some Chocolate Chip cardstock. I used the Bella Birds designer series paper and cut it so that the bird is partially in the framed area and partially in the recessed area. I also used a stamp from the Friends 24-7 set to add to teh background. The flower was stamped on watercolor paper with Timber Brown stazon and then colored with Watercolor Crayons. I colored, cut and curled (sounds like a hairdresser, heehee) two flowers and popped them out with lots of dimensionals. For embellishments, I used chocolate tafetta and clip from the retired antique copper HodgePodge Hardware and in the upper corner are some gems - I think from K & I. I wish that Stampin' Up! would bring on gems to match their colors. Wouldn't that be fun?

This Sunday is brunch for my hostesses from the past year. We'll also make a couple of projects. That reminds me... I need to share the book we created in Crafter's Club. We used the Nouveau Chic papers, Sage Shadow, Basic Black and Very Vanilla cardstock. It turned out pretty cool. I'll post it tomorrow.

So, for those interested in Stampin' Up! August specials, you only have a few more days. Check out the details on my Web site http://www.desiree.stampinup.net/!

Country Living Cookout Kit - 40% off

The Country Living Summer Cookout Kit gives you everything you need to hold a fantastic summer party, including:

Creative invitations

Fun food wrappers

Customizable coasters

And more!

Now only $14.95 (refill $9.95), the Country Living Summer Cookout Kit will ensure your summer party is a hit. Available through August 31, or while supplies last.

Button, button who's has the button? YOU!

Get a free package of buttons when you purchase $35 of merchandise from the Growing Up section of the Stampin' Up! catalog.

Last but not least.... I would love for you to be a part of my team. As your upline I will help you with creativity, business ideas, group events and lots more! Stampin' UP! offers flexibility and fun. I can't imagine a better way to connect with friends, share what I love and express my creativity!

You can choose from just saving money on personal purchases, earning some Holiday cash or starting to build a business that will generate steady income. All are possible!

There are no requirements except $300 in sales a quarter if you wish to remain active - and your own purchases count. No mandatory training, no mandatory recruiting, no mandatory starter shows, no nothing. JUST lots and lots of options for stamping, scrapping, crafting and home decor.

As a demonstrator you can choose to focus on:

1. Supporting your personal habit
2. Just stamping
3. Just scrapping
4. Just Digital Scrapbooking
5. Just Home Decor
6. Just crafting
7. Building a business
8. Dabbling around your priorities
9. One day at a time
10. Or any combination there of - again there are NO requirements other than $300 a quarter.

With our $85 and $199 low priced starter kits, Our Buy Back Guarantee on anything new and used within 12 months and me - what do you have to lose?? You only have great product that you select in your starter kit to gain, as well as friends, fun, pre-public access to product, discounts, tax benefits, travel, full color monthly magazine, 2 FREE months of your demonstrator website, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Again I personally invite you to give Stampin' UP! a try. Consider it a gift to yourself that will keep on giving.

$85 Kit Special Ends August 31. Sign up today on-line and let the fun begin!

http://www.desiree.stampinup.net/ and click on "join now" - Recruiter Authorization Password: desiree

Have a great day and see you here tomorrow!

Desiree

Beautiful pink

This is the card I sent out to my hostesses from the past twelve months. Every year I invite them over for a free Annual Hostess Appreciation Brunch plus we make two projects. This year I have also encouraged them to bring a guest. Everyone deserves a really nice stress-free Sunday!

For this card I decided to use the latest sketch from Sheetloads of Cards. The paper is retired SU dsp called Bella Birds and I used a stamp from Thoughts and Prayers and a sentiment from A Beautiful Thing. I also used Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip cardstock and Chocolate Chip double stitched grograin ribbon. I stamped in Chocolate Chip ink on Whisper White and used rectangle nestabilitiesfor cutting, embossing and masking. You can just barely see the embossed edge. I masked that same edge and used the color spritzer tool and a Pretty in Pink marker to give the center panel just a bit of color. I rushed through the photography - sorry about the crappy photo!

I have been working on my class schedule and have September and October classes on my Web site now (http://www.desiree.stampinup.net/) so take a look and sign up to create something new! New this quarter are classes during the day and special class discounts for purchasing products at sign up. Fun class for kids and their favorite adult - Animal Crackers - on August 31.

On Thursday night I joined several of my fellow demonstrators at my upline's house for a Stamp Together. It featured MANY of the new products from the Winter Mini which starts September 1. There are so many cool items!!! I don't know what to order first!

Just a few exciting things: jewelry, Build-a-Bear, Digital Design Studio, holiday stamps, paper, embellishments! Forty pages of faschination! Need a mini? Contact me!!!! {desdm at msn dot com}

I am pooped! I opened at Mugs today ***Sunday, 8/23 is acoustic music night from 6-9pm *** and then spent the day cleaning and cooking for a small BBQ celebrating Lil's birthday. Yeah, it was supposed to be last weekend but the weather wasn't cooperating so we moved it. I am just going to crawl into bed and CRASH!

Have a creative day and thanks for visiting!
Desiree

Grrrrr!

It's about time that I ink up this cute stamp set. It's called Under the Stars. I think it's just an adorable set and I've seen so many cute things that have been created with it. I put together a really simple card with minimal stamping.

The card base is Tempting Turquoise, stars are So Safron, bear is Close to Cocoa and grass is Certainly Celery. The tree was cut free-hand and is Chocolate Chip.

I stamped the bear and stars in Versamark and used black embossing powder. Then I cut them out.

It's a cute card, not sure what I would do with it... Any ideas?

Keeping it short tonight, too much to do not enough time! Thanks for stopping by!

Desiree

Tiaras, strawberries and pretty teeth

I can't believe how long it's been since I posted... Yikes! I have been really busy lately. My hours were reduced at my day job so I work 3 weeks then have a week off. The first week I spent camping with my dear friend Jennifer and her daughter. It was a girl's trip so my girls came along with my sweet Chloe dog. We had a ton of fun, crazy campfires, floating in the lake, eating so much, and no phones, computers or tv. Very relaxing. We also bring puzzles so we got a few of those finished and I worked on a very small craft project.

I've been thinking of my Stampin' Up! business and how I can make it better. Offering more classes and more opportunities for stamping to my customers. Plus I'd love to have my stamping team expand (now's a great time with the $85 mini kit) and help others have as much fun as I am having! I am looking forward to my next off week do work on lots of craft projects that I have in the works.

Yesterday, Lil turned 18 so I took the afternoon off and we had a great day. This photo isn't the best (I forgot my camera so all the photos for the day were taken on Em's cell phone). She had an eye appointment so we ordered new glasses. We went out to lunch, I paid for her first tattoo (small Leo sign on the back of her neck), we went to the movies (GI Joe), a feasted on a fruit tart for dessert. She was a happy girl! Saturday evening we are having a BBQ for a couple friends to continue the celebration and I've asked her best friend to take her to one of those under 21 clubs in Portland. She doesn't know about that part yet. Gotta keep her guessing!

I made the BBQ invitations using the faux silk technique and a "hippie" look that Lil wanted. I love how colorful they are. First I swiped Summer Sun, Bermuda Bay, Dusty Durango and Old Olive horizontally along a piece of glossy white with a sponge. Then I used the same colors to stamp on white tissue paper using the Wanted and A Beautiful Thing stamp sets. This is the first time I've tried the faux silk technique and I love it! Check out the tutorial on SCS. Other cardstock was Basic Black and Summer Sun. I used Really Retro for the words and a black brad and three eyelets as embellishments.

Not too long ago I made this super cute basket filled with strawberries. The supplies are all Stampin' Up! but the templates are from Papertrey (Lauren Meader) and DigiChicks (Kelleigh Ratzlaff). Very easy to put together. You can't see the diagonal scoring all over to give it more of a basket texture. The basket is made out of Kraft cardstock with Real Red grosgrain ribbon and small gold brads. I used the small basket template which probably holds about 4 strawberries. I used the Oval All stamp set and oval punch plus oval scalloped punch. The strawberries are Real Red and Certainly Celery. I used a background punch in Versamark to give the berries a little texture. The leaves are sponged with Always Artichoke and tied with a bit of embroidery floss. The strawberries are great for tucking a little treat inside, like those awesome strawberry candies. You know the ones!!!

On Monday Em got her top braces off. I can't stop looking at her beautiful teeth. Lovely, huh?

Ok, that's it for me today. Whew, I'm tired! Thank you for stopping by!

Have a great crafty weekend!

Desiree