Last weekend I was fortunate to be able to join a group of friends on a scrapbooking getaway in the mountains north of where I live.  While I don't scrapbook, I did have a backlog of Paper Pumpkin kits waiting to be assembled.  

We had this great house for our group...I think we totaled 10 or 11 at our largest.  People came and went as their schedules allowed.  Lots of good food, fun and friends!

Here's where I set up my work station.  The weather was just perfect for working outside once the early morning chill wore off.  (You'll see me sitting on a blanket below - the wrought iron chair was chilly!)

The Paper Pumpkin kits were perfect for this gathering.  Once I had my basic crafting kit together (stamp cleaner, paper snips, clear blocks) everything I needed was in the kits, so I didn't have to pack my entire craft room and haul it with me.  Also, they were great for stamping and assembling while chatting, since I didn't need to put a lot of creative thought into them except when I wanted to change something up.  Look at this cool accordion-fold card that was in the February kit.

Are you planning a summer getaway where you'll have time you could be crafting?  Think about giving Paper Pumpkin kits a try!  $19.95/month (includes shipping!) gets you some neat projects to make, with exclusive stamps you can use on your own projects afterwards.  Click here to see all the details.

Here's a sneak peek of 3 out of 5 spring-themed projects we'll be making!  They are designed to be flexible with the sentiments so you can make as many as you need for Mother's Day, birthdays, graduation or another occasion.

Tuesday, April 21
Monthly Class in Peoria
6:30 - 9:00 pm  
$15.00
RSVP by Sunday, April 19

Wednesday, April 22
Monthly Class in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm  
$15.00
RSVP by Sunday, April 19

Thursday, April 23
Monthly Class in Scottsdale
9:30 am - noon  
$15.00
RSVP by Sunday, April 19

Here's what you need to stock up on right now:

• 2013-15 InColor items:  Baked Brown Sugar, Coastal Cabana, Crisp Cantaloupe, Pistachio Pudding, and Strawberry Slush will all retire at the end of May, and ink refills and card stock will sell out quickly. If you love them and want to be sure you can keep using them, stock up!
• Self-adhesive embellishments:  especially if you live in Arizona you should lay in a supply to get you through the summer.  My first summer here I found that the heat baked the adhesive to the backing sheets during shipping.  Rhinestones, Pearls, Candy Dots and even Glue Dots are best purchased before the hot weather really sets in.
• Anything else you've been debating about:  really, free shipping is a 10%-off sale (more if you live in Arizona, since we pay sales tax on shipping)!  Shop my online store now.

Did you know? 
 You can earn FREE STAMPS when you order from me.  Get all the details here!

A friend's mother passed away last week, so I made this card for her:

The card features the beautiful Sheer Perfection Designer Vellum from Sale-A-Bration, layered on Brushed Silver card stock.  I used Scotch Vellum Adhesive to attach it, which is the only thing I've found not to show through the vellum.  I stamped the sentiment from the retired Simply Sketched set in StazOn Jet Black ink, and tied a length of Silver Satin ribbon around the panel before attaching it to a Basic Gray card base.  A panel of Smoky Slate inside was light enough to write on without being as jarring as a Whisper White panel would have been.

Well, we've pushed back my kitchen remodel again, so I get to host classes this month, including an evening session in Scottsdale!  Hope you'll come stamp with me!

Tuesday, April 21
Monthly Class in Peoria
6:30 - 9:00 pm  
$15.00
RSVP by Sunday, April 19

Wednesday, April 22
Monthly Class in Scottsdale
6:30 - 9:00 pm  
$15.00
RSVP by Sunday, April 19

Thursday, April 23
Monthly Class in Scottsdale
9:30 am - noon  
$15.00
RSVP by Sunday, April 19

Here are a few baskets I put together this week for family and a few friends...I love all the different looks one can get with the Berry Basket Bigz Die.

When my kids were in elementary school (grades 1 and 3, I believe) we went to Germany during their spring break.  While we were there we toured the Lindt factory in Cologne where we saw them making these chocolate bunnies.  Prior to that we didn't do much in the way of Easter baskets, but since then we have to have these!  (The dog trainers will have to be happy with my homemade chocolate cookies...I won't tell if you don't!)

Hope you and your family have a happy holiday weekend, whatever you're celebrating!

Do you Big Shot?  Have you been waiting for just the right moment to purchase a Magnetic Platform?  To round out your Framelits and Embossing Folders collections?  That moment is NOW!

Another card from my March class.  This one features the beautiful spray of flowers from Butterfly Basics, done in the soon-to-retire 2013-2015 In Colors of Pistachio Pudding, Strawberry Slush and Baked Brown Sugar.  

I CASE'd it from one by Annette F. showcased on LeeAnn Greff's blog.  Things I did differently:  I used the honeycomb image in the stamp set for the background behind the flower, and I stamped it in Baked Brown Sugar (stamped off once).  I also used the birthday sentiment from Petite Pairs, and I decided to forego the Crystal Effects on the blossoms.

This fun fold is super-easy...cut an 8 ½" x 5 ½" piece of card stock.  Instead of scoring at 4 ¼" to make a regular card base, score at 2 ⅛" from each end (flip the card stock over in your scorer) to make a center-opening card.  

When you have your image panel ready to mount, just be sure to put the adhesive on one edge only!

Do you Big Shot?  Have you been waiting for just the right moment to purchase a Magnetic Platform?  To round out your Framelits and Embossing Folders collections?  That moment is NOW!

We're still in the midst of Service Dog Boot Camp this week, getting us human handlers to a fraction of the level of training that Booth, the 4-year-old dog who's been training since he was 7 weeks old, has attained.

But I do get time off to do some other things, and yesterday for the first time in a long, long time I was drawn to participate in the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge.

For this card I decided I wanted to use the lovely Moonlight DSP Paper Stack, and chose papers that feature Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey, Sahara Sand and Whisper White.  For the sentiment I used the Simply Wonderful set from Sale-A-Bration, and the dots come from Draw the Line.  I also chose to omit the ribbon and embellishment.

Here's the sketch...and a picture from today's training where we're learning how to handle a dog at a counter-service eating establishment (Starbucks).  Lots of details to pay attention to when getting a cup of joe!  Can you spot Booth under the table?  He's wearing orange and black booties to protect his paws from the already-hot Arizona pavement.

Do you Big Shot?  Have you been waiting for just the right moment to purchase a Magnetic Platform?  To round out your Framelits and Embossing Folders collections?  That moment is NOW!