Coaching Volleyball!

I was again coaching volleyball this fall! I did this with a wonderful friend named Jeanine. I wanted to make her a special gift to thank her for doing this with me. Her favorite color is orange so I used some Dusty Durango to create this purse and cards. Dusty Durango isn't available any longer but check out the great new color, Cajun Craze! I think you will LOVE this new burnt orange color!

Stamps: Lovely Letters

Ink: Baja Breeze

Cardstock: Dusty Durango, Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Whisper White

Accessories: Basic Gray satin ribbon, Basic Gray DSP, scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Big Shot embossing folder and die

Our team learned A LOT this season. We were coaching 5th and 6th grade girls. We taught them to serve over hand and didn't even show them how to serve underhand. We were nervous about doing this as serving is everything at this age but we wanted them to be prepared to keep playing volleyball as they get older. We didn't win many games because of this decision but we started the season with only 2 girls serving over hand and at the end every one of our 11 girls were able to succeed with an over hand serve! That's something to be proud of!

We did only win one game but it was the most exciting game to have won! At the end of the season, we played in a tournament that was based on the record for the season. Well, because we didn't win any matches, we were ranked 8 and had to play the number 1 seed of the tournament. We WON!!! They won the first game and we won the second two. It was really exciting and fun.

We had an end of the season party for the girls. We played Queen of the Court with the 7th and 8th graders and had tons of fun. I made each of the girls an ornament to hang on their tree. I like the way they turned out and they were pretty  happy with them. What do you think?

Stamps: Have a Ball

Ink: Stazon Black and Hunter Green

Accessories: Green Sharpie and ribbon

Sorry I have been missing. I'm going to work on posting more often! Feel free to email me to remind me to post again!

Shelley

For You Bleach

I have started teaching a class once a month that's Getting Back to the Basics of stamping. We have started with some real simple techniques. One of the cards that we made was one of my Leadership swaps. The Pendant Park card with rock and roll and masking on it. This card is another one that we made. It's using the bleach technique. I like to place a piece of paper towel that's been folded onto a stryo-foam plate, then put some bleach on it and use that as your ink pad. Just remember to clean your stamp after using bleach. I love to see what color is going to appear! Each cardstock color will have a little different look to it from the bleach.

Try bleach stamping and see what you can make! It's really a neat technique.

Stamps: For You

Cardstock: Eggplant Envy, Lavender Lace, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Lavender Lace marker, Two-way glue, Dazzling Diamonds, black grosgrain ribbon, bleach, paper towel, stryo-foam plate

Thanks for looking and happy stamping!
Shelley

February Club Projects

 This is one of the projects we did at our club meeting last month. It turned out really cute! I just love the new Polka dot embossing folder for the Big Shot! Now's a fantastic time to get your own Big Shot! With Sale-a-bration going on, you get lots of goodies free to go with it! I've put together a Big Shot kit that will get you started. The cost of the kit is $200 plus tax and shipping. The kit contains:
- Big Shot Die-Cut Machine with Multipurpose Platform and Standard Cutting Pads, $99.95
- Decorative Strip Spacer Platform, $9.95
- Decorative Strip Cutting Pads, $7.95
- Top Note Bigz Die, $21.95
- Lattice Bigz Die, $21.95
- Billboard Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die, $21.95
- Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die, $11.95
- Elegant Bouquet Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, $7.95

You will also receive
- 4 free Sale-A-Bration items of your choice
- a Level 1 Hostess Set of your choice
- $20 Hostess Dollars to spend on anything else you'd like

You may substitue other equally priced items. Call or email me to place your order. (Offer good until March 31,2010 and only through me.)

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Glorious Green
Cardstock: Whisper White, Glorious Green
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder, scallop oval punch, large oval punch, scallop trim border punch, Glorious Green marker, Button Latte, glue dots, dimensionals

Here's another great project for the Big shot. It's a sour cream container. It holds quite a bit of candy and is super easy to make! This one is made with window sheets and is run through the Big Shot with Finial Press. Take a quarter of a sheet of paper and tape it together the short way. Then pinch one end and tape it close. Then pinch the opposite end the other way and you have this great little container. Mine is kept close the the ribbon but you could tape, use a brad or eyelet, or any other item to keep it closed.

Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly
Ink: Old Olive
Cardstock: Certainly Celery
Accessories: Window Sheets, butterfly punch, celery ribbon, dimensionals, sticky strip, crop-a-dile

I LOVE the way this easel card came out. I don't use this stamp set very often and I had Abi help me pick out stamps again. She gave me this one. The bird is stamped using the baby wipe technique. To do the baby wipe technique you need a baby wipe and some reinkers. I place my baby wipe on a stryofoam plate and then drop ink onto it. Make sure your inked area is as big as your largest stamp. Use this as your ink pad! (Make sure you clean the stamp between inkings.) Pretty cool, huh?

Stamps: A Good Friend
Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue
Cardstock: Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Whisper White
Accessories: Baby wipes, Pumpkin Pie, Cameo Coral, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue re-inkers, Pumpkin Pie corduroy buttons, dimensional
Hope you enjoyed my projects!
Happy Stampin'!
Shelley

February Mighty Stampers

Mighty stampers is technique class that I teach at Epiphany Lutheran Church in Racine, WI every month. We learn 5 techniques and make 3 cards using those techniques. That can be a real challenge to incorporate them together! My oldest daughter, Abi, helps me pick out stamp sets that I should use. She has a great habit of picking stamps that I forgot that I have or just haven't used in a while.

This first card is using the techniques of polished wrinkles and embossing folder highlights. Both techniques are pretty easy and my ladies loved the way this card turned out.

Stamps: Cheers to You

Ink: Old Olive, Summer Sun, Night of Navy, White, Basic Black

Cardstock: Night of Navy, Kraft, Old Olive

Accessories: Old Olive ribbon, large oval punch, scallop oval punch, aqua-painter, Big Shot, Perfect polka dot embossing folder, sponge, rubbing alcohol, gold re-inker, cotton ball, dimensionals

This card uses geometric overlay. This was a challenge for me. I haven't used this stamp set very much. I purchased it because I had lots of ideas and then ran out of time to complete them. When Abi gave it to me I almost cringed. I think it turned out pretty cool for being intimidated at first. I'm not sure you can see it but I stamped the dominoes on the black cardstock with black ink.

Stamps: Game Night

Ink: Basic Black, Real Red, So Saffron, Black StazOn

Cardstock: Basic Black, Whisper White, Real Red

Accessories: Window Sheet, Metallic eyelets, crop-a-dile, Black gingham ribbon

The last card that we made is my favorite. We used shimmer mist and masked frames to create this beauty. I know that I'm a little bias toward this one as I have 4 beautiful daughters and no sons (I keep telling my husband that the boys are coming and then he's NOT going to like them but he still wants a son!) so pink princesses are all the rage in my house! The card is quite sparkly but it's hard to see in this photo.

Stamps: Princess Time

Ink: Pink Passion, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black

Cardstock: Pink Passion, Pretty in Pink, Basic Black, Whisper White

Accessories: Spray bottle, alcohol, white shimmer paint, circle scissors, black gingham ribbon, stipple brush, two-way glue, Dazzling Diamonds

Thanks for looking and keep stampin'!

Shelley

Leadership Swaps

At the beginning of January, I had the awesome priviledge to attend Stampin' Up!'s Leadership confernce. As is the tradition at any Stampin' Up! events, I took several swaps with me. I think that I may be addicted to swapping! I didn't (OK, I still don't) NEED any more swaps but they are so much fun to make and to share with everyone!

The Alien doing the hokey pokey was a lot of fun but more work than you realize. Between coloring him in, dragging all the edges in ink, punching the stars and "stitching" the stars, these babies took quite a bit of time! I do LOVE the way they turned out though. Doesn't he look like he is doing the hokey pokey? Put your left foot in, put your left foot out, put your left foot in and shake it all about. Let's do the hokey pokey and turn yourself about. That's what it's all about!

Stamps: Greeting Eartlings, Smarty Pants

Inks: Not Quite Navy, Tempting Turquoise

Cardstock: Not Quite Navy, Tempting Turquoise, Green Galore, Whisper White

Accessories: Large Star punch, Star punch, silver brads, 1/16" handheld punch, white gel pen, Not Quite Navy and Green Galore markers, dimensionals

This card I made for the Stampin' Addicts dinner at Leadership. There were about 35 of us that got together and ate dinner together. We had lots of fun and got to know each other better. One of my favorite things about the dinner is that we were able to go around the room and tell everyone a little bit about our cards that we were swapping that evening.

I used the technique of faux silk to make the piece that the butterfly is sitting on. It's really quite simple to do. Stamp your image on tissue paper, crumble it up and then smooth it out. Layer it onto a piece of cardstock and there you have it! It really does look like silk. It's hard to see in my photo but it's quite neat looking.

Stamps: Flower Fancy, Thank You Kindly

Ink: Bermuda Bay, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Basic Black

Cardstock: Bermuda Bay, Pretty in Pink, Old Olive, Whisper White, Cardstock Vellum

Accessories: Big Shot, Beautiful Butterfly die, Perfect Details Texture plate, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, hemp, tissue paper

I LOVE the way this last card turned out. I won the stamp set Pendant Park at Convention this past summer. I haven't used it very much and really wanted to do something different with it. So I masked the bench with the two cute little squirrels on it and then stamped the bush behind them. Well, that's not all that different! Many people have done that before! I inked my bush with Cameo Coral and rocked in Ruby Red. Now that's different! I added the heart above the squirrels as well as the strip below and the other heart and I was very pleased with the outcome!

Stamps: Pendant Park, All Holidays

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Cameo Coral, Ruby Red

Cardstock: Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Accessories: Crop-a-dile, Heart to Heart punch, Metallic eyelets, dimensionals

Keep Stampin', Until next time

Shelley