Medallion

Hi all! I got the Medallion Background Stamp (115223 $17.95) and wanted to start designing with it. Sometimes just playing around with the stamp can get you going. I kind used the card on the cover of the new catalog (see right side column for pic!) as a starting off point and wanted to incorporate some of the new InColors.

I love the details on the Medallion. I know I'm going to get a lot of use from it. Just sitting here and typing up this entry, I'm already thinking of new cards and scrapbook layouts using this stamp. And speaking of scrapbook....I've been having some creative streaks and actually got some layouts done this past weekend! Hoping to get those pics posted soon!

Hope you're all doing well!

All material Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla
StampSet: Medallion Background Stamp, Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370 $36.95), Framed with Love (114389 $27.95)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry,
Other: Crused Curry polka dot grosgrain ribbon (115614 $9.95)

Commotion in the Ocean

Thanks to La Jolla Shores for the inspiration for this ocean card. I was able to spend some time with my BRO/SIL/nephew 2 weeks ago for a short vacation. Good thing too, the weather was wonderful and I got to bond with my little nephew--who is by the way, my Godson too! YAY!

I didn't see any fish in the water at the beach, but I was told there were stingrays so we had to do the "stingray shuffle" when we walked into the water. That way we could warn them when we were coming. I didn't see any stingrays either but did see a very big dark mass that scared me for a second until I found out it was just a mess of seaweed. Hey, when you're eyes are blurry from salt water, any dark mass could be mistaken for sea creatures! hahaha.

I used the In-Color's as much as I could for this card. The sand is made by sponging soft suede onto Kraft cardstock. I tore the edge to make it uneven--just like the ocean floor. I cut out the fish and seahorse and popped them up on dimensionals to stand out a little too. Add a little dazzling diamonds glitter on the sea plants for a little shimmer.

All material is from Stampin' Up!

Cardstock: Whisper white, Kraft, Bermuda Bay
Stampsets: Ocean Commotion (114423 17.95), Really Retro (113754 $14.95)
Inks: Bermuda Bay (115655 $5.95), Dusty Durango (115654, $5.95), Rich Razzleberry (115658, $5.95)
Other: Dazzlind Diamonds Glitter (102023, $4.50)

Deal of the Week!

Hi Folks! It's the Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week! One package of Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware (112454) regularly priced at $29.95, this week only $18.99! That's over 100 different brads, label holders, ribbon slides, etc...great embellishments for your cards or scrapbook pages!

This deal is open from Monday July 20 through Monday July 27 (before 9am MT). Call me or use my website to order! www.agmstamps2.stampinup.net

It's a Circus!

This is one of the cards the gals at Stamp Camp will be making this Friday. It's using one of the new stampsets (Circle Circus 115778 $28.95) and one of the yummy In-colors--Bermuda Bay.

This card is kind of a CASE from "stamptilyoucramp" on SplitCoastStampers. I thought the bright shade of Bermuda Bay would be a nice pop of color on black and white.

I also punched out some of the circles and popped them up with Dimensionals adhesive to give it a little dimension too.

Ahhh, the color of Bermuda Bay...such a fun summer color...to be on vacation. Speaking of which, stay tuned for some pics and scrappy pages from my recent vacay in San Diego!

Hope you're all doing well! Cheers All!

All card materials are from Stampin' Up:
Stampsets: Circle Circus, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: 1 1/4" Circle Punch (104403), 1"Circle Punch (109046), 3/4" Circle Punch (107217), Word Window Punch (105090)
Bermuda Bay Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115610)

Hi folks!

It has been a "Summer Fun" summer so far! Guess you figured that out since I haven't been posting a lot lately. I have some Sweet ideas to post shortly but I wanted to share the SWEETEST deal of all. It's the Mini Starter Kit Promotion! (Offer ends August 31, 2009)

Become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator with the limited-time $85 Mini Starter Kit.

The Starter Kit contains the following items:

For All You Do stampset (pg 118 $28.95)
All the new In-Color stamp pads (6 at $5.95 each)
1 Package of Assorted In-color 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock ($7.95)
1 Package Whisper White 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock ($7.50)

When you purchase the starter kit you will be eligible for any programs available to new members. This includes but is not limited to the Extra 10 percent Instant Income offer, Stampin' Start and the opportunity to purchase the Business Booster Kit.

New members will receive the same business supplies as those who order the standard Starter Kit.

So whether or not you want to make some extra money by sharing what you LOVE with customers and/or enjoy great benefits and sales as a SU! Demonstrator, this is an amazing opportunity for an even more amazing price! Send me an email or give me a call if you have any questions!

Cheers All!

Aimee

PS. If you're interested in joining my team, there are some great opportunities to make your business grow--give me a call and ask me how! I'm throwing in one FREE box of the new catalogs to start your business!

Summer Sunshine

If you read my last post, you'd know how I'm kind of in love with Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes right now. At that time I just tried the Strawberry cupcake and it was fabulous! Well, today I tried the Orange Creamsicle cupcake and OH MY GOSH--that was out of this world!

Y'know how different seasons have their "flavors"? Like Winter/Christmas is Peppermint or Warm Cinnamon. Fall could be Pumpkin or Warm Apple. Well Summer is Citrus to me and that's what the Orange Creamsicle Cupcake was like--SUMMER!

So I decided to pull out an old stampset that hasn't had much love lately and thought some of the new In-Colors could pull off a "Citrus-y" kind of mood. Yummy Sweet and Super Easy!
I used the new Modern Label Punch for the sentiment and the Scallop Edge Punch that's on sale right now. Tied up a little polka-dot ribbon to finish it off.

All Card Material Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Crushed Curry (115319) Dusty Durango (115321)
Whisper White (100730)
Ink: Crushed Curry (115659) Dusty Durango (115654)
Stampset: Tart&Tangy (111514 $12.95) Teeny Tiny Wishes (New! 115370 $36.95)
Accessories: Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-dot grosgrain ribbon (New! 115614 $9.95) Modern Label Punch (New! 116630 $15.95)
Scallop Edge Punch (112091 normally $15.95, on sale until 7/5 for $10.99!)

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

It all started with some fun chatter between a few of us on Facebook (FB). My brother Dave had to send his Xbox to the manufacturer to get fixed so he was telling us how bored he was without his video-games. He was really bored. So I told him he should make cupcakes and bring them over. BTW, he's a very good cook. Well, needless to say, I've had cupcakes on the brain for a few days and since I've had some free time, well, I think this card speaks for itself. :)

This cupcake stampset was around since the last catalog, but I think the new Melon Mambo DSP gives it a fresh makeover. Don't they just look so sweet?

It's Independence Day here today, so many people are enjoying many of the festivities in the area. I went out for lunch with the aforementioned Dave and well, just like Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that we "are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."



Well, today I did pursue something that made me happy...Sweet Mandy B's cupcakes. Sweet Mandy B's is a wonderful bakery in Lincoln Park and I've wanted to visit for so long. Well, folks, what can I say? It was totally worth the wait!!! (and so worth the extra workout I did in anticipation of these beauties!) If anyone wants to go visit, give me a call, I'll even drive! Have a great day everyone!



This is (was) a strawberry cupcake--DELISH!

All material for card is Stampin' Up
Stampset: Crazy for Cupcakes (111618 pg 168)
Cardstock: Melon Mambo (115320 pg 155), Whisper White (100730 pg 155) Razzleberry Lemonade DSP (115675 pg 162)
Ink: Black Stazon (101406 pg 190), Melon Mambo (115320 pg 155)

Markers: Chocolate Chip (100071), Close to Cocoa (100072), Creamy Caramel (100078), Real Red (100052) all on page 156
Accessories: 1/2" Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115611 pg 182) Blender pen (used to color the frosting with Melon Mambo) 102845 p6192

This Site is Under Construction....

Hi Folks! No, this site is not under construction but it feels like my schedule has been under construction for the past 2-3 weeks! Busy Busy Busy--that's me! But one thing we can always count on is the wonderful items Stampin' Up! puts out in every catalog! This year is no different. Lovely items and Yummy new In-colors! Click on the link to the right to view the online catalog!

I had a raffle to win an InColor Sampler and Congrats once again to Evelyn S! But for the month of July, Stampin' Up has a wonderful sale every week! Sign up for my blog updates or check back here every week to find out what goodies are on SALE! It's their DEAL OF THE WEEK!

To inaugurate the new catalog, there will be another MsMannersstamping special raffle. I'm still getting the particulars together so stay tuned!

So here's the current Stampin' Up! Deal of the Week:

30% off the Scallop Edge Punch (112091)
Normally priced at $15.95, but from July 1-July5 you can purchase it for just $10.99




Take Care everyone! It's going to be a fun but busy 4th of July weekend but I should have some cards up in a while AND the particulars of my new raffle--it's going to be awesome!

A Card, A Blog and a Coach Purse

Hi Folks! I haven't had much time to stamp lately...things have been such a blur that I'm barely keeping up with anything. I made this card a few weeks ago at Nuthouse and just now finally getting to share it with you. There's absolutely NO Stamping done on this card. This card took "minutes" with the help of my BIG SHOT and hole puncher! Now I just have to make a card with matching shoes!

The material used is all Stampin' Up.

Cardstock: Pink Pirouette (tag), Confetti White (card) Tea Party DSP (card base) Sweet Always DSP (purse)
Top Note Big Shot Die (113463) Was used to make the purse. I just folded down the top to make the "Flap"
I used the large brad from the Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware (111325) for the "snap" on the flap.

The ribbon "handle" is Rose Red 1/4" Grosgrain ribbon (111366)

And the tag is tied to the handle with the Natural Hemp Twine (100982)

I wanted to share a blog that I found via Twitter. It's called A Purse Full of Cheerios. Take a visit over there and check it out. It's a gorgeous blog--Great pictures and information. AND lots of giveaways! Right now she's giving away a COACH PURSE! (um drool much?) So Thank You Sylvia! You do wonderful work and I'm glad I found your blog!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Manic Monday Sketch for a Wednesday

Monday's Challenge over at 365 Cards was a color challenge. The colors to be used were the BOLD shades of RED, BLUE, GREEN, YELLOW, and ORANGE. No Pastels. Um, Wow.
It's no secret with my stampin' pals that I'm really not a fan of those colors. They're all in the BOLD BRIGHTS family in the Stampin' Up! universe and I hardly uses those colors in. I really should try to incorporate them more and become less of a boldbright-a-phobe. I'm more Earth Elements really.

But here's my take on the challenge:

I used my BIG SHOT to get emboss the white panel with the little swirls and flowers to give a little texture to the card and it helps soften the brightness of the colors a little

Here's a better look at the embossed images. I popped all the hearts on dimensional adhesive to add to some "texture" as well.

Huh, well wouldn't you know. As I write this blog post, the sun is coming out and the sky is really blue--we really need some sun here in Chi-town. People are really grumpy when the weather is nothing by gray and gloom for several days. We should all make some bright cards!

Have a Bright Day everyone!

All material Stampin' Up!
StampSet: (for the sentiment) Pocket Silhouettes (111672, $18.95)
Cardstock: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, Yoyo Yellow, Glorious Green, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Real Red 1/4" Grossgrain Ribbon, Large Oval Punch (107305, $15.95), Scallop Oval Punch (114889 $15.95) Heart to Heart Punch (113694, $15.95--it punches all 3 heart sizes)
SU! Backgrounds 1 Textures Plates (114512, $11.95), Big Shot Die Cut Machine.

Day 99 Super Sketchy Challenge and How I Lost My Head

Hi Folks! I've been "blog-stalking" the 365 Cards blog for a couple of weeks now and finally found some time to play! Well, I really wanted to play last weeks challenges and copied all the sketches and wrote down the color combinations and off I went to Nuthouse to play with my Stampin' pals. Of course, I brought all my material and FORGOT to bring the sketches. Bummer. So I had to make cards from scratch without any guidance. hahaha. There are worse things, like forgetting the Cardstock! (which I've never done thank goodness)

Well, here's the first challenge for the week. To make a card with this layout.

Well, Here it is, What do you think? I needed to make a graduation card for a guy ASAP and I saw this die cut from the online Silhouette Site.

Here's where I lost my head...The Silhouette is really an awesome tool and I don't use it enough But as you can see the little guy's head is not attached. That's the way the die cut comes out-3 pieces, body, head and hat. So here I am happily assembling my card when I exclaim, "Where's my Head?". My mother heard me and a bit puzzled, "What?". Oops, nevermind Mom, I'm Ok, really.

Most annoying thing is when you want to put something (anything) together and you think you have all the tools and then because you're making a mess, nothing is where you need it. In this case my head (on the card and on my shoulders). I didn't have to cut another one out, I did find it stuck to the back of the card.

Here's the side view so you can see the crinkled paper--to look like curtains I thought.

Have a Great Day Folks and watch out for you head!

All material Stampin' Up! except for the image--die cut from Silhouette Tool
Cardstock: Basic Gray, Basic Black, Summer Sun, Whisper White, Urban Oasis DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Riding Hood Red
Stampset: Celebrate Everything (114942 $18.95)
Accessories: Paper Crimper, Dimensional Adhesive

Big Shot Butterflies

It took me a while to embrace the whole "Big Shot" thing. (Not familiar with the Big Shot? Click HERE to see a demo!) But now I'm wondering why it did take me so long! I love paper and cardstock and using the Big Shot is a great way to incorporate paper elements into different projects. I'm so sad that this Urban Garden DSP is going away. I hope SU! knows that I'm expecting to see some gorgeous paper replacements in the new catalog! hahaha.


This sentiment was from one of the 2009 Sell-a-bration Sets and I thought it would be perfect for a retirement card.

Here's the same idea, just using a different paper for the background and stamping right on the card instead of a tag.


Who inspires you? My only challenge to you is to send a note/card or even an email to whomever it is that inspires you! We need more random acts of kindness in this world. :)
Have a great day everyone!

All material used is Stampin' Up!
Cardstock: Card 1--Basic Gray, Going Gray, Baja Breeze, Urban Garden DSP--used for background and the small butterfly layer.
Card 2--Basic Gray, Baja Breeze, Urban Garden DSP for small butterfly layer, Urban Oasis DSP for the background.
Ink: Basic Gray
Accessories: Beautiful Butterflies Big Shot Die (114507), Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

Tweet Tweet Y'all!

First I want to say to Donna, I hope these birds aren't too freaky for you! :)
Hi folks! Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was so busy but A LOT of fun. I think it kicked off the start of my "party circuit" for the summer!
Between Glenda's Nuthouse, a graduation party, a baptism, Chicago's Printer's Row Lit Fest and an impromptu dash around Chinatown, it's amazing how much a person can squeeze into a weekend. What's more amazing is that I'm up on time today too!

There are so many places and things where you can find inspiration for any project whether its cards, scrapbooking, writing... I bet you can't guess where my inspiration comes from for these cards! So yes, have a laugh at me today folks--it's Twittertime!

Basic and simple stamping for these cards...no tricks, no special techniques. Sometimes the simpler the better, no? I love the crispness of the different blue hues in this card.

Ok folks, how can I get more cheeky than to use my laptop and Tweetdeck for the background! (I'm all about making you smile this morning!)

Time to grab some coffee and a bowl of cereal before logging into to work!
Tweet Tweet Y'all! Have a wonderful day!

Blue Card: All material Stampin' Up!
Stampset--Cheep Talk (113204)

Cardstock--Pacific Point, Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Ink--Pacific Point ink pad, Chocolate Chip and Garden Green markers
Accessories--Pacific Point Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Horizontal Slot Punch, Dimensionals Adhesive.

Tweetdeck Card: All Material Stampin' Up! unless otherwise noted
Stampset--Cheep Talk (113204)
Cardstock--Confetti White, Very Vanilla, Summer Sun, Kiwi Kiss, Good Morning Sunshine DSP
Ink--More Mustard inkpad, Chocolate Chip inkpad and Chocolate Chip and Garden Green markers
Accessories--Build a Flower Bigz Die (113471) for the Big Shot, Tweet Flair is from American Crafts Fla!r

Last Chance Stamp Sets

Hi Folks!
I wanted to send a reminder that Stampin' Up! put out their "Last Chance" Stamp Set list.
As of June 30, these great sets will now be in "retirement".

We've also got to say good-bye to the current In-colors too! That includes all the accessories that use the current In-colors (Cardstock, Ink, Re-inkers, Designer Series Paper, Buttons, Ribbon, etc) I can't promise that any of the current In-colors accessories are going to be around until the end of June so just my SU! tip, get them now before they're gone!

Here are two links to see all the sets that we're waving good-bye to.
Alphabetical List

Numerical by page List

Of course, we can't just let these guys go without a SALE!

Here's a MsMannersstamping special!
For June only:
Order $50 of merchandise and you'll get entered to win a special In-color sample bundle from me (cardstock, ribbon, etc). I'm talking about the 2009-2010 In Colors! I've seen the new colors and once again, Stampin Up! will not disappoint us. I love the current In-colors, but the new ones are really yummy too! "Yummy" really is the right word to use--they're wonderful!

Here's a Stampin' Up Special!
Hostess Bonus Promotion--It Pays MORE to have FUN!Hostesses already get wonderful rewards and gifts when they host a party, but here's an awesome gift Stampin' Up is giving you when you host a party in JUNE!
It Pays (More) to Have Fun
From June 1-30, in addition to the already fantastic hostess benefits, get even more hostess awards when you host a qualifying workshop:

Hold a $250-$399.99 workshop and receive an additional $20 in hostess free dollars!
Hold a $400 or more workshop and receive an additional $40 in hostess free dollars!*

Wow, wow and WOW!
Contact me if you want to host a party or place an order!!!!

Have a great day!

Shopping

There is so much Stampin' Up! info on my blog that I don't really have to spell it out that I'm a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Of course, if you need Stampin' Up! material, please order from me! hahaha. But honestly, when it comes to creating and designing for fun, I'm a total equal opportunity SHOPPER! I'm all about pretty and unique and fun--and if I see something cool--I'm going to share it with everyone!

Once again, I have to bring up Facebook. It's because of Facebook that I was able to reconnect with a highschool friend--Karen A. (I haven't seen her since graduation) And through FB, I learned that she loves to stamp and she works at Archiver's. Um, did you say Archiver's???
One of my favorite stores! I went to visit her over the weekend, and the great thing about knowing someone "behind the scenes" was that she showed me all her favorite supplies and card-making tools and I got to PLAY with them!




One of my new "must haves" is Glimmer Mist by Tattered Angels. It's this awesome spray pump mist that gives a sparkly shimmer to your projects. The cardstock is SU! Baja Breeze and by spraying it with Pearl Glimmer Mist, it gave the cardstock a sparkly sheen. Unfortunately, you can't really tell as much from the pic as you would in person. But if you know me, you can tell I love this product so I'm not going to steer you wrong! It comes in different colors too--I think the next one I'm going to get is Tiger Lilly. You should see it on chipboard!

The daisy border is also another cool product that she showed me. It's Fozz Felt from Kaiser scrapbook. It's self-adhesive, so once you measure how much you need, just peel off the backing and stick! I stamped a sentiment, added the butterfly and bling and ta-da--EASY card!


Here's another card I made (no Glimmer Mist this time) with the same basic idea. I'm totally loving my new buys! Thanks again to my pal Karen for my "behind the scenes" look!
Now if I just knew someone at Nordstroms so I can play with the shoes...

Have a great day everyone!

Card material:
Blue Card
SU! Baja Breeze Cardstock, Ink: SU! Basic Gray, Stampset: SU! Warm Words, Kaiserscrapbook Fozz Felt Daisy Border, Crystal Stickers in Clear. Unknown Butterfly Stamp.

Green Card
SU! Kiwi Kiss, Ink: SU! Basic Black, Stampset: SU! Warm Words, Kaiserscrapbook Fozz Felt Flower Power Fushia, Crystal Stickers in Clear.