Shocked and Amazed!!

This afternoon at work I did a quick check of my emails and to my shock and amazement there was a message from Linda Aarhus informing me she had awarded me the...

I sat and read the email several times before it actually sank in and I am still in disbelief that my little blog would ever be worthy.  Knowing all the hundreds, thousands even, of amazing blogs out there in cyberspace I never imagined I would be considered among them.  So a HUGE thank you to Linda!!  Please check out her blog Polka Dots and  Paper...you'll be glad you did!


Now, as a recipient of this award, I have some business to take care of.  The first is to pass it on to eight other blogs I have recently discovered.  So, here is a list of eight great blogs well worth checking out:

Jen Arkfeld 

Sharon Field

Debbi Rippentrop

Lena Paiva

Jeanne Kupsh

Jackie Barfield

Nancy Riley

Lyssa Griffin Zwolanek

I'm also supposed to list eight tidbits of personal info about  myself...here goes!

1)  I've been stamping for just a little less than 2 years but have LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!
2) I just became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator this past July but have also LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!
3) I am a full-time high school music department head which seriously interferes with my stamping time...except during summer break (only 4 more months to go!)
4) I am married to a super guy whom I met online before Internet dating was the "in" thing to do.  Interestingly, my brother also  met his wife online about 4 years later!
5) I am mom to the smartest 3 1/2 year-old-ever (ok, I might be a bit biased!).  He is the  light of  my life and is my best stampin' buddy!
6) Although I am a musician I rarely listen to music myself!  After listening to teenagers wail on band instruments all day long the last thing I want to do is  listen to more music.  In fact, all I want is peace and quiet, which is why I LOVE my stampin' corner...all I hear there is the click-click-click of my SNAIL...music to any stamper's ears!
7)  I am addicted to the Young and the Restless and have been for the last 25 years!  (pathetic, I  know!)  Oddly enough, the storyline hasn't changed!
8) I love to cook and entertain.  I've been told many times I should be running my own restaurant...my answer..."Can't...too busy stamping!"

Now, on to more pressing matters...today's card!!  Actually it is a card and gift bag ensemble I did this week.  I am currently working on designs for my April classes and really like the bright, spring-like colours in this set.  See what you think...

Gift ensemble using Summer Garden DP, So Swirly (retired) wheel and Punch Bunch and Pocket Silhouettes stamp sets.

Just the bag...I made matching tissue with my So Swirly wheel

Cloe-up of focal image on bag.

Cute little gift tag from the Punch Bunch SAB set

Matching card and envelope using So Swirly wheel and Pocket Silhouettes set (on of my fav's)

I carried the butterfly theme from the bag inside the card with the Flight of the Butterfly set.

When I envisioned this set I had thought I would use a brighter ink colour for my wheeled images; however, much to my dismay, the only reinker I had in the colours from the Summer Garden DSP was old olive!  I was a bit worried it would be too dark, but I actually like the darker wheeled image to off-set the brightness of the DSP.  I also love the velllum butterflies...so simple to make with my Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die and my Big Shot!  Add a little colour with some ink and sponges and viola...a pretty accent!  I don't know yet if this set will make my April line-up, but I most certainly will find someone to gift it to!

A Poppy Parade Sale-A-Bration Sample

Whew...what a busy week!  I am SO glad it is Friday!!  I'm looking forward to some down-time this weekend to just spend with my  family.  Tonight I have another sample using one of the exclusive Sale-A-Bration sets called "Punch Bunch".  All of the images in this versatile set coordinate with one of Stampin' Up's punches.  It is really popular because it makes adding a sentiment to a card fast and easy.  I used my favourite image from that set...see what you think...

CAS card using Punch Bunch SAB set and retired gems from the Holiday Mini

Close up of focal image...I was trying to mimic the look of a poppy with the layers

Inside of card using sentiment from the You're  A Gem set.

Close up of inside sentiment with a couple of black gems added.

Watercolour-look image inside card

I really love the in-colour called poppy parade.  It is so fresh and vibrant and I just knew I had to use it with the poppy image from the Punch Bunch set.  I have always loved poppies..I even have them planted in my garden (though it's hard to believe they'll ever bloom again with  all the cold, snowy weather we've had this month!)  The DSP on this card came from the level one hostess 6 x 6 In-Colour DSP stack...a great choice when you host a minimum $200 workshop!  This card came together quite easily...here's what  did:

Starting with a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of basic black cardstock, I adhered two pieces of DSP that measured a combined 5 1/8" x 3 7/8" .  I then adhered the rhinestone flourish that I had left over from the Holiday Mini catalogue.  I added a piece of black satin ribbon to cover the seam in the DSP, adhering it with glue dots on he back of the cardfront.  I then adhered the whole thing to a poppy parade card base.  On a separate scrap of whisper white cardstock,  I stamped the poppy image in basic black ink.  I punched it out using my 1 1/4" circle punch.  When I did this, there were little bits of the scallop border showing, so I just took and coloured the white parts in with my black Stampin' Write marker.  I then punched a 1 3/4" circle in poppy parade, a 2" circle in basic black and a 2 1/2" circle in poppy parade.  I layered them all together, sponging the edge of the largest circle in black ink.  I adhered the whole thing to the card using dimensionals.
For the inside of the card, I stamped the sentiment inking, it with my poppy parade and basic black markers. I punched it out using my 1 1/4" circle punch and then layered it on a 1 3/4" basic black circle.  I adhered it inside the card and added a few extra black gems.  I then inked the poppy image again using  my markers and stamped it in the lower right corner of the card.

Easy and quick,yet eye-catching...gotta love cards like this!  Have a great weekend everyone!