P.S. I Love You gets me all Twitterpated for Monkey Challenge 89

I love how this P.S. I Love You stamp set looks with the Twitterpated dsp. Both products are from the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalog. I used the sketch from the A La Card Monkey Challenge #89: A Fresh Start + Sketch. I went with "a new love" theme. Actually, this card will be perfect for my hubby for Valentine's Day - that's why I held off on any bling! lol

Ink up your stamps and submit a card at http://alacardmonkey.blogspot.com. I'm offering BLOG CANDY this week!

Stamps: P.S. I Love You;

Ink: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red;

Paper: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, Twitterpated dsp;

Accessories: 1/8" Baja Breeze taffeta, Modern Label Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, both sizes scallop circle punches, Stampin' Dimensionals.

More handmade Christmas gifts by American Ink team members

I've been sharing photos of handmade items by my American Ink team. Here's another batch:

Kathy H's shadow box using upcoming Occasions Mini products

Heather's glass block lamp with Spice Cake dsp

Decorated box with covered coasters by Cindy M.

Spice Cake dsp origami ornament (Japanese Kusudama) by Barb.

There are so many great items you can make with Stampin' Up! products. If you have something you want to share, email me!

Team ornaments, treats, stationery and other handmade goodies

Here are more photos of handmade gifts using primarily Stampin' Up! products from our American Ink Christmas party.

Pearl's box is as cute as the gift.

One of three ornaments Pearl made.

Mary Ann's embossed vellum votive.

Linda's stationery and dvd notepad holder.

Frankie's angel ornament, top note purse and Polar Party treat.

Cindy W.'s Polar Party treat and embossed foil tree.

More handmade American Ink gifts - flowers and more!

Heather created an etched glass block using the MDS Christmas Lodge image.

Kathy M. made this paper flower centerpiece.

Kim's workshop tote (opened by Cindy W.). You can slip in different pieces of fabric or card stock in the plastic sides. The bag is large enough to carry totes of supplies for a workshop.

Michelle's fluffy balls of fabric

Santa and reindeer stocking stuffers; order Stocking Builder Punch now

It's nice to have little things to tuck into stockings, or to give cashiers, your favorite baristas, or anybody else. I went to a stocking stuffer class by my friend and downline, Barb, a couple of weeks ago. We made two each of four different items, along with a box that could be used for anything from cards to goodies. I only have a couple items left that lasted long enough to take photos of. Above, the From Santa single stamp decorates a folded piece of Real Red card stock that uses the retired slit punch to hold in a roll of Lifesavers.

Here's the inside view. We used the Scallop Trim Border Punch both for decoration and to loop the 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon through so we could close it.

This reindeer head is made with the Holiday Stocking die for the Big Shot. We used the color spritzer on the head, the red nose is textured with polka dots, and the antlers are made with the Lattice die. We used the Medium Jewelry Punch and Tiny Tags set. This makes a great cover for a candy cane. My kids loved theirs!

Stocking Builder Punch (item 124095 for $16.95) will not carry on to the next Idea Book & Catalog, so if you'd like to get one, order it before January 3. You can do that through my online store here.

Merry Christmas to all!

I feel so blessed with my stampin' friends, customers and downline. Stampin' Up! has brought so many wonderful people into my life. Some of you have been with me for years and are my best friends. I just want to take a minute today to express how grateful I am for each and every one of you. Thank you!

I'm sharing some Christmas cards I've received using SU! products (excuse the tape on them - I tape them to the trim in our livingroom and dining room).

Frostwood Lodge by Cheryl

Heard from the Heart by Beth

Snow Much Fun by Sherry

Snow Swirled card by Tracy



I wish you and your family a very blessed day!

Elephant Elebration stamp for Monkey Challenge #88

Wisteria Wonder is a wonderful color! And now we have little purple hearts on brads. Well, we will in the new Occasions Mini that goes "live" in a couple of weeks. There are four designs of brads in the Sweet Shop Jelly Bean Brads.

Now that I've made plenty of Christmas cards, I saw this little elephant begging to be inked. It's a single stamp called Elebration. The polka-dotted Wisteria Wonder paper is from the Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper, also in the Occasions Mini. This particular pattern feels thicker with embossed dots.

I followed the sketch at A La Card Monkey:

Is that baby monkey adorable or what?

Stamps: Elebration;

Ink: Basic Black, Wisteria Wonder, Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery;

Paper: Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder, Sweet Shop Specialty DSP;

Accessories: Sweet Shop Jelly Bean Brads, Wisteria Wonder ruffled ribbon, aqua painter, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Handmade Christmas gift ideas, Stampin' Up! style

For years now, my American Ink team of Stampin' Up! demonstrators has had a Christmas party where it exchanges handmade gifts.

A shadowbox similar to this one was created by Kathy H., a newer demo to our team. This is one she made for herself. You can see some upcoming Occasions Mini items used here - the Labels Collection framelit die, Paper Doily large Sizzlits die, and Designer Rosette Bigz XL die.

Sherry made an edible bouquet using snowflake decor elements on the vase, stitched felt, 1-1/4" grosgrain, the Perfect Pennants die for the Big Shot, a variety of punches (Snowflake, Ornament, circles), and the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set. There's a piece of candy on every "stem" behind the decoration.

I'll share more homemade gifts later! Enjoy your day.

Something for Christmas card colored with markers

Yet another quick card to pull together is this one made with the single stamp, Something for Christmas. I used this for a 10-card class. It uses the patterned paper from the Christmas Lane Simply Scrappin' Kit in the Holiday Mini Catalog. It'll only be available to order thru January 3, 2012, so if you need some help with your Christmas scrapbooking, you'll want to order this! I used 4-1/4" of ruffled Lucky Limeade ribbon, and Cherry Cobbler/Early Espresso/Lucky Limeade markers to ink up the rubber.

Welcome Christmas blue and brown card

After looking at this photo, I realized how "off" the left side of the layers were! So please ignore that. I was in a rush and trying to get photos and didn't have the time for a re-take. I love browns and blues together. This card is Early Espresso and Bashful Blue, and uses the Welcome Christmas stamp set. The sentiment is from Four the Holidays, and the patterned paper is from the Letters to Santa pack. I hope you have a wonderful day!

Jolly Bingo Bits quick Christmas card

Whisper White card stock and a handful of ink pads make this card fun to make with the Jolly Bingo Bits stamp set. This is design 4 of 5 used for last week's 10-card Christmas class. I ran a square piece of white through the Snow Burst embossing folder and attached it to the card front with dimensionals. The sentiment - inside and out - is from the Christmas Greetings stamp set. The images were stamped and punched out with the 1" circle punch, and layered on 1-1/4" circles.

Snowflakes and Christmas Lodge quick cards

Here are two more of the designs I used for my 10-card class last week. This Christmas Lodge card was made for an A La Card Monkey challenge November 25 (you can see the post by looking under that date on my blog). It's simple and pretty, with some embossing from the Petals a Plenty folder, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, and a white satin ribbon.

I CASE'd this idea from Diana Gibbs. I hadn't used the Serene Snowflakes set since last year, so it was time to ink it up. The colors are Real Red, Pool Party and Island Indigo, with a few sparkly rhinestones on snowflakes.

Reindeer punch art using owl builder punch

I love the Owl Builder Punch. You can use it in so many ways and for so many occasions. I know you've probably seen the owl body turned into a ghost (upside down with white card stock), a penguin (black card stock with the ears cut off), and many other things. I think the reindeer is just as cute. All I cut off were the feet, then I used the branch from the Bird Builder Punch for the antlers. The eyes and nose are all on the owl punch.

I stuck Rudolph's head to a 1-3/4" Whisper White circle with dimensionals, then adhered that to a large scallop circle. The designer paper is from the Frostwood Lodge pack. I love those patterns! They remind me of warm, flannel shirts you wear only in the winter time. The Cherry Cobbler greeting is from Four the Holidays. I CASE'd this card from my friend and neighbor, Beth, and used it for a 10-card class last week. (Thanks Beth!)

Sweet Cake card for Monkey blog birthday challenge

It's been a full - and productive - week for me. I had a stamp club, 10-card class, made a couple of homemade items for gifts, and put together gifts for the teachers and bus driver. I even got a bunch of things wrapped. That's a huge accomplishment for me, considering I am usually wrapping things on the eve of Christmas Eve!

As Stampin' Up! demonstrators, we get to see and order the next mini catalog items before everyone else. The next one is called the Occasions Mini Catalog, and it starts January 4. It's got a wide variety of products, but for this card, I focused on the Sweet Cake stamp set and Sweet Shop Specialty dsp.

Here's a close-up of the cupcake stamp, which comes with three different greetings - the birthday one on the card, Be My Valentine, and You're So Sweet.

This photo shows the Dazzling Diamonds glitter. I used the Early Espresso ink pad to ink up the entire stamp, then used a blender pen to wipe the brown ink off of the heart and cherry, and added color with a marker.

This card is for my niece, Erika, who has a birthday in January. I used the sketch provided on my A La Card Monkey blog:

Isn't that little piglet adorable in the red, rubber boots? It's a clean and simple sketch. Have a great weekend!

Stamps: Sweet Cake;

Ink: Early Espresso, Calypso Coral;

Paper: Whisper White, Pool Party, Sweet Shop Specialty dsp;

Accessories: Designer In Color Brads, paper piercer and mat pack, dimensionals, 5/8" Whisper White satin ribbon.

Join my stampin' team for only $125 December 13 or 14

I'm thrilled to be able to offer the Stampin' Up! Starter Kit (normally $175) for only $125 on December 13 and 14, 2011. This is a perfect early Christmas gift just for YOU!

I'm able to offer this special because I'm attending the SU! Leadership Conference next month.

What you need to know:

• You pick either the Standard or Digital Starter Kit ($355 value);
• You'll get a FREE package of Designer Series Paper February thru December of 2012! (Up to a $120 value!!!);
• You'll save 30% on your first order of $150+ in the first 45 days;
• You'll become a member of my American Ink team, and enjoy monthly get-togethers where we stamp and swap ideas and make new friends!
• When you sign up online through my SU! website (http://therubberroom.stampinup.net) you'll be up and going in less than 30 minutes, and enjoy thousands of terrific stampin' ideas on our demonstrator-only website;
• You'll be able to take advantage of a demonstrator-only preorder of Occasions Mini Catalog products AND earn Sale-a-Bration products at the same time!
• There's no obligation to do anything except enjoy your kit and products.
• If you'd like to continue receiving a discount on all of your orders, your first demonstrator sales quota of $300 wouldn't be due till March 31, 2012.

I hope this gets you as excited as I am! It's a fabulous deal, and it's only available for 2 days. So share this with your friends and family. And Happy Holidays to YOU!

A Beautiful Season for Monkey Challenge #86: Holidays and BLOG CANDY!

I like natural and non-glittery Christmas cards, as well as the sparkly snowmen. This card follows a sketch on the A La Card Monkey blog. The bird image comes from the Beautiful Season stamp set, with the words from Petite Pairs. The big scallop circle came from the Perfect Pennants die for the Big Shot, and there's Hollyberry Bouquet dsp on the card too.

I'm providing the Warmest of Wishes stamp set for BLOG CANDY for this challenge. Whoo hoo!!!

Stamps: Beautiful Season, Petite Pairs;

Ink: Basic Brown, Wild Wasabi, Real Red, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand;

Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Wild Wasabi, Early Espresso, Hollyberry Bouquet dsp (Holiday Mini);

Accessories: Basic Pearls, oval and oval scallop punches, Circles Die, Perfect Pennants die, Petals a Plenty embossing folder, 1/8" Real Red taffeta ribbon, aqua painter, dimensionals.

A Simple Sounding Joy card

The Sounding Joy is such a pretty stamp set to use for Christmas cards. These colors are Whisper White, Bashful Blue and Riding Hood Red. It's a very simple card - just stamping, a couple of layers of card stock and ribbon - that I used for a 10-card class. I always try to have a mix of fun snowman cards and more serious religious cards to send out.

Kidoodles Christmas card

This is a bright and cheery Christmas card using the Just Eat Cake dsp and the elf from Kidoodles. This was one of the designs for a 10-card class. The card stock colors used are Wild Wasabi, Marina Mist, and Tangerine Tango. The decorative strip was made using the Tasteful Trim diecut for the Big Shot, then I added little dabs of Dazzling Details for added glitz.

The close-up shows the Dazzling Details on the elf's hat and under his feet. I used markers to color the image. Hope you have a fantastic day!

Button Buddies snowman for Christmas card

Button Buddies is one of my favorite stamp sets. I used an Old Olive button with Old Olive card stock for this card made at a recent 10-card class. It uses Early Espresso/Whisper White Baker's Twine, as well as a Designer Frame (I stamped the snowman first, then embossed the frame around him). The sentiment is from the Snow Much Fun stamp set. I CASE'd this card from Renee at Stamping for Sanity.

Kindness Matters for Monkey Challenge #85

I've taken care of all of my Christmas cards, so now it's time to focus on creating "Thank You" cards. This card is for A La Card Monkey Challenge #85: Thanks + Sketch. It uses the Kindness Matters stamp set, along with Beau Chateau designer series paper.

After coloring the Soft Suede image with Stampin' Pastels (Marina Mist and Regal Rose), I added some Dazzling Details to the inside of each wing. Here's the sketch:

Stamps: Kindness Matters;

Ink: Soft Suede;

Paper: Beau Chateau, Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Soft Suede;

Accessories: Neutral brads, 1-1/4" circle punch, 1-3/8" circle punch, scallop circle punch, 5/8" Certainly Celery satin ribbon, paper piercer and mat pack, dimensionals, Dazzling Details.

Another gift idea: Homemade crafters' scrub with MDS tag

In my quest to make Christmas gifts for friends and family this year, I came across an easy "recipe" for a Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub here. It's for use on your hands and body, and especially good to remove ink and glue and other stuff that gets on our crafty hands. It's 100 percent natural and edible. You can't beat that! I added a ripped strip of Spice Cake fabric around the jar, a cheap spoon (10 cents) from a thrift store, and a tag I designed using My Digital Studio. The back is printed too - I'll have to add a photo of that later!

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Scrub

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

2 Tablespoons Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 cup + 1 Tblsp oil (Sunflower, Safflower, Vegetable - your choice)

Mix and put it into either 2 pint jars or 4 half-pint jars. These keep well in sealed, sanitized glass containers for months. Just keep them out of direct sunlight.

My card was one picked for Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge!

How cool is this? My Jolliest Time of Year card was picked on the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge blog as one of the team's top picks. I'd added my card to the Stampin' Up! demonstrator gallery on Stampin' Connection, and received a comment from a demo saying I should enter it on the Hand Stamped Sentiments challenge, so I did!

Click here to read more about info on creating my winning card!

Christmas gift idea: Tile coasters with designer paper

This could quite possibly be the easiest Christmas gift you could ever make. And it's inexpensive. I picked up some tumbled marble tiles at Home Depot. These are 4" square. I used a foam brush to cover the top of the washed (these always seem to be covered with a fine powder) tile with Mod Podge, placed a 3-3/4" square piece of Spice Cake designer series paper on top, and then added another layer of Mod Podge to seal the paper on the tile. Give that at least 15-20 minutes to dry, then spray a Clear Acrylic Coat on top (you can select from matte and glossy. I like the matte.). There are felt "feet" under each corner of the tile. You can get these at a Dollar Store. Or you could add a felt or cork square to the underside, if you have either of those on hand. That's it! I plan on wrapping these up with a pretty bow and presenting it to a friend.

Just a few days left to get quality SU! product for up to 60% off!

There are some great stamp sets for 40% to 50% off: Every Little Bit, Winter Post, Perfect Punches, Many Merry Messages, Occasions Alphabet, and Flight of the Butterfly. Don't forget the Clearance Rack items too. You can view them all at http://www.stampinup.com. Remember that if you order through me (http://therubberroom.stampinup.net and then click SHOP NOW), you'll get the Preferred Pricing.