FUN & FANCY CLASSES:

I’m excited to announce the new Fall In-Studio Class Schedule!  We’re using a new format designed with the purpose of making it easier for you to take time away from your hectic life, relax and enjoy doing what you love.

My Fun & Fancy Classes are always on the second Monday of each month.  There is an afternoon session that runs from 1:00 to 4:00 PM and an evening session that runs from 6:00 to 9:00 PM.  In each of those sessions there are three options:

#1  FUN OPTION

The Fun Option each month is just like my traditional card classes.  I provide EVERYTHING for you to create 4 to 5 trendy cards.  Each month is new and different and the cards follow the seasons and holidays.  Payment is accepted at class but RSVP is a must so that your card supplies are ready and waiting for you on class day. The price for this option is $15. 

#2  FANCY OPTION

The Fancy Option is a Project Kit Class.  Stampin’ Up! has offered some gorgeous Project Kits and I will focus on one every month.  The price for this option varies as the prices of the kits vary.  Prepayment is necessary so that your kit is shipped and waiting on you when  you arrive for class.

#3  FUN & FANCY OPTION

The Fun & Fancy Option includes both the card class and the  beautiful Project Kit offered that month.  The price for this option varies as the prices of the kits vary.  Prepayment is necessary so that your kit is shipped and waiting on you when  you arrive for class.

My classes are casual and a lot of fun – register for one or more today!  Class options and descriptions as well as registration/payment information is located at the Classes & Events link on my website or by clicking HERE.

FABULOUS YOU-TIME OPEN STAMPING:

 

More great news – I’m opening my studio for a few hours each month for open stamping/crafting.  Time to get away and take some time for yourself to work on whatever you want!  Bring your own projects or purchase my available Plaid Poodle Kits.  I’ll provide some yummy refreshments and my non-consumable tools and supplies will be available for your use.  Payment accepted at class but space is limited so RSVP is a must.  Check out the available sessions HERE and reserve your spot today!

 

My husband and I are attending a wedding today and I wanted to create a super special card for the couple.  Because I’m over the moon for the Celebrate Today stamp set and a new technique I used with it for my Stampin’ Up! Convention Card Swap I tweaked it a little bit and came up with this sweet card:

Don’t you love it?   To create that dreamy balloon I stamped the image from the Celebrate Today Stamp Set in Soft Sky ink first.  Then I die-cut the balloon image out using the coordinating Balloon Framelits.  Next, using the negative part of the die (not the actual balloon die) as a stencil I lightly sponged the left side of the balloon using Lost Lagoon ink creating a shadow.  Finally I stamped the stars image with VersaMark Ink, dusted with Silver Stampin’ Emboss Powder and heat embossed.  My newsletter recipients will receive a full tutorial for this card listing the dimensions and supplies so if you would like one please subscribe to my newsletter by clicking the SUBSCRIBE button on my blog.

Here’s a pic of the card I created for Convention that inspired it all:

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One of my favorite things about being a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator is getting together with other Demonstrators.  What do we do when we get together you ask?  We STAMP!  The annual Stampin’ Up! Catalog had just gone live at our most recent team meeting so we celebrated by making a set of thank-you cards in each of the new In-Colors.  Here is one that is made using the new In-Color Cucumber Crush.  Isn’t it cute?!

This card was made using the Beautiful Bunch and Gorgeous Grunge stamp sets along with Whisper White card stock and an accent color for the card base.  The basic look of the card could easily be replicated using any stamp set.  Check out this video where I create the card right in front of your eyes – lol!  Beware though, I was experiencing brain fog during the filming so there are a lot of dips and turns and oopsies!

 

If you already subscribe to my You-Tube channel you know that I am no Steven Spielberg.  I’m a one-take, hope the dogs don’t bark during filming kind of girl. If you watched that hot mess until the very end – congratulations and thank-you!!    I did mention towards the end of the video that a full-color project menu would be available.   Here it is – enjoy and let me know what you think in the comments below:

Beautiful Bunch In-Color Thankyou Card

 

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Because June’s in-studio Stampin’ Style class coincided with the release of the new Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog a party was in order!  The party’s them was Amped-Up Stamp Camp.  I designed these postcards at canva.com for the invitations.  If you want to get technical it is a circus tent but remember this camp was Amped-Up!

Stampers were welcomed to camp and greeted by this adorable banner that I created using the Chalkboard Banner Simply Created Kit.  It made for some cute photo booth pics!  The Chalkboard Banner kit is now retired but Stampin’ Up! has a new Build a Banner Kit to replace it.

The camp theme carried over to the refreshment table.  We didn’t roast marshmallows but we did enjoy delicious Oatmeal Cookie S’mores Gooey Bars.  Buttery, chocolatey, gooey goodness in a bar!  I found the recipe over here on Chelsea’s Messy Apron.

You can’t have camp without roasting something on a stick over an open fire right?  I was unable to get away from the idea of food on a stick and settled for fruit kabobs!  And, because we needed to keep our energy up, I fancied up a tin can then filled it to the rim with Monster Trail Mix.

I think Amped-Up Stamp Camp was a success!  Comments overheard:

• “I am having such a good time coming to your classes.  Good therapy for me.”
• “I really love to come – so much fun for me!”
• “This was fun.  I need to be more intentional and take time for myself more often.”

We made four gorgeous cards and a bonus 3-D project.  Every camper received a cute book mark slipped inside their copy of the new catalog.

There was a “sack race” with a prize for the winner at the end of class and there was also a drawing for this set of five cards with matching envelopes using the new Stampin’ Up! In-Colors, the You’ve Got This stamp set and the new Envelope Paper.

I’m already working on next month’s class.  Think sun screen and flip-flops.  If you’re in the Kansas City area I would love to have you stamp with us!  Email me for more information:  Leslie@theplaidpoodle.com  In the mean time make sure you click on the link to the new catalog and check out the new stuff!!!

 

If you caught my post Monday (see it here) I’ve been practicing what I preach. I’m working on building my stash of Thank You Cards.  This adorable card is made from the February, 2015 Paper Pumpkin Kit.  I wasn’t really sure about it at first but the completed project changed my mind. This card is different and fun and I love it!  The stamps from the kit are very on-trend and it uses two of my favorite ink colors:  Daffodil Delight and Pool Party.   The kit included enough supplies to make eight cards and included eight of the cutest kraft envelopes.  My photo did not do it justice so please watch this short video demonstrating the kit.

I challenged myself today to use the stamp set from February’s kit in a different way.  Below are two very similar cards.  The card on the left was made using the Painted Petals Stamp Set along with coordinating Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper.  When I finished making the card I noticed that the Painted Blooms Designer Series Paper could be replicated using stamps from the February Paper Pumpkin Kit.  The card on the right was made using only Whisper White card stock along with the stamps and ink from the kit along with a length of Painted Blooms Cotton Twine.  Okay, I know I didn’t discover gold but this was an “aha!” moment for me.  It dared me to use these gorgeous stamps received every month in as may ways that my imagination will take me.  Doing that will stretch me as a stamper as well as make me a better steward of my resources.

 

Paper Pumpkin is a monthly kit with an exclusive paper project delivered right to your door.  A new stamp set arrives each month and kits with only cards are delivered at least six times a year.  Other months feature home decor and gifting projects.  Paper Pumpkin is currently offering 50% off the first two months now through June 10th for new subscribers.  For more information CLICK HERE and use Promo Code SAVE50!

Have you ever given a gift then not received a thank-you from the recipient?  Or sent a gift never to hear if it was actually received?   I recently read in this article that our deepest need as human beings is to be loved and cherished, to be protected, and to be heard. To be heard is to be acknowledged.  Accordingly, showing appreciation to others by acknowledging their kindness and generosity would be very important don’t you think?

Before I get all “Miss Manners” on you let me say that I have failed to show appropriate thankfulness on numerous occasions.  My intentions were good but life and it’s business got in the way and before I knew it my good intentions were forgotten.  Yes, a text, email or Facebook message is better than nothing but does it convey heartfelt gratitude for someone who went out of their way to bless you tangibly or intangibly?  A note doesn’t have to be long; just three or four lines. A few sincere sentences can change a person’s day!

Okay, I’m going to get all “Miss Manners” on you now because according to her, a thank you should be written on paper in your own hand.  Google it.  It’s on the internet so it has to be true.  And who doesn’t enjoy receiving a pretty card?  The question is how to make it happen in real life?  As the Boy Scouts say, “Be prepared”.  Have several cards or pretty paper on hand along with envelopes and stamps then keep them easily accessible.  Make it fun for yourself and buy or make a pretty “correspondence station”.  I pinned some cute ideas on Pinterest HERE.

I like to make my own cards and an easy way that I get several done at once is through my subscription to Paper Pumpkin.  Paper Pumpkin is a monthly kit with an exclusive paper project delivered right to your door.  A new stamp set arrives each month and kits with only cards are delivered at least six times a year.  Other months feature home decor and gifting projects.  Paper Pumpkin is currently offering 50% off the first two months now through June 10th for new subscribers.  For more information about Paper Pumpkin CLICK HERE.  Please enjoy this video demonstrating the December, 2014 kit and then check out the cards below.

 

 

This Shaker Card on the left was made with the December 2014 Paper Pumpkin kit, envelope included.  The washi tape card on the right, inspired by Amber Meadows, was made using one of the stamps and an envelope from the December kit.  Both were super easy to make and now I have two more thank you cards in my stash so I can make like Jimmy Fallen and get caught up on my thank you notes!

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Washi Tape Card Product List

Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad $5.95	Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin’ Pad $5.95	Whisper White 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock $8.50	Crisp Cantaloupe 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock $6.95	Sweet Sadie Designer Washi Tape $4.95
Decorative Label Punch $16.95	Large Oval Punch $15.95	Pistachio Pudding Thick Baker’s Twine $3.50	Stampin’ Dimensionals $3.95

I own a Cricut and I also own a Big Shot Die Cutting Machine.  Between the two, my Cricut gathers dust while the Big Shot is a workhorse in my craft studio.   I never got the hang of the Cricut often becoming frustrated with the complexity of it.  Loading and unloading card stock and trying to determine what size cut I need seems to be time consuming as well.

On the other hand the Big Shot is quick and easy to use and I always know what I’m going to get when I run a die through it.  I also like the fact that I can use it for both die cutting and embossing.  Probably the Big Shot’s biggest selling point for me though is that stamps with coordinating dies are readily available everywhere.  My paper projects have a more polished, crisp look because the dies cut out a stamped image perfectly.  I love that!  No more fussy cutting!!!!!

This cute card was made with coordinating stamps and Framelits Dies.  The card base is embellished with balloon shapes cut from Designer Series Paper using the Balloon Framelits Dies and stamped with the coordinating stamp set Celebrate Today.  An easy peasy card taking no time to complete because the Big Shot does all the work.  Love that tiny polka-dot  bow that was stamped then cut out using the Big Shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Big Shot also lets me add design and texture to my cards by embossing them.  Embossing folders are relatively inexpensive and some have coordinating stamp sets as well.  Here are two cards that were made with card stock run through the Big Shot using an embossing folder.  The green tag on the Thank You card was made using the Fancy Fan Textured Impressions Embossing Folder and the Happy Easter card base was made using the Perfect Polka Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder.  The tag on the little treat bag was made with the Chalk Talk Framelits and coordinating Chalk Talk stamp set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bigz dies allow you to cut multiple shapes and images in one cut through the Big Shot.  There are also fun 3-D projects.  Here’s a few examples:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can you tell that I love my Big Shot Die Cutting Machine!  See it in action – watch this video that demonstrates making a berry basket using the Berry Basket Bigz L Die.

 

I received the March My Paper Pumpkin Kit in the mail this week and couldn’t wait to get busy!  The kit this month is all about Y.O.U. with the cutest little word bubbles to personalize for any occasion.  I believe the stitch used is called a back-stitch but it doesn’t matter because the instructions were super simple to follow and I was able to whip several up while enjoying some guilty pleasure t.v.  What I love about My Paper Pumpkin is that all the work is done for you and everything needed to create the cutest little paper crafting projects is included in one, simple kit.  And, bonus,  the on-trend adorable stamps that come with the kits each month are mine to keep!  Here’s a look at some of the supplies that came in the March kit:

The kit came with enough supplies to make 9 cards using three black and white patterns: striped, polka-dot and triangle.  The Tiffany blue epoxy stickers and envelopes really pop against the black, white and yellow.  March is a huge birthday month around here and I liked that these cards will work for both masculine and feminine recipients.  These card are so cute that before I stitch the final word bubble I plan on tracing a pattern from it onto card stock and piercing the Y.O.U. using  my Paper-Piercing Tool.

Watch this video to see how fun and simple this kit is to put together!  Wonder what the surprise will be next month?  Subscribe HERE before April 10.  Or better yet, save $5 and earn one FREE item from the Sale-a-Bration brochure by purchasing a three-month prepaid subscription HERE by March 31, 2015.

 

Just when you thought the party was winding down Stampin’ Up! turns it up a little louder!  Beginning March 1st Stampin’ Up! is offering four new bonus products only available thru March 31st and they’ve saved the best for last!  I’m loving the printed Sheer Perfection Designer Vellum Stack along with the coordinating Nature’s Perfection Stamp Set that would work great with the Stampin’ Write Markers.

 

Another awesome bonus stamp set that can be had for free during Sale-a-Bration is the Lotus Blossom stamp set.  This gorgeous stamp set makes anyone feel like an artist in three quick steps. It creates a beautiful flower that looks painted, but it is amazingly easy. The individual stamps have a tab at the top to help you align them, and the tabs are numbered so you will know which part of the flower to stamp first, second, and third. Try playing around using one ink pad with the stamping off technique, or multiple different ink pads to create many different looks.  Here is a great video showing different techniques used with this stamp set to achieve marvelous results!

 

 

Sale-a-Bration is the perfect time to grow your stamping inventory.  With every qualifying purchase of $50 you earn a bonus Sale-a-Bration item.  There’s no limit!  That means a $100 order earns two bonus Sale-a-Bration items, a $150 order earns three bonus Sale-a-Bration items and so on.  But this promotion ends March 31, 2015 so make sure you don’t delay.  Click on my Shop Now button below and start earning those bonus products now!

The BIG DAY is looming and I’m feverishly  working on gift packaging to get all those presents under wrap!  Maybe it’s because of my love for all things paper or my appreciation for the time and effort put into wrapping a gorgeous gift, but I enjoy a beautifully wrapped package as much as the present itself.  Of course ways to make that job easier are always welcome and this adorable Petite Cafe Gift Bag from Stampin’ Up! sure fits the bill.  The bags are just $5.95 for a package of 10, are food safe and are ready to embellish as much or as much or little as you please.

 

 

Petite Café Gift Bags $5.95

 

For whatever reason though I wanted to see if I could recreate this type of bag.  I came up with a clever name for it . . . the tall, skinny bag!  It is assembled out of an 8-1/2″ x 11″ sheet of card stock and, if you’re using Stampin’ Up! card stock, is a pretty heavy duty little bag.  Because of that I would advise using Sticky Strip to adhere the bag together.  To create the bag I scored the 11-inch side of card stock at 3-1/4″, 4-/14″, 5-1/4″, 8-1/2″, 9-1/2″ and 10-1/2″.  The 8-1/2″ side of the card stock is scored at  1-1/4″.  For  the complete tutorial please view the video.

 

Product List

Petite Pairs Clear Stamp Set $20.95	Petite Pairs Wood Stamp Set $28.95	Cherry Cobbler Classic Stampin’ Pad $5.95	Garden Green 8-1/2″ X 11″ Card Stock $6.95	Trim The Tree Designer Series Paper Stack $6.95
Silver Glimmer Paper $4.95	Stars Framelits Dies $26.95	Big Shot $99.95	Big Shot Magnetic Platform $39.95	Cherry Cobbler 1″ Sheer Linen Ribbon $7.95
Sticky Strip $6.95