Declaring My Love...

for COFFEE!! After almost 18 months at Starbucks, I still don't prefer the stuff straight, but espresso with soy milk and some toffee nut syrup steamed into a foamy cappuccino, and I'm THERE, baby! It's damp and rainy outside today too, so that has me in the mood for somethin' warm and yummy.

This new-to-me tastebud experience is what I was thinking about as I played with a stamp set, Hand Drawn, that I acquired during the demonstrators' catalog sneak peek. It's now available from the new catalog, but only to hostesses or those who place a $500 net sales order. What I like is that it combines a stamp set, rub-ons, and Candy Lane DSP so that you can experience SU!'s brilliance in creating coordinating products!

I stamped the coffee cup on Very Vanilla--a scrap I had laying around leftover from the Ronald McDonald House cards--with Baja Breeze ink. I'm really enjoying that color, for some reason. It's soothing. Then I colored the "coffee" with my Stampin' Write Creamy Caramel marker and the cup with a blender pen and some BB ink.

I also had hearts scattered about from the 3 Heart Punch, so I gathered one of each and this card is the quick result! The base is BB and it's 3.5" x 4". A strange size, yes, but I was using up a scrap, so it was just right! The strip of Riding Hood Red is complemented by some twill ribbon and two little brads.

Would you be interested in earning this as a hostess benefit? It's as easy as contacting me to host a workshop. I come to you wherever it's most convenient for you...home, work conference room after hours, a local Starbucks, your subdivision's clubhouse. You name the spot and we'll stamp together! Consider gathering your friends and making a memory. Everyone will benefit. To contact me, just leave a comment or get my email address from my profile.

More to come from this set--stay tuned!

Did You Know?

I do custom consignment work for individuals? I do! In this case, I created covered chipboard clipboards so that Meghan could use the 2009 Create-A-Calendar to ask her attendants to be in her wedding! It was so fun to be a small part of this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.

What kind of event/occasion do you have coming up this year that a one-of-a-kind invitation, 3D item, or gift set would make it just perfect? Contact me, and let's brainstorm what we can work together to create!

I Can't Help Myself! Another January SAS Card

I'm having such a hard time narrowing it down this time! Usually, I make 5 designs and cut up supplies for 2 of each, and I'm done. This time, I'm wanting to share everything I'm making, and that means making only 1 of each for some of the designs. Why? I don't have enough of the materials to make more than 1! Such is the case with this card.

I was perusing the Eastern Blooms gallery on SCS again, determined to find something to make with that set, when I came upon this card by fellow demo Cannie Hunter. Thanks, girl, for a very cute, easy card! Instead of using the flowery branch stamp though, I pulled out my Hidden Garden rub-ons and used those. Use up those supplies is my new motto! So much for using that stamp set, huh.

The background image is from Garden Silhouettes, one of my all-time favorites, stamped in Baja Breeze. Since the rub-ons come in either Chocolate Chip or Whisper White, you have to work with whatcha got. This is a 4"x4" square card, so it came together very quickly. I went to Michael's last night to see if I could get more of that ribbon. It's just so dreamy! Nope...can't find it anywhere. Oh well...it'll be GREAT while it lasts.

I know you wish you were coming to SAS, now that you've seen all the cards. Put Feb. 21 on your calendar, and you'll get in on the crafting goodness next month!

Usin' up the Scraps Card

As I hinted at yesterday, today's card came about because I couldn't let go to waste the beautiful edges of the Urban Garden DSP that I was using for my original card. All these edge beauties were crying out to be used.

It's a little difficult to see the card base, but it's Very Vanilla again. This time the flowers are tucked underneath the center panel. A piece of Kiwi Kiss striped ribbon that I cut too short at my last SAS was also begging to be used (since it's a scrap too), so I tied two knots and adhered it to the back of the strip with glue dots.

The Going Gray piece serves as a mat for the saying, and is 1 5/8" x 3 5/8", and is a scrap I pulled from my folder of pieces too large to throw away. The saying stamped on VV is one you've seen before--I really wish SU! would ask me for some good sentiments for an all message set. Alas, they won't. So I have to go with what I have, and this saying from the retired Gratitude set fit the bill. I inked it with Baja Breeze and colored in certain words for emphasis with my Stampin' Write Not Quite Navy marker.

See those little corner brackets? I salvaged them from the scrapbin too, as they are part of the rubber that every set comes with. They are the markings for the die cutter. I just made that up, but it seems right, doesn't it? They look like guidelines of some type! They're inked in KK, so we're all matchy-matchy.

Next time you're tempted to just pitch the scraps laying on your work surface, think again...there might be a beautiful card waiting to be created!

Completely Cool, No Stamping Card

I'm almost afraid to say what I'm thinking at this moment. I'm on a roll! I've posted regularly for over a week now, and the cards I've shown you I'm really happy with. I won't go on about that any longer, though, because I don't want to jinx the mojo. 'Nuf said.

Today's card started out as a sincere attempt to make a flowery card that used the Eastern Blooms stamp set. I saw one I liked on SCS and was pretty set on it. Then I saw a completely different layout I really liked better, and I was off on a rabbit trail. A trail that turned out very nicely, I might add, and led me to an Urban Garden.

The use of big flowers is very "in" right now, so that's what I was going for initially. But, just to show you what looking at pictures can do for your creativity, here's the card by Tam Fielder (thanks, Tam!) that sparked my imagination. Looks very quick and simple, and I love the three letter focal point in the middle.

So, I pulled out my Urban Garden DSP and started calculating and cutting. I want my Saturday SASers to make this, so I had to be sure I have enough flowers for each of them. Once that was determined, I started fooling around with the size of the card. Those blossoms--any idea what kind of flower they emulate?--are pretty big...2.25" in diameter at least. That meant a standard 4.25"x5.5" card wasn't going to give me enough elbow room to breathe. I went with 5.5" square, and couldn't be happier.

The base is Very Vanilla, and you can't see it because it's completely covered by a piece of UGDP. I chose this because it has a smaller pattern than the flowers and also has a fantastic garden scene going on. The center strip is 2.5"x5.5" and is also from the UGDP package. (Could someone please identify what that color is? I'd really like to know, but it doesn't match perfectly anything I have!) Yes, it took some quality time to cut the three flowers, but the SASers are only going to make one of these cards, so it's not going to be too time consuming.

I have a variation on this theme that I'll be back with tomorrow. Couldn't let all those partial flowers around the edges of each sheet go to waste!

Ronald McDonald House-Starbucks Valentine's Day Card for Guys

This card came together after I finished the other two, but was not sure that the adult card was gender neutral enough to be given to a man. I started out with a vintage background stamp that I don't even know the name of, inked in Close to Cocoa, and a Very Vanilla base (5.5" scored at 4.25"). I paired it with some Candy Lane DP, a strip of Riding Hood Red that was punched with the 3-Heart Punch, and some CtC grosgrain ribbon.

Then I pulled out the hugs and kisses image, which is really a scalloped circle with this inset. I think scallops scream "girly!", so I just cut out the inner circle and colored the heart with my Stampin' Write CtC marker. I also colored the hearts in the background with that too, just to ground that more.

I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I might even offer it this weekend for my stampers at SAS.

This is a quickie post today. I've yet to watch the inauguration, since I was at work when it took place. I'm looking forward to viewing it after dinner!

As Promised...Love You Much Cards

I'm supposed to be doing laundry, vacuuming, and figuring out what's for dinner right now, but I've started a load of towels, swept the dining room, craft room, and son's bedroom, so I'm due for a bitty break! Besides--I can rationalize--it's not fair to leave you longing to see the cards I promised yesterday, is it? No siree!

Remember the blurry image I posted last night? It belongs to the 3-Heart punch that I used to make this card. This punch is fantastic because it coordinates with a 3-Heart stamp that is part of the Love You Much set! Just stamp and punch--no painstaking cutting. Love that! You may be astute and politely remark, "Jenn, there are only 2 sizes of hearts used on this card." You are right. The littlest one was too small for the design, so I didn't use it.

This card is one of two that I'm teaching customers to make this Sunday, Jan. 25, from 2:30-3:30pm at my Starbucks. This one is for those who are kids or the crafting challenged. There is no stamping on it, but just strategic positioning of squares, circles, and hearts. Since these are not cards that those making will be giving, I want them to be something that someone would be proud to give. These events always draw kids--why adults don't give themselves permission to create is beyond me--so this is the one they'll be making.

Why am I hosting another card making activity at my Starbucks? It's part of my store's campaign to support the work of the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House. As a store, we're collecting donations for cupcakes to give to the families that stay at this marvelous place, and as a demonstrator, I'm donating my time and talents to help produce some cards that these families can exchange with each other or mail off in time for the holiday.

My theory in suggesting this locale and these people as recipients of the cards is this: when tending to the needs of a hospitalized child, there is seldom time or thought given to anything else. I'm hoping these cards will help them express their love to someone special to them. And I love that it won't cost them a dime!

The second card is a CASE of one by Megan Dunn. I wanted something simple, with minimal stamping, and yet some visual interest with patterns and texture. The ribbon is Close to Cocoa, and the brad is vintage pewter. The DP is called Candy Lane, and features the color scheme Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Pink Pirouette, and CtC. I want to come up with one more that's more masculine, but I'm not sure about that yet. We'll see what happens.

Would you like to participate in Sunday's event? You're MORE than welcome, so come on! Again, it's at my Starbucks, off 400 at exit 13 heading west at the intersection of Hwy. 9 and Bethelview Rd. The time frame is Sunday, Jan. 25, from 2:30-3:30pm, but if you have time another day this week or next, I'd love to arrange to sit down with you at your table or mine and make some of these so that there's a good supply of them for all interested. Just leave me a comment or send me an email--jenn@nahrstadt.com--and we'll set a time.

Back to the household tasks. Anyone got a good suggestion for a quick dinner with chicken?

A Sunday Evening Extra--Make Your Own Stamp!

There's a new blog I'm following called Project Reanimate: Art rising from the [tr]ashes. On it today, Lydia showed how to make a stamp with leftover rubber that comes with each and every stamp set. I decided to dig my recently trashed stamp rubber from my wastebasket and give this a whirl.

I used an extra block I had in my stash and just stuck all the pieces to it as I went along. Creating this was sort of like making my own puzzle, but not having to be really concerned about all the pieces fitting together just so.

When I stamped it, I noticed the interesting texture the image had. I'm not sure why this is, but that's how the rubber was, so I have to accept it. I like it, don't get me wrong; it was just unexpected.

I achieved the panel by coloring directly on the stamp with Tempting Turquoise and Brilliant Blue from the Bold Brights family. Paying homage to the creator of this reanimation, that I am! The strips on the top and bottom of the little scrapling card are the second stamping that the image provided after I remoistened the remaining ink by exhaling on it. Cool, huh!

With the new catalog debuting tomorrow, keep this idea in mind. Perhaps you'll have scrap rubber in abundance, and now you'll rethink throwing it away!

Carpeting and a Teaser

This is how my craft room looked Friday morning. GOODBYE, ugly, old, stained carpet!! Here's what it looked like 3 hours later. Aaaaahhhh...much better. It's frieze (free-ZAY), a short shag of sorts, from Lowe's, in the Old Pebble color. We've sworn off shoes in the house now, and the dogs paws are being wiped with great care to make sure this carpet doesn't get stained with GA clay ANYTIME soon!

Friday night Michael had 2 boys spend the night, and we used their middle school muscles to put some of the furniture back where it belongs. Then they spent significant quality time together playing Halo on xBox.

The whole process was as close to moving as I want to go in the near future, but don't hear that comment as a complaint! I was happy to exert my muscle power and get some more organizing done while things were a bit cattywampuss. Everything has been put aright, and all we're waiting for is the 12'x12' bound remnant that will go in the main living area.

Speaking of waiting, in less than 24 hours, the Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog debuts and can be purchased from online! I'll show you a card made with the Love You Much bundle then (there are rules about not posting pictures of product before it's available, and I'm doing my best to comply--it's not easy!). Until then, here's a teaser--it's really hard to tell what that is, right?

Rediscovering Rub-Ons...It's Like Realizing You Like Brussel Sprouts When You Thought You Hated Them!

When I went to Convention last July, part of the goodies I received were Hidden Garden rub-ons. Frankly, I wasn't all that jazzed by them. I'm not sure why now, because I'm totally LOVING this card I made this morning.

The card base is Sahara Sand, which I chose because it coordinated with the chipboard. These little squares are the centers that could be discarded if all you were seeing when you received these little scalloped edge frames (check the archives sidebar for "chipboard frame" to get a visual). I have a hard time parting with pieces that I think I might be able to find a use for, and today I'm really glad I'm like that!

The rub-ons are really easy to use. Just cut around them--they come in sheets with images in white and Chocolate Chip--peel off the protective backing, and rub on the cover sheet with a popsicle stick (don't cringe, Lydia, it works!) and they stick!

When I finished the squares, I pulled out a scrap of Baja Breeze to mount them on, and the idea of turning them on the diamond point instead of aligning them as squares occurred to me. Yes! I'm cookin' with gas now! I love BB and CC together, so again I found a large scrap of 1.75" x 11" and cut them to 3 5/8" pieces to create a backdrop for my focal image.

But it looked kind of plain with nothing on those panels, so I went back to the rub-ons and found I had plenty of the white version of the same image I used in the center (what would you call that thing?), so I placed those accordingly. The parts that didn't make it on the panels just became part of the art on my grid paper.

The ribbon in the middle was also a response to jazzing this card up a little bit. I used my Crop-A-Dile to punch (like a hot knife through butter) two small holes on either side of the center. I was going to tie a bow, Sandra, but the ribbon's too wide and it didn't look right. The little knot is sweet and doesn't add to the bulk that is created by the chipboard and poppin' those little babies up on dimensionals (2 high for the center one).

As soon as I adhered everything, I realized I hadn't put a sentiment anywhere! The inside will work just fine, though, I thought. The newest trend in card crafting is decorating interiors, so I used a few more rub-ons and the sentiment from Best Yet, a level 1 Hostess Set from the about-to-retire catalog.

The craft room is all but disassembled, and I walked back and forth from the dining room and there to complete this card. Who knows what tomorrow'll bring, but I may move stuff around more often, if this is the result! Have a great day!

Still Procrastinating...but I'm Fast!

I am working, really! It's just that I came across something else I'd been saving, and I realized that needed to do something with it or pitch it. Soooooo, what's a few more minutes? Besides, I figured out that I'll have most of tomorrow to do this nasty task of schlepping my stuff out of here, since I work the morning shift at Starbucks and will be home by 9:30 am!

This card was an experiment to see if I could produce a different feel with the same layout, just by changing up the color scheme. The card on the right is by Trina Caraway, fellow SU! demonstrator. Thanks, Trina! I got it in a swap and saved it because I liked how clean and simple the layout was. With Valentine's Day coming and the pinks and reds that will require, I wanted to change it up for next weekend's SAS. I pivoted 180 degrees from where I picked up this card front and saw my current InColor Collection. Since they all coordinate with each other, and I needed 4 colors, I chose Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss, Riding Hood Red, and Tangerine Tango.

The BB strip is .5" x 4 1/8", the RHR strip is 1.75" x 4 1/8", and the TT almost square is 2.5" x 2.75". The base is the standard 4.25" x 11", scored at 5.5" The image is from Fun & Fast Notes, and I colored it using my blender pen and pads. Easy peesy lemon squeezy!

Alright, I'm back at it...at least until such time as I need to go shower before I go to get my hair cut! I LOVE days off!

Recycled, Reused, Repurposed...It All Adds Up to YUM!

I am cleaning up my craft room today for two reasons. 1) It's WAY OVERDUE and I have a hard time functioning in the midst of clutter (that probably disqualifies me from being titled "artist" in every category); and 2) We're getting NEW CARPET on Friday, and the room has to be emptied of its contents. That's much easier to do when everything is in its place.

One of the things that has been living on my desk for over a month is an old ribbon holder. It looked like this, only it had this cool octagonal shape where the circles are in this picture:



I had seen on someone's blog how this could be repurposed into a swank container, and since I've now come out of the closet regarding my container fetish, I had to keep it around to try.

Well, today was the day. It was either going be reused, or it was going to cardboard heaven. My craft and rubber scissors from SU! were the perfect heft for cutting the center of this roll in half. If they hadn't worked, it would've been "game over" for this project. It was a rough cut that I smoothed until I got it how I wanted it. Then I covered each round with a 1" strip of Rose Red Prints DSP and traced the octagonal pattern and adhered it to each new "lid".

A leftover piece of acetate approximately 5"x5" was sandwiched between said lids and a new container, holding the best dark chocolate double-dipped malted milk balls (If you think these are more cool than the container, you can order them from Jodie, my old boss at Graham's Fine Chocolates in Wheaton. The number is 630-221-1199. Tell her I sent you!) was born. They were languishing in a boring plastic bag with a twistie before, so this is so much better (although worse for hiding them so that others in my house don't eat them, but easier access for me, which means I'll eat them faster--oh the dilemmas!).

Those of you who think I don't hold onto anything would be amazed to see the large box of old boxes--those I decided I didn't really need after all--that will go out for the recycling guys on Monday. I need to get back to it, but perhaps I'll take another break from packing and putting stuff away to create a card. If that doesn't happen and you don't see art here for a few days, you know why. (Don't recall? NEW CARPET!)

Looky Looky! PLUS a Valentine for a Guy...

An entire box of these was waiting for me when I arrived home yesterday, and I've already spent a goodly amount of time pouring over its pages. There are many cool new things, friends! Remember, if you come to this Saturday's perpetual birthday calendar fridge magnet event or next Saturday's monthly SAS, you get one FREE!

Here's a card I made over the weekend as I was trying to appease myself with my current stash of stuff. It features the Manchester Designer Series Paper, and a sketch created by Jen del Muro. I wanted to create something that wouldn't be at all "froo froo" and appropriate for a man for Valentine's Day. How'd I do? The base is Kraft, and the panels are mounted on Very Vanilla. The heart is from Always, one of my favorite sets from the fall catalog. This is the first time I've added buttons to any card, and I like them! Now I'll have to go hunting for more, should I choose to add this to the SAS for next Saturday.

The RSVP for January's SAS is this Friday, Jan. 16 . You can still let me know by tomorrow if you want to come to the perpetual Birthday Calendar event this Saturday from 2-4pm. I have 4 spaces left. If any of you, my non-local readers, want the supplies, contact me and we'll make it happen!

ROAR!!! Another Wild One for You

This card was inspired by yawp on SCS. One of my readers suggested I peruse the galleries for inspiration, and I hope you can tell that it worked!

While yawp's card used some retired Halloween designer paper, I didn't have any of that, so I went scrounging through my stash to find some that would coordinate with the colors of Summer Sun and More Mustard that I'd chosen. I found several patterns that shared the MM color, and went to work. I adapted the design because I wanted it to have more texture, and the fuzzy felt Chocolate Chip ribbon really reminds me of stuffed animals. I really liked the little bit of paper piercing that yawp did, so I incorporated that element too. The head was stamped separately a second time, cut out, and popped up on a dimensional. I discovered by accident that I could make a fuller mane by tilting his head a bit!

This set is fun to work with, although kids' cards still aren't as easy to create as general cards. Still, it's fun to stretch myself, even if it's only a little by adapting someone else's layout, and produce something that would make a child smile. I hope the kid in you smiled too!

Party Hearty, Cutie Pie!

This card is one that was inspired by a card I saw in SCS as well. Nancy Riley is one of my favorite card artists on the web, and I loved what she did so I CASE'd it. I'm not sure how I feel about it, especially the ribbon. I didn't like how the patterned paper showed through the ribbon, so I lined that area of the card with a strip of Whisper White. What I didn't realize would happen is that it would show through when I tied the knot! Duh. So I tied a knot and stuck it on. Now I'm not sure if it works. Thoughts? This also started out to be a kid card, but the paper's not as whimsical as it needs to be, in my opinion. Should it stay or should it go?

P.S. Thanks so much for all your kind comments about the card I posted yesterday. I don't think I've received that many comments in quite some time, and it was nice to hear from all of you!

I WILL BE PRODUCTIVE TODAY...I WILL

Today is my day off. Each time this happens, an internal struggle begins the moment I wake up. Do I make the most of this day, or do I loaf? I want to pretend I have a good attitude about the commitment I've made to get myself in the gym 3-4 days a week and to pursue some other daily disciplines, but I gotta confess I was fighting myself to do the "right" things this morning. So I made a deal with myself: take your medicine and then you can play.

So I went to the gym, showered, and I spent some time in my prayer closet. Then I ate lunch, started a load of laundry, and got serious about creating a card for my upcoming Stamp-A-Stack. I purchased the Wild About You set to use to make a child's birthday card, since this was one of my SASers' requests.

I scoped out the SCS gallery, and came across this card by tankgrl. I loved the parts of each that were popped up on dimensionals, but as I played with the layout, it just wasn't exactly right. I always tend to make things more complicated, and one of the things I want to strive for is a simplified style this year, so I experimented with two backgrounds and was thrilled when it came to me that I could use the tall grass stamp from the Inspired by Nature set. From there, the card went together in a snap!
I think the twine tied between the animals adds to the feel.

So, one down, 4 to go! One of the remaining four will use the Love You Much bundle, which will ship next week, so be on the lookout for some samples from that! If you're intrigued about what the bundle contains, just click on the Shop button in the upper right corner and go check it out! It's 20% off through the 31st.

One last thing: the new Spring-Summer catalogs shipped yesterday!!!

Box in a Bag: My Fetish for Containers Continues...

Since I have now admitted that I have a thing for containers, it might surprise you when I confess that I've known about the template for this adorable container creation for some time. I'm not sure why I haven't made one before now, but tonight the urge to make one struck me when I saw it on Stampin' with Di's blog.

I pulled out some retired cardstock (Purely Pomegranate) and DP (Cutie Pie), and followed the simple tutorial that Di supplied. This size is just fantastic for goodies, homemade or otherwise! I kept mine fairly unadorned, since my husband and son would frown on frills.

Since photos can be deceiving, let me offer up the dimensions for this container. The base is 3.5" square and the height is 5.5". You could hide a bunch of cute stuff in this thing--a small stuffed animal (think Beany Baby), a healthy pound of malted milk balls, a nice stack of homemade chocolate chip cookies, a small bottle of lotion and a spa gift card...it might even hold a very small plant! The tabs that the ribbon is threaded through were made using the label punch.

My boss at Starbucks and I are brainstorming another campaign to spread some love with cards. We're thinking of giving our customers the opportunity to make cards that we'd donate to the Ronald McDonald House in Atlanta. Those families want to express their love for each other, but I'm sure they don't have time or energy to go out looking for a valentine. I don't have all the details yet, but when I do, I'll post them here so that you can join me on the days when I'm hosting this stamping opportunity.

My boss is also wondering if it might help draw folks in if they get to make something for themselves too, so I'm thinking about offering this bag. What do you think? Would you be more inclined to make a special outing to make a card for charity if you could also make something you'd get to keep during the same timeframe? I really would like to get your feedback on this. It's hard to anticipate what people want.

HUGE SALE!

SU! announced a HUGE Inventory Sale today, and you can get up to 50% OFF on select items from now through January 18th.

Don't wait long, though. These items are only while supplies last!

You can order by clicking on the Shop Online icon at the top right of this blog post. This will take you to my business website, and you simply click on the "shop now" button and you'll be swept off to the sale! No need to even change out of your pjs!

And don't forget the 20% off special that's also running right now on selected sets through January 18th (when you place an order of $20 or more). Here's the list--just check your catalog or go online to view the sets.

Item # Description Retail 20% Off
111564 Flight of the Butterfly $31.95 $25.56
111676 Puns from the Past $27.95 $22.36
111660 Just Jawing $25.95 $20.76
111624 Dreams du Jour $18.95 $15.16
111700 Thank You Kindly $13.95 $11.16
111714 Wow Flowers $12.95 $10.36
111600 Bella’s Bloom $12.95 $10.36

Perhaps you received some CASH for Christmas--wouldn't you like to get MORE for your money? This would be a great way to do that!

Remember, you just have to click on the 24-Hour Shop Online Shopping icon at the top of this blog to get started. You'll get the same discount as you do when you order through me directly, and I get credit for the sale--it's a win for everyone!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Keeping Track

I like to remember my family's and my friends' birthdays, yet, doing so with my daytimer wasn't working. Since my calendar is only week-at-a-glance, I'd turn the page, and there would be someone's birthday, sometimes on a Monday, and I'd not have a card ready.

While I was surfing the blogsphere a few days ago, I realized I was not alone in this struggle. Nichole Heady posted her solution to this dilemma on her blog. She also assigned her senior design team to the task, and one of those designers, Lisa Johnson, came up with this great idea using coasters!

I really like it, because it will allow me to post these coasters on my refrigerator one month or several at a time, so that, at a glance, I will know which birthdays I have coming up that need to be prepared for. Lisa was even so kind as to provide a downloadable pdf of the template she created for the months!

I had a good time combing through my stamp sets to find images that were the right size and seasonally appropriate. It was such a fun little project that it made me wonder who else might enjoy having this system for themselves. I counted out sets of 12 coasters from my stash and I have 6 available.

So, I'm going to host a class at my house next Saturday afternoon, Jan. 17. All my stamp sets and accessories will be available for you to use, and the cost is a mere $8. The deadline to register for this class will be Wednesday, Jan. 14.

If all six slots are not claimed, I'll open it up for any of my blog readers who'd like to purchase the coasters for making this project yourself! The cost for you will be the same, but you won't have access to my stamps!

If you're interested in reserving a spot for the class, please leave a comment or email me (click on my profile to get my address). Stay tuned for news about a great special from SU! The deals just keep on comin'!!

I'm Breaking my Blog Fast...Sort of

Welcome to 2009! Are you ready to embrace the new year? I'm on the fence. Part of me wants to have the vacation that I didn't get while I was off for a week, traveling to IN and IL to celebrate the holidays with our families. The other part of me wants to get all organized and back to the routines. The first part of me is winning right now. But since I'm not going to get a vacation, I'm going to make my peace with this fact by Sunday night and get on with life. I'll start putting more energy in my meal planning/making, get to the gym, and all that stuff that we do when we start every new year.

Another thing: I'm feeling VERY uncreative! I mean VERY, friends!! Stampin' Up!'s new catalog coming out in a few weeks, and I'm sure glad, because I need some inspiration to get back to card making. I've seen a sneak peek, and a few things are cool. I'm toying with doing a special class featuring a bundle of Valentine's Day products--a stamp set, coordinating designer paper, and a cool 3-heart punch--and participants would purchase the bundle and I'd design the cards. But, like I said, I'm feeling VERY uninspired, and that leads me to feeling indecisive.

I've been feeling this way for at least a few weeks...and I really don't know how to get out of my desire to just sit around, read, and eat bon bons all day! Can you help me?

Please don't give up on me, though. I will return to posting soon. Any suggestions to jumpstart this process of getting back into the swing of things would be most appreciated.