A Few Announcements and a Present

Hope you're enjoying this holiday weekend. We have beautiful weather today--sunny skies and the temperature is around 70. AMAZING for November.

Don't forget that through Tuesday, Nov. 30, you can get some spectacular deals at SU!'s online sale. This flyer lists everything that's on sale--some items are 50% off! Don't miss out--click here to be directed to my online store.

You also have until Tuesday, Nov. 30 to join my team for the AMAZING price of just $87.50! There's never ever been a better time to become a demonstrator--the price just can't be beat, and you get to customize the starter kit just the way you like it! The kit contains $310 worth of stamps, inks, card stock, Designer Series Paper, and business essentials like catalogs and order forms. The normal price is $175, so you can see why I'm calling this offer AMAZING. SU! set a goal to have 10,000 demonstrators in the family by year's end, and we just met that goal Monday. Follow this link to see the YouTube video of SU! Founder and President Shelli Gardner presenting the Starter Kit to Farida, #10,000!

Even though we've reached the goal, it's not too late to become part of the company and my team. The more the merrier! Contact me at jenn@nahrstadt.com for details. You don't have to live in GA to be one of my group of demonstrators, and I'd love the chance to teach you all I know about sharing what you love with others. Let's talk!

Okay, now that I've concluded the business portion of today's post, let's talk about this card. It's a CASE of one Becky Roberts made.

For this is a pocket card I used Certainly Celery for the base and paired it with Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper and Cherry Cobbler seam binding. Inside, I used Season of Joy stamps to create my greeting. It's held together with Sticky Strip, and the top of the present box is adhered to the interior greeting using Stampin' Dimensionals. This would be a fun card to use to present a gift card present, but it's a fun greeting card as well.

I had a last-minute Customer Appreciation Day today, and I really enjoyed having those who could come and play. It has inspired me to get going on my Christmas ornaments. Have a good rest of the holiday weekend!

Spectacular Online SALE!

I am not a fan of Black Friday. There. I said it. If I can get it without leaving my wingback chair, I'm doin' it. I do not understand people getting up or staying up after midnight to get some sort of deal. That invariably means fighting CROWDS, and I'm NOT a fan of those. Give me ONLINE SHOPPING for the WIN!!!

SU! understands and wants to give you some great deals to be happy about this holiday shopping season. Check out this flyer for all the details. There's stuff 50% off!

Just click on this link to be whisked away to my Demonstrator Website. Then click on the Online Spectacular and you're ready to shop!

If you'd like hubby to get you some of these goodies for Christmas, just make a list, include HIS email address, and send me a wish list. I'll contact hubby and he'll be so happy he doesn't have to fight the mall crowds to get you something you like!

Hurry, this sale only lasts 9 days!

Brayered Background

I'm putting on my elf hat tonight and helping Christmas-fy my Starbucks, so this Night of Navy is setting the mood for the evening.

The inspiration for this card was a technique I saw on Sue Bendinsky's blog, Stampin' with Friends. She turned over a piece of Whisper White card stock that had been embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder and ran her brayer over the debossed side! It makes a quick and stunning background paper, as you can see with my Night of Navy panel.

I used a stamp from the Many Merry Messages set, such a great sentiment set to have in your collection for all your Christmas cards, and heat embossed the Encore gold ink. The ribbon is non-SU!, but it was languishing alone in the stash and fit the bill perfectly. I added some 1/8" Whisper White taffeta ribbon as well.

I like this elegant look, and hope you'll give it a try. Thanks Sue!

Treat Yourself to An Early Christmas Present!

SU! is extending an AMAZING offer to anyone who has ever considered becoming a demonstrator. Between Nov. 15 (this Monday) and Nov. 30, sign on to be a demonstrator, and you will receive $310 of starter supplies for $87.50. YES, I typed that correctly!!! The normal price for the demonstrator starter kit is $175, but SU! is offering you the opportunity to join the demonstrator community atHALF PRICE for just 2 weeks! Squeal! There has NEVER been a better time to consider becoming a demonstrator.

Here's the deal:

* The Starter Kit can be customized to your preferences. View order form here.
* Starter Kit ships FREE. F.R.E.E!!
* Take 30% off your first $150+ Stampin' Up! product order (placed within 45 days).
* Save 20% on all other orders.

Stampin' Up! provides fantastic learning tools, video tutorials, and tons of resources on the Stampin' Up! demo site, in the monthly magazine, and at demo-only events. There is a $300 sales minimum/quarter to remain an active demonstrator, but there is no penalty for dropping. If you give this a try and it doesn't work out, you keep the kit and everything you purchased at a discount. You'll enjoy full demonstrator privileges through March 31, 2011. There's no risk!

Last but not least, you'll be a part of my team, which means you'll get individualized coaching to help you get started and create a strategy for developing your business. I will help you be as successful as you want to be!

Bottom line? ACT NOW. Don't miss this fantastic opportunity to share what you love and save! Contact me at jenn@nahrstadt.com to indicate your interest.

Christmas Photo Card with Stand

I've had photo cards on the brain the past few weeks, and today's example is a throwback of sorts to a style card I made a few of earlier this year: the easel card. Those I've made before have been 4"x 4", but I wanted something that would accommodate a typical 4" x 6" picture. Well, this one does--almost. But who will miss the bottom .5" of most of your portraits anyway?

This really is quick and easy and can be gussied up or simplified, depending on the amount of time you want to invest. Since I would bet that a photo packaged this way will get more desk or mantle time than others that arrive this Christmas, I say the time spent is worth it. Again I have to give props to Penny Wessenaur who posted the measurements for the creation of this type of card. My design was inspired by Diana Gibbs.

The base of this 4.25" x 11" card, scored at 2.75" and 5.5" along the 11" length, is Always Artichoke. I was tired of Old Olive and Garden Green's just a little too green for my taste. I cut a second piece of 4.25" x 5.5" for mounting on top of the part that becomes the easel.

I ran a piece of Real Red through the Big Shot twice, once with the Top Note die and a second time with the Petals a Plenty Textured Impressions Folder. Poinsettias! I added a matting of Very Vanilla, 4" x 5.25". It just seemed too dark without it.

I stamped the little Merry Christmas from Season of Joy and added the swirls from that set on either side. I stamped the poinsettia in Versamark on Real Red and popped it up on a dimensional. The Victoria Crochet Trim was added on a piece of Always Artichoke card stock to create a sort of ledge for the easel part to rest against.

The best feature of this design is that it folds flat for mailing. This will mail without any extra postage added. If you'd like to see the other photo card options I've come up with for this season, just click here. Click here and here to see two others that could be used as photo cards. Happy crafting!

Christmas Decor without a Speck of Green

It seems there are no rules when it comes to what is considered Christmas colors. A few years ago, when pink was added, I wondered if people had lost their minds. PINK?! Royal blue and navy have been part of traditional Christmas color schemes, paired with gold and silver, but lately light blue, as in BABY blue, has found a place.

If you can't tell by now, I'm a traditional red and green kind of gal when it comes to decorating for Christmas. But this year, I saw a color combination that changed my views. Cherry Cobbler, Baja Breeze, Very Vanilla, and Crumb Cake.

I know! Can you believe it? But as soon as I saw it I was lovin' it, and I knew it would only be a matter of time before I caved and made something for the holidays with this palette.

This ornament and candle set is the result of that creative catalyst. I received the Northern Frost Decorative Strip Die for the Big Shot Friday, and I knew at once that I wanted to break it in by making Baja Breeze snowflakes. The rest evolved from there.

The base is a Cherry Cobbler cut out of the Top Note Bigz Die. The Crumb Cake layer is also a cut out of the die, but the perforated edge has been removed to create a layer. I also ran a strip of Very Vanilla through the Big Shot with the die and stamped the greeting from Seasonal Sentiments on it to complete the package. Then I added the snowflakes! This strip has 8 snowflakes in various sizes and all have intricate details you'd expect to find when viewing a snowflake, all able to be punched out after they're cut. They're BEAUTIFUL!

The ribbon is a three-layered creation of retired Baja Breeze ribbon, 1/2" Cherry Cobbler seam binding from the current Holiday Mini, and retired Crumb Cake 3/8" taffeta ribbon. I started out with just the CC seam binding, but it wasn't sturdy enough.

The back of the ornament has plenty of space for writing a special message to friends and family. That way, when the recipient pulls it out with the rest of the ornaments yearly, you will be part of their decorating and celebrating! I also think this has potential as a photo card, but the only suggestion is that the picture be in portrait orientation. Landscape orientation works, but it's not the full size of the die.

Now about the candle...I was making a banana run (translation? a quick in and out stop, but not for produce) to Walmart the other day and I came across these little candles--for $1! Who doesn't want a little candle on hand for those times when you need to infuse a little aromatherapy into an environment? Well, I snatched up a few and after the ornament came together, I thought I'd try my hand at snazzing up this little jar. A simple 1.5" x 8.5" strip of Baja Breeze, a thinner strip of Very Vanilla, a few Cherry Cobbler snowflakes, and some hemp twine, and I was in business! The lid is covered with a 1.75" scalloped circle, a 1 3/8" circle, and a snowflake. Seriously simple but simply adorable!

These are going to be mass produced for friends and family this year, as we don't have a lot of money but we'd like to give something in celebration of the relationships we've been blessed with.

A Little Christmas Greeting Created by Accident

This card came together in the most roundabout way! I started out with a completely different focal image, but I just couldn't get it to look right. I had already cut the matting layers of Real Red and Old Olive and I didn't feel like wasting them. I happened to have my Decorative Label Punch sitting around on my craft table, and one thing led to another and this card layout came to me. (Just for the record, the base is River Rock and the large mat is Very Vanilla.)

The best part of this card, in my opinion, is the Petals A Plenty Textured Impressions Folder for the Big Shot that was used on the top half of the Old Olive piece. I used the debossed side and it just really is striking that way. I'd only ever used the folder to make an impression on an entire piece, and I really like how it makes a sort of border without adding another layer.

A side note: I am not an early adopter when it comes to trying new things, but I have to tell you that if I'd known how much I would enjoy the Big Shot die cutting machine back when SU! began offering it in 2008, I would've bought it immediately! It has enhanced my card making immensely, and it's super easy to use! Don't forget that the Mr. Santa in your life is probably looking for some idea of what to get you for Christmas. I can help him and he'll never have to leave his house! One phone call and he's DONE! Have him contact me at jenn@nahrstadt.com. He'll thank you, I promise!

The most accidental thing about this card's metamorphosis was the sentiment. It's from a retired set, The Best Is Yet to Be, and I inked it in the aforementioned colors directly on the rubber and stamped it on Very Vanilla. Then I pulled out my Designer Label Punch. It fit perfectly, but I cut off the rounded portions of the punched image before I changed my idea about using the original focal image, so I had this little ticket shape left. It fits so nicely inside the Decorative Label Punch, though, don't you think? The addition of the 1/8" Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon was also just a whim that turned out just as I'd hoped.

What have you created that turned out better than you expected? I hope you're finding time to do something creative during your busy days. It makes such a difference in my mental state, I confess. Have a very happy, if chilly (it's supposed to be in the 30s overnight here), weekend. Don't forget to turn your clocks BACK one hour Saturday night!

A Quickie

Everyone needs a card in their stash that comes together quickly, especially during the holidays. This is a flat 4.25" x 5.5" card that would be suitable as the front for a photo card (who would miss .5" from the bottom of a 4" x 6" photo?) or as a thank you note. We all have need of those, right? There's a lot going on in this simple, elegant card, so let me describe the details so you know what I did.

First, I cut 1-8.5" x 11" sheet of Old Olive card stock into quarters. Then I cut a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock to 4 1/8" x 5 3/8". Then I took a piece of Whisper White card stock, originally measuring 4.25" x 5.5", and ran it through the Big Shot inside the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Folder. Such visual appeal this little thing creates!

Then I punched out the corners with my Scalloped Trim Corner Punch. Fancy lookin', huh!

The main eye catching element of this card is the Merry Christmas label from Seasonal Sentiments in the Holiday Mini Catalog. This uses 3 of the Decorative Label punches. The first one contains the sentiment. The Old Olive one is cut in half horizontally and separated slightly. The Cherry Cobbler one is cut in half vertically and spaced to create this unique focal image. I must confess I was inspired by this card on SCS. Doing this with the Decorative Label Punch is brilliant! I added a rhinestone to cover up an unintentional ink spot, and I think it adds a little something.

I wanted to incorporate ribbon into this card, and I ended up using 3/8" Whisper White taffeta ribbon and 1/8" Old Olive taffeta ribbon. I'm super thrilled with this result.