Being a Busy Little Stamper Part 1

Hello, friends!  What a weekend the Steele family had!  It started off with some fantastic pizza Friday night and what made it extra-special is that ALL 5 OF US were present.  With Emma off at college, it's rare now for us all to eat dinner together.  Our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard at the stories we told and it was beautiful. 

Saturday night Brian and I went out with some college friends.  Even though we all live near each other, we hadn't hung out in over a year.  It was another night of hearty laughs (my abs are getting a great workout) but I noticed I was pooping out around 8:30!  I am a morning person (between 4 and 5 AM is my natural alarm clock), so that should not have surprised me, but I felt incredibly rude yawning every 2 minutes.  A spirited game of Taboo kept me going until 11 PM, though.  The beauty of being in the company of long-time friends is that they know, accept, and love you. 

To top off the weekend, I stamped a LOT!  Take a look at the first three projects:

It was Virtual Stamp Night over at Splitcoaststampers.  It is SUCH a fun event to kick-start your mojo and you end up with a huge pile of cards when it's over.  I stamped with no agenda for this event, so yes, my cards use retired Stampin' Up! product.  Why not?  It's still fun, it's still pretty, and I bet some of you still have these products and love them, too!  

In the above card, I used a mini ornament punch that co-ordinated with the Merry Minis stamp set to punch out a pile of ornaments in various colors.  I arranged them into a Christmas tree and added a sentiment in Real Red from Snowman Season.  A little sponging around the edges with Soft Suede ink and a Stampin' Sponge added a vintage flair.  The ornaments are brushed with Clear Wink of Stella.  Cardstock colors: Crumb Cake, Pineapple Punch, Blueberry Bushel, Mango Melody, Real Red, and Call Me Clover.

Aaahhh, this card.....this card makes my soul sing!  The mix of patterns from the Wrapped In Plaid paper stack, the 3 strands of linen thread tied in a bow, and the Ice Stampin' Glitter that frosts the Perfectly Plaid trees are lovely to me.  See the stitched scalloped rectangle?  That die is from a new set called Sweetly Stitched dies in the upcoming Mini Catalog.  It really is so sweet!  (Speaking of the catalog, I cannot WAIT for you to see the inside!!!  I'll be doing a catalog walk-through January 3 when it goes live.)

  
Then we have the classic cardinal from Toile Tidings.  He's stamped in Memento Tuxedo Black ink on Real Red cardstock.  To get the Real Red cardstock in the background soft and sueded, I ran a bone folder repeatedly over a piece of it until it was very soft.  Then I peeled it into two layers.  Try it!  You'll love the look.  The branch is colored with Stampin' Blends alcohol markers.  I added Toile Tidings glitter enamel dots for some sparkle and color.

I have 3 more projects to show you from my Virtual Stamp Night marathon later this week.  I promise you'll love them so be sure to stop back.  Even better, put your email into the subscribe box and you'll get my posts right in your inbox.

Mark your calendar for January 3 - that's when the Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs go live and I'll be doing a live walk-through!  Follow me on Facebook here.  Do you have a copy to follow along in?  If not and you aren't already working with a demonstrator you love, request a catalog.  You can also email me at nicole@thejoyfulstamper.com to request a catalog package.  You'll love the happy mail!

Thank you for choosing me as your demonstrator and giving me the opportunity to earn your business!  My goal is to give you your best stamping experience!