Halloween card and project kit

Yesterday was a busy day for me, ending with a fun night presenting at the team meeting held by my upline's upline. I enjoyed demonstrating some of the new features in MDS2. 

Did you know you can get 31% off 31 digital content options and most of our print products through September 14th? With digital goods on sale and the 30-day FREE trial of the software, now is the perfect time to enter the digital designing craze and see what it's all about. 

What's on sale?
*ALL cards, photobooks, individual pages, and tags. That's right: print any photobook, board book, swatchbook, individual pages, greeting card, postcard, trifold card, or tag - all for 31% off.

*Some of our best digital content. 30 downloads and 1 content disc. Yup, that equals 31. 

Want to try out the program with a little help? If you live in the Decatur IL area, I will be teaching a digital class on September 8th. Check out my calendar of events for all the details. 

At the end of last night's meeting, we got to stamp four cards! Here's the super cute Halloween card: 

stamp set: Bootiful Occasions

ink: Basic Black Craft ink

card stock: Basic Black, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White

DSP: Howlstooth & Scaringbone 

Embossing Folder: Spider Web 

Pumpkin Pie 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon; Black Stampin' Emboss Powder; Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter

Now that you are thinking about how fun Halloween projects are, don't forget that you can get this awesome Halloween project kit - which includes the Toxic Treats stamp set! - for FREE!! 

What a fabulous deal!! All you have to do is join my team of fun stampers! You get to choose up to $125 of product, and pay only $99 +tax... you don't even have to pay shipping! Stampin' Up! has extended the offer through September 16th, so you still have time to email me (jenn.inklings@gmail.com) with any questions. And if you are local, we should probably answer them over coffee ;}

black and brown

Here are the last two crayon gifts ... 

Black & White Day 

stamp set: Need for Speed

Big Shot items: Top Note Bigz Die, Chevron Embossing Folder

Brown Day 

stamp set: Dinoroar

Ok, so technically Aaron's teacher did not have an official "brown day," but I couldn't have a bunch of leftover crayons!

This was such a fun series of projects to create... but I'm kinda glad it's over and I can move on to some Fall and Christmas projects  :}

green and purple

And so the crayon gifts continue... 

Green Day

A big "thank you" to my Mom for creating this darling froggie to hold the green crayons! Isn't he adorable???  :} 

Purple Day 

And a big "thank you" to the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz Die for making this gift super cute and super easy to create!

blue and orange

Here are two more of the crayon gifts that Aaron brought to help celebrate Blue Day and Orange Day. His teacher told me the kids are loving it! It's nice to be able to make something as simple as a new crayon into a fun gift :} 

 Blue Day

I kind of "hit a wall" when I was planning the Blue Day gift, because Stampin' Up! doesn't really have a color that matches the crayon wrapper. If I were one of those Moms who gets everything done months in advance, I could have used the "color picker" tool in My Digital Studio and designed a perfectly matched tag. But... well, I'm not even close to being that prepared. Soooooo, I solved my dilemma by using every shade of blue! And I love how it turned out! It's even more fun and "kid-like" than a perfectly matched tag :}

I used a Window Sheet (acetate) to create a window for my little astronaut. And I had to add a heavy layer of shimmer to that cute alien (rubbing alcohol in a Spritzer with a few drops of Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint) :} 

Orange Day

Drawing on my creative use of color from the Blue Day project, I chose Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, and Cajun Craze to create this fun flower tag. Stamp set: Printed Petals. Framelit: Floral Frames. 

I'll bet you can't wait to see the next two colors...  ;)

celebrating color

For those of you who have been reading for a while, you know how much I love playing with color. In fact I'm pretty sure that Stampin' Up! made this display in the home office just for me ;) 

"Color is everything." Yup! This project is on my "have to make" list :) So of course I'm happy that Aaron is celebrating the different colors these first few days of Kindergarten!
And you know I had to make something to help his class celebrate! Since I have a few crayons (well, a ton of crayons), I thought it would be fun for Aaron to share one each day with his classmates. 

Red Day

Yellow Day

I hope you find some time today to play with a little color! Thanks for dropping by :}

You can't have too many birthday cards!

I was cleaning out my "desktop" today and came across this birthday card I made a few months ago, but I haven't had a chance to share it yet: 

Isn't it just so bright and pretty??? I love the striking contrast between the Lucky Limeade and the white... it's so "crisp."

The card base is Whisper White card stock. To create the fancy layer, dry emboss the Lucky Limeade card stock using the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder. Then, use the brayer to add Whisper White Craft ink gently to the raised areas. You can let that dry overnight, OR use the new Heat Tool on the low setting to dry it in a minute :}  After adhering that layer, tie the 5/8" Organza Ribbon around the card close to the fold. 

Stamp the flowers (Betsy's Blossoms stamp set) in Lucky Limeade ink and "fussy" cut them out; adhere to the card using Dimensionals. And of course the center of each flower needs a little bling ;)  Stamp the "happy birthday" sentiment (Itty Bitty Banners stamp set) in Lucky Limeade ink onto Lucky Limeade card stock, then die cut it through the Big Shot using the Bitty Banners Framelits. I adhered the banner using two "stacked" Dimensionals on each end.

Thanks for dropping by today!! Have a good one :}

I LOVE my dentist!

Yes, you read that title correctly ;} 

I feel so blessed to have found the most wonderful dentist on this planet. And it's not just my dentist who is so amazing... the whole office is! They are some of the sweetest people I've ever met. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had more to say about the kids going to the dentist, so here ya go...

My youngest, Aaron, had no problems at all. It was his first trip to the dentist, so he was a little nervous and silly, but all went well :)
However, Benjamin is going to have quite a bit of dental work coming his way (appliances, braces, etc). Sooooo, to get that ball rolling, Ben had to have those really fun impressions of his teeth taken. Now, my sweet little Ben has the strongest gag reflex of any human. Ever. In fact, his first day of Kindergarten, he gagged on some "lick & stick" paper pieces while working on a craft. I remember the teachers and office staff laughing at how they'd never seen a kid do that before. And don't even think about asking Ben to lick an envelope for you! Anyway, let's just say that the impressions didn't go well. Our dentist was so patient and understanding, and she kept trying to work with Ben. I kept thinking that she probably shouldn't wear such cute shoes to work ;}  Since I'm pretty sure the staff ended up washing two loads of towels that day, I had to put together a funny "thank-you" gift.

After wrapping up the towels with some ribbon, I added a pretty flower (inspired by the notebook on p116 of the catalog). 

And I tucked a cute little 3x3 card under the ribbon: 

I LOVE that I can make coordinating gifts and cards!! 

stamp sets: Daydream Medallions, A Word For You

ink: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Regal Rose

card stock: Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango, Regal Rose, Whisper White

punch: Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border

Big Shot and Floral Frames Framelits Dies

Accessories: Daffodil Delight button, White Baker's Twine, Basic Rhinestones

You can find these goodies and more in my online store  :}

We were pretty bummed that after all that work, the lab couldn't use any of the "top" impressions. So I took Ben in this morning (at 7am- yowza!) for round 2. 

Dr. Natalie tried a few different techniques, and I am happy to report that she got a good impression on the first try!! Woohoo!!!! Now, on to the next step... :}

Have a wonderful weekend!

Back to School!

I can not believe that tomorrow is the first day of school for my boys! Tonight was "Back to School Night," so we got to meet the teachers and drop off school supplies. Here's the little gift I took for Ben's third-grade teacher: 

I wrapped up the "Flat Stanley" series of books in Kraft paper, and then made it all pretty with a band of Storytime DSP. 

I made a quick 3x3 card by punching a strip of Riding Hood Red card stock with the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch, and then adding two trimmed layers of the Storytime DSP.

I wish I'd found some time to add some stamping to the wrapping paper, but there just weren't enough hours in the days for me this week. Next time :)

a card for my friend

One nice thing about moving back to the area where you grew up, is reconnecting with friends. I've had the joy of reconnecting with one of my closest friends from middle- & high- school. Every week or so we meet for coffee and conversation. After our first coffee date, I sent her this pretty card: 

We made this at Convention in a Make & Take session, and it's just the perfect card for my buddy :}

stamp set: Affection Collection

card stock: Primrose Petals, Early Espresso, Whisper White

ink: Daffodil Delight, More Mustard, Primrose Petals, Midnight Muse, Early Espresso

My "old" friend has never stamped or made cards before, so I'm really, really excited to show her how much fun it is. I get to come over to her house in a few days to share the fun of stamping with her friends and family... I can't wait!!! Now I have to narrow down all of my ideas. What to make, what to make???

making progress

I finally feel like maybe things are settling down... maybe :}  I found an excellent dentist for our family, who does a fabulous job with children (more on that later). I am also blessed to have found a wonderful pediatrician! And because both the dentist's and pediatrician's office staff knew I would be needing 'proof of visit' paperwork and 'signed forms for keeping medication at school' to start the boys in their new school, they had it ready for me, saving me those second trips to collect everything - yay!  And the pediatrician's office even scheduled Ben's appointments for an allergist and a pediatric urologist for me.  Now I just have to get the kids to the eye doctor, and I think all of the requirements will be met... whew!

I literally used up an entire pen to fill out a mountain of paperwork in the past month. Some of those papers were for the new school district, and on Tuesday, I registered the boys at their new school.

I can't believe my little Aaron will be starting Kindergarten!! He looks so small compared to this huge building! Of course I couldn't show up to school registration without some cute little gifts... 

There's nothing like chocolate to help a teacher's day get a little better, especially a 12-hour day! We also met with the school nurse - one of the sweetest people on earth, I think. And we met one of the "Parent's Club" moms and the librarian, too. Everyone was super helpful! 

Here's a side view so you can see the details of this simple card:

I cut my card stock base to measure 3-1/2" wide by 10-1/8" long. Then I used the Simply Scored to score at 5" and 5-1/8" so that the card would close a little easier over the chocolate square. The Whisper White layer is cut 3" wide by 4-1/2" long. (Stamp sets: Friendly Phrases and Bright Blossoms)

Well, I'm off to get the boys a snack before heading to the church's zoo night. Happy stamping!!

this just in...

Calling all fabric lovers!!!!

I have never seen such an AWESOME deal on fabric... anywhere! 99 cents!! Holy cow! Even if you don't know how to sew (which I don't), fabric can be die-cut or torn and used on a variety of paper crafts. And, what a great gift idea for the quilter in your family :} 

Pick yours up today in my online store. While you're there, be sure to check out the online only Clearance Rack! Happy shopping :}