today is my official last day of being on the American Crafts Design Team. :( I decided not to pursue another year--just too much going on, ya know? But it was so AWESOME while it lasted!

Just have to give a shout out to Sarah, the best design team manager a girl could ask for. Plus--BONUS!--she's super cool!

Shout outs to all my ACDT sisters as well!

That is all. Off to eat some Café Rio. :)

I joined a card swap group for SU! demonstrators and I'm a total slacker. I put off making all the cards until the very last minute. But I finished! I mailed them off this afternoon.

Here are the three swaps I did. The first two were using only Stampin' Up! products, and the third was a little bit of some fun things I recently acquired that were just screaming SCREAMING to be used. Isn't that Scenic Route paper delicious! (Thanks, Colleen)

Merry Christmas - All supplies from Stampin' Up! All Holidays, Merry & Bright, and Three For You sets; Certainly Celery, So Saffron, and Wild Wasabi card stock; watercolor paper; Wild Wasabi Classic pad; Jet Black StazOn; Watercolor Wonder Crayons; AquaPainter; Real Red Wide Grosgrain; 1-3/8", 1-1/4". and 3/16" Corner Rounder punches.

Merry Christmas - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Season of Joy and Background Basics sets; Basic Gray, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Regal Rose, and Whisper White card stock; Apple Cider DSP; Regal Rose Classic Stampin' Pad; VersaMark pad; 1-3/8" Circle and Scallop Circle punches; Buttons Fresh Favorites I ; Crafter's Tool Kit (needle); thread.

Thanks For Making Me Smile - Small Sayings set, Close to Cocoa Classic pad, and Taupe grosgrain (Stampin' Up!); patterned paper (Scenic Route); felt flower and brad (American Crafts).

Tonight was our final class for Wilton Cake Decorating Course 1. Basically lots of flowers and then decorating our cakes.

My entire day was a comedy of errors, so I wasn't surprised to take my cake out of my car to walk into class and notice that the sides were bulging--aka, the top layer was settling and pushing out the filling. AHH!! Then the consistency of my icing wasn't so great. Apparently, I whipped it too much and it got a bit too fluffy for making roses. Oh, well!

Anyhow, here are some shots of my final cake. Who knew putting it on a black chair and angling some lights would make it look like a black backdrop... Hmm... I'll have to remember that for taking pictures of cards. :)

I just got home from the Josh Groban concert and I have to write a few things down before I forget:

- They were filming for the Concert DVD! So fun! This is the second concert filiming I've been to. I went to a Jim Brickman concert here in Salt Lake many years ago that was taped for a DVD as well. It was really entertaining and I was so surprised they cut out the scene of Jim breaking a piano string! We all heard this tap-tap-tap noise and then he just stopped playing the piano, stood up, looked inside the HUGE grand piano, and said, "Whoa, that's never happened." That was the most memorable part of the concert! But back to Josh...

- DANGIT! I forgot my little digital camera. They weren't even checking out purses for cameras or anything. Everyone was just clicking away. Maybe Emily got some pictures?

- He is too funny! I'm not sure if it was staged or not, but at one point a fan rushed the stage and handed him two things: a cowboy hat and some white sunglasses. He put on the cowboy hat, sat at the piano and starting singing some country, and then put on the glasses and sang some "Tiny Dancer" a la Elton John! Hilarious!

- He brought along one of my other favorite musicians, Lucia Micarelli (check out her blog here!). Seriously people, you need to hear her stuff. It's amazing! The minute she came out on stage, I though, "Wait a minute... is that Lucia?" She performed her version of Kashmir that appears on William Joseph's Within album (also super good!). See a video of her playing Kashmir at her site, here! --> This isn't the same rendition from the concert tonight, but you get the idea! :)

- Josh did three, count 'em, THREE encores! I have never heard a crowd scream so loud!

- Okay? Our seats? Awesome! We were on the floor, center, about 20 rows back. But not only that, but we happened to be on the front row of our section, so there weren't any people in front of us! Great view. No having to peek between people's heads to see anything. :)

Ahhh... twas a great night. Now I'm super sleepy. 'Nite all!

This month's stamp club projects are getting designed very late! Stamp club is on Wednesday night and I just got around to creating them tonight!

A big thanks goes out to Kelly Lunceford (atomicbutterfly) for the cute gift card and holder she sent in the mail! I picked up some things for her at Convention, and this is her thank you. Now I get to thank her for her thank you! :) I used her card as inspiration for the gift card holders we're making at club this month. :)

Here's Kelly's:



And here's mine (including a view of the inside):

Make a Wish Gift Card Holder - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Big Bold Birthday, Three for You sets; Certainly Celery, Whisper White, and Wild Wasabi card stock; Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, and Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Pads; So Saffron Stampin' Write Marker; Regal Rose wide grosgrain.

The second card we'll be making at club this month was inspired by one of the make-and-takes at Convention a month ago. I modified the colors and the stamp sets, but it's basically the same layout. :)

Friend Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Background Sampler, Fundamental Phrases, Polka Dots and Petals, and Three For You sets; Certainly Celery, Kraft, So Saffron, Soft Sky, and Whisper White card stock; Certainly Celery, Chocolate Chip, and So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pads; Chocolate Chip Craft Stampin' Pad; VersaMark; On Board Chipboard; button; staples.

I drew the names of winners... Well, actually, random.org did. :)

I've emailed all the winners individually so they can respond back with their mailing addresses. But for those still curious...

Winners of the goodie boxes (and when they commented):
Rebecca (2:40 pm)
Melanie (12:02 pm) - Melanie, the email I sent bounced back. Please email me your address.
Janine (11:48 am)
Morgan (11:10 am)
Kim L. (10:52 am)

Winner of the Cricut Cartridge:
Lynnette (3:50 pm)

Thanks for participating! I had NO idea so many of you would respond!

Hi all! WOW! There are a lot of comments in my last post. Keep 'em coming! I'll be drawing 5 names in a little less than 4 hours!

For all of you who are just now checking in... HURRY, QUICK! Leave a comment on *this* post... I have a brand new Cricut ZooBalloo cartridge to give away. I received the cartridge in a box from Northridge Media, but unfortunately don't own a Cricut machine--so it's yours!

I'll draw a name for the cartridge at 5:00 as well!

:)
EDIT: I've closed comments. I'm drawing the name right now!

Happy Birthday blog! August 26, 2007 marks exactly one year of me updating ya'll with what's coming off my craft desk! Leave a comment and I'll draw the names of 5 people to receive some scrapping and card making supplies. Anyone can win.

I'll draw names at 5:00 pm today (my time of course, Mountain Time).

:)

EDIT: I've closed comments. I'm drawing the names right now!

This week's Wilton Course 1 class was learning how to create shells and drop flowers. Of course, when Kristen said last week that we could bring cupcakes instead of a cake, I jumped right on that. :)

Cupcakes rock!

So, these are a few shots of the cupcakes I made. We only had to bring 8, so I made a full batch of Magnolia Vanilla cupcakes and shared them with Patti, Andrea, and Kathy (my co-worker peeps that are taking the class with me).

What did I learn besides the usual class material? I learned about icing consistency. My icing had been way too thick. Once I thinned it out just a bit, it went SO much better!

Funny thing about class on Thursday night. We were all taking about radio stations and it turns out that many of the people in my class (and our instructor Kristen) all listen to 101.9 The End here in Salt Lake. And we all love Chunga and Mister in the mornings. Anyway, I told them all, "Just listen tomorrow--when they do 'What's Happening Hot Stuff,' I'm going to call in and say we were talking about them at our cake decorating class."

Guess who was on a radio yesterday morning? ;) Any of you in Utah catch my little stint on the radio? Hee hee! It totally makes me laugh because Chunga and Mister sound nothing like they do on the radio! Over the phone, they sound completely different! :)

I came home tonight after having my hair colored (every 10 weeks--such is being a girl) and found a lovely package on my doorstep.

"Hmm... weird. I haven't ordered anything recently." I looked at it closer. The box was wrapped in paper and had little KitchenAid mixers stamped all over it in "Roxy" Red! "What...?" I was definitely intrigued now. I opened it up and...

There was a ton of awesome KitchenAid stuff inside! I found a card inside as well from Martha, an awesome demonstrator I met through SCS and from an email she sent last May after my Mom gave me a KitchenAid hand mixer for my birthday that she read about here at my blog. She's such a sweetie! She's also a KitchenAid Product Specialist--what an awesome job that would be!

Not only were there little recipe booklets, red measuring spoons, cute red ribbon with "Kiss the Cook" on it, and some magnets for my fridge that have the KitchenAid customer service phone number on it, but there was also an awesome mixer spatula that has a curve that matches the curve of Roxy's bowl! SAH-WEET! Plus, there was a really nice gift bag which features a HUGE photo of a red mixer... it just has to be Roxy. I can't tell if it's her for sure, but I'd like to think it is. She's so beautiful I don't see why KitchenAid wouldn't use her as a model. ;)

Ahh... I have the best blog readers! :)

Here's a card I made for lovely Martha. Hey, Martha! Watch your mailbox--this puppy's headin' your way!

Martha - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Absolutely Fabulous, In the Spotlight, and Jumbo Outline Alphabet sets; Basic Gray, Ruby Red, River Rock, and Very Vanilla card stock; River Rock and Ruby Red classic ink; VersaMarker; Sherbet Ribbon Originals.

I've been a slacker blogger this week... no new cards or creations for ya! At least until tonight... maybe. I have to prep for the cake decorating class tonight, but hopefully I'll have some spare time to create at least something. :)

But I did want to point you guys in the direction of some really awesome websites:

Fit & Fresh Containers - I found these containers at my local Bed, Bath & Beyond store. Totally awesome! I used the Salad Shaker yesterday for a salad: lettuce, mandarin oranges, and my favorite dressing, Good Seasons Asian Sesame--yum! It worked great! I don't recommend releasing the dressing with the lid on the container, though. It got a bit messy when I took the lid off to eat the salad. From now on, I'll take the lid off, take out the dressing and pour it on myself. :)

Then today, I packed lunches for me and my mom in the Lunch-on-the-Go containers (picked up another one for my mom last night). Totally awesome! It's keeping my lunch nice and cold! BTW, today's lunch consists of seasoned chicken and steamed potatoes and carrots, some cottage cheese, and some chocolate pudding. Yum, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

CNN Money Debt Reduction Calculator - I LOVE this calculator! I discovered it last March and as of the end of this month, I will have paid off one of my credit cards (only one more to go)! I'm so proud of myself! I'm one step closer to being debt free and to the point that I can seriously start saving for a down payment for my own home. :)

The really awesome thing about this debt reduction calculator is that it takes into account everything, including the interest rates on your account. And then it will give you a plan on how to pay it off. You can even put in "I want to be debt-free in ___ months or years" and it will tell you how much you need to pay on each account to achieve that. In my case, I know that I have a certain amount of money set aside to pay off debts, so I input that amount and it told me how much to pay on each card. GENIUS!

So a few of you (read: a lot) have noticed that a few of my cards are in the September issue of Stampin' Success (the magazine for Demonstrators). :) I was one of the lucky ones to "test drive" the new Demonstrator Business Web Site. Let me tell you, it's awesome! Ya'll are going to love it!

Yesterday, I got my goodie box from Northridge Media (I have things in both Cards Magazine and Scrapbook Trends). Lots of fun things to create with, including some AWESOME paper from Creative Imaginations. Check it: cherries, skulls and cross bones, edgy stickers. So cool! I'm pretty sure all of it was made with a teenager in mind, but I love it anyway!

Here's a card I made with the cherry patterned paper.

You Rock - Patterned paper: Creative Imaginations; stamps (Well-Worn Alphabet, Rough Edges Alphabet, Straight Up Alphabet and Numbers, Three For You), ink, embossing powder, eyelets, ribbon, and card stock: Stampin' Up!.

I also had a workshop this afternoon. The hostess is an avid photographer and requested card with photos. I wasn't sure what to do because I haven't put pictures on cards before, so I asked around and someone suggested I try photos on this card. Renae, you're a genius!

Here's how the photo card turned out. I used photos from a shoot I did for my good friend Melissa (see some shots here). This is her little guy who is so HUGE now compared to when these photos were taken.

Baby Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Polka Dots and Petals stamp set; Pumpkin Pie and Soft Sky card stock; VersaMark ink; Old Olive Prints Designer Series Paper; 1-1/4" square punch; Certainly Celery wide grosgrain.

Hi all! I've recently updated my blogging software (Movable Type 4 came out), and it offers much better spam filtering than the previous version of MT. So what does that mean for you, my lovely readers?

Open comments! No more having to sign in to TypeKey in order to comment! There's a simple CAPTCHA (jumbled letters) that you'll have to type in, but other than that, anyone can comment.

So all of you readers who were holding out because you didn't want to register, leave a comment! I want to know who you are.

P.S. Because I had to import all my entries, I think some people's links to their blogs in the comments were messed up. Kind of a bummer, but every comment made from here on out should be perfect. Leave a comment so we can see your website, eh?

Taking a page from Sarah's book, here are my cake confessions:

1. My kitchen is a mess. Icing everywhere (or it seems like that). Who knew making a cake was so messy!

2. I now have an appreciation for pre-colored frosting. I wish I would have gone by this color mixing cheat sheet instead of venturing out on my own.

3. Tonight's class was mostly about learning to use star tips. Not my most favorite look, but I took a crack at it anyway. Everyone did lots of practice rows of star tips, and then we all decorated a cake. The course manual tells everyone to make a rainbow cake, but I did my own thing. What do you think? It's my first time really using tips for decorating (well, for anything besides a HUGE swirl of icing on top of a cupcake--that doesn't count!)

(Please ignore the wonky lighting--I took the photos as I was packing up my things to leave class).

:)

Now I'm off to watch my Tivo'd finale of So You Think You Can Dance. :)

ETA: Stephanie nominated me for Rockin' Girl Blogger! Thanks, Stephanie!

My lovely new KitchenAid mixer arrived yesterday... my blessed UPS man hid the HUGE box behind a bush on our front porch so that it was safe until I got home from work.

I broke it out and made a couple things. Last night, I made two 8-inch round White Almond Sour Cream Cakes (yummy recipe from cakecentral.com). The mixer, which I shall call Roxy (I name all my things; computer: Gretta, laptop: Macy, camera: Ty, car: Maggie), plowed right through the batter (not that it was that thick... I mean, seriously, it's just cake batter!).

Speaking of Cake Central, all of you aspiring cake decorators must MUST go and see this site! It's like Splitcoast or TwoPeas but for cake decorators! Totally awesome! I've got so many ideas just from perusing the gallery!

Also, here are a couple really great videos on creating tiered (stacked) cakes:

Video 1
Video 2

Anyway, then this morning, Roxy and I made banana muffins to share at work today. I used my former roommate Michelle's recipe, and it's my favorite. Since I'm in a sharing mood, here's the recipe:

Michelle’s Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/4 lb (cube) butter
1-3/4 c. sugar
4 eggs
3-5 bananas, mashed
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour

Directions:
Cream sugar and butter, add eggs one at a time. Add mashed bananas. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Coat rectangular 13x9 pan (or two bread loaf pans) with butter and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar in pan. Pour batter in pan(s) and sprinkle top with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

NOTE: If you use 5 bananas, you should have just enough to make 24 muffins (bake 20-22 minutes). The less bananas used, the more “cake-like” it will be. :)

Have a happy Wednesday!

Ornaments - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Hung Up on the Holidays set; Soft Sky, Whisper White, and Wild Wasabi card stock; Blue Bayou, Ruby Red, and Wild Wasabi Classic pads; Soft Sky double stitched grosgrain.

Thank You Teacher - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Define Your Life and Simple Serif sets; Polka Dot background; Kraft, More Mustard, Real Red, and Wild Wasabi card stock; More Mustard, Sahara Sand, and Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin’ Pads; Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain; silver eyelets, Crop-A-Dile

This was one of my make and takes at a workshop this afternoon. I based this off a card found on page 150 in the Fall-Winter Collection. I just loved the color combination (as seen in my last post), and absolutely love those little flowers, too.

This would be a great card to show off the punch box--especially with the great promotion on the punch box right now. :)

Thinking of You - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Three for You set; Bashful Blue, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and So Saffron card stock, Certainly Celery, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red, and So Saffron ink; Three for You punch; brads; Bashful Blue gingham ribon.

You're Absolutely Fabulous - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Absolutely Fabulous, Three for You and Wanted sets; Polka Dot background; Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olve, Real Red, and Whisper White card stock; Bashful Blue, Old Olive, and Pumpkin Pie ink; 1-3/8" Circle, 1-1/4" Circle, Scallop Circle, and Star punches; Certainly Celery wide grosgrain.

Supplies needed:
Star stamp that fits star punch (Wanted stamp set) Star punch
1-1/4" circle punch
1-3/8" circle punch
Scallop circle punch
Card stock:
- Pumpkin Pie: 2-1/2" x 4-1/4"
- Whisper White: 2-1/4" x 2-1/4"
- Real Red: 2-1/2" x 3"
- Bashful Blue: 2-1/4" x 2-1/4"
- Standard size card base in Old Olive
Dimensionals
Mini Glue Dots

 

STEP 1: Punch 1-3/8" circle in Pumpkin Pie card stock.

STEP 2: Punch star in Whisper White card stock. Apply adhesive around edges of square.

STEP 3: Adhere Whisper White star square to Pumpkin Pie card stock, centering star in circle.

STEP 4: Punch 1-1/4" circle in Real Red card stock.

STEP 5: Center Scallop circle punch over circle you just punched. Punch. You should now have a scallop circle frame.

STEP 6: Cut some Stampin' Dimensionals into smaller pieces and apply to scallop circle frame.

STEP 7: Carefully center the frame over the whisper white circle and adhere.

STEP 8: Tie ribbon around Pumpkin Pie card stock.

STEP 9: Position your 1-3/8" circle punch as shown above. Push in the card stock as far as it will go and punch.

STEP 10: Apply Stampin' Dimensionals to back of Pumpkin Pie card stock.

STEP 11: Carefully position Pumpkin Pie card stock over card base--WATCH THE HOLE IN THE CARD. Make sure the punched star has no Old Olive card stock peeking through.

STEP 12: Stamp star on Bashful Blue card stock. Apply Mini Glue Dots in all four corner on front.

STEP 13: With card front face up, carefully adhere Bashful Blue star sqaure to inside of card.

Ahhh... a KitchenAid mixer. Ya'll know I've been dreaming of owning one for a long time, right?

I started a Wilton cake decorating class at my local JoAnn store last night. There are a bunch of girls from work taking the class as well.

A few weeks ago Patti came into work totally excited about this cake she saw somewhere. She then got all of us interested in a cake decorating class. Needless, to say, it didn't take much to make me agree. My cupcake obsession naturally encompasses all kind of cake. ;)

So, we had our very first class last night. While our teacher Kristen demonstrated how to make icing, she mentioned that for the Level 1 class while you're just making buttercream icing, a handmixer will do just fine. But once you're in Level 2, you might want to invest in a standing mixer for all the long mixing time the other icings require.

What was that sound? That was my wallet opening and embracing the "need" of a KitchenAid mixer. ;)

Kristen is such an enabler. My KitchenAid Professional 5-Quart Mixer in Empire Red will be delivered on Tuesday. :)

Little Tree - Merry & Bright set, Purely Pomegranate and River Rock card stock, Certainly Celery narrow grosgrain, rhinestone brad, Old Olive Prints Designer Series Paper (Stampin' Up!); punch (Marvy Uchida).

Pink Christmas - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Season of Joy set; Pretty in Pink, Wild Wasabi, and Whisper White card stock; Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose classic ink; Regal Rose wide grosgain.

Many of you know that SU! demonstrators are given the opportunity to buy merchandise from mini catalogs a bit earlier than customers, right? Well, today my Holiday Mini Collection pre-order came! Lots of fun little goodies to tease you all with over the next three weeks until you can order (September 1).

Anyway, this little card took me a long time! Longer than any card has in a while. :) Mostly because I didn't know what I wanted to do at first. I knew I wanted to watercolor the snowmen. It's not too noticeable in the photo, but they are watercolored a slight blue color to show their dimension.

The three windows were punched out by first punching three squares, arranging them on the blue card stock, lightly penciling around them, and using the pencil marks as a guide.

Okay, and who loves the new Prints Designer Series Paper? And in Old Olive? Be still my heart! I can't believe I didn't order this paper a month ago with my initial new catalog order! It's luscious!

And on to the card!

Snowmen Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Merry and Bright set; Soft Sky and Purely Pomegranate card stock; Old Olive Prints Designer Series Paper; watercolor paper; Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, and Jet Black StazOn inks; Certainly Celery wide grosgrain; AquaPainter.

So I was talking with some paper crafting friends yesterday and we have some general tips to share with you:

- When you have scraps of card stock large enough to create a card out of, fold it in half and set it aside (she used a drawer) so you'll always have folded cards on hand. Smart!

- Create your own imaging sheets for the Stamp-a-ma-jig by cutting down some vellum card stock. Then you can keep those sheets inside your stamp set boxes and always have them ready. Great for sentiment sets and alphabets.

- Some of you have asked about how I tie ribbon into knots. I tried to use my old digital camera that has movie capabilities to capture some knot tying, but alas, I don't have enough hands! Plus the lighting was really bad. Anyway, here's the tip I learned a while ago: Left over right, pull tight, right over left, and then pull tight but more with the left side (this turns the knot under so you get a good looking knot). It's hard to explain without visuals, but if any of you understood that, let me know! :)

Anyway, here's a card for your Saturday afternoon.

U R Absolutely Fablous - Absolutely Fabulous and Define Your Life Alphabet sets, Whisper White textured and Chocolate Chip card stock, Chocolate Chip and VersaMark ink, Pretty in Pink taffeta ribbon, white detail embossing powder (Stampin' Up!); glittery alpha sticker (Martha Stewart Crafts); large button (Bazzill Basics).

insanely jealous!

ETA: If you're wondering about the Twilight series, you can read my initial reaction to the book here.

I made this card last night. Hmm... that Soft Sky stamping on Soft Sky card stock doesn't really show up in a picture, does it? Oh, well! Believe me, it's there! :)

Kind of a strange color combination for me, but I think it's okay. Not great, but okay. I think the brightness of the Taken with Teal washes out the Soft Sky. What do you think?

Wonderful Friend Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Wonderful Favorites set; Happiness background; Lavender Lace, Soft Sky, and Whisper White card stock; Lavender Lace, Taken with Teal, and Soft Sky classic pads; Old Olive wide grosgrain.

Thanks Card - All supplies from Stampin' Up! Jumbo Outline Alphabet set; Polka Dot background; Blue Bayou and Wild Wasabi textured card stock; So Saffron card stock; watercolor paper; Blue Bayou and Wild Wasabi classic pad; Real Red craft pad; Jet Black StazOn; On Board Blossoms and Basics; Fresh Favorites Buttons; Aqua Painter; thread.