Amped Up Ampersands

Don't forget to check all this week for the specials and samples Stampin' Up has in store for us for My Digital Studio.  These are the specials that will be on sale.  It's all happening at MyDigitalStudio.net.

11/1 Amped Up Ampersands Kit

11/2 Hello There Kit + FREE Moments Ago Stamp Brush Set

11/3 All Time Fave Photobook Template

11/4 Modern Medley Overlays Kit

11/5 Be Brave Pocket Cards

11/6 Nobody's Business Photobook Template

11/7 Autumn Traditions Kit

11/8 Afternoon Daydream Kit

They are also offering 30% off  print services for the projects you create with MDS.  

Have you wanted to try MDS?  You can Try it FREE for 30 days!!

I purchased the Amped Up Ampersands Kit on Friday and here is a page I made of Alabama's concert on the first day of our cruise.

Ashley went to Seoul, Korea Saturday to teach a class this week.  Isn't that crazy?  By the time her body gets used to the time change, she'll be back home.  That life is definitely only for the young!  It is a 14 hour time difference!  She sent me a quick email this morning to let me know she arrived safe and sound.  She said she was going to bed - trying to convince her body it was bed time and not 6 a.m.!!

FREE Moments Ago

It's official-Digital Scrapbooking Day 2013 has arrived! And with a bang we might add.  One of Stampin' Up's talented concept artists, Jen Campbell, created the FREE Moments Ago Stamp Brush Set and today she's sharing some project ideas. Plus, we have more guest bloggers to highlight our daily deal, the Hello There Kit- a fan favorite!



Here's a quick page I did on MDS using the FREE set above.



My grandson doing his best Dracula face!

Best of and MDS News

It's Digital Scrapbooking Day  TODAY - Saturday, November 2, 2013. But one day just isn't enough, so we're celebrating for eight days, November 1-8, 2013!

Here's what we have lined up:

• Guest bloggers: A talented group of demonstrators, customers, and designers from around the industry will share project inspiration on the blog.

• FREE download: Be sure to check in on Saturday, November 2 to get your freebie.

• Videos: We'll share some more ideas with training videos to help you get started.

• Daily deals: Every day, we'll feature a new download for 50% off!

• Challenges: Use the daily deal download to create a project for your chance to win free downloads. (Upload your samples to the gallery with the matching tag to enter.) 

Here's the list of the 50% off daily deal downloads:

• 11/1 Amped Up Ampersands Kit
• 11/2 Hello There Kit + FREE Moments Ago Stamp Brush Set
• 11/3 All Time Fave Photobook Template
• 11/4 Modern Medley Overlays Kit
• 11/5 Be Brave Pocket Cards
• 11/6 Nobody's Business Photobook Template
• 11/7 Autumn Traditions Kit
• 11/8 Afternoon Daydream Kit

So, head on over to the MDS Blog and check it all out.

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And in other good news - the Best Of 25 Years stamp set was announced.  I just love these little hedge hogs!!




To order this set, go to my Online Store (see link at top) or contact me and I will put the order in for you.     Best of Snow 134387 - $14.95

Use the hostess code please when ordering - KYR7ZKH9

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

 

 

How is that for a cutie pie?  This is my nephew's little boy and is he cute!!

 

 

We have a low key Halloween at our house.  We don't get any trick or treaters at our door so I don't even buy candy or turn my lights on!  Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays.  I would go all out with decorating the house when my kids were little - inside and out.  But now ... not so much.  Plus I don't have to sacrifice my diet by eating all the candy that Ashley and Jeff would bring home.  Ashley doesn't like chocolate so Sonny, Jeff and I would get all that goodness.  I can close my eyes and picture them coming home from trick or treating in their cute outfits and dumping their buckets out on the floor and then bargaining with each other and trading candy.  When they went to bed, Sonny and I had the job of testing the candy to make sure it was ok for them to eat!!

 

This year I did make a cute Halloween picture that I framed and have sitting in my kitchen.  I used paper, punches, stickers, embellishments, etc. that I found in my stash.

 

 

This was one of my favorite squares - candy corn made from the Pennant die.

Frankenstein looks pretty scary too - a little punch art and a black Sharpie helped.



 

CONGRATULATIONS to the Boston Red Sox for winning the World Series tonight!  We have friends that are really happy about now.

 

Cruising

We made it home Tuesday afternoon and picked up Sammie from my mom's. Mom really liked having her visit and I don't think she wanted to see her go.  But I think she missed me a little bit!  While I was trying to type my blog posting, she jumped up in my lap and stretched out in my lap so I couldn't type anything on my laptop. 

Our cruise was awesome!  Alabama put on their first concert out on the pool deck as we were pulling out of the Miami port.  They may look pretty old but they can still belt out the songs.  We were all having a great time singing along with their familiar songs.

 

Alabama Concert .... day 1

 Day One was the first theme night - Rep Rally Night.  We showed our Steeler pride and got lots of attention!

Sonny & Ashley at Alabama concert - day one

When we woke up on Friday (day 2), we were in Nassau and docked next to us was the Disney Dream cruise boat.  I don't know if this is the same one Jeff and Darcie sailed on last month but if so, too bad we didn't plan our trips so we could have met up with them.

 

 

 

This was the view from our balcony of the Disney ship!



 

Day 2 - we woke up and saw this next to us!

Day 2 - Ashley and I showing off our tees

 Day 2 we disembarked in Nassau.  It was drizzling a little bit making it pretty hot and sticky.  But that didn't stop us. 

Day 2 MDS tees
 

 Ashley and I made tees using My Digital Studio.  On the front are flip flops and the caption "Alabama and Friends Festival at Sea" and on the back is the picture of my feet in the sand and the caption "Dance Barefoot"

Norwegian Pearl

I'm on my way back home.  We had a great trip / cruise!  Made lots of new memories.  We dropped Ashley off at the Ft Lauderdale airport about 11:00 this morning and made our way through Florida to a hotel in Brunswick, Georgia.  So, tomorrow's trip should not be too long.  I am going to try to share a couple of pictures but the internet in this hotel is pretty slow!

Our ship - we were on the 9th floor - one of those rooms up there with a small balcony.

Waiting to go through Customs - at Miami cruise terminal

The view from our Miami hotel - just beautiful!

Night View from our hotel window in Miami Wednesday night

We made friends with the Security Guard at the Miami Marriott and he gave us vouchers for drinks Thursday a.m.  He didn't realize we were checking out that morning for our cruise.  Ashley and I couldn't let them go to waste though!  So we headed over to the bar and had mimosas and bloody Mary's!!

The 3 of us as we pulled out of Miami on Thursday

Have a Holly Jolly!

I have been working on the cards for my Christmas Stamp a Stack which will be Saturday, Nov. 16.  This is one of the cards that did not make the cut.  I really like it though.

 

I used Real Red cardstock that is embossed with a Script embossing folder.  The tag is from the Chalk Talk dies and the "Holly Jolly" label is stamped from the Tags 4 You set and punched out.  I used a piece of Coredinations card stock in Early Espresso that I sanded to look distressed along with half of a doily that I sponged with a little Espresso ink so it would not be so stark white.  I love the Season of Style DSP made into a bow with the Biggz Die!!  Love that die!

 

 

 

Banner Kit

At Stamp Club last week we decorated the little canvas bags found in the holiday catalog.  I used Stampin' Up's new Banner Kit to sponge and to spritz the bags.  This kit makes it sooo easy!!

Here is the full kit.  You get a full set of alphabet stencils, some background stencils, jute twine, 18 canvas pennants and a spritzer.   Although the kit comes with a spritzer, you can also use a sponge or a dauber.   This kit is just $19.95!!  item # 133407.  you get 18 canvas pennants. 

This is the refill kit.  You get 18 canvas pennants and some jute twine (approx. 9 feet).  The refill is just $9.95 item #13699.




Here is the bag that one of the gals made stenciling her initial on it.

Pretty cool huh?

I'll be making a Christmas banner when I return from my cruise and will be sharing it.

Envelope Tag Bookletenvel

 This is the project that I taught the gals to make at the Quarterly meeting in Shallotte.  The tag book is made using the Envelope Punch Board!  The front and back covers are just cardboard (from packages of DSP) that I covered with Designer Series Paper (retired).  I used this retired DSP because I love it!  I think it is probably my favorite that Stampin' Up has ever had and I still have 2-3 unopened packages!!  When it was in Clearance, I really stocked up.  I'm not sure if it is still in the Clearance section or not.

Front Cover using Expressions Thinlits and the stamp set from Truly Thankful.

I used Shipping Tags that I bought at a local office supply store to fit in the envelopes.  I just measured the shipping tag and found an envelope that was closest to it in size on the board.

I printed out a bunch of quotes from My Digital Studio to decorate the pages of the book

Add caption

Each tag had an inspirational quote that I printed out from MDS
 

I also made a second tag booklet from my SU Convention trip.  I put pictures of Marianne and I at convention in each little pocket.  It really turned out cute.

Made it to Florida!!

I had a pretty uneventful 65th birthday yesterday.  I got a wake-up call from my mom at 8:30 am but she actually didn't realize it was my birthday.  She knew it was on Tuesday but didn't realize that it WAS Tuesday until later that night!!  She told me later that was what I got for waking her up 65 years ago wanting to make my appearance into this world!  Later in the morning, Ashley called to wish me a happy birthday and while talking to her, my girlfriend called from Texas.  To top it off, I got a phone call from my son, Jeff and his family Tuesday night just as we were checking into our hotel in St. Augustine, Florida.  That made my day!  It was so great to talk to all of them.  Monday was Darcie's birthday (my daughter in law) and we had texted back and forth Monday night when I couldn't reach her by phone.

Yes, we made it to St. Augustine  - leaving home around 11:30 and arriving here about 7:30.  A long day rainy in the car - especially for Sonny who did all the driving.  Today I am excited to be meeting up with Karen, my college roomie, after 40 years!!  I wonder if we will even recognize each other.  After our reunion, we will be driving to Ft Lauderdale to pick Ashley up at the airport and then heading on over to Miami to our hotel.  Thursday morning, we will find a place to put the car and head on over for our cruise.  Super excited! 

So you might not hear from me for a few days.  Internet is too costly on the ship so I will be waiting until Monday to do more posting .... except for the posts I have scheduled in advance.

Ta-Ta for now!!