Sweet and Simple Baby Card

Today's the Day!

The annual Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference kicks off in Houston, TX. WooHoo!
Um, not.
(Insert pouty face here)
No, this year I'll be enjoying all the excitement from my smartphone Facebook feed. Life is full of tough choices and this year, I had to make one of them and chose to travel to Boston this week to be with Emma and her skating team as they compete.

And ya know what? As much as I'll miss seeing so many of my amazing friends, I would have missed being with my girl SO much more! I've only got her under my roof full time for 2 1/2 more years and I don't want to miss a minute with her.
That's one of the beautiful things about my job - it's my schedule, not someone else's.
The last time I missed one of Emma's competitions was for Leadership Conference in Phoenix, AZ. I remember sitting in the hotel bar with my laptop and about 15 of my closest friends watching her team skate that evening. I couldn't have physically gotten from Phoenix to Boston in time to be there in person so the live feed was it and the hotel bar was the only place that had WiFi back then.

I remember thinking - never again. 
So, while I wish all my SU! friends safe travels and fun times - I get to be where I need and want to be the most - with my girl.
Thank you SU!

Anyway - enough about that, here's the card I teased you with on my Facebook page last week.
What? You don't follow me on Facebook?
Well, why not?
Here's the link - Trinity Design Studio - Paper Crafting and FUN! click it right now and go LIKE my page!
Do you really want to miss anything? No? Ok, good.
Go do it now, I'll wait right here.

Ok, great! You're back!
The card today is for my swap group the GoDivas (as in chocolate!). They will all be getting this one in the mail in a few days, but YOU get to see it first!
I used the girl baby shoes stamp from the new Baby, We've Grown! stamp set from the Occasions Mini for my focal image. The oh, so versatile watercolor splash stamp from the Happy Watercolor stamp set creates a soft pink wash for the background.

The little flags are cut out of Designer Paper from the Soho Subway and Venetian Romance packs and I made my own designer paper for the last one. It's the new Woodgrain background stamp in Soft Suede on Blushing Bride cardstock. Cool, huh?
I cut out the flags with my Big Shot and the NEW Banners Framelits dies.
These will be a favorite - just buy them now, you'll thank me later. 

I stamped my focal image on Watercolor Paper and cut them out with the Window Frames Framelits Dies. It was sponged with Crumb Cake ink using slave labor from my daughter. (Hey, I'm missing leadership for her - it's the least she can do, right??)

The background was done with Primrose Petals Co'ordinations Cardstock, dry embossed with the Polka-Dot folder and my Big Shot. I wrapped it with a piece of Burlap Ribbon that I trimmed off the edges and pulled some strands out of to make it more rough. Finishing touches of an Antique Button and some of the NEW yummy Gold Baker's Twine made me smile. How about you?

Here's the complete stamp sets I used:

#133089 - Baby, We've Grown      $17.95 clear-mount

#133035  Hardwood  $13.95 clear-mount

#133191  Happy Watercolor $21.95 clear-mount

You can visit my website for a link to my Online Store and shop for these plus everything else I used to make this card.
Here's the link:
Robin's Online Stampin' Up! Store

Have a wonderful day everyone and happy stampin'!
~~Robin

The "U" in Us

Hey stampers!!
Keeping this post short and sweet - I'm in the middle of packing up and movin' out - headed up north again to Lowell, MA for Emma's next skating competition.
Her team competes on Friday at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell in the Colonial Classic Synchro Competition. It's a pretty big event - there are 24 teams at her level alone - but it's one we enjoy a lot each year! LOTS of great skating to be seen.
If you've never seen Synchronized Skating, it's AMAZING! I can barely stand up on skates, but the things these skaters do, all in sync, feet oh, so close together is mind boggling.
There's a bunch of videos on You Tube so you can get a feel for it. Way cool!

Anyway, just sharing another version of the super simple card I posted a week or so ago. I added a few layers to this one and switched up the colors, but it's still super simple! Love that!

I combined Very Vanilla and Island Indigo for a little more male friendly card.
Yes, I know, it's still got glitter, but hey - it's a Valentine for goodness sake! Ya gotta have a little glitter!!
The stamp sets I used are from the NEW Occasions Mini catalog - Take it to Heart and P.S. I Love You.
The new Hearts Framelits cut out that heart shaped image perfectly and I love the hearts impression from the Adorning Accents Embossing Folder set.

I did this card for my GoDivas swap group - I hope they like it. It's a little more clean and simple than I usually do for these gals, but it was what I was feeling at the time so I went with it. :)

Have a great day everyone and send us some good wishes for safe travel and a GREAT competition!
I'll update here as I have time!
Go National Blades!!

~~Robin

Holly Berry Merry and Type

Well stampers, it's felt like Christmas around here for the past few days since all I've done is work on projects for my WOW Christmas Cards classes this weekend. The glitter has been flyin'! Funny thing is though that I can't get Christmas music on my music channels - I turn it on the "Sounds of the Season" channel and they are playing halloween music. I didn't know that halloween had music except maybe for Monster Mash, but that's not enough to play 24/7 on a music channel for how many days?
Shows what I know, eh?

Guess I'd better get iTunes working again on the studio computer so I can play Christmas music this weekend. Wouldn't be the same without it. Gotta get in the spirit of the season, right?

Anyway, I've got a Christmas card to show you today - it's not one of my WOW cards for this weekend, I'll show those next week, but it's the card I created last month for my GoDivas private swap group.

Once again I turned to the Inverted Z-Fold layout that I used for this card here: (Pinetree Z-fold)
But this time, I used the beautiful retro designed Holly Berry Designer Paper as an accent. It's layered on a piece of Chocolate Chip cardstock which is adhered to the front flap of Crumb Cake. It's hard to tell in the photos, but I ran that section through the Big Shot with my Petals-A-Plenty embossing folder to texturize it and give it the look of an old quilt.
That section was finished off with 22" of Real Red Satin Ribbon wrapped around the flap and tied in a pretty bow. Love it!

Here's the inside opened up:

The stamping was done using Wild Wasabi and Real Red ink on Whisper White cardstock. I added Dazzling Diamonds glitter to the ornaments with my 2 Way Glue pen.
This is such an easy card to make - the card base is cut at 4 1/4" x 11" and scored lengthwise at 2 3/4" and 5 1/2". Just fold it in a Z fashion and let your creativity take over!
One of my WOW Christmas cards for this weekend uses this fold, but with a fun twist! I can't wait to show you!!!

Here's a few of the products I used to create this card:

#124004 - Holly Berry Specialty Designer Series Paper $12.95 (12 sheets - 4 glittered)

#122334 - Simply Scored Scoring Tool $29.95

#122552 - Merry and Type Stamp Set (clear-mount) $18.95

If you only purchase one Christmas stamp set this year, get this one. It's beautiful and versatile and the price point is superb. Plus it's one of my favorites too! HA!
You know my Online Stampin' Store is open 24/7 for your convenience so all you have to do is click to shop!

Have a great day everyone! I'll be back tomorrow with a new project for you, so stop by and say hi!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Place your order for Stampin' Up! Supplies at this link here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store
Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right corner to get started!

Cherry Vintage Doilies

I know! I know! Another Doily card!

But really now, isn't that Delicate Doilies stamp set amazing?!

Well, it's Friday and Convention is in full swing - we are having a fabulous time (well, I think so anyway since I'm writing this post on Tuesday! LOL!) If there are any fun updates you HAVE to know about, I'll post separately ok? Are you following the action on Facebook? Well, if not, then you need to "LIKE" Stampin' Up! on Facebook so you can experience some of the fun with us, ok?

Now, let's talk about the card, shall we?

This was my Convention card swap for my GoDivas group. Yes, I know I used the same stamp set for my other recent GoDivas card, but honestly, I can not put these stamps down!

The card is done in all Very Vanilla and Basic Black Cardstock. I stamped the doilies on the card front with Cherry Cobbler Classic Ink and sponged all over with Crumb Cake ink.
Next, I used my Log Cabin Smooch Spray and really vintaged it up with some shimmery, coppery smooches! Love it!

The next layer is from the First Edition Designer Series Paper. I crumpled and tore and sponged it with Crumb Cake ink to give it an aged appearance and adhered it to the card front. The ribbon treatment is Baja Breeze Seam Binding - yes, you know I LOVE this stuff! It makes the prettiest bows! I wrapped an Antique Brad around the center of the bow and adhered it to the card with Mini Glue Dots.

The greeting is stamped with the You're A Gem stamp from the set of the same name in Cherry Cobbler ink. I overstamped it with a 2nd generation inked image from the Doily set in Baja Breeze ink. It's punched out with the new Postage Stamp Punch and sponged with Crumb Cake ink. I tucked it into the bow with a Mini Glue Dot and there you have it!

Hope you are having a great day - I'll be back with more for you tomorrow!
Stamped blessings!
~~Robin

Ease-l Into Calypso Coral

Ok Stampers - the countdown is almost complete! In less than 8 hours, I'll be leaving for the airport to fly to Salt Lake City for our Stampin' Up! Convention! WooHoo!! To say that I am excited doesn't quite describe it! I have a big cardboard box of all my swaps - and a few gifts - going to the post office to be overnighted to our hotel; all the arrangements are in place for Emma and the doggies, now I guess I just need to pack my suitcase.

Yes, you read that right - I have not packed even the first pair of underwear! And yet, here I sit, writing to you, stamping friends. Guess I'd better hurry up and get to it, eh? Well, let me at least do show and tell first!

Here you go:

This was my card for the latest round of swapping with my GoDivas swap group. I put together this fantastic group of uber talented stampers and honestly, their work boggles my mind every time! I can't wait to see what they bring to Convention!

For my card, I decided to create another Easel style. I used the NEW Calypso Coral InColor cardstock and made my easel pieces with the Top Note Die and the Big Shot. The background stamping was done with the NEW Delicate Doilies Stamp Set and I used Whisper White Craft Ink for them.

The edges were sponged with Calypso Coral Classic Ink and I stamped my focal point piece with that as well. I added a bit of Poppy Parade Classic Ink to the stamp as well to give it a bit of a two tone look. The image is from the NEW Hostess Stamp Set, Posy Punch. It has a great variety of images that coordinate with the Fancy Flower Punch and the 1" Circle Punch.

Once the flowers were punched out, I sponged the edges with more Poppy Parade Classic Ink and then added an Antique Brad to the center.

The ribbon bow tie is Very Vanilla Seam Binding - I just love the vintage look this ribbon gives to everything.
For my "easel" piece, I used the greeting from Notably Ornate and stamped it with Calypso Coral Classic Ink on Very Vanilla Cardstock. It's punched out with the Modern Label Punch and sponged with more Calypso Coral. I popped it up on Stampin' Dimensionals, just like the flower on the front and that's it! All done!

Now that all the GoDivas have received their swaps back in the mail, I thought it was safe to go ahead and share the card with you all - did ya like it? I hope so because it made me do the stampers happy dance when I finished it up!

So, that's that! I'm off to pack my suitcase and do whatever last minute stuff needs doing - you know there is always something! :)
I'll still be posting while I'm at Convention - and be sure to "LIKE" the Stampin' Up! Facebook page if you haven't already! There are going to be some great things shared there through the week!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

GoDivas Swap - Robin's Chocolate Box

Good morning stamping friends!
I am enjoying a lazy morning in my pj's, laptop in hand, fireplace on and coffee nearby. School's closed today, so I get to be home with my girl today and that makes me smile! This works out great for her because she is still trying to get over her nasty cold/flu stuff, so the extra day off was welcome news. Mark on the other hand, had training today and had to travel a hour west of here on the icy roads. At least he's in his police car and not our car!

Today I wanted to share my card from my recent GoDivas Swap round. This is my private swap group and can I just say that these gals are amazing?!! Just tremendous stampers and I'm honored that they choose to be in this group.

It's no secret that I LOVE, LOVE the new Eat Chocolate stamp set - of course, they made it just for ME! So for my swap, I wanted to create my idea of a chocolate box. So tell me, what do you think?

I used Brushed Gold Cardstock for the 'lid' and tried out the new Double Dry Embossing Technique with my Big Shot. I saw that technique a few weeks ago on someone's blog and knew it would be fabulous for this project. It's so EASY! All you do is take your cardstock and run it through the Big Shot with your choice of Embossing Folder - here I used the Finial Press folder for the first run through - then used the new Framed Tulips folder and ran it through a second time. You see the second folder's design more prominently which was exactly what I wanted for my Chocolate Box! Isn't that cool?!!
Once I embossed the cardstock, I wrapped the corners with ribbon; Very Vanilla Satin and Early Espresso 1/8" Taffeta and then popped up the whole piece on Stampin' Dimensionals.
The double bow was added afterwards.

Here is a close up of the focal point:

I used a combination of punches and Big Shot Circles for the layers. The image is simply stamped in Early Espresso ink on Very Vanilla cardstock. If you look really close, you can see the Crystal Effects on the piece of candy - it looks awesome in person! I added one of those fantastic Pearl Jewels and layered it all up with more Stampin' Dimensionals.

So tell me, does it look like a box of chocolates? I think so! Maybe even Forrest Gump would like it! :)

I hope you all have a wonderful day today - I'm going to do some stamping and just enjoy my day with Emma. That's a winner in my book!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

GoDivas Vintage Christmas Postcard

Happy Monday Stampers!
I don't know about you, but Christmas is definitely on my mind this week - I have been in the studio all day today doing design and prep work for my WOW Christmas Cards classes this upcoming weekend. I think the gals who have registered for the classes are going to be thrilled at the wonderful cards I have planned for them - plus a few special treats too!

This card is probably NOT on the menu for the classes - at least this time - even though it would qualify as a WOW with all that watercoloring!
I created this one for my private swap group - the GoDivas, last month for our Christmas Cards round. I warned them all that watercoloring was not my strong suit, but no one complained after they got it, so I guess it worked out ok! LOL! What do you think?

I used the Bells and Boughs stamp set combined with the Christmas Postcard single stamp from the Holiday Mini Catalog - love those vintage images so much!
All the watercoloring was done with my Aqua Painters and various colors of re-inkers.

All the Crumb Cake cardstock was sponged with Crumb Cake ink to age it just a bit more (it shows up better in person) and I layered the focal image on the main card base with, what else, Stampin' Dimensionals.
The ribbon is that luscious Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding also from the mini and I added some Crochet Trim in Chantilly along with the Vintage Trinkets for a final touch.

The inside was simply stamped with the holly leaves once more and then I added a greeting from the God's Blessings stamp set.

All in all, I really loved how this card turned out - but I can tell you one thing - I wouldn't want to watercolor 30 of these babies again! I'll leave that to my buddy Diana - she's the watercolor queen and I've decided I'm farming out all my watercoloring to her from now on! HA!

Have a great evening everyone - we are having friends over to grill ribs and smores and homemade ice cream - yeah, I'm drooling already!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Vintage GoDivas Swap

Just look at this line-up!
Are we a great looking bunch, or what?! :)

These amazing and talented ladies are none other than the infamous GoDivas - my private swap group! I absolutely love them to bits and am so blessed to have them as part of my group. Many of you who attend my classes here in the studio have a chance to marvel at their work up close and personal and you know it's fabulous!

These super stampers come from every part of the Stampin' Up! universe and are truly not only wonderful stampers, but wonderful friends too! We always have a swap round at convention and this year was no exception. We all managed to get together afterwards to get this photo - not an easy task when you are all going in five different directions! :)

Anyway, here is my card swap I did for the convention round:

I have a thing for square cards, so I went with a 4 1/4" square this time. It uses Naturals White cardstock, Basic Black and Cherry Cobbler cardstock as well as the new Newsprint DSP! LOVE the versatility of that stuff! Here, I crumpled the dsp then brayered on So Saffron and Crumb Cake ink to age it like old newspapers.
The image from the Puns From the Past stamp set was perfect for this card - I love those stamps and don't use them nearly enough. Maybe that will change, hmmmm.......

As you can see from this photo, I ran the card front through the Big Shot with the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, then sponged on Crumb Cake ink to bring out the pattern.
The ribbon is the gorgeous Basic Black Striped Grosgrain and I accented the card front with one of those yummy new Antique Brads - you HAVE to own them, they are fantastic!

I hope all the girls loved their card - I know I was thrilled at how it turned out! What about you? You likey? I'd love to hear from you, so leave me a comment and say hi!
And if you find yourself needing to purchase the supplies to make this project, just hop on over to my Stampin' Up! website and click the SHOP NOW button! I have a special thank you card for everyone who places an online order this month!

Stamped blessings everyone,
~~Robin

Elizabeth in Paris

Happy Monday stamping friends!
I am so glad - really! - to be back home and getting back to work today! We had a marvelous family vacation at the beach but I have to admit, I was anxious to get home and put into action all the AMAZING things I gathered at the Stampin' Up! convention the week before! If you are a regular attender of my classes, or are one of my valued hostesses, you can expect some really fabulous things over the coming weeks and months. Our convention was a creative wonderland and I am so excited to be able to share it with you all!

Just a quick post this morning before I start my day - I have lots of photos from convention to share along with some big news too, but I still have to get the photos uploaded and cropped.

The card I'm sharing here was created for my private swap group the GoDivas in June. As demonstrators, we have the fun opportunity to pre-order items from each new catalog before they are available to our clients. That's only one of the great perks available to us - and one of my personal favorites! :)
I chose the new stamp set Artistic Etchings for my swap card and here is the result:

The Eiffel Tower image is heat embossed with Basic Black Craft Ink and Black Embossing Powder. I used the new A La Carte stamp Elizabeth for the accent at the bottom. This beautiful stamp is so cost effective at only $9.95 and you can get some truly beautiful looks with it. I have many projects to share with you that I have already made and I know you will need to own this one for your stamping toolbox. It was my honor to demonstrate these new A La Carte stamps at our convention and share ideas for ways to use them with everyone. I have some fun photos from my presentation to share with you this week!

My card base and layers are all Very Vanilla and Basic Black. The large layer of Very Vanilla was run through the Big Shot with the new Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder just on the top half. I added the Real Red Satin and Basic Black 1/8" Taffeta ribbons at the edge of the embossed half. The entire card front was sprayed with Silver Smooch Spray - I LOVE this stuff!

This card was such a simple one to create, but it has an elegance to it that I just love. It's probably one of my favorite cards ever! I'd love to hear what you think about it too so leave me a comment and say HI! It's good to be back and posting again - thanks for visiting me today!

As always, you can order any of the supplies you see here to recreate this project yourself - just visit my demonstrator website and click the SHOP NOW button at the top right. I have a special card for all who place an online order with me this month!

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

RAK Showcase - Act 1

Hello everyone!
I'm stopping back by today to share some gorgeous RAK's (random acts of kindness) I've received recently from fellow demos. I am so fortunate to have truly wonderful friends through Stampin' Up! and from time to time, they send me some beautiful artwork just because - isn't that wonderful? I love what my bff Tiffany and I call "happy mail" days. That's when you open the mailbox and get something that makes you happy just because the other person wanted to make you smile.

I haven't shared many RAK's here lately and I've got quite a few built up to show you so I'm gonna start with a few today and a few more tomorrow. I'll share some more with you next week too, ok? With only 13 days left before I leave for convention, I have an overwhelming amount of work to do to get ready so this is the perfect time to do my RAK Showcases!

The projects today all were included in swap packages to me over the past two weeks from participants in my private GoDivas swap. I'll be posting some of their actual swaps later on for you to drool over. These ladies are all handpicked by me because they are amazing stampers - all with varying styles and strengths. Their combined talent make each swap round something not to be missed and gives each of us fabulous inspiration!

The first piece is a gift wallet by my great friend Patti Chesky. Look at that gorgeous combination of color and elements!

Patti had also sent me this fabric flower pin in May and I'd not taken the opportunity to show it to you! It is stunning in person and believe it or not, all made with the Big Shot!

And just look at this adorable beach basket and the yummy chocolate treat that was tucked inside! This is from my friend Gretchen Barron and is just stinkin' adorable!

Gretchen also sent along this card she made using SU's digital paper crafting software - My Digital Studio. It is so obviously NOT just for scrapbooking! This card is gorgegous!

And just who doesn't love a little bitty card and a gift of ribbon?!
My buddy Daryl Micciche knows just how to make me squeal with delight, which is what I did when I opened her swap package and found this gift!
A lot of my swappers send me chocolate, but since it was so hot, Daryl elected to send ribbon instead - which has the added benefit of no calories! Yeah!
I just love the little card she made for it with the new Artistic Impressions stamp set - so adorable! Daryl doesn't have a blog or I'd give you the link there.

So, there you go, I've had a chance to show off some of my talented friends artwork and tell everyone just how special they are to me! Love them bunches!
Check back in tomorrow for RAK Showcase Act 2!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Sweet, Sparkly and Chocolate!

Hi everyone, did you have a good weekend?
Ours was crazy busy - I had my Very Valentine Class on Saturday morning, and a fun stampin' party on Saturday night, so stamping was definitely the highlight! We also spent Sunday visiting my Dad in the Veterans hospital in Richmond. Some of you already knew that he was not doing great and have been praying for him and I appreciate that so much! Please keep praying for him - we can feel it! We know that God is faithful and is in complete control.

I have a very 'sweet' share for you today - it's a RAK from my friend Kerin Sylvester. Kerin is one of the newest members of my private swap group the GoDivas and look at what she sent me along with her swap package at the end of December!

I KNOW! More Chocolate! And isn't it just darling?!
She used that yummylicious new Designer Paper called Sending Love to make the envelope with the Scallop Envelope Die and her Big Shot. That dsp has glitter covering one side of each sheet, so in addition to being gorgeous, it's sparkly too! And who doesn't love a little bling with their chocolate?!
The ribbon is the Very Vanilla Satin Ribbon and she tied on a little tag made with the 3/4" Circle punch and the new Small Heart punch. Isn't it cute?

Here 's a closer look at the little card she wrote. It was made with the new I {heart} Hearts stamp set and the Heart to Heart punch. Just too, too cute!
I loved my little gift Kerin and I'm so glad you are part of our swap group too! :)

For all my clients out there, did you know that Stampin' Up! is doing a fundraiser to help the people of Haiti? Since the devastating earthquake they experienced two weeks ago, Stampin' Up! has not only sent over 5000 hygiene kits packaged by the SU! employees in Utah, they are also donating $2 of EVERY purchase of the I {heart} Hearts stamp set to the American Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. This donation period doesn't end until February 28th, so you have time to help make a difference with your purchase of this stamp set.
If I am your demonstrator and you'd like to participate in this effort, simply go to my website and place your order in my online store or you can call or send me an e-mail and I'll take care of it for you!

Have a great Monday evening!
~~Robin

Chocolate RAK from Ashley!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - the BEST thing about being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator is the FRIENDSHIPS! Honestly folks, in the 4 1/2 years I've been with this wonderful company, I've made lifelong friendships with women that I never would have even crossed paths with had it not been for our mutual love of stamping and paper crafting.
Many of these friends are close by and are a wonderful part of my client base, but many of them are from all over the US, Canada and Australia! The project I'm showing you today was a gift from one of those friends, Ashley VanCamp who lives in Utah, very near the SU! headquarters. (Ashley, can you feel the creative vibes in the air?!)
She is one of the newest members of my private swap group - the GoDivas - and when she sent me her swap package, it contained this fabulous package of goodies!

Now, the dark chocolate would really have been super special on it's own, seeing as it's my FAVORITE and all, but Ashley made it super-duper special by putting it in this uber-cute package!
I love the topper she created and it even sparkles since she sprayed it with shimmer mist made out of our shimmer paints. The topper itself was created with the Big Shot and she stamped it with words from the Wonderful Friend stamp set. She added a piece of Patterns Designer Paper to the plastic pouch to jazz it up a bit. The front flap is secured with a velcro dot so I don't have to ruin the package to get to the yummies inside!
I told Ashley that it was almost too pretty to eat and she suggested that I could just refill it.....!

I hope you all have a great day wherever you are. I have my two Just Cards classes going on today at 10 am and 7 pm, so it's a busy day for me, but fun since we'll be stampin'!
Don't you want to come stamp with me too?
~~Robin

Baby Blogger's Challenge

It's finally FRIDAY! WooHoo! Can you relate? I am so looking forward to this long weekend, maybe by Monday I'll have shaken this yukky cold and feel like myself again. I am not a very patient sick person, mainly because I HATE to have anything mess with my already stacked schedule, but also because I don't SIT STILL very well. Isn't it Newton that said "An object in motion tends to stay in motion."? Well this object hasn't had much motion this week and boy, my mojo has suffered!

Fortunately, I had made this card back in December for my GoDivas swap group. AND it so happens to fit the theme for this week's Blogger's Challenge - using Pink, Brown and White on a project.
I used several new items from the Occasions Mini Catalog for this: Fox and Friends Clear Mount stamp set, Sweet Pea DSP Stack, Polka-Dot Impressions folder and the yummy new Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon. Oooh, shiny!

I don't know about ya'll, but I never have enough ideas for baby cards, they just don't come easily to me and I don't see many of them via swaps or online either. The layout on this one is age old, but is such a good one and worked well for these stamps. I used my 1 1/4" Square punch on the stamped images and my 1 3/8" Square punch on the Close to Cocoa layers. They were simply adhered to the dsp which is on another Close to Cocoa layer.

My greeting is stamped with Teeny Tiny wishes (if you don't own this stamp set yet - put it on your list! It's a must own, go-to set and a good purchase for Sale-A-Bration. Just sayin'!)
I stamped in Close to Cocoa ink, punched it out with the Modern Label punch and sponged it with Pretty in Pink. It's popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals next to the satin ribbon bow which was adhered with Mini Glue Dots.

Since I had to make 30 of these cards, I didn't have enough pink dsp for all of them, so I did a blue version as well. Here is a peek at that one:

I just substituted the Bashful Blue cardstock, ink and striped grosgrain ribbon where the pink was in the first card. My turtle image was stamped with Old Olive ink instead of Certainly Celery and whale was done with Bashful Blue instead of Pretty in Pink.
These cards made me smile when they were all done - they were just light and sweet and made me happy to think of brand new babies! I hope you like them too!

Be sure to check out all the other Blogger's Challenge players by clicking on the icon in my sidebar. I know you'll be inspired by all their Pink and Brown projects too!
Come see me tomorrow for the next Stamping 411 Sketch Challenge too, it's a doozy!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

GoDivas Leadership Swap Card

Well, we had an exciting day yesterday in the Stampin' Up! community - SU! unveiled it's brand new online site for Demonstrators ONLY called the Stampin' Connection. It's a facebook like site where we can connect with demos all across the country and share ideas, samples and messages in real time. Since I'm still feeling cruddy from this cold, it was just what I needed to perk up my day yesterday.

Yesterday was also very sad for me personally as I attended the memorial service for my friend Natalie. She has been my neighbor and friend for 10 years now and was also a regular fixture at every stampin' class I've held for the past almost 3 years. She had been going through a number of personal challenges these past few months and recently contracted the flu, which is what took her life sometime last Tuesday. She leaves behind a 5 year old daughter and a void in the life of all her friends and family. She was amazingly creative and had a huge heart that she shared with all who knew her. She will definitely be missed and I want to dedicate my card share today to her memory.

One of my greatest joys as a demonstrator is found in the swap group I created about 3 years ago called the GoDivas (named by one of our members for my love of chocolate!). These ladies are all handpicked by me, all have different styles and strengths and are amazing stampers! We just wrapped up our swap for the New Occasions Mini Catalog and I'll share some samples from that one soon. This card is one I created for our small Leadership swap for the GoDivas attending.

I started with Close to Cocoa cardstock cut square. It's layered with Naturals Ivory cardstock which has been stamped collage-like with images from the new Vintage Vogue stamp set. I used Chocolate Chip and Bashful Blue, stamped off one time. It's edges were sponged with Close to Cocoa ink.
The next layer is Bashful Blue cardstock which was run through my Big Shot with the new Polka-Dot Impressions Folder, then sponged with more Close to Cocoa ink.

I've layered two ribbons over that piece of cardstock, Chocolate Chip Double Stitched Grosgrain and Bashful Blue Taffeta. The single knot bow is added at the bottom with Mini Glue Dots.
The focal image was stamped in Close to Cocoa ink on more Naturals Ivory cardstock, then I added some flowers in Bashful Blue, stamped off once. More sponging on the edges and then it's layered on a piece of Close to Cocoa cardstock, finally being popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals to finish it off.

I was so happy with the way this card turned out, so soft and pretty. If Natalie could have seen it, I think she would have liked it too!
Hug the ones you love today, it'll warm your heart and make you both feel good!
Love and blessings to you all,
~~Robin

The Same...But Different!

Hooray, it's Thursday! Just one more day until our fun WOW Christmas Card Classes! If you are attending, are you excited about it? If you aren't are you sad? Me too!! I still have a couple of spots open for Saturday if you want to come stamp with us! AND, one of the cards we are doing is card number two in today's post! Maybe that will entice you......

Anyway, the first card in this post was my first idea for this card, which we did at a class last month. I loved it so much and it was super simple to do even though it doesn't look it. Well, I needed a WOW card for my Go-Divas Swap and I decided to take that first card to the next level. This is the result........

Do you like it? I so wish you could see all the shimmer and shine in this picture. The whole texturized layer is sponged with the Champagne Mist Shimmer paint. It practically glows in real life! The snowflake is cut out with my Big Shot using Brushed Gold cardstock and the center is accented with a Rhinestone Fire Circle Brad. The greeting is Heat Embossed with Gold Embossing Powder and for the final touch, I tied up the Old Olive Striped Grosgrain Ribbon with a bow of Gold Elastic Cord. This card looks so rich and elegant in person, I can't wait for the ladies in my classes to make this one! It really is a WOW card! For those of you who want the info, I've posted the supply list for both cards below.

Be sure to stop by here tomorrow to see my Blogger's Challenge project. It's supposed to be a halloween theme, but as you read here earlier this week, we don't do halloween at our house. SO, I did a fall themed project and I really think you'll like it! Can't wait to hear your responses!

Oh, and by the way - our new Super Wal-Mart is da' bomb! I've never had such a good time grocery shopping before! LOL! The store is so huge, I need to wear my tennis shoes next time - I can get a workout just walking the store! :)
Have a great Thursday everyone!
~~Robin

All Supplies Su!
Card #1
Cardstock: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Brushed Gold
Stamps: Short and Sweet
Inks: Old Olive
Accessories: Big Shot, Petals A Plenty Embossing Folder, Snowflake Sizzlits, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Word Window Punch, Modern Label Punch, Vintage Brads, Old Olive Wide Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Card #2
Cardstock: Same as above
Stamps: Christmas Punch
Ink: Encore Gold
Accessories: Big Shot, Petals A Plenty Embossing Folder, Snowflake Sizzlits, Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint, Large Oval Punch, Heat Tool, Gold Embossing Powder, Old Olive Wide Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Gold Elastic Cord, Rhinestone Fire Circle Brads, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stampin' Sponge

Go-Divas Do it Again!

One of the fun things about being a demonstrator is getting to swap or trade cards, projects and ideas with other super talented demonstrators. Honestly, it's where I get some of my best ideas from the creativity of others around me. That's the whole idea of CASING - what we call Copy and Share Everything or CASE for short.

After convention two years ago, I decided to put together a group of stampers whose talent and creativity I greatly admired and as time passed, we have grown to a group of 30 stampers. We even have a waiting list! I never would have believed that! Anyway, we are called the Go-Divas because of a certain person's love for all things Chocolate - get it - GoDivas, Godiva...... Ok, so you get it! The photo below is just 7 of this very talented group (and me too, I'm in the picture with them) who met at convention this year to swap a Small 3-D item.

They are L to R Top Row: Becky Morris, Kelly Taylor, Gretchen Barron and Jane Allison;

L to R Bottom Row: Yvette Sanchez, Selene Kempton, Me and Tiffany Bauer.

Yep - a VERY talented bunch of stampers - and my friends too!

Today I'm posting their swaps for you to ogle and drool over, no details, but if you want info, feel free to contact me, ok? You already saw mine while I was at convention, it is at this post here.

Christmas Note Card Pouch by Yvette Sanchez (there really are 4 cards with envelopes in each pouch!)

ScrapBoard Clipboard by Tiffany Bauer
(This will proudly display my photo with my Go-Divas!)

Layered Paper and Crystal Effects Wearable Art by Selene Kempton
(Amazing and time consuming technique!)

Candy Treat Pouch (with Dove chocolate!) and Gum Wrapper by Kelly Taylor
(We can always count on Kelly for something Pink!)

Halloween Acetate Treat Pouch by Jane Allison (yes, she embossed and HAND CUT all of those bony guys!)

Lollipop Treat Holder by Becky Morris

(It's too cute to eat!)

Envelope Scrapbook Purse by Gretchen Barron

I have posted both outside and inside views for you and it still does not do it justice. Gretchen does have a tutorial on her blog if you want more information.

(She really did make 8 of these! - Amazing!)

And here are my GoDivas acting as the Divas they really are! Love you guys bunches!

I hope you enjoyed seeing all their fabulous projects today, these ladies are Rock Stars in my book and inspire me everyday!

Be sure to check back tomorrow - I have my Blogger's Challenge project all ready to go for you, it's got a couple of sneak peeks for you from the New Mini Catalog that comes out on September 1st. You won't want to miss it!

Love and stamps to you all,

~~Robin