No, I didn't get lost in Utah!

But, man, it sure was hard to come home again!
Sorry I've been AWOL for the last week - I came home to mucho work piled up and lots of family catching up to do, so I truly had no time to post anything even though I wanted to! I have a lot of fun pics to share, so I'll be posting some each day over the next few days, so keep checking back, ok?


This year's Founder's Circle trip was simply fabulous - I wish I could have packed you all up and taken you with me! We had the entire hotel to ourselves and this big banner welcomed us from the moment we stepped off the bus!



When we got to our rooms, we each had this cute door hanger waiting just for us - and we got to bring it home too!

And boy, did they ever feed us well! There was a great big room at the hotel set up with comfy couches, bean bag chairs and lots of tables for stamping and sharing - but look - these candy bars were everywhere in that room! Complete with little buckets and pink ribbon for us to take our fill! Talk about paradise! I didn't know where to start!














My very first excursion was to the day spa where I did the Queen for a Day treatments! I definately left my worries at the door for a while!

I was treated to a Hot Stone Massage, European Facial, Manicure, Pedicure and new hairstyle! Gotta go get me a flatiron now - I kinda liked it! check out the picture at dinner below and tell me what you think!










That night, I reserved a room at Famous Dave's BBQ restaurant just down from the hotel and about 20 of us went and had some really good bbq and SWEET ICED TEA! That is really hard to find in Utah, but Famous Dave's is in the south as well and having enjoyed their food many times - I KNEW they'd be able to hook me up!
This picture is of me with some of my buddies - L to R - Debbie Naylor, Me, Debbie Moczek and Tammie Ackerson.

Not pictured to protect the innocent is Aly Schilling, who enjoyed the ears of corn from everyone's plate around her. She is expecting her first baby and apparently the little one likes corn!

We were entertained by a very intoxicated man who wandered in from the bar after he heard our laughter and silliness. He proceeded to try and give back massages to each gal around the table, but when he got to me I told him he better not touch me because I was a cop. He didn't like that too much so he wandered back into the bar and we got the manager. Such excitement for a bunch of stamping ladies! Whew!

Come back tomorrow and I'll share pictures from the Pajama Party - and more!

~~Robin

Bonnie is so Sweet!

I am flying home from Founder's Circle today and thought this was the perfect time to share this cute card. I received it from Bonnie Thurber at convention this year and since I just got to spend the last few days with her in St. George, UT, I wanted to take a minute to tell the world how wonderful she is! Bonnie works for Stampin' Up! and is an amazing stamper, presenter and hugger! All the demonstrators love her!

It was really a priviledge to speak at our convention in August, but I was a little bit nervous about the "bigness" of it all. But, Bonnie sat in on the rehearsal that Karah and I had the first day and afterward gave me this sweet little card with beautiful words inside that made me cry.

Some of you may recognize the Fresh Cut Notes from the new catalog and Bonnie just made it pop with some Rose Red Designer Series Paper on the inside. Easy-peasy card, but so fresh and elegant!

I'll be back from Founder's late tonight, so I hope to see a lot of you at Stamp Camp on Tuesday. I do still have some space available for both, so just call or e-mail me on Monday to let me know you are coming! I have LOTS of fun things to share with you!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Founder's Swap Card

Yes, I really did make 135 of these cards. Good thing I LIKE it so much!

We were directed to create a holiday card and make enough for all the demonstrators who were attending. The funny thing is, I didn't use a true "holiday" stamp set to create it.

I really love it when I can use my everyday stamps for special occasions and this card showcases that very well. Stamps are really very versatile, we just have to think outside of the box sometimes.

The card base is Kiwi Kiss cardstock and it's layered with Riding Hood Red and a piece of Holiday Traditions DSP. The pretty berries on the Riding Hood Red are from a stamp set I received at Convention for FREE (gotta love that!) called Kindred Spirits. I always thought this particular stamp reminded me of Nandina berries which my Mom always used for decoration at Christmas time. So, I just inked it up in Riding Hood Red and stamped away!

The greeting is from Holidays and Wishes, a mixed occasion greeting set. The Merry Christmas stamp was just the right font for an elegant touch and it fit perfectly in the NEW Wide Oval punch! Yippee! So, I stamped a bunch of these (ok, Lissa, you did help - thank you muchly!), punched them out, sponged the edges in the same ink and added the Green Rhinestone brad. It's mounted on dimensionals for pop. Lastly, I added the New Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon (I've already gone through 6 rolls of that ribbon! LOVE it! Trust me, you NEED it!) and Voila - finished card!

This could easily be stepped up by embossing the berries or using some glitter as well. Lots of possibilities, but keeping it simple allowed me to create many of these and it didn't kill me to do them!

How many Christmas Cards do YOU need this year? Be sure to check out my Christmas card classes on my Fall Schedule (check the link on my sidebar). I still have openings and there is a class for all levels of stampers. It's fun and painless - really!

Stamped blessings,
Robin

Yummy in my Tummy!

Chocolate is my very favorite food group. And I especially love when it's combined with my favorite fruits and herbs like in these Ghiradelli Chocolate squares. Yumm, Rasberry and Mint - with Dark Chocolate no less. Nutritious and delicious, with Anti-oxidants no less! Does it get any better than this? I think NOT!

Well, unless you doodle them up in cute little gift packages like these! I saw this idea on my 3rd upline's blog a while back knew I had to CASE it to share with you. Here is the link to her post.

For these babies, I simply used some of the NEW Designer Series Paper from Green Tea and Bella Rose and cut a piece with my Top Note die and my Big Shot. The cute label on each bag was made with the Curly Label Punch and the Cute and Curly stamp set, also NEW in the Idea Book and Catalog. Gorgeous NEW Felt Flowers, Pearls and Rhinestone brads and ribbon complete them and they are all packaged up in the Small Cello bags. Too easy, too fun and way yummy!

As you read this, I'm on an airplane headed for St. George, Utah for our Founder's Circle trip. I can't thank you enough for being such great clients and hostesses and making it possible for me to have this treat! You are really the best!
xo,
Robin

Quick Christmas Cards!

Hey everybody! I know I've talked a lot about the Big Shot over the past few weeks, but ya know, the proof is in the pudding, so they say!

This past Sunday, I attended my upline's demo meeting and needed to take some swap cards to trade with the other talented ladies there that day.

So, being near the end of making 135 swap cards for my Founder's Circle trip this week, the prospect of making ANY swaps at all just was NOT appealing. Know what I mean? But, me being me, I HATE to miss a good chance to get some great ideas, so I found myself in the studio on Saturday morning creating a new swap card.

Enter the Big Shot to the rescue! Da, da, da, da! I went back to my folded Top Note note card design and just put a Christmas twist on it with some fun new paper and stamps. And hold on to your hats here, I made 31 of these cards start to finish in just an hour and a half! Man, I wish every swap was this painless!


I'm sorry my pictures aren't better, I know my lighting needs work, but at least you can see the idea here. The stamping looks much better in person, I promise! For this card, I used Old Olive cardstock, Holiday Traditions DSP, Riding Hood Red Taffeta Ribbon and a NEW stamp set from the Holiday Mini that comes out on October 1st! It's called A Cardinal Christmas and I've used all the images here except for the primary one, a beautiful Cardinal on a branch. You are going to love it! Did you know that the Cardinal was the Virginia state bird? Just a bit of trivia for you today, now back to our regularly schedule post.

To make the card, I folded a regular 1/2 sheet of cardstock in half and laid it on the Top Note die, with just a little bit of the side edge of the die showing. When I ran it thru my Big Shot, it left part of the folded edge intact and gave me two openings in the side to run ribbon thru. Isn't that fun? Hope you are coming to stamp camp soon, because you'll be making one of these!

I fly outta here for Founder's Circle on Wednesday and I'll be gone until Sunday night, but I've got some posts pre-loaded for you to enjoy!
Blessings,
~~Robin

Blogger's Challenge - Designer Series Paper

She's a butterfly and oh, my, how time does fly. When I was putting this layout together, the Martina McBride song kept running thru my head and I couldn't help but think of butterflies and how they change and grow and become something beautiful. But, they also spread their wings and fly away someday. So, I'll just enjoy the time I have with my baby and pray that as she grows, she spreads her wings in the right directions.

This layout is for my scrapbook class today, but it also was a good fit for today's Blogger's Challenge. I used a strip of the Designer Series Paper that comes in the Flower Power Card Elements Kit.

Ever since I got that kit, I have LOVED this paper. I love the color combination, love the patterns and love the wide, uneven stripes. I so wish I could get a whole pack of just this paper! Anyway, my 12 x 12 cardstock is More Mustard stamped with Doodle This in More Mustard ink. I layered it up with Perfect Plum, Rose Red stamped with Rose Red ink as well and an Old Olive square from Holiday Traditions Designer Series Paper. The photo mats are Old Olive cardstock.

The butterflies are stamped from Flight of the Butterfly as is the quote along the bottom panel - "If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies." - unknown

I did use my Big Shot on this layout for the title, but I used one of my older Sizzlits Alphabets, not an SU! one. I know, shocker! But, it just goes to show that you can use all your dies, no matter what size in this machine. So, I'm just making use of what I have! Besides, I love the font of this one too.

My journaling area will actually be to the right of the photos in the open space. These photos bring out a lot of emotions in me and I just couldn't bring myself to write those feelings just yet. Especially when I saw the painted butterfly on Emma's hand in the top photo. Wow. Love that girl!

So, go hug your kids and then check out the other Blogger's Challenge players - they are amazing!

Happy Friday,

~~Robin

My Daughter is Amazing!

Well, at least I think so!

I'd promised a while back to post this picture of a project Emma made with one piece of the Baskets and Blooms Big Shot Die. So here it is - isn't it cute?

When I made the candle shade last month, Emma took the leftover basket piece and rolled it up into a cylinder. She thought it looked like a vase and proceeded to make flowers to put in it. She used some flowers cut with the Big Shot and put them on handcut stems of River Rock cardstock, adhering them to the back of the "vase".

Using just a bit of Pretty in Pink Grosgrain ribbon, she accented the front by tying a single knot and then adhered it in the back. The flower vase became a refrigerator magnet by simply putting a piece of magnetic tape on the back! Voila! Cute, cute, cute.

Oh, yes, the Chocolate magnet is mine, I know you aren't surprised!

Happy Thursday!

~~Robin