Look out for Cupid!

I promised you something creative today too - not just Leadership photos, so here you go!

This cutie-patootie card is one that I designed for my Very Valentine Stamp Camp last weekend. I liked it so much, that I made 17 more of them for my GoDivas Leadership swap too.

This card is made with the NEW P.S. I Love You stamp set that's in the Occasions Mini catalog. I chose Cherry Cobbler and Blushing Bride with Very Vanilla for my color combo - love the subtlety of these colors together.

My card base is Cherry Cobbler and the first layer is a piece of Blushing Bride Patterns Designer Series Paper. It's edged with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter applied with the 2 Way Glue Pen.

The next layer is Cherry Cobbler as well, and the collage stamped layer of Very Vanilla is adhered to it. I tied a piece of Blushing Bride Poly-Twill Ribbon around it in a knot and added the punched embellishments with Stampin' Dimensionals. The top circle also has Dazzling Diamonds added around the edge - you can never have too much glitter!

There is another Very Vanilla inside that's stamped with the heart and cupid as well as a Be My Valentine greeting. All in all, a very simply card to make.
The gals at Very Valentine class loved this one and so do I!

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

#119267 - Blushing Bride Poly Twill Ribbon $8.95 (15 yard spool)

#117158 - 2010 In Color Designer Series Paper Stack - $21.95 (four sheets of each color and double sided pattern)

#125462 - P.S. I Love You Stamp Set - $27.95 (clear-mount)

As always you can shop in my Online Stampin' Store for all your Stampin' Up! supplies - and don't forget NOW through March 31st - for EACH $50 in merchandise you purchase, YOU get a FREE product choice from the Sale-A-Bration Brochure!!! Check out all the selections on my website!

Have a great day everyone!
Happy Stampin' and shoppin',
~~Robin

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

Leadership - Fun with Friends!

I had such an amazing time at our Leadership Conference last week in San Antonio, TX. The best part of any Stampin' Up! event is being able to spend time with friends that I love dearly and only get to see a couple of times a year. Today's photos are all about the friends!

This photo was before we went in to the Manager's Reception:
L to R - Michelle Theriault, Tara Bazata, Tiffany Bauer, Me, Patti Chesky
(side note - the food I'm holding in my hand never was consumed - I just plain talk too much!! Good thing we had appetizers in the hotel restaurant before the event!)

Here I am with my roomies at breakfast the next morning - note the large cups of coffee being consumed.
L to R - Michelle Theriault, Michelle Suit (her 1st Leadership!), me, Tara Bazata.

This is a photo of my wonderful group of swappers, the GoDivas. Amy Caraluzzi, who is to my left in the photo named our group because of my well known love of all things chocolate. She's the bomb! These girls are all hand picked by me because of their style and the quality of their work. We have all different styles in our group so we always get a great variety of cards, but all are the best quality. Love these girls! Do you recognize any of them??

Here's my BFF Tiffany showing off one of the All-Attendee prize giveaways! We can't show the stamp set - it's coming out in June with the New Catalog!
No matter how many times we attend an SU! event, we still LOVE getting FREE stuff!! And the best part - Stampin' Up! never disappoints!

Here I am with two good friends, Debbie Naylor and Rachel Yurkanin. Debbie and I met at her first Founder's Circle and I met Rachel and her husband on our Hawaii Incentive Trip. They are two of the sweetest girls I know!

Me with my roomies on the Riverwalk at night. Not the greatest photo, but trust me, it's so beautiful down there!
My upline, Jan Wakeland, held a little get together in her room for her Dreambuilders Group. We somehow all managed to pile on the bed for this photo. Cathie Gaspart is not pictured because she is taking the photo for us.
I'm truly surprised that we didn't collapse that bed!

Me with Jan, my upline and fellow Advisory Board alumni.

Me with my secret sister, Kathy Hamrick.

We ate at a restaurant called Casa Rio down on the Riverwalk two nights in a row! The mexican food was authentic and oh, so yummy! This photo is of our last night there. We picked up a few more friends along the way that night. Next to Tara is Brenda Marshall, Tammy Morgan and across from her, Diana Eichfeld.

Waving goodbye to the Cindy, my fellow Facebook reporter for the event. It was so much fun, but it was time to go.
Did you follow our photo journey on Facebook?

Like I said before, my SU! friends are dear to me. I love that our company has brought me together with ladies I'd probably never have met otherwise, but are truly my sisters. It's the best part of my job!
I'd love to have you join me. Starting today, our Demonstrator Starter Kit is on SALE for just $125! Plus you get a whole year of FREE Designer Series Paper as Stampin' Up!'s gift to you!
Want to know more??
Check out this link here: Join the Fun with Robin!
Or you can e-mail me at stampwithrobin@yahoo.com - I'd love to chat with you!
We've already had one new stampers join our team with this special - last night at 3:15 am! She just couldn't wait to get started - how about you??

Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Birthday Treats are the Best!

Howdy Stampers!!
Can you tell I just returned from San Antonio?? heehee.
There were definitely some cowboys hanging around our hotel, but I didn't do much "howdying" - SU! kept us pretty busy with our conference!

Something really cool did happen to me and my friend Michelle Suit. We had gotten on an elevator to go up to a little get together in Jan Wakeland's room, when all of a sudden this guy in a bright blue cowboy shirt practically sprinted onto the elevator. Well, I didn't pay him much attention, but then I heard Michelle talking to him behind me. So, I turned around and found myself staring into Mr. "God Bless the USA" himself, Lee Greenwood!
Lemme tell ya - THAT was a pretty cool moment.
What was really cool was that I maintained my composure (I think. I'll have to check with Michelle) and stuck out my hand to shake his. I said, "Hello Mr. Greenwood. Thank you so much for your music." Or something like that. He said "You're welcome." and I think I told him to have a good evening.
Honestly, it's kind of a blur right now. But, hey! I didn't go all fan girl on him and ask for a picture or gush or anything - and I'm pretty proud of myself.
Good thing he got off the elevator pretty quickly or things might have been different. Just sayin'.

I'll share some fun photos from leadership with you tomorrow. We had a blast and came home so ready to share all that we learned. I've got some great ideas for projects and classes too, so look out - we're gonna have some Stampin' fun this spring!

Here's a card I created for my card classes this month:

It uses a mix of old and new stamps and accessories. I love how some stamp sets blend so beautifully together - like they were made for each other.
The colors are from the current year In Colors - Lucky Limeade, Calypso Coral, Pool Party, Wisteria Wonder. I added Whisper White as my neutral.

The candies that are stamped on the White background layer come from the Sweets for the Sweet stamp set (which was all the sweeter because it was a gift to us on the Alaska Cruise this past year!). I added a little Dazzling Diamonds glitter with my 2 Way Glue Pen so they would stand out a bit.

The six punched squares are pieces of the new Sweet Shop Specialty Designer Series Paper. I used my 1 1/4" Square Punch to punch out 2 each of 3 different designs. I think it's a fun mix of candies, cakes and ice cream! Actually, it's making me hungry........

I stamped the greeting from the new Sweet Cake stamp set on a Whisper White scrap with Wisteria Wonder Classic Ink. It's punched out with the Decorative Label Punch and edged with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. I trimmed off part of the bottom of the punch out so it would sit nicely behind the Wisteria Wonder Ruffled Ribbon that's tied around the top layers. Those layers were attached to the stamped background with Stampin' Dimensionals - you know I had to! Dimensionals make the card dontcha know!

This was a fun card to create and one of the class favorites this month. It's perfect for anyone's birthday, young or old.

Have a great evening everyone! I'll be back tomorrow with fun photos and another project too!
~~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 to get started.

Looking for Something New in the New Year?

For many of you, the idea of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator has crossed your mind a time or two. Now, at the start of a NEW year, is a great time to give it some more serious consideration.

There is a fabulous special offer beginning tomorrow, January 24th for anyone wanting to try out Stampin' Up!
The Full Size Starter Kit goes on SALE for just $125 - that's a $50 savings on the regular price! Plus, Stampin' Up! is giving you a BONUS that lasts ALL YEAR!
For every month that you place an order - for the rest of 2012 - you can choose either a package of our exclusive Designer Series Paper (10.95) OR any Digital Download for our My Digital Studio digital design software suite. That's over a $100 BONUS - minimum!

I could tell you over and over again what a fantastic opportunity it is; or how wonderful a company Stampin' Up! is to work with; or how much it has enriched my life - in countless ways. But you already know that if you are a regular blog reader!

Take a minute to listen to our CEO Shelli Gardner tell it in her own words:


I'd love to welcome you to my team of Demonstrators as either a Hobby Demonstrator, Part-Time Demonstrator or Full-Time Demonstrator. It's YOUR Business done YOUR Way!

Check out these survey answers from our current Demonstrators:

Top 10 Things Demonstrators Love about Being Part of the Stampin' Up! Family

• Tens of thousands of cards, scrapbook pages, gift ideas, and home décor items that no one else has access to!


• Plenty of social opportunities to share fun and creativity with others!


• Receiving Stampin' Success, a monthly publication for demonstrators only, that features great techniques, inspiring spotlights, exciting product information, and so much more!


• First to see and try new products and receive free product giveaways!


• Fabulous getaway opportunities at annual Stampin' Up! events, plus opportunities to travel around the world--FREE--with family and friends!


• Part of an exclusive online community where creative minds share their thoughts and feelings on. . . well, just about everything!


• Flexibility to make it all happen when it fits best in your life!


• Savings on the best products in the crafting industry and plenty of exciting specials!


• Being part of a strong sisterhood of women who share bonds of friendship, creativity, and integrity!


• Partnering with a company that puts people and relationships first--ALWAYS!

I'd love to chat with you more about being part of my Stampin' Up! family!

Send me an e-mail at stampwithrobin@yahoo.com so we can arrange the best time for you!

There's more information for you on my website as well: Robin's Stampin' Up! Webpage

Just click the "Join Now" button and check it out!

Can't wait to share more with you!

~~Robin

Blog Vacation!

Hello stampers!!

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm on a blog vacation until Monday the 23rd. I'll be leaving early in the morning for Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference in sunny San Antonio, TX and I won't be back in the studio until next Monday.

I'd planned to leave you with some new projects already loaded and ready to post for you, but folks, I simply ran out of time today! I need to pack all my swaps and my unmentionables in my suitcase so I've got what I need while I'm there, so no posts for now. :(

Check back on Monday, I promise I have enough new projects to show you to carry us into the first week of February!!
And if you want to keep up with my adventures in San Antonio, check out the Stampin' Up! page on Facebook - I'm their reporter again for this fun event!!

Happy Trails!!
~~Robin

Simple Mixed Bunch

I'm having a GREAT morning!
Well, any morning that I wake up is a great morning, but really - today is starting off fantastic!

It's been kind of a rough 6 weeks or so around here. Busyness galore, missing my Dad at Christmas, changes with our church, skating, skating and more skating. Pretty much every area of my life was affected by STUFF, know what I mean?
Today though, I see a little light at the end of my tunnel and I'm getting very excited about next week especially because I'll get to be with so many of my fabulous stampin' friends in San Antonio at SU!'s Leadership Conference! Can you say "mini-vacation for Mom"??
I still have a ton of work to do both for my classes next week and stuff for the conference, but today, it seems do-able. Like God is whispering to me "It's all gonna be ok, just trust me." And I do. He gives the peace that passes all understanding and I see it in so many things when I take the time to acknowledge them in my life. A sunny morning when you expected rain; a sweet text from a friend saying "Hey Petunia!", getting to have a few hours out to shop and play with another friend, having my sweet Buster curled up beside me as I type this post. They are all small, simple things, but they bring me joy and peace and I know that each is a gift from the God who loves me so much!
What are YOUR simple joys? You know you have them, wanna share?
I've loved reading your comments and e-mails on this post the other day - Early Twitter. You guys are awesome!

Since I was thinging about simple joys this morning, I thought I'd share a simple card with you as well. It's one that we made at my Open House last month.


I know, I know, Mixed Bunch again!
It's the simplified version of my Marimekko style cards from the other day, but how quick and easy can this be?
Poppy Parade cardstock, Poppy Parade ink for the background flower, Poppy Parade Twill Ribbon. Add a splash of Daffodil Delight with the two punched flowers and Basic Rhinestone for the bling and you've got it!
Simple, elegant and easy - and sure to bring a smile to someone's face when you send them a sweet note in it.
You know, a card is a hug with a fold in the middle!

So, I hope you all have a sunny day too - even if it's not sunny outside.
Here's a great song that I shared on my Facebook this morning. It's a great reminder that everything we do is a reflection of our creator. When we show Jesus to those around us, it's a two way blessing!
Stamped blessings,
~~Robin

Live in the Sunshine - Shaped Notecard

Today is the perfect day to share this card with you.
The sun is out this morning and after the yukky, on and off downpours we had here yesterday, it's truly a welcome sight!
Monday we had snow, Tuesday, sun; yesterday, pouring rain; today, sun - anyone betting that tomorrow will be some form of stuff falling from the sky??
Guess I'd better check the weather report........

So for today, I'll "Live in the Sunshine". Actually, I try and do that everyday. It's easy to let circumstances and people drag you down, but really the key is not to let it happen. We're the only ones who have control over our emotional choices and it's a tough life lesson when we're going through it.
My daughter Emma was pouring out her heart last night on the way home from skating. She's having a tough time with another girl on her team who just doesn't like her. She's spent the entire season going out of her way to make Emma miserable. Emma doesn't understand, especially in light of the fact that she's friends with EVERY other girl on the team. At 14, it's hard to see that some people are just difficult, period. Whatever their reasons, there are some who choose to make those around them miserable. Sadly, like we told Emma last night, the world is full of girls like this one and hard as it may be, it's best to learn how to deal with them now and hold on to the truth that NO ONE can make you feel bad unless you let them. We can't control the thoughts and actions of others, but we can control ourselves - and that lesson makes all the difference!

Bah! I've been talking an awful lot lately - hope you're ok with that. Well, I guess you wouldn't come back if you weren't! Ha!
Today's card just reminded me of this conversation last night so I shared.

Now about the card.
I signed up for a Vintage card swap at Leadership this year. I've never done that before and you know I love that style, so I figured I'd give it a whirl.
This card was one that I also featured at my Open House last month - kind of trying it out, ya know? Well, they loved it so I went ahead and kept it as my swap design.
One thing I did differently was to use Stampin' Write Markers on the swap cards. My sample, shown here, used sponged daubers and q-tips with ink pads to color in the flowers and I just wanted a deeper color after I pondered it a bit.

I actually created the card using the new Framelits Labels Die Set. All the cardstock pieces were cut with them, so easy!
The stamp set is the coordinating Apothecary Art - honestly, this seems to be the most popular set from the New Occasions Mini so far judging by the samples I've seen. About 1/2 the swap cards I've received this season so far have used it!

The greeting actually comes from the Full of Life stamp set. I stamped it in Basic Black then cut it out with the right size Framelit. It's sponged in Blushing Bride, blinged up with a couple of pearls and popped up over the ribbon with some Stampin' Dimensionals.

The main image was stamped with Versamark ink then heat embossed with Basic Black EP. (I did use my now retired Embossing Buddy to de-static the cardstock first, but you can also use a new dryer sheet for the same purpose)

Once it was embossed, I cut it out with the matching size Framelit Die. I sponged the edges with Crumb Cake then the color was added to the flowers and leaves - Blushing Bride and Lucky Limeade. It was attached with Stampin' Dimensionals to the Blushing Bride card front underneath. Once it was attached, I threaded the Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon underneath and tied it off in a bow. I think I used 18" of ribbon, but don't quote me on that!

That card front was just a piece of 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" cardstock (easier to just use a 1/4 sheet of cardstock), cut out with the largest Framelit in the set, then sponged with Crumb Cake ink.

Here's a look at the back side so you can see how I did the notecard itself:

I cut a piece of Whisper White at 4 1/2" x 8 1/2" (you get two card bases out of one sheet of cardstock this way and the strip leftover from the end is large enough to use for the greeting here.).
It's folded in half and I placed the folded edge just below the cut line of the Framelit so when it ran through the Big Shot Machine, it would create a folded note card.
It's adhered to the Blushing Bride card front with Tombow Multi Adhesive.

All in all, it's a very easy card to make, just a few steps, that's all!

Well, I'm off here now to get to work! I've got cardstock to cut and swaps to make!! :)
Have a wonderful, SUNNY day!
~~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!