Just Beauty

I love this picture - so many evenings when you look out my front door - God puts on a display of beauty for us and August 25, 2010 was no exception. Just look at this, it looks like wisps of cotton candy in the sky - amazing! Enjoy your day and look for the beauty around you. Thanks for stopping by - Maureen

Wednesday ABC Sneak Peak

My Birthday (Anything But a Card) stamp camp from last week was postponed a week due to the first day of school. Several people could not make it because of the conflict.

Here is a partial picture of just one of several adorable and fun projects we'll be making Wednesday night. Email me now to hold your spot to join us! Please read the full details by clicking on the "Upcoming Events With Maureen" link at the top of my blog right under the header. Hope you can join us!

Princess and the Frog

Yesterday I posted all about Kamili's birthday and today I wanted to share the invite that my daughter Heidi came up with - I think it is adorable. Here's her website to check out more of her creativity - http://www.stampinking.blogspot.com/
And here's the group ready to go out in the mail - she mailed them in Paper CD envelopes with the frog showing through the window - so cute!!

Kamili's 4th Birthday

Last weekend we celebrated Kamili's 4th birthday - the years just seem to be swooshing by - the theme was Princess and the Frog and here is the balloon bouquet that welcomed guests.Heidi made a Princess Tiana (not sure I spelled that right) cake and a bunch of frog cupcakes - aren't they adorable. Hopefully none of my little princesses will need to kiss this many frogs to find their Prince :)Of course there were crafts - here the kiddos are decorating bayou scarves, crowns and Mardi Gras masks.And here are the Alligator goodie boxes all lined up ready for kiddos.Kamili looked like a little princess while she waited to blow out her candle. Try getting all 6 grandbabies to smile at once - just try!

And finally the youngest of the cousins hanging out in the shade - it was a hot day! Happy Birthday Kamili - you are such a blessing to us all.

Belated Birthday Wishes

Last week - I got this great card from my friend Kathy - it is clean and simple (which is definately my style) and contains lots of coffee cups full of coffee (which is definately ME) and the coloring is AMAZING!! This card was well worth the wait - thanks for thinking of me Kathy!

Day at the Beach

Last weekend we made our end of summer trek to the beach. Heidi and family were supposed to go, but couldn't as she was not feeling well. So it was me, Jenee and her kiddos. Here they are walking in the waves and getting some water for a sand castle. And here's the three little ones - just enjoying the sand. It was not real warm - but comfortable with a light jacket. Zamarah was soooooo fascinated by the sand - just let it run through her fingers over and over. I kept expecting her to stick it in her mouth - but she never did. Next week school starts - so summer is over :(

Ribbon Rose

I demonstrated this beautiful ribbon rose at our last CSL meeting - they showed us how to make it at Convention this year. It is simple and beautiful - what more could you ask for. You start with a cardstock square covered with sticky strip. Then I had about 14" of our pink taffeta ribbon. Stick the end down in the center of the sticky, and start twisting the ribbon and sticking it down in a circle as you go - When you're done you have this lovely ribbon rose. I just cut around the rose and got rid of the excess card stock. Tucked the end of the ribbon under and added a pearl to the middle. Soon this will be on a card :) Love it!

More August SSS gifts -

I think this is the last group I have to share - so enjoy - the Secret Sis gifts in our group are always amazing! First is the gift from Lyn's Secret Sis - this beautiful set of cards - note the nice touch of embossing the envelope flap. Here's just one of the cards close up.Here's Julie's gift from her Secret Sis - look at those adorable decorated mini clothes pins -

Here's Heidi's gift from her Secret Sis - Love those Jelly Bean Colors - and how cute is that box -

Here's the tag close up as it was her 4 year SU anniversary.

Here's Toni's gift from her SSS - I've seen these decorated flip flops all over the net - and these were done with a flower cut out of what looks like sparkley fun foam with our daisy die - so cute.

Can't wait to see what September brings :)

August Secret Sister Gifts

Okay - so I have a few more Secret Sister gifts to share with you from this month. Here are a set of coasters for Diane. I took this side picture so you could see the holder and how they stacked. Those are our pearls decorating the holder. and here is picture from the top - each coaster had the same image stamped in a different color.

And here is the lovely card that went in it - and inside, if I remember correctly - a Starbucks card. How cute is that. Note the tiny pearls on the cup. Here is Pat's SSS gift - we normally open the gifts for all to see, but Pat was not there, and her gift was wrapped so nicely that we didn't open this one. But note the cute tube holding the lifesavers - what a cute idea - I wonder what was in there originally.

Our Crazy Stamping Lady August Meeting

Last Saturday was our CSL meeting - we have such a great group - and it was really a FUN meeting. I snapped a few pictures while we were doing the wonderful project that Lisa presented to the group. Here's Sandy and Me (holding Makai) - we had two little honorary stampers joining us.

Here's Heidi, Julie and honorary number 2 - Kamili.This table had Kathy, Toni and Lyn -And here is our fearless project leader, Lisa, showing us the art of vintage -And this is the card we completed - note all the vintage touches - we edged, and sponged, and distressed and added lace and antique buttons - what a lovely card. The sample Lisa showed us was even better (maybe I can get a picture to share), as I was making this with Makai on my lap, so it's toned down a bit -but I still LOVE it!! Thanks again Lisa - for a great project.

Saturday Share Opportunity!!

Hi All - I'm offering a new share opportunity - this is a great way to get some of our product in your hands without breaking the bank to get it all. This share is -

1/2" STITCHED-POLY RIBBON SHARE: ($10.65 + $2 shipping if not a local pickup) This share includes 3 yards of each of the new 1/2" Stitched-Poly ribbon in the FIVE brand new 2010-2012 IN-COLORS (Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzazz). These colors are amazing - as is the ribbon. The perfect accent and Peach, Concord and Pear are perfect for your upcoming Halloween projects. This is the same price you'd pay if you purchased 1 roll of 1 color - but here you get the same yards, the same price, but you have all FIVE colors.

Take advantage of this offer by emailing me now - the first share will be ready to pick up Sunday, August 22 at my home; or I'll mail to you on the following day if you pay the extra $2. Happy Stamping!!

NOTE: Sign-ups for this ribbon share end on Tuesday, August 31 at 5:00 PM!

Cog Punch

So if you saw the cogs on my card yesterday - I have to tell you. This was SU's first two step punch, as it punches through the cardstock actually twice - once punches the inside of the cogs, and you keep pushing and it punches the outside of the cogs. Or vise-versa :)

Anyway, the stampers were having a little trouble with the punch, as was I. It was hard pushing it down enough for it to do both steps of the punch. We were using the punch like I do all the others, with the cardstock pushed in away from me, and the punch down part toward me.So after everyone left, I spent some time playing with the punch and I found that if I turned the punch around and fed the cardstock in from the side facing me, and pushed on the side further away I had better leverage and it made it much easier to punch through the cardstock (see photo below). Try it and let me know what you think!

Tuesday Night's Cards, Cards, Cards Stamp Camp

Tuesday night was a blast with a nearly full house stamping. We had old friends and new friends stamping with us - so it made it even more fun! The cards we made were all birthday related - so here goes. The first card was made with our Brights color group and used the sets - Party This Way and Word Play - I love the way the candles fit in our Word Window punch making them easy to punch and place. If you look closely you can see we glittered the flames and the star on "wish" with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Our second card is our Masculine version using Sense of Time and On Your Birthday - the colors here are Crumb Cake, Old Olive and Riding Hood Red and the relatively new Cog Punch. Check back tomorrow for a tip on using this punch.

Our third card was our Feminine version using Elements of Style and On Your Birthday. Colors - Basic Black, Whisper White and Pretty in Pink. I just love the elegance of this card and the beautiful Pretty in Pink Satin Ribbon. After stamping and coloring the image we ran that later through the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Folder - how pretty is that!! We popped up the hummingbird and I don't know if you can see it in the picture but we added a little SU rhinestone to the bird's eye and the middle of the "for you" image.

My next cards camp is Tuesday, September 14, and we'll be doing Halloween, Fall and Thanksgiving cards - plan to join us! For a complete listing of all my upcoming events you can check my events page by clicking the "Upcoming Stamping Events with Maureen" link at the top of the page. Thanks for stopping by!!

Final Call for 2010-11 Stampers Clubs

Hi all - my Stampers clubs start this month and run through June 2011 - we're changing it up a bit by adding 6x6 Technique pages to the mix. Check out the full details at http://crazystampinglady.blogspot.com/p/stampers-10-stampers-clubs.html
And get back to me right away if you'd still like to join.

Also - you can always see my upcoming events by clicking the link above that says "Upcoming Stamping Event with Maureen" or checking out the calendar on my website at www.stampingwithmaureen.stampinup.net.

August Downline Challenge Cards

This month's card challenge for our group was set by me - it was to make your best card using the layout sketch on page 30 of the Stampin' Success magazine we get from Stampin' Up! each month. Here' what we came up with - this adorable Halloween card by Lyn -

Kathy B made this lovely and elegant card - My entry was a clean interpretation using Just Believe - and the winner was Heidi with these Vintage kids - how cute is that! They were all great cards ladies - and so diverse in styles and colors - I love the challenges as they really crank up our creativity a notch. Okay Heidi - we need next month's challenge :)

Downline Convention Gifts

Tomorrow is my first downline meeting with my Level 1 group since convention and here's what I'm giving everyone who was not able to join me. It's the adorable tote that was in Momento Mall - I wrapped it with ribbon and added a little gift card made with the Momento Mall stamp we could buy - I hope they like them. Here's a close up of the card - I love that stamp!...and for the eight in my downline that were able to join me you ask? Well they get this card and inside a CHECK!! That's right - for any one in my first and second downlines that attends a Regional, Leadership or Convention event - they get a reimbursement check based on a percentage of their sales for the past 12 months - how great is that!!

If you'd like more information on joining my downline of Crazy Stamping Ladies and earning money toward next year's Convention- contact me NOW! Here's a few of the card together getting ready for their checks :)

Upcoming Events with Maureen

If you're in the Simi Valley, California area - we'd love to have you join us! RSVP by email to mrauchfuss@aol.com - you will receive an email confirmation of your spot and a reminder closer to the event you register for.

*~*~*~*~*

Tuesday, August 10 - 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Cards, Cards, Cards Stamp Camp
Cost: $15.00 or FREE with a $30.00 purchase that evening*
Maureen’s Home in Simi Valley
We’ll be making 6 cards (2 each of 3 different designs) with envelopes.
This month's theme - Birthday Cards.
All supplies and light refreshments are provided.
Limit 12. Must RSVP to hold spot.

*~*~*~*~*

Wednesday, August 25 - 7:00 – 9:30 PM
Anything But a Card (ABC) Stamp Camp
Cost: $20.00 or FREE with a $40.00 purchase that evening*
Maureen’s Home in Simi Valley
We’ll be making projects that are not cards. This month's theme is BIRTHDAYS!
Come and join the fun!! All supplies and light refreshments are provided.
Limit 12. Must RSVP to hold spot.

*~*~*~*~*

Sunday, August 29 – 1:30 – 4:00 PM CLASS
By Popular Demand - Theme is "3 Dimensional Flowers"
Maureen’s Home in Simi Valley
Cost: $25.00 or FREE with a $50.00 purchase that afternoon*
Paper flowers are all the RAGE - pick up any crafting book and you'll see them everywhere. Heidi and I will be teaming up to teach this class on a variety of three dimensional flowers - cutting, punching, big-shotting & more - you learn techniques to make beautiful flowers to accent any of your handmade projects. Come and join us for this afternoon of flowers!! All supplies and refreshments are provided.
Limit 8. Must RSVP to hold spot.

*~*~*~*~*

Saturday, October 9 – All Day
Annual Fall “Stamp Till You Cramp” Event -- Sweet Celebrations
Boys and Girls Club of Thousand Oaks
This is a day you won’t want to miss if you love Stamping!! Mark your calendars now and watch for full details to come. Tell your friends and get ready to Stamp Till You Cramp!!

*Stamp Camp/Class Cancellation Policy - If you cancel your reservation at least 48 hours in advance of the event there will be no cost to you. If you cancel within that 48 hours I will try and place someone from the waiting and if that works there will be no charge to you; otherwise you will be responsible for the class fee but you will receive the material packet with pictures (by email) to make your projects. Stamping will not be done for you, so you may need to adjust the project slightly using what stamps you have available.

It's Still My Birthday :)

Hi All - well tonight we are finally finding time to celebrate my birthday as a family by going out to dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. We're also going to be doing a family celebration of Kamili's birthday - which is August 22nd. So should be fun. Seems like my birthday just keeps going - so I wanted to share a few more cards I received. Here is a beautiful card from Theresa -so my style - And this lovely one from Sandy -

This cute "beary" one from Pat -

And this bright and cheery one from Maria -

Thank you all for the wonderful cards and birthday thoughts. I also wanted to share this cute birthday gift from my friend Elaine - she did a little tie and embellishment around a couple of kitchen towels. I LOVE kitchen towels -and try to match them to the season, etc., so I love these. She also did this adorable little box with a Starbucks gift card inside - also a FAV of mine. Thanks so much Elaine.

So here's a picture of the cards I received from family and friends this year and I have a few more at work - how fun is that! Thank you all! Makes getting older a little easier :)