CSL

The Sweete Buffet

2012-03-01T22:55:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share some of the great pictures from Zamarah's party - Heidi's new business "The Sweete Buffet" is taking off and this is why - just look how cute! The tables were set in "Hello Kitty" style.

Each child had their own drink bottle with their name on the little flag - and their Hello Kitty favor. The take-out boxes were decorated......

and used to get some yummy treats from this "Sweete Buffet" - candy, treats and the candy drizzled popcorn was amazing.

more candy, pencils, and look at those adorable "Hello Kitty" suckers.

Here's the candy with the "Zamarah" Hello Kitty banner on the front and balloons behind - everyone loved it!

Besides all the sweets - we had wings, pizza, veggies and more - delish!! One grandbaby party done - five more to go :) Good thing we like to PARTY!!

See you soon!! ~Maureen

Hello Kitty Party

2012-02-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

So like I shared earlier - Zamarah had a "Hello Kitty" party - it was so cute seeing all the little girls in their "HK" clothing. I love "Hello Kitty" so this was right up my alley. The kids played Pin the Nose on the Kitty as one of their games - and Heidi made up this poster for them to "pin" on.

Here's a picture of the tables before everyone arrived. Heidi has been doing some new party stuff through her company "The Sweete Buffet" a new business offering custom candy buffets and party favors. I'll show some more about that tomorrow - but it looked great!

And here is our birthday girl Zamarah, with her siblings - brother Prince and sister Paisley -

I love this picture of them! Thanks for stopping by - see you soon!! ~Maureen

Hello Kitty

2012-02-26T11:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we celebrated Zamarah's 2nd birthday (she turned two on the 15th) - so today I'm sharing the packaging of her gift. She wanted LEGOS like big brother Prince - so I got her a cute little set of the Duplo Legos and a Lego Friends set. So glad they've extended this cute toy to more girlie styles. Her party theme was "Hello Kitty" and I'll share more on that in days to come, but here is the present wrapped for her - note the cute bows I added all over the bag.

And here's her card - Isn't it cute!! I saw this idea on a blog or somewhere and just had to try it. It's all punches - the bow is made with the SU butterfly punch cut in half and connected with a circle - cute idea huh!

Zamarah LOVED it - and that is really what matters. Thanks for stopping by! ~Maureen

Quick and Easy - what I need right now

2012-02-25T07:15:00.000-08:00

I absolutely cannot believe that the last time I blogged was Monday. I had all intentions of getting on here and blogging every day this week -and then life got in the way. I had tooth problems (still not really resolved); a conference to go to; and just - life! So today I'm going to share some quick and easy cards I made with the FREE DSP from Sale-a-bration. I know I've mentioned it before - but it is worth repeating - I LOVE THIS PAPER - and it's FREE with a $50 purchase - so email me now to place your order.

I needed a bunch of cards on Monday, so I made up about 20 of these in 30 minutes - and guess what - I've mailed them all except three. Not a bad week's work. I love sending cards, and try to average one a day. To me there is nothing better, than being able to pray for someone while I make the card; think of them while I jot down a note; and then hope they'll be delighted when they open it. And from what people tell me - they are! Let me know what you think.

Hope you all get some time to stamp this weekend. See you soon. ~Maureen

Featured Stamper for February -

2012-02-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to a feature of my blog that I love - that I have not done for quite a while. Spotlighting one of the amazing ladies in my Stampin' Up! downline - the Crazy Stamping Ladies. I ask them to provide a picture, a bio and several examples of their style in stamping. I'll include any contact info (such as blog, email, etc.) that they'd like me to provide. I'm so blessed to have these ladies in my life - and privileged to share their talents on my blog. This month please enjoy my spotlight of Crazy Stamping Lady - Kathy Baffone -

What stamping means to me ~

My stamping journey began about 5 or 6 years ago. I invited myself to Kathy W’s house for her Stampers 10 event and was hooked immediately. I always joke that I never met a craft I didn’t like but nothing has overtaken me like this inky one. I joined S10 the following year and it took me another year to become a hobby demo with SU.

Because my family is on the East coast I wanted a way to keep connected to brothers & sisters, nieces & nephews, and thought a special card from California would be perfect. After a while I found that my nieces were comparing the cards I sent to each one, arguing which card was better! My stamping allowed me to support a very sick sister through her terminal illness in a special way. Not only did I send Joanne cards on a regular basis, all of my stampy friends did too. These greetings really lifted her up during difficult times.

I found my way to SplitCoast Stampers and then my card-making really took off as I participated in the daily challenges. Now I send about 8 cards a month out for family birthdays, do one challenge card a day most weeks, and sell my cards to raise money for charity. My daughter and I made a visit to Ronald McDonald House with other SU people which was very gratifying. Now she wants to start a group at her high school to continue those efforts.

In the end, I found that not only is stamping a great stress reliever and a way to connect with my creative side. I have made some amazing friendships over an ink pad and I have celebrated & supported people I care about through this addictive artistic hobby.

Here are some samples of Kathy's artistry - I could not get the pictures she sent to load larger - so be sure to check out the link to more of her work at the end of this post.

Blocking using square stamp from SU's distressing tool.

Elegant flower using Bird Punch from SU!

Masculine Nautical theme.

Masculine Happy Birthday.

Clean sympathy with an embossing folder.

Another clean and simple sympathy card.

Beautiful card using reflection technique.

Birthday card with reverse masking and embossing.

You can see more of Kathy's work on Splitcoaststampers - her user name is CAKath.

Thanks for stopping by - see you soon! -Maureen

Upcoming Stamp Camps!

2012-02-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

Come join us for some stamping FUN!!

~*~*~*~*~

Cards, Cards, Cards Stamp Camp

Tuesday, February 21 - 7:00 - 9:30 PM (or so)
Cost is $15 or FREE with a $40 in merchandise purchase that evening.*
Maureen's Home in Simi Valley

Come join us as we make six cards - two each of three different designs. We'll be using an assortment of products out of the Sale-a-bration and mini-catalog!! BONUS - $40 in purchases this evening will get you the stamp camp FREE. $50 in purchases will get you the Stamp Camp FREE and a FREE Sale-a-bration item. All supplies and refreshments are provided. Limit 12 - Must RSVP to hold your spot.
Here's one of the cards we'll be making!!

*~*~*~*~*
Christmas Card Making Stamp Camp
Sunday, February 26 - 1:00 PM - 3:30 PM (or so)
Cost is $20 *
Maureen's Home in Simi Valley
In keeping with my New Year's resolution to get my cards all stamped and done for Christmas 2012 I'll be offering a series of these stamp camps throughout this year. Each time you attend you will make 10 simple but wonderful Christmas cards (5 each of 2 different designs). You can see samples of previous cards here - http://crazystampinglady.blogspot.com/2011/02/february-christmas-cards.html If you do not do Christmas cards and would like an alternative winter or holiday design - let me know when you RSVP. If you attend each month you could have quite a stash!! Light refreshments served. No additional purchase required. Limit 12. Must RSVP to hold your spot.

*~*~*~*~*

*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. Or you can choose to purchase the purchase requirement for the event in merchandise from Maureen.

Gramma Day with Kamili

2012-02-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I had Gramma Day with Kamili - we went to the Mall where she got a giant gumball (note the lump in her cheek) -

Then to Build a Bear where she got this cute little green leopard she named Lucy -

Then we sent out and played on the toy area in another mall -

Where we also ate lunch at Red Robin - it was a great lunch - but her favorite part was the cherry on top of her shake.

Then we went home and played in the backyard - here she is on the slide with Lucy. It was pretty cool out so she's wearing one of my daughter's jackets - a bit big - but adorable on her.

We had a great day together - my only regret is I did not get a picture of us together - which I always try to do - don't know how that got away from us, but it did. See you soon! ~Maureen

Valentine's Day

2012-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

I am so blessed with so many people I love and so many that love me - so Valentine's day is very special. Paul had a meeting Valentine's night, but was off the day before so I came home to a candlelight steak dinner and a dozen yellow roses - my fav!!! I love yellow and the first rose he ever gave me - 38 years ago - was yellow - so they are special to me. Thanks Honey - I think I'll keep you :)


Aren't they beautiful!

Also wanted to share a basket of treats. These were the little pouches I made for my co-workers to show them a little "love". See yesterday's post for a close up of one of the pouches.

Stop back soon! ~Maureen

Club Project

2012-02-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

Some month's depending on the difficulty of the card we create at Club - we have time for an additional project so this month we made these adorable little diaper fold pouches. It is amazingly easy to make and so cute. The instructions are simple - a 6x6" piece of DSP - lay it in front of you like a diamond. Fold the bottom peak to the top peak - fold the bottom right peak over to the middle of the opposite side - then fold the bottom left peak over to the middle of the other side. Take the front piece of the top peak and fold down, and your pocket should stay with no adhesive!! Love it. Then we added the cute little punched flower. Everything on this project is from items you can get FREE in the Sale-a-bration catalog with a $50 purchase.

Here's the pouch.

Then we filled a little cello bags with conversation hearts and tied with the SAB ribbon.

Here it is all together - how sweet is that!

Just as a PS - I saw a heart garland made on Pinterest - and had to try it. Here is my version using the SAB DSP - so simple and so cute!!

Stop back soon!! ~Maureen

Black Magic Technique

2012-02-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

So my current club is a technique club where each month we learn a new technique. This month it was Black Magic - we create a 6x6" technique card that goes in our binder that shows a sample and instructions for the technique.

Then we use that technique to create a card - and this month this is the card we made. I love it. This technique is very folk-artsy to me - way outside my comfort zone - but I really like how the card turned out and I think the group did too.

Here is a close-up of the image. You stamp with white craft ink on a dark color, let it dry completely, then color over the white with colored pencils. At the end you add dots and squiggles with the white gel pen that really make it pop.

I'm forming clubs that will start in the next few months, so if you live in the Simi Valley, CA area and would like more info - let me know. -Maureen

February Club Hostess Gift

2012-02-12T19:46:00.000-08:00

Each month the hostesses in my Club get a special Hostess Gift from me and this month Jen was my hostess and this was the notebook I gave her. I used page 6 of the current Sale-a-bration catalog as my inspiration for the cover. Isn't it beautiful - when you have a Stampin' Up! catalog of any sort you have an abundance of ideas to use. Anyway I just love the way it turned out and hope that Jen liked it.

This cover is inside the CD cases that SU sells - and inside lookie - a post-it note tablet, a little pocket for receipts, business cards, etc.; and a jr.legal pad - cute and practical.

I'm forming new clubs that will be starting soon, so if you live in the Simi Valley, CA area and would like more info - let me know. Who knows what the Hostess gift will be for the next round :)
~Maureen

Christmas Cards!

2012-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

So these are WAAAAYYYY over due - I got some wonderful Christmas cards from my stamping friends and have been meaning to share them - but time just got away from me - so I'll share some today and some more soon!

Carole's card


Outside of Karen's card


Inside of Karen's card

Kathy B's card

Lisa's card

Everytime I open a hand-made card - I get all warm and fuzzy! ~Maureen

Valentine's Stamp Camp

2012-02-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

Last week Heidi and I and some stamping friends spent the evening making these adorable Valentine Projects -

LOVE Banner


Here it is hanging on my door

I'll show each letter up close so you can see the details - little heart, button and Bakers twine.

Heart, "be my valentine flag", gems

Seam Binding, heart


Jewelry tag, Bakers Twine, Gem, Cupid!!

We also made this cute heart candy box using the new Heart Framelits from Stampin' Up!

Here it is partially open. I used the matchbox die, and cut two of the bottoms for the box. I altered one of the bottoms a bit to tape it together to make the box top.

Inside - four adorable wrapped Hershey's nuggets! Yum!!

We also made this Valentine's card to go with the set. Note the Staz On flower stamped on the clear envelope!

See you soon!! ~Maureen

Sets for Sale....

2012-02-07T21:43:00.000-08:00

So recently I had an Open House and sold a bunch of my discontinued Stampin' Up! sets - and it was great!! But I still have a TON left - so over the coming weeks, months, years :) I'm going to offer a few for sale on my blog. The cost is as is and if you pick up that is the straight cost - you can pay at pick up. If you'd like me to ship, I will go to the post office and find the cost for the least expensive shipping and then email you what the full cost will be. I must receive your payment before I will ship and will ship to the U.S. and Canada ONLY. My email is crazystampinglady@gmail.com

Hostess Only Set - Peaceful Season. Clear. Set of six. $8.00

Hostess Only Set - Silhouette Sentiments. Clear. Set of eight. Brand new. $7.00

Sock Monkey. Wood. Mounted. Set of 10. $7.00

The Snowflake Spot. Wood. Mounted. Set of 7. $8.00

So here's just a sampling of what I have left - see - a TON!! So watch for more to come, and if there is a set you're looking for - let me know - I just might have it!!

~Maureen

Tired!

2012-02-05T20:43:00.000-08:00

HI all - I know I've been missing in action over a week. So many have emailed to ask if I'm okay and yes - thank you for your concerns. Just busy, busy moving daughter and her children to a new place, took all my energies. Hope to blog soon - so keep watching. Thank you for all your cares and prayers :) Love, Maureen

Better pictures of gifts - off to a great start!!

2012-01-27T15:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a close up of the box of candy and the little fold up tote - how cute is that tag and note the little bauble -

But as I mentioned - it matched our Leadership bag - here are Theresa and Heidi with it. The bottom of the bag unbuttons and is reversible to all of the red pattern and the entire back is reversible to show the entire blue pattern - so you can use the bag many ways. All of this was to go with the theme of "My Way" for Leadership and SU will be using it through out the year. You could have chocolate (my way) and your bag (my way) - so cute!!

~Maureen

Make and Take Gifts

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

So when Heidi, Theresa and I arrived at our make and take session at Leadership - look what awaited us - two wonderful gifts. These were soooo unexpected. The first was this adorable roll up tote - with different sections to put your notebook; pens; make-up; Ipad - or whatever you'd like! It matches the adorable tote we got - which I'll share soon. But sooo fun! The second was the cute little box filled with CHOCOLATE - three different kinds of homemade chocolate - dark with cranberries; light with nuts and white with oreo cookies - all so yummy! Stampin' Up! never ceases to amaze me!

~Maureen

Zamarah is Growing - OLD POST

2012-01-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning up my blog and found this DRAFT post from 3/12/2010 - don't know why I never posted it - but had to share as it is soooo cute! The words below are what I wrote back then - so left them just as they were -

So Jenee brought the kiddos over last week, and our little Zamarah is starting to fill out. She is such a petite little things, but her cheeks are getting rounder, and she has an extra roll on her legs. (It's the only time in her life when that will be considered cute :)) Here she is just starting to wake.

Roomie Gifts

2012-01-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

So Leadership was amazing. I love San Antonio and the Riverwalk - and it was even better sharing it with 1399 other STAMPERS :) Here are the little gifts I made for my room-mates - Cheryl, Heidi and Theresa - I hope they liked them.

All three notebooks with packets of Kleenex - every Leadership or Convention I cry at least once - so I thought they'd be a great addition to the notebooks; and look how cute they are!!

Here is the notebook partially open - it is magnetic, so the green cardstock covers the magnet. So cute!!

Here is one of the notebooks and kleenex packets up close!

~Maureen

Great Weather....

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to share a few pictures of the amazing weather we have in So Cal. I sometimes hate to post pictures like this - as I have family and so many friends in the cold climate. But this was such an amazing day - that I just had to share.

It was back on Dec. 29, so you don't have to be as jealous, because as I'm typing it's only in the 50's, over cast and a chance of showers. But on the 29th Paul and I were both off work and decided to take a drive up the coast with our Corvette, and have a relaxing day together. We stopped at a wonderful restaurant north of Ventura - the Cliff House - for lunch. And this is what we saw from our table -

View almost directly in front of us and to the right.

View to our right.

View of surfers to our left - we walked a little closer to the edge of the restaurant grounds to get this picture.

View to the left from where we were sitting.

We both had fish and chips and it was delish. But the best part was that it was 12/29 and we were sitting outside enjoying lunch with short sleeves and jeans. We'd brought jackets along -but no need to use them. There are a lot of things that frustrate me with Southern Cal - but the weather is not one of them. Enjoy!! ~Maureen

2012-01-20T20:45:00.001-08:00

Hi all from San Antonio - Just a quick post to let you know what an amazing time we're having here. My downlines Heidi and Theresa are here with me for Stampin' Ups! Leadership conference - and we are having an amazing time. THe hotel internet is not great - and I've struggled with getting on - so not photos, but I have a ton to blog about when I get home. We had a great day today with a ton of great training. Donna Griffith and Pasty Waggoner taught a great class called retaining and engaging your downline. Patsy had some great tips on encouragement and how to help your downline want to stay active. Then we attended a class with Shannon West about our title benefits. She went over all the amazing perks of being a manager and what is to come with the next few promotions. The last class today was with Amy Swartz and Paula Critchlow on including a new generation in your stamping business. It was a great class, and featured a video of Heidi sharing on "Empower" the empowering beneftit of crafting. We have Regionals tomorrow and I am looking forward to a great day of information and stamping! I'll be home soon and back to stamping with lots to share. I am inspired and ready to grow my stamping team and business.

Stamp Camp Cards

2012-01-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday was my Cards, Cards, Cards Stamp Camp for January and I wanted to share the three birthday cards we made. The first two were designed by Heidi and the third by me. Next month we switch and I do two and she does one - works out great!

Vintage card - background is embossed and tea stained. Seam binding is ruffled by scrunching it over snail adhesive. Butterfly is stamped twice, the center one is colored, cut out and popped up.

Celebrate Card - background is stamped with polka dots. Image is colored with markers. The layers with the elephant on are popped up!

Feminine card - Frame is embossed and torn around edge. Ribbon is added by scrunching between little pieces of tape. Flower is three little flowers punched, scrunched, opened and adhered together with glue dots and a pearl in the middle.

Hope you enjoyed them. My next Cards, Cards, Cards stamp camp is Feb. 21. You can get full details on my upcoming events, but clicking on the Upcoming Stamping Events! link at the top of the blog. Stop back soon. ~Maureen

Ribbon Share

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Occasions Mini Catalog is here and filled with amazing new products to spark your stamping creativity. There are some great new ribbons including a new seam binding; some beautiful pleated satin ribbons and 5 new colors of Bakers twine – and if you’re like me you’ve gotta have them ALL.

So to save you from yourself - I’m offering a “ribbon share” of all these new ribbons. Each person will receive 35 full yards of ribbon (that’s 105 feet) for a fraction of the cost of buying each roll for yourself.

For each ribbon share ordered you will get –
     -3/8” Pleated Satin Ribbon – 2 yards each of Pear Pizzazz, Riding Hood Red, Blushing Bride & Baja Breeze
     -Bakers Twine – 5 yards each of Wisteria Wonder, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo & Calypso Coral
      -½”Seam Binding – 2 yards of Pool Party


Baja Breeze


Blushing Bride


Pear Pizzazz


Riding Hood Red

Calypso Coral


Island Indigo


Lucky Limeade

Pool Party

Wisteria Wonder


Pool Party Seam Binding

Cost for all 35 yards is $19.00 (that includes the shipping to my home and tax). You’ll be notified when it is ready for you to pick up. Or if you’d like me to mail it to your home – cost is $22.00 and an additional $1.80 if you’d like me to insure it. All orders will be shipped USPS 1st class mail in a bubble envelope. Please be sure to include your exact name and mailing address in your email, I will respond with a confirmation and any further instructions. I've just finished putting together my first two shares - so now it's time for your order.

Just email me if you’d like to participate at crazystampinglady@gmail.com and let me know how many shares you’d like to purchase. Orders will be ready for pick up within 2 weeks of when you email me. You must pay before or at time of pick up. This is a great way to have a bit of it all – or even for demonstrators to be able to show their customers more selection! Looking forward to hearing from you soon. No additional orders for this specific share will be taken after Jan. 31, 2012. ~Maureen

Random Acts of Kindness

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today I wanted to share a beautiful RAK I received a while back from my downline Lisa. She knew I was going through a tough time and in the midst of it I got this lovely card in the mail. It made my day.

Also, I received this great gift around the same time from my Secret Sister Virginia - it came in the mail when least expected something. How fun is that . These yellow picture holders came in these adorable heart packages. Thank you Virginia.

My very favorite thing about stamping is the friendships you make and the people who will support you and that you can support. There is nothing better than receiving something homemade from a friend. Stamp something today for a friend of yours! ~Maureen

Secret Sister Gift

2012-01-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Some of you remember that at our Secret Sister reveal in December some of my ladies could not make it due to some family stuff going on. So Julie brought Lyn's gift to this year's first meeting. Here is what she made her - this amazing coin purse made with SU's Spice Cake fabric. Man I wished I knew how to sew. Isn't this great?!?! She did say it was a lot of work and that she was never going to make another - so I guess Lyn has a one of a kind :)

She also decoupaged this "L" for Lyn, and the elastic around it with the butterfly, flower and ribbon, can be removed and used as a book mark - so clever!

Finally - she made her this adorable lanyard that she can use for her work swipe card. It is very similar to the ones Julie made us last year for our convention gifts. What a great set of gifts - and Lyn was thrilled to get them.

Hope you enjoyed - my downline is so amazingly creative! ~Maureen

Fun Christmas Chain

2012-01-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

So right before Christmas we had a fun day with all of the grand babies over. We were just giving the girls some time to go out and finish all their last minute shopping. It was just a fun day - as it always is with the kiddos.

Here are Makai and Paisley working on making a pretty Christmas chain to add to Gramma's decorations. I just cut strips of left over wrapping paper (1" x 6") and gave them my 2 sided tape and let them have fun. They did a great job.

Here are Zamarah and Kamili working on their part of the chain. No matter what I tried I could not get Zamarah to look at me for a picture. You can see Kamili was really amused.

The "boys" however wanted nothing to do with making the chain. Prince headed right for the Wii to play Mario Bros. and I thought this was so cute - Zavian picked up the extra remote and sat right next to Prince for over an hour "playing". Actually his remote was not working at all - but he thought it was and had a great time - just being there by Prince. I love it!

They all bring such joy to my life - I am so blessed! ~Maureen

Vintage Ornaments

2012-01-15T13:00:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post today - but I wanted to share these adorable ornaments. My brother-in-law brought them back from a trip to Wisconsin over the holidays. They were made by my husband's Aunt Louise a long time ago - maybe the 50's. I think they are adorable - and a wonderful example of a vintage handmade creation. Hope you enjoy seeing them! ~Maureen

Occasions Mini Swap

2012-01-14T17:45:00.000-08:00

Our group did a swap for new sets out of the new Mini Catalog - four of us participated - but one person ended up not making it - so I'll share hers when we get it. Here are the ones that did make it so far -

Heidi's - she used the Hearts Framelits dies and the set P.O. I Love You - She stitched around the larger heart with her sewing machine and I love the way she folded her little banner.

This is Lois' - she used the new Tea Shoppe set from the mini - and the little tag is from the Fresh Vintage set that you can get FREE during Sale-a-bration beginning Jan. 24 - ask me how!

Finally - Mine - I used the new Apothecary Art set from the mini which coordinates perfectly with the Labels collection framelits.

Hope you enjoyed these cards. You can see all the products in this mini by clicking the Occasions mini on my side bar - as well as the Sale-a-bration catalog that starts Jan. 24. If you don't have a current demonstrator and live in the U.S. and would like the catalogs - email me your name and address at crazystampinglady@gmail.com and I'll get them right out to you!! See you soon! ~Maureen

Valentine's Challenge

2012-01-10T17:45:00.000-08:00

At our downline meetings we do a challenge each month, and the ladies are asked to participate. We vote on one winner and draw for another - and they each get prizes. This month our challenge was make your best Love or Valentine card. We only got two entries - but I love them both. The first was mine - I used the DSP from Sale-A-Bration; and the heart sizzlet and bakers twine from the Occasions mini to make this card. I just might do something similar for my Leadership swaps if I get a chance to get some done this weekend.

The next card was Heidi's lovely entry - how pretty is that - she used the new heart framelits and our new edgelits from the mini catalog to create this beauty. I love how she cut out several hearths overlapping them. This is also the SAB DSP.

The new Mini catalog and the SAB catalog which starts later this month are simply amazing. If you're in the U.S. and don't already have a demonstrator - contact me and I'll get them right out to you - my email is crazystampinglady@gmail.com.

Enjoy!! See you soon! ~Maureen

Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup

2012-01-08T20:01:00.000-08:00

So now and then I share some of my favorite recipes - mostly for the crockpot - as my crockpot and I are best buddies!! Today I'm sharing this yummy and easy bean soup. It's perfect for right after the holidays as it uses up a lot of that leftover ham in the fridge. Here's how my counter looked right before assembly in the crock pot.

Slow Cooker Navy Bean Soup

1 bag dried navy beans
1-2 cups chopped ham
8 cups liquid - I used 3 cups of stock from cooking the ham in the slow cooker earlier*; 28 oz of diced tomatoes and juice;14.5 oz. chicken broth and a 1/2 cup water
3 stalks celery chopped
3/4 cup onion chopped
2 cups carrots sliced
Spices to taste - I used 2 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp crushed garlic, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf, remove before serving

Cover beans completely and soak overnight in a bowl of water. The next morning drain the water and place beans in the crock pot. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Serve with cheese and some good sourdough or pumpernickel bread. Here it all is in the crockpot ready to cook.

Here it is in my bowl read to eat - we had it with whole wheat sour dough bread and muenster cheese and it was amazing. Soup can be a bit salty, so don't add any extra salt to it. To make less salty use less of the ham stock and more water or low sodium chicken broth. You really don't need any ham stock at all - it would be great with just chicken broth and the canned chopped tomatoes and juice.

This made a bit crock pot full - we had it for two more meals after this - and it just got better as it sat and was re-heated. * I cook my ham (as big as will fit, bone in, in my crockpot) - just put it in there with no water, and let it cook 8 hours on low. It gives it a really rich slow cooked flavor and yields the most wonderful stock for this soup. Enjoy! and if you make it, please leave me a comment on how it was. ~Maureen

Downline Project

2012-01-07T15:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I held my monthly downline meeting and Sandy provided our project - here she is smiling as we work.

She demonstrated and had us do the lovely card sitting in front of her here.

It is the emerging image technique - first we stamped the script letters - then embossed the flowers over the letters in clear embossing. Next we sponged Night of Navy ink over the entire image and the script and flowers emerged beautifully. Then just buff the flowers to get off any traced of ink.

Here is a close-up of the detail. It was a beautiful project for us to make - thank you Sandy!! Also thank you to Kathy S for the yummy snacks!!
Thanks for stopping by - Maureen

Christmas Dinner

2012-01-05T06:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day we had dinner at Heidi's - she and Jenee made all of the wonderful food - everything was just perfect. Here is the beautiful table setting that greeted us.

And the lovely place settings -

A close-up of my place setting - isn't that wonderful!

Besides all the other goodies this candy bar awaited us :)

After - we opened gifts and it was PURE chaos - but wonderful, wonderful chaos. Here are just a few pictures that represent the fun and the blessings.

Till next time ~Maureen

New Occasions Mini is HERE!!

2012-01-04T12:15:00.000-08:00

Thewait is OVER! The Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog is live andcustomers can place their orders here - Online Shopping Link

Or you can email me your order at crazystampinglady@gmail.com

NEED A CATALOG? If you prefer a printed copy of the Occasions Mini and/or the upcoming Sale-A-Bration Catalog; and don't already have a relationship with anotherdemonstrator? Email me your name andaddress (U.S. only) at crazystampinglady@gmail.com and I'll send it right out to you!

~Maureen

Gift from Heidi

2012-01-02T11:47:00.000-08:00

For years, and I mean years, I have been saving corks from the wine Paul and I have. Some of our nicest vacations are wine-tasting up the coast of California - so the corks just seemed special. But Paul hated having bags of them lying around. So Heidi took a bunch of them to see what she could do with them - and lookie what she made me for Christmas with them. It's our last initial in corks, mounted on a huge beautiful frame and backing.

Here is a side view so you can see the relief on it a bit more. It is beautiful, and a wonderful way for us to display those corks. We'll hang it in our kitchen/family room area. Love it!! Gonna see what else we can do with corks.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T14:46:00.000-08:00

Can it be? 2012? Time really does fly!

May this coming year be your best ever

Full of blessings and cheer

Family and friends

Strength and wisdom

and abundant love.

Stay safe out there tonight -

so we can spend 2012 together!

Thanks for stopping by my blog -

see you in the New Year with more creativity!!

~Maureen

Christmas Eve

2011-12-29T09:00:00.001-08:00

Each Christmas Eve we get together as a family and have appetizers and desserts; read the Christmas Story; open stocking stuffers and get the little ones into their brand new pajamas. This year our friends Elmo and Septembra and daughter Naomi joined us. Here are a few pictures of our wonderful night! Enjoy!

Lovely mantel with candles glowing - makes me feel all warm inside.

Makai and Heidi cuddling - note Heidi's cute penguin tattoo :)

Kamili striking her model pose for the camera.

I love this picture of my three oldest grand-daughters Makai, Paisley and Kamili showing off their new PJs and having a good time together.

Aaron and Elmo checking their lottery scratchers to see if they won anything. Needless to say no one left very rich.

Some of the goodies being put out just before everyone got here.

Septembra and Jenee

Jenee getting some loving from Naomi.

Zamarah posing - looks like Heidi's hat was making the rounds.

Zavian and Prince - the boys just hanging out.

Zavian and Zamara showing off their new jammies and their new cookie monsters!

Gifts for my neighbors and card display!

2011-12-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

So we have some of the greatest neighbors. They've really had our backs through some difficult times recently and I wanted to take them over a little Christmas thank you! So I made homemade peppermint brownies. Here is a close up of them - they were gooey, and chocolatey and pepperminty :) Hope they liked them.

Here they are getting dolled up for delivery! The whole kitchen smells like peppermint!

I also wanted to share with you how I displayed my Christmas cards this year. I got the idea off of Pinterest. You just tie a ribbon around a cabinet door and use clothespins to hang you cards. I usually get a lot of cards - so i used my pantry door, and instead of going all around the door, I just hung three lengths of ribbon. This picture was over a week ago - now all three ribbons are full and cards are also hung elsewhere.

Here is a close-up of the cards.

Here's a close-up of the clothespins. I decorated them with strips of designer series papers from SU, and kept them in this little cup on my counter, so they were handy as cards came in. I think this worked out great and will do it again next year!!

Thank you to everyone who sent us cards - it is so wonderful hearing from you all. I will be sharing some of they hand-made ones with you soon. Thanks for stopping by. ~Maureen

Downline Level 1 Thank you!

2011-12-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Each year I try and give a little gift to those in my first downline for the holidays. I wasn't able to complete anything by the time of my Holiday Party - so I had to send them after. So these cute little easel card calendars went out to them last week. You know how projects sometimes seem like they're going to be easy, but then........well that was this project. I did 15 of them in three different color schemes - and tried to match the colors to the ladies likes - so I hope I did well.

Where it got a little crazy was downloading, sizing, printing and cutting the calendars - it took soooo long. Plus there was a little coffee spill mishap that ruined the first set I made, so I had to start over. Then cutting out 45 of those flowers was no small task either - but I think they turned out cute.

Front View

Side view.

All 15 ready to go! They fit perfectly in our SU square envelopes and only took two stamps to mail.

Here is one folded flat and ready to slip into the envelope.

Hope my gals enjoyed getting them - I appreciate them so much - and truly value their friendship. Next year these might be co-worker gifts. ~Maureen

Co-worker gifts

2011-12-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today I just wanted to share a couple of the little gifts I gave to co-workers this year. I can't even take much credit for these - as they were made for craft fair my daughter Heidi was doing and it got cancelled so I took advantage of that and purchased these adorable items - the first is nugget tins. I just love these. There is something about the color coordinated wrapped nuggets that just shout eat me!! Love them.

Tins of nuggets just waiting to be eaten!

Our office also has many student workers - so I gave them each a little gift card and these adorable candy filled test tubes. Hope they liked them. Now we're all off till Jan. 3 - woo hoo!!

Test tubes filled with Holiday Candy - yum!

Test tube close up.

Stop back soon. ~Maureen

Jesus is the Reason!

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas - the glitz, the glitter, the songs, the sounds, the presents and the time with family. But most of all I love the true meaning of Christmas -

Jesus is the Reason - I hope you will all remember that today as you celebrate this wondrous holiday with family and friends. For without Him in your Heart - all is for naught. May you have a wondrous and blessed Christmas with those you love the most!!

Club Gifts

2011-12-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

I wanted to send my club members something for Christmas - so I came up with these cute little calendars. They were already great colors and so all I did was add a couple accents.

Here is a close up of how I embellished them. Hope they like them!! I even kept one for myself :)

Extended Downline Cards

2011-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

My downline has really grown this year and I currently have 37 in my downline levels 2 - 5. I wanted to send them all a Christmas card with some updates, so here is what I came up with. Earlier this year we had made Christmas cards at a stamp camp using punched out snowflakes. I LOVE the negative images they left when we punched them out - so I saved the strips thinking I'd do something with them.

So I did - I cut them apart into squares and layered them over several different DSPs added a sentiment and voila! Don't they look beautiful?!

Here is a close up of a couple of them. I just love this clean and simple layout - which is what I needed because I was doing so many. Hope you like them too!

Holiday Traditions!

2011-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love the Christmas tree. Each year I decorate it with beautiful ornaments that have wonderful and special meanings. Some that remind me of the true meaning of Christmas; some that family has given to me; some that are just simply lovely - but all of them together give me a wonderful, warm feeling.

One of my absolutely favorite things to do is to grab a cup of coffee, turn out all the lights except those on the tree and snuggle under a fleece blanket on the couch - just enjoying the tree's beauty. Here it is with the lights out.

One other tradition we have is a family picture each year - so I thought I'd share ours from this year -


Back row: Aaron, Paul, Jenee Middle row: Heidi, Me holding Zamarah, Prince, Paisley Front row: Kamili, Zavian and Makai. Aren't they all wonderful!

Play-doh fun with my kiddos!

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Some fun family time! About a week ago we had the grandkids over - the Kings on Saturday and the Jones on Sunday and I wanted to do something fun with them. So I decided we make home made playdoh. It is so easy to make and I love the feel of it when it is just off the stove and starting to cool but still warm. So much nicer than the store bought stuff. Here's recipe -

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tsp. cream of tartar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup water
1 pkg of Koolaid

Instructions - In a medium saucepan mix together dry ingredients. Next mix in the water, oil, and orange extract and stir until a thick batter is formed. Cook the mixture over low/medium heat until a thick dough forms stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. It only takes a couple minutes and dough will pull away from sides of pan, then remove from heat. Turn out onto table (be aware it will be pretty warm - but cools down pretty quickly) and knead until smooth. Makes about 2 cups of dough.

Makai and Kamili watching me cook it with anticipation.

Kamili creating!

Makai all smiles!

And Zavian having a ball!

The next day we made another batch.

Here's Paisley getting really intricate.

Prince loving the rolling pin.

After a bit Prince opted for playing Mario Brothers on the Wii with Papa.


And finally Zamarah. Actually I just took this picture a day or two ago. When we made play-doh she feel asleep and I forgot to get her picture, but I couldn't leave her out :)

Secret Sister - Part 8

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Hi All - Gonna share another Secret Sister gift today. This one came in a little late from Maria as she was ill the day of our party - but it was worth the WAIT! Her gift was for Lisa - and Lisa opened it this week so I can share it now. First is the adorable card she made her -

Next is this amazing advent centerpiece - how cute is that!!! What fun to fill each little drawer with a treat!

Here's a close-up of Santa's face - that is all CARDSTOCK - seriously - isn't it adorable.

And here's a close-up of the drawers - what a cute gift!

Bye for now! -Maureen

Secret Sister Gifts - Part 7

2011-12-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

So today I want to share what I gave my Secret Sister - first here is the package all wrapped up and ready to go.

A close up of the tag -

But the real trick was that my Secret Sister was my daughter Heidi. All year long I had to try and keep it a secret and it was tough. She says she knew from the style - but I'm not really sure she did :)

Here Heidi is with her gift from Santa Mom!

A close up of the magnet board.

A close up a tool Lazy Susan for her scissors, stylus', bone folders and more! I use one of these and LOVE it! Hope she likes it too!

All of the gifts I gave Heidi this year coordinated - you can see the other items here -
http://crazystampinglady.blogspot.com/2011/06/secret-sister-june-2011-part-ii.html
and here -
http://crazystampinglady.blogspot.com/2011/09/september-secret-sister-gifts-part-ii.html

Thanks for stopping by - I have another great gift item to show you tomorrow - so stop back ~Maureen

Secret Sister Gifts - Part 6

2011-12-17T10:00:00.000-08:00

A couple more Secret Sister gifts to share with you today. The first was from Theresa to Julie. Unfortunately Julie could not be with us - but I am sure when she got her gift -she loved it. It was this beautiful cake stand, mix and look at that cute cupcake kit!

Theresa with her gift for Julie.

Next I have the gift that WOWED us all for the day. This beautiful Christmas tree that Heidi made for Sandy. It is made out of squares of SU's newsprint DSP. She modeled it after a tree she had seen at Anthropology. It was even more amazing in person.

Sandy with her Christmas tree.

She also made Sandy this giant Christmas Cracker using one of our Decor Elements tubes as the base. I think it was filled with chocolates. Very, very adorable!

Sandy and Theresa.

But we're not done yet - be sure to stop back tomorrow for more ideas!! -Maureen

Secret Sister Gifts - Part 5

2011-12-16T16:20:00.001-08:00

More gifts - more gifts - how great is this - first today I want to share the gifts that Karen gave to her Secret Sis Virginia -

Adorable little container for brushes, markers, stamping tools!

Karen couldn't join us due to a family commitment, but she faithfully dropped off her gift for Virginia ahead of time -

Beautiful Christmas angel ornament.

Virginia looks happy with her goodies -

And Virginia with her LOVELY snowflake coaster set!

Next I want to share Bobbies great gift from Sandy -

Beautiful box and hand crocheted doily.

Here is a close up of some of the detail of both the flowers and the doily. It is amazing. We're not done yet - stop back tomorrow!

Close up of detail.

Secret Sister Gifts - Part 4

2011-12-15T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here we go with some more great gifts from our Secret Sister Exchange - first I want to share my gift from Virginia - she downloaded one of my favorite pictures from facebook. It's a picture of me and my six grandkids the day we made gingerbread houses. Then she mounted it on this decorated platform and gave it to me with a wooden easel to display it on.

Me and my gift!

Making Gingerbread houses with the kiddos is one of my favorite days each year - and this is a great way to display that memory for me every day. Thanks Virginia!!

Close-up of me and my true loves :)

Next I want to share this package that arrived for Maria from Bobbie. Here is the outside packaging - adorable!

Cute "Maria" pennant!

Unfortunately Maria was under the weather the day of our party and didn't make it- but I know she loved this gift when it got to her. Here is what was inside - this amazing bulletin board for Maria's craft area.

"CREATE" bulletin board. Note the cute button push pins.

These gifts were great - but we're not done yet - check back soon for some MORE Secret Sister gifts! -Maureen

Clearance Rack Blitz

2011-12-15T08:45:00.000-08:00

From December 15, 2011, through January 5, 2012, nearly 200 products are being added to the Clearance Rack in the Online Store--with some discounted up to 80 percent! Check it out today and take advantage of these huge savings. Visit the Online Store to take part in these savings!!

Please note: Within the Online Store, in the Clearance Rack Blitz category, there will be some identical punches that have two different item numbers; this is because we are using inventory from both our American and our European warehouses. We will indicate which punches this affects in the product description.

During this time period you can order online - but if you'd like to get FREE shipping by picking your orders up at my home (that's a 10% savings in addition to the great prices); just email me your order at crazystampinglady@gmail.com and I'll place the order; have it delivered here; charge you NO shipping and you can pick it up when it's here. This is ONLY if you email me with your order.

Quantities are limited - so don't wait!!! -Maureen

Secret Sister Exchange - Part 3

2011-12-14T18:27:00.001-08:00

So here we go with a few more great Secret Sister gifts. First is Kathy with her gift from Lois - a crocheted washcloth, decorated Starbucks mug, and yummy Starbucks peppermint hot chocolate!

Lois and Kathy with Kathy's goodies.

Close up of Kathy's yummy gift.

Next I want to share a great tip that Kathy shared with the group. You can make a medallion in the lid of our embellishment cases (you know the ones for brads, buttons, etc.). You take your 1" strip of DSP fold it back and forth to make the medallion and then punch out a circle of CS or DSP for each side of medallion. Put it in the lid of the case in this order - circle, adhesive, medallion, adhesive, circle. It all fits in there perfectly and holds it together making it easier to handle as you put it together, and as your adhesive sets. I've got to try this.

Here's the medallion in the case lid that Kathy showed us.

Finally for today, here is Lois with her exchange gift from Diane - a telescoping snowman card; decorated tin; and cute little Christmas ornament.


Lois with her goodies


Close up of her card, tin and sparkly ornament.

Hope you enjoyed these gifts - check back soon as there are still more to come!! -Maureen

Secret Sister Gifts - Part II

2011-12-10T22:29:00.000-08:00

Next I want to share the adorable gifts that Elaine got made by Annette - it was a set of a tea holder; a notebook and pencil; and a holiday planner.

Inside of the Holiday Planner!

All three - the tea holder; notebook and planner

Elaine opening her present.

Karen got this gift from her Secret Sister Lisa. First this great Christmas card.

All of the gems really made this card sparkle

And a decorated card box - filled with stamped cards!

Such fun - stop by tomorrow for some more great gifts!

Secret Sister Gifts - Part I

2011-12-09T22:11:00.001-08:00

Long week - so glad it is Friday (actually almost Saturday :) I'm finally getting around to sharing our Secret Sister gifts from last week's downline party. I have to apologize up front for the blurriness of this first picture. These cards were clean, simple and LOVELY. Wish I were a better photographer.

Annette's Gift from Kathy B.

Cards, A lovely calendar and a smile from Annette!

Next was this great Fall Family picture frame that Diane received!

Diane with her frame and beautiful card from Elaine.

A closer look at the card!

Stop by tomorrow for more SSS gifts from our exchange. We had a great time - and we have such a talented group of stampers.

Downline Christmas Party

2011-12-04T15:23:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was our annual Crazy Stamping Lady Christmas Party and as usual we had a great time. Several of our regulars couldn't make it due to a family death; family illnesses and illness of one of the ladies - so our group was a little small - but those of us who were there made the best of it. So for today I'm going to share a few pictures of all the goodies we had to eat - everyone brought something, and the food was WONDERFUL!!

Looks Yummy Huh!

More goodies!

Virginia, Theresa, Lois and Annette working on their project.

Kathy and Theresa.

Kathy, Heidi and Bobbie (Kathy in the background)

Elaine, Bobbie, Sandy, Kathy and Diane working away!

Virginia and Heidi getting the perfect embellishments!

And here is our final project - a rolled paper Christmas tree - this was mine, but each lady had an assortment of papers to roll and could add whatever embellishments they wanted. If they send me pictures - I'll post their final projects! The paper sizes are all 1 1/2" top to bottom rolled around a pencil and taped closed - the lengths were 4 1/2", 4", 3 1/2", 3", 2 1/2", 2", 1 1/2", 1" and 3/4" from bottom to top; but you could adjust for any size. I think they turned out so cute - we put them on a paint can lid as the frame. Let me know what you think!

I'll be adding more pictures of some of the great Secret Sister gifts we exchanged through out the week so be sure to check back! Thanks for stopping by. ~Maureen

Annual Fall Fun

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

Decorating graham cracker gingerbread houses has become a wonderful annual event with my grandkids. This year was no different. Here is the village ready for the arrival of the decorators. Then pictures of all the little ones and their creations.

Village of Graham Cracker houses.

Kamili


Makai


Prince


Paisley


Zamarah


Zavian

Aren't they cute - they all had such fun and loved their creations. Zamarah and Zavian did have a bit of a struggle waiting to finish decorating theirs. As you can see below - they both had a nibble way before being done :)

Yum

And more Yum!

Hope this is a memory they will always cherish - I know I will!! Thanks for stopping by ~Maureen

Thanksgiving table

2011-12-01T11:01:00.001-08:00

So we had an awesome Thanksgiving with wonderful family and friends, a beautiful table, yummy food and more. Of course - I forgot to take any pictures till after we were done eating. I don't know how that happened. But I did take a couple pics after - here are the paper pumpkins I had scattered on table.

Here is a top view of the pumpkins

And a side view

I also got a picture of a couple of the placecards/treats that I put out. Most were eaten by the time I took this picture, but a couple were left.

These served a double function in that they were a little treat for our guests, and also marked the place where each person would sit.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are in the swing of the 'getting ready for' Christmas season :)

Congratulations Sandy!!

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Last month we celebrated Sandy's 5 year Stampin' Up! anniversary - I am so grateful to have her as a part of my Crazy Stamping Lady team. She brings so much to our group.

Me and Sandy with her new 5 year bracelet and charm.

The back of her bracelet charm.

Front of her bracelet charm.

Congratulations again Sandy - here's to another five and many more after that! ~Maureen

Downline Project

2011-11-28T08:30:00.000-08:00

At our last downline meeting Nov. 5 we made a cute little wine bottle tag for gift giving. Possibly a hostess gift for the Thanksgiving holiday. You could also use it to hang on your bottles for a tasting with information on the bouquet, undertones, etc. of the wine(s) you are serving.

I started by using the Big Shot to die cut a cute little tag from the Two Tags die. Then to punch the hole on it and have it centered, we used a mask punched out of a post it note to stick on and center and help punch the circle out of the middle. Then scored right below the hole, to allow for hanging.

Punching out of post-it note.

Place post-it mask in middle of the top of the tag.

Voila - a hole punched out perfectly in the center of the tag top.

Next we colored our Fall leaves by stamping and adding color with sponges and then cutting them out. Once they were done and added to the tag it was ready to put on the bottle for presentation.

Stamping and sponging leaves.

Leaves after they are cut out.

And then we had a doorprize drawing for the bottle of Sweet Red Table wine and the tag topper. Karen was our lucky winner.

Hope you enjoyed today's project. If you ever make a project using my blog as inspiration, please send me a picture - I'll be sure to post and link back to your blog. Thanks for stopping by. ~Maureen

Family Halloween!

2011-11-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Halloween over at Heidi's. Here are the Jones kiddos all dressed up

Monster Doll Paisley, Luigi as Prince and our little Monkey with her blankie Zamarah.

and the King Kids -

Monster Dolls Kamili and Makai - and Mr. Police Officer (look at those muscles LOL) Zavian.

Frankenstein Pops Heidi made for the kiddos.

Spooky eyeballs were one of the munchies we had.

Heidi had us all over to their home and we had good food (see above) and these are just a few of their decorations - The skulls were foggers and when we turned them on the entire front of the house got extra spooky. In fact when we opened the door the house filled with fog which was really cool.

Playing Catch Up!!

2011-11-26T15:53:00.001-08:00

So much to catch up on - I hate it when I don't blog, because I use this as a bit of a journal of my life. I love going back and looking at the great memories we've made.

Picnic lunch at the park!

Papa and Prince climbing rocks.

Papa and Prince climbing trees.

Prince at the railroad museum.

So you can see this is from way back in October. It was my day with Prince and we were lucky enough to have Papa off work to join us. The day started with breakfast from McDonald's, then we picked up Papa at home and spent some time there playing and drawing. Then off to the park for a picnic lunch and some rock climbing. Finally Prince got to see the local railroad museum. He LOVES trains. He even got to go in the back and get sneak peek of what goes on behind the scenes. It was a great day with one of our favorite little guys...Prince!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T06:44:00.001-08:00

Hi all - I have really been missing in action (2 1/2 weeks since I posted - yikes!) Lots has been going on with family - some not so great - so any prayers would be appreciated. But I wanted to wish all of you an amazing Thanksgiving - hope you get to spend it with those you love. There is soooo much to be thankful for even in difficult times. Among my blessings I count all of you! I hope to be back blogging more regularly again - so check back soon!! Love, Maureen

Halloween Goodies

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share some fun Halloween goodies with you today! Here are some Halloween favors I made to give out at work -

Some prizes wrapped up for our work Halloween potluck!

Here are the Halloween s'more kits I made for my student workers.

I truly hate the dark side of Halloween and some of the horrible stuff associated. But I LOVE the color and cute things that go with Halloween. So wanted to share some of the fun I had :) Hope you liked!

FREE Digital Downloads!!

2011-11-06T11:03:00.000-08:00

MY DIGITAL STUDIO EVENT & FREE DOWNLOADS

Today and Tomorrow!

Learn more about digital scrapbooking and card making and get your free downloads

(after completing a quick survey) at http://www.mydigitalstudio.net/

To learn more about My Digital Studio - click here

To shop online 24/7 - click here

Have a wonderful weekend!
~Maureen

Halloween - Part I

2011-11-05T14:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween - Part I - sounds like the beginning of a series of scary movies - huh!! Well - if you don't want to be scared turn back - turn back while you can!! Too late - - this scary creature is ME!! Took me a while to do the makeup. On Monday when I wore this to work I FREAKED my students out. I don't think anyone recognized me - which I think is good. Glad to know I don't look like this every day :)

We went to a Halloween party at our neighbor's too - I was the monster above; and Paul was a Lumberjack and yes that is a real ax. It scared me that he carried it - but he taped the edges up and was careful to not let it out of his sight. Next year - no weapons.

Twice Blessed!

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

So this past few months I have been doublely (not sure of that spelling:) blessed, with a brand new great neice Maggie, born to my neice Kelly and her husband Steve; and a brand new great nephew Mack born to my nephew Steve and his wife Robyn. I've tried to crochet a baby blanket for each new baby - although depending on the stage of my life at the time I might have missed one or two :( Anyway I wanted to share these two with you. My grandkids love their giant granny square blankets and sleep with them all the time, so I hope Maggie and Mack like them just as much! What blessings these little ones are.

Baby Maggie's gift

Baby Mack's gift

2011-10-27T19:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my friend and co-worker Emilie's birthday, so I made her this cute notebook she can carry in her purse

The outside is bright and cheery - just like her. She's so much fun to be around.

Inside it has a notepad, a post-it note pad and a little coordinating pen. I hope she liked it. I carry one of these in my purse all the time and love it, as the paper never gets all crunched up :) Next week we're taking her out to lunch and the celebration will continue.

Christmas Card Stamp Camp

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday we had our monthly Christmas Card Stamp Camp - each person attending got to make five each of two designs of Christmas cards. Here is the first one designed by Heidi - it is a popped up layer with a punched out snowflake - you can see the printed paper underneath. Just lovely. The second card was designed by me - I designed it to mimic the idea of a package with a bow on top. The oval and the house layers are popped up on dimensionals. I really like how it turned out. Thanks for stopping by.

Cards Stamp Camp

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week we had our monthly Cards camp where everyone makes two cards each of three decisions. This month we did Halloween - with this adorable candy corn card using the SU pennant punch. Next we did a Thanksgiving center fold card - and here's the inside of it. The third card was our Christmas card - how pretty is that. Heidi had us take off the little dots with a blender pen and then add in some cherry cobbler to put some color on the tree.
These were so much fun - next month on the 15th we're going to do Sympathy, Baby and Birthday - hope you can come join us!!

Another Building day

2011-10-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the grandkids to a local hardware store for another building session. The kids each got to make a Monster truck - except for the two little ones. This is such a great thing to do with the kids and they really enjoy it. Then everyone came to our house for lunch. Here they are posing afterward with their creations. And here are a couple of their creations close-up. Can't wait till next time!

Julie's Secret Sister Gift

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week someone (shhhh it's a secret :) dropped off this great card for Julie! I still miss those bats :) But to go with that great card was this wonderful frame - I love it!! It is so much fun seeing all the great stuff that our secret sister's give and get. Our big reveal will be at our Holiday Party December 3rd!!

More clouds

2011-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Recently I shared my love for clouds with you. We had another great day of clouds on 10/6 when a storm passed through just north of us. This second picture shows an amazing puff of clouds - the setting sun cast a slight pinkish glow on it - it reminded me of a big puff of cotton candy and there is a hint of a rainbow at the bottom of this picture. Here is a better picture of the rainbow - right over my house. It was so beautiful - such a wonderful reminder of God's promises to us. Enjoy!

Stampers Club Projects

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our card this month used the "Masking" technique. We stamped the front jack-o-lantern, masked it, and added the Cajun pumpkin behind it. Then popped up the hat and the "spooky" on dimensionals to make this adorable card.
Inside we added a little Halloween greeting-
Our second project was this cute little treat bag filled with "Candy Corn" M&M's - yummy - to the mummy for it's tummy :) Okay - I'm not as funny as I think, or so my hubby tells me. The topper uses our "Peek-a-boo" die with a little mummy popped up on it - inside "eeek!" These are so quick to make up, and so much fun to give out!

Stampers Club

2011-10-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday was our Stamp Club at Diane's and she made this adorable veggie skeleton for one of her treats!! How cute is that! Our technique this month is Masking - here is the card they did to put into their technique binders.Stop back tomorrow to see the projects we made!

Go Ahead - Be A Big Shot!

2011-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

OR at least own one !!If you've been looking for an opportunity to do what you love, while getting a 20 discount on your favorite products, now is the perfect time! During October, you'll get a FREE Big Shot when you join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator (or $100 in other Stampin' Up! merchandise.)

Use the Big Shot die-cutting machine and Stampin' Up!'s exclusive dies to create uniquely beautiful projects in a flash. If you sign up in my downline, I'll be offering a FREE Big Shot class for you to attend and learn all about this terrific tool.

In addition, the new-demonstrator Starter Kit–a steal at just $175–contains over $345 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and business supplies-everything you need to start your new business.

There are so many benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, including
* A 20 percent product discount!
* A free monthly issue of Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator-only magazine, Stampin' Success!
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* Early ordering of new catalog products.
* Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events!
* Regular get-togethers to stamp!
* Free access to an online community of 30,000+ crafters/stampers and creative artists, as well as 160,000+ project samples!
* Plus, access to an exclusive video and training for your new Big Shot!
* You will remain active as a demonstrator with Stampin' Up! and the Crazy Stampin' Ladies till the end of March 2012 even if you buy nothing else! How great is that!

Don't miss this BIG deal! Go to my Stampin' Up! website at www.stampingwithmaureen.stampinup.net - click on "Join the Fun" and then "Join Now" and you can take advantage of this great opportunity and get your FREE Big Shot!

IMPORTANT: New recruits who use the online IDA will be given access to the Promotional Product Bonus order type in the online Stampin' Up! ordering system, approximately one hour after they complete their online application. (You will be provided a link to OEX for this redemption via e-mail). In this order type, you will either enter the item number for the Big Shot (item 113439) or the item numbers for up to $100 in Stampin' Up! products. Products can be chosen from any current catalog and shipping is free! You should ensure that your free total comes as close as possible to $100 without going over since the Promotional Product Bonus order type will not allow items beyond $100 to be added to the order.

I'd love to have YOU be a part of my TEAM of Crazy Stamping Ladies - Join NOW!

Halloween Stamp Camp - Part III

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here is final project we made at our stamp camp - a cute little 3x3" gift card with a spooky skeleton with crystal eyes. Also made with the "Pick Your Poison" DSP and stickers. Here's the inside - We had a great time getting ready for Halloween. Plus everyone who attended got to leave with the remaining stickers from the Quick Accents kit and the remaining DSP from the half of package they received - so they can decorate a ton more of matching projects at home. How fun!!

Halloween Stamp Camp - Part II

2011-10-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our next project was this great Bird on a treat Box. The inspiration was from Page 10 of the current Holiday Mini (we also saw it at Convention in July). We used the Pick Your Poison DSP and stickers again, and Heidi put her own creative twist on it all and came up with this - Other side - and inside of box - Finally a close up of the trims she used to decorate the bird. The hat and neck frill with gems; and cute little skull necklace :)
Check out Heidi's blog by clicking on the the Stampin' King Icon on my sidebar to enjoy more of her creations!

Halloween Stamp Camp - Part I

2011-10-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had out Halloween Stamp Camp last weekend. This is always one of my favorite Stamp Camps of the year - I love the fun of Halloween. We did a couple cute projects which I'll be sharing with you over the next few days. This is the first one - we used a wood coffin that I purchased and painted the sides black one. It's decorated with the "Pick Your Poison" DSP and stickers and we added a spooky spider with a black pearl body to the outside. Then we decorated the inside of the coffin with additional DSP. But what good is an empty coffin :) Next we took a couple Baby Ruth mini candy bars and taped them together, wrapped them with strips of DSP, added a couple eyes and voila! The perfect inhabitant for our coffins - a cute little Mummy!!
Check back tomorrow for more of what we did at this Stamp Camp!

Gramma Day with Paisley

2011-10-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week was my latest Gramma Day with Paisley - It was a lovely day. We picked up breakfast at McDonald's, and then Paisley came to my house to decorate the house for Halloween. Here are a few of the decorations we put out - These pumpkins are decorated with SU decor elements - and two pictures below in the frame and shadow box were stamped - I also asked Paisley to draw me a picture - anything at all she wanted to draw. It could be of what makes her happy or sad; what she's been doing lately; anything at all and this is what she drew. It's a picture of her in school day dreaming about Gramma :) We had a talk about probably listening to the teacher rather than day-dreaming (LOL) but I loved the picture. I am hoping to do this with all the kids on their Gramma days, and putting together a scrapbook of our days together. After decorating - we went to lunch at Red Robin and shared a basket of ribs and a Mint Chocolate shake - Yum! Then we went to the movie "Zookeeper" which was really cute and then headed home. It was a delightful day with one of my favorite little girls! Next month - my day with Prince!

Karen's Secret Sister gift -

2011-10-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Karen's Secret Sister dropped off a wonderful gift for her before our meeting last week. Here is the card to Karen. But that was just the beginning :) All the rest of this was also in the gift bag for her - this adorable Fall wall hanging. These great cards - and we've save the best for last - this beautiful basket of fall flowers - these are all made with our daisy die and Stampin' Up! buttons. There are also a few fall colored roses tucked in there. How great is that!

Downline Challenge card -

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

At our last meeting our downline challenge was to make your best project using any of our in-colors. We only had one entry, but it was great! Heidi created this adorable birthday card - LOVE IT! So she was our winner and got to pick out of the prize box. Here's the inside - just as cute as the outside. Who wouldn't love to get this :)

Karen's Project for Downline -

2011-10-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week at our downline meeting Karen had us make this great Halloween card. We used the imbedded embossing technique to make this lovely quilted image. I have done imbedded embossing before - but never the quilted images and I loved it. My mother-in-law has made beautiful quilts in her life - so my goal is to make her a framed image now of several quilted patterns. Our meeting was small, so it was a little less organized and lots of fun chatting going on, so I forgot to get a picture of Karen demonstrating, as I usually do. So I found a photo of her in my archives. She is the demo on the right below. Thanks Karen for providing a great project for us all.

Club Technique and Card

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

This month at club our technique was Reverse Masking. Here is the 6x6" technique card for our binder. I love this technique, it is just so fun to do the sponging and stamping and pick up the post-it mask and voila! We made this beautiful card using the same technique. I have seen several similar cards - but just love the richness that the black and Cajun Craze bring to this. We even stamped the owls on the inside of the card - sorry for the blur -but you get the idea.Check back next month to see our next technique!

Spooky Treats from our Downline Meeting

2011-10-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

At our last downline meeting we all made this cute and spooky treat holder. It uses the long cello treat bags we're selling in the mini, these are filled with Reese's pieces - Yum. We ran the cardstock through our Peekaboo Frames die to get the topper, and used the Halloween "Spooky Bingo Bits" to decorate. Here's a close up of the topper - note the googily eyes - gotta love those - And a close up of the inside once you open the peekaboo flap - these are such a fun little gift to give to kids and even co-workers. Remember you can purchase online through my website at www.crazystampinglady.blogspot.com and have it shipped directly to your home. ENJOY!

Clouds over Simi Valley

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I was on my way to a workshop and when I parked and got out of the car, I was amazed by the clouds in the sky. I love clouds! They are simply sooooo beautiful. When we were in the midwest the clouds were amazing, but so often out here in California - they seem to look the same day after day (when we even have clouds.) But these were just so lovely to me, that I had to snap a couple pictures and share them. Hope you think they are as lovely as I did.Enjoy the majesty around you today and remember the God who gave it all to us. For this is the day that the Lord has made - rejoice and be glad in in!

September CLUB Hostess gift

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

This month Tamara hosted my Simi Valley Stamping Club and I wanted to share her Hostess Gift with you. Her favorite color is purple, so our Concord Crush was my first choice for making her gift. It is a notebook set like I've shared before last month and again here. Here is the outside - and here is the inside complete with post-its, a pocket for coupons, etc., and notepad. I love these and hope Tamara loves hers. Thanks for a great workshop!

Watercolor Class - Part III

2011-10-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

The final project we made at the Watercolor class was this little gift bag. Heidi had us make it using the Stampin' Up! watercolor crayons, and we used them direct to stamp - spritz stamp with water, color with crayons directly onto stamp, spritz with water again and stamp on your cardstock. Soft and Lovely!!! Hope you enjoyed seeing some of the things you can create with different watercoloring techniques. See you soon!

Water Color Class - Part II

2011-10-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today I'm going to share two more of the projects we made at the recent Watercolor Class - the first was this adorable little treat box - we used Stampin' Ups! watercolor paper, reinkers and Stampin' Ups! aqua painters to create a beautiful fall landscape - Next we used watercolor pencils and blender pens to make this adorable little birthday card for baby! Stop back tomorrow when I'll share the final project we made.

Watercolor Class - Part I

2011-10-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last week Heidi hosted a Watercolor class at her house, and I went over as a helper. But everyone did so great they didn't need much help, so I had time to do all the projects also. They are Heidi's designs and you can check her blog over the next week at www.stampinking.blogspot.com to see more views of these projects. The first one we made was this cute little Dino card - we watercolored him using blender pads and ink directly from the reinkers - she showed how to layer your colors up to get these great results. Next we used reinkers again, but this time we watercolored Stampin' Ups! paper flowers, layered them and added them to the top of a little tin container that can be filled with candy - so cute. You can't see it much in this picture, but by using a couple colors on each petal we got a bit of a tie dyed look. Check back tomorrow to see the other projects we made.

Lisa's Secret Sister Gift

2011-10-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

So when we got back from vacation last week this lovely gift was on my front porch waiting for me. It was for Lisa from her secret sister. I didn't want to post anything until I had delivered it to Lisa - which I did this week. The outside looked like this - so great - and see those Halloween colored jingle bells! It's hard to tell but this is the top of a black wooden box that the top slides over on.
And when we slid the top over - this is what we found inside - all kinds of Halloween cards - how cute are those! And the inside of the box is finished off with flocked DSP! And finally here is the card that was on top wishing Lisa a wonderful Halloween - so cute!

Great Play Day

2011-09-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

So last weekend Paul and I joined the crew at a local hardware store to make fire trucks. It's a kids event they put on every couple weeks and it was great. Here are the guys working together on their project. Heidi and Kamili worked on one while Paisley helped Makai. You can see Jenee in the background wrangling the little ones :) Here's another picture of the crew hard at work - Zamarah and Zavian were still too little to join in the fun - so they entertained each other. Afterward we headed off to lunch (at a noisy restaurant :) - when you have this crew you need to be sure the restaurant is as loud as they are. We had a wonderful time together. Papa and I were missing them after being gone on vacation a couple weeks, so this was a great way to catch up.

September Christmas Card Stamp Camp

2011-09-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had our monthly Christmas Card Stamp Camp - for those who have come every month, they have 100 cards now - woo hoo!! The first card we made this month was this adorable snowman card using "Snow Much Fun" this was absolutely my favorite new Christmas set and I had to get it right away. I LOVE SNOWMEN! We ran the front layer through the Big Shot with our snowflake embossing folder, added some color with markers and finished with a couple gems for some bling - Love it!! We finished this inside with a layered sentiment and the cute little birdie rolling the snowball at the bottom. The second card was also lovely and designed by my daughter Heidi. She used "Bright Hopes" from the current mini catalog. Our layouts were very similar which is unusual for us. She rock and rolled the wreath and then cut it out and popped up on dimensionals (with more bling) and a natural bow made from our linen thread. Very simple and elegant. The craft layer was supposed to be stamped tone on tone with snowflakes -but I forgot -and love it anyway.To see the card with the snowflakes check out Heidi's blog at www.stampinking.blogspot.com Our next Christmas Card stamp camp is Sunday, October 23rd - let me know if you're interested in joining us!