Salute to heroes

Thank you to all those who serve or have served our country! Wishing a safe return of all those serving overseas. Blessings to all of you brave men and women!!

Digital Halloween

A nice quiet evening sitting on a wonderfully comfy couch, dogs curled up next to me, sipping a cherry limeade from Sonic (yum!!) and time to play around with My Digital Studio....what a perfect night! Here's a simple page I designed with some pictures from Halloween night. I love the ability to edit my photos in the program! I changed my mind several times about which pictures to use and how to crop them, and My Digital Studio makes that so easy!

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

It's Snowing!

Are you ready for another holiday card?? This simple card uses only one sentiment stamp! I love how punched images can be used as a substitute for a stamped image. I punched out several snowflakes from Bashful Blue cardstock and attached them to Real Red textured cardstock, trimming the edges. The panel was mounted on Whisper White cardstock and attached to the cardbase with dimensionals. I wanted the sentiment to really stand out on the cardbase, so I used Versamark ink and white embossing powder.

I love how this one turned out. Real Red, Bashful Blue and Whisper White make one fabulous holiday card color combo! Thanks for stopping by :-)

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Four the Holidays
Cardstock: Real Red, Whisper White, Bashful Blue
Ink: Versamark
Accessories: white embossing powder, heat tool, snowflake punch, stampin' dimensionals

Patterned Pine

My next few posts will be more holiday cards I created for a craft show. I wanted to use up some pieces of the Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit I used for a class last month. By simply using some leftover pieces of adhesive diecut strips, I was able to create a nice framing for a stamped image. I used a marker to color in just one of the trees in the Patterned Pines hostess stamp set and used the Christmas sentiment from the always-useful Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set. The panel was mounted onto the cardbase with a few stampin' dimensionals and that's it! Done!

Hope you like it! Thanks for stopping by :-)

A little sidenote: Did you notice my new blog header? I created it in My Digital Studio (MDS), Stampin' Up!'s new digital paper crafting software! I still have a lot to learn about of MDS, but boy am I having fun playing with it!!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Patterned Pines (hostess Level 1), Teeny Tiny Wishes
Cardstock: Old Olive, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Old Olive, Real Red
Accessories: Christmas Jingle Simply Scrappin' Kit, stampin' dimensionals

Make merry!

I'm working on my inventory for a craft show I'm doing this weekend sponsored by the VFW Ladies Auxiliary in Mason, Ohio. I'm focusing my projects on stocking stuffers, teacher gifts, and other kinds of goodies along with holiday cards. This is a simple but elegant Christmas card using a traditional green and red color combo. I used the stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the wreath image twice (overlapped) to provide more coverage. I ran a piece of Certainly Celery cardstock through the Big Shot with an embossing folder and adhered it to a Certainly Celery cardbase for some tone-on-tone depth. Another very clean and simple card, but the embossing and organza ribbon really cranks up the wow factor. :-)

Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Berry Christmas
Cardstock: Certainly Celery, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Certainly Celery, Real Red
Accessories: Big Shot, Finial Press embossing folder, modern label punch, stamp-a-ma-jig, Whisper White organza ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

It's not too early to start!

Don't let the holidays sneak up on you this year. Stampin' Up! has pulled together some great gift-giving ideas for everyone on your list - kids, teens, scrapbookers, card makers, neighbors...

Download the Christmas Gift-Giving Guide here and make your holiday shopping easy. All products can be ordered on my website or by calling or emailing me. And to sweeten the deal, Stampin' Up! is offering a FREE decor elements product (up to a $16.95 value) with every $50 purchase from the guide!

And if your Santa needs ideas for YOU, email me for your very own Dear Santa letter!

~~Marilyn~~

Experimenting with new technique

I found a fabulous technique called Herringbone that was featured on fellow Stampin' Up! demonstrator Dawn Olchefske's blog and couldn't wait to try it out! It's a great way to use up scraps of designer series paper. I used the Christmas Cocoa DSP from the Holiday Mini Catalog for the technique and LOVE how it turned out! This is definitely a technique I'll be using a lot!

Thanks for stopping by !

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Berry Christmas
Cardstock: Real Red, Soft Suede, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Soft Suede
Accessories: stamp-a-ma-jig, Christmas Cocoa designer series paper, sponges, wide oval punch, stampin' dimensionals

Personal challenge

I had some leftover pre-cut cardstock from a class I did last month, so I challenged myself to create something new using the same pieces. Another clean and simple design that helps to showcase this new Patterned Pine stamp set. While the original card was designed as a thank you card, I thought the colors translated perfectly into a Christmas card. If you find yourself with leftovers, I challenge you to try to re-purpose them into a new card!

I'd like to leave you with a fabulous fall photo I shot over the weekend in my backyard. I LOVE Autumn - it's hands-down my favorite season. Watching the leaves change color is such a wonderful reminder of the beauty of nature. This is one of our maple trees and I love its transitional colors.



Thanks for stopping by!

~~Marilyn~~


Stamps: Patterned Pines
Cardstock: Real Red, Summer Sun, Whisper White
Ink: Garden Green, Real Red
Accessories: red gingham ribbon, stampin' dimensionals

Last Deal of the Week

Today starts the last week of Stampin' Up!'s Deal of the Week. Until Saturday, you can purchase the following items at a discount:

• Princess Party Kit (#116214), regularly $15.95, now only $9.99
• Pirate Party Kit (#116213), regularly $15.95, now only $9.99

New in this year's Idea Book & Catalog, these kits include everything to create the perfect party for your princess or pirate! You receive supplies to create 8 invitations and a variety of party treats. To see the kit contents, refer to pages 174 and 175 in the catalog. Please note that assembly is required, and adhesive is not included.

You can place your order online at my website or you can call or email to place an order.

~~Marilyn~~

Just the facts...

I'm back with another clean and simple design. I'm heading out to spend the day with my mother-in-law, so just the basics on this one. This gorgeous Bella Bleu designer series paper adds such elegance! I sponged the edges to soften it up a bit, mounted onto cardstock and then onto the cardbase with stampin' dimensionals. Then I added a little ribbon, a simple stamped image with a layer, again with some dimensionals. How simple is that??

Have a great day!

~~Marilyn~~

Stamps: Dreams du Jour
Cardstock: Kraft, Not Quite Navy, Very Vanilla
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Bella Bleu designer series paper, Kraft taffeta ribbon, sponges, stampin' dimensionals