January Mom & Me Stamping

These are the projects we made at this month's Mom & Me class. We hold this class on the 3rd Friday evening and Saturday morning of the month. Rachel Durtschi prepared our projects for this month's class. Aren't they fun? Here are the cards we made:
This fabulous little notebook was our 3-D item - the girls especially liked the notebook. This project was originally designed by Debbie Naylor.

I hope you have a great weekend planned. Stay warm - it's REALLY cold outside (at least here in Wisconsin). Bye for now!

CAS51 - Designer Paper

This week's Clean and Simple challenge on Splitcoast is using designer paper and I decided to combine it with a past Fall to Layout from the Clean & Simple blog, which works perfectly with multiple dsp patterns.

I pulled out my Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack and paged through the sheets (there are A LOT to choose from) and picked three patterns that I really liked together. The card pretty much made itself from there! I've had a stash of Jumbo Grommets sitting in my embellishment drawer for some time, so I was happy to put one to use on this card. The sentiment comes from the Trendy Trees set, which I stamped in Chocolate Chip ink and added a little paper-piercing for good measure. Thanks for stopping by!

Stamps: Trendy Trees
Paper: Taken with Teal, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, Designer Hardware - Jumbo Grommets, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool

Two Tags Treat Holder

Today's project is a cute little treat holder made with the Two Tags die. We made these at my last MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting and the ladies loved them! We all decided to keep a couple in our purse to share with someone who needed a little pick-me-up - you never know when a little chocolate will brighten someone's day!

These are super quick and easy to put together. I cut the tag with my Two Tags die and Big Shot and then added another score line to make the flat bottom of the treat holder. I ran the tag through an embossing folder (Perfect Polka Dot or Finial Press) and added a few small embellishments. This first treat holder has a few pieces of Sweet Pea Stitched Felt and some Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon to pull it all together.

This treat holder has a few more details. I used the I {heart} Hearts set and a sweet lil' button to fancy it up a smidge. Isn't it lovely?

I filled these treat holders with Valentine's themed mini M&M's packages, but you could also use "fun size" candy bars like Hershey's or Kit Kat. These would make perfect little Valentine's Day treats to pass out at school or work. And remember - from now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every purchase of the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set will be donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Visit my demo web site to find out more.

Stamps: I {heart} Hearts, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Paper: Melon Mambo, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Big Shot, Two Tags die, Sherbet Buttons, Pretty in Pink grosgrain ribbon, Whisper White taffeta ribbon, Word Window punch

Bright and Cheerful Birthday

Today's birthday card is a combination of a couple of fun techniques and some bright, cheery colors. What a pretty and elegant way to brighten some one's special day!

I tried out a couple of new techniques on this card (new to me, anyway!). First, I tried Blank Embossing on my Whisper White cardstock with my Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and my Big Shot - that's how I got the open oval space in the middle where I sponged ink and stamped my sentiment. If you're not familiar with this technique, click here for a wonderful tutorial by Patty Bennett.

The second new technique I tried is making a flower with the Eyelet Border punch and my crimper. I saw this demonstrated at Leadership and I was blown away by the finished embellishment. I cut a 1" x 12" strip of designer paper (from the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack) - cardstock can also be used - trimmed the entire length of the dsp with my Eyelet Border punch and ran it through my crimper several times. Next, I punched a 1 3/8" circle out of scrap cardstock and applied several pieces of Sticky Strip over the surface of the circle, trying to cover as much area as possible. After removing the backing on the Sticky Strip, I carefully wound my strip of dsp around the circle, working from the outside edge to the inner portion of the circle. I embellished my flower with a couplt more circles of dsp (also from the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack) and a Summer Sun corduroy brad. I love the end result!

Stamps: Well Scripted
Paper: So Saffron, Whisper White, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Pack
Ink: Summer Sun
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Eyelet Border punch, 1" circle punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, Summer Sun Corduroy Buttons, Old Olive wide grosgrain ribbon, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool

Haitian Disaster Relief

On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, leaving in its wake devastation so overwhelming that the Haitian people and their leaders can only look for help from the outside to cope. From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every purchase of the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set will be donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. Please visit my demo web site to find out more or to place your order.


I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount (block D recommended) 118571 $18.95
I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount 117010 $26.95

With All My Heart

Today I have two more cards from my stamp-a-stack to share with you. This first card was inspired by a lovely trade I received from Colleen Wolfe. I think these colors are so soft and soothing - perfect for a sweet lil' valentine. I used my new With All My Heart set to create this card.

Stamps: With All My Heart
Paper: Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla, Pale Plum
Ink: VersaMark, Bravo Burgundy
Accessories: Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool, Pinking Hearts border punch

This next card was designed by little ol' me! The Wow Flowers set is one of the stamp sets from the IBC that you can receive for free when you place a $50 order during Sale-A-Bration. Isn't this a happy card? I'm digging all of those Bold Brights.

Stamps: Wow Flowers
Paper: Pink Passion, Whisper White, Yo-yo Yellow, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie
Ink: Pink Passion, Yo-yo Yellow, Tempting Turquoise, Pumpkin Pie
Accessories: Big Shot, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Scallop Square punch, 1 1/4" square punch, 1 1/4" circle punch, corner rounder punch, Tempting Turquoise grosgrain ribbon

That's all for today. Be sure to check out my previous post to find out how you, along with Stampin' Up!, can help with the Haitian Disaster Relief. Have a great weekend!

Love You Much

Here's another card from Saturday's stamp-a-stack, which I case'd from another Leadership trade. I received the original card from Tiffany Bauer and I loved everything about it - the color combination, the layout, the stamp sets she used. I really didn't change much.
I used the Sale-A-Bration Scallop Trim border punch (which you can get for free through March with a $50 order!), instead of the Scallop border punch. I also changed the layout slightly, but all in all, the effect is the same.
I was able to use several new products on this card including stamp sets, punches, and designer paper. I love being able to pull out my new goodies! Stop by tomorrow for another card from my latest stamp-a-stack.

Stamps: I [Heart] Hearts, Well Scripted
Paper: Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Sweet Pea Designer Paper Series Stack
Ink: Soft Suede, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Small Heart punch, Scallop Trim border punch, Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

Vintage Vogue Birthday

Today's card is one that we made at last Saturday's stamp-a-stack. I chose several cards I received as trades at Leadership and tweaked them in some way. In this case, I changed the color combination and added the ribbon, other wise the layout is the same. The original swap is from Brenda Stayner - I didn't get a chance to get a picture of her card, but if I get time today, I will take a quick pic and add it to this post.

This seemed to be everyone's favorite card from Saturday's class, and I have to admit that it was my favorite, too. I am in love with the colors (Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Rich Razzleberry) - it could work for guys and gals alike! And I noticed that several of my customers ordered the Vintage Vogue set - I think this is one of the most popular sets from the Occasions Mini. I am so glad I received it at the Phoenix Regional!

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Well Scripted
Paper: Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla
Ink: Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Old Olive satin ribbon

Double Bubble Birthday

Happy birthday to me! Yes, today is my 34th birthday, and I get to share my special day with my equally special niece, Tevia. Today she turns 5 years old, and I wanted to make her a really fun and unique card. We gave her a gumball machine bank for her birthday, so I thought this set (Something Sweet from the Occasions Mini) was very appropriate.

I took my colors from the bubble gum wrapper - Pixie Pink and Brilliant Blue. As you can see, two pieces of Double Bubble bubble gum fit perfectly into one of the Sweet Treat Cups. Since SU! doesn't carry Pixie Pink ribbon, I used some Melon Mambo polka-dot grosgrain ribbon to dress it up (I adore those polka-dots!). I hope she LOVES her card and gift!

Stamps: Something Sweet
Paper: Pixie Pink, Whisper White
Ink: Brilliant Blue
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallop Square die, Small Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Mat Pack, Paper-Piercing Tool, 1/4" circle punch, 1 3/4" circle punch, Sweet Treat Cups, Melon Mambo polka-dot grosgrain ribbon

Fabric Flower Pin

Today's project is another fabric flower made with the Circles #2 die, which I turned into a brooch. Wouldn't this make a lovely Mother's Day gift? I love the look of this fabric with the Tempting Turquoise cardstock.

I embellished the pin with a simple a half-pearl from the Pretties Kit. I made up the little gift card using the Elements of Style set I received at Leadership. So pretty! :) Oh, and of course some more satin ribbon (admitted addict), which I used to secure the brooch to the gift card.

I hope you have a great weekend. I'll be busy with my stamp-a-stack on Saturday and then we're off to a belated family Christmas celebration. See you back here next week - bye for now!

Stamps: Elements of Style
Paper: Naturals White, Tempting Turquoise, Whisper White
Ink: Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Big Shot, Circles #2 die, Pretties Kit, pin back, hot glue gun, Whisper White satin ribbon, Playground designer buttons.

Fabric Flowers

Today I'm sharing another pretty lil' card inspired by my Leadership trip. There was a lot of talk about the textile market and the cross-over with the Big Shot, dies and stampin' accessories. There was an amazing display of quilts and other fabric arts and one demonstrator was explaining how to make these fabulous fabric flowers.

I made this flower using my Circles #2 die with synthetic fabric. There are two layers of each circle and I attached all the layers with a brad. Next, I heated the fabric with my heat gun until the edges started to melt/crinkle. I finished it off with a few embellishments from the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt in the Occasions Mini Catalog. Sweet, huh?

I realized, as I was putting together another card tonight, that I am truly addicted to the new satin ribbon. I can't seem to make a card without it! I love the sweet pleats on this card and they are SO easy to make! I just ran a strip of Sticky Strip along my card and fold the ribbon over to create the pleats. Stop by tomorrow to see another fabric flower project. See you then!

Stamps: With All My Heart
Paper: Old Olive, Whisper White, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack
Ink: Chocolate Chip, Rose Red
Accessories: Big Shot, Circles #2 die, Perfect Polka Dot embossing folder, Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Modern Label punch, Pretty In Pink satin ribbon

Leadership Swaps

This isn't new stamping to me, but for most of you, these are new projects. I swapped these cards with other demonstrators at Leadership. I made this card as my main swap, which uses the new I {Heart} Hearts set from the Occasions Mini. Isn't this color combination fun?

Stamps: I {Heart} Hearts, Think Happy Thoughts
Paper: Tempting Turquoise, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Crushed Curry, Old Olive
Ink: Melon Mambo, Tempting Turquoise
Accessories: Big Shot, Scallops #2 die, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Small Heart punch, Large Heart punch, Whisper White satin ribbon


I also participated in a shoebox swap in Phoenix and this is the card I designed for the swap participants. I used the Vintage Labels Sale-A-Bration set and the Lattice die with my Big Shot. I like the subtle tone-on-tone look.

Stamps: Vintage Labels
Paper: Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Basic Black
Accessories: Wide Oval punch, Big Shot, Lattice die, Lots of Tags dies, Basic Black satin ribbon, Vintage Brads, Mat Pack, paper-piercing tool

CAS 49 - Cut it out!

I'm slowly getting back into my stampin' groove, and what better way than to play along with this week's Clean and Simple challenge on Splitcoast. It has been far too long since I've had the chance to play, so I was really excited to pull out a couple of my new stamp sets from Leadership and get to work!

This week's challenge is to cut out a paper element and attach it to your card in some way. For this card, I chose to cut out my Dusty Durango flowers, from the Vintage Vogue set in the Occasions Mini (which I received at Leadership). The sentiment is also from this set. I also used my new sneak peek set that we received at Leadership - Elements of Style. This will be featured in one of the upcoming catalogs and it is a part of Shelli's Signature Collection. That woman really knows how to put together some gorgeous stuff! She did an entire demonstration on vintage items and used both of these sets in her presentation. I have to admit that vintage isn't typically my thing, but I'm finding myself gravitating towards these new sets just because they are gorgeous! :)

It feels so good to get some stamping done and I was able to put a few projects together today that I'm looking forward to sharing with you this week. Have a great day!

Stamps: Vintage Vogue, Elements of Style
Paper: Soft Suede, Confetti Cream, Crushed Curry
Ink: Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Soft Suede
Accessories: Vintage Brads, Corner Rounder punch, Trio Flower punch, Dusty Durango polka-dot ribbon, Mat Pack, paper-piercing tool

Leadership in Phoenix

I'm back from my whirlwind trip to Phoenix and I'm trying to readjust to real life. I had a a fantastic time and learned lots of new tips and tricks, plus I came home with 3 new stamps sets (and lots of other goodies). I can't wait to share some projects with you this week! Here are some of my favorite pictures from my trip:

Phoenix is a beautiful city - I can't believe how gorgeous the downtown area is. I took this pictures of some lovely flowers that were spilling onto the sidewalk. When you're from Wisconsin, seeing live flowers outside in January is pretty amazing!

This is me and my upline, Karla Anders. She was my roomie and travel companion and she is also a wonderful friend. We had a great time to together.

I love this picture! It shows the general madness and mayhem as 1,000 overly-excited demo's make their way into the first general session of Leadership. It was so much fun!

We went out for sushi twice while we were in Phoenix. We found an amazing sushi bar and here is a picture of one of my dishes.

More food... I discovered that one of the reasons to go to Leadership is to enjoy the tasty lunch. This was our dessert on Friday - strawberry shortcake. YUM!

I made lots of new friends in Phoenix. Here we are at dinner on Saturday night.

I was very sad to leave on Sunday, but I was happy to be home with my family again. This picture is the sunrise on Sunday, just before we boarded our plane.

I'm hoping to get some stamping done today so I can share some fun stuff with you this week, but for now, laundry calls. :) Bye for now!

SU! Leadership in Phoenix

I'm sorry I've been neglecting my blog this week, but I've been a *little* busy! I'm in Phoenix, attending Stampin' Up!'s Leadership conference, LOVING the gorgeous weather, all the fantastic classes, meeting new friends, not to mention swapping cards and shopping. I'll be back next week with some great pictures and projects to share. See you then!

Rag Quilt Purses

As promised, here is a picture of the "WOW!", hand-stamped gift for our demo Christmas party I attended yesterday. I made this rag quilt purse and I found a wonderful set of instructional videos on Angie Kennedy Juda's blog. I haven't done any sewing since 8th grade Home Ec, so I was pretty proud of myself that I was able to put these together, thanks to Angie's great instructions. I do need to give my mom some credit, too. She picked out the fabric and did the initial cutting for me, being the fantastic quilter that she is. Thanks, Mom! :)

While, technically, this project does not involve any stamping, I did use the Scallop Square Bigz die and my Big Shot to cut out the scallop squares. I actually made two purses - one for the gift exchange, and one for me! This is the purse I gave away...

...and this is the purse I kept for myself. Funky, eh? I'm planning on bringing it to Leadership with me later this week, so I have a spot to hold my trades.

Thanks for stopping by today. Have a great start to your week!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope that you had a lovely holiday season and your new year is off to a great start. I had a wonderful time visiting my in-laws in northern Minnesota and we managed to make it home safe and sound, despite slippery roads and snowy weather. The only kink in our trip was, upon our return, we discovered that our furnace had been off for most of our trip. We came home to find the temperature in the house at 32 degrees! We had ice in our toilets and a dead fish (poor Fishy!). Praise the Lord, we didn't have any burst pipes and we were able to restart the furnace, but it was a very COLD night in the Sannes house. Everything is up and running and back to normal now, thank goodness!

Today I have a few Christmas cards to share that I received over the holidays. I absolutely LOVE receiving handmade cards, because I know just how much effort goes into making them, especially at Christmas time. These are a few I received from my friends:
Susie Cramer

Jane Lang

Laurie Nelson

Karen Smith

I hope you enjoy your long weekend. I'm off to a shoebox swap with some fellow demonstrators in Madison today. We also do a hand--stamped, "WOW!" gift exchange, which is always a lot of fun. I'll share my gift with you tomorrow. Bye for now!