January Stamp of the Month Art #18

Art by Tamra Pope

Fancy, fancy!!! Collage stamping is the key here.  Then ribbons are added with a Cricut-cut butterfly to embellish.

January Stamp of the Month Art #17

Art by Michelle

What I love about this card is the colors in the flower!  My ever-so-inside-the-box brain would not have thought to use a blue/green . . . but I love it!  The vertical strip is a zip strip taken from our Avonlea papers.

January Stamp of the Month Art #16

Art by Jill

Little gifts in little boxes.  How romantic!  Another Cricut box here . . . there are just SO many possibilities!

January Stamp of the Month Art #15

Art by Erin Schulte

This bold heart is a creative contrast to the delicate images surrounding it.  Add a strong color contrast like this, and it's pretty great!

January Stamp of the Month Art #14

Art by Angela Tutton

This is an intriguing look!  Kraft cardstock is rounded and lightly sponged around the edges.  Then the floral is stamped with pigment ink, which adds almost a velvety look.  It's a great way to bring a different texture to your stamping.  No heat needed - just let sit to dry.

January Stamp of the Month Art #13

Art by Angela Tutton

Single strips of stamped paper create a "faux washi tape" look here.  The bright colors make this a "happy" card!  What better to stamp the sentiment with, then, than a stunning black to bring a sharp contrast?  And do you know what I think ties this whole card together?  The swirly look of the word "heart" connects us to the phrasing marks in the music stamp . . . . perfect.

January Stamp of the Month Art #11

Art by  Angela Tutton

This box is created with Close To My Heart's Artiste cartridge.  The kraft lid is stamped with pigment ink, making a beautifully strong impression.  Flowers, that we can make in ANY size adorn the lid, with some bling for centers.

Who Could RESIST This????

January Stamp of the Month Art #10

Art by Brenda Rose

Now here is a "WOW" card!  It's the kind of thing I love to see, but don't ever create, myself!  Distressing and lots of ribbon bring a shabby chic look here.  Much attention is paid to detail in the coloring and cutting out of the floral arrangement.  Top the ribbons off with some bling, and it makes a VERY romantic card!

Lose Up to 10 Pounds OR MORE in One Hour!

January is the perfect time to start. I can promise  immediate results. Open your file drawer. Start at the front. Purge. Set aside all the papers you'll need for your 2012 taxes. Toss the receipts you were keeping 'just in case'. Weed out the out dated policies and accounts. Get rid of evidence of paid off monthly bills. Ditch the manuals for products you no longer own. Shred or recycle all the paperwork that is no longer relevant or necessary. (If the shred pile seems daunting for your home machine, Staple and Office Max will shred it for you for less than $1 a pound.  How much is your time worth?) Rethink your filing needs. Consider on line bill paying to reduce the paper that comes into your home. You can set up regular withdrawals or pay as the bills are due. Scan important documents and eliminate whole categories of filing. Decide if a file drawer is the best place to be storing some documents and papers. Should some things be in a safe or safe deposit box? Could some items go in a Sentimental or Memorabilia Box and be stored in less prime real estate? Could you find the information on line?  User manuals, instructions, recipes, travel information, benefit explanations, etc. Make filing as fast and easy as possible by filing in broad categories.  (Chances are you're never going to go back for the paper anyway) But if you do; spend your time then looking through the papers. Organize your files in a way that makes sense to you. Some people prefer alphabetical. Others prefer frequency of needed access. Perhaps you're a color coded kind of person. No matter your preference, simple is best. Every step you add makes it that much less likely you'll follow through with the process. By eliminating the unnecessary, out dated, redundant, and really should or could live else where, you will be able to reduce your four drawer file cabinet to a two, your two to a one, and maybe your one to a small case. Talk about weight loss you can see immediately! If you have questions or concerns about which papers you need to keep and for how long, I have list I can email you. Or talk to your accountant to find out what your specific needs might be. There will always be paper coming into your life and house. By developing some simple strategies for dealing with it, you can keep it managed. Here's to having less weigh on us in 2013. Karen www.LifeUnstuffed.com

January Stamp of the Month Art #9

Art by Darlys Recker

Little Valentines.  Don't they bring back memories of elementary school, when we decorated lunch bags for our desk and traded valentines?  This little 3 x 3 card takes us back . . .  The single colored rose is sponged and cut out, then mounted with 3D foam tape, as is the sentiment.

January Stamp of the Month Art #8

Art by Shannon Law

Shannon uses the color scheme from Avonlea here . . . although she chooses to use the simple look of plain cardstock.  The floral background and fancy border stamped along the bottom bring a balance to this card.  And what could be better for framing the sentiment, than a romantic Cricut frame cut?

January Stamp of the Month Art #7

Art by Maggie Cameron

La Belle Vie!  These are the romantic papers featured here.  Pink and black make another wonderful Valentine combo.  Maggie has shaded her alcohol markers here to paint a beautiful bloom for the focal point.  Our "Haunted Assortment" provides the bling to the left.  It's not just for Halloween . . . ! ! !

January Stamp of the Month Art #6

Art by Debi Gardner

This card features something that I love . . . the large floral image stamped in the upper corner.  The partial image like this, stamped in a complementing ink on solid cardstock makes a very pretty background that draws your eye and yet doesn't compete with the sentiment on the left.

January Stamp of the Month Art #5

Art by Cathy Stai

Just a little bit stunning, don't ya think? :-)  This traditional color scheme of red, black and white makes a very grown-up Valentine!  The sentiment is embossed in white, which provides a lovely, glossy message.

January Stamp of the Month Art #4

Art by Leslie Ann Chivers

This card almost looks like it could be a section of a quilt . . . so much texture, it almost resembles fabric layers.

Random stamping with the largest image from the set is on the base cardstock.  Then come two layers of BT paper - reverse sides of the same sheet.  Then the focal image, colored in with our alcohol markers.

Lovely!

Time to Celebrate National PaperCrafting Month!

January Stamp of the Month Art #3

Art by Tina Dupin

Romantic and sparkly!  That's the theme of this card.  The pink-on-pink roses make me think of a brocade evening gown.  And the Silver Shimmer self-adhesive ribbon brings the glitz!

January Stamp of the Month Art # 2

Art by Julie Reynolds

Today is my 29th Wedding Anniversary, and I thought this would be a perfect card for my husband.  The clean lines and simple metallic embellishment can be a very masculine look.

January Stamp of the Month Art #1

Art by Becky Mackenstadt

Do you love this layered look?  It's a REALLY FUN technique that I would love to teach you!  Grab a few of your friends, and pick a time - - I'll come to your house with everything we need to make a card like this . . . And YOU can earn some free products when the day's orders total just $150 or more!

12th Tool of Christmas - Liquid Glass

11th Tool of Christmas - Finishing Files

Dip a Little!

I’d like you to meet my grandniece, Hayden.  She turned two this December.

At a recent birthday celebration for my sister, Hayden’s Grandma, we went out to dinner, where we were entertained by a two-year-old’s fascination with and love for . . . Ranch Dressing.  Her mother warned us, “Don’t let her see the Ranch Dressing until she’s eaten some real food first.  Because once she sees the dressing . . . she won’t eat anything else!”  And she was right.  Once the dressing was spotted, Hayden would agreeably use a French fry, or a carrot stick – but merely as a means to dip.  Once she accidently bit off a little piece of carrot before she realized it . . . but she only made that mistake once.

Ranch Dressing . . . She adores it!  She relishes it!  It's what she loves more than anything!  It's her passion!  And to watch her enjoy it, you' know that nothing else could possibly be more important in that moment.

What's your passion?  What's something you'd like to enjoy, during this open and vast year of 2013?  Think about what makes you smile and go, "Mmmmm....!!!"  

Give it some thought, and then be intentional about it this year.  Make time for it.  Clear space in your schedule.  Allow yourself to smile and go, "Mmmmm...!!!"

What's your Ranch Dressing?

10th Tool of Christmas - Sponge Daubers

9th Tool of Christmas - VersaMat

8th Tool of Christmas - Piercing Tool Kit