Happy Labor Day! It's a girl!

One year, on my daughter's birthday, she sent me a nice gift basket.  The card attached read, "Happy Labor Day!  It's a girl!"  Her clever idea has become a bit of a tradition and I love her ingenuity.  This year was no exception.  We took in a movie, then had a nice lunch together.  Afterward, she presented me with this very colorful bouquet.  It's her of way of recognizing me for bringing her into the world and it's why she always holds a special place in my heart. Thank you, Susie. Happy Birthday!

For anyone who has ever wondered why I love going to Stampin' Up! events like our annual conventions, Leadership conferences and Regional seminars, etc., take a look at the excitement in these pictures.  Imagine a convention hall filled with thousands of men and women who all share the same passion for stamping.  It's truly an amazing experience.  Wouldn't you love to be a part of this crowd???  Join my team and let's go together! All lined up and waiting for the doors to open so the festivities can begin.  Make and takes are such a fun part of the Stampin' Up! experience.  This is only one of several make & take sessions during convention.  Main stage.  Now those are some BIG stamps.  Thanks to all who shared their photos this year.  I made it to Leadership in Phoenix this year and plan to attend in Nashville in 2011, then convention in Salt Lake City.  All are great experiences, but always better shared with friends.  Start making plans now to go next year.  I am.

How sweet is this face?

I just had to share this picture of my beautiful granddaughter, Kailey who just celebrated her first birthday last month.  Not only is she adorable, but she has the sweetest personality and the best little giggle ever.   Her big brother, Noah is our superhero - always full of fun and energy.

Sentimental Journey

This was the swap card I made for our stamp club.  The theme was anything travel-related.  Several of the ladies in our group travel quite extensively and have been away during the summer, so this was a good time to see how travel inspired their creativity.  This card contains stamped elements from "Sentimental Journey" which is only available until the end of August.  The Riding Hood Red ribbon is from a previous collection, but I just had to add this tiny piece to go with the RHR cardstock.  The train schedule is a piece from the Designer Series Paper called newsprint.  It's my newest favorite for everything.  Add some vintage brads and a touch of black.  Voila!

This is one of the prettiest stamp sets.  I love hydrangeas anyway, but this set is so versatile.  Add a couple of little butterflies and some ribbon and it's instant art. 

Tropical Party Birthday Card

Tropical Party stamp set and real sand from our beach!  How cute is this? 

What would you do with this???

This past Saturday we had our Ink Flamingos team meeting.  I gave each attendee an assignment based on the color combinations and stamp suggestions on page 5 of the new Idea Book & Catalog.  Each person dipped into the martini glass to pull out her assignment.  Well, there were a few groans and a few giggles, but they met the challenge head-on and created some beautiful projects.  Dottie drew "Traditional Christmas" and used Elements of Style for her first project.  That was too easy for her so she stretched her imagination and reached well outside her comfort zone for the 2nd project using the Vintage combination with Circle Circus.  Wow!  Great job, Dottie! 

Next is Cheryl.  She drew "Sweet Baby" and Animal Stories.  Now, Cheryl is a grandmother and loves to scrapbook, so this was a great choice for her and she proved how creative she is by incorporating some Designer Series Paper and the Square Lattice embossing folder to create a 6x6 scrapbook page.  I know she will put that to good use.     

Julia had a tough one.  Because my daughter wants a bicycle for her birthday, I put together the "Birthday Bash" colors and Pedaling Past from the current mini catalog.  But Julia took the challenge and created a wonderful card full of color, texture and fun.  I really like how she incorporated the cogs from the Cogs XL punch.  Maybe I'll dust off my bike and take a ride.....someday.

   Isn't this card cute?  Angel was thrilled when the stamp set she chose was Tropical Party and the color combo was Build-A-Bear.  So her.  This card actually matched the shirt she was wearing.  The 2nd project was so colorful and creative....just like Angel.   

 Now for our mother-daughter team:  Daphne chose "Vintage" colors of Very Vanilla, Riding Hood Red and Basic Black to use with Artistic Etchings.  I love all of that, but the card she made was stunning. 

Daughter, Melissa inherited her mother's creativity, but has her own sense of style.  I've always liked her style.  Melissa chose "Halloween" and From the Crypt.  Talk about creative!!  Yikes!  So, with no advanced planning on their parts, a limited supply of products and only their own imaginations, my team members proved how they became successful creative coaches and an inspiration to myself and others.  Well done, Ladies.  Well done.