Marvelous Possibilities

      We are having a Simple Card Class with simply beautiful cards for you to make this Wednesday evening 6:30 to 8:30.  Fee $8.00.  All you have to bring is yourself, because we supply all the fixings, the adhesives, and the beverages, and you just have to come and have fun.  We need you to RSVP by Monday evening so we have time to prepare for your kit.  We are making cards using lots of wonderful new stamp sets, paper and colors from the newly released catalog, and you are going to love seeing all the displays for our upcoming summer classes, too.  Hope you can join us.  Just click on the events calendar right above to register, or leave me a comment below, I will accept either as your RSVP.    Mary Alice 

I  I love the way this card turned out, and everyone's ooo's and aaah's when they see it.  It really is a beauty.  I think I will have some fun with these stamps.  I bought them for scrapbook pages, but I love the cards, too.  The big image is a stamp called Beautiful Baroque and the sentiments and images inside came from Happy Day.  Makes a lovely card for a wedding or anniversary done in the Soft Slate colors, and I love the Chevron Striped Ribbon and the rhinestone accents.  I could have blinged this out a bunch more, but the card has plenty of shine.  Hope it us enough for the Paper Players Challenge 1 56 to "Bring on the Bling", and the CAS-ual Friday Challenge 106 is "Over the Edge", and the ribbon over the edge of the card satisfies that challenge.  Hope you like the card, and stop back again soon. And, HI to all the fun new friends we made at Marketfest in White Bear Lake last night.  It was a gorgeous evening, and it was good to see friend

    Join us at Marketfest in White Bear Lake Thursday, June 20  6:00-9:00pm Find us on Banning Ave near 3rd St. Booth B-69 Debby and I are going to be hosting a booth at Marketfest tomorrow evening.  Looks like the weather is going to be fabulous, and we are looking forward to lots of fun, and meeting lots of people.  Stop by and say hi, shop around, enjoy some fun food and music, and partake of the Worlds Largest Ice Cream Sundae that they are making Thursday night.  We will have lots of fun cards, paper crafts, new catalogs, and classes samples and schedules.  Marketfest is a free family festival held in beautiful downtown White Bear Lake that features live entertainment, fine art, a variety of foods, children's activities, a farmers market, a classic car show and much, much more. This annual summer festival runs Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 9:00 pm from mid-June to the end of July rain or shine. In its 23rd year Marketfest continues to attract locals and v

I think I had summer vacations and travel on my mind when I placed my order from the new Stampin' Up! catalog.  I just could not wait to get the Postcard stamp and the Postage Due stamp set, which I have had my eye on for quite a while.  This was the first card I made using the new sets, and I am soooo tickled with it.  It's fast, easy, and fun, and that's what I could really use these days.  I am looking for ideas for my swap card for convention, and this could be the one, or something like it.  I was looking through the challenge blogs for some inspiration for my weekend stamping.  I am headed to the woodland retreat for the weekend, and need to get some serious stamping done.  I came across a couple of challenges that just suited my new card, so I am going to share it with Inspired By Challenge  #74 where they had a photo inspiration, and the first thing I spot is all the travel related symbols, and the colors  I used are also present in the inspiration photo.  So

I find inspiration for cards in lots of strange places.  Last week I was working my part-time job as a sample lady at Target, and I saw a woman wearing a very interesting shirt, and I thought "when I get home, I am going to make a card like that shirt!"  My friend came over to stamp with me that evening, and I told her about my inspiration.  I wanted to try a new technique that I had seen recently to make a watercolored background to stamp on.  I tried over and over to do the watercolor technique, without much success, and with much disappointment.  In the end, I grabbed my sponges and went to work sponging around the background in the soft pastel tones I wanted.  I used Pretty In Pink, Wisteria Wonder, Certainly Celery, and Daffodil Delight.  After sponging all over the paper, I stamped over it with Basic Black using the Stippled Blossom stamp set.  I then cut up the paper for the background on my card.  It really did turn out just like the shirt.  I used some of the spong

Mary & Debby’s 2013/2014 Stampin’ Up! CATALOG OPEN HOUSE Cottages of Willow Ponds Community Room 101 Willow Pond Trail, Lino Lakes June 13, 6:00 – 9:00 pm     We have our Stampin' Up! Open House tonight, and I have been so busy making samples.  I did not want to show off the cards that I have been making, as I did not want to spoil the surprise for those of you who will be attending.  This however, is a sneak peek of one of the Make-n-take cards that we will be making tonight.  Isn't it adorable?  I was taken by this stamp set from the moment I laid eyes on it in the new catalog.  I think it is the Scandinavian design, the simplicity, and the gingham that really drew me in.  The stamp set is called Kind & Cozy, and you will be seeing a lot more from me using this set.  The paper I used is Gingham Garden DSP, and just wait til you see these darling gingham and calicoes. Sure hope that you can join us tonight.  We have lots of fun in store.  Fo

Do you want to see what I've been up to all these days?  I have been making samples for our upcoming Open House, and I just had to share one with you.  Actually, I was running low on inspiration, and I went looking for a challenge for some inspiration, and I found a layout at Sketch Frenzy Friday that was just what I needed.  I had the new stamp set Happy Day in my hand, and I was just a little lost where to go with this.  I bought the stamp set for several reasons, but the first was for a scrapbook layout that I am doing for a swap at convention this year.  I just love the bold salutations in the stamp set.  I just was stuck on that idea.  I decided that I wanted to try something a little different, and that was stamping on printed paper, because I knew the images were bold enough to carry it off.  The paper is Venetian Romance DSP. I really think it worked.  I wanted to keep it simple, and yet it turned out fancy because of the beautiful, intricate designs, too.  Like it?

Thought I would share with you the card I made for our demonstrator's swap this week.  I love playing with new products from our new catalog, and that was the subject of our swap.  The base of my card is the new Strawberry Slush color, which is about the yummiest pink I have ever seen.  I used print paper from the Gingham Garden DSP, and a new stamp set Label Love.  You can get a matching punch called Artisan Label Punch, and bundle it with the stamp set for extra savings.  I used the punch to make little banners down the side of the card, too.  I love that our new catalog has lots of Bundles available with stamp sets, matching punches or embossing folders, etc.  We all love to save a little money when we get things that coordinate.  So, if you like what you see, let me know, and I will be glad to order for you.  Hope you are enjoying some lovely summer days, and find a little time to smell the flowers. Mary Alice

    Mary & Debby’s 2013/2014 Stampin’ Up! CATALOG OPEN HOUSE Cottages of Willow Ponds Community Room 101 Willow Pond Trail, Lino Lakes   June 13, 6:00 – 9:00 pm   Stampin' Up!'s New 2013-14 Catalog Was released on June 1. Celebrating their 25 th anniversary Stop by and have a look at all the fabulous new card colors, Baked Brown Sugar , Costal Cabana , Crisp Cantaloupe , Pistachio Pudding and Strawberry Slush ! Now if that doesn’t make you want to put on those flip-flops, grab a “fruity” drink and head to the beach, I don’t know what would. We also have new stamps and all the new accessories. We will have lots of new products to see, samples to enjoy, and an exciting new class schedule. We will also have door prizes, make-n-take projects, and food to be enjoyed by all. You won't want to miss this fun event, and best of all it’s FREE. What a great chance to see what we are all about! Drop in anytime through