Simple Thank You

From Heidi...

I wanted to share this simple card layout with you. This layout was great for the "thank you" card I needed for a music teacher, who I knew would probably not take much notice of a card - and since it was being given by my 16 yo son, who doesn't like the ribbons or anything too decorative on something that he will be signing his name to - this basic card was the answer.You can take this simple layout and with a little ribbon, brads, or extra embellishments, it can easily go from basic to special. One of the things I love about SU products is that I can count on everything coordinating together - ink, paper, stamp sets, etc., and because of that this card went together quickly.

I took my color scheme from decorative paper I'd gotten at Michael's: Kraft, Always Artichoke, Basic Black, Very Vanilla

Stamp sets: Frames with a Flourish; Sincere Salutations

Ink: Always Artichoke; Basic Black

Accessories: Stampamajig; Snail; Dimensionals

Thanks for looking!

March Newsletter Posted

From Heidi...

Just letting you know that we've uploaded our March newsletter. You can go to the right of our blog and click on Newsletter to view it. Hope you're all having a great day!

File Organizer & Coupon Organizer

From Adriel:

Awhile back, we started making these great file folder organizers. They are perfect for all kinds of documents! My mom designed some cute mini organizers that are great for coupons, business cards and receipts. Here is a matching set that is so adorable together!


The mini organizer is no longer available (it sold today on Etsy), but the large one is still available. We do sell them separately, even though they match. Someone might not want both!

Here's another matching set that you can see more of in our Etsy shop! I love the paper on this set! It's so delicate and feminine! These are great options to stay stylishly organized!

We've got more to add and more we're planning on working on! Be on the lookout! =)

Also, if you're near the Chandler, AZ area and would like to learn how to make one of these yourself, let us know! We are always up for putting together classes to teach others how to create wonderful projects! We'd love to show you how! You can contact us by clicking HERE. We like to do classes with at least 3 people in them, so get your friends together and have fun creating as a group!

Thanks for stopping by our blog! Have a wonderful day!

**UPDATE** - The polka dot organizers are both sold out at the moment! Please check out our Etsy shop for more styles! =)

Birthday Calendar

From Adriel:

We made birthday calendars at the last stamp club meeting. Here is the one that I made that I just listed in our Etsy shop!

These are made from a file folder and patterned paper, along with lots of sponging! It's a great way to keep all those birthday dates in one place! =)

Thanks for stopping by our blog! Enjoy your day!

Jacob's Card

From Adriel:

My son made a card awhile ago, and he wanted his card put on the blog just like Kayla's was awhile back. Jacob really likes embossing. When he saw me do it for the first time, he wanted to emboss, too! He asks almost every time he makes a card if he can do embossing! =) On this card, he decided to use silver embossing powder. Enjoy! =)

Personal Post

From Heidi...
This is a personal post about a Bible study I've been doing thorugh Kay Arthur's Precept study on the book of Romans. For those not interested, feel free to skip this blog, but I've just got to share a few of the gems I've been gleaning! It's too good to keep to myself.

I've been a born-again Christian for over 30 years, but somehow I've missed important parts of the gospel. The section in Romans I'm studying right now is about justification. It's a big word, but in a nutshell it's about judicial judgment...which means to announce, to declare a favorable verdict. In the case of those who are born-again, it is God, the Judge, declaring us to be righteous. He causes us to be righteous, He is the means of that declaration when He declares us to be righteous. What we weren't (righteous), He says we are, because He is the means of what we aren't.

How can man, a guilty sinner, become just with God and have Him declare man righteous? (...and I know I'm guilty, because no matter how hard I try I am always breaking God's law at one point or another, in spite of all my good intentions). How could God be a good judge by simply allowing the guilty to go free? I certainly would think an earthly judge to be unjust, if he allowed the guilty like murderers, rapists and theives to go free, simply because they promised to not break the law again. There must be justice.

Here's my answer:
Romans 5:19 - "For as through the one man's disobedience (Adam) the many were made to be sinners, even so through the obedience of the One (Jesus Christ) the many will be made righteous." Christ's one act of obedience, His one act of righteousness, constituted many righteous and because of that one act, the many have been given the free gift of righteousness. It is by Christ's one action - His death and resurrection, the Perfect One's act of obedience to BE sin on behalf of the many, to be their Redeemer, to pay their ransom, their fine - that the sentence of condemnation, which I'm under as a sinner, is changed to justification. To those who believe this good news, to those who freely receive the abundance of God's grace and His free gift of righteousness, God's righteousness is credited to them, it is put into their life account, it is reckoned to them as righteousness - God's righteousness.

This crediting of righteousness to us isn't based on anything we've done or will do. This crediting of God's righteousness placed in our life account is based solely on the obedience of Christ, He did the work.

As a born-again Christian, what I've appreciated is that my sins have been forgiven through Christ. I'm seeing that the forgiveness of sins is a subtraction from my life, my sins are removed but there's an addition to my life, as well, and that is the righteousness of God which He puts into my life. They're both received simply by faith inthe only One who IS righteous. My righteousness resides in nothing else but the accomplished work of Christ, and its source in the free grace of God.

Christ's righteousness alone meets the desperateness of my sinful situation and measures up to all the demans of God's holiness. This is certainly not the message of "cheap grace" that I was given 30 years ago.. I appreciate the fact that even after 30 years, the manifold wisdom of God is still unfolding in my life. His great love and mercy for me makes me so appreciative for what He's done in claiming me as His own. All He asks of me is that I believe and trust in His one act of obedience, and live daily trusting Him.

Fun Tangerine Note Cards

From Adriel:


Winter is almost over and here in Arizona it's not really hard to imagine spring... it already feels like spring. Besides, winter this year was only like a week long (at least it felt that way)! So, as we are nearing the end of February, these cards seemed happy and "spring-y".


Again, I used some white textured CS, which I'm really liking! It's adds some, ahem!, texture to a project! I just stuck with simple for these cards and I liked how they turned out. They are 3x3 cards (I really like that size!) and I actually didn't use any dimensionals on this card! GASP!! I can't remember the last time that happened! But it just goes to show that you don't always need dimension, but some interest definitely. I chose to cut up the sentiment into strips to add more interest. I also added a couple of small rhinestones and a bit of stitching. The Tangerine Tango CS is a bit on the dark side, so I added Whisper White CS inside for writing on.

Recipe:

Friendship Blooms (Retired Sale-a-Bration set from last year)

Tangerine Tango CS

White Textured CS

Bashful Blue CS

Whisper White CS

Tangerine Tango ink

Night of Navy ink

Tombow Glue (for the rhinestones and sentiment strips)

Sewing machine

Stamp Club Today!

Today marks the day of our first Stamp Club meeting! This month's Stamp Club project is this cute and very practical Birthday Calendar. It's great for keeping track of all those birthdays in one place and also gift ideas, PLUS it looks so great!

If you're unfamiliar with how a Stamp Club works, here's a brief explanation:

For 10 months, you agree to spend $25 (each month) in Stampin' Up! merchandise from Heidi (she's the demo). In doing this, you join what we call a "Stamp Club". Following is a list of benefits given to Stamp Club members:

- Stamp Club members receive a FREE copy of the current Idea Book & Catalog, along with other miscellaneous promotional catalogs throughout their 10-month membership!

- Stamp Club members get to come to our club meetings where we make great projects and learn new techniques. There is no extra cost for this! This is an added bonus for joining the Stamp Club. For instance, at this month's club meeting, we will be making birthday calendars. Club members don't have to pay for supplies or anything! They just get to come and have fun and make and create!

- Stamp Club members receive hostess benefits one of the months they are a club member. This doesn't mean you have to "host" anything, rather you simply receive the benefits a hostess would receive from a workshop. You receive the basic hostess benefits, which is a free level 1 hostess reward and $15 in free Stampin' Up! merchandise. You don't have to invite anyone to a workshop or anything! This is just an added bonus you receive for becoming a Stamp Club member. We do offer the option to club members that if they would like to increase their hostess benefits during their month as "hostess", they can "host" their own workshop with friends and collect outside orders, but this is not a requirement.

So, in a nutshell, for $25 a month (for 10 months) Stamp Club members get $25 in Stampin' Up! product a month, along with a FREE monthly project class, FREE catalogs, & FREE Stampin' Up! product (on their month as hostess)!

If you're in or around the area of Chandler, AZ and would like to join us, send us an email to get all the details! We'd love to have you.

Feature & Giveaway!

We have been featured on Jessica's blog and we are having some giveaways there as well! We are giving away 3 special items! You don't want to miss it! CLICK HERE to find out all about it and what you can win! There is no purchase necessary! We would just like to thank Jessica for giving us this opportunity! THANKS! =) You can also check out HER SHOP. Have a great day!

Cards with Textured Card Stock

From Adriel:

I put this set of cards in our Etsy shop a few days ago and thought I'd share them with you. We got some white textured card stock last week and I made a set of cards with it. Textured card stock is a lot of fun and adds a little bit "more" to your card! =)

I used accents of Kiwi Kiss and Not Quite Navy to set off the white. I used a couple of retired sets from Stampin' Up! I used the Doodle This set for the flowers. I wanted to do something different than what I've been doing lately, so I used the wonderful scripture verses in the Elegant Inspirations set for the focal points on each of the cards. I embossed these verses with white embossing powder, so they really stand out! I also added white stitching and some paper piercing and embellishments. We had just been to Michael's and my mom had gotten some cute ribbon. It matched perfectly with the cards I made! I also finished the insides with colored cardstock and white card stock again and stamped images. I used the blurred vision technique on the inside images.

They look refreshing and I hope they refresh the spirit of whoever may receive them. Maybe you need some refreshing. Here's one of the verses printed out for you. May it refresh you! =)

"By day the Lord directs His love, at night His song is with me." Psalms 42:8

Wedding Guest Lists

From Adriel:

I'm making a custom wedding guest book for a bride-to-be for her wedding next month. I've sent her the proof for the lists, but it didn't send over too well. I'm posting it here for her to look at, and you can, too!

Stamp-A-Stack Update

From Adriel:

Just updating you all to let you know we only have 2 spots left for the Stamp-a-Stack on February 17, 7-8:30 PM. We will be making 5 cards for $10. Here's the cards we will be making (we will make 2 of a couple of them). You can reserve your spot by shooting us an email by clicking HERE! Hope to see you there!

We Got Featured on CheapTweet!

Hey, I just had to share real quickly that we got featured on CheapTweet! Check out our great deal by clicking HERE or the CheapTweet button the the right-hand column!

A Birthday Card

From Adriel:

I just listed this in our Etsy shop and thought, "Hey! I'll post this on our blog, too!" So, here's a cute birthday card I made a few days ago! Wouldn't it make a cute invitation to a little girl's party (with a different sentiment, of course!)?

The little girl is from the retired set, Lively Little Ones. I wish it wasn't retired... it's so cute!! Anyway, I used a blender pen and ink to "watercolor" her and I enjoyed myself. Watercoloring is relaxing, although it does take a little bit of time. It's worth it, IMHO! =) It's SO MUCH BETTER than a plain black & white image!

Yesterday I made an Easter card that I'll show you soon! I did some more watercoloring! LOL! Thanks for looking! Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend!

Just a Pretty Card

From Adriel:

Another card to share with you! I used the same color scheme as the wedding card I showed you guys a few days ago, although I didn't use any gray, except for the ink.

I used the Fresh Cuts set for the bottom and, I believe, the Delight in Life set for the large flowers. Aren't those flowers so pretty? The leaves are made by folding the cardstock in half and sending it through the crimper at an angle, then cutting out a half-a-leaf shape, then unfolding. There's a tutorial out there somewhere for that, but I'm too lazy right now to look for it! =)

The embossed images on the bottom of the card are from the Fresh Cuts set. I also finished the inside with the same image using classic ink in Pale Plum & Kiwi Kiss. Sentiment is from the One of a Kind set.

BTW, Kiwi Kiss is definitely growing on me! I wasn't very fond of it when it was introduced, but I'm finding it adds a nice POP to color combinations!

Thanks for looking and enjoy your day! =)

Stamp-A-Stack, Feb. 17, 7-8:30 PM

From Heidi...

Here's are pictures of the cards we'll be making at this month's SAS. We're making two birthday cards, two thank you cards and a thinking of you card for a total of 5 cards for $10. Let us know if you can make it. As of today, we have 4 spots open.

Wedding Days!

From Heidi...

This seems to be the season for weddings and I needed a card for a friend's daughter whose wedding is coming up at the end of this month. I drew my inspiration for this card from Adriel's wonderful layout she used for her lavendar wedding card and also from an order we're doing for a bride-to-be, whose colors I fell in love with....Sage Shadow, Chocolate Chip and Cream. Thanks for looking!

Blue and White Thank You's

From Heidi...

Here's a set of 5 thank you cards I made last week. The Brilliant Blue with Kiwi Kiss makes a great combo, especially on the white. I was going to use the Stampin'Write markers to color the flower on the stamp set, but I don't have the Bold Bright markers, yet. So I used my blender pen and ink pads to color in the Brilliant Blue with the Regal Rose. I used Kiwi Kiss and Old Olive for the stem and leaf. I really like the effect. I crimped the Brilliant Blue CS to give some texture to the card. Thanks for looking!

New Slideshow Pics!

From Adriel:

We have a new album on the slideshow on the right-hand column. Check it out when you have a chance! The new album is pictures of the card candy class and the card candy that we mentioned a few times during the past couple of weeks. Here's a picture of all the card candy that we made at this class!!

Cards from Texas!

From Heidi...
I'm sharing a couple of cards from a dear fellow stamper and friend, Shirley Waage, from Texas. Shirley is the one who introduced me to Stampin' Up! and card making while she was my neighbor here in AZ for several years. She moved to Texas last year and is still creating wonderful cards...now with a Texas theme. She shared these cards with me and I just love them! I asked her if I could share them here on our blog, so here they are...Enjoy her work!

A Wedding Card

From Adriel:

Hey! It's been awhile since I posted on here! We've just been busy with life and our business lately and I have been busy managing our online stores and such. We recently sold the card I'm going to show you and I wanted to share it with you!

So what do you think? I love this color combo! It's so classy and at the same time, different!

Here's what I used:

Pale Plum CS

Perfect Plum CS

Kiwi Kiss CS

Basic Gray CS

Whisper White CS

Basic Gray ink

Perfect Plum ink

Pale Plum ink

Versa Mark ink

White embossing powder

All Holidays (mr & mrs)

I don't remember for the leaves and little flowers... may update later!

Fundamental Phrases ("congrats" inside)

Noteworthy ("decorative designs" inside)

White satin ribbon

Curly Label punch

Photo Corner punch

Scallop edge punch
Corner rounder

Another Color Family of Card Candy

From Heidi...

I have a few more pieces of card candy to share with you this week. I used a different card layout and different colors for this set of card candy. Enjoy!