But…this is where I was last week…in Destin, Florida.  LOVELY weather (except for a couple thunderstorms at night) and not too much of a crowd until Friday when people started coming in for the weekend.  We used to go to Destin for every Spring Break when the kids were younger.  It was nice going when it wasn't crowded and you didn't need to wait in line for dinner, or get stuck in traffic on the way!

Normally when we go, we stay in the Sandestin complex.  Since we booked at the last minute, we couldn't find any one bedrooms available in Sandestin.  So, we ended up staying downtown Destin and the Sundestin Condo complex.  This is the view from our 12th floor condo.  GORGEOUS!  I could get used to that view every day!  Every morning we walked along the shoreline a couple miles.

We saw a couple dolphins playing one morning…they put on quite a show!  This fisherman never looked up and saw how close he was to them!

Here I am standing on the balcony looking east.  The sand is SO white and soft and cool…and the water so green and blue!  Beautiful part of the world!

Hope you enjoyed the peak into my vacation!  Now back to the REAL world and my stamping business!  I have a LOT going on over the next few weeks and have depleted my stockpile of cards to show on my blog!  Better get working, huh?  lol!

Woohoo!  It's time!  Time for the monthly Tour de Freaks…brought to you by the Control Freak Swappers!  This month we are featuring the retiring products!  Better grab them now before they are GOING, GOING, GONE!!!  You've probably just come from Wendy Weixler's blog.  Weren't her projects fun? 

My projects don't have much stamping, but do have several accessories that will be retiring at the end of the month!  Most obvious is the Poppy Parade and Pear Pizzazz In Colors!  I'm REALLY going to miss them!  Also obvious is the Designer Paper, Pocketful of Posies, that is retiring.  I love the subtle red pattern in this package and thought it would be great for my watermelons and then the Pear Pizzazz stripe made a great looking rind!

Here is a closeup of the Watermelon Slice box:

Can you tell what I used to make the watermelon slice box?  Yes!  I used the Petal Cone Die and overlapped two of the panels to make it 3 sides instead of 4 (after I cut two sets out with the Pocketful of Posies Designer Paper).  I cut off one of the overlapping flaps of the petal cone die and used it for the Watermelon on the card below!  The black seeds are from the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch that is retiring.  I used a White Gel Pen to outline stitches along the edges of the box.  I punched holes with the Crop A Dile (what will I do without that tool???) and thread the Black Scallop Dot Ribbon thru to the inside and tied a knot to hold it secure for the handle.  The bottom flaps overlap to keep the treat inside.

For the card, I used a base card of Poppy Parade cardstock.  I layered on Basic Black that I punched with the retiring Eyelet Border Punch (sob!).  I ran the Pear Pizzazz cardstock thru the Big Shot with the Square Lattice Impressions Folder.  I wrapped the Basic Black Scallop Dot Ribbon around and tied a knot.  To hide the "seam", I added a tiny sliver of the Pocketful of Posies Designer Paper.

The Watermelon was made by one of the flaps on the Petal Cone Die as I said above.  Then I used my Circle Scissors Tool (retiring!) to cut a 2 3/4" Circle from the green "rind" Designer Paper.  I used a White Gel Pen to add some stitching around the inside of the watermelon.  I punched out the "bite" of watermelon with the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch and made more of the black seeds!  It is popped up on the front with Stampin' Dimensionals.  I stamped the Happy Birthday from Happiest Birthday Wishes, a hostess set that is retiring, with Basic Black in the bottom corner.

Hope you enjoy my post of retiring products!  Now on to the next stop my great friend, Mary Brown at StamperCamper's Corner, who has wonderful projects, as usual!  Enjoy the Tour!

I used Stampin' Up!'s Vintage Vogue stamp set…yes, it is retiring.  I remember when it came out that I was SO in love with it and used it on almost everything!  But, I must admit, it has been sitting on my shelf lonely.  Thought I'd pull it out one more time.

I started with a base of Pool Party cardstock.  I layered on Basic Black and Whisper White that I ran thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dot folder.  I punched a 2 1/2" Circle from Pool Party cardstock, then stamped the bottom of the circle with the vine image from Vintage Vogue and the greeting from that same set in Basic Black on top.  I stamped three Vintage Vogue flowers with Poppy Parade Ink on Whisper White and cut them out.  I added Pool Party Designer Brads in the center and Pool Party leaves that were also cut out. 

I used a scrap of Domestic Garden Designer Paper and layered it on Poppy Parade cardstock, and adhered it to the base card layers.  I added the circle on top, then popped up the flowers around the edge of the circle.  Finally, I added three little Pearls within the circle for some extra bling.

Make sure you check out what the rest of the Challenge Team did this week over on Create with Connie and Mary!  Then grab your stamps and play along!

I used Mary Jo's Lunchtime Sketch from last week, but didn't get it posted in time to submit it for her challenge.  It was a fun one…surprisingly similar to the Freshly Made Sketches one I did on Saturday!

I took my colors from the Domestic Goddess Designer Paper for this card.  The base is Pool Party and I layered on the Domestic Goddess plaid background.  Then I used a strip of the Floral pattern.  I cut a piece of Poppy Parade cardstock to layer along the side.  I stamped the Now You're Cooking image with Stampin' Write Markers in Pool Party, Poppy Parade and So Saffron on Whisper White and punched with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  I stamped You're Invited from Wedding Sweet in Basic Black on Pool Party and punched with the Modern Label punch. 

I thought it needed just a little more, so I used the Boho Blossom punch to make a flower similar to the ones in the designer paper.  The center flower is the Itty Bitty Trio flower and a tiny mini brad.  It is popped up with Stampin' Dimensionals on the front.  Then I added a clear Itty Bitty Button tied with Pool Party Baker's Twine and placed it on the Oven Mitt.

I love the crisp clean look to this card!  Hope you enjoy it, too!

So here is my card!

The base of my card is Early Espresso cardstock.  I cut two different patterns from Well Worn Designer Paper.  The stripe I layered onto Marina Mist cardstock to make it pop a little more.  I placed those on the front and added River Rock cardstock across the bottom, stamping the words with Early Espresso Ink.  I used the back side of the Marina Mist Scallop Dots Ribbon to hide the seam and adhered in the back.

I stamped the hammer with Black Stazon on Very Vanilla cardstock and watercolored with my AquaPainter and Cajun Craze, Early Espresso and Basic Gray Stampin' Write Markers.  I punched with the 2 1/2" Circle Punch and layered on a 2 3/4" Circle of Early Espresso cut with the Circle Scissors Tool.  It is popped up on the front with Stampin' Dimensionals.  Finally, I added three Antique Brass brads for the "nails" in the upper right corner.

I like it…hope you do, too!  Make sure you order the Totally Tool stamp set and Well Worn Designer Paper before they retire at the end of the month!

But, it's Thursday and time for another Create with Connie and Mary challenge!  We have a fun sketch for you to try this week…I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE sketch challenges!

I wanted to use Stampin' Up!'s retiring stamp set, Something Sweet, before it goes away.  Better grab it soon!  I love this gumball machine!  It definitely is a set that I will keep!

I started with a base of Pacific Point cardstock and ran the front thru the Big Shot with the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions Folder.  I added a band of Big Top Birthday Designer Paper…turned sideways, I thought the horizontal stripes were perfect for the sketch!  I cut the ends into a flag shape.  I stamped the gumball machine on Whisper White with Real Red and Basic Black Stampin' Write Markers and the thanks along the side is from Pretty Postage stamp set.  I added a Rhinestone Jewel to the top of the Gumball machine.

I stamped the gumballs in Pacific Point, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Wild Wasabi and Melon Mambo on Whisper White, then punched with the 1/2" Circle Punch.  I filled the gumball machine and even had a few falling out of the opening as the sketch showed!  I laughed while I was creating this…just too much fun! 

Make sure you check out what the rest of the Challenge Team did this week over on Create with Connie and Mary!  They had lots of fun with the sketch, too!  Then grab your stamps and play along!  We love to see your work!

EDIT:  I've tried to respond to those that have asked.  The cabinets are Shiloh Beaded Inset Doors with Medium Maple and a Mocha Glaze and are a wonderful quality!  Love the soft close drawers.  Terry King from Heartland Home Cabinetry in Sunbury, Ohio was the cabinet designer who spent HOURS and HOURS with me to create and design my dream studio and orchestrated the installation of everything.  His wife is a quilter, so he "got" that I needed lots and lots of drawers for organizing all my stamping stuff.  And thanks to Patti Willey, a fellow stamper and cabinet designer, who helped point me in the right direction with the initial layout concept of the room.

This is the view from the entrance into my room from the family room area.  The first table will only be in place when I have larger groups like Monday night…otherwise I'll take it down and have open space.

This is a photo of my main working area.  It is a U shaped area in the back left corner.  The desk area is huge and I have two stools in place on the front side to take orders or to have a friend over to stamp.  The back wall holds my raised cutter station.  The countertops are Corian…love them and I have a couple under-counter lights.  I went with a pre-fab wood floor…I think it will be easy to dust and clean!  I painted the walls a shade darker than Pear Pizzazz.

You can see the tall custom built unit on the right with SEVEN narrow drawers!  My ribbon is stored in a couple of the drawers…yes, I have a LOT of ribbon.  My grid paper, circle scissors in one drawer, miscellaneous felt pieces, etc. in the bottom drawer.  Above the drawers, the cabinet holds my second Big Shot machine, Xyron machines and my baskets that I use to hold class supplies.

This is one of the drawers pulled out so you can see how I organized my ribbon.  This is the current ribbon drawer.  There are wood dividers to hold them in place…nice and snug!

Continuing around the corner from the custom cabinet is my die cutting area.  It is a raised height to make it easier to stand and use the Big Shot.  I also have a stool in the corner I can pull out to use to sit for big prep times.

This is the cabinet above the Big Shot filled with all my dies.

The pull out drawers below the Big Shot hold my current stamp sets..there are a total of 6 pullout drawers.  I'm waiting to clear out the retiring sets and then will put in dividers to help hold the stamps upright.

Continuing along that wall (with my die cutting area) is space for two tables for smaller classes.

The entrance wall with the double doors has two pantries…filled with all my retired stamp sets.

My goal is to convert the wood mount to clear mount and combine both cabinets of stamp sets into one cabinet.  These are a little messy until I sort out the sets that will retire.

On the left wall are my paper racks…they hold 8 1/2 x 11, Designer Paper and 12×12.  I have bins at the top to hold miscellaneous things like my SU fabric, chipboard, etc.  I just put the Create decor elements on the wall across the top of the racks.

A closeup of my desk area and the glass front cabinet above.  Right now I just have some apothecary jars filled with buttons on display.  Will probably put some of my finished items up there to display.

One of the file drawers organizes my scraps.  I adhered the sides of the file folders together so the scraps don't fall out, then labeled them and added a Round Tab in the color of the cardstock.

A different view of the space from the center of the room.

 Below my raised cutting station on the back wall, the top drawers hold my punches.  The pullouts below hold all the brads and buttons…I used the same wood dividers as the ribbon drawers  to hold them in place here, too.

So…tell me what you think!!!!  Was it worth the FOUR months wait to get it all done?  I think so!  My husband says I sabotaged the sump pump so it stopped working and flooded the basement so I could get this done.  lol.  Sort of wished I would have thought of it! 

Thanks for stopping by!

WOOHOO!!!  I'm ready to announce that I earned Stampin' Up!'s Figi Grand Vacation Incentive Trip!  What an AWESOME feeling!

THANK YOU so much to all that supported my goal with clubs, classes and online orders.  You certainly are the BEST and I appreciate you all!

WINNERS of the Incentive Trip drawings are:

SANDY MOORE

$50 gift certificate!

Her order last night at my Studio Reveal Party put me over the top!!!! 

THANK YOU!

CHRISTINE JANIS

$100 gift certificate

Her online order on 4/16 put her in the drawing!

THANK YOU!

I'll touch base with both of you to select your FREE merchandise from the New Catalog and will be placing the order June 1st for you!

Wow!  It is hard to believe that I signed up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator TEN years ago today, May 7th!  I'm amazed at the journey that I've taken.  I started out thinking that I only wanted the discount.  Then a friend asked if I would teach a couple classes on stamping…and the rest is history!  I am simply blessed to have the friends I've made thru Stampin' Up! in my life!  I probably would never have met them otherwise, but I am SO thankful that I did!  I earned my first Incentive trip on a Alaska Cruise last year and was totally blown away by this awesome company, Stampin' Up!  Thank you Shelli and the rest of the Stampin' Up! team for all your support.

Over 10 years ago I went to a workshop and was amazed at what a stamp, some markers and Dazzling Diamonds could do for a snowman card.  I placed that card on my shelf and must have walked by and admired it at least 20 times!  lol!  I remember buying everything that I needed to recreate that card…I had NOTHING!  I was placing MONTHLY orders trying to accumulate everything I needed.  Finally deciding that enough was enough…I would just sell it myself to get the discount.

Since I signed up in May, I was able to go to that year's Convention in July.  I was hooked…I've gone to all 10 Conventions since I've been a demo…and only missed one Leadership since I qualified.  I'm SO happy to go and run into people I've met online and from previous conventions…one of the best parts about going for me!  It's my GIRL time!  I love the excitement and all the information that Stampin' Up! gives us!  I come back re-energized and ready to dig in again!  It charges my creative batteries!

In February 2008 I started my Blog as a place I can share my creations.  Thanks for checking in and supporting my blog…you all keep me growing and stretching creatively.  Recently I ran across a box of the first cards I made ten years ago…I sat and laughed at them!  I'm happy to say that my skills HAVE improved!  It was a real eye-opener!  lol!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!  I appreciate your support and your business!  Thanks to my upline, downline, my stamping friends and customers!  And…here's hoping for another 10 years!

Start shopping HERE!

Click HERE for the Retired Lists!!! 

Fiji Incentive Drawing:  Want to win a $100 or $50 Shopping Spree?  Get details HERE! 

Start shopping HERE!

Really trying to clear out these final products, so prices are drastically reduced and new items added!  I found some accessories in my stash that I haven't used…here are some oldies but goodies!  Take a look!  Great deal on TAKE IT ALL CHIPBOARD!  See below for details!

Shipping is extra.  Please email your zipcode so I can figure it for you.  Only payment holds the products …sorry…I've had a few back out after I've saved them.  I will issue you a Paypal invoice so you can pay it promptly.  Thanks for understanding.   US only, please.

  EMAIL ME HERE!

Left:  Recess – $16
Right:  On the Grow – $14

Accessories for sale:

Nursery Suite Designer Paper – 12 sheets – $7
(missing one pink stripe, added one additional scallop square)  SOLD

LEFT:  Watercolor Wonder Crayons NEW COLOR KIT...these update the original colors with 17 new colors like Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Marina Mist, etc…NEW, UNOPENED (I ordered two by mistake)  $15.00  SOLD

RIGHT:  Fun Frames & Tags – Oval & Rectangle frames & tags – package of 48 – $2.00

Left:  Door Hangers and Tags – Glossy White – 1 full package of 18, plus 20 loose hangers & tags – $3.00
Right:  Door Hangers with Pouch – Glossy White – 1 full package of 12 – $2.00

Season of Cheer Rub-ons – 2 unopened packages – $3 each

CHIPBOARD TAKE IT ALL PRICE!!!  Love Chipboard? 

Take all the chipboard below for $30 plus shipping!

LEFT:  FLOWER FUSION TWO – felt flowers – unopened in tin – $8 SOLD
RIGHT:  On Board SO TWEET – open, but unused  – $5

Left:  On Board Heart Chipboard – unopened – $3
Right:  On Board Briefcase Chipboard – unopened – $3

On Board Simon Lower Alphabet and Numbers – 1-2 letters missing – $3

On Board Simon Upper Alphabet - unopened – $5

On Board Accents – a few items missing – $4

On Board Lots of Letters – 2-3 lower alphabet and numbers missing – $4  SOLD

On Board Hearts & Stars Bulk – 1 full and 1 half sheet of stars remain…all hearts remain – $5

On Board Loads of Letters – only 1 sheet of lower case alphabet – 5 letters missing – $1  SOLD

On Board Trimmings package – unopened – $5

* * * * * * * * * *

Left:  Petals & Paisleys Designer Paper – full, unopened – $6  SOLD
Right:  Recollections Designer Paper – full, unopened – $6  SOLD

Scrappin' Kits:

Toy Box Scrappin Kit – (original $12.95) – partial package – $5  SOLD
Contains 1/2 package plus of stickers, some cardstock & DSP missing

Primary Colors Scrappin' Kit (original $19.95) – partial package – $10
Contains all the stickers, some textured cardstock & DSP missing

Left:  Glorious Garland – $8  SOLD
Right:  Happiest of Holidays – 6

Left:  Very Merry – $6
Right:  Snow Flurries – $6  SOLD

Left:  Fun with Shapes – $6
Right:  Around & About – $4

Left:  Fresh Fillers – $4
Right:  Birthday Whimsy – $5  SOLD

Left:  Fun Filled – $4
Right:  Hi & Hello – $6  SOLD
 

Left:  Sparkling Christmas – $5
Right:  All About You – $7  SOLD

Left:  You and Moi – $4
Right:  Birthday Best – $6  SOLD

Thanks for looking!  EMAIL me!!!