Labour of Love

Our daughter got engaged last October and as many of you know when your daughter gets married and the family is handy there is opportunity to make a lot of things. Well we started talking about the invitation and 8 months later the final product was complete. It is 8 pages of information, pictures, verses, reply cards, registry and menu. I don't think either one of us anticipated how long it would take or we never would have started out with them but we were very pleased with the end result and the response to the invitations has been phenomenal. No matter where we go or who we meet someone mentions that they have seen the invitation. Watch for the next post I will include a picture of some of the inside pages.

In a recent catalogue Stampin Up came out with a Gift Box Punch Board (item 135863 $24.95) and this week I thought I would play around with it and see what kind of boxes it made. I was thrilled to see the end result and amazed at the possibilities using this handy too. We have a wedding in the family this year so I can see many uses for the new Punch Board. Pictured below are three of the sixteen sizes this Punch Board makes. We will be having a class at the Hanover Public Library on April 15 and here at the studio on Friday April 17 making one of these boxes as well as a couple of spring cards. Watch for further news and pictures on that class.

Colour is Everything

Last night Karen hosted a Stampin Up workshop here in my studio. She warned me before the workshop that I had better wear something green to celebrate St. Patricks Day. So just before she came I put on my green scarf and then the guests started to arrive. Some of the guests remembered to wear a smattering of green others did not but the most amazing thing was that Karen not only wore green in her ensemble she also brought green refreshments! Look at the amazing cake, the candy and the green drinks! Her scarf, her watch, her ring, all matched the look she had going too. Well done Karen, what a hoot!

March Madness Card #2

Today I have for you card #2 in the class March Madness scheduled for March 28th from 1-5pm. This card was designed by Sara Hoogendoorn who did a beautiful job on the colouring of this card. The students in this class will have a choice of the Moon Lake stamp set and accessories or the Butterfly Basics Stamp Set and accessories. Which will you choose?

Upcoming Class

March is almost here and I am in denial, where did February go? I love the winter months when all is quiet and we can spend guilt free time making projects and staying indoors. I love winter for the outdoor activities too when we can bundle up and head outdoors to defy the elements. Today I have a card idea for you that we will be making in a new Card Class I have created taking place on Saturday afternoon March 28th. Everyone will be getting a Bundle valued at $75 and you will be making the cards featured here in the next couple of weeks. Today's card is a version of one I saw at jaydeestamping.com. I hope you like it. Watch for more samples here.

This past weekend we went to my brothers cottage and bundled up for one of those outdoor activities I was talking about above. What a lot of fun we had cross country skiing and snowshoeing. The funniest part of all was trying to get on top of the snow bank pictured here and all of us falling in a domino effect when one of us lost our balance.

And finally here are this weeks Weekly Deals, check them out!

Library Class Fun

Together, a bunch of us have been meeting at the Hanover Public Library for quite a few years, we have a steady faithful group that gets together every third Wednesday of the month for most of the year. Sometimes not everyone can make it and sometimes we have new students and sometimes students take a break to attend to other things in their lives but for the most part we are group that has been together for a long time. Last night I asked the group if I could take a picture of them so that I could share the fun times we have when we are together. If you would like to join us we would love to have you. We meet for two hours and I have all the items in a kit for you so you can have the fun of making the card projects. The girls are holding up some of the card creations they are working on or have completed. See those smiling faces?

Weekly Deals

Stampin Up has been announcing Weekly Deals for the past year and I thought I would share this weeks deals with you. These deals are valid from Tuesday morning to Monday of the following week. (Feb 23) There are usually a half a dozen items and there is usually one or two items that I think are a great value. This week I noticed the 2014-2016 In Colour Designer Series Paper is on for the great price of $20.21. This pack has 40 sheets in the 5 new colours, 8 sheets of each colour and double sided paper. That figures out to about fifty cents per sheet. The colours this year are Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Mossy Meadow, Hello Honey and Tangelo Twist. If you would like a pack let me know by Monday night and I will be happy to get it for you.

Recycled Project

Recently our daughter got a job as a Librarian at the Southgate Public Library. In this position she is trying out several new programs to draw patrons to the Library. One such program is an evening a month called Make it Yours in which patrons can join a class and make a project for a nominal fee. This month she has chosen to make a bookshelf from a pallet and then hang a banner on the bottom. As soon as she mentioned the banner I remembered a Die Cut called Perfect Pennants that Stampin Up has and pulled it out. She then got some discontinued books and made the Pennants from the pages of the old books and then made a dark mat as a background. All the students will have the option of choosing a word that they want on their banner, but because she is storing her books in it she choose the word "Books". She was thrilled that the class filled immediately. 

Valentine Favours

Good friends of ours host a Valentines Dinner every year. They go all out and prepare a wonderful meal that she cooks herself (she is an excellent cook, her salads are delicious) they decorate the house with wreaths, floral picks and centrepieces on the table. In the past she has had wonderful gifts on our table settings which include pencil roses, ties with a heart motif for the guys, chocolates, etc. This year was no exception and when we came to dinner on this cold February night the house was warm with a welcoming atmosphere, the smells of the delectable dinner, the wood stove crackling, and a beautiful table set with heart shaped centrepieces. On each table setting were the favours pictured below that she had handmade. Inside the purse were 12 bite size chocolates for the girls and inside the tall box was a miniature jar of Maple Syrup for the guys. What a way to make us all feel special! Valentines is a wonderful time to celebrate your significant other, but also a great day to spend time with good friends. 

Back from Convention

Hey it was a great time in Florida at the Stampin Up Leadership Conference but I am now back in my studio at home and enjoying a different kind of warmth, (radiant heat flooring as opposed to sunshine and 70F.) We had a great time and saw a lot of the product from the Occasions Catalogue displayed and demonstrated. I roomed with several girls from the USA and we had a wonderful time together.

When attending Stampin Up events there are always lots of components to the event. First of all we always get an awesome bag and you can see us with our new bags in the photo. Then we enjoy a General Session where all demonstrators gather in once place for announcements and demonstrations. These are usually the highlight of our event. Several times throughout the event Stampin Up gives out and all attendee giveaway and we were thrilled to receive Project Life cards, accessories and a pkg of DSP. We each also get a wrist band with one of Stampin Up's colours and randomly throughout the event they announce a Prize Patrol and there is a drum roll and they announce the colour that has won that round of prizes. Loni who is standing to the left in the picture won a fantastic prize package. 

We have breaks during the 3 day session where we go to a Display Room and look at display boards, card samples, project samples and there are several booths with Stampin Up employees who are demonstrating some of the new products. If this sounds like fun and something you would like to attend talk to me about becoming a demonstrator! 

If you would like to see some of the Occasions Products and make a few projects I am hosting a Open House this Saturday afternoon Feb 7, here in Mount Forest. There is no cost to attend and I would love to see you there.