Lakeshore Stamping

Library Halloween Class

I just returned from a fun night at the Pentwater Library.  I had a Halloween Class and this is one of the cards we made.

 
This fun card uses a few different Halloween stamp sets.  The witches hat comes from the set "Eat, Drink and Be Scary", the bat and background stamp is from the set "Halloween Frights" and the Trick or Treat comes from a hostess set "Holiday Best".  I really like how this card turned out and I think it was a favorite of the ladies tonight too!  I had so much fun with the group of ladies.  I think I may be seeing a few of them again in the near future <wink>.  This stamping is SO addicting!

I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!

BOO!

I just love making these little ghosts!  I do them every year for Halloween...SO EASY!  I know this isn't stamping related but I do bake.  I don't bake a lot because then I eat it ALL!  But these are for my daughter's class tomorrow for their Halloween Party. 

 
Aren't they just adorable?  Almost too cute to eat...okay maybe not :)

Here are the directions...you still have time to make them!  I made 50 of them in about 30 minutes! 

I used 2 packages of Nutter Butter cookies and 2 packages of Almond Bark.  Almond Bark comes in cubes and they resemble an ice cube tray.  They are found in the baking section.  You will also need "mini" chocolate chips.

Melt about 3 cubes of Almond Bark in a glass measuring cup in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Stir and repeat at 30 second increments until it is nice and smooth, adding a few more cubes at a time.  I use a glass measuring cup instead of a bowl to get the depth necessary to dip the cookies.

Remember to stir the bottom well too other wise you will have burnt Almond Bark...yuck!

Then dip cookies 1/2 - 3/4 of the way down and place on wax paper to cool.  Keep repeating steps until you have the amount you want. 

Before the cookies dry all the way, place the mini chocolate chips on to the cookie carefully as eyes.  This is the tricky part because those chocolate chips are so tiny! 

Set out until completely hard, about 1-2 hours. 

I hope you have a great Halloween and your ghosts will be a hit!  Promise!

Kropping fun!

Yesterday was spent with new and old friends in Pentwater at the "Krop Around the Klock" event.  I have been invited twice a year by Claudia and Tracey to come to their weekend cropping event and represent Stampin' Up!  Their first event had 9 ladies for the weekend...it has grown to 39 ladies this year!  I thought it was great!  The room could only hold a few more comfortably.  The first year I did a make-n-take with the 9 ladies and every year since.  Most of the time I have about 15 ladies do the project...this year I had 34 ladies do the make-n-take!  I was SO excited and blown away by their excitement for stamping.  Some of them had stamped before some had only a little.  The make-n-take has always been a progressive scrapbook page.  This way they can make the 6x6 with me and then I show an example of how they can make it work with either 8 1/2 x 11 or 12 x 12 pages. 

This is the 6x6 they did yesterday.

We used the stamp set "Falling Leaves" and the die Leaves #2.  We also used a technique with the rubber brayer called VersaMark Resist.  I received a lot of WOW's from this and I just love it when I hear it because I know I've showed them something new. 

The VersaMark Resist technique is done by using our Glossy White cardstock, Brayer, VersaMark, one or two color of ink pads.  In this page I used two different ink colors, Old Olive and Really Rust.  I stamped the leaves first in VersaMark on to the Glossy White cardstock.  I then inked half the brayer in Really Rust and the other half in Old Olive.  I started in the middle of the Glossy White cardstock and gradually moved the brayer while rolling left and then right without picking the brayer up off the cardstock.  This gives it more of a blended look.  If your ends don't blend good then you ink that color up again and brayer a little more on the ends. 

This is the 8 1/2 x 11 page I then created.

I added the wheel "Bright Blessings" to the right side of the page.  Then some ribbon, pictures of my cuties and a favorite of mine, Kraft Corduroy Button with Linen Thread.  When I see corduroy I think fall and winter so it fit perfect for my page.

This is the complete 12x12 page.

I added the 8 1/2 x 11 page on to a textured 12 x 12 piece of Close to Cocoa cardstock.  I LOVE leaves so I decided to add some more of the leaves from the die Leaves #2 to the right side.  I cut out the leaves with more textured Close to Cocoa and then sponged around them before adhering them with adhesive.  I am really excited how it turned out.

I love being asked to do these fun events.  I meet SO many new people and was also able to catch up with some old friends at the same time.  I even saw some of ladies get their ink pads out after making the make-n-take and use them on their own pages.  This makes me SMILE!!

Hope you have a great Sunday and a great start to a new week!

 

Flowers, Flowers everywhere!!!

So while I was in Colorado I actually did more sewing than stamping...yes, you heard me right...sewing!  I can't believe it, I hate to sew.  I don't even do buttons but this sewing I did was addictive!  At Convention and Regionals this year, Shelli Gardner, CEO of Stampin' Up! wore these beautiful brooches on her clothes.  So when I walked into the Demonstrator Meeting on Colorado, Kimberly Van Diepen had one in her hair!  It was adorable!  We went to her house that evening and Kimberly, Cathy and Christy showed Amy and I how to make these adorable flowers.  (Thanks ladies!)

 

Amy and I were hooked.  The next day we were off to the craft store to buy fabric.  We didn't buy just a few yards...we bought 25 yards of fabric.  There was also a sale on buttons so we bought the store out of buttons too! 

Here is a close up of one of the flowers.

And here is one in my adorable pregnant sister's hair.  Isn't she cute :) (She is SO going to kill me!)

Amy and I ended up making 25 of these and I am planning to sell them at my upcoming craft fairs in the next months.  I will keep you updated on my craft fair dates.

Stampin' Hugs!

What I have been up too...

Hi all!  Yes, I have been MIA lately...sorry!  I spent a WONDERFUL 4 days in Colorado over the weekend!  I went to visit my sister and brother-in-law who I haven't seen since June!  Amy is pregnant and due in February so she wasn't able to travel home this summer or Christmas!! BUMMER!!  So I took a long weekend and went to visit her.  We had a wonderful time just horrible COLD and ICY weather!  I thought Michigan's weather was crazy!  When I go out in February I hope to see my little nephew, Jackson.  I can't wait!  Neither can she :)

While I was out there I was honored to attend a Demonstrator Meeting put on by my upline, Kimberly VanDiepen.  I even was more honored to do a demonstration of the below technique!  I was very nervous at first but then everyone gathered around the table so they could see what I was doing and then I was fine.  Our team has a wonderful group of demonstrators and many of them have become my friends and it was SO much fun seeing everyone.  I am SO glad Amy shares me while I am there :)

This technique is called Wet Stencil...and although I can't post how to do this technique, I still want to share the beautiful card with you.  If you want more information on this technique you can go HERE.

 
  
This uses our Small Kind Thoughts Stencil from our Definitely Decorative Brochure.  You can do so much with these stencils...home decor, cards, scrapbook pages and I've tried them all and just LOVE them!  This card uses a lot of Close To Cocoa but I love tone on tone lately! 

I hope to post more this weekend.  Amy and I did a lot of sewing...yes sewing this weekend and wait until you see what we made!  I hope to get some pictures taken tomorrow and post them this weekend.  I am trying to play catch up since I had been gone for 4 days but it isn't going to well.  I am hoping for a productive day tomorrow.  Well, I am off to a workshop tonight...Whoo Hoo!  I love meeting new people and teaching them about stamping!

Until Later!

Catalog CASE

I gave myself a challenge this week, I had to find a card in the catalog and change the stamp set and the colors of the card.  If you go to page 64 of the Idea Book & Catalog, you will see a 4x4 square snowflake card using the stamp set "Best Wishes & More".  Below is the card I came up with, using the stamp set "Circle Circus".  It was actually really fun to do and I should do it more often.  Our catalog is filled with tons of ideas, I will be doing this again!

Stampin' Supplies:

Stamp Sets:  Circle Circus, Hello Again

Inks:  Soft Suede, Melon Mambo

Card Stock:  Soft Suede, Whisper White, Melon Mambo Textured

Accessories:  1/4" Whisper White Grosgrain Ribbon, 1/2" Circle Punch, 3/4" Circle Punch, 1" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 2 Way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Stampin' Dimensionals

I hope you've taken some time to stamp :)