Beautiful Birthday

I just finished reading this book titled, The Art of the Handwritten Note by Margaret Shepherd. I found it quite enchanting. Yes, you read it right...it was an enchanting read. So much so that I ran to Office Depot in search for a fountain pen and ordered a set of stationery, determined to reclaim my love for handwritten letters. I am so fortunate that I knew what it was like to receive handwritten letters from friends and love letters in a scented stationery from a very special boy (who years later became my husband). Believe it or not, I have a suitcase full of letters and mementos from the 1980's. My husband and I wrote so many letters to each other back in the day, especially when he was still in the Philippines and I moved to United States. The World Wide Web was not around yet, and we relied on ridiculously expensive overseas phone calls and snail mails to communicate. My very little paychecks and that of my mother's went to the phone company. I can still feel the anticipation and excitement of checking the mail box every day hoping to find a letter or letters from him and from friends back home. I also wrote to him every day that I got to know the lady named Cathy at the post office, which was nothing more than a tiny closet at a Home Federal bank.

How fast time has changed. With the invention of the internet, texting and social media, it seems no one takes the time and effort to hand write notes and letters any longer. We've traded art for convenience. Yet, here I am with my handmade cards. I've heard people call it a waste of time. I just hope the wonderful people I send them to do not think so. I hope they feel appreciated and special that in this day and age I still take the time to create something to show that I am thinking of them.

Card Recipe

Stamp Set: Beautiful Birthday (125562)
Paper: Tea for Two DSP (129311), Card stocks in Calypso Coral and Very Vanilla
Ink: Classic Stampin' pad in Calypso Coral
Tools & Accessories:  Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439), Ovals Collection Framelits Dies (129381), Paper Doilies Tea Lace (129399), 5/8" Flower Trim (126869), Large Pearl Basic Jewels (125577), Sponge Daubers (102892), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), glue dots (103683)

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.

Quint-Essential Birthday

Due to my computer flaking out on me, I have not been able to share with you the cards we made during my Feminine Cards class last month. I will try and post them in the next few days. This one right here was so much fun to put together. Don't you just love the bright colors? It was really quite simple and easy to make. Thank goodness for the clever invention of punches. We stamped the Quint-Essential stamp 3x and then punched them out and stack them giving the 3D look.

I am making some changes in my monthly card making classes effective June 1st. I need to find a way to use up my stash of retired Stampin' Up! products, so I decided that an A la Carte Stamping Event is the best route. I am very optimistic that my customers will like it. If you are interested in joining us, please go to My Online Store to check it out.

Card Recipe

Stamp Set(s): Quint-Essential (126790), Teeny Tiny Wishes (W 115370 C 127802)

Paper: Summer Smooches DSP (125409), Card stocks in Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry, Lucky Limeade, Real Red and Whisper White

Ink: Classic Stampin' pads in Tempting Turquoise, Rich Razzleberry and Daffodil Delight

Tools & Accessories: Big Shot Die Cutting Machine (113439), Chevron Embossing Folder (127749), Punches in Word Window (119857), Modern Label (119849), 2-3/8" and 1-3/4" Scallop Circle and 1" Circle, 5/8" Organza Ribbon Whisper White (114319), Grosgrain Daffodil Ribbon (retired), 3/16" Brights Brads (119740), Glue Dots (103683) and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430)

Well, that's all for today's post. Have a wonderful Thursday, everyone! Thank you for stopping by.

Summer Solstice

I had such an amazing "Retirement Class" last Saturday, where I featured retiring stamp sets, ink pads, papers and other embellishments in my SAS (Stamp-a-Stack). It was my last class for this catalog year. While I was busy making gifts for everybody, I realized that every single one of these amazing gals (except my mom, she is amazing, too) started out to be a stranger and now I sincerely consider them as friends. I feel very blessed and I really appreciate their support by creating with me every month. I want to share with you the cards I made for them. I just love this stamp set called Summer Solstice. Sadly, it will be retired as of June 3rd, 2013. The Note Cards & Envelopes are such big help when I'm creating multiples of the same cards.

The sentiment on this card is spot on. We'll never know when a stranger will turn into a friend.

Card Recipe

Stamp Set: Summer Solstice (W 122024 C 122037)

Paper: Note Cards & Envelopes (107311), Card stocks in Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals and Gumball Green

Ink: Classic Stampin' pads in Summer Starfruit, Primrose Petals, Gumball Green and Midnight Muse (for the sentiment)

Well, that's it for now. Thank you for stopping by. 

Mother's Day 2013

I apologize that I have been absent. I've been having technical problems with my computer and could not post. My daughter kept telling me it's time to replace it with a new one. Easy for her to say, she doesn't have to pay for it. Haha. Oh well, happy Mother's Day to all of you wonderful moms out there, especially to my dear mom. My sister and nephew are in town, so all of us have been spending time together at my mom's. We are going to just hang-out today and grill. I am sure restaurants will be so busy and we refuse to join the crowds.

I am so in-love with this Swallowtail stamp. Then again, I love anything with butterflies on it. I didn't think I was going to like this because the image is huge, but I saw other Stampin' Up! demonstrators share their beautiful work using it and I had to have it. With the Pretty in Pink color retiring I had to use it on this card for my mom. I heat embossed the image with black craft ink (also retiring) and it really turned out so pretty.

Don't you just love the faux suede flowers on this huge butterfly?

Card Recipe

Stamp Set: Swallowtail (W 129213 C 129216)
Paper: Card stocks in Pretty in Pink and Basic Black, First Edition Specialty DSP (121878)
Ink: Craft Stampin' Pad in Basic Black (102192), Pretty in Pink and Basic Gray Classic stampin' pads
Tools & Accessories: Heat Tool (129053), Stampin' Emboss Powder in Clear (109130), Sponge Daubers (102892), Fancy Flower Punch (118073), 5/8" Crochet Trim ribbon Victoria (118481), 3/8" Basic Glimmer Brads (121003), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

Well, that is all I have for today. Thank you for stopping by. Happy Mother's Day!