S.T.A.R.S.--Sharing The Art of Rubber Stamping

Fast Forward....8 Months!!!

I know you all must think I have fallen off the face of the earth!!  I have sat down to write this post so many times in the past several months, but just never finished it.  Sorry for the extreme delay!!  Soooo much has happened since my last post....almost EIGHT MONTHS AGO!!  I will try to summarize as best as possible! 

After the tornado hit on May 10, we spent the next 30 days at a family friend's house a few miles from where we used to live.  They had 2 empty bedrooms, a bathroom, and a family room upstairs, so that we would not be underfoot...too much.  They also had a fantastic backyard...jungle gym, barn with goats, meadow with miniature donkeys, and a couple of cats, too!!  We are so thankful to the Lee family for allowing us to stay there and become part of their family for the month.

 
This is the house we stayed at, and these are The Lee's, but they are the children/grandchildren of The Lee's who own the house and let us bunk there for a month!  However, this Lee family also helped us out tremendously during this time and the whole time we lived in Oklahoma!  Miss them lots!

Then, in early June, the kiddos & I headed to Washington state to spend the next 30 days bouncing between grandparents.  Didn't want to stay at either house for toooooo long, lest we become unwelcomed guests!  It had been a long time since we had been in that part of the country, so we enjoyed the cooler temperatures & seeing the sites.  Hubby joined us for the last week.  He had to stay back in Oklahoma to finish up work, get what was left of our stuff packed from the warehouse, and get the van shipped out.  We had a great family vacation time!  I had almost forgotten about what had happened!

 
The fam at Paradise with a great view of Mt. Rainier...hard to believe this was taken in JULY!! 

Next, in early July, we moved to Hawaii!!  Woo-Hoo!  We found out in April that we would be moving here, so it was literally the light at the end of the tornado tunnel!  We have now been here for just about SIX MONTHS! WOW!  We have been enjoying every minute of it, as you can imagine, and we have even squeezed in homeschooling between different island adventures!  The only drawback, so far, is that we have been living in a townhouse this whole time without OUR STUFF as we wait for a house on base...thankfully, it is furnished!  Even though it has been a drawback to be without our stuff, we are so very thankful that the Lord provided this place for us...it's within our housing allotment and is very close to a nice pool and the beach!  Since we did lose a lot of our stuff, we have been able to slowly start replacing some of those things...DVDs, toys, books, a new computer & printer for me (yeah!).  The word on the street is that we SHOULD be moving on base by the end of the month!  (I sure hope so because that's when our lease is up!)  I am really looking forward to unpacking, assessing what needs to be replaced, and shopping with insurance money!

 

At the Waterfall at Waimea Garden.

 

At Waimea Bay!

I have REALLY, REALLY, REALLY missed my stamping time & sharing my creations with you all.  I hope you have been making lots of fun stuff, since I couldn't!  I think a vast majority of my stamping/scrapping empire is a-ok, so I am looking forward to getting inky in the very near future...maybe in time to make some hand-made Valentine's cards and treats!

I'll be updating my blog just a little bit with the NEW 2011 Occasions Mini Catalog, specials, etc!  I really appreciate your patience & the emails you have sent to me in my time of non-stamping, non-posting!  So glad to start getting back in the swing of things!  Aloha....Erin

What a Difference a Day Makes!!

This is me and my family last week in our backyard on Mother's Day 2010.

Little did we know that the next day our world would literally get turned upside-down!!  Our home was severely damaged by a tornado that hit our neighborhood in Choctaw, OK.  Did you see the coverage of the Love's Gas Station and Sonic that got hit?  That was within 1 minute of my home!  God's wonderful protection kept us all safe and sound as we huddled together and prayed with our bike helmets on in our laundry/utility room...which is our innermost room. 

We have so much to be grateful for...even with all that happened.  I am going to share with you some pictures of what remains of our home, so that you, too, can see how God kept us safe.  Also, all of our neighbors were kept safe!

The front of our house.

Our street sign.

 

The back of our house...this was the kitchen, dining room & living room.

My beautiful kitchen is no more...please note there is a wooden high chair stuck upside down on the top of the cabinets above the fridge...might need to click on photo to enlarge to see it.

Would you like to sit down for a cup o' tea??  We have a sun roof and plenty of fresh air! 

 

Here we are, again.  I wanted to repost this picture here, so that you will remember that even though our house was destroyed, God kept us safe!  We are currently staying at a friend's house & will most likely be here until we move to Hawaii in 6 weeks (this was part of the plan before the tornado).  Our stuff that was salvagable is in storage, so I won't be stamping anytime soon...wahh!  So that means it will probably be late July or August before I am able to stamp and post to this blog again.  I hope you will keep checking back on me and in the mean time, you can check out the blogs of my totally fantastic Control Freaks!  Their blogs are listed in the right sidebar on my blog.  They will keep you and I inspired for a long time. 

 
 
  

 

Happy B-Day Simply Scrappin' Kit Cards

 
 
I just LOVE using Stampin' Up!'s Simply Scrappin' Kits to make lots & lots of cards!!  They come with cardstock, designer paper, and adhesive die-cuts.  The only things I tend to add are ribbon and occassionally another embellishment or two.  This month my Simply Scrappin' Club ladies decided that they'd like to make a bunch of birthday cards, so we used the Happy B-Day Simply Scrappin' Kit and made 16 cards!  We also decorated these little tins & a pen to keep handy for writing in the cards.  There's also plenty of room to throw a book of stamps in there, too.

As most of you know by now, I am more of a "tweaker of ideas than a creator of ideas" type of gal.  So, with that in mind, I want to extend a BIG THANKS to Jeanne Ciolli who inspired me to make most (if not all of these cards).  You can view her original versions HERE.

These are the first four of eight different designs that we made.  We made 2 of each design...hence, the 16 cards.  This Happy B-day Simply Scrappin' Kit will not be in the new catalog, due to 3 out of the 4 colors being retired!!  EEK!  So, if you'd like to order the Happy B-day Simply Scrappin' Kit, just head over to www.erinblair.stampinup.net and click on the SHOP NOW button to order!! 

Have a fantabulous day!!  Erin

There's a Color Renovation going on at Stampin' Up!!

Stampin' Up! is shaking things up with a Color Renovation!

Here's what you need to know about all the changes that are coming up!

1.  Stampin' Up! is introducing FIVE BRAND NEW COLORS to the Core Colors!!   The new color names are Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Breeze, and Early Espresso!!

2.  Stampin' Up! is bringing back TEN of the RETIRED (or would have retired this year) "IN COLORS" to be included as NEW Core Colors!!  They are Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede, Baja Breeze, Pacific Pointe, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango, Wild Wasabi, and River Rock.

3.  Stampin' Up! is retiring THIRTY-ONE...yes, you read that correctly 31 colors!  They have done extensive research on what colors were & weren't selling, what colors were & weren't being used by demonstrators & customers, and what the new trends are in the color world.  NOW is the perfect time to stock up on the retiring ink pads, ink refillers, cardstock, ribbon, etc. before they are out of stock!!  Here is a listing of the retiring colors by color collection:

Soft Subtles:  Pale Plum, Lavendar Lace, Almost Amethyst, Sage Shadow, Mellow Moss, Barely Banana, Apricot Appeal, Blush Blossom

Bold Brights:  Pink Passion, Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Glorious Green Green Galore, Gable Green, Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange

Rich Regals:  Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Taken With Teal, Handsome Hunter

Earth Elements:  Summer Sun, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Going Gray

4.  Stampin' Up! will be introducing FIVE BRAND NEW "IN COLORS" in the new catalog in July and these colors will be availabe for 2 years instead of 1!!

5.  Stampin' Up! is changing up our color collections by renaming the four collections and moving things around just a bit! Click on this to see the new color collections:  Download New_Colors_US_

At first I was in shock by all the changes to the Colors, but now that I've had a chance to let all the information soak in, I am getting really excited about what Stampin' Up! has in store!!  Also, I've gone through my own stash of what is going to be retired, and I realized there were only a few colors that I actually used on a regular basis.  Some, I hadn't used in YEARS!!!  I'm going to make sure I have ink refills, cardstock & ribbon in my favorite retiring colors, so I'll be able to use them in the future...you should too!!  Go to www.erinblair.stampinup.net and click on SHOP NOW to order your favorite retiring colors or to complete your collection!

Are you ready for some cool ideas & projects??  Stay tuned!!  Erin

 

National Scrapbooking Month...FREE Designer Brads!!

Dates: May 1-31, 2010

Details:  May is National Scrapbooking Month--we're offering a special promotion for the month of May: purchase a qualifying scrapbooking stamp set or the My Digital Studio software and receive a FREE package of Designer brads--choose from four designs!

Qualifying products and Designer brads are listed below:

Stamp sets

Page	Description	Wood-Mount Item	Wood-Mount Price	Clear-Mount Item	Clear-Mount Price
81	Extreme Elements	115181	$26.95	---	---
119	Framed with Love**	114389	$27.95	---	---
128	Certified**	113706	$27.95	---	---
129	Circle Circus	115778	$28.95	---	---
12*	Elements of Style	118611	$27.95	120045	$19.95
13*	Mementos	119910	$27.95	120105	$19.95
13*	Elements de style	119900	$27.95	120099	$19.95
14*	Rough Type	118659	$26.95	120072	$18.95
22*	Sentimental Journey	118513	$23.95	120075	$17.95
25*	First Day	118521	$23.95	120051	$17.95
25*	Camino a la Escuela	120152	$23.95	120154	$17.95

*From Summer Mini Catalog
**Last Chance stamp set!

My Digital Studio software

Page	Description	Item	Price
32*	My Digital Studio	118108	$79.95

*From Summer Mini Catalog

Designer brads

Page	Description	Item	Retail Price	Price with Qualifying Purchase
179	Flower Designer brads	112579	$5.95	FREE
179	Filigree Designer brads	112577	$5.95	FREE
179	Circle Designer brads	112571	$5.95	FREE
179	Star Designer brads	112572	$5.95	FREE

Things to Remember:

• Orders may be placed on any order type (customer, demonstrator, workshop, or online).
• There are no limits and is no minimum purchase to qualify for this promotion.
• Framed with Love and Certified stamp sets will be part of the 2010 Last Chance list.
• For each qualifying product purchased (see above for details), customers will receive one free package of Designer brads.
• Free Designer brads will not automatically be added to orders. Because there are four free items to choose from, demonstrators and customers will need to order the qualifying item first and then add the free item.
• A warning will pop up reminding customers to redeem their free item(s) if they try to close the order without adding them.

Go to www.erinblair.stampinup.net and click on SHOP NOW to place your order!!

Time sure flies when you are busy being busy!!

This has been REALLY, REALLY, REALLY embarrassing to have gone so L-O-N-G without posting here!  I hope you will forgive me!  The last 4-6 weeks have been filled with so much that I just wasn't able to squeeze in everything I wanted to do...like posting here!!  Both sets of grandparents visiting at various times, I went away for a Girlfriend Getaway, my hubby was gone for 10 days, I attended a Homeschool Conference for a few days, AND in the midst of all this, we found out that we will be moving to Hawaii this summer!!  WOWZA!! 

I have been able to have a little fun in my stamp room, so I do have some goodies to show you, but these first couple of posts will be some housekeeping items from Stampin' Up! that I don't want you to miss out on!

So, sit down, grab your favorite beverage, and hold on tight!!  Erin

It's time for the Tour de Freaks!! YIPPEE!!

I am so excited for the Spring Edition of the Tour de Freaks!  If you are already on the tour, then you just came from the very talented, Julie Buhler's Paper Pleasing Ideas Blog !  I am sure you've been drooling over all the creations.  If you are starting here, you are in for a treat as you see what The Control Freaks have been up to!!

I love these little tins!  Remember how I used one last month to hold my Sweet Pea Felt pieces!  Now I am using it to house some yummy Hershey Nuggets!  I used the Good Neighbors DSP 6x6 Pack from the Sale-A-Bration Catalog.  The stamp is from the "Eggcoutrements" Stamp Set in the Occasions Mini.  Both of these items will only be available until the end of March, so don't delay in ordering these items!

There just wasn't a good way to take a picture of this little jelly bean jar, so that you could see everything AND my Pretty In Pink tag looks kind of washed out even though I did try to enhance the color!!  I used the "Eggcoutrements" stamp set again for both the tag and the cute little bunny on top.  The pink scalloped paper is from the Eggcellent Eggs Kit...I used two of the Pretty In Pink Egg Stands to wrap around it and some of the YUMMY new Certainly Celery Satin Ribbon!

Here's the Eggcellent Eggs Kit if full force on this little wooden egg I got at a big box craft store.  I used the Pale Plum Craft Ink to color it & used my heat tool to dry & set the ink.  I love all the little goodies that come with this kit...die cut flowers &leaves, rub-ons, bling, die-cut egg stands!  So much fun!

I hope you have enjoyed this stop on the Control Freaks' Tour de Freaks:  The Spring Edition!  I hope I will see or hear from you again!!  Have a super stampin' day!!  Erin

To continue on your journey, please click on the link below to go to Dannie Graves' Dannie's Designs!

 
 

Simply Scrappin' Club: Sunny Days Simply Scrappin' Kit

Oh my...it's been THREE weeks since I've posted anything!! YIKES!!  Where has the time gone?  I've just been busy with life, just like the rest of you!  I will do my best to not let that much time elapse again before posting!!

I hope you will enjoy these scrapbook pages we made at my most recent Simply Scrappin' Club.  We used the Sunny Days Simply Scrappin' Kit & had soooo much fun with it!

FYI:  I like to leave the pages we make wide open so there's plenty of room for photos.  More embellishments can be added after photos are placed on the pages.

I was inspired to make these pages from a layout from My Digital Studio.  You can see how I used this layout HERE in my 8x8 book.

For the rest of the pages, I didn't CASE them from any layouts in particular, but rather from lots of different pages.  I was surprised that there were not very many 12x12 pages using the Sunny Days Simply Scrappin' Kit out there in the blogosphere!!

Tried to make the above pages look a little more "masculine"...kind of hard to do with all the pink, flowers & hearts in this kit!!

I hope you enjoyed these SWEET & SIMPLE pages using the Sunny Days Simply Scrappin' Kit!  Erin
 
 
 
 

It's Time for the Tour de Freaks!! Woo-Hoo!

 

I am so excited to once again be participating in the Tour de Freaks!!  This month we will be exploring Stampin' Up!'s Occasions Mini Catalog, so you will see a WIDE VARIETY of wonderfully creative ideas!  Grab that coffee, hot cocoa, or Diet Dr. Pepper, sit back, and get ready for a fun ride through 16 of the Control Freaks Blogs!!!  If you are arriving here already on the tour, then you have come from Julie Buhler's Paper Pleasing Ideas Blog...she's got some great video tutorials to check out!  If this is where you are starting from, after reading through my post & gazing with astonishment at all my fun goodies AND after you leave some FABULOUS comments for me, then, you can click on the logo link at the end to go to the next blog.  When you get back to my blog, then you've completed the tour!!  You won't regret the visual feast that is awaiting you!!

Petal Card Bookmark

I saw this great idea by Margaret Rayburn on Stampin' Up!'s exclusive "Stampin' Connection" Community!  It's a great new place for Stampin' Up! Demonstrators to connect & share! This adorable bookmark is made from the Sizzix Bigz Petal Card Die.  I also used the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper Stack & the I {Heart} Hearts Stamp Set from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  It was so fun & easy to make...perfect for the booklover in your life!

Sweet Pea Stitched Felt Purse

 

I've been hoarding these Sweet Pea Stitched Felt pieces for almost 2 months now, so I figured it was about time that busted that package open & use them.  Well, when I finally did bust open that package, I realized I was going to lose some of those precious little pieces if I didn't come up with a better way to contain them than the bag they came in.  A couple of years ago, several of us made "Bloom Bunkers" to contain the Die Cut Blooms and the Flower Fusion accents, so this is my twist on the Bloom Bunker...A Sweet Pea Purse!  This tin is like the ones I've used before to hold Hershey Nuggets.  I used my Crop-a-Dile to punch some holes in so I could use some ribbon to make a handle.  I actually had 2 sets of these Sweet Pea Stitched Felt pieces & they fit very nicely into this container.  I also used the Stampin' Up! Hearts & Brackets Sizzix Die and the stamped sentiment came from the "Tote-ally Tess" stamp set which is also in the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Sweet Pea My Digital Studio CASE

The above card was taken from Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio Digital Papercrafting Program.  This was one of the Designer Cards that was loaded & ready for me to send to the printer's as is, or I could adjust it and add to it if I wanted to.  What I decided to do with this card was to use it as a springboard for my last project. (Hence the word CASE in the title which means Copy And Share Everything...a term commonly used in the stampin' & scrappin' world!)

  

I used one of the Small On Board Book Basics to adhere the Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper to...note the SAME EXACT DESIGN  on the paper as was in the My Digital Studio Card. I added some Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Brads, and Corduroy Buttons to jazz it up!  The stamped sentiment "The best things in life are made, not bought" comes from the Tote-ally Tess Stamp Set which is also in the Occasions Mini Catalog. (Sorry for the less than stellar photo above, look below for a clearer & closer view.)

 You can view both the Occasions Mini Catalog and Stampin' Up!'s Idea Book & Catalog by clicking on the images in my left sidebar.

I hoped you enjoyed your time here on my blog & that you'll come back again real soon!   Erin

PS...Don't forget to leave me a comment to let me know you were here!!  :)

To continue onto Wendy Weixler's Wonderfully Wicked Creations, click on the link below:

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The Blair Family 2010 Calendar--Part 4 of 4

Oh, so sad, we have come to the end of this series of posts showcasing my Stampin' Up! My Digital Studio Calendar!  But don't despair, tomorrow is the Tour de Freaks!!  We will be featuring projects made using the items in the Occasions Mini Catalog!! 

To see Jan-Mar, CLICK HERE.   To see April-June, CLICK HERE.   To see July-Sept, CLICK HERE.

OCTOBER

 

NOVEMBER

 

DECEMBER

 

And there you have it!!

Tomorrow is the highly anticipated Tour de Freaks, so come on back...ya hear?   Erin