Stamping with Melony

Stamps-in-the-Mail Round #12 Starts Friday!

July-September 2011!!!

In this Stamps In The Mail, we will be using the brand new Pennant Parade stamp set.  You will receive all 5 NEW In-Color stamp pads too!

 

Great Projects, NEW Products from the NEW catalog, a fabulous  

Club Discount, PLUS the NEW CATALOG for FREE!!!  

Contact me to sign up TODAY! bryantkristen@hotmail.com 

Club starts July 15th.

SITM is GREAT for those local and long distance!  

Round #12 runs from July-September and is the perfect way to create cards on your own time in the comfort of your own home! 

You will get the New Pennant Parade Clear Mount Stamp Set, the Petite Pennants Builder Punch, all 5 NEW In-Color Stamp Pads, PLUS a great NEW Scallop Dots Ribbon, and MORE! 

This SITM gives you many great NEW products and a versatile set that is not just for birthdays, but many, many occasions!!!   

You will also get 24 projects using these fun products throughout the club!!!

Stamps-in-the-Mail is the perfect solution to keeping YOU creative in the midst of a busy life!

HOW THE CLUB WORKS
Each club lasts for 3 months.  Each month you will receive stamps and/or accessories PLUS all the pre-cut cardstock & embellishments for 4 great projects with samples and/or instructions.   Before the order is placed, you will be notified of the supplies you will receive.  If you already have something, you can always exchange it for other product. 

PLUS you can add to your order each month with  special discount for my Stamps In The Mail members.

Cost is $39 per month.  

Contact me for more details or to sign up at melonybishop75@gmail.com

Club starts July 15th.

Don't miss it!

CREATE MENTAL HEALTH

My friend Stephanie who is a Clinical Psychologist at Front Range Psychological Associates in Colorado hosts a fabulous Blog on mental health!  I love the insights she gives in her blog posts and helpful tips for good mental health in our daily lives. 

This month she hosted a Blog Party where she invited me to be a guest blogger and share a project that relates my craft to creating mental health!  I think that creativity is key to mental health!  I love having a creative outlet!  Good for my mind, body, and soul!  :)  

Last month I helped my friend Faith create a fabulous calendar masterpiece for her dear Father-in-Law whose years are taking a toll on his mental health.  She created the calendar to specifically to help spark his cognitive orientation to date and time.  :)  What a sweet daughter-in-law. 

 
Check out the entire post at www.drstephaniesmith.com by clicking on this link http://www.drstephaniesmith.com/?p=535

You can also check out all of the Guest Blogger's posts at www.drstephaniesmith.com by clicking on the "Create Mental Health" Yellow icon in the sidebar! 

Stamps-in-the-Mail Round #11 Month 1

Check out what the club members are working on this month for the SITM club! 

The first card is from the Medallion Simply Sent Kit.  I love this kit - great texture and dimension.  I dressed it up with some wide Elegant Eggplant Grosgrain.  The club members got 7 bonus cards from this kit this month too! 

The second card uses Sahara Sand, Elegant Eggplant, and Old Olive.  It also uses the Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the Big Shot.  The stamp set Build a Blossom from the Occasions Mini Catalog makes the blossom and leaves really pop!

 
To assemble the flower I used dimensionals and a reinforcing extra petal as pictured below:

 

 

 

The third card uses the same Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions Embossing Folder for the Big Shot to give texture to the flower petals.  I used Sunny Garden Designer Series Paper (DSP), So Saffron, Poppy Parade, and Pear Pizzazz cardstock.

 
I accented the card with the Scallop Oval and smaller oval punches and a Designer Button.  To thread the button, I cut a tiny sliver of the Sunny Garden DSP to thread through for a threaded look.  I adhered it down on the backside with my glue dot. 

 I cut the So Saffron Cardstock to 2 x 4 1/4 and ran 2 at a time through the embossing folder.  I then punched the petals and pictured below

 

The 4th card is made with Daffodil Delight, Peach Parfait, and Pear Pizzazz. 

  
This fabulous card uses the Framed Tulips Textured Impressions Folder for the Big Shot, the Blossoms Petals Punch, and the Build a Blossom Stamp Set from the Occasions Mini Catalog. 

To most easily punch the blossoms, I made a template with my punch and then positioned the stamps into the template and pressed them onto the acrylic block in the perfect orientation that they would punch out perfectly once they were stamped.  See the pictures for a tutorial:

 
 

 

 
 
 

To make curvatures in the petals, use a bone folder and press and pull the cardstock between the bone folder and your thumb to break down the fibers in the cardstock to make an upward or downward curvature depending on which side of the image you press and pull.  See pictures:

 

 I used glue dots and dimensionals to adhere the petals around.  Monoadhesive is not quite strong enough to keep them in place long term.  See pictures:

 

I LOVE Stamps in the Mail!!!!  Have fun  club members!  ;) 

Can't wait for Month 2 and 3 with the NEW Open Seas Stamp Set!  Great masculine cards!!! 

More later.......

Stamps-in-the-Mail Round #10 Month 3

Time flies when you're having fun! 

Check out the cards that the SITM club members created for month 3 cards of SITM Round #10!

Bring on the Cake!  :)  Glimmer Brads and Chunky Glitter provided great BLING!  The Big Shot folders provided fabulous textures!  And punches alwasy add such great elements to cards!   

 
 

Don't Miss Stamps-in-the-Mail Round #11!

Do not miss Stamps-in-the-Mail Round #11!

Sign up deadline is April 15th

Stamps in the Mail 11 features the Blossoms Petal Punch, and The Open Sea Sneak Peek Stamp Set from the Summer Mini.  You will receive great projects and products from the new Summer Mini catalog.

SITM is GREAT for those local and long distance!  

Round #11 runs from April to June and is the perfect way to create cards on your own time in the comfort of your own home!     

You will get the great Blossoms Petal Punch during month 1 PLUS the fabulous Medallion Medley Simply Sent Kit! 

During Month 2, you'll get a Brand New Stamp Set from the upcoming Summer Mini Catalog called the "Open Sea"! 

You'll also recieve an exclusive new Postage Stamp Punch as well as the New Bakers Twine!  

This SITM gives you the unique opportunity to create both masculine and feminine cards just in time for Mother's Day and Father's Day along with many other greeting card themes.  

You will also get the usual 24 projects using these fun products PLUS a bonus 7 Cards during SITM #11!

Stamps-in-the-Mail is the perfect solution to keeping YOU creative in the
midst of a busy life!

HOW THE CLUB WORKS
Each club lasts for 3 months.  Each month you will receive stamps and/or accessories PLUS all the pre-cut cardstock & embellishments for 4 great projects with samples and/or instructions.   Before the order is placed, you will be notified of the supplies you will receive.  If you already have something, you can always exchange it for other product. 

 

PLUS you can add to your order each month with FREE shipping and tax!  

What an amazing DISCOUNT perk of belonging to the club! 

Cost is $39 per month. 

 

NOTE: For Round #11, you'll need Basic Ink Colors Black, Brown, and Navy.  If you don't have these items, you can add them to your first order at your club discount.

 

Please let me know if you would like to be apart of this Stamps In The Mail. 

 

 

 

The Deadline is  TOMORROW!

 

Sale-a-Bration Sweet Summer Project!

Here is a great video showing the FREE stamp set you can get through the end of this month with a qualifying purchase.  Contact me with ordering information!

Join Carrie Cudney as she shares a colorful watercolor project using the new Sweet Summer stamp set. Watch this simple, handmade card come to life and learn how you can earn the Sweet Summer set for FREE during our annual Sale-A-Bration event!

FREE My Digital Studio Designs - Sale-a-Bration!!!

This year, for the first time, you can get for FREE My Digital Studio product during Sale-a-bration! Contact me for details. Check out this great video from Stampin' Up!

Join Stampin' Up!'s Sara Douglass as she demonstrates a quick and impactful scrapbook page with Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio. See how easy it is to add traditional embellishments to a digitally-made page and how you can earn many of the products she demonstrates for FREE during our Sale-A-Bration event!

Fun Favors!

I had so much fun visiting with my neighbor and friend Faith yesterday!  Faith is a Silpada jewelry representative and is having an open house this weekend at her house on Sunday, March 13th from 3-5pm.  Yesterday,she popped over in the morning and we made these adorable bookmark favors for all of her guests!  We also made these cute little "Thanks" favors that Faith will fill with some chocolate and a special gift certificate  tucked inside.  She'll tie it up with a little Peach Parfait coordinating ribbon and those who decide to book a party with Faith will be able to take one home, enjoy the chocolate and redeem their gift certificate at their own Silpada party!  "Book to Look" :)

 
We used the Scallop Circle Punch, the Five Petal Punch, the Punch Pack, and a Rhinestone Brad to fasten them together.  We used Crystal Effects to adhere them onto the jumbo paperclips as a bookmark.   For the "Thanks" favor, we used the Scallop Envelope Die twice with a little trimmed off the bottom flap.  We used sticky strip to adhere the 2 modified scallop envelopes together.  We used the small oval punch to create the little purse handle look on the top of each of the scallop envelopes.  We then embellished with the FREE Sale-a-Bration Ice Cream Parlor DSP as well as the Thanks Embosslit and an accent Square Punch behind the embosslit.  To achieve the accent color on the Thanks Embosslit, we used a brayer to add a little Melon Mambo color on the raised Thanks image to make it pop!  :)  Since Faith loves BLING...... we had to add a little "Silpada Bling" to the project so we used our fabulous Rhinestone Jewel Accents on each greeting.  Faith will will finish off these little masterpieces with a little Peach Parfait Stitched Ribbon for a closure.  Too cute! 

 
I love the great colors for spring!!!!  Bright and Cheery and all inspired by the FREE Sale-a-Bration Ice Cream Parlor Designer Series Paper and Accent Pack!  Earn your pack for free with a qualifying purchase today!  

Come to Faith's open house tomorrow and you can take home these adorable favors we made!  :)  Faith is unveiling the new spring line of Silpada jewelry!  You can check it out through her website at  www.mysilpada.com/faith.frisch. 

My Desktop Scrapbook Calendar

For the past 7 years, I have made a desktop scrapbook calendar for my family!  I LOVE this project!  It is one of my most coveted keepsakes.  :)  Each year I make about 9 of them.  I give one to my husband for his desk at work, to my parents, to my in-laws, to each set of grandparents, to my sisters, and of course one for myself!  It's so much fun to think about all throughought the year.  For each month, I always try to make sure that I have at least one perfect picture of the kids for each of the month's of the year.  A VERY do-able task!  The Stampin' Up! Desktop Calendar pages are perforated so at the end of the year, you can tear them off of the calendar and slip them into a 6x6 album.  :)  What a great and manageable way to keep current on a scrapbook every year.  I love it! 

 
Last week I switched to the March page with the turn of the calendar and have been enjoying the nostalgia of looking back at my kids a year ago in Florham Park at the firestation after a great pancake breakfast.  We moved less than 2 months later to our new home in Long Valley.  I love how scrapbooking captures memories and can immediately bring them right back to mind just with a turn of a page.   Hope you will enjoy looking through the pages of some memories here from 2010 via my desktop scrapbook calendar. 

Here is the last picture of our family takem at our house in Michigan.  SOLD!  :(  Bittersweet. 

 
First picture taken in our new house with the fabulous cookie bouquet my sister sent us!  :)

 
My fabulous friend Stacy came out in June for a StacyMaePhotography Family Photo Shoot in our new front yard!  :)  Click HERE to see more shots from the session.   

 
In July we visited our Kentucky cousins and took our annual picture on the "fence" in my sister's backyard.  I love seeing how the cousins all grow each year through our summer family pictures! 

 
I love this picture of the girl's in their new sparkly headbands that they got from Grandma Gayle for their birthdays!  We did a joint birthday celebration in August when Grandma Gayle and Grandpa Jack came to visit us in our new house. 

 
First day of school!  Last year for the kid's birthdays, my friend Christina Kroes made us these great "age" shirts using a cool bleaching technique.  I wanted them again this year for the kid's new ages, so while we were visiting in Michigan, my friend Kelli Luke helped me quick turn out 3 new shirts.  What fun shirts to wear for the first day of school and for this great September photo!  How do they grow up so quickly?!? 

 
Pumpkin picking at Ort Farms in Long Valley.  What fun!  Our friends the Bills and the Haemmerles from Florham Park joined us this day for the hayride, the fall fun, and the pumpkins!

 
Fall picture at the waterfalls in our neighborhood.  Absolutely beautiful fall day worthy of a great hike with our great neighbors, the Cuellos!  I used this picture for our Thanksgiving / Moving Cards that I sent out in lieu of Christmas cards.  Early Christmas Card / Late Moving Card!  LOL!  What a great combo!  I did actually LOVE having my cards out early this year to not add "one more thing" to the Christmas season though!  I might go with a Thanksgiving greeting again this year. ???

 
My little Santas!  Fun! Fun!

 
Happy New Year 2010!  Fun at the Dawsons for New Years - Proper Irish New Year's Celebration!  Our friend and former babysitter, Kristen Kuppler from Michigan came out to join us too.  :)

 
Last February, Tyler's Cub Scout troop in Florham Park did a special Valentine's dinner for the moms.  :)  It was so sweet and special.  This year, in our new house, Kevin and Tyler re-created the event with Tyler's new troop here in Long Valley.  Very special memories! 

 
I love walking down memory lane.  Here's a February page from 2005.  They grow so fast! 

 
So wonderful that these calendars help me stay on track with scrapbooking the years.  A blessing in so many ways.  :) 

There are so many techniques and products used throughout as well.  If you have any questions about any of the products used, please let me know and I'll walk you through. 

Hope you enjoyed walking down memory lane 2010 with me this morning as much as I did.  What a great way to start this weekend.  Have a great day! :) 

Bring On the Cake!

Stamps-in-the-Mail Round #10 Month 2!

Take a look at what my SITM Club Members are creating this month! 

 
For month 1, the club members recieved the great "Bring on the Cake" Stamp Set.  For month 2, the club members will recieve the New Build a Cupcake Punch and the Bday Party Rub-ons. 

 
This fun card made with Pear Pizzazz, Bashful Blue, and Real Red makes great use of the colorful rub-on sentiment that perfectly matches the card and cupcake.  I used the crimper to give the cupcake texture.  The 2 3/8" scallop circle punch compliments the build a cupcake punch so well along with the 2 1/2" circle punch. 

 
This fun card designed by demonstrator Sara Lundberg uses the Celebrations DSP on Real Red Cardstock with the same great punches and rubons. 

 
This card uses Whisper White and Blushing Bride with Chocolate Chip accents.  I used the Blushing Bride DSP from the In-color Designer Series Stack.  I highlighted this card with the fabulous Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch and the Heart-to-Heart Punch.   If you look closely at the cupcake top, you'll notice that I punched the top twice - once in chocolate chip, and once in blushing bride.  I additionally re-inserted the blushing bride top back into the punch to punch "sprinkle holes" that then show as chocolate when layered together.  Simple and effective sprinkle look!  :)

 
This final card uses Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz and Peach Parfait Cardstock.  I love the Peach Parfait Stitched Ribbon and the Scallop Trim Punch on this card.  For the sprinkles, I glued Pear Pizzazz and Blushing Bride sprinkle punches on using the 2-way glue pen.   Notice the crimper again on the cupcake base.  :)  Love using the crimper for this punch!

Have fun with your month 2 cards!!!  For those not in the round#10 club, look for Round #11 coming in April.