Before I left for vacation I couldn't stop making Halloween stuff.  It's just so fun to make.  Tonight's card I played with lots of fun products!  This card made my creative space a beautiful MESS! You know what I'm talking about.  I ended up with piles of stamp sets, punches, tools and inks everywhere.  When I finished this card I felt pretty darn satisfied.  Not so much because of the card but because of all the fun things I used.  LOL! 

Let me show you the Supah Spooky Card!

As you can see, LOTS of products. Some new, some old.  All together… they make a fun Halloween card.  Below is a list of supplies!

Stamps: From the Crypt (115460), Style Beautiful (120483), Seasonal Sentiments (121130)

Cardstock: Basic Black, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Basic Black Striped Grosgrain ribbon (ribbon cut in half), Nite Owl DSP (123012), Cutter Kit (SERIOUSLY, favorite tool!), Distressing Essentials (118762), Rhinestones, Vintage Trinkets

Now, I have to just add one thing.  You NEED the Distressing Essentials.  Super great tool for your stamping needs.  It's like Sugar in your kitchen.  It's a staple product, right? Well, this Distressing Essentials is just that too.  Staple in your stamp room.  Gotta have it!  Add it to your order this month using my Online Shopping button and I will send you a card made using this GREAT tool!

Our vacations continues but only for a few short days.  <sigh>  I think we've packed in more fun this last week than ever.  I know my kids are starting to get wrinkles at a young age from too much smiling. Or, could it be prolonged time in a pool? Either way it's been great watching two very happy chicks play! Today was supah amazing.  We went on my parents boat and fished.  I personally did not touch a pole.  I was there for shooting the pics.  Little did I know Brandon wasn't keen on fishing either.  Let me set the story straight.  This child has a heart for animals.  We caught little minnows early this morning to have bait for fishing.  Once Brandon caught those minnows it was all downhill. They were now his FRIENDS and there was no way we were using them for bait.  Everyone had to be very strategic when baiting their hook.  Anyways, the kids both caught fish.  We threw them back in the ocean and Brandon said a prayer tonight that the fish were okay.  <sigh>  It was an awesome day with AWESOME memories!

Here are TWO happy Kids!

And you know how much I love chubby birds? This one below is one of my favorite photos!

I hope you have great plans for the weekend.  We have one more great day to spend here and then we are back to reality.  I'm hoping our new friend "Hurricane Earl" doesn't decide to stay too close to the coast.  It could make getting home a little nuts. 

We're still busy with family here in Florida.  Gradually some of the family members have been going back home and now it's just my little family left of the outta towners.  I could get use to being lazy.  After a hectic few months of moving into the house it's been nice to really sit back and do nothing.  Although the kids have been going strong, Russ and I move in slow motion.  Today my mom and I ventured to the mall.  I was able to visit some stores that are not in Virginia.  We then came home and jumped into the pool which is where the water gun fight happened.  Again, I would show you pictures but "SHE" would kill me.  Let's just say she had a few hairs out of place. 

Tonight I want to share a simple Halloween card with you. It's made with just a few layers. 

I really wanted to make the bat layers with Basic Black cardstock but you couldn't see it.  SO I decided to keep with the Basic Gray bat.  I love that Bat Punch! 

Here is a list of supplies I used on this card:

Stamps: Wicked Cool (118738)

  Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, Basic Gray

Ink: Basic Black

Accessories: Scallop Border Punch, Wicked Fun DSP, Bat punch, Neutrals Buttons, Linen Thread, Rhinestone Gems,Corner Rounder

Hope your Thursday is FABULOUS! I'm going fishing.  This could be another GREAT adventure.  I'm not keen on putting a worm on a fishing pole.  Wish me luck!!

The sun finally came out here in Pensacola and we were so HAPPY!  We spent the day at the beach and enjoyed so much of what Pensacola brings.  We enjoyed the beautiful white sands, the gorgeous ocean water, and the Blue Angels (Flight Demonstration Team) flying over our heads. Hearing the Blue Angels was just the top of the cake for me.  It really is the beautiful sound of FREEDOM!  Yesterday we toured the Naval Aviation Museum.  It had been almost 9 years since we had been there.  Brandon was just a baby.  Lots of memories inside that building for Russ and I. 

I decided to put together a simple layout using My Digital Studio showing a few pics of our day.  I don't use My Digital Studio as often as I should.  The program is quite easy.  Honestly, if I can use it… anyone can.  Stampin' Up! has added lots of new digital downloads recently!  If you are interested in these, please email me.  I can send you a document of the recent downloads. 

Here is my simple layout:

The layout makes me happy because it sums up the entire day.  I think Brandon will wear the face mask home with him.  He hasn't had it off his face for longer than a couple of hours since he got off the plane.  It's so funny! I have lots more pics to share but my Mother threatened she would not feed me the rest of my vacation if I posted a shot of her in her bikini.  <sigh>  A girl does have to eat!

Moving onto crafty things…

September 1st is a BIG day!  The Holiday Mini is going LIVE and it's one of the best in my book with so many beautiful products.  My card tonight has a few products I think you will enjoy!!!

The Designer Series paper is called Candy Cane Christmas.  It's such a fun designer paper with such a great color combination.  You have Garden Green, Baja Breeze, Blushing Bride and Real Red.  Awesome.  I used the stamp set called Merry Crittermas.  It's loaded with all kinds of cute animals.  I used my Blender Pen and ink pads to color the little guy in on Whisper White paper.  He was punched out using the Extra Large 2 1/2" Circle Punch.  Now that is ONE big CIRCLE punch! Woot! I also used the new Glitter Brads on it.  These are so fun.  Lastly, I used the Glass Glitter in Silver on his hat.  So fun. 

I hope you are enjoying your week.  We're not sure what our plan for tomorrow is but I know it will be fun.  Just being with my family is so worth it. 

XOXOXO

I hope you don't mind me sharing about my first workshop I held last night in my new Stampin' Room.  One of the greatest gifts I get from being a demonstrator is forming new friendships while teaching the art and beauty of rubber stamping.  Many of you asked how in the world did I get this workshop so fast?  It's actually a little blessing from two great demonstrators.  Our stamping world really is a small world. Both demonstrators, Debbie Keane and Lisa Freeman referred them to me when the hostess had inquired about finding classes or a demonstrator and they lived about 4 hours away. Last night as we sat at the workshop I was demonstrating a 6 x 6 scrapbook page and showing them how great our albums are.  I opened one of my scrapbook albums and there was a few layouts of Lisa and I.  Completely unplanned, but funny with the way this whole story goes.   The hostess and I laughed and it proved what I've said so many times before…. Friendships are formed in this great craft we call "Rubber Stamping!"  Thanks to Debbie and Lisa I have 6 new friends that enjoyed a night of stamping in my house. We plan to have many more fun nights of stamping together! Hopefully Debbie and Lisa will get to come up and stamp in my room too!

Here we are playing with stamps…

It felt GREAT to teach again.  Ahhhh…. This is what I LOVE!

Let me show you what we made last night. 

I first demonstrated how great the Big Shot is.  Who doesn't love the BIG SHOT? Seriously, it's the BEST. I wanted to show how the Two Tags Die Cut is fabulous and versatile.  Remember the last card I showed to you?  Remember I said I created that card with something in mind? I wanted to show many ways to use this die cut.  I showed the card, Birthday/Christmas Tags and then this little cutie:

I will share how to make the project above tomorrow.  It's fast and easy and great for party favors. 

Then my workshop guests made these two projects:

I love the bright colors of this scrapbook page.  The inspiration for the colors came from my Color Coach that Stampin' Up! has.  This is such a GREAT tool that everyone should purchase. If you struggle with color combinations, Get the "COACH!" -120148

Lastly, we made a Christmas Card.  It's that time to get busy on your Christmas cards.  There are tons of great stamp sets to choose from and this one is a fun, simple set to use.  It's called Welcome Christmas- 120597

It was a fantastic night and I can't wait until the next workshop…. Yes, we will be meeting again.  WHOO HOO!!!!

The rest of my weekend has been filled with enjoying my family and more organizing.  Today I took Russ to IKEA.  He was in a state of confusion because he didn't "get" the store set up.  He probably couldn't concentrate either because I was singing the entire time we were in the store.  What can I say?  The store just makes me happy! I did get a few goodies for my stamp room.  I'll share soon.  LOL!

Enjoy your week. 

Busy busy here in my creative space.  I've been getting the last minute details together for the big night tomorrow.  Tonight I've been working on some Big Shot projects I can share this weekend. I love all of my die cuts and I sure know which ones I use more.  For instance, I love the Two Tags Die cut.  It's very versatile and can be used for more than just a tag.  Case in point…

I loved using this die cut as a piece to stamp my sentiment.  Here is the card a bit closer…

I used my Scallop Border Punch and added a double scalloped piece to this card.  Kinda fun and different.  Here is a side view.  I mean really, can we have too many views on a card?  My camera was being nice to me so I might as well blog about it. I do love this Favorite Thoughts stamp set from the Summer Mini.  Love the sentiments. 

Here are the supplies used for this card:

Stamps: Favorite Thoughts (120048), Cute by the Inch (Level 1 Hostess Set), Belle Wheel (121430)

Ink: Crumb Cake, Early Espresso

Cardstock: Crumb Cake, Not Quite Navy and Vanilla

Accessories: Blueberry Crisp DSP (117392), Neutral Buttons (119743), Spritzer Tool (107066), Linen Thread (104199), Vanilla Taffeta (109071), Two Tags Sizzix Die Cut (115954), Scallop Border Punch

Okay, before I leave I want to clarify a few things from my video yesterday.  I've received a few questions about a couple things and I can't seem to keep up with all my email. <VERY SAD FACE!>  Well, I could answer you but my kids would be running around naked because of a back log of laundry.  YIKES! 

Here goes… The Scrapbooking Canvas on my wall, you can find a tutorial on Splitcoast.  You can also search on my blog for other close up views of different canvas that I've done. 

For those of you that are new to either Stampin' Up! or rubber stamping, please realize this stamp room is about 7 years in the making.  <smile>  7 years ago when I started my business and started stamping I worked in a very small room with ONE 6 ft table and made some U-G-L-Y cards in the beginning.  I can almost bet the recipients of my FIRST swap laughed and felt sorry for me. My point is that regardless of your space, if you keep it organized it can be your own little paradise.  I've collected a lot of great stampin' tools over the years and when they are out in the open and not in a drawer I use them.  The same with my embellishments… they are out to see and USE. 

Thank you so much for taking the tour and I will keep you posted on new changes that I make to it.  Believe it or not, I've already rearranged a shelf.  <sigh> 

I hope your weekend is spectacular.  I've got TONS of stamping to do.  I plan to turn my tunes up loudly, dance in my stamp room and STAMP, STAMP, STAMP!