* catered a meal for 60 for a Christmas celebration

* oversaw the production of an 11 cast musical  for a church function

* made 200 turtles & 4 batches fondant

* held Kessia’s 12th birthday party

* accompanied choirs for a Christmas evening of music

* held a stamp club

* held a Christmas packaging stamp class

* catered another Christmas party for 175 people

* enjoyed Kessia’s musical production from the glee club she has been in

* attended and shouted my voice dry at about 7 basketball games for Kira (my 15 year old)

* renewed passport (so I can attend Stampin’Up! Leadership in January!!)

* dipped 380 pretzel rods in caramel & chocolate

* made & froze mashed potato casserole for 325 people

* made & froze apple crisp for 325 people

*attended  choir practices – too numerous to count

* FINALLY shopped for Christmas gifts

* and tomorrow…I finally get to bake some Christmas goodies!!!  Brownies, cookies, breads, strudels, and truffles are all on the list!!

I hope to put my demonstrator hat on again real soon – I have some very pretty new products just waiting for me to put them to work!!

Until then, enjoy these last few Christmas samples I have created:

Supplies used:

Stamps – Four the Holidays, Pennant Parade

Ink & Paper – Garden Green, Very Vanilla, Early Espresso, all current SU green colors in DSP

Accessories – Pennant Builder punch, dimensionals, rhinestone gems, 1 1/4″stipped ribbon, Holly Berry Bouquet button, baker’s twine

Supplies used:

Stamps – Merry & Type, Word Play

Ink & Paper – Night of Navy, Whisper White

Accessories – Big Shot & Framed Tulips embossing folder, Dazzling Details

Christmas notepad matchbook

Stamps – Merry & Type

Ink & Paper – Early Espresso, Whisper White, Garden Green, Cherry Cobbler, Frostwood Lodge DSP

Accessories – stapler, Big Shot & Designer Frames embossing folder, Holly Berry Bouquet button, 1/8″taffeta ribbon, baker’s twine, notepad paper

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas filled with love, family, memories and joy!!  Take care friends!

Natasha

My hostess for stamp club tonight asked for some Christmas tags with sparkle.  Enjoy!

I love these 3D Christmas trees that many are making this year!  This tag is easy, but packs a visual punch and takes just minutes to make.

Supplies used:

Stamps – Four the Holidays, Pennant Parade

Ink & Paper – Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Whisper White, Frostwood Lodge DSP

Accessories – corner rounder punch, Petit Pennants Building punch, 1/8″ hole punch, quilted ribbon, rhinestone gem

Lots of fun sparkle on this card with the help of glittery DSP and glimmer paper.  See the glittery berries on the wreath?  Too cute!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Bright Hopes

Ink & Paper – Real Red, Very Vanilla, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP, Old Olive, Red Glimmer paper

Accessories – Big Shot and Top Note die, 2 3/8″ scallop circle punch, 1 3/4″circle punch, 1/8″ hole punch, grograin ribbon and 1/8″taffeta ribbon

This may not be a Christmas tag but this gift card holder is so adorable, I just have to share it tonight at stamp club!  My good friend and downline, LeAnne, brought me this a couple of weeks ago and I think it’s brilliant.  Love the Peek-a-Boo frame belly band!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Petit Pairs, Jolly Bingo Bits

Ink & Paper – Frostwood Lodge DSP, Crumb Cake, Cherry Cobbler, Garden Green, Whisper White

Accessories – Big Shot and Peek-a-Boo frame die, 2 3/8″scallop circle punch, 1 3/4″, 1 3/8″ & 1 1/4″ circle punches, Dazzling Details, 1/16″ hole punch

TTFN!

Natasha

The Petal-Cone Die has so many uses – including a hat for Santa!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Christmas Lodge

Ink & Paper – Cherry Cobbler, Whisper White, Old Olive, Early Espresso

Accessories – Big Shot, Petal-Cone Die, Tasteful Trim Die, Snow Burst embossing folder, 2 1/2″circle punch, 3/4″circle punch, button, baker’s twine, ticket corner punch, Early Espresso Quilted Ribbon

TTFN!

Natasha

What a super CUTE stamp set to work with!!!

My hostess for Thursday night’s stamp club chose this stamp set to be featured.  I enjoyed creating these cards so much!  Talk about having FUN stamping – just use this stamp set – Forest Festivities!

I didn’t even notice this little puppy until one of my customers pointed him out last month.  He’s far too sweet to be left out so I used the spot lighting technique and it turned out awesome with this image!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Forest Festivities

Ink & Paper – Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip; So Saffron & Baja Breeze ink pads, Stazon Black ink

Accessories – Big Shot and Snow Burst embossing folder, word window punch, dotted scallop ribbon punch, 1 1/4″& 1 3/8″ circle punches, pearl accents, dimensionals

I LOVE all the fun elements on this card from the embossed scallop frame around the bunnies to the ribbon bow and tiny tags!  I found inspiration for this card layout from a sample on our demostrator only site – I LOVE visiting that place!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Forest Festivities, Tiny Tags, Snow Swirled

Ink & Paper – Baja Breeze, Basic Gray, Riding Hood Red, Whisper White, Regals DSP pack; Wild Wasabi ink

Accessories – Big Shot & snowflake #2 die, Snow Burst embossing folder, 2 3/8″ scallop circle punch, Jewelry tag punch, mini library clip, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon

This card has a lot of pizzazz simply made by using the sparkly striped paper in the Holly Berry Bouquet Designer Paper pack in the Holiday Mini Catalogue.  Easy but SO cute!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Forest Festivities

Ink & Paper – Whisper White, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Wild Wasabi, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP

Accessories – Big Shot and Perfect Pennants die, Tasteful Trim die, Snow Burst embossing folder, 1 3/4″ circle punch, dimensionals, button, linen thread

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

REMINDER:  Stampin’Up! has an offer to DIE for!

TWO WEEKS LEFT!  If you’ve been looking for an opportunity to do what you love (stampin’!), while getting a 20 discount on your favourite products, now is the perfect time! During October, you’ll get a FREE Big Shot when you join the Stampin’ Up! family as a demonstrator.

You may be asking yourself, “What if I already own a Big Shot?”

Then choose $125 in FREE current products of your choice!!

Already the new-demonstrator Starter Kit–a steal at just $215–contains over $425 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and business supplies.  Getting a Big Shot PLUS the kit is a steal – take advantage today!!

Email me at nzandbergen@shaw.ca or sign up directly here.

TTFN!

Natasha

Well, it’s finally here – my 8th annual Christmas Card Class is tomorrow!

This is one of the door prizes.  It’s a empty Christmas book box!  Look, it opens up to reveal space for cards, a gift, chocolates, etc.  SO MANY things coud fit in here:

One lucky person will be able to take all their handmade cards home with them in this fabulous box!  I got the pattern to make this from a USTamp with Dawn and Friends a couple of years ago so unfortunately I can’t share the “how-to”to make this box with you.  But Becky at Inking Idaho is the original designer for this project – see her version here.

 I can’t wait to give it away tomorrow!

TTFN!

Natasha

Two of my hostesses this month chose this stamp set to be featured at stamp club, which is funny cause I didn’t really notice it in the Holiday Mini Catalogue.  It’s there though and it caught the eye of two great ladies so I ordered it and started playing.  It’s actually quite a nice set to work with!  That’s why I like my hostesses to choose the stamp sets they want featured – it helps me break out of my mold and see things in a different light – or see things for the first time!

To make the “berries” on the wreath easily, stamp wreath with Garden Green ink, punch out with scallop circle, and punch a few 1/8″ holes from wreath; place Real Red circle behind wreath and the “berries”now show through!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Bright Hopes

Ink & Paper – Crumb Cake, More Mustard, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Garden Green, Whisper White

Accessories – 2 3/8″scallop circle punch, 2 1/2″circle punch, scallop trim edge punch, Crumb Cake seam binding, 1/8″ hole punch

The images in this set are just crying out for some embossing powder, don’t you think?  Hopefully you can tell in the photo, but the tree is embossed with silver EP.

Supplies used:

Stamps – Bright Hopes

Ink & Paper – Night of Navy, Baja Breeze, Lucky Limeade, Whisper White, Versamark Ink

Accessories – Big Shot & Snow Burst embossing folder, Northern Frost strip die, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border punch, stitched velvet ribbon, rhinestone jewels

See that great glittery paper in the background?  I made it with  a sticky sheet (page 216 of catalogue) and gold glitter (page 201). 

Supplies used:

Stamps – Bright Hopes

Ink & Paper – Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Confetti White

Accessories – Big Shot & Scallop Squares Duo die, quilted ribbon, Smootch Spritz, Sticky Pages, gold glitter, dimensionals

TTFN!

Natasha

I’m behind in my postings this week so here are my last 3 cards for my Christmas Card Class!  I have so many other things to show you next week.

This first card features the new pewter embossing powder.  I kept the layout simple so the beautiful shiny wisemen could stand out.

Supplies used:

Stamps – Come to Bethlehem

Ink & Paper – Baja Breeze, Whisper White, Basic Black, Versamark

Accessories – Big Shot and Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, ticked corner punch, eyelet border punch, black satin ribbon, pewter embossing powder

I was inspired to make this one by a card I saw on our demonstrator share website.  Have you noticed the trend this year to stamp images over patterns?  I love the look!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Merry & Type, Elements of Style

Ink and Paper – Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla, Old Olive & Sahara Sand inks

Accessories – Big Shot and Designer Frames embossing folder, wide oval punch, Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon

 This one will look familiar to all you Inking Idaho fans.  I CASed Becky’s design found here only hers was a birthday card and I made mine a Christmas card.

Supplies used:

Stamps – Tags til Christmas, Santa’s Lineup (retired wheel)

Ink & Paper – Whisper White, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP, Real Red, So Saffron, Wild Wasabi

Accessories – 1 1/4″ and 1 3/8″ square punches, Blossoms Bouquet Triple Layer punch, pearl accents, Real Red 1/8″taffeta ribbon,

TTFN!

Natasha

Today’s project is card #7 for my annual Christmas Card Class coming up very soon. 

I really like the sponged ornament image – it’s a different and fresh way to use the Delightful Decorations stamp set and matching ornament punch.  And I finally got to use some of our yummy Cherry Cobbler baker’s twine that’s been sitting on my table for 2 weeks!

Supplies used:

Stamps – Delightful Decorations, Christmas Greetings

Ink and Paper – Whisper White, Early Espresso, Wild Wasabi, Cherry Cobbler, Holly Berry Bouquet DSP

Accessories – Big Shot, Stripes embossing folder, Scallop Squares Duo die, scallop edge punch, ornament punch, sponge, Versamark Ink, white embossing powder, heat tool, baker’s twine, pearl accents

TTFN!

Natasha

Another project for my annual Christmas Card class coming up in 2 weeks:

Today’s feature is a card made from the large stocking die.  I was able to make it a traditional top-hinged card by folding cardstock in half and running it through the Big Shot without cutting the top off.  I also made sure I sized it to fit into our medium square envelopes.

Supplies used:

Stamps – Bells & Boughs

Paper & Ink – Riding Hood Red, Sahara Sand,  Very Vanilla, Lucky Limeade, More Mustard and Early Espresso inks

Accessories - Big Shot, Holiday Stocking die, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Vanilla satin ribbon, velvet stitched ribbon, linen thread, mini jingle bells, Decorative Label punch, dimensionals

TTFN!

Natasha

Blue Frost Mountain Lodge – that’s what I’ve named this card.  It sounds like a magical place to visit at Christmas time – it looks like it too!  I would love to visit somewhere like this for the holidays!

This is yet another project for my annual Christmas Card Class in 2 weeks.

 Supplies used:

Stamps – Christmas Lodge

Ink & Paper – Marina Mist, Whisper White, Night of Navy ink

Accessories – Big Shot & Snow Burst embossing folder & Northern Frost strip die, silver brads, dimensional, sponge, Dazzling Details, Simply Scored

TTFN!

 Natasha