I've Been Commissioned!

One of my friends has commissioned me to make end of year teacher gifts for her son's preschool teachers.  I'm so excited to be able to do this for her!  I have to make three gift sets by June 15.  With all the other stuff on my plate, I'd better get crackin'!  I'll post pics as soon as they are done.

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and that you took a moment to stop and honor our military men and women, both past and present!  I know I did.

Scalloped Square Journal

I've said this time and time again, but UStamp has some amazingly talented designers!  This next project was designed by Natasha Zandbergen for UStamp with Dawn and Friends Hey Big Shot.  It has that WOW effect, but is so super easy to create.  It's not too late to sign up for Ustamp, so head on over and you, too, can recreate this amazing little project!

Supplies:

Dusty Durango Card Stock (115321)

Crushed Curry Card Stock (115319)

Whisper White Card Stock (100730)

Awash with Flowers Stamp Set (Available July 1 in the new catalog)

Baroque Motifs Stamp Set (113490)

Dusty Durango Classic Ink (115654)

Crushed Curry Classic Ink (115659)

Old Olive Classic Ink (102277)

Scallop Square Die (115950)

Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (115614)

My UStamp Project is up!!!

I designed two projects for UStamp.  The first one was up a few days ago.  I will post pictures in a bit.  My second project is up today.  Here is a little sneak peak:

If you would like to see the entire project, as well as step-by-step instructions that are yours to keep forever, you can still sign up for UStamp with Dawn and Friends "Hey Big Shot Worldwide...that's how we roll" by clicking the link!  Although the class has already started, you will have access to it for several months.  Come on over and join the fun!

Item No Longer Available - UPDATE

Old Olive Polka Dot 6" X 6" Designer printed album Out of stock:

Stampin' Up has announced that the inventory of Old Olive Polka-Dot 6" x 6" Designer printed albums (item 119833) has been depleted and we are unable to order more.

EDITED TO ADD:

This product is on backorder and can be ordered beginning July 12.  This is an "available while supplies last"  item.

The Next UStamp Event Has Been Announced!

I have been invited back as a Guest Designer for the next round of UStamp with Dawn and friends!  I'm so excited to share the following information with you.

Before I go on about the NEXT event, remember we have a TON more to share with you for Hey Big Shot!! So plan on lots and lots more fun on the way, chatting, chatting and some more chatting, tips and tricks, prizes to give away and MORE Friendships to be made!! This is all coming your way everyday until June 4th!! The Dream Team, Creative Crew Girls, and all our Guest Designers are looking forward to inspiring you and getting you creating!!

NOW we can chat about the next event..."Early Summer Edition 2010"!! Dawn has announced the next round of registration for UStamp with Dawn & Friends!! is NOW open. UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! "Early Summer Edition 2010"!! will open June 25th (EDT) and will run through July 16th.  "Early Summer Edition 2010"!! is going to be a fantastic event!!  We will be showcasing Stampin' Up! Sneak Peeks from NEW Catalog releasing in July AND you can be sure that the HOT & HIP NEW COLORS that Stampin' Up! is debuting, will be here there and everywhere on the projects shared!!

Early Summer Edition 2010 is going to be a "everything goes" kinda event...everything and anything that Stampin' Up! offers is fair game for the Design Team to just go crazy!! Think of it as an open air bustling market place, one treasure more enchanting than the next!! I am sure you won't to miss out on this event!!

"Early Summer Edition 2010" will deliver all same opportunity to do something REALLY FUN, even if only or a few minutes a day, to check out a project or peak into the chat room to say hello to some friends around the world or be inspired by a challenge or two or three :)

Don't we all deserve a few minutes of fun to help us re-charge and enjoy what we love??!! Of course we do!! One of the many great things about UStamp is that YOU create when YOU are ready. LOVE the projects, but don't have time to make them yourself right away?? No worries!! The website will remain open for many months, ready when you are to create so you won't miss out
Here is what you can expect when you join us...
* 40+ Projects all with Step by Step PDF Tutorials with photo's for you to download!! Each project is translated in French, German and Spanish and inches are also converted to CM in the English documents.

* Swaps: Both within your country and Internationally

* Designer hosted chats with prizes

* Open Chat Room 24x7

* Gallery to share your re-creations

* A cool blinkie for your website/blog

* Prizes, Prizes and MORE Prizes!!

* Weekly Color Challenge

* Weekly Inspiration Challenge

* Weekly Master Plan Challenge

All with Prize Winners!!

Dawn is offering an Early Bird Pricing opportunity of only $19.99 until June 1st.

Join today for only $19.99!!! 

P.S.  If you want a chance to win a FREE PASS to UStamp with Dawn and Friends Early Summer Edition 2010, visit www.ustampwithdawn.blogpost.com between May 21 and May 31st and leave a comment.  Dawn will randomly draw 13 names to win a FREE PASS. The winners will be announced on June 1st.  If a winner is selected and has already paid for the event, a refund will be issued.

Moments and Milestones Baby Scrapbook

Believe it or not, I can "paper" scrapbook!

Our bunco group had our first ever "baby shower bunco" the other night.  Each time a new person partnered up with the mommy to be, she would receive a gift.  I made her a 20-page 6x6 album using the Moments and Milestones Simply Scrappin' Kit, which I put into the Blue Herringbone album from the Summer Mini.  I decided not to do much embellishing so "mommy" could pick and choose which stickers she wanted to go with which pictures.  I also used Fox and Friends and craft ink to stamp on some white onesies, which she loved (but I forgot to take pictures of those)! 

Are You Tired of MDS Yet?

I'm not!  I can't say enough about My Digital Studio!  I've made more scrapbook pages in the last few weeks than I have in the last few years!  Don't get me wrong, I still love the look of traditional scrapbook pages, but I absolutely love the simplicity and quickness of putting together a page with My Digital Studio.  Here's another page from our Pack Family Camp for my son's Cub Scout Pack.  Enjoy!

Another Scrapbook Page Using MDS

Thanks to my good friend Jackie, my hubby and I were the recipients of a free night's stay and breakfast buffet at one of the beautiful beachfront hotels here on Okinawa.  We did not have our choice of rooms, but received whatever was available.  Fortunately, we got a room with an ocean view and it was absolutely gorgeous!  It was a "family" room which consisted of two twin beds (however they were close enough that we could still hold hands while we slept) and a "tatami" room with 4 tatami mats where the children would sleep.  We, of course, did not take our children.  We also got to take baths!  This is quite a luxury for us as the bathtubs in our house are very shallow and not conducive to taking a nice long soak!  It rained the entire time we were there, but we still had a fantastic time.  I hope you like the page.

I'm Still Here

Once again, life gets in the way!  I have been crazy busy with family and work.  I am also trying to reorganize my crafts.  While living overseas we are in government housing and to say the least it is tiny!  Therefore, my craft area is also our dining room!  This means that I get to pull out my projects, work a bit and put them away again so we can eat.  It can really put a damper on the creativity, if you know what I mean!  Not to mention the time that pulling everything out and putting everything away takes away from actually creating.  With all this, I have had no stamp time in the last week or so.  I'm seriously jonesing for even a few minutes!  I did get a huge box of goodies from Stampin' Up yesterday and can't wait to get inky!  I'm hoping to be done with enough of the the reorganization to at least get a few minutes of stamping in!  I also need to get caught up on my swaps! 

In the meantime, here's another quick My Digital Studio page for you!

I went on a field trip with my daughter last year and got some pretty cool pictures of one of the castles here on Okinawa.  I  had a great group of kids and we had a lot of fun.  I used a circle punch to "blur" out the faces of the kids in our group as I don't like to post pictures of children without their parents' permission.  The girl who is not blurred out is my lovely daughter, Brooke.

More MDS Pages

Since May is National Scrapbooking Month I will be trying to feature scrapbook pages in my posts.  This past weekend we went on a family camping trip for my son's Cub Scout pack.  Here are a few pages I put together quickly using one of the pre-made layouts in My Digital Studio.