Stampin' in Atlas

It's Been a Long Time!

2011-05-02T00:42:00.003-04:00

So i'm thinking about moving this blog to a new one...one that highlights everything I'm learning as a new mom...all the changed perspectives about life I have since hearing the words "the cyst was malignant," and all the creative ventures I make along the way...still thinking about it...

Let the cleaning commence!

2010-08-16T18:21:00.003-04:00

OK, so it's time to clean out that craft room tonight...have to catalog my stamps at the same time, so i'll check back in later with a method to my madness...might have to do some research on SCS to see how others have done the trick. My husband gave me a huge storage bin to fill up with stuff that has to go to the attic...guess i'll pack the stuff i use the least, ha ha. Also, all the old fabric could go upstairs from the sewing half of the room...i wish it would lay off the humidity so i could finish cleaning out the attic.

This baby is just coming too quick!! She'll be here in four months!

I'm taking the day off work tomorrow (mental health day) so i hope to accomplish a lot then too...we shall see.

A Break from Cleaning

2010-07-18T10:47:00.005-04:00

Well, I cleaned most of the day yesterday and it looks as if I haven't touched a thing! I did take a break, however to make a bridal shower card that I think came out really cute. I was inspired by one of the stampers on Splitcoast with a bridal shower card she had made. Here's my version:

Her wedding colors are dark pink and navy blue, so I wanted to do something in those colors. I used Whisper White cardstock for base, and cut it down to 11" by 5.5", then scored lines at 4.25 and 8.5, leaving 2.5 inches on one side to cut the dress from to complete the tri-fold. I hand drew the dress and just cut it with my Paper Snips. I then put the background design (a random piece of DSP scrap I found while cleaning!) on the flap that folded under the dress. The band on the dress is Regal Rose, and the flower was hand cut from Night of Navy with a pink rhinestone in the middle. Of course, a scallop oval punch and small oval punch finished off the sentiment from the *** set.

The shower was beautiful, and the food was good...everyone had a good time, but alas, I must return to my cleaning!

Happy Stampin'!

-jen

Once Again...

2010-07-09T18:54:00.002-04:00

I've let this blog slip up so many times...so let's try this again! I'm really going to make an effort to keep this updated, at least once or twice a week. Really, I'm not doing anything much MORE productive with my time after work, and I really need to get going in cleaning out that craft room to make room for the baby, so maybe this will keep me on track.

I'm also trying to get ready for another craft show on July 31st right here in Atlas. It's the first annual Atlas Community Yard Sale and Craft Show. My friend Angie and I were put in charge of it. I think this year is kind of a trial to see how we could do it better next time. That's part of the fun. So i'm trying to decide on what to make to sell, and will probably do some cruising on Splitcoast later to see.

For now, however, I have an unopened box of Stampin' Up! goodies that's calling my name...I'll be back later to update my cleaning progress! Wish me luck!

Two-Step Into Spring with this great sale!

2010-03-27T17:08:00.002-04:00

Take advantage of a special preview set from the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog! From April 1-30 only, you can purchase the brand new "Awash with Flowers" set before the catalog debuts!

The "Awash with Flowers" set is one of Stampin' Up!'s "Two Step Stampin'" sets. These sets allow you to take creativity to the next level by layering your stamps to create soft watercolor-look images. This set is available in wood mount (117062) for $39.95 or clear mount (120549) for $27.95. Hurry, this set is only available as a special pre-order until April 30th!

Want to earn this set free? Host a workshop and earn it free with a $350 workshop! Plus, you still get all the other great hostess benefits!

Want more spring-themed Two-Step Stampin' sets? From April 1-30, you can take advantage of savings on a selection of perfectly springy Two-Step Stampin' sets from the current Idea Book and Catalog:

Greenhouse Garden (113824, page 94, on sale for $20.76)
Fifth Avenue Floral (113734, page 98, on sale for $19.96)
Flower Fancy (111578, page 101, on sale for $29.56)
Trendy Trees (113258, page 112, on sale for $14.36)

These sets are PERFECT for getting started on your upcoming Spring projects! Give me a call today to place your order, schedule a workshop, or get more information!

Yours in Creativity,

-jen

A New Year, A New Goal

2010-01-03T20:34:00.003-05:00

Hello stampers, scrappers and general crafters!

It is one of my goals for the new year to keep this blog more updated, even if it's only to get online and offer some wisdom or uplifting words for those times when my creative mojo is fizzling. I'd like to add in some posts showcasing the things I've been sewing as well as the papercrafting projects, since most of us aren't single-genre crafters in the end of it all!

I'm hoping to make this a year of inspiration and creativity, and I thank you all for joining me along the way. Who knows what 2010 will bring...i hope it will be lots of happiness, hope and strength. Blessings to all of you!

Happy Stampin'!
-jen

Christmas Cards

2009-12-17T22:33:00.005-05:00

OK, so it's a little late to get started on my Christmas cards, but i'm a procrastinator at heart, and no one who knows me should be surprised that I waited till a week before Christmas to start making and mailing my cards. So I thought this year instead of assembly-lining a stack of cards, I'd make a few different kinds. Here are two:

This card was inspired by one made by Beth McAlexander that I found on Splitcoast. Hers was a bit different, but the layout is basically the same. I used the Merry Moments DSP and Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Whisper White Cardstock. This stamp set is one of my favorites. It's from the Holiday Mini (order now...time is running out for that catalog!) called "Berry Christmas." It's so versatile. I punched out the sentiment from that set with the Word Window punch. Fits perfectly. The ribbon is Old Olive grosgrain ribbon. I used Old Olive, Chocolate Chip and Ruby Red ink.

The next one was inspired by Lisa Mekeel at http://www.creativecucina.com/. Again, I used Old Olive and Ruby Red, but with Very Vanilla this time. I stamped the holly branch, the berries and the bird and thought the space just needed something, so I used the snowflake in the set and some clear Stampin' Emboss powder to give it a texture of snowflakes. It was a neat touch. The sentiment is from Holiday Punch hostess set, stamped in Old Olive ink on Old Olive paper and punched out with the wide oval punch. The DSP is from the Merry Moments pack.

I will be working on more tomorrow, actually did make another one tonight, but because it's a special card for Ms. Patti, I can't post it here until she gets it!! :)

Happy Stampin'!

-jen

More Scrap Cards

2009-09-14T18:36:00.003-04:00

Here is yet another set of cards that I made for the scrap paper card swap I was in...these ones were really simple...used a sizzix die for the leaves and flowers. They came out pretty cute. :)

Again, all scraps on these cards...the scallop circle is a Marvy Mega punch I think. Sentiments are from Stampin' Up!

Thanks for looking!

Scrap Paper, Anyone?

2009-09-13T19:53:00.003-04:00

I was in a swap on SCS hosted by my dear friend, Slegos, which challenged us to use ONLY scrap paper to make some cards. Well, I have two huge baskets full of scraps, so I thought this should be an easy challenge. Surprisingly, though, it was tougher than it sounds! I didn't cheat, though, and I only used paper and embellishments out of my scraps stash, and here's what I came up with:

It was actually rather easy to put together the "quilts" thanks to Stampin' Up!'s matching sets of DSP, and thanks to a few pieces I had with stripes of patterns on them, making punching matchy patterns quite easy. I used a small square punch from EK Success to make all the squares, and mounted them on the back of a large shipping label...instant sticky without wasting Xyron adhesive...and guess what? The labels were in the scrap basket too! See, I really didn't cheat at all!

My husband really liked the bright one with the swirly embellie on it, but my favorite was the decidedly Fall looking one. It was actually kinda hard to send these in for the swap in the end of it all...I hope whoever got them liked them!

Happy Stampin'!

Fun and Easy Halloween Cards

2009-08-22T20:46:00.006-04:00

I recently did a swap for a dear friend of mine on SCS (Slegos) using only scrap paper. I came up with quite an array of cards, and thought I'd share them on here one post at a time. The good news is I have quite a few days' worth of posts now without making anything new!

Here's the first set of cards...Halloween cards!

This picture doesn't quite do them justice...both of them feature an orange embossed sentiment on Basic Black using my newest dollar stamps. The haunted house is part of the House of Haunts SU! stamp set, embossed on Pumpkin Pie cardstock, then punched with the ticket corner punch after layering on the black piece, then mounting the whole thing to an Elegant Eggplant base. The spider stamp is another dollar stamp, and the middle of the web is a stamp, but since I wanted it bigger, I filled in with my VersaMarker. The web and spider are on Elegant Eggplant. The web is embossed with clear EP, and the spider is embossed with black. This one is mounted on a Pumpkin Pie base. These were really fun to make, and they came out really cute. They would be great for kids, and went together very quickly and easily. Hope you like them!

Happy Stampin'!

Halloween Scraplings

2009-08-11T19:40:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post tonight to show off some Halloween scraplings I made for mepylant's Year of Scraplings swap on Splitcoast. Used Only Orange and Basic Black and the Tags So Much set along with some embossing powder (some classic SU! EP in orange!), the SU! Small Tag Punch, Black Stickles, some googly eyes and some ribbon. The spider web was a 3/$1.00 find at The Bloomsburg Fair last year. I thought they were fun!

Tri-Shutter Graduation Card

2009-08-10T15:52:00.006-04:00

I had to make a card for my niece's graduation party, and since i'm broke and couldn't give her a gift yet, I figured I better make it one phenomenal card! Split Coast Stampers just featured this technique by Bonnie Swalkiewicz as their weekly tutorial so I thought I'd give it a try. It was tedious, not exactly hard, but not really for the beginner stamper either. I used the Delicate Dots DSP that I got from the 2009 Sale-A-Bration catalog, along with more mustard, old olive, and brocade blue cardstock and handsome hunter ink. Here's what I came up with:

Other accessories I used were some rick-rack from my naked mail gift, Stampin' Up's Scallop Edge Punch, 5-Petal Flower Punch, and 1/2 inch circle punch, my Crop-o-Dile, and Martha's Cosmos punch (also a gift from my naked mail swap!) This card style is really cool, and everyone passed it around at the party opening and closing it a million times in awe. Definitely an impressive way to give a greeting, especially if you're not able to stick any money in there with it! :) Here's what the front looks like when it's all closed up:

My only suggestion and what I will do next time is to not score the last line (at the 10" mark) all the way down, but rather only at the top and bottom. Either that or I would put a matching square for another sentiment there, because it gets floppy. This is hard to explain, you just have to make the card using SCS's instructions, which are found here. This one is defintely worth the tinkering to create!

Happy Stampin'!

-jen

Fabulous Friend Notebook

2009-08-08T09:15:00.002-04:00

I made this for a woman I work with after she spied an altered mini composition book in my bag one day and hinted that she wanted one! The DP is from the Petal Party DSP pack, the sentiment from Oval All (punched out with the Word Window punch), and the flower from Playful Petals. The ribbon I found in my stash of scrap ribbons. I also used the Scalloped Edge punch and Marvy's large scallop circle punch. She loved it!

Thanks for looking, and happy stampin'!
-jen

Happy Birthday Autumn!

2009-08-02T23:43:00.003-04:00

Today is my oldest great niece's birthday...she's FIVE already! She had a party yesterday with a "girls rock" theme that she picked out. I made her a quickie of a card following her theme and then bought her a rather punk looking outfit and a bag with guitars on it. She actually looked a second longer at this card than all the other ones she threw at her mom after ripping the envelopes open! Hey, to get an extra second of attention from a five year old is an accomplishment...

The circles are cut from some DP that my husband bought me for Christmas...the black is actually flocking, which is pretty cool and quite rock and roll if you ask me. The guitar and musical notes came in a pack of sticker embellishments from AC Moore though I can't remember who made them. The guitar has a little window with beads and sparkly gems in it that shake. The "Girls Rock" was written with a glue pen and glittered with silver glitter. Real Red cardstock layered onto some black textured cardstock gave it a nice complimentary layered effect. I thought it turned out cute for how quick it was. I've learned that with my great niece, short and simple is the best way to go! She only has a few seconds of attention to give you, you know!

New Catalog and The Deal of the Week!

2009-07-02T11:08:00.002-04:00

Hello all!

Well, we made it through the retirement season and now it's time to shop from the new catalog! Visit my Stampin' Up! Website to browse online, or give me a call to get your new catalog...they should be arriving at my doorstep today!

Stampin' Up! is celebrating the new catalog with a special promotion offering a "Deal of the Week" each week for five weeks. This week it's the Scallop Edge Punch for only $10.99. That's a savings of 30%! This punch is a must for any papercrafter...it makes creating those scallop edges so easy and quick. If you'd like to order the punch, give me a call!

I will be working on some samples using new items from the catalog tomorrow and will post them here then. Going back to work full time has made life a little hectic...not used to getting my to-do list done in the morning yet!

Happy Stampin'!
-jen

Updated Out of Stock List

2009-06-29T12:53:00.001-04:00

One more day to make an order! I will be placing my last order tomorrow, so if anyone wants anything, now is the time!

The following items are now out of stock, in addition to items listed in posts below:
111257 Happy, Happy Birthday Stampin' Around Wheel
111277 Rub Ons - A Perfect Day
111838 Pink Pirouette Classic Stampin' Pad.

Happy Stampin'!
-jen

Naked Mail!

2009-06-24T20:13:00.005-04:00

I got some "naked mail" today from one of my upline's swaps. It was awesome to open the door and see a clear plastic juice container sitting below my mailbox. It was stuffed full of the coolest stuff...check it out:

I got a Martha Stewart Punch (cosmos)--my first one! Also a super cute altered composition book, a tiny mosaic CB folder (which i've been wanting for quite some time), two spools of ribbon, a cute bird stamp, crocheted fleurettes, cool bar brad embellishments, little pearls, little rhinestones, antibacterial gel (love that stuff) and the cutest little card identifying my secret sister...Joystamps4 from SCS!

I'm loving my new little stash...i've been punching cosmos out of everything i can get my hands on! :)

A HUGE thank you to Joy for such a great gift! I'll be sure to post my first cosmos/tiny mosaic/rhinestones/bird stamp creation!

Happy Stampin'!

jen

Updated Out of Stock List

2009-06-24T15:21:00.002-04:00

One week left to make that last minute order! Here are the newest additions to the out of stock list, in addition to items listed in posts below:

100900 - White Gift Sacks
113950 - Die Cuts Build a Fairytale

Lots of 50% off stuff still in stock! Give me a call to let me know what you want!!

Happy Stampin'!
-jen

Updated Out of Stock List 6/22/09

2009-06-22T17:48:00.002-04:00

Today's updated out of stock items, in addition to the items listed in posts below:

111879 Satin Ribbon Kiwi Kiss/Very Vanilla
112150 Designer Series Paper Patterns - Pink Pirouette
112153 Designer Series Paper Patterns - Tangerine Tango
111833 Baja Breeze Stampin' Pad
111844 Baja Breeze Ink Refill

In Colors are disappearing quickly! Get them while they last!

Happy Stampin'!
-jen

A Thank You for my Great Niece

2009-06-21T01:29:00.005-04:00

My great niece is almost five. For my birthday this year, she made cupcakes and shared them with me including one she made "special just for me" with lots of icing because it was my birthday. We had a great day spending time together just playing and talking about stuff. I don't get to see her often, and she usually takes a while to warm up to me, but lately she's been my buddy. So i made her a special thank you card for my cupcake:
I used a stamp set I got at the 2008 Heirloom Rubber Stamping Expo in Allentown. You construct the puppies piece by piece, and depending on how you put the pieces together, they come out with individual personalities. She loves puppies, so I thought she'd like it. Plus she loves getting mail. I came across the picture while cleaning off my camera, so I thought I'd share. The best part is that I made it pretty quickly using scraps of paper and ribbon! I love that!

Happy Stampin'!
-jen

Updated Out of Stock List

2009-06-21T01:19:00.001-04:00

Here is the udpated out of stock list for the retiring accessories. The following items have been added in addition to the items listed in posts below:

Item #: Description:
111336 Notes Scallop II
111353 Card Stock – Kiwi Kiss
111348 Card Stock – Riding Hood Red
111350 Card Stock – Pacific Point
111349 Card Stock – Tangerine Tango
111351 Card Stock – Pink Pirouette
111352 Card Stock – Baja Breeze
111346 Card Stock – Asst. In Color 12x12
111345 Card Stock – Asst. In Color Textured 12x12
111839 Classic Ink Refill – Riding Hood Red
111842 Classic Ink Refill – Kiwi Kiss
111844 Classic Ink Refill – Baja Breeze
112161 DSP Patterns – Kiwi Kiss
112153 DSP Patterns – Tangerine Tango
114037 DSP – Sweet Slumber
111253 Stampin’ Around Wheel – Blooms & Bulbs
109684 Stampin’ Around Wheel - Doodle

The In Color Cardstock is now completely out of stock. For those that had Pink Pirouette on back order, it will be delivered. Call now if there's anything you need! My last order for retiring items will be placed on June 29th. Thanks!

Updated Out of Stock List

2009-06-14T12:25:00.004-04:00

The following items have now been added to the Out of Stock list in addition to the ones in posts below:

Item #: Description:
112010 Die Cuts – Bloom Again
101399 Stipple Brushes
112155 DSP – Patterns Riding Hood Red
111350 8.5x11 Cardstock – Pacific Point
107288 Extra Large Whisper White Envelopes

They're going quickly! Call me today if you need anything!

Udpated Out of Stock List

2009-06-10T22:31:00.005-04:00

The following items are now out of stock in addition to the ones listed in post(s) below:

Item #: Description:
107272 Keytag Punch
111350 Pacific Point 8.5 x 11 Cardstock
108590 Naturals Assorted 12x12 Cardstock
112041 Designer Series Paper – Bella Rose
109568 My ABCs Stampin’ Around Wheel

Supplies are limited on the retiring accessories! Act now to stock up on your favorites that are still left!

A Sneak Peek Preview...

2009-06-10T22:25:00.003-04:00

Cards Magazine featured Stampin' Up! on their blog today, along with a sneak peek of two projects made with all new products from the upcoming catalog including some of the new In Colors. Check it out here: http://northridgemedia.net/blogs/cards/?p=184.

Goodness!

2009-06-09T21:00:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've updated and I apologize to the whole three readers I might have, and since my only "follower" is my husband, I'll make this brief...between being sick, dealing with stuff at work, and suffering a general lack of motivation lately (just can't seem to find my oomph lately,) I haven't updated this blog in ages. I apologize. I'll spare you the mundane details and say I will be committed to keeping it more up to date. Besides, my friend Sakura says I should so she can read it. See? She's one of the three. :) Besides, Patti started her own blog now and I can't let her get ahead of me. It's the BFF competence clause, LOL.

So, on with the news then...everyone knows what time of year it is...RETIREMENT TIME. Out with the old, in with the new. Stampin' Up! will be retiring a slew of stamp sets as well as a load of accessories, including all the In Color stuff to make way for all new In Colors that will debut in the Fall/Winter 2009 catalog which comes out in July. All I can say is this: the new In Colors are quite nice, and very trendy. Also, my sneak peek promises some newer and trendier designs (did they hire a new designer or two?) and some great new projects.

The bad news is that the accessories are on a first come, first serve basis and once they're gone, they're gone for good. I'll be listing the accessories that are out of stock and no longer available as I learn, but for now, here's the listing:

Updated Out of Stock List, as of 6/8/09:
Item #: Description:
105143 Days to Remember 6x6 Calendar
106961 Stazon Refill – White
113884 Rub Ons – Fashion District
111375 Striped Grosgrain Ribbon – Baja Breeze
112010 Die Cuts – Blooms Again
112092 Button Bouquet
112139 Notes – Carousel II
111844 Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill – Baja Breeze
109123 Stampin’ Write Journaler – Basic Brown
112157 Designer Series Paper Patters – Baja Breeze
112468 Designer Series Paper – Sweet Always
112471 Designer Series Paper – Rainbow Sherbert
112461 Designer Series Paper – Washington Apple
112172 Simply Scrappin’ Rock a Bye Boy
112165 Simply Scrappin’ Rock a Bye Girl
113936 Simply Scrappin’ Hoppy Memories
113911 Simply Scrappin’ Sunshine Garden
112054 Simply Scrappin’ Best Ever
114605 Simply Sent Card Kit – More Thoughts
105668 Tattoo Kit I
105669 Tattoo Kit II
111347 Assorted In Color Card Stock 8.5 x 11
109682 Perfectly Pretty Stampin’ Around Wheel.

Click on the links in the sidebars for the full list of retiring accessories and stamp sets. If you'd like to make an order, the best place to do it is on my website at http://jenzarko.stampinup.net since they will keep the inventory updated in real time. If you need anything else, give me a call!

Happy Stampin'!
-jen

Join the Club! The Stamp Club, That Is!

2009-05-10T20:32:00.001-04:00

I am starting my first stamping club and need some members! So far, we have four spots filled, but we need six more. The best part is that you don't have to be local to join...anyone outside of the Coal Region area is also welcome, but will still reap the benefits of being a member!

Here are the details:

There will be ten members in the club: myself along with nine other members.
Each member agrees to purchase a minimum $15.00 order (excluding shipping and tax) from any current catalog each month and a current Idea Book & Catalog at a special rate of $5.00 (1/2 price) when they sign up if they don't already have one.
Each member will be randomly assigned a month to receive the hostess benefits of the workshop for that month. When the last month comes around and I am slated to be the hostess, I will hold a drawing and one member will recieve that month's hostess benefits. So each member has a chance of winning an extra hostess month!
Membership agreements will be for ten months at a time in order to keep it fair for the other members. Each month, there will be a qualifying workshop since there will be (10) $15 orders.
As a perk to being a member, you will recieve a different card kit each month. I am working on finding a place in Mount Carmel to hold a monthly get-together to make the cards, and will pass that information on when I finalize it!
All club members can take advantage of any current promotions being offered by Stampin' Up.

For those of you who live outside my local area who wish to join, the rules will change just slightly. You will need to email me your order along with a payment (mail check or pay through paypal) by the deadline each month. I will then send you the items you ordered along with that month's card kit. You will still get a month to reap the benefits of being the hostess!

Anyone interested in joining, please email me at jenzarko@ptd.net with your name, mailing address, and phone number so that I can mail you the information for each month's specials and card kit details, as well as information about a meeting place once one is ironed out! I would love to have you aboard!

I've Been Tagged!

2009-03-24T23:37:00.003-04:00

I've been tagged by my upline, Jessica, to take this challenge, and the picture was so fun, I had to take her up on it. The challenge was to post the sixth picture in the sixth folder in your picture files. So here's my picture:

This is my Mom sitting with a gorilla outside Rainforest Cafe in Atlantic City last year. We went on a bus trip together for the day, and I hope we do it again!! We had a blast. We just walked the boardwalk and gambled just a little bit (till we ran out of the money they gave back to us when we got off the bus!) but she won a hundred bucks in the process. She had this method: put in a five dollar bill and when you get up to a certain amount (say ten bucks) cash out and start over with another five dollar bill. ONLY put fives in the machine, nothing more. Now every time I see she has a five dollar bill I say "ooh, are we gonna gamble that?" :)

I don't really have anyone to tag, so unfortunately the game ends here (Jessica already tagged Trinity and I can't do a tag-back, ha ha). I just thought I'd share such a great picture. :)

Breast Cancer Fundraiser

2009-03-10T09:34:00.002-04:00

Wow. I haven't been on here in a while...been quite busy with some stuff, but also very exhausted. Since my last post, I had my first SU! workshop which was pretty successful. Thanks to Patti for hostessing! Also since my last post I had a small scare after going to the doctor's office. I have a small lump near my armpit at the side of my left breast, and she ordered an ultrasound for it. Long story short, it's nothing abnormal, but my attitude towards breast cancer has completely changed.

My Aunt Sarah had breast cancer, and she beat it after having a lump removed and going through chemotherapy. A couple years after that, my sister had a scare and had to have a cyst removed, then my niece had a scare and had to have a cyst removed. Thankfully, both of those cysts were benign. When I found the bump in mine, I hate to admit I ignored it for quite a while, mostly because I didn't want it to be something bad. Stupid, huh? So I came to my senses and realized that duh...it's never going to go away and if it is something bad, it's just sitting there getting worse. It turns out they think it's a lymph node that's going haywire. I'm tracking the size of it to see if it is growing/shrinking with my cycle (my sister's suggestion because she has one that does the same thing) and there's still the option to work with a breast specialist and have it removed. I might just take the option...if it's malfunctioning, get rid of it. Better safe than sorry.

So on the tail of my scare, I feel like I want to become involved and raise money for a cure. I have three great nieces who will hopefully grow into a world where breast cancer isn't a threat anymore--where ANY cancer is no longer a threat. But such research to get to that day isn't cheap! I wonder how many women who are demonstrators for SU! or customers of SU! have been directly or indirectly affected, or how many of those women we've actually lost to the battle. I sort of thought that being a demonstrator gives me a great vehicle to raise awareness and money for the cause. So I thought I'd have a fundraiser.

I'm still bouncing around ideas, but I think I'm going to try to find a local hall that will donate the use of its space for a 12 hour charity crop and have a small lunch and some prizes/raffles. Any ideas for my project would be greatly appreciated and welcomed! I'm still in the very beginning planning phases here, but think that this would be a great way to raise some money. Oh, and the proceeds from any SU! sales that day would also be donated.

Think pink, and ladies, if you're reading this and haven't done your self-exam lately or had your mammogram when you're supposed to...get to it! This disease is real, and can happen to anyone.

Can stamping cure a stomach ache?

2009-02-18T22:19:00.006-05:00

I wasn't feeling well, so I dragged myself upstairs to the craft room thinking if I got my mind off the pain in my stomach, it would go away. I was wrong...but at least I made something cool! I decided to use True Friend, just because I love the set so much, and I found some DP in my drawer that I've had for a while from K&Co which I love, but the bright colors sometimes scare me...and Taken With Teal is definitely out of my comfort zone, to say the least! Still, it worked so well with the paper, and Chocolate Chip perfectly accented it, so I just went for it. In the end, I actually love how it came out.

I made six 3x3 cards, three each of the two different designs, and then made a 3x3 notecard box to hold them. The image on the Taken with Teal part of the lid is embossed with clear EP. I accomplished the embossing of the main image in an interesting way...first I inked up the stamp with VersaMark, then inked it with Chocolate Chip. The EP stuck to it, and saved me the step of using the Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to reink the Versamark over the Chocolate Chip in order to put the clear EP layer on it. There's a large brad in the middle of it that I pulled from my stash of Christmas gifts from Kenny. He did good this year! :)

The box itself was made using these instructions from SCS. The lid seems a little too big for the box, but I think I can tweak it next time around to be a little snugger. I want to make more of these, they are so easy, and would make great gifts. Maybe tomorrow I'll come up with some using my Puns From the Past set...it just seems like a set that would work well with this particular project...

Fast & Fun Sunshine Garden Card

2009-02-16T23:43:00.005-05:00

I feel like I've been on a dry spell when it comes to creativity, but tonight my mojo showed up again and I put together what will probably be a demo card at my first workshop on March 1st (Thanks, Patti!). It's a pretty simple one, but came out much cuter than I thought it was going to. The main image is from Fun & Fast Notes, stamped in Chocolate Chip on Very Vanilla and colored with a blender pen and Stampin' Pastels. It's then layered on Chocolate Chip and Old Olive cardstock. The card base is textured So Saffron cardstock from the Sunshine Garden Simply Scrappin' kit and the stripes are cut from a sheet of DSP in that same pack. I then used my Stamp-a-ma-jig and a Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write marker to stamp the sentiment on Very Vanilla. It looked kinda plain, so I added the flower from Totally Tabs using Old Olive ink. I punched that with the round tab punch, folded it in half and nestled it in behind the DSP.

Hope that wasn't too much detail...this whole blog thing is still kinda new to me and I'm not sure what all I should say! :) I feel much better having a cute card that I can show at the workshop that uses a lot of different basic techniques but comes out to be less than boring. If you have any suggestions for me, feel free to offer them!

I'm still looking for players for the Embellishment Sampler Pack, and I'm willing to ship anywhere in the US, so if you're interested, let me know! (Details in post below!)

'Til tomorrow's mojo comes around....

-jen

Everyone Loves Embellishments!

2009-02-12T23:47:00.005-05:00

Everyone loves embellishments, right?

But to buy a large assortment of embellishments from the new SU! catty could cost you more than $150! What if you could sample some of these embellishments for a mere $19?

Join the Everyone Loves Embellishments club now and take advantage of a 62-piece sampler for less than twenty bucks. Your sampler will include the following:

3 Corduroy Buttons in each of these colors: Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip, Pumpkin Pie, Kraft, and Summer Sun.
3 1½ inch Library Clips; one each of Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, and Whisper White.
2 Star Designer Brads
4 Jumbo 5/8" brads in asst. colors
8 Jumbo 5/16" brads in asst. colors
10 clear rhinestone brads
1 Fleurette
4 Flower brads; one each Pumpkin Pie, Pretty in Pink, So Saffron, and Chocolate Chip.
2 Large Shape Canvas Cuts
2 Medium Shape Canvas Cuts
8 Pewter Jumbo Eyelets

There will be eight members in the club, and once I receive all eight payments, I will make the order. I will form additional clubs if necessary. I will notify you once the order has been made, and will keep this blog udpated as to the status of the order. You will recieve your embellishments within two weeks of the date the order is placed. Those outside of the Atlas, PA area are welcome to join, and are asked to send $2 for shipping (in padded envelope.)

Join in on this wonderful opportunity to sample the great embellishments offered by Stampin' Up! in their exclusive colors. To join, email me for payment directions at jenzarko@ptd.net. I look forward to sharing this opportunity with you!

I've done it!

2009-02-12T23:40:00.003-05:00

Well, it's been official since last week, but today it's super-official...I'm an SU! Demonstrator! The big box came today, and I'm really excited. I even booked my first workshop (thanks, Patti!) and made a small order (Thanks again, Patti!) I think this will be really fun, and I'm looking forward to meeting new people and giving them an outside-the-box approach to making their purchases...I'm planning a bunch of clubs and group purchase events to make it a little easier on people's wallets during this time of economic crunching...just because times are tough doesn't mean we should give up doing what we love, right?!

I'll be posting some of the clubs on this blog, so be sure to check back often to see what's going on. I'll also be posting samples here along with tutorials and challenges. I'm hoping to build this humble little blog into something impressive. I'm excited about that too!

For now, I'm off to do some more business planning and eventually to bed as it's way past my bedtime. I'm just too excited going through this box a million times to sleep!

What do you do when you're old?

2009-01-14T20:10:00.004-05:00

Party!

I know there's no stamping on this card, but how fun is this? We're throwing a surprise party for my husband's uncle for this 50th birthday and i was in charge of making 48 invitations...for a party in three weeks. Needless to say, there was no time for a lot of design and stamping, so i thought something quick and fun would do the trick. This picture is from the Super Bowl Party a few years ago and was snapped right after the Steelers won, which would explain why he's so happy! Fun stuff.

The cleanout of the stamping studio is in progress. I get buried every time i go in there! It's a catastrophe since christmas. I'm joining SU! as a demo in February, so i'm trying to get as organized as possible and have to keep it that way! There's so much more to put away since Christmas, i have to completely reorganize and redesign. Not that i'm complaining about that, of course!

Diet is picking up...something strange has happened...i am sickened now by things that are too sweet. Woo Hoo!!

I'm Gonna Do It!

2009-01-11T23:56:00.002-05:00

I've decided today that I'm going to be an SU! Demo!! It's something that i've been thinking about for a while, but in light of certain news from back home, I think now is the time. Let's just say my current SU demo just entered early retirement and leave it at that.

So I am joining under a woman from SCS who I've seen on the boards quite a bit and had the pleasure of having in one or two of my swaps. She's a very talented individual named Jessica Altman...here's her blog. She's a really fun person. I talked to her tonight and I think she's going to be a big help. I'm very excited about joining under her.

So, for anyone who's reading that might need some stuff, leave me a comment or email me, or find me on Splitcoast (stampin_in_atlas, of course.) I guess i better get upstairs and clean that stampin' room, huh?

I'll be back on tomorrow with some projects. Patti, get your paper money ready, baby. :)

Dieting Stinks

2009-01-08T01:28:00.002-05:00

Ugh, day five of the diet and I'm not doing that good. It's hard making the transition, but I'm not beating myself up over it. I did go to the grocery store tonight and pick up some good foods and it cost me fifty bucks (seven of which were for the extra virgin olive oil!) I was mad at first till i realized it usually costs me that much for a "quick" trip to the grocery store, but i'm usually buying junk. At least this time i bought food that was good for me. So tonight i had tuna salad on whole wheat, triscuit crackers, a wedge of cabbage, and a string cheese. And a Coke. Okay, i know. I should not have had the coke. I'm still adjusting!!

I haven't had much creative mojo for stamping lately, I think because my stamping room is such a mess. It's still a wreck from the Christmas wrapping and there's so much to still be cleaned up and put away. We're also remodeling our kitchen, which is messy and unkept right now. I've never been a real clean freak, but lately the messes are depressing me.

I have a bunch of swaps that I'm in (thanks to Patti!) and hopefully I'll get my mojo going to do them all. The weather has also been so crappy with freezing rain and then regular rain and then more freezing rain, and then snow. It just makes for a dangerous mess everywhere!

I'm off to bed, hopefully I'll be more motivated in the morning!

Gotta Love This Set...

2009-01-02T19:55:00.003-05:00

I really love the Bronc Buster set from SU and every time I use it, I find that I make something I love. Here's the latest that I made a couple weeks ago...

I found some old Cool Caribbean (still missing that one) in my scraps basket and paired it up with some chocolate chip and I believe it's Bazzill's green though I'm not sure the exact name of the shade. I layered the CC on black and double secured it with black brads. The BG of the CC was achieved with the Weathered BG stamp and some distressing using chocolate chip stamping spot and sponging. The swirl from Bronc Buster is also on there, stamped off once or twice in chocolate chip ink as part of the BG. The main image is done in black Staz-On.

I've kept a hold of this card to use it as inspiration for a set that I plan on giving my sister-in-law one of these days of a bunch of cards in a portfolio type holder with some other goodies like a post it note holder or coaster album. I'll be sure to post that whole project as soon as it's done.

Patti Is Here!

2009-01-02T01:06:00.007-05:00

Okay, I have the best friend in the world!! she gives that kick in the a** when I need it.. I am grateful that I have her!! We will be losing weight together and getting healthier in 09. We do not have a goal to be a size 8, I know for myself I would just like to be the size that I was when I got married, a 14..

Now about stamping, hmm, I keep busy with all the swaps that my dear friend has either started or has sent me too. I am a addict to swaps. (I wonder if they have stamping anonymous) I love my stamping, it is my therapy. I enjoy going up to my room to design a card and know when it is done, I did it!

New Year. New Me?

2009-01-01T23:36:00.003-05:00

Wow. It's been a long, long, six months...no details of which any of you will want to be depressed by. But hey, it's a new year, and I'm trying my best to get my stuff together and be more focused and on top of things.

My wonderful husband, Kenny, gave me the best Christmas gifts...all craft-related, so I'm dying to get up in my craft room...clean it up a bit...and get to work on making some new things. He started a blog himself if you want to check it out: http://atlasbrew.blogspot.com. He's a homebrewer who loves to do craft beer tasting, and he worries that no one reads his blogs, so if you have a minute, swing over and read a few entries!

I'm also starting a diet tomorrow along with my BFF, Patti. My goal is to lose 100 pounds, so there are lots of things to blog about! I'm hoping 2009 will be much better than 2008 ended up being, but I'm not even going to bring up any of that crap!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Pam is Awesome!

2008-06-27T22:15:00.003-04:00

I have a nephew and a niece in the Air Force (nephew is at the Dover Air Base and my niece is in Japan) and a nephew in the National Guard who is currently serving in Afghanistan. I saw a few wonderful cards in Pam's gallery on Splitcoast, and asked her if she wanted to trade some images so I could make a few cards to send to my niece and nephews. Instead of working out a trade, Pam sent me all these images along with the awesome card! I was blown away, the quality of the images is superb, and I have more than enough to make a few cards to send to them and their fellow troops. There's a link to Pam's blog in my sidebar...she's a wonderful artist and quite inspiring. Thanks, Pam! :)

The Secret to Having It All...

2008-06-26T18:19:00.005-04:00

Yet another find at the home improvement center! I picked up some tiles at Lowe's for only 37 cents each!! I couldn't believe how inexpensive they were!!

This is my first shot at stamping on tiles. I learned this technique at Splitcoast, and it's so easy to do! The results are phenomenal for how easy it is. All I did was stamp the flower (from SU's Long Stemmed set, which is one of my favorite retirees) and colored it with fine point Sharpies. To dry it a little faster, I used my heat gun. My only tip here is that you have to be careful because the top of the tile stays relatively cool but the rest of the tile heats up. I learned this by trying to pick it up too quick!! Ouch!! After I set the color, I chose this sentiment from SU's set "Friendship Flowers" which reads "The secret to having it all is believing that you already do." I love the simplicity of this one, and i have another one up there waiting for me to play tonight...

Thanks for reading. I'm kind of liking this whole blog thing. It's definitely inspiring me to do more!!

Wonderful Moon Gift Tag

2008-06-25T21:09:00.005-04:00

Hello all!

I am remodeling my kitchen and my husband and I went to look at some countertops at our local home improvement center. As I'm standing there looking at the formica samples I am struck with how utterly sweet these little samples would be with some altering and embellishing! I took home a ton of them (both for sampling in the kitchen and for stamping on later!) and this is one of the tags I came up with. This is a stamp I had in my drawer for forever (is it Inkadinkadoo?) that I love but never really found the perfect use for until now. The flowers in the background is from SU's Baroque Motifs set, and the wonderful you sentiment is from SU's Wonderful You set. The ink is olive green Staz-On (stamped off twice for the flowers) and the sentiment is actually embossed using gold EP and Versamark. I wasn't sure if it would stick or not, but it did very well. I stuck a few stickles in the middle of some of the flowers, and added the ribbon scraps with a little metal spiral. I really love how it came out and I especially love that it basically cost me nothing--it was all scraps and supplies I had laying around. So next time you're at the home improvement store, take a swing by the kitchen countertops and see what inspirations you'll find that have nothing to do with a kitchen!

Maybe I'll give this a shot...

2008-06-23T20:43:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking about doing a blog for a while, so I thought what the heck. Might as well give it a shot. Might take me a while to get used to this, but there are so many great papercrafting blogs out there, and I wanted to give it a shot. Besides, I wanted to get one before Patti (my stamping partner-in-crime) did! :)

A little about me: I'm married to the most wonderful and supportive husband and have two crazy dogs. I'm also a great aunt to two of the most beautiful little girls in the world. When I'm not stamping, swooning over my great nieces or studying (I'm a student on top of it all) I work full time managing two group homes for adults with developmental disabilities. Patti always says if you love your job you never work a day in your life, and I can honestly say I LOVE MY JOB. It is rewarding beyond belief, and I couldn't picture myself doing anything else. I'm also a photographer and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, especially at the beach or in the woods. Most of all, though, I love to stamp.

So, as i start out on this venture, any suggestions from time-tested bloggers are more than welcome, and I hope you'll all like what I come up with in the weeks ahead. Thanks for reading!

-Jen Z.