Category Archives: Holiday Retreat

Friday Night Stamping Fun!

Posted in 2016 Occasions Catalog, Holiday Retreat, Stampin' Retreats by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Today I’m back with a touch of our Holiday retreat. This Spring we celebrated our 10th Annual Retreat, so this fall for our Holiday retreat “Hearts Come Home” … we kicked off our first of another 10 and many more!!

The mantel in the dining room was decorated with Embossed Pizza boxes and greeted our guests as they arrived …

Each box had a special gift inside and everyone got to take one home with them when they left on Sunday.

As they went to their rooms they found a hand crafted door tag …

Everyone takes their door tag home with them when they leave. Some guests have told us that they hang theirs in their office at work. Each guest also received a Holiday tin filled with a special little treat to munch on.

This is a shot of the stamp room table  before our guests arrive … our new stamp area is much larger and brighter than the old one!

All their projects for the weekend are tucked in those cute bags!  Tomorrow I’ll share some of our Friday night projects.

After our Friday night stamp session, we retired back to our house and shared a Hot Chocolate bar which included some hand dipped marshmallow stir sticks and some home-made cookies & peanut brittle … then we sat around the fireplace and enjoyed each others company.

Was a great day. Stop back tomorrow to see the projects.

Than You ~

Linda

Rudolph & Santa’s Sleigh …

Posted in Christmas, Holiday Retreat by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Back today with the second of my two December Club Cards …

I used Santa’s Sleigh bundle.  I began with the Real Red base and the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series paper for my background. I then stamped Rudolf with Soft Suede onto Soft Suede cardstock …. then cut him out with the coordinating framelit…

000_3898

The sleigh was created by layering two of the die cuts … the main part of the sleigh was cut from the Gold Foil paper and then the ornate outside was cut from Real Red cardstock.

Rudolph’s reins were made with the Candy Cane Lane Bakers Twine … it connects the white from the background and the red from the sleigh so everything coordinates.

We did a partial tree using the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper, another thinlit from the bundle.  We finished off the card with our Greeting from the stamp set, the Metallic Enamel Shapes and a Rhinestone colored red for Rudolph’s nose.

Thanks for spending a part of your Saturday with me!

Enjoy the day ~

blog-closing-small       dec2016-hostess-code

TODAY’S STAMPIN’ SUPPLY LIST …

click-to-view   

000_3898

Star of Wonder … Star of Night

Posted in 2016 Holiday Catalog, Christmas, Holiday Retreat by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Oh baby … It’s Cold Outside!

Today I’d like to share a card with you that we made in our December Technique Club.  December is usually when we hold our “Club Christmas Parties” so we pass on the technique and just stamp 2 cards.

Today I will share the first of two cards.  On this card we used the “Star of Light” bundle … one of my favorites from the Holiday Catalog. I must say that it is very hard this year to pick a favorite, there are so many awesome sets and bundles from this holiday catalog.

 

000_3892

This card was cased from a fellow demonstrator, it was too pretty not to share with everyone else!

I began with the new In Color “Dapper Denim” and the “Silver” Glimmer Paper with a touch of Whisper White. We stamped the spray of stars on the front with the Craft Whisper White, then the small stars in
Dapper Denim.

Our silver piece is 4 x 5-1/4 and you will cut your star from the center of this piece … this will also be the “mat” for the Dapper Denim piece you’ve just stamped on, which was cut to 5″ x 3-3/4″.  I used “glue dots” to hold the majority of the pieces together.

The Whisper White was cut into a banner and stamped with one of the beautiful greeting.

I will be back tomorrow with the second of my 2 cards.  This one I designer myself … and just remember that you can receive these cards along with a special little treat from me when your purchase an order of $50 or more before shipping and Handling ~

Thanks for spending a bit of your day with me!

blog-closing-small       dec2016-hostess-code

 

click-to-view   

000_3892

 

Christmas Magic …

Posted in Christmas, Holiday Retreat by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Back today with two cards that were created using the “Christmas Magic” stamp set.  The classic stamp set will bring to mind all the nostalgia of Christmases long ago. Let these soft snowy images settle you into a time when all things seemed merry and bright.

The first features a watercolor background which really highlights the snowman. If you like to color (and that’s all the rage with the multitude of adult coloring books) than this is a perfect stamp set for you.

142119o1

Our next card is sweet and simple and it highlights the bell.  Always reminds me of the Christmas movie … Polar Express., where Santa gives the child a bell, but only those that believe in Christmas can here the bell.  Love it!

142119o2

Thank you for coming back to check out my post today, it is truly appreciated.

Stay warm and have a wonderful day ~

blog-closing-small       dec2016-hostess-code

 

click-to-view   

142119o1

Guest Stamper: Olivia H.

Posted in Christmas, Holiday Retreat by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

How are you on this fine Monday?  If your from Wisconsin or the surrounding states, then you were in the path of a very white weather pattern.  Here was our Sunday …

000_3886

This was taken from my kitchen window on Sunday afternoon (nope, I wasn’t even outside) after I got home from work. Yes, I went in on my day off.  It would have been a great day to be in my Stampin’ Studio making cards!

Speaking of cards ….

I’d like to share another card from our Holiday Retreat Attendee Swap that was created by Olivia.

000_3891

Olivia used the “Reason for the Season” stamp set from our annual catalog.  CLICK HERE TO VIEW

Banners are all the rage right now in stamping, and Olivia used them to highlight her poinsettia and greeting. Clever!

I love poinsettia’s so you know this set is in my stamp collection.  I also like the script for the greetings, it’s kind of old fashions so it gives your card that neat nostalgic look, and isn’t that part of the Holiday feeling … our memories from Christmas’ past.

Thank you so much for joining me today.  I will be back tomorrow with a “Two for Tuesday” since I missed my Sunday post.

Stay warm and have a wonderful day ~

blog-closing-small       dec2016-hostess-code

click-to-view   

Guest Stamper: Kathie D.

Posted in Christmas, Holiday Retreat by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Back today as promised with the second of my two “Pine” cards, also from our Annual Holiday Stamping Retreat Attendee Swap.

This card is from Kathie, who has been stamping with me for over 12 years!! Time flies when you’re having fun.  Here is Kathie’s card …

000_3882

Can I just say that I’m glad that I don’t vote for these attendee swaps!! We had some remarkable cards and I would have had a very hard time picking my favorite.

Kathie created her focal point by framing her pines with the Oval Framelits … I see a touch of the Gold Wink of Stella on the pinecones. She used the Woodland embossing folder to add some texture to her card.

To complete the card she anchored it with three brads. I can’t say it enough … I’m glad I don’t have to vote.

Both of the cards that Kathie and Peggy made were beautiful.

000_3884

Thank you for coming back to check out my post today, I will be back tomorrow with my Simply Sunday – and of course, I will be sharing more from the Holidays.

Have a warm and wonderful day ~

blog-closing-small       dec2016-hostess-code

 

click-to-view   

000_3882

Guest Stampers: Trio of Christmas Stockings

Posted in 2016 Holiday Catalog, Christmas, Guest Stamper, Holiday Retreat, HOLIDAYS by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Today I want to share with you some more of our Swap Cards from the Holiday Retreat. Our swaps are done by our guests, and when they swap they are entered into the card contest and a chance to win a Gift Certificate from me. It’s a lot of fun, and the best part about swapping … you get to go home with that many more cards!!

All three of the cards I’m sharing with you today were made with the “Hang Your Stockings” Stamp set and Christmas Stockings Thinlits Dies.  This is one you can bundle and Save 10% on.

Let’s begin with Linda S.  This was her first retreat but you would never have guessed it by her swap. 

000_3833

She used the Christmas Stocking Thinlits die to create both the stocking and the greeting. These are highlighted by having the beautiful designer paper behind it. You’ll find several great patterns in the “Warmth & Cheer” Designer Series Paper Stack.

Our next guest stamper is Marge G.  Marge has attended all of our Holiday Retreats only missing the Spring because she was a little snowbird.

000_3830

Marge started her card with the “This Christmas” Designer paper that can be found in the Annual Catalog (our big one) not the Holiday catty.  Marge also used the thinlits to create her card, and then she added a little sponging to really make it pop!  Don’t you love how she used the snowflake cut out from the stocking on her card … no wasted space here. 

The last of the stocking cards was created by Abby H.   This was Abby’s first retreat and she was also our youngest guest (her Mom & Sister have been here many times before).  We have several Mother / Daughter attendee’s … it is a great getaway to have fun together and bond.

000_3828

Abby not only used the thinlits, but she stamped her stockings! Now we get to see how cute the coordinating stamp set is, and what a nice job Abby did stamping and creating her card.  They are all lined up with the Brick background and ready for Santa!

For me … Everyone is a winner because they get to go home with extra cards and each card has a different style than your own.  Oh yes, and I get to keep a set … THANK YOU LADIES!!

000_3826

I hope you have enjoyed the trio of stocking cards today, and that it inspires you to grab that ink, pick up your stamps and begin having some “you” time and releasing your creativity!

Thanks for stopping by …

Have a great day!

blog-closing-small

HIGHLIGHTED HOLIDAY STAMPIN’ SUPPLIES ….

000_3826

Wishing You a Sweet Season

Posted in 2016 Holiday Catalog, Christmas, Holiday Retreat, Quick -n- Easy by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Wooo Hooo … the weekend is here! Hope you get time to savor it, and make it last as long as possible.

Enjoying time with friends and family is always sweet, and today I’m sharing with you a cute card created with the Candy Cane Lane product suite. This is one of the cards that my guests made at our Holiday Stampin’ Retreat.

Let’s begin with the Candy Cane Lane Designer Series paper …

000_3787-blog

You will see two different designs from this packet on our card. First the Crumb Cake and Whisper White  design (the reminds me of frosting) on the bottom, and then the two cute little houses! These houses are cut out of one of the designer sheets! (PLUS … it’s part of the Buy 3 / Get one FREE)

I didn’t do it on my sample, but at the retreat, we glittered the snow on the houses … it looked so cute! I added a 2″ Real Red Circle behind the houses to make them stand out a bit more.  The small house was “popped up” using our Stampin’ Dimensionals.

The greeting comes from the same product suite, we used the Candy Cane Christmas stamp set. Love it, Love it, Love it.

Now time for the inside …

000_3788

Grab your Washi Tape … I used it on the front of the card to add another pop of red, and on the inside of the card as well.

I’ll admit it, I was never a big Washi Tape fan but when I saw all the cute designs on the Candy Cane Lane Designer Washi Tape … I bought 2!!  I love it and it goes great on cards, plus you saw us use the Washi Tape on our tags.  So quick, so easy … and no mess!

Not a hard card to make at all, but super cute and oh so sweet! Hope you enjoyed this tasty little morsel.

Stop back tomorrow for my Simply Sunday series of cards, I’ll be sharing some of the Designer papers with you!

Till then, have a sweet Saturday!

blog-closing-small october-2016-hostess-code b3g1dsp_demoheader_na

 

Today’s Stampin’ Supply List …

 

Tags for Christmas … Holiday Retreat Style

Posted in 2016 Holiday Catalog, 3-D Projects, Christmas, Holiday Retreat, Stampin' Retreats by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Today I’m going to share a little piece of our Holiday Retreat with you.  Much of our time is carved out for stamping, but we also reserve a little time to explore the beautiful grounds around the lake.

Yesterday I shared one of our cute little houses from the “Sweet Home” bundle … today I want to show you what they looked like adorning the fireplace in the dining room. I think they would look so cute as ornaments on a Christmas tree!

img_1602blog

Friday night we made some really cute “Christmas Tags” and we decked out a tin to hold all our tags in. The card was actually made on Saturday, but all the projects shown were created from our “Candy Cane Lane” product suite.

img_1668-blog

Our Saturday morning began with a stunning sunrise … Wow. 

10-22-16am-blog

The color was to vivid that is reflected onto the window of our house and turn everything a pretty shade of pink! We couldn’t of asked for a nicer weekend.

img_1615-blog

This fall our Holiday Stampin’ Retreat not only “Sold Out” but we had to turn some away. We limit the number of guests at our retreats so we can take care of and pamper our guests better. Quality over quantity… We would be open to offering an additional retreat for your group. Our next retreat will be our 2017 Spring Retreat.

Here are a few of our stampin’ guests …

img_1622-blog

Here is one guests comment …

Thank You again Linda for a wonderful weekend!! Everything turned out absolutely perfect. The cards are beautiful. Roger really likes them and commented on how talented you are. I thought the deer one would be his favorite but nope, his favorite was the star with the music designer paper! Shows what I know….. all the cards are just gorgeous! The food was also excellent! And the stamping group….what a nice group of ladies. As I said, everything was perfect!!!!! Please tell Eileen Thank You also! What a great team you make! Can’t wait until the spring retreat……
Many Blessings,
Kathie

Kathie is right, we were also blessed with a wonderful group of ladies. We have met some awesome people through our stamping retreats… and stamping in general!

I will be back again tomorrow with a few more pics for you.

Thanks for joining me today! Hope yours is beautiful.

blog-closing-small

Stamping Supply List …

 

A Holiday Welcome …

Posted in 2016 Holiday Catalog, Gift Giving ideas, Holiday Retreat, Stampin' Retreats by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

I am back from our Annual Holiday Stampin’ Retreat. Today I have a quick post for you to share how we welcome our stampin’ guests to the Holiday Retreat!

Each of our guests has a “Name Tag” on their door that not only designates their room, but greets them as they come in. These would also make cute little place markers for a holiday dinner table.

I used the “Father Christmas” stamp set from the Holiday Catalog. The stamp set already includes the frame that I used and also has a beautiful holly branch and Santa’s bag, so it will be very versatile in your cardmaking and / or scrapbooking.

000_3791

To add a pop of color to our tag, I grabbed my “Holly Berry Happiness” bundle and stamped some holly leaves and punched them out. I’ve used this stamp set many times already … the greetings and verses are awesome!

The cute little houses were made from “Sweet Home” Bundle … I’ve seen the cutest houses made from this bundle that I just had to share with our guests.  These little houses (and we had different styles & colors) adorned the mantle in the dining room. We wanted the retreat to feel warm and inviting as they entered.

The fun part was that each guest got to pick out their favorite at the end of our retreat stay and take one home with them. It’s a token of our appreciation for being our guest and a little reminder of the fun we had this weekend and that Eileen and I are honored to share the “Holiday Retreat” home with such marvelous women.

000_3791

I’ll be sharing more about our retreat along with some photos of the awesome cards, both from the retreat and the swap cards! Let me say … these ladies are “very” talented!

Thanks for stopping by today, and please join me tomorrow to see a little more about our retreat.

Have a great day ~

blog-closing-small

STAMPIN’ SUPPLY LIST …

 

Thinking of You at Christmas …

Posted in Christmas, Holiday Retreat by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Today I would like to share a card that I had designed for our Holiday Stampin’ Retreat. I love making cards for this special event, we have so much fun and we get to know each other so much better.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I like to have a few non-traditional colored Christmas cards, however I believe that the Elegant Eggplant is the perfect Christmas color. It’s a rich, warm color that makes me think of a color that one of the three Wise men would have worn.

000_2830

I chose the Delicate Ornaments bundle for my card … I wanted to highlight both the beautiful stamp set and the intricate ornaments. My stamped image was inked in Perfect Plum and then I used the sponge daubers to add a touch of the Elegant Eggplant through the center of the ornament.

I cut out the small round ornament from the Elegant Eggplant using the thinlits from the bundle, and then placed it over the silver glimmer paper that I had punched out of the center of the paper I used as my mat. (I don’t like to waste paper)

000_2835

The ornament tops are also from the thinlit bundle and cut from the Silver Foil paper found in the main Stampin’ Up! catalog. After stamping the greeting onto the card, I assembled the card, popping up the small round ornament and adding a touch of bling with the rhinestones.

Hope you enjoyed today’s card share. Please let me know if you have any questions about the card or placing an order for supplies.  The list of ingredients is below.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit my blog.

Have an awesome Friday!!

blog-closing-small

TODAY’S STAMPIN’ SUPPLY LIST …

 

More Swap Cards to share …

Posted in Holiday Retreat by

Hi Stampin’ Friends ~

Today I’d like to share two more card from our Holiday Stampin’ Retreat. Our first card is from Marge, a beautiful Sympathy card.

000_2804

I know many of you have the Lattice die and this is how Marge created the cross for her card – so pretty.

Our second card was from Kris H. ~

000_2808

Kris’ card is perfect for Christmas. The pretty snowflakes on the front invite you to see what is on the inside of the card. What a lovely surprise …

000_2802

Kris created a 3-D effect and hung a snowflake in the inside of her card! I just love it!!

Stop back tomorrow and I’ll post the winner of the swap!  Everyone votes for their top 3 and then the votes are calculated and a winner is announced. The winner receives a $25 Gift Certificate to spend on their favorite Stampin’ Up! items!

Thanks so much for dropping in today ~

Have a wonderful day!

blog-closing-small

Pillow Box … Pillow Gifts …

Posted in 3-D Projects, Christmas, Holiday Retreat by

Hello Stampin’ Friends ~

Today I have a cute little 3-D project to share with you. Last night when my Holiday Retreat attendee’s returned to their rooms for the night, they had a little surprise …

000_2747

Each guest received this little Pillow Box filled with holiday goodies! I created them with the new Square Pillow Box Thinlits Dies from the Holiday catalog and the “Merry Moments” Designer Series paper from the Annual Catalog.

I teamed up this combination with the “Oh, What Fun” stamp set found on page 5 of the Holiday catalog.  This stamp set coordinates with the “Oh What Fun Tag Project Kit” … so you can see how versatile it is.

I chose the “Wishing You A Sweet Season” because my Pillow Box was filled with sweet treats. To create the focal point, I cut out the greeting with the Circle Framelits Dies and added a half of a Foil Doily to really draw the eye.

000_2750

The Real Red cardstock banner also helped to draw your eye to the greeting, but I wanted to tone it down just a bit so I added the beautiful white glitter ribbon from the “Gold and White Glitter Ribbon” found on page 29 of the Holiday Catalog.

The make great office gifts or something cute to tuck a sweet treat into.

Thanks for checking out my blog today.

Have a wonderful Saturday!

blog-closing-small

TODAY’S STAMPIN’ SUPPLIES ….

000_2747

Holiday Retreat Swap Share 2 …

Posted in Christmas, Holiday Retreat, HOLIDAYS by

Hello Stampin’ Friends,

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Last Monday I said I would share more swaps from our 2014 Holiday Stampin’ Retreat … today I have 3 more for you! Let’s begin with Eileen’s swap card ….

000_1694

Eileen used the new “Cheerful Christmas” stamp set and Filigree Frame folder from the Nordic Noel Suite found on pages 14 & 15 of the Holiday Catalog. She framed it so beautifully by using the Apothecary Accents Framelit Die.

She used Real Red, Old Olive and Whisper White for her card … then added a pop of red holiday cheer by coloring her rhinestones. This card truly sends cheer for Christmas!

Our next swap is from Cindy P. …

000_1696

Cindy’s all Whisper White present card is striking with the bold pop of red ribbon. Her gifts were embossed with the Lovely Lace, Woodgrain, and Perfect Polka Dots embossing folders. With each layer you get the dimension of real Christmas gifts … how lovely!

The third swap comes from Cindy S. …

000_1701

Cindy’s card was done in Island Indigo and Sahara Sand with just a pop of White to tie in her snowflakes! The snowflakes and greeting come from the “Endless Wishes” stamp set found in the Holiday Catalog.

You may think you have enough snowflake stamp sets, but with the many greetings included in this set … you will have “endless” ways to say Merry Christmas!

Cindy also used the Silver Metallic Ribbon and Frosted Sequins to highlight her card … It’s simply stunning.

I am so glad that Kris suggested doing swaps at our Retreats, because not only do they get to do all the wonderful cards & projects at retreat, but they also get the beautiful cards made by each other… How wouldn’t be inspired 🙂

Thank you for checking out my blog today, I hope you enjoyed these beautiful cards as well.

Have a wonderful week.

blog-closing-small

STAMPIN’ SUPPLY LIST …

 

Our Stampin’ Retreat Swaps to Share ….

Posted in Holiday Retreat, Stampin' Up! card ideas by

Hello Stampin’ Friends,

I hope you had a good weekend.  Mine turned out great … I FOUND MY SWAP CARDS and will be sharing 3 of them with you today!!!

IMG_20141026_073015

I have been looking in every bag and container that I brought back from retreat and could not find them anywhere. But today as I was going through my kitchen, I saw the little bag tucked nicely on the shelf and there they were!

It appears that I did not want anything to happen to my swaps so I put them on the shelf to keep them safe while I unpacked everything from the car. Oh my gosh … I couldn’t believe it, but I am so happy.

So today, I would like to share 3 of those cards with you …

Our first swap was done by Kathie D. She used the very versatile “Work of Art” stamp set in the delicious Blackberry Bliss!

000_1674

The second card is from Cheryl G. She used our ever popular “Lovely as a Tree” and created a beautiful winter scene by adding snow with the help of the “Gorgeous Grunge” stamp set.

000_1673

Last but definitely not least (This one won the card contest) is our swap from Meg … she used the new “Ornamental Pine” and a touch of glitter glue to add that holiday sparkle.

000_1669

Each of these stamp sets can be used for so many different occasions, they should be a staple in your stamp collection. I know most of you already have “Lovely as a Tree”.

I think my stampin’ friends do a spectacular job … there was a lot of talent at my Holiday retreat! We all had a great time. I will be sharing more swaps with you next Monday.

Stop back tomorrow to see how I used the “Ornamental Pine” for an upcoming birthday, and yes … It’s a masculine card!

Have a great Monday, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

blog-closing-small

STAMPIN’ SUPPLY LIST:

To purchase any of the stamp sets you have seen here today, just click on the link. I’ll have a sweet treat sent to your home as a Thank you from me.