Little Birdie!

OK - so I'm getting ready for the big hunting opener two Friday's ago and my van starts acting like....well...like my vans' always do - STUPID! $300 later, I'm not sure it's really fixed....we'll find out after I take a trip up north for Thanksgiving and hunting! (did that - not really fixed) Any hoo, I decided to load up the hubby's work car and head out....not sure, mind you, that all mine and Hailey's stuff is going to fit in that thing.....I opened the door, turned my back and Hailey tells me there's a bird in the car! WHAT! Did I hear her right? YEP! There's the little fellow - how weird??? He flew right in there! Now, not knowing how he would travel with us....and the fact that "nobody rides for FREE" - he had to go!

Then when I'm out hunting last weekend - I had 2 Chickadee's land on the barrel of my gun - such cute little birdies! Is there anything I should know about the "birds?" Is there any saying about this? Like if your palm itches, you're going to come into some money???

Neillsville Stamp Camp

We had a GREAT time at the Weston Town Hall, north of Neillsville, at the Yule Tide Stamp Camp! Everyone learned a few new things and went home with some fabulous projects and super door prizes too!
























































There's my mom and daughter standing in the background....just came to check things out and have a couple snacks! Thanks mom & Hailey!!!

Awesome Christmas Card!!!!

Here's a card that one of my stampers (Jason) made for a Christmas Card swap. Jason is pictured in a post below for my World Card Making Day event!!!!

Halloween!

I had to share some Halloween pictures with you. My daughter comes up with some pretty good ones.....she did this one on her own this year....usually it comes down to "mom, I want to be *%^(* can you make it for me!!!!" Thing 1 and Thing 2 had a GREAT time this year.

Here's some from the past:

My all-time favorite is Mike from Monsters Inc. I had a BLAST making this one and she had a blast wearing it!

Oh, how I wish I had a digital camera for the previous years costumes! They're not on my computer...... We had a paper mache' Frankenstein head that I made one year and another year, I took a cardboard box and painted it identical to Sponge Bob!!!! Costumes are so much fun.....and sometimes very challenging!

Yule Tide Stamp Camp - Menasha

November 3rd kicked off the 1st of 3 holiday stamp camps. Everyone had a great time and learned some new card layouts and great ideas for gifts.

The doorprizes were so much fun to make!!! They included some packs of stamped gift tags, embellished Jumbo clothes pins, packs of cards, gift boxes, stamped Christmas CD's, entire stamp sets, magnetic memo boards......













Stephanie took home one of the Magnetic Memo Boards! GO STEPHANIE!!!

















The candle project was a HUGE success!













TA-DA - one candle down, many more to go!














Cathy & Lisa had a great time and did a fabulous job - thanks TEAM!













We asked for donations for Toys for Tots and also the local Food Pantry. Everyone bringing a donation had their name entered for a special door prize - here's our winner - she got to take home the In the Spotlight stamp set!!!!












Amanda, Janine, Donnis & Stephanie hard at work....













Here's Jaclyn enjoying the great spread of food!!!!





























Thanks to all our wonderful customers - we had a great time and they did too! I have photos further down in this blog, showing the projects for the Yuletide Stamp Camp.

Classic or Craft Pads?

I’ve had several of my customers question me about the difference between the Classic and Craft Stampin’ Pads and which I like better....so here's the scoop...

Classic Stampin’ Pads (Dye based ink):

Our Classic inks are dye based inks that are water soluble;
Dye inks are transparent and absorb into the paper;
Dye Inks dry quickly on all types of paper, making them easier to work with;
Dye inks are not waterproof and the colors will bleed if they get wet;
Dye inks are safe for scrapbooks but will fade over time; and
Dye inks work well on coated papers (Glossy Cardstock) but tend to run or bleed on highly absorbent papers.

Craft Stampin’ Pads (Pigment based ink):

Craft ink is pigment ink which is a dry, powdery agent that uses a binding agent to help it adhere to paper;
Pigment pads contain natural binding agents that are safe for use in scrapbooks;
Pigment ink sits on top of the paper and does not absorb;
Pigment ink is often preferred for scrapbooking because pigment inks are more resistant to fading than most dye inks, so you will get the longest-lasting color with Craft pads;
Pigment Inks take longer to dry and are a good choice to use as an embossing ink;
Pigments are more light and heat stable than most dyes, which makes pigment inks a good choice when your finished art will be displayed;
If heat-set, Pigment inks will resist all but the most deliberate efforts to smear them (such as wetting your finger and rubbing the ink); and
Heat-setting and air-drying produce the same color results.

All this being said, I prefer to use the Classic Ink for most of my stamping. I have used them almost exclusively since I started to stamp and scrapbook and in 6+ years have never seen any signs of fading. I love that they dry almost instantly, I don’t want to have to wait for my ink to dry before I can finish my projects.

I do use the Craft Inks and for certain projects they are the best choice. I love stamping a light color on a dark cardstock - pink will be very vibrant on black cardstock - and I love using them with clear embossing powder. The Craft Stampin' Spots are a GREAT choice if you don't use the pigment ink as often as the dye ink. You should try both to see which is right for you.

Name Frames

Another SUPER fun Name Frame Class: