A trio of fathers

Father's Day........

What a blessed life.  As I recall the memories of my childhood with my father, I feel so very blessed to still have him in my life.   His humor has made me laugh, his love has provided comfort, and his anger has given me understanding.   There is no greater man than a father.  And my father is no exception.

For the three special father's in my life, I spent some time at my stamping table.  My youngest daughter, Kaia, was my assistant this afternoon.

For my dad, I chose to use the Open Sea stamp set along with the new Dictionary background stamp.   This color combination - midnight muse, smoky slate, cherry cobbler, and basic black - is masculine and provides just enough warmth.  In my early 20's, I was an enthusiastic scuba diver.  My dad is the one who has always made me believe I could accomplish the impossible.  He puts the wind in my sails and helps me to move forward when I just feel like giving up.  

For my father-in-law, I chose the Clockworks stamp set and used the Soho Subway designer series paper.   I really liked how the color combination on this card turned out (baked brown sugar, midnight muse, and smoky slate).  He is a direction giver - and is always finding ways to teach my children something in everything they do.  His time and energy are such a blessing for my children, and I am very thankful he freely gives his love and energy to them.

And lastly, for my knight in shining armor, Kaia and I used Modern Medley designer series paper, and a stamp from one of the Paper Pumpkin kits (I love these kits!  I find myself using the stamps on many of my projects and they are a wonderful addition.)  And of course, we couldn't resist using a little versa mark to put her footprint on the card (and emboss with black).  Kaia loves to watch the magic happen when we emboss, and I really enjoy it too! It never gets old watching the powder melt and give the card just the right touch of elegance or "wow".

How did you show the men in your life you are thankful for them?  

In His Grip,

Angi

John 10:28

Wild About Paper Pumpkin

Paper What?

It's amazing what Stampin' Up! develops, markets, and sells.  Quality products, excellent design, and all with the busy woman in mind.  Of course, for those ladies that have a little more free time, they have something for that too.

Paper Pumpkin.

One of the new product lines that is out that I am in love with......we have a monthly meeting...just my paper pumpkin and my stamping table.    My life right now is packed with work, children ranging in ages from 2 to 16, and my goals to develop healthy living by eating right and spending some time at the gym sweating.  My stamping table only gets a small portion of my time right now, which is exactly why I love the Paper Pumpkin.  It is delivered to me every month in a cute orange box, all dressed up and filled with something new.  A surprise every month! I never know what the project will be, but everything I need is inside.  I just add a little adhesive (my adhesive of choice is usually the Snail), ink up the stamps, put it to paper, and Voila!

Here is the latest I created - all within about 15 minutes.  Love this stamp set!

The wonderful thing about this Paper Pumpkin magic: it keeps me stamping even when I think I don't have the time.  

I'd love for you to join me at my Paper Pumpkin table this month.  Order by the 10th at  MyPaperPumpkin.com and be sure to select me as your demonstrator.  Or you can give me a call and I will sign  you up.  The Paper Pumpkin celebration will occur on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm.  

In His Grip,

Angi

John 10:28

Living the Retired Life.....

Every year I look forward to retirement......I get to browse through my most cherished memories with my stamp sets, and mark them retired to live the happy life.

Ok, so maybe that's a little stretch, but I do get excited this time of year.  The buzz of the new catalog that will come out, sneak peaks, lists of my favorite stamps and accessories that will no longer be offered ... And my favorite part: DISCOUNTS GALORE!  As the Stampin' Up! Home office prepares for a new year and new product line, they are trying to clear the warehouse of any items that will no longer be available.  That means up to 60% off!  Check it out today before your favorites are sold out! 

And if you place an order online, be sure to use Hostess Code: 3BGD7YBA.  For every order you place between now and May 10th, you will be entered into the Mystery Hostess challenge.  One lucky person will receive the hostess benefits for all orders placed - and will be announced on May 11th.  So, call today to place your order or order online at www.bluegalestudios.stampinup.net

Annual Dirty Santa

What a wonderful way to spend a Saturday!  The Ink Demos annual Dirty Santa gift exchange was this past Saturday.  This is my favorite event of the year.  Not only do I get to visit with a fabulous group of creative women, but I also get to see their talents!  This year our gift exchange ended up being exclusively Christmas decorations - which were ALL beautiful. 

My contribution was  this Christmas tree made out of an old Stampin' Up catalog.  A little glue, a little spray paint, A LOT of giltter, some ribbon........And I even figured out how to use our Heat and Stick powder to adhere the glitter to the center of my star.......I feel very accomplished having done this.

 

Happy Stamping!  Have a wonderful week!

Joyfully & Stampfully, 

Angi Lay

#12 - Ornamental Greens

This week Color Me Beautiful! has a combination of green hues to inspire and challenge every stamper.  I started to do a Christmas theme, but decided that I wanted to use the Postage Due (item # 126397) stamp set since I hadn't used it more than once. 

I have fallen in love with this color combination - which caught me by surprise.  I have a hard time with green's most days, but this particular combination of Lucky Limeade, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive really work well together.  Adding the Soft Suede and Sahara Sand really gave the final layout a sense of balance. 

I used the One in a Million (#126382) stamp set for the greeting on the inside, and the Memorable Moments (#126682) stamp set for the birthday/anniversary wish on the front of the card.  The Memorable Moments stamp set works well with the clear mount because the "Happy" stamp can be mounted on the same block with the "Birthday" or "Anniversary" stamp.  This allows you to line up the greeting and stamp it together, which greatly increases your chances of stamping it straight! Well, at least for me.  I normally use my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig® when stamping greetings, because I am a natural "crooked" stamper.  I actually didn't have to use it this time because I was able to line the text up on the block.

What do you think about this color combination?  I would love to see your own creation, so be sure to post your project to the Color Me Beautiful! Challenge blog by next Thursday.

Thank you to everyone who came to class today!  I am having fun with my new bow maker, and I hope you are too!

 

 If you missed out on class and want to know more about this fun tool that will change your perspective on tying bows, stay tuned for a video following Thanksgiving.

Give Thanks, for the day is good and our God is in control.  May your week be filled with blessings and gratitude fill your heart.

Joyfully,

Angi

Black Friday Shopper?

Admittedly, I am not a "shopper".  I do enjoy spending time with friends browsing stores, but only because of the company and the time spent together. 

I'm going to try something a little different this year with my stamping friends!  Stampin' Up! has an Online Extravaganza this year offering discounts up to 50% off!  But, if you're like me, sometimes shopping online can be a BORING event......it's much better to shop with friends.  And how about throwing in a little project and free gift with purchase? 

Join me on November 27th for a come and go event from 5 - 8 pm to celebrate the start of the Christmas season, and to take advantage of the Online Extravaganza!

Ink-Redible!

What a wonderful way to kick off November and December!  A free collection of ink pads (that's 10 colors), when you host a qualifying workshop or join my team.  That's a deal!

And, I'm also excited to announce the new Stampin' Trimmer is available to order! I've been using this trimmer for 2 weeks now, and I love it! It's not too big, and not too small!  It's also more stable and allows me to keep my scoring and cutting blades on at the same time.

Not enough excitement for you?  Then try this on for size!  FREE DIGITAL Downloads this week!  I've become a big fan of the digital scrapbooking world....and I was thrilled when I found out there were free downloads!  Haven't tried this yet?  Just go to my website ( Blue Gale Studios )and download the free trial!