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!

A Little Love

This time of year is full of birthdays and anniversaries for our family.   I will be celbrating my own 5 year anniversary this year with my wonderful husband, Nate, in November.  It always makes me relfect on how blessed I feel, how glad I am that he challenges me, and how very thankful that I get to spend my life with him.

Inspired by my overwhelming feeling of greatfulness and love during this time of year, I just couldn't help but make a simple but sweet card for a newly married couple (or even for an anniversary).  Of course, I'm in the process of coming up with something extra special for Nate - but I'll have to wait and share that after I give it to him.

And, of course I really can't resist sharing a little picture of my helper.  Did you know the Big Shot doubles as a stool?  Kaia definitely loves to "ink" with me, and I enjoy sharing my space with her. Obviosuly, she is still learning the tricks of the trade.....but maybe in a month or two she'll learn to turn the "wheel" on the Big Shot instead of sitting on it! Henestly though, how can I not smile at her when she gives me this look........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One-Step Watercolor

Just to prepare you - this is my first attempt at creating a technique video.  It's imperfect in every way, but I did enjoy the process and learned along the way!

This video focuses on a watercolor technique for the non-artist.  It's a simple way to create that watercolor effect without investing too much time. And for the busy mom, you'll hear in this video I had a little help along the way.

Thanks for joining, and I welcome your comments!

Happy Stamping!