On To Greener Pastures...

I am excited to say that I have begun a new Blog called, HAND STAMPED STYLE, which I hope you plan on visiting quite often. I am putting forth a lot of effort and time into new ideas and possibilities and would love for you to share them with me. Please take a look at my NEW DIGS but clicking HERE, and leave me a comment...there may be free stuff involved!

I hope to see you on the FLIP side. :)

Open For Business

Well I have finally done it! Thanks to my cousin, and her urging me to get this store open for everyone to make purchases of my Craft Fair items, I have finally completed 90% of the store! I still have a few more final items that I will be adding within the week. I have some physical therapy this week due to an injury that I have been dealing with in my right knee. I also had some kid things that have prevented me from getting this on-line sooner. I hope that you take a moment to view my store and pick out something you like.

I will tell you it is WAY more time intensive getting this store up and going than I have ever anticipated. You have to photograph, crop, save, prepare a description then post each of your items. I had to develop a system that would help me stream line the process to keep me from loosing my minds! I have an announcement though, are you ready... (drum roll, please)

Etsy contest!!! Visit my Etsy shop www.stampinstuff4u.etsy.com and pick out your favorite item, and leave a comment on THIS blog as to what item was your FAV and why. You will have until Mon. the 6th at 5:00 pm CST to submit your comment. I will randomly choose a winner that will get Decorative Frame, Stamped Note Cube, and Occasion Card Pack for FREE!!!! So take a look and submit your entry for a chance to win!

I've Been Framed! Reveal Part 4...

I LOVE these frames, I got these at Michael's and covered them with DSP (what a lengthy process, but so worth it!) I love the different shapes and I didn't even get to use half of all the paper I have to use on them, so I went and bought MORE!!! I love these, and you probably can't tell but they all have a little GLITTER on them, come on- you know they wouldn't be complete without glitter! These are the ones I did for Valentines Day, all different types of Red patterns! I love these the best I think! Some even have jeweled accents!

These are a mixture of different kinds of papers and some have ribbon and glitter!

I tried to get a closer shot, not so successful though...

I think the round ones are super fun! These are a great shape and even though they are a little hard to get to stand they turned out cute. Wait till you see the project I have in mind for my own frames, when I get it completed I will post it- it will be several weeks though.

Ok, so I am a PIN Head...Reveal Part 4

I ordered these HUGE clothes pins on-line and decided to cover them with DSP and sell them at my craft fairs too. I realized after completing them ALL that they sell them PRE-PAINTED white, yes that is right, I painted all of these first before decorating them. Which meant I took them all apart and then had to put them all back together...what a PAIN, but I think they turned out nicely. I think I will market them as picture holders or recipe holders. I really like these, if I had more I would have used all sorts of papers.

I also added some glitter detail on ALL of the pins, I think they are just cuter that way!? Don't you?

I don't know if you can tell in the pic that the Pomegranate flowers are outlined in glitter, well at least a few of them are. :)

I used chocolate and silver glitter on these. I really need a new camera mine doesn't seem to take consistently good pics.

I think this is one of my favorites! I love the pink and choco paper and I used choco glitter to outline the choco circles. I love those colors!!!

Welcome, Reveal Part 3

Welcome Home!!! I found these cute wood signs at Target and decided to cover them with Designer Paper and I think they turned out pretty good? I think they would be cute on any front door!






This one is more of a Valentines Day theme?? I love all the red patterns and thought it would be cute on the wall in my office or above my office door, who knows if these will ever see the floor of my craft fair booth... :)


This one is just cool, I love the pink/chocolate color combo and I am sure it would look great at the entrance of any room. I had another one with more of Halloween theme and I gave it to my friend that LOVES that holiday.

Holy- Books, Batman!!! Reveal Part 2

So I guess you could say I have spent a good amount of time making notebooks and journals...These notebooks are just plain FUN to make and what a cute gift- No?





These I used more colorful paper and I made these cute title pieces and embellished them with not only ribbon but with buttons, glitter and more. I don't have the one showing that I made a slew of flowers for the cover, my friend said that it looked like a flower threw up on the cover, but I thought it looked good- Oh yeah it has a few butterflies with their wings lifted on it too. Ok, Maybe a bit over the top???






These were cute spiral bound books I found at wal-mart for almost nothing. I made the last one specifically for my girlfriend that LOVES Halloween!

These books I got in the Michael's $1 spot and the best part is that they come with these cute plastic covers that I put back on when I finished them. Some of these are Journals and some are just plain notebooks.

But wait, if you think this is all that I have done over the last 4 months you would be wrong. There is even more to come tomorrow...I hate it when people drag things out, but I do enjoy doing it. See you tomorrow! :)

This is the project that I will be making with my crew in McAllen this weekend. My Sister-In-Law hosts a class every couple of months and this is what we will be making. There is a small box that we will make a ribbon rosette for the front and then we will make 3 of each of the cards to go into the box itself. There are cute embellishments on each of the cards, in fact the floral card has a ribbon slider that has been infused with ink and the birthday card has been embossed with the Big Shot! These projects are super FUN and I can't wait to show the ladies on Saturday!

Craft Fair Goodies, Reveal Part 1!

So this is one of the first things I have been getting ready for my upcoming Craft Fairs. These are simple note cubes that I have stamped, wrapped with ribbon and added a small beaded pen that coordinates with the cube. These are super easy to make and sell fairly well at fairs. I hope it inspires you to GET CRAFTY!!

You can see here there is a better view of the different styles I have created and the pens that I created as well. The pens I found in the Target $1 spot like a year or 2 ago, I can not tell you how many I have, I think I bought every package they had that day. These are simple great gifts for teachers and friends alike. :)

Finally an even better look at the pen that comes with the cube. I just attached the Designer Paper to the pen directly and then added more sticky tape, heated with the heat tool and applied the clear micro beads. The beads stick SO much better when you heat the sticky strip first.

Wait till you see what I have to show you tomorrow!!! I have been busy and I still have a good supply of many of the items that I already have posted on my Blog Store http://www.stampinstore4u.blogspot.com/, check it out!

My life as a Texas transplant!

Ok, so a lot of things have happened over the last several months...one big thing- we DID NOT buy the house that I originally posted on my blog. Even though I LOVED that other house and we were able to pick out all of the design options and I loved the layout, they simply wouldn't be able to complete the house in time for us when we needed it. So we cancelled the contract and this was the runner up in our house selection. I has 2 more bedrooms than the other home and a large game room upstairs. One of these days I will take pics of the inside, one of these days! :) So, the best part of this house is the neighborhood! I have AWESOME neighbors, I will post them at a later date and my kids have like a MILLION kids to play with in the cul-de-sac we now live in. It was such a better location and choice- FOR SURE!!!

So, what have I been up to?? Well aside from getting items ready for upcoming craft shows (which I will post pics over the next several days) and hanging out with my new neighbors, I have 2 of my favorite Colorado friends come and visit. Cathy (in the cream top) and Kim (in the black and teal top) are the best gals EVER!!! I took them down to the Market Square Festival (or shops, not sure still??) and to the Riverwalk and Alamo, because what TX visit is complete without seeing the Alamo? We are having a FAB lunch a La Margarita (I think is the name of the restaurant??) and man was it GOOD!!!! Ahhh, Guacamole!!!!!!!!!!!

We walked around and found some cute items at the Market Square, but something we learned really quick is that EVERY vendor carries roughly the same items. Although this one had personal name plaques that I had made for my kids rooms. They will be so cute when I get around to putting them up...don't hold your breath. :)

We went to the Riverwalk and checked out even more vendors (mostly jewelry vendors) since there was a craft fair going on down there. There were not a lot of place to take photos since the traffic was a bit heavy, but I will post some of what we took next week. Here we are at the Alamo, and we came across these huge Cactus and decided it was a great opportunity for a FUNNY photo! Who could pass that up?

The next day the wind in San Antonio really picked up and we decided to spend the day inside, and one thing we thought would be a great time was to get our toes done. How relaxing!! Shortly after this was taken we all quickly fell asleep while we were getting our toes done, luckily I didn't snore this time! Whew!!!

Viola'! And this is the final result, can we say perfection? Then we spent the rest of the afternoon in a not-so-windy spot in my cul-de-sac and hung out with my neighbors swapping funny and some (ok, mostly embarrassing) not so funny stories among all my new and old friends! Who could ask for a better life? I know that I couldn't!! I am so blessed!

I LOVE SPOOKY TIMES!!!!

I am so excited to make these adorable items for my kids teachers for Halloween. I am waiting trying to be patient on our new home to be finished and decided to get going to my classes and events. I was told by our builder the other day that they wont have the house done until mid to late November...OH NO!!!! I almost cried when I heard that, although now I am trying to be positive, so I drug out all my stamp stuff and making progress with my time...all of it. :(

So first project on hand are Teacher's Gifts for Halloween... here is what I am making...I have made 3 different sizes for myself already and I LOVE making them, they are super easy and SO cute!!! I hope to be better at updating my blog almost daily now...I will have plenty of time. :) Hope you enjoy!!!

Get Along, Lil' Doggie...

Well, so I know I said I would post more about Convention shortly, however life has a way of getting in the way... So my husband has been offered a job in Texas and we have decided to pick up and relocate to the LONE STAR STATE. We will be leaving our beautiful home in Colorado at the end of Aug. for our new home in San Antonio. This is a picture of the model home of our exact floor plan. I am looking forward to having a new home with all the colors and textures that I personally have chosen. Here is what the front of the home looks like.
I love the warm look of the house and my favorite part, the flower box on the second floor window. I just love that touch.
This is the breakfast/sun room area. I know it is kind of hard to see the sitting area back there, but it is cute!
This is what our new kitchen will look like, we choose the same cabinet and counter top colors...but our floors are different.
I can't wait to sit in that tub (which by the way has jets, and is deep enough to cover ALL of me) I am SOOOOO looking forward to that, but I wont have it until around Oct-ish.
This is what my house looks like now...can you believe in a matter of weeks this will be transformed to a completed home. I will update as soon as we get there to see what progress has taken place.

Convention, SO INCREADIBLE!!!!

IT WAS SOOOOOOO AMAZING!!!! Ok, so the FIRST wrist band that they showed for a door prize was MINE!!! I didn't win a thing last year and this year was SO different, I got some much FREE stuff it was AWESOME!!! I had a blast. I won the scallop edge punch and package of DSP and a stamp set...I don't remember what it was called because I had to ship a ton of stuff that I won and bought since my bag wouldn't hold it all, and it has not made it home yet. :( I can't wait till it gets here! This is a sneak peak of what Phase 2 of the Decor Elements will look like, can we say our signature designer colors and even more ADORABLE shapes and variety!!! I can't wait! I will be sharing more photos of these items later in the week for you to preview, MAN do I LOVE the wall decor!!! Wait till you see the other idea's they came up with.
This was me trying to get a pic of my BUDS and my cousin was talking (I think) before I snapped it, it was just so darn funny I HAD to put it in, when she sees it she will kill me! Although she has a pic that she might post of me that is pretty funny as well, I will have to wait and see. :)
Now, those are some FUN gals!! We were so sleep deprived and dehydrated that we usually had head aches and dozed off in a few classes and had to be nudged by one or the other, but even with that we had a BLAST and would do it over and over again!

Convention Continued...

These were my BUDS at Convention, on the right of me (I am in the pink *grin*) is my cousin Shannon (this was her first Convention and she had a BLAST and on the left is my Demo friend Carlyse (she adopted me at my first Convention last year when I went alone and she befriended me- she is a sweetie!!!!) This is a small glimpse of what 6000 demo's look like when they are trying to swap cards, dance, get a glimpse of Jaren, and catch up with old friends!!
The BIG Give away at the last General Session!!! EVERYONE got a RMHC (Ronald McDonald House) stamp set "Say it with Scallops" This set is adorable and seriously it felt like we were on Oprah's "My Favorite Things" Show!!!
The last thing we did was head to the SU! Home office where we took photos of us in front of and on top of the SU! Sign. We actually were being honked at while we were taking these. The other gals were amazed that I was able to make it up there without killing myself or messing up my pedicure. :) Although if you lean to far back you fall right off...

Where in the World is Erin??

Ok, so it has been almost a month since my last post...I have no real GOOD excuse other than I have not felt *REAL* creative. I am not really sure why but I assume it is because since my kids are out of school, I don't have a ton of personal free time. I work M-Wed during the week so when I am off on Thurs. and Fri. I feel that I should do fun things with them since they are stuck in the house with my while I work. So no *ME* time, at least until school starts. Although I did come across this picture on another blog a few months ago, and I get a kick out of it EVERY time I see it, so I thought I would share. I am counting down the days until CONVENTION!!! I am super excited and trying to get everything done and printed before so I DON"T forget a thing!!! If I get a chance I will post something crafty later this week...HOPEFULLY!!! :)

EDIT: I almost forgot...TOMORROW Stampin' Up! will post all the RETIRING ACCESSORIES LIST, I will send them to you (if you are on my mailing list) via email first thing tomorrow! I can not wait, and I know you will want to grab the items you want ASAP because unlike the stamps once the items on the accessories list are sold out, they do not re-stock, so they are gone for good. Believe me that could be MUCH sooner than 8/10, when the current catalog expires. So email or call me with your orders to me ASAP to avoid missing out.

NEW PRODUCT LINE from STAMPIN' UP!

Introducing Decor Elements...Stampin' Up!'s new addition to our Definitely Decorative product line! Our Decor Elements designs coordinate with may of our exciting products, so you can combine them to make beautiful, handcrafted home decor pieces. Personalize your surroundings with a variety of exclusive images designed to create a customized, unique space. With our self-adhesive vinyl elements (which are easy to apply and remove), you'll discover how easy and cost effective it can be to do your own decorating. You purchase any Decor Elements product starting July 1st. If you are currently on my mailing list you will get a copy of your brochure as soon as they arrive, if you would like one then join my mailing list by emailing me erin@stampinstuff4u.com today!

Stamps on VACATION??

Nope, but it is that time of year again! This is the time where Stampin' Up! releases their RETIREMENT LIST for the stamps from the Dormant list of the Fall/Winter Cattie and the current Spring/Summer Cattie. Click on THIS LINK and see the list in its entirety. There have been times before that certain sets (and especially wheels) that have sold out prior to the final deadline (Aug. 8th) for these sets to retire, so get them NOW while you can! :) Contact me today to get those items that will soon be gone!

Another No Brainer! :)

I thought I would share SOMETHING today, even though it is not one of my own creations. :) I am working on something that i hope to have done in the next few days for you to see...but until then ENJOY! :)

FOREVER IN MY HEART CARD

Stamps:ALWAYS STAMP SET

Paper:
CARD STOCK WHISPER WHITE 8 1/2X11
CARD STOCK ALWAYS ARTICHOKE 8 1/2X11
CARD STOCK SOFT SKY 8 1/2 X 11

Ink
CRAFT STAMPIN PAD ROSE RED
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD ROSE RED
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD ALWAYS ARTICHOKE

Accessories:
SPONGE DAUBERS
STAMPIN DIMENSIONALS
SCISSORS CRAFT & PAPER
RIBBON DOUBLE STITCHED RIVER ROCK
ON BOARD HEARTS AND STARS BULK

Instructions

1. Color chipboard heart using Rose Red Craft ink and sponge daubers, and set aside to dry.

2. Stamp heart image in Always Artichoke ink on Always Artichoke card stock (2-1/2″ x 3″), and adhere to card.

3. Stamp heart image in Rose Red ink on Whisper White card stock (2-1/2″ x 3″). Cut out heart, and adhere to card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

4. Stamp saying in Always Artichoke ink on card. Stamp again in Rose Red ink on Whisper White card stock scrap. Cut out “Heart,” and adhere to card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

5. Adhere chipboard heart to card using Stampin’ Dimensionals. Tie River Rock double-stitched grosgrain ribbon around front of card.

Last of My Convention Swaps...

These are the last 2 final swaps I am doing for Convention/SCS Dinner swap. I am still deciding and waiting to hear how many i will need for the Dinner Swap. I made 50 of each card and 30 of the 3-D items. I will defiantly swap the candy purses at Convention and more than likely one one or 2 of the cards. I used the PARTY HEARTY set that I earned after Regionals for my swaps for SCS, I love that little set! It is so cute and I could have done more but I wont have any time between now and convention to get any more cards done, which is why I had to finish them now. I hope you enjoy and please do not case for Convention or SCS dinner. Thanks for looking!

**Edited: Oh Yeah, BTW I got the original idea for this candy purse from Dawn's Blog, I love her tutorials, and I tweaked it a little to make them small enough to swap. :)

Gorcery Game- AMAZING!

Ok, so if you are in a total $$ crunch as I am, with the cost of gas getting ready to hit over $4 a gallon, then you will love this as much as I do. There is this website called The Grocery Game, which saves you a TON of $$!! Who can pass that up. So here is how it works...

For your trial period (which I think is like 4 or 8 weeks, cant remember) it only costs $1, and please if/when you sign up put me down as your referral (eringonzales@comcast.net) because you earn free weeks when you refer people to sign up. After your trial period it is $10 for every 8 weeks for your membership- a great deal!

Basically when you sign up you choose a grocery store (or more than one if you want) in your area...and each week you will get a customized list for that particular store. The list is categorized to match the layout of the store (the only store I found this not to be the case with is Safeway) which makes shopping FAST and easy! Then you go through the list and select the items that you wish to get and pull aside the coupons for that particular week and then once you hit the register hand them your pile of coupons and viola- easy as that!

Ok, so some additional details...when you see your list you will notice that it is broken down into Blue, Green, and Black items. The Blue and Green are ROCK BOTTOM prices and you should stock up on these items as a type of food storage. This way you are stocking up on these items while they are on MAJOR sale. The black items are still a great deal but you are advised only to get the black items only if you NEED them.

This system does require you to cut and organize coupons in order to save the most $$. I was NEVER a fan of coupons until this system came along. It takes all the guess work out of it and if I can manage it then anyone can! When you sign up the website tells you how to organize your coupons (they break categories down to Beverages, Cereals, Frozen items, Snacks, Toiletries, etc.) so that when it is time to retrieve them it is super easy to find them! I go through the Sunday paper coupons every week and cut out any coupon I think I might use- ever...you may not use it this week but you probably will in the upcoming weeks. If you have friends that never use their coupons- get theirs...you can use multiples of the same coupon. The list that you get every week will list all the coupons that you will need for just that week- it is so easy!

Each week I save somewhere between 45%-69% on my grocery bill. It is amazing! My first week I spent $86 out of pocket on a total bill that was $170! The second week I saved $152 and spent $120 out of pocket giving me a total bill that was $272- can you believe it almost $300 in groceries for just $120...by the 4th week I had NO MORE room in either one of my 2 freezers for meat or anything else. I have an amazing food storage that we dwindle down and then on the weeks that i have too much food we only get necessities from the store...I LOVE THIS SITE!!! try it out and see what you think. I would love to hear your feedback on this as well- have you tried it?

Happy Anniversary Card

Stamps:
FOREVER IN MY HEART STAMP SET

HUGS & WISHES STAMP SET

HOLIDAYS & WISHES STAMP SET

Paper:
CARD STOCK VERY VANILLA 8 1/2X11
CARD STOCK CHOCOLATE CHIP 8 1/2X11
CARD STOCK TEXTURED NEUTRALS 12 X 12
CARD STOCK TEXTURED EARTH ELEMENTS 12 X 12

Ink
STAMPIN WRITE MARKER ROSE RED
STAMPIN WRITE MARKER CHOCOLATE CHIP
STAMPIN WRITE MARKER OLD OLIVE
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD ROSE RED
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD OLD OLIVE

Accessories:
CRAFTERS' TOOL KIT
STAMPIN DIMENSIONALS
SCISSORS CRAFT & PAPER

Instructions:

This card would make a perfect Valentine’s Make & Take. Just replace the word “anniversary” with the “Valentine’s Day” image from the Holidays & Wishes stamp set. To make it more economical, replace the textured card stock with smooth Old Olive and Very Vanilla card stock.

1. Ink “Happy” using Old Olive Stampin’ Write marker, and stamp on Very Vanilla textured card stock (4-1/4" x 2").

2. Ink “Happy anniversary” using Chocolate Chip and Rose Red Stampin’ Write markers, and stamp below “Happy.” Adhere to Old Olive textured card (8-1/2" x 5-1/2").

3. Adhere Chocolate Chip card stock (4-1/4" x 1/8") to card. Pierce row of holes along bottom of card using paper-piercing tool from Crafters’ Tool Kit.

4. Stamp small heart image in Old Olive ink on Very Vanilla card stock (1-1/2" x 1-1/2"), and cut out.

5. Stamp large heart image in Rose Red ink on Very Vanilla card stock (3" x 3"), and cut out. Layer small heart on larger heart, and adhere to card using Stampin’ Dimensionals.

“These greeting stamp sets are perfect to use on any holiday card. Having these two stamp sets in my stamp collection guarantees that I’ll have that perfect holiday greeting I need no matter the season.”