INKin' All Night! with Rhonda

3D projects from our event

Hello!

Hope you are all having a great week!  Enjoying some chillier weather here in Phoenix, so it's been a nice change to actually feel like real crisp fall weather!  We can legitimately break out the sweaters, sweatpants and slippers!  Even if it's only in the 40's, that's pretty darn chilly for us peeps that are used to 100-115's. 

Here are the last few projects that we did at our SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER event.  These are the 3D items.  CLICK on any project to view it larger if you want.

This first one is so practical!  It can be used in several different ways.  First off, it uses the TWO TAGS die and you use two of the same tag, layered up to create this little fold over pouch type item.  You can put some candy in it and it makes a lovely treat to sit on someone's desk, a quick thank you, a nice favor piece, or you could roll your napkin up and use it as a napkin ring and add a tag to make it a place card thing-y too!

 

This lovely guy is so fun and cute!  It's a calendar to stick on your fridge or wall in your office.  It's got magnet on the back (yes, we sell magnet sheets now!) and the little calendars are the medium size from vippies, found online.  LOVE the combination of all the punches!  The round circle, scallop circle, bird punch for the leaf branch and the new owl punch for our handsome little focal point!  It also uses the Square Scallop Duo Die too, folded like we did the other day on one of the tags but this time it is laid flat out to extend the length of the scallop.

 

This next project is so stinking cute!  It's a corner bookmark to help you keep your place in style!  The bling doesnt show up well in the photo but it's so precious in real life.  A wonderful gift for any friend that loves to read. Change it up and they're great for kids too!  Everyone is looking for home made gifts these days and a favorite book and book mark would be awesome!

 

This next project is a spin on one of the make-n-takes that we did at convention this year.  This is the front of the "card wallet".  Paper roses, punches, laces, pearls ... embossing ... so YUMMY!

 

this is the inside, it's all one big pocket but it looks like an opening on the left & right

 

and here's what you can tuck inside .. gift cards and envelopes.  perfect for anyone that needs cards on hand to say happy birthday, thank you or to use as a gift card tucked in a package.

 

Well I hope you enjoyed the projects!  I think I have shown you all of them but if not, I will certainly upload anything else I find!

Thanks for stopping by and hope to see you again soon,
Hugs
Rhonda 

Card Projects from the event

Here are the cards that we made from our SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER event.  We haven't done a template card in awhile and Diana came across this adorable apron, and with the vintage theme, it just made us all think of our moms and grandmas ... back in the day when they were actually worn! 

 

And then we also did one of these where you scrunch the ribbon around in a circle, think the idea was a take from a card layout in the catalog (go figure!  what a great source of card ideas!!)

 

This is the front of a gift card holder, looks gorgeous and we felt with the holidays coming up that it would be a really great project for our guests to be able to repeat.  Gotta love a little practicality!

 

and the inside, holds a gift card!

And the last card is an idea that I came up with from, inspiration was from our Idea Book and Catalog too!  Just modified for what products we were featuring and wallah! 

 

 

Well that's all for today folks!  I will be back tomorrow with the 3D projects from the event!  Thanks for checking in and once I get these all uploaded for you, then I'll start with something new!

Hugs, Happy Black Friday -- hope all of you shoppers found some great deals and avoided the crazies that keep me from even trying!  We got the lights up outside, front entry decorated outside and even got the downstairs bathroom decorated, inside foyer and downstairs family room are partially done.    A few years ago I started boxing things by the room they go in, so we bring a box in, set it up, return it to the storage cupboard, grab another, and keep going.  It helps!!  I hate to be overwhelmed looking at a gazillion boxes all setting on the floor ... so this is what works for me!  Rachel was a great helper today and Dave hopped right on the outside stuff without being asked, what a guy!

When we're done, maybe a picture!! 

Hugs
Rhonda

 

Event Projects

Hi

Well I wanted to be sure to make good on the promise to upload the pictures of the projects that we made at our SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER event.  So here they are! 

All of the attendees received the Love Letter DSP, Vintage Brads, Both of the new Lace Ribbons, New Rhinestone Bling and Pearls, Paper Daisies, and all projects precut and sorted ready to assemble!

 

This is a small 4" square box (available online or craft store) that we decorated and it was intended to hold the following gift tags.  This would make a great gift!  Click on ANY IMAGE to view it larger!

This tag uses the new Scallop Square Duo die with one edge folded to make a small tag that opens... 

complete with glass glitter, amazing in person!

 

 

 

Many of our tags also used the Two Tag die 

paper daisies, new decorative label punch, rhinestones and a vintage brad

 

 

 

 

 

 

This tag also used the Two Tags die, the ribbon trim border punch, the lace and vintage trinkets (pin) and circle tags.

 

 

 

 

This tag uses the Scallop Circles #2 die, the circle punch, the full heart punch, the heart embosslit, tiny tags punch and set, vintage trinkets and pearls!

 

 

 

 

This tag uses the scallop-y tag from the Two Tags die, the scallop circle punch, tiny tags punch and set, vintage brads, lace and 1/8" taffeta ribbon too!

 

 

 

and for the last of the six tags, it also uses the Two Tags die, trimmed shorter at the bottom edge.

the beautiful flower is the paper daisies died with reinker & water, amazingly beautiful.  so rich and elegant looking with the wide black satin ribbon, the vintage brad, the pearls ... just screams yummy!

 

 

So there are the first of your projects!  I want to hit save & publish before I lose this post, it always amazes me how long it takes to actually type a blog post!

Come back for more!
Rhonda

Gratitude. . . .

As I sit here ready to type another blog entry, it is the day before Thanksgiving and that just seems an appropriate day to share what's been happening since I last blogged.  Some of you that I see already know and others are probably just wondering what the heck happened to me and why haven't I been blogging.

Well let's see, my last blog entry was geez Sep 9th and it was all about numbers and the excitement I was feeling as we prepared for our September to Remember stamping event.  If you read in there really closely you will notice I gave my mom a shout out because it had just been her birthday and on her birthday, we bought Nicole a car (used but still new to her and all).  It had been several months since she turned 16 and we finally decided to purchase a 3rd family vehicle, intended for her use to school and sports and then it'd be here for her younger sister to learn on as well in a couple of years.

Friday September 10th ... 6:26 pm ... the house phone rings, I look over and recognize the number as a girlfriend of Nicole.  My first thought was, oh they are lost and she's calling for directions.  My second thought was, why wouldn't Nicole be calling me, they are each driving separate cars alone but traveling together.  My third thought was out loud as I simply asked "is she okay?".  Her friend answered "yes, but she has sort of hit a tree".  I will never forget those words "sort of hit a tree".  As it was, she was only a couple of blocks away and we were there in less than 2 minutes.  She was out of the car and sitting on the side of the road in tears, buckets of tears pouring out from my child that does not tear up, who seldomly ever cries ... I couldn't get to her fast enough.  To bring the story to a close, she is fine, she was cut & bruised and burned from the air bag that likely saved her life ... the car was totalled ... but we got to walk away with our first born. 

That next week was a miserable emotional week, I was a blubbering idiot and a fountain of tears.  You just never know what can happen and I never suspected for a minute when she left the house that night that it could have been the last time I saw her.  The "what-if syndrome" is useful to see that something that seemed major turned out to be minor; that what could have happened was way worse than what did happen; to help you see that you are indeed lucky even in situations where you don't feel like anything or anyone was lucky at all. 

From there, I did manage to pull myself together and get everything finished for our September to Remember Event which I hosted with Marlene (love ya mucho) since Diana (love you too) was off enjoying a much deserved special incentive trip with SU.  We had an awesome day, wonderful crowd of ladies and fellow stampers and demonstrators joined us ... it was quite uplifting to my spirits to feel their concern, love and friendship.  I promise, I WILL share those projects with you in a separate post.

From the middle of September through late October, I really didn't do a lot of stamping.  It's very odd as I really do find stamping to be my therapy and I sincerely do enjoy it very much and of course I love Stampin' Up! and our wonderful products ... but I think my head was just overwhelmed.  All I could focus on was being there for my family, enjoying every minute being with both of my daughters and my husband.  I just knew in my heart that I needed and wanted to put my family first.

I had been working in Aug and Sep to get a class schedule pulled together, waiting for the dates for cross country meets for Nicole and dates for dance commitments for Rachel ... and then it seems like I just couldn't bring myself to give up my 1 open weekend a month.  I just wanted to spend that weekend with my family.  With meets almost every weekend and then hitting the couple of weeks late in the season with mid-week and weekend events, I just wanted to be there watching her.

So to all of you that are my customers and downline that routinely attend my classes, I am SO SORRY that I have let you down with my lack of classes this fall.  I do hope that you will come to classes with me again as soon as they are posted!  We have a lot of stamps sets sitting here waiting to get inky!

It has just taken me awhile to open up to actually write this post, which I felt I needed to do, in order to explain my absence.  On the outside everything is fine; Nicole is fine, walking, running and back to being an annoying (but loveable) 16 year old teenager.  Rachel is wonderful, a 13 year old teenager that's having a great year in school and dance... but it's on the inside where things have changed and it just took me some time to really see that.

So on the day before Thanksgiving as we each give thought to what we are thankful for in our lives, my eyes well up as you can imagine.  I can tell you that I of course love God, my family and being able to have them with me daily, and to you my customers, friends and fellow demonstrators.  I hope that this year finds you in good health, surrounded by loved ones, sharing fond memories of those that are no longer with us and in great spirits as the Holidays arrive!

Bless you and thank you
Rhonda

Thanks for not giving up on me and knowing that I'd be back, sorry it took so long to get back!