Thanksgiving at the Schilling Home!

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Thanksgiving! I had every intention of going "all out" with decorating for Thanksgiving in Stampin' Up! Style… only time slipped away from me more and more as we got closer to the day! But I did manage to add a few Stampin' Up! touches to the holiday in our home and thought I would share them with you.

The first is our table setting – I used the Table Setting XL Die to die cut the name card tents at each of the places:

Then the next thing I did was make up these little Recipe Card Holders for my mom and sister-in-law…

ALY'S HELPFUL HINTS:

• Yes! This recipe card holder was fully constructed with Stampin' Up! Products! The base of the holder is an altered Decor Block from the Holiday Mini, the wire "post" is a Hat Pin from the Pretties Kit and the clip that holds the Recipe Card in place is a 1/2" Library Clip!
• Our Decor Blocks have a wonderfully smooth surface that makes DSP application easy – for a "weathered" look like I was going for here, burnish the DSP to the Blocks with a Sanding Block. For a sleek look (not shown here) trim the edges closely with a Hobby Blade.
• I used a girlie mini drill (he-he) with a 1/16" Drill Bit to get the Hat Pin in the block – I applied Crystal Effects around the edges to help it hold.
• The leaf was cut out with the Wood Sheets that we carry in the catalog, the Leaf Bigz Die and Big Shot Machine. The beauty of the Big Shot? It is so heavy duty you can cut through just about anything! Refer to this post for a listing of other materials the Big Shot will cut through.
• I died the leaf with Markers and an Aqua Painter.
• Pop Up Glue Dots is what held all of the clip components at the top together.
• Pair this Recipe Card Holder with the "From the Kitchen Of" stamp set for a fabulous gift presentation! This wonderful stamp set is part of the Gift Giving Guide and just one of the items that can be used towards your FREE Decor Element through January 4th!

WHAT TO ORDER:

Decor Elements Decor Blocks (116829), Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper (116769), From the Kitchen of Stamp Set (114964), Very Vanilla Cardstock (101650), Basic Brown Classic Ink (104315), Really Rust Stampin' Write Marker (100073), Creamy Caramel Stampin' Write Marker (100078), Taken with Teal Stampin' Write Marker (100068), Earth Elements Textured Cardstock (108697), Wood Sheets Texture Cuts (116309), Clips Assortment (112580), Pretties Kit (109114), Hemp Twine (100982), 3/4" Circle Punch (107217), Sanding Blocks (103301), Crystal Effects (101055), Pop Up Glue Dots (104183), Big Shot Die Cut Machine (113439) and Leaves #2 Die (113459)

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

• To take place your Online Holiday Extravaganza Order – select products up to 50% off! Click Here for more details, Click Here to place your order! – JUST ONE DAY LEFT!!!!
  
• To register for Aly's Stamping Christmas Party – Click Here! – JUST ONE DAY LEFT!!!!
• To schedule your Complementary Christmas Card Designing Appointment – Click Here!
• To place your qualifying order for a FREE Decor Element – Click Here!
• To order your December Card Kit of the Month – Click Here!

Pumpkin Patch Scrapbooking!

Things have been awful busy around here, but I forced myself to sit down and get a Digital Scrapbook layout done! This is the first layout I've done for Landon that wasn't part of the calendar, and will be for his actual baby book… exciting!

ALY'S HELPFUL HINTS:

• These pages are going to be for a "Hybrid" Album. A Hybrid Album is when you design your pages in My Digital Studio, have them printed on individual pages, not bound in an album (use our Professional Print Services for Best Results), and then add some actual accessories (the REAL thing) over top of the digital accessories.
• When importing accessory images for the purpose of Hybrid Scrapbooking, you don't want to re-size the images. They are automatically imported true to size, so they will line up with the real ones correctly. If you're not doing Hybrid Scrapbooking, feel free to re-size, just be careful of pixilating.
• When you want to replicate an area of a page, drag your mouse to select all of the images and then copy and paste. The example? I did the first page and created the circles and embellishments down the side. I wanted the same patterns/accents on my other page. Rather then repeating all of the steps, I grouped all of the embellishments together and pasted them onto the other page. A real time saver!

WHAT TO ORDER:

My Digital Studio (118108) and Cast-A-Spell Digital Download (118114)

Purchase My Digital Studio from me and receive 1 hour of one-on-one training. I'm My Digital Studio Certified and ready to answer your questions!

Speaking of Digital Scrapbooking, have you ordered all of the fabulous new Digital Downloads yet!? Click Here to see all that's available. 7 more were just released yesterday! Here's a peak at one of these downloads, the Christmas Cocoa II Kit:

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

COMING SOON: An Online Holiday Extravaganza beginning November 23th!! Select products up to 50% off!!!! Stay tuned!!!!

• To schedule your Complementary Christmas Card Designing Appointment – Click Here!
• To place your qualifying order for a FREE Decor Element – Click Here!
• To order your December Card Kit of the Month – Click Here!

Wandering Thanks & Appreciation

I wanted to make up about 20 cards as Thank You Cards for the Women who attended the Women's Retreat at our church a few weekends ago. I was asked to lead two projects with them (see my old blog) and it was the first time stamping for many! So I just wanted to send them a little note and invite them to my next upcoming class. So these cards needed to be a little on the simple side of things, nothing too wow this go around!

I have received a lot of the Level 1 "Patterns Designer Series Paper Packs" and wanted to use up those papers, so the paper pack determined my color combo! I ended up having 3 different "looks" as I rotated through the background paper. The Ruby Red shown above and then the Really Rust and Mellow Moss shown below:

ALY'S HELPFUL HINTS:

• The wide grosgrain ribbon was tied uniquely by going up through a slot punch before being knotted. TIP: For trimming your ribbon ends at a "v", fold your ribbon in half and make 1 angled cut. Then when you unfold, you have your two cuts perfectly even!
• This big bold image can be a little bit stubborn to get a crisp image – try stamping on a tile or other rock solid surface.
• Earn this Designer Series Paper for FREE by hosting a workshop or placing an order totaling $150 or more!

WHAT TO ORDER:

Patterns Pack III (116234 – Hostess Exclusive!), Wandering Words Stamp Set (116507), Sahara Sand Cardstock (105328), Very Vanilla Cardstock (101650), Chocolate Chip Cardstock (102128), Chocolate Chip Classic Ink (100908), Really Rust Cardstock (100661), Mellow Moss Cardstock (102898), Styled Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware (112454), Very Vanilla Grosgrain Ribbon (109055), Horizontal Slot Punch (105089), 1/2" Cirlce Punch (104390), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Stampin' Up! Sizzix Big Shot Die Cut Machine (113439) and Leaves #2 Die (113459)

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

COMING SOON: An Online Holiday Extravaganza beginning November 23th!! Select products up to 50% off!!!! Stay tuned!!!!

• To schedule your Complementary Christmas Card Designing Appointment – Click Here!
• To place your qualifying order for a FREE Decor Element – Click Here!

Give Thanks Spectacular!

Back in September, we had an All-Day Stamp Fest for my downline members at my In-Home Stamping Studio. One of the highlights for me was a SWAP where we exchanged 16 Card Fronts! There were many wonderful SWAPs shared, but as you know, I like to keep some things "exclusive" for my girls — so I'll be sharing just one of the SWAPS with you here on my blog! This SWAP was made my creative guru, Jen Rios Raner!

ALY'S HELPFUL HINTS:

• Why is our Big Shot Die Cutting Machine the best on the market? Well, there are MANY reasons, but just one is it's versatility. It can cut through 50 different materials (see listing below)! Here, it was cut through a chipboard coaster at the same time it was cut through the Brushed Gold Cardstock. Perfect covered chipboard every time! No cutting, no line up hassle.
• Embossing gives this card an extra edge – and picks up the Gold Brad Accents beautifully!
• The "thanks" emblem is one of our Embosslit Dies – another thing the Big Shot can do – cut AND emboss all in one roll!
• To get two colors with this die is super easy! Just crank through both Whisper White and Dusty Durango cardstock, and then punch out the "thanks" sentiment with the Modern Label Punch (yes, it lines up perfectly! You've got to L-O-V-E Stampin' Up!'s coordination!) and layer it on top!
• Paper Piercing is no chore when you use the Mat Pack and Paper Piercing Tool – and those simple little dots add so much to your card!
• The word "give" is on a stamp with other images and words – how do you emboss just the one word? Color over the rubber with a VersaMarker just where you want the Embossing to be!

WHAT CAN THE STAMPIN' UP! SIZZIX BIG SHOT CUT THROUGH?

WHAT TO ORDER:

Stampin' Up! Sizzix Big Shot Die-Cut Machine (113439), Stampin' Up! Thanks Embosslit Die (115957), Stampin' Up! Alphabet Simple Letters Die Set (115960), Holiday Best Stamp Set (Hostess Exclusive – Book a Workshop or place an order totaling $150 or more!), Whisper White Cardstock (100730), Dusty Durango Cardstock (115321), Earth Elements Textured 12×12 Cardstock (108697), Brushed Gold Cardstock (102935), Cottage Wall Designer Paper (115671), Gold Brads (104337), Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (109051), Modern Label Punch (116630), Gold Embossing Powder (109129), Heat Tool (100005), VersaMarker (100901), Mat Pack (105826), Paper Piercer (116631), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430), Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive (110755) and Gold Elastic Cord (109867)

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don't Forget!

• To Sign Up for the FREE Class Night coming up on November 12th – Click Here!
• To Sign Up for the GRAND Christmas Card Class coming up on November 21st – Click Here!
• To schedule your Complementary Christmas Card Designing Appointment – Click Here!
• To place your qualifying order for a FREE Decor Element – Click Here!
• To Order your November Card Kit of the Month – Click Here!

Happy November!

Happy November, Everyone!

I hope that everyone had a fabulous Halloween! We spent the day with my parents, brothers and their families, it was so much fun to have the cousins together to celebrate and go trick or treating as a family. Here's a picture of the little munchkins with their "paka" (grandpa, my father). My little guy, Landon, was a monkey for his very first Halloween! What a trooper he was keeping up with the rest of "the gang!"

I showed you most of my Halloween Creations during the Fall Frolic Week here on my blog, and there was another one that was part of the U Pick 2 Stamping Menu (to view any of these, just search the category "Halloween" in the left side bar, or browse my gallery). But I DID do one other small thing with a Stampin' Up! Product for Halloween Day. I made these cute little cheese pumpkins for a snack item, and not wanting the cheese to stick all over the platter I die cut wax paper leafs with the Big Shot Machine and Leaf Die to place each individual cheese ball on. Pretty fun!

Moving forward on to November! The November Card Kit of the Month is now available for purchase! Here's a look at 2 of the cards from this kit, available through November 10th Only:

To view full details on the November Card Kit of the Month and/or to order, visit the Card Kit of the Month Section of my website by Clicking Here.

If you are a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and would like to purchase the November Card Kit of the Month File Pack for Demos, visit the For Demos Section of my website by Clicking Here.

We also have a fantastic promotion going on this month and through January 4th with our Holiday Gift Giving Guide! Not only is this guide very helpful in selecting the perfect gift for anyone on your Christmas List, but there's an extra perk for using it – spend $50 or more from the Holiday Gift Giving Guide and get a FREE Decor Element valued at $16.95 or less! This is the perfect way for you to have an extra little gift for someone special, or to start using Decor Elements in your own home if you haven't already!

To view some things that I've done with Decor Elements, be sure to check out my Decor Element Photo Gallery by Clicking Here.

To get started with your Holiday Shopping (or your own shopping!) To take advantage of this fabulous promotion, Click Here!

Aren't on my e-mail mailing list? To view my November 1st Constant Contact Newsletter, Click Here.

The last little bit of November News for you is to MARK YOUR CALENDARS for a HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!! This BIG event will take place November 23rd  – 30th. What can you expect from this event?

• Samples & Ideas from Stampin' Up! Headquarters on my DBWS at www.alystamps.stampinup.net!
• Specials & Promotions from Stampin' Up! Headquarters through my Online Store at www.alystamps.stampinup.net!
• Aly's 6th Annual After Thanksgiving Day Sale – EXCLUSIVELY offered through me!
• EXCLUSIVE Ideas & Samples at www.alystamps.com!

That's right! You won't want to miss the HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA, Coming Soon! But until then, be sure to visit www.alystamps.com frequently for more creative inspiration!

Have a wonderful November!

Fall Frolic Day #8

Welcome to the 8th day of our Fall Frolic Stamping Event! Today's project is a quick and easy little Fall Treat idea.

I'm going to be honest – this little project was 100% about these Jelly Beans and really, I didn't care so much about the stamping part! I saw these Jelly Beans at the grocery store and it was love at first sight… I was just smitten with their colors and knew I had to have them. But since I can't eat them (South Beach Diet), I had to be creative with them instead and just stare at them… soooo… I found this little jar in my "closet of crap" (which has actually gotten a lot cleaner!) and thought it would work perfectly. I filled the Jelly Beans and said "OK! Done!" Then I said "Ok…. I guess I really should do SOMETHING with it…" so did a little bit of altering and tinkering. Nothing fancy, but my oh my are those Jelly Beans beautiful all own their own…

ALY'S HELPFUL HINTS:

• Find beautiful Jelly Beans. That's really the "must" of this project.
• To stamp on acetate or glass, you'll want to use StazOn Ink so that the ink dries in your lifetime! Here, I used the White StazOn which gives a nice etched glass look as well.
• If you goof stamping with StazOn and want a "do-over" — just use StazOn Cleaner and Paper Towel directly on your mistake, let it dry, and you're good to try again!
• Mini Glue Dots are a wonderful way to help keep your ribbon where you want it to be, wrapped firmly around the tin.

WHAT WAS USED:

Holiday Best Hostess Stamp Set (115364), Chocolate Chip 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (115617), Hemp Twine (100982), StazOn Cleaner (109196), White StazOn Ink Pad & Refill (106960), and Mini Glue Dots (103683)

TO ORDER STAMPIN' UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

AND… it’s time to announce the winner of the THIRD Fall Frolic Blog Candy Giveaway!

The WINNER of the FREE Autumn Meadows Designer Series Paper Sampler is…

Nancy Miner

Nancy, e-mail me by Noon tomorrow to claim your prize, Congratulations!!

Thank you to everyone who participated in Fall Frolic this week!!! I had so much fun sharing all of these Fall Ideas with you.

But we're not done with daily ideas! A NEW Week Long Online Stamping Event at www.alystamps.com starts up TOMORROW! Join me tomorrow morning as we start "STAMP OUT BREAST CANCER!!!!" There will be daily project ideas, exclusive card kits, donations being made to the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer (with your help!), FREE gifts with support and FREE give-aways!

COMING TOMORROW:

Fall Frolic Day #7

Welcome to the 7th Day of the Fall Frolic Event at www.alystamps.com! Today I'm going to share a card that allows the Autumn Meadow Designer Series Paper to take the stage!

I shared the full swatch of this Designer Series Paper just yesterday when I annouced the 3rd Blog Candy Giveaway for the Fall Frolic Event, so I won't show it again, you'll just have to look at the "Fall Frolic Day #6" Post! And if you haven't entered to win yet, be sure to do so! The winner will receive a beautiful sampling of this striking Autumn Meadows DSP Pack!

ALY'S HELPFUL TIPS:

• To achieve this beautiful multi-colored leaf image, stamp your leaf in VersaMark Ink, and use Spong Daubers to Rub various colors of or Stampin' Pastels into the ink. It's a very quick and easy technique, but looks fabulous!
• The size of this card is 4 1/4" x 4 1/4" so it still fits in Medium Envelopes.
• I love making these "Autumn Splendor" leaves multi-colored – check out my Fall U Pick 2 Stamping Menu (simply click "U Pick 2" on the top of this page) for another idea useing reinkers instead of pastels!
• Tearing DSP, like I did with the Taken with Teal piece of paper here, is another simple technique that works very well with fall themed cards – and you already have the tool that does it! But if you have any problems tearing straight – try the "Tearing Edge" featured in the Idea Book & Catalog.

WHAT WAS USED:

Autumn Splendor Stamp Set (116503), Autumn Meadows DSP (116769), Chocolate Chip Cardstock (102128), Really Rust Cardstock (100661), Very Vanilla Cardstock (101650), Autumn Harvet RubOns (115731), Linen Thread (104199), The Tearing Edge (102930), VersaMark Pad (102283), Sponge Daubers (102892), Stampin' Dimensionals (104430) and Stampin' Pastels (105542)

TO ORDER STAMPIN’ UP! PRODUCTS ONLINE 24/7 CLICK HERE!

Don’t forget about this week’s Deal of the Week! You only have until Monday morning to take advantage of these fabulous savings!

Have you entered to win the 3rd Blog Candy Giveaway Yet? Win the paper used on this card! To enter to win the Autumn Meadows DSP Sampler, you have until Saturday! View the Fall Frolic Day #6 Post for Details.