MDS Blog Hop: Get Organized/Anything Goes!

Happy Friday!!! It's MDS Blog Hop Day… Yippee!!!! Today's theme was Get Organized/Anything goes! So I thought I would just share a layout I did while I was away on the Founder's Trip last week, since I haven't had time to scrapbook anything since!

This is a Halloween Layout for my 2009 album:

(In addition to the My Digital Studio software and content that comes with it, I also used the following downloads:  My Sweet Pea DSP, Spooky Treats  Kit, Tasteful Trim Punch, Smitten Alphabet Punch, Decorative Label Punch, Neutrals Buttons, Brights Buttons, Baker's Twine Add On and Spooky Bingo Bits Stamp Brush Set)

CLICK HERE to view this week's NEW Downlaods(there's a DARLING new Party Kit!!!!)

Now "Hop" on over and see what digitally created things the other girls have done!

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 #5

Welcome to the 5th Day of the Fall Frolic Online Event! Today I’m going to share with you the last of my Halloween Ideas. This one isn’t a 3-D, but rather a Halloween Card using the Sweet Centers line. No Halloween idea is complete without some candy, so these fit perfectly!

This card featured the "Sweet Centers" Line on pages 6 and 7 of the Holiday Mini Catalog. The first component to this line is the "Sweet Centers" stamp set. This stamp set allows you to put the Sweet Treat Cups center stage and become part of the image. To create the entry way for your Sweet Treat Cup, you’ll need the 1 3/4" Circle Punch. This punch is sized perfectly to just pop the Sweet Treat Cup through the hole! The Holiday Movers & Shapers Die Set also has a 1 3/4" Punched Die so that you can place this size circle anywhere you want on a card without having to worry about the punch reaching. And when it comes time to mailing out your delightful Sweet Treat cards, you’ll want to put them in one of our Padded Envelopes, designed just for standard sized Sweet Treat Cup Cards!

ALY’S HELPFUL HINTS:

• Stampin’ Up! has designed this stamp set fabulously so that once you’ve punched out the center of the cardstock to create an entry way for your Sweet Treat Cup, you don’t just have a scrap punch out circle, you have an additional element for your card! The one shown here is the "EEK you’re sweet!" greeting. Of course, I did want it in a different color so ended up stamping that image twice.
• Sticky Strip is the perfect adhesive solution when adhering layers that hold the weight of the Sweet Treat Cup!
• The delightful accents at the top of the card were created with the Word Window Punch and Black Brads! A simple yet striking accent to any card.
• Try tying a simple knot in the center of the 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon – it’s not as bulky then your typical knot or bow!
• Have a hard time getting bold stamped images to stamp solid instead of blotchy? Try this tip:

Remember these coasters that I made at Christmas Time last year? I took a plain version of these, the raw tiles I purchased at my local Lumber Store for just .15 cents a piece, and laid it on on my stamping area.

Then I put my cardstock that I wanted to stamp on down on top of the tile, and used this hard tile as my Stamping Surface. Whenever you are working on a table that has any kind of give to it (even if it doesn’t look like it has give, if it’s not tile or hard wood, it gives!) it’s going to make it more difficult to get crisp, bold images. This is an easy way to make your stamping surface more durable! 

WHAT WAS USED: Sweet Centers Stamp Set (116521), Sweet Treat Cups (116802), Sweet Treat Padded Envelopes (116911), 1 3/4" Circle Punch (112004), Basic Black Cardstock (102851), Whisper White Cardstock (100730), Pumpkin Pie Cardstock (105117), Pumpkin Pie Classic Ink (105216), Perfect Plum Cardstock (101889), Perfect Plum Classic Ink (101437), Cast-A-Spell Designer Series Paper (115677), Vintage Brads (109109), Linen Thread (104199), Pumpkin Pie 1 1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (115616), Word Window Punch (105090), 1 3/8" Circle Punch (104401), 1 1/4" Circle Punch (104403), 1/16" Circle Punch (101227), Sticky Strip (104294) and Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

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 to take advantage of these fabulous savings!

Have you entered to win the 2nd Blog Candy Giveaway Yet? The deadline has been extended! To enter to win the Hemp Twine and Linen Thread, you have until Thursday! View the Fall Frolic Day #3 Post for Details.

Fall Frolic Day #3

Welcome to Day #3 of the Fall Frolic Event! Today I’m going to share with you another Halloween Project that is a 2-in-1! These adorable little glass bottles serve as both a Favor and a Place Setting Card – how cool is that!? I saw these little bottles in a 24-pack at my local craft store probably about two years ago and just had to have them. They were in the Wedding Department, but I knew that some day I would find an alternative use for them. That day is here!

These little bottles are all about RubOns! I didn’t use any stamped images, just the "Spooky Treats" RubOn Assortment:

ALY’S HELPFUL HINTS:

• The beauty of this RubOn Set is that it coordinates perfectly with the Modern Label and Designer Label Punches!
• To create some extra elements of interest, both black and white RubOns where used on both bottles, 2 RubOns per bottle.
• Take your bottles to new heights using a comination of Stampin’ Dimensionals and Pop Up Glue Dots!
• While Stampin’ Dimensionals work wonders for cardstock to cardstock mounts, Pop Up Glue Dots are just the thing you need when adhering cardstock to another surface type, like the glass here!
• Here’s a HOT TIP for you! If you’re Pop Up Glue Dots just aren’t gooie enough, attach it to the desired surface and let it spend a few seconds under the Heat Tool – voila! You have hot glue gun guts on the fly!
• This fabulous place card pattern comes from the NEW Table Setting Day in the Holiday MIni Catalog – they are tent cards and they will stand up on their own, I simply choose to attach them to these bottles by creating a slit in the top of the cork.

WHAT WAS USED:

Spooky Treats RubOns (115729), Stampin’ Up! Table Setting Bigz XL Die (116819), Big Shot (113439), Modern Label Punch (116630), Designer Label Punch (107590), Silver Brads (104336), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Pop-Up Glue Dots (104183), Only Orange Cardstock (102837), Basic Black Cardstock (102851) and Whisper White Cardstock (100730)

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

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

The WINNER of the FREE ROLL of Silver Elastic Cord is…

Sherri T. – sbtlsw106@gmail.com

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

NOW, it’s time for our SECOND Fall Frolic Blog Candy Giveaway – EXTENDED!

Our second prize is actually two prizes Natural Hemp and Linen Thread, as you will see in many future posts during "Fall Frolic" and saw in yesterdays post! Valued at $8.86 after tax and shipping, this is a prize you’re going to want to be sure to try for! What do you have to do? Simply leave a comment to this post below telling me your favorite thing about fall, and I’ll enter you to win! You have until Wednesday October 21st at 10:00 am EST to Enter! Good Luck! — DEADLINE EXTENDED!!!! You now have until THURSDAY October 22nd at 10:00 am to enter to win!

SPECIAL SAVINGS ALERT!! Stampin’ Up! has just announced Deal of the Week #3! This week’s Deal of the Week includes 4 fabulous products. Check it out!

Order any or all of these terrific accessories at this fabulous price at my Online Store Today! Or, give me a call or shoot me an e-mail and I can put it in for you.

Fall Frolic Day #1

Welcome to Day #1 of the Fall Frolic Event! Today I’m going to share with you an adorable little Halloween Box that makes the perfect party favor, decoration or perhaps a gift for a co-worker, family member or friend!

The Designer Series Paper that I choose to use for this box is the "Night and Day" Designer Series Paper" featured in the Holiday Mini Catalog. I just love how this paper is a complete pack of Black and White Designs!

And there’s some more terrific news about this fabulous paper! It’s available as a NEW Digital Download for My Digital Studio, along with 6 other fabulous additions! All of these in addition to the My Digital Studio Software are available for purchase today.

ALY’S HELPFUL HINTS:

• This delightful box looks so unique because it was created with a printed window sheet from the Night & Day Specialty DSP!
• The Big Shot paired with the Box #2 Die takes all of the guesswork out of this pattern, cutting and scoring all in one BIG SHOT!
• Sticky Strip makes the perfect adhesive for a unique project like this – we don’t want those M&M’s falling out now do we!?
• To add a little somethin’ somethin’ to the punched out scull, a Stampin’ Sponge and Basic Black Inkpad worked wonders!
• Adding "sprigs" of cording into ribbon knots makes a wonderful extra accent.
• Clear Rhinestone Eyes are exactly what this little skull needs to look complete.
• The darling bitty "Boo!" tag stamp images and coordinating punch are not yet available for purchase – they are a sneak peek of items coming soon in the Ocassions Mini Catalog!

WHAT WAS USED:

From the Crypt Stamp Set (115460), Night & Day Specialty DSP (116768), Silver Cord (109866), Basic Black 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon (115605), Clear Rhinestone Brads (113144), Whisper White Cardstock (100730), Only Orange Cardstock (102837), Basic Black Classic Ink (101179), Only Orange Classic Ink (102696), 1-3/4" Circle Punch (112004), 1-3/8" Circle Punch (104401), Sticky Strip (104294), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Big Shot (113439) and Box #2 Die (114518).

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

AND… It’s time for the FIRST Fall Frolic Blog Candy Giveaway!

Our first prize is a roll of Silver Elastic Cord, as shown in this Halloween Box! Valued at $5.89 after tax and shipping, this is a prize you’re going to want to be sure to try for! What do you have to do? Simply leave a comment to this post below telling me what you’re favorite thing is about my new website, and I’ll enter you to win! You have until Monday October 19th at 10:00 am EST to Enter! Good Luck!