Many Thanks

I have just finished up 6 months of physical therapy to tackle some head/neck/shoulder issues (which really hinder my crafting, let me tell you!) I wanted to make cards for the therapists to thank them for all of the time and effort they put into helping me. (I used the CTMH Shining Star stamp set along with SU papers and inks, and my Cuttle Bug.) I will also include gift cards and top it off with a homemade carrot cake. On the off chance that someone needs a delicious carrot cake recipe for the holidays, here it is:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Beat 4 eggs
Add:
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 and 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 cups freshly shredded carrots
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup crushed pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix or beat well...put in bundt pan or angel food pan or 2 loaf pans sprayed with Pam and cook about 45 minutes to 1 hour. When it springs back with a fork it is done!
Icing:
1 stick butter
1 8 oz cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
1# box confection sugar....
Beat together...will frost 2 bundt cakes or 4 loaves

Enjoy!!!

Holiday Cards

Here it is...the big unveiling of this year's holiday cards! I used the Close to My Heart Ornate Ornaments set. The CTMH set was perfect for this card as the ornaments and the hooks were separate stamps. This allowed me to add a hook to the photo of Sydney and Santa that I punched with a circle punch. The ink and paper are all Stampin' Up, of course. I will say that I was totally unimpressed with the red rhinestones. I bought a one yard roll of Recollections adhesive rhinestones from Michael's. They are just about the most frustrating crafting supply I have ever worked with, so I caution you to stay away from them. Also, here is the thank you card that I made for my thoughtful and generous lunch students who thought of me this holiday season. I used Denami Designs Sweet Christmas Chickies. Are they too adorable or what?!?!? I loaded the card up with Denami Sparklets - the shinier, the better, as far as seven year-olds are concerned! Have a blessed (and healthy!) holiday season with your loved ones!

Winter Favors

As many of you know, I am a lunch mom. Each day I supervise a class of wonderful second graders as they eat lunch, and then I take them out for recess to play. I can't believe I get paid for it. Okay, maybe on the 10 degree winter Chicago days, I do! Anyhow, I wanted to get a little winter treat (other than candy!) for my kiddos and for Sydney's first grade classmates. I found these adorable snowman eraser sticks at Oriental Trading Company. I used the snowman from Year Round Fun II, which was part of the first Stampin' Up purchase I ever made. If you ask my husband, it all went down hill from there! Stay warm out there!

Giving Thanks

It is the time of year to give thanks for all of the blessings in your life. I made these cute little guys for Sydney's teachers, as they are a true blessings to us. The chocolate turkeys are from Fannie May (yummy!) and the stamp is from Denami Designs. On the back, Sydney wrote, "I give thanks for you. Love, Sydney." Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Denami Design Color Challenge #04

Happy Monday! I am here with my entry for the Denami Design Color Challenge #04. The challenge was to create a card using black, white, and magenta, which happens to be one of my favorite color combinations. I decided to make a bridal shower card featuring Denami Designs fabulous Mimi character. In the background, I used the SU French Script background stamp. I don't speak any French, so for all I know, it translates to, "Your marriage is doomed to fail." Hopefully that isn't the case! Have a great week - Thanks for stopping by!
Stamps: Denami Designs Mimi Bride and Heartfelt Greetings, and SU French Script
Paper: SU Whisper White, Basic Black, and Pink Passion
Ink: Versafine Black Onxy and SU Stampin' Write Markers
Other: Denami Designs Blue Ice Sparklets

Denami Designs Theme Challenge #03

The theme for this Denami Designs challenge is Happy Birthday. The timing was perfect as tonight I am going out with the Valpo girls to celebrate Kristin's birthday. On another note, Sydney started first grade this week. There were tears on the first day, but now she loves it, phew! I started school this week as well. I am a lunch supervisor. I keep an eye on the kids while they eat, and then I take them out for recess. How fun is that? Have a great weekend!
Stamps: Denami Designs Scallop Tulip Circle, Tulip Border, and Small Scallop Circle, and SU Simple Sayings 2
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black, SU Real Red, Yoyo Yellow and Only Orange, Stampin' Write Markers
Paper: SU Whisper White, Real Red, and Only Orange
Other: Crystal Lacquer, Denami Designs Sparklets, Marvy and SU punches

Denami Designs Product Challenge #03 - Glitter

I made this card for the latest Denami Designs product challenge, which is glitter. If you look closely (glitter is always so hard to photograph!) you can see magenta and citrone Denami Sparklets on the chickies, pom poms, and in the square frame. If you haven't picked up any Sparklets yet, you should as they are a super-fine and easy glitter to work with. Sparklets add the perfect amount of bling and dimension to any project. This card was inspired by the latest debate in my house...is cheerleading a sport? Daddy insists that Sydney must play a team sport and that cheerleading and dance don't count. Needless to say, her tennis lessons begin tomorrow morning, and she is not very impressed! We went out and bought an adorable tennis outfit to help soften the blow...at least she will look the part!
Stamps: Denami Designs Cheerleader Chickie, Cartwheeling Chickies, Medium Double Line Square, and All Star Greetings Petit Four
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black and Stampin' Write markers
Paper: Papertrey Ink Hawaiian Shores, Raspberry Fizz, and SU Confetti White
Other: Marvy punch, random button, Denami Designs hot pink grosgrain ribbon

Special Occasions

Our family has a couple of special occasions to celebrate this week. The hydrangea card is for a dear friend's birthday. Back in the spring I was at a Heirloom Productions show in Saint Charles. I got sucked into the PK Glitz booth. It was so shiny and sparkly that I couldn't resist. Of course, then I got home and didn't use my purchases until now. I used their EP Max heat embossable glitter. Fun, huh? The jungle animal card is for our friends who just found out they are having a little boy in December. The stamp set is an acrylic one called Mindy's Zoo that I was lucky enough to find on clearance at Target for just $4! The set was a perfect match for the monkey jammies we fell in love with. Hugs and blessings to Stacy and the Mohr's.
While I am updating my blog, I wanted to tell you about my fun weekend at the CHA Supershow. I helped out at the Denami Designs booth. On Thursday I helped set up the booth and I Sunday I helped with sales and tear down. You can see some photos on their blog at http://denami.blogspot.com/2010/08/cha-recap.html. This was my second show working with Denami Designs. If you follow my blog, you know that I have always been a big fan of their products, but after spending so many hours with Nami, Gary, Paulina and the boys, I am big fans of their family as well. They are the most thoughtful, hardworking, fun (and talented!) family that you could imagine. Make sure to stop by their booth and introduce yourself next time they are in town!

Denami Designs Sketch Challenge #3

I survived another year at the Bristol Renaissance Faire! No, actually, it was a really fun day. My family has been going every summer for the past 12 years. Where else could a kid pet a unicorn or ride an elephant? If anyone lives near the Illinois/Wisconsin border, I highly recommend a visit to Bristol. Check out http://www.renfair.com/bristol/ for more information. For this Denami Designs sketch, I decided to make a thank you card for Daddy for such a lovely day at the Faire. Huzzah! I'm also looking forward to some lovely days at CHA this weekend! I hope to see you there!
Stamps: Denami Designs Knight and Fairy Princess Chickies, Princess Castle, Medium Dot Circle Frame, and Assorted Greetings Petit Fours
Ink: Versafine Onyx Black and Stampin' Write Markers, and Stampin' Up Bordering Blue
Paper: Stampin' Up Whisper White, Bordering Blue, and Basic Gray
Other: Cuttlebug Flourished Frame Embossing Folder, Denami Designs Sparklets, Marvy Punches, Martha Stewart Pearl Accents, and Pop Dots

An Interview With Sydney

I'd like to introduce my new design team member, Sydney. Sydney will be in first grade this fall.
Q. What do you like to do in your free time?
A. Do arts and crafts and play My Little Ponies.
Q. How long have you been stamping?
A. I got my first professional stamps last Easter from Grandma Gay and Grandpa John.
Q. What are your favorite stamps?
A. I like pony and animal stamps.
Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. An animal doctor or a cowgirl or dancer.
Here is a sample of Sydney's simple, clean style. She made this card for the Denami Designs Color Challenge #3 (all on her own!) using her own stamps.
Stamps: Denami Designs Owl Trio and Cuddly Pals, Stampin' Up Forest Friends and Pony Party
Paper: SU Very Vanilla and Real Red
Ink: SU Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery and Regal Rose
Other: Pop Dots and a random yellow button

Denami Designs Color Challenge #3

First of all I need to tell you what a fun weekend I had...helping out at the Denami Designs booth at the Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo in Tinley Park. As you will be able to tell from this and future challenges, I spent all of my profits! If you are looking for a fun way to increase your Denami Designs stash, this is the way to go. Check out the "Help Wanted" button at www.denamidesign.com to see when they may need help in your area. When I saw Laurie's color scheme, all I could think of was mint chocolate chip and strawberry ice cream. I opted not to use any of the newly released stamps, and instead this yummy design is what I came up with. I will tell you right now that I am seriously considering the ATG Transfer Tape Dispenser as my next Denami purchase. The Tombow tape runner just isn't holding this ribbon on as well as the cards Nami and Paulina had on display at the Expo. Enjoy!
Stamps: Denami Designs ice cream cone and mini cherries
Paper: Stampin' Up Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, and Very Vanilla
Ink: SU Basic Black and Stampin' Write Markers
Other: Denami Designs new rhinestones, random ivory ribbon, Sparklets, and Crystal Lacquer

Denami Designs New Collection Has Arrived!

Denami Designs released their new Fall collection today. Let me tell you, one stamp is cuter than the next! Check out the their new products, and enter for a chance to win some fabulous giveaways at http://www.denami.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Denami Designs!

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday, and we spent a nice day together as a family. To celebrate, I made her this card using my new Close to My Heart set, Paradise, and my SU inks and papers. I hope this year brings you nothing but the best, Mom!

Denami Designs Theme Challenge #2

Who wouldn't love the theme of summer splash? When I first started thinking about this challenge, I was a little disheartened about the fact that my sand castle is my only 'summery' Denami Designs stamp. Staring at my stamps for days didn't make any new 'summery' ones appear, but it did inspire me to use the masking technique to make it seem as though this little monkey is putting the finishing touches on the sand castle he built. Thanks to my daughter for letting me raid her seashell collection from Fort Myers, Marco Island, and Sanibel Island! And thanks to Mom and Dad for bringing us there!
Stamps: Denami Designs Sand Castle and Single Monkey and a palm tree from Michael's $1 bin
Paper: SU Real Red, Whisper White, and Green Galore
Ink: SU Basic Black, Stampin' Write Markers, and SU Watercolor Pencils
Other: seashells, twine, random palm tree charm, and Sugar Coating Glitter

Woof!

I created this card for the Wee Memories Challenge #10 entitled In Stitches. The challenge was to incorporate any kind of stitching into my project. I dug through all of my old cross-stitch supplies to see what I could come up with. (By the way, I haven't cross-stitched one bit since I started all of my scrapping and stamping - Oops!) I "borrowed" my daughter's Denami Designs Cuddly Pals Puppy as my main image/inspiration. Too, too cute! I didn't have any of those clever Bazzill stitch templates, so I created my own. I borrowed images from my computer, printed them on cardstock, cut out the images, then traced/pierced around the "stencils" in (hopefully!) regular intervals to create my own templates to stitch. My favorite part of this card is the pup's rhinestone tag on his collar. Woof!

Denami Designs Product Challenge #02

Happy Monday! For their latest challenge, Denami Designs was generous enough to give each of the participants a free downloadable favor template. Thank you! After much deliberation, I decided on the small gift bag. Adorable! I went with a pansy theme for my favor. I used Denami's pansy stamps and filled the favor bag with pansy seeds. As an added bonus, my recipient will be treated to a removable book mark. Those giant paper clips bring me back to my teaching days. They were all over my grade book, teaching manuals and stacks of graded and ungraded papers. Enjoy!
Stamps: Denami Designs Single Pansy and Pansy Sprig
Paper: SU Lovely Lilac, Lavendar Lace, and Whisper White
Ink: SU Basic Black and Stampin' Write markers
Other: Michael's ribbon, SU Crystal Effects, Pop Dots and punches

EBTKS Challenge #16

I made this card for the Everything But the Kitchen Sink Challenge. At EBTKS they create fun and unusual challenges using common household items. This challenge called for the use of nail polish. How clever is that? Sorry, Mom, and sorry, Denami Designs, I cheated on both of you...for this challenge I used my Close to My Heart stamps. The cherry blossoms just screamed for pale pink and dark pink nail polish. I stamped the large cherry blossom in Chocolate Chip ink, then "painted" it with a pale pink, shimmery nail polish. After it dried, I "painted" the center with a darker shade of polish. I then cut it out and popped it up on my branch. I dotted the center of each of the small blossoms with some polish as well. Enjoy...and dream!
Stamps: CTMH Aspiration
Paper: SU Pretty in Pink
Ink: SU Pretty in Pink, Pink Passion, and Chocolate Chip
Other: Michael's ribbon, Pop Dots, and my daughter's nail polish (Thanks, Sydney!)

Monkeying Around!

I was so excited to get the adorable Denami Designs monkeys for my birthday last month. I just couldn't wait to make this year's Father Day cards with these guys. Are they too cute for words or what?
Stamps: Denami Designs Swinging Monkeys and Denami Designs Peeled Banana
Paper: SU Chocolate Chip and Green Galore
Ink: SU Basic Black and Stampin' Write Markers

Denami Design Sketch Challenge #02

We are enjoying a beautiful day here in Chicago! We spent the morning test driving Sydney's new bike and digging up worms for our pet turtle and frog. Our new house has a sunroom that overlooks a gorgeous garden. Thanks to the previous owners for being so gifted and creative in their gardening. The garden attracts a variety of butterflies and birds (even humming birds!) and that was the inspiration for my card. Enjoy!
Stamps: Denami Designs Butterfly Daisy Circle, Denami Designs Scallop Tulip, Stampin' Up Short and Sweet
Paper: SU Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, and Pink Passion
Ink: SU Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, and Pink Passion and Stampin' Write markers
Other: Denami Designs Sparklets, Cuttlebug D'Vine Swirls, Pop Dots, Quickie Glue Pen

Denami Color Challenge #2

I was excited when Denami Designs latest color challenge included my favorite tropical colors. Way to choose colors, Beka! We actually have pet turtles at home, so Denami's turtle stamps were a must have for me, and I was so thrilled to get them for Mother's Day...just in time for the tropical challenge! For my stamps, I used Denami Designs Mini Turtle and Side-View Mini Turtle. I also used their Medium Dot Circle Frame. For both card stock and ink, I used Stampin' Up's Green Galore, Tempting Turquoise, Pink Passion and Basic Black. Enjoy!

Mother's Day

A happy (belated) Mother's Day to all of you wonderful moms out there! These were my cards this year. I used Stampin' Up's Elegant Eggplant and Basic Black, along with stamps from the SU Garden Silhouettes and Of the Earth sets. If you look closely, you can see that I clear heat embossed a garden on the black. To color my main image, I used a technique I found on Splitcoaststampers.com called "Black Magic." I stamped my butterfly using a Whisper White Craft Pad. After letting it dry (thoroughly!) I colored over the white with metallic colored pencils. I added some silver dots with my Zig Painty to accent my image. I hope you enjoy the final product!

Teacher Appreciation

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week, and as a teacher myself, I know that kind words and gestures, yummy treats, and little gifts are very meaningful. Sydney is blessed to have a WONDERFUL kindergarten teacher and aide. To show our appreciation for all they do, I made them these cute little gift card holders. No amount of gift card is "too cheap." Even $5 will buy your favorite teacher a couple of cups of coffee or a new shade of lipstick. I was thrilled to get $5 here or $5 there...it really adds up in the end. And honestly, the best gift you can give is FREE. Write a letter to the principal and superintendent letting them know what an exceptional job your child's teacher does. A nice letter of recommendation is a welcome addition to anyone's credential file. Taking time out of your busy schedule to write a letter of recommendation shows true appreciation for a job well done.

Welcome Baby Hannah!

My dear friends, Rachel, Carl and little Carl, just welcomed a beautiful baby girl, Hannah Marie, into their family. I wanted to make them a baby card to match their nursery bedding, and just happened to have the perfect stamp sets to do so, Close to My Heart's Bird Basics and SU's Garden

Silhouettes. (Thank goodness for spell check!) Isn't the cherry blossom ribbon from Michael's a perfect accent? Everyone in our house is a bit under the weather with colds and flus, so we will have to wait a few days before we get to meet the bundle of joy.

Denami Design Theme Challenge #1

This weekend my mom hosted me and three of my stamping and scrapping friends for a "scrapover" to celebrate my birthday. No kids, no husbands, no cooking, no cleaning...absolute Heaven! She provided all of our meals, even had favor bags stuffed with crafting supplies, and offered make and takes. Thanks, Mom! As if the scrapover wasn't a great gift in itself, she also loaded me up with Denami Design stamps, pads, and punches. I was especially excited to get the large hydrangea. As soon as I got home I started creating my birthday thank you cards with it. Then I saw that the next challenge was a spring theme. Perfect! I used my SU markers and aqua painters to water color my hydrangea (and my water coloring skills could use a little refining!) I added pretty pearls to accent each bloom. I used the SU French Script background stamp and Merci stamp (ironic considering I don't speak a lick of French.) It didn't show up great in the photo, but I highlighted the torn edges of my Ballet Blue card stock with Denami Design's Sparklets and a little help from my glue pad. The base color of my card is SU Lavender Lace. The hemp and beads were leftover from a project I worked on years ago. Enjoy!

Embellish Parties Color Challenge

When I learned that the Embellish Color Challenge was party-themed, I instantly thought of someone near and dear to my heart...Great Grandma Pearl. Pearl will celebrate her 90th birthday this July. One of Great Grandma's favorite activities is feeding the neighborhood birds. She will probably never win any popularity contests with her neighbors due to the large amount of squirrels she attracts as well as her feathered friends. In honor of my favorite bird lover, I chose to use the bird stamps and embossing folders I love. My mom always uses test tubes to make various favors. Hers usually contain a delectable treat fit for human consumption. For mine however, I chose to go with something for the birds...bird food. I must admit, one reason for doing so was that the bird seeds and sunflower seeds match the kraft paper and black so well! I used my geometry skills (and my beloved Scor-Pal) to create a cube based template for my birdhouse. See, Mom and Dad, you didn't waste money on all of the college tuition! In the photos it is difficult to see, but the black cardstock on the card, place card, and birdhouse roof and door were all embossed with the Cuttle Bug Birds and Swirls folder. Pretty appropriate, huh? My images were all stamped with one of my favorite Stampin' Up sets, Always. The images were embellished with Stickles and rhinestones. Speaking of SU, all of my cardstock and ink was SU. My letters and numbers were from the Close to My Heart Small Chocolate Alphabet (absolutely delicious!) The ribbon was from the Ribbon Boutique, and the super-elegant metal pendant was from the Metal Gallery. All I have to say is that I am glad that I only have to make 12 invites, favors, and place cards for the party. My love to you ALWAYS Great Grandma Pearl! Happy 90th Birthday!

Denami Designs Product Challenge #1 – Party Penguin

When I purchased Denami Designs Penguin with a Balloon stamp, I had my two precious godsons in mind. Kevin will be three in June, and Jonathan will be two in May. I wanted a fun, versatile birthday stamp, and considering how adorable this guy is, I couldn’t pass him up. As far as the design inspiration, I wanted to create something bold, eye catching and primary for my little guys. I used a color combination that I don’t usually use, and I am happy with how it turned out. As usual, I used Stampin’ Up cardstock, stamp pads and markers in Brocade Blue, Going Grey, Real Red and Old Olive. I love how the button balloons really seem to pop (no pun intended!) as some are raised with pop dots and others aren’t. I used jewelry wire for my balloon strings. The wire added a neat dimension to my card. Even if the toddlers don’t appreciate the hard work I put into this card, I know their mommies will!

That Time of Year

It is that time of year when First Holy Communions and Confirmations abound. I made this card for a special blessing in my life, Emily, who will celebrate her First Holy Communion and Confirmation next weekend. Sadly enough, I do not have a cross in my entire stamp collection. Hard to believe, I know. Anyhow, I got creative and made my own cross with Stampin' Up's Simply Said set. Doesn't it look so dainty, especially on the SU shimmery white paper? I also used the SU Elegant Bouquet embossing folder - on my Cuttle Bug (I cheated!) For a finishing touch, I placed delicate pearls in the center of each flower. Do you want to hear the most adorable part? For Emily's gift, we got her a pink Bible cover that is decorated with large daises. How is that for a theme? Now comes the difficult part...writing a nice sentiment inside without screwing up my whole card! I guess I had better go purchase a cross stamp before I need to make a religious card for a boy!

Easter Greetings!

We started off our morning with an Easter Egg Hunt, so what better way to spend the afternoon than creating Easter cards? How cute are these little chicks? I used Denami Designs Chickie Easter Basket to stamp the main image and colored it in with my Stampin' Write makers. At a rubber stamp show, Nami showed me the most darling trick...use an Exacto knife to cut a slit along the top of the Easter basket, and push through some real Easter grass. Absolutely adorable! I used my Stampin' Up Year-Round Fun II and SU Stampin' Pads (in Pretty in Pink, Barely Banana, and Gable Green) to create my own printed paper. I framed it all with SU Gable Green card stock. Inside, I will include a photo of my daughter in her Easter dress holding a bouquet daffodils. It will be a toss up as to who is cuter - the Easter chickies or Sydney!?! On another note, I am happy to report that Maddie has been seizure-free. Phew! Thank you to everyone for your concern. Thank you also to those who were kind enough to comment on my new blog. Have a great weekend!

Denami Sketch Challenge #01

We had some drama in our house yesterday. Our shih tsu, Maddie, had a seizure. Thankfully, she is doing fine now. Hopefully it was an isolated incident and won't ever happen again. Our vet told us to keep a close eye on Maddie for 24 hours. As a result, Maddie was even allowed to break Daddy's house rule of "no dogs in bed." Anyhow, when I was stuck at home keeping an eagle eye on my girlfriend, I decided to make good use of my time and create a card with my new Denami Designs products. I used Denami Designs Pansy Sprig along with my Stampin' Up Merci set. I used SU card stock (Basic Black, Taken With Teal, and Lavendar Lace) and water color paper. I had fun coloring with my Stampin' Write markers, and adding some of Denami's Sparklets and SU clear embossing to liven my card up. I'm off to check on Maddie and to work on my Easter cards.

Getting Started

Welcome to Jenny's Getaway. I really don't feel like my life is blog worthy. However, I am looking forward to having a place to share my creativity and designs. I was inspired to start this blog by my mom and by Nami of Denami Designs. To my husband's dismay, Gail and Nami enable me in my compulsion to buy more craft supplies than I know what to do with. In fact, in this photo, my mom and I are taking a break from our shopping at Denami Designs. My mom sells Stampin' Up, and I cannot get enough of their card stock and ink. The quality and selection can't be beat. I recently met Nami at a stamp show, and am looking forward to building my collection of Denami Designs stamps. Their stamps are original and refreshing, and it will be difficult to prioritize my Denami expenditures! We just recently moved to Schaumburg and purchased a house that needs a great deal of TLC. My parents have been a godsend. Without their time, energy, expertise, and elbow grease, my house would not be a home. My craft room, also known as Jenny's Getaway, is now complete. I look forward to many happy hours in my getaway. On my blog, (hopefully!) you will see many finished products.