Merry Christmas

From my Family to Yours,

Merry Christmas

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas

I cannot believe how quickly this past year
has gone by. My retirement from Rockwell was
10 months ago, wow! The new year is only 10
days away. I don't know about you but I am
already working on my New Year's resolutions, lol. I want to get in shape and work on eating
properly. Reduce the snacks!!

This last Holiday card for 2008 I used the stamp set "Big on Christmas". It's one of my
favorite sets.





Not sure if I will post anything more before Christmas so I just want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.



Enjoy,
Pat

Last Christmas Card idea for 2008

I thought I would share one more Mr. Twigster idea with you. I think this set will stay in my collection for a very long time.

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season with family and friends.

Stamp' Up Fall/Winter Catalog Retirement list

SU announced today the stamp sets retiring on January 18th, 2009. Never to be seen again. If there are stamp sets you were putting off purchasing at a later date and they are now on the retirement list, this would be a great time to order. Stampin' Up is offering a 10% discount on all stamp sets on the retirement list starting today, December 9th through the 23rd. In addition to the 10% discount on retiring stamp sets, if place an order totaling $70. by December 23rd, you will receive free shipping. So, this is a great time to check your supplies and place an order.

Click on my Stampin' Up web site (on the left side under favorite links) and then click on "Promotion details" and you will find the list of retiring stamp sets. You will also see another promotion for 20% off a list of stamp sets from the Sampler Promotion that is currently running from December 1, 2008 through January 18th, 2009.

Vendor Fair

This past Saturday, my daughter Kim, cousin Kellie and I participated in a Vendor fair. I took pictures at the fair and thought I would share them with you. Not a lot of people came, not sure why but we had fun anyway. I always love spending time with my daughter and niece. Both of them are going to love that I am posting these pictures! Oh well.

Holiday Lineup

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Do you believe it is now only 25 days until Christmas. I am starting my handmade Christmas cards tonight. Our house is decorated inside and out except for our Christmas village which Doug is starting tomorrow and most of the gifts are purchased and ready for wrapping. It's great to be retired!

This week's Christmas card is made with Holiday Lineup and Photo Corners punch.

PS: St. Nick's Eve is Friday, 12 /5.

Christmas Gift tags

At the Vendor Fair today I demo'd Christmas gift tags so I thought I would share two of them with you. The tag corner punch make it so easy to create great gift tags.

Snow Swirled Again

Week 3 Christmas card idea. Sorry it's Snow Swirled again but I saw this idea on Splitcoast Stampers and thought I would share this great card. Hope you like it as much as I did making it.

November 18th class

Thought I would share the projects we did at Tuesday's class. Each person used their own creativity stamping and painting their tile. All of them turned out beautifully. We all had such a great time.

The projects included dry erase tiles, using the stamp set Embrace Life, gift tag/book marker using the stamp set Home for Christmas, Gift card holder using Mr. Twigster stamp set and Christmas card using Snow Swirled. I took a few pictures of their completed projects. Next class will be in January. I will post class information some time in December.

Snow Swirled Chistmas Card

Here is the week 2 Christmas card idea. Using my coluzzle template I cut an oval to create a background for this card. I then stamped the tree, added a few snowflakes and ribbon for a quick and easy card. The card stock used was Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy and Whisper White. Lastly, to give the card some glitz I added stickles to the the center of each snowflake.

October class

Thought I would share with you the projects we made at the October class in my home. We had a great time along with good conversation and friendship.

First craft fair this year

I thought I would share some pictures from the Rockwell Automation craft fair on Thursday, 11/6. It was a nice craft fair but not as well attended by employees and retiree's as in past years. Oh well, maybe next year. My next craft fair is at Thomas Moore on Nov. 15th. If you have time stop in. There is a bake sale at this one that is out of this world!

Thanks for looking.

Home for Christmas

This week's Christmas card is made with the stamp set Home for Christmas. I used SU's blender pens to color each area. It actually went very quickly. When is was completed I thought is could use a little pzazz so I added some glitter using my sticklers. This stamp set and the ribbon are only available in the Holiday Mini catalog through January 18th, 2009.

November Class

It's November 4th and election day. By tomorrow we will know who will be our 44th President of the United States. How exciting! Today also reminds us that Thanksgiving is in 23 days and Christmas in 51 days. Today was a beautiful day and thoughts of Christmas and Thanksgiving should be further away then it really is. My last class for 2008 is Tuesday, November 18th at 6:30 P.M. We will be making a dry erase message tile, gift card holder, gift tags and one Christmas card for a member of your family. The cost for this class is $20. Here's a preview of the dry erase tile (which includes the stand and pen) and the gift card holder. Mr. Twigster stamp set is now one of my favorite holiday stamp sets and it only costs $13.95 for a set of 4. Keep in mind if you like Mr. Twigster he is currently only available through January 18th in the Holiday Mini catalog.

Email me at plwalecki@yahoo.com if you would like to attend the November 18th class.

Cardinal Christmas

Can you believe Saturday is November 1st! Christmas is only 56 days away. So let's get started thinking about our Christmas cards. I will post a new card idea each week to help you get started. Today the card is from a Stampin' Up set called Cardinal Christmas. I love this set.

Card Stock: Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke and Whisper White

Stamp pads: Always Artichoke and Real Red

Accessories: 1/4" circle punch, ticket corner punch, red grosgrain ribbon and dazzling diamonds stampin' glitter

Happy Halloween!!!

My Grandson went trick or treating last Sunday afternoon with his Mom and Dad in their neighborhood. Isn't he just the cutest little pirate. Muskego's trick or treating is tomorrow evening so I am taking him through our neighborhood. It will give my friends and neighbors a chance to see how he has grown over the past year.

Happy Halloween to all!

Bridal Shower

Last weekend my daughter and I went to a friend's bridal shower. We had a great time and I really enjoyed spending the afternoon with my daughter and friends. I thought I would share the card I made for Hana. As you can see you don't always need to use stamps when making a card.

Halloween Treats

Sorry I have been a little slow in posting but I've been trying to get ready for a couple of craft fairs in November. I thought I would post some of the fun things we made at the Sept. class. We had a great time. We made pumpkin poop, paperclip bookmarks, bagged treats, decorated peppermint patties, diaper fold container, and cards. Hope you have a fun Halloween!

PS: If you double click on the photo you can read the pumpkin poop poem.

Sneak Peak at October Class

Thought I would give you a sneak peak at one of the make and takes for the October class. This is a quick and easy card to send to friends and relatives. We will also be doing a few other projects for Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you are interested in attending, I still have a couple of openings for the October class. Email me if you want to attend (plwalecki@yahoo.com). Class cost is $15.00.

Eat Drink and Be Scary

We had a great time at the Halloween class on Sept. 23rd. We made several Halloween treats and two cards. Here's the second card we made using Eat Drink and Be Scary stamp set from the new Holiday Mini catalog.

Batty For You

I thought I would share two Halloween 12x12 scrapbook pages I
completed for my Grandson's scrapbook. I used Ghostly Greetings
designer series paper on both pages. Stamp sets used, Halloween
Frights and Eat Drink and Be Scary along with Frightful Fence
are from the new Holiday Mini that will be available on October 1st.
The other wheel used, Batty is from the Fall and Winter Catalog.

Hope you like them.

Stampin' Up Sept. promotion is almost over

Can't believe that Sept. is almost over and fall has began. The leaves on the trees are starting to change colors. As beautiful as it is, it's a reminder that the holidays are not far away. When you have gorgeous weather as we are having like this week no one wants to talk about Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. The stores are already starting to put up their Christmas displays, another sign that Christmas is only 15 weeks away. WOW!! So, if you are make your own Christmas cards that does not seem to far off. The Sept. promotion has 15% off 10 stamp sets, including one that is a great set for Christmas cards. So take a look at the on-line catalog and give me a call if you would like to purchase any of these sets before the end of day, Sept. 30th.

Still time to join us on Sept. 23rd

If anyone is interested there is still 2 spots open for the Halloween class on the 23rd. Call or email me if you are interested.

Wow Flowers II

Sorry it has been more than a week since I last posted anything. I have a few craft fairs coming up and I am trying to get ready for them. I thought I would post another card made with Wow Flowers. I love this set. The card stock and ink pads used are the new In Colors in the Fall and Winter Catalog. Hope you like this quick and easy card. I will post some of the items we are making at the Sept. 23rd class later next week.

Class Reschedules

I received some feedback indicating that the 16th of Sept. is not good for some of you so I am rescheduling the Sept. class to the 23rd and the Oct. class to the 21st. The Nov. class will still be the 18th. If you are on my email list I will also send you a quick note of the changes. The Sept. class will include several quick, easy and inexpensive gift ideas for Halloween. Need a gift for a teacher, co-worker, family or friends, you will love these ideas. Please RSVP for the Sept. class by Sept. 17th. Class size is limited to 8. Hope to see you on the 23rd.

PS: Our basement is complete and open for classes.

Batty For You

This is a sample of the card we'll be doing at my class on Sept. 16. I love this stamp set for Halloween. It is so versatile for cards, scrapbooking and gift giving. For those of you who scrapbook, I will also have a 12 x 12 scrapbook page completed on display using this set. We will have fun making some quick and easy gift ideas. Hope you can join us on the 16th.

Class Schedule

Finally, I have my class schedule for the next 3 months. Listed below is the schedule and cost. I will be limiting my classes to 8 people per class. If there is enough interest I may add a second class the following Tuesday. All classes will start at 6:30 PM.

Sept. 16th class will focus on Halloween. We will be making one card, paper clip bookmarks and one to two gift giving ideas. Cost of class is $15. The stamp set we will be using is Batty for You, cost $22.95 and Ghostly Greetings, 12 x 12 designer series paper, cost $9.95. If anyone would like to preorder, please let me know by Friday, Sept. 5th. Please R.S.V.P. attendance by Friday, Sept. 12th.

Oct. 14th class will focus on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Nov. 18th class will focus on Christmas.

I will post more details on the Oct. and Nov. classes in the next few weeks. Watch for the sneak peek of the Sept. class Monday night.

Email me at plwalecki@yahoo.com to confirm your attendance. Hope to see you on the 16th.

Pat

Embrace Life

Sorry I haven't posted any new ideas in the past two weeks. We are almost at the finish line with redoing our basement. Carpeting is going in Thursday and the new furniture is being delivered on Saturday. By Sunday, everything should be in place and we can once again watch a movie with surround sound. No more projects for a while, hurray!! We are going to make up for lost time on the golf course and evenings will be available for stamping. So with that said, here is another card made with the faux background technique. Embrace life is the stamp set used.

Hope you like it.

PS: My monthly class schedule at my home will be out next week. Sept. class will be dedicated to Halloween cards and gifts.

Stampin' Up Promotion

Becoming a Stampin’ Up!® demonstrator has never been easier! From August 11 through October 11, you can choose from three different Starter Kits with three different focuses, depending on your interests—and each one is only $99! More information will be available on my SU web site: www.patwalecki.stampinup.net next week.

Last look at the Spring and Summer Catalog

I was inspired by another card I saw on Splitcoast Stampers when I made this one. Enjoy!

Stamp set: Time Well Spent

Cardstock: Whisper white, Wild Wasabi

Stamp pads: Apricot Appeal, Whisper White, Almost Amethyst and Basic Black

Accessories: Stampin dimensionals and slick writers.

Just a reminder that the current In Color ink and cardstock and the retired stamp sets and accessories will be gone after Aug. 10th.

Call or email me if you want to order.

WOW Flowers

Thought I would give you a sneak peek at one of the stamps sets and punch that will be in the new Fall and Winter catalog coming out on Aug. 11th. The punch can make a scallop border as long as you want. This will be great for scrapbook borders and greeting cards. It is so easy to use. Can't wait to show you.

Card stock and ink pads used are In color from the Spring and Summer catalog.

Well Worn Alphabets

Haven't posted a scrapbook page in a while so I thought I would share the one I just completed for my Son's Amateur Golf year. The page uses the current In Color 12 x12 paper, Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi and River Rock along with Whisper White. Ink used was Basic Black. Accessories used were Hodgepodge hardware and the Photo Corners punch. I wanted the scrapbook page to highlight the photo of Scott at the 1st tee. I think my husband, Doug took a great photo at the 1st tee.

Let me know what you think!!

Technique Classes Postponed

I am sorry to say that I need to postpone having monthly technique classes until Sept. We are in the middle of redoing our basement due to the flooding in early June. We plan to have it complete by August 23rd. It has to be complete because I scheduled the carpeting to be laid on the 20th and 21st. Starting in Sept. the technique classes will focus on gift ideas for Christmas, Halloween, Christmas cards and gift tags. So please be patient with me and I will have a list of the classes and dates by the first week in August. I will continue to post card making ideas on a weekly basis. Stay tune.

Thanks for your support.

Pat

In Color leaving us next month

Can't believe it is July 5th already. We really need to enjoy the weather while we have it. I do most of my stamping in the late evening during the summer months. I love this card. It is made with most of the colors and accessories that are retiring next month.

Stamp Set: Sincere Salutations
Card Stock: River Rock, Groovy Guava, Whisper White and Ginger Blossom Designer Paper
Stamp Pad: Ruby Red
Accessories: Hodgepodge hardware (Antique Brass), Groovy Guava Double Stitched Ribbon and Stampin' Dimensions

Call or email me if you would like to place an order before they retire on Aug. 10th.

Baroque Motifs

This card was inspired by a card I received at convention in April. I like that is versatile for many occasions just by changing the saying.

Stamp set: Baroque Motifs and Every Day Flexible Phrases
Card Stock: Basic Black, Kraft and Old Olive
Stamp Pads: Basic Black, Real Red and Old Olive
Accessories: Silver brad, Die Cut Blooms and Basic Black Grosgrain ribbon

If you get a chance, leave me a comment if you like it.

PS: Happy 4th of July!

Heartfelt Thanks

Here's a quick and easy card to create.

Stamp Sets: Heartfelt Thanks, Sincere Salutations

and background basics

Card Stock: Whisper White and Lavender Lace

Ink Pad: Lavender Lace

Accessories: Lavender Lace, Old Olive and Summer Sun Stampin' Write Markers

Faux Layering Technique

Last week at the technique's class, we learned how to create faux layering. This is the card everyone that attended created. I will be posting the next technique's class next week.

Pick a Petal

I got the idea for this card on Splitcoaststampers. I absolutely loved the idea and it was soooo quick and easy to make.

Stamp sets: Pick a Petal and Sincere Salutations

Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Black and Rose Red

Accessories: 1" circle punch, ribbon, and Stampin' Dimensionals

Enjoy!

Retired list from the Spring and Summer Catalog is Here!

Just released today the list of stamp sets that will be retiring from the Spring/Summer 2008 Catalog is here. You can order any of the sets through August 10th, 2008.

http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Retired_Lists_0608_US_N.pdf

http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Retired_Lists_0608_US_A.pdf

The 1st link is by the page in the catalog and the 2nd link is in alphabetically order.

Rain, rain to away come back another day

Sorry no ideas or posts this past week. Our sump pump went out last Saturday right in the middle of the storm and we had over an inch of water in the entire basement. If you have been to my house you know that our entire basement was finished. The furniture for the most part is ok. We just removed the last of the carpeting Thursday night except under our pool table. That will have to coordinated the move of the pool table when new carpeting goes in. Some of our tile area was damaged and also had to be removed. What a mess! Doug, Scott and I spent over 4 hours Saturday night just trying to get the water out. We took the shop vac and every towel we had in our house to suck up the water. I have been drying towels and putting them back on the carpeting to absorb the moisture for the past 4 days. Saturday night all I did was take sopping wet towels and run them through the rinse cycle to get the water out and then took them back down to he basement to soak up more water. It was not fun. The only area that stayed dry was around the pool table and most of my craft room, thank goodness. We are running fans, dehumidifier and air conditioning to get the moisture out. DO not want to go through this again. We changed the sump pump and added tubing to all our down spouts to push the rain further away from the house. I am listening to the sump pump running at this moment. (Hard rain again last night) You can bet that I'll be checking the sump pump every time it rains from this point on. We have a lot to do to get our house back in order. We had to wait until yesterday to start removing everything until we had the ok from our insurance company. Grateful that this was covered by our insurance. Technique class will be held upstairs Tuesday. Not a problem, there is plenty of room. Hope all is well with everyone and that none of you had to deal with water coming into your home. See those of you attending the class on Tuesday. I am really looking forward to it. I think you will really enjoy the techniques.

Pat

Technique's Class - June 17th, 2008

I thought I would give you a sneak peek at one of the cards you will make at the technique's class on June 17th. The technique is called the "Chalkboard Technique". We will being doing 2 versions of this technique along with another technique.

Class information:

Date: Tuesday, June 17th at 6:30 p.m.

Cost: $10. or order a minimum of $30. from the current catalogs on the day of class

Location: My home, if you need directions to my home please call me at 414-422-1117 or email me at plwalecki@yahoo.com

RSVP by: Friday, June 6th

A Tree for All Seasons

I have been on a cleaning and organizing frenzy in my craft room. So I am finishing cards that were partially started at one time or another. I started this card using Kraft card stock with a background stamp (Linen, now retired). So I used the stamp set "A Tree for All Seasons" to create a fall birthday card.

Stamp Sets: A Tree for All Seasons, Linen, Sincere Salutations

Card Stock: Kraft, Chocolate chip, Pumpkin Pie and Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black and Chocolate Chip

Accessories: Brads, Chocolate Chip Poly-Twill Ribbon

A Beautiful Thing - Get Well Card

When someone is sick, injured or just caught a cold there is nothing nicer than to send a get well card to let that person know you are thinking of them and wish them well. This card was made with the stamp set "A Beautiful Thing" . I like it because it is simple but elegant.

Card stock: Real Red, Whisper White and River Rock

Ink: Real Red

Accessories: Ribbon

Thanks for looking.

Book mark ideas

I know many of you are avid readers. Some of us read to be entertained, others for relaxation or just for information. I don't know about you but I alway seem to use a scrap piece of paper to mark my place in the book. So being the stamper I am I decided to create a more elegant bookmark and toss the scrap piece of paper. Once again, I just can't say enough about the Pretties Kit. Here are 3 samples of the ones I made this week. Enjoy! Now it's your turn to go use up some of your scrap cardstock to make yourself a new book mark. Have a great weekend.

Birthday/Mother's Day card for my Daugher

Big whoops on the information of this card. I made the
same card for my daughter for Mother's Day. I duplicated
it for a birthday card and I scanned the birthday card
instead of the Mother's Day card. So I am sharing both at one time.

I really like the Pretties Kit. You can dye the white flowers to match your color scheme.

Hope you like it.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is just around the corner. I thought I would share the card I made for my Mother this year. It's a simple but elegant card. Happy Mother's Day to all.