Oh man, it happened!  It was inevitable but I just didn't think it'd happen so soon.  No it's NOT what you're thinking...it wasn't a second blue line on a little white stick that indicates Pos or Neg.  It's that dreaded stamping disease, Christmascard-fed-upitis.  It's seriousness is second only to No-Mo-Mojo-itis, the kiss of death to a stamping women.  If you have contacted No-Mo-Mojo-itis, run, don't walk my stamping studio.  This is serious!  When you lose your stampin' Mojo, it's bad and the complications are even worse.  You must be seen by a professional to administer the nasal vaccine.  It requires a precise dose of Stampin' Mist fumes along with a strict diet of biscotti, chocolate and cute cards and should it become chronic, a monthly dose of new stamp sets.   Trust me, there's hope here at the Office.  You've got my number.

But Christmascard-fed-up-itis, while it's painful and annoying, the remedy is a little easier to tolerate.  You just stamp something besides Christmas Cards and eventually the painful ticks and rash fade on their own.  It happened to me yesterday.  I've been stamping up a snowstorm of Christmas Cards designs.  First for the Rubberstamp Expo and then for several classes, like the Christmas Card Buffet and Shimmer Paint one coming up next week.  I could feel it coming and I threw caution to the wind and stamped one more with my new stamp set,  Cold & Cuddly.  This card is for my Hostess Club that met yesterday and today. 

• Stamps:  COLD AND CUDDLY  116523   $27.95
   

While not exactly Christmas-y, it was the straw that broke it all.  I started feeling bad for all the Birthdays in December that get ripped off, the Get well and Sympathy cards I've not done or Thank You cards that just didn't get out!  All because of the all consuming need for Christmas Cards.  The trees, the snowflakes the Santas etc....I knew I had it.  Christmascard-fed-up-itis.  The rash, the ticks, the refusal to pick up a snowflake and cramping when using an Embossing Gun.

So I ran right over to the shelves and pulled out some non-Christmas, non-winter and not even FALL stamp sets.  Here's my second dose of antibiotic for Christmascard-fed-up-itis.  I think I feel better already.  It's a sassy little Fun Fold.  The top latte piece flaps over the bottom flap and just adorable!

Stamps:  PUN FUN  #115054   $32.95

Now, if you love these cards as much as I do, feel free to stop into the Hostess Club Open House today from 1pm-9pm.  My Hostess Club meets monthly and you are welcome to "try it before you buy it"  Meaning, you can stamp the three cards that the Hostess Club Members are working on today for only $5.00.  Come check us out and see if you'd like to join.  There is ABSOLUTELY no obligation to buy or join.  Just come and play and see what it's all about.

Hooray, I shirked every household duty and spent the morning stamping.  Ella was at her happy place, more commonly known as preschool.  It's heaven for both of us!  I get three hours of "me time" and she gets three hours of nonstop stimulus.  What more could an active two year old want?

So here's just a quick share of one of the cards that we will be doing at my SHOUT OUT FOR SHIMMER PAINT class on Nov 17th.  I've got three more adorable cards waiting for you!  There is still room for you at class.  We will be stamping 4 cards for $12.00.  Email me to sign up.

• Stamps: Serene Snowflakes, Sincere Salutations
• Inks: Platinum Shimmer Paint, Rich Razzleberry
• CS: Basic Gray, White, Silver, Rich Razzleberry

So now, fire off an email and tell me your are coming!  It's going to be loads of fun!
 

It was almost a stamp-free weekend....Adria was supposed to be in St. Louis for a soccer tournament but the tournie was cancelled due to the heavy rain.  So the kids and I headed in the opposite direction and spent Friday at the Wilderness in the Wisconsin Dells.   Didn't even pack the stamps, just the suits.  We returned home just in time to get our costumes on for trick-or-treating and a party at one of the soccer parents.  Adria went as a snowman, Denver as an old man, Ella as the appropriate Energizer Bunny and myself...I ratted and ratted my hair, sprayed it black and went as your favorite train wreck, Amy Winehouse. 

If you are familiar with Amy, she's loaded with tattoes.  I shopped both Target and Walmart for temporary tattoos to no avail.  Slap me silly!  Hello, you are a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and you have shelves full of rubber stamps.  Pulled out a few, along with my favorite Amy Winehouse type stamp, From the Crypt and used the Basic Black ink and proceeded to trash my arms and chest.  I should have added a few more but I wasn't quite sure how temporary we are talking here.  Regardless of Amy's church choice, I needed to go Sunday morning and felt I should be skull-free before going.  (they came off quite easily, the black hair spray...not so.)

So the next time you need to hang out at a biker bar and are just looking to blend in, pull out your rubberstamps and tatoo yourself.  They work great!  So I was the only thing I stamped on this long Teacher's Convention weekend!  Ella and Denver are in my facebook album.  Click on the left hand side of the blog & become and fan!
  

I'm so excited to share the photos of our booth at the Waukesha Rubberstamp and Scrapbook Expo.  We hosted a booth at the expo on Sat & Sun, Oct 24th & 25th and not that I'm slightly biased but I really think ours ROCKED!

Here's a photo of Cheryl Lentz and I.  Cheryl's one of my downline and is an amazing stamper.  She helped run the expo and helped put together our boards and fantabulous displays!  We had four different make and takes.  And of course they were different on Saturday and Sunday and I was so flattered that several customers came BACK to the expo just to make our Sunday cards.  We are booked for the Spring Expo which will be at the Wyndam in Milwaukee on May 22nd & 23rd.  Mark your calendars ladies.

Here's just one of our Make and Takes.  We've used the alcohol smoosh technique.   No!  It's not where you drink the alcohol and stamp with your face smooshed to the table...That's not the really the name but it's very descriptive, don't you think?  How about Alcohol Mist technique.  We have used acetate, reinkers and alcohol to create this gorgeous card.  Now, I've promised several of you that I'd post a video tutorial....whew, that is uncharted territory.  You guys have asked me for years to do this and the time as come to take the plunge.  Here's the kicker.  I have to wait until Adria gets up this morning (no school = sleep in late!) to show me how to use the current video technology.  I HATE it when my 12 year old is smarter than I.  Just don't tell her I said that!  I try to exude the air of "Mom Knows Best!"
 

Ain't this just stinkin' gorgeous!

• Scenic Season  #115354  $24.95

I know, aren't you kicking yourself that you didn't stop by on Sunday!  Don't panic, I'm a mom and I try to my hardest to make everyone happy.  You will be getting the tutorial but I've also added it to the You Pick Two for my parties.  It's part of the thing where you can Pick Your Make and Takes.   Book your November party today!  All for now, until Sleeping Beauty awakes.
 

 
I had a couple of you email and ask how I did the flat bow.  I'm going to try to work on a video tutorial for the Alchohol Smoosh technique but until I get those bugs worked out, I'll walk you through the flat bow with a few photos. 

Create a tube with your ribbon by overlapping the ends.  The glue dot will keep it closed.

Attach another piece of ribbon about 2.5" long to the center.  Use a Glue dot.

Pinch the tube shut and wrap the smaller ribbon around the center and glue shut with a 3rd Glue Dot.   Attach to card with a 4th Glue Dot.  I like the Glue Dots in lieu of regular adhesive as they are strong enough to attach small children to their chairs, keep things from floating into space on the shuttle...and the beauty of this kind of bow is that it's easy.  I have scads of customers that groan when I use bows at my classes and I use A LOT of ribbon!  It's also very postal friendly and never creates a problem when mailing.  Here's another quick card done using the Flat Bow.

 Stamps:  Teeny Tiny Wishes, Autumn Harvest

Don't forget to sign up for my mailing list to receive more tutorials of this nature in your inbox about twice monthly!
 

It's a been a couple of whirlwind weeks here in the Stampin' Cottage.  We had everyday calamities, the furnace and waterheater went out, animal trauma, such as tragic hawk attacks on poor defenseless poultry and a dog with serious bowel issues on white carpeting, we've dealt with "swine" in the form of H1N1 (Adria's much better and we've passed the 2.5 week with no one else getting it), I've had several classes and the Rubberstamp and Scrapbook Expo to prep for.  All this while Rob was in Maine working....whew.  I'm glad he's back and they brought a cooler of 25 lobster back for a big ol' Lobster Fest.  Mmmm.  It was worth it!

So life here at the cottage is back to normal as much as I can be "normal".  We had a full house yesterday morning at the Techniques and Folds class but I did have room for you in the evening class and you are going to kick yourself when you see the other cards you've missed.  I know, it'll hurt but remember you can sign up for the class in November.  It's on Monday, Nov 28th.  We will all be fat and sassy and full of Tom Turkey so you have NO excuse not to come.  Really, why spend the evening with the TV Guide when you have me!  Here's the two "quick and easy" cards.

• Stamps:  Falling Leaves & Bright Blessings Wheel
• CS:  Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, More Mustard, Glossy White
• Inks:  Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, More Mustard, Basic Black Cartridge
• Misc:  Punches, Sponge Daubers

• Stamps:  Tree Trimmings
• CS:  White, Christmas Cocoa
• Inks:  REal Red and Basic Black
• Misc:  Punch, Big Shot Pennant Die, Red Grosgrain.

If you wish to purchase any of these products, click here to order online.

For the seek of research, I've carved out a few minutes to work with the My Digital Studio.  I've found it to be fun and fairly easy to use.  (remember my computer skills are at about a 4th grade level so when I say fairly easy, it is!  While I doubt that I will completely forsake my 3D paper and scissors, ribbons etc for digital, I am having lots of fun working with it. 

Have a tween in your house?  Adria has been itching to get her hands on it and has whipped out several pages already. I can wait to try a few more...So here's a very quick page I modified from a template. I'd love to stay and chat but we had our girls' weekend with my mom, aunts, cousins and grandma and I'm shot!

I'm popping in real quick with a blatant shout out for Stamps By Mail.  Remember this is the stamp camp that comes to your door?  Remember how you get three shipments of stamps, accessories and cardstock, with two each of 3 cards each month cut and designed around the stamps and accessories in the kit.  Remember how cool it is to get these kits in the mail?  Well, we are getting ready to start the next one and it's not too late to join.  Here's just a sneak peak at one of the cards.  Kit includes the following items and substitutions are allowed.  Email me with any questions or to sign up.

My Hostess Clubs are meeting today and tomorrow and I've just got to share the cutest little project that we are doing for club.  It's even got a secret slider panel that allows easy access to the treats and are refillable.  So for instance you could intercept this card, eat the chocolate and refill with raisins and your kids' teeth wouldn't root or be on a sugar high.  See everyone is happy, we've got the chocolate and the kids have healthy teeth.

Stamps:  Sweet Center

Inks:  Black, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery

CS:  Cast-A-Spell, White & Old Olive

Remember our Hostess Clubs meet monthly and have a $20.00 Minimum order.  It's a great way to stock up on supplies and reap the Hostess Rewards when it's your turn!  Click here for more info.  Come and check us out for only $5.00.  (No order requirement)

I'll pop back in with more samples later.  Ella and I have to go and watch Adria's Cross Country Meet.  That running stuff doesn't even seem like fun.  I'd rather sit and STAMP!