Friday, June 26, 2009

Custom Stamps

This is a great layout, which I totally CASEd from a talented blogger. . . and I don't remember who it was. If you recognize this particular combo, feel free to remind me!

I love to order a custom stamp for an occasion when I know it will get tons of use. Graduation invites, thank you notes and scrapbook pages will all have this particular BGHS Class of 2009 stamp, so it is well worth the little investment.

Stampin' Up! will be retiring this particular type of custom stamp, and offering a wide variety of new options, with some great choices in the Bridal collection.

Can't wait for July 1st, when the new Idea Book & Catalog go live!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Wagon Full of Fun


It seems like I shared this with you before. It is a CASE from Jenn Diercks, a greatly talented stamper. This darlinig Lucky Duck is from the Wagon Full of Fun stamp set, and she will be retiring in a few days, never to be available for purchase again. There are some really great spring/summer stamps in this set! Let me know if you are interested in any of the "last chance" products--I would love to help you out!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

DCBD Sketch Challenge 133


Just Beachy has just a week of life left, before it hits the road forever. If you love these cute flip flops or can't live without the very funny fish, please give me a little nudge, so we can get you busy ordering! This card is kind of a flipped version of the sketch, using all the brown papers from the Parisian Breeze DSP, also retiring on June 30.
If you love a sketch challenge, please join us, make your card or project, post it to your blog or to SplitCoast and use Mr Linky on the DCBD blog to let us all know where you are posted. If you need a bit more inspiration, just visit the rest of the Divas and check out their ideas.
Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

I am Published!


There are a few fun magazines available for inspiration in the rubber stamping world. One of my favorites is Stampers Sampler. It offers so many cards and projects in each edition. And quarterly they publish a big book of cards and projects only, no articles or biographies. Recently I got a message from a friend that I had a card published in the quarterly Catch Up Issue! Much to my surprise! My DD and I had implemented a sketch suggestion from the magazine and we sent our cards in, totally on a lark, and I was lucky enough to be chosen. They sent me a free copy of the issue, with just a small amount of prodding, and I will proudly share it with anyone who expresses even the slightest amount of interest, just ask!

Of course my absolute favorite book for inspiration is the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog. If you don't have your own current copy, leave me a message and I'll see that you have one in your hands. A new edition will arrive on my doorstep THIS THURSDAY available to you on July 1st. Comment, email, call or just send me a really strong mental message, I'll jump right to it!

June is just flying by, and it is supposed to be a HOT week, so crank up the air conditioning and catch up on some personal correspondence, with handmade cards, of course!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, June 22, 2009

Thank You Card

Have I shown you this card? We celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary recently and enjoyed a wonderful evening with many of our family and friends. As a bonus, we received some really thoughtful and lovely gifts. This is the thank you note I designed and duplicated to send to all those lovely people. The stamp set is Le Jardin Botanique (hope I spelled that right, from memory). I really love the images in this set and will be working with them more in the future.

Remember the Last Chance list is on my Stampin' Up! shopping website, just a few short days left to take advantage of the opportunity to get any stamp sets that will be leaving us forever July 1.

Are you interested in a new catalog? I can attest that it is chock full of gorgeous samples and loads of new stamp sets and overflowing with wonderful new accessories! Leave me a message or send me an email and I will arrange for you to have this new Idea Book and Catalog in your hands the moment they arrive!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Tracy's Shoebox Card

I know that it is Father's Day, but the Shoebox Swap was way before Mother's Day, and Tracy brought this lovely offering for all the swappers. This uses the BigShot TopNote die, by far the most popular die that Stampin' Up! offers. Everybody absolutely loves this die! And it certainly made for a great composition here!

If you were at the Shoebox Swap and I haven't featured your card, please let me know! I believe we have seen them all, but I certainly do not want to leave anyone out!

It must be time to start planning my next big event! Watch this space for more information!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Shoebox Swap card by Kathy

What a bright and cheerful card on a rainy summer day!  Kathy designed this beauty for our Shoebox Swap this spring. Gotta love the Pacific Point blue, but only for two more weeks, then it goes into permanent retirement!

Kathy was here Tuesday night, stamping masculine cards at a little stamp camp.  She and her friend had to reschedule from a class I offered, due to schedule conflicts.  As she left, I heard her say she loved that it was just the three of us, a little group of stampers.  Me too!  If you and a friend would like to come and stamp, or just you!! call me!! I would LOVE to have you!

Happy Stamping!  Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

DCBD color challenge 132


Good morning! I feel a bit remorseful lately, I have too much on my plate and some of the details have to slip. But I'm enjoying a busy fun life, even if I have to "face the music" occasionally, like a goofy little raccoon!  As you can see, he helped me meet this color challenge, even if my camera left us a bit short in color and sharpness. Crud. I really have to work on that.

Click on the Coffee Break icon at right to see our blog and be able to visit the other Divas for inspiration, then post your challenge creation for all of us to compliment and praise. 

For you demonstrators out there, this card is totally CASEd from a design in the NEW DESIGN BOOK & CATALOG! I am loving the fact that I have a new inspiration tool on my craft table!

For the rest of you, future demonstrators as I like to call you, be sure to check your wish list against the Stampin' Up! list of retiring products, you only have a couple short weeks of June to place your order, and many accessories and DSP products are already gone!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Country Living Magazine special


Summer picnic

Summer fun

Create special memories with a fun and convenient, coordinated summer barbeque!

Item # 

Description

Price

118070 

Country Living Summer Cookout Kit $24.95

The exclusive Country Living Summer Cookout Kit includes the following products:

  • 8 die-cut table tents (2 each of 4 colors)
  • Die-cut components, bamboo skewers, and envelopes to create 8 shish kabob invitations
  • 12 die-cut coasters (3 each of 4 colors)
  • 16 die-cut tags (4 each of 4 colors)
  • 24 12" x 12" printed food wrapper sheets (12 each of 2 colors)
  • 4 printed recipe cards
  • 5 yards linen thread 
  • Ruby Red Classic Stampin' Spot
  • Night of Navy Classic Stampin' Spot
  • Dig In stamp set (item number 116700)

Note: the kit does not include tablecloths, plates, or flatware.

Make your summer entertaining beautiful and easy with this great product collection.  All coordinated for you, and ready to showcase your elegant hostessing!  Just give me a ring or shoot me an email or click on over to my Stampin' Up! website to order: http://dtollaksen.stampinup.net 

Happy Stampin! 

Dee Tollaksen


Sunday, June 14, 2009

It's good to be home!

I am so glad to be home. Texas is hot. HOT! And let me tell y'all, it is humid! 

I just recently purchased Fifth Avenue stamp set. I own lots of flowers sets, do I really need this? Well, I think it is a MUST HAVE set, and I will be showing lots of different uses for it, making it a very good investment!  I love this really beautiful  shimmery coppery paper from the Taste of Textiles paper pack, it is very thick and just a little bit of it adds lots of richness to a card.

Back to my 4 days in Waco, TX. Baylor U is a beautiful, old campus, with the nicest folks on-staff.  But it is kinda big!  We went without a car, just cabbed from the airport to the LaQuinta, where we woke up "happy" every morning, as their ads insist.

I put on my walking shoes and we headed out, just my DD and I and 600 other incoming freshmen/parent couples. We scoured every inch of that campus, I have to believe. I have at least 7 blisters to prove it, and I know where to eat, sleep, study, swim, pray, work, relax and pay. And I heard that there are classrooms as well!  Clearly, DD will be having the time of her life in a lovely, Christian environment. Her path appears clearly illuminated.  Now, I have to figure out where my path is!
Happy stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

DCBD Sketch challenge 131


Well, it looked better in my mind. . . and now I have to just let you imagine how it might have been. . . I used the brayer technique currently so popular, to add color to my embossed rose and I cut the letters on the BigShot. Somehow this just isn't singing to me, but all my brain cells are focused on the activities for the rest of my week!  I'm off to Baylor University with my DD for freshman orientation. Baylor is in Waco TX and we live in Chicagoland (yes, folks from northern Illinois call it Chicagoland, and we don't care that it sounds silly).  So that means, lots of travel to just get there, to walk around for two days and see the campus from every angle.  Maybe they will reveal the secret to "paying for college in this economy" or maybe you will all order tons of "last chance" products from me while I'm gone, so I can afford the tuition! 
I have a couple good cards to share, as soon as I get back, so come on back and see me on Sunday!
Dee Tollaksen
 


Shoebox Swap by Enith


Enith chose to use Upsy Daisy stamp set for her card design at the Shoebox Swap. I don't know if there is any scientific measure, but my unscientific measure confirms that this is one of the most popular sets in the Stampin' Up! catalog.  And any kind of orange color is definitely the "current" hot shade!  Clearly she hit on a winner!  This is a perfect card for a shoebox swap as well, easy to make and beautiful.
Thanks for visiting,
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, June 8, 2009

Laura's Shoebox Card


We are working our way through all the cards that were brought to the Shoebox Swap recently. Today is Laura's card. One of my favorite designers, Laura is able to take a few simple elements and put together a beautiful composition.  I love that it isn't overdone or too busy. A bit of ribbon, a large piece of DSP coordinating with the butterfly image, an element of paper piercing and voila! A beautiful card.

Thanks for stopping by,
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Joan's Shoebox Card

 
Don't you just love these flowerpot cards?  Joan jumped on this style of card and knew it was perfect for the shoebox swap.  She used the BigShot to cut all the flowers for everyone's cards, and the leaves are made with the five-petal punch.   It is a very simple little template card, but just a beautiful masterpiece to hold! The flowers are attached to a blank card, just waiting for your personal message!

Hope you're having a great weekend. We had the most lovely day, watching our daughter graduate from high school. And I know Joan is visiting her daughter--in Korea! Sarah is spending a year teaching English to kids in Korea, what an adventure!
Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Sue's card for the Shoebox Swap


Sue brought this pretty card to the Shoebox Swap. I love this stamp set, Pocket Silhouettes, just darling. And it works perfectly with these colors!

If you are loving the Baja Breeze and Kiwi Kiss, better stock up NOW!! These shades will be retiring on July 1st, so order early!!

It is graduation weekend, lots of fun taking Prom Pictures last night. . . I can't wait to hear all about it from my daughter. Hope she comes home from the "girls night out" soon!
Happy Stamping--Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

DCBD Challenge 130: BigShot


If you haven't been paying attention, my daughter is graduating from High School this week!  So everything we do has an element of excitement attached!  This card was a proposed grad invite, which she declined (see yesterday's post for the winner).  I just love this treatment of the scallop circle, cut on the BigShot. Once you have your circle cut from DSP (designer series paper) you just free-hand the bodice-waist-skirt, snip snip snip and add a belt! Lots of stampers have been using this dress pattern with much more embellishment: bling on the belt, vellum apron, glitter and more!  Since this was a prototype, and because I anticipated mass production, I kept the design to a minimum.  It is nice to be able to create a good looking card that can be mass produced, that will still be a WOW to each person who receives it.
Remember to check out the inspiration cards from all the CoffeeBreak Divas today. Since we had such a free hand with this challenge, they are bound to be very unique!  Feel free to join in and post your card on SplitCoast or your own blog and link to our main blog w/Mr Linky.   What? You don't have a BigShot? Come on over and try mine! Or gather a friend or two and I'll bring mine over to your place!  Or you can shop my Stampin' Up! website and see all the cool things you could make, if you order your own BigShot!
Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Grad card


It may seem a little late to be making Graduation Party invites, but we like to have our parties a bit past the cluster of celebrations, so all of our friends and relatives can attend, less conflicts.

Buffalo Grove HS colors are blue and orange, I wouldn't normally put these two together.  Darling Daughter suggested the sparkle in the sentiment, and it works perfectly!  The Great Grads stamp set is on the retiring list, I'll be sad to see it go. Just when I figure out a couple "go to" layouts and samples, off it goes!

If you're still looking for invites or congrats cards, just give me a call, I have a pile of ideas and samples, as I will be giving lots of gifts in the next two weeks!
Happy Stamping, Dee Tollaksen

Monday, June 1, 2009

Last Chance List--Half Price Accessories!!

Good Morning Stampers! It is Monday, June 1st and thee is much afoot at Stampin' Up!  I CASEd this gorgeous card from Dawn Griffith. She is a lovely SU demonstrator and I found this clean & simple card to be just my style. Don't miss the scalloped edge on the front, the photo doesn't pick it up very well.

June 1st is the release date for the Last Chance List from SU. All the stamps and accessories that will be retired from the July 1 catalog are identified. Loads of accessories are discounted, as much as 50%!!! I wish I knew this last week when I ordered a bunch of ribbon!

This pretty card uses ribbon in Rose Red, the trio flower punch and the 5-petal punch. All of these are SAFE choices, not on the Last Chance List.  If you have some products or stamps on your wish list, now is the time to compare the Last Chance list to your wish list!  Just click on over to my SU shopping website, icon at right, and give me a call, or place your order on-line.  Once we sell out of a product, it will be gone forever, so don't hesitate on the accessories.  Stamp sets will be available until the end of the month, but then. . . gone forever!
Happy Stampin', Dee Tollaksen