Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Introducing My Digital Studio--fast and easy!!

Clearance sale at Stampin' Up!



Totally CASEd .. . ..tho I have no idea from whom. Anyway, two for one today: Stampin' Up! has opened up a Clearance area on the website, and a great two-step-stamping card. Click on http://dtollaksen.stampinup.net and choose SHOP then choose CLEARANCE to see the lovely accessories and embellishments that have been marked down, some by as much as 80% Woo Hoo!!

The black panel on this card is sprayed with the new Shimmer paint from the Holiday Mini Catalog, looks fab in person. The stamp set is the easiest 2-step-stamping ever! Just stamp the flower in a pastel color and stamp the details in a darker matching color, no need to line it up perfectly! Gorgeous! Email for more info. . . I'll give you free shipping today only (that's 10% for you math fans) on your whole order if you select this stamp set!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Is it Halloween yet?


It seems that there are no Halloween stamp sets in my collection. . . yet look what I found! A little greeting stamp, clearly meant for this Holiday!

This is a level 1 hostess set with 4 holiday greetings, and I think it worked perfectly for this little tag! We made this last week at J and D's monthly stamping get-together. Way out of my typical range of work, this has about a hundred elements that combine for a pretty little gift tag. We made one for each of our children, 7 in all, so there was some fun! We dyed the flowers from the Pretties Kit with re-inkers; stamped the little pumpkin and cut it out with a 1/2" punch, popped it up on a dimensional; cut out leaves on the Big Shot, scallop edged cardstock with a border punch; tied ribbon with a bit of cord through a button; used some DSP from Autumn Traditions; used a 1" punch to trim the top of the cardstock to make it look like a tag; layered it all up with rhinestone brads and VOILA! A tag is born!

Would you like to try this pretty project this October? Give your special Trick-or-Treaters a card "to remember!" Just leave me comment or send me an email, I can be over later today to give you a Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog, help you schedule your event and present you with one of these tags for your own use or to show your friends what we will be making at your workshop!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Veteran's Day


October is a great month. . . changing of the leaves, temperatures cooling down, DD's birthday, Halloween, and more. But right after October is November, and I have a goal for Veteran's Day. I want to fill a box with a variety of cards to send to "From Our Hearts" for our deployed troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. I have two events scheduled prior to Veteran's Day to create cards. First is with the Girl Scouts at a local school and the second is with the Senior Center in Arlington Heights. I am so excited to engage both of these populations! The little girls will be making these Build-a-Bear cards. They are perfect for the servicemen and women to send home to their children or their young relatives. We'll see more cards for these events in upcoming posts.

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Build-a-Bear fun

Does this workspace look familiar? Comfortable? Fun?

My table always looks this way, loads of ink, paper, tools, stamps all out and strewn everywhere! But look closely, there are at least 4 stampers working here and a ziplock bag full of completed cards. . . this is a Shoebox Swap.

You are invited to join us on Sat. Oct. 17 in Arlington Hts, IL for a shoebox swap! Each stamper brings one completed card concept, the materials for 20 more cards and a shoebox to carry it all. Then you are provided a table space to set up your card supplies and we proceed to move around the room completing all 20 cards that have been set up. We have big bowls of gourmet chocolates, we enjoy a catered "ladies lunch," everyone wins a fabulous Stampin' Up! doorprize and we meet a bunch of great stampers. When the day is over, you will go home with 20 completed Holiday cards, a great doorprize and 20 new friends! What more could you ask for? All this for just $28. . . just shoot me an email or leave a comment if you want more info.

And, don't you just love this little Build-a-Bear? He will be starring in the cards the Girl Scouts will make next month. Your friends and their children or grandchildren will also love this card, dontcha think? Maybe you would like to host a Mother & Child stamping get-together where the kids could make and play with these bears! I've got years of Cub Scout experience, I love working with kids! Let's put this on the calendar!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Glimmer is so fun!

When the glimmer paint was introduced in the new mini catalog, I jumped right on it. I mean, it only cost a few bucks and it will let my cards GLIMMER?! Why wouldn't I buy it? So now I hear that I can add a few drops to a spray bottle of alcohol, and spray my cards? Oh my word, stand back, everything is going to sparkle!!

This was my swap card for my sideline swap on Monday night, and I just love the amount of sparkle "in real life." Want to "try before you buy?" Come on over!
Happy stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, September 21, 2009

Build A Bear


Have you seen the Build A Bear diecut products in the Stampin' Up! mini catalog? They couldn't be more adorable. This topnote "sandwich" makes a darling sleeping bag on the card and the little bear can slip in and be taken out to play! So cute. Of course, I wasn't the first to come up with this, but I love it!
Send me a little email or leave a comment if you want to try these cards. They are so easy, I'll be showing you a few more projects shortly, using these bears. So fun!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen


Sunday, September 20, 2009

Campus CARE package

Yes, despite the fact that none of you has signed up for my Campus CARE package class, I just keep on making fun things to put in that box. I am sending a CARE package. I want my DD to miss me half as much as I miss her. Maybe even more than half as much!

I want to have a magnetic section, but I haven't found a piece of metal that I can hide under the Designer Series Paper. Any suggestions? Instead I made a white board section out of acetate and a bit of vellum held on my gigantic brads. It was great fun putting the cork through my Big Shot using the square scallop die! I suppose I still need to put some holes in the top corners and string some ribbon for hanging. But the cork came with big sticky squares that could be put on the back of the whole message board for mounting on your wall or door. So I'll let DD decide.

If you would like to make this as well as bookmarks, journal, pens, banner and more CARE package goodies, leave me a post or shoot me an email. I want to stamp with you!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Friday, September 18, 2009

Same owl, different project


So, I liked the Halloween owl so much that I made a few more, this time with a different branch, and I cranked out a few petal cards on the Big Shot, slipped in my business card and put them in my purse. Now, when I'm out and about, I have a hand stamped item I can give away to anyone I might meet. I will put a piece of candy in each one, to make the recipient smile, and maybe one day, one of these will bring me a new stamper! I keep handing out hand stamped goodies, and smiling, and inviting crafty ladies to come over and stamp. One day, the phone is just going to ring off the hook, when everyone comes to their senses and decides to stamp with me. In the meantime,
Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Halloween challenge


Do you enjoy making Halloween cards? Do you send them out? I like to make treats for the children I know but have never really sent out cards. So my stampers asked for a Halloween class, and I have to admit that I don't have any Halloween stamp sets!

Now I have to go look at my stamps, and I found this owl in Animal Stories, and he has a Halloween "feel." I used my chocolate chip marker to use selected parts of the beautiful swirl to look like a fancy branch, a bit of the moon with the masking technique, and a tad of glamour from the new glimmer paints. I gave you a close up picture of the glimmer paint, just to show how it seems subtle on the card, but I had to really lay it on there to get some bling!

So now I have to pick a day on my calendar and offer a Halloween Stamp camp! Maybe I'll borrow some stamp sets so we have lots of options!

More to come!
Dee Tollaksen


Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Thanks to everyone!



Line up, boys over here, let me take your picture. . . just made me think of scouts, all these little guys in a line with their identical projects!

This is a pocket card we made at last night's stamp camp. Super easy, but off the beaten track. Just take your craft card stock (4.25 x 5.5"), after scalloping the edge and folding it down just a smidge, fold the panel in half. Take an identical panel of Not Quite Navy card stock and adherethe craft CS securely in back of the navy CS, but only along the sides in the front, creating a pocket. Now decorate a panel of Whisper White CS with your little men from the Very Thankful stamp set, color with WaterColor pencils, and soften up the color with your blender
pen. Add a little punch at the top and embellish the card. Can you see the hearts in craft CS at the bottom right? It is called faux dry embossing and I just punched them multiple times and layered them.

Are you ready for the 4th annual Shoebox Swap in Arlington Heights, IL???? Here are all the ladies after a fun day of stamping, posing for everyone to see what a gorgeous crowd of women we are on a rainy Saturday, all stamped out!

Saturday, Oct 17 at the Arlington Hts Historical Society. For just $28 you get a gourmet catered lunch, half a table to set up your card swap, Stampin' Up! door prize for every participant and bottled water & snacks all day long. You will bring supplies for 20+ cards, and everyone will make your card, while you are making all their designs. When we are done, we all go home with 20+ holiday cards, ready to duplicate and ready to send off to our friends! So cool! Just leave a post or send me an email for more info.

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Round we go



Can you see the detail of piercing going on above the panel of flowers? Lots of card makers have been adding circular elements, and I wondered how they made the circle so perfect. Recently I stumbled on the answer. . . are you interested? So easy, but I think I'll let you guess. Any making a good guess is eligible for their very own tool to accomplish this task.

Leave a comment here or send an email, and I'll enter you in this "blog candy" contest.

Happy stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Monday, September 14, 2009

Lovely card




Razzleberry might be my favorite color, there are just so many gorgeous colors available. This beauty will be one of the four cards we make on Tuesday and Wednesday at my stamp class. Wish you would be here, call! Visit! Stamp!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Keep the Set

Really, I insist. Keep the Set. Join me this Tuesday night or Wednesday afternoon for a "Keep the Set" stamp class. This set has four diverse images all in a Thankful theme, we will make four cool cards, and then you will get to keep the stamp set! So for just $25 you get four cards, four stamps, 2 hours for fun and be forewarned, my warped sense of humor!

Fortunately, I am almost out of options in this play of words!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Key Chain Sampler

Have you incorporated the new In Colors into your stamping projects? If you are still thinking about investing in these fun shades, what are you waiting for? Stampin' Up! makes the best card stock and offers the most lovely ribbons. This little key chain is waiting for you, just place an order with me, on my SU site or by email or phone call, in the next week, and I'll put a lovely little sampler key chain into your hands!

Have some fun with color!
Dee Tollaksen

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Autumn Splendor

If you have studied your new Stampin' Up! mini catalog, you may recognize the stamp set Autumn Splendor on this wall hanging. I am absolutely in love with these leaves, and I think they will be showing up on everything I make this fall. These were embossed with clear embossing powder on various shades of cardstock, then I cut them out. The text was die cut on the Big Shot and the buttons are a combo of retired SU buttons and some buttons from my sewing box. The layout was featured ages ago in a Stampin' Success magazine. The frame was found in my DDs room. . . I think that means she found it at Goodwill, and now it can hang in the kitchen until the Christmas decorations go up.

Did you miss me this week? I have had a cold, and was in no mood to be cheerful on my blog. I stamped, I crafted, but I was sneezing and congested and didn't feel like chatting.

But now I'm on the mend, and I'll share soon. I'm prepping for a Girl Scout stamping service project, and my Build-a-Bear goodies have arrived, so some kids projects are bound to show up soon!

Happy Stamping,
Dee Tollaksen

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Tractor Time


Sometimes you see something so cute, you have to get out your stuff and copy it, before you lose the image or just lose your train of thought. Yes, this was posted on someone else's blog. My Mom was here, we were hanging out by the Stamping Table, and this popped up on my screen. We jumped up and grabbed the punches and made a couple tractors. Now, who posted this? Who looked at the tag punch and thought, that looks like a John Deere tractor!? I have no recollection. But I love that the seat is made from a heart, that the exhaust fumes are made from flowers, and that the whole darn thing is unbelievably cute.

Blog Candy: I will send all the supplies needed for this punch project to anyone and everyone who leaves a comment with a great punchline that I can add to a card front. So, short and sweet, with a nice pun or joke. Be sure to leave me a way to contact you, your email should read like this: dtollaksen at wideopenwest dot com, that way the weird people won't notice your email and start sending you unBoldwanted junkmail. Don't get too excited, when I say supplies, that means I will punch out the paper and send it to you. . . I will not be sending you the 7 punches needed to make this, just the punched paper and the brads! You need to have your own glue. LOL

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Green Bags

Are you looking at what I am looking at? These bags aren't green, and yet they are environmentally friendly, therefore: green. I have commit completely to carrying my own shopping bags into the store. If you save all the plastic bags that are provided when shopping, you will quickly realize that our landfills must just be bursting with plastic bags. Yuck. These beautiful bags were available to demonstrators at our recent convention, and I grabbed a couple, with you in mind. Book an in-home demonstration in September or October, and I will be ecstatic to provide one of these to you as part of my gift.

You and your guests will be able to sample Stampin' Up!s new My Digital Studio, software for cardmaking and scrapbooking on your computer. You can see and sample SU!s vinyl wall art, perfect for dorm rooms, living rooms, car windows and more!

You can see and sample the new Build-a-Bear die-cut products for the Big Shot: make some colorform or paper doll type projects for the kids in your life! You can see and sample some of our famous cards and rubber stamps!

Anything new happening at Stampin' Up!??? Oh yea!! And I saw some unbelievable keychains made from rubber stamps, I have to make some of these this weekend. . . watch the blog for more details! I want to give them to you, let's book a party and share with your pals!

Happy Stamping!
Dee Tollaksen

Holiday Mini Catalog

Please leave a comment if you would like a copy of this catalog! Or click on my link to my Stampin' Up! site to be able to see every page on-line, up-close and personal!

Stampin' Up! has FILLED this little beauty with treasures! We went back to one main catalog a year, so the Mini Catalog is the vehicle with all the fabulous new goodies. Plus there is definitely a HOLIDAY theme running throughout: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas! Oh My!

Jewelry, Build-a-Bear, treat filled cards! OH MY!!

Bonus specials for Hostesses!! Just leave a comment and I will be happy to come to your place and give you all kinds of free stamping supplies!!

Digital Scrapbooking!! Oh, don't scoff! This program is very affordable, lets you make professional looking scrapbooks in manageable time, really, a time-frame you can manage! AND it lets you plan your cards or pages without messing up your supplies, it will allow you to print multiple copies of a project (from card to book) so you can share, say, an Anniversary Memory Book, with your parents, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters. All with the ease of clicking and pointing!! So Cool! And it comes with an instructor you can call day or night for assistance!!

Already have PhotoShop and love it? You can select elements of the Stampin' Up! product to combine with your PhotoShop for the best of both worlds! WOW!

Comments?
Go take some digital photos and start planning your scrapbooks!
Dee Tollaksen