Well, it's almost that time! There are only four more days and it is back to school time!!! My daughter will be starting Grade 2 this year and is beyond excited to get back to school and see who is in her class this year. It makes life so much easier that she loves school, which she takes after me, not her father. LOL I am a supply teacher, so I am really looking forward to school starting back up as well. I regularly work between three different schools, so I am able to form positive relationships with the students. It will be so nice to see them and see how much they have changed and grown in the past two months.

My niece is having her birthday party today. She will actually turn 3 tomorrow, but the party is today at suppertime. I'm really looking forward to attending b/c I haven't seen her in months, which has been WAY too long. =(

This morning I got down to making her a card. It was the first time that I was able to use the new In-Colors and I must say that I really love them. =) For the card, I used a retired stamp set called "Button Bear". I have the bear holding 3 balloons, which represents her turning 3. I think it turned out pretty good. =)

I have been working on a lot of new embellished clips the past few weeks and I have just started to take pictures. I have had a lot of requests for birthday clips, so I was so happy when I came across these adorable cupcakes.

So....when I started this blog 3 years ago, I was going to use it only to showcase the crafty items that I make, although I would sneak in a few random posts about various things that were happening in my life. Then....I just completely disappeared from the blogging world. (My computer was seriously acting up and wouldn't allow me to post on here).


I have decided that my blog will become a craft and home blog. I will still post the items that I make to share with you all, but I will also post about various happenings that are occurring in our lives.

Today is going to be a beach day! We have been so busy the past two weeks that we haven't had a chance to go and I have missed it! Summer only lasts so long so we are definitely going to enjoy the sun today!!!

Over a year later and I'm putting in my next post. Sad I know! I was having a lot of computer issues was able to do the bare minimum on my computer and after putting up with it for a year now, I had enough. I splurged and got myself this:



I have had it for almost a week now and I am absolutely loving it!!! I never buy things for myself so this was hard for me to buy, but I am so happy that I did! =)

I am happy to say that I will now be able to start posting on my blog again! Yay!

I finally purchased my first order from the new Stampin' Up Catalog. I ordered the In Color markers and paper, as well as the stamp set Make a Monster. It is such a fun set and I cannot wait to play with it. I think it will be perfect for making birthday cards. Here are a few examples, courtesy of Splitcoast Stampers:

The summer is a time for me to try to get a stockpile of inventory for the upcoming months ahead. With me supply teaching, I never know how much I will be working. This summer, I am trying to make sure to get 2-3 of each item that I have on sale on my Etsy shop made, so when they are purchased, I will not have to worry about rushing and finding the time to make them. All I will need to do is go to my stash and get it. =)

First up, are tooth fairy pillows:

Pink Tulips

Sailboat

Rocket Ship

Magician's Hat and Wand

Bird on a Branch

Hockey

I was so happy to finally receive the new Stampin' Up catalog (which was a few weeks ago now). There are a lot of things that I really want out of it. I will be placing my first order this weekend and need to decide what I feel are the things I really cannot live without. LOL If you would like to take a peek at all the new goodies, just click the catalog image to the right. =)

Friday was the last day of school here! I honestly cannot believe how fast this past school year has gone. It seems like I just dropped my daughter off for her first day of Kindergarten!!! She did amazingly well on her report card and is definitely ready for Grade 1!

When people would ask her if she was excited for summer and school to be over she would always answer "yes and no." She would answer this way because she was happy that summer was coming but sad that she wouldn't see her friends everyday. I decided to make some cards that she could give to her friends. I used the set "Sweet Scoops", which I was so happy to finally be able to use. Inside the card I typed up a little note saying "I would like to get together over the summer for a playdate sometime. My phone number is XXX-XXXX and my Mommy's e-mail address is XXXX. I hope to hear from you." I had Samantha write her friend's name on the top and she signed the card on the bottom. She was so happy to pass them out to her friends and felt much better about school coming to an end. =)

I then took the same layout that I used for the above card and made some for the Grade 2 class that I did my internship in. Inside I wrote a note "I am so proud of all the hard word you did in Grade 2. I hope that you have a wonderful summer and get to do a lot of fun things. I hope that I get the chance to see you in Grade 3." I also went to McDonalds and got 17 gift cards and had $1.12 put on each so they could each get a free vanilla cone.

Are you ready for a sneak peek from the Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog being released on July 1st?

It is definitely one of my favorite stamp sets from the new catalog. It is called Baby Bundle and it is a set of 16! I checked out Splitcoast Stampers and found this card that Sandi had done. (I am still awaiting my pre-order package to arrive =) ) Isn't this card the cutest???

Mary Fish from Stampin' Pretty (a great blog to get wonderful ideas from; I love all the projects she comes up with) came up with a beautiful card using the new Stampin' Up! Core Colors, which will be available July 1! This colorful card highlights the new additions to the Stampin' Up! Core Color Collection. Meet (from left to right): Cajun Craze, Early Espresso, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler and Marina Mist:

Stampin' Up has released its' Last Chance List!

You do not want to miss out on all of the fabulous Stampin' Up! stamps & accessories that will soon be gone forever!

If you'd like to place an order, you will want to place it as soon as your final choices are made because the accessories often sell out very quickly!

Check out the lists here:

Last Chance Stamp Sets.

Last Chance Accessories.

Last Chance Definitely Decorative.

Ever since Stampin' Up made their announcement of the new Color Renovation that will be occurring with the release of the new catalog, the retiring color items (ink, reinkers and paper) have been selling FAST! Stampin' Up wants everyone to be able to get the items that they are wants to this is what they have come up with to help the situation:

1) Regarding the reinkers: For the remainder of May, any orders that cannot be filled will be put on backorder and filled as quickly as possible from those. Once June comes, once the supplies are gone, that's it.

2) Regarding the paper: (This comes directly from the Stampin' Up site) "To help us be able to provide you with the card stock in the retiring colours for as long as possible, we will be substituting textured paper for some of the smooth colours--including card stock in 8-1/2" x 11" as well as 12" x 12"--where the smooth is no longer available. You will notice these colours go on backorder, and we will be filling as many of those as possible with textured card stock. Because the demand for each colour varies, we are unable to provide a list of what colours of card stock will be substituted with textured, or at what point that will happen. However, if you receive a package of card stock that is textured instead of smooth, there will be a sticker on the package indicating that change. There will be no change in item code or price for these substitutions".

So obviously your best bet is to order the retiring items that you are wanting ASAP to guarantee that you will be able to get them. E-mail me at JodiStilwell@yahoo.com if you would like to place an order.

I know that I have been a bad blogger this year. I am going to "try" to start posting more often. No promises though; life is just so busy the past few months.

Stampin' Up will be releasing their new Summer Mini on May 1st. As a rep, I have had the opportunity to have a sneak peek. I haven't had a chance to play with the sets yet though. "Sweet Scoops" and "Go, Graduate" are my must haves from this catalog.

Here are some pictures, courtesy of SplitCoast Stampers (I quite often check out this site to get inspiration to make cards):

Sweet Scoops



Go, Graduate

Things are going to be changing with the release of the new Idea Book & Catalog from Stampin’ Up! on July 1st! They are renovating the color line-up. Stampin' Up! is releasing 5 BRAND NEW COLORS and bringing back 10 of the retired In Colors!! We will also get 5 extra new In Colors and they will stay around for TWO years, instead of just one!

With the new catalog in July, this is what the color collections will look like:
(click on the chart to see a bigger version)

10 returning IN COLORS on the chart above are:
Baja Breeze, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Riding Hood Red, River Rock, Soft Suede, Tangerine Tango and Wild Wasabi

5 NEW COLORS on the chart above are:
Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze and Early Espresso

Current colors that will retire in June are:
Glorious Green, Green Galore, Gable Green, Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Pink Passion, Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Summer Sun, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Taken with Teal, Handsome Hunter, Pale Plum, Blush Blossom (the marker will still be available), Apricot Appeal, Barely Banana (Mellow Moss, Sage Shadow, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Basic Brown, and Going Gray.
(click on the chart to see a bigger version)

I borrowed the above image from Liz at DIY Paper Creations. You should definitely checked out her blog. I have been following it for some time now and have gotten many, many ideas from it.

When the current Mini came out, I wasn't too sure how I felt about the Clear Mount stamps. I did, however, order a few sets b/c I wanted to try them out myself so when customers asked me, I would have experience using them. Well, here are my thoughts:
1) In the picture above, there are 17 sets, both in the Clear Mount and in the Wood Mount. As you can clearly see from the picture, when it comes to space, the Clear Mount takes up significantly less and they are all the same size, which is great. I know that I always had a hard time organizing my Wood Mount sets b/c they are all in different sized storage cases. Having the Clear Mount sets solved this problem for me b/c I am able to easily store the DVD sized case.

2) When purchasing the Clear Mount sets, I saved money, which is always great, right?? With the money that I saved, I was able to buy some of the acrylic blocks to use with the stamps, as well as some DSP that I was wanting.

3) When using the Wood Mount, I would always get a little cranky if I were to stain the wood, which is always bound to happen at some point. With the Clear Mount set, this is no longer a worry b/c if you get ink on the acrylic block, you just need to wash it with warm soapy water.

So, even though I was not a big fan initially, I am now in LOVE with the new Clear Mount sets. From now on, I am going to purchase the Clear Mount sets whenever I am able to. What are your thoughts on them?

Sami has a birthday party of a friend to go to later this afternoon. I wanted to make a card for it. I needed something girly, so I immediately thought of the retired set Pretty Princess. I made sure to use looks of glitter on it too so it was sparkly. I hope she likes it.

Every time I place a Stampin' Up, I order myself 2-3 ink pads. I am starting to get a little collection going, but it seems like it is going to take me forever to get all the colors and I am using all my Stampin' Up Markers way too much to get the color of ink that I want to stamp with. I found a way to solve my issue. I have decided that I am going to buy all the Stampin' Spots; then when I notice that I am using a particular color a lot, then I will purchase that ink pad. The best part is that I can get a whole "family" of colors for only $29.95. Here is what they look like in the box:

I plan on keeping them in the box b/c it is the perfect storage solution and I want to be sure to keep the "family" together. =)

Here is a picture of my daughter at her birthday party that was this past Sunday. Her tutu was made by Kerri from Monkeybum Designs This outfit is perfect for halloween or for playing dress up. Sami wears it quite often around the house and cannot wait for the weather to get warmer so she can wear it outside. The tutu is made with yards upon yards of the softest tulle and features a satin wrapped waist and bow. It was listed as being for children up to age 4 or so, but Sami just turned 6 and will get a lot more use out of it yet. She had so many compliments on her outfit and I passed Kerri's name along to many people. =)


Here is the amazing cake that Sonya did from Summer Beary Cake Boutique It was a good thing that Sonya brought along some business cards b/c many of the Moms are very interested in having her made a cake for their children's upcoming birthdays. =)