Check out what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up:

Both of my cards today were made with the Spa Key Ingredients Kit (cardstock. patterned paper, Ribbon, fabric flowers) and images were colored with Copics.  My 2nd card features the new Apple Doodle Ink set Bakery Business.  I actually made this card a few days ago, but didn’t get it photographed until today.  I had to laugh when I saw Jodi’s sample on Wednesday where we had used the same small curved rectangle die and similar coloring for Tena.

I know you’ll want to see what the Baker’s Dozen girls have created for Release Day:

And of course you want to head over to Taylor’s blog to see her samples and get all the TE Release news along with the sketch for today!  TE has an awesome Special available for those of you who want to get all 8 A la Carte images along with the coordinating sentiment set - you’ll get $10 off your next order!

Thanks so much for all the warm and wonderful birthday wishes through blog comments, e-mails, and FaceBook messages.  Unfortunately I spent the day with a sore throat, body aches and feeling generally yucky.  Even so, I kept thinking about how thankful I am for all the love in my life from family and friends (and of course Tessa in my lap all day) and just how blessed I am.

Happy Friday and Happy Shopping!

ETA:  I apologize for the weird formatting - I can’t seem to fix it.

My card was created for TESC98 but my blog was down for a few days and then CHA stuff took over and I never got it posted.

This card was created with a Key Ingredients kit from last Summer that included Cosmo Cricket Early Bird papers and it features the ice cream sundae image from Sprinkled with Love.  Sprinkled with Love is a TE stamp set that was released just a month ago and it was our very best seller at the CHA SuperShow (largely due to a sample made my Karen Motz) and it is currently sold out in the store.  I’m sure Taylor will have it back in stock soon.

Sneak peeks for the Taylored Expressions February release started this morning and the new sets are super cute!  I had hoped to play along, but I am battling a wicked sore throat and feel achy all over.  I had hoped to spend all day tomorrow in my stamp room, but I may end up on the couch watching movies instead.  I really don’t want to be sick on my birthday.  We’ll see.  I hope you’ll check out Taylor’s blog and from there hop over to all the Baker’s Dozen girls.  Their samples are always so outstanding!  The actual release is Friday morning February 5th at 8:00 am PST.  I hope to at least have something made to share with you Friday morning for the release or the sketch or both. 

This has been a very emotional thing for me.  I have not wanted to badmouth SU in any way and yet I feel hurt and disappointed.  I’ve heard some other Demos describing it like being asked for a divorce.  Yep, I feel like I’ve been a good Demo with consistent sales who has always tried hard to abide by all the rules and now I’m being kicked to the curb. In all my time as a Demo, I’ve never even been on the pending list until this past quarter when I was locked out of the ordering system for failure to sign the IDA.   “Drink the kool-aide or get out!” 

I know that I must trust the Lord and be aware that He has a plan for me in all of this.  Over the past few months I’ve been able to focus on that sometimes better than others.  Sometimes I have felt ok and ready to move on and other times I have just been so sad.  I am not someone who embraces change in general and certainly not when it goes against my preference, but the Lord has been working with me on this and I am looking to Him to help me embrace the change and look to whatever may be ahead.  I know many Demos who have cleared out and sold off all of their SU product never to be touched again.  I am certainly not there.  I do intend to continue being a customer of SU albeit in a very limited capacity, but right now it’s just hard to stamp with SU.  I just got an order of new goodies from the Mini and I’m hoping I can have some fun playing with it next week.

I am very thankful to the Demo friends I have who have helped me and are helping me to finish out the committment I have to my wonderful Club customers.  And to all of my friends who are remaining Demonstrators - I want you to know that I hold no resentment toward you and I’m truly happy that you could remain unaffected by these issues.  I hope you will not be upset with me for expressing my feelings here. I mean no disrespect to you.

To anyone who has ever been a customer of mine - I want you to know that I truly appreciate you.  I have had a wonderful ride!  I plan to continue teaching stamp classes since that’s the part of being a Demo that I loved most!  My future classes will be NVR (No Vendor Restrictions) and I’m guessing that they will mostly be a combo of TE, OCL and some SU.  I promise they will continue to be high quality FUN and I hope you will continue to attend.  There’s a big wide wonderful stamping world out there and I now have the freedom to show it all to you!  Also I will be e-mailing out info soon to all customers on my mailing list regarding some area Demos who are friends of mine so you can continue to shop SU if you’d like to.

I never got around to sharing the project we created at my December Club meeting, so now seems like the perfect time.  I won’t go into a lot of detail, but we made card sets using the SU Sunny Day Scrappin’ Kit and a coordinating ribbon share.  We also decorated a TE Perfect Package.  I love the Sunny Day SSK and had a lot of fun creating this class.  If you have questions about it, let me know.

To all of my blog readers - wow - you just have no idea what it means to me to have people reading my blog.  I was stunned when several people came up to me at the SuperShow last weekend and said they knew me from reading More is More.  Wow.  I am so humbled.  Thank you!  I hope you’ll stick with me even if I’m not a SU Demo.

I have so much more to say…I could go on and on…but it’s very late and you don’t need to hear me ramble any more than you already have.  I’ve got a busy week ahead.  Did you know that it’s almost time for another Taylored Expressions release?  Yep - this Friday…some super cute new stuff…forging ahead! 

(Taylor and me at the SCS M&T)

Our booth was constantly buzzing with shoppers and many many friends!  I was so thrilled to hear over and over again that the TE booth was one of the best at the show!  Taylor and her mom Linda did a fabulous job designing the booth.  We had a M&T going at all times (4 different ones throughout the weekend), rotating product demos, a prize drawing sign up and a busy busy cash register manned continually by Taylor’s husband Jon (that guy has incredible stamina - he never left the register either day!)

(Here is the TE Crew except we’re missing Sankari and Jackie. Starting with me in the back…Dawn, Linda, Jodi, Taylor, Jon, Karen M, Karen G.  Front row are Donna and Taylor’s friend Julianne.)

Sunday the CHA trade show opened and I have to say that we started that show a little dazed.  We walked and shopped there for 3 solid days and I can promise that the TE Store will have some awesome new products and incredible Key Ingredients Kits coming out in the next few months!  I didn’t take a lot of product photos this time, but I do have a number of people pics to share.  Honestly my very favorite part of CHA is connecting and reconnecting with people.  A few years ago before I found and became active on SCS I never could have imagined having so many wonderful friends spread all across the country - what a blessing!

The highlight of the week for me was finally meeting my crafting idol, Carol Duvall.  She has a new book out and it was featured at the Juikins booth.  I was beyond excited to have my picture taken with the divine Ms Duvall!

I still miss her show on HGTV, but I understand she may be starting production on a web show.  She was so sweet and gracious!  I told her that I was much more excited to meet her than to see Martha Stewart the year she was at CHA with her entourage!

Here are a couple more photos of the TE Crew.  Taylor had given each of us a custom apron for Christmas and they were fun to wear for the booth.  She picked the fabrics especially for each of our personalities and design styles.  She hit mine right on the head!

(Karen G, me, Jackie, Jodi, Karen M, Taylor

You might notice that we had a pastel day and a bright day.)

(Karen G, Dawn, Donna, Karen M, Jodi and me sitting on the couch in the SCS booth before things got started.  The SCS booth had a super cool conversation pit with chairs and sofa.)

(SCS Staff Jenn, Daven, Lori and Beate

- They had a green day and an orange day.)

(Bev Gerard {Tex} and Broni Holcomb stopped by the TE booth so Sankari and I had to get a photo with them.)

Daven actually did my TE Make & Take at the SCS booth. 

It was so great to run into Julie Ebersole (JulieHRR) on the floor of the trade show.  I think Lori snapped this photo before we got posed and I just love it.  Hugs and smooches to you Jules!

So happy to spend a little time with Cindy Lawrence.  She was working for Our Craft Lounge.  Disappointed that I failed to get a photo of their darling booth.  I’m very excited about their upcoming release - lots of super cute stuff around the corner!

Joy and me.  Joy was the very first SCS friend that I ever met in real life.  I just LOVE that girl!  Joy and Daisy own eclectic Paperie and Joy also owns Our Craft Lounge with Cami and Kimberly.  Busy busy busy!

And here I am with sweet friends Lori and Jenn.  I have to say that this is my favorite photo of the week.  It just seems to ooze friendship. love and happiness!  Not to mention the wonderful bright colors and Lori’s insisted upon optimal high photographer angle!  LOL!

That is just a small sampling of photos for now.  Once I recover from CHA I hope to get back on a more regular blogging schedule.  I actually had a card to share before I left, but my blog was down for a few days and I couldn’t get my post to load.  I’ll try to get that posted in the next couple of days.  Thanks for hanging in there with me!

I doubt if I’ll be catching up any time soon.  LOL!   I’m super excited for CHA - both the SuperShow and the trade show…mostly because of all the friends from around the country that I’ll get to see.  I can hardly believe it’s onlly 2 weeks away!  Do you have your tickets??  If you come to the Super Show on Friday or Saturday please be sure to come by the Taylored Expressions booth and say hi.  I’ll be there helping out.  We’ll have make & takes and demos and prize drawings and you’ll get to meet several members of the Baker’s Dozen as well as Taylor of course!

And speaking of Taylor, it’s Friday so it’s time for another Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge.  I flipped TESC97 to better fit my images from the newly released TE stamp set Love Everywhere.

I didn’t have a ton of time so I pulled out my Spa Key Ingredients so I would have cardstock, patterned paper and ribbon already coordinated and at my fingertips.  The cute puppy is my very favorite image from among a whole bunch of super cute images in this set because of course it reminds me of my sweet Tessa!  Curt got me several new Spellbinders Nesties for Christmas and I’ve been anxious to get them all out and play with them.  I knew Labels 9 would be perfect for this sketch.  I am loving that shape!  The little gems I used are by Darice and I picked them up at a local craft store.  The package had 3 or 4 sizes and shapes and they are fun because they sparkle in multi-colors.

Let’s check out what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up -

And now it’s time for me to head out for my pre-CHA hair appointment.  *grin*  I hope you have a great day and fantastic weekend!

Happy 2010!!!  Here’s a sample for the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge - TESC96!  What better way to kick off the new year than with some stamping??  I hope you’ll join us and play along!  Get all the details on Taylor’s blog.

I had so much fun just playing with stuff to come up with this card.  I knew I wanted a New Year’s card and when I saw the sketch I immediately thought of the clock from Sense of Time (SU) and I knew I wanted to die cut the numbers from one of my Cuttlebug alpha sets.  I went looking through my designer papers and found this retired SU package (not sure what it’s called) and coordinated it with Blush Blossom cardstock for the elegant vintage look I wanted.

The clock was stamped in Bravo Burgundy ink and die cut with my new Blossom nesties (thanks Honey - great Christmas gift!).  I sponged on some more burgundy ink, distressed the edges and sponged on some white shimmer paint. The sentiment was cut out with a deckle rectangle nestie and the entire panel was embossed with Versamark and clear ep.  I love doing that when a sentiment is the main focus - it makes it stand out and look more special.  White shimmer paint was added to the numbers before they were adhered to the dp.  The ribbon started out white (satin from SU) and I dyed it with an RV93 Copic marker.  I added some pink Zva crystals (attached together in lines), some Blush KaiserCraft pearls and that oh-so-yummy Maya Road velvet blossom.

Let’s check out what the rest of the Sketch Crew has cooked up today:

Now it’s time to watch the Rose Parade and eat pancakes!  Later today we plan to see Sherlock Holmes.  What are your holiday plans?  Whatever you’re up to I hope you have a fantastic holiday weekend and a Happy New Year!

I need to be quick so we can get over to the Game Night at church celebrate with friends!

The project I have to share tonight is the group of gifts I created for the girls in my prayer group (PACT).  Each year we have a Christmas dinner together that we lovingly call *Happy Turkey Night*.  We exchange gifts and mine have almost always been handmade. This year I found myself in a pickle as the day of the dinner arrived and I had nothing prepared.  I went through my stash of alterables and came up with skinny notepads and acrylic frame post-it note holders.  Since I was short on time I worked with a SU Scrappin Kit (I think it was from SAB a couple of years ago.)  It really made things go together quickly.

I had the patterned post-its in my stash and I printed the Bible Verse on my computer and cut it out with nesties.  The felt bags came from the Target Dollar Spot.

I literally snapped these photos on my way out the door that night as I was running a few minutes late for the dinner.  Here are a couple of photos of the group.  My friend Kathy gave us all homemade egg nog.  I’ve never been a fan of egg nog and must admit I tasted it with some trepidation, but OH MY WORD that was some incredibly YUMMY stuff!  I hope she makes it next year too!

Darla, Nancy, me, Kathy

Darla, Nancy, Maggie, Kathy

These ladies have been with me through thick and thin - through years I couldn’t wait see come to an end.  I love them dearly and consider myself incredibly blessed to call them sisters and friends!

I finally did some stamping today, so I’ll be back in the morning with a card for the Taylored Expressions Sketch Challenge.  I hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Eve!

on the simplicity of His birth

and the magnitude of His purpose.

Merry Christmas!

Jami & Curt

Beaker, R.B. and Tessa

and our tree all decorated and ready for family to come and open presents…

Hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve!

-Jami

I spent a good part of the last couple days dipping various stuff in chocolate - pretzels, oreos, peanutbutter smeared ritz…

The Ritz crackers stuffed with peanutbutter. covered in milk chocolate and covered in Heath pieces are DA BOMB!!!!  Those I will be making again!

Also Curt and I have been working on getting our Christmas cards out  - over 100 of them.  Here’s one of the designs - I made 30 of these using one of my all-time favorite Christmas dp’s - SU Dashing.

It’s waaaay past my bedtime, but I just had to stop in and touch base with you.  I hope you are having a wonderful week and I hope you are more ready for Christmas than I am.  LOL!

-Jami