Get Well Soon!

We had no idea when we ordered these stamps from DRS the first time (I think it was back in June) that the Swine Flu was on its way! Since then, we have reordered them at least 4 times. This brightly colored card is the perfect pick-me-up for someone feeling miserable. Hopefully that someone isn't you!

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

In the car yesterday, my son asked "What happened to fall?" I had to agree. With the mild temperatures and all this rain, it felt a little bit like our spring. To remind you of crisp fall days full of color, Marilynn created this all-occasion card for our free make-and-take tomorrow featuring Memory Box stamps. And, by tomorrow, the rain should be gone so come on over!

Make it shine!

In Tuesday's Learn at Lunch demo, Jenn will be coloring with metallic pencils! These pencils are great for adding shimmer to light colored card stock, but they really look amazing on darker card stock. This new winter image from Lockhart Stamp Company is so "homey", it just begs to be stamped on kraft card stock. But standard colored pencils don't stand out like these do, and markers are not soft enough. I also love how Jenn rounded the corners of the CARD, and not just the pieces on the card. Again, this adds to the soft look - you can almost feel the fabric and the fur! Stop in and play for yourself - Tuesday between 12-2.

Scared Silly!

Have you taken the Wall of Fame challenge? Each month, we post a different theme to challenge you. Simply create a card based on the theme, bring it in to the shop before the end of the month, and we'll display it on our Wall of Fame (right next to the register). At the end of the month, we'll select a card at random, and the winner will receive a stamping prize! This month, the theme is Scared Silly. One of our Happy friends, Chrisi Rogers, decided to add a twist to challenge herself. She decided to make all of her entries for 2009 incorporate Elvis. It's been fun to see what she has come up with each month. Add your own twist, or play it straight, but definitely play. We love to see your creations. To see the themes for the next 6 months, visit our web site.

Wild thing!

(Marilynn not only creates great cards for our Thursday make-and-takes, this week she also guest blogs about it).

Animal cards just put a smile on your face. This week we are using one of the many moose stamps that will put a smile on someone's face who may really need it. Perhaps a frazzled mom? There are moose sayings that go with the stamps, but animal stamps go well with many of the funny sayings that help make us the Happy place that we are. We'll be using a saying from Rosie's Road show-known for many humorous sayings. But check out some of the other sayings that would go well with this stamp up on the counter. Am I wrong or is there a smile on your face by now as well?

It's no secret!

Happy Stamper Harriett and Happy Helper Deb Prantl spent countless hours reorganizing the Accu-Cut display board, and it is fantastic! (Thank you, ladies!) To celebrate the new display (as well as the new dies that arrived and prompted the changes), Jenn is leading a demo using the Accu-Cut. This door hanger is one of the dies that makes a great teacher gift or kid craft for rainy days (and we've had our share of those lately). Come see how easy it is to create your own notecards, bags, boxes, envelopes and accent pieces. You are welcome to use the Accu-Cut any time a class is not in session - we simply ask that you purchase your paper from us. Stop in Tuesday from 12-2 and give it a "crank".

Just Treats, please!

I still can't get over the idea that you can just ring doorbells and people will give you candy. It's everything that is right with America! Every Thursday is like Halloween at the Happy Stamper - you get a treat (and you don't even have to dress up). Stop by this Thursday to make this fun Halloween card any time between 10 am and 9 pm.

Happy Columbus Day!

It's a federal holiday, but we are open! And, we are getting ready for tomorrow's Learn at Lunch, where Jenn will be sharing techniques for working with Bazzill's new Jewel Templates. Use their self-adhesive gems to create all kinds of designs - bling it up! Jenn will be working with the clear gems, and also showing you how to create your own colors by using your Copic makers (as she did in the "joy" card shown). Stop in between 12-2 on Tuesday and see how easy it is to add a lot of sparkle to your projects!

Yea Fall!

If the chilly mornings haven't gotten you in the mood for fall, then this card surely will! Marilynn used an Outlines stamp for the sentiment and accented the card with cutouts featuring the Limited Edition Fiskars squeeze punches (we used the acorn previously). Simple and lovely! Join us Thursday any time for our FREE Make and Take! You'll be "thankful" you did!

Impressed with IO

We've posted a lot the last few days with Impression Obsession stamps and products, so it should come as no surprise that we are really excited about their new items! Come find out why! Jenn will be demoing their new Backgrounder stamps and Mega Mount. The backgrounders are large enough that you don't have to try to piece them together when stamping the entire card. And the Mega Mount makes that easy - no more standing on your large stamps to get a complete impression! Jenn used two stamps in this card sample. Did you notice the gingham on the card itself? Most people are deceived into thinking that is patterned paper. Now you can make your own! Stop in and give them a try - Tuesday from 12-2.

Let's Get Shakin!

In Donna's 2nd Impression Obsession class, she got to play with their new Shaker cards. These are narrow plastic boxes in squares and circles to make Shakers cards super easy. The overlay fit right over the top. Donna embellished the overlays with IO's new background stamps. One of the fun things with Shaker cards is all the different things you can fill them with. This one is filled with the Autumn Flower Soft.

We have both the background stamps and the shaker boxes at the shop (they came in on Saturday!) So, if you are inspired, come in and get some to play with!

This one is actually filled with sand from the beach. I'm picturing you can do all sorts of fun things - and not just for cards! What about saving some sand in your beach scrapbook or some hair from baby's first haircut?!? So many possibilities!

Impression Obsession

These are two cards from one of the Impression Obsession classes Donna took this weekend.

As you all may know, Laura is on the Design Team for IO, and she designed one of the cards that Mitra (the owner of Impression Obsession) used in the class. Now Laura's design will be hanging in dozens and dozens of shops across the United States. Sounds like a reason for a road trip to me! Anyway, Laura and Jenn worked like maniacs today to unload the two enormous boxes we received from IO. And, Jenn will be leading the FREE demo on Tuesday featuring their background stamps and the Mega Mount. I'll post more on that in a bit. Plan to visit the shop soon and bring your camera. There is a lot of eye candy, and you won't want to forget it when you get home!

Fun Idea from JustRite Stamps

Donna took a class yesterday with JustRite Stamps, and they had a very clever idea. Purchase cards after Christmas this year when they are marked down to 75% off. (I was thinking you could also reuse cards you received this year - "thinking green".) Cut the front of the card off and then customize with a ribbon and stamped greeting.

Then mount the card onto a new piece of cardstock, and you're done! How quick and fun is that?

Notice how beautifully the JustRite stamps fit into the punched shapes - again for quick mass production. Donna is bringing back handouts so that we know exactly which stamps fit in which punches - it couldn't be easier than that!

New Products this weekend!

I plan to post several times this weekend as Laura and Jenn unload boxes at the store and Donna attends a trade show in Houston to buy even more new stuff! One of the boxes that arrived yesterday contained the brand new Cling stamps from Hero Arts. This will come as no surprise to you that they are wonderful! Most of them are general occasion, but some are for Christmas - I really need to get started on my cards! They also came out with 3 new card kits. These kits contain the stamps, card stock, notecards and instructions to make 4 cards. Of course, you could get different cardstock and make more! I think these will make wonderful stocking stuffers! These kits also contain "extra white cardstock for redos". Now, that is thinking of everything!

Another box I opened yesterday was from Outlines. They have created 3 new Wavy Poinsettia stamps and a Holly Background stamp to coordinate. Since I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Outlines, I had to bring some home right away to play with! One thing I tried that was new to me was coloring on the gold metallic paper that I used as my base with Copic Markers. They dry quickly, they don't bleed, and a little bit of the shimmer from the paper shines through for an extra accent.

Remember - today is World Card Making Day, and we're hosting a Card Drive at the shop. Bring in a card for the Orphan Foundation of America and take 30% off one item. One per family - today only. All the details and card guidelines are available on our web site. Hope to see you! Also, stay tuned to the blog for more posts throughout the weekend!