FREE card - No "fooling"!

We love, love, love stamps from the Cat's Pajamas. They are just so cute and stamp so beautifully. This card features their birthday set that you will want to use over and over (the phrases are hillarious). And doesn't it just make you smile to look at that cute little penguin? We've ordered their new sets that feature bunnies and other cute critters and hope to have them in the shop in the next couple of weeks. So, come and play - pajamas not required.

Oh - and I guess if you wanted to turn this card into something for April Fools, you could glue your pieces on so the card opens backwards or something.

Free card Thursday - from 10-8 - April 1.

All Purpose Ink is All That!

It hardly seems possible that Jenn is finishing up her 7th month as our "demo queen". Wow! Where does the time go? In all this time, I think her favorite product she's demonstrated (although you should ask her yourself) is the All Purpose Inks from Tsukineko. She's been like a mad scientist, cooking up all kinds of recipes for adding shimmer and shine to paper, fabric and more! It's hard to capture the shine of this card in a photo, so please stop in Tuesday between 12 and 2 to see it for yourself and to mix up a little magic!

News from the show!

I don't have a way to upload pictures this year, so you'll just have to wait for SHOW and tell until we get back. For now, it's just the "tell" part. First, our flight was delayed out of Dulles for the 7th year in a row. We knew it was going to be late when they brought complimentary snacks to the terminal. YIKES!!!! We didn't get to the hotel until almost 1:45, and we were up again at 6:30. Fortunately, I didn't lose a finger in my Outlines class (where I was x-acto knifing up a storm). We've seen a lot of really exciting things already - new, thin self-adhesive paper that can be punched with tiny punches and the adhesive's already on it. Plus, it's white core, so you can use embossing punches and then scruff color off to make the image really pop! I learned paper marbling with Smooch (I'll teach Jenn and she can demo that in April). Laura is taking a class with a new stamp company as I type: Layers of Color. All in all, we're off to a good start. Tomorrow is a busier day for us, so I'm hoping to get a full night's sleep tonight!

Hooo's Confused?

My apologies for missing yesterday's demo post! I've been traveling every weekend this month, and teaching once a week here in between, and I've kind of lost track of my days. Hopefully now I'm back on track! Tomorrow's FREE make-and-take features a new clear set from My Favorite Things. In addition, we're using the new Marvy Markers formulated specifically for clear stamps. If you haven't played with these yet, you really need to stop in and check them out. They do make a difference in getting a nice, even coverage on your clear stamps! In other news, I'm leaving tomorrow for my last trip of the month - headed to my favorite trade show of the year up in the Boston area. I'll be back next week with lots of new ideas and things to blog about, so check back then!

Magical Egg Tree

I usually take this opportunity to explain what I like about each week's make-and-take, but really - what is there to explain about this card???? It's stinkin' cute!!!! That's why I like it! This card features the Easter Egg Tree from Memory Box. Simply stamp, color in the eggs and then add a touch of Glossy Accents to give them shine and dimension. Adorable! Join us Thursday from 10 - 8 and make one for yourself. It's completely free and reservations are not required.

Completely Customized!

Have you ever wanted to customize ribbon or a candle or glass (basically anything that's not paper) with your stamps, but the surface was either not flat or you didn't have an ink that would adhere? Guess what??? That problem is solved! It is so easy to use your stamps to create your own rub-ons, then rub them onto virtually ANYTHING! Join Jenn today from 12-2, and see how easy it is. But, I'm warning you now - this is HUGELY addictive.

Live Loud!

Thursday's FREE make-and-take features new paper and a Snag 'em stamp from Imaginisce. Both of my children are "graduating" from their schools this year, and this seems like the perfect card to recognize their big day. Snag 'em stamps coordinate with the Retro paper line, stamp beautifully and are a real bargain at only $1.00 each! Come see the entire line.

Stopping by Woods...

Jenn has outdone herself on tomorrow's demo. She will be sharing tips and techniques for working with embossing paste. You can do so much more than just "embossing" with the paste - add glitter, gold leaf, mix colors in the paste and so much more! Learn lots of new ways to use your brass stencils. The FREE demo is from 12-2. If you can't join us, consider taking Marilynn's comprehensive class on Embossing Paste Techiques on Thursday, April 8.

Aaahhhh! It looks like Spring!

Something about this card - the colors, the composition - really encourages me that spring might actually make an appearance here this year. This card features two stamps from Memory Box. The flower is actually two stamps on one block - the stem is separate from the flower, which is mounted on the side. This makes inking the stamp so much easier! Come give it a try for yourself at our Free make-and-take on Thursday, March 4. Who wouldn't love to get just a touch of spring in their mailbox?????

Design Adhesives Revisited

With all the crazy weather, many of you missed Jenn's demo of the new Design Adhesive double-sided stickers. The single hardy soul who managed to dig out and join us for this demo on February 9 LOVED all the different things you can do: glitter, gold leaf, flocking and more! So, we are planning this demo again for tomorrow from 12-2 and hoping for much, much better weather results! Hope to see you there!