Wednesday, April 30, 2008

A bright greeting...

I'm finally making time to write a bit tonight. It seems my spare time just vanishes once I get home......

Since Penny Black stamps were the featured stamps for April, I created a bright card using all Penny Black stamps for the last day of April. Here's a list of the stamps used:

gossamer 3865K

bohemian 3864F

pointille 3860J

salutations 30-014

I used Versafine Black Onyx to stamp the flowers & butterfly. I dabbed a dot or two of the reinkers for Adirondack Citrus, Watermelon, Raspberry & Sunshine Yellow on a non porous surface(I used a flat glass dish). (Option: If you don't have the reinkers, rub the stamp pad on a plate or craft sheet to get some ink for painting. Never use water directly on the ink pad as it will ruin it.)With a watercolor brush I picked up the dye to paint the flowers & butterfly. These colors are wonderfully intense. The multi-color background on the card is stamped using Penny Black "pointille" with Sunshine Yellow, Citrus, Watermelon, & Raspberry stamped in that order offsetting the design each time. Of course, the colors match the flowers perfectly since it's the same dye ink. The butterfly is mounted with foam tape to give it dimension. I used Ranger Stickles Orange, Yellow & Lemon-Lime glitter glue to add sparkle. The small dragonfly & "enjoy" are from the Salutations clear set.
I hope you're planning to come to the store for the Make & Takes on Saturday. Doreen & Sally have created some great cards. There are new stamps sets to check out, too.
This week some clear stamps came in from Paper Inspirations. The sets are beautiful. I love the set of lace designs. Lace is a popular design element for scrapbook pages as well as cards right now.
More of the Hero Arts clear sets came in, too. We also have many of the sets back in stock that sold out after the workshop. Two of the new little sets feature coffee cups & sayings. Fun for notes to friends.
Until next time, smile & enjoy the beauty around you!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

How I love a rainy day.......


I stopped at the store for the Spring Fling tonight. Lots of beach attired shoppers were enjoying a fun shopping spree. The rain didn't dampen any spirits. Everyone was out for a fun time.







I scouted the store for some new things this week.

Imaginisce has a fun spring line of papers & acrylic stamps called "It's a Shore Thing". Cute penquins are dressed for a beach party. There are fun flip flops, too. Love the colors!
These button paper fasteners are also from Imaginisce. What a quick & easy way to add a button to your scrapbook layout or a card. I think the pastel buttons would be a great embellishment on a baby card.

Enjoy this rainy night! The sound of thunder is a sure sign Spring is here at last. Although didn't I hear white stuff predicted for tomorrow? Cold & rainy.........a great time to be stamping!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Celebrate Earth Day!

Earth Day.......a day to be green!

What a great day in Walnut Grove! Sunshine brightened our day & warmed the air. It started chilly at 34 and ended above 60. The lawns are all getting so green. It always amazes me how quickly the grass turns green after a few warm days. I love the sound of the birds singing every morning. What a nice change from the silence of winter.

Remember, Thursday afternoon & evening is the Spring Fling in Walnut Grove. Fond Memories has storewide discounts. If you dress in beach attire, you'll get a special treat. Special store hours from 4:00 - 9:00 pm.

I also want to remind everyone of the stamping & scrapping event at Fond Memories on May 3rd. Doreen & Sally are planning at least 4 cards to make as well as 2-3 scrapbook pages. Give the store a call, 507-859-2929, or email fondmem@redred.com to sign up. It's always fun to get together & stamp, get some new ideas, see some new products or learn a new technique.

If you love QuicKutz as much as I do, be sure to check out all the dies at the store. There are several of the newer alphabets, too. Have you seen the new alphabet Rockstar? The price is reduced for April. Kathy will be happy to special order anything that's not in stock.

Time for me to get out & enjoy some fresh air.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

It's been awhile since I've posted.... It seems work has kept me quite busy which means I'm too tired to create much at night. I worked on a few ideas but didn't complete anything that I could post. Yesterday, I spent time cleaning up my stamping room. It had gotten out of control....again. Now, I feel like stamping again.


Tonight I put together a card for you to enjoy! I used Hero Arts clear sets: Frames & Messages; Trees, Birds & Messages. I added a few yellow gems & accents with a black glaze pen. I added color to the bird & flowers on the frame with markers. The frame is stamped with Adirondack Raspberry ink & embossed with clear. The yellow Bazzill Bling paper was cut with one of the Spellbinders scalloped rectangles. The Hero Arts clear sets are so much fun to use & mix & match. There's a great selection at the store.
Until next time, keep stamping & scrapping...........

Sunday, April 13, 2008

A card for you to enjoy


In my efforts to make some cards this weekend, I experimented with some techniques & tried different colors. A few things didn't turn out at all as planned. One is this card...
I started with a piece of paintables paper from Prima. I colored it with Adirondack markers. Then I misted it with Tattered Angels Sunflower spray. I didn't like that so I sprayed it with Candy Apple. I also sprayed the flowers with Candy Apple. The big brad was stamped with Versamark using the Penny Black "pointelle" stamp & then embossed with gold. I like the texture interest. "enjoy" was stamped with Adirondack Denim using a clear stamp from the Penny Black Salutations set. I do like how it turned out. Enjoy!

Saturday, April 12, 2008

Spring in Minnesota.........?

Good day Fond Memories family!
Is this April? I look out my window to see a landscape covered in white. At this moment snow is falling & swirling in the wind. Was it just last Saturday that we had a warm 60 degree day?
Kathy & Doreen were busy this past week placing orders for products that sold out at the workshop. I imagine they may even have ordered a few new things. Most of those orders should be in by the end of next week.
The Tim Holtz Mini Grungeboard came in last week. The size is great for cardmaking & scrapbooking. The set contains both upper & lower case alphabet letters, numbers & some mini elements - 342 pieces altogether. Just think of all the creative possibilities! Try painting them with the Ranger Paint Dabbers. Use the CuttleBug or QuicKutz embossing plates to add dimension & texture. Punch holes with the Crop A Dile & add eyelets or brads. (The Crop a Dile is a great tool. It will punch through chipboard & metal easily. It also sets the eyelets. Now, there's an even bigger tool called the Big Bite that will reach the center of a 12x12 scrapbook page. Both tools are in stock at FM) When I was at the Craft & Hobby Association (CHA) show, I was told that the Grungeboard could even be sewn onto clothing & washed! I haven't tried it yet. I challenge you to try it! Let us know what you did by posting a comment. The Grungeboard also comes in packages of 10 sheets that you can cut & use as you like. FM has several textures.
Flip into Spring at FM with other Walnut Grove businesses on April 24th. Come dressed head to toe ready for the beach and win a free prize! Check the FM email for more info. FM will be open until 9:00 pm that day.
May 3rd is National Scrapbook day. FM will have a Make & Take for scrapbookers & cardmakers: 3 scrapbook pages & 4 cards. Email fondmem@redred.com or call to sign up. A fun day is planned!
It's time for me to do some stamping! I'm working on Mother's Day cards. I'll post a new card design next time!
Think Spring! Just don't look outside.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Spring Workshop Cards

Are you all still basking in joy & inspiration from the workshop? I am. I really enjoyed the day. Everyone seemed to be having fun.

Here are photos of the cards. Double click on any photo to enlarge it. Enjoy!






If you'd like to leave a comment, just click on "comments" at the bottom of any post.

Monday, April 7, 2008

The Workshop was a great success!

The workshop was a great success! I hope everyone enjoyed the day. I heard good comments about many of the cards. I will post photos of the cards as soon as I can get them photographed.

In the photo are this years demonstrators & helpers: Back row:Angie, Nancy, Pat, Kathy,Dianne, MaryJo, Judy,Faith, Jackie.
Front: Mary, Doreen, Sally, Judy. Nicole is missing from the photo.

What a great group! Don't you love the T shirts?

I was totally exhausted on Sunday. I must have been running on adrenaline yet by Saturday night. I was tired but still excited. Sunday afternoon found me napping.

We're already starting to plan for the Fall workshop. Check back for more info. I'll post the date as soon as it's definite.

Please feel free to leave any comments about the workshop. We'd love to hear what you liked or didn't like. We're open to suggestions. We continue to work to make it better.

What was your favorite card project?

What new product did you like best?

I talked to many newcomers. I'm so glad that you came. I hope you had a fun day! We'd love to have you come back again.

Here's a board display of card samples.
Keep stamping,
Judy

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Two days to go....

I've added a photo of the demonstrators from our workshop last fall. Many of these same wonderful & talented ladies will be helping at our Spring workshop. Two days to go! Today, Doreen, Mary & Kathy worked hard packing up things to take to the community center. Some of our demonstrators spent this evening making many of the cards. It was a fun evening as our excitement is building for Saturday. We're all just a bit exhausted trying to get everything ready. As always, it will settle into place by tomorrow evening. As tradition has it, Doreen & I will work on name tags tomrrow evening. No need to rush into it! As we said tonight, "we have tomorrow, plenty of time".
It was fun getting a little silly tonight. Sally brought cupcakes to celebrate Doreen & Kathy's birthdays. Yum! They were great with lots of frosting.
Having fun!
Judy

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

April Fool's Day



Greetings from Winter wonderland! Mother Nature did her job for April Fool's day. A full blown snowstorm hit yesterday and continued into today. About 8-10" of new snow blanketed the landscape. Very pretty to look at but not so great to drive in or shovel. Bright sunshine melted most of the snow off the streets & sidewalks by late afternoon. Layers of white still blanket many of the fields and ditches. Warmer weather tomorrow promises to erase the remainder.

Today, at Fond Memories, new stamps from Penny Black arrived. The new spring stamps are amazing! We ordered one of their wonderful display boards with 4 card samples that are incredible. A "must see" when you stop at the store.

New papers from Piggy Tales have arrived. We also have the Piggy Tales "barn doors". Check these out! They're great on scrapbook pages to hide a photo or journaling. Piggy Tales papers are made from recycled paper & printed with vegetable inks. Go Green! Check out the link to their website.

We have some great ZOO papers from Reminisce. Great jungle colors with animal stickers to match. I love the huge giraffe. What fun to scrapbook with these!

We're counting down to Saturday for the Workshop. I started cutting the papers for 2 projects today. We'll spend tomorrow & Thursday finishing the cutting & gathering all the supplies. Our demonstrators get a preview on Thursday when they get a chance to make all the projects as well as learn to teach one of them. It's always fun to hear their reactions.
Until next time......