nancy's fancies

MY DIGITAL STUDIO EXPRESS - fReE 30 day TRIAL

2012-02-02T07:02:00.008-06:00

FREE - one of my favorite words!!!! But for 30 days, you can try Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio Software for free!!!!!!!!

My Digital Studio is an intuitive digital design software featuring Stampin’ Up!’s exclusive artwork. Be your own digital designer and create an array of photobooks, cards,calendars, slideshows, and more—which you can then print using Stampin’ Up!’s print services, or save to DVD, e-mail, or upload to the Internet.

Just CLICK HERE, then click on the MDS EXPRESS icon on the right and download your free trial today!

Here is what you get:

Full access to the software at NO COST for 30 days.
Exclusive artwork.
Opportunity to purchase additional downloads
Access to our professional print services.

Once your trial period expires, simply contact me at nancykayk@aol.com to purchase the digital or disc version of the software to continue enjoying My Digital Studio.

Stampin' Up! regularly adds new downloads for MDS. You can sign up for reminders when they do. Buying those is like buying stamp sets - buy one, buy two or buy them all - - - it's totally up to you, and the prices are great! Plus, I am My Digital Studio certified, so I can help you with your questions and direct you to some great resources!

Want to know what is in My Digital Studio Express? Click HERE.

Want to be able to sell Stampin' Up! goodies like MDS with an experienced upline? Email me to sign up, or simply go here to find out more and sign up. New demonstrators joining during Sale-a-bration have the chance to get FREE designer paper or MDS downloads EVERY MONTH for the rest of the year. Just ask me how!

A word for the New Year...

2012-01-03T20:16:00.004-06:00

Did you miss me? I hope so!!! I missed you - last year got so crazy in the second half, with lots of hospital visits by our youngest... hopefully we are now on the right track with her to stay in good health for her final semester of undergraduate college studies (before she heads for law school).

One of the blogs I read faithfully is called "The Generous Wife"... I have linked to this, because today's post really hit a spot with me.

In her post today, on January 3 (my grandbaby Emma's first birthday, by the way), she mentions a project for choosing One Word instead of a resolution (or a bunch of them) that you won't keep anyway.

As part of accountability... I wanted to share my one word with you, friends, because it is important.....

my one word is....

Beauty.

Yeah.... beauty. I don't mean well made-up, fancily dressed slenderly elegant ladies... I mean ReAL beauty - the kind that God instilled in us when He created us in His image.

I prayed after I read her post this morning that God would lead me to THE word.... and He faithfully did so! I was feeling a bit down this morning for a couple of reasons, and I got in my car with my favorite radio station turned UP (www.ksbj.org - you can listen on the web - noncommercial Contemporary Christian music - check it out!!!) and the first song that came on was "Beautiful" by Mercy Me.

Written with their daughters in mind, and how the world tries to push surface, artificial standards of beauty on us, this song has a deeper message - God sees such beauty in me (and you!) that He sent His Son to die for me (and you!). We have a fight with our spouse or a friend, we get criticized at work or school, and we feel like it's all over, but God says, "You are beautiful".

I want to see that kind of beauty in others. I want to proactively look for it, even in those who drive me the craziest.

Beauty - that's my word for the year (and hopefully thereafter) and that's my prayer.

How about you? Got a word for this year that you want to make your own instead of the usual "eat right, get more sleep, exercise more" futility?

Let me know YOUR word.... and in the meantime, don't forget - you are beautiful!

Nanc

LINKS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vh7-RSPuAA

http://mercyme.org/2010/09/17/behind-the-song-beautiful/#!/ss:facebook

Days will come when you don't have the strength,
When all you hear is "you're not worth anything"
Wondering if you ever could be loved,
And if they truly saw your heart, they'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful,
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful,
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His,
You're beautiful

I'm praying that you have the heart to fight,
'Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight
For all the lies you've held inside so long,
They are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful,You're beautiful,
You are made for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful,You're beautiful,
You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His,
You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath, long before the world began
Of all the wonders He possessed, there was one more precious
Of all the earth and skies above, you're the one He madly loves
Enough to die

You're beautiful, You're beautiful
In His eyes
You're beautiful
You were meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful
You are treasured you are sacred you are His
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You were meant for so much more than all of this
You're beautiful, You're beautiful
You are treasured you are sacred you are His.

What if you knew it would never happen again?

2011-11-29T07:12:00.004-06:00

This is a bit of a departure from my usual post, but, having lost my Daddy last March, and seeing Mom deal with being a widow, this blog post I'm linking to really hit home with me.

It isn't about Stampin' Up!, or baseball, or Thirty-One... not selling you anything....

Just hoping that you will take the message in this blog post to heart: http://www.assumelove.com/2011/11/what_if_you_knew_it_would_neve.html

I receive blog posts from The Generous Wife every morning (there is one for hubbies, too), and her post today was about the above article to which I linked. If you are married or in a relationship, the message might serve as a bit of a wake-up call, or at least a reminder that none of us knows when our time together is up....

let's make the most of it together this holiday season - Christmas is important, and should be fun and meaningful - but your spouse or significant other should know how important they are to you throughout all the busy-ness of the season.

What do you think about this article?

http://www.assumelove.com/2011/11/what_if_you_knew_it_would_neve.html

Hugs,

Nanc

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA BEGINS NOW

2011-11-21T10:52:00.001-06:00

Just a reminder that the online ~~extranvana~~ ~~extracavaga~~ ~~evtraxazanga~~ <sigh> extravaganza has begun! To take advantage of these specials, go to my SU website and SHOP SHOP SHOP!

Here’s the link you need - below is what you’ll find there… well, some of it, because there is just SO much goodness, I couldn’t possibly list it all!

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/default.aspx?dbwsdemoid=73838

TWENTY-FOUR HOUR DEALS!!!!!

122334 – Simply Scored – 20% OFF – so instead of $29.95, pay just $23.96 for this brand new, WONDERFUL tool!

125152 – Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps – also 20% off – $13.56 instead of $16.95

Plus – FREE MDS Downloads and more deals – you just REALLY need to click on the link above to my website and check it out!

Also, check out the clearance rack!

(Should that link for some reason not work, please go to my webpage: http://fancynancykay.stampinup.net – and click on SHOP NOW in the upper right hand corner!)

Let the fun begin!

Scrappin’ STARS ~ September Blog Hop by SUStars

2011-09-16T21:53:00.002-05:00

Welcome to my little piece of scrapping here - you should have arrived from Eileen LeFevre's blog if you are following the SUStars blog hop. The next stop is down at the bottom. A link to the home stop so you can go back to the beginning is also at the end of this post.

(Psst - my post is up early - I have had it scheduled for a couple of weeks - and just added the links and couldn't wait, so it's up Friday night - the blog hop actually starts Saturday morning, Sept 17)

This really is no big secret, but I was a scrapper before I was a stamper. I started scrapping when my youngest daughter Katie (who is 24 today, September 17 – Happy birthday, mi bebe!) was 4 years old. That means I started scrapping – wow – 20 years ago!

My friend Kim is really responsible for me beginning to scrap. We lived in the beautiful town of Iola, Texas ~ one block off Main Street on a dirt road in the church parsonage as my husband Bo was the pastor of the Baptist church in town there. One weekend we packed the kids in the car and went to Houston for a few days to see family and friends since that is where we are both from (we’re high school sweethearts ).

We got to visit with Kim and her husband Greg, and Kim was showing me some scrapbooks she had started for her kids. I was SO excited about this great idea. Having always been into painting and creating things, I couldn’t wait to get back home and start pulling out pictures and put them in albums in a creative way. Turns out, it’s a really good thing I was so excited that I pulled them out before I unpacked. Unbeknownst to us, while we were gone the air conditioner pan had overflowed and was running down the wall of the little closet where ALL my photos, including my formal wedding pictures in their humongous white leather album were. The water (I can still see it in my mind’s eye) was only an inch or two from my wedding portraits!!!!

If not for Kim and her sharing nature, I would not have some of the pictures I so love to have scrapped over the years!

So, speaking of sharing, I have some things to share with you!

I used to make and sell a LOT of scrapbook pages, mini albums and scrappin’ lunch boxes on eBay, back in the heyday when you could make some serious money doing so. One of my favorite projects was to make a quick mini album like this one. this particular one was done with my stampers one year.

I’m not going to share the whole thing due to the fact that you have several other blogs to hop to, but this mini album included pages like this:

and was given to my mom. I think I still ended up putting the pictures in it for her :).

Currently, I pretty much scrap 12x12, mostly two page layouts, and have a ton of layouts I could share, but will limit myself to a few favorites:

One of the layouts from the album I created for Katie when she graduated high school and left home for the first time…The first sets of layouts were based on a song sung by Sandi Patty called, “Masterpiece”, but as they are not all SU, those are a share for another day…. this one celebrates just one tournament of many that Katie played in.

…and a layout celebrating my first grandbaby, Ava – who is now a bit over 3…

(Circle Circus © Stampin’ Up! 1990-2012)

I love Circle Circus and the circle punches from SU made this a snap to create. Some circles are popped up on dimensionals. On the title piece, I goofed up and smudged a stamping when I had it almost done, so I took the 3/4 inch circle punch and punched out a few holes to cover up – how did I do?

…and more recently, Emma, Ava’s baby sister, now 8 months old

(and yes, that’s my in the green jacket, and my hubby, Bo, in the next picture, and Katie in that great sunlit photo)

All letters and punch art shapes by SU – Big Shot for the alpha letters.

And Ava and Emma’s mommy, Kari – my oldest daughter – growing up pictures with Katie, and then the two of them with Ava at about a year old.

White gel pen, Big Shot letters and flower – simple, simple sketch!

Finally, a layout that means so very much to me because, however I started scrapbooking, it has become such a vital part of my life, and is so much cheaper than therapy ;)

My Heritage is the name of this layout – from the left are my mother’s parents and Uncle John, my dad’s parents and my sister Connie – they died the year I was born and this was taken before I was here. Then, my mom and dad’s wedding photo, in the middle, the two of them in uniform – Daddy was in the Army Air Corps and mom was a Cadet Nurse. Next a photo of my mom’s daddy, who died when I was only 7, and my Aunt Carolyn who died when I was 17, with her baby daughter Lisa, who was born on my 8th birthday.

Finally, my mom and daddy, holding the three granddaughters they had at the time. Hannah (4/15) my sister’s first grand, Ava (7/3) my first grand, and Zoe, born in August to our cousin/brother, John (long story – but he’s my big brother – trust me!). Daddy died in March of 2011.

I hope that you were inspired by my layouts and mini album. Please come back for more scrapbook sharing this week!

Click here for the next stop on the blog hop - Carol Parcell's blog: www.cjstamps.blogspot.com

http://su-stars.blogspot.com

A little Halloween surprise

2011-09-05T16:18:00.001-05:00

I am not a big Halloweenie kind of a girl, but my kids always enjoyed it growing up, and I know that my stampers with kids and grandkids (like me!) will appreciate these projects. (Cue door bell ring as my three year old granddaughter drives her John Deere tractor over from their house which is in front of hours. Pause to text her daddy so he knows she came over here and doesn’t worry, lol.)

Next week for my Stampin’ Saturday club, we are making a couple of Sour Cream Containers (SCC) for Halloween. Now, the cool thing about these little containers is that you can get up to 6 from ONE piece of 12X12 Designer Series Paper (DSP), and they are SO easy to make!

The instructions are not hard to find on the web with tons of samples, but here is what I did to create these cute little critters:

o Cut DSP to 4X5.5 (6 per one piece of DSP – I used Frightful Sight 122351)

o Sticky strip (p 206) on two long sides and one short side

o Peel sticky off short side and make it a tube.

o Peel sticky off one long side and squeeze that end/edge together to make one end of the SCC.

o Fill with wrapped candy and seal other end perpendicular to the first.

o Crimp ends with paper crimper (p 207) by inserting end into the wrong side of the crimper as far as it will go and then turning handle. You know it’s the wrong end because the little arrow I’m pointing to indicates the right end

o Punch hole with 1/16” punch (p 212) and run White Baker’s Twine (p 194) through that and the punchart piece, tying a knot to hold it.

o Stamp sentiment, punch with Modern Label (p 209).

o Spritz with Color Spritzer Tool (p 203) and markers (p 202).

Some have asked how to get different sprays out of the spritzer – simple adjust how hard you squeeze along with the distance from the paper.

o Use dimensionals (p 206) to attach punched sentiment over string. (The ‘ghost’, of course, is the Owl builder punch with the ears cut off, and googlie eyes. The Spider is a circle with rhinestone eyes and lattice die legs)

Happy Labor Day!!!

HOLIDAY MINI – Now LIVE!

2011-09-02T07:30:00.001-05:00

Welcome Holiday Mini!!!!!!

Above you’ll see a picture I’ve been just dying to share with you for a couple of weeks – there is so much goodness in this mini, you just won’t believe it until you see it!

Beautiful new rubber, buttons – HUGE buttons – a Big Shot stocking die – it’s not just for Christmas, either, nosirree…. gorgeous fabric, glittery embellie, awesome new Designer Series Paper and my huge favorite – Simply Scored.

There are so many wonderful things in here, it’s hard to know where to start!

Diving in this evening, and plan to create some fun, which I’ll share with you!

What are YOU going to order from the mini?

Specials Ending SOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!

2011-08-29T07:20:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to remind you that specials for both Stampin’ Up! and for Thirty-one end soon! When August ends, so do they.

Stampin’ Up! has the special “Buy 3, get one free” designer paper sale going on now. Select any three DSP packs (not specialty – but designer) and then select a fourth one for free! No limit!

In my 31 world, we have 15% off anything in the catalog – and personalization (if you want it) is still just $7!

I have purchased some great deals from myself this month, lol.

Back soon with some card and page shares – watch for it!

Technorati Tags: sale,31,dsp

Texas Sales Tax Holiday!

2011-08-18T04:50:00.000-05:00

Just got this reminder from Stampin’ Up! If you are in the great State of Texas, please read… if not, check out YOUR State’s Sales Tax Holiday!

The state of Texas is having a sales tax holiday for school supplies up to $100.00 per item from August 19-21. Because school supply items are included in this sales tax holiday, the below list of items will be state tax free during the holiday period. Please note that you must place your order with Stampin' Up! during the tax holiday period in order to receive these items tax free. Also, keep in mind that this is a state sales tax holiday and may not apply to additional city, jurisdiction, or county taxes. Make sure to contact your customers to let them know of this limited-time benefit!

The following items are tax-exempt during the Texas sales tax holiday:

Item Number	Description	Price
100425	2-Way Glue Pen	$ 3.50
100902	Dotto Refill	$ 6.50
101879	Watercolor Pencils (24)	$ 19.95
102845	Blender Pens (3)	$ 9.95
103179	Craft & Rubber Scissors	$ 19.95
103305	Dotto	$ 12.95
103579	Paper Snips	$ 9.95
103683	Mini Glue Dots	$ 4.95
104045	Anywhere Glue Sticks (2)	$ 3.95
104294	Sticky Strip	$ 6.95
104331	SNAIL Refill	$ 4.50
104332	SNAIL Adhesive	$ 6.95
104430	Stampin' Dimensionals	$ 3.95
105021	Uni-ball Signo Gel Pen	$ 3.95
105394	Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler	$ 3.50
108360	Craft Scissors	$ 29.95
110755	Multipurpose Liquid Glue	$ 3.95
Varies	Stampin' Write Marker	$ 3.50
119700	Subtles Collection Stampin' Write Markers (10)	$ 28.95
119701	Regals Collection Stampin' Write Markers (10)	$ 28.95
119702	Brights Collection Stampin' Write Markers (10)	$ 28.95
119703	Neutrals Collection Stampin' Write Markers (8)	$ 22.95
119801	2010-2012 In Color Stampin' Write Markers (5)	$ 14.95
119802	Subtles Collection Watercolor Wonder Crayons (10)	$ 16.95
119803	Regals Collection Watercolor Wonder Crayons (10)	$ 16.95
119804	Brights Collection Watercolor Wonder Crayons (10)	$ 16.95
119805	Neutrals Collection Watercolor Wonder Crayons (10)	$ 16.95
120962	Stampin' Pastels	$ 24.95
123002	2011-2013 In Color Stampin' Write Markers (5)	$ 14.95

Email me or go to my webstore NOW to place an order!

Punches Galore… or, in my case… GETTING PUNCHY!

2011-08-13T01:09:00.004-05:00

Many of you will have arrived from Jane Hignite’s blog… some of you may not have.

At any rate, this is the last blog hop of this VC-Rocks season! We have prepared for you a selection of creative items using punches!

First up – a quickie baby card I made for a shower last weekend… the punches are really understated on the front… until you understand that this is a hybrid card and the pinkish looking circles in the background all have a 1/2 inch circle punched out and adhered to them, plus the shape holding “baby” is an MDS punch. I have a little tutorial for this on another day.

There is even punchart inside – the tag plus the little heart on the owl (awwwwww).

Another item I’d like to share with you today is this card. The flowers are from “Button Buddies” and I’ll have a tutorial on this one one day, but quickly – I stamped the flowers, punched them out with the scallop punch and used dimensionals to pop them up. I love blue and yellow together!!!!

OK, so this isn’t punch art, but it’s awfully cute…

Say “hi” to Emma, please

Finally, some back to school punch art from the past using the owl punch:

The tree was handcut and given some wood texture. Big Shot letters were used on the title.

I hope you enjoyed my part of the blog hop – Continue on now to Elizabeth Kratzer’s wonderful blog!

Here is the hop order, in case you’ve missed someone!

01 Carey R Pedstamper Stamping Tree House
02 Linda R Pretty Inky Papercrafts
03 Sharon F Created By You
04 Patrice H My Little Patch of Dirt
05 Angela W Life with a Wiener Dog
06 Karen G Krafting with Karen
07 Kim A Stamping Fun with Kim
08 Janice H Stamping With Janice
09 Nichole S Scrappy Stamps & Ink
10 Jane H Stamp With Jane
11 Nancy K Scrapbook Kits and More
12 Elizabeth K Elizabeth's Stamp Room
13 Elaine W I Reckon I'll Stamp
14 Carolyn S InkingTheNightAway
15 Kris S Maddiebug Designs
16 Heidi S Cheekie's Ink Pad
17 Holly & The Dog InkPaperStamps
18 Shari D Shari's Stamp Pad
19 Stace C Stampin Stace
20 Diane Stampin Ldyglfr62
21 Kym Artful Imagination
22 Barb F The Love of Stamping
23 Debbie M Clever and Cute
24 Shirley N Stamper Shirley
25 Ellen K Blinkin', Thinkin' & Inkin'

26 Loni H Loni's Life

Have a great school year!

Nanc

Teacher matchbox - Tutorial

2011-08-05T00:09:00.001-05:00

A couple of years ago, I made this cute matchbox for a teacher gift at school. If I recall correctly, someone had shared one similar to this that I loved – if I knew who, I’d share – if it was you, please let me know!

Anyway, here is the story in pictures of HOW I created mine!

I cut Real Red cardstock to the width of the die and long enough to cover the bottom of the matchbox; more real red to cover the tags section, and John Deere Green, oops, I mean Garden Green :) to cover the top of the matchbox. I neglected to make note of the measurements then, but if you have the die – that should, well, cover it! I taped those in place with painter’s tape – love that stuff!

I ran that through my Big Shot…

on my messy work table…

being sure to photograph the love seat with

priority mail boxes on it – isn’t that lovely?

Then I took my now-retired stamp set – Tart & Tangy – but Fruit & Flowers (Item 122607) would probably work pretty well for this – and colored the apple with my markers,

…and punched it out with my circle punch (1 1/4)...

then I punched out the 1 3/8 circle of Garden Green, put Stampin’ Dimensionals on the back.

Notice I took the (retired) red gingham – but any red ribbon would work – see how I placed the dimensionals to allow for the ribbon? Unless you use wide ribbon, you can still do that :)

A FancyNancy thing – I rarely cut ribbon when I’m going to tie a bow around something like this – it keeps me from wasting a ton or two of ribbon – just one of my things!

I tied a bow around the matchbox’s closed edge (as opposed to the open ends where the matchbox full of chocolatey excellentness is waiting to jump out and straight into a teacher’s mouth)….

… and, finally – and probably most important to my educational peers, truth be told…. I tucked 4 miniature chocolates in there…

Now go grab your matchbox die, grab a couple of pieces of cardstock, some ink and ribbon, some dimensionals, and some chocolate…. and make a matchbox or two to give away.

Your teacher (or other) friends will love you for thinking of them!

MY THIRTY-ONE ~ WOW – Gifts and much, much more!

2011-08-02T05:47:00.000-05:00

Recently I had the opportunity to sign up as a Consultant with a company named “thirty-one”. Thirty-one is a fairly young company, founded just 8 years ago. Cindy Monroe, the founder and CEO, had a vision.

Her vision is being realized as thirty-one has now expanded to included over 40, 000 consultants nationwide, including over 2, 000 in Texas alone!

The products are well-constructed, with a variety of fabric choices, and most with personalization options. As a consultant, I’ve already started my personal 31 collection – and while I’m not up to 31 bags/containers yet, I can see me getting there :)

I hope that you will check out the online catalog through my 31 website – linked to the right. If you would like to place an order, August is a fantastic time to introduce 31 products into your life as just about every thing is 15% off – for the whole month!

I am trying to establish my new business, so if you would like to book a real demonstration (short, sweet, to the point, let people handle the merchandise, have a few snacks, order and roll) OR a catalog party*, I would like to show my gratitude by offering the first FIVE people to do so a 25% discount** off ANY single item in the catalog in addition to the hostess goodies you would already get! PLUS if someone books from your party, you get 50% off one item that you order at their party from thirty-one! You just can’t beat a deal like that! And if you live in my area, you can have the party at MY house – you bring the snacks, I’ll show the stuff and help collect orders so you can get some cool goodies!

The above discounts won’t last – well, except for the booking discount – that’s just one of the hostess perks you get.

*To qualify for hostess benefits, a catalog, virtual or real party must reach a total of $200 retail in merchandise orders. For a $200 retail party, the hostess will get from thirty-one:

$25 in free products from the catalog
ONE half price item from the catalog (if it is personalized, that is half price as well)
hostess exclusive item at a fantastic discount price (or free depending on party total!)
for every booking from your party, you may order one item at 50% from your friend’s party when it is held (get three friends to book and you get three items for half off when they hold their party!)

For a $500 party, you can earn up to $90 in free product, TWO half price products, plus two hostess exclusives, OR, earn all three hostess exclusives for free for a $1200 or higher party – and unlike many home demonstration companies – when you get to the top of the hostess benefits chart, the fun doesn’t stop – parties over $1200 continue to earn you $20 more in free product for every additional $100 in retail product purchased from your party!

All of these benefits are in addition to my initial offer of 25% off any item in the catalog for booking a catalog, virtual or real party with me now – **offer good only to the first five to book, hold and close a $200 or higher party by the end of September.

Learn more about being a hostess HERE.

Contact me today to schedule your party!

Easier Blog Posts

2011-08-01T07:26:00.000-05:00

Connie Babbert just shared on one of my groups to try downloading Windows Live Writer if you like to have easier formatting and scheduled blog posts.

WOW! She was so right! This is really easy! What a great tool to have, bloggers!

Thanks to Connie for sharing that!!!!

What other tips do YOU have for making your blogging go more easily? Please leave a comment and share!

LAST CHANCE!!!!!

2011-07-31T07:37:00.002-05:00

This is it – really! This is your last chance to sign up as an SU demo AND get a free $40 Christmas project kit that will knock your socks off. If you live close enough to me to do so, sign up and we can assemble our kits together because I’ll get one of these cute Christmas projects, too as your upline!

Here are the details:

Limited time kit
Cost $99

Easy Events stamp set
Pennant Parade stamp set
Basic Black ink pad
Old Olive ink pad
Pumpkin Pie ink pad
Real Red ink pad
Brights 8.5x11 cardstock
Just Add Cake designer paper
Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots ribbon
Note cards (20)
Clear mount block C
Blender Pen (1)
SNAIL adhesive
Business supplies

BONUS – Christmas Keepsake Project kit ($40 value)
My guidance and expertise

You need to know that the minimum retail to stay active $300 per quarter, but you have until the end of your first COMPLETE quarter to get your first $300, which would be December! And once you get started with me in this new adventure, I can help you get some things going that will make getting that $300 a quarter a SNAP!

Go to my Stampin’ up! website to sign up NOW: www.fancynancykay.stampinup.net!

You’ll be glad you did!

Card Layer Guide - adapted from a fellow blogger

2011-07-29T16:16:00.002-05:00

I just discovered this great card layer guide created by Judy Marshall, a Canadian demo. She figured out all the layer cutting sizes (up to four layers) for all sorts of card sizes.

Because I don't make all those card sizes, I adapted it for my use and am sharing that with you - although you may want to check Judy's out if you make other card sizes, because she has quite a few on her list!

Easy Card Layer Guide for Cards Fitting SU Envelopes

What I did to adapt it is to use only SU envelope sizes (with one exception - to fit legal envelopes) in order to share with my customer base. If you are not a demo or one of my regular customers, please be sure to check out my SU website for all the Stampin' Up! goodies, or, if you are in the Greater Northwest Houston area (Waller, Magnolia, Tomball, College Station, Hempstead, Conroe, Brenham, Cypress, Northwest Houston - are all within spitting distance!), come join me on the Second Saturday at 2:00 for my regular monthly meeting. At these meetings we create 2-3 cards and a scrapbook layout, and sometimes a gifty type item :)

I look forward to seeing you - just email me for directions!

VC-ROCKS - Blog Hop #3 - Anything but a card!

2011-07-09T09:00:00.009-05:00

To backtrack to Jamie's blog, click on her name.

Howdy from Texas! I have some scrapbooking goodies for you today! New goodies used in this layout are marker with an asterisk (*). If you are following the VC-Rocks Blog hop, you should have landed here from Jamie's blog - if not, button above will take you there, plus there's a complete list near the bottom of the post of all 34 stops!

As an avid scrapbooker, I get sketches from a LOT of sources. Some are top secret, some are secret because I just cannot remember where they came from, some really aren't a secret because ethically i have to give credit where credit is due, and some, well, some - I just flat make up, and will be the first to admit that there's a piece from here, one from there, and a few from yonder!

The sketch for this layout is based on one from gotsketch and adapted for Stampin' Up! materials and supplies. It uses: Top Note Die, Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer punch*, Petite Pennants Builder punch*, Lace Ribbon Border

punch*; Garden Green, Wild Wasabi and Certainly Celery cardstock, and Garden Green Pattern Paper from the Regals collection, plus a bit of Whisper White cardstock. White Baker's Twine finishes it up, with a supporting cast of Tombow Multi-adhesive, SNAIL and Stampin' Dimensionals.

I must confess, I have as yet NO, as in none, not a single one, of the current alphabet sets (sigh), so I printed the lettering from My Digital Studio in Garden Green, using just a plain old font (ain't it cool!?!).

The pictures in my layout are (from left) 6.5x6.5, 4x3, 3x3, 3x5 over three that are 2x2. The journaling leads into the title. This big playground was built in my daughter and son-in-law's back yard, which I can see from my stamping area (yes, you grandmothers... be jealous... be very jealous - now, if i can just get my other daughter living that close so her babies - once she's married and has any - can just come running over to Gramcy's house, too, I'll be in tall cotton!!!!). If I had known that it only cost $200 to have that sucker assembled for you, I'd have paid it somehow so my honey and SIL didn't have to nearly kill themselves building it!

Anyway, I thank you for stopping by my stop on the hop. Below is a list of ALL the hoppers, and at the bottom a button that should take you to Patrice's blog! Enjoy the rest of the hop - you are just over halfway done now :).

VC Rocks	http://vcrocks.blogspot.com/
InkPaperStamps	www.InkPaperStamps.com
Elizabeth's Stamp Room	http://elizabethsstamproom.blogspot.com/
Love 2 Stamp	www.elizabethloves2stamp.com
Creative Designs by Jackie	http://jackielwatson.blogspot.com
A Touch of SOL	http://atouchofsol.blogspot.com
Stampin' Stace	www.stampinstace.blogspot.com
Stamp With Jane	www.stampwithjane.com
The Love of Stamping	http://www.theloveofstamping.com
Stamping Fun with Kim	http://stampingfunwithkim.blogspot.com
Life with a Wiener Dog	www.lifewithawienerdog.com
Stampin' At Dawn	www.stampinatdawn.blogspot.com
Created By You	http://createdbyu.blogspot.com
Stamper Shirley	http://stampershirley.blogspot.com
Scrappin' For Sanity	www.scrappin-for-sanity.blogspot.com
Bluegrass Stamper Studio	http://bluegrassstamperstudio.blogspot.com
Technostamper	http://technostamper.blogspot.com
InkingTheNightAway	www.inkingthenightaway.blogspot.com
Wanna Be Creative	www.want2bcreative.blogspot.com
Scrapbook Kits and more	http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com/
My Little Patch of Dirt	www.mylittlepatchofdirt.blogspot.com
I Reckon I'll Stamp	http://www.stampinreckon.blogspot.com
Brenda's Stamping Corner	http://brendasstampingcorner.blogspot.com
Maddiebug Designs	www.maddiebugdesigns.blogspot.com
Stamping in the Moonlight	www.stampinginthemoonlight.blogspot.com
Stampin' Fevre	www.elefevre.blogspot.com
Artful Imagination	www.artfulimagination.blogspot.com
Pretty Inky Papercrafts	www. prettyinky.blogspot.com
Nichole's Stampin' Corner	www.stampinwithnikki.blogspot.com
Clever and Cute	http://www.cleverandcute.blogspot.com/
Mimi To Jett	http://mimitojett.blogspot.com
Shari's Stamp Pad	www.sharisstamppad.blogspot.com
Blinkin' Thinkin' & Inkin'	blinkthinkink.blogspot.com
Krafting With Karen	www.kraftingwithkaren.blogspot.com
Loni's Life	www.loniholt.blogspot.com

Click on her name to go visit Patrice's blog, the next stop in the hop!

$99 Starter Kit! July ONLY - sign up NOW!

2011-07-04T19:42:00.004-05:00

If you have been waiting for the perfect time to join my team - this is IT!!!!!! Check out the info below, then, to sign up, simply go to my demo web site - http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/fancynancykay/jointhefun.

Click on the JOIN NOW button on the left. You really do NOT want to miss this! I look forward to welcoming you to my team!

$99 STARTER KIT AND FREE PROJECT KIT PROMOTION

Dates: July 1-31, 2011

Promotion Details: It's always more fun to stamp with friends! The limited-time $99 Starter Kit is the perfect choice for the lover of Stampin' Up! products. Use this exclusive Starter Kit to share the opportunity with your friends and hostesses who want to get the products they love at a 20 percent discount.

Plus, when you sign up in July, you will get a Christmas Keepsake project kit absolutely FREE--a $40 value! This exclusive kit contains everything you need to create a beautiful Christmas Keepsake Box to hold your most treasured Christmas memories. Remember, you can only earn this special Shelli Signature Collection kit when you sign up NOW! (And - this is one of the things I love about SU - when YOU sign up, *I'll* get one, too!!!!!).

See below for details on the limited-time $99 Starter Kit.

$99 Starter Kit
Contains over $180 in products and business supplies--including new products from the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog! All items below are recommended, but a new demonstrator can substitute a similar item of equal or lesser value.

Page	Item	Description
57	123225	Easy Events Clear-Mount Set*
69	122740	Pennant Parade Wood-Mount Set*
177	102277	Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad
177	105216	Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad
177	103133	Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad
177	119706	Brights 8-1/2" x 11" Assorted Card Stock
180	101179	Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad
182	107311	Whisper White Note Cards (20)
185	124339	Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper*
195	124142	Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon*
203	122129	Blender Pen (1)
205	118486	Clear-Mount Block C
206	104332	SNAIL Adhesive

*New to the 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog!

Business Supplies
The business supplies in these promotional mini kits will be the same business supplies that are in existing starter kits; no alternative selections can be made for business items.

Getting Started DVD
Getting Started Guide
Guest Invitation Postcards (100)
2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog (8)
2011 Summer Mini Catalog (8)
Stampin' Up! logo vinyl
Décor Elements applicator
To My Hostess Envelopes (10)
My Digital Studio Marketing DVD
Recruit Folders (5)
Recruit Brochures (20)
Customer Order Forms (50)

Things to Remember

$99 Starter Kit

Prospective recruits may still purchase either the standard OR Digital+ Starter Kits instead of the promotional $99 Starter Kit.
Recommended catalog products are included in the $99 Starter Kit. However, just like our standard and Digital+ Starter Kit, new recruits can select alternate items. For example:
- An alternate stamp set of equal or lesser value.
- An alternate color assortment of card stock of equal or lesser value.
- Alternate colors of Classic Stampin' Pads of equal or lesser value.
Recruits can still add the Stampin' Memories, Definitely Decorative, or My Digital Studio Add-On to their $99 Starter Kit for the regular price.
Recruits who join Stampin' Up! by purchasing the $99 Starter Kit are still eligible for any programs available to new recruits. This includes, but is not limited to, the Extra 10% Instant Income offer, the newly refreshed Stampin' Start program, and the opportunity to purchase a Business Booster Kit.
Starter Kit order form deadlines:
- Mail: Friday, July 29, 2011 (received in office)
- Online: Sunday, July 31, 2011; 11:50 PM (MT)

Christmas Keepsake Box Project Kit

The exclusive kit is part of the Shelli Signature Collection.
The box included in the kit is limited to this kit.
Demonstrators and new recruits who earn a kit will be able to order it with their first demonstrator order beginning August 1. Demonstrators and new recruits will have until September 30 to redeem their free Christmas Keepsake project kit.

DBWS Resources

As a new demo, sign up for a Demo Business Web Site, and you'll get TWO MONTHS FREE. Then, YOU can use your DBWS to allow new recruits to sign up with you before this special is over!

I really want one of these - don't you? Have questions about signing up as part of my team? Email me - I'm glad to help!

Mini tutorial - brad-bow

2011-06-16T18:29:00.009-05:00

A couple of posts ago, I did a bow using an antique brad and satin ribbon. Several people asked how it was done, so I took a few pictures, which my granddaughter found highly amusing :)

("Whatcha doin', Gramcy? Huh?? Whatcha doin'?)

Anyway - here's what I used - 108360 - Craft scissors; 117273 - Antique brads; 117288 - Certainly Celery 5/8 satin ribbon; 116631 - Paper piercer

1. Cut a piece of 5/8 inch ribbon about 7 inches long, fold in half and give it a little finger crease to mark the mid point.

2. Use the piercer to open up the brad's legs.

3. Open the ribbon up and make your first 'tail', crossing over the midpoint.

4. Cross the other tail over, creating the bow shape.

5. Pick up the brad and rest the ribbon, top side of bow towards the brad head, back side of bow facing up so you can close the legs over it.
6. Gently fold the legs over the back side of bow.

7. Fold each tail end of bow lengthwise and cut from fold out to raw end, creating the notched shape.

Et voila! Finished bow - adhere with sticky strip or glue dots!

Go now - make a bow or two!!!

At the blog hop.... at the blog hop, yeah....

2011-06-11T02:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the second installment of the VC_Rocks Blog Hop for 2011. I am excited to be bringing you some Big Shot Beauty today!

If you aren't one of my regular readers, I'm betting you arrived from Kim Abbott's blog - Stamping Fun with Kim !

I have several samples here to show you today:

Of course, I love me some pretty cards, but I was a scrapbooker long before I discovered SU or started making cards! This layout uses a Big Shot alpha AND flower - Little leaves, Alpha Simple (I believe it is) and the flower from an older Sizzix die - which works easily with Mr. Big Shot!

Did you know that under the new upcoming hostess plan, if you have a workshop of $400 or more you get to select any one item in the catalog for 50% off (even Mr. Big!).

The matchbox makes a great little gift - in this case - a teacher appreciation item - holding chocolate, what else? The matchbox die makes it SO easy!

My last share was also CASEd from or inspired by (which isn't far from being CASEd) someone - and again - my filing system failed me - I cannot find where I saved the inspiration card for this. I did this one a little differently, if I recall correctly - which is up for debate as well... I believe the original card called for a brayer... and I - although I have one, use one, and sometimes like it - could NOT get this to brayer correctly. Therefore I used my DD stamp pad and smacked it on the embossing folder before running it through the Big Shot - very carefully. My biggest piece of advice about this one - lay the cardstock very carefully on the inked surface - and close it as carefully as you can, taking care not to slide it on the surface. I used a blender pen and picked up Old Olive ink that I had smooshed into the lid of the OO ink pad to color the raised flower centers that I did not put bling on. Ribbon and bling and a little sentiment stamp finished off the outside of the card. Colors used were Daffodil Delight, Old Olive, and Early Espresso (I could use one of those!).

My favorite tip on using the rhinestones and pearl bling that SU now sells is this: Use the Paper Piercer to take the bling off the waxy backing paper and place on your creation - that way, the oils on your hands or fingers do not remove any of the stickiness. Go ahead, try it - I'll wait :)

Back yet? (whistling)

Oh, HI!

For my last share - here is my scrapbook page for today's Stamp Club. There are a couple of special Big Shot things here - first, though - this is based on the sketch I created (the left page of the original sketch was based on someone's progressive layout, but I have changed it up a bit).

To do the title, you need a couple of fonts, some lightweight chipboard from our DSP packs - these are leftovers from another project. I punched out JNEY from (retiring) GoGo Boots upper case and OUR from Alphabet Simple. I did two cuts of each, and used my (latex!) Tombow Multi-adhesive. (Do not use this product if you have a latex allergy, please - unless yo

u are wearing non-latex protective gear:).

After creating this template, I went back to the Big Shot and ran a three-inch by 12 inch strip of Tempting Turquoise Cardstock through the Big Shot layered as shown: clear plate, cutting platform, 2 DSP chipboard shims, the chipboard word that I created, the Tempting Turquoise cardstock, the silicone embossing pad and the other clear plate.

Really hard to see here - but you get the idea... maybe a little better below - anyway - I also used the retiring Sense of Time (I LOVE this set!). On the original sketch the Top Note die was inside a pocket made by the 6x6 square - you could do that - I'm just using it to set off a photo.

Here is the full layout - the CASE on the left and my extension of it into a two page 12x12 layout above. Hope you love it!

Here is the next blog on the stop, followed by the full line-up. Thanks so much for stopping by - comments *always* appreciated!

NEXT STOP: Kim Overholt - Crafting with Kim

Full List:

00-START VC Rocks Home Blog VC Rocks/Debbie Petersen http://vcrocks.blogspot.com/

01 Jane Hignite Stamp With Jane www.stampwithjane.com

02 Eileen LeFevre Stampin' Fevre www.elefevre.blogspot.com

03 Jayne Stenstrom Jayne Stamps http://jaynestamps.blogspot.com

04 Elaine Wright I Reckon I'll Stamp http://www.stampinreckon.blogspot.com

05 Kristi Jaenisch Stamping in the Moonlight www.stampinginthemoonlight.blogspot.com

06 Cindy Lubbert Sew Much Fun with Cindy www.cindylubbert.blogspot.com

07 Barb Furlong The Love of Stamping http://www.theloveofstamping.com

08 Shari Dudek Shari's Stamp Pad http://sharisstamppad.blogspot.com

09 Dawn Dickinson Inkspiration by Dawn http://dawndstamps.blogspot.com

10 Robin Messenheimer Robins Craft Room http://www.robinscraftroom.com

11 Tammy Q Howell Tarheel Stamper www.tarheelstamper.blogspot.com

12 Veronica Miller Bluegrass Stamper Studio http://bluegrassstamperstudio.blogspot.com/

13 Tessa Boulter Tessa's Finds & Stamped Creations www.tessaboulter.stampinup.net/blog

14 Debbie Martin Clever and Cute http://www.cleverandcute.blogspot.com/

15 Kim Abbott Stamping Fun with Kim http://stampingfunwithkim.blogspot.com

16 Nancy Keithley Scrapbook Kits and more http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com/

17 Kim Overholt Crafting with Kim http://craftingwithkim.blogspot.com

18 Stace Coombs Stampin Stace www.stampinstace.blogspot.com

19 Pam Staples Sunny Girl Scraps
https://www.sunnygirlscraps.com

20 Marisol Gutierrez A Touch of SOL www.atouchofsol.blogspot.com

21 Holly (& The Dog) InkPaperStamps InkPaperStamps.com

22 Jackie Watson Creative Designs by Jackie http://jackielwatson.blogspot.com/

23 Kym Schwinkendorf Artful Imagination www.artfulimagination.blogspot.com

24 Heather schlagel Stamp with me www.stampinschlagel.blogspot.com

25 Mary Jo Price-Williams Technostamper http://technostamper.blogspot.com

26 Heidi Sorg Cheekies Ink Pad cheekiesinkpad.blogspot.com

27 Angela Walters Life with a Wiener Dog www.lifewithawienerdog.com

28 Shirley Northey Stamper Shirley http://stampershirley.blogspot.com

29 carolyn sharkas inkingthenightaway www.inkingthenightaway.blogspot.com

30 Diane Clark-Sutton Stampin Ldygflr62 http://www.stampinldyglfr62.blogspot.com/

31 Mary Campbell Mimi To Jett http://mimitojett.blogspot.com

32 Brenda Hugar Brenda's Stamping Corner http://brendasstampingcorner.blogspot.com

33-LAST Loni Holt Loni's Life www.loniholt.blogspot.com

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read ALL about it!

2011-06-02T17:13:00.002-05:00

Oh, my GOODNESS!!!!!! How can it possibly be time for a new catalog??!?!?!!?!?

Yet, it is! If you want in on some really good deals - keep reading - if you do NOT want the new catalog spoiled for you - STOP - Close this post and walk away - really!!!!!

I'll wait

Are you sure?

Do you REALLY want to know?

I'm not going to spoil much, but there are a few things I want you to know 'cause I like you!

So, you really sure you want to read some spoilers?

OK, but I warned you!!!!!!

In my sidebar is a link to the LAST CHANCE LIST. Click on it or on the words "last chance list" that you just read and go to my website.... go directly to my website.... do NOT pass Go.... do not collect $200 - well, wait - yeah - go get a couple of hundred if you wanna - that way you can buy more stuffs!!!!!!!!!!

In the Last Chance List, you will see some things going away and be SHOCKED! So, here's the spoiler, and I confess, it's a bit anti-climactic....

Just because the 12x12 cardstock packs are on the list does NOT mean they are retiring, no siree!!!! What it means is that (SPOILER ALERT) in the new catty, cardstock will be split into packs of smooth and packs of textured. So if you LIKE the mixed packs, get 'em now!

Here's another tidbit! The pattern packs of colors are on the list - wait - don't worry - they aren't gone either! However, as we all know, everything is getting more expensive, so there will be a moderate price increase on the family colors of pattern paper - personally, I'm pleased that it isn't more. After all - when gas goes up, everything else follows because we transport stuff from lots of other places and that takes gas which costs more....

RIBBON - oh, my - cue sad face - I never met a ribbon I didn't like, especially SU's since it color matches perfectly with our cardstock and inks and DSPs. Some colors in some styles are retiring. There will be new colors to obsess over, but FOCUS - right now, if you want Rich Razzleberry ribbon, you better get on it, girlfriend!

There are even DISCOUNTS on some items, but look out - first come, first served - and once it's gone, it's gone.... only to reappear for 15 times a reasonable price on someone's for sale list or auction site.... so get it now while you can!

One last thing, if you're still reading... on the Last Chance stamps list - please read carefully!!!!!! Sock monkey is NOT retired - but Sock Monkey accessories IS. Also - some stamp sets are retiring in one language, but not all. So please - before you panic and your hubby has to call EMTs.... read carefully - you'll be happier for it.

So now - you are invited to a) indulge in some retail therapy, and b) tell me - what will you miss the most from the Last Chance lists?

VC ROCKS - Blog Hop #1 - Color my World

2011-05-14T08:00:00.001-05:00

Home link for blog hop: www.vcrocks.blogspot.com

In case you don't know what VC is.... it stands for Virtual Convention and was established for those who were unable to attend Stampin' Up!'s annual Convention. Convention is when the new catalog is revealed, lots of cool classes, swaps, make and takes, tours and more take place. Unfortunately, not all of us can go, so back in the day, some enterprising souls got together and established VC Rocks! (and it does!)

We are a chatty, creative and cool group of SU demos, customers and friends. There is a very limited membership window, so if you miss it this year, watch your favorite stampin' lists for hints of it next year in late April and early May! Membership is open until the END OF MAY! (What are you waiting for? I'll still be here when you get back - get to Yahoogroups and search for VC_ROCKS or email vc_rocks-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

You should have arrived here from http://www.stampinldyglfr62.blogspot.com/, but if not, start hopping here and make your way back around - a complete list is provided at the bottom to help with that!

OK - 'nuff about that - for my share for our Color My World blog hop (gee, I remember that song well!):

This sample uses the Pretty Postage stamp set, blender pens, Watercolor Wonder crayons in Bravo Burgundy, Rose Red, Old Olive, Always Artichoke and Not Quite Navy, plus Mr. Big Shot and the Square Lattice Embossing Folder. The colors used are Old Olive, So Saffron and Whisper White. The SWEET stamp is stamped on Watercolor paper and punched with the new postage stamp punch in the Summer Mini Catalog. Satin ribbon and an antique brad complete the look (with supporting cast of Sticky Strip and Snail).

The blender pen was used to pick up color off the butt end of the watercolor crayons (a different one for each different color - I have mine labeled RED, ORANGE, YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, and PURPLE) and then for the berries, I dabbed Burgundy, swiped my pen on my grid paper and then picked up Rose Red to brighten the color some as I dabbed it on in little dots.

I hope you enjoy my berry little attempt at coloring my world and yours.

Please continue on the blog hop by going to http://createdbyu.blogspot.com - please leave comments along the way, and have fun!

Here is a complete list of the blog hop as Blogger has had some issues this week -

1. http://vcrocks.blogspot.com/

2. http://stampingfunwithkim.blogspot.com

3. http://lorimpalmer.blogspot.com/

4. http://beantowngrasshopper.blogspot.com

5. www.maddiebugdesigns.blogspot.com

6. http://blinkthinkink.blogspot.com

7. www.weekendstamper.blogspot.com

8. http://mimitojett.blogspot.com

9. http://icanstamp2.blogspot.com

10. www.scrappin-for-sanity.blogspot.com

11. http://www.theloveofstamping.com

12. www.stampinstace.blogspot.com

13. www. inkpaperstamps.com

14. http://elizabethsstamproom.blogspot.com/

15. http://atouchofsol.blogspot.com

16. http://www.stampinldyglfr62.blogspot.com/

17. http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com/

18. http://createdbyu.blogspot.com

19. http://artfulimagination.blogspot.com

20.www.lifewithawienerdog.com

21. http://www.lauriesrubberroom.blogspot.com

22. http://www.cleverandcute.blogspot.com/

23. www.tarheelstamper.blogspot.com

24. http://bluegrassstamperstudio.blogspot.com

25. www.stampwithjane.com

26. http://www.inkingthenightaway.blogspot.com/

27. http://inkedx2.blogspot.com

28. http://sharisstamppad.blogspot.com

29. http://stampershirley.blogspot.com

30. www.loniholt.blogspot.com

National Scrapbook Month, new summer mini - WIN/WIN!

2011-05-08T07:37:00.003-05:00

Can you believe it is May already??? The new Summer Mini Catalog is out, and there are some AMAZING specials for National Scrapbook Month!!!!!

SUMMER MINI

Just in case you didn't get one of your own to drool over, you can click this picture to see the new Summer Mini catalog (and if you want, once it loads, you can right click and SAVE AS to have a copy to browse more quickly). Some of my favorites in this mini include the new Baker's Twine, NEW PUNCHES - including two triple layer punches(!) and a postage stamp punch with coordinating stamp set. If you are one of my customers (not another demonstrator, please) and didn't get your copy, email me and let me know!

May is also National Scrapbooking Month and Stampin' Up! has some great opportunities to save on scrapbooking supplies.

You can get 30% off of select stamp sets, selected professional print products for My Digital Studio and some special digital download bundles for My Digital Studio!

Click here to see the complete list of products being offered at 30 percent off!

Download the flyer

Download the My Digital Studio Price Guide

This is the perfect opportunity for digital scrappers to join the Stampin' Up! family. During National Scrapbooking Month, new recruits will get 30 percent off the Digital+ Starter Kit. In addition, new recruits can purchase the Stampin' Memories Add-On for 30 percent off, as well!

The Digital+ Starter kit, valued at more that $320 (US) is regularly $175. but during May, $122.50! The Stampin' Memories add-on is usually $50 more (valued at $75+), but during the merry, merry month of May - only $35!!!

Click here to Download the Starter Kit Flyer

Check out these specials and get started scrapbooking now!

SUSTARS April 2011 Blog hop... Anything but a card! Make mine a scrapbook page!

2011-04-16T09:32:00.003-05:00

Today the Stars are sharing anything but a card - mine, of course, is a scrapbook layout. You probably got here from Denise Foor's blog, but if not, more hop details are below the scrapbooking goodies shown here...

I have to start off by saying I am a collector - I collect scrapbook sketches and make up my own. This is from my collection of sketches - and is my take on it, although they are very similar. I created the mockup of the sketch in Powerpoint - I forgot to put the ribbons around the journaling card in between the two pictures... but I bet you can figure that out! Besides, I even put the dimensions of the cuts on there for ya!

So here is my take on it -

first - I created my quote in MyDigitalStudio - VERY easy to do - I used the MDS download of the Botanical Gazette DSP from the Occasions Mini which is going away SOOOOOOOON!!!!! I used a quote by Emily Dickinson, which says:

Hope is that thing with

feathers that perches

in the soul and sings

the tune without the

words and never stops...

at all.

I was able to print four of those to a page (in MDS - you go to the share button, pick JPG and save it and print it).

The H/Hope piece in mine below is stamped in Bashful Blue with the newly arriving Strength and Hope stamp set - orderable by customers May 1!

Hope you enjoyed the share - next stop on the hop is Shari's Stamp Pad - so hop on over to Shari's pad and check it out!

If you got here by another means and want to start the hop fro the top, go to the SU Stars blog to begin!

Happy Hopping!

PS - I am on my school's RELAY FOR LIFE TEAM - my mom is a breast cancer survivor, and my dad died on March 5 of a malignant brain tumor - if you would like to sponsor a luminaria in memory of my dad, Scott Scoggins, the donation is $5 (or more if you so choose) and the money goes to the American Cancer Society. Please email me at nancykayk@aol.com for more details about that!

GRAB BAGS - Isn't that a fun way to start April?

2011-04-02T10:54:00.004-05:00

Starting April 1 and until they run out, Stampin' Up! has put some grab bags in the Stampin' Up online store! Your best bet is to go to MY DEMO WEBSITE and click on SHOP NOW (red button upper right).

The bags come in three sizes - at $5, $10 or $15 per bag - you choose. Each bag has an assortment of discontinued product, such as ribbons, Accents & Elements, chipboard, Designer Series Papers and/or Simply Sent components. (NOTE: There are no grab bags containing stamp sets or tools. Also, not all grab bags are unique.)

As if that isn't enough fun - there are NEW CLEARANCE RACK ITEMS - including some Designer Series Paper and ribbon (did someone say RIBBON?)!!!!! Go to my website, check out the SHOP NOW button, then the navigation links on the left to find the Grab Bags, Clearance Rack and other fun.

There is no minimum purchase, but these can ONLY be ordered through the store - by going to my website to enter the store, you get preferred pricing, and can earn hostess benefits for orders of $150 or more, not to mention MY appreciation!

What are you waiting for? Go get yours before they are all gone!

Time for another blog hop - the Stars are out!

2011-03-19T01:58:00.008-05:00

Welcome to the March SU Blog Hop - I missed last month due to family issues - you should have arrived here from Mary Campbell's blog. As many of you know, the past months have been extremely difficult for my family. On top of all his other health issues, it was discovered about 4 weeks ago now that my dad had an inoperable "massive malignant brain tumor". He was ready to go Home to be with the Father, and did so on Saturday March 5 - two weeks ago today.

Am I sad? Well, YEAH! I'm human, yes? However I rejoice in knowing that I will be with him again in Heaven. Joy* lives in my heart and it IS well with my soul even though I really do miss my da!!! (and now I can really hear you thinking,"What on earth does this have to do with a blog hop???????", Well, really - not all that much with earthly things,... you know?)

Therefore, in spite of and because of all that, I bring to you a happy little, springy card,

using the Baby Blossoms stamp set from the Occasions Mini.

(*Don't confuse JOY with happiness - happiness is fleeting, joy is a state of soul.)

I actually did several versions of this happy, Spring-y card. These are the two I really like!

These cards use a technique called Faux Silk - I keep wanting to say Faux linen for some goofy reason, but really - it's silk!

This technique is oh, SO easy to do - and you probably have what you need to do it at home already!

Take a piece of plain white tissue paper - wrinkled is ok, so go check out those old gift bags and see if you hit a bonanza in one of them. This is the kind of tissue I buy at the end of Christmas sales when they are 90% off at the one B&M store I go to occasionally for fabric and such.

In this case, I used the rose stamps from the Baby Blossom set and stamped the background piece of the two step rose (the 3/4 inch rose) in Pretty in Pink all over the tissue, and then stamped the detail stamp of the same size rose in Regal Rose on top of the Pretty in Pink.

(HINT - use a really clean piece of grid paper - and turn it over onto the nongrid side to REALLY see where the PiP stamping was, lol!)

Finally, I stamped the little leaf in Pear Pizazz (LovE that color!). Then I crumpled up the tissue and carefully uncrumpled it. I used the Stampin' up! glue stick i had been hoarding and covered a 4 1/2x4 1/2 piece of Very Vanilla with it, then spread the stamped tissue over it. I rubbed it gently with my fingers, treasuring the little wrinkles, as they serve to silkify it.... and trimmed the piece to 4x4. How stinkin' easy was that!!!!!! This technique has been around a bit, and was recently featured in the Stampin' Success magazine, which is one of the perks of being a demonstrator for SU! I punched the edge of my Pear Pizazz cardstock (cut to 4x5 1/4, and trimmed after punching with the border punch). Then, I used the Decorative label punch (120907) to punch out the large punchie you see below, stamped the sentiment in Regal rose on a scrap of Vanilla and punched it out with the Modern Label punch. I applied a piece of Victoria crochet ribbon (118481) using Snail to secure the ends on the back. I used three Stampin' Dimensionals to pop it up on the green Decorative label and attached it to my card front. Finally, I added two teeny-tiny pearlets from the half pearls we sell, just to jazz up the "Just Because". Inside the cards I made, I stamped a few with baby sentiments and a few with birthday wishes.

TAKE ONE:

TAKE TWO:

Which is your favorite, ONE or TWO? Please leave me a comment and let me know!

Now - as this is part of the SU Stars group Blog Hop - you'll want to click this link to head to Raissa's place for her share: www.raissastamps.com.

You can continue from there to the next hop stop, or go to the group page and start at the very beginning! Thanks for looking - we'd love to see what you are inspired to make!

+1

2011-01-24T21:53:00.002-06:00

Stampin' Up!'s global campaign this year is simple: plus one.

What one thing can we as demonstrators do to improve our business?

What a simple, yet awesome concept that we can carry over into our every day lives!!!!

What one thing can I do to show my husband how very much I love him, respect him, and, 32 years into this, would do it all again?

What one thing can I do to show my daughters and their fellas how much I believe in them, both as individuals, and as couples, and how much I am convinced that God has a special plan for their lives?

What one thing can I do to be a better mommy, daughter, wife, friend, employee, educator, counselor, pianist, Christian?

I think the first thing is this:

Hey, you - yeah - YOU - the one reading this blog!

God has a special plan for YOU. He loves you, and He wants you to know that! He wants you to know that you are not alone in whatever you do... you are a one-of-a-kind, uniquely created in the image of God, specially designed, wholly wonderful person - in the words of Dr. Seuss, there is NO one more "you-er" than you!

I don't know about you, but I need to be reminded of that frequently...

So... what's your +1? Whether you are a demo or not, you ought to think on that - and feel free to post a comment to share it - I'd love to see your ideas!

Hugs,

Nanc

SUSTARS January 2011 Blog hop... Love is in the air!

2011-01-14T22:55:00.005-06:00

This has certainly been an eventful couple of months for me. I'll post more on that later, because this weekend is the first SUSTARS Blog Hop of 2011.

My thanks to our fearless Blog Hop coordinator, Loni!

You probably arrived here from Stamp With Jane. A complete listing of this blog hop may be found after my Valentine's shares, along with the next stop on the hop! If you are just starting here, there are only a dozen stops, and they will be worth your time, so get hopping, would ya? Our theme was a choice of Valentine or Thank you items.

My first item is a test tube holder. It is made of textured Real Red cardstock and decorated with Blushing Bride patterned paper, punchies, Real Red ink.

(ADDED 1/15 - Finally found the pattern on my desktop - thought I had filed it correctly - original pattern for this holder by Lisa Somerville, printable pattern and instructions by Marie at stampinginspiration.blogspot.com - do want to give credit where credit's due!)

My second (and last item for today) is my Valentine card for my honey. 32 years of marriage, 2 kids, 2 grandkids - and i'd do it all again -

Riding Hood Red cardstock and Love Letter DSP make a really cool Valentine card that you can give to a guy... add an antique brad, and look out! Enjoy!

(This card sketch was based on one by Robin Messenheimer)

Add the "three little words" stamp, and hit the bonus! You see, when we were in high school, our government teacher, Mr. Harper (who seemed much older than dirt to us as 17 year olds) had a lot of fun ways to teach us things. I'm not sure what those three little words had to do with anything in government, but one day he was talking about COBs (come over baby - curves that you drove fast to make your girl slide over closer to you) and those 3 little words.... and he admonished us to not forget to say those important three little words to one another... and that has stuck with us since the days of being high school sweethearts.

Bo never forgets to say those three little words, and he always finds special ways to show me that he loves me. Frequently we write notes on the bathroom mirrors with dry erase markers, and they are always signed with the number 3, for those three little words. It was really cool to walk into my grown daughter's bathroom one day and find that our tradition had become theirs, and to see the notes of love and affirmation she and her honey had written on their mirror.

(Note - dry erase markers can safely write on glass and be easily cleaned off - leave your honey a note on his car window, the window in the door leading to the garage or the mirror... you may start something wonderful!)

Hope you have a very happy Valentine's Day, and that these projects help inspire you!

next stop on the hop: Mimi to Jett

Full Lineup in case you missed anyone:

Monica Weaver - Add a Little Dazzle http://www.addalittledazzle.com
Denise Foor - Denise Foor Studio PA http://www.denisefoor.blogspot.com/
Raissan Spatola - RaissaStamps www.raissastamps.com
Jane Hignite - Stamp With Jane www.stampwithjane.com
Nancy Keithley - Scrapbook Kits & More by FancyNancyKay http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com/

Mary Campbell - Mimi To Jett http://www.mimitojett.blogspot.com
Veronica Miller - Bluegrass Stamper Studio http://bluegrassstamperstudio.blogspot.com/

Angela Walters - Life with a Wiener Dog www.lifewithawienerdog.com

Courtney Johnston - Brighten Your Day the Stampin' Up Way! www.letsubrightnurday.blogspot.com
Diana Soling - Stamping My Life Away http://handmadebydiana.typepad.com

Maria Nguyen - ScrapLoveCreate http://www.scraplovecreate.blogspot.com/
Loni Holt - Loni's Life www.loniholt.blogspot.com

SUSTARS November 2010 Bloghop... It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!

2010-11-19T18:49:00.003-06:00

Hi, and welcome to FancyNancyKay's blog and the SUStars blog hop for November where we hope to help you get in the Christmas spirit! You may have arrived here from Raissa's blog:www.raissastamps.com... whether you did or not, please peruse my shares since you're here :) , and then at the bottom of this post you'll find the link to the next hop spot... if you keep following around, you'll make a complete circle and back here again :)

My share will be from my recent Christmas Card Stamp-a-Stack!

Attendees made 6 each of four different designs - some I CASEd almost completely as they were shared by another person, and some came from goodness knows where... but I think they all work!

Card 1: Cherry Cobbler cardstock cut 4.25x11, tied with crochet ribbon over Artichoke seam binding around the trimmed and punched CC piece. A 4.25x5.5 piece of Crumb cake is stamped with the cool Christmas background stamp and Merry Christmas is stamped in the window opening stamped on the front, while a scallop punched sentiment is popped up on dimensionals on the left (both of these stamped in Cherry Cobbler).

Card 2:

More Cherry Cobbler with tiny dot embossed white over some of our cool designer paper... with a sentiment from Word Play embellished by a rhinestone, and popped up on dimensionals, and further enhanced by a bow made from a strip of the matching fabric.

Card 3:

WOOD - yes, wood! Cut into strips and stamped on, makes the title sentiment piece for this card. Old Olive and Riding Hood Red DSP, crochet thread, and tinsel from the Mini, plus a half pearl make this a fun card!

Card 4:

Contempo Christmas tree stamped in Artichoke on Vanilla shares the stage with DSP and Artichoke seam binding... and a punched heart with a Cherry Cobbler punchie inside makes the scene!

I am in the process of packing up to move - we were supposed to close on the house today, but alas - one more piece of paper to go (pray that that's it, please!) - looks like MAYBE Wednesday, but with daddy back in the hospital - this time with a broken hip, and mom not willing to leave him, we will be packing them up, too :)

God is in control - glad I know that :)

Next hop stop would be here: http://www.addalittledazzle.com

I know Monica's got something cute to share!

And here is the WHOLE list of blogs to hop, in case you get lost somewhere!

|1|Veronica|Bluegrass Stamper Studio|http://bluegrassstamperstudio.blogspot.com/

|2|Shirley|Stamper Shirley|stampershirley.blogspot.com

|3|Raissa|RaissaStamps|www.raissastamps.com

|4|Nancy|Scrapbook Kits & More by FancyNancyKay|http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com/

|5|Monica|Add a Little Dazzle|http://www.addalittledazzle.com

|6|Mary |Mimi To Jett|http://www.mimitojett.blogspot.com

|7|Martha Lucia|Stampartpapel|http://stampartpapel.blogspot.com

|8|Marisol|A Touch of Sol|http://atouchofsol.blogspot.com

|9|Maria|ScrapLoveCreate|http://www.scraplovecreate.blogspot.com/

|10|Jackie|Creative Designs by Jackie|http://jackielwatson.blogspot.com

|11|Diane|Stampin Ldyglfr62|http://www.stampinldyglfr62.blogspot.com/

|12|Diana|Stamping My Life Away|http://handmadebydiana.typepad.com

|13|Denise|Denise Foor Studio PA|http://denisefoor.blogspot.com/

|14|carolyn|inkingthenightaway|http://www.inkingthenightaway.blogspot.com/

|15|Vikki|Inky Fingers|http://drgonflydreams.blogspot.com

|16|Deborah|Thoughts of a Grasshopper|http://beantowngrasshopper.blogspot.com/

|17|Courtney |Brighten Your Day the Stampin' Up Way!|www.letSUbrightnurday.blogspot.com

|18|Brenda|Brenda's Stamping Corner|http://brendasstampingcorner.blogspot.com

|19|Angela|Life with a Wiener Dog|www.lifewithawienerdog.com

|20|Amanda|Stamp Vamps.com|http://www.stampvamps.com

|21|Tory|If I can stamp, you can,too|icanstamp2.blogspot.com

|22|Loni|Loni's Life|www.loniholt.blogspot.com

Jump, or HOP ON!!!!!!!

Hugs,

Nanc

WOWZA - What an offer!!!!!!!!

2010-11-12T18:27:00.004-06:00

Occasionally an offer comes along that no matter what, you really just cannot resist!

This is definitely one of those offers! If you have ever been considering becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, this is your big chance! HALF OFF starter kits...

yeah, you heard me - HALF OFF!!!!

That's the standard kit OR the digital starter kit - here are more details:

Offer good from November 15 - 30 only
Standard or Digital kit = $87.50 - your choice of which one (50% off regular price of $175 with a value of over $310!) - this is the FULL starter kit - not a mini, pared down version!
Sign up on paper OR on my website: Paper Independent Demonstrator Agreements (IDA)must be received by Tuesday November 30 6:50 pm Mountain Time; Online IDA submitted by 11:50 pm same date
You may still add the Stampin' Memories or Digital + Add-on for the regular add-on price
New recruits are still eligible for all the programs available to new recruits, such as the extra 10% Instant Income offer, Stampin' Start, purchase of Business Booster kit, and FREE 2-month Demonstrator Business Web Services subscription (DBWS)

Simply go to my demo website to sign up: www.fancynancykay.stampinup.net. Click on the START YOUR OWN BUSINESS LINK on the right, then in the drop down, the same words again. Look to the left and you'll see JOIN NOW... the IDA will pop up - read and click and follow the prompts. When you get to the password for your recruiter, type in Aardvark - yeah - aardvark... silly, but memorable.... like me!!!!!!

Email me with your questions and don't delay because this offer ends soon!!!!!!

October Club Projects

2010-11-06T11:53:00.004-05:00

We made a really cool scrapbook layout for my October club meeting! I saw someone's awesome stained glass techniqueand thought,"Oooh, that would look cool on a scrapbook page:

Since that and the box I CASEd took a bit of time to do, we made an easy last card by adding WISH BIG from Word Play and did this:

Here is the SPOOKY box I CASEd - I let my ladies choose their own papers for the patterns - we had a lovely little collection of cool Halloween boxes!

SADLY - although I looked on my computer, I can't find the really safe place where I saved my inspiration - it is probably in the folder I've been browsing (that I need to straighten up a little) in my Stampin' folder on my computer... but it is not appearing before my eyes (SIGH) - so if someone recognizes the inspiration and wants to credit, claim or link - please feel free to comment and do so!

Have a great Saturday - my Christmas Card Stamp-a-stack begins in 40 minutes - WHOO HOO!!!!!!! Soon a room full of ladies will be making cards and watching Christmas movies together :)

Congratulations to Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers, and here's to you, Josh Hamilton!

2010-10-22T22:12:00.003-05:00

Although my beloved Astros didn't make it into the playoffs (yet again :), and although Lance Berkman, one of my favorite players DID make it into the playoffs, albeit for totally the wrong team, I have to say:

WHOO HOO - WAY TO GO, RANGERS!!!!!!!!

It hurt to see Berkman wearing that Yankee's uniform (no offense to Yankee fans, but that was just wrong!) - but I was glad he got to make some good hits and some good plays, and got to play in the playoffs again - he deserves it - he's a great player, and even better, a strong person with a strong Christian testimony.

I confess, I don't typically follow Rangers baseball, but you know, I just can't feel bad about a Texas team playing in the World Series again.

Lance - we miss you, but we're still proud of you down here in Houston. Hope to see you back here soon!

Nolan - we're proud of you of you, too - you've come a long way from the kid throwing stuff in the back yard whose daddy thought you'd be better off learning to throw a baseball instead. Congratulations to you and your Rangers.

Josh Hamilton - thank you for giving credit where credit is due - to our Lord, and congratulations on being the ALCS MVP. You've worked hard to get where you are, and you are obviously respected by your organization when instead of spraying champagne, they choose to use ginger ale out of respect for the long journey you took back from addiction. You've come a long way, too - may you continue to walk with God as He unfolds His plan for your life!

Stampers (if any of you are still reading :) - thank you for reading - I promise - I'll have something else to share soon because today - maybe just for today - I HAVE FINALLY CAUGHT UP WITH MY PAPERWORK at school - (thank to Shermie for her help!) and am not so exhausted.

Now, turning off the talking heads on TV that are dissecting the win, and going back to work on a progressive layout to share... it's SPOOKY!

2010-10-15T23:22:00.007-05:00

Welcome once again to the SUSTARS Blog Hop!

You should have arrived here from:

Martha Lucia Gomez at: http://stampartpapel.blogspot.com

Below my shares, you'll see where to head next!

This sample is cased from the catalog, page 108. I used the Distressing Essentials kit to add the color to the textured cardstock (made that way with the Big Shot and the Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder). I used Crumb Cake cardstock and ink, and the distressing is Tea Stain from the kit. Chocolate Chip ink and cardstock and our new crochet ribbon were also used. The cardstock that I textured and stamped on is Naturals Ivory - hmmmm love that stuff!!!!

(I used sticky notes to mask the sentiment so I didn't stamp my flourishes over it!)

So, what does this card have to do with Thanksgiving or Thank you?

Well - at Thanksgiving, in my family, we share what we are thankful for - one of the things I am most thankful for are my friends - see the connection :) ?

Just to keep it totally kosher, though, I have a second project to share - an older Thanksgiving scrapbook layout I did with my club:

We have current paper that would sub great for what I used here - check out the mini catalog on page 13 - Autumn Spice - Item 120808 ($11.95US). The sentiment from Days of Gratitude on page 12 (Item 121148 in clear mount, 120835 in wood mount) would be perfect for the bracketed sentiment area. I placed the strips of Old Olive about 3 inches from top and bottom, and the strips of designer paper are 3 inches wide. I anchored my journaling strips with squares of Old Olive.

Next stop would be Miss Sassy herself:

Shirley Northey at: http://stampershirley.blogspot.com

Have a GREAT hop! I'm thankful you're here - and of course, your comments feed the soul - thank you in advance for your thoughts!

PS: If you get distracted, interrupted or otherwise lost during the Blog Hop, you can always come back to my page, start at the beginning or anywhere along the way. Thanks to Brenda for providing a repost of the complete list of the blogs participating this weekend.

Start: http://www.su-stars.blogspot.com/

1. Deborah Robb at: http://beantowngrasshopper.blogspot.com/

2. Mary Campbell at: www.mimitojett.blogspot.com

3. Angela Walters at: www.lifewithawienerdog.com

4. Angie Valle-Peters at: http://www.paperluxuries.blogspot.com

5. Barbara Furlong at: http://www.theloveofstamping.com

6. Brenda Hugar at: http://brendasstampingcorner.blogspot.com

7. Martha Lucia Gomez at: http://stampartpapel.blogspot.com

8. Nancy Keithley at: http://fancynancykay.blogspot.com

9. Shirley Northey at: http://stampershirley.blogspot.com

10. Raissa Spatola at: www.raissastamps.com

11. Diana Soling at: http://handmadebydiana.typepad.com

12. Jackie Watson at: http://jackielwatson.blogspot.com

13. Jane Hignite at: http://www.stampwithjane.com

14. Denise Foor at: http://denisefoor.blogspot.com

15. Monica Weaver at: http://www.addalittledazzle.com

16. Carolyn Sharkas at: http://www.inkingthenightaway.blogspot.com

17. Loni Holt at: www.loniholt.blogspot.com

Hop on!

SUSTARS Inaugural Blog Hop

2010-09-18T11:30:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the SUSTARS Inaugural Blog Hop.

The Hop officially starts on Saturday, September 18th at 7AM Pacific/8Am Mountain/9AM Central/10AM Eastern and posts will be up thru Sunday. If you saw some of my VCRocks blog hop posts, this hop is a continuation of that great idea!

Our theme this month is Halloween or Fall and there are some SUPER projects on the hop. If you get lost, hop back to our SUStars blog here and pick up where you left off. SuStars is a group of Stampin' Up! Demonstrators who, in the spirit of SU's Statement of the Heart share creative ideas with one another, and with you!

You should have arrived here from Raissa's blog, www.raissastamps.com but if not, don't worry, you can continue hopping and circle all the way around.

Here's my project for today:

This two page 12x12 layout uses the Wicked Cool stamp set ((118738 WM, 120600 CM), the owl punch (118074), Cajun Craze, Rich Razzleberry, Very Vanilla, Whisper White and Basic Black cardstock, Wicked Fun specialty DSP (117400), new Big shot border die (120893), Distressing Essentials kit (118762) and Black Waffle paper (120985). Obviously I haven't planted my photos yet, but the mattes are 8.5x5.5, 4x6, 4x6, 3x3 and 3x3. Any of those could also be used as a spot for journaling also. My intent is to add a title across the top cut with my Big Shot, but I'm waiting to see what my beautiful granddaughter wears for Halloween this month - her lovely mommy (my eldest) is an extremely creative woman, so I know it'll be cool!

Continue hopping now to Loni's blog: www.loniholt.blogspot.com

Thanks for hopping by!

QOTW - School's back in session here!

2010-08-24T06:40:00.002-05:00

Here is our QOTW - as always, I'd love seeing your responses and comments on this (even if they are smart-alecky;)

I know you probably had plans to take certain photos yesterday... so here's the bottom line - what photos did you take, and HOW MANY?

I actually took....

are you ready?

NONE!

I was busy helping teachers in the classroom yesterday with crying 3-4 year olds.... going to school can be a difficult adjustment, ya know :)

Today I'll be testing another three year old - and probably meeting a couple of transfers for me program. Feeling the love here :)

Have a blessed day, and don't forget to respond!

VC ROCKS - BLOG HOP #4 - Last one for 2010!

2010-08-21T13:11:00.004-05:00

VC-Rocks has been a real blast this year, and I'll be sad to see it end for another year! For those who don't know, VC-R is a virtual celebration of Stampin' Up! for demonstrators and non-demonstrators alike. This is our fourth and final blog hop for this year, and as we get set to say "see you next year", I'd remind my VC-R pals that are demos to check out SUDEMOSONLY yahoo group, and non-demos and demos alike to sneak a peak at Stampin-UpI yahoo group. There are many great groups out there, but these just happen to be ones that I moderate or own.

Also, please feel free to browse my blog to find other fun things and leave comments - those are always welcome!

If you are following the blog hop, you should have landed here from LORI PALMER'S BLOG.

Here is my offering for the last blog hop of this year from VC-R - a scrapbook layout showcasing the owl punch - item 118074 and some new cool designer paper - PlayDate - item 117168. (Link to my website for ordering in the sidebar :)

(The white papers are placeholders for photos...)
To find the blog hop beginning, click on this: VC-ROCKS BLOG and to move on to the next stop in the blog hop, go HERE to Stace's Blog.

I have something to share....

2010-08-20T22:43:00.002-05:00

.... raising my hand, jumping up and down a little (no, not for THAT!).....

but for this!!!!!!
It's a girl.... Peanut has officially been determined to be.... a girl....!!!

Many names have been suggested to my daughter and SIL for this one... the first grandgirl, Ava, is now 2, and her full name is Ava Kate (after my other daughter)... Robles (NOT robulls... pronounced RO-bless, in case you wonder)....

One young lady suggested.... Lily, Lucille, Vada.... what do you think - have any cool names that you think Ava's sister might be? Please feel free to comment....

(She's not due til around New Year's.... about the time my house should be done, lol!)

Also - I'm working on Ava & Peanut's daddy's birthday card - I'll share when it's done, even though I am SO CASEing it from someone.... it's a Deere card....

for now - I've got to get to bed - I'm beat! This going back to school thing is interfering with my play time!!!!

Watch for my card later this weekend... and don't forget - if you're in Texas - this is Tax Free Weekend - certain items are tax free through Sunday night at 11:59!

Adding a watermark to your card and other shares - the FancyNancy way :)

2010-08-05T07:04:00.002-05:00

Someone asked how I added watermarks to my scrapbook kits, card and scrapbook page shares, and as I shared it on another group, I thought perhaps some of you might want to know!

So, here's how I do it:
Launch PowerPoint
Insert> Word Art, Selecting a white/gray combo style
Type what you want it to say, then, change the font to what you want, and hit OK
Save the PPT file (where you will be able to always get to it easily) as your working copy of your watermark, since the SU copyright date changes yearly to include the coming year, for example, I just updated mine to read "All images©Stampin' Up! 1990-2011" - this way, you can still come back and change it without recreating it each year.
Click on the WordArt piece so that the lines around it appear, then RIGHT CLICK and select SAVE AS PICTURE
Navigate to your desktop or other handy location, save it as something you can find there
(You only have to do all this above ONCE, except when you change the date or your name, then you go back to the original PPT file, fix it, save the PPT, right click and save the WordArt as a picture and go)

To add it to a picture, I launch PowerPoint, go to INSERT>PICTURE>FROM FILE
Find the snapshot of the card or layout you want to share and insert it
Then, go to INSERT>PICTURE>FROM FILE and find your watermark and add it (doing it in this order automatically puts the watermark on a layer in front of the card share as it builds from bottom to top, like MDS does).
Select both the watermark and the picture by holding down SHIFT and click on the picture, click on the watermark
Then right click and select GROUP>GROUP
Then right click and select SAVE AS PICTURE

Once you have done this once or twice, it is so easy to do, and if your computer came with Microsoft Office on it like mine, it costs you not a cent to do!

You could also do this in MDS with similar steps, except that PPT is the only one I know with the option to group various objects and right click to SAVE AS PICTURE, which is pretty fast to do....

You can also insert MDS created pictures that you've saved as JPGs to share in there to watermark....

Just one thought on watermarking - what has worked for me for years... if you have questions when you try it, email me - I am back at school already - (yeah, hurrah, but I really am grateful for my job, even though this educator got no summer, lol)

And even though the 'stros lost last night, we STILL won the series against the Cards -

GO ASTROS!
:)n

Question of the Week... Respondez-vouz, s'il vous plait :)

2010-08-03T21:21:00.004-05:00

OK, I post a Question of the Week on my three favorite scrapbooking lists (it's a day late, but we'll all live... I needed inspiration and I just got it unexpectedly, lol! The Astros are inspiring me at the moment as they are beating the Cards 10-4....at the moment.... ahem!), and also got inspired to share with YOU, and see if you'd answer this one.... I'd love to know!!!!!!

HERE is your question of the week.... please leave a comment.... and tell us....
if you found a Scrapbooking Magic Lamp, and rubbed it, and the Scrapbooking Genie (fill in the name of your favorite Scrappin guru here, please) told you that she/he/it would grant you THREE SCRAPBOOKING WISHES....

what would your three scrapbooking wishes be?
(and feel free to share the name of your particular Scrapbooking Genie)

(No fair going to politically-correct-Sunday-school-type-peace-on-earth-good-will-toward-men-health-and-wealth-for-everyone-type answers.... we'll all presume that we would ALL want that first.... I'm saying - be a little selfish here... if you could have ANYTHING scrappy - what would your three wishes be - the sky's the limit!!!! Money is no object - Nothing is too big, outrageous or expensive for this QOTW....!!!!!! And if I could afford it, I'd give it to ya!)

Oh, and the score is now:
HOUSTON 12
St. Louis 4
with 0 out in the 7th

GO 'STROS!!!!!!!!!

Wait - 13-4 now!!!!! OOPS - Now it's 14-4!!!!!

Let the comments begin :)
(And since I also typically share a sketch of the week with the groups, I'll try to share that with ya, too)

Astros and Camera cords and tutorials, oh my

2010-07-21T00:10:00.003-05:00

You know, if you've read my blog at all, I am a die-hard Astros fan.... Since well, forever, you'd *have* to be a fan to keep watching them, lol. Case in point - tonight's game - ahead 6-1 - looking good, eh? Yeah, and then we lose it 14 to 7.... ah, well - got to see young Chris Johnson add another homer to his list, and Carlos Lee get his 1900th career hit - wow! All this is still a great experience for these young players, though - Pence, Castro, Johnson, to name 3 :) ... even when we lose the game.

As for losing things... among the lost is my Kodak camera dock... and along with it, all the cords that fit my camera to recharge it... I know it's in a really safe place, because, after all *I* packed it - yes, ME - I DID IT, lol!!!!!! My SIL says he has one that will fit, so I just have to connect with them to be able to charge it back up and download the tutorial I snapped the other day... I'd tell you what the tutorial was about, but honestly, I so do not remember, lol!!!!!

Wait - got it - it's a little tutorial on ...darn, lost it again!

Guess you'll have to tune in on Thursday and see if I remembered that I did a little tutorial on ...

VC-Rocks Blog Hop - the fun begins again NOW!

2010-07-16T21:50:00.013-05:00

I am so excited to once again be part of the VC-Rocks Blog Hop! There is a great line-up of ladies participating in this hop, so if you are one of my followers and started here, please, continue on with the next hopper and go through the whole group to see the great ideas presented by these stampers! Or, you can go to the VC-Rocks blog and start there and work your way through the list.

If you have already been working the list, you may have landed here from Artful Imagination, the blog of Kym Schwinkendorf.

Here is my share - two takes on one card, using French Filigree and Friends Never Fade. Although I do not have a picture of the inside, I used sentiments from Messages for Mom - and all of these sets may be purchased through my SU website (just click on SHOP NOW when you get there)!

The first sample is made using a color combination suggested by the Color Coach - Rich Razzleberry (textured CS and ink), Pretty in Pink (CS and ribbon) and Early Espresso (ink, stamped on Soft Suede). The sketch was loosely based on the King of the Grill sample in the Summer Mini Catalog. I decided to have a little fun with the ribbon and wrapped it twice before knotting it in a simple knot.

This second sample is the same card - but I used Old Olive (ink and CS), Pumpkin Pie (ink and CS) and Daffodil Delight (ribbon and CS)! I just love this new color, AND the new skinny taffeta ribbon - isn't it fun?

OK, you've probably been here long enough! Jump on over to Donna Rogers' blog: High Altitude Creations and see what she has cooked up for you!

Thanks for stopping by! And be sure and come back for more goodies as I finish unpacking and settling into my temporary home while our house is being built!

Happy Birthday to Ava!

2010-07-03T22:37:00.004-05:00

Although she is arguably the most intelligent and wonderful two-year-old on earth in my eyes, she doesn't read yet, but still, I must wish my beautiful curly-headed granddaughter, Ava, a happy 2nd birthday.
And even though we've had massive amounts of rain, here on the dirty side of Hurricane Alex (yeah - I'm still blaming it on that, lol), the sun actually shone for awhile on our little firecracker's day!

Her great-aunt Karen made the cutest Sponge Bob cake, with a companion small cake for Ava to bite into - and she did (and I have the pictures to prove it - but I took them on Kari and Garrett's camera, and I bet they haven't had a chance to upload them yet...).

Even though we had to leave the party and go back to the old house and pack up more stuff and move a few more things to mom and dad's, it's been a great day!

One funny - we were late to the party - because I sent Bo back to the house to get my punches so I could make a Sesame Street card for Ava - kind of like this one - WHICH I DID NOT MAKE but copied really well, lol...I *think* the credit for this goes to Jackie Topa, but if you know for sure, I'll be delighted to give the creator credit!!!!!! Anyway - this card was a HUGE hit - Kari let Ava open it first and she was so delighted with "Melmo"that she nearly didn't get on with opening the remainder of her gifts, lol!
(So whoever I cased this from - thanks! it was a BIG HIT!)

VC-Rocks Blog Hop - the fun begins NOW!

2010-06-25T10:52:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the VC-Rocks Blog Hop. If you are joining part-way thru the hop , the starting point is VCRocks Home - www.vcrocks.blogspot.com, however, you may see the links below for the next one after mine and continue at your leisure. You may have landed here from Carolyn Sharkas's blog at www.inkingthenightaway.blogspot.com. At any rate, WELCOME! Look for the next blog link after my project. While you're here, please follow my blog for future fun project ideas!

I created this scrapbook layout for my Stamp Club for June. It is a 2 page, 12x12 layout. We used the Frost White Shimmer paint (sponged onto the stamps), the new Fourth of July set, the Priceless stamp set and the large star punch and the retiring small star punch. The pattern paper is the new Presto Patterns and the retiring Bride specialty pattern paper. We sponged Night of Navy ink on the Presto patterns cross grid strips and Real Red on the Bride Specialty stripe strips.

For more fun stuff, continue to the next blog on the hop: Alexandria's ReadyCraftCreate

Watch for our next Blog Hop : July 17/18

Moving

2010-06-25T09:03:00.000-05:00

Ah, moving is SO much fun!!!!

But, it needs to be done. In case you've missed my saga, here is the Nancy's digest condensed version... we decided over two years ago that it would be wise to plan for mom and dad to be living in the same house as us as they are getting to the point where they need some extra help, and we all are adamant that we won't be shipping them off to a nursing home or assisted living place unless it were absolutely medically necessary... so we started talking about building a house. Well, here we are - we had hoped to be in the house last September (!), but purchasing the acre from our daughter and son-in-law was insanely difficult thanks to the employee of Chase who no longer works there, because evidently she did others like she did us (fax that to me TODAY - then not look at it for 2 weeks after my wonderful SIL called her three times to ask about it... then something else always had to be done that she hadn't communicated to him, etc, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat - when she was replaced, her replacement got us finished in 2 weeks!), then the county approving the plat of the land took months, plus an additional $6K in surveyor's fees (which he definitely earned:), etc, etc, etc...

Now, FINALLY, Bo will, dare I say it? - be able to get our building permit next week, but, since we decided it was time to close the LBC chapter of our lives and move on to a different ministry - we know not where or what at this point... it may be just taking care of mom and dad... we have to be out of this house (church parsonage) by WEDNESDAY - can you say... "Nancy is not packed yet" with me???

So today, I am packing, moving stuff and will be repeating that tomorrow, Sunday after church, Monday and Tuesday (thank God our SIL is off today and tomorrow and is willing and eager to help, God bless him!). I need to film and upload my blog hop entry... it is a 2 page scrapbook layout for the 4th of July, so hopefully it will inspire you... but then, once I get that done, I'm off the computer (yeah, we'll see) for a while!

Have a lovely weekend, and think of me while I'm packing, sorting and moving... and if you're in the Houston area and want to come help, I'll give you directions to my house, lol!!!

Blog Hop this weekend!

2010-06-23T21:58:00.000-05:00

Just a heads up to be watching for a great blog hop by some of the ladies of VC-Rocks! VC-Rocks, in case you've never heard of it, is a group of SU aficionados who mostly do not get to go to convention for one reason or other, so we have a Virtual Convention (the VC in VC-Rocks). The group has evolved a bit over the years, but is always GREAT FUN!

Please check back this weekend and see the special goodies being shared - you may start on my blog and continue through the cycle. We have some extremely talented ladies in the group, and I'm honored to be included in the blog hop!

Thanks for stopping by!

LAST CHANCE...

2010-06-23T07:14:00.001-05:00

Ah, summer - baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, LAST CHANCE LISTS....

yeah.... Last Chance on some wicked cool goodies! The Last Chance list is out - here. You really need to check this out! Then, after you find those things you just have to have, you need to email me OR go to my Demo Web site - here - to get the goods...(look for the SHOP NOW button on the right side toward the top) because once they're gone, they're GONE!

Go - browse - shop!

VC ROCKS BLOG HOP!

2010-05-14T21:58:00.001-05:00

VC really does rock! In honor of our first 10th Anniversary Blog Hop (there will be more blog hops this convention season), we are celebrating retiring colors or Summer Mini products...If you don't know about VC Rocks - VC stands for Virtual Convention - and celebrates the advent of the New Stampin' Up Catalog each year for those of us who cannot make the annual trek to see the awesomeness unveiled in person... of course, I'll be celebrating the new catalog a little early, personally, as mine will be mailed on MONDAY next for taking part in the new Recruit Crew program and getting a new recruit in March! However, since I can't go to Convention in SLC in July (we'll be unpacking from a move), I am excited to be back at VC because VC Rocks!

Now, if you've been following the blog hop, you should have arrived here from the blog of Tammy Howell, aka Tarheel Stamper - HERE. If you came upon this accidentally, please feel free to continue on the hop... and before you leave - your comments are WELCOME!

My post celebrates some Summer Mini products: Smooch Spritz, Clear mount stamp sets Elements of Style and Sentimental Journey, and the ever-so-awesome Presto Patterns Designer paper! Other products used include the Big Shot LATTICE die, oval, oval scallop, 1 inch round, word window and modern label punches, vintage brads, vanilla taffeta ribbon and chocolate chip cardstock and ink.

I *definitely* advise the purchase of the Color Catcher to use with the Smooch Spritz, although I did discover that when you Smooch Spritz your work table and Gazelle, Stampin' Mist goes a long way toward cleaning it all up and removing the evidence, lol!!!!

Continue hopping on our VCRocks Blog Hop to Loni Holt's Blog HERE.

Thanks for stopping by - Please come back and visit and see what else I have here :)

ASTROS and Scrapbook in a Day

2010-05-12T22:34:00.000-05:00

Oh, ye of little faith - the Astros showed up for games at home, but they showed up to PLAY in St. Louis last night and tonight! It was awesome to see some of my favorite hitters HIT, and in Berkman's case - walk - 4 times....

WAY TO GO, 'Stros!!!!!!!!

I got LOTS of WHOO HOOS in there tonight - thanks for a GREAT game!

In other news, I have all but one of my packets cut and prepped for Saturday! YEAH! However, I still have a bazillion kids to test, amendments to print and send home to parents, and ARDs to hold! I'm feeling the love here!!!!! If you missed signing up got it, remember that you can still order the precut kit TO GO!

I completed 20 scrapbook pages - Christmas pictures from 2002 to 2009 - last weekend - and still did a BUNCH of other stuff! Most of the sketches in the plans are my own, or loosely based on various sketches I've seen... one is directly borrowed from SU's My Digital Studio (which is another awesome scrapbooking tool!).

Have you scrapped or yelled WHOO HOO today? Well, what are you waiting for?

The Astros

2010-05-05T21:57:00.000-05:00

I am a Fan...

fan with a little /f/ just isn't enough....

it's an up and down thing... but it's NEVER boring, at least not to me.

Glad to see a glimmer of hope tonight... I needed that.

GO, ASTROS!

Signed...
A Fan (with a capital /F/)

2010-04-09T18:20:00.000-05:00

Pink and Brown Flowers

Haiti Relief

2010-01-23T12:55:00.000-06:00

As we all know by now, Haiti suffered a massive earthquake, and thousands have died. Because of a myriad of issues, not the least of which is political in nature, Haiti does not have the infrastructure to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. I am so proud that so many Americans and US-based corporations have mobilized to help out.

I'm even prouder that Stampin' Up! is joining the effort. From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set you buy will be donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well-established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

Product Name Item # Price
I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount (block D recommended) 118571 $18.95
I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount 117010 $26.95

This is a simple and straightforward plan; the more stamp sets bought, the greater the difference you make. Often it is the simplest plans that work best! (Plus, in addition to the warm fuzzy feeling of helping out, the buyer gets a great product with which to make cards and scrapbook pages which is also pretty cool).

To order, go to my SU website http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/fancynancykay/ and click on SHOP NOW, and enter the Item number of your choice - either the clear mount, which requires an acrylic block to use, which we also sell, or you may have on hand :), or the traditional wood mount - BOTH in our awesome red rubber - - - to maximize shipping costs, you may order other items, of course, or email me to order.

My thanks to Debbie at www.craftyperson.com for the cool button for my blog.

And my thank to you for reading (and buying and donating :)...

After BLACK FRIDAY... comes SUNNY SATURDAY!

2009-11-21T10:33:00.002-06:00

Join us for Sunny Saturday, an open house featuring several vendors of items that will make COOL Christ gifts: Pampered Chef, Premiere Jewelry, and of course, Stampin' up! (that would be me), among others.

For information on location, please email me at nancykayk@aol.com. This will be held at Susan Morgan's house here in Houston from 10:00 - 2:00 next Saturday, November 28.

Contact me at nancykayk@aol.com for more information and directions.

(Items for sale include fancy gift card holders, sets of Christmas cards to sign and mail, sets of variety cards, retired stamps and much more!)

CHALLENGE FOR THE NEW YEAR

2009-11-08T14:01:00.000-06:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah - I know we are not there yet, but I really want to share this challenge with you! I plan to do this digitally, using My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! (EMAIL ME TO ASK ME HOW TO GET IT - this is an easy to use product, with exclusive Stampin' Up! images, plus, you may also use any digital supplies you already own - fonts, embellishments, etc - ask me about the system requirements before you buy - and if you buy it online, be sure to go through my SU website at http://fancynancykay.stampinup.net to get preferred pricing for it!).

You do have to join the FaithSisters forum in order to read about and participate in this challenge there, but you may also participate vicariously through my blog here ;)

Here is the gist of the challenge...

As the year is coming to an end we are busy planning for next year. In 2010 we are going back to the basics of leaving a legacy of faith. This years challenges are all focused on YOU and your lifetime story. When you join us in this challenge you will be creating a mini-autobiography. We are counting down the days till January 6th because we are so stinkin' excited about the My Lifetime Story challenges!!!

Wouldn't you love to know what your grandma's favorite toy was as a child, how she felt when she met your grandpa, her favorite scripture and the song that expressed her heart? Your children and grandchildren will have that treasure when you join us in this challenge!

We will start out with your family roots in January and move into your childhood in February. We will continue throughout the year with your teen and adult years as well. The last challenge of the year will be a letter to your future generations or anyone who reads your book.

Each of our stories is important. This is a book that everyone should create about themselves. It will be the most treasured album of your family. As you create this album about your lifetime story you will be leaving YOUR LEGACY OF FAITH. This is an album that can make an impact in your life as you create it, but it will also create a major impact in the lives of your family both now and in future generations. As your children read your story in this scrapbook that YOU created, they will take your stories to heart. Your stories may have more impact on them than even Bible stories, because they are personal and from someone they know and love . When friends and neighbors pick up your storybook and look through it you will be witnessing without even saying a word. They will read your lifetime history and discover your love of Jesus, and His forgiveness and faithfulness in your life!

The My Lifetime story challenges will begin the first Wednesday in January. A new challenge will be posted each Wednesday all throughout 2010. The last challenge will be posted the last Wednesday of December. Just because the challenge series ends at the end of 2010 doesn't mean your lifetime story album is finished. We will continue to offer periodic challenges to continue your autobiography and keep it current.

Please join us in this year long challenge! Some of these challenges may be layouts you have already completed. That is ok! We need to get these all compiled in your lifetime storybook. Everyone deserves to be the star of their own book, including and most importantly YOU! If you don't put some time aside to create your My Lifetime Story album now, you may never find the time. If something were to happen to you, would your legacy of faith be lost forever? Take action now, join us as we create our lifetime storybooks for the next generation to see the glorious work the Lord can do in the life of a woman that loves God!

Hope you will join me (and encourage me, even as I hope to encourage you!) in creating this important book of legacy! in doing this digitally through MDS, I hope to print it and give a copy to my girls one day.

Make your world pretty...

2009-08-05T21:50:00.004-05:00

I just had to share. One of my favorite bloggers was sharing her gussied up computer, and it occurred to me that I should share mine, too, lol!

This was achieved with a Dell Inspiron 1721 extended keyboard laptop, and Definitely Decorative elements by Stampin' Up!. I achieved this look for just a few bucks...well, not counting the cost of the laptop... but don't you think this look makes it just so much more than JUST a laptop?

Go on, get out there and make your world pretty :)
(And if you want some of these very cool decorative elements, just email me or go to my Stampin' Up! website to get 'em!)

END OF SCHOOL, END OF CATALOG... but NOT the end of FUN!!!!

2009-06-13T10:59:00.002-05:00

Ah, finally, I'm officially out of school for the summer!!!! (Well, if you don't count the 6 or 7 days I'll be doing team meetings, testing, transition meetings, etc, lol)

And in addition to the end of school, we are saying goodbye to the Spring-Summer 2009 Stampin' Up! catalog and idea book! Many wonderful items will be going bye-bye, so you need to jump on it and contact me to order now, or go to my SU website (link in sidebar) to purchase online. Your order may be sent to you at no extra charge!

Retiring list and specials here: www.stampinup.com
My SU website here: http://fancynancykay.stampinup.net
My email: nancykayk@aol.com

Order fast! The retiring accessories are going fast, too, so get on it now!

Getting ready for my stampers to come now - want to join us? Contact me to find out how!

SCRAPBOOKING SPECIALS END TOMORROW!

2009-05-30T13:45:00.003-05:00

Just a reminder that scrapbooking specials end tomorrow!

Sign up to be a demonstrator for a mere $75 for a special scrapbooking demonstrator kit(email me at nancykayk@aol.com to see how!) and run your own business - able to sell ALL of the great lines SU offers - on your own time, and how much or how little you want, get 20% off your purchases, the chance to earn cruises and other great incentives! Offer ends May 31, after which you may still sign up, of course, but only for the full kit at $199!

Also - purchase 3 packages of Designer paper (page 158-161) and/or Textured Cardstock (pages 153-155), get one FREEEEEEEEEE!

You can purchase this online through my SU website for the best pricing, or sign up to be a demo, or you can email me! (To sign up to be a demonstrator, you'll need my passwork: AARDVARK!

Three Easy Payments o become a Demonstrator - ENDS SOON!

2009-04-22T07:03:00.002-05:00

There's Still Time for Three Easy Payments

Make extra money while doing something you love! Right now, you can become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and pay for your Starter Kit in three affordable installments. It's true, but you need to act soon. This option is only available through April 30, 2009.

You can receive your Starter Kit and get your Stampin' Up! business started right away by simply making an initial payment at the time you complete their Independent Demonstrator paperwork. Two subsequent monthly payments will take care of the rest.

What's in the starter kit, you ask? Well - our customizable* kit includes 4 die cut stamp sets (Eastern Blooms*, Fun & Fast Notes*, Big Bold Birthday* and Fundamental Phrases*), plus the Fast Flowers wheel*, Stampin'Around handle, Pixie *ink cartridge (used with wheels), a set of Stampin' Pastels, two packages of 8.5x11 Bold Brights* cardstock, Parisian Damask Decor Elements* in Kraft along with the applicator tool, and some essentials - Stampin' Scrub, Stampin' Mist, Versamark pad, Blender pens, Whisper White cardstock*, SNAIL adhesive, and Classic Stampin' pads in Basic Black*, Real Red*, Brilliant Blue*, Green Galore* and Pixie Pink*, plus business forms and tools to help you start taking orders. The purchase price of the kit is $199 (plus shipping and applicable sales tax for your point of delivery), and it contains more than $335 worth of product and supplies!

(*Every item with an asterisk by it may be subbed out for another stamp set, cardstock, ink color at the same price or below. So if you aren't a Bold Brights kind of a gal or guy, you might sub in Rich Regals colors or other stamp sets instead...)

First payment to get you started is only $66.34 plus applicable sales tax, second and third month's payments equal $66.33 plus tax each - those payments add up to $199 - so Stampin' Up! isn't even charging you extra for the option! This is a limited time offer - they are trying it out and it MIGHT return one day, but there is no guarantee! Thinking about signing up? NOW is a great time!

For more information about this limited-time option, please contact me. If you earn enough during their first two months as a demonstrator, your Starter Kit cost can even pay for itself!

BIRTHDAY STAMP-A-STACK

2009-04-04T18:28:00.003-05:00

Reminder: Registration is due for the Birthday Stamp-a-Stack on April 25 at 1:00 by next Wednesday, April 8.

Please use the new button to the left (labeled for the Bday SAS) to pay me, and don't forget to send me your registration form!

More info here!

SALEABRATION SPECIALS!

2009-02-17T13:06:00.001-06:00

Fantastic Freebies for Online Orders during Sale-A-Bration
February 17, 2009

The Free Catalog special offer is in full swing, along with Sale-A-Bration. These two fantastic promotions go together perfectly, making this an ideal time for you to plan an online order.

From February 1-April 30 (or until 22,000 catalogs have been given away, whichever comes first), each customer who places an online order will receive a FREE Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalog--a $9.95 value!

Sale-A-Bration (February 1-March 31) is the ideal time to place an order - when you place a $50 online order, you'll get a FREE Sale-A-Bration reward and a FREE catalog. Place an order of $100, get TWO FREE Sale-A-bration rewards plus the catalog... and if you order $150 or more online? THREE of the Sale-a-bration rewards, the free catalog AND HOSTESS BENEFITS at the first level!

Can't beat that - LOTS of free stuff happening now!

SPRING STAMP-A-STACK: BIRTHDAY CARDS! NOTE DATE CHANGE!!!

2009-01-25T17:16:00.002-06:00

Join me for my Spring BIRTHDAY STAMP-A-STACK on APRIL 25 at 1:00! Cost per person is $30 for 20 cards ~ 5 each of 4 different designs, including one set specifically designed for the guys in your life. This fee includes precut and organized materials, envelopes, and necessary ribbon/embellishments to complete each card. Bring your own adhesive and scissors (to trim ribbon ends). A limited quantity of SU gluesticks and SNAIL refills will be available onsite, or preorder your adhesive through me and it will be here waiting for you.

Registration due (with payment) BY APRIL 8, 2009. Additional sets of cards may be pre-ordered at the time of registration ($7.50 per set of 5 additional cards in your choice of the four sets available ~ or $25 for an additional set of all 4 designs ~ far less expensive than Hallmark!!!). Late registration is $5 more, and is dependent on availability of adequate materials.

DOOR PRIZES!!!!! Get a friend to preregister and come that has never attended one of my events, plus there will be random drawings! Prizes include free product with your order and other goodies!

Paypal, Credit card, cash and checks accepted.

Email me to register today!

~,~`~SPECIAL OFFER - FROM ME ONLY ~`~,~

2009-01-17T11:04:00.004-06:00

You only have TWO MORE DAYS to order from the FALL-WINTER catalog - ordering ends Sunday night!!!

As a special LAST CHANCE offer just from me, purchase $50 or more from the catalog, and receive one Classic ink pad OR one package of 8.5x11 cardstock (any of the 4 Color Families or In-Colors) for FREE. Purchase $100 or more, receive 2 of those choices...Purchase $150, get FOUR of those choices (that's a combination of 4 Classic ink pads/cardstock as described above - FREE), PLUS your hostess benefits, of course!

This offer is good only by emailing me personally at nancykayk@aol.com. Orders placed on my website will not qualify for this offer as I will be unable to add the free items for you!

Happy Shopping!

(and don't forget to watch for my NEW CATALOG SPECIALS coming soon!)

NEW SU CATALOG INFORMATION

2009-01-14T16:03:00.003-06:00

The new Stampin'Up! Catalog is here and it is AMAZING!!!!!!

Ok, ok, so you haven't heard from me since last year...(it has been INSANE at work)... but you knew I wouldn't stay away forever!!!!

If you are not a member of my Hostess Club and want a catalog, email me fast because this first shipment of catties is going fast!

Watch for another post that will detail a very special SPECIAL from me to you as a Merry-Christmas-Happy-New-Year-Happy-New-Catalog present.

Anyway - there are NEW Big Shot Dies - some SU exclusive dies you cannot get ANYWHERE else.... MORE Decor Elements..... MORE rub-ons (one in multicolors and cute as all get out).... ALL the stamps are DIE CUT... and, well, I could go on and on, but I am going to go back to making my wish list - - - -

You just GOTTA see this catalog! Email me to find out HOW!

Stampin Up Christmas Specials

2008-12-12T21:04:00.002-06:00

Oh, my - Merry Christmas a little early from SU, it seems - boy, do they have some great specials for us this month!!!!!!

1. FREE SHIPPING - yeah - you heard me - FREE on orders over $70... members of my Hostess Club who will be placing orders by Monday - yep - those orders ship FREE this month! (Offer goes through December 23 - to receive items by Christmas, orders MUST be submitted, paid, by December 16).

2. RETIRED list is out - and not only is it out... it's OFF - 10% off, that is! This offer good through January 9th. Go to link above to see the link to the Retired list!

3. From December 1, 2008 – January 18, 2009, in celebration of Stampin’ Up!’s twentieth anniversary, spend $20 on any Stampin’ Up! products and get 20 percent off any stamp set from the Fall-Winter Sampler—no limit!

4. and 5. The Holiday Extravaganza Gift-giving guide is still there, suggesting great gifts and the Country Living Holiday Collection Stampin Kit is still available... check them out, but do it quickly, because like all these specials, they'll be gone soon.

To place an order, email me, call me, or go to my website and place an order through me to get the best pricing* on your online order: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/fancynancykay/

(*Orders placed online through the Stampin Up website are charged a premium, but from your demo's website - link above - you get the best pricing available, plus a lot of ideas you won't see elsewhere!)

Stampin' 11-2008

2008-11-08T20:25:00.004-06:00

Here is the scrapbook page we made today. We also made a cute birthday card with Wow Flowers, a Christmas card with Lovely as a Tree and Deck the Halls, and a cute little basket using the SU Sizzix die Basket and Blooms, and the Scallop punch (and a couple of other punches) to make a cute punchart turkey for the front of the basket...

If you weren't here - missed ya!

Be sure we don't miss you NEXT Saturday - at the Christmas Stamp-a-Stack!!!!! Email me for information about late registration!

Stampin-Up! Alert!

2008-11-03T06:31:00.002-06:00

What a beautiful day this is going to be in Houston! 57 degrees right now with a high of 80 today...

I just wanted to hop on for a minute (not to give you the weather report, really!!!) and remind you that my Christmas Stamp-A-Stack will be SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15 at 1:00 at my home. If you haven't signed up yet, time is running out!

And please - don't forget to go VOTE tomorrow, if you haven't already!

Back at home, crazy busy... or just crazy?

2008-10-27T22:43:00.003-05:00

We are back at home - moved back home around Sept 23 or 24th. Since then, we've been straightening up, putting away and getting stuff in order... babysitting grandbaby Ava every weeknight til about 8 pm... oh, and going on a scrapbook retreat last weekend. I didn't really have TIME to be off work, but OH, how I needed the mental health days!!!!

I thank you all for the good wishes and prayers while we were out of our home. We have been VERY blessed.

I ask that you remember our good friends Kelley and Chris Vaughan in prayer. Kelly is a pastor in Galveston, Texas. They are still out of their home as it had more than 5 feet of water in it. They have lost ALL their furniture, and many 'things'... and are praising God that they and their family are all safe. They are awesome people. If you feel led to bless them with a gift, let me know and I'll tell you how to get it to them.

I will be working on a Christmas tag swap (actually 2 of them for two different groups) and the designs for my Christmas Stamp-a-Stack this week...

Be well, be blessed.

Still no power, but still so blessed

2008-09-20T11:45:00.005-05:00

Well, just a quick update here - - - we've still no power at home. HALF of he little strip of apartments behind the parsonage has power now, as well as our neighbors on our street... the remainder of the apartments and the parsonage where we live do not - it seems they are on another transformer... Bo suspects that it must be gone.

As far as the church goes - evidently there was a line DOWN... and now it's just GONE. Bo said he thought that the power company must have cut it to get it out of the way and done something to enable them to restore power to the houses on Citadel Street behind the church... so we have to wait until they can come back and fix that, too... so tomorrow we will be worshipping without benefit of electricity... that won't stop us from praising God for His mercies throughout all this.

Do I want to be home? Surely... but I have to say - my house is safe, my dogs and cat (and betta fish) are all well, I am staying in an airconditioned HOME with mom and dad and Bo where I come home to a cooked meal (that part is spoiling me, lol), and I don't have feet of mud and yuck to clean out of my house when I do get to go back home***. Yeah - it's annoying and frustrating on some levels, and I want to be in my own space, but I am so blessed and so grateful to have what I have and I know it!

***Have you SEEN what some of these poor people are having to deal with in going back home? Inches or feet of mud and debris in their house or business - and let me tell you - this stuff STINKS!!!! Belongings and mementos, family pictures, scrapbooks, etc, knocked down into this stinky mess? Plus, some of these people will be living in hotels or FEMA housing for ages! We aren't talking good clean earthy mudpies your kids can make in your back yard! Man, I am SO blessed!

SpOoKy sPiDeR pRomO

2008-09-19T07:36:00.007-05:00

This just in!!!!!

Stampin'Up! has decided to make the SPOOKY SPIDER Decór Element available to you NOW! So if you want me to add that to my order this month, let me know asap! Customers may officially order it as of September 19 (um...that's TODAY!). See the flyer inserted below, or if you're on my yahoo group, check out the whole pretty PDF (more readable as a pdf than as a picture inserted here :).

Here is a close-up of the ordering chart! Prices shown do not include shipping and tax.

and a screenshot of the sizes that you may be able to read better :)

IF YOU WANT IT - ORDER NOW, because after Halloween, this SpOoKy sPiDeR is GONE!

Blessed

2008-09-13T22:24:00.005-05:00

In the dark of the midnight

Have I oft hid my face

While the storms howl above me

And there’s no hiding place

Midst the crash of the thunder

Precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

Till the storm passes over

Till the thunder sounds no more

Till the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe till the storm passes by

~Mosie Lister

The song "Til the Storm Passes Over" has always been special to me, but even more so after experiencing Hurricane Ike over the past 24 hours. Our electricity went out for the 4th (or 5th, lol) and final time about 26-27 hours ago, so we packed it in and headed a mile or two away to my mom and dad's as 1) they still had power and 2) mom was fretting about us...

We spent the night in the 'new' room (now about 25 years old, lol) that has its own window unit so we had control of our temperature (they sleep at about 80 degrees.... we sleep about 12 degrees cooler than that, lol). About 3 this morning, their electricity went out as Ike passed through the area. About 3 hours later, Kari called to tell us that they had lost electricity, too, out in Waller where we will building a house this year on the back acre of the property we are buying with them... not only that, but Clementine, their part Blue Heeler, part Red Heeler, decided to have her puppies in the midst of the storm in their laundry room.... NINE puppies she had :) Of course the first boy is named Ike. Mama and babies are doing fine.

We slept a bit fitfully since we were hot - me especially after the power went off and Bo throw his part of the blanket over me :). Anyway, after his dad checked in with us at 8, he got up and went to check on our dogs and house. The wind was still blowing wildly enough I was a little concerned about his sanity... but he was on his way home when I texted him to check on him. We were still at mom and dad's when my sister called a bit after lunch and said that her daughter and son-in-law were at Costco in Austin and they had plenty of generators, and asked if we wanted him to get it and meet us halfway with it... so Bo and I hopped in the truck and drove to Buccee's in Giddings to meet him:)

As soon as they loaded the thing in our truck, Mom called and said that the power was back on at their house, lol - but at least now we have the generator we were planning to buy when we get our house built out by Kari and Garrett's!

In all of this, there has been, of course, a tad of discomfort, but I feel so very blessed. All of my family is safe. We have minimal property damage, consisting mostly of downed tree limbs in the yard. In both our neighborhoods, we spied trees on houses and cars, trees and limbs in the street, pieces of trees in our yards from God-knows-where.... but all the people (and pets) are safe... and now we have a generator to plug our refrigerator into, lol!

Hopefully our power will be restored within the next couple of days... I confess that I'm actually a bit more concerned about the water at the moment as there isn't enough to take a bath at the moment - this could get ugly! But I know that God will continue to hold us safe in the hollow of His hand. For all of you who have sent me emails that you are praying for our safety - thank you - it is appreciated, and if you know me, you know that I believe in the power of prayer.

"Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand
Keep me safe till the storm passes by"

I know that there will be other hurricanes - some even bigger and badder than Ike, but I am so blessed... and I know that God will continue to hold us in the hollow of His hand. Do you?

Baseball, hurricanes, banana bread and traffic jams

2008-09-11T22:12:00.003-05:00

I was singing the old Chevrolet ad song when I typed that title for this post - - - you remember? Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet....

My apologies to the jingle writer, lol!

Anyway - the Astros are doing well - they started playing - I mean REALLY playing, after the All-Star break as usual :) Go 'Stros!!!!! 3 games out of the Wild Card slot....

Banana bread (yeah, I skipped the hurricane for a moment) - so my mom buys bananas.... and they never eat them all.... so she gives them to me to make banana bread (now, this is a really obscure reference... but a Christian singer who has long since gone Home to be with Jesus - Keith Green - wrote and recorded a song called, "So you wanna go back to Egypt"... anyway - one of the lines in it is "baMANNA bread" - you'd have to know the song, but it makes me chuckle anyway :) - so my mom buys bananas, as I said, gives me some that are past their prime and PERFECT for making Banana bread (or baMANNA bread, if you prefer).... so the other day I bring these home, and Bo brings them in, and the next day when I go to make the bread....no bananas!!!! I found them a couple of days later... in the freezer.... with about a dozen other bananas in packets of about 3 or so each.... Anyway, when I picked up Ava from my mom (Mamaw) today, she handed me 3 bananas that were READY! So when I got Little Bit and I in the house, I got the bananas (which had fallen off the stem, thank you, and had to be picked up from various locations in my car, garage and kitchen - I thought my load was getting lighter:) - put Ava in the little crib my granddaddy made when I was born, and rolled it in the kitchen. We had a great time, with her kind of playing with her crib toy and me singing along and mixing up the bread. I baked it as a flat cake rather than a loaf... it came out of the oven about 10 minutes before Kari and Garrett got here to pick up Ava.... it is now over half gone - guess it was ok, lol!!!

Traffic jams - when Hurricane Rita hit in 2005, Hwy 290 was backed up to a stop - people were running out of gas on the highway by the time they got to Waller (where I work, about a 40 minute drive from Houston normally) - it was really bad, and they had to open up some of our schools for shelters because people couldn't get away that way. Well, we were expecting more of the same today, but this time, people evidently actually did what the authorities asked them to. The evacuation appears to be leaving the coastal areas in an orderly way, at the times they were asked to. Traffic heading out of Houston on 290 as I drove back in to get home this afternoon was MUCH worse than normal, but it was moving. They just announced on the news that they don't need to make the contraflow lanes at this time because traffic is moving out on all the routes... awesome!!!!!! Kari and Garrett headed home to Waller via Tomball on 249 and made it in about an hour or so, so it is MUCh better than during Rita, thank God!

Back to the hurricanes... as you may know, Hurricane Ike is headed down our throats. While we are aware and prepared, and know we may lose power tomorrow, we also know that God is in charge and we will be fine. So as you pray, do remember the Texas Gulf Coast residents, the first responders, those who are foolish enough to dodge the mandatory evacuations, etc. Do pray that loss of life will be none and loss of property minimal. Pray for the elderly that have chosen not to leave their homes.

It is a serious thing, a hurricane like Ike. Many people are afraid... the young teachers at school - especially those from other areas who haven't experienced a hurricane before and are away from family - they were having a hard time with this today! Pray for them that they may be safe, and feel God's peace with them.

As for me...

"Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say...'It is well, it is well, with my soul' ".

Be well, be blessed, and if you are in the Gulf area (as we say in Texas) - Hunker down, hon and be safe!

On being positive

2008-08-31T09:23:00.004-05:00

I went to a friend's blog this morning to read her updates on the kitchen remodel they are undergoing, and I was struck (stricken?... nah - struck, I think :) by her spirit.

So many women today engage in husband bashing on the internet - why not, we think? He won't be reading those posts to the scrapbook or stamping groups I'm on, will he? (Um, no). So why is this a bad idea?

Well - we all DO need friends to whom we can safely vent, and that's not always a bad thing... but if our spirit towards our husband is continually one of criticism (no matter how well-deserved we think it may be) and anger (because we think he never meets our needs)... then that is going to bleed over into our everyday lives and spoil (as in 'make rotten') our relationships with him.

When I read Wendy's blog this morning, it just really convicted my heart - have I been unjustly critical of Bo? Good grief - so we didn't get to go to New York for our 30th anniversary as planned - not his fault that we had a grandbaby due smack in the middle of the summer and I was afraid to plan to be that far away when my first grandbaby was due, lol - and the man sent me 3 dozen long-stemmed red roses to work on our anniversary. He has never, ever - not a single time - forgotten my birthday, our anniversary, my parent's anniversary (of course, it's the day before ours :) or birthdays, nor our kids' birthdays. He is a bivocational pastor and second year special education teacher (at a new school - AND he got bitten this week by someone else's student and has to take shots to prevent Hepatitis now, plus antibiotics and a tetanus shot, poor baby). He does the grocery shopping (still - because he got in the habit of doing it before he started teaching because of my commute and his more relaxed schedule), NEVER fusses when I spend money, puts gas in my car and has it washed for me, and is a kind, gentle soul... and I don't tell him these things nearly enough!

So, what about you? Is your focus on you and your needs, or on him and his needs.... or even more importantly on Him - - - on God, and what He leads you to do? That's something on which I'll be meditating today.

Dew Drop challenge

2008-08-30T13:21:00.002-05:00

OK, Holy Holly - here is my dew drops challenge card :)

Bella Rose

2008-08-30T12:45:00.003-05:00

Here is the Bella Rose scrapbook page we made at August's meeting.

Left hand page:

Right hand page:

We used a variety of "friends, family, fun" pictures with this one. The pictures are not formally laid out as in most sketches (and most of my own pages), but rather a sampling of photos - great for those "one of this and one of that" type photos you don't have enough of for a layout on their own :).

Busy week, back to school

2008-08-16T11:18:00.004-05:00

Wow - what a week!!!!

I've been busy - I've gotten all the catalogs ordered for binding bound, and am printing postage with the rest of my free time this weekend, revamped the punch pal I like to use (prints on one sheet and you can hold it over a stamp set in the catalog and see what fits in what punch), and gotten a lot of preschool evals scheduled at school...

We are headed out to talk to the builders in a bit about our new house along with my parents (who will be moving into said new house with us), and then our kids are going to meet us as we take my folks out to dinner to help them celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary (it's Monday - our 30th is Tuesday).

I hope to have some time to put up pictures of the projects we did last week at our monthly stamp meeting here at my home - we did some fun stuff, browsed the catalog - but first I need to clean off the mess from cutting, punching and binding catalogs :)

Have a beautiful Saturday!

Ava's Cousin Zoe is here!

2008-08-13T21:26:00.000-05:00

We just got a call - Zoe was born at 8:34 p.m. She weighs 7 pounds, 7 ounces, and so far, is the tallest of the 3 girls at 19.5 inches.

YEAH!!!!!!

Waiting for Zoe

2008-08-13T19:46:00.001-05:00

I'm sitting here writing, waiting for a phone call to say, "Zoe's here!!!". Who is Zoe, you ask? Well, our family has just undergone our own little population explosion (HA, Little - that is funny - that is our greatgrandfather's family name - Little - ok, maybe not THAT funny - but I'm tired.

My sister's daughter, Melissa, gave birth to Hannah Madilyn on April 15th of this year... my daughter, Kari, to Ava Kate on July 3rd... Jen, the daughter of our cousin/big brother figure (John) went into labour this morning - we are expecting Zoe Grace ANY TIME NOW (call me, call me, call me), and John's older sister, Carole - well her daughter, Holly, is expecting her 3rd in late August/early September - but that one's a boy :).

So if anyone is around and reading this - please say a prayer for Jen and David, and baby Zoe - and of course the assorted grandparents, great grands, aunties and all... I'll update you when I get that (call me call me call me) phone call or text message!

(And if you are reading it after I've posted she's born and all - pray anyway - God is not bound by such mundane things as time and place - He'll honour our prayers whenever and wherever they're said!)

What Ava's granddaddy wants to be called ;)

2008-07-24T21:16:00.000-05:00

So, we were talking about what Ava Kate will call us, which we know is basically an exercise in wishful thinking as children give grandparents the names they choose (I know of one lady whose grandchildren call her "Puddin' "... yep - bet you can guess what she always served them!

Anyway, after some trial and error... I decided that I'd like to be called Gramcy...hubby finally enlightened us earlier this week on his name of choice...

Grambo...

yep....

Grambo :)

Now, if you aren't getting this, let me share with you that Bo and Garrett (Ava's daddy/our sin-in-law in case you are wondering) LOVE Sylvester Stallone type movies... the Rocky movies, and, yeah - RAMBO... so, since Bo is a big muscular kind of guy, he thinks he'll be "Grambo".

Time will tell, but personally, I thinks it's cute as can be....

What we made on our Stampin Saturday ~ 7/12/08

2008-07-14T00:16:00.000-05:00

Here are all three of the card projects we made... I couldn't seem to get a good photo of the pink card - based on a set of cards by Angie Juda (chicnscratch). Mine says "Tickled Pink" and is a standard sized card :)

The scrapook pages use the Felt Fusion flowers in the current catalog, as well as a popsicle for journaling in...PRICELESS was the stamp set used to make swooshies 'dripping' off the dreamsicle and indicating the butterfly flight...

This card could be a Thank you, Happy Birthday, or whatever card - easy and fast! We added some detail inside:

We scored around the edge of the inside Bashful Blue piece, and used the punch out area of the sentiment on the front to stipple in some color with the sponge daubers...

Just wanted those who missed to see WHAT they missed! ANy of these cards would be FAST and easy to make up a bunch at a time. New club starts in August... if you aren't signed up, you'll be missing the fun!!!!

Enjoy!

ooh, baby, baby!

2008-07-14T00:06:00.000-05:00

Being a mom is really great... being a grandma? Well, one has to admit, mama was right - it's even better than being a parent, lol!

Here is my daddy holding Ava Kate - look at his hand next to hers...

Ava in the crib my mama's daddy made for me... my sister's kids and both my kids have all also slept in this... mama insisted on going to Things Remembered and getting a little plaque that says that Grandpa made it for me... but I really don't mind sharing with my sister's kids... and grandkids... although with Melissa having Hannah on 4-15, and then Ava Kate arriving less than 3 months later, it's a good thing for us that Mel had made other plans :)

And here is the sweet baby sleeping... she's doing less of that, but the smile makes it all worth while :)

I'm a grandma!!!

2008-07-04T11:46:00.000-05:00

Or a Gramcy - I think that is what Kari is thinking to have Ava Kate call me... here are the details with some pictures below -

Bo and I were all packed to take a little vacation starting this past Monday before the birth of our granddaughter around the 18th...

WRONG!

Before we left on Monday, I took Kari to the dr for a check up (she was going at one-week intervals at that point - and Garrett had been taking her, but since he would have had to take time off from work to take her, and they were saving that for after she was born, I took her gladly :), and for the first time her blood pressure was up... so after taking it 4 different times, the dr sent her upstairs to Labor & Delivery to be put on a fetal monitor and start a 24 hour urine test (to check proteins...) - her BP was fine as long as she was laying down...baby's heartrate was great - anyway - 5 hours later, we finally got home, ~Kari had to collect all her urine for 24 hours and return it on Tuesday afternoon. Bo and I decided that going to the B&B at Kerrville was probably a bad idea ;)

Tuesday I took her back with her specimen and her BP was checked again - still high. Dr had already scheduled her for next Tuesday to be induced, but decided to book her in for Thursday (7-3-08) instead because she was concerned she was prehypertensive.

Soooo, Kari and Garrett got to the hospital around 6, they got her hooked up to the fetal monitor, started a Pitocin drip and we started waiting. The dr came in and broke her water around 9 and things really sped up... about 2 hours after that, she asked for her epidural. Almost immediately after that, the baby's heart rate started dropping out... the nurse came in and cleared us out, got the dr, and they decided to do an emergency C-section. Dr said it was a good thing - Ava Kate - just like her Aunt KK (after whom she is partially named) was still hanging out around mom's ribs - never dropped down into the birth canal, so it would have been a LONG LONG LONG labor had this not happened this way.

Long story short (too late, I know), by God's grace, Ava Kate Robles was officially born at 12:11 p.m. (that's afternoon for the time-challenged among us) on July 3, 2008, weighing in at 7 pounds, 15 ounces, and 18 3/4 inches long. Kari and Ava Kate are both doing fine. The dr is a little concerned about Kari's liver function, and Kari has quite a bit of itching, which together could indicate Cholestasis of pregnancy... which *should* subside within a couple of days of pregnancy, or it could be other things, but at any rate is something to keep in prayer.

Also, the house they were renting from my in-laws has sold - closing date was her DUE DATE... we are buying property together in the area where I work (out in the country :) - that deal closes at the end of July - add that up and they would be homeless for a couple of weeks.... so guess where they will living for the next few weeks? Yep - here with us!
At least that makes it really easy for me to spoil that baby rotten!

Thanks for reading this far - now you can just call me.... 'Grancy' (I think that's what Kari has decided, lol - my nieces and nephews have called me Auntsy off and on because my oldest nephew started calling me that - Aunt Nancy - but he lost that syllable of it...shortening it to Auntsy)

We had a wild day - emergency C-section, a lot of prayer, but all worked out, thank God!

Garrett's Scrubs

Garrett showing us Ava Kate as Grandpa Bo (my honey) looks on

Katie (Aunt KK) and Kari in Recovery Room - Katie didn't think Kari should have to be alone :)

Ava Kate in Nursery after her bath

Kari holding Ava for the first time - counting fingers and toes

OK - Enough pictures for now - I have a baby to go hold and a daughter to entertain :)

Updating...

2008-07-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

Wow! It has been way too long since I posted, but a LOT has happened...

Finishing out May - school was maniacally busy! Kari continued to increase in girth with baby Ava...Bo completed his first year of teaching successfully.

June flew by - my stampers came and made several cute things... like this

with a new set that will be in the Fall-Winter Idea Book and Catalog...

and this...

and taking photos like this:

And tomorrow... we go in to the hospital for Kari to be induced, and hopefully this time tomorrow, I'll be updating with Miss Ava Kate's first photographs!

Please keep us in your prayers...

Hugs,

Blueprints 2 is out

2008-05-14T07:38:00.001-05:00

If you don't have it, you need it, lol! This is a great book to help you scrapbook more efficiently - wish I could say I had layouts in it - I tried - I got Honorable Mention in several categories, but just didn't quite get in... it has awesome layout sketches and samples, with wonderful ideas to help you scrap those pictures well and more quickly!

Email me for more information on how to get it!

2008-05-08T06:14:00.000-05:00

As promised, here is the layout I am doing with my ladies on Saturday - - - Chocolate Chip and Close to Cocoa cardstock, Close to Cocoa Designer papers, On Board Chipboard, Close to Cocoa ink, Kraft Taffeta Ribbon. The tag and flower are both chipboard covered with stamped cardstock and inked and sanded a little bit... this is NOT my Mother's Day gift - rather that is something practical she wants and needs right now - this one is for MY book :)

In the photos, on the left, my mom back in the late 1940s in her Nurse Corp uniform (I still have buttons from this uniform). On the right, my mom and dad on Mother's Day about 3 or 4 years ago when Connie and I made her a mini album based on the Alan Jackson song, "Remember When" - cousin Josh played the song over the house's stereo system while she perused the album... and cried a little :) Below that, he most recent birthday - with several of her grandchildren goofing around in the background. Then, a picture of she and Daddy in their wedding duds and a picture of (L to R) Aunt Mildred (her older sister), mom (in front), Mary Carole (niece), Grandma (holding Connie) and John Boyd (Josh's dad, our cousin, Mary Carole's brother - and pretty much like a brother to Connie and I, too).

I left room on the tag to journal - when I figure out WHAT I want to write there :)

Jury Duty (Privilege, responsibility, free country...)

2008-05-05T20:21:00.000-05:00

Yesterday (that would be last Friday, now!) I had Jury Duty - since it was State high-stakes testing week, I couldn't do any of the testing with students I needed to as they were doing state tests, so I didn't change it (here we can reschedule up to 6 months in the future). So, I went, and had a really hard time understanding what the gal doing the indoctrination speech was telling us, because she spoke so fast and kept moving in such a way that I couldn't read her lips, so I went up to her when she gave us a short break and asked her a few questions, which she answered, and then she sent me to talk to the people in the lobby about my hearing, and they gave me an exemption since they couldn't guarantee that I'd be able to hear a case adequately, and told me that if I get summoned again, to write "Hearing Impaired" on it and mail it back.

I really have mixed emotions about that. I have never been big on "getting out" of Jury Duty... I've done my stints in traffic court when called, and gone to JD several times and gotten booted because I was a teacher, or because I was a pastor's wife... I even sat on a murder trial one time - for three days.

I won't miss the drive into downtown (always a trip, and I am not talking mileage here)... I won't miss the masses of bodies crammed into one room, or the hike to the courthouse annexes throughout the downtown area, following our Court Officer like children on a school field trip.

But... I WILL miss being part of the process... of going in there and doing my part - because without the people like me who do so.

People sometimes wonder what is wrong with our country... in my opinion - a BIG part of what is wrong (other than the lack of Godliness - but that's for another post another day, and really they ARE tied inextricably together because we are charged to be good citizens...) - anyway, a big part of what is wrong, is the unwillingness of people to do what's right in civic matters: voting, jury duty, helping one another, being kind, good, generous and exercising self-control...

just some rambling thoughts on a very rainy Monday....

have a great week!

The 'bots

2008-05-05T20:17:00.000-05:00

I tried posting the other day - but was unable to as the blogger bots in their infinite 'wisdom' had decided I was a sp*m blog. UGH! As much as sp*m ticks me off, being called sp*m ticks me off even more! So - if you get autonotices that I have updated my blog and want to be removed... there should be a link in there to remove yourself from being notified - please don't send me to the "dark side" of email and report this as... well... YOU know what...

now... I'll have to post my other thoughts in a separate post, lol!

Link to sale list added (and now removed)

2008-04-19T14:45:00.000-05:00

I just added a link to my list of retired SU stuff for sale. It is a Microsoft Word doc that I placed on 4shared. It is checked for viruses by 4shared :)

When you click on the link (to the right near the top of the list), it takes you to 4shared, where there is a short wait, then an option to download the file.

Please be patient - it takes a few seconds to do... then, peruse the list and email me at nancykayk@aol.com if you 'need' any of it...

reasonable counteroffers will be considered :)

***I removed the link because some of those people I know who are 'in the know' thought that might be part of the 'bot problem... we'll see - I know that at least one person was quite vocally upset with the difficulty s/he had in downloading the file. I had it tested by my home team here and they had no problems with it...just took patience to wait for the actual download link to appear.

Sketch update for Dana

2008-04-16T21:57:00.000-05:00

OK - So Dana laid down a challenge to me to create her a sketch to go with two pics

and the poem from "Daddy's Girl" below.

DanaLea - you better share that layout when done... and the clock is ticking, girl :)

(tick tock tick tock...)

Done yet?

If you do a layout with my sketch, please share it with us!

Have a great Thursday tomorrow!!!!!

RETIRED SU SETS FOR SALE

2008-04-12T12:24:00.000-05:00

I have a huge list of SU retired sets for sale...

please email me for the list if interested.

Great new Bible study blog

2008-03-20T07:22:00.000-05:00

I 'accidentally'* ran across this blog the other day... just in time for a new Bible study she was starting. Double-dog-dare ya to check out:
http://rachelolsen.blogspot.com/

Her style is low-key and laid back...and her insights are really, well, insightful!

As for the rest of my world at the moment... I have been struggling some at work. Some choices others have made has created some 'fires' for me to put out...(like I don't have enough to do already?) - and since what I do affects the lives of children (not to be dramatic, but it does - I can't afford to goof up some kiddo's placement as it does have permanent consequences), these things are important and must be handled. However, God is gracious and is in control... I was able to complete all the evaluations I had to before Spring Break, and will be able to have those reports written on time and reviewed so good decisions may be made.

Changing the subject slightly - those of you who are my sisters in Christ - please pray for C. - cannot share name of course but God knows who she is - this gal has been battling cancer for years and her child is having some serious issues right now - they are having a really tough time... Please pray that God would bless her in a seriously wonderful way today!

And may God bless you particularly today and this weekend. I know that everyone who visits here may not believe as I do, but that's OK... I don't believe that Heaven is made up of Nancy clones, but rather people who came/come to know God in a personal way. God loves you and has a plan for your life - it may not seem that way all the time, but it's true, He does. Praying the He reveals Himself to you in an obvious way today!

Happy Spring Break to me (tomorrow is my first day off) and Happy Easter to us all - may we truly see the real meaning behind this season of renewal and new birth - that Christ loves us enough that He died for us, while we were yet sinners (and even though we still ARE sinners), to provide a way for us to have a personal relationship with the Father.

Be blessed,
N

*accidentally - don't really believe things happen by accident - - - I believe that God leads us to things and expects us to make choices... what do you think?

New layout, new grid paper

2008-03-01T15:51:00.001-06:00

OK - had to share - this is the layout I just finished of my daughter, Kari, who got married in November and her daddy, but the background is four pieces of the new style of SU grid paper - it has a centering rule, plus the gray over to the right has card/envelope dimensions, basic supply reminder checklist and wish list area - i LOVE it!!!! (If you click on the picture you get a bigger view and can see more detail!)

I love the layout, too - the ribbon is from Hobby Lobby (bridals) and the letters are Heidi Swap, the big flower is off a flowering bush - Hobby Lobby again with a pink Prima centerflower and the stamens are from the cake-decorating area of HL again....who would have thought to look in cake decorating for flower stamens???????

I handed this to hubby to read the poem and he read the first verse and said, "um,...nope, not right now" lol - I got really misty reading it and so did he :)

Here's what it reads - found it on the web by "Anonymous"

Today is finally the day
that I will be the bride;
I look at you to see
a father gleaming with pride.

But first there are a few things
that I would like to say,
I love you more and more
with every passing day.

I remember as a little girl
I felt comfort in your arms,
and hoping that someday I'd find
a man with all of your charms.

I've found that man, daddy,
that I do love so,
but please know this daddy,
that my love for you will never go.

So as you walk me down the aisle,
I know we'll shed some tears,
and remember all the good times
and love through all the years.

I am the bride today
but in my eyes you'll see,
that some things never change,
"Daddy's Little Girl" I will always be.

OK - now, all together - awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww - isn't that sweet???

Have a good one - off to do one of Garrett and his mum with a different, yet really sweet poem....

I was tagged...

2008-02-29T23:09:00.000-06:00

by my KayDee Design team sistah, Sharon who was tagged by her friend Linda. Who was tagged by Stephanie - Fiskateer #003, who was tagged by Stephanie, who was tagged by Stacy Julian. So let's keep this game of blog tag going.Here are 7 random and/or weird (you be the judge) facts about me:

1. I cannot chew gum in public - I pop, snap, blow bubbles - you know - generally REALLY anoying (and it annoys the heck out of me to see others do these things, or even worse, PLAY with their gum in public).
2. I tend to order the same thing when we go out to eat, depending on the restaurant - Pappadeaux? Shrimp Etoufee...On the Border? Pork Fajitas... Outback? the Special - small, baked potato, loaded....
3. I have a song for EVERYTHING - and I like to sing it (it's ok - I went to college on a vocal scholarship as a music major...which soon changed to elementary ed with a bilingual endorsement - but I still sing my way through life)
4. I was the youngest person in my graduating class - both high school, and, I believe, college.
5. I love watching (and reading) science fiction - Star Trek, in all its incarnations, and Star-Gate, in all its incarnations...
6. I love to reread and reread, and reread books....I am a fast reader with great comprehension, but seems like I pick up little details each time I reread something...
7. I am a night owl. If I don't have to work the next day, I will stay up until 2...3....4...even 5 in the morning...sleep awhile and then get up around 9 or 10 (in the morning). But since I absolutely loathe sleeping alone, I don't do that very often as I am married to the original morning person!
Now for the rules and who I am tagging.

The rules:Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.I am tagging:
Anita
Karen S
Holly
Chris
Shana
Dana

those goofy 'Click here' posts

2008-02-27T20:35:00.000-06:00

I have to laugh - these spammers think that I am going to click "here" to see whatever it is they are spamming today...

umletmethinkaboutitNO

not in this lifetime, anyway...

so, don't waste your time, spammers...your post won't be approved here....God loves you and has a plan for your life....but it doesn't include my allowing you to mess with the blog here.

Margaret

2008-02-26T15:54:00.001-06:00

Please email me at fancynancykay@gmail.com regarding a catalog :)

thanks!!!

SALE-a-BRATION

2008-02-19T07:08:00.000-06:00

Hi again!

Just wanted to post this separately in case you missed the blurb about it in the middle of my huge post yesterday...

This is Sale-a-bration for Stampin Up - an annual celebration where for each $50 you spend on SU goodies, you get to pick a free item out of the special (yellow) SAB mini catalog!

See it here!

Have a great day - after being at my scrappin retreat all weekend and off yesterday to recover from it - ok, well, I *was* going to help my youngest daughter move to a different apartment, but hubby had a funeral to do out of town and he thought I deserved a day at home alone to play instead (bless his heart!)...so he took care of it - he didn't have to do much for her, but they needed his truck :)

(Good thing - I messed with stuff for school over 4 hours yesterday...nice to be needed, lol)

nancy's fancies

MY DIGITAL STUDIO EXPRESS - fReE 30 day TRIAL

A word for the New Year...

What if you knew it would never happen again?

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA BEGINS *NOW*

Scrappin’ STARS ~ September Blog Hop by SUStars

Click here for the next stop on the blog hop - Carol Parcell's blog: www.cjstamps.blogspot.com

http://su-stars.blogspot.com

A little Halloween surprise

HOLIDAY MINI – Now LIVE!

Specials Ending SOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!

Texas Sales Tax Holiday!

Punches Galore… or, in my case… GETTING PUNCHY!

Teacher matchbox - Tutorial

MY THIRTY-ONE ~ WOW – Gifts and much, much more!

Easier Blog Posts

LAST CHANCE!!!!!

Card Layer Guide - adapted from a fellow blogger

VC-ROCKS - Blog Hop #3 - Anything but a card!

$99 Starter Kit! July ONLY - sign up NOW!

$99 STARTER KIT AND FREE PROJECT KIT PROMOTION

Mini tutorial - brad-bow

At the blog hop.... at the blog hop, yeah....

EXTRA! EXTRA! Read ALL about it!

VC ROCKS - Blog Hop #1 - Color my World

National Scrapbook Month, new summer mini - WIN/WIN!

SUSTARS April 2011 Blog hop... Anything but a card! Make mine a scrapbook page!

GRAB BAGS - Isn't that a fun way to start April?

Starting April 1 and until they run out, Stampin' Up! has put some grab bags in the Stampin' Up online store! Your best bet is to go to MY DEMO WEBSITE and click on SHOP NOW (red button upper right).

Time for another blog hop - the Stars are out!

+1

SUSTARS January 2011 Blog hop... Love is in the air!

SUSTARS November 2010 Bloghop... It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!

WOWZA - What an offer!!!!!!!!

October Club Projects

Congratulations to Nolan Ryan and the Texas Rangers, and here's to you, Josh Hamilton!

SUSTARS Inaugural Blog Hop

QOTW - School's back in session here!

VC ROCKS - BLOG HOP #4 - Last one for 2010!

I have something to share....

Adding a watermark to your card and other shares - the FancyNancy way :)

Question of the Week... Respondez-vouz, s'il vous plait :)

Astros and Camera cords and tutorials, oh my

VC-Rocks Blog Hop - the fun begins again NOW!

Happy Birthday to Ava!

VC-Rocks Blog Hop - the fun begins NOW!

Moving

Blog Hop this weekend!

LAST CHANCE...

VC ROCKS BLOG HOP!

ASTROS and Scrapbook in a Day

The Astros

Haiti Relief

After BLACK FRIDAY... comes SUNNY SATURDAY!

CHALLENGE FOR THE NEW YEAR

Make your world pretty...

END OF SCHOOL, END OF CATALOG... but NOT the end of FUN!!!!

SCRAPBOOKING SPECIALS END TOMORROW!

Three Easy Payments o become a Demonstrator - ENDS SOON!

BIRTHDAY STAMP-A-STACK

SALEABRATION SPECIALS!

SPRING STAMP-A-STACK: BIRTHDAY CARDS! NOTE DATE CHANGE!!!

~,~*`*~SPECIAL OFFER - FROM ME ONLY ~*`*~,~

NEW SU CATALOG INFORMATION

Stampin Up Christmas Specials

Stampin' 11-2008

Stampin-Up! Alert!

Back at home, crazy busy... or just crazy?

Still no power, but still so blessed

SpOoKy sPiDeR pRomO

Blessed

Baseball, hurricanes, banana bread and traffic jams

On being positive

Dew Drop challenge

Bella Rose

Busy week, back to school

Ava's Cousin Zoe is here!

Waiting for Zoe

What Ava's granddaddy wants to be called ;)

What we made on our Stampin Saturday ~ 7/12/08

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA BEGINS NOW

~,~`~SPECIAL OFFER - FROM ME ONLY ~`~,~