It was HOT in North Carolina this weekend.  The weekend heat index hit 115F !!!  But we stayed nice and cool at Stamp! Smile! Repeat! Summer Stamp Camp!  We had a great hall, with plenty of room to spread out.  Everyone had their very own 6 foot table to craft on all day; and in the afternoon, we broke into smaller groups for other classes. 

​Everyone made 8 cards using the Petal Garden Memories and More card pack, and took the rest of the entire pack  plus the Graceful Garden Stamp Set home for more fun!

Then, in the afternoon, there were two smaller break out sessions to choose from:  A Summer Sampler class taught by my friend and fellow Stamping Bee, Pam Riley.  And a Christmas in July Class, taught by me. 

Of course there were new stamping techniques, raffles, and prizes, and lots of fun and laughter.  The Hubs was in charge of setting up food and making sure we all stayed cool and hydrated.  His special afternoon Italian Ice treat was a huge hit and many of us braved the heat of the day to go stand outside, stretch and enjoy our cool treat.  

I'm very thankful for everyone who came out and participated in Stamp Camp.  I can't wait to surprise and delight  you all again this fall!  Stay tuned...a date for our holiday Stamp Camp is being announced soon.  You won't want to miss it! 

Until my recent Fixer Upper: Wood Textures Class, I hadn't done any heat embossing for about 6 months.  When I first started card making, it was something I did on a regular basis, but as I learned new techniques, such as using watercolor pencils or blending color with blender pens, I just seemed to forget about it.  But, there are several sets in the 2017 Catalog that just lend itself to heat embossing. 

One set is the Floral Statements stamp set.  I love the simplicity of the delicate floral and bold lettering embossed in white embossing powder on theColor Theory ombre paper.  Add a bit of ribbon and you've got a quick all-occasion card with a lot of WOW!  

This set lends itself well to watercoloring, too.  I can't wait to try that out next!

The Stamp! Smile! Repeat! Summer Stamp Camp is almost here!  I'm busy checking off my to do lists as we get down to the last minute organizing and packing.  Of course, it seems that for every thing I cross off, I add two more!   

In the midst of all the camp frenzy, I found myself needing a birthday card!  I love how the Memories and More Card Packs can quickly be combined with a little stamping and an embossed background to make a quick and simple card.  The font from the Happy Birthday Gorgeous Stamp Set  was exactly what I was looking for.  Something small and delicate, that wouldn't distract from the other details on the card. This card took just minutes to put together, too, which was really appreciated this week!

1. Stamp greeting in Rich Razzleberry  onto layer 3 and flag the ends.
2. Stamp trellis design in Sweet Sugarplum on to top right and lower left corners on Layer 2.
3. Adhere Layers 1 & 2 to Base. 
4. Add greeting with dimensionals.
5. Tuck leaves under greeting with glue dots. 
6. Add white bow with glue dots. 

I've been playing...can you tell?  There's this new Christmas bundle that only demonstrators can get during the month of July, called Carols of Christmas.  Being a Christmas carol-type girl, I just had to have it!  I've been so busy with my Fixer Upper classes and Stamp Camp,  that this is the first chance I've gotten to play with this new bundle.  I have to say...it's pretty cool! 

What makes this set so amazing is the Card Front Builder Dies.  Seriously...these aren't just for Christmas.  Take a look...

Aren't they awesome?  I'm going to have to make a special place for them on my crafting table because I know they're going to get A LOT of use this holiday crafting season.  The stamp set that coordinates with the dies is pretty awesome, too.  And truly, we could all use a little more peace on earth all year round!  Plus, you can use your Bonus Days Coupons towards the Carols of Christmas Bundle starting August 1!  

So last night, I thought, wouldn't it be cool to include one a Carols of Christmas card with my Christmas in July class at Stamp Camp?  I saw my friend Jamie Albanese demonstrate a card like this on Facebook on Monday night and I knew I had to include it. I grabbed my new Sheet Music background stamp and quickly made two samples:  one with Silver Metallic Enamel Shapes and one with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.  Which one do you like better? (Don't mind the wonky stamping on the Deck the Halls card; it happens to the best of us!)

Do you like heat embossing?  I hadn't done any for quite some time, but at my Fixer Upper Class on Saturday, we did some heat embossing on the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper.   The card was beautiful and everyone commented on how much fun they had embossing.  As I was driving home, I remembered I had the Hello Friends Heat Embossing Kit on the shelf in my studio.  So Sunday, when I was supposed to be prepping for Stamp Camp, I pulled the Hello Friends kit out to play.  

This kit makes 15 cards, 3 each of 3 different designs, and uses 3 different heat embossing techniques, some of which I'd not done before!  And they went together very quickly.  In fact, I needed a 'thinking of you' you card for a neighbor Sunday afternoon and this was just perfect!

​This kit is not all-inclusive, and you will need a heat tool, ink, aqua painters, and the Hello Friends Stamp Set.   Or, you can come to my studio on Saturday, August 5th for Kit Night (6:30-9 pm) and use my stamps, ink, and heat tool on your Hello Friends kit.   Kit night is free for anyone who's pre-purchased a kit.    Last time, we had 12 ladies assembling a wide variety of Stampin' Up! kits, including the very popular, Oh Happy Day! kit.   So, dust off those kits sitting on your shelf, or order a new one, and bring them on over.  I'll also have a few on hand to purchase, in case you see something else that you like.  (Did I mention there will be nachos and margaritas, too?)  Just send me an email and let me know you're coming by August 2nd.