Good Morning!

Do you think its time for another Christmas card? - OK, here it is.....a card made simply  by the letters J-O-Y .
Cut on the Big SHot using our Serif Alphabet in Real Red......and I thought the letter 'O' made the best lil' frame for its lovely message!  You could leave it on its own at this point or add a simple band as I did....just experiment!

Thank You for all the interest shown at my table display as part of the Scarborough, Welcome Wagon Bridal Showcase today.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
I really enjoyed meeting everyone of the brides-to-be and their guests, it was really lovely. 
Our purpose in participating in this event was to demonstrate the Do-It-Yourself Approach in hand-making  your INVITATIONS as well as many other items to create a very personal look to your wedding.   


The most common reaction at our table today was surprise when it was learned that everything on display was hand-made!  So many surprised faces!  I hope we managed to convey our message that with some basic preparation, ANYONE can whip up invitation sets, and learn some new ways to look at how you can enjoy making all types of projects to help you plan your events - think favours, guest books, decorations, .....if we can think it, we can make it! 


It basically comes down to two decisions.....you have money or you have time! And personally, I like to stretch my money to work for me in as many ways as possible....so I make the time! 

As a typical  Do-It -Yourself person...and listen to this - I hand-made all the projects you saw there today - just this past week!  In  less time really as shopping for other items to be used (fabric, beads, etc.) took some time. If I can do creative projects in a matter of days - just think what YOU could accomplish in a month or more!

Not only that - but it can be a fun event - grab some friends, we can coach them to using the supplies and with some SIMPLE organization, you can have a party and everyone has fun making YOUR INVITATIONS!
DO NOT WORRY THAT YOU ARE NOT CREATIVE- as I am an Stampin' Up! Creative Coach. AND the STAMPIN' UP CATALOGUE has all the supplies you could possibly want - you can order through me or purchase online!  I have classes each month and have designed a special bridal class which I will hold periodically.  See details below. It's all made easy to do!  

DIY BRIDAL 101 CLASS
Contact me to sign up for classes.  
November 21, Sat. 2 PM   
January 17, 2 PM



Attend this class to help you learn the 'basics' to DIY wedding projects.  We will discuss the materials you'll need  beginning with your choice of cardstock and envelopes and whether choose to print your invitations on the printer. Then we'll discuss expanding on the basics - where you design your invitations with some flair!  


Again - You don't need to be especially creative - Stampin' Up! has taken care of that for you!  It is VERY COST-EFFECTIVE!!!


Learn what to look for, what not to do!   Learn the practical from the exquisite! You'll decide based on your budget just how simple to how involved you'll want to be. Save in one area so you can spend in another!

Then delve into the fun and create with two different techniques leaving you with two beautiful samples to take home .

I'll post more pics later!

  I look forward to seeing the nice people again who expressed an interest today   and there is no time like the present to come and try out a project - just see what you can do!

**** PLEASE NOTE - IF YOU ATTENDED the WELCOME WAGON BRIDAL SHOWCASE and if YOU SIGNED up for my NEWSLETTER - I will draw from the list of names and ONE LUCKY WINNER will WIN this CLASS FREE!
Also, every person who dropped by my table, and would like to come to the class - you will receive $5.00 off the price of the class!!!  Let me know when you sign up for the classes which applies to you!  Thanks!

Cheers,
Beverly

Here is a nice way to  make an easy Thank You card, but great effect!  It's a combination of:

      #1) a great background stamp or better yet, two!.....and

#2) an Embosslit Die

This card has 2 Background (over-sized) stamps - one directly over the other.

The Medallion background stamp first. Slightly off-side.  It's done in the  'stamp off ' method by not stamping in full-strength ink but by stamping first somewhere else ( say on another white cardstock to use later - or- onto scrap paper, paper towel, etc), then stamping it directly  to the white cardstock to get the "softer" look which in this case, will become the shadow accent. 

Over top of the medallion stamped image, you now stamp the second background stamp, Tres Chic, in full-strength ink.

Add some nice ribbon. Attach with Sticky Strip - its super strong!

Our new "Thanks" Embosslit Die (for the Big Shot or similiar die-cutting machines).  Attach with a couple of brads.

It's easy - great looking, and you'll really enjoy the ease of working where your work is effortless, not much to think about.....stress-free. AND there's more!.....a new punch within Stampin' UP!'s collection is the ' Modern Label' and it will fit right over the this embosslit die for double the look.

While doing my bridal line-up for the upcoming show, as you know by now, I was finishing up a set of inivitation designs and turned to thinking of Thank You cards - for when the newlyweds, have returned and must tend to thanking their generous friends and family for all the great gifts.

Now granted, I was looking down at the stamp set, WONDERFUL FAVORITES, and seeing all the words I could match up with "Wonderful"....21, in fact. Words such as cousin, nephew or combos like 'to a' or 'in-law'....and that's when I thought, "wouldn't a newly-wed bride like to thank her Mother-In-Law with her own special card?  I mean, we can always find "Mother" cards just like we do when we want "Father, Daughter or Son, Aunt." etc. But "Mother-In-Law"?....well, not so often.  So that decided that and this is what I dreamed up.

I turned to my Circle Scissors Plus and made a matching ring to go with the circle. I didn't really have a size of circle in mind, but that's the beauty of the Scissors Plus because I stamped the words Mother-in-law, and then positioned the paper under the Scissors Plus and gauged my circle size 'insito' !  The ring just adds another accent. 

Next, I chose some patterned paper in green because I think greens and pink-to-purple tones always look nice together.  Two minutes of hard thinking for the embellishments....okay, maybe five mins. - you got me! (wink) .....ah yes, the 5 Petal Flower Punch to the rescue! So punch...punch...punch....glitter, glitter, glitter...and the hardest part, sewing a button on.  Well, a little bit of drudgery for such a nice effect - and there it is! 

In my haste tonight, I forgot to take the picture of the inside which says Thank You and room for the bride to write a nice note to her new mother-in-law....oh I don't know, what would you write?

Hello everyone!

I have been awfully busy - preparing for this Sunday's Welcome Wagon Bridal Show but I am also just as excited by upcoming Christmas projects, so inbetween bridal style creations, I have been playing with my christmas toys! 

I was inspired by the amazing talents of a designer whose works are responsible for some of Sizzix's and the Big SHot's top sellers - the pop-ups!  Her name is Karen Burniston...maybe I've already mentioned her here, probably. Anyways, she did this beautiful gray & white pop-up exploding box project, and card.

Not wanting to do such an ambitious project as the exploding box today, I scaled it down to the card she featured - and so without further ado, here is my version!

I really liked the colour combo - its different.....however the embossing  is such great fun!   The deeper grey tones against embossed white snowflakes is really, really pretty in person.  I did the background, in clear embossed snowflakes on a lighter grey called Going Gray. 

You can come to a class and do this yourself - there is nothing in my opinion like embossing for Christmas. I started doing it long time ago for snow accents, fell in love and have continured doing it, practically a tradition now. Its second to glitter, LOL!

Stampin' Up! Supplies:  snowflake stamp, Stampin' Emboss Powder in White (#109132) and CLear (#109130); Basic Gray and Going Gray and Whisper White 8-1/2x11 cardstock (from our Neutrals cardstock bundle #108588), Filigree Brads (#112577); Organza Ribbon (#114319)

DEALS OF THE WEEK

Week 2 - effective till Sun. Oct 18

Item	Description	Special Price
115961	Perfect Setting Bigz XL die	$34.99
114515	Flower Burst Embosslits die	$7.49
116760	Pop-Up Three Tier Cake Bigz XL die	$34.99

Dates: October 1-31, 2009 {all deals}
Promotion Details:
During the month of October, Stampin' Up! will offer several discounted products as "Deals of the Week." No limits and no minimum purchase required.
Customer Weekly Deal Announcements:

• Deal #2: Monday, October 12, 2009; 10:00 AM (MT)

I have ordered all three of these myself because they will work wonderfully for parties.  You would not believe the ideas that I have seen with the Pop-up Three Tier Cake - OMG!  

POP-UP THREE TIER CAKE BIGZ XL DIE and the wonderful things people have done with this! Scroll down and enjoy these great examples!  I can't wait to see what I come up with too! 

First is the designer, Karen Burniston - she is sooooooo talented. Hats off to her!

Sheryl Dickinson

Michelle Tech

Andrea Walford

We tell customers all the time - get together some friends, learn some new stamping techniques together, have fun ....and then you can earn some free items such as this 'Christmas Punch' stamp set.  Here's a cool idea with this set - create a box of tags as a gift! I know I'd love it if a friend gave me this tag set.  [See it on page 14 of our large catalogue for a closer view.]

But more than that, it means the stamps in this set are designed to work with 6 different hand-held punches in our collection. Every so often, SU comes out with these special stamp sets, which is great when you consider that your Wide Oval or Scallop Square punch can have a new purpose - yet again!

So consider this idea yourself - talk to me about throwing your own party - small & quaint or large & lov'n it - either way, you could easily be on your way to earning a  free Hostess Level Exclusive Stamp Set!  There's more than this for Hostesses but its a great start :)

hmmmm…….what could this be?
Its a pic slice of a stamp set featured in  either our Mini-Catalogue or pages 28-43 of our main catty.

 Can you guess which it is?  Do have a look and name the stamp set! 

I will be showing 4 of these within the next few weeks - stamps are from all sets featured in the Mini-catalogue or Holiday (Christmas only) stamp sets from pages 28-43of our Idea Book & Catalogue 2009-2010.

If you can name all 4 stamp sets I use for each of the 4 picture slices  that I show between now and November 28, "first correct answer/response for all 4 pics" will earn the December 6th  Holiday Class - free!

Email me your answers at bstampingbeehive@gmail.com

You can provide the answer one email at a time or  email all four together before Nov. 28 – I will announce the winner at my Holiday Party, Nov 29 and also post it here on my blog!   Good Luck!

*Class Mystery only open to blog viewers and contestants who can attend the class.

And yes, I will be exhibiting there!  For brides-to-be and family, grooms-to-be and family – or if you love all things bridal, then register and come on down!  Its FREE for one bride and 1 guest.

I have not been to a Welcome Wagon event but from reading the line-up (see link below) ….there is a variety of exhibitors, so I am looking forward to that myself!  GIFT BAGS – DOOR PRIZES …and FREE, so why not spend a nice Sunday afternoon with us on OCT 25, the Blue Danube Banquet Hall.  1686 Ellesmere Road (1 block east of McCowan).

SO I am busy getting prepared – and am quite excited!  I plan on exhibiting a DIY wedding approach which is meant to be simple.  Not that we can’t do fancy – we can – but I have to choose because of space (can’t do it all!) and so I am going this way. Besides, its meant to be an alternative to a professional service and I am thinking of a modern-country theme….but you never know I may go Oriental!  You’ll have to be there to know for sure!

For my part, I am contributing to the 100 gift bags that will be offered at the door, and I am providing a door prize. My door prize makes a ‘little sound’ when used…..can you guess what it is?

Well, I’d better get back to work…..much to do!

Hope to see you there – if you come, please drop by and say hello!

Beverly

CLICK HERE for Welcome Wagon Scarborough Bridal Fair Info.

My daughter and I  have a lot of fun celebrating Thanksgiving  by donating a basket of goodies to our local animal shelter.  Last year we  found some “Turkey” canned dinners for cats and dogs, added some rawhide bones, catnip and some toys.
We owned a cute circular red, leather ‘ pet photo frame’ with a little paw print on it – which inspired me to make a paper version.  A half-dozen of these later added to the basket – we wrapped it – and my daughter delivered the basket.
So I was just thinking how I needed to get a leg up on this already for this year – but I am so busy re-organizing. Then I discovered that SU has their latest TWITTER CHALLENGE # 4 – make 12 blank Thank You Cards and donate them to a charitable cause. Apparently we are on the same wavelength! :)
Well….so here I am this morning with my coffee, in my cramped studio making small notecards!  My table is absolutely swamped,  so small is good! LOL!
My plan  for if you are rushed – is to go for something real simple. SO instead of last year’s ornate-take-your-time pet frames, this year I made the thank you cards as 3 inch notecards.
I’ve stamped images by using a mixture of my vintage animal stamps and new SU Thank You stamps. I plain stamped, chalked some, added some punched hearts, used my circular 1 “ punch to capture parts of the images – just played like mix ‘n’ match!  Using scraps I made 12 so far and 1 bookmark! Yeah – but I think I will make more because my intention is for them to have the ability to give a lil thank you note perhaps when someone adopts?  I might just keep adding some to a pile for Christmas – do one or two here and there. 
Well here’s the pics – and I am off to go see what we need for groceries, so HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! yeah…looks nice outside!

See the above stamp – simply change to a girl using a marker!
Found these in a box of 12 – they are vintage stamps from an old school that no longer operates – are they not sweet? Very hard the rubber but they still work!

Do you Twitter? 
SU Twitter Here 
See Challenge # 4 is to make 12 blank Thank You cards and donate them to your favourite organization like a charity, school, community, etc.

Would you like to make something small for a change?  I feel like that sometimes!   This is where I might feel like preparing some new accents from scraps of paper and just having fun with my supplies ..... or I may not have much room to add a larger card in a package I'm mailing!

What-ever prompts me, I always find them so darn cute!

 Here are some I made lately.....

First I scrounge around to find some paper....these are from our DESIGNER PAPERS and in particular, the Raspberry Lemonade set....

And then I used my SIZZLET dies - because they are perfect for using up scraps.....and because they come as a pack of 4 with each one containing up to 3 or 4 designs - that's like having up to 20 choices so you can mix and match  your themes up!  Sweet!

 I have covered this small die with several scraps...and as you can see, I start to build a small collection in no time!

Then take a small 3x6 in paper cardstock and maybe more interesting paper for another layer and build your notecard bit by bit - I really get into this at this point because the designing is nothing more than moving around pieces to see what you like!

You really can't go wrong!

Look at my chocolate bird...he's been stamped with some swirls in white craft ink! I used our 1/2 in circle punch to create a center for the yellow flower.

And....I made double-use of some stickers that were in a calendar kit of all things - see my picket fence in the card in the background - well, those are arrow tabs, :) and then some bits meant to note important dates.  I also chose to stamp out my greeting and then cut that into bits before re-assembling it back onto the notecard....see here's a close-up...

It might be a bit time-consuming because I find I get ' lost ' in doing the small details, its my own personal choice - but that's the point sometimes, just to relax and use that special 'me' time when you can.....but if you were in need of something quick, stick to simple designs because on small notecards, simple is fabulous as well!

This card is actually one of the flower designs in the same  Sizzlet  set as the bird; matching large and small  flowers with a soft, stitched border around their centers  and layered with our 1 in. circle punch.  Mix and Match!

So that was fun - a good time and then back to daily life!

Well it was a cold and sometimes gray Wednesday here in TO but it was a warm and lovely atmosphere in the lodge-like reception room in Massey College where we gathered and sipped wine for Molly Titus's book launch!  I have never been to Massey College before but the spacious room had a series of tall and slightly narrow windows overlooking bubbling fountains set amongst the low foliage and a tree here and there - definately a fall setting outside but as we settled into leather sofa's and chairs to hear Molly describe her parents adventures in their new life in India in the 30's, it couldn't have been any better - well, maybe if the fireplace had been on, but the warm glow of the candles set in glass globes around the room did equally fine!

So I was delighted to be there with my daughter and Molly was a beautiful spirit and I wish her the best on her own adventures as 'author' - she's is so in my 'inspiration' journal!  Elegant in her fuschia Bombay silk jacket paired with simple black slacks - all the more-so because her friendly face is crowned with a toss of beautiful white hair- in a pixish style reminiscent of screen actress Leslie Caron cute banged, short hairdo's, I gazed on as Molly conversed with her audience with ease - always friendly - it looked to me like she was enjoying herself.

I took a few pictures - not only for myself but for Molly's daughter, Claire - who, by the way is an ol' college mate of mine!  Here is a sample....me at the beginning, I am sampling some wine but since I don't really drink, I was just happy to be there.....

....here I am gazing out those windows I mentioned...

....line-up for book-signing!  And here I am finally with Molly!

I presented Molly with two hand-made cards.....one which I thought was homey and would reflect the 'really hand-made' feel, and another for her to give my friend, Claire - just a cute lil card for fall - featuring 2 tiny owls, like 2 friends.

Oh - here is the hallway/entrance staircase - and I totally did not notice when I took the picture that there already was a picture of the staircase on its wall, ha ha!  I guess its a staircase that calls out for picture-taking!

 So there you have it!  A little glimpse into a lovely day!