What I've been working on.

This skunk stamp is my favorite thing in the new Stampin' Up catalog. He is soooo cute I could explode. I added glitter for his stripe (yeah, I know he's a reverse skunk--light on the bottom with a dark stripe, but he's also a cartoon, so reality isn't a real big deal. Settle down, you.) because my latest mantra is "glitter makes everything better", though my long-suffering friend Jen K disagrees when it comes to her floors. I suppose it could have something to do with the many many hours she and Alex put into making all those boards line up and look pretty sans glitter, or it could be that the sparkles make her eyes hurt or secretly remind her of some long-ago horrific glitter incident she had, until now, repressed the memory of. I'm not sure. All I know is that I am banned from using glitter when we crop in her living room. It's hard, but I abstain until I get home again, dump all those little tiny vials onto the bed, then roll deliciously among the tiny little flecks until I am fully gilded. Mmmm.

January Stampin' Up Classes and Events

Hope everyone had lots of fun opening their many beautifully embellished, gifts--Stampin' Up giftwrap, embellishment (recognize that charm from our chipboard class?) and, if you're lucky, products inside! Well, I've got one more fabulous gift for you to open. It's the upcoming class schedule! I know you're thrilled. Now now, no need to thank me. Just contact me to sign up and because this is a gift that keeps on getting better, don't miss the coupons that are being offered as well! Do I hear an angel chorus hailing all this goodness? '

Trash to Treasure: ATC's Demystified

Nope, we're not going to learn about riding off road motorcycle thingies, I'm talking about Artist Trading Cards--a fun, inexpensive and highly creative hobby based on using up those little tips and tails of your leftovers from cardmaking and scrapbooking--the bits you either throw away or end up keeping stashed somewhere ad infinitum.

Instead of letting your extra bits of ribbon and cardstock moulder away in a box, use them to create these tiny works of art--like an itty bitty scrapbook page, or a mini card front, or just a way to show off your mad stampin' skillz. We'll talk about what they are, how and where to swap them, and most importantly, how to make them. Then, we'll make 10 of them to get you going!

Class Fee: $10

Class Date: Tuesday, January 8. 7:00 p.m.

RSVP: princess.puppy@gmail.com by Jan. 5

Club Card n Crop

Every month we'll get together to make 10 greeting cards so you're prepared for every event on your calendar--by the end of the year, you'll have filled every slot in your card keeper (See January's project, below). After we make the cards, we'll crop for a couple hours, just to hang out, have a good time, and get some work done on whatever projects you bring. The fee each month is just $15 and it includes all the materials you need to make the cards of the month.

January's Card n Crop Club project will be an extra-special one you won't want to miss. Not only will we be making the cards for this month, but at no extra charge--you only pay the regular class fee--we'll be decorating a Stampin' Up Forget-me-not Keeper ($11.95 value) to fill with the cards you make for the rest of the year! Not bad, eh? It's not a hostess club, so there's no major commitment. It's just a year-long series of classes and crops I hope you'll choose to attend each month. RSVP now! This is the only month I'll be offering the Forget-Me-Not class special!
Class & Crop fee: $ 15

Class Date: Saturday Jan. 12 6:00-8:00 (crop till 11!)

RSVP by January 1st to reserve your Keeper!

New Year's Resolution: Organization

Make a handy calendar notekeeper using our On Board 5"x 8" Art Journal (loads of pages!). We'll embellish the cover, make a full 12-month calendar, and decorate every last page inside with Accents and Elements stickers, Stampin' Up papers, stamps (of course!) and even a few favorite photos to keep you inspired all year. The fee includes all materials except your photos!

Class fee: $30

Class date: Tuesday, January 15, 7:30 p.m.

RSVP by January 5th to reserve your spot and materials.

Mini Calendar Clipboard Class

Like the calendar in the 2008 Catalog Preview? I'll help you make it! ! We'll create a cute clipboard calendar using a photo or (or a few tiny ones) of your choice, cool Stampin' Up papers, stamps, and the 4.5"x9" On Board Clipboard. A lovely gift or a cool decor piece for your home. Neat, huh? Haven't received the Catalog Preview Brochure? Let me know and I'll send you one right away!
Class Fee: $15

Class Date: Thursday, January 10 7:30 p.m.

RSVP by January 3 So I can make sure all your supplies arrive in time!

Birthdays? Done!

In this class you will make 20 (yep, I said twenty!) birthday cards with 10 different designs so you will be prepared all year long with a birthday card for everyone on your list. We'll make a variety of styles for the different types and tastes of your friends and family. Total cost? $1 a card!
Class Fee: $20

Class Date: January 31, 7:30 p.m.

RSVP by January 15

February will be here before you know it!

There's a lot to look forward to in February, too.

Charity Night for Dogs Deserve Better

Dogs Deserve Better is an organization that works to help end the chaining of dogs. We will be creating handmade dog-themed Valentine cards for their annual Have a Heart for Chained Dogs Campaign. You can read more about last year's campaign at: http://www.dogsdeservebetter.com/vdaywrap2007.html Join me Feb. 2 to make cards to donate--I provide the supplies, you provide the imagination. As an added bonus, 10 percent of the merchandise total of all orders placed with me that day will be donated to Dogs Deserve Better!
Class Fee: Free!

Date: Saturday, February 2 3:00 p.m.

Donate 10% to Dogs Deserve Better

Just place an order on Sat. Feb. 2, 2008 and 10% of the merchandise total will be donated to Dogs Deserve Better, an organization devoted to improving the treatment of dogs. Pass along to friends, family, and animal lovers to let them know to place their orders Sat. Feb. 2 too! Phone and email orders will also be accepted for this event!

Offer Expires: Feb. 3, 2008

Valentines: Romantic Watercolor Cards

Okay, maybe many are more cute than romantic, but nonetheless, we will make 8 watercolored valentines for your friends, family, and schnookiepie. There are a lot more ways to watercolor than you'd think--and they're easy as pie to boot!

Fee: Only $10 for a fun evening of luv.

Date: Feb. 5 7:30

RSVP by January 30

Dogs Only! Album in an Evening

Pick out your photos now or make the pages and add your pics later. We'll make 10 festive, colorful and cool 6x6 pages that will honor your dog's...dogginess!

Fee: $30 includes all you need to create all 10 pages or $42 to include a Stampin' Up ring album we will dog-theme the cover of too!

Date: Feb. 17.

RSVP by February 1st or sooner, please.

January Coupon:

Get a Free Mini Stampin' Up Stamp Set w/ Your Order!

Receive a free mini stamp kit (2 special Stampin' Up promo stamps and a black stampin' spot) with your order of $50 or more! Receive a bonus of 2 additional larger size stamps (that's 4 stamps total!) in your kit when you spend $50 more *or* RSVP for a class (with pre-pay) in addition to your $50 order. Please mention coupon at time of order. One offer per order please. (Stamps included will be chosen by me--I'll do my best to avoid duplicates and choose ones you'll adore!)

Offer Expires: February 1, 2008

Happy Happy Holidays!

Wow, I'm like a bajillion posts behind! There were so many events I planned to cover, so many photos to upload. So for Christmas, Yule, or actually it's Kwanzaa at the moment, so for that, I am asking that we all pretend that I've written fabulous, interesting, mind expanding, bold, creative, ingenious blogs every single day since its inception. Which means only, oh about a week has gone by. And what an exciting week it has been, right folks? Wink wink.

Today was fake Christmas here at the ol' Rat's Nest. We're running a couple days late because we spent real Christmas at Walt Disney World, the most scrapbookable place on Earth! I love scrapbooking because it makes every big event twice as exciting since you get to live it, then document it. And with all the cool crap Disney makes, I can totally make my fifth Disney scrapbook and never use the same product twice. Kick ass!

My first was a little rough. I didn't have a real scrapbook, just a photo album with picture sized slots and a little space for journaling. I used store-bought embellishments primarily. That's not a bad thing, but I hadn't really developed my style and was on my own when it came to technique. At that time I was a closet scrapper. Honestly, my image of what scrapbooking was all about was pretty scary. Construction paper cut into circles and stickers shaped like giant headed kids doing charming things, country cutie lettering, lots of gingham. Mix in some titles like "Cool Dude" with a picture of either a kid or dog in sunglasses. Or bubble letters reading "Lordy Lordy Look Who's Forty!" and caption stickers of little clouds coming out of people's mouths saying things like "Ain't I cute?" and "What smells?" Hyuk! I had no idea there were other options.

But, I wanted to record my trip so I hid in the proverbial closet and created my first scrapbook with some Jolees and stuff I had won in a contest online with EK Success. I had tripped over the contest while I was complaining about some stickers I bought to stick on my mail (they were apparently on the shelf a long time--they wouldn't come off the backing, but that's not important.) As I went through the stash of things they sent, I got more excited about working on the book and when I was done, I even showed Scott and one or two other people what I'd done. My first little step out of the scrap closet.

So, Disney has a special place in my scrappy little heart. That mouse is welcome in this rat's nest any day.

Shhh! I'm hiding.

Well, not really, I've just been incredibly busy making Christmas, Hannukkah, and Yule presents for all of you people. I have a ton of things to tell you about, a layout challenge, pics from my classes, new classes to announce, and much much more once I get a free hour to post it all. I haven't forgotten you!

In the mean time, why don't you enjoy a few of my favorite websites?
General Interest:
www.cuteoverload.com All things so adorable, you'll puke frosting.

Animal lovers:
www.hamsterific.com If nothing else, you have to love their logo. And how can you not love those fat furry creatures who keep the world's wheels turning. Learn more about them and maybe you'll decide you need to adopt a fuzzy pal in 2008.
www.raleighrodentrescue.org in case you do!
www.cok.org Hooray for the good guys!
www.doggiefun.com Hey, is that *me* with a monthly column?
www.dogwise.com Fantastic selection of dog related books. Hint hint to those who need a gift idea for me. ;)

Scrapping and Crafting:
www.craftcritique.com Love their newsletter--it's full of great info on the good and the not so good crafting items out there.
www.splitcoaststampers.com I love their challenges! They have a new one every day of the week. While you're there, take a look at my gallery. :)

Stampin' it up old skool

Cool beans! I got promoted. I don't know why or how, but I am apparently now a "Senior Associate". Seeing how I've only been a demonstrator for a month, I'm curious to see what lofty heights I can acheive in, say, 10 months. "Grand High Princess of All That is Holy" will be hard to fit on a business card, but dammit, I earned it. Some way...I guess.

I'm just shaking off the last sweaty drops of the flu (ick) and gearing up for a weekend of scrapping, stamping, card making, and all around festive tomfoolery. Not a bad way to slide into Thanksgiving week. I can almost see the sparkling bits of colored paper, bows, and holly sprigs rounding the bend just beyond it.

Thursday Nov. 15, 7:00 Chipboard Tricks Class right here at the Rat's Nest. The class is filled up and if those big old boxes that just arrived are what they should be, we'll have lots of new packs of Stampin' Up chipboard shapes and toys to alter them with. There are so many cool ways to take these thick cardboard pieces from a sad, non-descript grey to vibrant fun embellishments, I will be surprised if this class doesn't end up running overtime. We're also going to be exploring some of the applications of finished chipboard to make cards, ornaments, scrapbook pages, etc. Stay tuned, I'll be sure to post some pics and projects.

Saturday, Nov. 17, 1:30 p.m. Holiday Card Compendium: Teresa and I will be tag teaming 16 cards pooling the resources of both our backers: Teresa is representin' for Creative Memories and well, you know what team I'm playing on. I can't believe it, but we still have spaces left...these *need* to be snatched up. You'll leave with 16 sparkling cool handmade cards using our cool new paper collections (on sale this month, too!) and shining gemstyle brads, diamond dust, embossing glosses, and more more more. And let's not forget gift tags. Who doesn't need gift tags? Oh sit down, Ebeneezer.

Sunday I'm helping with a private hostess party--my first. Wish me luck! The training video they send actually shows you an entire party acted out (it's a *really* long video) so I think I know when the guests should be cued to laugh now. And, tempting as it is, I think I'll forgo the "getting to know you game" that's offered on the website. True, it's hard not to be temped by the whimsy of the opening lines:
"
This little game is easy to do.
You just add figures like two and two.
Multiply and subtract and when you are done,
There’s a prize for the highest sum!
So take your pencil, do as I say,
Perhaps you will be a winner today.
To those of you who came from afar,
Give yourself 5 points if you came in a car.
Were you on time, not a minute late?
Punctuality pays; give yourself 8.
Now if you’re one of those lucky girls,
Give yourself 7 for natural curls."

And it goes on for 5 more stanzas!

Readers, have any of you ever been to a Stampin' Up event where this game was played? Was it during the Eisenhower administration? Leave a comment, please, if you have. I really want to know how people reacted to this? Were they actually charmed in a delicate, ladylike fashion? Scandalized by the second to last stanza? I want to know.

Oh wait...one more!

Yep! This is a pic of the Rat's Nest itself...another Fiskateer challenge was to show everyone your scrap space. Welp, there you go! I like it. It's comfy and full of rats: Twinkle, Kitty, Glitter, Spider, and Fuzz, my cute little marshmallows. Awww!

Fiskateers Roundup: Last of the Challenges

Okay, I'm finally down to the last couple of challenges to post. Thanks for bearing with me--I just wanted to make sure my Fiskateer pals could see what I spent the weekend desperately trying to upload. A few went through (but showed up as the oldest posts on my profile instead of the newest) but a lot never worked. I'm going to have to go in, clear all my posted pics and see if that fixes it. It's the only thing I can think might help. Maybe I'm just too darn prolific. :)

So, this challenge was to make a layout about something you like in your town. So...I chose Fur Free Friday. I think it's cool that every year, on the day after Thanksgiving, there are people who care enough to devote their day to remind shoppers that buying real fur isn't nice to the animals. I've participated some years, some years I've shopped instead, but every year I've lived here I've seen groups of people standing in the cold handing out pamphlets and holding their signs. It's nice to know that people care consistently.