Merry Christmas!

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and thank you for being so loyal to visit my blog over the past year. So today, I wanted to share our family Christmas card that I designed for this year and our Christmas card photos.














Supplies are all from Stampin' Up!
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, Delightful Decorations, Four the Holidays
Paper: Real Red, Old Olive, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Old Olive
Access: Rhinestone Brads, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Silver Elastic Cord
Tools: Ornament Punch, Scallop Edge Punch
















L to R: Paul, Kelsey (18), Barbara, Bryan (21)
Photo taken at the Pointe Hilton Resort on Kelsey's 18th Birthday















L to R: Bryan, Kelsey
Photo taken just before Kelsey's graduation from high school

I hope you and your family had a joyous Christmas.
Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

Sweets Tree

Here is a peek into my dining room where the Sweets Tree sits in the corner. It mostly has ornaments that are food related, Starbucks, gingerbread houses, gingerbread boys & girls, wooden candy canes, mini kitchen utensils, cookie cutters, you get the idea.........




















Check back soon for more Christmas at our house!!!

Live, Laugh, Love, and STAMP!!!
~Barbara

Dazzling Divas Christmas Party

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post....my laptop totally died and I have been lost without it. Moving on with the desktop and will be posting all the happenings of the past few weeks as I have several things to show you all.

First off, this past Thursday we had our Dazzling Divas downline group Christmas Party. We started the evening off with a delicious dinner at BJ's Restaurant. After dinner we came to my home for a gift exchange and dessert.....Chocolate Cake and Strawberry Cheesecake....yummo!!
Here we are after dinner at my home...Left to right: Anita Hager, Pam Hegarty, Me (Barbara Welch), Grace Bachara, Vicki McClelland
Other members that were not able to attend: Lorri Heiling, Nancy Riley, Melissa Davies, Sharon Hartsman

For the gift exchange, we made a gift for each other...

Pam gave us a set of 4 glass coasters with stamped inserts using the Holiday Lineup Set, you can make new inserts for every holiday and change them out!!! How cool is that!!


















Grace gave us a gift set from Bath & Body Works in this adorable SU! box decorated with SU! accessories















Anita used SU! Rub-ons to decorate this soap/lotion dispenser and decorated this adorable gift bag.


















Gift Bag:


















Vicki's gift is a fold-out scrapbook, she used lots of DSP and the Simply Scrappin' Die-cuts made this so cute!! I can't wait to add some pictures



















Vicki's Gift Open




















Here is the gift I made for everyone.....a gift tote and inside I had a Winter Flu Survival Kit, an ornament and a photo holder.



















Supplies used for gift tote:
Stamps: Delightful Decoration, Christmas Punch
Paper: Merry Moments DSP, Real Red, Garden Green, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Garden Green
Access: Ornament Punch, Curly Label Punch, Lg. White Brads, Sticky Strip, Dimensionals



Inside the Winter Flu survival kit:
*Kleenex inside Tissue Pak Wrap
(see my tutorial HERE)
*Chicken Soup Mix
* Anit-Bacterial Hand Gel
*Halls Cough Drops













I made these adorable candy favors to give to our servers at the restaurant and one for each of the ladies at the party. I totally CASEd this idea from Becky Roberts at Inking Idaho.



















Stamps: Christmas Punch, Punch Pals
Ink: Basic Black, Old Olive
Paper: Whisper White, Real Red, Old Olive
Access: Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punch, Markers, Real Red Polka Dot Ribbon, Peppermint Patties Candy, Double Stick Tape, Wilton Pretzel Bags

If you would like to join my group and be a part of the fun times we share, please contact me for more information. I would love to have you become a Dazzling Diva!!

Thanks for stopping by today and check back for more stamping ideas.

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

Ornament Tag Box

I am so glad you stopped by today....I have an Ornament Tag Box to show you. I made this adorable box following the pizza box template on SCS and decorated it with the Holiday Lounge DSP and Delightful Decorations Stamp Set and Ornament Punch, available from the Holiday Mini Catalog.















Here are the tags that I made for inside the box...this is going to make a nice hostess gift.



















Stamps: Delightful Decorations, Christmas Punch
Paper: Holiday Lounge DSP, Sahara Sand, Ruby Red, Taken With Teal, Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Ruby Red, Taken with Teal
Access: DMC Embroidery Thread, SU! punches, silver eyelets, Crop-a-Dile, Dimensionals

I hope you liked todays project, have a wonderful creative day.

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

Happy Thanksgiving!

From my home to yours....I wish each of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.
This has always been one of my favorite holidays....a time to be thankful for all the blessings we have in our life. Family and Friends, near and far, I am so thankful for each of you.

I am preparing the full turkey dinner, and we will gather to eat, laugh and share what we are thankful for most...each other! The table is all set and ready for dinner.....














I want to also share a very cute card that I totally CASEd from a swap that I received...not sure from who as there is no name on the back, so I can't give credit where credit is due. This adorable turkey is made using punches.



















Stamps: Falling Leaves
Paper: Very Vanilla, Soft Suede, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Basic Black, Autumn Traditions DSP
Ink: Basic Brown
Access: Paper Piercing Tool and Mat, Dimensionals, Black Marker
Tools: Punches: Scallop Circle, 1-1/4" Square, 1-3/8" Circle, 7/8" Circle

Thanks for stopping by today, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!!
~~Barbara

Easel Card for weSTAMP swap

Thanks for stopping by and visiting today, I am so glad you did.
I am going to catch up on posting all the things I wanted to post over the past few weeks....so today I am showing you my swap for the weSTAMP October meeting. I did an easel card using the stamp set "The More the Merrier"
I used Taken with Teal and the Holiday Lounge DSP, (Sorry the color seems off a bit). The finished size is 4" square.
All products are from Stampin' Up!



















Stamps: The More the Merrier, Serene Snowflakes
Paper: Holiday Lounge DSP, Sahara Sand, Taken with Teal, Whisper White
Ink: Sahara Sand, Basic Black
Markers: Ruby Red, Taken with Teal, Basic Gray
Access: Kraft Corduroy Buttons, Large Oval and Scallop Oval Punches, Scallop Circle, Circle Dies, Big Shot, Dimensionals, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Two Way Glue Pen, Bermuda Bay Grosgrain Ribbon

Have a great day and check back tomorrow for more creative ideas.
Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

Certified in My Digital Studio

What does this mean? I completed all the necessary steps required by Stampin' Up! to be certified in My Digital Studio, a new software program to digitally produce scrapbook pages, make books, calendars, and cards.

Here is the card I created using the software and it was also my submission as the final step toward the certification.



















Now that I have found my camera, please check back for more of my stamping creations. I have so much to share I don't know where to start!!

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!!
~Barbara

Dazzling Divas Shoebox Swaps

I am so behind on posting the cards we made at the last Dazzling Divas Downline Meeting in October. I wanted to share with you the awesome talent of my group.

We opted to do a shoebox swap making a full card using anything from the Holiday Mini Catalog. Each designed a card and provided enough supplies for everyone to make their card.

Vicki's card......Pumpkin Patch

















Pam's card....Sweet Centers



















Inside of Pam's card



















Anita's ....(her card didn't work out the way she wanted so she did an ornament using the Delightful Decorations)



















Grace's card...Serene Snowflakes
















My card....Beary Best Friends & Beary Nice Wishes



















Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Certainly Celery, Pawsitively Prints DSP
Ink: Basic Black; Markers: Creamy Caramel, Chocolate Chip, So Saffron
Access: Eyelet Border Punch, Flower Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch, 5/8" Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery Grosgrain Ribbons, Dimensionals

Thanks for stopping by today. Would you like to be a part of this awesome group? Contact me for more details on signing up to become a demonstrator.

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP
~Barbara

Stampin' Up! Deals of the Week #3

Top left to right:
# 109857 Mini Library Clips Reg. $12.95 Sale $8.99
# 114348 Basic Jumbo Grommets Reg. $ 6.95 Sale $4.49

Bottom left to right:
#112571 Circle Designer Brads Reg. $ 5.95 Sale $3.99
#112581 1/2" Library Clips Reg. $ 6.95 Sale $3.99

The above deals of the week are from October 19, 10 AM (MT) through October 26, 9:50 AM (MT). Place your order by emailing me at cre8tivestamper@cox.net or from my website HERE.

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful stamping day!
Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

Creating with Build-A-Bear -- Part Two

Welcome back for more of my Build-A-Bear cards.
I hope you enjoyed yesterday's posting of some of the cards I have designed using the Build-A-Bear products available from Stampin' Up! Today I am going to show you a few more of the cards I created.

Pawsitively Perfect















Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Ballet Blue, Kraft, Whisper White, Pawsitively Prints DSP
Ink: Versamark, Basic Black; Markers: Creamy Caramel, Close to Cocoa, Ballet Blue, Pumpkin Pie
Access: Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Silver Brads, Dimensionals, Paper Piercing Tool and Mat, Square Punches


Tall Tales Girl



















Stamps: Beary Nice Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Tall Tales DSP, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Access: Big Shot, Dies: Bear, Beary Essentials, Beary Girl; Rhinestone Brads, Dimensionals, 1/16" Hole Punch

Tall Tales Boy



















Stamps: Beary Nice Wishes
Paper: Chocolate Chip, Old Olive, Tall Tales DSP, Whisper White, Creamy Caramel
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Access: Big Shot, Dies: Bear, Beary Essentials, Beary Boy; Buttons, Dimensionals, Linen Thread

Paper Piecing Bearthday Girl



















Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Ballet Blue, Whisper White, Pawsitively Prints DSP
Ink: Basic Black; Markers: Creamy Caramel, Pretty in Pink, Basic Gray
Access: Flower Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch, Eyelet Border Punch, White Satin Ribbon, Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Paper Piecing Bearthday Boy



















Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes, Seal of Pawsthenticity
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Ballet Blue, Whisper White, Pawsitively Prints DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie; Markers: Ballet Blue, Green Galore, Creamy Caramel
Access: Silver Brads, 1/16" Hole Punch, Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Dimensionals, Paper Snips

Thanks for stopping by. Check back tomorrow, I will be posting the cards from our downline meeeting last week.

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

Creating with Build-A-Bear

I had the luxury of one whole day playing with the Build-A-Bear products featured in the Holiday Mini Catalog exclusively from Stampin' Up! I am so excited to show you some of them today and will show you more tomorrow.

Our house is totally into ASU football, I had the idea to create a cheerleader and football player to represent Arizona State. Here they are, hope you like them!
ASU Cheerleader
I used a flower out of the Kind & Caring Thoughts set for the pom-poms (ever since I got this set I have called this flower the pom-pom flower) so what better way to use it. I cut narrow strips of Whisper White and adhered them onto the Garden Green panel to look like the lines of a football field and the cheerleaders are usually on the sideline during the game.


















Stamps: Kind & Caring Thoughts (hostess level 3)
Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black
Ink: Bravo Burgundy; Crushed Curry Marker
Access: White Gel Pen, White Taffeta Ribbon, Big Shot, Bear, Beary Essentials, Beary Girl Die Cuts, 3/4" Circle Punch, Paper Trimmer, Dimensionals

ASU Football Player
I did not have a stamp for a football so I cut one freehand and used the White Gel Pen to draw the lines. I cut narrow strips of Whisper White and adhered them onto the Garden Green panel to look like the lines of a football field and placed the player in between the lines as if he were on the field.

















Paper: Bravo Burgundy, Crushed Curry, Whisper White, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel, Basic Black
Access: White Gel Pen, Linen Thread, Big Shot, Bear, Beary Essentials Die Cuts, Paper Trimmer, Dimensionals

Halloween Girl



















Stamps: Beary Best Friends, The More the Merrier (hostess)
Paper: Basic Black, Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, Cast A Spell DSP, Night & Day DSP
Ink: Basic Black; Markers: Creamy Caramel, Basic Black
Access: Black 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Small Oval Punch, Silver Brad, Paper Snips

Boy Gives Girl a Gift















Stamps: Beary Best Friends, Beary Nice Wishes
Paper: Mellow Moss, Ballet Blue, Whisper White, Pawsitively Prints DSP
Ink: Basic Black; Markers: Mellow Moss, Ballet Blue, Pretty in Pink, Creamy Caramel
Access: White Stain Ribbon, Dimensionals

Hope you enjoyed seeing the cards I created using the Build-A-Bear products available from Stampin' Up!. Click here to order yours today.

I will post more of my designs using the Build-A-Bear products tomorrow, please check back to see what I have created to show you.

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

My Crazy Week and Candy Jars!!!!!

Hello friends, it has been a crazy week. I have so much to share and don't even know where to begin. So I will just dive right in......the week started off good, on Monday I had some time to stamp and create.
Tuesday however wasn't so good, we spent most of the afternoon and early evening in the Emergency Room with our son Bryan, who was having acute abdominal pain while at school on the campus of ASU in Tempe. We drove down to check him out and ended up in the ER...no official cause, and he is improving daily.
Then came Wednesday, a day of running errands and shopping. Kelsey called in a panic that her car wouldn't start......so I had to leave my half-full cart at COSTCO and go pick her up and take her back to PVCC. Then went back to COSTCO to complete my shopping. Then to pick her up again and deal with the car....thankfully it was only a dead battery. With that taken care of I met my firend Vicki for dinner at Chili's and then finally was able to get home and relax, of course this meant doing a little stamping, it is my therapy!
Now we are up to Thursday, the morning was good, met my friend Linda for lunch at BJ's and we enjoyed our lunch and talking about stamping. As soon as I left the restaurant, my husband was on his way home from working at the ER, he had been sent home because he has the H1N1 flu.......eek!!!!! I got home and started cleaning like crazy and spraying Lysol on everything. Most of yesterday, I took care of him and also did some stamping, again I need my therapy!!
Yeah!!!! Today is Friday and Bryan is all better and going to work tonight, Paul is still very sick and so far Kelsey and I are okay. I managed to upload some pictures so I can have something to share.

I created these fun hand-stamped tags to tie on decorative jars that I have Halloween candy in, they sit on the dining room buffet. I love the way this looks........cute, festive and also yummy!


































































All supplies, except for glass jars, are from Stampin' Up!
Stamps Sets: Grateful Greetings, Holiday Best
Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Very Vanilla
Ink: Basic Black; Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie Markers
Access: Circle Punches, Oval Punches, Tag Punches, Jumbo Pewter Eyelets, Crop-A-Dile, Linen Thread, Pumpkin Pie and Basic Black 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Paper Snips; on large jar below: Decor Elements Spooky Spider
Over the next few days I will be sharing more of the projects I have been stamping during this week and also the shoebox swaps from my downline meeeting. So please check back tomorrow for more. Thanks for sticking with me!!

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP!
~Barbara

Phoenix Race for the Cure

Happy Sunday!! Today I participated in an event that is near and dear to my heart. My BFF Vicki is a breast cancer survivor and we do this walk each year here in Phoenix. The Race for the Cure has many different levels of "races". We did the one mile walk......and what a beautiful morning in Phoenix for this walk.

Me and Vicki ready to walk
















Vicki, my BFF



















At the Start Line















Here we go, the walk begins!!












Thanks for stopping by. I will be posting some fun stamping samples later today featuring the Build-A Bear stamp sets and Big Shot Dies.

Live, Laugh, Love and STAMP
~Barbara