DeNami Card Class scheduled for December 3

I'll be conducting a fun holiday card class at Captured Moments on December 3 featuring DeNami Designs Christmas birds. This class includes five different cards from a holiday card kit. When Captured Moments had their anniversary open house, participants voted on several past card kits to feature in this class. While the snowflakes are a close second, the birds won as most popular.

Those familiar with DeNami products know that the images are simple, elegant and whimsical. This features atypical holiday colors that catch your eye.

Register in person at Captured Moments or through their blog to use PayPal. Please let me know if you have any questions. Looking forward to seeing old and new friends.

Round Robin Class this Saturday

This Saturday I'm hosting a round robin class at Captured Moments in Rotterdam. In a round robin, you move from one spot to another to make ten different cards featuring some of my favorite companies: DeNami, Stampin' Up!, Magenta, Memory Box, Printworks, Tim Holtz through Stampers Anonymous.

This self paced class is relaxing and fun. Ten individual cards for $30. Here are some samples. Contact me at 860-8970 or at jetsfan88@aol.com to sign up.

Sketch it class - Back to School

Join me at Michael's in Latham on Tuesday September 13 from 6:30-8:30 for a Paper Ed Sketch It scrapbook class. We'll make three scrapbook pages using a simple grid design with Cricut die cuts. These pages are designed for beginners and can be kicked up for advanced students. Students are encouraged to purchase or bring embellishments that advance the pages and personalize the pages.

Registration is $25 which includes papers and die cuts. Students must bring a basic toolkit. Additional information is available at the store. I'd love feedback about the pages and fees as this is my first class using the Michael's Sketch It curriculum. What do you think?


Page one - basic papers and diet cuts plus a little computer generated journaling


Page one with optional embellishments

Page two - basic papers and diet cuts. This can have the grade across the middle in stickers or die cuts.



Page three - basic but I've added a few of the optional embellishments

Pink Party Class at Michael's

Join me at Michael's in Latham on Tuesday September 20 from 6:30-8:30 for a pink ribbon celebration. We'll make two scrapbook pages and two simple cards. All of these items are easy for beginners and can be kicked up for advanced students. These projects feature papers and embellishments from Me and My Big Ideas (Mambi). Papers and embellishments are in very limited supplies. Pages will vary slightly for each student; multiple students will work from one packet.

Registration is $25 which includes all four items. Students must bring a basic toolkit. Additional information is available at the store.

Make a Wish at Yankee spring training scrapbook page

This is a favorite layout used at Captured Moments. I used two different baseball patterned papers on the top and bottom and added border stickers from an old sticker page I've had in my sticker basket. I cut a third border and added it to three of the squares and added a Yankees sticker.

Three of the pictures show will in the batter's cage, sliding into a base, and stretching with the guys. I had to add a picture of Will with Deter Jeter and made the center picture Will wearing a championship ring. I used one square for journaling the theme. I don't usually like journaling with my handwriting because I don't like my writing but I'm trying to embrace journaling a little more. I keep wanted to go back and re-write that square to make it more even.

I made the title with my Cricut. The main purpose of purchasing the Cricut for me was to create titles that fit my page and this was a good example. I still have a lot to learn about the Cricut but I can tell it's going to be fun for scrapbooking. So many projects, so little time.

60th Anniversary scrapbook page

Another page made to display at Michael's which features a Recollections paper. The theme of the page was to commemorate my parent's 60th anniversary.

I purchased this paper when I was working on a bird theme art journal. It's been stashed in the big box of scrapbook papers. The paper is so beautiful and has a wonderful layout itself so it didn't need much. I trimmed the side with lace colored with some ink to give it a distressed look. I used a sticker left over from another project which is in my stash of stickers. I cut the '60 years' with gold metallic paper on the Cricut. The year label was computer generated. Two simple pictures trimmed with black photo corners: a formal studio picture from their wedding album and a picture I good at my brother's wedding three years ago. I was able to bring this page to the anniversary party to welcome people to the celebration.

There will be more pages to highlight the party in the future. It was a great time together.

Sixties theme birthday party scrapbook

Here is another page I created to display at Michael's. This is a page that features Recollections scrapbook materials which is Michael's brand. I used just one page as the background, which I rarely do, but it fit the theme perfectly. The bling is also from Michael's. The title and date are computer generated which summarizes the theme of the page: celebrating my 50th birthday in 60's style. This is a great example of making a simple page that has a cohesive look with all of the colors tied to the paper.

Jets training camp 2009 scrapbook page

This is another page I created to display at Michael's. This is an example of using a paper that have one image across the whole page, the field and goal post. I trimmed the left side and used the top of another football paper and turned it on it's side.

Rather than a title, I cut phrases from another paper that was filled with football words. Since one photo was the flag from training camp, I thought it served as a title to explain the page. This page celebrated the first time I saw Mark Sanchez, the new quarterback of the Jets. So happy to have him on my team.

Gaga for Gaga scrapbook page

This is a page I made to display at Michael's in Latham promoting the scrapbook classes and crop. I wanted to show lots of photos on this page which is not my typical goal. I started with paper from a Rock and Roll paper pack which included included lime green, hot pink and bright yellow. These went great with some of her outfits. I added some black music paper. I added some dimensional stickers from a Rock and Roll packet with a little pink and black ribbon. Finally, for the title I used my new Cricut-yeah!

The best part of this page is that I took every one of these pictures and it's a perfect way to remember a perfect trip to New York with Mara to see her idol.

My Digital Studio Demonstration

Tonight I shared information on My Digital Studio from Stampin' Up! with the participants of Sue Black's monthly stamp club. MDS is a great way to do digital scrapbooking, calendars, and cards. My favorite benefit of MDS is planning a card using Stampin' Up! stamps and papers rather than pulling out all of the supplies to create something new.

More information about MDS can be found at the Stampin' Up! website with a video overview. I'd be happy to demonstrate the software to anyone interested. Please contact me to set up a time.

Albany expo cut short by Irene

The Albany expo was cut short by threats of heavy rain and winds from hurricane Irene. The show was closed after one day and it was a small show overall. Still, we saw lots of friends and had a wonderful time.

I enjoyed time with the folks from Luni, Stamp on It, and Magenta who are becoming like friends from working shows together. New to the event was Avocado stamps and a dollar store booth which had Bazzill paper and My Mind's Eye for 25 cents each and stickers and stamp sets for one dollar.

That completes my show tour for the year probably. I have LOTS more DeNami stamps, spellbinders and paper to play with. Stay safe everyone.

Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo

We had a great but hot day today at the Rochester Rubber Stamp and Scrapbook Expo. It was great to see the new DeNami stamps. Here is a pic of the Nakamura family at the DeNami booth and Nami demonstrating to an attentive audience. Lots of customers that had never been to a convention and lots that were not familiar with DeNami Designs.

We were the best booth in the Expo in my biased opinion. Tomorrow is a shorter day then packing up for the Albany show and the hometown crowd.

Will work for stamps should be written across my shirt :)

Upcoming classes/events at Michael's

I'm really excited to be starting my work as a certified instructor at Michael's in Latham. Tuesday August 23 I'll be demonstrating how to use Martha Stewart's Punch Around the Page Line. I'll be teaching this class monthly-dates to be posted on my blog and at Michael's.

These punches are a great way to add pattern and texture to cards and scrapbook pages. Email with any questions.

Class kits are available at Michael's for the Punch Around the Page class for $14.99 and the class fee is $10.

Looking forward to creating together.

DeNami Blog Hop -Mini Cards

Welcome to the DeNami August Blog Hop. This month's theme is Mini Cards. You should have arrived from the blog of Debbie Marcinkiewicz. You can go to the DeNami blog sight to start at the beginning or reconnect if you have problems along the way.

Details of the hop:

The blog hop starts on August 14 at 6 AM, PST. However, you have until August 15,
11:59 pm PST, to leave comments on all the blogs (to be eligible for a prize).

To be inspired by fun DeNami Design creations and also the chance to win mini shopping sprees on the DeNami Design website!


We are giving away THREE $20 gift certificates to our website! We'll be giving away one gift certificate to a random participant (DT members not eligible) and then we'll also be giving away TWO gift certificates to TWO people who comment along the hop!

This month I have a quick and simple card for my son's 21st birthday. I can't believe my first born is 21!. Frills and fancy embellishments cast aside for this young man, I layered patterned paper, used a scalloped corner punch, and added a brad and stickers for the 21. The card includes two DeNami stamps: the birthday cake from the party card kit and the happy birthday stamp from the all occasions sentiments set.

I'm looking forward to working the next two weekends for DeNami at the Rochester and Albany expos. I'm sure to come home with lots of new stamps. I've made my list and I'll check it twice, lol.

Thanks for stopping by and I welcome any comment. The next stop along the hop is Pam Wendt-enjoy!

DeNami Blog Hop - Lovely Layers

Welcome to the July DeNami Blog Hop. This month's theme is Lovely Layers, a favorite technique for all stampers. Layering is a wonderful way to add depth and texture to any piece and with the world of punches and dies, it's easier than ever.

The purpose of the hop is to inspire the use of DeNami's fabulous rubber art stamps. You should have arrived from Kristy Smith's blog. If you have any trouble connecting to a participant's page, head back to the DeNami blog and you will be able to find the link to the

next stop on the hop.

You have a chance to win one of two gift certificates from DeNami just for leaving comments on the participant blogs. With the new release, how easy would it be to use that gift certificate??? So please comment often to increase your chance to win. And please, please, please leave me a comment. I love reading your feedback.

I'm posting early again this month as I'll be attending a mixed media class Sunday at 9 AM. This card is a take off on something I saw at Captured Moments which featured this cute owl paper from a scrapbook kit. When I made the kit I immediately thought it would be great to add the DeNami owls and 'You're a hoot' stamp. I stamped them to basically make a background paper which could be layered with the other papers. It's a great way to use scraps from these luscious scrapbook papers.

Each square is cut 1x1 inch and then layered on a 1 1/8 x 1 1/8 square of textured brown paper. Both squares are distressed along the edges and the pieces are adhered side by side on a kraft card. The phrase uses the same layering and distressing and is topped with a ribbon bow. The stamps included are the owl set, you're a hoot (a phrase I say all the time), and hello friend.

Your next stop in the hop is Laurie Willison. Her card is beautiful. I've fixed this link to the next stop on the hop. Sorry for the initial error. Enjoy the rest of the hop and be sure to leave comments along the way.

Thanks to all those who left me good wishes during last month's hop while I was walking a half marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Here I am at the start with my friend April. We walked in honor of her 8 year son Will.

We walked around Mirror Lake in Lake Placid and past the Olympic ski jump site. I ended with four miles in the pouring rain and got some big old blisters but it's nothing compared to what Will went through. I was in the last group to cross the finish line but my goal was to finish and I did. Soon I'll be picking another athletic event for charity. It's a wonderful way to try to stay healthy while helping others.

Stepping out of my comfort zone

Over the twenty years that I've been in love with rubber stamping, I've extended my addiction to other forms of paper crafting. I dabbled with scrapbooking but I feel like a fish out of water without a kit, sample layout, or instructor by my side.

Since Stampassion closed (which was like a family death to me), I've filled my need to be at a creative place by going to Captured Moments which is a wonderful and happy place to be. The store is owned by two sisters who are clever, creative and so pleasant to be around. I've purchased left over kits from their monthly club which each make 4-5 pages, premade pages from their page express events, and ready to make page express ensembles. Of course I've also purchased all kinds of papers and embellishments to use with my card making and mixed media projects.

Recently while cleaning my studio I decided to get to work on these scrapbook pages and frankly became a little obsessed about them. I'm working my way through the past club kits and stressing out less when the supplies in the sample aren't available. I know that somewhere in my studio chocked with paper and 'stuff' I can come up with something. Add to that my introduction to Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio. I'm having a blast. Mara and I are signed up to go the Christmas in July all day crop to work on the Lady Gaga concert album.

I've spent hours searching through the Captured Moments website for past page layouts and events I've missed and am now drooling over the samples. Front and center here are some of the papers from their recent Garden Club crop. Too late to get the full array of supplies I was left to use my brain, with a little help from Tiffany and fellow croppers, to come up with my own pages. I must say that I was pleased with the outcome. I believe I can actually scrapbook on my own more that I thought I could.

Thanks to Tara and Tiffany for living through my obsession on the past kits. Check out their wonderful work on their blog or past kits available on their on line store.

DeNami color challenge # 8

Running out of power and time. Two quick cards for the DeNami color challenge. The first reminds me of a song from Mame: The man in the moon is a lady. The second is just a favorite new elegant stamp which are always my favorites. Mara earned the spaceship and astronaut chickie for helping with the booth set up in Springfield. Mom earned the others. Will work for stamps!

Baby you were born this way

Quick post with the card 'Lady Gaga' aka Mom sent Mara on her birthday. She's beautiful in her way, cause God makes no mistakes. He sent me something pretty special on June 22 fifteen years ago:)

Round Robin Card Class Fundraiser

Whew. Yesterday was the round robin card class to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Seven people attended and one prepaid to receive a card kit. An additional dozen card kits will be available for sale at Captured Moments later this week.

This was a great way to raise funds doing something I love doing. When the kits are sold, we will have raised $450. Thanks to Captured Moments for donating their wonderful space and publicizing the event and to Stampassion for sponsoring two cards.

It was a fun group, easy going and seemed to have a great time. I know I had a great time. Here is one of the cards.

DeNami Blog Hop - Fabulous Frames

Welcome to DeNami's June blog hop! You should have arrived from Kristy Smith's blog. If you get lost along the way, jump back to the DeNami blog page and you'll find the link for the next stop in the hop. The hop starts on June 12 at 6 AM PST and you have until June 13 at 11:59 PM PST to leave a comment that is eligible for a prize. DeNami will give two $20 gift certificates to people who comment on the entries. Leave a comment any time just to let me know what you think.

I'm posting my creations for this month's blog hop early. While the early hoppers are jumping through the artists' work, I'll be walking the Team in Training Lake Placid Half Marathon so I'm sure you're forgive me setting this up before Sunday. Keep your fingers crossed that I make the full 13.1 miles. Looks like rain. I'm very worried about finishing-there are some serious runners here and I'm feeling like I didn't train enough. I'll be greeted at the end by my friends the Hamiltons and their son Will who survived treatment for Leukemia last year to celebrate his eight birthday-see pic with his cute brother Dutch. See the link to the right for more about Will. He has a full head of hair again and proudly stood up with the cancer survivors at the inspirational dinner. I have my daughter Mara who made the trip with me to cheer my on and greet me at the end. Mara has been lucky enough to hear me say I'm nervous a thousand times.

First I made a card featuring a favorite older stamp that I haven't used in ages: the small block frame. I embossed using a new embossing powder from JudiKins that I picked up at the W. Springfield expo last week. Love the colors. The picture doesn't do it justice.

They are stamped on some of my favorite Memory Box papers. Inside I stamped the solid decorative crest in both olive and rose chalk inks. The background is a combination of a flower vine accents stamp and the mini starlet, both of which I got last week at the expo.

Second I made a card similar to something I saw Nami make last week at the expo. It's the decorative flourish stamp using Brilliance Platinum Planet ink on plain vellum which is layered on top of the blue shimmer paper. It's topped with a the decorative crest circle, a quick phrase, some love bling, and a silver trimmed ribbon. This would be perfect for a wedding.

Thanks for stopping by. The next stop in the hop is Sue Lelli's blog. Enjoy the creative ideas of all the participants.

A couple of other fun cards

Here are a few cards I've made recently that didn't make their way into a card kit. One is a Stampassion card kit with a beautiful Lockhart floral stamp. Love it. Next is an A Muse margarita card from a favorite Stampassion sample made by Mary. Finally, a DeNami Mimi card that my version of a card I made at The Art Connection created my friend Melanie. Having fun in my studio.

Card kit # 4

Here is the last card kit I'm making for Leukemia fundraising. Now I've made 60 kits and only sold a few so after the walk I have to focus on selling more. I'm going to decide if I want to do another half marathon after I see if I survive this one. Enjoy.