Friends...noteworthy of thankfulness

As Thanksgiving Time nears, I got to thinking about things that make me grateful, and one of those things are true friends. I have made many friends over the years, and looking back at those incredible connections always makes me grateful. That is why I chose to share this card and envelope set called Noteworthy Thanks — a great set to send to a friend. It uses Stampin’ Up!’s chocolate chip and Baja Breeze color combination with Illuminated Wheel, Pocket Silhouettes Stamp Set, scallop square punch, brown grosgrain and white satin ribbons and a large turqouise button. I hope that it springboards your creativity in creating a matching notecard or thank you to send to one of your friends.

A Talented Friend

I have a wonderfully talented friend who credits me for introducing her to stamping and scrapbooking through my Stampin’ Up! demonstratorship. She has gone on to become a demonstrator also and is not only filling my shoes, but overspilling them with talent. I am finally getting caught up on posting these wonderful projects she designed for us to create at a workshop at her Stamping Oasis. One of the cards, I call Flourishing Elegance. You will know which one...it is so chic and beautiful! The second card, I called Take A Spin. It is a spinner card created using the fast and easy to use Simply Scrappin’ Stickers along with some punches and stamps. The third project, I call Twick O' Peek. It is a gorgeous Halloween box with a peek-a-boo diecut window in front. Hope these inspire you to create wonder creations based on Ree’s ideas. Click here to check out her blog.

Gingerbread Recipe Album

Well, it has been a little while since I posted some creative inspiration, but I have been busy crafting and plan to share some of my favorite projects with you! Here is a fun one I designed for Glue Arts' design team involving a Gingerbread chipboard diecut, some diecut squares using Stampin’ Ups die with my Sizzix Big Kick and some other fun embellishments. It is a recipe album ready for filling with your own recipes and/or photos...a heart-felt gift. I have pdfs of the paper pieces and tag art available upon your request. For project instructions, click here to go to the Glue Arts website. Here are a few more pictures of the project...

A Perfect Family Harvest

Looking for a clever Fall layout to include some fun photos and facts about your family members? Then check out this Harvest theme layout I did for Glue Arts using their adhesives, my computer for the title and journaling along with K & Company cardstock.

Here is a closeup on the title and paper piecing...

I have a template for the paper piecing and a file for the title available as pdfs. Email me if you are interested in those. You can check out the step by step instructions on Glue Arts’ website.

Fall is in the Air

Pearls of Kindness Card

Grateful Imprints Card

Want to create some Fall cards? Then just pull out some Fall colored patterned papers, inks and solid colored cardstock, some dies or punches, some stamp sets from Stampin’ Up!® and get ready to create. I used the Circle Circus set on the bottom card to create my only pattern with real rust ink and the Grateful stamp from the Falling Leaves set. The top card uses the verse from Heard from the Heart set. The patterned paper used on both of these is the Autumn Meadows Designer Papers from Stampin' Up!

A “Boo” Can Sometimes be a Good Thing!

O.K., so life has been super busy, hectic, full of tricks and not enough treats lately (except if you count the couple hours stolen at the beach yesterday with just the right amount of sun, a cool breeze and surfers to watch, wooo, much needed)! I know I am posting this project too late to make in time for this Halloween, but now you can feel less pressure by working on it for next year. Here is a link to the instructions on Glue Arts’ website. I am totally in love with Cosmo Cricket’s Halloween collection and had to create something fun with it. I got inspired by some paper mache letters I spotted on sale at JoAnn's before Halloween and the creativity grew from there in working with the Cosmo papers and stickers. I hope this is a boo that you will say “Yay” to!

Here are some close up shots, below, of the individual letters.

The RIP tombstone was also a purchase from JoAnns to add to the spooky setting. It has brought a smile to my face every time I have passed by it going in and out of the door.

Scaring up Smiles

I have to say that I am totally loving texture plates and working them into my crafting projects. My studio looks like a true Halloween horror house. Ree can attest to this, as she got a peek inside the doors to the mad crafter's la-bor-a-tory! Bwahahahah! Yes, I have been busy creating lots of holiday crafts to sell and more project ideas to inspire great gift and holiday ideas for craft enthusiasts. It has meant a lot of hours working into the wee hours and juggling my design projects during the day, but it will mean lots of blog posts to share ideas with you. ;D

Above is a technique I happened upon when trying to rub some black chalk over top of the textured cardstock. This created added spookiness to this halloween Smeary Smiles card. I also did some ink dragging for darker highlights. The pumpkin stamp and verse are from the new Twick or Tweet stamp set from the Holiday Mini catalog, one of my current faves! I also used markers and my color spritzer to add some spattering to the background of the pumpkin stamping. Try some of these simple techniques to add a little spookiness to your Halloween cards and creations.

Twick o' Tweet, oh so sweet!

Twick o' Tweet, smell my feet, give me somethin' good to eat! Ahhh, remember those childhood days of chanting that merrily as you raced from house to house trying to score a pillowcase full of candy bars? I have to say that I love the merriment of Stampin’ Up!’s Twick or Tweet Stamp Set. Here is a Twick o' Tweet Treat Holder made using the stamp set, sanded background stamp, black ink, sponge, orange grosgrain ribbon, black, white, only orange and going grey CS and the ever-so-cool Night and Day Designer Series Paper. I also used some Stampin' Write markers for coloring the chick along with layering a scallop circle punch and the 1-3/8" and 1-1/4" punches. You can fill a cello bag with treats and staple to the inside or use some Glue Arts Adhesive squares to attach sealed bag to the cardstock inside. The countdown to Halloween continues!

Spooky Blast From the Past

Here are some oldie but goodie card creations for Halloween using some old Stampin’ Up!® and Inque Boutique stamps. Hope it helps boost your cardmaking ideas! More ideas to come for Halloween and Fall crafts so be sure to check back soon!

Pumpkin Swirl Card

Giggle Boo Card

Pumpkin Head Trick or Treater Card

Template For Previously Posted Blog Project

I had a request this weekend for the template and instructions for my Frankie Treat Sack and cauldron projects so I thought I would post a note that if you are also interested in these, email me at cheri@cheriwengerdesign.com to have them emailed to you. Here is what the Frank n' Treat Sack and witch’s cauldron projects look like. They were last year's projects for Glue Arts Design team. The instructions are in a word document. Check back soon for more project ideas that I will be posting and tell your friends about my blog. Sign up as a follower if you haven't already.

Some More Sassiness!

This is a continuation of some of the cards created with the Sassy Collection from Me & My Big Ideas that I posted a couple weeks ago. I love the bright colors. I combined some Stampin' Up stamps to create these fast and fun card creations.

50 Years, but whose counting?

It seems like just yesterday that we were busy planing my parent’s 50th Wedding Anniversary celebration, but it has been almost a year, and now Dan’s parents are celebrating their 50th. The party is sure to be a fun reunion of family and friends, and I am sure we will here many stories of old memories shared with my inlaws. This is a digital scrapbook page that I have done to put on display at the party. You have already seen the invitations, coordinating favors and thank you notes in my earlier post. All the digital elements are from Scrapgirls.com. Congratulations, mom & dad! Here is to many more years filled with health and happiness.

A Busy Little Beaver

Yes, I have been a busy little beaver trying to quickly make party invitations, coordinating thank you’s and favors for my inlaw’s 50th Anniversary party. It is much harder planning these events when none of the children live near where the party is going to be hosted. Although we were down to the wire with scouting a location and ironing out the details, it seems that everything will pull together nicely and then maybe catch up on some missed hours of sleep on the plane. 

These projects use supplies from Stampin' Up!, Inque Boutique, Recollections, Offray, Marvy and all of the adhesives can be found at GlueArts.com! The 50 embossed on the Marvy punched hearts is from the Sharie Numbers set, retired from Inque Boutique, but still one of my faves!     

The heart embossed on the inside is from the Happy Heart set and the thank you verse is from one of my favorite retired verse sets, Wonderful Words. 

The party bagettes are made by Cousin and can be found at Michaels stores, where you can also locate the mini pearls used on the wrapped chocolates. In the photo you see some silver wrapped Herhey's nuggets, but I plan to use the almond variety with the gold wrappers for the real deal. This was just my planning sample. The wheeled pattern is the Baroque wheel from SU.

And I also included a photo of the matching card and envelope I made for the occasion. 

I have to say that I love, love, love my Textured Plates and the Sizzix machine. Not only on this projects, but I find myself using them on cards and all sorts of things. I am toning up my flabby arms rolling that baby and cranking out the embossed panels and wrappers used on these projects. Who says crafting can't be good for your health? And that is the kinda workout I enjoy! So put your creativity in motion and use some of these ideas for your next project.

Pick Your Pumpkin Early!

Get in the Halloween spirit and get ready to pick your perfect pumpkin. Go to Glue Arts' website to view my project instructions to create this flower pot pumpkin candy dish. Just pick the patterned papers that you like best to create your perfect pumpkin!

Who Says Dogs Aren't Manipulative?

I beg to differ with those dog trainers who say that dogs don't know spite and don't feel emotions like we do. And our Wheaton Terrier proves my point daily. Bella is as high strung and emotional as any of my teen girls. She whines when I am taking too long to get ready for a walk, pitches a fit when we are getting ready to leave, smiles when she knows a treat is coming her way and plays the funniest game of I love mommy best with my daughter Ashley, who loves Bella dearly.

It starts like this...Ashley wants Bella to come snuggle with her on the couch or wants to snatch her up to bring her in her bedroom. Only Bella has always been a dog to give affection on her terms, and watching the game is quite amusing. Ashley will call her over and Bella will leap over three people and sit practically on top of me, as if to say "protect me mommy — don't make her take me!" This often becomes a cat and mouse game with the two of them and Bella being held against her will with a look on her face of resentment. All in all, when Ashley isn't around she sometimes goes in her room and lies on her bed or looks for her. She is always ready with kisses, but no matter how hard Ashley tries, Bella wants control of the relationship and her affection. Ashley gets frustrated at times, but I have to find it humorous that they act more like siblings than a dog and a girl.

Layout notes: I cut up parts of a predesigned layout by Bisou Bzoo to create my own layout. For adhesive I used Glue Arts Glue Glider Pro with High Tac adhesive, Stampin' Up dimensionals and 2-way glue. The tiny flower and star punches were from Michaels dollar bins, purchased a while ago. The dog chipboard tags are Marcella K found at Target and I also used K& Company Carolyn Gavin Grand Adhesions stickers for the adorable You & Me heart. To personalize the journaling I added some hand doodling that I colored in with markers. Also included were some assorted ribbons in coordinating colors. Thanks for viewing!

An honor to be interviewed

What a treat during my birthday month to be the featured interview and have an article in the Sept. 2009 issue of Scrap & Stamp Arts magazine. If you still can't find it on the stands, you can click this link to order a back issue! It features my Dive into Birthday Party Planning article featuring the Snorkel collection from Cosmo Cricket as well as the interview with Warren Gruenig  of Posh Impressions. Accompanying the interview are some Fall card ideas and a Fall themed layout of our dog, Bella which I will post in my gallery and on the blog soon. Here is a layout that was also done with the Snorkel collection which I love so much!

Gettin' Sassy!

O.K., so now that I am 45, I guess that gives me a right to be a little bit SASSY! Well, maybe I am stretching it a bit, but I did have some great fun creating with some of the SASSY collection products from Me & My Big Ideas! I received a wonderful birthday gift from my friend, Ree, who has a passion for creative projects like I do. She surprised me with a gift card to JoAnns in which I bought things from this Sassy Collection to make all kinds of fun stuff. I started off making cards since my card stash is waning big time! I got through photographing half of the cards I made, and will try to post more later this week. Then I will move on to layouts and more. So far, I really have enjoyed working with the colored chipboard and papers. I haven't tried the cool alphabet chipboard out yet, but I can guarantee you will see some posts with that soon. Hope it inspires you to work with the colors that you like best, as were many of these!

Thanks, Ree for the wonderful source of inspiration. Glad to pass it on...

Double Bold Flower

Hip Floral Thank You

To Brighten Your Day

Friendly Elegance Thank You

Swirling Garden Brights

(You may not be able to tell from the last 2 pictures, but these black floral papers are flocked.)

You need to Check out Diana's New Website!

While living in Kansas, I had the pleasure of meeting a very talented lady by the name of Diana Foster. Diana’s work had been featured in Stamper’s Sampler and I admired her great stamping talents, but never knew her other hidden talents until recently. Diana recently launched her new website featuring her cards and photography. Be sure to check out her site and spread the word to your family and friends. Click on this link the photo in the sidebar to link to her site. From one fellow crafter to another, it is always wonderful to support one another’s creative efforts and applaud each other’s accomplishments. Kudos, Diana! And much success with your new online store. 

The Final Countdown!

Hello, Stamping/Scrapbooking Friends,

I type this post with news that is bittersweet. After almost 8 years of demonstrating for Stampin' Up!®, I am hosting my final workshop on Sept. 18, 2009. Recently, SU has revised their independent demonstrator agreement in ways that make it impossible for me to continue as a demonstrator for the company. I would no longer be able to be on design teams, design for the crafting industry or even mention any other craft products on my blog that could be perceived as promoting or marketing those products. Nor can I inlcude links to any friends blogs who sell or promote "the competition" (which includes the whole crafting industry) on their blogs. I simply find this new policy too restricting both professionally and personally, and although I still love their products, I am not willing to shut the door on other areas of creativity that I enjoy. 

So what does this mean for you? I will be hosting one last workshop on Friday, Sept. 18th, as previously mentioned and can take orders up until Sept. 30th when I will officially end my demonstratorship. I will continue to promote creativity and host events and classes, only they will also include the use of products other than Stampin' Up. I still believe strongly in their products and will switch gears to now being a customer, but I will continue to share with you the many wonderful products and manufacturers that exist in the crafting industry.

So how can you continue to be inspired and get Stampin' Up products? As many of you know, Ree Nathan has signed up as a Stampin' Up demonstrator and her wonderful talents and enthusiasm have flourished after her retirement from teaching. Ree will be your new SU demonstrator, and this will be a great thing for all. Due to my time restrictions, I wasn't able to give my SU business the full attention it deserved, however, Ree is so motivated and dedicated to sharing lots of great ideas with you. And I will be supporting her as both a mentor as well as becoming one of her customers. Bittersweet, indeed.

Please let me know if you will make it to the Final Workshop on the 18th from 6:30 - 10 pm. Also, I will be doing a Large rummage sale with a group of other crafting enthusiasts at the Indian Harbor Beach Recreation center at 1233 Yacht Club Blvd., Indian Harbor Beach, FL 32937 (located in Gleason Park) on Sturday, Sept. 12 from 9 am to noon. Spread the word to all your crafting friends. There should be some awesome deals. All of my retired merchandise will be marked at highly discounted prices

The Birthday Blog Candy Winner is...

FVA!!! Congratulations, FVA, you mystery blog visitor! 

Thanks to all who posted comments, became followers and commented on the blog candy or birthday baby picture posts.  Your comments brought huge grins to my face and added to an already wonderful birthday. So glad to be able to be able to do some gift giving right back. FVA, be sure to send an email to cheri@cheriwengerdesign.com with your mailing information so I can send you your prizes. Keep spreading the word and checking back for new techniques, project inspirations and contests!

Win Birthday “Blog Candy”

Get ready to win some fun scrap and stamp goodies  in my first ever "Blog Candy" giveaway!!! In honor of my birthday, I want to give my blog followers a gift, too!

Here is what you need to do to win:

Post a comment under this blog candy post to be entered in the drawing and tell me how you are telling your friends about my blog. Don't forget to sign up as a follower to my blog and check out my project galleries! (All in the right hand column).

If you have a blog, post a link on your blog to this post & share the news about the giveaway!

What do you win? The Darling Dots set from Stampin’ Up!® Ribbon Adhesive and Adhesive Squares from Glue Arts (you're going to love these!), Flower Chipboard from Around the Block (so adorable!), a 3 pk. of Gelly Roll Pens (in my favorite summer colors of purple, fuschia and aqua) from Sakura and an assortment of my favorite colored ribbons (all from Stampin’ Up!)

I will do the drawing on Friday at 6 pm EST so that gives you a chance to spread the word. Be sure to post by 5 pm so you don't miss out. You will need to check back on Friday to see if you are the winner so I can get your information to ship the products to you. Good Luck and have a happy, happy day...like me!

45 Years Ago...

... a dark haired baby was born. Yes, I had lots and lots of hair and chubby cheeks ready for pinching. As you can see in this baby picture, I was a dreamer from the get go...always wondering what great things awaited in the distance. To this day, I still have that same hopefulness and continue to chase my dreams, living my life creatively and feeling blessed by the experiences God has provided me with so far.

In honor of my birthday, I will be posting my first blog candy later today. So check back for more details and to see what goodies you can win. 

Hope you have a HAPPY day, too! Mine will be spent creating and cheering on my lil' Wildcat volley girls at their first game of the season.

An 80th Birthday Celebration

Last weekend we were invited to celebrate the 80th birthday of a friend of mine. I pulled out one of my old SeeD’s sets that is a favorite for momentous birthdays. I used a natural/black color combination to create a matching card, envelope, gift tag and gift wrapping. Here are some pictures of those for inspiration.  The card is an uneven gatefold with a tag attached with a mini brad that helps hold it closed. Tip: to keep the ribbon in position, I used a small piece of Glue Arts’ Ribbon Adhesive along front left panel to hold ribbon in position, and simply tied the bow to the right of tag. This makes for easy opening and retying.

For the envelope I used the Happy Birthday stamp from Stampin’ Up’s retired It’s Your Birthday set. The inside verse is from the same set, and one of my favorites!

Here is just the gift wrap where I stamped on the wrapped package, added ribbon, tag and scalloped seals on sides. For the seals I used a circle and scalloped circle punch from SU. 

Note:I used the tag punch for the inner tag and matted in tan to create tag. I used a wired pale gold ribbon along with a thinner black satin ribbon. To give the card, tag and seals a more vintage look, I used a stamping sponge to distress. 

Nate certainly doesn’t look his age and I feel sure that he will show us all how to live well beyond 100! 

The celebration was at his son and daughter-in-law’s house with a spectacular canal view. We enjoyed watching the manatees in the Indian River along with other poolside fun...a very Happy 80th Birthday, indeed.