Dannie's Designs

Today's the Last Day!

Just a quick reminder that today's the last day to get 15% off select stamp sets.  You can see the flyer here with all of the details.  You can either email me your order (DannieGrvs@hotmail.com) or now you have the option to shop online on my business website (click "shop now" in the upper right corner). 

I'm off to run some errands but I hope to be back later to share a new project with you.  ~Dannie

Batty for You

I hope you had a fantastic weekend.  My recovery has gone very well and I'm beginning to feel like myself again.  I even managed to drive my children to school today.  Now the only thing holding me back is this terrible cold I caught this weekend.  Ugh!  At least I was finally able to stamp today--yeah!



I used Beate's weekend sketch challenge to get my creative juices going.



This card came together so quickly.  I love this new Ghostly Greetings designer series paper.  It's perfect for making Halloween cards and treats.



I added booglie eyes on the little bat.  As you can see, the left eye is one size larger than the right eye.  I think it gives him more of a "batty" look.

I plan on being back tomorrow with another new card to show you.  I've really missed being able to stamp.  Now that I've started again, I don't want to stop!  Thanks for stopping by.  ~Dannie

Stamps: Batty for You
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, Ghostly Greetings DSP
Ink: Basic Black
Accessories: Kiwi Kiss Striped Grosgrain Ribbon, Booglie Eyes, Crafters' Tool Kit
Punches: Scalloped Circle, Circle (1 1/4" and 1 3/8")

Mary's Cards

At the beginning of August I was away at Stampin' Up!'s convention.  That same weekend Michelle Zindorf came here to San Jose to teach a class on her beautiful brayering techniques.  Obviously I couldn't attend (even though I really wanted to), but my friends Kathleen and Mary were both fortunate to go.  Since that class I've received two beautiful cards from Mary using the techniques she learned.



Isn't that gorgeous?  Mary sent this to me as a get well card.



I received this gorgeous card for my birthday.  This card was inspired by a card that Michelle made.  You can see more of Mary's cards by visiting her SplitCoast gallery here (her username is rdm).  Have fun browsing her gallery, there's lots to see.

Thanks Mary for the beautiful cards!  ~Dannie

Crazy for Cupcakes

Have you missed me?  I'm still here, just recovering much slower than I thought I would.  The littlest things wear me out and I have to go and take a nap.  I had to laugh at myself the other day when my husband put the baby down for a nap after lunch and then he tucked me in for a nap too.  I'm just wiped out.

I haven't stamped anything since my surgery, but I do have a new card to show you. 



I made this card two weeks ago for the latest Control Freak swap.  Now that the group has received their swap cards in the mail, I can post it on my blog.

Isn't this cupcake set adorable?  As soon as I saw it in the catalog I knew I had to order it.  I picked my colors for this card from the Sweet Always designer series paper.  I'm not a big fan of pink and orange together, but they look great together in this DSP.

A couple of things may be difficult to see in the photo.  I wheeled the background with the Cupcakes wheel in Regal Rose ink.  Also, after I colored the cupcakes I added crystal effects to each of the cherries.   

If you click on the photo of the card to enlarge it, you'll notice that I underlined the word "ever."  That's what you call a creative solution to fixing a mistake.  I had the entire card finished--background wheeled, ribbon tied, layers adhered together and attached to the card base--when I decided to stamp the sentiment.  Somehow the bottom of the word "ever" brushed the cardstock and left some ink where I didn't want it.  Instead of scrapping the whole card, I took my Chocolate Chip marker and drew the line to cover up the mistake.  Good ol' Murphy's law. 

Thanks again for all of your well wishes.  I'm off to lunch and then down for another nap.  I apologize if any part of my blog post didn't make sense.  My head has been in a cloud because of the pain medication they've given me.  I can't stand the way it makes me feel so dizzy and out of it--especially when I'm looking at a computer monitor.  I've switched over to Tylenol but I'm still feeling out of it.  I think it just all needs to work its way out of my system.

Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Crazy for Cupcakes, Cupcakes Wheel
Paper: Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Regal Rose, Chocolate Chip, Sweet Always DSP
Ink: Basic Black, Chocolate Chip, Going Gray, Regal Rose, Real Red
Accessories: Chocolate Chip Grosgrain, Dimensionals, Crystal Effects
Punches: Scallop Edge

Card Elements Class Planner Now Available

Thank you for all of your kind emails and comments wishing me a speedy recovery.  They've really helped brighten my spirits.  Although I'm moving very slowly, I'm feeling a little better each day.  Hopefully I'll be back to stamping soon.

I am happy to announce that the Card Elements Class Planner is now available for purchase. 

Click here to read the details and to purchase the class planner.  As you can see by clicking that link, I have set up a new blog for my class planners.

http://DanniesDesigns.typepad.com/class_planners

As I'm feeling better, I will be adding more content to the new blog.  Next week I'll also set the date for when I'll be offering this class to my customers.

Thank you again for stopping by and for all the well wishes.  ~Dannie

October stamp class and new class planner!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  They always seem to fly by and this past weekend was no exception.  The only difference is that I've been anxiously waiting for this week to arrive.

I finished a HUGE project I was working on this weekend--my October class. 

This class features the Rock Star and the Flower Power card elements kits.  You'll have your choice of which kit you would like to use for the class. You'll be making four cards (all different from the samples in the catalog) as well as a custom designed card box to hold the four cards and envelopes.  You'll also go home with all of the extra pieces of cardstock, designer series paper, and accessories from the kit to make more cards on your own.

Demonstrators--yes, this is available to purchase as a demonstrator class planner!  I listened to your feedback and I've added many new features to this class planner.  I know you'll be excited when you see the improvements I've made.

The big question is WHEN?  When can you register for the class and when can you purchase the class planner?  The answer was supposed to be today.  However technology has gotten in the way.  The service I use to register for classes and for the class planner has been down all day today.  I've been waiting all day to post hoping that the server would be up and running, but it's still not.

What about tomorrow?  Well, that's why I've been anxiously waiting for this week to arrive.  I'm having surgery tomorrow morning.  That's why I was in the ER at the beginning of July and that's why I was in the motorized cart at convention.  I've been waiting since the beginning of July for surgery!  Most days I was fine, but there were several days where Vicodin wouldn't put a dent in the pain.  It's an out-patient procedure so I should be home by tomorrow afternoon.

Once I know how my recovery is going, I'll set the date for the October class here at my home.  With my husband's help, I'm hoping to have the class planner available by this Wednesday at the latest. 

It's safe to say that I probably won't be posting often this week.  LOL!  I had good intentions of stamping projects and having them set to automatically post this week, but that didn't happen.  Instead I've been cleaning the house, doing laundry (8 loads this weekend), and shopping so that my husband can hold down the fort.  Wish me luck!  ~Dannie

Many Thanks

Yesterday was such a crazy day.  I wanted to post on my blog, but I was so busy running around that I couldn't find the time to do it.  The first time I actually got to sit and relax was after 10:30 last night and by then I was exhausted.

I have a lot of thank you cards to make and send out.  I wanted something quick and simple so I decided to use this design that I showed you the other day.



I used Tangerine Tango, Baja Breeze, and Kiwi Kiss.  I wanted to mix things up a little bit so I tried some other color combinations.

Pacific Point, Riding Hood Red, and Tempting Turquoise.

Riding Hood Red, Kiwi Kiss, and Tangerine Tango.

Kiwi Kiss, Pacific Point, and Baja Breeze. 

I was surprised to see how well all of the new In Colors coordinate with each other.  I normally wouldn't use orange, red, and green together yet they look great together on the card I made. 

Pull out your In Colors and give it a try.  Make one card and then switch out the colors and make a second card.  By simply changing the colors you use, it gives the card a whole new look.  It also helps to break up the monotony when you have to make a lot of cards at the same time.

Now I need to take this whole stack...

and fill them out and drop the in the mail.  Wish me luck!  ~Dannie

Stampin' Up! Online Ordering Now Available!!!

I'm so excited to announce that online ordering is now available.  Now you can place an order for Stampin' Up! merchandise any time you'd like from the comfort of your own home.  Simply visit my demonstrator business website and click on the "shop now" button in the upper right hand corner of my website.  It's that simple.

Stampin' Up! has done a beautiful job organizing all of the products so they're easy to find.  Each product has a detailed photo, description, and list of other coordinating products.  Shopping couldn't be any easier!

Be one of the first 10 people to place an online order of $50 or more and you'll receive a free gift from me.  Happy shopping!  ~Dannie

Stationery Box Video Tutorial

Back in June I offered this stationery box as my class project. 

It was such a hit that I decided to make a video tutorial.  Normally when I post a video tutorial I also type out all of the dimensions, score lines, etc.  Well, this project was so involved and has so many pieces that I decided to make a pattern for you to download.

Stationery Box Patterns.pdf

If you're having trouble downloading the pattern, hold your mouse above the link and RIGHT click on the link and select "save link as."  This will download the file straight to your computer and then you can open it.

As you may know, YouTube only allows you to upload a 10 minute video.  Rather than cut out important information, I decided to break the video into two parts. 

Scroll below the videos to see pictures of the cards and tags in the box.  Enjoy!  ~Dannie

If you get an error saying "video no longer available," try refreshing your screen (F5).

Part 1

Part 2

3x3 card

Tag

Standard Card

Maine Blueberry Designer Series Paper

Happy Monday!  I can't believe another weekend has flown by.  I decided to start my Monday morning off with a sketch challenge on SUDSOL (an online group for Stampin' Up! demonstrators).  The sketch came from a card in the March 2005 Stampin' Success magazine (Stampin' Up!'s newsletter for their demonstrators).



I can't seem to get enough of the Maine Blueberry DSP.  I hardly ever touched my Not Quite Navy cardstock until I bought this DSP and now I use it all the time.  As a matter of fact, I'm now running low and need to order more. 

I stamped the large flower in Not Quite Navy ink on Whisper White cardstock.  I cut it out and added a 1/2" circle of Old Olive cardstock to the center.  I poked a hole in the center with my paper piercer and added one of the new Flower Designer Brads.  I attached the flower with dimensionals to the Bashful Blue layer.

I wrapped the Old Olive grosgrain ribbon around the back of the cardstock and then threaded each end through the holes in the Hodgepodge Hardware.  I took some linen thread and tied it around the grosgrain to help hold it in place and then trimmed the ends.  I love using ribbon to hold the Hodgepodge Hardware in place.

I hope you have a wonderful day today.  Thanks for stopping by!  ~Dannie

Stamps: Eastern Blooms, Fundamental Phrases
Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Old Olive, Not Quite Navy, Maine Blueberry DSP
Ink: Not Quite Navy
Accessories: Old Olive Wide Grosgrain Ribbon, Linen Thread, Flower Designer Brads, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware, Crafters' Tool Kit, Dimensionals
Punches: 1/2" Circle