Thursday, December 31, 2009

When to say when...

OK, so you are probably wondering about the title of this post and why I have picked it, but before we get to that, I have some exciting things (to me at least) I want to share with you!


First of all, check out this fun little 3X3 Christmas card I made for Sophie a few weeks back....


No, she isn't really old enough to care, but it was fun for me and maybe one day she can look back on it and smile. The story behind this card is that I got the new stamp set Fox and Friends (which will be coming out in the new Occassions Mini (OM) that starts Jan. 5th) on pre-order. This little fox (and all his buddies!) was so cute that I couldn't resist and when I saw it, I was instantly reminded of one of Sophie's books we read often called One Winter Day. She loves this book!

Without boring you...(warning, I am going to explain the story so if you don't want to read it skip down to next paragraph)..It is a story about a little Hedgehog who gets a red wooly had from Santa. He tries the hat on, but his prickles stretch it out, so he gives it to his friend Rabbit. Rabbit tries it on, but his ears get in the way so he gives it to his friend Badger. Badger tries it on, but can't hear with it on, so gives it to Fox. Fox is grumpy about Christmas, but he tries the hat on and LOVES it. Meanwhile he goes out and finds a trail in the snow and then finds little Hedgehog burried under it and cold. Fox wraps little Hedgehog in the hat like a blanket and he falls fast asleep. They all wish him a Merry Christmas.

Sooooo, this little fox was so cute & reminded me of that story and how Sophie loves it, so I took the fox and the hat stamp from the Snow Buddies stamp set in the Holiday Mini (FYI- 1/5 is the last day you can order from the Holiday Mini!) and there you have it. A little sparkle and bling to make you get the feeling of texture, just like there book and here is a Christmas card to my baby girl. :)
Now, you see that little Katie Brooks watermark in the corner (if you can't see it, look at the image below, it is bigger there)? I have had this for a while, but don't have photoshop and needed to download some free software to use it. I am a techno-dodo (is that word in the dictionary? If not, it should be...) so it took me a while. I was excited to finally figure out how to use it though... and on my own I might add! A Thanks to Heather who paid someone to make that for me as a birthday gift! Now, my dear husband got me this small protable photo studio for Christmas (LOVE YOU!) and I have yet to set that up, but am hoping that between that and the watermark, my pictures (admitedly not great now) will only get better!

Finally, I get to the When to say when.... now last night I was playing with another of my new stamp sets from the OM called Vintage Vogue (below). I wanted something that looked....well Vintage and Vogue! So I was going for it, but as you probably know, things to always turn out how you imagined them, if you imagined them at all. I was struggling to create with the set partly because it was new and partly because it had been a few weeks since I stamped, so I wasn't sure what I was going for. I find that when I don't know what I am creating sometimes I just keep adding, because the card isn't quite how I like it but I don't know what will make it better, so out come the multitudes of things all jumbled together in one card. Here is the finished product and I am not sure if I like it or not.


What do you think? I think I like the colors and did well at acheiving a vintage look, but not so sure about the vogue.

Anyway, I know this was a long winded post and I am sure you have work or something you should be doing (tisk-tisk! wink!) so have a wonderful day and be sure to check out my website for all the new OM and Sale-a-Bration stuff!!!!

PS- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Friday, December 18, 2009

Happy Holidays

Remember that project I previewed like 3 mos ago that was a secret for the granparents? Well...shhhhh...it was a scrapbook of Sophie's first year made with My Digital Studio from SU! I am pretty sure most of them live in the dark ages and don't have internet, so I feel safe showing you a few more pages....

I'll be gone for the next week so hoping you all have a happy holiday!

:) Katie












Friday, December 11, 2009

12 Days of Christmas Holiday Sale!

OK, for the next 12 days, everything you ever wanted for the Big Shot is on Sale!!!

Exciting news! From today, December 11th- 22nd, select Big Shot dies and new colors of vinyl sheets for the Big Shot are on sale at 15-25% off! There are 18 new colors of vinyl sheets to choose from, including CLEAR vinyl, which is great for making etched glass creations, and CHALKBOARD vinyl, make your own chalkboard for your wall or as part of a smaller project!



It is recommended that you place your Stampin' Up! order by December 15th to receive it by Christmas...

Place an online at my Stampin' Up! Website (Click Shop Now, then 12 Days of Holiday Sales, then make sure you designate me as your demonstrator to get preferred pricing). If you have any questions you are welcome to contact me- katieannbrooks@gmail.com or 206-947-8273.
Happy Holidays!





Thursday, December 10, 2009

Feeling Krafty

I have been playing a little more the last few days because my holiday card collection is virtually gone (everyone bought them up!) and I don't have any to send to my family. So I have just been tinkering. Some of these cards I like and some I'm not sure on.

Yesterday I was in a Krafty mood, wanted to use my craft paper.

Here is the first card I made. The main image is non SU! but everything else here is. This is the one that I am not really sure if I like. What do you think?


Next is another craft card. I was playing with the soon to be retired (boo-hoo) Sip by Sip stamp set from SU! Had borrowed this set from a friend for something else, but figured why not use it while it's there.


Next is another Sip by Sip card. I love the sayings in this stamp set. The one above says, "Chocolate, coffee, men...some things are better rich!" Now don't get all offended, not necessarily true for me, but true for some. The one below says, "enjoy life sip by sip, not gulp by gulp."


The last two cards are something I have made over the last week or so. The first I CASEd (copied and shared) from Heather Hildebrant. The second was using a fun image with some not so typicall colors.




Thanks for stopping by today~






Monday, December 7, 2009

Success!

Well the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Craft fair is over and I have to say that is a load off! It was super fun, but a lot of work and anxiety too! I ended up taking the Wed. before as a vacay day because I wasn't finished with stuff. Meanwhile, I'd say it was successfull, I did about 3.5 times what I did last year in sales (last year was my first year and dismal). It was great to raise some money for the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Patient Fund too! The most popular items were the earrings made from metal edge tags in coordinated matchbox dies (front of table) and the reindeer poop treat bags (left edge of table).

Here is a pic of Emily and I sharing a table, you can see my goods, hers are little (super cute!) sculpy figures on the right. I keep trying to get her to teach a class, but no luck yet. ;)

Sharing in on the fun is my friend and upline Heather. Look, you can see the darling bibs she did in this picture. I got a cute little pair of gloves from her for Sophie. :)


Finally here is my friend Don who was in the table next to us selling he wonderful pottery.


We all had so much fun!
Now I just need to start making my own Christmas cards to send out... yikes!
Thanks for stopping by!


Friday, November 27, 2009

Post Turkey Coma!

First of all, Happy belated Thanksgiving to all! I hope you enjoyed the day with family & friends or however you choose to spend it, just hope it was good. Mine was great, my father came and it was just the 4 of us (my husband, daughter, dad and I), so quiet but fun. We played games, watched the parade and football, goofed around and ate yummy food. Funny story though, we didn't eat turkey as we had planned. I don't know if you have ever gotten your turkey times wrong, but we did, and it wasn't done when everything else was. Oh well, there was so much food it didn't matter, we just ate everything else. It was a funny thanksgiving, one to remember.

Today is black friday, which means the holidays are officially in full swing. Here are a few of the craft fair items that I said would be up a few days ago (sorry, when I say one day, it somehow always turns into two). These are some of the matchbox dies I decorated. Some are Christmasy...

Some aren't...

All of them have a fun pair of earrings I made inside.


Anyway, thanks for stopping by, hope you enjoyed. Have fun shopping if you dare!



Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Showcasing Designer Series Paper

Last night I took a break from all my holiday projects and just made cards. I was thinking of making those cards for those occasions that you need cards for but aren't happy ones, like get well cards and sympathy. I started out with this simple first card showcasing the designer series paper Tall Tales.

From there I went on to showcase more Tall tales paper. This first one is a birthday card.


Next is a baby card with more Tall Tales.


Finally I moved on to a sympathy card showcasing the Noveau Chic paper and something from the pretties kit.


I was pretty happy with these cards, like the third in the line up best. I really makes me feel good though that these are designs, papers, or strategies I haven't used before, and I think it went pretty well.
anyway, thanks for stopping by. I'll have some fun gift boxes and earrings (craft fair projects) to show you tomorrow.



Monday, November 23, 2009

It's an EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!

Check it out, select items from 30-50% off. Great to give to a friend or loved one, or to have them get for you!!!!!! :)


Click HERE to visit my webpage and see the deals. You have to hurry though, sale ends on November 30th. Note, this is for online orders only.


Thursday, November 19, 2009

Happy Birthday Krista!!!

One of my very closest friends is having a birthday today. I wish I could celebrate with her but she lives in MN- the land of Paul Bunyan!!!! Brrrr..... Anyway, I just wanted to give her a shout out and show you the gift I sent her (I know she has gotten it by now, so I can).


This is a photo of us at my college graduation (8 years ago.....). I put the photo in a nice frame and added some of the Definitely Decorative Elements from SU! in Teal since she has blue accents in her living room. I have since removed and replaced the big flower right under our chins since it was poorly placed, but you get the idea. You can find this in a variety of colors here. I plan to use the left over stems to put around a large glass votive or vase. :)

Happy Birthday Girl, I love you!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

"Christmas is coming the goose is getting fat....

...please put a penny in the old man's hat. If you haven't got a penny then a haypenny will do. If you haven't got a haypenny then God Bless you!"


This is a line from a Christmas song I remember from my childhood. I don't know why but it popped in my head this am when I was about to do this post, so I guess I am in the spirit. If you are wondering what a haypenny is, it is like a half penny or two farthings; an old English term. Given that, I don't think I need to tell you this song is English. :)


Anyway, now this song will be running through my head all day, which is fine because I am ready to get in the Christmas Spirit! You'd be proud of me, or at least I am proud of me, maybe you could care less, but I have over half my shopping done for Christmas already!!!! Whoo-hooo! Now I just have to finish all the custom card orders and stuff for the craft fair I have been working on in the next two weeks- ahhhhhh!


Here are some of the cards I have put together as of late which you might see at the craft fair if you are there (Fred Hutch Craft Fair) or you might get in the mail from me. :D


This first card grouping is all SU with the exception of the pine branch stamp. I picked that up at the local stamp store, couldn't resist, and on it you'll see some red stickle berries for fun. Other than that it is all SU!- I've used the following:


Old Olive, Certianly Celery, Very Vanilla and Real Red CS

Merry Moments DSP (which the more I use the more I LOVE)

Garden Green Ink

1 3/8" circle punch (the real red half circle)

Real Red 1/4" Grossgrain ribbon

Snail


I am happy how this turned out and the next little card as well. This next one started as a project for my advanced technique class this last week. We were focusing on how to use Crystal Effects among other things and this is one of the ways to use it and one of the items we made. Check it out:



I've used Whisper White CS as my base, which I rarely do, but added some snowflakes in the Bermuda Bay Color. The crystal effects is on the ice cube after I added some light blue outlining. You'll see the close up below.




Supplies for this card are:


Animal Crackers Stamp Set and Snow Buddies Stamp Set (snowflakes)

Whisper White and Bermuda Bay CS

Holiday Lounge DSP

Basic Black ink with Only Orange and Bashful Blue and Bermuda Bay Markers

Crystal Effects


OK, thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed!





Friday, November 13, 2009

Over the Top Blog Award

Yesterday, I got this wonderful blog award from Karen over at Lilacs and Lupines (don't you love that name?!). Thank you so much Karen! This one is fun too, check it out.


The rules are this: I need to pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know I left this award, and then I need to answer a list of questions in ONE word.

1. Where is your cell phone? bag

2. Your hair? ponytail

3. Your mother? LOVE

4. Your father? LOVE

5. Your favorite food? thai

6. Your dream last night? crafting

7. Your favorite drink? iced

8. Your dream/goal? happy

9. What room are you in? office
10. Your hobby? crafting

11. Your fear? exhaustion

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? happy

13. Where were you last night? home

14. Something that you aren't? skinny

15. Muffins? Bran
16. Wish list item? Big Shot dies

17. Where did you grow up? Spokane

18. Last thing you did? coffee
19. What are you wearing? slacks
20. Your TV? home
21. Your Pets? none

22. Friends? amazing

23. Your life? Sophie

24. Your mood? anxious

25. Missing someone? Krista

26. Vehicle? Corolla

27. Something you're not wearing? undies... j/k! perfume

28. Your favorite store? Fireworks

29. Your favorite color? Blue

30. When was the last time you laughed? 5 min ago

31. Last time you cried? last week

32. Your best friend? Jeremy

33. One place that I go to over and over? Costco

34. Facebook? no

35. Favorite place to eat? Racha


Here are the people I'm passing this award on to:
Nancy Riley: iSTAMP
Brenda Weaver- Sweet Paper Treats
Thanks for stopping by today!



Thursday, November 12, 2009

Thursday Three-fer

OK, again, I know I have been bad about posting and I am sorry. But yesterday was Veteran's Day (thanks to those Veteran's!) and I had the day at home by myself. My husband was working and my baby- strike that toddler!!!- was at daycare. I spent that day working on my custom holiday orders and have completed about 1/2 of my orders. Yeah me. But I also made a few extra things and have those to show you.

First, I made these simple and cute little thank you cards to send out on behalf of my toddler to say thank you to her birthday party guests. These are the 3X3 cards from SU! I used the little boy (there is only a boy in this set, but the kiddo is appropirate none the less) in the Very Thankful set. FYI a portion of every purchase of this set goes towards supporting the Ronald McDonald House.



This next card is made with all SU! supplies except for the stamps (paper, inks, embossing, etc). I used a Hero Arts stamp since it is the only Asian stamp set I have. This is for a girlfriend who is leaving work for another job. She loves Japan, so I went with that Asian flair. You may not be able to see it here, but I used my paper crimper on the red behind the girl. The bamboo and the clasps on her coat are embossed gold.


Finally, I made this get well card. Again all SU except that moose. I believe it is Hannah Stamps but not sure. Someone sent the stamped (uncolored) image to me. I used some CS (ballet blue), retired DSP (Sweet Slumber Specialty), some clips and ribbon (Real Red 1/4" grossgrain), the get well wishes is from the Teeny Tiny stamp set.



Anyway, thanks for stopping by today. Hope you enjoyed it.


Tuesday, November 3, 2009

My Sophie's Birthday

Hello! Today is a good day (despite the fact that my daughter woke up at 4:15 am!!!) because it is Sophie's 2nd Birthday! I can't believe she is two, time really flies! I am excited to celebrate though, she is so much fun.


Today is a work day, so unfortunately we don't have the whole day, but this afternoon her daddy and I are taking her to the Aquarium. She will love that. We also got her a tricycle, her first pedal bike! I can't wait for all that. In the meantime, she is at daycare with her new Elmo shirt on (I wanted to get a photo but we always rush about in the am and she was a bit grumpy) and will enjoy some cupcakes today that I whipped up last night.
These cupcakes are nothing big, just mini ones from a box mix (no super mom here) but I asked her what color icing she wanted and she said blue- so that is what the girl got. Of course there is one special cupcake here...do you see it...it has Elmo! That is this year's birthday theme since she loves elmo. I made the little guy with some punches (scallop circle punch, 1/2" circle punch, larger circle from the crop-a-dial, word window punch for the nose, part of 1 3/8" circle for the mouth- I also cut a little of the red to go over the mouth like Elmo's fur and dimensionals behind the eyes and nose) and put it around a toothpick.




I hope Sophie has a fun day with her friends today, and a fun evening. The big party is this weekend when we are going to the Children's museum. Guess what they have there...ELMO!!! There is currently a sesame street exhibit, perfect. I like Elmo, as long as there are no signing, tickling, talking versions of him in my house. ;) Have a great day.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Happy Hallloween!

Again, I know I have been MIA lately. I have been busy with so many holiday orders and getting ready for the FHCRC Craft fair. Not to mention my daughter's Birthday (two tomorrow!!!!) and Halloween- swamped! So I don't have anything I've made to share even thought I've been creating plenty. What I have are some cute photos of Sophie and her friend Ashley on Halloween. Enjoy!






Monday, October 26, 2009

Deals of the Week #4

Here are the final deals of the week! Get them before the 31st!

Item Page Description Regular Price Special Price
116214 174 Princess Party Kit $15.95 $9.99
116213 175 Pirate Party Kit $15.95 $9.99


Pictures and content discriptions below.



■ Contains products to create invitations, crowns, purse boxes, banner, and food toppers for eight

■ Coordinates with the Princess Time stamp set and Princess personalized name stamp


■ Contains products to create invitations, eye patches, banner, treasure boxes, and food toppers for eight
■ Coordinates with our Pirate Time stamp set and Pirate personalized name stamp