Brady found a young hummingbird on the ground Wednesday.  Like his mother, Brady is a soft hearted soul. He picked it up gently, placed it into a tree, and then came inside to ask me what to do.

 

I prepared a sugar water solution, and filled up a syringe.  Since hummingbirds are attracted to the color, I punched out a Real Red flower using the Blossom Punch and slipped it over the end. 

 It drank eagerly.  Brady fed it several times during that first hour.

  
While Lexi watched from the porch with concern.

 By the end of hour three, our little hummer was feeling chipper enough to fly away. Lexi laughed.

Holiday Shares

It’s once again time for my annual Holiday Catalog shares! Participating in shares allows you to sample a little bit of everything while not breaking the bank! I do the ordering, the measuring, the cutting, the packaging and the mailing, while you sit back and relax, and dream about your soon-to-be-delivered goodies!
Why should you participate in The Stampin’ Schach Shares?  Here are four great reasons:

• Quick delivery! I expedite my share orders to Stampin’ Up! The sooner I receive them, the sooner you can start playing with your goodies!
• Packaging! Designer Papers are identified for you, so you don’t have to play “Which collection is this?”  Ribbons are neatly coiled, not just thrown in a bag.
• Amounts! You receive 6″ x 12″ rectangles of paper, not 6″ x  6″ squares.  That’s a plus for those of you who scrapbook!  Plus, the 10 yard rolls of ribbon are divided into fourths, while the 5 yard rolls of ribbon are cut in half.  This way you receive approximately 2-1/2 yards of ribbon…1/2 yard more than many others are offering.
• A chance to win!  Everyone who purchases a Holiday Catalog share will have their names entered into a drawing for a FREE “I Want It All Bundle” from the 2014 Spring Catalog.

Here is what others have said about my shares:

Here are The Holiday Catalog Stampin’ Schach share options:

Option #1:  Designer Series Paper and Foil Shares
Note:  These are 6″ x 12″ sheets, suitable for both card making and scrapbooking!

• 24 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of Designer Series Paper (6 from each of the 4 collections in the catalog)
• 4 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of the new Foil Paper (2 gold, 2 silver)

Total of 28 sheets
Cost:  $15.00 + $4.95 shipping = $19.95

Option #2: Textured Card Stock Share
Note:  These are 6″ x 12″ sheets, suitable for both card making and scrapbooking!

• 48 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of textured card stock (12 of each of the 4 colors offered in the Holiday Catalog)

Cost: $11.95 + $4.95 shipping = $16.90

Option #3: Ribbon Share

• Approximately 2-1/2 yards of each of the three new ribbons featured in the Holiday Catalog
• Total of 7-1/2 yards

Cost:  $7.50  + $2.95 shipping = $10.45

Option #4:  I Want It All

• This includes EVERYTHING in Options 1, 2, 3 (Designer Paper, Foil, Textured Card Stock, Ribbons)
• Total of 76 – 6″ x 12″ sheets of paper, 7-1/2 yards of ribbon

Cost:  $43.00 (shipping included)

Purchase any of the above options, and add the following for only $5.00:

Add-On “A”

• 4 clips with bows
• 6 beautiful, sparkly frosted embellishments

Cost:  $5.00 (no additional shipping)

So don’t hesitate, the deadline for signing up for the first round of shares is July 31st.   Email me today with your choices and method of payment (PayPal or check)!  As per Stampin’ Up! rules, shares can only be shipped to US addresses.

Until next time…

It’s Thursday, and time to play with the Pals at Pals Paper Arts! This week is a sketch challenge designed by the fabulous Nicole Watt. From the moment I saw this sketch, I knew I wanted to use the new Festive Flurry stamp set and the gorgeous Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper. I hope you enjoy today’s card.

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips: Jeweled Elegance
This finished card measures 4-1/4″ wide by 5-1/2″ long.

• Blinged! Snowflake images from Festive Flurry were stamped in Coastal Cabana and Metallic Silver Encore inks. They were layered and popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals. Pearls and Frosted Finishes Embellishments add to the elegance.

• Foiled! The new Silver Foil was zipped through the Big Shot with the Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Hexagons were snipped from one of the Winter Frost Designer Paper patterns and topped off with Pearls.

• Ruffled! The new 3/8″ Ruffle Stretch Trim in Coastal Cabana adds the perfect finished edge to the focal circle. I used little pieces of Sticky Strip to hold it in place. Because of the edge of the trim, it is easy to attach it evenly around the circle.

Muffy Lin and I are on our way to Waukesha and Elk Horn, Wisconsin for 6 dog shows. We will be returning late next Tuesday.  Yikes! I just got home from Convention in Salt Lake City, where I stayed five nights…and now I am off again for another six days? Whoa! What was I thinking? Luckily next weekend’s show is only 5 minutes from my home, and I will be able to sleep in my own bed.  Woo hoo!

So, what do you think of today’s card? Won’t you let me know in your comment today? Your comments are important to me, and I do read each and every one of them. Of course, if you ever have any questions about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

Stamp Set: Festive Flurry; Inks: Coastal Cabana, Metallic Silver Encore; Card Stock: Smoky Slate, Whisper White;  Specialty Paper:  Silver Foil Sheet, Winter Frost Specialty Designer Series Paper; Tools: Big Shot, Festive Flurry Framelits, Honeycomb Textured Impressions Embossing Folder; Glitz and Glam: Frosted Finishes Embellishments, Basic Pearls;

Here’s a little peek at this week’s Pals Paper Arts Design Team card. I hope you will join me Thursday for the reveal!

I would also like to share one of my favorite pictures from Convention 2013. It was taken by Pal Nicole Watt.  Included in this picture are the members of Mary Fish’s Pretty Pals who received awards this year. Yep…that’s me standing behind Mary. I received awards for both Sales and Recruiting.

Of course, I had to include this picture of me with my good friend, Brian King. Brian has become one of my closest stampin’ friends.  We are always plotting and planning staming escapades.

Speaking of stamping escapades, please scroll down to today’s second post about my newest club/class.  If you have questions, please email me. Until next time…