Spring Fever with the Wacky Watercooler Gang

Welcome to our February Blog Hop which, in many parts of Canada and the United States, has been mis-named the Spring Fever blog hop.  For those of us suffering from excess white stuff, it may well be better named "Cabin Fever".  But what better way to get our thoughts away from this lengthy winter than to showcase projects that are all about Spring and Easter?

Back by popular demand for this Blog Hop is our CASE (copy and share everything) of one of our fellow hoppers' projects.  This time we each had a name drawn and that was the person whose past blog posts we searched to find what we each considered "our favourite" for that person but the project we would CASE would have to have a Spring or Easter theme.

The other two projects for this Blog Hop are also going to have an Easter or Spring theme.  Our hoppers will have the option of making cards and/or a 3-D project.  It will be exciting going through all the participating blog posts to see what they've done.

We have a lot of sources for our products this time.  There is, of course, the ongoing Annual Catalogue.  Then we currently also have the Occasions Catalogue as well as the Sale-a-bration Brochure.  There is also a wealth of wonderful products available in the Clearance Rack.  There's also a big surprise coming up on March 1st.  Stampin' Up! is adding four new products to the Sale-a-bration brochure.  Exciting?  Definitely!

As usual, our Blog Hop runs in a circular fashion.  No matter where in the list of participants you begin, inevitably you'll wind up in the exact same place again if you keep going to the "next" blog.  It works the same way whether you conform to the usual forward movement through the blog posts or if you're a rebel and work your way through in reverse order.

This month we have eleven participants from various spots in the United States and Canada.  As a result, you'll see a lot of different and diverse projects since we are all affected by our surroundings.

And now, without further ado, here is our list of participants in order of appearance:

          Buffy Cooper

          Jackie Susnik

          Christine Giuda
   
          Penny Hanuszak

          Heidi Weaver

          Deborah Smart

          Stefanie Pletscher

          Marsha Reed

          Priscilla Ivler

          Gail Allen

          Kath Ricks

That's eleven of us!  We hope you'll take the time to check out everyone's post and if you get a moment, to leave a comment because that is the icing on the cake for those of us sharing our posts.

Folding Screens are in Demand!

Have you caught the Screen Card bug yet?

Folding Screen Cards (also called screen divider cards) are in demand and Sale-a-Bration stamp sets really take off in this wonderful creation by Watercooler Artist Patti Leeke.  Sadly Patti doesn't have a current blog so it seemed the perfect time to feature her work here in anticipation of our next upcoming Blog Hop this Thursday the 26th of February.

Click on the picture to see a larger close up

 Supplies:

Stamps:   Sale-a-bration stamps - Big Day and Lotus Blossom & Perfect Pennants from the Annual Catalog
Ink: Crushed Curry, Rich Razzleberry, Mossy Meadow
Markers: Crushed Curry
DSP:  Brights Paper Stacks
Card stock:  Crushed Curry, Whisper White
Punches:  Decorative Label, Scallop Edge Border, Bow Builder Punch

You may notice that this screen card is a bit less usual in that it divides into 3 sections instead of the more usual 4.  Patti wanted a card that would be easy to fold into an envelope, easy to score and that could be made with just a half sheet of paper for the card base.  This size also leaves a bit more of a "canvas" to work your artful stamping on.  She's kindly shared a few basic directions below so you can try this out and make your own.

I'm not aware of any full tutorials for this three panel version but a good basic video with some of the punching tips and general construction of the traditional 4 style version can be found here.   The punching tips Deb shares in her video also apply to how Patti constructed her version.

Patti's Basic Directions/Information:

Screen Divider Card with 3 panels:

Card Base: 1/2 sheet of cardstock - 8-1/2 x 5-1/2 Scored at 2-7/8" intervals for a resulting 3 sections.
Using whatever border punch you prefer punch across the top.  For most border punches this will remove about 1/4"-1/2" in height.

Decorative Label punch each section for the legs making sure it's centered (so you can see the paper on each side of the punch evenly). Punch the first with punch placed halfway just below the indentation...then fold over next section and punch from the first "template". Then the legs will match up perfectly.

Layer as desired with DSP and mat's. Stamp images used will determine for the most part the size of the final focal layers.  Feel free to mix up the sizing in each panel.  

****************************

Thanks Patti for sharing your wonderful creation!

We just had to wet your appetite for the coming infusion of creativity and inspiration this Thursday.   Don't forget to mark your calendars so you remember to join us right back here on the hop in a few days time.

The Wacky Watercooler Welcome 2015 Blog Hop

Welcome to our first of 2015 Blog Hop!  It's a brand new year, a brand new Occasions Catalogue, and a brand new Sale-a-bration.  That's a whole lot to celebrate!

We had so much fun with our last blog hop and so much positive response that we've decided to arrange this blog hop along the same lines.  There are some differences, of course, but like last month, this blog hop is set up as three challenges we've given ourselves.

The first challenge is based on our favourite from a past blog post.  Each of us had a name drawn and that was the person whose blog posts we searched to find what we each considered "our favourite" for that person.  To make it more interesting, it had to have been a past post showcasing either the Occasions Catalogue or that year's Sale-a-bration.  Of course our interpretation could use current products.

The second challenge is based on our favourite Occasions/Sale-a-bration product this year.  With some of the wonderful products available in this year's catalogues, it will be interesting to see what each of the blog hop participants consider their favourite.

The final challenge is based on each individual's favourite from the current or clearance products (or a mixture of the two).  There are some real treasures to be found in the Clearance Rack and the posted projects may just show you why a visit could be worth the time.

As usual, our Blog Hop runs in a circular fashion.  No matter where in the list of participants you begin, inevitably you'll wind up in the exact same place again if you keep going to the "next" blog.  It works the same way whether you conform to the usual forward movement through the blog posts or if you're a rebel and work your way through in reverse order.

This month we have nine participants from various spots in the United States and Canada.  As a result, you'll see a lot of different and diverse projects since we are all affected by our surroundings.

And now, without further ado, here is our list of participants in order of appearance:

          Priscilla Ivler

          Marsha Reed

          Kath Ricks

          Terri Antoniw

          Christine Giuda

          Heidi Weaver

          Marie Green

          Stefanie Pletscher

          Deborah Smart

That's nine of us!  We hope you'll take the time to check out everyone's post and if you get a moment, to leave a comment because that is the icing on the cake of our Blog Hops.  

The Wacky Watercooler December "Best of..." Blog Hop

Welcome to the final Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop for 2014.  It's been a busy year and we've had a lot of wonderful response to our Blog Hops.  Thank you so much for coming back each month and for making our Blog Hops such a success.  We appreciate your loyalty and interest.

This Blog Hop is going to be slightly different from the others you've seen.  This time we've set three challenges for ourselves, the result of which is our version of "the best of...".  The first "best of..." is a particularly interesting challenge.  Each of us had a name drawn and that was the person whose blog posts we searched to find what we each considered "the best of..." for that person.

The second "best of..." is for our choice of the best of Stampin' Up! retired products.  That was a lot of fun, revisiting some of our favourite products which we've stashed away, not being willing to let them go---yet!

The third and final "best of..." is for our choice of the best of Stampin' Up! current products.  You'll see that in this case as in the others, we all have different opinions of what products are the best.  See if you agree with our choices.  Let us know in the comments.  It will be fun to discover what your choice of "the best of..." would have been.

As usual, our Blog Hop runs in a circular fashion.  No matter where in the list of participants you begin, inevitably you'll wind up in the exact same place again if you keep going to the "next" blog.  It works the same way whether you conform to the usual forward movement through the blog posts or if you're a rebel and work your way through backwards.

This month we have thirteen participants from various spots in the United States and Canada with one talented poster coming to us all the way from Germany where her family is currently posted with the military.  As a result, you'll see a lot of different and diverse projects since we are all affected by our surroundings.

Without further ado, here is this month's list in order of appearance:

Christine Giuda

Kathe Deck

Jean Fitch

Gail Allen

Terri Antoniw

Stefanie Pletscher

Kath Ricks

Marsha Reed

Jeanne Kupsh

Deborah Smart

Priscilla Ivler

Marie Green

Heidi Weaver

We hope you enjoyed our version of "the best of...".  We had a lot of fun.  May your Christmas be filled with happy surprises and the warmth and love of family and friends.  We hope to see you again in 2015 when we will unveil the wonderful new products from the Occasions catalogue.

The October Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop

Welcome to our October Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop.  This is an exciting time of the year.  In a few days the kids will be out Trick or Treating for Hallowe'en.  After that, in the United States, there is the huge Thanksgiving celebration.  And then we head into Christmas.  We're keeping all these things in mind as we present our fabulous creations to you.  Prepare to be inspired.  We have some awesome artists in this group.

This month we have eleven participants who will be appearing in the following order:

Marie Green

Kathe Deck

Terri Antoniw

Kath Ricks

Jean Fitch

Deborah Smart

Christine Giuda

Heidi Weaver

Jackie Susnik

                       

Stefanie Pletscher

Gail Allen

Our blog hop is a circular one.  Whether you start at the beginning or the end, whether you begin partway through, inevitably you wind up where you began.  Like a ring, the circle is complete and never-ending.  Of course you can "jump off" at any time, but we trust that you'll find our hop so fabulous that you continue right on through all eleven blogs.

We hope you''ll enjoy October's blog hop.   Bookmark our site and join us in November for more wonderful ideas and projects.

If you have a moment, please leave a comment on the blogs you visit.  It's always exciting to hear from our visitors.

Hallowe'en Goodies from Patti Leeke

We're lucky to have Patti Leeke's projects to share with everyone.  Patti has had so much fun creating and sharing these Hallowe'en projects with her classes and, now, us.

 

You can see from the items on the table that Patti has been very busy.  There is a little burlap bag from the September My Paper Pumpkin.  The Witch's hat was simply cut out and pieced together used two toned trim Baker's Twine.  Patti also used the Fall Fest stamp set and Framelits dies. 

For these 3 gift card holders, Patti used Pumpkin Pie, Whisper White, and Basic Black card stock. That cute Designer Series Paper was on the Clearance Rack and so was the Washi tape and several of the stamps.  This was her first try using the Circle Card Thinlits.  Didn't they turn out wonderfully? 

There's still lots of time left to order your Hallowe'en products so that you, too, can make some of these great projects.  Don't forget, our next Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop will begin October 23rd.

The Wacky Watercooler September Blog Hop

Welcome to our September Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop. This is the time of year when the trees are turning marvellous colours.  That's one of the best parts of late Summer and the beginning of Autumn.  It's also fun to work with fall colours.

This month we're excited to show you more wonderful projects from the Holiday Catalogue, especially some reflecting Autumn as well as anticipating such holidays as Hallowe'en and Thanksgiving.  We have some very talented stampers from various areas of the United States and Canada in September's Blog Hop.

This month we have nine participants who will be appearing in the following order:

Stefanie Pletscher

Priscilla Ivler

Marsha Reed

Marie Green

Heidi Weaver

Deborah Smart

Kath Ricks

Jackie Susnik

Terri Antoniw

Our blog hop is a circular one.  Whether you start at the beginning or the end, whether you begin partway through, inevitably you wind up where you began.  Like a ring, the circle is complete and never-ending.  Of course you can "jump off" at any time, but we trust that you'll find our hop so fabulous that you continue right on through all ten blogs.

We hope you've enjoyed September's blog hop.   Bookmark our site and join us in October for more of the Holiday Catalog(ue) and some more wonderful projects.

If you have a moment, please leave a comment on the blogs you visit.  It's always exciting to hear from our visitors.

The Wacky Watercooler August Blog Hop -- A Sneak Peek at the new Holiday Catalog(ue)

Can you believe that we're already letting you have a sneak peek at the new Holiday Catalog(ue)?  Hasn't this summer raced by?

You're going to be amazed at the variety of products stuffed into the pages of the Holiday Catalog(ue)!  Seriously!  This little catalog(ue) can't be called a "mini".  There is nothing "mini" about it.  Among the eight of us participating in the Blog Hop this month, we should be able to give you a glimpse of what is coming up when the catalog(ue) premieres on August 28th.  You'd better get out a pen and paper.  You'll want to make a list of all the great projects you'll be wanting to CASE.

This month's hoppers are:

                    Gail Allen

                    Terri Antoniw 

                    Priscilla Ivler

                    Stefanie Pletscher

                    Marsha Reed

                    Kath R.

                    Deborah Smart

                    Heidi Weaver 

                               
As I mentioned, we're having a sneak peek at the new Holiday Catalog(ue).  Of course we'll also be using some of the terrific products that were just released in the new 2014-2015 Annual Catalog(ue) and also the carry-overs from the past two years that will be available to order until August 28th.  Some of those carry-overs work beautifully with the new products and you may wish to order them before they're gone forever.

Our blog hop is a circular one.  Whether you start at the beginning or the end, whether you begin partway through, inevitably you wind up where you began.  Like a ring, the circle is complete and never-ending.  Of course you can "jump off" at any time, but we trust that you'll find our hop so fabulous that you continue right on through all ten blogs.

We hope you've enjoyed celebrating our Holiday Catalog(ue) sneak peek.   Bookmark our site and join us in September for more of the Holiday Catalog(ue) and additional surprises.

If you have a moment, please leave a comment on the blogs you visit.  It's always exciting to hear from our visitors.

Wacky Watercooler Pre-Blog Hop Post---Patti Leeke

It's just a few more days until our next Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop begins on August 21st.  To whet your appetites and get some interest going, we're presenting Patti Leeke's trio of cards.

Patti has used the same design for all three cards but changed them out slightly with different sentiments and/or different colours.  The "Thank You" and "Get Well" cards are both created using a base cardstock of Hello Honey, a doily in Blackberry Bliss, leaves in Mossy Meadow and flowers  and sentiment stamped in Blackberry Bliss ink.  You can see the inside of the "Get Well" card just above it and can imagine how the others were finished off inside as well.

The "Celebrate Today" card has a base cardstock of Lost Lagoon, a white doily and leaves in Mossy Meadow.  The stamping of flowers and sentiment shows off the Lost Lagoon ink.

These are great cards to have on hand or to give as gifts or prizes.  Not only do they show off the new In-Colours beautifully, but they also show how easily the same design can be used for various occasions.

Many thanks to Patti Leeke for sharing these with us.

My Paper Pumpkin---Patti Leeke's informal get-together with friends

Patti Leeke has been a steady contributor to this blog hop site over the months.  It's a pleasure to share her projects since Patti doesn't have a blog of her own.  A good friend and a staunch supporter of this blog hop, Patti manages to join the team by showing us some fun and exciting projects that she and her core group of friends and customers have done in the past month.

Patti likes to keep it informal.  For her a good get-together is filled with friends, fun and great laughs.  Her group has been getting together for a "My Paper Pumpkin Night".  They wait to get together before opening their Red Boxes and then have a good time assembling them.  But simple assembly is not all there is for Patti and her friends.  In her own words:

"This is what we did today.  We really had a fun day.  Good friends, good fun, great laughs, super projects.  The box comes right to your door and includes everything you need except adhesive.  A group of us that have signed up are going to meet once a month to put them together.  Sharing ideas among some very talented ladies.  We all have different tastes.  We all waited to get together to open our Red Boxes.  The kist have really improved, too.  All the stamp sets are unique to My Paper Pumpkin and can't be bought elsewhere.  There is even a special being offered by Stampin' Up! for two months of the My Paper Pumpkin at half price---but you have to sign up before September 10th."   

        

This picture shows Patti's July My Paper Pumpkin.  She punched out some small stars with soft sky cardstock and added rhinestones.  

Isn't that little box with the tag darling?

For the flag card, Patti used the World of Art stamp set, Champagne Glimmer paper, Hello Honey, Real Red and Night of Navy inks.  Everyone loved making that one.  The pinwheel is from the June My Paper Pumpkin kit.  That lovely masculine card beside the pinwheel uses the Open Sea stamp set, Basic Black, Whisper White, and Marina Mist cardstocks, the Chevron embossing folder and the Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set.  The sentiment looks great cut out with the Bitty Banners framelits, doesn't it?

The Wacky Watercooler First Anniversary Blog Hop

Yes, you read that right---it's our First Anniversary!  Wow!  I'm still overwhelmed that we've been presenting our Blog Hop for a year now.  Who thought when we first started that we would begin having a monthly Blog Hop and that it would be so popular?  It's wonderful and we have to thank all of you who come to our Blog Hops and support them.  Without you, our First Anniversary would never have happened.

During this first year we've added a lot of new people to our list of "Hoppers".  The core group remains but there are enough of us now that when life happens and someone can't participate, we still have a nice, healthy line-up to take part in the Blog Hop.  With it being Convention Week for Stampin' Up! we're lucky that we managed to get a group together.  We are excited that we have ten "Hoppers", six of whom are from the original core group.  See if you remember who those six are when you read the following list:

                    Jackie Susnik - Jack Otter Stamp

                    Heidi Weaver - Stampin Along With Heidi

                    Deb Smart - Stamp and Create

                    Marsha Reed - Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe

                    Priscilla Ivler - Priscilla Stamps

                    Kath Ricks - All That Scrap

                    Stefanie Pletscher - The Crafty Medic

                    Terri Antoniw - Stamp With Ter

                    Bev Quinn -   Stamp With Bev
               
                    Kathe Deck - Kathe's Adventure
                                 
To celebrate our First Anniversary our theme is anniversaries.  There should be some exciting posts and projects with anniversary cards and other items in the spotlight.  If you don't have any anniversaries coming up in your lives soon, remember it's a simple matter to change the sentiment for any card that takes your fancy.  We share our projects to give you ideas.

Our blog hop is a circular one.  Whether you start at the beginning or the end, whether you begin partway through, inevitably you wind up where you began.  Like a ring, the circle is complete and never-ending.  Of course you can "jump off" at any time, but we trust that you'll find our hop so fabulous that you continue right on through all ten blogs.

We hope you've enjoyed celebrating our First Anniversary with us.   Bookmark our site and join us in August for the Holiday Catalog(ue) Hop we are now preparing.  We'll be featuring product and projects from the soon-to-be-released 2014 Holiday Catalog(ue).

If you have a moment, please leave a comment on the blogs you visit.  It's always exciting to hear from our visitors.

Patti Leeke shares her projects

We're lucky to be able to welcome Patti Leeke once again this month.  Patti has been enjoying the new Blendabilities just like everyone else that has tried them.  She's sharing some of her recent projects since she doesn't have a blog to join our blog hop.  This is the next best thing.

Doesn't the Rich Razzleberry cardstock just "pop" on Patti's first card?  The flowers on the "postage stamps" at the corners were all stamped with Memento ink and the Petite Petals Stamp set.  Then Patti coloured them using her Rich Razzleberry Blendabilities.  The Bookmark really looks great embossed using the Arrows Embossing folder, doesn't it?  And then the pops of Coastal Cabana cardstock against the Whisper White compliment the Coastal Cabana Blendabilities used to colour those adorable birds from the For the Birds Stamp set.

For these next two card, Patti used the Lullaby Designer Series paper.  The flowers, again stamped with the Petite Petals Stamp set in Memento ink, are all in different colours, showcasing some of the Blendability colours.  Pumpkin Pie, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight and Rich Razzleberry really look great against the colours in the Designer paper for the first card, don't they?  And then for the second card, Patti kept to Pumpkin Pie for all three flowers.  I love the texture on the Pumpkin Pie cardstock.  It really adds a lot of interest to the card.

And there you have them.  Patti Leeke's four great new projects which she has so generously shared with us.  I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did.

 

The Wacky Watercooler June Blog Hop---Welcome to the new Annual Catalog(ue)

That's right!  We have a brand new catalogue that launched at the beginning of this month.  There are so many new products that we wish to show off to you.  Are you ready?

As usual, this is a circular Blog Hop.  That simply means that wherever you begin, if you keep clicking on the "NEXT" button once you've finished looking through each participant's post, you will, eventually, wind up in the exact place that you began.  We have participating blogs from both the United States and Canada, from East to West, North to South.  As a result there will be wonderfully different creations even if the same products are used by several participants.  The beauty of the Blog Hops is that we can let our inner artist out and give it our all.

Ready?  There are six participants this time.  Computer problems have decimated our ranks this time, but prepare to be amazed despite the small numbers.  The line-up, in order of appearance, will be:

                    Kath Ricks - All That Scrap

                    Gail Allen - Stamping and Other Stuff

                    Terri Antoniw - Stamp With Ter

                    Marsha Reed - Coffee Pot Stamping Cafe

                    Heidi Weaver - Stampin Along With Heidi

                    Stefanie Pletscher - The Crafty Medic

We're not especially wacky (maybe a little eccentric) but we do like to chat around our virtual watercooler.  We invite you to join us and have a look at our blogs.  If you get a moment, please leave a comment.  It really does make our day to hear that you've enjoyed our presentations.

Thanks for joining us.  And now, as they say, "On with the show!"

Patti Leeke celebrates the new Annual Catalogue

Our good friend and supporter, Patti Leeke, is back again to show off  some of the wonderful projects that made her new Annual Catalogue Open House such a success.  As well as two gorgeous cards, Patti included some bookmarks and a look at the Blended Bloom stamp set flower coloured with the new Blendabilities.

I love all the pops of colour in Patti's projects, don't you?  The Father's Day card is just perfect featuring the new Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey.  The Thank You card spotlights three of the pansies from the Flower Shop bundle, beautifully coloured using four of the new Blendabilities markers.

Those two bookmarks show one of the cute stamps that are included in the Something for Baby stamp set, the little Rock-a-Stack that almost every new baby receives.  The best thing about this stamp set is that one can buy the matching framelits to cut out all the shapes.  Such a bonus, especially is you're making a lot of baby cards or, perhaps, give-aways for a shower.

As usual, Patti's projects are a treat to share.  Thanks so much, Patti, for your continued support of the Watercooler Blog Hop and for sharing your projects with us.

The Wacky Watercooler May Blog Hop

Welcome to our May Blog Hop.  It's still Spring and, of course, there are still occasions happening that require cards and other projects.  We can't forget Father's Day, after all, or Graduation, or, perhaps upcoming weddings or birthdays.  This month we're concentrating on all the retiring products which we will miss when they go at the end of the month.  We're also welcoming some of the new products which we have been allowed to order as a sneak peek for the upcoming 2014/15 Annual Catalogue.  In other words, "out with the old and welcome the new".  It's going to be fun!

This month we have seven participants.  They've joined us from various areas of the United States and Canada and bring with them a diversity of inspiring designs.  It's always exciting to see what surprises they'll offer us, isn't it?  The variety never fails to surprise me.  Our line-up, in order of appearance, is as follows:

          Kathe D. -  Kathe's Adventures

          Stefanie Pletscher -  The Crafty Medic

          Buffy Cooper -  Stamping With Buffy

          Kath R. -  All That Scrap

          Terri Antoniw -  Stamp With Ter

          Deborah Smart -  Stamp and Create With Deborah

          Heidi Weaver -  Stampin Along With Heidi

Our blog hop is a circular one.  Whether you start at the beginning or the end, whether you begin partway through, inevitably you wind up where you began.  Like a ring, the circle is complete and never-ending.  Of course you can "jump off" at any time, but we trust that you'll find our hop so fabulous that you continue right on through all seven blogs.

If you have a moment, please leave a comment on the blogs you visit.  It's always exciting to hear from our visitors.

Thanks so much for joining us.

Patti Leeke shares her awesome projects

Not everyone has a blog for a variety of reasons, one of which is that they are just not comfortable putting one together.  Patti Leeke is one of those people.  Patti makes some amazing projects which she frequently shares with her fellow-demonstrators.  This time I'm going to share some of these projects with you.

Patti has been designing some beautiful bookmarks.  Some of them spotlight the retiring products while others are made with current products which will continue into the new catalogue.  Either way, the bookmarks are worth seeing and, you guessed it, CASEing.

All of these bookmarks have one thing in common:   they were created using the Scallop Tag Topper Punch. What a pretty top that makes, especially with the ribbon laced through the punched hole.  I love the Modern Medley Designer Paper that Patti has used, don't you?  And, of course the Arrow Embossing Folder (which, by the way, is also carrying over into the new Annual Catalogue).

Besides these lovely bookmarks, Patti has also shared a couple of cards with us.

The Wildflower Meadow bundle which Patti used for her first card really makes me think of Spring.  You'll be happy to know that this bundle has also made it into the new Annual Catalogue.  That's good news for those who have been sitting the fence on buying the bundle.  You have another year to get this.  The second card is so elegant, isn't it?  I love white and black!  The musical notes from the Modern Medley Designer Paper are perfect with the piano keys that Patti created using the Word Punch, don't you agree?

Our thanks to Patti Leeke for generously sharing these project with us.

The Wacky Watercooler "Spring has Sprung" Blog Hop

Welcome to another fun blog hop with the Wacky Watercooler gang!  I don't know about you, but I've been looking forward to seeing some of the terrific projects that are always unveiled during our blog hops.  The variety never fails to surprise me.

What can be said about Spring?  So many occasions come up during Spring, don't they?  We have Easter just around the corner.  Mother's Day is only a month away.  For some reason birthdays abound during the Spring.  And, of course, people are already planning for their late spring or summer weddings or for graduation.  As you can see, there are endless opportunities for projects among these occasions.  This month we've opened the door to all of them and can hardly wait to show off the cards and projects with which we've come up.

We have eleven participants this month.  Ten come to us from various places in the U.S. and Canada while number eleven is an American living in Germany.  The beauty of this diversity is that frequently one's location inspires one's projects.  Our line-up, in order of appearance, is as follows:

Marsha Reed - http://www.coffeepotstampingcafe.com/

Terri Antoniw - http://stampwithter.blogspot.ca/
                         
Christine Giuda - http://www.dancinstamps.blogspot.ca/
                         
Heidi Weaver - http://heidistampinalong.blogspot.com/

 Stefanie Pletscher - http://www.craftymedic.blogspot.ca/ 

 Jackie Susnik - www.jackotterstamp.blogspot.com/
 
 Debbie Martin - http://www.cleverandcute.blogspot.com/ 

 Deborah Smart - www.stampandcreate.net

 Gail Allen - http://stampingandotherstuff.blogspot.ca/ 

 Kath R. - http://kath-allthatscrap.blogspot.com/ 

 Jeannie Kupsh - http://www.happy-jeannie.blogspot.ca/ 

Our blog hop is a circular one.  Whether you start at the beginning or the end, whether you begin partway through, inevitably you wind up where you began.  Like a ring, the circle is complete and never-ending.  Of course you can "jump off" at any time, but we trust you'll find the hop so fabulous that you continue right on through.

Note:  All posts will be "live" as of 6:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time on Thursday, April 10th.  If you've logged in before that time, there is a possibility that one or more links won't be active yet.  Then, of course, we have to allow for possible technical problems.  That's what our late-start on Thursday is for:  getting rid of the possible glitches.  The Blog Hop will run right until midnight on Saturday, April 12th, so we trust you'll forgive any possible early problems and definitely find time to come back.

Leave a comment for the participants if you have time.  It's always exciting to hear from everyone.

Thanks so very much for coming.

Less than a week...

That's right, we have less than a week to wait for the next wonderful Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop.  Are you ready for the terrific new projects that will be unveiled?

"Psst!  The Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop

is coming next week.  Mark April 10th to 12th

on your calendar."

Our theme will be "Spring has Sprung!"  Even if you live in an area where Spring hasn't decided to show up yet, you'll love our Blog Hop.  See you next Thursday!

Welcome to the Wacky Watercooler March Blog Hop!

 

Are you ready for another Wacky Watercooler hop?   I hope so.  We've settled into the monthly program we announced previously and here it is the second Thursday in March...so we're ready to hop and hope you are ready to be inspired by a smorgasbord of talent, multiple occasions to celebrate and create for and inspiring ideas. 

March has so much going for it don't you think?   St. Patrick's Day, Spring,  lions, lambs, wind, snow, sun and of course prep time for Easter, Passover, birthdays, weddings and anything else you can think of.  Of course for some March Madness is also on the mind with bouncing basketballs, cheerleaders and of course scores and trophies.

Here are a few more things to celebrate this month from various calendars:

• Irish American Month
• Music in Our Schools Month
• National Craft Month
• National Frozen Food Month
• National Irish American Heritage Month- designated by Congress in 1995.
• National Nutrition Month
• National Peanut Month
• National Women's History Month
• Red Cross Month
• Social Workers Month

Perfect occasions for a card right?  Or a treat holder with a sweet something in it?

In case you are new to our hops heres a thumbnail description of who we are:

We are a creative group of Independent Stampin' Up Demonstrators who hang out together on our demonstrator website in the Wacky Women's Watercooler thread. We share stamping, business, life, love, animals and pretty much whatever comes into our heads with a generally wacky slant on most things. Luckily being virtual the watercooler is always open for fun, frivolity and most of all creativity at any hour of the day.

Feel free to run the hop either forwards or backwards or somewhere in between.  Every post will have links to get you back home here to hop central in case you get lost or a link gets broken.

 Note:  All posts will be active as of 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.  If you log in before that you may miss a stop or two.  If a link isn't working when you check out the Blog Hop, please try again later as technical problems can arise and will be fixed.

Let's meet this months round of hoppers:

Note: Links all go directly to the hop post (as of 3/15/14)

                                 *****

Deborah Smart - www.stampandcreate.net

 

Jackie Susnik - www.jackotterstamp.blogspot.com

Susan Horr - http://susanstamps.wordpress.com

Marsha Reed - http://www.coffeepotstampingcafe.com

Heidi Weaver - http://heidistampinalong.blogspot.com

Jean Fitch - http://jlfstudio.wordpress.com

Jeanne Kupsh - http://happy-jeannie.blogspot.ca

Christine Giuda - http://www.dancinstamps.blogspot.com

Kath R. - http://kath-allthatscrap.blogspot.com

Gail Allen - http://stampingandotherstuff.blogspot.ca

Stefanie Pletscher - http://craftymedic.blogspot.ca

KatheD - http://kathesadventure.blogspot.ca

Buffy Cooper - http://buffycooper.com

Terri Antoniw - http://stampwithter.blogspot.ca

Bev Q - http://stampwithbev.blogspot.ca

We've also got a non blogging hopper this month.  Germaine has shared her projects on the home blog here and here.

As you can see we have a few new hoppers this month...including...ta da...one from Germany!   We've gone Bi Continental this hop!   I hope you'll leave some comment love as you circle the hop and the globe with us.

For now though...lets get hopping!

Simply Sketched à la Germaine

Welcome back friends to another shared pre-hop posting by Jean and Germaine.

Germaine is back once again to share her beautifully monochromatic Simply Sketched creation.  And using one of my favorites of the new In Colors...Baked Brown Sugar.  Love that color!  The variety and layout of the many layers on this wonderful card really adds to the texture that the burlap ribbon with button brings to the fore don't you think?

  Simply Sketched is one of my favorites of the current crop of Hostess Stamp Sets.  As you can see from the online store picture this set gives you a variety of images for every occasion as well as the sentiments to make them all work.  A real work horse of a stamp set.  And available free to hostesses (or customers) with qualifying orders.

Here's Germaine's shared description of her card:

I really like the pretty little sparrow from Simply Sketched.  I like this set because it gives my group the option to use the same card design as a thank you, birthday, or sympathy card.

I used Baked Brown Sugar and VeryVanilla card stock.  And the use of the Hardwood stamp makes an excellent background.  The ribbon is burlap and I made the medium clay button (using our Stampin' Up molds and Simply Pressed Clay), also used linen thread as the twine for the button.

*****

Here's the Supply List for your convenience and CASE'ing pleasure.

Supplies

Stamps: Simply Sketched (hostess set), Hardwood (Occasions Catalog)

Ink:  Baked Brown Sugar


Paper: Baked Brown Sugar, Very Vanilla Cardstock

Punches: Extra Large Oval, Scallop Oval

Other:  Simply Pressed Clay, Buttons and Blossoms Simply Pressed Clay Molds, 1-1/4" Burlap Ribbon (Occasions Catalog pg. 37), sponge daubers, adhesives.

*****

Thanks once again for joining Germaine and myself for another pre-hop post.  Feel free to share what you love about Germaine's lovely design in the comments.   And don't forget to join us Thursday night starting at 6pm West Coast time for another great Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop!