Final Holiday Mini Post 2011

We had a few cards that Nanci did this fall that we did not get around to sharing with you!  Hope you enjoy them!   

You cannot go wrong with the Top Note die!

I love this combination - Natural White, Crumb Cake, Early Espresso card stock with Cherry Cobbler accents!  It's absolutely gorgeous!

Punches add dimension and whimsy to your cards and they are quick and easy!

A vintage Christmas combo!

These cards and matching envelope were part of  a free class we offered with the Simply Scored Scoring Tool!  Have you tried the water color paper from Stampin' Up? 

 We will post pictures from our retreat last weekend soon!  Our guests created a scrapbook layout for each month of the year complete with photos and embellishments!  

It was unseasonably warm last weekend in Michigan.  Nanci spotted some Pansies blooming in the flower bed at the front entrance to Lake View Lodge.  

Yes, pansies in January, in Michigan!  Last Monday we had a snowstorm and this Sunday we have pansies! Even odder  . . . here is a photo of the same flowers with some of the leftover snow!  A little bit of spring in winter!

Holiday Mini 2011 Review

Happy New Year!  Nanci and I were at Lakeview Lodge this weekend preparing for next weekend's retreat - the first of 2012!  Monday morning we woke up to our first real snowfall of the winter season, so I decided to take some pictures of the fresh snow (through the screens on the porch).   

These are some cards we made earlier this fall. 

The door card design is cased from Jennifer Timko.  I love the simplicity of her design!

I love these two cards!  Nanci used the Natural White card stock, Cherry Cobbler embossing powder and Crumb cake Ink.  This color combination is fabulous-the picture just doesn't do it justice!

This card is cased from Sage Kimble's blog.  I changed the design slightly to make it easier and less costly to produce and mail!

The stocking is a gift card holder!

This card is also cased from Jennifer Timko!  The tree panel is Very Vanilla card stock sponged with Always Artichoke ink.  It looks like velvet!  

 

Nanci and I are looking forward to the creative possibilities in 2012.  We hope this season will afford you the opportunity to explore your artistic inspirations as well.  If you are looking for a craft weekend getaway, visit us at Lakeview Lodge!  We are running our Crazy Eight Special - bring your group of eight and the eighth guest is free - a $299 value!  

Stamp Club Road Trip!

Nanci and I had planned an overnight special at Lake View Lodge for February 19th.  Several members of Nanci's Stamp Club signed up, so we decided to have the February Club meeting at Lake View Lodge!  We had a blast!  We had planned to make this delicious cupcake card, but we forgot the Create a Cupcake stamp set!   

 

 What do you do when you are 125 miles from your sentiment?  You improvise! 

 

 Terry, the newest member of the Stamp Club, is modeling the re-design  with an extra cherry on her cheek!  We love the Red Glimmer paper--it makes the cherries on the cupcakes sparkle!  The Elegant Lines embossing folder really adds depth and swirl to the cupcake icing!  Nanci and I went to a Stampin' event at Carol Nee's home and she actually had the cutest cupcake stand and cupcakes that looked just like the one's on Nanci's card!  They were delicious too!

From cupcakes, we switched over to Ice Cream Parlor DSP from the sale-a-bration catalog!

The colors of this DSP are fun and fresh.  The Sew Suite stamp set is great!  I wish they had done sentiments to go with them!  Nanci and I want to suggest; Sew nice to meet you, Sew Sweet, Miss you sew much.  The possibilities are endless!  Share your sentiment ideas with us--leave us a comment at the end of this post!

 Puns from the Past stamp set does include--sew glad we're friends--I recently purchased that stamp set just because it had that sentiment in it! :)

 

The Sweet Stiches DSP paper and Pattern Pieces stamp are great too!  We used the coordinating fabric and buttons with a little bit of crochet trim to embellish our card.  Another great card using Sweet Stiches DSP and Designer Fabric! 

 Once we finished our club projects, we jumped right into full throttle crafting mode!  Michelle and Jessice were swapping pictures and the stories behind them!

 Have you ever made a diaper cake for a baby shower?  Becky's turned out so cute!

  Making sure that the stamp is inked thoroughly!

 Terry's very first scrapbook page!

A whole lot of scrapbooking is going on!

 Chris made her first Squash Book and has plans for a second one already!

These ladies are serious crafters!  Almost everyone was crafting until 2:30 AM, but I heard the first person head back to the craft room around 7:30 AM! 

 Jessica took several photos of our group before everyone left Sunday afternoon!  These two are my favorites. 

Which do you prefer the black and white or the color photo?  Please e-mail us at info@crafthavenretreats.com, if you would like to bring your group to Lake View Lodge for a crafting retreat!  We are running a Crazy 8 Special right now.  Bring your group of eight crafters and we will give you an additional $200 off our Spring 2011 Special of $199 per person!  Happy crafting!

$99 Overnight Special and Tags Till Christmas!

Nanci and I have decided to offer a $99 Overnight Special for Saturday, February 19, 2011 with check-in at 11:00 AM through Sunday, February 20th at 12:00 PM.  Your overnight will include Saturday night lodging, make n'take, full use of our craft room and tools, Saturday lunch, dinner, snacks, and beverages, and Sunday brunch!  

We hope you will be able to join us at Lake View Lodge located on Dewey Lake in Dowagiac, Michigan for our mini-retreat!  It will be cold and snowy outside, but the lodge will be warm and toasty! Space is limited for our $99 Overnight, so make your reservation today! 

When we were preparing for our craft shows this fall, we decided to make Christmas gift tags to coordinate with the three holiday designer series paper packs;  

Jolly Holiday DSP

Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP

and Deck The Halls DSP

We loved the Top Note packaging that we designed for them, but it definitely did not show off the tags to their full advantage!  So we took some photos of the contents before they were packaged!

Aren't they cute!  The Tags till Christmas stamp set coordinates so well with the Stampin' Up punches--they are a snap to stamp, punch, and assemble.  We added some white and gold gel pen accents!  

Unfortunately, the gift tags for Jolly Holiday were already packaged at this point, but all three designs were very similar!   

Farewell to Candy Cane Christmas DSP

We were saddened to learn that Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP is no longer available.  We have really enjoyed the projects that we made with this paper.  We hope you enjoy them too!

Gift Card Holders with the Scalloped Envelope die cut altered to fit regular size gift card. Click here for a link to Tara Bazata's video tutorial!  It's fast and fun! We used velcro to close our gift card holders and a few quick punches and a brad to decorate the envelope!

We cased this gift card holder by Vicki Burdick from Late Night Stampers!  It was so cute!  We made it at our November Stamp Club and at our last retreat at Lake View Lodge!  It's a gift before you open it to get your gift card!

We did not pick the gift card our to match the paper--it was a happy accident!

A Baker's dozen gift tags made with the Tags till Christmas stamp set.

We loved the matching Candy Cane Christmas fabric that Stampin' Up! put out to match this paper.  We used it in place of ribbon to compliment these chocolate bars wrapped in the Candy Cane Specialty DSP.

Fabric ribbon and some fancy penguin punch art adorn these mini milk cartons!  These quirky birds are concealing chocolate treats and their true "owl" identities!

We designed these cards for our Christmas Stamp-a-stack, but we also used them at last weekend's retreat  for a beginner's card class with fantastic results!

Everyone at our retreat loved the dazzling diamonds!  A little "bling" goes a long way!

What would scallops be without a little Crystal Stickles?  Remember to give the stickles some time to dry!

So long Candy Cane Christmas Specialty DSP!  We will miss you!

2010 Ladies Night Out - Chrysalis Community Center FundRaiser

We had a wonderful time at 2010 Ladies Night Out!  The event was from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM and benefited the Youth Programs for the Chrysalis Community Center.  Our Penguin Treat bags sold out!  We had pre-packaged our Note Card Desk and Christmas gift sets, so we displayed samples of each set on our table. 

There were approximately ten other venders at the event which featured a raffle ticket fundraiser with vendor donations and a weekend getaway! 

A troup of dancers provided entertainment at regular intervals over the course of the evening.  Their costumes were charming and the dances were lively!

The dancers were all different ages! 

We had a great view from our table!

Yes, those are lighted candles that they are dancing with on their heads!  The Chrysalis Community Center is going to have another fundraiser this spring, we hope to see you there!

Craft Haven Retreats current special of $199 per person has been extended to our Spring 2011 season.  Retreat weekends at Lake View Lodge in Dowagiac, Michigan, include two nights lodging and five home-cooked meals, beverages, and snacks.  Your weekend can be customized to meet your groups needs.  Crafting classes, massages, manicures, and pedicures available for an additional fee.