Share Preview!

I will be posting my Christmas card tomorrow, but I wanted to give everyone a heads up on the Shares I will be offering at the first of the year. For those of you who have had the opportunity to see the new Occasions Mini Catalog, I know you're just as excited as I am about all the FABULOUS things in it! Clear stamps, space saving punches, Easter & Valentine kits... just to name a few!

So let's start sharing! I can't accept money for these yet, but I can certainly take orders and then send an invoice after the new mini catalog goes live on January 5th. Here's what I'll be offering:

Paper Share:
Includes Sending Love Specialty, Shades of Spring, and Sweet Pea... 72 6"x6" sheets total.
$20 including Priority shipping

Ribbon Share:
Includes 3 yards each of all 9 colors of 5/8" Satin Ribbon.
(Basic Black, Real Red, Chocolate Chip, Certainly Celery, Pretty in Pink, Bashful Blue, Very Vanilla, Old Olive, and Basic Gray)
$25 including Priority shipping

Accessories:
Includes Sending Love Epoxy Brads: 2 each of 2 designs in all three colors (Pretty in Pink, Real Red, and Chocolate Chip) for a total of 12 pieces
Includes Corduroy Buttons: 2 each of 3 styles in both colors (Pretty in Pink and Real Red) for a total of 12 pieces
Includes Sweet Pea Stitched Felt: 2 three-petal flowers, 5 french knot circles, 4 leaves, and 2 six-petal flowers for a total of 13 pieces
$18 including Priority Shipping

If participating in all three, take $5.00 off total price.

If you are interested in participating in any/all of these shares, send me an e-mail indicating which one(s) and I will send a PayPal invoice on January 5th.

Last Call for Ribbon!

Don't forget... if you are wanting to participate in my August Ribbon Share, I need to know by the end of the day on Saturday, August 16th!

August Ribbon Share!

Yes, it's time for the August Ribbon Share! And this month it will be EXTRA special in that it will contain all of the NEW ribbon featured in the upcoming Idea Book & Catalog (to be released on August 11th)! Every month I get asked how a Ribbon Share works, so let me answer that right here: It's simple. I order entire spools of ribbon and divide it up (along with the cost) between 5 individuals. I normally have SEVERAL groups of 5 each month, and you can even choose to take up 2 spots if you'd like to - just double the costs listed below. Participation is on a month-by-month basis - you join only the groups you are interested in. I do all the work... I measure and cut the ribbon, bag it all in individual bags, and mail it to you. The prices listed below include everything - shipping and tax. Anyone in the US can participate - demonstrator or not! (it's actually a great thing for demonstrators...)

I got to see all of the new ribbons - and even work with some of it - at Convention, and here's a teaser card that uses the new 1-1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain ribbon:

Isn't it darling? We actually made this adorable pink ribbon flower in one of our Make and Take classes. The ribbon is simply threaded down one edge with some Linen Thread, and then gathered into a circle - easy-peasy! But at convention, they added some silver chunky glitter around the edges and used a Rub-on in the center... I preferred mine softer, so I left those parts off and brought the flower home plain to embellish my way and create my own card!

There are several new items on this card... let me point them out. First, it uses the new Riding Hood Red In Color as the base. Second, it uses a sentiment and small flower from the new Flight of the Butterfly set (which we all got for FREE at Convention!). Third, it uses one of our new Riding Hood Red Designer Buttons. Fourth, it has our beautiful new Bella Rose DSP. Fifth, it uses the new Scallop Edge punch across the Whisper White - no more using the corner rounder to do this, whoopee! And lastly, as I mentioned, this flower is made with the new 1-1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain ribbon! So since this ribbon will be included in the August Ribbon Share, let me share with you all the OTHER new ribbons! (Keep in mind that you will be able to view these ribbons on pages 186-187 of the new catalog once it's released on August 11th - I am not allowed to reproduce it at this time, but I will make a hot link once I am able to.)

The August Ribbon Share will be broken into two separate groups and will consist of the following:

GROUP 1: (Standard colors only)
3 yards each of the 4 new colors of 1/4" Grosgrain:
Rose Red, Sage Shadow, Old Olive, and Chocolate Chip.

2 yards each of the new 1" Double Stitched Grosgrain:
Rose Red, Bashful Blue, and Chocolate Chip.

2 yards of the new 7/8" So Saffron Poly Twill.

GROUP 2: (In Colors only)
2 yards each of the new Baja Breeze 1" Double Stitched Grosgrain.

2 yards of the new 1-1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain (shown in the card above).

3 yards each of the new 5/8" Striped Grosgrain in the new In Colors:
Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, Baja Breeze, Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss, and Tangerine Tango.

2 yards of the Kiwi/Vanilla Satin.

2 yards of the new Riding Hood Red Taffeta.

PRICE (includes shipping and tax):
Group 1: $16.00
Group 2: $25.00
Buy BOTH & Save: $38.50

Remember, anyone in the US can participate - demo or not! If you are interested in joining this share, I will need to know NO LATER than August 16th as I will place the order on the 17th. Once I hear which group(s) you'd like, I can send you a PayPal invoice.

What better way to have all the great NEW ribbons without spending a fortune? To put this into perspective, if you were to order a spool of every new ribbon that's being released on August 11th, you would spend around $175 (depending on your local sales tax)! Sample ALL of it with me and save over $135! I hope you'll join us - and as always, I appreciate testimonial comments from my past Ribbon Share participants!

Full Recipe:
Stamps: Flight of the Butterfly (NEW!)
Ink: Riding Hood Red (NEW!), Versamark
Cardstock: Riding Hood Red (NEW!), Whisper White, Bella Rose DSP (NEW!)
Accessories: 1-1/4" Pink Pirouette Grosgrain ribbon (NEW!), Pretties Kit, Designer Button (NEW!), Linen Thread
Tools: Scallop Edge punch (NEW!), 1/16" Circle punch, Crafter's Toolkit (for needle)

July Ribbon Share

I don't think I've posted this information here on my blog yet... my July Ribbon Share is in full swing! I've got several groups already full, but I don't want to leave anyone out! It was mentioned in my latest Stamp Link Newsletter, but if you don't subscribe, then you wouldn't know. You can subscribe by following the link down in the left sidebar, by the way.

In any case, I'm doing the other 8 colors of Narrow Grosgrain. This includes Basic Black, Very Vanilla, More Mustard, Pretty in Pink, Bravo Burgundy, Night of Navy, Bashful Blue, and Mellow Moss. You will receive approximately 3 yards of each color for a total of $12.00. If you are interested in participating, I'll need to know by July 20th! Anyone in the US can participate - demonstrator or not. Contact me right away and I'll send over an invoice.

Now for a card using one of these colors. I made this one before my Scottish guests arrived... I'm still just trying to get caught up!

I watercolored this beautiful butterfly with my Watercolor Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter using mostly Elegant Eggplant. The image comes from Touch of Nature which is going to retire in a couple weeks. The sentiment was colored with Stampin' Write Markers so I could make the "One" part stand out. Of course, those Rhinestone Brads are attention-getters all on their own!

Recipe:
Stamps Sets: Touch of Nature, One of a Kind
Ink: Black StazOn, Basic Black & Elegant Eggplant Stampin' Write Markers
Cardstock: Old Olive, Basic Black, Bali Breeze DSP, Watercolor Paper
Accessories: Basic Black Narrow Grosgrain ribbon, Ice Rhinestone Circle brads
Tools: Large Oval punch, Cutter Kit, Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aquapainter

New Ribbon Share!

It's that time again!! Time to share some ribbon...

This month, I'm doing the Narrow Grosgrain Ribbon. But since there are so many colors, I'm doing half of them this month and half of them in July. If you participate in the share this month, you will receive approximately 3 yards each of:

Whisper White, Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal, Real Red, Elegant Eggplant, Tempting Turquoise, Certainly Celery (featured in this month's Stamp-a-Stack card pictured here), and Always Artichoke!

That's 24 yards of ribbon - enough to embellish at LEAST 54 cards (a lot more if you don't wrap the whole card)!! The cost is just $12, which includes shipping and tax. Let me know if you'd like to participate BEFORE June 20th (as that's when I'll be placing the order), and I will send you a PayPal invoice. Anyone in the US can participate - demonstrator or not. It's a perfect way to have all the colors of ribbon without purchasing entire spools.

My Ribbon Shares have become very popular - if you haven't given it a try, perhaps this month's selection will entice you! And to my "Regular Ribbon Sharers", I'd love it if you would leave a comment about your experience in my past Ribbon Shares so all can hear how wonderful they are. Thanks!

...and stay tuned for my next post, as I've made a set of fun cards that feature the Pumpkin Pie narrow Grosgrain!

Have You Tried the New Striped Grosgrain?

Well, you should! And I'm here to help you do it! This month's Ribbon Share is exactly that... the NEW Striped Grosgrain! It comes in 4 yummy colors: Real Red, Bashful Blue, Pumpkin Pie, and Wild Wasabi.

When you participate in this share, you will receive approximately 2 yards of each color, all packaged individually, for only $9.00! Anyone in the US can participate - demonstrator or not. This is an excellent way to try out all of the ribbon without having to purchase entire spools of each.

And just to entice you more, here's a fun card I made using the Wild Wasabi Striped Grosgrain:


The orange slice from Tart & Tangy is just so scrumptious! Especially when you dazzle it with some Dazzling Diamonds like this! I wish you could see it in person... it just makes my mouth water. The colors here are Pumpkin Pie, Apricot Appeal (textured), Wild Wasabi, and Whisper White. I used several punches: the Scallop punch, along with the 1-3/8", 1-1/4", 1", 3/4", and 1/16" Circle punches. The sentiment comes from Warm Words. I really love this card... it's the first one I've made with this ribbon, but it sure won't be the last!

So jump in and join us on this Ribbon Share! Contact me BEFORE May 20th if you'd like to participate.

Taffeta Ribbon Share

It's time for another Ribbon Share! This time, I'm doing the elegant Taffeta ribbon. It comes in 8 colors: Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Kraft, Chocolate Chip, Basic Gray, Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue, and Pretty in Pink. Participants in the share will receive approximately 2 yards of each color, all individually bagged, for only $14.50. PayPal is my preferred payment method for non-local customers, but other arrangements can certainly be made.

I use the Taffeta ribbon a lot, as you've seen if you're a regular visitor to my blog. But just in case you need some inspiration, you can check out these posts:

Two of the cards in my April Stamp-a-Stack set use this ribbon, as well as the cards in these posts: an Anniversary card for my dear friends, a Doodle This card, a beautiful Morning Glory card, this Thank You card, and this elegant Valentine's Day card. My fun Valentine boxes used it too!

I will be placing this ribbon order on April 20th, so contact me before then if you'd like to participate!

Wide Grosgrain Ribbon Share Reminder

Three posts in one day? How can that be? Well, I never like to leave you with a lot of babbling... so I whipped this card up tonight just for you. As I've said before, I know you come here for the pictures. :o)

This card showcases the Wide Grosgrain Ribbon... which is what we're currently sharing in my Ribbon Share! See this post for complete details. I'm going to place the order on Monday (March 3rd), so here's one last opportunity to get in on this round. If you are interested, please contact me right away! (mgf@forceworld.com) If you didn't see this post until after Monday (shame on you! :) - but contact me anyway. If the demand is high, I'll do another round.

The card above was created using Close to Cocoa as the base, along with a strip of Close to Cocoa Designer Series Prints and Chocolate Chip Wide Grosgrain ribbon. The flower comes from the gorgeous Pretties Kit and I tinted it with my Stampin' Write markers. The center of the flower is from the So Many Scallops Sale-a-Bration set, stamped on So Saffron cardstock with Chocolate Chip ink and punched with the 1" Circle punch. Then I held it all together with a Rhinestone Fire brad. The sentiment in the upper right-hand corner comes from the Lots of Thoughts Sale-a-Bration set, stamped in Chocolate Chip ink. I also sponged the center of the flower and the edge of the card using Close to Cocoa ink. I really like how that makes it look more antique.

Okay, I'm done working for today. And I think I'll take tomorrow off... my house is in desperate need of cleaning! :) Enjoy your Sunday!

It's Time For Another Ribbon Share!

Thank you to everyone who participated in my last Ribbon Share! (...and for those of you who didn't get in on that one - good news! I ended up with about 3 extra sets. So if you want one, drop me a line quick! First come first serve.) In any case, that one was such a smashing success, I'm here to tell you about the next one!

This time, I will be doing the Wide Grosgrain ribbon. You all know how much I love this stuff... I use it all the time because it makes such a powerful statement on my cards. It comes in 8 different colors... Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Bravo Burgundy, Real Red, Regal Rose, Brocade Blue, Certainly Celery, and Old Olive. You will receive approximately 3 yards of each color for only $16.50. This is a tremendous way for you to have all the colors of ribbon without having to buy a spool of each one... good for customers and fellow demonstrators alike! To again put this into perspective, it takes an average of 16" to wrap a card (depending on the orientation), so with this much ribbon, you will be able to embellish at least 54 cards!!

I will be placing the order on March 2nd, so be sure to sign up before then. I take payment via PayPal, and will send you an invoice upon request.

Since I didn't have a photo of this beautiful ribbon to show you (I only have 6 of the 8 colors, so I am looking forward to this Ribbon Share as much as you are! :o), I dug into my archives and found this photo of the gift I sent my dear friend Marelle this past Christmas... it has the Brocade Blue Wide grosgrain ribbon on it, so I thought it a fitting time to post.

This is that cute wooden box I found at Michael's way back when (see this post and this post for my earlier boxes, and if you like that turkey, here's a tutorial on how to make him!). I covered this one with Cutie Pie DSP using ModPodge and then coordinated it with Rose Red, Brocade Blue, and So Saffron cardstock. I used the fun All in the Family stamp set for the girls and stamped them using my Stamp-a-ma-jig so they'd be lined up just right. Here's a tutorial on how to use the Stamp-a-ma-jig if you've never seen it done. They were stamped with StazOn ink onto Naturals White and watercolored using my ink pad lids and Blender Pens. The sentiment comes from Wonderful Favorites and is stamped with Rose Red ink. The flower was made with the 5-Petal Flower punch, along with the Spring Flower Bouquet punch (now retired), and fastened with a Rose Red brad.

These boxes were only $1, but once you put some creativity and some heartfelt love into them, they become priceless! Wouldn't that look cute with some pencils, pens, and a pair of scissors peeking out for a cute teacher's gift? Or you could tuck in some homemade monogrammed notecards and envelopes! ...or heck, a bag of chocolate would fit the bill too, I bet! I plan to make another box soon with an Easter theme. Stay tuned!

Thanks for visiting...

Ribbon Share - Last Chance!

Hi folks - thanks for the well wishes. I'm starting to feel a bit better, so hopefully I'll be back at my normal speed by the end of the week.

Just a reminder that I'm putting in the order for the Double Stitched ribbon tomorrow (Friday, January 25th) and I'm looking for just TWO more people to even out the last grouping. Please see this post for the details, but it only costs $13 (includes shipping and tax) and you get 3 yards of each of 6 beautiful colors - that's enough ribbon to wrap at least 40 cards!! This is a perfect opportunity to have all the colors, but not buy 6 whole spools (which would cost you over $60). Think about it... but hurry! I'll need to hear from you by noon on Friday! Don't miss out!

Want Some Ribbon?

A new year brings with it new ideas, and I'm going to try something new this month... a Ribbon Share! I was inspired by the wonderfully talented Ali Manning - she's been in my list of blogs down on my sidebar for a while now... if you haven't checked out her blog, you really should!

A Ribbon Share is where you can get some of ALL the colors of ribbon for a LOT less than if you were to purchase entire spools of each. I'm going to start with the delicious Double Stitched ribbons in the 6 In Colors. That includes Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate, Groovy Guava, and River Rock... pictured here in that order.

Here's the details: For only $13 you will receive 3 yards of each color! Let me put this into perspective for you... when you consider that it takes roughly 15-17" to wrap a card and tie a knot (depending on which way your card is turned), you could embellish about 40 cards with this amount!! (or lots more if you weren't tying it around the entire card.) What could be better than that? Well, these prices include shipping and tax! Wow!

Anyone can participate - you do not need to be here in the DFW area. You can pay via PayPal and I will simply mail you the ribbon at no extra cost. I will be placing the order on January 25th, so if you want to participate, please let me know right away!