Upgrade your Trick or Treating

My new found love of Halloween and our Design Team has me thinking of all sorts of ways you can upgrade Trick or Treating this year.   Gone should be the days of the standard plastic pumpkins to collect your candy in and the ho-hum distribution of candy.   Here are some great ideas from our designers to elevate Halloween Trick or Treating.

Marie Ramirez designed these festive treat cones using the PSA Peel & Stick Haunted Shack collection.  The black and white and the candy corn color combos scream Halloween!   It would be very fun to give these treat cones out at a party with some friends.  

Marie also created this door hanger and this fantastic banner.   She's so creative, that Marie!

 

Stephanie Jones created this adorable treat bag, perfect size for a halloween candy or two.  You’d certainly be the envy of other mom’s on the block passing this one out!

These great lollipop covers from Amy Kingsford are just fun and kids would love them.   She stamped Hello Kitty from the Tee-Time Collection and used a bottle cap to create a crisp design that really elevates the stamp AND the lollipop. 

Designer Amber Zimmerman came up with this great garland, which I thought worked perfectly for a cupcake display!  It’s going to be a sweet Halloween with these great ideas. 

Supply Spotlight:                                                                                                                                                                                                  

1)   Treat cones:  Stamps:  PSA Skellanimals (PSA Essentials).  Paper:  Crepe paper, Halloween Paper, basic grey.Tools:  Scallop punch.  Other: Candy cone template, heavy glue. 

2)   Door Hanger:   Stamps:  PSA Hello Kitty Tee Time.   Paper:  Halloween (Making Memories).  Tools:  Scallop puinch.   Other:  Ribbon and glue. 

2)   Treat bag:   Stamps:  Haunted Shack and U.B.U. Happy Halloween (PSA Essentials).  Paper:  Favor It Die, Mat Stack, Cardstock in Plum Pudding, Orange Zest and True Black (PaperTrey Ink.)

3)   Lollipop covers: Stamps:  PSA Haunted Shack (PSA Essentials).  Patterned papers (Eerie).  Tools: Scalloped and circle punches. 

4)   Garland:   Stamps:  PSA Haunted Shack,  U.B.U Happy Halloween, and Hello Kitty Tee Time (PSA Essentials.).   Inks:  PSA variety.   Tools:   Halloween punches (Martha Stewart.)  Other:  Ribbon. 

Paula Deen

Hey y’all!  

Sound familiar?  That southern greeting is classic Paula Deen – one of our favorite chefs and TV personalities here at PSA Essentials.   We are minutes from downtown Savannah, where Paula got her start with her restaurant Lady & Sons.   Paula gives me such an incredibly warm feeling, I almost feel like I know her when I am watching.   She’s just so likeable! How’s this for 6 degrees of separation…

Our own Lori Bogda provided props to Paula Deen’s stylist, Lynn Rahn, who’s a great friend of Lori’s.  Paula posted a behind the scenes look at her shoot on her page:

http://www.pauladeen.com/index.php/Feature_Articles/view/behind_the_scenes_with_paula_deen/?ref=nf

Lori propped the giant basket full of apples:

And Lori was also responsible for providing these great antique Shiny Brite ornament props.    

Pink Star Creations and Jamie Prescott did a great job on Paula’s video.   They are the same director and company that just shot our PSA How To Video!   It’s great to be in the company of Paula Deen’s company.  It almost makes me feel like I am Paula Deen’s company.   Almost! 

Have a great day, y’all.

Girls Night!

Pre-babies, my group of friends down here used to do a Girls Night every week.   Now, we are lucky if we do it every month.   I love my friends and can’t imagine what my life would be like down here if I didn’t have them.   Since we haven’t had a girl’s night in awhile, I invited the girls over last Tuesday for some drinks & light food.    Little did I know my friends would also surprise me and celebrate my birthday!  

Our design team member Mara Campbell helped make the night extra special with a few of her designs. Mara created this beautiful handmade card which I proudly displayed on the drink table. 
 

 

Mara also created these fabulous wine charms using our Peel & Stick Smirk Fashionista!

 

 

She created some place cards that would be great for any girls night.  I love how she’s showing that you don’t have to stick with a traditional place card format – she really broke out of that rectangle here!   The U.B.U. collection is perfect for personalizing and tailoring each place card to the guest’s personality!

Girls Night is different from our days past - we've got our little girls participating in it now  and things seem a little crazier.  But Tuesday reminded me how important friends are – just like work, your husband, your kids, and all the other important stuff you have in your life – you need to make time for friends.  Sometimes, just letting a few other things go is okay.  Slowing down and enjoying the company of my friends is something I am planning on doing more!

Supply Spotlight:

1)      Handmade card - Stamps: PSA Essentials French.   Paper:  Papetrey Ink, Brazil.  Other: Cricut to make letters. 

2)      Wine charms - Stamps:  PSA Essentials Smirk Fashionista.  Paper:  Papetrey Ink.  Other: Ribbon, pencils and laminating paper.

3)      Place cards - Stamps:  PSA Essentials U.B.U. Dress up.  Paper: Papetrey Ink.  Other: Water color pencils and Queen & Co Gems.

Homecoming

Colleges across the country are having homecoming and what a fun time it is!    It’s a time to go back to school and be with friends, re-live your college days, and if you’re a University of Michigan graduate – time for football!   My homecoming was spent with my 16-year old cousin Ben, who’s beginning his college search.   We had a blast touring the campus.   We visited several of the libraries, checked out the dorms, viewed a lecture hall, gawked at the raging frat parties, and rooted U of M on in the Big House. 

 

When we got back, I was inspired to create Michigan paraphernalia and of course, I used my personalized Michigan PSA Essentials Stamp.    I made a HAIL (to the Victor’s) banner which I will proudly display on my mantel on game day.  

 

For Ben, I made him a frame.   I am hoping he keeps it on his desk when studying – a reminder that he has a lot hard work to do this Junior high school year but the pay off will be worth it.  The picture is of him in front of the Grad Library, my favorite place to study in Ann Arbor.

Lastly, using my personalized Michigan stamp, I created this koozie to have on hand at home.   No Ben – you can’t have this!

 

Go Blue! & Happy Homecoming to all.

Supply Spotlight:

1)      Banner -  Stamps:  PSA Personalized Michigan Stamp.  Paper: Creatology blue, yellow and patterned.   Tools:  Scissor, 1" circle punch (Martha Stewart).  Other: Ribbon (Michael's.)

2)      Frame -  Stamps:  PSA Personanlized Michigan Stamp.  Paper: Creatology yellow.  Tools: 1" circle punch.  (Martha Stewart).   Other: Frame from Michaels.

3)      Koozie - Stamps:  PSA Personanlized Michigan Stamp.  Paper: Creatology yellow and blue.  Tools: 1" circle punch.  (Martha Stewart), 2" square punch.    Other: Yellow koozie (Creatology).

Still not sure exactly what Peel & Stick Stamps are?

Think of it this way:  PSA Personalized Stamps have Switchable Middles.   You can take your personalized stamp, remove the middle, and stick on a new one.  There are over 600 middles to choose from!  How you use one stamp body is up to you and the possibilities seem endless. 

I love my personalized stamp and I use it all the time on any correspondence.  Yes, I know “correspondence” sounds like something your grandmother would say.   But my grandmother was fabulous and she wrote great letters, and I like to follow in her footsteps.   It’s so much fun to change out the middle of my stamp to fit the theme of my letter.   It makes the contents of the envelope that much more exciting and special.

Here's one of my personalized stamps:  

For Molly’s first birthday party, I changed out my “O’Regan” and used the Cupcake from PSA Cupcake.  I colored it up a little to show you what you can do with it here:

For Molly’s Christening invitations, I used the dress from PSA Carriage.   It looked something like this:

I helped a friend stamp her birth announcements for her baby boy, and we used “It’s a boy” from the PSA Carriage Collection.   The idea is shown here:

I can’t wait to get started on Christmas cards – there are so many great new middles.   My two new favorites are “Whimsy Tree” and “North Pole”.   You can see them here at: http://www.psaessentials.com/psaoriginals.htm. It's going to be hard to choose just one this holiday season!

And Switchable Middles are not just for correspondence!  Over the next few months we are going to showcase all the great ways you can use your personalized stamp with fun middle designs.   From greeting cards to entertaining, we have a lot of ideas to share.

So if you didn’t understand the concept of Peel & Stick before, I hope you are beginning to see the idea of switchable middles for a personalized stamp.  The possibilities are endless!

Supply Spotlight:  Stamps: PSA Personalized Stamp, PSA Carriage Collection, PSA Carriage Collection, PSA Carriage Collection.   Paper: White envelopes.   Tools:  PSA Stamper.   Other: Progresso Woodless Colour Pencils.

Halloween Decorating Time!

If you know me, you would know that I’ve always hated Halloween.   Too much pressure with the costume, stress when I was in middle school of who I was going to trick or treat with, or a competition with kids to see how much candy I could get.  Even college was miserable because it was really an excuse for girls to dress inappropriately – and being a Victoria Secret girl (costume is a bra & underwear), didn’t suit my body type or work in my comfort zone. 

My opinion of Halloween recently started to change as we received design team call submissions using PSA Peel & Stick stamps.   From a design perspective, I always thought Halloween was sort of kitschy but the designs we have been receiving are clean, modern and beautifully designed!  I started getting in the mood and decorating.  Here’s a great dining room set up idea. 

Isn’t this tree amazing?  Our designer Susan D’Anna created it and I think it belongs in a Pottery Barn catalog!  (It would sell me the table...)  It’s quite tall and has spiders and bats dangling from the limbs.   Susan used the PSA Haunted Shack Collection and the U.B.U. Happy Halloween to create this very hip, fun to have on your table center-piece.     

Susan also made this banner!   I love the use of color and that the banner fits across an entire double window!  It's a festive way to spice up the dining room. 

 Another Halloween decorating idea that I am enjoying are these fabulous candles by our designer Amy Kingsford.    They are battery operated and produce a beautiful soft glow.  She’s embelleshed the edges of the stamp, making the PSA Haunted Shack really stand out. 

Another one of our designer's Carly Robertson came up with this adorable Hello Kitty Favor charm, which I attached to a wine bottle.   It would be a great hostess gift.   She also created these simple wine charms.  Adorable!

I have so much more Halloween in store for you in the next couple of weeks!  Stay tuned.

Supply Spotlight:

1. Halloween Tree:  Stamps:  PSA Haunted Shack, U.B.U. Happy Halloween, and Hello Kitty.    Paper:  Black and Orange (Creatology).   Other:  Black pipe cleaners, black ribbon (Spool O'Ribbon). 
2. Banner:   Stamps:  PSA Haunted Shack, U.B.U. Happy Halloween.   Paper:  Black, Orange & Haunted (Creatology).    Other:  Felt ribbon, staples. 
3. Candles:  Stamps: PSA Haunted Shack.   Paper:  Assorted (Patterned Papers, Eeerie Collection).   Tools:  Scalloped & Circle punches (McGill's), Laser cut paper doily (Basic Grey).   Other:  Black Rhinestones (Heidi Grace Designs), 4" & 6" Flameless Vanilla Candles (Mainstays). 
4. Wine favor & charms:  Stamps: PSA Hello Kitty.  Paper:  Card stock (SU!), patterned paper (A muse).  Tools:  Circles (Spellbinders), Scoreboard (Martha Stewart).  Other:  Rhinestones (Zva Creative), metal tags, markers.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

If you didn’t know what all those “I like it on the ____” posts were on Facebook, join my club.  I had to ask my friends who are in college to explain it.   Apparently, it’s where you “like to put your purse.”  And obviously the innuendo is enough to get everyone talking and truly increase awareness of Breast Cancer Month.  (Since that’s what it’s supposed to promote!)

I like it on the desk in my kitchen. 

To honor Breast Cancer Month, I’d like to share some beautiful cards that our designer Anthonette Chavez has made using our PSA Dare to Dream Collection.   These cards would be great to send to someone you know affected by Breast Cancer, or a great fundraising opportunity.  (Create a few dozen, sell them on your Etsy store and donate the profits to Susan G. Komen!)

The designs here are so clean, simple and professional looking.  Anthonette is also showing us that you don’t have to use PSA Peel & Stick stamps “in the round.”  Here she’s cut out the words to suit her design.   It’s an interesting and different perspective.

For some gift type ideas,  Anthonette decorated a Tic-Tac case and our designer Mara Campbell created a treat bag for her friends who were participating in a Breast Cancer Walk.  They are both great ideas to give as little gifts and tokens of appreciation.

What a beautiful way to honor Breast Cancer Awareness and support it!

Supply Spotlight:

1)   Live for the moment card:  Stamps:  Dare to Dream (PSA Essentials), Paper:  Melon mambo - textured, Pumpkin Pie, & Kraft (Stampin' Up), Very Vanilla (Stamp'in Up), white, mauvre, (Only the Best).  Tools:  Big Shot with scalloped square Nestabilities (Spellbinders), flower die (Sizzix), Scoring board (Martha Stewart), Crop-a-Dile (We R Memory Keepers).  

3)   Thinking of you card:  Stamps: Dare to Dream (PSA Essentials), Paper: Pretty in Pink and Basic Black (Stampin' Up), white (CA Paper Goods).   Tools:  Heart to Heart Punch (Stampin' Up), Scoring Board (Martha Stewart), 1.25" circle punch (All Night Media), 1/16" paper punch (Fiskars).    Other:  Metal tag (Stampin' Up), bling frame (Heidi Swapp), Pretty in Pink Ribbon (Stampin' Up).

4)   Tic tac case:   Stamps:  Frenchie (PSA Essentials), Paper:  patterned paper (KI Memories), Pink Pirouette, Kraft, Rose Red (Stampin Up),  Tools:  Scallop Circle Punch (Stampin'Up), Small Heart Punch (Stampin'Up) Scoring Board (Martha Stewart). 
5)  Treat bag:  Stamps Dare to Dream (PSA Essentials), Papertrey Ink Polka Dot Stamp,  Paper:  Papertrey Ink.  Tools:  Circle punch (Fiskars).   Other:  Twine (The Twinery), Ribbon (Offray). 

More Design Team Announcements!

I am excited to announce more members of this talented design team today!  Look around the web for this exciting bage:  "PSA Stamp Camp Design Team."

All of these designers submitted fabulous October projects using PSA Peel & Stick stamps .  You will see them all here this month.    

The designers were all asked: "What's your favorite something?" and their responses are below as part of their introduction.  Be sure to check out these ladies blogs! 

Amber Zimmerman:  I have a print from "Slidesideways" on etsy that says, "Let the sun shine in".  It is my favorite and hanging in my craft area because it is cheerful and a like a bit of sunshine streaming in my room all of the time (especially on those gray Indiana winter days).   Blog:  http://amberzimm.blogspot.com/

Melissa Phillips:  Loves all things design and craft, especially paper crafts like card making.   Blog:   http://lilybeanpaperie.typepad.com/lilybeans_paperie/ 

Julia Aston:  My favorite craft is to make or embellish boxes and containers.  A creative package makes even the smallest of gifts extra special.  www.createwithjulia.blogspot.com

Jennifer Holmes:  My favorite thing to do while I craft is to drink coffee and listen to music!  Coffee is something I love almost as much as stamps and the music helps put me into the appropriate crafting mood (I've been listening to Christmas music since July!).  Blog:  www.simpleflourishes.com 

Jennifer Witmer:   My favorite something is a portrait of my grandmother, Katherine done by her father, Will Howe Foote.  I'm fifth generation artist in my family and this is my every day inspiration to do what I love.   Jen's not in the blog world yet. 

Anthonette Chavez:  I love my iPhone! It's the handiest gadget ever in the Steve Jobs universe with email, texting, Twitter, internet, pictures, video, music, GPS, games, my shopping list, and it just happens to be a phone too.   Blog:  http://chavezdesigns.blogspot.com/ 

Stephanie Jones:  I love being the 'crafty mom' around here - and often having a kitchen full of 6 year old girls wanting to get painty/inky/glittery!!!  Blog:   http://www.pinkstarcreations.blogspot.com/

A few more annoucements early next week!  Stay tuned.