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As a demonstrator, I typically don't keep a whole lot of retired products.  I especially avoid using them in my stamp club.  But, sometimes, it can't be helped.  Last night I was glad to have kept the Layerinv Ovals dies.  The stamp set is also retired, but I can't recall the name.  It just has a lot of short sentiments that are perfect for these kinds of cards.

Valentine's Day can be a struggle for me creating a card for club.  This time I was super excited to make this Valentine's Day card when I remembered this die.  It's from the Framed Florets dies in the new Mini Catalog.  Looking at the die, I was a little confused so I first cut one out of scrap paper.  The die cuts out the hearts and that is all.  

So, I got out the retired Layering Ovals dies.  One fits perfect.  If you want a another frame, you could use the one fromt the Framed Florets dies, but I chose to go this way instead.  I think I'll have to play around with using the oval frame die with this one.  SU! would always make sure the dies work together!

Don't forget the heart pearls!  Talk about perfect for the card!

The stamp set is Beautifully Happy in the SAB catalog.  It's FREE with a $100 purchase.  I had to make sure to use it while I can!  It's easy to stamp with when you use the Stamparatus.  Dit it out for this set.

The sentiment is also retired.  I hated to use it, but it's the only one I have.  When I designed the card, I made sure it could also be used as a birthday card or another occasion if needed.  I was hoping my club people hadn't made or bought their own cards yet!

Click on the above picture for dimensions and instructions.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

Product List

 

Beautifully Happy Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [160804]	Poppy Parade 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [119793]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Poppy Parade Classic Stampin' Pad [147050]
Garden Green Classic Stampin' Pad [147089]	Tuxedo Black Memento Ink Pad [132708]	Framed Florets Dies [160623]	Layering Ovals Dies [151771]
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]	Stamparatus [146276]	Heart Pearls [159190]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

 

 

 

It's the weekend!  Do you have any plans?  I'm mostly getting ready for club next Tuesday.  But I'm kind of excited for this because I get to use all BRAND NEW PRODUCT!!  I pre-ordered some things in December from the new Mini Catalog and SAB catalog.  Have you looked at them yet?  Do you have a favorite?  I don't yet.

But, one stamp set completely caught my eye.  If you know me, you might have guessed.  

Travelling is our passion so this was a must for me.  It's the Watercolor World stamp set.  

I used Parakeet Part for the world.  The outline is sponge daubed Orchid Oasis.  The water had to be represented somehow!  Plus, the top Basic White piece stands out from the card base. 

After searching through the new stamp sets, I came up with the sentiment from Nested Friends.  It was the most appropriate that I could find and that I liked.

It's a super simple card, one that any flourishes didn't work with.  I tried adding ribbon and nothing looked good with it.  Simple is good.

Click on the above picture for dimensions and instructions.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

Product List

 

Watercolor World Cling Stamp Set [160708]	Nested Friends Cling Stamp Set (English) [160322]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock [140272]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]	Parakeet Party Classic Stampin' Pad [159208]
Orchid Oasis Classic Stampin' Pad [159214]	Sponge Daubers [133773]	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108]	Paper Snips [103579]

 

 

I know it's bee a very long while since I've posted.  With travelling, I got really far behind in getting ready for Christmas.  To lighten the load, I opted n ot to send out Christmas cards this year!  Talk about being bad.  

Starting Thursday, there is a new catalog starting!  WoHoo!  I think everyone is ready for a new one to begin.  

Also starting Thursday is the only SAB for the year.  That's right, we are back to just one SAB.  It's going on for January and February.  Su! is going to supplement some extra sales throughout the year, but I haven't heard all the details yet.

Currently, the Retirement List is going on for the Fall/Winter Mini Catalog.  You can see that list below.  Just beware it will not reflect if any products are sold out.  

  

If you need a new Mini Catalog or a SAB catalog, I have a few spares to hand out!  Contact me and I will get one to you.

Until next time...Stampin'Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

 

Is anyone else stressing about getting things done before Christmas?  It can't just be me!  I've decided to lighten my load.  Unfortunately that means not sending out Christmas cards.  I know, that's just terrible considering it's what I do here.  There are a few I will be sending out and handing a few out at work.  I'm going to be calling it quits then.  

With both of my trips, I knew it would be hard getting ready for my monthly club.  One of my people had already said she wanted to make a card for club.  I was excited!  She makes wonderful cards.  Well, I got off the plane from Greece and turned my phone off airplane mode.  There was a text from her.  She designed and prepped all three cards for club!  It actually brought tears to my eyes.  I was so grateful. I took these pictures at club, so they aren't the greatest, but you can see what we did.

I do love the style of this card.  The poinsettia is on a belly band around the card.  Hopefully, I will be able to figure out how to assemble that poinsettia.  

I love how it's white on white with the edges marked in Shaded Spruce.  

Now, I saved the best for last. 

.         

Am I right?  The best for last.  Our jaws just dropped when we saw this beauty.  Plus, all the pieces were cut out for us!  All we had to do was stamp the one sentiment and lots of tiny detail gluing.  

Thank you for all your hard work Elaine.  All the cards were beyond gorgeous.  

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

Have you heard the news?

WoHoo!  Now that's some good news!  I don't think anyone would argue free shipping.

The Free Shipping applies to any order $75 or more before shipping and tax.  Orders can be placed on line yourself or through me.  The only thing is that the orders hae to be placed tomorrow, Thursday Dec. 15 ONLY.   This offer does not included expedited shipping.  

Make sure you have your order ready to go.  With the Clearance Rack recently updated, i'm sure things will go very fast.  

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

 

I know it's been a while since my last post, but I have a good excuse.  We were on a family vacation to Greece!  It was wonderful.  Our flat was a short 5 minute walk to the Acropolis.  We walked all over seeing all the architectural sites.  I still can't believe we saw artifacts that date back to 2 A.D. and 5 A.D.  Just blows my mind.  

.         

So, that was Trip 1.  We were home for two days before Chris and I left for Trip 2.  He always has a work trip to Las Vegas in the beginning of December.  I decided to actually go with him this year.  It has been probably 30 years since I had been out there last.  It had changed a lot, but then then again, it hasn't.  During the day, I explored the Strip and all the casinos.  At night, we hung with his co-worker and his wife.  

I'm glad to be home, but at the same point, ready to start planning our next trip.

Now, back to business.  We made this card in November Club.

  

The real reason I chose Orchid Oasis is because I had the glimmer ribbon that I haven't used yet!  It's a sorry excuse, but at least I'm finally using the ribbon.

The paper is not any Christmas paper.  It's just the In-Color 2022-2024 DSP.  Doesn't plaid work for any reason?  

I made sure to use the Adhesive Sheets on the ornament, mainly for the outline, and also the ornament hanger and star.  My club people were glad to see I had those things already prepped and ready to go.  

The "Merry Christmas" is stamped with Versamark and heat set the white embossing powder.  If I had used the Basic White card stock and stamped with the Orchid Oasis, it wouldn't show up very well.  It is the white on white thing.  The sentiment really stands out when it's embossed with the white powder.  

Here's my card inside.  For the presents, the lighter one is stamped off, but both are Orchid Oasis.  

Click on the above picture for dimensions and instructions.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

tams# 77165

Product List

 

Spruced Up Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [159694]	Framed & Festive Cling Stamp Set (English) [160888]	2022–2024 In Color™ 6" X 6" (15.2 X 15.2 Cm) Designer Series Paper [159253]	Orchid Oasis 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159267]	Basic White 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [159276]
Silver Foil Sheets [132178]	Orchid Oasis Classic Stampin' Pad [159214]	Versamark Pad [102283]	Spruced Up Outlines Dies [159700]	Stitched With Whimsy Dies [155314]
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]	Basics Embossing Powders [155554]	Heat Tool (Us And Canada) [129053]	Adhesive Sheets [152334]	Orchid Oasis 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Woven Metallic Ribbon [159199]
Paper Snips [103579]	Mini Stampin' Dimensionals [144108]	Mini Glue Dots [103683]

>Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

 

 

It's getting to be Sweater Weather here.  For us, that also means soup or stew season. 

I came across this recipe and we made it that night.  Amazing.  Usually it takes a while to make a recipe that I find.  But Chris had mentioned having soup for dinner.  We also can't buy soup in a can.  They just aren't as good as homemade.  My family is spoiled.  

Beef barley is a good hearty soup and it great when it's gold and snowy outside. Chris had found a recipe that called for soy sauce.  That one kind of seemed off kilter for me.  I wanted a good classic recipe and found this one.

Beef Barley Soup

1 pound stewing beef

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

1 teaspoon pepper or to taste

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoon olive oil or more if needed

1 large onion chopped

1 large carrot peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery cleaned and chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon oregano fresh, chopped (or 1 tsp dried oregano)

3 tablespoon tomato paste

4 cups beef broth low sodium

3 cups water

¾ cup barley I used pearl barley, see notes

1 tablespoon parsley fresh, chopped

Prep the Beef: Season the stewing beef generously with salt and pepper. Place the beef in a ziploc bag and add the flour over the beef. Close the ziploc bag and shake until each piece of beef is fully covered in flour. You can also do this in a bowl.

Sear the Beef: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef to the pot and cook just until the meat starts to brown about 3 minutes per side. You will have to do this in 2 or 3 batches, since you do not want to crowd the meat. Remove the meat from the pot after you're done and set aside.

Cook the Mirepoix: In the same pot, you will have a lot of brown bits on the bottom. Add more olive oil if needed, then add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Cook the vegetables until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Season and Cook the Beef: Add the garlic, oregano and tomato paste to the pot and stir. Cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add a bit of the beef broth to the pot to deglaze all the brown bits at the bottom. Add the meat back to the pot, then the beef broth and water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a medium, cover the pot and cook for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to cook this for so long so that the beef becomes tender, it will melt in your mouth.

Add Barley and Cook: Add the barley to the pot, cover it and cook for another 30 minutes or until the barley is cooked through. Make sure you stir occasionally so the barley won't stick. If you find that the soup is too thick add more water as necessary until you get the desired consistency, though this is quite a thick soup.

Finish and Serve: Remove the soup from heat and garnish with fresh parsley before serving.

I would definately add more pepper.  It lacked that, and maybe mix the low sodium broth with regular.  I never say that, but it needed just a little bit more flavor and both of those definately helped.  

If you have leftovers,  you may need to add more beef broth or water. The next day, it was really thick, more of a stew consistency than soup.  

You can see the original recipe here... jocooks.com

This soup really hit the spot for both of us.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper

This was my Thank You card for my club people last month.  

It's hard to tell, but the card base if Evening Evergreen.  I always have a hard time getting that color to come through on my pictures.  It always looks black, or at least to me it does.  

These Spruced Up stamp set and dies are fun to play with.  The key tip to remember is to use the adhesive sheets.  They are especially necessary if you plan to adhere the outside frame to the card.  The sheets are fabulous and make life so much easier.

The Very Vanilla is embossed with the Whimsical Woodland folder.  It's the first time using it, andI can say that I love it!  The trees are so whimsical, as the name, and that makes it perfect with the Spruced Up stamps. 

Now you can see a close up of the details.  The Stitched circle is adhered by dimensionals. The "Merry" is adhered by dimensionals on the right side, but directly onto the circle.  I hate to go too high for mailing purposes.

Of course, I had to add just a little bling.  The rhinestones and Simply Elegant trim works.

Click on the above picture for dimensions and instructions.

Until next time...Stampin' Always,

Cheryl, HomeStyle Stamper 

Product List

 

Spruced Up Photopolymer Stamp Set (English) [159694]	Evening Evergreen 8 1/2" X 11" Cardstock [155574]	Very Vanilla 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [101650]	Evening Evergreen Classic Stampin' Pad [155576]	Whimsical Woodland 3 D Embossing Folder [159831]	Stitched Shapes Dies [152323]
Stampin' Cut & Emboss Machine [149653]	Adhesive Sheets [152334]	Simply Elegant Trim [155766]	Mini Glue Dots [103683]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Paper Snips [103579]