Leah's Happy Stamper Blog

25% off Discontinued Accessories!!!

2009-07-09T09:45:00.003-05:00

TAC just released the list of accessories that are 25% off. They are no longer in the catalog and they are while supplies last. You can see the list here:
http://www.theangelcompany.net/Promos_DiscProdList.html

I went to my own shopping cart, though, because then I could see the pictures of the items. They are all listed under Discontinued Accessories:
http://leah.ismyangel.net/Products

I am my own best customer. You should see the list of things I bought. Just don't tell my husband!

New Catalog!

2009-07-01T16:22:00.005-05:00

It's here!

Our new catalog has been released. To get your own copy, just email me. They are $4.95.

My favorite new thing in the catalog is the double sided Mimi paper. I loved the original Mimi paper, so this made my day! Here are a card and scrapbook page I made with Mimi that were on the display boards at Seminar last weekend. Sadly, my cards were there and I was not. Next year, right?

Stamp of the Month!

2009-03-11T04:55:00.003-05:00

We have a cute stamp of the month for March, and I got to make samples for it for the TAC website! Go to:

http://www.theangelcompany.net/sotm.html

to check them out!

Thankful

2008-11-28T15:40:00.007-06:00

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year, so I made some Thankful Books for Evan's grandparents and auntie. We are so grateful for them. Here are some pictures of the book.

Here is the cover. I used DCWV chipboard for the cover and my Bind it All to bind it together. I used clear acetate to cover and protect the picture and attached it with some brads using the Cropodile.

I filled the book with pictures of things Evan and I are thankful for this year. Isn't Snoopy cute with her cousin Payton?

Boo to You!

2008-10-11T18:09:00.003-05:00

I made some Halloween cards with a few of the Fall Supplement stamps. I used T-3042 Halloween Greetings for the circle images, and T-3009 Glitter Goblins for the saying inside and the Boo to You on the front corner. The circles were easy to punch with the Extra Jumbo clever lever. I am slowly becoming a punch person. And, finally, the ribbon is what inspired the whole card. I bought some new ribbon containers from Archivers for my work area, and while I was filling them I found these orange and black ribbons. I figured, either use them now or wait a whole year... So, boo to you!

Creative Friends and Family!

2008-09-27T10:03:00.005-05:00

I am sharing some of the creative presents my friends and family gave us for our baby!

This is a diaper cake my cousin Lauren made for us. Somehow she managed to squeeze 3 layers of diapers, receiving blankets, a bunch of adorable onesies, some bath products, and baby toys all into one adorable cake! I took pictures of both sides to show you.

This is a diaper wreath that my friend Meri made. Isn't it too cute? I love the decorations she put on the wreath. The color combination of all the ribbons is so cheerful! I guess Meri is a stamper/ wreath maker now!

This diaper cake was made by my mom's friend Kathy. Isn't the topper cute? What a perfect stuffed animal for Snoopy and baby! She used ribbon and little boy embellishments to decorate it. What a cute cake!

I am so glad I have such creative people in my life!

Double Dips!

2008-09-14T15:33:00.002-05:00

Big Stamping News!
The Fall Supplement is here just in time for our Double Dips! promotion. That means you get to buy new stamps AND earn double GWPs, hostess sets, and half price items! If you have an order to place, and you want DOUBLE the rewards, order between now and November 1st.

Here is the link to the Fall Supplement:
http://theangelcompany.net/images/FallSupplement08/FallSupp.pdf
Here is the link to the Double Dips promotion:
http://www.theangelcompany.net/Promos_DoubleDips.html

Dr. Seuss Clock

2008-08-24T08:18:00.003-05:00

I made a Dr. Seuss clock! I bought the blank clock from Archivers a few years ago, and it was tucked away in a cabinet until now. I found it again while reorganizing some things, and decided to put it to use.

I didn't go to the Expo in St. Charles this year. Did you? Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about the show.

California Scrapbook!

2008-07-30T12:39:00.011-05:00

I FINALLY (after a year) made my California scrapbook. This album is a monster of a book. I think I printed 300 pictures to make it, but I didn't use them all. :) I bought the album last year at the St. Charles Expo. Isn't is cute?

I hadn't worked with 12x12 pages in a long time, so I was so pleased with the TAC supplies I used. It made the process so much easier because everything coordinated with each other. I used our Hemingway, Amberley Grace, and Willoughby paper collections and cardstock for almost all the pages. I used the Hemingway and Amberley Grace ribbon, and the Antique Copper hardware. I only used 3 ink pads in the entire album: Prussian Blue, Burnt Umber, and Cognac Palettes. As for stamp sets, I used our WONDERFUL Flourish Bet, Distressed Typewriter Bet, and Curls and Swirls. I hope you enjoy looking at it!

I could show you the rest of the pages, but that would be crazy! Like I said, the album weighs 50 pounds (or it seems like that...). That equals a lot of pages. A little taste of California will have to do.

Watermark

2008-07-17T09:19:00.005-05:00

Here is a card I made last year for the Tinley Park expo. Since they moved that expo to St. Charles this year, and I will 8 months pregnant at the time, I decided not to do any expos this year. You can still go to the Angel Co. booth and visit with my angel friends, though!

I was playing around with it because this morning I was trying to make a watermark. If you look at the bottom right corner, you will see my first attempt to create one. I am not 100% happy with it, but I did it. Right? :)

This is the scrapbook page of my godson, Aidan, that you can find on page 55 of the fall/winter 2008 catalog. This picture was taken in March, right after he started to smile. Isn't he a cutie pie? I used Toodle Loo paper and T2818 Our Baby stamps. I hate to brag, but isn't he the cutest baby ever? I think his mom and dad would agree with me. :)

This is my other sample in the catalog! I took this picture at last year's Seminar. It is of Sophie, the Mischelle's daughter. I took the picture because I thought it was amazing how much her dress looked like our Rustic Chic paper. The little button brads are my favorite part of this page.

Collage Maker!

2008-07-14T20:27:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine, Julie, posted a way to use Shutterfly to make a photo collage. Isn't this fun!!! I made one of Snoopy to test it out. Enjoy!

Design Challenge for July

2008-07-03T07:56:00.003-05:00

Hello ladies and gents! A teammate of mine, Dawnmarie, posted this challenge to our team for the month. I thought, why not post it to you guys too? She got it from SCS. So, here's the deal. If you choose to try this challenge, either mail it to me or scan it and email it so that I can see it. I will post any samples I receive for all to see in a gallery, and then I will randomly choose a winner of a FREE $10.95 stamp set of your choice! What a deal!

All entries need to be in my hands by July 31st to qualify. The winner will be announced in my August newsletter!

The Fall/Winter Catalog is Here!

2008-06-28T10:53:00.005-05:00

The new catalog is here! I am so excited about it for many reasons. First, there are four new paper lines!

They have made the projects in the catalog easier to duplicate by creating 5 templates of designs that are featured in the book. The templates are on page 3, and then samples of each one are found scattered throughought the book. The samples that I made (Our Baby on page 55 and Hey Chick on page 89) use layout #5. The one on page 55 is my godson, Aidan! He is such a cutie pie!

If you are a punch person (which I am not) you will love the new Punch It icon throughout the book. They list all the coordinating punches with each stamp set. What a great idea!

Do you like step by step directions? This year, they put directions with each Inspiring Idea in the catalog! Plus, they have Inspiring Idea project cards in the back of the book that can be cut out, laminated, and put on a ring for easy access.

What are some of my must have new stamp sets?

If you want a catalog for your very own, just let me know! They are $4.95 each.

Leah :)

Stamps for Sale!

2008-06-28T09:05:00.004-05:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/leahod77/StampsForSale02

If you take the above link, you will see the stamps I have for sale. The are mostly retired stamps. They have all been previously used, cut out, and put into CD cases. They are for sale as it. The condition of the CD cases may vary, but all stamps are in good condition and cling to acrylic blocks. Shipping will be determined based on the number of sets you buy. All prices are in the caption of each photo.

Happy Shopping!

Email me with a list of what you want, and I will let you know if it is still available.
***I have started deleting the pictures of the SOLD sets as I ship them.

Happiness is...

2008-04-21T15:53:00.004-05:00

...fudge from the South Bend Chocolate Company!!! When we went to Ohio a few years ago, my friend Meri and I discovered that Indiana has MUCH better rest stops on I-80 than Illinois does. Why? Because they sell fudge!

Meri recently went back to Ohio, and gave me this beautifully decorated box of fudge. There is nothing better than pretty chocolate! She uses her Scor Pal to score lines on the green DCWV paper, and used a piece of Pop Rockz paper and a white flower. Isn't is pretty?

Star Book

2008-04-20T19:13:00.007-05:00

I made a Star Book!!!!

I took a class from my friend, Meri, on how to make a Star Book. Here it is closed. I made a Princess book for my princess, Snoopy. :)

Here is is from above. I wonder why they call it a Star Book... Ha! We used Mulberry Meadow paper from The Angel Company. The yellow is Die Cuts With a View paper, also from TAC.

Escape to San Antonio!

2008-02-01T12:49:00.000-06:00

We went to San Antonio! The Angel Company had their Leadership Conference there this past month, and it was a blast! There is nothing like leaving Chicago in the winter to go to 70 degree weather to stamp with the girls. We stayed right on the Riverwalk, and our hotel was next to the Alamo! San Antonio is a beautiful city. Sorry I can't get Blogspot to put this entry into a normal order. It is all over the place!

2007-12-24T16:20:00.000-06:00

The new idea book and catalog is here! Well... for most people. Mine didn't arrive in the mail yet, so I drove over to my friend Meri's house to see it. I was so excited to see if samples I had made for TAC were there... and they were!!!! I am so proud to say this!!! The Frutti Fushion samples were created by me. I feel so blessed to be a part of a company that includes demonstrators like me in their design process. What a great feeling! I feel so thankful right now.

My friend Meri was also published in the catalog. She even has a catalog cover entry in there, too! Here she is holding the pages she designed. They are great!

As soon as I get my case of catalogs, I will be mailing them out to the customers who preordered them. They should be here sometime this week, I would imagine.

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-23T20:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas is almost here!

I hope your day is filled with laughter and joy, and that Santa is good to all of you. We just watched Christmas Vacation, and it just put me in the holiday mood!

I hope you are enjoying the season!

Elf Me!

2007-12-08T09:05:00.000-06:00

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1237359516

Merry Christmas from the O'Donnells!

6x6 Clipboard Picture Frame

2007-12-02T17:37:00.000-06:00

Are you looking for Christmas presents to make this year? I have an idea for you. I used a 6x6 plain clipboard (H-104, $3.50) and decorated it with some of our soon to be retiring Bella Flor paper (R-2500, $10) to make a picture frame that can change pictures as often as you take them! I put a business card sized magnet on the back of the clipboard, and you have a Christmas present for $3.50! Ready for the fridge, or to hang on a wall with its metal clip.

Coaster Books

2007-11-25T18:24:00.001-06:00

Are you looking for a quick, yet creative present for the holidays? Try making a coaster book for your friends and family. Take 2 coasters and cover them with festive paper. This one uses Vintage Holiday, which is now retired! I am so sad... For the inside pages, we used white paper with some of our Christmas stamps to embellish the corners. The cropodile punches right through the whole book, and it is held together by a ring embellished with ribbon. What could you put on the pages? Written Christmas memories, pictures of the kids, holiday traditions recorded, etc.! Or leave it blank and have them fill it with their own special memories.

2007-11-25T18:12:00.000-06:00

My Memory Purse has gone seasonal! Nothing shows holiday spirit better than a beagle dressed as Santa on a purse! Ho Ho Ho! Her outfit goes beautifully with our Merry Wishes paper, if I do say so myself!

2007-11-07T22:46:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays!!!
(even though it is only November 7th...)

2007-11-04T09:13:00.000-06:00

The Retiring List is here! Click on it to get a bigger image. Or, email me and I will send you a PDF version.

DINO-mite!

2007-10-31T22:14:00.000-05:00

This beagle is DINO-mite! Just look at the fun Snoopy had this Halloween. She couldn't helo but enjoy being a dinosaur. The dino head was just so heavy that she had to put her head down to rest for a while. But, she loved being dressed up. That's the story I am sticking to!!!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-08T14:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been to 8 Chicago Marathons to cheer Brian on, and I have never seen anything like this! Marathon runners stopped and waiting at a red light to cross Michigan Avenue to walk back because the race has been cancelled. We took this picture as we walked back to our car. Brian did finish the race before they ended it, and he is fine. I guess they had over 300 people go to the hospital for heat stroke before they called the race. Let's hope it isn't 90 degrees next year!!!

Congrats to all that ran, and to all those who cheered them on, too!

2007-09-30T14:38:00.000-05:00

Snoopy just wanted to say Happy Fall!

This card was made with Heminway paper. Why? Because the brown tones in the paper match Snoopy's fur, of course!

Enjoy the season!

2007-09-16T16:43:00.000-05:00

This post is dedicated to Dawnmarie. She is an Angel sister of mine, and she just helped us at the Tinley Park Rubber Stamp Expo. She is the one that you can see in the picture, because she didn't have a matching specTACular shirt. We took that picture to be funny. Well, let me tell you...

DAWN IS SPECTACULAR.

Why, you ask? Because she made me buy these new markers. She just kept talking about how great they are, and I finally went over to watch a demo. I am an anti-colorer, so I will do anything to avoid markers in general. These ones looked pretty cool, though, so I took a leap and bought a set. WOW. They are great. I am not quite good enough yet to post a sample using them, but I thought I would say thanks to Dawn. If anyone out there is looking for a good set of markers, try Copic markers. I think Dick Blick stores carry them. Expensive, but so far worth it for me!

2007-09-01T10:19:00.000-05:00

I was published! If you go to The Angel Company website, you will see a scrapbook page I made for something called Take 3! They send the same picture and materials to 3 people, and then they publish them on their website to demonstrate the different ways you can use the same materials. I made 2 pages for TAC to choose from, so the one above is just for you guys to see! They used my other one on the website. So check it out! I am so excited to see my name on the website. Now I know how my students feel when they see their work for the first time on a bulletin board in the hallway!!! :)

http://theangelcompany.net/Take_3.html

St. Charles Expo

2007-08-26T13:10:00.001-05:00

The Scrapbook Expo in St. Charles has come and gone, and I thought I would take time to share how it was. The booth we had for TAC went well, and I especially liked having people who receive my newsletter each month stop and say hello. Some I was meeting for the first time, and others have become friends over the years. I hope they all do! That's what makes me a happy stamper. Thanks for saying hello!

The show itself was pretty nice. I bought a really great scrapbook from a lady who embosses the covers for my California scrapbook. I also bought a bunch of embellishments to make pages for it. I haven't made a 12x12 scrapbook in a while, so I thought the more I bought to fill it, the easier it will be to complete it! I also bought a book about making photo mosaic-like pages. I am going to have fun with that!!!

The card above was made with paper from the Mimi collection. I just can't stop using those bitty blossoms, either! I actually had a whole board made with Mimi paper, but I forgot to take a picture of it. :)

California Dreams Become a Reality!

2007-08-09T21:19:00.000-05:00

We escaped Alcatraz! And they said it couldn't be done!

We went to California! It was our first vacation in 5 years, and boy we do have a lot of pictures to show for it. 600 or so, to be exact. :) My husband got a little tired of posing by the end of the week, but that's ok!

Big Sur has to be the most gorgeous place in the United States. Nothing but ocean, mountains, sand, and cliffs for 90 miles. Oh, and a few redwood forests sprinkled here and there. This was one of my favorite spots on the drive. We saw a condor flying above us! Just amazing.

It wouldn't have been a trip to San Francisco without the Golden Gate Bridge. The first two days it was so foggy that you couldn't even see the entire bridge. But, on the third day, skies were clear and blue and the International Orange bridge was in its glory! You should have seen how goofy we looked trying to take a picture of ourselves with the bridge. Luckily, a nice lady came by and took this one for us.

Those are some big trees! We saw the redwoods in Muir Woods near San Francisco. They were so big, in order to get the whole tree in the picture, we had to be a little creative with our photography. The tallest tree we saw was 280 tall, and the grove has been growing for 1,500 years!!!

It's good to be back home, but we can't wait to go back to CA!

Move Over, Kate Spade!

2007-07-20T21:43:00.000-05:00

My new purse came in the mail! Boy, did I enjoy making this project. It was really rather difficult for me to choose the pictures of Snoopy that I wanted to use. I take a lot of pictures, so I have a lot to choose from! I went with 2 of my all time favorites. They both went with our Mimi paper and embellishments, so that is what I used. I can't stop using those white bitty blossoms, either. If you see this purse around town, you will know that it is me. After all, it is a Snoopy original.

Creative Class Idea #1
Make this purse with your friends! Get a small groups together, pick the papers you want to use, and start picking some photographs! This class would cost $37, which includes your own $29.95 purse and your choice of $6.95 Soar With It paper. I would bring additional stamps, inks, and embellishments for us to use.

Happy Stampin' Beagle

2007-07-04T10:15:00.001-05:00

Who would have guessed that Snoopy likes to stamp, too? I was working on some baby shower invites on the floor of our office. There was very little space, as I tend to spread out... (Brian would use other words to describe my stamping mess). Anyway, somehow Snoopy managed to squeeze into the little open space that was there to work with me. Right between the cardstock, theXyron, and the open glitter. It didn't even spill! What a great dog. Right now, she is hiding in the closet because of the fireworks. But earlier she was helping me stamp!

Idea Book & Catalogue

2007-07-03T12:11:00.000-05:00

The new catalog is here! It is filled with great new papers, stamps, and accessories. Another angel counted, and we have 209 stamp sets that are less than $12! I think that is awesome. The best part? The catalogs are only $4.95! Mine was signed by the owner of our company, Mischelle Smith. :)

Do you want to know my favorites? Here goes!

Favorite New Stamp Set: T-2668 Teacher's Helpers (pg 55) OK, I am a teacher and all, but the Super Job! super kid is adorable. I call my husband Superman, so that stamp is perfect!

Favorite New Paper: V-831 Mulberry Meadow (pg 12) This paper is just beautiful. It was love at first sight.

Favorite New Alphabet: T-2723 Bet Blocks (pg 81) I can't wait to get this set to use it on scrapbook pages. I am a bit of an alphabet junkee, and this was a must have for me!

Favorite New Accessory: V-817 Memory Purse (pg 100) My teammate had this great purse, and I had just asked her where so ordered it online. Later that night the catalog was unveiled, and we now sell it ourselves! You can make your own scrapbook page to decorate the purse. I can't wait to get it!!!