Elizabeth Card

This is one of my all-time FAVORITES!  And it's going to retire?  SAY IT AIN'T SO!  It's so elegant and you can put any greeting in there and you've got a wonderful card!  This set is called "Elizabeth" and it comes all by itself.  If you'd like to have Elizabeth before it's gone - 117120 (in wood only) - you can visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."  Once you have it in your hot little hands, you'll be grinning from ear to ear because it's THAT good!

Daisies #2 Flower Card

I received this beautiful card from Jayne Singleton and I wanted to share it with you because that beautiful daisy on the front is being retired!  Look at the PIZZAZZ it adds to the card!  This is the Big Shot Die called Daisies #2 - 114520 - and, unfortunately, I understand that this item is not available anymore - the stock has already been depleted!  NOOOOOOO!  These daisies also look really cute on regular, ordinary flip-flops!  Just brad them onto your flip-flops and it's a whole new day!  Thanks, Jayne, for touching my life with some daisies!

Herb Expressions Card Sample

I live in Texas and the Bluebonnet is our state flower, so anything that resembles a bluebonnet is something I love.  This sample is actually made with the "lavender" stamp from "Herb Expressions," but doesn't it also look like a sketch of a bluebonnet?  This card was featured at my "Let's All Cry and Wave Goodbye" Camp Wannastamp.  Simple and sweet is hard to beat!  I believe I got this card idea from Pinterest and I'm not sure who the original creator was, although it might have been Bonnie Klass.  The recipe is below.  All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up!  To order these products, visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."
Recipe:
Paper:  Whisper White - 11 X 4-1/4; Concord Crush - 4 X 3; Whisper White - 3-7/8 X 2-7/8
Stamps:  Herb Expressions; Teeny Tiny Wishes
Inks:  Concord Crush Marker; Old Olive Marker; Basic Black Marker
Miscellaneous:  Big Shot; Framed Tulips Embossing Folder; Stampin' Dimensionals; SNAIL Adhesive; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Basic Pearl Jewels; Paper Snips

Notably Ornate Card

"Notably Ornate" has been in the catalog for several years and I've never used it - and now I'm sad that it's being retired because it's always been one of my favorites.  It was one of the sets I featured at my "Let's All Cry and Wave Goodbye" Camp Wannastamp.  You've gotta get it before it's gone - it's just too good to pass up!  I paired it up with "You're a Gem," which is another great set that I'm sad to see go.  I got the card base idea from Melissa Huie, but then merged it with another beautiful card I saw (somewhere) to come up with this particular card.  All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up!  The recipe is below.  To order these products, visit my 24/7 online store at www.penguinstamper.blogspot.com and click on "Shop Now." 
Recipe:
Paper:  Crumb Cake - 8-1/2 X 5-1/2; Very Vanilla - 5-1/2 X 4-1/4; Pink Pirouette scrap; Basic Black scrap
Stamps:  Notably Ornate; You're a Gem; Music Notes Wheel
Inks:  Basic Black; Crumb Cake; Pink Pirouette; Black Marker
Miscellaneous:  Wheel Guide; Paper Snips; Stampin' Dimensionals; Stampin' Sponges; Color Spritzer Tool; Boho Blossoms Punch; Basic Pearl Jewels; Mini Glue Dots; Extra Large Oval Punch; Modern Label Punch; Small Oval Punch; Victoria Crochet Trim - 15" long; Sticky Strip; SNAIL Adhesive

Lace Ribbon Border Punch Card

Here's a great card that could be used for almost any occasion.....for a woman!  Very feminine and soft, with pearls that add a nice touch of class!  I featured this card at my "Let's All Cry and Wave Goodbye" Camp Wannastamp.  While that Lace Ribbon Border Punch is a little tricky to use, it's well worth the effort when it produces a card like this!  This card has been on numerous blogs and on Pinterest multiple times, so I'm not sure who the original creator was.  The recipe is below.  All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up!  To order these products, visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."  You can shop in your jammies!
Recipe:
Paper:  Pink Pirouette - 11 X 4-1/4; Whisper White - 5 X 3-3/4; Pink Pirouette - 4-3/4 X 3-1/2; Whisper White strips for the punch - 6-1/2 X 3 (and you'll need three strips)
Stamps:  None
Inks:  None
Miscellaneous:  Stampin' Dimensionals; SNAIL Adhesive; Lace Ribbon Border Punch; Basic Pearl Jewels; Paper Snips; White Organza Ribbon - 5" long; White Organza Ribbon - 11" long; Scissors; Mini Glue Dots

Clearly For You Card

Here's a great card that I had originally seen using the "Kindness Matters" stamp set, but I changed it to "Clearly For You" since I wanted to feature retiring stamps sets at my "Let's All Cry and Wave Goodbye" Camp Wannastamp.  I think it turned out nicely!  I am becoming a huge fan of vintage stamp sets.  The recipe is below.  All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up!  To order these products, visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."
Recipe:
Paper:  Whisper White - 11 X 4-1/4; Whisper White - 5-1/4 X 4; Whisper White scrap; Baja Breeze scrap
Stamps:  Clearly for You
Inks:  Lucky Limeade; Baja Breeze
Miscellaneous:  Stampin' Dimensionals; Big Shot; Stripes Embossing Folder; Designer Frames Embossing Folder; Extra-Large Oval Punch; Paper Snips; Stampin' Sponge; Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon - 5" long (2); Pear Pizzazz Seam Binding Ribbon - 12" long; Itty Bitty Punch Pack; Basic Pearl Jewels; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Mini Glue Dots

Corner Bookmark

Here are three bookmarks we made at my "Let's All Cry and Wave Goodbye" Camp Wannastamp.  They fit on the top right corner of a page.  This is such a fun project!  I literally had to tear myself away from it and go make dinner and do laundry.  You know how that is?  The ideas are endless with this type of project and therein lies the problem.  Can't you just see Christmas bookmarks?  Teacher bookmarks?  Monogrammed bookmarks?  And I can't leave out Halloween because you know how much I love Halloween!  Love the vintage look of these - and we also made a cute little box to store them in!  All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up!  The recipe is below.  To order these products, visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."
Recipe:
Paper:  Basic Black - 4 X 4 - score at 2" on both top sides using a diagonal plate; Basic Black - 2-3/4 X 2-3/4 - cut diagonally from opposing corners (for the back of the bookmark); First Edition Designer Series Paper - 3-3/4 X 3-3/4 - score at 1-7/8" on both top sides using a diagonal plate; Very Vanilla; Crumb Cake; Baja Breeze
Stamps:  Posy Punch; Fabulous Phrases; Style Beautiful; Creative Elements; Broadsheet Alphabet
Inks:  Crumb Cake; Baja Breeze; Basic Black; Versamark
Miscellaneous:  Simply Scored Scoring Tool; Diagonal Plate; Paper Cutter; Fancy Flower Punch; 3/4" Circle Punch; Word Window Punch; Stampin' Dimensionals; Basic Rhinestone Jewels; Paper Snips; SNAIL Adhesive; Victoria Crochet Trim - 3" long; Stampin' Sponges; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Bird Builder Punch; Scallop Edge Border Punch; Black Embossing Powder; Heat Tool; Scallop Circle Punch; Curly Label Punch; Itty Bitty Punch Pack; Mini Glue Dots; Basic Pearl Jewels; Paper Piercer with Mat; Uniball Signo Gel Pen; Eyelet Border Punch; Black 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon - 2-1/2" long; Sticky Strip

Bookmark Box

When I learned how to make corner bookmarks, I went CRAZY making all kinds of different ones, so I quickly accumulated quite a few.  I then realized it would be convenient to have a little box to store them in to keep them crisp, clean, and handy.  I came up with this little box, which we made at my "Let's All Cry and Wave Goodbye" Camp Wannastamp!  It's a fun little project and I can see that I'll be making many more of these in the future!  All supplies used and shown are from Stampin' Up!  The recipe is below.  To order these wonderful products, visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."
Recipe:
Paper:  Crumb Cake - 10-3/4 X 3 - score the 10-3/4" side at 3/4", 5", 5-3/4" and 10".  On the 3" side, score it at 3/4"; Very Vanilla scrap
Stamps:  Creative Elements; Tiny Tags; Style Beautiful
Inks:  Basic Black; Baja Breeze
Miscellaneous:  Paper Snips; Sticky Strip; Eyelet Border Punch; Stampin' Sponge; Stamp-a-ma-jig; Basic Rhinestone Jewels; Jewelry Tag Punch; Paper Piercer with Mat; Linen Thread - 5" long; Basic Black 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon; Scissors

Plant Hope Card Sample

This card makes me wish I were back in Hawaii!  LOVE this palm tree!  I can almost hear the balmy breezes when I look at it.  The "Plant Hope" stamp set is retiring - and contained within that set is this beautiful palm tree, three beautiful pine trees, a bonsai tree, and a nice saying about trees.  It's a great set and I'm glad I have it.  If you'd like to own "Plant Hope" - (117042 in wood and 120540 in clear), just visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and Mr. Brown from UPS will deliver it to your front door!  Aloha and Mahalo!

Medallion Card Sample

This is so typical of me!  I have seen the "Medallion" stamp in the catalog for quite a long time and never really paid a lot of attention to it, but now that it's retiring, all of a sudden I love it!  When you pair it with the phrase "Live in the Sunshine," it's gorgeous!  I used Daffodil Delight card stock, ink, and ribbon for this beautiful card.  I found this lovely card on Pinterest.  If you are interested in owning the "Medallion" stamp set before it's gone - 115223 (only in wood) - or the "Pursuit of Happiness" stamp set (121907 in wood or 121970 in clear - and it's not retiring), you can visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."  You, too, can own these stamp sets, and you'll be so glad you have them!

Inspired By Nature Card

Isn't this nice?  I'm so sad that "Inspired by Nature" is retiring.  I love daisies and this stamp set has three daisies in it, but I just isolated one by using markers to color it in.  Thought you might like seeing it - and maybe you should get it before it's gone!  That stamp set makes BEAUTIFUL cards!  To order "Inspired by Nature" - 111656 (it's only in wood) - just visit my 24/7 online store at www.pennythomas.stampinup.net and click on "Shop Now."  You'll be happy when you have this stamp set as part of your collection!

Disney World 2012 with Stampin' Up!

We just recently returned from the Stampin' Up! Disney World trip!  I felt a tinge of excitement as we entered Walt Disney World!  Even at 54 years old, there IS something magical about it!

Mickey Mouse ears on our bed!

We stayed at the beautiful Boardwalk Resort.  Here is the view from our balcony.  We could see lovely gardens below us.  At night, we could see the fireworks from Magic Kingdom!  WOO HOO!

Here's my sweetheart and I enjoying the hospitality room that Stampin' Up! set up for all of us.  It was a nice, relaxing place to go to visit with our friends, GET CANDY, and spin for prizes!  It's a really fun place to hang out!

All throughout the Boardwalk Resort, there were unbelievable flower arrangements.  It was a gorgeous hotel!

A close-up of one of the arrangements!

This is the entrance into the resort.  It was so pretty at night with all the lights.

Another view of the Boardwalk Resort.

And here it is, THE castle at Magic Kingdom!  Isn't it gorgeous?  I just know Cinderella is in there!

What impressed me and Randy so much is how clean Magic Kingdom is.  Not a blade of grass is out of place and it is a beautiful park.  Wish I could sleep in that castle just ONE night!

Me and Randy in the tunnel of love!  Actually, it was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, but we pretended it was the tunnel of love!

While at Magic Kingdom, we had the good fortune of having lunch with Meg Wheeler and Suzy Hatfield at the Liberty Tree.  I enjoyed that lunch so much with them and the food was exceptional........well, theirs was!  They had pot roast that I understand was to die for.  My hamburger was a little dry.

Me and Randy at the Liberty Tree in Magic Kingdom.

The beautiful Magic Kingdom grounds.

If you don't know this lovely lady, YOU SHOULD!  This is my good friend Judy Garza and her husband Pablo!  We hung out together quite a bit during the Disney trip and it was a blast to be with them!  They make me laugh, they make me cry, they are easy to be with, they make you feel comfortable.  I just love them!  We were on our way to Downtown Disney!

Although this picture is blurry, I just had to post it!  One night we went to Beaches and Cream for ice cream.  Pablo ordered the No Way, Jose, which is ice cream, peanut butter and fudge.  Judy ordered pralines and cream - just a couple scoops - and this is what she got!  I understand that Judy got quite sick that night and has vowed to never eat pralines and cream ice cream EVER again!  We'll see about that!  **Since posting this, Judy has informed me that I misquoted her!  She said she vowed to never eat that much ice cream so soon before turning in for the night!  It was also butter pecan ice cream, NOT pralines and cream!  As you can see, I was totally absorbed in my own Beaches and Cream dessert (a big brownie with hot fudge and ice cream on top) to really be paying attention to what Judy was eating!

This is one of the beautiful gardens at Epcot.  I just can't get over how beautiful the landscaping is everywhere you look!  Epcot is where my favorite ride is - Soarin'!  If you've never done it before, you've gotta do it.  It is quite fun!

This is the set of Indiana Jones at MGM Studios.  This is where we had our farewell dinner.  All of those tables were for us!  After a short Indiana Jones show, we got to eat dinner on the set and have our pictures taken in different Indiana Jones scenes!  It was lots of fun, there was TONS of delicious food to enjoy, and it was a lovely evening!

Here we are with Mickey and Minnie!  I must say that I was a little worried about this trip.  Since we are not big "ride" people and since neither one of us are "that" into Disney or Disney characters, I just couldn't imagine what we would do this entire trip or if we'd have fun, but I have to tell you that we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and had such a nice, relaxing vacation.  It was a week of absolute joy and happiness and it will be a trip I'll remember for years to come!  Thank you, Stampin' Up!, for treating us to such a nice trip, and thank you to all of my customers and TOPICS! members who helped me achieve it!  After all, when you're at Disney, dreams do come true!