Holiday Sales and Open House

Folks, I've discovered I'm a terrible blogger. I'm going to make getting better at it my New Year's Resolution, along with a second promise: More pics, more projects, and more inspiration.

Now, the news:

* Stampin' Up! is having a 12 days of Christmas sale that starts on Friday! Put your order in by Tuesday, Dec. 15, to guarantee Christmas delivery. The company is promising huge discounts on never-before-discounted items. I can't wait. Maybe I can talk the Man of the Place into getting me my Valentine's Day present. He already got me a Big Shot for Christmas!

*Speaking of the Big Shot: Come to my Holiday Open House Saturday, Dec. 19 from 1 to 3 p.m. and play with it yourself! I'll have a free make-and-take for you to try using the Top Note and Flower Burst Embosslit dies for the Big Shot. I'll also have my famous Christmas cookies, hot chocolate, door prizes, and fun. Come join me!

Wishing you and all of yours the best of holiday seasons!

Peace,

Amy

Holiday Stamp Camp Sneak Peek

Just 1 1/2 weeks to go until my first Holiday Stamp Camp, and I've been busy getting ready! We've got tons of fun in store!

* Embossing: A gold tree on a white and green background

* Rub-ons: A fun holiday sentiment for our new ornament punch in reds

* Relief and glitter techniques: An elegant and simple snowflake in blues

* Decor Elements: An easy way to dress up a picture frame for a gift

* Candle-stamping: Want to turn a candle into a hand-stamped treasure?

* Paper-crafting: Create a book-mark with a notepad to go with it!

Cost is $20, and registrations will close on Monday, Oct. 19. Reserve your space today!

Amy

New Month, New Deals from Stampin' Up!

The new My Digital Studio program is ready to sell; it's fabulous, and I can't wait to get it myself. This month, new demonstrator recruits can get the program with their starter kit at a really good price. See my site for details.

Stampin' Up! is also restarting the "Deals of the Week". From now until Oct. 11, you can order three different punches--Trio Flower punch, 5-Petal Flower punch, and the My Way punch--for just $10.99! That's a steal.

And a new month means new classes at Harmony's House. Check out my Holiday Stamp Camp on Saturday, Oct. 24. You can come and make three different cards and three different holiday gift projects for just $20. This includes snacks, prizes, materials, and instructions to take away with you. Sign up by Oct. 17 to reserve your seat! Location: Harmony's House, 17 Camelot Drive, Mankato. As a special bonus: Those who come get 10 percent off cash orders placed at the time of the class.

And finally, I'm working on different class ideas that I can present to you. Remember that I can tailor any of my classes to work with you and your group of friends, and I'm happy to! One idea that came from an attendee at the Pregnant Pause event I helped sponsor last week: A class that focuses on three uses for one holiday stamp set. That definitely got me thinking. Look for that class to show up on November's schedule, or call and book one in your own home.

Have a good month,

Amy

Thinking ahead ...

October Classes

at Harmony’s House:

Feelin’ Punchy:

Break out your punches and head over to Harmony’s House to make three different punch projects. Learn how to use the different shapes available through Stampin’ Up! for fun and unique cards and gifts. 1-3 p.m. Sat., Oct. 3, Twin Cities, $10

Basic Techniques I:

Learn how to put together and use your stamps for three different projects. Learn two-step stamping, “huffing”, and masking to make simple but beautiful cards.

7-9 p.m., Thurs., Oct. 15, Mankato, $10

Holiday Stamp Camp:

Make six different projects that are perfect for holiday gift-giving! Three holiday cards and three handmade gifts are included in the cost, which also includes written instructions to take away with you. 1-4 p.m. Sat., Oct. 24, Mankato, $20

Register for all classes one week in advance

to reserve your spot.

Contact Amy at alauters@yahoo.com,

or 507-491-3093.

Course fees are cash or check only.

October Special:

Class attendees get 10 percent discount on all cash orders placed at the time of the class.

Check out http://harmonyshouse.stampinup.net or

http://harmonyshouse.blogspot.com

for news and updates.

Upcoming Events and Classes

It's been crazy this month, and I just realized I haven't posted in a couple of weeks. So I think now is a good time to let you all know about upcoming events and classes at Harmony's House.

First up? A Back-to-Stampin' Pub Night at my place Thursday, Aug. 27, from 7 to 9 p.m.

I discovered a wonderful locally brewed hard cider recently, from Welsh Heritage Farms, and I thought it would be perfect paired with stamps! We'll do a make-and-take, visit, taste the cider and some of the wonderful cheeses that go with it, and celebrate the start of another school year.

Second: For my Twin Cities friends, I'm having an open house at the home of my good friend and cousin Shawn Mattson August 29 from 1 to 3 p.m. Email me for details. We'll have demonstrations, doorprizes, a free make-and-take, and more! Stop by any time between 1 and 3.

So many friends have just gotten started with stamping that I thought a couple of classes in how to use their new stamps would be in order. For September, I'm offering:

Basic Techniques I: How to use and clean your stamps; masking, coloring and two-step stamping techniques. $5; includes all materials for two projects. Sunday, Sept. 6 from 1 to 3 in Mankato.

Feelin' Punchy: (Title shamelessly stolen from my upline, Sara Mattson-Blume at LilyInkPad) Use punches to make fun and fabulous cards and projects quickly and easily. $10; includes all materials for two cards and two 3-D projects. Thursday, Sept. 10 from 7 to 9 in Mankato; Saturday, Oct. 3 from 1 to 3 in the Twin Cities.

Finally, we're gearing up for a winter stamp club. The first meeting will be Thursday, Sept. 24 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Fill-In coffee house, Front Street, Mankato. Email me to RSVP at least a week in advance. $5 to cover the facilities cost. Bring all your materials! We'll make one card together, then simply have fun building our winter stash of everyday cards.

I hope you can join us!

Laura-Looking Stamps

Friends, I had a marvelous time this weekend on my tour of Laura-land: Walnut Grove, Minn., and De Smet, S.D. I met some wonderful friends, planned a great conference for next summer, and toured my favorite places. I even got to sleep in a covered wagon on the Ingalls Homestead!

For some of my friends who were curious, there is a stamp set through Stampin' Up! that reminds me a great deal of Laura and her friends. It's called "A Kind Word," and it can be found here.

You can purchase it right on the web site if you'd like. I think it's going to be my next purchase!

Don't forget: Sunday is my First Look Open House, from 1 to 4 at Harmony's House. Take a look at the new catalog, play with some of the new stamps and colors, and win prizes! RSVP so I can make sure I have enough snacks.

Peace,

Amy

This Week's Deal!

Buy the doctor's bag for your Big Shot for $49.95, which is $20 off the current catalog price! Go to my Stampin' Up! web site to order.

New In Colors, July Specials, and More!

I'm absolutely in love with the new colors offered by Stampin' Up! this year, and I've been playing particularly with a deep color called Razzleberry. At my June 19 Open House, you can play with Razzleberry, too, as well as with the Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper.

This card will be our featured free make-and-take for July:
Supplies: Razzleberry Card stock, Very Vanilla Cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper, Crimper, Corner Rounder, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, and Fundamental Phrases Stamp Set, Razzleberry Classic Ink Pad.

I also made this cute little 3 by 3 book, perfect for a quick album:
Supplies: Razzleberry Cardstock, Very Vanilla Cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper, Crop-A-Dile, Crimper, Scallop Oval Punch, Large Oval Punch, Fundamental Phrases Stamp Set, Razzleberry Classic Ink Pad.

Cut a strip of paper 3 inches wide by 12 inches long; score at three inch intervals, then fold accordion-style with the pretty side out. Punch holes and set gromets at edge. Crimp 1/2 inch strip of Razzleberry Cardstock; adhere. Punch Scallop Oval out of Razzleberry Cardstock; adhere. Punch large oval out of Very Vanilla cardstock; stamp with sentiment, and adhere.

Done!

Finally, a cute card I made with one of our new stamp sets, Animal Stories. It goes very well with the Garden Whimsy set, and I'm absolutely in love with the elephant.


Supplies: Razzleberry Cardstock, Razzleberry Lemonade Designer Series Paper, Razzleberry Ink, Creamy Caramel Ink, Nearly Navy Ink, Paper Snips, Animal Stories Stamp Set, Garden Whimsy Stamp set.


****

July Specials: Stampin' Up! is offering a Deal of the Week each week in July. This week: The Scallop Edge Punch, just $10.99. Contact me to order or go to my web site.

At this month's Open House, you get to earn raffle tickets, and the grand prize for the drawing is a basket of assorted stamps and other goodies valued at more than $20! Get a ticket for coming; bringing a friend; placing a $25 order; booking a workshop (and setting the date) and winning small games at the party. It's July 19 from 1 to 4 p.m. Be there or be ... well, you know how it goes. :)

Also, get a first look at the new colors, the new catalog, and the new stamps out with this year's Idea Book. And buy last year's catalog--chock full of great ideas, techniques, and stamps -- for $3. Get a free new catalog when you book a workshop!

Happy Fourth!

Amy

Emergency Wrapping Paper

From the files of the panicked:

The Man of the Place and I are going camping this weekend to celebrate a number of family accomplishments, and we have gifts for several people, both birthday and graduation-type items.

I was all set to wrap them up today when I realized--all I had was Christmas wrapping paper!

Horrors!

We, unfortunately, have a great deal of Christmas wrapping paper; the MOTP got an entire case from his employer as severance when he was laid off at Christmas.

Waste not, want not, I thought.

With the help of the MOTP, I laid out a large sheet of the Christmas paper, printed side down, so that the white side was on top.

Then, I cracked open my Garden Whimsy set, handed him the Green Galore ink, opened the Brilliant Blue ink, and we just stamped the whole paper up randomly.


We ended up doing this three times in order to have enough paper to wrap all the gifts, and each piece was unique.

When we were finished, we simply wrapped up the gifts, stamped side out. Worked like a charm! And the cards that I made for each person heavily featured Garden Whimsy, coincidentally enough, so they all MATCH the paper.

How cool is that?

Try this the next time you're in a pinch! For that matter, you could easily adapt this to a kid project the next time they're bored. Just assign each child a color ink and a stamp, and let them stamp up the paper any way they want to. You'll have a stock of unique wrapping paper that shows off their talents.

Simple changes for Stampin' Up! fun!

So many of my new clients are new to stamping that I've decided to offer a monthly class time for basic stamping techniques. The first Sunday of the month, barring holiday weekends, Harmony's House will host a three-hour class that focuses on how to use the stamps you've already bought, and how to use the accessories to go along with it. The first stamping technique class will be held in August, unless there's a great demand for it. Cost, to cover supplies and snacks, will be $5 each. Reservations required.

Secondly, the monthly open house will now be held the third Sunday of the month at Harmony's House, starting June 21. Each open house has a different theme, and guests who join us will have the opportunity to make-and-take two new projects as well as participate in door prize drawings and see demonstrations of new techniques. This one's free--and June's will feature summer fun projects, such as the star-spangled box and the summer mini-album. Stop by--and bring a friend!

Finally, while there's a great deal of interest in the stamping club, we're not quite off the ground yet. I've been in touch with the owner of the Fill-In coffee house in downtown Mankato, and he's offered to let us use his big back room for a monthly stamping night! What's fun about this option is that none of us provides snacks--you can purchase your choice of snacks right from the coffee house. There's also plenty of room to spread out for as many people as can join us. If you're interested, email me.

Don't forget: if you need any supplies, you can contact me directly or go to my web site (link at left) to order online.

In other news:

The Last Chance list is out, and some of our old favorites are on it! Contact me right away to see what you're missing, or go to http://harmonyshouse.stampinup.net. The new catalogs are out July 1, and I will feature project using the new colors at the July Open House. Come check us out!

And, the project of the week:

I've been playing with making bakery bags using the Designer Series papers, and I've discovered that a six by six inch square of paper makes a perfect little favor bag. It's ultra simple: just score the paper at 1, 1.5, 2, 3.5, 4 and 4. 5 inches; turn and score at .5 and 5.5 inches.

Fold in the sides, adhere, trim the bottom and adhere. Fold in the top, punch and put a ribbon through it.

Pictures next, I promise.

Peace,

Amy

Celebrating Graduation...

Well, this isn't a Stampin' Up! post; it's a post about my other world of academia.

My favorite part of the year, and my favorite ceremony, is graduation.

I've come to realize that not all professors share my enthusiasm for watching their students celebrate this milestone. I've attended every graduation ceremony I could since I got my doctorate and started teaching myself. And each time, I get one or more colleagues who offer their sympathy that I've drawn "graduation duty." I've gotten suggestions to bring papers to grade with, or a paperback slipped up a sleeve of my robes, or other materials to take away the tedium of the speeches and the calling of the names as students walk across the stage.

I find it rude.

Maybe that's because I have a slightly different perspective on graduation than some. I earned my education. I paid for it myself, with burns from deep-fat fryers, sweat from midnight deadlines at the student newspaper, many versions of "Twinkle, Twinkle" sung for four-year-olds at the campus day care center, and hard studying to keep my four-year full tuition scholarship. I was one of the first in my family on the Mattson side to get a bachelor's degree, and I value it. I recognize the blood, sweat and tears it takes to get that degree.

And I believe we all should celebrate it.

Both universities at which I've worked as a professor have student bodies comprised of working-class students. Very few of these students have a great deal of family money to help them over the hurdles of tuition and books. Most are working in addition to going to school; some have families; some are single parents, reaching for that degree.

We in the professoriate should honor them for their hard work and the significant achievement of attaining a bachelor's degree. They could have given up on it at any time. We could have given up on them.

But they didn't, and we didn't.

And that's worth celebrating.

To Oval All, or Not To Oval All ... Well, Why Wouldn't You?

I'm in love with the new Oval All stamp set in the Mini Occasions catalog, the large oval punch and the large scallop oval punch. In minutes, I made this card:This card uses the Echoes of Kindness and Oval All stamp sets, the large oval punch and large scallop punch, and Walk-in-the-Park Designer Series paper, in Nearly Navy ink, matted on Nearly Navy card stock which is, in turn, matted on a Very Vanilla cardstock card base. (Tough to see here.)

It's remarkably easy to use these sets! And as you can see, the results are very nice.

I spent a good hour Sunday playing with just scraps of paper, the Oval All sets, and the punches, creating easy gift tags. I've got stacks, now, let me tell ya. Some samples:


The far right, top tag was the inspiration for the card above.

Quick tip of the day:

When matting on cardstock, cut each piece a half-inch smaller than the piece before it to get a nice, quarter-inch border on your card.

For example, if you're making a standard 5.5 inches by 4.25 inches card, size the next piece of stock at 5 by 3.75 inches, and the next one up at 4.5 by 3.25 inches. The standard sized border there is actually an historically accurate measure called a pica, and in journalism, we have research that shows us human eyes like that border. From the files of "Who knew?"

Probably only PhDs in mass communication.

Happy stamping, and don't forget to visit my other website: http://harmonyshouse.stampinup.net.

Books, brads, and banter ...

Well, all right; I only added "banter" to keep the "b" alliteration going. Once a writer... well, you get the idea.

I've been psyched this weekend after the discovery of a great book about making books! It's Esther K. Smith's book about book crafting, purchased for me by the Man of the Place, and I'm already head-over-heels for the ideas inside! They're simple ways to make small-to-large, handcrafted books, content not included.

I immediately went to work with plain typing paper and a scissors, and got the techniques down for a 3 by 5" book, a 2 by 2" accordion-style book, and another 2 by 4" book. These all can be generated from single sheets of paper, folded and cut properly. I also crafted a single, multi-paneled 3 by 3 inch accordion-folded book that I wrapped in black designer paper to create a really unique little album-style book. It would really be perfect for gifting, set with individual pictures of family members. Or a neat little alphabet book for a shower gift. 

I also made two small notebooks, using the simplest form of the beginner book folding technique, designer paper covers, and brads to hold it together. I presented the first one to the Man of the Place in thanks, and he loves it. He plans to use it for taking notes during his martial arts lessons. If I can wrestle it away from him for a few seconds, I'll scan it it in for y'all. And yes, I'm still waiting on batteries for the camera.

Finally, a note about brads: I'm now completely in love with these little decorative elements. As a journalist by trade, and therefore, a book-o-phobe (there's gotta be a better word for that), I love how I can use brads to bind and hold things together. However, just lately, I've been using them purely for decoration on certain cards. I'm also using them on the belly-bands that keep the accordion-style books and mini-albums together. There's a beautiful line of decorative brads available through Stampin' Up!, and I'll have to get some more.

That reminds me: Paper's on sale this month! Buy three designer packs and get one free. Check out my other web site: http://harmonyshouse.stampinup.net  for more details.

Peace!

An Unfortunate Acronym

As a publications designer with nearly 20 years experience in layout and design, I'm often called up on to teach and share my experiences in layout with classes and in other venues. In fact, I'm writing a book chapter about it for a new editing text.

Most of what I can teach is boiled down into four terms, which, taken together, spell a rather unfortunate word: Contrast, Repetition, Alignment, and Proximity.

Yes, folks, the word is CRAP. (Also used in the Nondesigners Book of Design, which I frequently use as a text in class.)

Contrast, essentially, means if you're going to use two different fonts, colors, shapes, sizes or images in your layout, make sure to make them VERY different. Good, contrasting colors in the Stampin' Up! line include any true colored cardstock and Whisper White. Very Vanilla also contrasts well with the jewel-toned and darker cardstocks. 

In the world of stamped images, look for clean lines that go with fussy florals; fancy type that goes with simple images, and so on.

Repetition means, in part, consistency. Using the Eastern Blooms florals on a card? Use them all the way through the design, and resist the temptation to break out a different set of florals that may not work well with them. But it also means repeating simple elements all the way through a design--a butterfly on the front of a card can be repeated on the back of the envelope, for example.

Alignment means to have elements line up in such a way as to draw the eye naturally from one element to another. A classic pattern is a left-to-right zig-zag, which mimics the way most in Western civilizations read. Start with text or an image in the top left, draw a mental line to the middle right and add something contrasting, then draw a line to the lower left for some sort of embellishment. Other patterns can be viewed in the 2009 Idea Book and Catalog, but the idea behind alignment is to work with what human beings do naturally with their eyes.

Finally, proximity: group like items together. That's it. Florals go together, shapes go together, dots go together, texts go together, colors go together, and so on. Stampin' Up! has that one nailed with coordinating papers, inks, colors and stamps that make it practically impossible to make ugly cards. 

Nothing is ever completely wrong. Let your creativity be your guide. But if it helps, when you're frustrated, just think of CRAP.

 

Working on Samples ...

My first open house is on Sunday, but now I've got my first workshop to prepare for in May. I'll be demonstrating for a group of day care providers in the Twin Cities.

I'm working with my cousin and good friend, Shawn, who is a day care provider, to come up with good, stamp-a-ble projects for kids to do as useful, inexpensive gifts for parents and grandparents. We've decided on the acrylic post-it note project, and on an accordion-fold booklet that can be dressed up with family pictures, a kind of mini-album. It's perfect for national scrapbooking month in May.

I've been playing with the design, and the dimensions of the original piece of card stock are 3" by 9" long, scored at three-inch intervals for folding. This gives you six panels to work with. 

Fold the cardstock into the accordion along the scores. Stamp the front cover with your theme; in my sample, I used "together" from the Define your Life set. As you open it, add other stamps and photos, mounted on a contrasting colored cardstock, to each panel. Reserve the back panel for embellishment and ribbon.

When you've completed the interior panels, fold and flip it to the back. Embellish with flowers, brads, and other fun stuff. Lay a line of adhesive across the back panel, then press an 8-inch piece of ribbon on it, leaving the ends to dangle free. 

Turn the book to the front, and draw the ribbons around to tie in a bow on the front cover, under your stamped theme.

It's simple, cute, and fun as a mini-album for a kid gift.

Options with Define Your LIfe ...

I finally got a clue and started using my scanner to get images of the cards and items I've been making.One of the fun things I've been working with are small note pads, using a Wal-Mart Mainstay acrylic picture frame, post-it notes, and a background paper with stamped goodies to make door prizes for upcoming events.

The finished project is really cute, and I've been playing with my new favorite sets: Eastern Blooms and Define Your Life.

One example:

And another:

I'm using a technique here where I randomly stamp a piece of Whisper White card stock in coordinating colors and texts, then I use it as a background for layering the coordinating colored card stock and stamped images. They've turned out pretty cool. Like this card, which I made for our dean, who's retiring after more than 30 years in her post:

I also thought you might be interested in the Harmony's House signature card layout:

And, finally, a variation on that card that we'll make at the April 26 open house:

These were made with Caramel Cream card stock, Caramel Cream ink on Very Vanilla card stock, the Garden Whimsy stamp set, and Apricot Appeal Pattern Paper, cut into a strip and crimped, as a background. 

The Harmony's House signature stamp comes from a stamp set called Happy Harmony, which is a limited edition and/or hostess set.

Enjoy!

Amy

Open House April 26!

And I finally decided on the make-and-take projects.

We're going to do the Harmony's House signature card, which uses the Garden Whimsy set with Caramel Cream cardstock & ink, an Apricot Appeal crimped accent, and brads. I finished cutting the paper for it last night.

We're also going to do the recipe book in spring colors.

And, finally (Cue the drum rollllll.......) a birthday card featuring the Big Birthday greetings set.

Someday, I'll get batteries for my camera so you can see samples.

How Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cancer, and Stampin' Up! all intersect ...

We were talking in my ethics class yesterday about volunteer organizations, evolving from a case study we had read about the American Red Cross and social responsibility. In that conversation, one of my students piped up with a certain knowledge: being a volunteer coordinator could be really difficult, because volunteers, by their nature, don't have to follow through unless they want to.

How did she know? Because she was coordinating volunteer bakers for a bake sale her Relay 4 Life team was holding in preparation for the campus wide Relay 4 Life fundraiser for cancer research, and several had backed out on her.

She needed chocolate chip cookies.

I asked her to see me after class. I am, as my family knows, a champion chocolate chip cookie baker. And I firmly support cancer research; my grandma Elsie died of cancer and its complications, as have other relatives. Baking chocolate chip cookies? An easy way for me to help.

So I spent my evening yesterday baking chocolate chip cookies, alternating pans through my old gas oven while simultaneously playing with stamps at my kitchen table. (I finally got my starter kit, and I'm in LOVE with the Stampin' Pastels and blender pens. Seriously a must-buy. Seriously.)

I brought my student six dozen cookies this morning. When she stopped to pick them up, she offered me, on her team's behalf, a luminaria or a label for a luminaria to be displayed at the event. "Have you lost someone to cancer?" she asked. "Because if you want, we'll give you a luminaria."

A luminaria is basically a white lunch-sized bag into which glow sticks will be placed, surrounding the track in the big field house on which team members will take turns walking, honoring those we've all lost to cancer. Each bag represents another soul lost. Many decorate their bags with their relative's name and other things.

I was touched by her offer, and I accepted. In my bag to take home with me tonight, I have a luminaria that I'll stamp on behalf of Elsie, with her own Stampin' Up! personalized stamp, still in my things. I'll probably add a butterfly, because she helped to give me wings.

And I'll take a picture for you.

If you're in Mankato April 18, stop by the campus fieldhouse to see the luminaria displays. It's a moving experience.

And if you need chocolate chip cookies for a bake sale, I'm your girl.

The Mini-Cookbook!

I've been working with my "From the Kitchen" stamp set to find just the right make and take project for my April Open House. I think I've found it! It's a mini cookbook, perfect to use as a shower or Christmas gift, attached to an edible item for which the recipe is included in the book.

It's also super simple.

1. Stamp the big recipe card stamp in basic black on 3X5, unlined index cards.
2. Using a different color of your choice, stamp the "yummy scale" stamp in the upper left hand corner of the card.
3. Cut two pieces of 3 1/4 by 5 1/4 cardstock, colors of your choice.
4. On the first piece of card stock, layer it in your favorite colors and stamp it with the category stamp in the set. If your recipes are desserts, for example, stamp it with the dessert stamp and color it.
5. Stamp the back of the second piece of cardstock with "From the Kitchen of" stamp, and sign it.
6. Stack your cards together with the card stock, using the first piece as a front cover and the second piece of card stock as the back.
7. Punch through the cards in the upper left hand corner.
8. Use a brad to bind them together.
9. Write in your recipes!

The brad allows you to fan out the cards, so that when you're cooking, you can simply fan out the one you want to look at and put the others away under their protective card stock covers.

Cool, or what? I plan to use this at the holidays to accompany my treat baskets.

When I get pics going, I'll post 'em.

Playing with Boxes and Baskets

I have probably been having way too much fun this week with my stamps and papers, building samples for future workshops. As soon as I get batteries for my camera, I'll take some pics of my favorites.

One of my current hot items is my crimper, simple piece of machinery that transforms any paper into a wrinkled, corrugated-style ribbon that adds texture and interest to virtually any project. I made some fun cards with a crimped ribbon of contrasting color across the front, layered with sayings and pictures. They turned out really nicely.

I've also been playing with box templates, available from the demonstrator's portion of the Stampin' Up! site, and when I started digging through my big box of paper, I found an entire manila envelope full of old box templates that played with years ago. I've been having a great time making new boxes and baskets of different styles out of paper. I think my favorite is a cone-shaped basket with a handle, perfect for hanging over doorknobs for May Day (May First!).

Surf over to check out my new web site just for Stampin' Up!: http://harmonyshouse.stampinup.net . You can browse catalogs, look at projects, and order right on-site.

Happy stamping!

Welcome to Harmony's House New Purpose: Stampin' Up

I finally took the plunge and am now an official Stampin' Up demonstrator! I've been stamping for years, and I'm really enthusiastic about all the great stamps and products Stampin' Up has to offer for this fun hobby.

To celebrate, I'm offering some wonderful opportunities to you for the month of April:

1. The Open House Launch Party! Sunday, April 26, from 1-4 p.m. at my place (also known as Harmony's House), 17 Camelot Drive in Mankato. Come if you can for three separate free make-n-take projects, door prizes, and specials.

2. In April, if you set a date for a workshop with me, you'll get a free 2009 Idea Book and Catalog!

3. The Mystery Hostess Catalog Party: Any of you who submit a catalog order of $25 or more to me personally by April 20 will qualify for a "Mystery Hostess" drawing. The winner gets all the hostess benefits for the the party, which can include lots of free stamps and supplies. The current catalog is available here: http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/543.asp

Stampin' Up is also offering a great promotion with some fun stamps in April. The Occasions Mini-Catalog launches today, and anyone who orders $40 worth of merchandise from that catalog will get an additional $10 of merchandise for free! And you can add that up. If you spend $80 from that catalog, you get $20 of free merchandise! Check out the catalog here: http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/Occasions09_US.pdf

What a great month to start a business!

For my Milwaukee friends who might want a workshop: I will be in Milwaukee at the end of June, so call me if you want to set something up.

Watch for the launch of my new Stampin' Up web site, coming soon. Meanwhile, check back here for pics, projects and more!

Big Announcement!

I've just won the Pulitzer for my new book, "More than a Farmer's Wife," available for pre-order now at amazon.com.

The Beyond Little House Site is LIVE!

Well, all, it's been a great spring break, and I'm back in the trenches today with my very first post on the new online sociable/blog I've created with other friendly LIW experts. We're live at http://www.beyondlittlehouse.com/.

Sarah Sue Uthoff, Sandra Hume and Zoie/Rebecca Brammer join me in creating a space where all of us Laura-lovers can congregate and ask questions. We've even included a section for "Playing Laura."

Check us out!

To conjugate, or not to conjugate?

In the eighteen years I've been tutoring or teaching writing at the collegiate level, one theme recurs with disheartening frequency: students who have not taken a foreign language have never conjugated a verb. Period. And those who have taken a foreign language admit they've never conjugated a verb in English.

Frankly, I never had, either, as a high school student. But learning how to conjugate English verbs helps all writers see the parts of speech that become necessary to understanding singular and plural tenses; distinguishing between first, second and third person; and (drum roll) recognizing passive and active voice in their writing.

As an example, in many of my beginning writing classes (and some of my upper-level ones, when it's necessary) I walk students through the conjugation of the verb "to be."

First person, singular: I am. (What a definitive existential statement!)
Second person, singular: You are. (Again, a beautiful thing.)
Third person, singular: He/She/It is.
---
First person, plural: We are.
Second person, plural: We are.
Third person, plural: They are.

Students recognize immediately the meaning of the passive verbs they've been using. The true meaning of "is," "are," and "am"? "Exist"!

Teachers identify these verb usages also as "linking" verbs because they do aid in expression of larger concepts when combined with other verbs. Example: "Students are playing." However, "students play" says the same thing, with one fewer word, and more actively. Now we want to know something: "Students play" what? And the story can take off from there.

The other frequently used passive verb is "to have."

First person, singular: I have. (meaning "I own," or, in combination with the preposition "to", "I must.")
Second person, singular: You have.
Third person, singular: He/She/It has.
---
First person, plural: We have.
Second person, singular: You have.
Third person, singular: They have.

When students unpack the meaning of these verbs, they understand much more clearly the distinction between passivity and activity in writing. In addition, tenses and voice become more apparent.

For the average student writer who already possesses a good "ear" for writing, that's often enough to make their writing MUCH better.

So now, to end with what I tell my students is a "call to action": Start conjugating in English, teachers! It makes a difference.

Thoughts on the Craft

Teaching an upper-division writing class makes me happy.

By this point in their college careers, my students--all journalism/pr majors--have spent a great deal of time writing and learning how to write. My challenge to them in this class? Go beyond what they've been taught; write actively and show me what they're talking about. Paint with words. Stop writing with "is" and "has" and "was" and "were."

This challenge disarms them, and me. Just in writing this entry I've deleted and started over sentences that I wanted to write passively. Such writing makes us lazy. Moreover, these students need to be challenged, as do I. Only good can come from thick description that uses active verbs and adjectives.

For example, I could describe my desk:

"A polished silver shell of new Mac rests on top of an oak-toned wooden desk, surrounded by cluttered papers, post-it notes, and reminders. An inspirational calendar, torn to reveal yesterday's message from a notable woman in history, looks perfectly in place among the varied colors of newsletters, brochures and postcards that rise in a stack next to it, ready to use as demonstrations in a publication design class. Next to the stack, the efficient gray phone with its secret-password screen stands ready for use in a call to a student, a spouse, or a future student employer who wants a reference. Under my hands, the keys of the ergonomically flat keyboard click softly while I ponder what else to say in this message."

See? Not a single "is." Believe me when I tell you how challenging writing actively can be!!

What's your challenge today?

Fine, fine, fine.

I've apparently been lax in updating the blog, so this post is for my cousin Sara, who pointed it out over the weekend. :P

Some friends and I are starting a new, online sociable/blog, dedicated to friends and fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her universe. We want to let visitors see the side of the Laura-verse "Beyond Little House," so that's what it's called: Beyond Little House, and it will be launched at http://www.beyondlittlehouse.com by the end of the month. Visitors will find an A-Z directory of links and other resources about Laura, weekly blog posts by the experts, and an opportunity to ask the experts your questions about Laura.

We've each got a different range of expertise that we'll offer.

In other news, my second book, "More than a Farmer's Wife: American Farm Women's Voices, 1910 to 1960" will be out in June from University of Missouri Press. It's available for pre-order on Amazon.com right now. Go here to find it.

Peace.

Fundraiser for the Burr Oak LIW Site:

From Sarah Sue at Trundlebed Tales:

"Card Shower for Burr Oak Museum

February 8, 2009 by trundlebedtales

"The story of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museums is one of grass root efforts. Small towns scattered across the Midwest decided they had to have something for the fans who came to visit them to see and slowly developed museums almost everywhere Laura and her family lived. Among the many methods of raising the initial funding for theses museums were Pennies for Laura campaigns where school children collected and sent in pennies toward getting the museums built. One of the museums these programs, which helped restore is the only original childhood home of Laura in its original location, is in Iowa.

"The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum is located in the small, northeast Iowa town of Burr Oak, Iowa. The Masters Hotel where the Ingalls family lived and worked has been restored. The bank building that first alerted Wilder’s daughter Rose Wilder Lane that she had finally found where her mother had lived has been turned into a visitor center and gift shop. They had 1,635 fewer visitors this year than last and sales of merchandise are down. They have been somewhat unstable the past few years as they have had rapid turnover of directors. Also, the local restaurant/antique shop has closed down and they have hopes of purchasing the building and eventually re-opening it. Even with this instability, they still had visitors from every state in the Union and 23 different countries this year. They presented programs to 550 children this year alone. Now with a new director with a forwarding thinking plan, they need to stabilize their financial situation.

"Bearing all this in mind, I’ve decided that the time is right to host a card shower for the museum during Laura’s birthday month. You can participate several ways during the month of February.

1. Send the museum a card. Even if you can’t donate, hopefully the display of cards will give them a chance to get the word out and encourage others to donate.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum
3603 - 236th Avenue
Burr Oak, Iowa 52101


2. Send them a card and put in a monetary remembrance. Every little bit helps. Do it alone or as a class or club project. If you can’t afford anything else send them a card, to let them and everyone else know you are thinking about them.

3. Send them a donation even if you don’t want to send a card. Even small donations can add up.

"Please re-post this widely and help spread the word.

I hope that we’ll soon be able to look forward to many more years in this museum. Again, please help us by spreading the word. I’m sending a card and hope you will, too."


I'll be sending my card in, too!

New Year, New Challenges

Well, 2008 is gone, and in a weird way, I'm both glad and sad to see it go. The year held momentous changes for me; a new program, a new job, a new city and a new home made things challenging, to put it mildly.

A year ago, I would have said that I handle change well, and I think, overall, that's true. But the older I get, it seems, the harder it is for me to let go of the unfamiliar and seek out the new. I don't suppose I'm the only one in that respect. But I found it awfully difficult to leave my house.

Not the job.

My beautiful house in Kansas, currently home to a nice young family who are renting it from us. If I could have picked it up and moved it north, I would have. I put a lot of myself into that home, and I miss it.

This year brings the new challenge of finding a truly new, permanent home. Our townhome already works well for us, but to have something permanent again, something that belongs to me and my family, will be a happy thing.

The year also brings another challenge: to be accepting of change, and to make positive health changes for myself. I want to start my semester (for me, also a point of new beginnings) with the firm resolution to get some exercise every morning. I might even draw up a star chart so that I can give myself a gold star for every day I spend 30 minutes actually exercising.

Finally, I'm looking forward to the challenge of making family my priority. I've missed everybody, and the true joy of the holidays for me was seeing so many of my nieces, nephews, cousins and second cousins, growing and thriving, in the bounty of love that is our family.

Peace be with all of you this year.

Harmony