It's so fun to make little 3×3 cards with the Button Buddies Stamp Set, I bet you can't make just one!  The greetings are from You're a Gem. Perfect for little bitty cards!

Order your stamps, ink, paper and accessories from my Stampin' Up! Online Store HERE.

The new Stampin' Up! Button Buddies stamp set is really fun to play with!  In the newest edition of Stampin' Success, the Stampin' Up! publication for demonstrators (and one of the many reasons to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!) the Button Buddies stamp set was featured.  I loved the card with cherries on it but I liked the snowman stamp featured on a little box.  So I decided to make this card, somewhat copying the cherry one in the magazine. (You don't even need to be creative to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator….this magazine gives you more ideas than you can use!)

But I didn't like it so much!  I thought the Certainly Celery layer behind the snowman would give the card that soft look, but when I had to cover up the messed up stamped greeting right on the card in the lower right with the punched pieces, I guess I should have used Certainly Celery again for the scallop punch.  I didn't like the red down there and the light green up above.  Anyway, I just didn't like the card.

So I made this instead:

It's just a little 3"x 3" card but I loved it!  So cute! (I think that particular button is a retired one.)  You could make it as just a tag for Christmas gifts or make a large size card with a greeting.  Fun to make and easy to do!

To order the Button Buddies stamp set in either wood-mount or clear, just go to my Online Store by clicking THIS LINK.  Don't forget to order some buttons, too….lots of them, because once you start making Button Buddies, you probably can't stop!

Maybe I missed the price of bacon slowly creeping up. Maybe I already had a stockpile of bacon and hadn't bought any recently. I don't know what happened, but I was shocked to discover that the price of bacon had skyrocketed to $7.00 a package!  It didn't seem any cheaper even at Walmart or any other grocery stores. So even I did not buy a package of bacon at that price…but then I hadn't run out yet.  Finally I found one brand on sale to tide me over.  I think an alarm would go off on my refrigerator if there wasn't bacon in there!

So speaking of bacon, have you seen the Stampin' Up! stamp set Button Buddies that you can stamp and then add a button?! It's really cute but I hadn't gotten to use it yet.

What on earth does bacon have to do with stamping?  Well, until there is a bacon stamp, I'll just have to make this connection with the little pig in Button Buddies!  Here's a little card with the pig and a button!

In doing some research on this issue, I found that the price of pork bellies did skyrocket, due to high corn prices forcing hog farmers to pare their herd because of the high feed costs.

So if you find a sale on bacon, you better stock up so you'll have bacon available for those BLTs!  There are other bacon flavored products out there, but you can't fool me. Nothing like the real thing!

And nothing like the best stamping inks, papers, stamps and accessories either from Stampin' Up!  Stock up now on your favorite stamping supplies!  You never know! Shop HERE today!

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Stampin' Up! created this Special Edition God Bless America stamp in September 2001 to benefit the September 11th Fund, a national disaster-relief fund.  Stampin' Up! sold more than 147,000 stamps, with the entire purchase price donated, and raised more than $1 million for the September 11th Fund.

A leaf and these colors make us think of fall.  Amazingly, here in Houston we have actually been having weather that makes us think fall is possible, in the near future, here! I still can't believe that we went from 100+ degree days, for days on end, to very comfortable, cooler, dry days.  It's almost jacket-weather here early in the mornings!  

The only thing taking away from fully enjoying this beautiful weather is the knowledge that many people in Texas right now are suffering with all the wildfires. Today in Houston we can smell the smoke as a haze settled over the city from miles away due to our cooler morning temperatures. But that is nothing compared to what the people in counties north of Houston and farther west in Bastrop, Texas have to deal with having to evacuate their homes and not knowing if they have any home to go back to.  And many don't. If only the Northeast could send some of their rain down to Texas!  If anyone knows how to do a raindance, come to Texas!

This card is made with Soft Suede card stock and the beautiful, gorgeous Spice Cake Designer Series Paper.  The leaf is stamped with the Gently Falling stamp set.  My leaf actually didn't stamp properly…I forgot to check if I had inked up the center of the stamp well enough…but rather than do it over, I just sponged in some Pear Pizzazz ink in the center, which makes it look more realistic anyway!  See, there are no mistakes in stamping!  I actually "CASED" this card from the Holiday Mini on page 16, except made mine a little larger…and no time to find a button! Love that Spice Cake paper!!

To see all the products in the Stampin' Up! 2011 Holiday Mini Catalog, just click HERE.

Today is the last day of August (I don't know how that can be!), the last day for the Stampin' Up! Summer Mini Catalog, the last day for the Strength & Hope Promotion, and the last day for the Buy 3 Get 1 Free Designer Paper Promotion. Time flies when you're having fun!

This card is made with the Easy Events stamp set….I stamped one of the images three times without the words at the bottom of the stamp…and colored in with Stampin' Write Markers.  For the card background, I used the fun Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper #124339. I think it makes a happy card! Along with the Baja Breeze Seam Binding Ribbon #122331 and the new Designer Printed Brads #122940!

I'll add a sentiment later if I want, or I might just use it to write a happy note to a friend!

If you haven't stocked up on the new Designer Series Paper yet, today is your last day to place an order.  After you put in three packs of paper, the fourth will be free.  Or email me your order and I'll take care of it.  This promotion includes the paper that sells for $10.95 (not the Specialty Designer Series Paper).

And check that Summer Mini Catalog one more time!