Welcome to my blog, Sea to Sea Stampin! I am Melissa Thomas-- I have been a demonstrator for 8 years and a Paper Pumpkin subscriber for even longer!!! 

This month's kit is AMAZING! I always love the Christmas kit and this year I got extras-- partly so I can teach them at this new assisted living facility I am teaching a class at-- and partly for myself! These are going to be FUN to make and send! 

For this month's blog hop I combined the card and gift projects into one-- to make this cute bookmark pocket card! I first featured it on my Instagram-- then I made a similar version on my Facebook Live last night (always Wednesday at 7pm) and it's on my YouTube channel too! 

​These are going to make terrific gifts for Marianne's teachers-- the pocket can hold a small scale fancy hot cocoa packet, one of those VIA coffee packets, a gift card, or in this case a Perfectly Posh sample! 

All you need is an extra piece of Shaded Spruce cardstock and a small piece of Basic White cardstock that is cute with the Tailored Tag dies. And you can get TWO out of every original card base-- that means you can make 10 of these cute cards!! Plus another five from the packet with the buffalo check cards... 

BTW-- the gems in this kit are SO sparkly! 

Did you know you can get refills? And all you really need is a good Christmas sentiment stamp set-- the magic is in the refill.

Keep hopping along to see all the amazing alternative projects! 

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

Welcome to my blog, Sea to Sea Stampin! I am Melissa Thomas, an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and am so jazzed to be hopping with everyone to showcase Watercolor Pencils-- one of my favorite mediums! 

I began using them when I was a kid (my mom is from the Netherlands and we got a few sets on a trip there and I loved how easy they are to use!) 

This week I decided to use them to color in the Seasons of Fun stamp set that you can get as a host item!! How cute is this card with all the touches of pink from the Whimsy & Wonder DSP?

If you want to see my live action coloring check out my YouTube recording of my Facebook Live from Wednesday night below...

Don't forget to keep hopping along!! Everyone has such lovely projects...

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

And if you are interested in getting this amazing set of 24 One Sheet Wonder tutorials please consider placing an order with me! Just click the photo to shop my store or here!

Welcome to my blog! I am so excited you are here and hopping with us to see some inspiration from this month's Paper Pumpkin kit! I almost didn't have enough supplies to make an alternative project because I made so many of the cards to send encouraging cards to my Girl Scout troop! They have a great year ahead of them in 7th grade and I know they will love the note from me...

But I knew I wanted to make a Christmas card with this card-- especially since I love the sentiments in the BRAND NEW Christmas to Remember stamp set!

I added some Wink of Stella to the trees, moon, and stars! Just to give it a little extra umph! I seriously love glitter that doesn't make a mess!

For my 3D project I sealed one of the gorgeous envelopes, cut the top off, and decorated the front! Then I made an insert and added the cute little file tab to pull it out!

So cute-- this would be a great gift for my girl to start 7th grade-- just going to add a Starbucks Gift card to it!

Thanks for hopping along... I can't wait to see what everyone else has designed-- maybe they got more inventive then me~ lol!!

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

I love revisiting my old projects to get inspiration (and see how far I have come as a creator, designer, and stamper)! Have you taken this challenge before?? This one was especially fun as I had to make some swaps for my Stampin' Up! Leaders swap due this month.

With each new catalog we have the opportunity to swap with other leaders from around the country with each of us focusing on a different stamp set-- that way we get lots of samples from lots of sets and suites that we might not have gotten before. We also do one on my team and even a local shoebox swap! By the time the new mini holiday catalog goes live I will have 87 new samples to show off!

So... what did I decide to feature? Well, the new Sale-a-bration paper Peaceful Prints has some beautiful patterns so I decided to case this swap I did for Leaders a few years back...

But this time I featured the new Black Glimmer Paper... quite spectacular! 

Here's a closer look at the lovely subtle details on this card, like a touch of vellum! What I love about this card is that it is "reproducable"! You could make ALL of your Christmas cards in an afternoon with this simple but elegant design! 

Hope you enjoyed this flashback project from me AND I hope you love everything my Stampin' Friends have to show off-- keep hopping along down below:

1. Kim Lamos: www.pinkzebrapapercreations.com/2021/07/stampin-friends-blog-hop-just-rewind.html
2. Jo Blackman: https://www.joblackman.com/2021/07/sf2021-rewind-redo-blog-hop.html
3. Jean Beaulieu: https://danantmom.blogspot.com/2021/07/stampin-friends-2021-july-blog-hop-just.html
4. Katja Ettig - https://www.kleine-stempelmiez.de/2021/07/23/stampin-friends-blog-hop-just-rewind-and-redo/
5. Heidi Collins - https://www.onygostamping.com/blog/redo-and-rewind-poppin-pastels-and-covered-notebooks
6. Teri Pocock - https://www.stampinmagic.com/2021/07/stampin-friends-blog-hop-rewind-and-redo.html
7. Melissa Thomas (you are here!!)
8. Tiziana Milano (US) - https://stampinwtiziana.blogspot.com/2021/07/stampin-friends-july-blog-hop-just.html
9. Steph Jandrow - ⁠https://stampinandscrappinwithsteph.weebly.com/home/stampin-friends-just-rewind-and-redo-blog-hop

Happy crafting,
Melissa

I just realized that I have made a TON of Christmas cards this fall (with a few more coming next week) and haven't shared them on the blog... So, maybe you have a bit of extra time this weekend and want to craft? Need some inspiration?  Check out my recent creations below...

As always, I am so thankful for your comments, your pins, your friendship, your business... You are the reason that I can stay home with my daughter and really enjoy these years! 

Happy crafting and Happy Thanksgiving,
Melissa

P.S. Don't forget the Online Extravaganza Sale this weekend! It's pretty awesome and it spans six days with three different sets of items on sale (Paper, Stamps, and Ink)! 

As we wrap up my week of Silver Elite Challenges & Giveaways I am reminded of how thankful I am to work with such an ethical, honest, and inspiring company. Above is our Statement of the Heart and SU challenged us last week to: Live it. Love it. Share it. And we are! 

Today's challenge is to follow my Instagram account (if you aren't already) and comment here. If you already follow me, then just comment below. I have been featuring some of my work there lately-- mainly Blends-- so the winner of this challenge will win two Blend markers of their choice!

Now... the big news tonight is that as of midnight tonight lots of items are on sale!!

​Don't forget to place an order through Monday, November 27th to receive a ribbon sampler from the holiday catalog AND to complete one of the challenges for the GRAND PRIZE: Lantern Builder Stamp Set and Framelits!

You can view the complete list here but there will be additional items available on Monday, November 27th as a surprise. Please note that the stamp sets for sale are ONLY FOR SALE on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20th. 

One of my favorites on the list is a holiday set that makes fast and pretty cards-- on sale tomorrow for only $14.40!! Every Good Wish!

 As a recap here are all the challenges:
Day 1: Follow Paper Pumpkin Pinterest Board
Day 2: Join my Facebook Group for Up-to-date Info
Day 3: Place an Order
Day 4: Subscribe to YouTube Channel
Day 5: Watch & Comment on FB Live or YouTube OnStage Recap
Day 6: Comment on Pillow Gift Blog Post

And today, follow Instagram on Day 7-- just delayed because we had a terrific family day! Well deserved and needed!

Happy crafting,
Melissa

Welcome to Day 6! EEEK! A full week of giveaways and fun! May it never stop!! Today I wanted to show you the pillow gifts I brought with me for everyone in the house at OnStage in Salt Lake City (plus one team member who was staying at a nearby hotel)! 

These bags already look fabulous with the shiny gold stripes but then add a simple tag topper and bam! Awesome-sauce! I was using the Christmas Around the World DSP stack again because I love it and I stamped the sentiment from Merry Little Labels in Real Red, added a Garden Green scalloped oval and a little banner in Real Red- tada!

Pillow gifts are a really sweet tradition that Stampin' Up! has where you give your roomies a sweet gift (generally each day you room together)! We took turns in the house gifting one another and it was so fun! Want to see what's in it?

Perfectly Posh goodies! And this one can be yours! I will be selecting someone from the comments and will send them this goodie bag in the mail! I will say that I love using Perfectly Posh because it is cruelty-free, naturally based, and many are vegan. Plus, everything is under $25. I joined for the discount and I do have a few people who purchase from me so if you are interested you can check it out here. Also, through Nov 30 if you use the code THANKFUL you will save $5 at check out!

I have really loved making little gifts around the Posh products, like these Chunk (bar soap) samples below and our new Fizi bath bomb line. I sell the Fizi's direct, so if you want some, let me know! I have gussied these up for Thanksgiving (and have a cute one planned for Christmas) so message me! 

For the chunk, I used the Merry Little Labels stamp set again but this time with Rich Razzleberry ink and then sponged the back of the Foil Snowflakes with Pacific Point to match the wrapper. For the Fizi's I used a previous Paper Pumpkin kit that has been super popular at craft fairs before. 

So, today I am out at the Copperas Cove Pet Supply Store for a special Relay for Life event called Bark for Life. I am so happy to support this sweet town and the American Cancer Society. I am out here representing Posh and Stampin' Up! but I wish I was at home crafting... 

So, don't forget to comment below and let me know if you have questions! Plus, check out the other posts this week and make sure you get entered to win the big prize!

Happy crafting,
Melissa

Today is a mega-great day to be hopping along with Stampin' Friends because I am also celebrating all week with my "Silver Elite Giveaway" week! I recently promoted to Silver Elite and got to walk the stage at OnStage last week-- and I promised my followers and customers a week of challenges and giveaways. Stay tuned to the bottom for how to participate and make sure to check out the rest of my posts this week to see how you could win the grand prize! 
 
It was super fun to meet with some of our awesome Stampin' Friends at OnStage last week and this picture captures the joy we experienced there! Thanks Elizabeth and Andrea!

So... would you like to see what I have been working on? I am still loving Stampin' Blends and the new Just Add Color paper. I was inspired to make a Christmas card for my Dutch friends (my mother is from the Netherlands and I spent a huge part of my childhood there) so the row homes reminded me of the canal homes in Amsterdam. The sentiment is from the Christmas Around the World Designer Series Paper stack!

This month Kathie Rotti has donated the Merry Patterns stamp set for our blog hop giveaway! You must comment on ALL blog hop posts with the hashtag #SFbloghop2017 and what you love about our projects by Friday, November 24th! Easy, right?

Not only is Stampin' Friends giving away a Merry Patterns stamp set... if you follow my YouTube channel and comment positively on my first video there (where I show off Stampin' Blends and my Christmas card), then I will enter you into a drawing for the Tags & Trimmings stamp set, thinlits, a paper share from Quilted Christmas, and a roll of Quilted Christmas ribbon! All your Christmas gift giving needs will be taken care of!

So, have you loved this post? Then hop along to the other blogs and see what they have created for a happy holiday season. 

Happy crafting,
​Melissa

This year Stampin' Up! asked us to apply to be display stampers for our upcoming Onstage Live in Salt Lake City (convention) and in order to do so we had to create a blog post about our creations! We were asked to create three cards, two 3D projects, and a scrapbook page. I decided to look back over the past couple of months and pick a few of my favorites-- including some I haven't blogged about!

First up, my three cards! The first is a stamp set that I knew I had to get the minute I saw it-- Quirky Critters-- it as a narwhale and snail too! Seriously cute! The DSP behind the sloth is from the Coffee suite! 

Then another stamp set I knew I would be getting-- I am a sucker for quick stamps that fill a card front and Floral Statements does just that! So pretty on Emerald Envy with the watercolor pencils!

Then my most creative moment-- I wanted to create one of those cool ornaments with a bulb inside a mason jar-- and the Watts of Occasions stamp set made it possible... Just love it with the gold embossing, a touch of watercolor, and the embossing paste!!

Now my 3D items! These are tougher for me because I really need an occasion to get inspired but here we go... two recent creations! One inspired by Paper Pumpkin and the new Pick a Pattern DSP and the other inspired by our new Fresh Florals DSP and the new in-colors! 

And finally, a scrapbook page. I don't do traditional scrapbooking but I do love pocket style memory keeping and am so happy that Stampin' Up! has kept that feature in their Memories & More card packs-- I have one and can't wait for a break in the summer to work on it-- so for now-- a layout I created at a recent craft retreat from this past Hello December will have to do! I just love how this one came out! Sometimes people are afraid to chop up their pictures and their cards but I say do it-- it can look terrific! 

Here is wishing me luck as I hope to be selected as a display stamper! I will be attending Onstage Live for the first time in it's new format and with my mother-in-law who is on my team-- with hopefully lots of other teammates! 

Happy crafting,
Melissa

Its hard to say goodbye.... 

Every Monday in May I will be posting about a retiring stamp set that I am going to miss dearly. If you don´t have these stamp sets in your collection, you just might want to acquire them! But stamp sets are only guaranteed through May 22nd!

So, with no further ado... This weekend at our crafting retreat I got inspired to play with the beautiful Floral Boutique Designer Series Paper (DSP) which I had seen others make Dutch Delft animals with out of the Barnyard Babies stamp set!  The card base is from the Watercolor Wishes card kit, which is also retiring! Cute huh?

And this cute card was from several years back- a fun pun for Christmas!

happy crafting,
Melissa