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This is my personal blog. I am an Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and solely responsible for its content. Stampin' Up! does not endorse the use of or contents of the classes, services, or non-Stampin' Up! products I may offer here.

• Musings….

  September 2010

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• Tweet along with me!

  • believes that if you want to accomplish something, you will find a way; if you don't, then you will find an excuse.
  • had fun with some new stamps from the upcoming Summer mini and the new Smooch Spritz...some great ideas to try out over the weekend!
  • is happy to wish her mommy a very happy 89th birthday!
  • of late, I seem to need about ten hours more per day than I have...
  • is getting her stamping butt in gear by doing Sherrill's boot camp!

• April’s Awash in Flowers!

  

• April Project of the Month

  

• Cards, Gifts and More…

  

  

Looking for a great idea for a neat teacher’s gift? Here’s a cool idea that is quick and easy to do:

Featuring one of my new favorite stamp sets, Fox & Friends, here are the supplies that you’ll need:

Stamps:

• Fox & Friends (in the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalogue)
•  Woodgrain background stamp

Paper:

• Kraft card stock
•  Whisper White card stock
• Rose Red textured card stock
• The Write Stuff Specialty Designer Series paper

Ink: 

• Soft Suede Classic Stampin’ Pad®

Accessories: 

• Old Olive 5/8” grosgrain ribbon
• Playground Designer buttons
• Stampin’ Dimensionals®
• Sizzix® Big Shot™
• Serif Essentials Alphabet Bigz die
• Crochet thread
• Notebook

Another project featuring Fox & Friends

 

I recently was “commissioned” by my day-job to create a memory book/ tribute book for our retiring Director General and I have to say that My Digital Studio was heaven-sent for this.  It made the whole project much easier to manage and whole lot more simple, too!  It was a great tool to use to turn a variety – a mish-mash really – of photographs into a more manageable arrangement and even help me in the presentation of those pictures – the ready-made layout where you simply drop in your pictures are a great tool for projects like this. 

Along with their Colour Renovation announcement, Stampin Up!* released a new series of brushes, stamp sets and punches for their My Digital Studio* program. 

Item Number	Name	Price
121061	Vintage Overlay Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download	$7.95
121062	Vintage Vogue Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download	$5.95
121064	Well Scripted Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download	$5.95
121066	Rough Type Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download	$13.25
122131	Extra Large Two-Step Bird punch – Digital Download	$1.25
122132	Extra Large Fancy Flower punch – Digital Download	$1.25
122133	Medium Jewelry Tag punch – Digital Download	$1.25
122134	Pinking Hearts Border punch – Digital Download	$1.25
122135	Pinking Hearts Corner punch – Digital Download	$1.25
122136	Scallop Trim Border punch – Digital Download	$1.25
122137	Scallop Trim Corner punch – Digital Download	$1.25

If you already have My Digital Studio, I hope you are enjoying it as much as I’m enjoying mine – give me a call at any time if you have questions.  If you haven’t purchased MDS yet and are thinking of it, call or email me and I can give you a quick tour and some play time as I’ve got it installed on my new laptop! I think you’ll find that it’s a fun, easy to use and simple tool that will help you to get all of thos pictures tamed!

With colour trends changing, sometimes it can be a bit difficult to keep up, craftwise.  You have favorites that are your go-to colours and you have colours that you never use…

We’ve asked Stampin Up! to keep some of their retired in-colors and to retire some of the colours that no one ever seems to use.  And, today, Stampin Up announced that they’ve listed to us: as of the new catalogue and idea book, there will be a total of 40 colours divided into four colour collections: subtles, regals, brights and neutrals.  There are a number of colours that will be retiring – now’s the best time to stock up and  buy re-inkers, cardstock and markers in the colours that will be retiring – like Green Galore, Yo-Yo Yellow and Blush Blossom.  But the new colours – cherry cobbler, early espresso, cajun craze, delightful daffodil and marina mist – are beautiful and I can’t wait to be able to pre-order them.  Add to that some of the earlier in-colours like river rock, melon mambo, rich razzleberry, baja breeze, riding hood red and pink pirouette and you will have be able to create some wonderful, classic and elegant projects in today’s coolest colours.  What’s more, the new colours will be around for awhile – in some cases, they’ll be around for up to five years – and will be available in crayon, marker, pastel and ink pad (some will be available in spot size pads!).  Stampin Up has ever created colour kits that we’ll be able to buy (though at writing, I’m not sure if these will only be available to demonstrators or if these kits will be available to all customers).

Want to get your hands on these new colours? Well, the best way to get them all is to become a demonstrator!  From now until May 30, Stampin Up will give you two dvds – workshops wows 2009 and workshop wows 2008 – of techniques and special projects demonstrated at Convention.  What’s more, if you join and recruit new demonstrator, Stampin Up! will give you a special incentive bundle made up of cardstock, markers and ink pad in some of the newest, most popular colours. Interested? Call or email me before my birthday (May 4) and I’ll throw in my favorite stamp set for free – a flower for all seasons (111592) – a value of $19.95 just for joining my team!     

As soon as I can, I’ll be sharing some projects made with some of the new colours and featuring some of the new stamp sets available from both the Occasions and the upcoming Summer mini catalogues.  Stay tuned!

Today, at about 2 p.m. my time, Stampin Up will be making a big announcement about some new products.  Part of the announcement, new colours and a revamp of the current colours, was made yesterday and lets just say that change is coming.  Once I know more about the announcement – which is a nice way of saying that once I have processed the announcement and have figured out what I can tell you – I’ll post something back here…

 

　

two-step into

 

Stampin’ Up!’s® Two-Step Stampin’® sets allow you to quickly and easily take your creativity to the next level. And now, from April 1-30 only, you can purchase the brand-new Awash with Flowers Two-Step Stampin’ set—

or get it FREE when you host a $460 workshop!

ITEM #	DESCRIPTION	PRICE
117062	Awash with Flowers (set of 18)	$52.95
120549	Awash with Flowers (set of 18)	$36.95

Here is a cool project that will make you a “big shot” with your favorite little girl: a ponytail holder:
Ingredients:
• Corduroy button
• Sizzix Big Shot
• Scallop Circle #2 Bigz die
• Fabric
• Needle and thread
• Ponytail elastic

Recipe:
1.Die cut 10 large scallop circles using Big Shot and Scallop Circles #2 Bigz die. Cut off eight of the scallops from each scallop circle. Gather together across the flat side about 1/4″ from edge, gathering all ten circles on the same double-thread. Tie off.
2.Die cut 10 small scallop circles using Big Shot and Scallop Circles #2 Bigz die. Gather the circles across three of the scallops on the same double-thread. Tie off.
3.To cover Corduroy button, die cut a small scallop circle, then cut off all scallops. Gather the fabric around the edge, place button in the middle, then gather up threads and tie off.
4.Attach ponytail elastic to back, then sew through all layers of fabric (including fabric around button), so fabric layers are connected to elastic.

Want to be a Big Shot? Here’s a cool project that you can make using the Big Shot:

Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
* Soft Suede polka dot grosgrain ribbon (or any coordinating grosgrain ribbon)
* Linen thread
* 5/8″ Jumbo brads
* Sizzix Big Shot
* Lattice Bigz die
* Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die
* 18″ x 18″ artist canvas
* Background fabric (2/3 yard)
* Push pins
* Thumbtacks

On Sunday, we’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day but on my daughter’s favorite television network, Treehouse TV, they don’t call it Valentine’s Day but Friendship and Caring Day! So, in honour of Friendship and Caring Day – it also works really well for Valentine’s Day, too – here’s a card for you:

Here’s the recipe:

Stamps: Love Bandit*
Paper: Kraft card stock
Hugs Sending Love Notes*
Glassine rectangle envelopes*

Ink: Old Olive Stampin’ Pad®
• Soft Suede Stampin’ Pad
• Melon Mambo Stampin’ Write® marker

Accessories: Melon Mambo polka-dot grosgrain ribbon
• Stampin’ Dimensionals®

*From 2010 Occasions Mini Catalogue

As many of you may know, I have a five-year old daughter who is a bright, charming and wonderful little bundle of energy.  Over the past few weeks, however, she seems to have developed an entrepreneurial spirit. Let me explain: since Christmas, she is determined to earn money for some unknown recompense. She won’t tell me why she’s desperate to make money, just that she is.  Her father and I have come up with a list of several “chores” that she can do to earn an allowance – once she’s feeling better (she has another cold!), we’ll start her on her chores. 

Last Fall, Stampin Up! released a new line of Build-A-Bear dies, stamps and paper – and my daughter is a big fan.  Most birthdays and other occasions she’s needed a card for, we’ve used the BAB set.   So, here’s a little something that I’ll be making for her this week: a chore chart that she can use to keep track of her daily chores and if they are done or not.  Once I’ve made the chart, I’ll try and upload a picture of it! This is what Stampin Up! suggests as a chore chart:

Here are the supplies you’ll need – and good news, with every purchase of $25 from the  BABW collection, you’ll receive a coupon for $5 off at your local BABW store:

SUPPLIES	REGULAR	QUANTITY
Bear Stampin’ Up! Bigz Die	$31.95	Qty:1
Beary Essentials Stampin’ Up! Bigz Die	$31.95	Qty:1
Basic Black 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$9.95	Qty:1
Chocolate Chip 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$7.25	Qty:1
Kraft 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$9.95	Qty:1
Naturals Ivory 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$9.95	Qty:1
Very Vanilla 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$9.95	Qty:1
Certainly Celery 8-1/2X11 Card Stock	$7.25	Qty:1
Rich Regals 12X12 Textured Card Stock	$15.95	Qty:1
Pawsitively Prints Designer Series Paper	$13.25	Qty:1
Crystal Effects	$8.95	Qty:1
Medium Window Sheets	$6.50	Qty:1
Timeless Type Alphabet Junior Stampin’ Up! Sizzlits Die	$99.95	Qty:1

Also, don’t forget that when you order $65, you get to choose a free reward from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue – contact me today to find out more and to place your order!

Featuring one of my favorite stamp sets from Sale-a-bration, here’s a cute card that can be used to welcome a new neighbour or as a birthday, thank you or a just because card:

Stamps
• Good Neighbors*
• Happy Moments*

Paper
• Kraft card stock
• Real Red card stock
• Very Vanilla card stock

Ink
• More Mustard Stampin’ Pad®
• Old Olive Stampin’ Pad
• Real Red Stampin’ Pad
• Soft Suede Stampin’ Pad

Accessories
• Stampin’ Dimensionals®
• Scallop Edge punch
• Stamp-a-ma-jig

*Available as a Sale-A-Bration reward – contact me today to find out how! Call or email me!

• Colour Renovation: New Collections

  

• Colour Renovation: Fond Farewell

  

• Do the Two-Step in April…

  

• The Clearance Rack

  

• Join my team…

  

• Occasions Mini Catalogue

  

• Build-a-bear

  

• Definitely Decorative Catalogue

  

• Big Shot for Quilters

  

• Simply Adorned