Quick and simple

Here's a card that I made a little while ago for a workshop. The original design was from Stampin' Up!, but I changed a few details. It's always nice to look for inspiration from Stampin' Up!, whether it's the catalogue, the website or the demonstrator website, especially when you're trying to get back into the swing of things. I must say that I've had a hard time getting back into stamping lately. I have so many new sets that I don't know where to begin. :) Oh well - I will really get into my new stamps this weekend. In the meantime, here's some new product!

I started with a Bashful Blue card base and added a strip of DSP from the Certainly Celery Prints package. I snipped a slit out of the folded edge of the card to make a hole for the ribbon, which is Mellow Moss Grosgrain. Once that was tied in a double-knot, I added the "Follow your heart" rub-on image from the Eastern Elegance rub-ons. The focal point is the chipboard heart, which I covered with Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive and Bali Breeze DSP. I love the Tombo Multi for adhering DSP to chipboard - it's so simple and neat to use and there are two applicators to choose from. Definitely makes the job easier. Once it had dried, I trimmed it with my Hobby Blade and sanded with the Sanding Blocks. The Tombo Multi was used again to adhere the chipboard on the card. I applied the 'love' rub-on to a Rose Red button and then stuck it to the heart with a Mini-Glue Dot. Super quick, super simple and just the look I wanted! Total time: about 8 minutes!

A special gift

I've had a co-op student working with me in the afternoons since the end of September and it was her last day with us today. She's been a great help in the classroom and the kids have loved having her around, so we wanted to do something special for her. This is what I came up with the other day. The little book is made with Cutie Pie DSP and coasters. To cut down on the thickness, I only used coasters for the front and back cover. The inside pages were just pieces of DSP adhered together. When she opens the book, she sees a school picture of each student on the left hand side and a thank you message from each student on the right. I am really pleased with the way that it turned out and she was most appreciative.

I used the stamp sets "Garden Whimsy" and "Enjoy Every Moment" for the cover. I stamped the sentiment in Basic Black and the butterfly image in Rose Red. I then took a Basic Black marker and went over the butterfly's antennae and body. The head was made with a black brad. I layered the piece of Whisper White on Basic Black and then added 1/2" circles in Bashful Blue, So Saffron, Certainly Celery and Rose Red around the edges to look like scallops. This whole piece was added on with dimensionals. The finishing touch was just some ribbon on the jump ring - Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched, Wild Wasabi Double Stitched and Black Gingham. The bow on the bag was done with a 6x12" piece of Cutie Pie DSP so that it would coordinate. If you haven't made one of these yet, I highly recommend it! It is really sooooo much easier than it looks! Here's a link to a great tutorial by a fellow stamper!

Birthday, Birthday, Birthday!

I tried to replenish my stock of Birthday cards the other day, and these are the ones that I came up with. I ended up making eight copies of each!

The first card is a spin-off of one that can be found on Stampin' Up!'s website. Here's a link to the original. I modified the size, colours and the stamp set, as I don't have they one they used. I'm really quite pleased with the way that it turned out, although it took quite a while to assemble the eight that I made. Each scallop is a 1/2" circle, so they all had to be adhered one by one; while each flower had to be coloured and cut out. Definitely a reason to design and assemble one card before you decide to make 8 of them at once!

The second card was a much simpler card, as I was ready for something a bit easier to assemble. I'm not much of a green fan, but I must say that I really like this colour combination.

Happy Birthday Card
Stamps: Time Well Spent; All Holidays
Paper: Kraft, Whisper White, Bravo Burgundy, Rose Red, Pretty in Pink
Ink: Basic Black, Rose Red, Bravo Burgundy
Tools: 1/2" Circle Punch, 1 3/8" Circle Punch (helped to trim the flower!)
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Day Card
Stamps:Itty Bitty Backgrounds; Background Basics; Tagger's Dozen
Paper: Garden Green, More Mustard, Not Quite Navy, Whisper White
Ink: Garden Green, More Mustard, Not Quite Navy
Tools: Tag Punch, Small Tag Punch, stapler, Sponge Daubers
Accessories: Wild Wasabi Double-Stitched Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals

Don't forget to check out the list of retired stamps and other items up for grabs - there are still lots of stamps in need of a good home! Click here for the most recent list! E-mail me if you're interested in any of them!

Need Anything?!

I am placing an order Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. If there's anything that you need, just send me an e-mail with your completed order form by 4 p.m. Don't forget to adjust the prices to reflect the 7% drop in prices, as the Canadian catalogue prices are incorrect. Need the price conversion chart? Click here. Note that the order form link in the sidebar of my blog has been updated, so the tax amounts are correct.

Here's another quick thank you card that I made the other day. I started with a Certainly Celery card front and stamped a row of circle images from the set "A Beautiful Thing" in Certainly Celery ink using my Stamp-a-ma-jig. I stamped the word 'THANKS" in Taken With Teal ink on the Taken With Teal cardstock using my Rough Edges Mini Alphabet. I adhered a strip of Double-Stitched Wild Wasabi ribbon to the bottom edge of the Taken with Teal so that only one half of the strip showed. This part was then adhered on the card. I took the letter 'g' and it's negative from the Lots of Letters chipboard and covered it in Bali Breeze DSP (I adhered it to each piecewith Liquid Glue). I trimmed it carefully with my hobby blade and then sanded any rough bits with my sanding blocks. The "negative space image" was adhered directly to the first card, while the letter 'g' was adhered to a 1 3/8" Whisper White Circle first and then added on to the second card with dimensionals. I'm still not totally sold on this card, but I do love the look of that ribbon when only half of it is showing!

Something Simple and Quick

It was a busy day looking after wedding planning details, so this is a super quick post. I think I'm coming down with another cold, now that I'm back into the swing of things at work. Oh well - perfect night to just get into the comfy clothes and watch a little TV.

In my "thank you card frenzy" the other day, I quickly whipped these up and forgot to post them. I'm just loving these new items from the catalogue! Can't wait for my first real order to get here! I've got more stamp sets, ribbon, rub-ons, striped ribbon, felt flowers and a new punch coming my way and I'm so pumped to sit and just create!

These cards were made using the new Bali Breeze DSP and the Eastern Elegance Rub-ons that I ordered from the preview mini. I started with a Not Quite Navy card base, added the white rub-on sentiment in the corners and then adhered the DSP to the top of the card front. I tied on Chocolate Taffeta Ribbon and then added the little flower centres to the DSP - they're just 1/4" circles I punched out of another sheet of the Bali Breeze DSP. Super simple and quick!

Two Fabulous Promotions!

January is a sweet time at Stampin’ Up! In addition to a brand-new catalogue full of stamping and crafting treats, we have two special offers we know you’ll love.

Customers: Purchase the Valentine's Day Bundle (item #111903 from the Preview Brochure) for just $39.94. That's 20% off, plus the extra 7% off due to the Canadian price adjustment! The Valentine's Day Bundle (Item 111903**) is perfect for making your Valentine's treats and includes:

111089 - Happy Heart Day stamp set - $26.95
109052 - Real Red wide grosgrain ribbon - $10.50
102757 - Medium cellophane bags - $5.75
109056 - Regal Rose wide grosgrain ribbon - $10.50

Now only: $39.94!!!

Hostesses: Hold a workshop of $450 or more during the month of January and choose any one stamp set from the Spring-Summer 2008 Preview Brochure for FREE!

Contact me today to take advantage of this promotion or to book your workshop!

**Remember to use the special bundle item number 111903 to receive 20%
off! View the bundle on page 3 of the Spring-Summer 2008 Preview Brochure.

Even More Retired Items for Grabs!

There has been an overwhelming reponse for the retired items that I listed on Wednesday, which is awesome. I'm always excited when my stamps are going on to such creative people!

I just wanted to update the list to reflect the items which are left. You'll notice that there are more sets than I had initially listed, so be sure to check those ones out as well. There are some listed twice, which means that I have doubles available. By clicking on the name of each set, you'll be taken to a visual index of that particular set. Some of these have been retired for quite a while, so be sure to click on the links to see what they look like. I will update this list on a regular basis so that you know which sets are still available. Sets listed in green text are already spoken for. If there is anything you're interested in, please e-mail me and I will set it aside for you.

Stamp Sets:

· Alphabits - $11.00
· Bitty Boos Too - $12.50
· Figures of Speech - $16.00 (my very first stamp set!)
· Headline Alphabet - $35.00
· It's a Date - $11.00
· Word By Word - $12.50 (was on the dormant list before)
· Remembering You - $12.50 (from a Simply Sent Kit - 2006/2007)

· Crosshatch - $12.50
· In Any Event - $14.50 - TARA
· Label Classics - $14.00
· Mini Messages - $12.50 - TARA
· Noteworthy - $11.00
· Painted Posies - $11.50
· Say It Simply - $9.00
· Simple Wishes - $9.00

· All-Around Argyle - $25.00
· Along the Same Lines - $15.00
· Alphabet Soup - $11.00
· Alphabits - $11.00
· Big Blossom - $12.50
· Brushstroke Alphabet - $25.00 (Sorry - no gallery at SCS)
· Crazy for Christmas - $14.00
· Dots & Daisies - $12.50
· Furnished With Love - $15.00
· Gently Falling - $11.00
· It's About Time - $15.00
· Label Classics - $14.00
· Linen - $12.50
· Noteworthy - $11.00
· Painted Posies - $11.50
· Riveting - $12.00 - TARA
· Say It Simply - $9.00
· Simply the Best - $15.00
· Word By Word - $12.50

Accessories:

· Bella Fancy Fibers - BRAND NEW - $7.00
· Greeting Glue - BRAND NEW - $3.50
· Spring Bouquet Punch - $10.00
· All About Christmas Jumbo Wheel - $5.50 - KAREN C
· Dragonfly Standard Wheel - $4.00 - KAREN C
· Playful Pups Standard Wheel - $4.00
· Rough Around the Edges Jumbo Wheel - $5.50 - KAREN C

Retired Items Up For Grabs!

Well, it is that time of year again. It seems like I just parted with my last bunch of retired stamp sets. I'm always sad to see them go, but at the same time, I have to make room for sets from the new catalogue. I know that if I offer them to my customers, they will be in very good hands! If you would like me to set aside one, two or more of these items for you, please e-mail me with the names of the sets you would like. Items will be set aside on a first come, first served basis. I will update this list regularly so that you know which items are still available. Most of the sets are priced at half off the regular catalogue price, which is a fabulous deal, as they are all in great condition. All of the wood blocks were sprayed with a clear varnish before the rubber was mounted, and the rubber has been well-cleaned and conditioned from day one!

Stampin' Up!'s policy restricts me from posting pictures of the items that I am selling, but if you click on the title of each stamp set, it will take you to an index of that particular set so that you can see a stamped index of each set.

Retired Stamp Sets:

· Alphabits - $11.00
· Bitty Boos Too - $12.50
· City of David - $14.00 - KAREN C
· Figures of Speech - $16.00 (my very first stamp set!)
· Headline Alphabet - $35.00
· I'm Here - $18.00 - MELISSA M
· In My Thoughts - $35.00 (BRAND NEW, UNMOUNTED) - KAREN C
· It's a Date - $11.00
· Letterpress Alphabet - $35.00 - NANCY
· Monkey Business - $16.00 - DIANA
· All About Occasions - Stamp set with 2 jumbo co-ordinating wheels - $30 (Level 3 hostess) - KAREN C
· Garden Silhouettes - $20.00 (Level 2 hostess) - KAREN C
· Sidekick Sayings - $10.00 (Level 1 hostess - BRAND NEW, MOUNTED) - MELISSA M
· Word on Word - $20.00 (Level 2 hostess) - MELISSA M
· Word By Word - $12.50 (was on the dormant list before)
· Remembering You - $12.50 (from a Simply Sent Kit - 2006/2007)

Retired Punches:

· Spring Bouquet Punch - $10.00 - CAROL

I also have the following retired accessories up for grabs if anyone is interested:

· Bella Fancy Fibers - BRAND NEW - $7.00
· Greeting Glue - BRAND NEW - $3.50
· Blue Frost Spectrum Pad - $8.50 - ILENE
· Rough Around the Edges Jumbo Wheel - $5.50

Interested in an old Fall/Winter 2007 Catalogue? I have 6 of them up for grabs as well - $5 each. They are a great source for colour combinations, layouts, etc., as well as being an index of sorts. Cut out the pages with your stamp sets on them and insert them into a binder - it's all of your stamps at a quick glance, not to mention the colour family charts that you could use when co-ordinating products!

Just let me know which items you'd like, and I will set them aside for you. I have some other treats that I'll throw in as well! Thanks!

PLEASE NOTE: Anything that is listed in Bright Green has already been reserved by someone and is no longer available.

New Thanks!

Here are a couple thank you cards that I made the other day when I pulled out my new products. It was so exciting putting them together - I just love new stuff! One of my Stampin` Resolutions for this year is not to hoard all of my favourite SU stuff - you know...hodgepodge, pretties, rub-ons. Although it is nice to have a stock of them, it`s also so exciting to use them and to see what you can come up with! No more hoarding for me!

I used the new Designer Series Paper, Bali Breeze, along with the new Eastern Elegance rub-ons, which are GORGEOUS and so easy to use. I`m partial to the white sheet (you get a black and a white in each pack), so I decided to try them out on the Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon and it adhered beautifully once I rubbed it on. The card base is Not Quite Navy. I also used a scrap of Whisper White, which I stamped `kind` on with Chocolate Chip ink (it`s from the set, Baroque Motifs). I punched the sentiment out with my large oval punch and then adhered it to the inside of the pewter hodgepodge frame with SNAIL. The little hodgepodge frame and brads were adhered on to the card with SNAIL and Mini Glue Dots so that the backs of the brads are hidden from the inside!

Time is running out!

Time is running out for you to sign up for the Stampers 6 Stamp Club. There are only 2 spots left, and it would be great if we could fill those remaining spots so that both groups can run. Why not join today?! In return for placing an order of $35 (before shipping and taxes) each month from January-June, members receive the new catalogue for free and hostess benefits during their month (free hostess stamps and free merchandise)! It means that you can reap the benefits without the hassle of hosting a party! Want to receive more for free? Host a party during your hostess month and boost your sales! The benefits are endless! You will also receive a coupon which you can redeem during your hostess month to get free shipping on your order that month!

Need more incentive than that? Once both stamp clubs are full, I will be putting all club members' names into a hat and drawing one lucky name. The winner will receive a $10 gift certificate and a brand new, unmounted set, So Many Sayings, from the Fall/Winter catalogue! E-mail me today to get one of those last 2 remaining spots so that your name can be entered!

Many Thanks

Happy New Year everyone! Hope that you had a fantastic evening and that 2008 started out well for you!

As promised, here are some of the cards that I've stamped in the last few days. My students spoiled me rotten this year, so I wanted to make some special thank you cards for them. I just love this set, "All in the Family". They've got an adorable sentiment set in the new catalogue that will look so cute with the stick people - can't wait to order it tomorrow! :)

Stamps: All in the Family, All in the Family Accessories, So Much, Enjoy Every Moment

Paper: Pixie Pink, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Gable Green, Basic Black, Whisper White

Ink: Basic Black, Pink Passion, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Bold Brights Stampin' Write Markers

Tools: Stamp-a-ma-jig