April Scrapbook Club Layout

I know I haven't blogged for quite awhile!  I came down with strep throat about three weeks ago, which put me out of commission for about a week.  Then I was filling it for our church secretary, who had surgery, and subbing lots for the past few weeks, so I've basically been treading water keeping my family fed and my house in reasonable condition!  Needless to say, I haven't had much time for stamping or blogging!

Anyway, it's time to get back into it.  This is the layout that my Scrapbook Club ladies made last week.

I wanted to use the Sent With Love paper, which was only available until the end of April, and lots of the ladies were asking for a travel-themed layout.  The bottom two strips of designer series paper are adhered with sticky strip along the bottom and up both sides so they make pockets on the layout.  I thought they would be a cute place to slip in tickets and other souvenirs.  The ladies were able to use the Big Shot to cut out their title letters for whichever place they wanted to scrapbook.

Hopefully I'll have more time over the next little while to get caught up on my stamping and blogging!  Thanks for reading today!

Blessings,

Last Day of Sale-A-Bration!

It's the last day of Sale-A-Bration, so here's one final card using some of our gorgeous Sale-A-Bration items.

The paper is the Sycamore Street designer series paper, and I chose the Rich Razzleberry and Summer Starfruit accent colours from the paper.  I embossed the Razzleberry cardstock with the Honeycomb embossing folder, then wrapped some Summer Starfruit stitched satin ribbon around the front.  The stamped image is from the Pretty Petites stamp set, pucnhed with the Petite Curly Label punch (both Sale-A-Bration items).   Finally, I added a rhinestone jewel to the stamped image and attached it to the card with a pin from the Vintage Trinkets collection.

It's not too late to get your free Sale-A-Bration items!  If you're in Canada, you can order online here or contact me to place your order today!  I'm also ordering my Adhesive Bundles today, so let me know if you want one!

It's also the last day to take advantage of getting the Starter Kit with 25% more products in it.  You get to choose $194 in Stampin' Up! products (whatever you'd like!) for only $125 (no tax or shipping).  Click here for more information and/or to purchase your Starter Kit.

Blessings,

Adhesive Bundles

With only a few days left of Sale-a-Bration, I thought this would be a good time to offer another adhesive bundle!  Who doesn't need more adhesive?  I have three bundles to choose from.  Each costs $65, which gives you a bit of a discount on the tax & shipping, plus you get to choose a free SAB item with each bundle!

I will be putting in the order on Friday morning, so let me know which bundle(s) you'd like, which SAB item(s) you'd like and if there are any other items you'd like to order, I can include those as well!

Bundle 1 (starter pack): SNAIL Adhesive, SNAIL refills (2 of these), Stampin' Dimensionals, Glue Dots, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Sticky Strip, 2-Way Glue Pen, Anywhere Glue Sticks (set of 2), Adhesive Remover, free SAB item

Bundle 2 (frequently used): Glue Dots, Stampin' Dimensionals (2 packages), SNAIL refills (4 of these), Multipurpose Liquid Glue, 2-Way Glue Pen, Sticky Strip, free SAB item

Bundle 3 (try something new): Crystal Effects, Sticky Strip, Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, Multipurpose Liquid Glue, Shaker Frames, SNAIL refills (2), free SAB item

Please contact me to order your refill bundle.  This special pricing is not available through online orders (though you can order the bundle online and pay a little extra for the tax and shipping), so you need to live in my area to order this one.

You can check out the free Sale-A-Bration products here.

Blessings to you,

March Scrapbook Club Layout

This is the Easter layout that my Scrapbook Club ladies made this week.  I was inspired by this layout by Sandra Wingate.

The page base is Bashful Blue 12 x 12.  I used a 6 x 12" strip of Certainly Celery and cut it in half in a wavy line for the grass (one half for each page).  I sponged Certainly Celery ink along the top of it to add some texture.  The photo mats are Marina Mist with Whisper White.  We tied some Melon Mambo scallop dot ribbon around one mat and Marina Mist striped organdy ribbon.

Here are the punches we used for each part:

Eggs: 
- Extra Large Oval punch (Sunshine & Sprinkles designer series paper)

Sign:
- Word Window punch (2 Crumb Cake, 1 Whisper White for greeting)
- Modern Label punch (1 Crumb Cake)

Tulips:
- Blossom Petals builder punch (3 Daffodil Delight, 2 Wild Wasabi per flower) - these are all the same piece from the punch - the Wasabi one goes behind the three yellow ones, and one is cut in half lengthwise for the leaf.  For the stem, just cut a thin strip of Wasabi cardstock to whatever length you'd like.

Butterflies:
- Bitty Butterfly punch (1 Melon Mambo, 1 Sunshine & Sprinkles dsp for inside large butterfly)
- Elegant Buttefly punch (1 Melon Mambo)

Bunny:
- 1-3/4" Circle punch (Crumb Cake - body)
- Ornament punch (Crumb Cake - head)
- Large Oval punch (2 Crumb Cake - ears)
- Small Oval punch (retired - 1 Crumb Cake - mouth, 2 Pink Pirouette - ears)
- Small Oval punch (current - 4 Crumb Cake - paws)
- Owl punch (Pink Pirouette heart for nose)

Unfortunately, I had to use the retired small oval punch for this.  I'm very sad that this punch was retired last year because I use it in a lot of punch art!  Maybe if enough of us lament it's retirement, Stampin' Up! will bring it back!

Blessings to you,

 

March Stamp Club Cards

This is a month's club features CASEd cards.  There are so many cute cards out there that I had to borrow! 

This first one uses the chalkboard technique.  It was created by Becky Roberts.  I embossed the sentiment from Vintage Verses with white embossing powder on Basic Black cardstock, then sponged white craft ink on it to look like chalk dust.  It's embellished with the Hearts a Flutter stamp set and framelits, along with some SAB buttons, flower trim (dyed with Primrose Petals ink), rhinestone and silver glimmer heart.

Of course, we have to do an Easter card this month.  This pocket card is CASEd from this gorgeous card by Kimberly Van Diepen.  It's actually made with an envelope!  She has an awesome tutorial on her blog.  I used the A Little Bit of Spring stamp set with Black Stazon to stamp on the vellum. I also had a chance to use the adorable new Cute Clips from the Spring Catalogue.  I embossed the Marina Mist cardstock with the Honeycomb embossing folder and layered it on with dimensionals.  The designer paper is Sunshine & Sprinkles, and the card is finished off with a Vintage Faceted designer button and some linen thread. 

This cute elephant card is one that my upline, Winona Semler, featured at one of her events.  It's a tri-fold card (Sahara Sand 4 x 12", scored every 4").  The front is embossed with the Fancy Fan embossing folder.  The front circle is punched with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  There is a 2 3/8" scallop circle of Melon Mambo added with dimensionals inside the circle.  The elephant is from the SAB set Patterned Occasions.  The circle that the elephant is stamped on is from the Circles #2 Bigz die.  The card is finished with some Wild Wasabi stitched grosgrain ribbon.

Our final card is one that was shown at Leadership.  I wanted to show my club ladies our fabulous new Delicate Details Lace Tape.  Did you know that it is re-positionable and re-useable?!  I stuck a piece of it to the bottom part of the card and sponged Lucky Limeade ink over it.  Then I removed the lace to show the design underneath.  You can re-use the tape over and over several times to repeat this process!  The card is finished with some Tea for Two designer series paper, some Old Olive Striped Organdy Ribbon and a jumbo rhinestone.  The sentiment is from Vintage Verses.

Blessings,

How to Earn Your Starter Kit for Free!

I have to give credit to demonstrator Lyssa Griffin Zwolanek for coming up with this fabulous idea.  I've adapted it to Canadian demonstrators, and I hope you'll take advantage of this amazing offer!

Have you been considering buying the Starter Kit? Is money the only thing holding you back? I know, it might be the only thing, but it's a BIG thing!

For a lot of us, even the low Starter Kit price of $125 (with no tax or shipping) is hard to spare right now. If we could spread it out a bit, it might happen, but not all in one whack! If that's the case, I have a little math for you to ponder today.

Consider the following:

1. $127.50 is the Instant Income from your first $425 workshop (you earn 30% on your first workshop and 20% on all workshops after that).
2. Say you were to host a party together with me, and it hit $425.
3. We sign up you up and you put the Starter Kit on your credit card.
4. You are instantly a brand new Stampin' Up Demonstrator.
5. We enter the orders from your party under your name.
6. You pay off the Starter Kit on your credit card with the $127.50 you just earned (you get to keep the extra $2.50 for yourself! ).

I know---beyond awesome! But wait--there's more!

1. You get to pick out $194 worth of product in the Starter Kit for just $125 (no tax or shipping).
2. You're still the hostess for that party even though you're now the demonstrator, too--so pick out your hostess freebies and your incredible Sale A Bration rewards ($55 in free product of your choice - more if your party goes higher!).
3. Your quarterly minimum of $400 is met so you'll be an active demonstrator all the way through September 2013.  That means 20% off all your stuff as long as you're a demonstrator!
4. You get all the perks of preordering, demo-only forums and galleries, magazines and more.
5. You are a third of the way to promoting to Senior Associate already.
6. You have me as your totally awesome upline and mentor. 

"But wait," you say, "how come I get the sales if YOU did the party?"  The answer is simple--you're going to do the work!
Before the show, you and I will meet and decide on the make & takes and prep three super cute projects your friends will love. I'll give you the cardstock and supplies as my welcome gift to you. We'll brainstorm on the best ways to get the maximum number of guests there so your party is likely to hit that magic $425

At the show, you'll help me set up (I'll let you decide if you want to wear one of my black Stampin' Up aprons) and you'll walk everyone through the cards with my help (if you even need it!). I'll handle the catalog tour and telling them about the specials and you can observe.

After the show, I'll total the orders while you serve the snacks and chat with your friends. If any of them are interested in helping you out by hosting a party themselves, we'll put them on your calendar. You can pay me back for any catalogs or hostess packet materials out of your own kit when it comes.
 
Sound like something that really ought to be tried?  It is!  You have nothing to lose.

After all, if your party doesn't hit $425:

1. You can just be the hostess like you normally would, and earn hostess goodies and Sale-A-Bration rewards as usual.
2. We still had a super fun night stamping with your girlfriends.
3. I'm not out anything that I wouldn't normally be out from any party. 
4. You could still sign up as a demo and just pay whatever portion of the Starter Kit isn't covered, or ask your family to consider that your birthday or anniversary gift.
5. We don't have to tell anyone we are trying to get your Starter Kit for free unless you want to.

How amazing is this opportunity, especially right now with Sale-A-Bration making the Starter kit an even better deal than it has EVER been?  I hope you give me a call!  Remember that Sale-A-Bration runs until March 22, so we need to book your party soon!   

Blessings,

Happy Valentine's Day from Mario!

My friend, Noelle, asked if I could come up with a Mario-themed Valentine's Day card for her son, who is in love with all things Mario.  Here's what I came up with:

I found an awesome tutorial by Jessica Lewis for making the Mario out of punches.  Check it out for complete instructions.  For this Mario, you'll need the following punches: 1-3/4" Scallop Circle, 1-3/8" Circle, 1/2" Circle, Bitty Circle (from Bitties punch pack), Scallop Oval, Ornament, Small Oval (or Word Window), and I used the circles on the Owl punch for the eyes.  I changed a few things - I used the Small Oval punch for the front of the had (I know it's retired, but it was easier than cutting down the Word Window punch!). 

I also thought it would be cute to make the "coins" that sit on the pipe out of red glimmer hearts in honour of Valentine's Day.  I used the Small Heart punch for those.

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone,

February Stamp Club Cards

I apologize for not posting for awhile.  I got called in to substitute teach for my son's class for most of last week, so my home chores have fallen by the wayside!  My Stamp Club ladies are meeting tonight, and here are the cards we'll be making:

Of course, we have to make a Valentine's Day card, so I used the Hearts a Flutter set and More Amore designer series paper to CASE a double-fold spring card made by Kathy House (it's not online - I received the card from Kathy in a swap).  I used the 1-1/4" circle punch to make the peek-a-boo holes for the hearts, which are stamped in Pool Party, Real Red and Primrose Petals.  The side panel is embossed with the Sale-A-Bration vine embossing folder.  I added some Primrose Petals stitched satin ribbon and a jumbo rhinestone to finish off the card.

This card is one that was shown at Leadership (I wasn't there, but some ladies in my group brought back lots of photos!).  It uses the baby wipe technique with Midnight Muse, Pumpkin Pie and Lucky Limeade ink refills.  I scored the edges with the Simply Scored tool.  The stamp set is Feeling Sentimental (a Sale-A-Bration free set).

The final card is CASEd from the one in the Spring Catalogue.  I added a layer of Early Espresso to the Summer Starfruit layer, on which I stamped the Swallowtail butterfly image in VersaMark and embossed it with Pool Party embossing powder.  I then painted over the embossed image with Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint.  To finish it off, I added some Pool Party Ruffled Ribbon and a neutral brad before layering it on a Crumb Cake card base.  The sentiment is from Bloomin' Marvelous (another Sale-A-Bration set).

Here's a close-up of the butterfly with shimmer paint:

Blessings to you,

Afternoon Daydream Scrap-A-Stack

This is a class I'm offering in March.  I love that Stampin’ Up! has come out with divided page protectors!  And I’ve always loved our Simply Scrappin’ Kits.   In this class, you’ll get to use the Afternoon Daydream Simply Scrappin’ kit with our page protectors to make these 10 double-sided 12 x 12 layouts (so, really you get 20 pages).

 

Here's a look at the individual pages:

 

 I know it's a lot of photos!  Contact me if you'd like more information about the class.

Blessings to you,

SAB All-Occasion Stamp-A-Stack

I will be hosting a stamp-a-stack at my house on Friday, February 15.  Everyone who comes will get to make 20 cards (five each of the following four cards) for $35.  These are the cards we'll be making:

 

This baby card is customizable, so you can change the greeting if you don't need five baby cards.  Make it into a cute spring birthday card!

For this versatile card, I CASEd this card by Debbie Kolberg.  This card is intentionally blank so you can use it for a wedding, birthday, thank you or whatever you'd like!

A similar card to this was shown in this month's Stampin' Success demonstrator magazine.  It uses the new Sale-A-Bration designer series paper and Vine embossing folder.  Again, the greeting can be changed to suit your needs.

I CASEd this card from one I saw at a recent downline event.  I'm afraid I don't know who to give credit to, but I love how she used the Polka Dot Parade designer series paper with the Postage Stamp punch. 

Please contact me to register or to book your own Sale-A-Bration stamp-a-stack in your home.  

If you can't attend or host, but would like a kit to make the cards, please let me know.  You will get the supplies for four of each card, plus one of each card completely made so you can see how to put them together.  The cost is $40 plus shipping (if applicable).

Blessings to you,