Where Should You Spend Your Stampin’ Dollars?

Our new Stampin’ Up catalog is here and it comes with a plethora of tempting things to buy.  The wants vs the needs, the got-to-have-its and the can’t-live-without-ems.  Thankfully Stampin’ Up does have a few specials going on right now to ease our pain.  At least with these specific stamp sets on sale, I can narrow down my wish list a bit!

Special #1:  15% off of these brand new sets!  Click here to see the flyer:

Special #2:$99 Starter Kit Promotion (I’ll put my 2 cents in - scroll down)

From August 11-October 11, potential recruits will have the option of becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator by purchasing one of three special mini Starter Kits* priced at $99.

Stamp-Focused Starter Kit:

Item Code	Description	Price
109515	Fun & Fast Notes stamp set	$30.95
105548	Bold Brights card stock assortment (8-1/2″ x 11″)	$7.95
101179	Basic Black Classic Stampin’ Pad	$5.25
104332	SNAIL Adhesive	$6.95
100730	Whisper White card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″)	$7.50

Scrapbook-Focused Starter Kit:

Item Code	Description	Price
111570	Contempo Alphabet stamp set	$40.95
113059	Simply Scrappin’ Petal Party	$19.95
105212	Pixie Pink Classic Stampin’ Pad	$5.25

Home Décor-Focused Starter Kit:

Item Code	Description	Price
111656	Inspired by Nature stamp set	$23.95
114088	Décor Elements Chocolate Classic Ff	$3.95
114126	Décor Elements Medium Chocolate Long Stem Silhouettes	$17.95
114285	Décor Elements Applicator	$1.95
111835	Kiwi Kiss Classic Stampin’ Pad	$5.25

*Each kit also includes the same business supplies that are found in the standard Starter Kit (the Home Décor-Focused Starter Kit also includes 25 Décor Elements brochures). While all items in the Starter Kits are recommended, a new demonstrator may substitute a like item of equal or lesser value.

If you are not a demonstrator already and love stamping, read on:

I think the standard starter kit is the best deal.  Yes, it is $199 but you get SO much more for your stampin’ dollars!  You’ll get over $300 just in the stampin’ goodies PLUS they are giving away an extra stamp set - any price - free with the large starter kit.  See the starter kit order form here: us_startkit_final_07081

So what is holding you back?  Here is where my 2 cents come in…

There are options to being a Stampin’ Up Demonstrator.   I signed up 10 years ago just for me.  I told my upline I didn’t want to sell it to my friends, didn’t want her to sell it to my friends…I wasn’t a party person.  I knew I just loved stamping and wanted the discount.  Today I still love the discount!  Hey, at the very least it covers tax and shipping and a little extra.  I have many demonstrators in my downline who signed up just to get the discount for a while.  When they have enough stamps and supplies, they can drop anytime. No penalties, no forms to send in, it just happens automatically if they stop meeting their quarterly minimums. ($300 retail)

If you want to earn a little extra, you can get your stampin’ buddies together once a month or once a quarter and collectively place orders.  You can be your own hostess! Not many companies let you do that so take advantage of that!  If you want to earn a lot, you can step it up and have some workshops or classes a few times a week.  I didn’t think I would have changed my mind and be stamping full time but it sure is fun!

Ok, so now you are thinking about it a little.  Who do you sign up with?  There are options there also.  If you’d like a community, to be a part of a group of stampers, then you want to sign up under someone nearby.  Having an upline who has monthly meetings or get-togethers might be good for you to learn, socialize and stamp!  You can find a demonstrator in your area at www.stampinup.com  and click on demonstrator locator.

It’s okay to interview potential uplines! Ask those important questions like What kind of support do they give?  What is the benefit of signing up with them?  How often will you see or hear from them after you sign up?

If you are an independent self starter or someone who just wants to do her own thing, then you can sign up with anyone!  You would still want to get some training on how to place orders and all those things but it is really easy.

There are other perks to being a demonstrator.  The monthly magazine, the demo only website, getting to see and order the new stuff early and the discount of course.

I’d be happy to answer any questions - throw ‘em at me and I can post them here for others to read, too.   If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find it for you!

Happy Stamping!  Linda Heller  Email: lindastamps@cfl.rr.com

My SU website www.lindaheller.stampinup.net

August 17, 2008

Going, Going, Green!

I’ve been dabbling in going green.   I’ve watched the news reports on the state of our world, the unbelievable amounts of trash we create and the effects of chemicals on the earth.  I love to watch Ed Begley’s show, Living With Ed, who drags his wife (sometimes kicking and screaming) into his eco-friendly world.   After a stamping friend of mine told me about the toxins in my everyday cleaners, I did some research and took the plunge to go green with my cleaning products  (I’ll admit I was a bleach junkie and although I have not kicked the habit completely, I am breathing better these days).   On a non-stamping related note,  if you want to know what toxins are under your sink, read more about it here. http://www.shaklee.net/melanie_williamson/gc_yourhome1

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Now that my A-Z rubber stamping technique journey is over, I wanted to come up with another series of weekly videos.  I like themes… Anyhoo, going green seemed to be a way to do my small part, stamping style!

Here is my first re-purposing project using a Tic Tac container.   I love Tic Tacs and try not to buy them often as they are addicting and I can consume one box in a day.  I think it is brilliant marketing on their part by calling them Tic Tacs, because you simply cannot eat one at a time.  How can you choose between a Tic or a Tac?  Can’t be done.  Thus, we consume the box twice as fast.  Like I said, brilliant marketing.

done

This will be a hostess gift for one of my upcoming workshops.

Stampin’ Up Supplies unless otherwise noted:

Fresh Favorites 1 Buttons (1/2 box)

Certainly Celery Prints Designer paper

Tempting Turquoise & whisper white cardstock

Curly Label Punch Bundle

Night of Navy, Apricot Appeal classic ink

Dazzling Diamonds glitter

Happy Stamping!

Linda Heller

lindastamps@cfl.rr.com

These are a few of my favorite things….

I’ll be back to making technique videos by next week.  I had so much to catch up on after being gone a week.   I dont think I’ll be committing to another A-Z but I’ll continue with a technique or tool video a week of some sort! 

Actually, Matt rescued me from my vinyl nightmare on our rough walls.  I read the warning about rough textured walls and promptly ignored them.  Got up on a chair, taped it up and happily began the transfer process with the cute little spatula thingy.  After 10 minutes of rubbing and realizing that it wasn’t working, I grabbed other tools.  The stylus, the bone folder….my neck was burning since I was putting it up high above my stamp wall.  AND after only getting 3 of the words to transfer, I realized it wasn’t straight.  While I was ready to rip it off the wall, ever patient Matt took over the project.  I think he wrote about it on his page here.

This morning I was going through my pics of convention and thought I’d share a few of my favorites with you:

Linda Hanson’s soup can organizer for tools, markers, etc!  She covered them with DSP and put ‘em on a lazy susan:

Our new felt flower assortment in Pink Pirouette, Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze:

I love this card with the pastel popping on Upsy Daisy (which is on sale 15% off starting Monday!!) I Gotta have it….

Look at these neat bookmarks that Brent Steele (I think) shoed on stage: (I see presents in the future….)

This was almost scandalous - there were many offended, whispers, gasps….. Most of us who know Stampin’ Up know that they didn’t do this on purpose and we had a good laugh.  This was a display for the new vinyl wall decor line coming out soon.  It is supposed to be 2 separate items:

 

All images Copyright Stampin’ UP!

I think Santa looks a little like a gnome, not that there’s anything wrong with it.   Wise men seeking gnomes…..

These are Michelle Fischer’s amazing paper tulipson display: 

We can start ordering from our new catalog Monday at noon (2 pm here in FL) so I need to start trying to whittle my wish list down or I may have to fashion new clothers from my curtains….

So long, farewell….

LInda

Post Convention Wrap Up!

I made it home Sunday night, after a leaky valve somewhere in the plane’s innards delayed us for a hour or 2.  We had to change planes but I’m not complaining as I’d rather have to do that than deal with a leaky valve mid-air!   I was FINALLY able to look at the catalog, page by page, and fully appreciate all the new samples and stamp sets.  Did you know there are 400 project ideas?  Yep, I counted them!  I don’t know of any magazine or book that has that many samples so what a deal for $10! 

Here are a few of my favorites from convention:

This is Brent Steel’s card he demonstrated on stage.  He always stamps a bird card and we look forward to it every year.  This year he used the new bear set and made him fly with the mosquitos!  The pull tab makes his arms flap!  I thought us Floridians should do something cute with the mosquito (and the matching wheel)  since it is our state bird!

Linda Hanson created this baby onesie bag by cutting in the sides and tucking them in.   I have a tough time with decorating baby gifts and don’t have a lot of stamps for that.  With this idea, it will always look like a baby gift even if I stamp flowers on it.

This was one of my favorite swaps!  (And it wasn’t mine - Barbara had rec’d it)   It is a test tube with green and red M&M’s!  Honestly, so cute and guess what?  No name on it.  If you are reading this and it is yours, please email me and I’ll post your name.  Really great idea!   You can do them for different occasions, like pastels for Easter or Red, White and Blue for 4th of July….

This one was stamped by Sarah Albro and was one of the favorites in our group:

Thanks to all of your cyber applause emails to me for achieving Founder’s Circle.  Lots of you asked what it is, what number was I and where do I get to go on the trip.   So for those interested, I’ll fill you in!

What is it?  Founder’s Circle is the Top 100 demonstrators in the company.  They don’t tell you through the year if you are on track for it or that you are close, so it was a surprise for me that I earned it.  Of course some of the big-wig demonstrators assume they earn it since they do so well every year.  Me on the other hand, I had less sales this year than other years (I think 27.000) but had signed up 10 new demonstrators and they had all promoted to Sr. Associate (which means they sold at least 1,000 in the year) and I had some promotions in my first level downline to Supervisor and Sr. Supervisor.    So Stampin’ Up assigns points to each sale, new recruit and promotions and Ta-Da!  The 100 demonstrators with the most points earns the Founder’s Circle Award.  There are cash prizes, too!  ( I think I earned $500 and the top person earned 20K? Not sure about that - I was still in the clouds, dancing in my own dreamy la-la land and wasn’t paying attention)

What number was I?  I’m only telling since you asked!  Well, all I was hoping for was somewhere in the 90’s.  My friends Jan and Georgia were sitting with me (they were also Founder’s Circle achievers and had been up there before).  I am not kidding when I tell you that it felt like the Oscars!  No one knew where they were placing in the 100, and the anticipation was nerve-wracking!  Karen Titus, our up, upline was sitting with us also and her jaw would drop everytime another 10 names were announced and I wasn’t on the list!  The 90’s went by, then the 80’s, then the 70’s, then the 60’s and there I was!  Number 55!  Yay!

When I checked in to pick up some other awards I had earned,  my SAM (sales account manager, Brady (who works for SU and helps me with anything I need) handed me the pink purse and said “Congratulations!” and I just couldn’t believe it!  My up, upline Karen Titus was nearby and she was jumping up and down for me.  Of course with all the excitement, my tears started flowing AND my nose turned red and THEN they took a picture of me!  I mean really….couldnt’ they have waited until the next day when my nose returned to normal?

 

About the purse; This thing is a large, light pink, sumptuous, leather bag.  I was told it was made for SU by Coach.   I’m not a purse person, but my friends Shelly and Toni are and I think I have to be careful not to abandon it while they are nearby.  It has our Designer Paper design on the liner.  It is wide enough to fit my 12 x 12 craft keeper with my make and take supplies!  I don’t know when I’ll carry it again unless I am leaving for an overnight trip, but it is really nice.  I was also told that there may be accessories coming with it on the Founder’s trip.

 

Speaking of The Trip:  I leave September 17-21 (yes, next month!) for St. George, Utah.  We’ll be staying at a resort there -sounds lovely!  If you would like to read about it, go here:http://www.morrismeetings.com/reg/founderscircle2008/  

 

 I’m excited about the swap and the share time, too.  Can’t wait to learn from some of these talented women!  

That’s all for now!  I’ll be resuming back to posting only once or twice a week with my technique videos.   I would love to post daily but just doesn’t fit into my life at this time. 

Happy Stamping!

Linda Heller

Home!

General Session Day 3

 1:30 pm

We are just getting ready to start our last session of the convention. We had classes all morning and are all hopped up on free ice cream and cookies. There is dancing in the aisles and we are hoping for another big announcement!

Jaron showed some fun album ideas…

This one is a Me album, then he made a You album and then a Them with friends and family.  He used our new chipboard albums, which will be fun to decorate.  Here is a guide he have for questions to use while creating your album:

4:45 pm

Lots of give sways AND…

FREE stamps! UPS donated the new Ronald McDonald set to everyone here! (around 6000!)
And even some of the real UPS guys
here to help deliver!

I guess that is all! No more big announcements.

General Session day 2 part 3

Wait till you see the big scallop circles and pendant die cuts to use with pur Sizzix.  Here is what Shelli made with those..

All images copyright Stampin’ Up!

All Image copyright Stampin’ Up!

Looky at the cute basket die cut!

All images copyright Stampin’ Up!

Conventionees get the starter kit for 179 and it will be 199 for demos. Not sure what all comes with it.

Looks like I’ll be breaking my piggy bank open…

General Session Part 2

Shelli and SU have partnered with Sizzix!! Exclusive designs and our own Big Shot!  Dry embosses, too!

Check out the bag you can get to hold it!

We can preorder today! Customers can order sept 2nd!

Vinyl sheets avail,too!

General Session Day 2

We are rockin’ here this morning! The SU All Star Band started playing at 7:30 this morning and they are awesome! The band is all demo support guys. My SAM, Brady, is on lead guitar and there is a stamper mosh pit dancing in front of the stage. I couldn’t get close enough for a pic.
They might have leave SU to tour after all this frenzy!

Dale Filmore, our president, made a few announcements:

Starting in September,
Stampin success and On Stage will be combined and will be released monthly! Canada will rec’v the same! (except Quebec). 32 pages

General Session Day 1 Pics and Sneak peeks from stage

Ok!  I am in my room and can post a FEW pics.   We just finished lunch….

Jill-  Director of Demo  Training on stage and demonstrating.  Phase 2 Decor Elements in fall! New colors like Pixie Pink, saffron, and Gable. 3 step designs!!

All images copyright Stampin’ up! 2008

More additions include Nursery Accessories design to match the set!  Cute box with notecards in drawer…

 

All images copyright Stampin’ Up!

Halloween- spider on his thread. Says Spooky. Pic of treat jar….

All Images copyright Stampin’ Up! 

Christmas elements- matches Spotlight On Christmas set. Used it for an advent frame with velcro’d boxes. Avail in red & olive.

all Images copyright Stampin’ Up!

Thanksgiving- season of thanks. She made a shadowbox with leaves!

All images copyright Stampin’Up!

Congratulations to Barbara Benoit and Beverly Scott, 2 great stampers in my downline, who took a walk across stage today for their 5 year SU anniversary!

And that same lucky Barbara also won a packet of new supplies!

here is a close up of her goodies!

all images copyright Stampin’ Up!

Look what was on our lunch tables - and yes, the medallions on top were REAL chocolate!  YUM!

I’ve decided not to post the rest of the projects so I can surprise my customers back home when I use them for my classes! 

More later - Linda

More Shelli

A signature line of products by Shelli! Stamps, accesories that she loves or developed. First ones will be in holiday mini !

21 page spread in country living magazine at the holidays with a special promo!

Notes From Shelli

I can’t type fast on this thing but I’ll hit the highlights!

Shelli has a blog! Www.soshelli.com

Might not be fully accessible yet!

General Session Day

10 minute countdown and every one is doing the Hokey Pokey…. Really! OK now the Gogo’s are playing!

A HUGE surprise for me

I checked in to get my award pins and sets and they handed me this gorgeous pink, leather, embossed purse! I about fell over when they told me I earned founder’s circle! It’s been a dream and I hoped to get it one year. I don’t want to come across like I am bragging and I almost didn’t share it but I am just so excited.

More stamps!

I know the pics aren’t the best but I don’t have time to upload and edit. I figure you just want a peek anyway! If you want to be surprised don’t look!

aLL IMGAGES COPYRIGHT STAMPIN’ UP!

no sticker on these - double sided wood mount. 

The one above was in our convention bag!

 

The two above were In our convention bag

Awards & goodies!

I know want to see it!!!  I haven’t even opened it yet!  THE COVER IS SCALLOPED!! I won’t be posting about anything inside except that Tart and Tangy made it in there!

 

this was a gift from my SAM, Brady - it’s a note book inside

AND it matches our convention bag!!!

Mementos!

Hope you can see all of them!

this was a poster we could buy…

cute metal tab on the right side of sweater

Picture frame

ok, blurry - sorry!  Celebrate 08 charm

Manly shirt I bought for Matt

girly apron - matches our paper!   Too girly for me

beautiful poster

More of an olive or kiwi than it looks here - pretty

Celebrate 20 years plushies

Tote!

From a display case in line

Memento mall mania!

We got here an hour early and look at
the line for Memento Mall! Looks like the majority wants SU memorabilia instead of the new catalog check in line!

More pics when I get inside!

Off To Stamping Wonderland…

I leave tomorrow morning for Utah to our annual Stampin’ Up convention!  I didn’t get too many swaps made but it’s all my fault for waiting til the last minute.   I made 100 of these simple cards with our new Owl Together Now set I rec’d on the Bermuda cruise:

 

They are almost done….some of the girls are going to help me color the owls on the plane!

If you aren’t going to convention and would like to keep up with what’s happening there, announcements, stamping projects, etc..I’ll be posting daily from my room at night. 

IF I can get reception inside the general session area at the convention center, I’ll post BIG announcements from my IPhone as they come in.   (remember I said IF I can get a signal in there….)  I won’t have time to answer questions but I’ll try to post details on my nightly post.

If you have signed up for automatic announcements via email, it will only give you one post per day and it pings between 9 pm  - 11 pm  Eastern standard time.  So if I were to post snippets of several announcements, you would have to manually check here at the blog throughout the day. 

Happy Stamping! 

Linda Heller

A-Z Stamping Technique of the Week Video: “Z”

We made it!! 26 weeks of rubber stamping techniques! Thanks for hanging in there with me through the tough letters. Some were really a stretch but hey, at least I didn’t opt out of Q, X, Y and Z! I learned a bunch along the way and discovered some interesting new ways to use what we have!

I am getting ready to head to Utah for our annual Stampin’ Up convention! It’s a big one this year, as it is their 20 year anniversary AND we get to see the new catalog, too. I’m sure they are planning lots of surprises for us. I’m going to post every night when I get back in the room so if you want to hear about what we are doing there, check back daily. IF I can figure out how to do it, I may post via my Iphone when they give announcements! (Matt’s working on uploading the application for me)

So as usual, I waited too long to start my swaps and I’m just now getting started. I have a long list of other things on my To Do list so Matt has offered to do the “Z” video! He’s usually on the other end of the videos that you don’t see, fixing my bloopers and editing out my swear words when I mess something up. Some of you might remember his Man Card video where he drove over the card to create a wheeled watermark! {If you didn’t see that one, you can see it on his page here.} He is an amazing guy and so supportive with all this stamping hoopla.

So here is the letter “Z”, which is our last letter in our alphabetical stamping journey! Matt chose to create a new technique, which he appropriately named the Zipper Technique! {I told him it was his chance to name it Matt’s Zipper Technique but he thought that just didn’t sound right - I agree}

There is a 5-10 second delay once you push play, but it will automatically start when it is buffered.

done

I’m off to do some shopping! (wasn’t that SO wonderful of him to make the card for me with a gift certificate?!)

I’ll be in Utah July 29th - Aug 3 so there won’t be videos on the blog during that time BUT like I said above, I’ll be posting pictures and news from convention!

Linda Heller

lindastamps@cfl.rr.com

New Swaps just in…

Stamped by Rhea Hughes - Love that chocolate chipboard!

I normally don’t post during the week, but I thought these were too nice not to share.  These are swaps I got in the mail this week….All images copyright Stampin’ Up!

Stamped by Sharon Skelton - Nice glittered Build-A -Brad

Stamped by Mary Ammar - sure going to miss that River Rock!

Stamped by Sharon Burkert - The main image is Embossed in white over Fresh Cuts stamp.  Then sponged - so pretty!

Stamped by Mary Hall: She put 3 little drops of crystal effects on the corners - nice detail!

Stamped by Jan Cramer:  Scored to make it look like quilting

Next Post Sunday night with a video tutorial for the letter X!  (I have NO idea what to yet….)

Linda heller

New Scalloped Edge Punch!

I was SO excited to get this today I had to test it out immediately! Stampin’ Up has come out with a scallop edged punch and it really is awesome. Here is a little video demonstration in case you haven’t tried it out yet:

done

Here is the pic:

(copyright Stampin’ Up! 200

This will be available in the new Stampin’ Up catalog Aug 11th!

Teary Eyes

For those of you tuning in for the stamping Technique Video of the week, I’m sorry to say it is postponed until next Sunday. We had a very sad week as we had to say goodbye to our boston terrier, Lucy. Friends, family and “fans” of her little widget on this blog can join us for a little tribute to her (there is music, so turn on your speakers if you want to hear it):

done

Her full name is Lucille Cannon Ball, which is a combination of Lucy Ball and her jumping like a cannon ball out of a cannon, even as a puppy. I adopted her 9 years ago from a friend who had high hopes of managing 3 kids under the age of 3. She knew I would take good care of her and that I had always wanted a Boston of my own. She was still a puppy when I brought her home and was always very obedient (except I never could break her of the licky thing), never chewed anything, and rang the bell when she had to go outside. The smartest dog we ever had, she could do so many tricks and even some math! Quirky, funny and odd but so extremely loyal and lovable. She made us laugh every day. We wish we had taken more videos of her but here are a few snippets of what we could find:

done

done

We didn’t have any warning that she was sick. She never complained, never stopped eating or slowed down at all. Wednesday night we sat on the sofa around 10:30 pm. Lucy brought us her tennis ball (as she always did the very minute we sat down). We threw it a few times down the hallway and as she brought it back the last time, she threw up a little. I took her outside and she just stood there, with her head down. Those of you that know Lucy or any boston terrier, they rarely just stand still. She just wasn’t acting normally so after about 15 minutes of that, we took her to the emergency room. They tried fluids but no response and they said her blood pressure was extremely low, which is why she just stopped responding to us. After xrays, they showed us a very large mass (cancer) near her spleen. She was bleeding internally and the vet didn’t have any good news. He said that with her age and the loss of blood and the size of the mass, she might not make it through surgery. If she did, she may only make it 4 months and it would be uncomfortable. When I asked him what he would do, he said he would let her go. Matt and I talked about it and we realized that keeping her alive just so we could have her a bit longer was selfish since she would be in pain. They let us hold her and love on her, then we said goodbye.

We’ve cried every day since and we sure do miss her. There is comfort in not seeing her suffer for months or seeing her sick. Natalie, a dog-lovin’ friend of ours, wisely said: “I’d like to think she’s up in puppy heaven right now - unlimited tennis balls, sqeak toys where the sqeakers don’t rip out, fields made of milk-bones, a “belly scratch” spa, and a car ride whenever she wants it.”

Thanks for sharing all of this with us and if you have a furry loved one at home, go love ‘em, squeeze ‘em and kiss ‘em and enjoy all the moments.

Matt and Linda

Sad to see ‘em go… Retiring Stamp List is Out!

Well, I had 33 stamp sets on this list this time. Some I hardly used, some I darn near wore the rubber off. I love this time of year, even with all the up and down emotions! It’s a time to say goodbye to some and hello to the new hip stamps coming out in August. My favorites that are retiring this year are Weathered, Unfrogettable (gonna miss those adorable frogs!), Print Pattern, Rough Edges mini alphas and Big Pieces. I know I’ll be happy when I see a ton of stamping possibilities in the new catalog and will be off exploring new rubber pastures!

Click HERE to see the full list: If you are a customer of mine (or don’t have a demonstrator yet and want to be) I have a sale for orders from the retiring list.   Email me at lindastamps@cfl.rr.com for details!

Club Challenge!

I have a fun group of stampers that meet every month.  This past Thursday, I decided to shake things up a bit and give them a catalog challenge.  Each person was handed a bag of supplies which included a stamp set, designer papers, cardstock, ribbon, embellishments and coordinating ink pads.  The challenge was to use our Stampin’ Up Catalog, randomly open to a page and use the layout design from any projects they see on those 2 pages.  (and no looking for samples on any other pages!)

Here are most of the pics from the night.  I am sad to say that Joan’s pics were too blurry to post.   The pics on the left are the actual Catalog inspiration (some are blurry - need to read my camera manual and learn how to use it in low light situations!)    The pics on the right are the inspired artwork!

               

    Stampin’ Up catalog sample               Kathie’s Baroque Motif - isn’t it pretty?

 

                  

Stampin’ Up catalog sample`             Connie used a clear button on top - so artsy!

              

 Stampin’ Up catalog sample      Connie stapled a piece of ribbon up top!

             

SU catalog sample used for the next 3 pics!    Jen made it very hip!                                   

         

Mary stamped it very Boho Chic!              Jen made this fun scrapbook page

                          

 Stampin’ Up catalog sample             Lisa made it into a matchbook card

            

SU Catalog Sample               Jen made this fun candle card-

 

 Look how she did the inside!                       

 

                    

Stampin’ Up catalog sample                          Lisa’s fun tag

 

This is Kathie’s and my catalog sample pic was too blurry to use.  Cute!

 

 

 

 

Pretty Hydrangea

I recieved this beautiful card in my mailbox last week from a stamping friend of mine, Claire.  She used a Stampin’ Up set that was retired a few years back and seeing it again was a wonderful sight.  Isn’t it lovely? Thank you, Claire!

 

Fresh Cuts Sneak Peek!

Looky what I got today! 

Fresh Cuts is a stamp set that will be in our NEW catalog, the Fall-Winter Idea Book & Catalog, which will be debut August 11!  BUT guess what?  From June 1-June 30, you can pre-purchase your very own Fresh Cuts set for $21.95 and get the die-cut, coordinating  Fresh Cut Notes for just $5. (you can also purchase the Fresh Cuts Stamp Set separately for $21.95 and the Fresh Cut Notes for $8.95.)

The 4 x 4 die-cut note card set includes 15 note cards and envelopes in Whisper White.  They are super smooth (same as our Whisper White cardstock) and there are little leaves that pop out from the flower petal.  Hope you can see how I am holding one of them here: (the cards are white but it is looking green here…need to fix it but I am too lazy at the moment…)

I can see that this stamp set and notecards are going to fun to play with and LOTS of versatility!

Linda

 

Arty’s Pick of the Web

Arty, our friendly little spider, crawls around the web looking for his favorite stamped ideas to share!

January 6th:  Arty found a rarely seen corner on the SU website.  Go to www.stampinup.com and click on About Us.  (you won’t need to be a demonstrator to see it)  Then click on Media Room, then click on On News Stands Now.   You can click on every magazine and see samples published for various month! 

Wrapping chocolates is something we love to do and I thought this was another creative way to give a sweetie some sweets:

 

  

For the love of stamps…

We wait for the new catalog to arrive and the minute it is in our hands, we ooh and ahh with every page we turn. We write out our wish list, and try to whittle down our wants to something manageable and then commit to eating out less so we can buy more stamps. Sometimes we sell what used to be our favorite sets, now stained with inky finger smudges, just to make room for more stamps.

Sounds a little crazy? A little like an addiction? Maybe it is but the truth is…we love stamps. We love the ink and the paper and the accessories and everything we can create with them.

That’s why we do what we do. We are stampers! We love to share what we stamp with others, to brighten their day and ours. We love to see their faces when they open our creation.

In this coming year, may we all continue share what we love with eachother, loved ones. Send out those cards, scrapbook those memories and buy more stamps!

Linda