Big Shot Eiffel Tower

Our last Big Shot Club meeting was on Tuesday. We have been spending the last few months learning new techniques and tricks for the Big Shot, and members were able to purchase their Big Shots in installments. Let me know if you would be interested in joining the next group. Once we have 4 people, we will be ready to go again.

This card does use materials others than Stampin' Up!, but anyone who knows me or has been in my stamp room, knows that I love the Eiffel Tower and Paris. This die was a gift from my friend and upline, Shirley, and I thought it was perfect for this Big Shot technique. The last few Christmas Diet Coke cans I had were just right for this card. They had the swirly silver and white snowflakes, but the best part was the fact that Diet Coke wasn't written down the side like it usually is. We were able to get less red on the Eiffel Tower with careful placement.

So how did we do it? Using my craft and rubber scissors, I cut the top rim of the can off, cut down the side, and then cut the bottom rim off. The Big Shot cuts so many materials other than cardstock, I was looking forward to trying soda cans since Rae Anne and Becky gave me the soda can snowflake ornament. Just put your flattened can on the die, sandwich it between the cutting mats, and crank it through the Big Shot.

I used the En Francais background stamp and a retired Merci from an old favorite set of mine, Paris in the Spring.  It really went together quickly, and the cans cut pretty easily.  There are sharp edges before you run it through the Big Shot, but we all managed to stay injury free!

Supplies: Real Red, Going Gray, Whisper White cardstock, Real Red, Going Gray ink, Big Shot, Oval punches, En Francais background stamp, retired Paris in the Spring stamp set, and non-Stampin' Up! Eiffel Tower die

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Snowy Hello

We made this at my January Stamp-a-Stack, and since it is snowing right now, I thought this would be a good day to post it.  It uses the stamp set Hello Again that I got free for attending convention, and it is a great little set to cover all the seasons.  The coordinating wheel, Retro Remix, (also a convention freebie) is a perfect background for most of the stamps in the set (unless you are not using a single heart or flower).    We used Heat and Stick Powder to add some glittery snowflakes, but you have to look pretty carefully in this picture to see them.   

Supplies:  Hello Again Stamp Set, Whisper White, Night of Navy, and Bashful Blue cardstock, Bashful Blue, Night of Navy and VersaMark ink, 2 oval punches, Heat and Stick Powder, Dazzling Diamonds, Heat Gun

 

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Teeny Tiny Valentine

This was a quick and easy 3 x 3 Valentine we did in Stamp Club. I made the Very Vanilla square 2 7/8 inches and then could line up my new Scallop Trim Boarder punch and Scallop Trim Corner punch perfectly. Everyone has their own way of doing things, but I prefer punching the side first and corner second, and I also like to look at the bottom when I am lining the corners up to punch. Then a quick greeting from Teeny Tiny Wishes, a small piece of Sending Love Specialty paper and a punch with the Heart to Heart punch and it's finished!

Supplies: Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Chocolate Chip ink, Scallop Trim Border, Scallop Trim Corner and Heart to Heart punch, Sending Love Specialty paper.

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Another Recessed Valentine Card

After you create your first recessed card, they go together quickly.  I used my Sending Love Specialty Paper on the front and actually folded it in to the recessed section.  I decided I liked the smaller opening and went with the other design for stamp club, but it was fun to work on prototypes and experiment. 

Supplies: With All My Heart stamp set, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, Real Red, Pretty in Pink ink

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Haitian Relief

From now until February 28, 2010, $2 from every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set purchased will be donated to American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. This money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.

I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount (block D recommended) 118571 $18.95

I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount 117010 $26.95

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

With All My Heart Valentine Card

My friend, Libby, demonstrated a recessed card at a meeting I attended a couple of weeks ago.  But since my notes turned out to be a little lacking, I had to do a bit of improvising before we did one in stamp club.  I used some of the new Sending Love Specialty Paper from the Occasions Mini Catalog, and if you haven't seen it in real life, one side is glittery in places.  We punched 8 hearts to create a flower and we used some of the new Epoxy Brads for the flower center.  Here's a peek inside to show the recessed front.

Supplies:  With All My Heart, Holiday Best stamp sets, Pretty in Pink, Very Vanilla cardstock, Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper, Real Red, Pretty in Pink ink, Epoxy Brad

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Lovely Lilac Thinking of You

I am on a Lovely Lilac kick, but this is another great set to use for all occasion cards and lilac just seems to be a good all-purpose color. I am sure there is a name for this fancy fold... but I can't tell you what it is :-) I just like to do one of these every once in awhile because it is a bit different and unexpected when someone pulls it out of the envelope. If you are not someone who likes to be wordy on the inside, this card is for you! Check out the inside when you pull the front piece to the left. There's just enough room for a greeting and your name.  

I originally got the Thoughts & Prayers set because I liked the get well and sympathy sentiments, but I really like using this stamp for any occasion. Just like my last post, you color directly on the stamp with markers, and it's a quick and easy way to make a striking card.


Supplies: Thoughts & Prayers, and Sincere Salutations stamp sets, Lovely Lilac, Green Galore and Whisper White cardstock, Lovely Lilac and Green Galore ink.

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Bride Specialty Paper for More Than Just Brides

What a great weekend! Rae Anne and I drove over to a group meeting. It's always a fun time to catch up with friends, see samples, watch demonstrations and do make-n-takes. (We spent the night and stamped the day away with Shirley and Mary before coming home this evening). This meeting was especially fun because the ladies that went to Stampin' Up's leadership convention last week in Phoenix shared some of the new ideas... all I can say is my stamp club is set for the next couple of meetings with some great projects!

Speaking of stamp club, this is one of the cards we did this week, and it did double duty for me as I took it to our meeting for swapping. The Bride Specialty Paper found on page 158 of the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog adds a little something extra to a quick and simple card. I rolled over the paper with my brayer using Almost Amethyst ink. Like the many other brayer projects, just keep rolling and it will all even out and look great. I think this card could be used for many different occasions, but as you can see I used the sentiment from Close as a Memory.

If you would like to know more about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and joining the fun, I would be happy to share some additional information with you!

Supplies: Close as a Memory stamp set, Bride Specialty Paper, Lovely Lilac, and Whisper White cardstock, Almost Amethyst, Certainly Celery, and Lovely Lilac ink, brayer

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Gumball Sweet Treat

I love the new Something Sweet stamp set. It uses the Sweet Treat Cups and gives us many new options for treat-filled cards. Because I ordered the clear-mount version of this set, I was able to stamp both pieces of the gumball machine and the words at one time using acrylic block I. I positioned the stamps, did a few practice stamps on my grid paper, adjusted as needed and tested my placement by punching the space between with the 1 3/4 inch punch.  Everyone in stamp club was then able to stamp once without having to adjust anything. Talk about easy! A fun size bag of Skittles has a few too many in it so you will have to eat a little candy while you work!

Supplies: Something Sweet stamp set, Sweet Treats cups, Bashful Blue, Whisper White and Real Red cardstock, Real Red, Green Galore, Bashful Blue, Only Orange ink, 1 3/4 inch circle punch, Skittles

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

I usually make a set of cards myself with the extras after all of my Stamp-a-Stack guests are gone. The cards we did last weekend were All Occasion. This one allowed for most any greeting so I went with the "celebrate" from Celebrate Everything. That way I can go back and add one of the little words in the set before mailing. Talk about an all occasion card!

I was looking forward to using this One of a Kind stamp set because it was a prize from one of my uplines and new to me. We used the new Scallop Trim Border punch and In Colors to stamp the flowers. I love how the Boho Blossoms punch makes it a quick and easy card.


To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Butterfly Spinner Card

This card style might look familiar.  In December, I posted a card made with an ornament from Delightful Decorations.   You can see that one here.  But this one was actually the first one I made.  I participated in a "Wow" swap hosted by my upline and I wanted to make something that would last beyond the holidays.  I scored the butterfly along its body so the wings could be raised off of the card front.  The inside butterfly was made with two butterflies and a piece of dental floss (insert MacGyver joke here).    I also used a texturz plate and my Big Shot on the front Pretty in Pink piece of cardstock, but I'm afraid that doesn't show up well. 

Supplies:  Flight of the Butterfly stamp set, Basic Black, Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose ink, Whisper White, Basic Black, Regal Rose, and Pretty in Pink cardstock, Texturz plate, Big Shot, Circle Scissors, Eyelet Border Punch and dental floss. 

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Valentine Treat Holders

For this month's Stamp-A-Stack, I had several people brave the cold and road conditions to come stamp all occasion cards. I had a Friday night and a Saturday morning group and both times there were some people joining us for the first time. I like to give them a little treat to thank them for coming to stamp with us. This month, I used a Scallop Circle made with the Big Shot. It was just a matter of scoring in the right places to fit my choice of miniature candy bar. Anyone who knows me won't be surprised that I picked Hershey bars, but you can adjust depending on the treat you like. Just fold up from the bottom, tuck the candy inside and fold both sides in. I used the new Pinking Hearts Boarder punch  from the Occasions Mini Catalog for a belly band and covered that with a simple stamp from Love You Much.   


Supplies: Big Shot, Scallop Circle die, Pretty in Pink, Real Red and Whisper White cardstock, Real Red ink, Pinking Hearts Boarder and 1 1/4 inch circle punch, Love You Much stamp set, Mini Glue Dots

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Good Neighbors

As a demonstrator, I get the opportunity to pre-order stamps sets from the new Sale-A-Bration brochure about a month before it comes out.  So even before all of my Christmas cards were done, I was playing with my new stamps.  I will be getting new neighbors soon and thought this would be a nice welcome to the neighborhood.  This card was made using the new Sale-A-Bration set, Good Neighbors.  This could be yours for free with a $50 purchase.  Click here to download the brochure to see this and all of the other free choices!

Supplies:  Good Neighbors and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Kraft, Not Quite Navy and Real Red cardstock, Not Quite Navy, Real Red and Garden Green ink, Red Grosgrain ribbon

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

They're Here!

Sale-A-Bration is such a highly anticipated time of year for stampers. Well this year it is better than ever! It starts today, January 5, and lasts until March 31. Each and every $50 you purchase allows you to choose a free product. This year's catalog features 4 stamps sets (available in wood or clear mount), a Designer Series Paper Pad and a Scallop Trim Border punch. And as if that isn't enough, there are even more free options. The entire back page of the catalog lists sets from the regular Idea Book & Catalog that you can choose from too. So that means you can't possibly run out of options for freebies!

The Occasions Mini Catalog is out today too. Almost too much excitement in one day, huh? It runs through April 30 and it is full of great new products including the new clear mount stamps and new punch style.
The card I did features Fox & Friends stamp set from the mini catalog and the Sale-A-Bration Scallop Trim Border. And here are all of the new products I used:
The clear mount stamp sets store in a case about the size of a DVD with this great index on the front (and on the spine too):

Here is what you see when you open your case:

This is the back of the case which allows another quick view of all of your images:

And here is the fun part.  You simply select the acrylic block size you like and press the stamp on it.  One nice feature of this particular stamp set is the stamps are all about the same size and you can use the same acrylic block:

This is what you see through the block when you stamp:

 

There are optional stickers that you can apply to the foam to help with placement when stamping.  Some precise stamping may still require the Stamp-a-ma-jig.

And here's a peek at the new punch style.  They store flat, which is a real help to those of us who have a lot of stamping supplies *wink*.

Supplies:  Fox & Friends and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets, Scallop Border, Word Window and 1 1/4"Punch, Bashful Blue, Barely Banana, Certainly Celery and Whisper White cardstock, Pumpkin Pie, Certainly Celery, Bashful Blue, Creamy Caramel ink.

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Another Talented Member of my Downline

Isn't this a great calendar?!? Courtney made this out of a cookie sheet! The pieces are magnetized so it's easy to change from month to month and will last you forever. You can customize dates for holidays, birthdays and other special occasions which makes it easy to personalize for gifts.

If you would like more information about joining my Inkredible Inkers team, please visit my Stampin' Up! website. 

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

New Valentine Accessories!

Even though my Christmas decorations aren't all put away, I couldn't hold off any longer. I had to play with some of the new accessories in the Occasions Mini catalog!  They've been sitting there in my stamping studio throughout the holiday waiting for me to crack into them.  I went with an old stamp set, Cheep Talk, but used the new Pinking Hearts Border punch and the Love Epoxy Brads.  What a quick way to put together a cute Valentine for a friend!

Supplies:  Cheep Talk stamp set, Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Whisper White cardstock, Close to Cocoa, Certainly Celery, Real Red, Pretty in Pink ink, Pinking Hearts Border punch, Red Love Epoxy Brads

To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

Heart Treat Cups for Valentine's Day

Just in time for all of your Valentines!  Heart Treat Cups (#120435) and the coordinating Sweetheart stamp set (#120415) will be available for purchase on January 5, 2010.  While this is not a limited-time offer, it is not certain how long the initial inventory (earmarked for Valentine's Day) will remain in stock. It is possible that the Heart Treat Cups may be backordered for a short time prior to Valentine's Day.  So visit my online store to order them today!

Sale-A-Bration and Occasions Mini Catalog Coming soon!

Due to a delay with the catalog mailings, both of the catalogs are posted early on Stampin' Up's! website. Enjoy this sneak peek until you get your real copy! If you are already my customer, you should expect yours in the mail, but if you don't receive them in the next week or so, please let me know.  Feel free to contact me if you don't have a demonstrator and would like copies.

Click here to download the Occasions Mini Catalog (16MB)


Click here to download the Sale-A-Bration catalog  (4 MB)


Click here to see the new additions to the Definitely Decorative brochure  (6 MB)



To Order Stampin' Up! Products On-Line 24/7, CLICK HERE!

More from my Talented Downline

In the midst of Christmas cards, I received this beautiful thank you card from Deana. It stood out from the Christmas cards because it is just such a striking card and color combination. She recently got married and made all of her invitations, programs, thank-yous and gifts! Congratulations Deana and Jeremy!

Happy New Year!

Here is one last Christmas card for the season.  My newsletter readers can enter a monthly contest for a free stamp set, and Mary sent me this card using Lovely as a Tree.  I pulled out all of my homemade cards, shuffled them up and pulled one out with my eyes closed.  Congratulations Mary H.!  Thanks to all of you who sent one of your creations.  I love getting homemade cards too!