Nutz about Stamping

Just Believe

Last night one of my Card Clubs had their monthly meeting. I decided to focus on how to use a brayer to add color to a card background. When I first started stamping I used a brayer a lot and then seemed to move away from if for a while. Here's what a brayer looks like in case you haven't seen one before:

The stamp set used on the card is new to the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog. Introducing: Just Believe – which I got for FREE simply by attending Stampin' Up!s annual Convention:

And here's one of the cards my club created.

 

  

Just Believe

Stamp set: Just Believe #120453

Card stock: So Saffron, Basic Black

Ink: Jet Black StāzOn, So Saffron, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red

Accessories: Soft Subtles brads, Paper Piercing tool and mat, Brayer #102395

Due to demand, I am opening up a second Raleigh (and area) Card Club. Spots are already filling up so if you are interested in learning how to stamp greeting cards or want to add to your bag of stamping technique ideas, email me to join my club or for more information! ([email protected])

Customer Survey

Attending Convention resulted in so many new ideas to share with you that I need your help in determining the best way to do so!

 

I have developed a Customer Survey that will give me some valuable information when planning for classes and clubs in the months ahead. 

Please fill out my survey! On Monday, August 2nd, I will do a random draw from all the survey participant names and the lucky winner will receive a goody bag of new products!

If you miss the deadline for the draw, your answers are still welcome and will help me with my planning.

Click here to take survey

 

Lil' Paws

This is the time of year when babies are welcomed into the world and I had just such an occasion to celebrate (not me - a friend!). So I grabbed my Lil' Paws embosslit and created this card:

   

Lil' Paws Baby Card

Stamp set: none - but Curvy Verses (page 155) has a beautiful phrase that would work perfectly inside

Ink: None

Card stock: Whisper White, Daffodil Delight

Accessories: Big Shot, Platform, Standard Cutting plates, Lil' Paws embosslit, Scallop Trim Border punch, Daffodil Delight 1/8" Taffeta ribbon, Mini Glue dots, Stampin' Dimensionals

If you need a baby card or two, contact me to order the Lil' Paws embosslit!

Extra, Extra Hostess Promotion!

I am very excited about this promotion that was announced when I was at Convention because I love it when you can earn extra hostess benefits!

Extra, Extra Hostess Promotion!

 
Here are the details:

Dates: July 27-August 31, 2010

Details

Host a Stampin' Up! workshop in your home or mine and you can earn extra benefits: Hostesses will receive an additional $25 in hostess free merchandise dollars when they hold a workshop totaling $350 or more!

How easy is that! The average Stampin' Up! workshop is around the $350 mark and you can get $25 more hostess dollars to spend as a bonus. 

Click on the photo above to read the flyer. Then, grab your calendar and find a free date or two. Email me with your dates and if I also have them open, we can book your workshop and together plan a fun evening of stamping for you and your friends. After all, who wouldn't want to play with all the new products in the Idea Book and Catalog!

Hurry!Dates are filling up fast. Email me at: [email protected] and let's get this party started!

Friends Never Fade

Friends Never Fade is one beautiful stamp set! It is also one of the most popular new stamp sets and I got several new ideas when I swapped card fronts at Convention.

Here's a sample that one of my Card Clubs made last week. The layout featured a brand new punch in the catalog - the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch. This punch results in a strip of card stock that looks like a ribbon strip, but isn't!

   

Friends Never Fade

Stamp Set: Friends Never Fade

Card Stock: Whisper White, Wild Wasabi, Blushing Bride, Poppy Parade

Ink: Wild Wasabi and Poppy Parade markers

Accessories: Big Shot, Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch #119275

Due to popularity, I am opening up a third card club! If you live in the Raleigh area and are interested in a once a month club meeting to stamp cards, please email me immediately at: [email protected] Beginners welcome so invite your friends and have a fun evening at my Stampin' Spot.

To place an order for the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder, Friends Never Fade and the Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch, you can either email me at the address above or shop online by going here. Then click the Shop Now button.

Stampin' Up! Tour

I already mentioned that I had a tour of the Head Offices of Stampin' Up! and showed you some photos of the Legacy Room. Today I want to show you some final photos of this fun tour. We went into the Distribution Center and saw where all the products you purchased are picked and packed!

 

This is what I saw when I first entered this amazing center. There were two employees there ready to answer our questions but first we had to close our mouths and create some!

 

Here's where your card stock and designer series paper is picked and placed into your shipping boxes. I was very excited to hear a little rumor that Stampin' Up may just have purchased the company who formerly produced all our card stock because this will ensure that the quality will never change and the shipping times will be consistent!

 

We didn't get to see the back area of the center because of safety regulations but from the main entrance we could see the track that each box travels on to get to the shipping area. One of the employees told us that there is one packing employee for approximately 15 feet and she/he is responsible for adding products as the box travels by his/her area. The box stops, the bar code is scanned and a light indicator flashes if there is product from that area that needs to be added to the box. Once the item is taken off the shelf the light turns off and the box is ready to travel on down the line.

 

This is the final area of the center, right near where I was standing. This is the accessories area and we could actually see some light lit up ready for accessories to be added to the boxes on the line. I could hardly contain my drool because I LOVE accessories!

 

Finally, to ensure that your products get to you as quickly as possible, product picks are tracked and posted for all to see - every hour!!! Yes, there are goals set and the actual figures are posted. I also heard that if mistakes are made these are also tracked and if someone makes picking mistakes on a consistent basis there is additional support provided to ensure that you, my customers, remain happy and very satisfied with Stampin' Up!

This was a really fun tour as part of my Convention 2010 experience. These free tours are offered every year at Convention and busing is provided from the Salt Palace Convention Center over to Riverton, Utah where the head office is located.

There is a brand new Starter Kit offered at a lower price that in previous years. If you want to see the products in the Starter Kit and have an interest in making extra money each month to support your family, contact me to join my team and come along with us to Convention next summer!

Sundays with Sizzix: Elegant Lines

Do you want a quick and easy project for your Big Shot that is guaranteed to pack a huge WOW factor? Then check out today's video tutorial project:

    

I embossed these cocktail napkins for my New Catalog Open House and everyone commented on this project idea. Quick, easy and amazing! Here's the brand new Elegant Lines embossing folder:

  

Elegant Lines Cocktail Napkins

Accessories: Big Shot, Platform, Standard Cutting plates, Elegant Lines embossing folder #119277, Cocktail napkins

And now for the video tutorial. Enjoy!

 

If you'd like a demonstration on the Big Shot and all the cool (and easy!) projects you can create, email me at [email protected] and we'll set up a time – or book a workshop and you and your friends will have an evening of fun!

Convention: Day 3!

Another super duper day with Stampin' Up!

First some details: My convention roomie won TWO stamp sets, we completed some beautiful make-n-takes and saw some "blow-your-mind" Halloween and Christmas project ideas created on the Main Stage. I will be featuring some classes using these products in the coming months so watch for more details, coming soon!

After the day ended we headed over to Riverton, Utah to tour Stampin' Up!s Home Office. We were greeted at the door and invited to take a self-guided tour. We also met up with Stephanie, a super nice Stampin' Up! Human Resources employee who sat with us at lunch yesterday (and can you believe she lived in NC for a few years!).

   

Hello from Riverton, Utah! Let's go inside, shall we? Here's some photos of the head office that I thought you might enjoy. These were taken in the "Legacy Room" and highlight some new products:

 
 
 

Aren't these beautiful rooms? I have so many more photos of this facility to share with you but sorry, you are going to have to be patient for a couple more days.

I do have a bit of news to share: there is a new hostess special that was announced!

From July 27 - August 31st: host a workshop of $350 or more and you, as hostess, get an extra $25 in hostess awards in addition to a Level one or Level two hostess set! Yippee!!!

So grab your calendar and get in touch with me early next week. Not only will I be back from Convention but I will have a suitcase full of fantastic new ideas to WOW you and your friends.

Convention: Day 2!

Oh my gosh the fun begins. General session, reconnecting with long distance stamping friends, make-n-takes, and exciting announcements.

Yesterday I shared photos of the confectionery display, and promised a few close-ups. So here they are:

     

   


Aren't those cute? All made of paper and other Stampin' Up! products.

But here's the best part of my day today:

 

My walk across stage for $100,000 in sales! Can you tell that I am a bit excited? As one of my downline stated as we left the excitement and returned to our hotels, "Boy, Stampin' Up! is sure good to their demonstrators!" And yes they are! If you want to be part of this great company and be rewarded for your business efforts, contact me to join my team.

Tomorrow I'll show you some more highlights so, come on back!

Convention: Day One!

Oh my gosh what a day yesterday. A long flight, dash to the hotel, off to the Convention Center, into Memento Mall (got some great goodies!) and then to the displays. And what a set of displays before our eyes!

The theme for Convention is Share What You Love and obviously the design team at Stampin' Up! must have a love for candy or confectionery because look at these displays they shared:

   

 

and....

 

The most amazing thing about these displays is the fact that all the delicious looking treats are made using our fabulous Stampin' Up! new color collections, designer series paper, chalkboard elements and other new products!

Check back tomorrow for more photos of these fun displays and a recap of the day's events. 

Happy Stampin'!

It’s Convention Time!

Today I am winging my way to beautiful Salt Lake City, Utah for Stampin' Up!s Annual Convention. I have such a busy day ahead of me so created a To-Do list of events:

• Check in and get my free Convention bag! Inside will be a packet of products for my make-n-take projects, three free stamp sets and a wheel, a convention booklet outlining the events for the week, a Stampin' Up! pen and a commemorative convention pin
  
• Head straight to Memento Mall to check out the Stampin' Up! products for sale! These items usually include a ribbon sampler, jewelry, grocery bags, punch sampler, logo clothing, and other "too cool" items that are not available in the Idea Book & Catalog
  
• Participate in a Focus Group! I was invited, along with 15 other Stampin' Up! demonstrators, to meet with head office personnel to give advice and feedback on upcoming product ideas. Sorry that I won't be able to share the products we will be discussing – I had to sign a confidentiality agreement to keep these new ideas hush-hush for now.
  
• Attend a Flower Power event! This evening all demonstrators will be getting together to learn the hippest techniques at demonstrator booths, play games, get our faces painted, qualify for the annual game show which takes place on the Big Stage, enjoy food from the concession stands, win prizes, and hang loose connecting with my long distance demonstrator friends. I have dusted off my Peace necklace and bell bottom jeans for this fun event.
  
• Swap cards! This is the best part of Convention – picture this: 2000 demonstrators milling around the convention center swapping card fronts designed just for this occasion. I have created 80 swap cards and will bring back 80 card fronts to share with you! This is a great way to collect a variety of stamp set ideas without having to create them all myself. Here is my swap card for this year's convention:

Blissful Bride

 

If you look closely you should see some sparkle all over the Basic Black background. I used Silver Foil Smooch Spritz which adds a beautiful shine when It catches the light. I stamped the dress image in Versamark and embossed with Silver embossing powder. Thank you to one of my wonderful customers who saw this card in my Stampin' Spot and suggested it would be perfect to swap at convention this year. I hope it is a big hit!

Come on back tomorrow for my Convention news! I will be posting some photos of the Convention Center and some highlights of this fun event. And if you want to travel with me to next summer's convention, contact me to join me All About Stamping team and all the FUN!

Team Swap Cards

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to share a couple of the team swap cards I received at my team meeting on Sunday. And here they are:

 

Because I Care

 

This card was stamped onto Glossy White card stock (#102599) so it has a natural shine with no effort to create. Just stamp in Basic Black, add the tag and go. How cute is this card!

 

Baby Bundle

 

This is another brand new stamp set, perfect for all those upcoming baby celebrations and scrapbook pages! The baby bottle on this card has a shine to it using Dazzling Diamonds glitter (the best glitter EVER!) and the top heart is lifted off the card using a Stampin' Dimensional – too cute!

Because I Care is a level one hostess stamp set which you can easily earn by hosting a Stampin' Up! workshop for you and your friends. Contact me for my open dates and I will guarantee an evening of fun!

Check back tomorrow to see my Convention Swap card and stay tuned for my convention updates each day for the rest of this week, coming to you LIVE from Salt Lake City, Utah!

The one item I HAD to have from the new catalog!

Yesterday was my June team meeting and often at our meetings we do a card swap. I had a blast making this month's swap card because of the brand new Two-step Owl punch in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog:

  

Here's the card I made to swap at our meeting:

    

Owl Punch Card

Stamp Set: Teeny Tiny Wishes

Card stock: Crumb Cake, Garden Green, Soft Suede, Garden Green, Chocolate Chip, Real Red, Elegant Soirée designer series paper #117163

Accessories: Two-step Owl punch #118074, Stampin' Dimensionals, Snail Adhesive, 2-Way Glue pen, Two-step Bird punch

Isn't that the cutest punch EVER? If you have to own the Two-step Owl punch too, contact me and I'll get it to you asap!

I made a couple of extra cards for this swap and added the "Happy Anniversary" phrase underneath using the Modern Label punch. And here's a fun discovery: the Elegant Soirée designer series paper has a sheet design that looks exactly like feathers – perfect for the chest of the owl! These special cards will be mailed today to two of my team members who are celebrating the anniversary of the year they signed up as Stampin' Up! demonstrators – a special moment to celebrate!

Check back tomorrow for a couple swaps I received from my team members at our team meeting. Each of us has a very different style of stamping and it is so much fun to see what swap cards I am going to get from my talented team each month!

Sundays with Sizzix: Morning Cup

From the moment I laid eyes on Morning Cup in the new catalog (page 60 ) I knew I had to have it. The phrases in the stamp set are so cute - and true! My All About Stamping team members are going to make today's card at our team meeting this afternoon and I thought you'd like to learn how to make it too.

 

Here's my team meeting card:

 

  

 

  Morning Cup

Stamp set: Morning Cup #120489

Card stock: Daffodil Delight #119683 (5 ½ x 4 ¼", 2 ½ x 2""), Melon Mambo (4 x 5 ¼" 1 ¾ x 2 ¼") , Whisper White (scraps)

Ink: Basic Black or Black StāzOn

Accessories: Big Shot, Platform, Standard Cutting plates, Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder, Scallop Rectangle Clearlit # 118872, Daffodil Delight 3/8" Taffeta ribbon #119254, Scallop Oval punch, Large Oval punch, Blender pen

And now for the video tutorial. Enjoy!

 

Would you and your friends like to make this card or have a demonstration using the Big Shot? Contact me at [email protected] for a private class!

My Favorite New Accessories

I am up bright and early today to get ready for day two of my New Catalog Open House! Thanks to all of you who attended yesterday and for your nice comments on the make-n-takes.

I know that getting a new catalog (for FREE!) is such an exciting moment and many of you commented that it can also be overwhelming with so many new stamp sets, papers and accessories. So that gave me the idea for today's blog post. I want to share two of my new favorite accessories, both found on page 188:

Rhinestone Jewels

 


• Small, self-adhesive rhinestones
• 150 rhinestones per package; 50 each of 3 sizes (3 mm, 4 mm, and 5 mm)
• Each package also includes three 2-5/8" strips of connected rhinestones, perfect for borders

Pearl Jewels

 

• Small, self-adhesive pearls
• 150 pearls per package; 50 each of 3 sizes (2 mm, 3 mm, and 5 mm)
• Each package also includes three 2-5/8" strips of connected pearls perfect for borders

And here's the best part: both of these accessories are only $4.95 per pack! Think of all the cards and paper craft projects you can create and then bump up a notch using these new accessories. Add a pearl here, a rhinestone there, and your projects take a subtle step up. It's easy to add a touch of class to your projects in an instant.

If you'd like me to show you these new accessories or how to add them as accents on your cards, contact me at [email protected] for a quick demonstration.