Nutz about Stamping

Get a Jump Start on National Scrapbooking Month!

This was supposed to be a secret until May 1st, but Stampin' Up! announced that the National Scrapbooking Month promotion will actually begin today! To download a flyer on this wonderful promotion, click here!

Now read on for the details:

 

From April 30 - May 31st, give scrapbooking a try with our National Scrapbooking Month promotion! You  will get 30 percent off a wide selection of scrapbooking products including

• Select stamp sets
• Select professional print products for My Digital Studio
• Special digital download bundles for My Digital Studio

But that's not all!

From April 30 - May 31st, you can join the Stampin' Up! family as a demonstrator and get 30 percent off the Digital+ Starter Kit. In addition, you can also can purchase the Stampin' Memories Add-On for 30 percent off, as well!

Digital+ Starter Kit* (valued at more than $320!)	Sale Price:	$122.50
Stampin' Memories Add-On (valued at more than $75!) 1 stamp set 1 card stock pack 1 Designer Series Paper pack 1 Quick Accents pack 1 Designer Printed Album (12" x 12") Sale Price: $35   Intersted in learning more? Contact me with questions or to join Stampin' Up! toay!

Happy Penguin Day

Yes, that's right. It is National Penguin Day today. You may ask what that has to do with stamping and of course I have an answer ready.

Did you know you can create a cute penguin card using punches? Or you can create a black & white only or vanilla & white only card to honor this fun day? And I did just that. I created a Very Vanilla and Basic Black card using a brand new stamp set in the Summer Mini catalog!

 

Introducing Sail Away, an "al a carte" choice in the Summer Mini catalog. A la carte stamps are single stamp sets that are available at a very reasonable cost.

I think Sail Away makes the perfect Father's Day card, don't you? Sail Away will be available for purchase starting May 1st and I bet it will fly off the shelves at the Stampin' Up! warehouse.

Why not make your own National Penguin Day card today too!

Techniques Club

This Saturday my Techniques Club meets and I am so excited to teach them a quilting technique for one of their cards. This group of stampers love to learn a new technique each month and they certainly keep me challenged to stay a stampin' step ahead of them!

Here's one of the cards the club members will make at their April meeting:

This card looks difficult to make but really isn't. I used my scrap pieces of Springtime Vintage designer series paper - my last chance to use this great paper as it, along with other Occasions Mini catalog products, retire on Saturday.

Would you like to be part of my Raleigh and area Techniques Club? Would you like me to bring a club to you and your friends? Contact me at [email protected] to learn how!

 

Clearly for You Scrapbook page

Here's another stamp set I am really going to miss. Clearly for You caught my eye right away the first time I viewed the Occasions Mini catalog and it hardly seems like I have had the stamp set for four months already. This set, too, will be retiring April 30th and I will be sad to see it retire.

So I used it on one of the April pages my Scrapbook Club created last weekend. This page uses only three colors but by using layers and different sized photo and journaling blocks, along with a punched element, it really pops.

It's almost too pretty to put photos on! I had some left over First Edition designer series paper and used a strip in the background to add a vintage element to the page. Scraps are a great way to add different sized elements to your scrapbook pages at home. The next time you feel the need to create, try this page idea or change up the stamp set and colors and see what a beautiful page you will end up with too!

If you love to scrapbook or want to learn how, join my Scrapbook Club or host a scrapbook party for you and your friends. I have lots of fun ideas and with all the new products coming out in the Summer Mini catalog I would love to create some unique design ideas just for you! Contact me today for my open dates.

Because I Care

At every monthly team meeting I offer the opportunity for a team swap. Sometimes it is a card, sometimes a hostess gift idea, and sometimes a 3D idea. The swaps are optional but I love to participate because each team member always comes up with such a neat swap that I can't wait until the next meeting.

This month our swap focus is hostess stamp sets. I haven't used Because I Care for a long time so dusted it off and made this card for our swap:

This card was really easy to create and I love the Old Olive against the Basic Black. For the phrase layer I used the brand new Four Frames which is only available as part of the Spring is Blossoming promotion which ends this Saturday.

Have you thought of joining Stampin' Up!? I'd love to talk with you about this amazing business opportunity and have you attend our monthly team meetings. Everyone on my team is supportive, creative, super friendly and just plain fun. I have several long distance members too and provide long distance training at my cost.

If you join Stampin' Up! by April 30th, you can preorder from the Summer Mini catalog and have fun creating with these brand new products. Contact me at [email protected] for more information or to join my team and click here to see the Starter Kit and a video produced by Stampin' Up!

 

Project 52 - Week 11

This week's Project 52 page is a project I have been anxious to complete over my Spring Break. A major undertaking as I decided early in the year that over my vacation week I would paint my Stampin' Spot. It took an entire day just to clear the space so I could get through with my ladder and paint tray. And since my paint choice was a huge decision, I knew I had to take photos to mark the occasion and smile at years from now.

See my helper on the ladder? Every time I got off the ladder to fill my paint tray I would turn around and my furry friend was relaxing at the top.

I decided to keep the page very plain to match the former room color and decor - which will be a nice contrast with my "after" page. I also tried a shadow technique for the title and journaling text to add a subtle contrast and make the letters stand out on the page.

Do you have a home improvement project for your place too? Take photos of the project for your next Project 52 page! Contact me for a free private viewing of My Digital Studio - a fantastic digital crafting program!

 

Sundays with Sizzix: A Good Egg Scrapbook Page

Happy Easter! I hope you are enjoying the day with friends or family and will be taking a few memorable photos for this super cute scrapbook page. I used A Good Egg which brings a smile to everyone who uses it for paper crafting projects. My Scrapbook Club created this page yesterday and they all commented on how much they loved this page idea!

A Good Egg Scrapbook Page

Stamp set: A Good Egg

Ink: Bashful Blue, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie (marker), Jet Black StāzOn

Card stock: Bashful Blue (12x12), Pacific Point (two pieces 5 ½ x 4 1/8"), Whisper White (two pieces 5 ¼ x 4, scraps). Pear Pizzazz (2 x 12"), Melon Mambo scraps, Daffodil Delight scraps

Punches: Wide Oval, Pinking Hearts border

Accessories: Big Shot, Platform, Standard cutting pads, Square Lattice, Perfect Polka Dots and/or Petals-a-Plenty textured impression embossing folders, Snail Adhesive, Anywhere Glue Stick, Ice Cream Parlor or Daffodil Delight Pom Pom Trim ribbon (13"), Blender pen, Sponge

And now for the video tutorial. Enjoy!

If you want to place an order for the supplies I used to make this page, please contact me at: [email protected]. Don't forget to subscribe to my free newsletters (I even have a monthly scrapbooking newsletter!) using the Join My Mailing List box to the left of this posting.

Nature Walk Scrapbook Page

Today my Scrapbook Club meets and I used the Nature Walk stamp set and Botanical Gardens designer series paper on one of the three pages they will make. I am so sad that both the stamp set and paper will be retiring at the end of April when the Occasions Mini catalog retires. I liked the uniqueness of both and how versatile they are for any paper crafting project.

Here's the page my club will make today:

Isn't this a cool layout? I got the idea from another demonstrator and tweaked her layout to suit my needs. The Very Vanilla background layer is sponged all over using So Saffron Classic ink which adds a touch of color and a vintage look to the page. The squares are 1 1/4" and Nature Walk images are stamped, cut out and adhered to the page using Stampin' Dimensionals.

I have a brand new round of my Scrapbook Club beginning in May. The club meets once a month and each time the members make three different scrapbook pages. If you live in the Raleigh area and want more information about this club and how you can earn free hostess benefits as club hostess one month, please email me at: [email protected]

Four Frames

Often when I ask a stamper if she has ever thought of joining Stampin' Up, I get a response like: Oh I could never be a demonstrator, I am not creative enough. When I hear that response I smile because I thought the exact thing when I first thought about becoming a demonstrator - seven years ago!

And here's a secret -- you don't have to be creative to be successful as a demonstrator! You simply have to tap into the demonstrator-only art galleries to realize that there are many creative ideas out there you can copy! (shhh, don't tell) The demonstrators (and future life-long friends) you will meet at Convention and regional workshops will help you build your creativity so you can discover your inner artist too.

One of those life-long friends I met five years ago, Donna, sent me a card this past week and I knew that my Card Club stampers would LOVE to make it so I copied her idea, changed out the phrase, and took it to their club meeting this week. And yes, they did LOVE it indeed.

Here's the card they made:

Stamp set: Great Friend, Four Frames

Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke

Card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke, Whisper White, Marina Mist, Paisley Petals designer series paper

Punch: Decorative Label

Ribbon: Whisper White 5/8" Organza

Donna taught me a neat trick to make the Cherry Cobbler layer using the Decorative Label punch so if you book a workshop with me I will pass that trick along.

This is the perfect month to join Stampin' Up! as a demonstrator. The Summer Mini catalog goes live May 1st, the pre-order for the brand new Idea Book & Catalog begins June 1st and the new catalog goes live July 1st. With all that happening in the months ahead you will be well prepared (I will show you everything you need to do to be successful!) to wow your friends and family. YOu can even meet our team in Salt Lake City this summer for the annual (and crazy fun!) Stampin' Up! Convention. Contact me at [email protected] to have an information packet mailed to you, to see the Starter Kit options, or with any questions you may have.

 

Flower Garden

Have you gotten your brand new Summer Mini catalog in the mail yet? I mailed out close to 95 this round so if you have purchased products from me in the past year you should be watching your mailbox daily for this fabulous new publication.

Today when I went to my own mailbox I saw an envelope from my "upline", a very talented and supportive demonstrator a couple of levels up from me. She had sent me a beautiful card using Flower Garden, a brand new textured impressions embossing folder in the Summer Mini (page 24). I had a good chuckle because I had just finished making my own project with the exact same folder!

Here's the card I received in the mail:

The Flower Garden image was sponged in Whisper White craft ink on Crumb Cake card stock and did you notice the Four Frames punched image? I love this card!

Now is the time to book your Summer Mini catalog workshop. I will show you and your friends this beautiful new embossing folder and you can each make a Flower Garden project to take home. Contact me today for my open dates - hurry because my calendar is filling up fast!

Card Map Challenge

On Monday I participated in a Chat & Challenge. Several Stampin' Up! demonstrators from all over the US (and beyond!) chat online and create cards using the same card map. It is so much fun getting to know everyone and seeing what they come up with using stamp sets and accessories that appeal to each.

Here's the map challenge we were given:

Pretty cool huh! I decided to use a stamp set and colors that would take me in a totally different direction. Baby Blossoms and Easter Blossoms are both going to retire at the end of April, as is the Springtime Vintage designer series paper. So I decided to use all three to create my card:

 

Now it's your turn! Take the card map challenge and home and see what you can come up with. I'd love to see the result - email a photo to me at: [email protected]!

A Good Egg

Whenever I need a cute Easter card I love to pull out A Good Egg and create a sample with this stamp set. The chick in the egg image is just too cute!

Last month my Card Club requested an Easter card so I used A Good Egg and when a second Card Club saw the card, they requested to make this card too! So this is what tomorrow night's club will be making:

 

See the Vintage Flower Adornment on the card front? I LOVE these card, scrapbook and paper craft adornments. Attach them to any project using a Mini Glue Dot and voila, a touch of class! And notice the flowers stamped on the card base upper background, adding a subtle element using my Versamark ink pad.

Would you and your friends like to form your own Card Club and have me attend each month with three fabulous projects for you to make? Contact me at: [email protected] for the details.

 

 

Petal Cone die

Have you seen one of the latest additions to the Stampin' Up! Big Shot family? It's called the Petal Cone die and is found on page 15 of the Occasions Mini catalog:

I have seen so many cool ideas with this die and last week, one of the teachers assistants at my school (a fabulous paper crafter) gave me this cute Spring Break gift and I immediately asked her permission to show you what she gave me.

Cathy turned the Petal Cone into a super cute basket! See the scallop half-circle at the front?

Here's another view of her basket creation:

This is a great die to add to your Big Shot collection. It is part of Shelli's Signature Collection so hopefully will be around for a while. But you can be sure that if you order it by April 30th you won't miss out when the Occasions Mini catalog retires.

Contact me today with questions or to place an order for your Petal Cone die.

Sundays with Sizzix: Baby Card

Now is the time of year that we are invited to a lot of baby showers, so let's get ready with a cute card idea. This baby bib card was created using my Big Shot, Square Lattice textured impressions embossing folder, and Animal Stories - the perfect baby card stamp set!

Baby Bib Card

Stamp sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes, Animal Stories

Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Tempting Turquoise

Card stock: Tempting Turquoise (8 ½ x 5 ½, scraps), Whisper White (4 x 5 ¼")

Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8' circle, Corner Rounder, 1 ¾" circle

Accessories: Big Shot, Platform, Standard Cutting pads, Square Lattice textured impressions embossing folder, Tombow Multi-purpose glue, Anywhere Glue stick, Paper snips

And now for the video tutorial. Enjoy!

To place an order for the supplies used to make this card, contact me at: [email protected] !

Beveled Windowpanes

My goodness, the Occasions Mini is only around for two more weeks and I suddenly realized I haven't shown you the Beveled Windowpanes yet! Featured on page 12 of the mini catalog, there are three sizes to choose from and are perfect for framing designer series paper or hand stamped images.

I received a beautiful card from one of my team members and asked her permission to share her card with you so you can see how the Windowpanes can take a nice card and make it stunning:

Gorgeous, huh!

Each Beveled Windowpane has a vertical slit on either side so you can slip a piece of ribbon through which helps secure the windowpane to your project.

Why not give these a try before they retire on April 30th? Contact me today to place your order!