I'm So Very Grateful for a Wonderful 2013!

2013 has been an incredible year in my stamping business!

I'm so Very Grateful for all my customers and stampers

and the wonderful Crafty Crew who've bought the Starter Kit

I hope everyone has exciting plans for celebrating the year's end

Maybe even with a little stamping . . .

Here is a trio of cards that may provide some inspiration.

I used one of the new Stamp sets: So Very Grateful. Yesterday's post also featured this set, stamped in the same color ink as the framing paper. Today's card features the stamp embossed in white on Crumb Cake paper. click on the images to see them larger

  

While today is the last day of 2013, its not the last day to purchase from the Holiday Catalog. Items from the Holiday Catalog are available through January 2nd.
And even though tomorrow is the first day of 2014, its not the first day for the Occasions Catalog. That catalog goes live on January 3rd.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired
 

So Very Grateful Sneak Peek!

Here's another Sneak Peek at the images from the new Occasions Catalog. These images are from a set called So Very Grateful.

One of the fun things about being a demonstrator is the ability to order new product a whole month before the catalog goes live. It makes sense of course, as demonstrators we need samples to show to customers as soon as the customers are able to buy from the catalog. But still, its kind of fun having the sets early. Makes you feel kind of special.

There are 2 flowery images in the So Very Grateful stamp set along with the 2 sentiments you see on the card. I left this card very plain, just stamped it in one color and embellished with a little banner and a rhinestone. 

Speaking of gratitude: I am "So Very Grateful" that

I was blessed with a full work day and I had a fun afternoon playing with the So Very Grateful stamp set.  Check back later this week to see more samples made with this stamp set. I made lots.

Speaking of things in the near future - SALE-A-BRATION 2014 begins January 28th!

Sale-a-bration is Stampin'UP!'s once a year "celebration" sale. Every $50 in merchandise you purchase earns you a free item from the Sale-a-bration brochure. Oh my goodness - there is some totally cute stuff in this year's choices. And, of course, as demonstrators we get that product a full month early too. So you'll be getting a Sneak Peek at some of your Sale-a-bration choices soon.

I always look forward to Sale-a-bration because I love getting free stuff. Thats free stuff in addition to what I get for being a Demonstrator.  Click HERE to check out the Math of Buying the Starter Kit.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired
 

The Holiday Catalog expires soon. 
Shop now to get product from the Holiday Catalog.
or browse the Annual Catalog (or the Spanish Version)
Get  all your stamping supplies here.

While you're shopping, don't miss these deals:

• Special Savings:  The Deal of the Week 
  See all 8 items on sale this week - New each Tuesday
• Huge Clearance Rack Blitz - Check the Clearance Rack
  Some items are up to 80% off

Shopping on-line in December? use this Hostess Code 

and receive a Thank-you card in the mail from me **

along with a free sheet of Dimensionals (100 Dimensionals on a sheet)

KHGRCTMW

**Be sure you leave the box checked that allows demonstrator contact.
If you un-check it then I will not see a name or address,
and will not be able to send your thank-you and Free Dimensionals.

Springtime Hello Embellished with a Sweet Bee and Honeycomb Texture

Texture embossing really dresses up a card. The card on the left is pretty all by itself. But just see how special it looks with cardstock embossed with a Honeycomb pattern.

 

These images are from a new stamp set: Springtime Hello. This is just a sneak peek (sorry, I know a few people who want everything with bees, but this is not available until January). But you should have already gotten your Occasions Catalog in the mail, so enjoy a few days of browsing and get your Wish List ready.  This catalog goes live in January.

And if you don't have the Occasions Catalog yet then contact me for a copy

Another thing that makes this card special is the delicate coloring on the flower. The flower and its stems are all one stamp, yet you see multiple colors.

TIP: To get the different colors I used markers directly on the stamp. If you look carefully at the close up you'll see where my coloring was a little off. Using markers on the stamp is an easy way to get a "wow"  look.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired
 

Shop now to get Holiday Product before the catalog expires. Get  all your stamping supplies here.

While you're shopping, don't miss these deals:

• Special Savings:  The Deal of the Week 
  See all 8 items on sale this week - New each Tuesday
• Huge Clearance Rack Blitz - Check the Clearance Rack
  Some items are up to 80% off

Shopping on-line in December? use this Hostess Code 

and receive a Thank-you card in the mail from me **

along with a free sheet of Dimensionals (100 Dimensionals on a sheet)

KHGRCTMW

 **Be sure you leave the box checked that allows demonstrator contact. 

If you un-check it then I will not see a name or address 

and will not be able to send your thank-you and Free Dimensionals.

Springtime Hello new in the 2014 Occasions Catalog

Here's a sweet Springtime Hello. A super simple card made with one of the new stamp sets from the upcoming Occasions Catalog. The new set is called Springtime Hello. 

The Occasion Catalog goes live in January

Do you have the new Occasions Catalog? If you've ordered from me in the past you've probably already received your Occasions catalog in the mail. If not, contact me and I'll make sure you get one of these new catalogs.

This new set also has a sentiment. Here's a few ideas for adding a sentiment but still keeping the card design very simple.

 

Are you familiar with Stampin'UP!'s Catalog cycles? 

• The Annual Catalog expires the end of May, the new Annual Catalog goes live in June
• The Holiday Catalog runs from August-December
  only a few days left to shop from the 2013 Holiday Catalog
• The Occasions Catalog runs from January-May
• and be watching for links to this year's Sale-a-Bration brochure
  Sale-a-bration 2014 starts January 28th

 Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired

 

Shop now to get Holiday Product before the catalog expires. Get  all your stamping supplies here.

While you're shopping, don't miss these deals:

• Special Savings:  The Deal of the Week 
  See all 8 items on sale this week - New each Tuesday
• Huge Clearance Rack Blitz - Check the Clearance Rack
  Some items are up to 80% off

Shopping on-line in December? use this Hostess Code 

and receive a Thank-you card in the mail from me **

along with a free sheet of Dimensionals (100 Dimensionals on a sheet)

KHGRCTMW

 **Be sure you leave the box checked that allows demonstrator contact. 

If you un-check it then I will not see a name or address 

and will not be able to send your thank-you and Free Dimensionals.

New Weekly Deals includes the Delicate Designs Embossing Folders

Its Tuesday and Stampin'UP! has just released its new set of weekly deals. This week we have a bonus! 12 items instead of the usual 8.

And what a list this week! Ribbon, embossing folders, framelists, a punch, an ink pad, embossing powder. WOW.  

I'm super excited to see the Delicate Designs embossing folders on sale. If you're not familiar with the Delicate Designs just take a look at these 3 cards.

The Delicate Designs folders come as a set - you get BOTH designs in the package. Its such a quick way to really dress up a card. People are so impressed when I give them a card with texture embossing. 

Order Here: If you'd like to add the Delicate Designs embossing folders to your collection you can order them here.

 

Minimum Shipping Charge: Stampin'UP! has a minimum $6.95 shipping charge. You can get your money's worth on the shipping by increasing the amount your order..

Or if you're local (Dane County WI area) just contact me and I'll add them to my next order for you at just 10% shipping.

Shopping on-line in December? use this Hostess Code 

and receive a Thank-you card in the mail from me **

along with a free sheet of Dimensionals (100 Dimensionals on a sheet)

KHGRCTMW

 **Be sure you leave the box checked that allows demonstrator contact. 

If you un-check it then I will not see a name or address 

and will not be able to send your thank-you and Free Dimensionals.

Thanks for stopping by
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired

More Cards with the Evergreen Stamp Set

Here are a few more cards made with the Evergreen Stamp Set. 

Silver embossed on top the blue ink. 

Silver glimmer paper and texture embossed flowers 

with the Petals-a-plenty embossing folder.

Square Lattice embossing folder 

with 1/8" Black Taffeta Ribbon

Stamped in White Craft Ink and Heat embossed with Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired

Shopping on-line in December? use this Hostess Code 

and receive a Thank-you card in the mail from me **

along with a free sheet of Dimensionals (100 Dimensionals on a sheet)

KHGRCTMW

**Be sure you leave the box checked that allows demonstrator contact. 

If you un-check it then I will not see a name or address 

and will not be able to send your thank-you and Free Dimensionals.

Gold Embossed Evergreen

Here's a simple yet elegant Christmas card. The "elegant" part is the gold embossing. Anything looks classy when gold embossed.  

I actually like to stamp my images with the Gold Encore ink and then sprinkle with the gold embossing powder.  I think it adds extra richness to the embossing.  

And - whoohoo, the Gold Encore Ink pad is on sale this week. See the Weekly Deals for this week here. 

The "simple" part is the tree: The gold embossed evergreen on this card looks far more complicated than it really is. The simple trick is, that this is a 2-step stamp set. The green of the tree is one stamp and the gold lines are a 2nd stamp.

Its so fun to give a card like this and have the person ask you how you made it. You'll definitely get a "wow" when you make this tree.

The set is actually called Evergreen. This is one of last year's winter stamp sets so its not in any of the current catalogs. 

However, Evergreen was so popular last year that it IS still available, but you'll find it on-line only: and it is available in either clear mount or wood mount.

---

Shopping on-line in December? use this Hostess Code 

and receive a Thank-you card in the mail from me **

along with a free sheet of Dimensionals (100 Dimensionals on a sheet)

KHGRCTMW

**Be sure you leave the box checked that allows demonstrator contact. If you un-check it then I will not see a name or address and will not be able to send your thank-you and Free Dimensionals.

Additional things to know if you shop on-line

• The Catalogs are available on-line
  **The Annual Catalog expires in June (Spanish Catalog is available)
  **The Holiday Catalog expires the end of December
• There are  Weekly Specials
  **See The Deal of the Week
  **New items each Tuesday
• Find additional Savings on the Clearance Rack
  **View the the Clearance Rack
  **Available only while supplies last!
  **Some items are up to 80% off!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired

Crayon Resist on the Snowman from Best of Snow

This sweet little snowman really pops out from the blue background. This cute little snowman is from Stampin'UP!'s Best of Snow stamp set.

The "Best of . . ." series Each set in the series featured a collection of favorite stamps from the past - along with 1 new stamp.

This little snowman was a favorite, maybe because he just looks so happy! Its like sending someone a hug! You can use him on so many different kinds of cards. 

The new stamp in this set is the sentiment used on this card. It matches our new Bracket Label Punch. That's one of the things I really appreciate about Stampin'UP! - the fact that the company supports so many of the punches with matching stamp sets.

What to know about the Best of Series . . .

• You can see all 12 Sets in the series HERE
• Each set is $14.95 and is available in Clear Mount Only
• All 12 sets will be available through March of 2014
  (yay! that means they're available through Sale-a-bration!)
• The sets come with "Proof of Purchase" Stickers.
  Collect 6 stickers and redeem them for a FREE STAMP SET worth $14.95 or less.

---

Shopping on-line in December? use this Hostess Code 

and receive a Thank-you card in the mail from me **

along with a free sheet of Dimensionals (100 Dimensionals on a sheet)

KHGRCTMW

**Be sure you leave the box checked that allows demonstrator contact. If you un-check it then I will not see a name or address and will not be able to send your thank-you and Free Dimensionals. My apologies to 2 people whose orders have come through as "no contact"

Additional things to know if you shop on-line

• The Catalogs are available on-line
  **The Annual Catalog expires in June (Spanish Catalog is available)
  **The Holiday Catalog expires the end of December
• There are  Weekly Specials
  **See The Deal of the Week
  **New items each Tuesday
• Find additional Savings on the Clearance Rack
  **View the the Clearance Rack
  **Available only while supplies last!
  **Some items are up to 80% off!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired

Crayon Resist with the Wetlands Goose

One of our techniques for December was a Crayon Resist. The goose image from the Wetlands Stamp set seemed like the perfect image to use. I wanted his breast to remain white, yet I wanted to sponge a sky background all around him and also add some green to the grassy area.

The concept of a resist is simple: you put something onto the paper that will "resist" the ink. The wax of the crayon and the ink (which is water based) will not mix, so the ink will not stick where you color with the crayon. I colored the goose's body and face with white crayon. The moon was masked like these samples.

Don't you love this goose. He's so natural looking. Wetlands has quickly become one of my "go to" stamp sets. The birds and grasses are great for masculine cards and they really reflect the natural areas around where I live in southern Wisconsin.

Bonus: The Wetlands Stamp Set comes with sentiments! Too many of the gorgeous image sets have only images - but this set has words too. And I'm totally in love with this font - it is so-o-o elegant! 

Speaking of gorgeous stamp sets - have you seen our catalogs?

• The Annual Catalog expires in June (Spanish Catalog is available)
• The Holiday Catalog runs from Sept - Dec
• The Occasions Catalog runs from Jan - May (catalogs are in the mail, but not on-line yet)

 

DON'T MISS THESE:

• The Holiday Catalog Expires soon: There's only a few weeks left to order product from The Holiday Catalog.
• Special Savings:  The Deal of the Week 
  See all 8 items on sale this week - New items each Tuesday
• Huge Clearance Rack Blitz - Check the Clearance Rack
  Some items are up to 80% off

The Clearance Rack has lots of past favorites.  This image shows just a few of the items currently available on the Clearance Rack - WOW these were definitely favorites and the clearance price makes them a MUST have.  But . . . . they're all only available while supplies last! Some items are already sold-out and gone.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired

 

How to Make a Longer Flip Flop Card

Several people asked me how I got the Hedgehog Flip Flop Card to be longer than the Thinlit Card Die.  Its SUPER EASY - the video will explain more than my words.

With the Thinlit Card dies you can quickly & easily make super cute action cards like these.

 

 

These Thinlit Card dies are  so easy to use and I always get a "Wow" when people receive one of these Flip Flop cards from me.

The Thinlit dies are not in any of the current catalogs, they're so new that they're only available on-line. 

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired

Shop now to get Holiday Product before the catalog expires. Get  all your stamping supplies here.

While you're shopping, don't miss these deals:

• Special Savings:  The Deal of the Week 
  See all 8 items on sale this week - New each Tuesday
• Huge Clearance Rack Blitz - Check the Clearance Rack
  Some items are up to 80% off

Festive Flurries Snowflake Dies and Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder

This festive, super sparkly card showcases Stampin'UP!'s Snowflake Dies. Called the Festive Flurry Snowflake Dies, they are a set of 4 fun snowflake shapes - the 3 smallest are  used on this card. Can't you just see decorating a scrapbook page with these pretty images. 

The super sparkly on this card comes from Glitter Paper. Oh my I love this stuff! The glitter is firmly on the paper, no mess, no sparkly carpets. Just cut and paste. Stampin'UP! sells 3 colors, Red, Champagne (gold) and Silver. I used the silver and red on this card - kind of went for the candy cane look to match the stripey background. The stripes were embossed with the Big Shot using the Stylish Stripes Embossing Folder.

The tiny shape in the middle was punched with the Boho Blossom Punch. This is supposed to be a flower punch but I think it works well for the snowflake images. Its great when you buy a product for one thing and it turns out to have other uses too.

TIP: If you are a scrapbooker the Festive Flurry snowflakes are great shapes to use for journaling. The lacy part is just around the edges and they have a nice solid interior perfect for a picture or a few memories from a winter play day.

Are you aware of Stampin'UP!'s catalog Cycle?

• The Annual Catalog expires in June (Spanish Catalog is available)
• The Holiday Catalog runs from Sept - Dec
• The Occasions Catalog run from Jan - May (catalogs are in the mail, but not on-line yet)

Limited availability for the Holiday Product. The glimmer paper is in the Annual Catalog and has been a stock item for several years. But the Stylish Stripes embossing folder and the Festive Flurry Snowflake Dies are in the Holiday Catalog. Which means they're only available through the end of December.

Shop now to get Holiday Product before the catalog expires. Get  all your stamping supplies here.

While you're shopping, don't miss these deals:

• Special Savings:  The Deal of the Week 
  See all 8 items on sale this week - New each Tuesday
• Huge Clearance Rack Blitz - Check the Clearance Rack
  Some items are up to 80% off

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you've been inspired