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

The Best Things in Life Aren't a Secret!

What are the Best Things in Your life? For me its my family.  This 8x8 scrapbook page shows my granddaughter, who is certainly one of the best things in our lives.  

The colors here are Melon Mambo, Pretty in Pink and Old Olive. I love Stampin'UP!'s color pallettes  AND even more amazing that the baby's jacket is also a match. 

There are lots of "best things" about Stampin'UP! . . . and one of the things I like best is how well things match up, how the product is coordinated.

1. The COLOR matching is great . . . the fact that inks, ribbons, brads, paper . . . all match
2. And we have stamps that match a punch or a die - the flowers on this page were stamped and then die cut with the Secret Garden Framelit Dies
3. Its so great that our dies and punches are sized for nesting SHAPES - like the layers for this sentiment

This sentiment from a Stamp set called Feel Goods just about sums it up.  Family and how we love and care for each other.  And the love and care that Stampin'UP! puts into making a quality product.

If you've never seen our catalog then take some time to browse our product.  We have several catalogs and you can browse online through the links below.  Or contact me (608-220-3450) and I'll send you a catalog.  These truly are some of the "best things" in stamping and it isn't a secret.

Happy Stamping

--Katie

---

Do you need a catalog? 
Call me to get your paper copy of the catalogs. (608-220-3450)
You can also see them on-line

	The Main Catalog and Idea Book view the Flash Version   - or -   down load the PDF
	The Spring Mini Catalog view the Flash Version   - or -    download the PDF
	The Sale-a-bration Brochure see the PDF of the products see the PDF of the opportunities see the PDF of the digital products

---

 

Traditional or Digital? - How do you Scrap?

What kind of Scrapper Are You?   Traditional scrappers love the feel of paper and stamps in their hands and playing with the pieces, arranging and re-arranging. In today's new technological world, many are finding they like to design on the computer where you can alter sizes, colors and shapes without using up paper and other supplies. There are advantages to each process but in the end its about the product and process you enjoy.

Here is a sample of a traditional page. With traditional scrapping you can add lots of depth and texture to the project.  I used the Pennant Punch to create the layers for the trees. The top layer of the trees was embossed with the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder. The stars were punched from Champagne Glimmer Paper using the Merry Mini Punch Pack.

The photo was framed using the Top Note Die and the corner was embellished with 2 images from the Snow Flurry Die.

The sentiment is from a set called Word Play, which is available in wood mount, clear mount, digital download, and this sentiment is available as a single stamp.  

The sentiment, "Remember when . . . " was just perfect for this photo. These are my three adult brothers holding the stockings they had as little boys. "Remember When" seemed to be the phrase starting most of our conversations that day. Of course as grown men, "Bobby" is now Bob, "Danny" is now Dan and "Gary" is now Garet. The boys have grown into men but the stockings hold the memories of when we were children. And thats what scrapbooking is all about, preserving memories! 

Which method do I prefer? Well, I started as a traditional scrapper and I do love playing with paper and punches and markers.  However I also appreciate the advantages that digital scrapping has to offer.

• I like the ease of cropping and re-sizing within the program. 
• I like the ability to draw colors from the colors in my photographs. 
• I like being able to try different "stamps" on the page without wasting paper.
• And I REALLY like the ability to make the project once and then print additional copies for everyone in the family. That is a huge time saver!

What do you prefer?

•  stamps with ink, paper and embellishments
• virtual projects with digital imagery
• do you like working from pre-designed kits  where the design work is already done for you

Whatever your preferred method of scrapping, Stampin' Up! has it all and makes it easy. 

Stampin'UP! is encouraging you to try digital Scrapping now.

• Three free downloads available all week long (check them out here)
• 50 percent off on all our amazing digital kits! (see the whole list here). The 50% off price will appear after you click on "ADD TO BAG"
• Lots of user support on MyDigitalStudio.net 

Try it, I think you'll be impressed with the flexibility of digital scrapping. The software is called My digital Studio or MDS2 for short. If you don't already have the software you can get a FREE 30-day Trial Copy HERE

Happy Stamping and Scrapping
--Katie

Fall Scrapbook Pages and Halloween Treat Tote

 Here is a cute Fall Scrapbook layout done by my downline Sue Adams at one of her stamping events.  I really like these page, they are so rich with texture.

 

Just look at all the details: the designer paper is perfect for a fall lay-out. She die cut the leaves using the Autumn Accents Die, to give some depth and even added veins to them.  Because this was a teaching event she wanted her participants to know different ways of adding veins. So on the left hand page she embossed them with the spiderweb folder. On the right hand page she embossed with the woodgrain embossing folder. 

Which veins do you like best?  BTW: here is the trick to the spider web veins.

To add a little character she made a punch art pumpkin using the Large Oval Punch and added an owl in fall colors using the Owl builder punch.

Another project from Sue's event was this cute little Halloween treat purse. The pumpkin here was made the same as on the Scrapbook page above.  She layered 5 ovals and to give some dimension she sponged ink around each one. The leaves are from the Bird Builder Punch and the Ghosts are the same Oval Punch  and were punched from white paper.

To make the tote she cut 2 pieces with the Top Note Die and embossed with the Spider Web Embossing folder.  You can't see it in this photo but the 2 sides are glued to a bag in the middle for holding your treats.  

How cute is that for leaving a little treat on a co-worker's desk?  Or to surprise a child in their lunch box.  And its so easy to make too.  Who would you give this to?

Get all your supplies to make these projects HERE.

Happy Stamping

--Katie

QUICK LINKS:

---

Shop for Stampin'UP! product HERE Are you earning Customer Loyalty Points? Be sure to check the Clearance Rack you'll find some amazing deals View the Main Catalog On-Line View the Holiday Mini-Catalog On-Line Call me to get a paper version of the catalogs - 608-220-3450

---

Everything Eleanor Scrapbook Page

The new Everything Eleanor stamp set makes a gorgeous frame for these photos from my daughter's wedding.  If you follow this blog then you know that Sara and Jeremiah were married May 19th. 

Notice the groom's shirt?  Yep, its what you think it is. The man always wears Hawaiian shirts even to his wedding. The grooms men and ring bearer too.  Actually even the flower girl had a matching Hawaiian print for her dress.  She was of course the first photo posted from the wedding (no offense to my daughter the bride). You can see the flowergirl here.

Back to the scrapbook page:  The colors used here are Wild Wasabi, Perfect Plum and River Rock. They were a good match for the men's shirts.  And the imagery from the Everything Eleanor stamp set really fit the theme.   Here's how I built it:

For the stamped part of the page: I stamped the flourish down both sides and added the flowers to the right side. The green piece is a full size piece of Wild Wasabi paper (8.5" x 11"). I printed all the photos on one regular size sheet of paper and trimmed it so it was nicely framed on the green - I think it ended up being about 7x10. 

 

The final detail was some punched flowers. They really help to soften the edge of the photo and make it seem to blend in to the flowers on the page.  These were Stamped with a set called Mixed Bunch and then punched with the new Blossom Punch.

Be sure to check out the Clearance Rack - its the first link in the list on the left. I notice there are several packs of Designer Paper and lots of scrapbooks. But the product changes often so check this site regularly.

Happy Stamping and Happy Scrapping
--Katie

Winter Scrapbook Page

Here is an idea for a winter scrapbook double page lay-out. I know its not winter, but there are several reasons to share it now. 

 First: May is National Scrapbook Month. So even though its not winter, this is a very appropriate time to share a winter scrapbook page. 

 Second: May is also the month to say a final farewell to retiring product and this page, even though its a winter page, uses 3 retiring products. These products are all retiring and only available while supplies last. You can check availability by browsing my Stampin'UP! store.

• Serif Essentials Alphabet Dies - - - 113464, $149.95
• Large Snowflake #2 Die - - - 113460, $15.95
• Snowflake Punch item - - - #119852, $16.95

Points to remember when creating scrapbook pages:  be sure to include a headline and, where appropriate, include journaling. This will be a help to you and others later to more fully enjoy the pictures and the memories they hold. So, what pictures do you have that would fit these pages?

Happy Stamping AND Happy Scrapping

--Katie

Scrapbook Options: Traditional or Digital

Are you a scrapbooker?  What is your format? Do you work with traditional materials (paper, ink, scissors, printed photographs . . .) or digitally? There are advantages to each.

If you've never tried digital scrapbooking and are curious about why people like it, then consider this:

1. With digital scrapping you can alter the SIZE of the photos and other elements
2. You can alter the COLOR of the elements to perfectly match your photos
3. You can ROTATE elements and photos to create different effects
4. This is just the basics, there is so-o-o-o-o-o much more you can do!

Stampin'UP!'s digital program is called: My Digital Studio There is a whole web community of active users who share, support and teach each other new tricks to use with the program. You can browse this web community for free at www.mydigitalstudio.net

There are 2 versions of My Digital Studio. One comes on CD's which you install on your computer. The other comes as a download from the internet. Watch the video below to see the difference.

Isn't it great to have a video to watch to help explain things. You'll find TONS! of useful videos like this on: www.MyDigitalStudio.net

Are you inspired to try digital scrapping?  Would you like to try it before you buy it? You can get a FREE 30-day trial version of My Digital Studio Express. Follow the link in the middle of the page as shown in the picture to the right.

Do you still have questions about what a digital scrapbook program can do for you?  Please feel free to call me (608-220-3450) or write an email. I can answer your questions.  But really, just download the free 30-day trial version and play with it. Then you'll see for yourself.

AND definitely spend some time lurking around on the community website. You'll learn so much about the program and what you read on the community site will make so much more sense after you've had a chance to play with the program. FREE is great - even if it is only for 1 month.

Happy scrapping
--Katie

Digital Photo Holiday Greeting Card for Christmas

Our family always sends a Photo Greeting card for Christmas. Usually I go to the local store with my digital photo on a thumb drive and then flip through all the available templates trying to find just the right one to match our personality and the colors of our clothing. 

Instead of going to the store, I made this card using My Digital Studio. My Digital Studio is a software program sold by Stampin'UP! This program allows you to use your digital images to make scrapbooks, banners, cards, calendars, flyers . . . The software is designed to work with the Stampin'UP! colors and stamp sets. 

FREE Digital Download: Tomorrow is National Digital Scrapbooking Day. In Honor of that Stampin'UP! is offering a FREE Digital Download.  You'll get stamp images, designer papers for backgrounds and images of embellishments.

You do not have to actually own the My Digital Studio software in order to use these images. Stampin'UP! is offering them free both as a way to promote the digital software program and as a way to collect feedback on your use of your digital photos.

www.MyDigitalStudio.net is a website devoted to digital scrapbooking. There is a whole network of people who create and share and answer each other's questions. Check out this site for inspiration and how-to's for using this software tool.

To access your Free Download 

• go to www.MyDigitalStudio.net
• Take the short survey on your use of digital photos
• download your free images

Free downloads will be available Nov 4th through November 7th; after that time, they will be regularly priced. You'll receive your free download after completing a quick survey. You can see the full catalog of digital downloads HERE

• Remember the Stamp-a-Stack this weekend. Email your response and how many people are coming.
• Would you like an extra $35 of free Stampin'UP! product? Host a party between now and Dec 15th and get an extra $35 FREE in addition to all the regular Hostess Benefits. Contact me today to reserve your date.

Happy Stamping
--Katie

Snow Much Fun with the New Peek-a-Boo Frames Die

Here's a cute scrapbook page made with the New Peek-a-Boo Frames Die. This was my trade at a recent demonstrator event. The white snowflakes are made with Stampin'UP's Snowflake punch (#119852). The colors are Bashful Blue, Marina Mist and a little Pear Pizzazz for the snowman's hat. That cute little snowman is from a set called Snow Much Fun.

STAMPING HINT: Remember that the Stampin'UP! Markers and Classic Inks are water soluble. So when you plan to color an image like this one then you'll want to stamp the image itself with a permanent ink like StazON (#102566).

Did you notice the little door on the top of the page? The door was made with the new Peek-a-Boo Frames Bigz L Die (#124587, $32.95) This amazing die cuts 5 shapes. Each shape is a door that can be lifted to reveal a surprise beneath. This door is hiding another snowman (from the same stamp set: Snow Much Fun).

**Are you "dieing" to make cute stuff like this but don't have a die cut machine?

**Did you know that Stampin'UP! has extended the FREE BIG SHOT machine promotion until Nov 11th!

Yes, for another 10 days, if you buy the Starter Kit you can get either a FREE BIG SHOT or, if you already have the Big Shot you get $100 of additional free merchandise. You could get this Peek-a-Boo Frames die and the snowflake punch and still have money left to spend.  What are you waiting for?  Contact me today to get your Starter Kit. But do it now, because this offer ends soon. Call 608-220-3450 or email me today.

• What type of scrapbook binding do you prefer?  see the difference on  this post about binding types.
  
• Are interested in Digital Scrapbooking?  be sure to check back this week. November 5th is National Digital Scrapbook Day and Stampin'UP! has something really special in the works. Stay tuned . . .

Happy Stamping

--Katie

Stenciled Linen Album

Check out Stampin'UP!'s 30% off promotion for National Scrapbook Month.

When we create scrapbooks we are usually focused on the inside: all the pictures and journaling we add to preserve the memories. Here's a fun idea - consider decorating the outside of the album too! 

Stampin'UP! sells several different types of albums. There are some really fun Designer Printed albums. We also sell linen albums in three different colors. I used one of our Definately Decorative Stencils and some white craft ink to decorate the cover of a Navy Linen album.  The white craft ink takes some time to dry and I added several layers of ink to the cover. I really like the look and it was so easy to do.

Contact me with any questions.  Click here to see all the great Stampin'UP! albums.

Happy Scrapping
--Katie

Album Binding Options

Check out Stampin'UP!'s 30% off promotion for National Scrapbook Month.

When you buy a scrapbook you have a choice of 2 different type album bindings. One is the Ring Album Binding and the other is called a Post Album Binding.  There are pros and cons to each type.

       

The Ring Album Binding works just like a 3-ring binder. That means its really easy to open and add new pages. The disadvantage is that the binding will always be as thick as the rings (never smaller) and you can't add more pages than what the rings will hold.

The Post Binding album has a post that holds the pages together. The dis-advantage is that you need a screwdriver to take the post apart to add more pages but the nice thing is that you can add post extenders to make the album as thick as you want. I think this album looks nicer when stacked with others on a shelf because it does not have that "wedge" shape associated with the 3-ring binder. 
Click here to see the different scrapbooks available from Stampin'UP!
Contact me with any questions.

Now, just for fun. Here's a little survey.

Scrapbook of Stamping Techniques

Check out Stampin'UP!'s 30% off promotion for National Scrapbook Month.

Why do we make scrapbooks? We make scrapbooks as a way to preserve and to showcase our favorite memories. What type of scrapbooks do you make?

One way of scrapbooking is to preserve your photos chronologically.
When my kids were little I made one album for each calendar year. That was a fun way for the kids to remember events and to share them with their friends. 

Another idea is to create an album around a specific event: the family vacation album or the family holiday album. Another example of an event specific album is the Wedding Album.

There's also the "About Me" album.  My mother gave me an album filled with all her favorite photos of me as a kid growing up. Its so much fun to go through and see how I changed over time. My kids loved looking through it to see their mom as a little girl. Now that my kids are grown I'm going to sort through all my photos and do the same thing for each of them. This is the heart of scrapping - to preserve little bits of history.

And here is one more idea.  Since the purpose of making the albums is to showcase and preserve something important, I've made a Stamping Technique Album. One of the classes I teach is a Technique class.  In the class we learn 3 techniques at each session. For each technique that we learn participants make a 6x6 instruction card and a greeting card. Participants can keep the instruction cards in an album for easy reference.

The next Technique Class starts June 16th. Look for more details coming soon. Please email me if you are interested in attending this class.

--Katie

May Promotions

I'm really excited to announce the May Stampin'UP! sales promotions. SU has put together 2 fabulous offers in recognition of National Scrapbook Month.

First: you get 30% off of 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

Click here to see the selection of great products to choose from.  Order them on-line here

Second: the 30% off also applies to your purchase of the Digital Starter Kit. If you are looking for a business opportunity that allows you to incorporate technology and crafts then this is it!  This starter kit normally sells for $175 and is discounted to $122.50. Its a great deal even if you don't want to start a business, you can still buy the starter kit and get all the product at the discount - the kit includes the My Digital Studio Software and lots of hands-on product too. See the list of items included in the kit. This flyer lists both the regular Starter Kit and the Digital Starter Kit, but be aware that only the Digital Starter Kit is discounted.   Contact me today for more information: 608-220-3450.

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.

Happy Scrapping

--Katie

May is National Scrapbook Month

Today is the beginning of National Scrapbook Month. What do you do with your family photos?  When my kids were little I really tried to keep up with archiving our family photos.  I did a good job until they got into middle school and started getting involved in sports and Scouts and church outings and ... well, you know. Life just got really busy and the photos started stacking up in boxes.  Then we went digital and the photos continued to pile up, but in a less obvious way. Now they're hidden from sight in digital files on my computer. 

May is also Tornado Season! The recent bad weather has reminded me of my precious photos and how important they are to me. Just a week ago we had a tornado warning which forced me to go to the basement. This was predicted well in advance so I did a little pre-planning and packed up all my old photo albums to take down to the basement with me. Of course we looked through all the photo albums while we were there and I realized what a loss, for me and for my kids and any future generations, if these photos were permanently lost. The severity of the damage done in Alabama made me realize that the basement is no guarantee of safety and that these items could still be lost.

The timing of May being National Scrapbooking Month is just the push I need to get started.  Here is my plan. 

FIRST: the risk is too high to have only 1 copy of the photos. I plan to use my scanner and scan the pages of the existing albums and the photos in the boxes and give copies to all three girls.

SECOND: I do have a copy of Stampin'UP!'s Digital Scrapbooking Software: My Digital Studio.  I just haven't spent a lot of time playing with it.  I want to go through the photos and make a hardbound photo album for each daughter. The cost of the software is only $79 and well worth the investment. Actually there is a downloadable version for only $39.95.

Now, my dilemna.  The 2 photo albums you see open are both non-archival. Silly me! The black and white photos are in one of those old sticky page albums with the acetate pages and the pages in the bottom album are on paper that is like construction paper - definitely not a good way to save photos.  Actually almost half the albums are non-archival. What I can't decide is whether to just re-do them in paper (which is totally fun and very appealing to me) or whether to re-do them digitally.  The cost of having a digital book printed is just about the same as the cost of the paper and supplies you'd put into hand making a book and having it digital means more than one copy can be made. Of course we can scan the hand-made one so everyone can have a "copy".  I'm trying to decide which would be more satisfying to my creative spirit.  Would love to hear your vote on this. . . leave me a comment below.

Are you are feeling inspired to start digitally scrapbooking?  You can order My Digital Studio (#118108) online from my website. Check out this page on the Stampin'UP! website to learn more about this product. I can help you with the program, and there is also training available online.

Speaking of my helping you.  Would you please take a quick (5 question) survey for me about scrapbooking.  It will help me to plan future classes.  Thanks so much.

Hopefully none of us will ever lose our family photos, but if we take appropriate action now we can ensure their safety in the case of a disaster.

--Katie