I have already started posting new blog shares at the new site and am offering some Blog Candy for stopping by.  So please check it out.  All the blog candy details are here.

You can also find me on Facebook.  I’ll be using that page to keep you updated on specials, stamping news, share project samples, and would love to see your shares there too.  I’d love to have you as a fan.

Hope to see you on my new site – www.nwstamper.com soon!
Jennifer

But one of the other things you can do with it is make other neat punch art like bats and even a flower.  So, we decided to try out making a flower with the punch and once I had the flower, I then built a simple card to use it with.  We use the description found on the blog Flowerbug’s Inkspot to create the flower.  Her blog has a great description and photos but here is the quick version: 
Start by punching out 7 owls.  Take the main body of the owl from the punch and trim off the legs.  Then you fold the body in half so you have a centerline.  Fold the rounded bottom part of the owl in towards the center line so it looks kind of like a pie wedge.  Trim a curved lines starting from the point of the ears into the center line to make the white petals you see below.  Then glue the 7 pieces to a base piece of paper in a circle to make the flower.  I then added a vintage tag to the center and pierced two holes in the base cardstock to run the string through.  This allows the flower to swing like a pendant.

If you’ve found other fun ways to use this punch, I’d love to see them.  Leave a comment with a link to your blog or site with the sample and I’ll check it out!

Recipe:
Stamps:  Watercolor Trio
Ink:  Elegant Eggplant
Paper:  In Color DSP – Peach Parfait (Hostess), Crumb Cake CS, Very Vanilla CS
Accessories:  Owl Punch, Lg Scallop Circle Punch, Baja Breeze double stitched ribbon, vintage tag, Adhesive Pearls, Paper Piercer.

Next we did reverse masking.  This is where you cut out your scrap image and set your image aside and use the cut-out frame to let you add ink to the inside of the framed area.  In this case we sponged first and then while still keeping the frame in place, stamped our leaves images. This card was inspired by a card I found on the Stampin Up demo resource – Stampin Cconnection.  The origional was created by Allison Ohran. 

Finally we did one more card that combined both techniques.  We used reverse masking to make the sun and then placed the cut-out circle back on the sun and a scrap cutout of the treetop to mask the areas before sponging our sky.

Now, some tips:

Tip: When cutting out smaller shapes and circles, post-it notes work great for giving you something that can stick in place and then come up without leaving a mark.  For bigger shapes and frames, use a little bit of Dotto.  This adhesive lets you put your mask down and then pull it up an rub off any adhesive that gets left behind.

Tip: While I normally recommend stamping on Whisper White cardstock because it holds ink much better than standard white cardstock and computer paper, for the scrap image you are going to use for your mask, I would recommend in that case to use computer paper.  Because the paper is thinner, you tend to be able to get ink closer to the edge of your mask and so get a cleaner look.

Card Recipes:

Cupcake Card Recipe
Stamps: Party Hearty
Ink:  Early Espresso, Crumb Cake
Paper:  In Color pattern pack – Hostess set, Daffodil Delight CS, Whisper White CS, Pacific Point CS
Accessories:  Peach Parfait marker, Daffodil Delight marker, Pacific Point marker, Early Espresso marker, Dotto

Thank You Card Recipe:
Stamps:  Just Believe
Ink:  Wild Wasabi, Basic Black
Paper: Wild Wasabi CS, Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS
Accessories:  Dotto, Basic Black 1/4” grosgrain ribbon, snail adhesive, Stampin Dimensionals

Thinking of You Card Recipe:
Stamps:  Bouquet Bunch, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink:  So Saffron, Old Olive, Bashful Blue, Soft Suede
Paper:  Bashful Blue CS, Soft Suede CS, Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS, So Saffron CS
Accessories:  Adhesive back pearls, Dotto, 1 1/4” circle punch

I found some Spongebob spiral bound notebooks with hard covers in the dollar bin at Target.  I wish I had bought more because they were great for altering.  I picked cardstock that was similar in color to the covers since i was going the quick and easy route of only covering to the spiral binding.  I measured my cardstock to be about a 1/2″ longer on three sides so I could wrap the paper around the cover.  I used the Tombow liquid glue to coat the paper and then glued to the cover.  When folding the paper around to the inside of the cover, I folded the parallel sides over first and then finished by wrapping the side opposite the binding.  I then glued down a piece of white cardstock to the inside to finish off the inside.  Once the covers were wrapped, then I started stamping and embellishing.  I assembled the center image including the ribbon and then adheared the whole piece to my cover with sticky strip.  I waited until the cover was wrapped so I could make sure I had everything centered.  I then stamped the phrase “notes” so it was centered under the image.  I think that was the most stressful step because I was nervous it would get messed up but the stamps worked great and I love how it turned out!

I used the Rough Type Alpha and the Bouquet Bunch stamp sets for the covers.  These ended up being the perfect size for taking in our bag for convention and so I’ll be keeping my eye out to get more for future gifts.

If there is interest in more step by step instructions for making these, let me know and I’ll put something together.

Altered Notebook recipe:
Stamps:  Rough Type Alphabet, Bouquet Bunch
Ink: Basic black, Old Olive
Paper:  Melon Mambo CS, Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS
Accessories:  Melon Mambo marker, Black Satin ribbon, Watercolor pen, Tombow liquid glue

First I created this photo layout for her using a 5×7 frame.  I started with the baby feet wheel and built the layout from there.  I found the DSP in my scrap pile and started layering pieces together.  After I had it assembled, I wanted to give the stamped image a little kick, so I inked up the wheel in Rose Red and wheeled out some more feet so I could cut them out and glue on top of part of the Chocolate Chip image.  Finally, I added one of the Sherbet designer buttons from last catalog.

Then I created a set of simple thank you notes so she has something fun Io send folks who give her little girl baby gifts.  I love the Fox and Friends stamp set for baby stuff and so had to use a variety of critters from the set for these cards.

I also stamped the envelopes to match the cards.  It was a good reminder about how the quality of paper you stamp on affects your image.  I was out of Stampin’ Up! envelopes so I used some of the value pack envelopes that I got from Michaels a while back.  Definitely doesn’t grab the ink nearly as well as Whisper White paper, but it works ok.

Baby Thank You Cards recipe:
Stamps:  Fox and Friends, Thank You Kindly
Ink: Chocolate Chip
Paper:  Whisper White CS, Melon Mambo CS
Accessories:  Stampin’ Write Markers, Delicate Dots embossing folder, 1 3/8” circle punch, Scallop Circle punch

First was a brag book to carry in her purse.  I bought one of those slim photo books from Target and pulled out the boring papers that served as the front and back covers.  I then created new custom inserts using mostly paper and embellishments that would be slim (so the inserts would actually fit in the plastic sleeves for the front/back covers.  i used the Rough Type Alphabet (so sad it is retiring at the end of the month!) to create the front label and layered that on some punched cardstock and then Pink Pirouette that had been texturized using the Square Lattice folder in the big shot.  The back cover I added some pearls to the Butterfly to add a bit of bling wthout making the page too thick.  Finally, I used sticky strip to add some ribbon to the spine to add a simple finishing touch that wouldn’t get ripped off if she tossed this into her purse.

I have to say, the trick for picking up the adhesive back pearls using your paper piercer works super well!  It makes it really easy if you use the pointy tip of your piercer to get under the glue on the page and then the pearl sticks to the point until you place it down on your image.

The second thing I made her was a magnetized photo frame.  This used a photo mat that had been pulled out of a Costco photo frame.  i then added DSP and embellishments to the frame to personalize it.  I then cut some thin chipboard and used sticky strip on three sides of the chipboard to adhere it to the back of the frame.  Finally, I cut some magnet pieces (I am so excited about the new magnet sheets for the BigShot, i may have to make some more projects in the future with this!) and glued the magnets to the back of the frame and it is ready for a photo and to be placed on the fridge.

Brag Book Recipe:
Stamps:  Rough Type Alphabet, Occasional Quotes
Ink;  Rose Red, Chocolate Chip
Paper;  Basic Black CS, Rose Red CS, Pink Pirouette CS, Whisper White CS, Lavender Lace CS
Accessories:  Scallop Edge Trim punch, small heart punch, rose red marker, chocolate chip marker, two way glue pen, Dazzling Diamonds glitter, Crystal Effects, Grey Satin ribbon, 1 3/4” circle punch, Extra large scallop circle punch, lattice die, rose red 1/4” ribbon

So, we created a card and then an 8×10 photo page.  She attached a photo of her Grandpa and Grandma and we left the space under the photo blank so she could hand write a message to him.   Aren’t they the cutest couple??

I loved helping her try everything out and create something special and she can’t wait to take it to show off to her family.  

Birthday Photo Layout Recipe:
Stamps:  Whimsical Words (Sale-a-bration 2010 set)
Inks:  Night of Navy
Paper:  Whisper White CS, Night of Navy CS, Bashful Blue CS, Pink Flamingo DSP
Accessories:  So Saffron 5/8″ ribbon, Corner Rounder punch
Paper:

While you are there, become a fan to be eligible for special deals and get samples and information as it comes out.  Once I have 25 fans, I can make the web address for this page much easier to find; so I’d love it if you were willing to be my fan. 

Visit me on Facebook!

Facebook Fan Special

To thank folks for helping me get to 25+ fans, I’m offering a special from now until 8/19.  I’m offering this special to anyone who has become a fan of my facebook page.  Simply place an order of $25 or more and receive the new Antique Brads FREE!  That’s a $5.95 value for free just for becoming a fan.  For example, love the vintage look – try the new Crochet Trim ribbon and the Distressing Kit and get Antique Brads FREE!  Thats a $33 value for $27.  Email me to take advantage of this special offer!

Crochet Trim

Distressing Essentials Kit

This was an easy card that used 7 punches in all, though you could modify this card to use fewer punches or more stamps.  Here are the steps to create it yourself:

1. Punch the base of the flower using the extra large Fancy Flower punch
2. Stamp the five petal flower image from Punched Posies hostess set, once on colored cardstock and once on white cardstock
3. Punch out stamped images using the Five Petal punch
4. Stamp the smaller six petal flower image from the Punched Posies hostess set on white cardstock and punch out the center using 1/2” Circle punch
5. Layer these punched images together and glue
6. Punch the leaf using the Small Oval punch
7. Fold the oval in half and trim one side to form a point
8. Stamp the vase using one of the ornament images from the Delightful Decorations stamp set on white cardstock
9. Punch out using the ornament punch and trim the bottom of the ornament to form the flat base of the vase
10. Stamp the sentiment from the Because I Care hostess set on white cardstock
11. Punch out sentiment using the Large Oval punch
12. Punch corners of base white cardstock with the Ticket Corner punch
13. Stamp the stem using the stem image from the Punched Posies stamp set on base white cardstock
14. Glue down onto your card base and your done!

Punched Flower Recipe:
Stamps: Punched Posies, Delightful Decorations, Because I Care
Ink: Poppy Parade, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive
Paper:  Old Olive CS, Whisper White CS, Poppy Parade CS, Daffodil Delight CS
Accessories:  Fancy Flower punch, Five Petal punch, 1/2” circle punch, Ornament punch, Ticket Corner punch, Small Oval punch, Large Oval punch

Well, I decided it was time to dig out and get organized so I can start using all the cute and fun new stuff that I’ve gotten recently.  Now I’ve gotten everything put away and it is definitely more motivating to craft. 

If you have any tips or tricks for organizing, I’d love to hear about them.  Please leave a comment and/or a link to a photo of your creative organizational techniques.

For me, I love this bookshelf I got at IKEA.  It is very strong, which I need for all the paper I’ve accumulated. I have a shelf for retired stamps, ribbon, current stamps, cardstock, 12×12 paper, ink, wheels, and misc other stuff.  Plus the doors keep it out of the sun and away from little baby fingers. 

Tip:  Turn you paper holders (the mazagine file style) on their backs so what is normally the top is pointed to the front.  This makes it really easy to see what paper you have and you can grab and go without pulling out the whole container.

I also have a smaller bookcase where I store my catalogs, magazines, small albums and my stack and store spinners.  Let me tell you, I LOVE these spinners and for some reason it just makes me so happy and ready to embellish when I see them sitting out in a row.

Tip:  Use a magnetic board to put up cards or projects that inspire you.  Hang embellishments that you want to use but don’t have an easy storage space with magnetic clips so that they are in front of you (so you remember to use them) and easy to grab and then put away.  You can also get magnetic spice containers with clear lids to store small items like die cuts, brads, or gems.

Finally, I have my punch storage.  These rods work perfectly for the old style of punches and I recently found that the hanging wire baskets that you can get to go with them are just the right size for the new slim style of punches.  It’s the perfect system for a punch junkie like me.So that is my craft space.  Hopefully you saw some new idea or at least a reminder for one of your own projects.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on what organization solution you like or if you have some new ideas for me!  Until next time, I’m off to make a mess again!

DSP Share

In the DSP share, you will get a 6×6 double sided piece of every new basic and specialty DSP paper in the catalog (not including the prints packs).  Instead of spending over $160 to play with all the new designs, this share will get you a big enough piece to use in multiple projects for only $25 shipped priority mail to you.  Email me at stampingwithjennifer@gmail.com to reserve your spot.

This share includes the following papers:

Blueberry Crisp	Celebrations	Elegant Soiree	Greenhouse Gala
Jolly Holiday	Lap of Luxury	Love Letters	Newsprint
Nursery Suite (die cut paper)	Pawsitively Prints 2	Play Date	Presto Patterns (white gloss on white)
Sunny Garden	Sweet and Sour (glossy paper)	Wicked Fun (flocked paper)	Woodland Walk

Ribbon Share

With the ribbon share, I’m offering 3 options:

1.  I want it all! – Get 1-1.5 yards of every ribbon in the catalog (the crochet ribbon would be .5 yds).  That is enough ribbon to let you experiment with all of the different colors and textures on a number of cards and projects.  Shares are $65 shipped priority to you, which is a savings of over $550 if you bought them all new!

2.  In Color share – Get 3 yards of the 1/2” Poly Stitched Ribbon in each of the 5 In Colors.  Shares are $10 plus shipping

3. 1/8” Taffeta share – Get 2 yards of the 1/8” taffeta ribbon in all 13 colors in the catalog.  Shares are $16 plus shipping

If you are interested in multiple shares I will happily combine shipping.  Contact me today at stampingwithjennifer@gmail.com to reserve you spot!

So, you remember my first swap I showed you (recipe in this post) –

Well, after punching out the leaves and the flowers from the BigShot, I was going to recycle the scraps when I looked at them and said, “I could totally punch out stuff using these scraps”.  So, I started punching out little hearts using the small heart punch and managed to actually get 5-6 hearts per scrap.  So, from there was born the idea for my second swap.

This card uses the new Occasional Quotes hostess set.  It is a perfect set for an outside and matching inside sentiment for your cards.  Anyway, I had made 40 swaps and so had 40 of each color scrap, I watched a movie with my hubby and drove him crazy punching out hundreds of these little hearts.  Then, the night before I left for convention, I punched out the scallop rectangles using the new Scallop Rectangle Clearlits die and then did the assembly from my hotel room.  These took a bit of work to assemble but again, I felt very happy with them.

Finally here is another round of some of my favorite convention swaps.  Pretty cool huh?

card by Mary Booker                                       card by Valerie Taylor

card by Lorri Heiling                                     card by Jill Kelley

card by Kathy Kuffel                                      card by Diana Curtis

card by Terry Bolender

Hearts Swap Card Recipe:
Stamps: Occasional Quotes (hostess)
Ink:  Concord Crush classic ink
Paper:  Concord Crush CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Whisper White CS, Crumb Cake CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Blushing Bride CS
Accessories: Small heart punch, Scallop trim border punch, Scallop rectangle clearlit

On the last day, mom and I were able to meet the celebrity of the hour – Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO of Stampin’ Up!  I hadn’t realized that she had been spending almost all of the lunch break for 3 days sitting and taking pictures with one demonstrator after another.  Of course she was very sweet and was happy to chat with everyone who met her. 

Like I said before, convention is not only a time for fun, friends, and fabulous ideas, but it is also a motivational time for me.  With a new baby and moving earlier this year, I’ve been slow to get moving on getting my Stampin’ Up! business rolling.  However, with the enthusiasm of convention and the announcement of a new awesome incentive trip – I’ve decided my goal is to work towards Disneyworld 2012.  That means I’ll be working on scheduling workshops and building my team over the next year.  Its an exciting time for me and I’d love to share that excitement with you.

Oh, and I have to give a shout out to my dad as well.  He came along to Salt Lake City and ended up helping carry our Memento Mall haul and babysitting Nicholas for my make and take sessions.  Thanks Dad!  You’re the best!

Finally, as promised, here are some of the amazing swaps I got while at convention.  I can’t wait to try them out myself now that I’m home.

card by Sharlene Mitchell                             card by Teresa Payne-Neal

card by Laura Tollander                                card by Kathy Thisted

card by Janine Verster

We were up early each day to get over for general session.  I was so grateful that Stampin’ Up! supports families and so I could take Nicholas with me to session.  They even offered a Mother’s Lounge so moms could feed/diaper their babies and still see and hear the speaker.

We saw lots of awesome demonstrations.  I think my favorite was the Halloween decorations…but then again there were some awesome hostess gift ideas that were super cute as well.

Then during lunch and at the end of the day, we got to wander around The Gathering Place and look at some awesome displays and ideas boards.  This year they had an area called The Sweet Shop where they had so many amazing displays that looked like candy and other treats but was really made entirely from paper, ribbon, and buttons!  Stampin’ Up! really has some amazing artists and designers.

Before convention even got started, mom and I participated in two days of preconvention stamp camps and swaps with Late Night Stampers. 

Then came Wednesday – Check in day.  This is the day that everyone lines up in the early morning for a chance to be one of the first to get into Memento Mall (the SU convention gift shop).   My dad was kind enough to go get in line when he got up around 6:15am and he wasn’t the first in line!  By 7:30 the line was around the block. :)  But unlike Disneyland, its fun to stand in line at convention.  Everyone is swapping and I even saw a friend of mine from Portland (Hi, Liz!) and got a chance to introduce her to Nicholas.

After we swapped, checked in and got our free stamps and bag, we relaxed before meeting up for a group photo and swap with our upline group – the SBStampers.  It was there that Nicholas got his very first swap.   He loved playing with this fabric squeaky toy made by Charity Lawson using the Scallop Square die for the BigShot and a squeak toy from a pet supply store. 

Later we got dressed up in our grooviest attire for the Flower Power party.  Sadly, I missed getting my face painted by SU illustrators but I did participate in some fun games.

That was only the beginning of a fun weekend.  Here is one of the swaps I created to trade with folks over the course of the weekend.  The flower is made using the Flower Fusion sizzlit that in one tiny little die cuts out 3 flowers of different sizes.  I then folded up the petals and stacked them using glue dots.  It really does pop off the page, which I thought was fun and cool.  I think you could step it up a notch even more by adding a pearl or rhinestone to the center of the flower.  I would have done it but I ran out of time.  But still, i like how it turned out and folks seemed to as well.

I have to say, I love all the cards I got swapped and will be showcasing come of my favorites in a future post so you can see these great ideas too.  More photos and swaps to come!  Until then… Happy Stamping!

Convention 2010 Thank You swap card:
Stamps: Because I Care (hostess set)
Inks:  Concord Crush classic ink
Paper:  Basic Black CS, Whisper White CS, Pear Pizzazz CS, Concord Crush CS, Play Date DSP
Accessories:  Polka Dot Impression Folder, Flower Fusion sizzlit, Little Leaves sizzlit, glue dots.

Here are the cards and if you happen to be in the Bay area, we’d love to have you come be a part of our group! 

Father’s Day Card Recipe:
Stamps: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink: Chocolate Chip Classic
Paper: Bermuda Bay CS*, Crushed Curry CS*, Whisper White CS
Accessories: Chocolate Chip stitched ribbon*, Large Star punch, Small Star punch*, 1/16″ circle punch, gold brad, Snail

Best Wishes Recipe:
Stamps: Kind and Caring Thoughts*
Ink: Basic Grey Classic
Paper: Basic Grey CS, Whisper White CS, Pink Flamingo DSP*
Accessories: Cameo Coral Marker*, Old Olive Marker

* indicates a retiring item

First, why I love being a demonstrator:

1. Doing what I love to do and getting paid for it!  20% commission(discount) on all orders – 30% off your first order
2. Exciting previews and sneak peeks when new products come out.  Like today when I get my new stuff in the mail!
3. TONS of resources for project ideas, technique training, business resources, style watches, and inspiring stories for how to do what you love and help yourself and others while doing it.
4. The family that is SU demos.  I’m serious when I say, everyone is so helpful and friendly that it really is like having a huge international family that you can lean on when life is up and when you need help.
5. Fun events like group meetings, convention, regionals, swap events.

I really do love what I do and love sharing it with others!

If you have thought about joining SU, June is the perfect time to do it – especially with the new $99 starter kit which includes new sneak peek items.  What’s included (though you can make substitutions for like items of equal or lesser value)  :

• Watercolor Trio stamp set (wood-mount)
• I {Heart} Hearts stamp set (clear-mount)
• Clear-Mount Block C
• Homemade single stamp (sneak peek item!)
• Whisper White card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″)
• New Brights Collection assorted card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″) (sneak peek item!)
• Melon Mambo Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad (sneak peek item!)
• Rich Razzleberry Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Tempting Turquoise Classic Stampin’ Pad
• Basic Black 1/8″ taffeta ribbon (sneak peek item!)
• New Color Coach (sneak peek item!)
• SNAIL Adhesive
• box of 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalogs
• box of 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogs (delivered in the beginning of July)
• Business supplies

Have any questions about what its like being a demo or how to sign up?  Contact me at stampingwithjennifer@gmail.com or learn more online.

Check out to see if your favorites are soon to be retiring and remember – All items on the retiring accessories list are while supplies last!  So, if your favorites are retiring, order fast to be sure you can stock up.

Last Chance Stamps –

see the full retiring stamp list here

Last Chance Accessories –
Notice that some items are 25-50% off!

see the full retiring accessory list here

Order online today to get all your favorites before they are gone forever!

Sure, it takes a little bit to label all of the stamps but once you do, it is so easy and fun to make all kinds of words.  In this case, I was playing and decided to spell out Love.  It also gave me a good excuse to play with my BigShot – both with the polka dot impression folder and my heart die. 

Stamps – Rough Type alpha
Ink – Melon Mambo, Rick Razzleberry, Old Olive
Paper – Melon Mambo CS, Rich Razzleberry CS, Whisper White CS, Cottage Garden DSP
Accessories – Polka Dot Impression folder, Rich Razzleberry ribbon, small heart punch, 1″ circle punch, Heart BigShot die

The lovely Peggy Outen had some fabulous projects and sent me the Chit Chat rubons from the Occasion Mini that retired at the end of April.  Now, little did she know how much I LOVE rub-ons.  They are like clear stamps without the smudging.  I love that I can place them anywhere on the page, see exactly what it will look like before commiting it to paper, and then armed only with a popsicle stick, can get a perfect image in seconds flat.

  So, I just have to say to her:

Yes, Peggy, you are the very best ever.  Thanks for being so generous and sending me the rub-ons.  I also had to use some of my goodies from the clearance rack.  So, the curly label punch out is the Canvas Cuts with the matching Fashion District rub-ons.  Using the Canvas Cuts has been a lot of fun and so much easier than I expected.

I was in such a groove, I had to make one more using the Canvas Cuts and the Chit Chat rub-ons for the sentiment.  This card introduces another super fun product – Bitty Buttons and the matching Itty Bitty Shapes punches.  I thought the little flower buttons and punches went great with the DSP, and they look sooo cute in person.  I think this may be my favorite Summer Mini catalog item.

Best Ever Card:
Paper – Very Vanilla CS, Real Red CS, Merry Moments DSP
Accessories – Birds and Blooms Sizzlit, Fire Crystal Brads, Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, Canvas Cuts, Fashion District rub-ons, Chat Room rub-ons, Stampin’ Dimensionals

Friends Forever Card:
Paper – Melon Mambo CS, Very Vanilla CS, Thoroughly Modern DSP
Accessories – Canvas Cuts, Fashion District rub-ons, Kiwi Kiss satin ribbon, Bitty Buttons, Itty Bitty Shapes punch, small heart punch, Crystal Effects, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Chat Room rub-ons

Hurry and get your favorites before they are sold out!  See it all online in the Clearance Rack.

Summer Mini Catalog: May 1 - Aug 31

Well, May is here and that means that the new Summer Mini has been released.  Boy is it a doozy this time!  With something for everyone, there are great products for scrapbooking, vintage, new punches, awesome new accessories, papers, stamps and more. 

As a bit of a punch junkie, one of the items I had to order was the new Itty Bitty Shapes punch pack.  That’s right, punch PACK… where you get three small punch shapes that not only coordinate with a stamp set but also with some new clear Bitty Buttons.  How cool is that?!?  I’ll be pulling those out to play with this week.  So, while I’m working on some samples to share with you all, I wanted to also share some cool promotions going on this month.

Promotions

Free brads – Celebrate National Scrapbooking month!  Love fun brads to accessories your scrapbooking and card projects?  Well, for the month of May, purchase select stamp sets and receive a FREE package of designer brads.  Check out the flyer for all the details.

Free stamps and more – Ever thought of starting your own business or just having access to tools, ideas, and a great discount for your own crafting hobby?  Well, Stampin’ Up! may be the perfect opportunity for you.  With such a supportive community, lots of awesome resources to learn new tips, tricks, and ideas, and a chance to not only earn 20% of everything you buy or sell but to grow your love into a fun home business.  I love being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator and would love to answer any questions you have about if it is the right thing for you. 

If you are ready to join the Stampin’ Up family, sign up through my online website (passcode is “stampingplace”) or contact me to get started.  Right now, not only is Stampin’ Up going to send you two awesome Workshop WOW DVDs with great ideas and techniques but I’m going to sweeten the deal a little.  As I mentioned above, during May, when you purchase certain stamp sets you get FREE brads.  Well, sign up to join my Stampin’ Up! team this month and I’ll GIVE you your stamp set for FREE as well.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me!

Well, I had to post my last card from the “traveling with limited crafting supplies” series in honor of this being the last day of the Occasions Mini Catalog since everything but the base cardstock are from the mini – Vintage Vogue stamp set, Shades of Spring DSP, Hugs scalloped cardstock. 

This card started out as an idea I had late at night but when I started working on it during the day my idea didn’t work quite right.  So, starting from just the blocks of DSP, I turned the card on it’s side and started adding elements till I got the finished result I liked. 

It was a bit of a challenge since the only green ink I had was an old olive marker and most of the paper I had was either card bases or chocolate chip.  But challenge only makes you get more creative, right?  So, the flower is stamped on the pink DSP, the leaves are cut out of the green DSP, and the center of the flower is a circle of the polka dot DSP – all from the Shades of Spring DSP that is gone after today.  I also used the Hugs scalloped paper to make a nice background accent for my flower and popped it all up with dimensionals.  It was a fun card to create.  If you have any cards like this where a challenge helped inspire your creativity, I’d love to see what you’ve done.  Just leave a comment with what your challenge was and a link to your inspired finished project.

Supplies:
Stamps – Vintage Vogue
Inks – Chocolate Chip classic
Paper – Shades of Spring DSP, Hugs CS (both retiring after today!), Lavendar Lace CS
Accessories – Circle punch from Itty Bitty Bits set in the Summer Mini, Stampin’ dimensionals

Coming this Saturday, the new Summer Mini catalog starts up and in there is some great new stamps, accessories, and designer paper.  One of the great papers is this new Travel Journal paper.  It is perfect for making cards and scrapbook pages for your trips, or just for some masculine layouts.  Both patterns you see here are actually the same paper, just front and back.  Add a couple courderoy buttons and a touch of color with ribbon, and VOILA!  A Father’s Day card, all ready to go.

Supplies:
Stamps – Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink – Chocolate Chip Classic
Paper – Travel Journal DSP, Kraft CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Whisper White CS
Accessories – Chocolate Chip courderoy buttons, Pumpkin Pie 1/4″ ribbon, Stampin Dimensionals, Glue Dots

 Today’s card is one I made a week ago when I went to visit my grandparents down in Arizona.  I wanted to take Nicholas to meet his great grandparents so we hopped on a plane and flew for a weeklong visit.  I knew my mom would be visiting at the same time, so I decided I ought to take some stamping supplies with me for some late night stamping sessions.  I didn’t have a lot of room, so I took a little bit of patteren paper, a couple pieces of cardstock, a circle punch, some buttons, ribbon scraps, 5 markers, 1 ink pad, and 2 stamp sets (Fox and Friends and Teeny Tiny Wishes).  Basically what I could jam in a large SU stamp box plus the stamp sets.

 I made this for a friend of mine who moved across the country and I wanted to send her a card to say hello.  I LOVE this glitter DSP from the Occasions Mini catalog  and when I think of monkeys I think of her, so this was my attempt to combine the two in a fun yet simple card.  It was quick and easy and hopefully she will get a kick out of it.

Supplies:
Stamps – Fox and Friends, Teeny Tiny Wishes
Ink – Chocolate Chip Classic
Paper – Sending Love Specialty Paper, Very Vanilla CS, Chocolate Chip CS, Kraft CS
Accessories – Circle punches, Stampin’ Dimensionals

One last bit of fun.  While I was in Arizona, I realized that the Creating Keepsakes crafting convention was in town, so since my mom and grandma like to craft as well, we decided to have an early Mother’s Day treat and all went to the convention for some classes and shopping.  Since I was going all day, that meant Nicholas went with us.  He was so good all day and all the ladies there loved seeing him in the classes.  So, at age 3 months, he’s now been to his first crafting convention!  Got to get him started early.  Plus, he needs to train for when he goes with me to the Stampin’ Up! Convention in July!  Here is a picture from our day out – 4 generations of crafters.