Pre Pre-Order Unboxing Video 2024-25 Annual Catalog

   I wanted to do a Facebook live the other night and open up my pre pre-order for everyone to watch along but Facebook has restricted my business page for some reason and won't let me start a live.  So instead I just recorded the unboxing for you to watch!

  This is only the first set of new products I'll be getting so check back in a week or two after I get my regular demonstrator preorder!

  Thanks for watching!  Leave a comment if you liked what you saw so far and let me know if you have any questions!

Easter Birds - Stampin' Up! Heartfelt Hexagons

   I am trying to be much better about using up some of the Designer Series Paper that I accumulate and I'm making good progress on the Flight & Airy pack that was Sale-a-Bration reward.  The whole pack is just so pretty and absolutely perfect for spring cards.  I decided to use up a bit more of it and make some Easter cards.

  I played around a little bit and came up with a basic design and then did all the fussy cutting while watching/listening to March Madness basketball last weekend.  I started with a Basic White thick card base then used one of the Flight & Airy patterns in the blue watercolor wash and edged it with a piece of Garden Green that was just slightly larger.

  The frame stamp is in the Heartfelt Hexagon stamp set in the Jan.-Apr. 2024 mini catalog.  Unfortunately this bundle has been backordered for quite some time but fingers crossed it will be available soon.  But good news that it is carrying over so you'll have a lot of time to order it even when the mini catalog sales period is over.  I stamped the frame in Boho Blue then the sentiment from the Heartfelt Hellos Sale-a-Bration (SAB) set in Fresh Freesia and then punched it out with the Heartfelt Hexagon punch.  A quick swap of another sentiment and this could be a thoughtful sympathy card or spring Happy Birthday card.

  Using all my fussy cut birds and extra flowers I arranged them on the card fronts with the flowers tucked behind the label and the birds popped up with dimensionals over the opposite edge.  Look how cute they are!!  I think I ended up with 12 or 13 different designs once I had everything put together.

  Each card was different but I used the same embellishments.  I used some retired white seam binding to make fork bow (Tutorial Here) and then sprinkled some retired pink sequins around.  See tryin to use up what I already have!  Just use what you have on hand if you don't have these exact items in your stash.

  To order any of the current supplies used to make this card please visit my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Heartfelt Hexagons, Heartfelt Hellos (retired SAB)

Ink: Boho Blue, Fresh Freesia

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Garden Green, Flight & Airy DSP (retired SAB)

Accessories: Heartfelt Hexagon punch, dimensionals, seam binding ribbon (retired), sequins (retired)

Jaguar Graduation - Stampin' Up! Cap & Gown

   The sketch challenge over at Global Design Project inspired me to ink up the Cap & Gown stamp set for the first time!  I bought this stamp set back in the demonstrator preorder for the Jan.-April mini catalog and it's just been sitting on my desk ever since just waiting for springtime and graduation season!  I probably should have played around with it before now seeing as I have a high school senior with a graduation fast approaching but better late than never!

  My kids high school colors are black and teal (and the mascot is the Jaguar) so I couldn't get rid of all my retired Bermuda Bay supplies since I knew I would need them for a few years at least! My card base is Coastal Cabana and I stamped the larger of the caps all over in Bermuda Bay ink.  I liked the longer rectangle panel on the sketch as it seemed like a good place to start with the longer gown stamp so I stamped that in Memento black along with the smaller cap image.  

  Under the cap and gown I added a strip of retired (see a pattern?? lol!) Bermuda Bay glimmer paper.  On the lower corner I added the sentiment on dimensionals and then embellished that area with the '24 cut with the Alphabet a la Mode dies and a stamped and fussy cut diploma.

  I'll probably end up sending this to one of my sons' guy friends so I left off any ribbon or extra sparkle.

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased from my ONLINE STORE.  Items marked with a * will be retiring on April 30, 2024.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Cap & Gown*

Ink: Memento Black, Bermuda Bay (retired)

Paper: Basic White, Coastal Cabana, Basic Black, Bermuda Bay Glimmer paper (retired)

Accessories: dimensionals, Alphabet a la Mode dies

CAS Hooray for Blooms - Stampin' Up! Hooray for Surprises

   To get my stamping mojo going the other day I wanted to try out a few challenges but I only had enough time to work on one card but I had 2 challenges that piqued my interest.  What to do, what to do?  I ended up being able to combine both challenges into one card.  Sometimes that works out and sometimes it doesn't.  I'm pleased with how this one turned out though.

  I used the colors from Global Design Project and the theme of 'bloom' from Addicted to CAS.  CAS is clean and simple so I had to keep my focus or I'd end up with 17 layers, more bling than the diamond exchange and 4 techniques!  How'd I do??

  I started with a Basic White thick card base, then used a slightly smaller piece of Basic White to mount my flowers.

  I cut out 2 flowers in Highland Heather and one in Coastal Cabana using the small flower die in the Hooray for Surprises bundle. I also cut one leaf in Shaded Spruce and used just the ends for the 2 Highland Heather flowers.  The full leaf die cut was just too big for the smaller scale of the flowers so I made it work for my design.

  The flowers are adhered with mini dimensionals and then I stamped the sentiment from the the bundle in Highland Heather ink.

  Since I was sticking with the clean and simple theme I only added 1 Highland Heather gem to the center of the Coastal Cabana flower.  Normally I have a lot more so that is CAS for me!

  All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.  

  If you'd like to learn how to get a discount on this bundle and other Stampin' Up! products please leave a comment and I'd be happy to tell you all about it!!

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hooray for Surprises

Ink: Highland Heather

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White, Highland Heather, Coastal Cabana, Shaded Spruce

Accessories: Hooray for Surprises dies, dimensionals, Purple Fine Shimmer Gems

Stampin' Up! OnStage Houston Demonstrator Event

   I'm going to share a few photos (ok a lot!!) from my time in Houston at the Stampin' Up! demonstrator event called OnStage.  It was a multi-day event just for demonstrators with stamping demonstrations, previews of upcoming products, business updates/trainings, lots of connections with other demonstrators, giveaways and more and just so much fun overall!  

  It was the first time one of my downline and I got to meet in person so it made the event even better.  If you don't already follow her on social media I urge you to do so and if you're in the Dallas, TX area she also does classes so check out Kimberly Hile aka Scatter Some Joy on Instagram and Facebook.

Kimberly and I on Thursday afternoon in front of the convention center.  It was so windy and I never know where to look!  lol!

   We had presentations on Thursday afternoon, all day Friday and all day Saturday.  It was chock full of information and we even got the new annual catalog which will go live on May 1.  It was so cool to be among so many other people just as excited about stamping as I am.  I always knew these were my people but to get to be with them in person was very inspiring!

The cover of the 2024-2025 Stampin' Up! annual catalog!  I can't show you the inside yet but trust me it's great!!!

Stampin' Up! also uses these events to recognize demonstrator achievements so we got to clap and cheer for so many people and all the great things they accomplished in the last year.  I had a few "stand and wave" achievements and also found my name on the recognition boards.  It's really inspiring and makes me want to work harder to get to the next level!

Not too shabby though!

  Kimberly hit the ground running after she join as a demonstrator last year and she made both the Quick Start 3 month and 6 month goals (these are sales milestones for new demos and they get some great perks when they reach it!).  I was so proud to cheer for her! Out of 18,000+ new demonstrators last year only a small percentage reach these goals so all her hard work definitely paid off!

We got to see lots of stamping demonstrations from other demos as well as home office staff.  They showed off lots of new products that are coming soon and gave so many creative ideas of how to use stamps and dies and papers.  They all did such a great job being up on the stage in front of so many people!

There were great big screens everywhere so you could easily see the stamping demonstrations no matter where you were sitting.

As with any Stampin' Up! gathering there was stamping and swapping!  We got to do make and takes at lunchtime with some fun new products.  We also got to meet a lot of people and enjoy all that the Product Playground had to offer.  I only brought a few swaps but it's always a fun way to meet people.  The swap boards are also a great way to get new ideas and see just how creative a bunch demonstrators are!

I met so many people during the 4 days I was there.  I met some friends who I only "knew" from online and now we're in real life friends!  The lady on the right in the above picture I had "met" on instagram and we had been mutuals and she was in Houston on her own so we made up a nice little trio for the weekend.  Her name is Teresa Wearmouth and you can find her on Instagram as Stonesthrowstampin.  She's in Maryland for anyone looking for a demo!  We had a ton of fun posing in front of all the great displays and also meeting "famous" demos!

 Jaimie was so sweet to stop and say hi and let me get a photo with her!  I fangirled quite a bit getting to meet her as I so enjoy her Instagram!

  We got some fun giveaways during the weekend and I was worried it wouldn't all fit in my suitcase.  Thank goodness for free bag check with Southwest because there is no way I could have gone to this event with 'just' a carryon sized bag!  

  It was such a fantastic time I'm kind of kicking myself that I didn't try to go to a multi-day event sooner!  Thankfully they've changed the timing of this event so it makes it a little more doable for my schedule.  I'm so glad that I got to spend the time with Kimberly and Teresa and 2000 other demos who are all my friends even if we haven't met yet!

  If you're a demo and haven't attended OnStage yet I would highly recommend it!  If you're a stamper thinking about being a part of the Stampin' Up! family as a demo I would love to give you more information on how you can join me for this event next year!  There are so many great things about being a demo and I'm thrilled to have been able to finally get to do this one!

  Thanks for reading about my awesome OnStage experience!  

  

 

 

 

Perennial Spring Flowers - Stampin' Up! Perennial Postage

   After a fabulous 4 days in Houston to attend Stampin' Up! OnStage demonstrator event I'm trying to play catch up and figured I should start getting back into the swing of things with a card.  I'll try to cull through my photos from the event and do a quick share tomorrow so you can see all the fun I had! But for now I'm going to share a card I made well before leaving on the trip but never got around to sharing.

  These colors are from a closed challenge over at Hand Stamped Sentiments and I think they are just perfect for spring and Easter cards!

  I started with a piece of the Sale-a-Bration (SAB) Softly Stippled DSP in a lovely neutral light brushstroke pattern.  Next I cut a bunch of flower sprigs with the Painted Lavender dies in the challenge colors then adhered them to the edge of the Stylish Shapes die cut circle.

  The only stamping on this card is the sentiment from from Perennial Postage which is stamped in Pebbled Path on a narrow strip of Basic White and popped on dimensionals over a bit of retired Coastal Cabana twine.

  I added a few classic Basic Rhinestones around the circle for a subtle bit of sparkle.

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased through my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Perennial Postage

Ink: Pebbled Path

Paper: Flirty Flamingo, Coastal Cabana, Crushed Curry, Basic White, Softly Stippled DSP (retired SAB)

Accessories: Painted Lavender dies, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, Basic Rhinestones, Coastal Cabana twine (retired)

Springtime Sky Note - Stampin' Up! Hot Ai Balloon

 Just a quick share today without a lot of chat as I have so much to do before leaving for the Stampin' Up! demonstrator event in Houston at the end of this week.  I'm so excited!  But also pretty sure I'm going to forget to pack something essential!!

  Anyway I combined 2 challenges for this card; The Color Hues who wants us to use Turquoise and Green and Just Add Ink which has a nice diagonal layout.

  I chose Coastal Cabana and Granny Apple Green for my colors and used the Hot Air Balloon bundle to make a bit of a spring-ish sky scene. 

  I used a bit of retired DSP for the Granny Apple Green bit which I kind of thought of as the grass below the balloon.  I used Coastal Cabana ink for the balloon using stamping off to give me a lighter variation for the stripes.

  The Basic Borders cloud die once again comes in handy for creating the "sky" portion of the card.

  It's hard to see but I used a narrow strip of white Textured Shimmer paper to cover the seem between the Basic White and DSP panels.  It gives a nice but of sparkle.

  The sentiment is a partial bit of a longer one found in the Hot Air Balloon stamp set and is trimmed down and popped up next to the balloon.

  A strip of banners in Coastal Cabana and held down with some retired flat shimmer gems decorate the balloon and a few more of the same gems in Coastal Cabana are added to the "grass".

  All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hot Air Balloon

Ink: Coastal Cabana, Memento Black

Paper: Coastal Cabana, Basic White, Textured Shimmer paper, Dandy Designs DSP (retired)

Accessories: Hot Air Balloon dies, Basic Borders dies, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, flat shimmer gems (retired)

Hang in There Plants - Stampin' Up! Planted Paradise

   I had some fun with the challenge colors over at CAS Colours & Sketches.  I hope this one is CAS enough; I really tried to tone it down from my usual giant pile of supplies used to make it.  At first I wasn't going to do the embossed panel but it honestly was just kind of blah without it so it ends up being the extra layer.  

  I loved these colors and might go back and try them again for a masculine card; Old Olive, Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon.

  This one starts with a Basic White thick card base, then a layer of Basic White embossed with the Twisted Rope embossing folder. Before adhering I added some Balmy Blue bakers twine from the Hot Air Balloon suite three color pack.

  I used the Planted Paradise stamp set and all 3 colors of ink to create the potted plants.  The two outside pots are in Azure Afternoon and the center is Balmy Blue.  For the leaves I stamped 3 different styles 3 times in either full strength ink or stamped off once ink.  I like the softness that the stamped off leaves have.

  After fussy cutting the leaves and pots they are assembled and popped on dimensionals just above the bakers twine.

  The sentiment is from the Hot Air Balloon stamp set and is stamped in Memento black and trimmed down and adhered to the pot.

  All of the supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Planted Paradise, Hot Air Balloon

Ink: Old Olive, Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon

Paper: Basic White thick, Basic White

Accessories: Twisted Rope embossing folder, dimensionals, Balmy Blue baker's twine

Rainy Day Bunny - Stampin' Up! Playing in the Rain

    At the end of every catalog period I look back at some stamp sets that maybe haven't gotten as much love as when they were brand new and feel a bit guilty that I haven't made more of an effort to ink them up.  But then I have to remind myself there are only so many hours in a day and while I would love to spend even more time stamping than I already do sometimes it's just not possible to make as many cards as I had hoped.  We are getting to the end of the 2023-2024 Stampin' Up! Annual catalog as well as the Jan.-April mini catalog so I've got double the products that I want to use and what seems like less time to use them!  So I'm taking every chance I can to use some older sets for (maybe) one last hurrah!

  The Playing in the Rain stamp set and dies are still super cute as we start to look at spring and spring themed cards.  The current challenge at The Paper Players challenge has "Rainy Days" as the theme right now so it's a perfect time to use this stamp set.

  I used a bit of the retired DSP that coordinated with this set called Rain or Shine Specialty DSP to line the lefthand side of the card front.  The little rainy sky paired nicely with the larger sheet of cloud paper from the Sale-a-bration DSP Sunny Days.

  The bunny is stamped then colored with Stampin' Blends on a die cut circle.

  I added a few banners to one side in Shaded Spruce to frame the space for the sentiment from the Perennial Postage stamp set which I fussy cut and popped on dimensionals.

  A Pool Party puddle brings some balance to the left side of the circle.  Both puddles and the stamped rain drops around the bunny are colored over with clear Wink of Stella.

  A bit of retired Crushed Curry baker's twine and some retired milky dots finish off the details on this rainy day spring card.

  All of the current supplies used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Playing in the Rain, Perennial Postage

Ink: Memento black, Pool Party

Blends: Daffodil Delight light & dark, Pool Party light & dark, Flirty Flamingo light, Crumb Cake light

Paper: Shaded Spruce, Basic White, Pool Party, Rain or Shine Specialty DSP, Sunny Days DSP (retired SAB)

Accessories: Playing in the Rain dies, Stylish Shapes dies, dimensionals, Wink of Stella, Crushed Curry baker's twine (retired), Milky Dots (retired)

Surprise Birthday Wishes - Stampin' Up! Hooray for Surprises *VIDEO*

   The Hooray for Surprises bundle is one you might overlook in the Stampin' Up! Jan.-April mini catalog but take a closer look at it on page 13.  The dies have a fun surprise that makes it easy to create an interactive card with a pull away tab to reveal a hidden message or image.

  I used it to create this cheerful happy birthday card!

  The colors were inspired by a recent Stampin' Up! creative challenge (#SUCreativeChallenge) and are perfect for a spring or summer birthday!  Parakeet Party, Tahitian Tide, Highland Heather and Fresh Freesia just give those celebratory vibes (as the kids say!!) don't they?

  I created a video showing an easy way to use these dies to get perfect placement for your hidden message behind the pull tab.  You'll have to watch the video to see what it looks like behind the tab because I couldn't bring myself to tear it away because I wouldn't be able to send the card out then!!

All of the products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

Thanks for looking! Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hooray for Surprises

Ink: Tahitian Tide, Highland Heather

Paper: Parakeet Party, Basic White, copy paper (watch the video to find out why!), Fresh Freesia, Parakeet Party

Accessories: Hooray for Surprises dies, dimensionals, Tahitian Tide baker's twine, Purple Fine Shimmer Gems

Lighter Than Air Z-Fold - Stampin' Up! Hot Air Balloon - *Video Tutorial*

   We made this adorable design last week in my class and everyone loved the really easy Z-fold layout.  It is only 2 score lines and has lots of panels to show off different papers and embossed pieces. So many possibilities to use with a variety colors and Designer Series Papers.

  I filmed a quick video showing how it all comes together so you can check it out and make a design of your own.  All the measurements and scoring details are in the video.  

     My stampers especially liked learning how to make their own cloud background using a die cut and blending brush!

    All of the current products used to make this card can be purchased in my ONLINE STORE.

  Thanks for looking!  Did you stamp today?

Stamps: Hot Air Balloon

Ink: Balmy Blue, Azure Afternoon, Flirty Flamingo, Lemon Lolly

Paper: Balmy Blue, Basic White, Azure Afternoon, Lemon Lolly, Crumb Cake, Light Than Air DSP

Accessories: Hot Air Balloon dies, dimensionals, Baker's Twine Three color pack, Rainbow adhesive-backed dots, Softly Sophisticated embossing folder (retired-SAB), blending brush, Basic Borders dies