Lots of new things to share

One of my rewards for hosting my show in February was a great Simply Scrappin' kit called Just 4 You. It's a level three hostess gift (so you could earn one too by hosting a show). I think it is definitely the cutest of the Simply Scrappin' kits. Naturally, I wanted to play with it, so here are my creations. These first cards I made for my friend Christina at http://www.momtomy5.blogspot.com/. She is doing a little blog give away and asked me to whip her up some cards. The baby onesies are my favorite. This idea came from http://laurenm.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/ . Check out that whole blog--great ideas there!

Other than the Just 4 You Simply Scrappin' kit, I used the Scalloped Circle punch, the 1 3/8 inch circle punch, Short and Sweet Stamp set, Hodge Podge Hardware from the Occasions Mini Catalog (available March 1st), Soft Sky double stitched ribbon, Old Olive and Close to Cocoa inks, and a rub-on (the "thinking of you") from the Love & Happiness Sale-a-Bration set (only available until March 17th.

My next little project is a matchbox that holds Hershey's Nuggets. I copied this off of one that my upline sent me. So cute!

This one uses the same Simply Scrappin' kit. I added some Soft Sky double stitched ribbon. I used the bunny stamp from the Holiday Blitz set. I stamped it in Versamark ink (it's a clear, sticky ink) and dusted the images with Stamping Pastels.

And finally, I made these cards to swap at my upline's next meeting--in California! Wish I was going, but I'm just mailing them there. These were inspired by a card I saw on www.kwernerdesign.com/blog She has an awesome style and every Monday she posts a "Make a Card Monday" video tutorial. These use the same Simply Scrappin' kit, the 1 3/8 circle punch, Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, Soft Sky double stitched ribbon, Pumpkin Pie ink, and the Big Flowers and Short and Sweet stamp sets. There are dimensionals behind the top layer, but it's hard to tell in these photos.

Stamp-a-Stack preview

I've started designing the cards for the March Stamp-a-Stack. Here are the first four--I hope you like them! I will be sending out a reminder e-mail to those that expressed an interest in the workshop so that I can get a final count. We will be using the Boho Blends Simply Scrappin' kits which will be split equally between two customers. You get to take the left-overs home to use on your own projects! Money will be due by March 1st so that I can order supplies.
You may also be interested to know that Sale-a-Bration ends March 17 (this is the promotion where you are able to choose a free stamp set from the Sale-a-Bration catalog with each $50 order). However, there is a great promotion for hostesses that runs March 18th-April 30th. Yay! For every qualifying homeshow ($350 or more) the hostess is rewarded with an EXTRA $25 in free merchandise. That's a great deal! In a couple of weeks or so I'll be calling those who expressed interest in hosting an April show to set up a date so that you can take advantage of this great promotion.

Thank you and March Workshop

Thank you to everyone who helped me get my business off to a good start. With the added supplies I have earned I will be able to teach new and exciting techniques to all of you in the future! Just a reminder that hosting a party between now and March 17th can earn you extra benefits because of Sale-a-Bration.

I will be hosting a Stamp-a-Stack workshop March 14th at 7:00 p.m. The fee is $15. In return, you will get all of the supplies and directions to stamp and assemble 10 multi occasion cards (6 regular size cards, 4 3x3 cards) We will be using the Boho Blends Simply Scrappin kit found on page 174 of the catalog (link is available to the left of this post). Whatever is left of the kits will be yours to keep and use on your own projects at home. If you're interested in signing up, give me a call or leave a comment! Thank you!

Project #8: Make and Take for Feb 16

Here's the cute little 3x3 card we'll be making on Saturday!

Project #7: Priceless Scrapbook Page

I have never used stamps to scrapbook before--I have recently gone digital in that arena. I wanted to try it, though. I pulled out my "Priceless" stamp set and went to town. It was fun! I was so excited that one of the rub-ons in my new set fit perfectly on the scalloped circle I put at the bottom of the photo.

Supplies: Cardstock: Whisper White Paper: Bali Breeze Ribbon: Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain Stamp Set: Priceless Ink: Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise Punches: Scalloped Circle, 1 3/8" Circle Rub-on Set: Love and Happiness

Project #6: Versatile Rub-ons

One of Stampin' Up's newer products is rub-ons. These are the best. You can use them on your stamping projects as well as on things that aren't stampable. There are several sets available in the catalog. I got this set for free when I placed an order last week because Stampin' Up is having their Sale-A-Bration right now. You can pick a free item from the Sale-a-Bration catalog for every $50 you spend. There are several stamp sets as well as this rub on set (which included four sheets which are each a different color). Check out the Sale-a-Bration catalog here.
I've had these hearts for a couple of years and pull them out every February. It occured to me yesterday that they would be even more fabulous if I dressed them up a bit. I love the results!

Project #5: Peek-a-Boo Box

This is an awesome idea I got from my upline Dannie. You can see her version here and download the pattern (which she got from Brenda Quintana over at splitcoaststampers.com) This is a fun way to give someone a little gift. I'll be giving away a couple of these at my party next Saturday.
One thing you cannot tell from looking at the picture is that there is a piece of acetate covering the window (to keep the candy or gift inside!). I just used a piece of an overhead transparency.

Supplies: Cardstock: Purely Pomegranate, Regal Rose, Close to Cocoa, Wild Wasabi Ink: Close to Cocoa, Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate Stamp Sets: Priceless, Boho Backgrounds Punches: Scallop Circle, 1 3/8" circle, 1" Circle

Let's start at the very beginning

OK, so I'm a little obsessed right now. Anyone that knows me well knows that I get pretty excited about whatever my new passion is. When I was a kid I went through obsessions with Super Man, "Fame" (the TV show), the Monkees, making headbands out of ribbon (that dates me, doesn't it?). As an adult it's been paper scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, and now stamping. I still dabble in all things crafty. I just love it for some reason.

So, as I start up my (hopefully) stamping business, I wanted to offer this blog as a source of ideas and inspiration for anyone else who enjoys this stuff too!

Yesterday I got my Starter Kit, which was awesome. I played all evening long and had a blast. I went ahead and put those things on here for you to see. I wish I had everything that I'd like to own now so that I could show you even cooler things, but as a newbie to this, you'll just see what I can do with my limited stash of supplies and hopefully that will grow!

I am planning on holding a party here at my home soon. I'll let you all know. I will have prizes, treats, and a cute take-home project which I will post as soon as my ribbon comes.

Febuary 1st-March 17th is a great time to get into this stamping hobby. Stampin' Up is having it's annual Sale-A-Bration. That means great perks for everyone.

For Customers: For every $50 you spend, you can select a free item from the Sale-A-Bration catalog

For Hostesses: You can choose a free item from the Sale-A-Bration catalog when your party totals $300 or more. That's in addition to your regular hostess benefits.

New Demonstrators: If you start up during Sale-a-Bration, you get to choose any stamp set from the regular catalog free! You also get to take 20% off of your Starter Kit. The kit is awesome. I ended up with 6 stamp sets (of my choosing--from varying price ranges), three packs of card stock, scissors, a Versamark pad, 5 ink pads, and a bunch of other stuff. It's a steal.

You can download the Sale-a-bration mini-catalog here if you'd like to see!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Project #4: Butterfly card

I think this is currently my favorite color combination. I was never a big fan of orange, but I love it with these other colors. To give the wings of the butterly a three-dimensional look, I stamped it twice. I stamped it on the card itself first. Then I stamped it on another piece of cardstock and cut it out (except for the feelers, they're too tiny!) I folded the wings up slightly. I attached the middle of the butterfly with a glue dot and raised the wings with Stampin' Dimensionals (sticky foam dots).

Supplies: Cardstock: Old Olive Paper: Bali Breeze Stamp Set: Priceless Ink: Pumpkin Pie, Tempting Turquoise Brads: Rich Regals

Project #3: Acetate Candy Box

I am giving these to my kids teachers for Valentine's Day this year. I found this great idea here, and she was inspired by someone else who posted a tutorial here. This is an easy, fun gift to make and could be adapted for any holiday or occasion. I think they would make fabulous neighbor gifts next Christmas. I created the box with an overhead transparency. I cut the transparency in half to give me an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 piece. I scored it every 1 1/2 inches 4 times and then left a little flap for glueing the tube shut (with glue dots). The tutorial link above will show you how to create the top and bottom of the box.
Supplies: Paper: Bali Breeze Stampset: Lovely Labels Ink: Regal Rose

Project #2: Baby Onesie Card

I loved this cute card that I found here. I just had to try it. I cut mine free hand, but a 1 3/8 inch circle punch would be perfect for cutting the neck-hole (just insert the top of the card half way into the punch and go for it!). Mine is coming tomorrow! I can't wait because it would perfectly cut out a lot of the stamped images I will be using, like the "baby" circle below. I wanted to embelish the legs and arms somehow, so I used the coordinating color of ink and only inked the very edge of a Boho Background stamp. Then I added a rub-on (totally love these) to the leg. I think it would also be cute to tie some 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon around the legs and arms, but I just ordered mine this morning (along with a few other things!). You can't see it in the pictures, but I put Stampin' Dimensionals (sticky foam dots) behind the "Baby" stamp to lift it from the scalloped circle. These stamps are amazing. My friend Kari was suprised when I told her the "baby" circle was a stamped image!
Supplies: Cardstock: Regal Rose, Whisper White Stamp Set: Boho Backgrounds, Lovely Labels Ink: Regal Rose Rub on Set: Love & Happiness Punch: Scalloped Circle

Project #1: Criss-Cross Card

I could hardly wait to make this card when I saw it here. The tutorial can be found here on Splitcoaststampers (which is a great website for stampers). So cute! So many possibilities! Notice the butterfly on the tab. It's a rub on from the Love & Happiness set. I thought this would be cute with a gift card attached to the card inside.

Materials used: Paper: Bali Breeze Cardstock: Always Artichoke, Taken with Teal, Whisper White Ink: Old Olive Stamp Set: Priceless Rub On Set: Love & Happiness

Yay! Time to Play

My starter kit from Stampin' Up arrived yesterday! I had hours of fun with it last night and can't wait to show you what I've made. As soon as I get this cute, squirmy preschooler off to class this morning I will start posting (and tell you about the sweeeet deals for February and March). See ya!