Stamping In My Neighborhood

Good Friend

Good Friend is the name of the first stamp set I got at Leadership.  It's got a retro feel to it, as you might have noticed from the note box and tag set that I made with it at Leadership.  I needed to send quite a few thank you notes out for some church-related business, so I decided to play around with my new toys. 

 This card was for a man...my friend Dan, to be exact.  It was a very easy card to make.  I stamped the big bird onto Sahara Sand cardstock using Pacific Point ink, then added a Pumpkin Pie beak and Chocolate Chip legs.  I then sponged Chocolate Chip on the outside of that layer.  The tone that the Pacific Point took on when stamped onto Sahara Sand matched my Not Quite Navy DSP (had some leftovers from the Fall/Winter Hostess sampler I got) very nicely, so I added that to the bottom.  A little Chocolate Chip ribbon, a "thank you" (from Garden Greeting) on a large oval and that was it.

Oh, wait, I almost forgot.  I stamped the bird onto a scrap of the same DSP and cut out a wing shape (there's no color where the wing is) and put it in place with a Stampin' Dimensional.  Just added a little interest to it.

As you've probably noticed, still not having luck with my light box.  My light broke and I haven't been able to replace it yet.  One of these days...

Oh, So Tweet!

This card was a quick little card that I did for someone at church.  It was for a male, so I tried to not add too many girly things.  It features a darling little chipboard bird from On Board So Tweet.  It's the same chipboard that I created that note box and tag set with.  Every time I play with chipboard I wonder why I don't do it more.  It's fun stuff!

Anyway, this little bird was traced onto some DSP I had left over from the Fall/Winter Hostess selection.  I added Tangerine Tango feet and a beak.  In case you are wondering, I adhered it all using SU's fantastic glue sticks.  I daubed some Craft Basic Black onto the chipboard eye and adhered it with a mini glue dot.  I stamped a strip of Old Olive cardstock with the matching ink and Itty Bitty Backgrounds (an oldie but a goodie), then adhered it to the base of the card.  I attached the bird with mini glue dots, as I did the flowers (made with the Boho Blossoms punch).  Very simple, very cute.  Oh, it's hard to tell in the picture, but the base cardstock is Sahara Sand...that helped it look a little more masculine, I think.

New stamps = FUN!

Tonight I actually got to play with the stamps I got at Leadership.  And it was fun.  Of course I didn't get around to making the two sympathy cards that I need, but I'm going to try to get to that later tonight or, more likely, tomorrow.  I hear there's going to be lots of snow, which is always good for stamping.

This card was created with the Garden Greetings set that I got at  Manager's Reception.  It came in a cute Spiderman lunch box.  It's such a great stamp because you can really do a lot of things with it.  The ideas are in my head...I'll just have to play a bit to get them out.  But for the inaugural card, I wanted to keep things basic to show you that basic can be beautiful.  The card was very quick and easy to make.  The ink colors are Pacific Point, Tempting Turquoise and Kiwi Kiss.  And there's no way that this image actually comes close to doing them justice.  It's a GREAT combination!  The Designer Series Paper is from the Urban Garden collection, and the ribbon is the Kiwi Satin (it's actually vanilla on the reverse...really great ribbon).  The paper and the ribbon really match perfectly, even if the image doesn't make it look that way.

I finished my Leadership M&T!

I posted some of the pictures of the M&T a few posts ago, but thought I'd take a second and show you my finished projects.  I only created the cards and the box while I was at Leadership.  I ran out of steam and wanted to get pictures of other demonstrations, so something had to give.  Today I put the box together (had left it flat so it would travel okay), and made the tags to go in the tag box.

Cute project and easy to recreate.  I have extra chipboard left, so I think I'll offer a class to the first five people who would like to make this project.  Local customers only, please.  I'll have more details in my Feb. 1st newsletter, but contact me today if you have questions or want to get on the list.   The cost will be $20 (box, 4 cards with envelopes, tag box with ten tags).

Click on each image to get a better view.  If you'd like to see close-ups of the cards (three different designs), go to This Post.

Another Cool Card

This was the second card I did at my What A Cool Card Club this month.  It's a gift card card, which means it holds a gift card.  Just didn't want you to think I typed a word twice by mistake.  And, yes, it features my favorite Big Shot product (at least for the current catalog...that'll probably change very soon since I've seen what's coming), the Top Note Bigz Die.  I actually made a similar card with my Marker Club in November, but this is so cute and what a perfect little way to give a gift card at a baby shower!  Well, of course I'd use an appropriate retailer for a baby...but this might be nice for the parents.

Honestly, if you are not a Big Shot fan...I don't know about you, LOL.  I'll get you to come around.  And, if you are already starting to come around, you should strongly consider joining one of my Big Shot clubs.  They start in February so that you can take advantage of Sale-A-Bration and earn more free product!  I've got clubs of many sizes...from a club of one to a club of four.  Each club participant will finish the club with at least $150 worth of Big Shot products (they select that at the start of the club), hostess benefits, Sale-A-Bration benefits (what you get depends on how big your club is) and video tutorials showing you some of the possibilities.  My first tutorial has already been filmed and I'll be working on others as soon as I clean the mess that I call my stamp room.

Sorry the image is a little blurry...I must be rusty!

The new Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog goes live tomorrow!  Wahoo!

What a Cool Card!

Tuesday was the monthly meeting of my What A Cool Card Club.  At each meeting I show them how to create two special cards.  These cards have different folds or purposes.  The first card I did was a Tri-Fold Card.  Since Valentine's Day will soon be upon us, I thought it would be nice to use something with a heart.  Since I had just used my Simply Said set to make the bracelets for my Leadership roomies, that set immediately sprang to mind. 

 I used Pretty in Pink for the card base, and then scrap pieces of Whisper White and Basic Black.  I used Pretty in Pink, Rose Red and Certainly Celery markers to color in the heart and Pretty in Pink Classic and Black StazOn pads to add a little something to the front.  See that little piece of pink gingham ribbon?  That's one of the ginghams that are retiring on Monday. 

It was a very simple card to make and I'd love to show you and your friends at a workshop sometime. 

On my way home...

The end of my time to Orlando has arrived.  It's been a great trip, even if I haven't been able to catch any rays.  I'm exhausted and it'll be good to see my family.  I know they are excited to see me.  Or the presents I'll be yielding.  Hopefully both.

I was just viewing Shelli Gardner's (co-founder of SU) blog and noticed my face is in one of the pictures.  If you head to www.soshelli.com and look at the pictures of the Manager's Reception event, I'm two heads to the right of the girl in the Batgirl getup.  That was a riot, let me tell you!

I love the Big Shot!

Edited:  I'm sorry to do this, but I removed the photo that was here because someone else asked if we could show sneak peeks and were told by SU that we could not until the catalog is released on the 19th.  I'll keep the post, but the picture had to go.  I promise you it was a good one and I'm very excited about this product...as much as any other!

Here's an item that was demonstrated at Leadership showcasing one of my favorite images...Manhattan Flower.  I'm sorry for the poor quality of the picture.  The one on the right is the simple version.  This has been done with a texture plate that will be released in March.  There are other texture plates available starting with the new catalog on January 19th, though, and they are fun too.

The card on the left is the same as the one on the right except the demonstrator applied 2-Way Glue to the raised portion then covered it in a fine chocolate glitter.  On a bronze metallic card...mmmmmm.  I can't tell you how rich and gorgeous it looks in real life. 

If you are interested in scheduling a workshop to see some of the new goodies, let me know ASAP so I can put you in my book.  I'm also in the beginning stages of planning a Multi-Hostess Workshop.  If you would like to get 5-6 of your friends together for a workshop but don't want to host at your home, this would be great for you.  I'll rent a hall (I'll need 4-5 hostesses to do that) and we'll all do it together, with your help.  I know it will be a fun time and you'll get hostess benefits without worrying about what your house looks like.  And, really, there's nothing like a room full of stampers!

Gotta head to the closing program, sadly.  I look forward to coming home and sharing lots of great stuff in the coming months. 

Leadership Fun!

Lots of great presentations and announcements (digital scrapbooking option coming later this year!).  I've met some great gals and as always, SU has put on a great event.  Tonight they really outdid themselves!

 

Manager's Reception is a special event at Leadership open to those with a title of Manager or above.  They brought us to Universal's Islands of Adventure.  There we went to Super Hero Island...which was open JUST for Stampin' Up!  Food...awesome food...in the streets, fun music, caricatures (free) and rides with NO LINES!  It was heavenly.  Then we got a new stamp set from the catalog that gets released in a couple weeks.  Honestly, it's events like this that make me think how incredibly unique Stampin' Up! is.  They really do value its demonstrators.  If only some of my downline (team members) could join me.  If you would like to join my team and have the opportunity to see for yourself just how wonderful SU is, please speak with me...even if you are just interested in asking some questions. 

I don't know how they are going to top this Manager's Reception, but I'm sure they'll try!

I'm back

Okay, so I'm back at the Convention Center so I have internet access and my camera batteries are charged so I can upload.  I thought I'd start by showing you the Make&Take projects that we got to make.  In the interest of full disclosure, I did not make these, they were display samples.  I did not finish all mine because they're best assembled at home so they can survive the airplane trip home.

This first item is a card box and features chipboard dies covered with Designer Series Paper.  The sentiment is from our free stamp set, Good Friend.  The samples that follow are also from that set.  As always, just click on an image for a better view.

Then we made three different cards.  We actually made four cards, but gave one to SU! to give to a Ronald McDonald House.

 

A cute set.  Can't wait to see what new set I get tomorrow at Manager's Reception.