sweet sentiments

Sale-A-Bration starts Today!!!!

2012-01-24T10:11:00.001-05:00

Today is the most exciting day.....Stampin' UP!'s biggest sale starts!!!! You might be asking yourself what is Sale-A-Bration....let me fill you in. Would you like to earn free stamps and products? Well, starting today through March 31st you can receive FREE products for every $50 you spend.

Hostessing a class couldn't even be sweeter.....host a class an receive a FREE TOTE......host a class with a $400 workshop and receive a FREE hostess bundle!!!!!! With the introduction of the new occasional mini and the sale-a-bration catalogs there is so much to share!!!!!

What's even sweeter is that you can hostess a class at my house....just bring a few friends for a girls' night out and let me do all the work for you. With Valentine's Day and Easter coming up what a better time to get your friends together to create and share with others!!!!!

For the next few days I will be sharing some cute cards and projects that come from the new mini and sale-a-bration catalogs......come back and see!!!!!

Check out my SU! website to see all the details!!!!!

Blog Hop Blog Candy Winner!!!

2011-12-05T21:10:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to announce the winner of the blog candy from the blog hop......I had such a great response from all who joined this past weekend. I used random.org to pick the winner................DENISE FOOR! I have already emailed you Denise, but if you haven't received it yet, please email me with your shipping information!!! Thanks again to everyone for leaving such wonderful comments. Don't forget to join early for the next UStamp!

UStamp "Up on the Rooftop" Blog Hop!!!!

2011-12-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Up On The Roof Top 2011 World Showcase Holiday Blog Hop.

If you have been following the Blog Hop from the beginning, you have just been wowed by Tonya Boser's CD envelope treat holders...I just love those little snowmen!!!!

If you are just joining the Blog Hop, no problem, as you can start at any point. All the Designer's Blogs are linked together so you will be able to see ALL the FABULOUS projects we have for you.

My project is a children's Christmas tree. I wanted to make a project that was family oriented for the season. My children love having their own Christmas tree in their room so I thought involving them in the decorations would make it that much more special......

The ornaments were so fun and easy to make using Stampin' UP! punches. Here is a close up of the 2 ornaments that adorn the tree......

I love the Holly Berry Bouquet designer paper for the ornaments....so vibrant and colorful!!!! The garland was made using the dotted glitter sheet and the stocking accents die for the big shot.

If you wanted to give this as a gift here is a coordinating card to go with the project....

I just love the house covered in snow from the Christmas Lodge stamp set. The Christmas Lodge DSP coordinates well with it. The house was embossed with our new cherry cobbler embossing powder....it's AWESOME!!!!!

As a Special Thank You for stopping by my blog I am giving away BLOG CANDY!!

Please leave a comment about my project to be entered for a chance to win a great goodie bag of current Stampin' Up! products. I will randomly select a winner to be announced on Tuesday, so please check back to see if you are the lucky recipient!

AND there's MORE...LOTS MORE!!

You have the opportunity to get the downloadable PDF Tutorial for my project FREE!! It's a GIFT from UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! Woohoo!! See the blinkie below to access the FREE Blog Hop Website.

In the Spirit of the Holiday Season, you have the opportunity to get in on "Special Holiday Pricing" for the upcoming UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! SCORE!! Event. The Stampin' Up! Simply Scored Tool is HOT STUFF and SCORE!! will feature 40+ projects, all created using the Simply Scored Tool. SCORE!! is a MUST NOT MISS Event!! See the blinkie below to join and get in on the Early Bird savings.

And now for the most exciting giveaway of the season...

Everyone that joins the new and exciting upcoming event - SCORE!! - with "Special Holiday Pricing" will be entered into a Drawing to win 1 of 3 FREE Passes for an ENTIRE YEAR of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

YES!!

You read that right!!

YOU could win a whole year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events FREE!!

***Special Holiday Pricing of just $19.99 ends Dec 8th***

Winners will be announced on Friday, Dec 9th.

Click the Blinkie below to join SCORE!! with Special Holiday Pricing

and a chance to win a FREE Year of UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! events!!

Click the blinkie below and you will be taken to

THE UP ON THE ROOFTOP BLOG HOP WEBSITE!!

Of course it's ***FREE*** to join and

there you will find the tutorials for ALL the blog hop projects,

PLUS live chats, challenges and more prizes!!

You will even have an opportunity to be considered for a spot as a Guest Designer!!

Yes!! It is all FREE, so tell all your friends and

join the fun with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

http://ustampwithdawnandfriendsbloghop.ning.com/">***

AND last but certainly not least, it's time to hop on over to the next Designer's Roof Top, so please click below for NEXT BLOG, where you will find Dawn ready to share jingle and bling!!!!

If you would like to hop back to Tonya's Roof Top, please click below.

Thanks again for stopping by and Happy Holidays to YOU!!

Get Ready For Holiday Blog Hop!!!

2011-11-30T13:24:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to announce the next blog hop for you stamp starts Friday, December 2nd!! The UStamp with Dawn and Friends spring blog hop was such a success that we are doing it again!!!! There are so many amazing holiday ideas on this blog hop you won't want to miss it!!!! Check back on my blog on Friday morning when it goes live......

Don't forget that today is the last day for the Stampin' UP! online extravaganza ends today....please go onto my website for all the deals and details!!!!

Happy Stamping,

Beth

ONLINE EXTRAVAGANZA TOMORROW!!!!!

2011-11-20T17:10:00.001-05:00

Starting tomorrow, Monday, November 21st Stampin' UP! is having an amazing online sale......when you log onto my SU! website you will be able to get some unbelievable deals.....the digital software we offer is unbelievable and worth buying....every Tuesday there are new downloads....GET THIS: if you buy My Digital Studio Express you will get $40 worth of digital downloads for FREE!!!!!!!! I can't wait to see what they are offering for downloads. I love My Digital Studio and have made Christmas cards for my mom to send out and they are awesome.

Selected designer fabric is going to be 60% off!!!!! The fabric is awesome and a lot of fun to work with......great for making handmade gifts and ornaments!!!

And last but not least.....RIBBON!!!! There will be an exclusive ribbon bundle that will be 30% off!!!!

The extravaganza starts at 12:01 am-11:59pm (MT) on November 21st. You will need to log onto my website to place your order...CLICK HERE.
If you can't place the order, email me and let me know what you want to order and I will order for you.
I will be posting again tomorrow to tell you specifically what is on sale!!!! You don't want to miss this.....

Halloween Favors

2011-10-29T18:53:00.001-04:00

I haven't really been able to post lately....I have been recovering from some surgery and have had to lay low. I was able to whip up some halloween favors for my children's teachers. I too some cello bags that SU! is selling and put in candy corn flavored M&Ms. I made candy corn adornment by punching daffodil delight, pumpkin pie and whisper white cardstock with the pennant punch. Cut them apart and glued them together to look like candy corns. I punched "happy halloween" with the label punch and tied them with retired chocolate chip ribbon. I added the "boo" decor element to the jar. It was so easy to put on. On the square jar I added some spiders....as I was adding them I couldn't help but think how realistic they looked....very spooky!!!!!! Enjoy!!!!!!!

DON'T FORGET THAT THE BIG SHOT OFFER ENDS ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 31ST.....CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!!!!!!!!

Knockout Punches with Ustamp!!!

2011-10-12T16:09:00.001-04:00

I am so excited about this next round with Dawn and Friends.....it's all about punches!!! Let me tell you something....if you have joined before or haven't joined at all......you need to join this round!!!! I have already seen some of the projects and they are AMAZING!!!! The projects are extremely creative and quite easy to reproduce. Click on the blinkie on the right side of my web page for details and to join!!!!

We are just finishing up with Paper Parade and I can now show you my project that I designed for this round.

I made wedding favors using the beautiful Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper. I really like how the projects turned out. I used the BIG SHOT for all of the projects (except the card) and right now if you want to join the Stampin' UP! family you can receive the Big Shot for FREE!!!!!! How awesome is that!!!!

You can take a test drive with the products, including the Big Shot, and never place any order. Just $175 for the Starter Kit can get you all you need to make projects like this one and others.....with the FREE big shot promotion you are receiving over $400 worth of products and all the ideas you need to create!!!!! Check the SU! website for details!!!!

Here are some individual pictures of the wedding favors.......

Hope you enjoyed the wedding favors project and I hope that you will join the SU! family with this great BIG SHOT incentive going on now for the month of October.

Simply Sent Card Kit Promotion

2011-10-04T11:37:00.002-04:00

October has become a big promotional month for Stampin' UP! Not only can you get a free big shot but when you order 2 simply sent kits you receive a coordinating stamp set for FREE! What is great about these kits is that you get everything you need to create 8 cards. You get 2 stamps in the stamp set that coordinate with the kit. I have used these kits before and they are great for those of us on the go. They are great gifts for teachers, neighbors, friends and relatives. I am going to use this promotion for myself to get stocked up so if I need to make a quick card I can use the kit and make them up really fast.

If you would like to place an order please go to my SU! website and click on the promotion icon on the bottom of the page to place an order.

Also available for sale are the new sweet pressed cookie stamps. They are interchangable and are really easy to use. Check my SU! website for details!!!!

Happy Stamping!!!!!

Want to be a Big Shot?

2011-10-04T11:22:00.001-04:00

What a great new promotion SU! has for this month. When you sign up to be a demonstrator this month, you can get a big shot for FREE!!!!!! This is an awesome deal. Just in time for the holidays....there is so much to make with the big shot and it cuts 50 different kinds of products. Did you know it cuts through fabric, magnet sheets, cork, cardboard and vinyl sheets? Did you know that we carry all of those products in the catalog? I love making gifts and decor for the holidays. In a previous post I showed the stocking cards my mom made for all of her friends for Christmas....540 of them. She became a demonstrator just because she fell in love with the big shot. She also loves getting the discount on all the products that she orders.

I think these are just adorable and I was so proud of her. She had a blast making these and you wouldn't believe how easy they are to put together. I have not used the die yet but these are going to be my Christmas cards this year too.

Please don't hesitate to contact me to learn more about this great promotion.

Fall Is In The Air

2011-09-07T17:50:00.001-04:00

Savannah finally has some cooler weather so I wanted to start decorating the house for fall. I have been seeing alot of projects with the "lollies". You might be wondering "what's a lollie?" It is a flower made out of paper. Stampin' UP! just introduced the Simply Scored Tool which can help you make lollies. The scoring base of the simply scored tool can fit paper up to 12"x12" and features score tracks every 1/8". I love how easy it is to score the lines with the stylus. The tips on the stylus come in two sizes....I used the smaller size. The lollies ranged in sizes.....1 1/2" x 12" to 2" x 12". For this project I used the Spice Cake DSP . This is my favorite DSP right now...I just love the colors!!!!! To score the lollies, I scored one side every 1/2" and then turned over the paper and then scored every 1/4". It creates the valley/hill effect that helps crease the paper together. Once you crease your folds together, I added tombow glue to the ends and held them together for about 10 seconds. I punched out a 2" circle and put tombow glue on it and then laid the lollie down on the circle. I used my largest clear block to put pressure on the lollie until the glue dried.
Another great new stamp set that I'm in love with is "Gently Falling". This stamp set is very realistic and is a 2 step stamp set. I just love 2 step stamping!!!!! I used more mustard, early espresso, old olive and crumb cake colors to make the leaves. Once the leaves were stamped, they were cut out and adhered to the lollies with dimensionals.
For the letters, I adhered Spice Cake DSP to cardboard and ran them through the big shot with the serif letters. I adhered them to the plate with dimensionals. I decided to decorate the plate instead of the wreath. It looked better with the colors in the paper. I love how it looks on my buffet with the rest of the vignette.

UStamp with Dawn and Friends Paper Parade!!!

2011-09-06T22:20:00.001-04:00

I am happy to announce that I will be designing again for UStamp with Dawn and Friends! I am having more fun designing projects for Dawn Rapsas and her crew. The women Dawn has creating projects for her are unbelievable and extremely talented. I am very honored to be part of her group! There is early bird registration going on right now and if you are interested in joining just click on the paper parade icon on the right hand side of the page. By joining you will be privy to over 40 projects......pdfs and pictures. This round is all about PAPER!!!! I am extremely excited to be making my projects with a wedding favor theme....you will definitely want to join!!!

Holiday Mini Catalog is LIVE!!!!!!

2011-09-04T17:16:00.001-04:00

I'm so excited that I can finally announce the new Holiday Mini is now LIVE!!!! I will say that this is by far the best mini I've seen to date!!!!! The new stocking die is awesome and once completed, can fit in a regular A2 envelope to mail!!! Great for Christmas cards......speaking of Christmas cards....my mom is a demonstrator with me and she was able to preorder the stocking die and is making 560 stockings for the family Christmas card. She is having so much fun making these....they are so easy to make!!!!! She is halfway there....I'm so proud of her. She wanted me to post her hard work so do leave a comment!!!!

UStamp Christmas Blocks

2011-08-20T13:24:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to share with you my latest design for UStamp with Dawn and Friends.....I love the holidays!!!!!! I have wanted to use the decor blocks and had seen lots of ideas on how to use them. My idea was to use them to display cards or photos....especially during the holidays. I love the new Christmas DSP in the IB&C called "Letters to Santa". The paper is great for paper piecing.....cutting out images from the paper for highlighting!!!!

I also used the new stamp set "Merry and Type". I love the hanging ornaments stamp and embossing the stamp in white embossing powder really made the image stand out on the block. To display the cards/photos I used various sizes of binder clips and added dsp to them.

The card was again used with the letters to santa dsp and the ornament image from the merry and type stamp set was embossed with white embossing powder and cut out and popped up with dimensionals. If you would like to get the instructions on my project and see all the other great designer projects please go onto UStamp with Dawn and Friends to subscribe. You won't be disappointed!!!!!!

New Hostess Program and Designer Paper Series Promotion!!!!

2011-08-03T13:39:00.000-04:00

With the unveiling of the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog comes the unveiling of the new hostess benefits. I really like how they changed things up. In the past, hostesses had to have a certain amount of product sold to receive free stamp sets...they were picked from levels depending on the amount of the workshop or class. I know whenever I would place my orders I would have to pick from the same level over and over again. I now have an excess of the same stamp sets.....

With the new program, depending on the sales of the workshop, the hostess now can earn dollars that can go toward the hostess stamp sets or can be spent in the catalog......AWESOME!!!!!

I would encourage you to hostess a class to see how the new program works....now is the time to start thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas...the holiday mini is out and you can go to my Stampin' UP! website to see what is new for the holidays!!!!

I love the new August promotion that SU! is offering......every year you can choose from 13 awesome Designer Paper Series....I love the new paper and for the month of August you can get a great deal on the paper.....WHEN YOU BUY 3, YOU GET 1 FREE!!!!!

I was not able to go to convention this past July but I wanted to share some of the paper they had on display....

These awesome flowers were made using the pocketful of posies designer paper series

I would love to be able to show you how to make these flowers.....schedule a class today and reap the benefits of being a hostess....

I've been MIA for waaaaay too long!!!!

2011-07-25T23:33:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that my last post was July 7th.......it has been an absolute whirlwind in my life.....I was all excited to go to convention and then found out that I should have my plate and screws taken out of my ankle. So I had to cancel my trip to Salt Lake City.....I was so bummed.....my friend Shalae was able to demonstrate on stage with her Mom this year and I wasn't there to see her. From all the posts of my fellow bloggers I knew she did a great job.....even though the circle she punched went down her shirt..hehe!!!!!!

I managed to get a little vacation with my children in Beaver Creek, CO for 10 days and had a great time visiting with my family. The only bummer was the flight home became a night stay in Atlanta....love Delta!!!!!
I am now in Cincinnati visiting more family and seeing a week's worth of Reds baseball.....I managed to get home last Thursday and repack to drive 10 hours on Friday....CRAZY!!!!!

One exciting bit of news.....my Mom resigned as a demonstrator.....she forgot to place an order a few months ago and was pending. With this month's recruiting incentive she signed up for only $99 and she was able to place her first order out of the new Idea Book and Catalog......WAY TO GO MOM!!!!!

I wanted to post a card since it has been forever and I came upon this card on my phone that I had made back in June....
This card features the new stamp set "My Friend" found on page 139 in the catalog.
I wanted to feature the new in colors and I thought that coloring in the raindrops and adding crystal effects to them would make the card pop!!!!! I stamped the big floral image in lucky limeade and cut it out then adhered it to the card. I just love the sentiment...."my friend".

I would love for you to have a catalog for your very own.....email me or call me for details on how you can get a catalog for FREE!!!!!

Don't forget that another round of UStamp With Dawn and Friends is coming up.....it's all about the holidays and I am REALLY excited about the project I designed......if you would like to join this round....CLICK HERE to join!!!!!!! I would love for you to join us.....

I promise I won't be so MIA.....next week!!!!!

Get Ready for UStamp for the Holidays and Fabulous Florets!!!!

2011-07-07T17:47:00.000-04:00

Get ready for another UStamp event....I (heart) the Holidays!!...Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas 2011!!!! This event will feature projects using stamp sets from the new Idea Book and Catalog....I am so excited!!!! I came up with this great idea that will allow you to feature the Christmas cards you receive. The event will go live in August....click below to join....

I was playing around with the fabulous florets stamp set and really like how this card turned out. The base of the card is calypso coral which is one of the new in colors and I ran it through the big shot with the finial press impressions folder. The whisper white top note is stamped with the leaf image in lucky limeade which was stamped off to give depth to the card. I took champagne mist shimmer paint with saran wrap and smooched it all over the top note to give it a "faux pearl" look. The floral images were stamped on whisper white with versamark and then embossed with black embossing powder. I then watercolored the flowers with calypso coral and pink pirouhette reinkers and an aquapainter. I cut them out with paper snips and used dimensionals to add them to the top note. You can click on the picture to get a closer look. The picture doesn't do the card justice...it looks much better in person.

This card was going to be one of my swaps for convention but I decided last week that I needed to have surgery to remove my plate and screws out of my ankle. Since my surgery in January I have been having a lot of issues with pain and was told by the doctor that taking out the hardware would probably help lessen the pain. I had the surgery yesterday and it will be 6 weeks before I am back to walking normal again. I am really sad that I will be missing convention but my health is more important. For those of you who are going out to convention, PLEASE take lots of pictures!!!!!

Happy New Year! SU! and New Demo PROMO

2011-07-01T11:48:00.001-04:00

Today is an exciting day for SU! demonstrators and crafters alike.....the unveiling of the new idea book and catalog!!!!!! I have already had some of the stamp sets, DSP and punches in my hot little hands for a few weeks....one of the benefits of being a demonstrator...you get things early!!!!!

I love that SU! always starts off the new year with an amazing promotion....how about taking SU! a test drive for only $99....that's right......

It's always more fun to stamp with friends! The limited-time $99 Starter Kit is the perfect choice for the lover of Stampin' Up! products. Use this exclusive Starter Kit to share the opportunity with your friends and hostesses who want to get the products they love at a 20 percent discount.

Plus, when you recruit in July, you and your recruit(s) will get a Christmas Keepsake project kit absolutely FREE--a $40 value! This exclusive kit contains everything you (and your recruits) need to create a beautiful Christmas Keepsake Box to hold your most treasured Christmas memories. Remember, you can only earn this special Shelli Signature Collection kit when you add new stamping friends to your downline!
Page

Item

Description

57

123225

Easy Events Clear-Mount Set*

69

122740

Pennant Parade Wood-Mount Set*

177

102277

Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad

177

105216

Pumpkin Pie Classic Stampin' Pad

177

103133

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

177

119706

Brights 8-1/2" x 11" Assorted Card Stock

180

101179

Basic Black Classic Stampin' Pad

182

107311

Whisper White Note Cards (20)

185

124339

Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper*

195

124142

Chocolate Chip 1/2" Scallop Dots Ribbon*

203

122129

Blender Pen (1)

205

118486

Clear-Mount Block C

206104332

SNAIL Adhesive

The business supplies in these promotional mini kits will be the same business supplies that are in existing starter kits; no alternative selections can be made for business items.

•Getting Started DVD

•Getting Started Guide

•Guest Invitation Postcards (100)

•2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog (8)

•2011 Summer Mini Catalog (8)

•Stampin' Up! logo vinyl

•Décor Elements applicator

•To My Hostess Envelopes (10)

•My Digital Studio Marketing DVD

•Recruit Folders (5)

•Recruit Brochures (20)

•Customer Order Forms (50)

See below for details on the limited-time $99 Starter Kit. Visit the Earn a Free Christmas Keepsake Project Kit page to learn more about the Christmas Keepsake project kit contents.

If you would like your FREE copy of the new catalog you can do it one of 2 ways....place a $50 order or become a demonstrator!!!!!! Either way...it's a win win situation!!!!!

Father's Day and Sympathy

2011-06-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

I have been slacking lately with my blog posts and I will be gone all next week for my son's baseball tournament in Orlando so this might be my last post for a while.

I was really pleased with the blog hop I was in this past weekend. I received a ton of comments and added a few new followers. If you didn't get a chance to check it out just go to the previous blog post to get started.....

Father's Day is this weekend and I wanted to make sure I got a card off to my dad so he gets it on time. The mail from Georgia to Ohio tends to be a little slow. I had seen this card design and really liked the way it looked. I used the Botanical Garden DSP....I like how punching a circle out with the 2 1/2" circle punch gives a little depth to the card. I love using the new blossom bouquet triple layer punch....I used the 3rd level of the punch and cut the flower images in half to make the border. The circles adorning the big circle are made with the 1 inch circle punch. A little seam binding ribbon and antique brad tops off the card. I hope he likes it.....

This next card was made for a friend of mine whose father just passed away. I don't think to make alot of sympathy cards but I really like how it turned out. The flower garden impressions embossing folder is the focal point of this card. I then sponged the raised flower image with bashful blue ink to make the image stand out more. I stamped pocket silhouettes two times...once in bashful blue ink and another with basic gray ink. I bordered the silhouettes with bashful blue circles. I need to use this stamp set more often....

More Bargello Cards and Blog Candy Winner!!!!

2011-06-13T17:51:00.000-04:00

I had some more strips of the new flirtatious specialty DSP that I wanted to use up with the bargello technique.....this picture don't do the colors justice.....this paper will be available July 1st. I am also loving the lace ribbon border (available July 1st)......If you did not see the blog hop over the weekend just check the previous post on my blog and check out all the wonderful cards and projects that SU! demonstrators created over the weekend. If you go onto the UStamp blog site, you will see all the project ideas given for FREE!!!! How awesome is that!!!!

I also want to announce the winner of the blog candy that we are giving away from the Blog Hop......Tui Nathan!!!!! She is from Australia and she will receive a FREE PASS to UStamp's I (heart) the Holidays!!!! Congrats Tui!!!!!!

From now until the unveiling of the new catalog.....July 1st....I will be giving away blog candy every week....so leave a comment if you would love a chance to win!!!! Good Luck!!!

UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! World Showcase Blog Hop!!!

2011-06-10T12:00:00.005-04:00

Welcome to the UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! World Showcase Blog Hop.

If you have been following the Blog Hop from the beginning, you have just been wowed by Erica's Summer Fun Party Favor!!! What a great idea to create a gift box for suntan lotion....I love it!!!!

If you are just joining the Blog Hop, no problem as you can start at any point. All the Designer's Blogs are linked together so you will be able to see ALL the super projects we have for you.

For my project a wanted to showcase a technique I have seen on other blogs and I had to try it. It's call the bargello technique.

If you are like me, I collect lots and lots scraps for DSP (designer series paper). This technique is a great way to get rid of those many strips and create a great design to have your friends and customers wanting to learn how to do this technique. When I first saw these cards, I thought this was a really complicated technique but in reality it is soooooooo simple!!!!! I could make these cards all day long.

I am featuring the new designer series paper called "Flirtatious Specialty". I just love the colors and the designs in this series......melon mambo, pretty in pink, daffodil delight, whisper white and one of the new in colors.....WISTERIA WONDER!!!!!

The melon mambo medallion piece is from the specialty paper. It is a lasered piece that you can cut apart to use as doilies or keep it together as a layer piece. Starting July 1st you can start purchasing the new products when the catalog goes LIVE! Check back for more details or go onto my stampin' up website to place your order.

As a Special Thank You for stopping by my blog I am giving away BLOG CANDY!! Please leave a comment about my project to be entered for a chance to win a FREE PASS to the next UStamp with Dawn and Friends!! session - I ♥ the Holidays!! I will randomly select a winner to be announced on Monday, so please check back to see if you are the lucky recipient. If you have already joined I ♥ the Holidays!! for the Special Party Pricing and you are selected as the winner, you will get a FREE Pass to the NEXT event after I ♥ the Holidays!! which will launch in the Fall.

AND now for the really cool part!! You will NOT want to miss out in THIS!!

By clicking this really cute blinkie...yeah...go ahead and click it!!...

you will be taken to

THE WORLD SHOWCASE BLOG HOP WEBSITE!!

Of course it's ***FREE*** to join and there you will find the tutorials for all the blog hop projects,

PLUS live chats, challenges and more prizes!!

You will even have an opportunity to be considered for a spot as a Guest Designer!!

Yes!! It is all FREE, so tell all your friends and join the fun with UStamp with Dawn and Friends!!

AND last but certainly not least, please hop on over to NEXT BLOG where you will find Kirsten's project to show you.

Thanks again for stopping by!!

Coming Soon!!!!

2011-06-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Starting tomorrow, Friday, June 10th UStamp with Dawn and Friends will host its first ever blog hop!!!!! As you know I have been designing for UStamp for a few months and I was so excited when I was asked again to design for the blog hop!!!! I have seen alot of blog hops and I love seeing all the ideas. The best part about THIS blog is that you will have access to the designers' PDFs. What that means is that you will be able to download the instructions on how each designer made their card or project right away. Please check back tomorrow to see all the excitement....

UStamp Blog Hop

2011-06-03T11:10:00.000-04:00

I am so excited to announce the new UStamp with Dawn and Friends first ever blog hop!!! It will start June 10th and the best part.....it's FREE!!!!!!! If you have are or have been a member of UStamp, you know how wonderful the designers and ideas are...well, this go around you will be privvy to all the designers and ideas at no cost to you!!!!! I am so excited to be a part of this blog hop. Each designer will have a pdf tutorial for their card/project. So make sure that you are ready to begin hopping on June 10th!!!! I already have my project in mind and it will be featuring sneak peek products from the new IBC available July 1st.

Tomorrow I will be picking the lucky winner for the first ever BLOG CANDY give away!!!! I'm so excited to be doing this....please leave a comment under yesterday's blog post and let me know what you think about my card using the bargello technique....good luck!!!

Bargello Technique and BLOG CANDY!!!!!!!

2011-06-02T15:33:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to try this technique for a while....it's called the bargello technique. It is a great technique to use when you have scraps of DSP (designer series paper) around. The DSP I used for this card is springtime vintage. The paper is no longer available for purchase but I just can't part with it. I love the colors and designs. Just by cutting strips of the DSP and lining them up next to one another in a pattern really makes for a great new design.

You will want at least 3 strips of each pattern about 3/4" width and 6" long.

The directions can be found at the Splitcoaststampers website.

To make the label, cut 2 of the label punch and cut one horizontally and the other vertically and border the stamped label.

Now for the blog candy.....this is my first time giving away FREE product!!!! I will be giving away 2 hostess stamp sets from the catalog....something to celebrate and silhouette sentiments. I am also giving away a spool of 1 1/4" striped grosgrain pumpkin pie ribbon. Please leave a comment below and tell me what you think about this technique. I will be randomly picking the winner on Saturday, June 4th.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!

Playing with Triple Layer Punch

2011-06-01T14:12:00.000-04:00

I decided I wanted to play around with the new triple layer punch offered in the summer mini....I'm really having fun with it. There is so much you can do with it. I decided to use some springtime vintage DSP to layer onto rose red cardstock on the butterfly card. The butterfly comes from the strength and hope stamp set....I just love the lines of the butterfly. I stamped the butterfly in baja breeze and sponged the edges with rose red. After layering the flowers I added a pearl to the center of each flower. The baja breeze cardstock is accented with the scallop border punch.

With this card I wanted to intertwine the flower edges together. I just cut a slit in each flower and looped them within one another. I stamped the background with the strength and hope stamp set in versamark. To accent the card I added some vintage florets. I really liked how the cards turned out and can't wait to continue making more cards and projects using the triple layer flower punch.

Today, SU came out with the discontinued products....check out the website or click on the "discontinued sets" widget on the right side of my blog. Have a great day!!!!!

Teacher Gifts

2011-05-19T12:10:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's the end of the school year for my children. I will have 2 children in Middle School next year.....UGH! I do love this time of year though....I love making teacher gifts!!!! When I received June's edition of Stampin' Success I saw a great project using our cork sheets....These coasters were so easy to make...I started layering using the Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets. You start with the cork sheet, then adhesive sheet, add your DSP, then another sheet of adhesive and then top it off with a window sheet. I ran my attached layers through the Big Shot with the Scallop Circle Bigz Die and Voila!!!! Easy Peazy!!! I used Paisley Prints DSP and they turned out great. A gift of 4 coasters is a great gift....just add some ribbon and a little thank you tag to complete the package.

This next gift was designed by Mary Fish.........click here to go to her blog and find the directions. This was an easy project to make and any teacher would love to get this gift.

I love this new stamp set....Flower Fest!!!!! The playful lines make it so versatile.

Hope you enjoyed these gifts and try them out.....don't forget to check out Mary's blog for more details on the simple mini note card trio and envelope set....

Graduation Time and A Cute Little Card

2011-05-16T20:05:00.000-04:00

I was so excited when a friend of mine asked if I would make her daughter's graduation party invitations....of course I said yes. I couldn't wait to get my hands on the stamp set Sunny Fun (123042) and play. I thought the sandals were perfect for the invitation. They are having an outdoor party with a band so it was fitting to use the sandals. I used pacific point and melon mambo cardstock to match the colors on the sandals and gave the invitation a little "pop" with the daffodil delight ribbon. Erika, the graduate, was very excited.

This next card I had to share....my 11 year old son, Trey, was up in my stamp room with me when I was making the invitations and asked if he could make a card. I love when my children stamp with me. He wanted a stamp set with flowers so I gave him the new stamp set "Flower Fest". He also wanted a stamp that said "love" on it. Once he asked me for the sentiment, I knew exactly who he was making the card for....his little friend Laney. He stamped the images all by himself....I was so proud of him. I asked him I could take a picture of it to put on my blog. I thought it was really cute of him to make his special friend a card. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did......

Mother's Day Flower Fest

2011-05-04T21:22:00.000-04:00

The summer mini is out and I am just in love with this new stamp set....Flower Fest!!!! When you pair this stamp set up with the new embossing powders....OMG!!!! I started with so saffron cardstock and embossed the flowers and the butterfly with tangerine tango, wild wasabi, and melon mambo embossing powders. Here is something more OMG about this stamp set......the flower and butterfly images can be punched out!!!!! I just love when stamp sets are so versatile!!!! The stem was stamped in wild wasabi randomly and then the flowers with added with dimensionals for depth!!! This picture does not do it justice.....it's so awesome in person. I hope my mom likes it......

Here is a close up of the card.....
If you would like the summer mini so you can order this wonderful stamp set and the embossing powders just leave me a comment or email me.......remember that you can order on my SU! website 24/7!!!!!!

Strength and Hope Campaign

2011-05-02T15:50:00.000-04:00

On May 1st, Stampin' UP! started the Strength and Hope Campaign. Alot of demonstrators are using this campaign to spread awareness about Breast Cancer. I know in the Savannah area, there have been alot of walks for the Susan B. Komen foundation that honors those women and men who have suffered with this deadly disease. There have been lots of stories from people exhibiting their strength, hope and courage fighting and for the most part overcoming this disease.

Stampin' UP! has always taken an interest raising money for various non-profit organizations by giving part of the proceeds of stamp sales to them. One organization is the Ronald McDonald House which helps house families near the hospitals when their child is being treated for an extended illness or disease.

Now the company has started a new venture.....Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation. For every sale of the strength and hope stamp set, SU! will give $2 to the BCAF.

I will be holding a class on the evening of May 9th to showcase this stamp set. Those who come that evening will be making 4 cards and 2 3D projects. I have had the stamp set for over a month, one of the perks of being a demonstrator is that you can receive the products before they are offered to the customer, and I have thoroughly enjoyed playing with it. I apologize for this horrible picture but this is one of the cards we will be making that evening. I will be showcasing how to incorporate two colors on one stamp with a technique called....thumping.

The card on the right is another card we will be making using the quilting technique....great for scrap paper lying around.

During the workshop I will have door prizes and I will showcase some of the stamps from the summer mini catalog that is now available.....click on the catalog on the right to download it and see what's new for the summer.

If you are in the Savannah area and would like to come to the event, please email me or call me to RSVP.....doors open at 6pm......hope to see you all there!!!!!

National Scrapbook Month Promotion

2011-04-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

May is the month for scrapbookers and with this new promotion from Stampin' UP! you are definitely going to want to be involved. Starting May1st through the end of the month you can join our family for a great price. What is nice about working for this company is there are so many ways to create cards, projects, gifts, home decor, jewelry and most importantly scrapbooks and photos that will be cherished for years to come.

I have really enjoyed working with My Digital Studio and I find that playing with it and experiencing trial and error is the best part. As a demonstrator, I have access to tutorials and ideas from the My Digital Studio website as well as Stampin' Connection. These 2 sights are only accessible to demonstrators.......so wouldn't it be great if you could enjoy these wonderful amenities?

On May 1st you can join SU! for just $122!!!!!! Crazy, huh? Here are all the details......

The Digital + Starter Kit Includes:
• My Digital Studio™

• Stamp sets (3 sets: Party Hearty, I {Heart} Hearts (clear mount), and

So Many Thanks, OR 3 sets of your choice at the same or lower price)

• Clear Block C (OR clear block at the same or lower price)

• Assorted color card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Getting Started OR assortment of

your choice)

• Card stock 8-1/2" x 11" (Whisper White OR color of your choice)

• Classic Stampin’ Pads® (4: Basic Black, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie, and Real Red, OR 4 colors of your choice)

• Stampin’ Write® markers (2: Daffodil Delight and Marina Mist, OR 2 colors of your choice)

• Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon (OR ribbon at the same or lower price)

• Brights Designer buttons

• Stampin’ Dimensionals®

• SNAIL Adhesive® (OR adhesive at the same or lower price)

• Glue Dots®

• Small Chocolate Songbird Tile Décor Elements® (OR Décor Elements item at the same or lower price)

• Décor Elements Applicator Tool

• Stampin’ Scrub®

• Stampin’ Mist® (OR StazOn® Cleaner)

Business Tools
• Catalogs, business forms, and other printed materials to get your business off to a great start!

Enhance your kit by ordering one or both of our optional add-ons:

optional stampin’ memories® add-on ($35)

• Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Lower set (OR another set at the same or lower price)

• Brights card stock 12" x 12" (OR assortment of your choice)

• Celebrations Designer Series paper

• Celebrations Quick Accents

• Green Leaf Printed Album (12" x 12")

I encourage you to check the Stampin' UP! website and explore all that there is to offer.....click here for more details......

Stampin' For A Cure!!!!

2011-04-25T14:59:00.000-04:00

Come and join me to do our part to help raise money for the fight against Breast Cancer!

What you get for the money:

Strength & Hope Stamp set, clear mount for $30, or wood mount for $35. as well as a package of Basic Pearls. You will also receive all the supplies to make your projects cut and scored for you!

You will be making 6 wonderfully designed projects, 4 cards and two 3D projects!

Stampin' for a Cure

Mon. May 9th, 2011

6:00pm ~ 8:00pm

Beth's House

12 Wood Duck Dr. (SouthBridge)

RSVP: by Wed. May 4th

For every purchase of this stamp set, $2 will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!!!!!
I have already made some cards with this stamp set and I am really loving it.....

If you can't make this event you can still order the stamp set and we will send you all the ingredients to make all the cards and projects with instructions to make them.

I am really excited to be hosting this event with my dear friend and fellow demonstrator, LaMuir Baze. She just moved to Blue Ridge, GA and is coming back to Savannah for one night so we decided to kick of this campaign for SU! with a bang. I think this is a great idea and any donations besides the purchase to the event will be sent directly to BCRF.

Please email me for more information or to reserve your spot!!!!!! Let's get the word out about Breast Cancer Awareness and have fun while doing it!!!!!!!! Hope to hear from you soon!!!!

Inlaid Butterfly Embossing

2011-04-10T19:52:00.000-04:00

This technique is so HOT right now.....inlaid embossing!!!!! It gives card making a whole new perspective and the cards turn out absolutely GORGEOUS!!!! I really wanted to work on my watercoloring technique so I took the flowers from the Growing Garden stamp set and stamped them on whisper white CS in black stazon ink. I then colored in the flowers with watercolor pencils and watercolored them with my blending pen. I love experimenting with the watercolor pencils. I then cut the flowers out and glued them onto a piece of Sunny Garden DSP and ran it through the big shot using the square lattice embossing folder. I LOVE THESE FOLDERS!!!!!! If you are looking at buying a big shot, which is so worth the price, I suggest you get the embossing folders first. There is so much you can do with them. The crumb cake CS was embossed with the framed tulips embossing folder. The stamped frame is from the new stamp set four frames which is being introduced in the new idea book and catalog......if you would like to have it now, SU! is this stamp set and the new paisley prints DSP when you order $20 worth of product.

Digital Studio Fun

2011-04-04T20:39:00.000-04:00

Since Stampin' Up! came out with My Digital Studio I have tried to make an effort to familiarize myself with all that it has to offer. If you have not heard about MDS click onto my SU! website to see what it has to offer. I love that on Tuesdays new downloads are available to purchase. The downloads vary between $3-$5 each and you have the whole catalog on your computer.

In November, my family took a trip on a shrimp boat. All the cousins loved to see what the nets were going to catch and to do it at sunset was icing on the cake. I'm working on a project right now and this is one of the pages. I love creating and learning what MDS has to offer....check in daily as I continue to create the project.

April Starts with a Sneak Peek

2011-04-02T02:13:00.000-04:00

Stampin Up has a very nice special for you this month. Not only do you get a Sneak Peek at a new stamp set and designer paper coming in the NEW Idea Book and Catalog July 1st, this month, you have two ways you can actual get your inky little fingers on them!.

CHECK IT OUT BELOW

Promotion dates: April 1-30, 2011

Promotion details: Spring is Blossoming with Sneak Peek products from the upcoming 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog. You can get these brand-new products in one of two ways:

•Spend $20* on any Stampin' Up! products and become eligible to purchase both the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper.

•Host a $350* workshop and get the Four Frames Set and Paisley Petals Designer Series Paper for FREE!

*Net sales before tax and shipping

Start planning your workshop now so you can get your hands on these exciting, new products in April--three months before the debut of the new Idea Book & Catalog!

I was able to go ahead and preorder the four frames stamp set and the paisley prints DSP and you would not believe how gorgeous the paper is. I will be posting the cards that I make this weekend.
I am in St. Simon's Island, which is an hour south of Savannah along the coast at Epworth By The Sea. It is a gorgeous retreat right on the banks of the intercoastal. The views are fabulous and I am very excited to be here to just create all weekend....I can't wait to show you what I have come up with....I will post lots and lots of card ideas so definitely check back in daily.

It's the Little Things....

2011-03-26T21:03:00.000-04:00

I had an idea in mind for an upcoming project I'm working on for the next UStamp with Dawn and Friends and wanted to use a lined stamp set....I decided on the "Going Green" stamp set. I watercolored the flowers using the SU! colored pencils and then used the blender pen to bring out the color. I really like how they turned out. The key to watercoloring with the pencils is the darker you color in the better the blending pen will work. I found using a circular motion helps bring the color throughout the image without having to color the whole image in...does that make sense? Here is a close up of the flowers so you can see the watercoloring effect. When I cut out the flowers I made sure that I left a little white around the edges to give the flowers more depth.

I love this new tulip framed embossing folder....my friend Shalae has an awesome tutorial video on how to use this folder in the big shot...click here to check it out....

Sale-A-Bration Ends in 5 Days!!!!

2011-03-25T18:16:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that it's almost over.....the best time of year to get into Stampin' UP!!!!! The starter kit is a great deal right now and you also get the sale-a-bration deal....for every $50 you spend, you pick a free stamp set. There are also digital downloads to get for free as well. I like having both options....Go onto my Stampin' UP! website and check out the promotions and order while it's HOT!!!!

Today is my brother's birthday and I wanted to make him a card. The big trend right now is embossing.....using the impressions folders for the Big Shot are amazing. I took the DSP for the background and ran it through the lattice folder. I love the depth it gives to the card. I also paper pieced the present stamp...again adding some depth to the card. The card will be a little late but at least I sent one :)

Guest Designing Again!!!!

2011-03-24T15:10:00.000-04:00

For the past few month I have been a guest designer for UStamp with Dawn and Friends. I have had more fun creating...it has really helped me get my mojo going and also feel that I am being creative. Dawn Rapsas is an amazing person to design for and I have been introduced to so many other demonstrators that I probably would have ever known if I had not designed for her website.

This picture is the design project that I created for the round that just started...Big Shot Brilliance....if you would like to join, just click on the widget on the right for the website. The projects are unbelievable and with your fee you receive tons of tutorials made by extremely creative designers. Not only do you get these tutorials, you also can sit in on live chats with the designers and other members. You can also post your pictures of the designs that you create from the tutorials. It's a really fun community to belong to and so worth the money. I would love to see some of my followers join me over there.....

Free Pass Winner!!!

2011-03-16T21:47:00.000-04:00

I had the nicest comment from fellow blogger, Carrie Sempsel. She said she loved my blog design and also answered my question about what she uses the most in the big shot....the top note die....also one of my favorites!!!! I emailed her and asked her if she would like to join the next round of UStamp with Dawn and Friends and she said yes!!!! This a great idea that Dawn came up with for all the designers...we get to go out and find someone who's blog we like and ask them if they want a FREE pass to the website. Hop on over to Carrie's Blog and see how awesome her designs are...

If you would like to join this next round....Big Shot Brilliance....click on the widget on the right side of my blog and check it out....there are some AMAZING projects using the BIG SHOT!!!!!!!

Busy Creating!!!!!

2011-03-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

It's been FOREVER since I have posted.....I have been busy creating for UStamp with Dawn and Friends....here is a picture of my project from the last episode....

I used the Bliss stamp set and my color combo was Early Esperesso, Crumb Cake, So Saffron and Garden Green....the GG was a little difficult to work with but I really like the way it turned out. I made a purse card holder. If you would like to see the whole project and the tutorial click on the widget on the left for the "Oh My Word 2011" website. The other designers made some unbelievable projects. I am designing again for the next round......Big Shot Brilliance!!!!! This round will be all about the BIG SHOT. You definitely to not want to miss this round....

I would love to give one of my member's of my blog a FREE pass!!!! I have invited others in the past by just going onto blogs of crafters who I don't know. This time I would love to pick someone who leaves a comment. I would love to know what your favorite use/project is with the big shot? I am going to be checking my blog from tomorrow, March 11 until Sunday, March 13th. I will send the winner an email and when she (or he) accepts the invitation I will post the winner on my blog!!!!

Can't wait to see all the comments.....thanks for looking today!!!

Playing Along With Paper Players-PPA82

2011-02-24T12:25:00.000-05:00

I have been so out of touch with my blogging lately....ever since I broke my leg and had to have surgery in January, I just haven't been able to get into the groove of things. I have been working on several projects...one of them designing for UStamp with Dawn and Friends. I will also be designing for her next round which is all about using the Big Shot!!!!! It should be very exciting. Click on the icon on the right for the "Oh My Word" website and join. The projects are fabulous and many of the designers are using the products found in the Occassionals Mini and the Sale-A-Bration catalogs.

Today, I received my weekly email from Paper Players and they have a new challenge this week....using scallops. Some of my favorite demonstrators are designers on this blog site....click here to see their work....here is my submission for this week

I have fallen in love with this stamp set called "Bliss". It is very versatile...especially the big background stamp....you can see how nice the background looks by just stamping it in crumb cake onto crumb cake cardstock. I didn't think I would like using pearls but they are my new best friend. I also ordered all of the seam binding colors in the mini.....they definitely need to keep this ribbon as a core ribbon in the catalog.
Hope you enjoy and go onto Paper Players to join in the fun!!!!

Two Minutes To Learn About Stampin' Up!

2011-02-16T13:02:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share this video with you from the Co-Founder and CEO of Stampin' UP! Shelli Gardner. Her 2 minute video sums it all up about why this company is so wonderful. This is the company's best time of year.....Sale-A-Bration. For every $50 you spend in product, you will be able to pick a free stamp set!!!!

I love being able to create and share my passion and with my involvement with this company I have been able to accomplish my goals and earn a little money along the way.

If you are a crafter, scrapbooker, designer and you want to keep your creative juices flowing.....come and see what we are all about!!!!!! Since my involvement with SU! I have seen lots of wonderful changes.....the company is forever expanding their products and concepts and we as demonstrators (or for me a hobbyist) are in on all the happenings.

I challenge you to watch the video and then look onto the SU! website to see what all the buzz is about....there is something for everyone!!!!!!

Designing Once Again!!!!

2011-02-06T13:35:00.000-05:00

I am so excited that Dawn Rapsas has asked me to be a guest designer for the next UStamp with Dawn and Friends...Oh My Word!! Edition. I had so much fun making my project for the Year End Blow Out and am extremely priviledged to create for this next round. My mind was a little slow coming out of the gate and had to become really creative with the color combo I am working with. The newest edition will be launched in a week and it is definitely worth checking out. With your membership you have access to over 40 projects and templates. Every project this time will be focusing on the new Occassions Mini and the Sale-A-Bration catalogs. I am loving everything in both and have decided I needed to buy all of it.....typical!!!!!

The other great idea that Dawn had was to find someone to get a FREE pass. I belong to alot of blog sites and love getting new ideas. One blogsite that really caught my eye is Lori Heiling's site called Confessions of a Stamping Addict. She has created some unbelievable cards and projects and she really inspires me.

If you would like to join the next round of UStamp with Dawn and Friends just click on the widget in the right and check it out!!!!! Once my project has been posted on the sight I will post it on my blog!!!!

Sale-A-Bration Promotion Begins

2011-01-26T16:12:00.000-05:00

This time of year is the most exciting time for demonstrators and customers alike.....FREE stamp sets!!!!! For every $50 you spend from now until March 31st you will receive a stamp set of your choice in the Sale-A-Bration catalog for FREE. What's even better is that in the back of the SAB catalog there are stamp sets from the big catalog that you can choose from as well. It's important that you log onto the SU website to see all of the promotional details for this time period. If you thought about becoming a demonstrator you will want to try it out now......it's 15% off right now. The great thing about signing on with SU! is that you have 3 months to try it out, whether to start your own business or just be a hobby demoist (like me). After the 3 month trial period if you think that it is not for you then you can drop out. No cancellation fees....I like that idea. Also, during this time, you also receive your FREE stamps for every $50 you spend. Just think of the savings for signing on!!!!!

Sale-A-Bration Starter Kit Special

2011-01-15T17:28:00.001-05:00

I know I have not posted in weeks but I've had a lot going on. I was on vacation in Colorado with my family and had a great time. The night before I left to come home, I slipped and fell on the wood floor and broke my left leg. It was a little scary to say the least.....I was sent to the ER in Vail and was told I needed to have surgery right away. I stayed in the hospital that night and had surgery the next morning. My children flew back by themselves to Georgia....again, another scary feeling but they made it home unscathed. The surgery lasted 3 hours and I came out with a plate and 4 screws in my fibula and had to have all the ligaments bound together to heal. With the weather in Atlanta my flight was cancelled until last Thursday. Finally home and now getting used to my surroundings on crutches. This is going to take 6 months with rehab to finally heal so I just can only take it one day at a time.

Are you ready to take advantage of Stampin’ Up!’s demonstrator benefits? Stampin’ Up! can make that happen with their Sale-A-Bration Starter Kit Special! Beginning January 25th, you will be able to get 15% off the cost of either the Standard Starter Kit or the Digital Starter Kit, reducing the price to $148.75, AND you will also receive a FREE Bonus Bundle (a $50 value). Starter Kits ship FREE.

Here is what the Bonus Bundle contains:

119883 Heart to Heart (or any punch)

120806 Something Special Simply Sent (or any Simply Sent)

117114 Live, Laugh Love stamp (or any Simply Sent Stamp)

121620 Color Coach

You will receive 30% off your first qualifying purchase of $150 or more (if placed within 45 days). In addition to receiving your Hostess Rewards, you will also receive a minimum of 3 Sale-A-Bration items (one for every $50 of product spent).

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-12-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that tomorrow is Christmas Day...this month has flown by....I hope everyone has a Blessed Christmas and a great New Year!!!

Occassional Mini Sneak Peak

2010-12-20T21:42:00.000-05:00

As you know I am going to be a guest designer on Dawn Rapsas' blog and I worked all day today creating this wonderful mini note book using the new Springtime Vintage DSP and the new seam binding ribbons....rose red, baja breeze and crumb cake. I found the tutorial to make this book on Becky Robert's blog and it came together really well. I love using Becky's tutorials...her directions are so easy to follow along and thank goodness for her pictures. What's nice about this little book is that it can be used as a brag book or for notes or even for keeping your business cards in so when you run into someone who might be interested in hostessing a workshop, you just whip this cute little book out and hand her a business card.
I just love the colors in this paper...I focused on rose red, not quite navy, baja breeze and crumb cake.

I will be posting more pictures about this project when I put it on the YEBO website. Go to the side bar on the right and click to join in this next round....I need all the support I can get. This is my first ever as being a guest designer....

Filled With LOVE Promotion

2010-12-17T14:07:00.000-05:00

Starting December 17, 2010-January 24, 2011, get a FREE package of Bitty Buttons--a $4.95 value--when you purchase the Filled with Love Bundle. Also included is the Filled with Love Stamp Set (your choice of clear or wood) and the exclusive Love Patterns Designer Series Paper!

Twas The Day Before My Stampin' Up!.....revisited!!!

2010-12-11T22:47:00.000-05:00

I came across this picture today and wondered what it was all about. It had a link to this wonderful blog. Lorri Heiling is a fellow demonstrator and she wrote this wonderful poem which you have all read before but to a stamper, it's pure glee to read. I loved it when I read it and I emailed her and asked if I could share the poem on my blog. She emailed me back and said SURE!!! Go over and check it out and leave her a comment. Enjoy!!!!!

Christmas Challenge with The Paper Players

2010-12-05T14:03:00.001-05:00

One of the blogsites I love is The Paper Players . They have a challenge every week and this week it's Christmas. You can never have enough christmas card ideas and they give you a whole week to play. I have been making cards to sell at a local store. I have been loving the bells and boughs stamp set in the occasional mini. Vintage seems to be in this year and I love the way this card came together. I have been sticking with cherry cobbler and always artichoke.....these two colors look awesome together. I started with a piece of cherry cobbler as my base. I added a piece of always artichoke to enhance the whisper white which is stamped the sentiment in cherry cobbler and the holly stamped in always artichoke. I then used a cherry cobbler pen to color in the berries. The ornament is from the contempo christmas stamp set in cherry cobbler and punched out with the ornament punch. I then took some dimensionals to pop up the ornament. I have also love the new seam binding ribbon. It is so easy to work with. All the stamp sets and ribbon can be ordered from the occasional mini. I am going to post my card on the paper players website....go check it out. Happy Stamping!!!!!!

I'm A Guest Designer!!!!

2010-12-02T12:25:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you how excited I am....Dawn Rapsas, a fellow SU! demonstrator, started UStamp with Dawn and Friends. I have been a member for about a year and love the designers ideas. With your membership you get tons of ideas and templates to create cards and projects throughout the year. Dawn had posted to members that the team was looking for guest designers and to send her a link to her blog. I thought why not try to see. Well, I got an email back from Dawn saying that she loved my blog and if I wanted to be a designer. WOW....what a priveledge and an honor!!!!

I need to start creating and designing my project but I did want to share the news. If you would like to become a member of UStamp with Dawn and Friends, click here to get started. It is so worth it....also you get to meet new people.

As part of being a guest designer, I am going to go through my favorite blog sites that I follow and pick someone to get a FREE pass for this event coming up. I will be announcing the winner tomorrow!

Hope I see you on UStamp!!!!

'Tis The Season

2010-12-01T00:41:00.000-05:00

I have been a horrible blogger lately. With a week off for Thanksgiving, I have been very slack at posting. I was down at the beach with my family and we had such a great time. My daughter turned 13 on Thanksgiving Day and her father surprised her with a trip to New York City. I was so excited for her and so I forfeited my time with her so she could go to New York with her Dad. I was sad that my daughter and son were not there to celebrate Thanksgiving with me but I couldn't say no to the trip. I had some time while I was with my Mom and my sister to work on a few projects. I had the great idea to give all of the Middle School teachers a cute box filled with gift tags. My Mom and sister were glad to help, but trying to finish 115 boxes by Friday is going to be a challenge. I will post the finished product when I am done.

My next project was to create a Christmas card for my parents to send out. I told my Mom that I could create on My Digital Studio and she said go for it. I came up with this layout and she loved it. They are sending out 600!!!!! This is a tri-fold card which measures 12 x 9 1/4. It's very simple and since I had to incorporate pictures of all 12 grandchildren I thought the ornaments would be perfect. I'm pretty proud of myself for creating the card and I think the recipients will love it.

I promise to start posting the Christmas cards I have been making at the end of the week.

Stampin' Up!'s Online Spectacular

2010-11-22T08:41:00.000-05:00

Starting today, Stampin' Up! is offering great deals on products.....some of them up to 50% off!!!!!! This is an ubelievable sale.....I have never seen this before....what's even better is that if you place an order of $150 or more you receive free shipping AND hostess benefits!!!!!!!!! Wow....

Now is the time to get ready to start making your holiday cards and gifts and what better way to start is by saving on the products that will help you start creating!!!!!

Need help getting started to create? Why not take this opportunity to jump on board and take advantage of the 50% off starter kit....with the starter kit not only do you get the products you need to get started BUT you also get the techniques and ideas that will make your cards and gifts a snap!!!! Stampin' Connection is the best way to find card and gift ideas for the holidays from other demonstrators and techniques galore!!!!!!! The half off starter kit runs through November 30th. Just think.....$310 worth of Stampin' Up! products and ideas AND up to 50% off of products.....I am going straight to the website to check out all the new deals.....I love being part of this family......get on board and you can join in my elation too!!!!!!!!

It's the Hap, Happiest Time of the Year!!!!!

2010-11-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

This is the most exciting time of the year for me....I love the holidays.....my house has been decorated since September with Halloween, converted November 1st to Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend the Christmas decorating will commence. But before I start decorating for Christmas, I need to start CREATING. Remember that word? In this economy, handmade gifts and cards are making a comeback. Not that they have ever gone away, but it's getting back to connecting to the relationships that we hold dear in our hearts that are so important, especially this time of year.

My passion for creating a gift or card for someone special in my life is that once I see that reaction on their face, it makes the work all the worthwhile. When I tell people what my passion is, they say that it's because you are so creative. Not true, I am given the tools to become creative and it makes me so proud of myself to know that I love what I do and love to share my passion. Wouldn't you love to show the ones you love by creating a gift or card and seeing the great expressions on their faces when they see how much care you put into your creation........and to reward yourself by saying "I can do it.....and I love it!" It just takes one class or workshop to get on the band wagon and better time to do it is right now.

Wouldn't you love to create this house and have it on your mantle to show off? Or have handmade decorations and ornaments on your tree like this one.....you may look at these projects and say that they are so difficult....but guess what? They are so easy and I would love to help you.....Stampin' Up! has several promotions going on right now.....as I posted earlier that we have the holiday bundles promotion....we have bundles several products together to help you start creating for the Holidays. And the best part is that we also have directions and ideas to help you create them. The greatest thing that Stampin' Up! gives to their customers is to share what we love and they never leave you hanging.....directions and samples galore!!!!!!!

Today kicked off the 50% off the starter kit.....in my last post I explained in length what joining Stampin' Up! is all about. If you have ever wanted to see what the buzz is all about in creating cards and gifts, now is the time to find out. Everything that you see in the above picture is everything you will receive if you decide to join our passion. The best part that not only will you receive everything you need to get started, you will also be connected with other people who love and share the same passion that you do. Stampin' Up! demonstrators are connected to a wealth of information and instructions on how to create beautiful, yet simple cards and also handmade gifts that will having everyone buzzing.....I really suggest that you go onto the SU! website and see what we have to offer....also go onto my website and explore all what the company is offering right now for the holidays.....if after seeing everything still doesn't get you excited.....just come over to my house and make a card or gift with me. If you have something in mind that you would like to see or do, my door is always open.....I would love for you to see what makes me so happy!!!!!!!

Can You Say 50% Off??!!

2010-11-11T17:26:00.000-05:00

I couldn't believe it when I went onto the Stampin' Up! website this morning to see if there were any new articles and BEHOLD there is the greatest promotion that will start on Monday, November 15 - November 30th. This has never promoted since I have been a demonstrator for over 4 years. LOOK at the picture above....see how much is in the basket? That's what my order looked like when I first went to a workshop over 10 years ago. Wouldn't you love to have all that for half the price? What you see in that basket is worth $310......I know that's alot of money. Well what if I told you that you can get all of that for just $87.50??????? I was floored when I read the article.....what a great idea. When I joined the starter kit was over $200. In July, the company decided that the price should be lowered to $175....NOW FOR 2 WEEKS ONLY you can get it all for HALF the price.

Now I know you're saying to yourself.....I don't have time to hold classes, I'm not creative and I know I would get all the products and just let it sit there....

I too said those same things but once I started looking into it more, I realized that I could do it just because I know I have a passion for making people happy by giving them MY handmade cards and gifts........Play Santa to yourself or ask someone special to give you an early Christmas present!!!!

By signing up you not only get the products but you also will get..................................
*You can choose between the standard starter kit or the digital starter kit.
*Dec. 1st - demonstrators get to preorder from our new Occassions Mini catalog and Sale-A-Bration catalog, you can save 30% or more on all new stamps, ribbon flowers, pom pom trim and red glitter paper, new sizzex dies, new fabrics and so much more.
*Access to our Stampin' Connection - our exclusive demonstrator online forum with over 120,000 searchable card and project samples and hundreds of technique videos. ( I love this website and it's where I get most of my ideas!)
*Why not? NO required starter parties, you can simply take advantage of a great deal and walk away or just submit $300 in sales each quarter (that's every 3 months)....your purchases count at full retail even though you get 20-40% discount on them.
*You can be your own hostess and get all the hostess benefits and still also get your 20-40% discount.......YOU DON'T HAVE TO HOST CLASSES TO FULFILL YOUR PASSION TO CREATE....TAKE IT FROM ME.....I have a class when I want to and I make cards and sell them.
*You will have me to help you with all you want to do to create or have a class.....

So if you would like to join and have questions, just email me or call....
I suggest you go onto my SU! website and browse around....come Monday you decide to join....just go onto my website and click on the join icon. You will need to have my password to sign up.....castellini.

I would love to hear from you....come see how much fun I'm having....

A HUGE THANK YOU!!!!

2010-11-03T13:25:00.000-04:00

I want to give a HUGE thank you to all of my followers and customers for your continued support in helping me promote my business....I appreciate all of your comments and know that I read them all. Since the creation of my blog, I have had over 2,200 visits.....I was floored when I looked at my stats. I have been wanting to showcase this stamp set french foliage (p. 14 of the holiday mini catalog) for a while now. The leaf images are so life like, it looks like you made an imprint from an actual leaf. The watermark images lend that added vintage touch to the card. The base of the card is old olive CS. The leaf and watermark images were stamped on very vanilla cardstock. The colors used were cajun craze, so saffron, old olive and elegant eggplant. To add some depth to the card I used the square lattice EB folder and ran a piece of so saffron through the big shot. The layer of cajun craze that is under the so saffron was run through the crimper and sponged with early espresso ink. One of the new products I have grown to love is the distressing essentials kit (118762 for $19.95). It comes with all of the tools, from files to distressing ink, to give your projects that aged look. I love how distressing the paper softens the card. Just remember, the simpliest techniques go the longest way. The thanks sentiment comes from the thank you kindly stamp set (p.158 in the IBC...idea book and catalog...111700). It was stamped on the new specialty Autumn Spice DSP (p.13 in the holiday mini....120808). The great aspect of this paper is that it is textured and heavy weight so it can be used to make 3D projects and gifts...

I am getting ready to get my Christmas stamp a stack card classes ready and will be posting in the next few days what I will be offering as Holiday classes....this is a great time of year before the Holidays really kick in to get organized with cards to send and gifts to make for coworkers, teachers, neighbors, friends and family. Keep checking in to see what classes will fit into your schedule. Again, thank you for your continued support!!!!!

Another Purse......

2010-10-28T13:39:00.000-04:00

Since I have had this purse template, I just love making these adorable purse sets. The purse can hold up to 6 cards with envelopes. The front pocket of the purse could be used for small gift tags or cards. Cherry Cobbler is my most favorite color right now. I tend to pick a piece up everytime I make a card. The designer paper is called Love Letter. When I first ordered it, I had no idea what to do with it since black and red aren't really in my color schemes. I definitely had to think outside of the box. Once I started putting the purse together (you can purchase the template on Becky Robert's blog), I really liked how the DSP looked. Using the cherry cobbler seam binding ribbon and the vintage brads gives the cards that extra special touch. I loved the vintage feel of each card and would definitely use this designer paper more often. Thanks for stopping by!

Need Last Minute Halloween Ideas??

2010-10-26T10:17:00.000-04:00

I just came across the greatest blog ever!!!! A fellow demonstrator Diana Ball-Seitz has some AMAZING Halloween treat ideas and great Halloween decorations.....you definitely need to check out her blog, Stamping Moon. You will not be dissappointed....I am definitely subscribing to her blog and following it. I just love getting ideas from other talented demonstrators since I tend to not have the greatest creative gene!!!! Enjoy her website and I hope she can inspire you as much as she has inspired me!

Cards For Sale

2010-10-24T14:51:00.000-04:00

I had stated in an earlier post that I have been making cards to sell in a local gift shop. I am so excited that they are doing extremely well. What's nice about selling the cards is that it gets your name out and as long as you have the SU! logo on your card, you can sell them. The card to left is using the watercolor trio stamp set. I colored the stamp using the pear pizzaz and concord crush markers. The pear pizzaz poly twill ribbon adds that special touch on this clean and simple card.

This next card was using the fifth avenue floral stamp set and on the lily I added some dazzling diamonds glitter. This is again a very simple and clean card and theglitter adds the special touch.

I love this next card using the circle circus stamp set. This card is used with the new in colors....pear pizzaz, concord crush, peach parfait, poppy parade and blushing bride. There is no rhyme or reason to this card, just random stamping of the circle stamps and a simple sentiment. This last card is a little busy for my taste but I liked the lay out of the card. Using the greenhouse DSP I was able to compliment the card with the friends never fade stamp set. Using pear pizzaz, daffidol delight, poppy parade and pumpkin pie ink pads I stamped the scalloped squares and adhered them to the marina mist cardstock.

New Holiday Bundles!!!!

2010-10-19T13:14:00.000-04:00

Today launches the first day of the holiday bundles sale. Below you will find what SU! is offering at 20% to get you started on making the perfect handmade gift for your friends and loved ones. From now until December 16th you can save 20% on bundles products that make wonderful gifts. Go to the customer page of the Stampin' UP! website and click on the above picture to get instructions on how to make these gifts and start saving today!!!!! I will be posting Christmas ideas as well in the coming weeks using these bundles.

Purse-enly Yours

2010-10-15T13:27:00.000-04:00

So I've been a little MIA lately. I was in Cincinnati last week to support the Reds in the playoffs against the Philadelphia Phillies. What an experience!!!!! There are some SERIOUS fans, and I'm not saying that lightly. The first two games were in Philly and one in Cincinnati. We only played 3 due to being swept. I must say that I am glad that our season is over but I just wanted to win 1 game against the Phillies. The Reds will bounce back and we will be in the playoffs again next season. ANYWAY..........

I have been making cards and gift sets to sell a local specialty store "LisaLisa's Gift Closet." I went the other day to see how my cards were selling. I am so excited....they are selling and I need to make more. I will be concentrating on gift sets like this one.

As a demonstrator, I am able to look for ideas from other demonstrators and Becky Roberts is one of them. Becky sells the purse templates on her website. This purse is really easy to make. Becky's instructions are wonderful. You can design the purse any way you want. The purse can hold 4-6 standard (5 1/2 x 4 1/4) cards and envelopes. I thought about putting little gift cards and envelopes in the pocket. I used the Lap of Luxury DSP as the backdrop for the purse and the cards. I stamped some of the images from the Growing Green stamp set and watercolored them. I love being able to use the watercolor crayons or pencils and my blender pen to watercolor the images. As you can see, the fine lined images work best for watercoloring. Instead of using our watercolor paper I used the other side of a piece of shimmery cardstock. You will need to use a heavier piece of cardstock or watercolor paper so when you are blending the color, the paper will not ball up. I have posted the cards that will be in the purse. You can click on each picture to get a closer look.

More products in the Clearance Rack

2010-10-05T11:21:00.000-04:00

Now is a great time to check out all the clearance items....Stampin' UP! has just added more products to the clearance rack. With the holidays coming up, it's a great time to stock up on products.

I know that my posting has been lacking lately. I have been very busy with traveling to see baseball. For the first time in 15 years the Cincinnati Reds, my hometown, won the central division title!!!!!!!!! I will be traveling to Philadelphia to see the Reds play on Wednesday and Friday. It's a very exciting time for the city and my family. Once things settle down I will be posting again.

Tote-Ally Awesome Opportunity

2010-09-30T20:02:00.001-04:00

We have a great opportunity going on right now to become a demonstrator....when I went to convention this past July, Stampin' Up! always sets up a Momento Mall for demonstrators to buy items that are only sold at convention. One of the items for sale was this AWESOME craft tote. It is made with the Greenhouse Gala Designer Paper Series print. I love toting this around with all of my products to show it off. The colors are so vibrant and it holds alot. What you see in this picture is everything that you can receive when you sign up to become part of the Stampin' Up! family. Now I know by now you are asking yourself....."why would I ever want to sign up....I have no time, I have a full time job, I'm too busy".....or just fill in your answer.

I too asked myself the same thing before I signed up.....I have been using SU! products for over 10 years and 3 years ago after buying over $100 of products every month or so (when I would go to workshops and classes), I decided that I wanted to get 20% off my orders and I wanted to be connected to a wonderful company that cares about their demonstrators and gives great ideas for projects and for growing your business. Now I am what you call a "hobby" demo....I love making cards and projects to sell and show. If I want to have a class, I have a class. If someone wants to hostess a class, I'm all for it. BUT....what I won't do is force myself down anyone's throat. I love sharing my passion......

If you're like me, then this would be a great opportunity for you!!!!!!!! If you sign up from now until October 18th you will receive this great tote for FREE.....And the best part is that you get a ton of products for $175.....I'm not going to tell you what I paid when I signed up but I've never regretted becoming a demonstrator!!!! Check out my SU! website and see what we have to offer!!!!! There has never been a better time to join the Stampin' UP! family.

Birthday Wishes

2010-09-27T18:08:00.000-04:00

I wanted to make something special for my Dad's secretary for her birthday. She does so much for our family and I wanted her to know how much we care about her. I decided I would make a card set in a box. I love getting ideas from Splitcoast stampers website and this box was the perfect fit.

I had saved this tutorial in my favorites and was glad that I could go back and refer to it. For the top of the box I used cherry cobbler ink and the vintage big wheel stamp to cover the very vanilla cardstock. I used the scallop edge punch and punched around the bottom of the top of the box. Inside the box I have 8 cards and envies. I'm going to send this to her tomorrow....I think she will be very excited....

Lily Card

2010-09-23T12:13:00.000-04:00

For the past few weeks I have been making cards to sell at a local boutique down the street. I have been trying to get my name out there and thought this would be a great idea.....I really like how this card came together. I used pretty in pink cardstock for the background of the card. Crumb cake cardstock is layered with the lilies embossed with white embossing powder. You can't see from this picture but I added moonlight smooch ink in the middle of the flower. I stamped a little on scrap white cardstock with basic gray ink and used a pink pencil to highlight the edges of the petals. I then took my blender pen and softened the edges...it gives a nice watercolor look!!!!

A Surprise From A Friend

2010-09-21T14:20:00.000-04:00

I was really excited to get this card the other day from my BFF Shalae. She was living here in Savannah last year while her husband is going to SCAD but she decided to stay back in Utah while he finishes up his second year of grad school. I was so sad to know that she wouldn't be coming back but I understand you need to do what's best for your children. Her husband just got back to Savannah and he came by to drop off a card from Shalae. I was so excited!!!! I love how this card looks....it's simple yet elegant...so Shalae!!!

I will definitely be casing this card :). I haven't used this stamp set yet which is the punch potpourri stamp set. This set is a hostess stamp set that you can only get by hosting a class. If you would like to get free rewards like this stamp set email me and we can get a few of your friends together and have some fun!!!

Here is a closeup of the bird. If you notice the bird wing is punched twice and adhered with a vintage brad. Just the little touches like the brad makes such a difference. Another classy addition is the crochet ribbon. This ribbon is fabulous and gives the card its elegance. Hope you enjoyed and thank you Shalae!!!!

Halloween Boo Banner

2010-09-18T21:55:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about my Boo Banner I created today. I am not creative in the least and I love getting ideas from other demonstrators....Stampin' Connection is wonderful!!!! Yet today for some reason I found myself creating on my own. I have had these 4x4 chipboard squares for a while now and needed to use them. I love the new Halloween DSP that SU! has offered this season. I used the Wicked Fun DSP that is found in the Holiday Mini. There are 2 designs that have black flocking on it....I love the page with the bats on it...they really stand out with the flocking on them. I also used the alphabet sticky letters...I really think these are great since they are cut out and they are very sticky....I also used the orange fine glitter (not sure if this is still available).......

Another great product is the Spooky Nights rub ons. They are fun and easy to use. This one says "witch's brew", but there are 3 more with different sayings.

This rub on comes with the set as well.....the waffle paper gives a nice border instead of using ribbon all the time. This was my first time using the waffle paper and I wasn't sure I like it at first but after I put it behind the paper, it looked good. I got to use my new bat punch for the first time today and it works great. The bats I used on the banner were popped up with dots. I used my crop-a-dile to punch the holes in the chipboard squares and used the new Raven ribbon to tie them all together. If you have any questions about this post, don't hesitate to email me ...would love some comments from you about what you think!!!!

Halloween Decorating Begins!!!!

2010-09-17T19:17:00.000-04:00

I am really excited to start decorating for Halloween and Fall especially after all the wonderful Halloween creations that I saw at convention. I posted a picture from convention that showed decorated pumpkins and I had to try the same...so really I CASEed this idea from Brent Steele. I used the Halloween decor elements...what's great about these is that it comes in one sheet with 13 different transfers...bird, bats, spiders....you've got to check them out. I will be posting more pictures tomorrow using some more from this sheet. I then took our new black gems and cut them apart.....this was a little tricky. When you get these gems you also get a transfer sheet to transfer the gems off the sheet to the project. Let's just say that it's alot easier to just pull of the gems and transfer them yourself onto your project.

Here is a closeup of one of the pumpkins...

Here is another close up. You can really see the black gems in this picture..they come glued on glue dots so you can curve them any way you want. As added touch I connected the pumpkins with the new Raven ribbon. All these products can be found in the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Here are the products I used....if you would like to buy these products just log onto my stampin' up! website

Halloween Hop Along

2010-09-14T11:16:00.000-04:00

What I love about blogging is that you can follow along with others who blog too. Paper Pals is a fun group of stampers who do weekly challenges and blog hops......going from one blog to another......and I get sooooo many ideas and get inspired by just looking at others creations. This week they have a Fall/Halloween blog hop and there are so many great looking cards and ideas to inspire you. You can log onto Margaret Moody's blog to get started.

I'm sorry I haven't posting lately....I have been out of town watching lots and lots of baseball. My family is involved with the Cincinnati Reds and I'm up here supporting the team. I will be home next week and have some great cards to show you that I have been working on. Enjoy the hop!!!!!