Convention Roommate Gift

Today I'm traveling home and I've had an amazing time at convention. I'm definately looking forward to next year. As my last project share I wanted to show you the roommate gift I made for my hotel roommate Patty. It's a turquoise lunch box I got at a local craft store and decorated with the Island Oasis DSP and Tropical Party Stamp set. I cut out her initial and then added some texture to it with the Lattice embossing folder.


nside the box was an assortment of items to help make convention a little easier, including Kleenex, lip gloss, jelly beans, and a notebook and pen. Additionally, I made a set of really quick and easy thank you note cards with matching envelopes. These cards are so fun and quick to make and are the perfect gift.

Convenion Swaps Day #3

It's amazing how fast the week is flying but I'm having a blast. This morning I get start off with a breakfast with a group of demonstrators who have have been working on recruiting with Stampin' Up. I'm super excited because not only with Shelli Gardner and the rest of the SU! executive team be at the breakfast but we get priority seating for this mornings general session so I'm hoping to be right up front.

As the swaps continue today I'm swaping another 3D item along with my two cards.

Stamp Set: Party Hearty

Ink: Old Olive, Real Red, Pacific Point, Chocolate Chip

Paper: Old Olive, Real Red, Pacific Point, Whisper White, Celebrations, DSP

Accessories: Bitty Box & Envelope Bigz XL Die, Whisper White, 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Dimensionals, Word Window Punch

Stamp Set(s): Holiday Lineup, Four Holidays, Santa's Lineup Jumbo Wheel

Ink: Riding Hood Red, Early Espresso, Assorted Stampin' Write Markers

Paper: Whisper White, Riding Hood Red, Soft Suede, Garden Green

Accessories: Crystal Rhinestone Round Brads, Snowflake Punch, Crystal Effects, Champagne Mist Shimmer Spray

Note: I sprayed both the snowflake and cardbase with Champagne shimmer spray so it really sparkles in real life.

Ink: Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker

Paper: So Saffron, Poppy Parade, Wild Wasabi, Soft Suede, Crumb Crake, Tempting Turquoise, Pawsitively Prints II DSP

Accessories: Poppy Parade 1/2" Poly-Stiched Ribbon, Misc. Build a Bear Big Shot Dies

This card came out so cute but boy is it a lot of work cutting clothes and dressing 25 bears (thanks Michelle for everything). Kids love these great cards.

Convention Swaps Day #2

It continues to be hot, hot, hot here in Salt Lake City, and I'm not just talking about the weather. Convention is such an amazing experience and I can't wait for our first general session today. I wanted to make sure to share today's swaps with you.


Stamp Set: Because I Care
Ink: Old Olive, Night of Navy, Marina Mist
Paper: Whisper White, Old Olive, Marina Mist
Accessories: Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder, Scallop Oval Punch, Oval Punch, Dimensionals, Faux Pearls

Stamp Set: Kooky Spooky

Ink: Old Olive, Versamark

Paper: Cajun Craze, Basic Black, Old Olive, Rich Razzleberry, Whisper White, Wicked Fun DSP

Accessories: Scallop Trim Border Punch, Black Embossing Powder, Oval Punch, Dimensionals, Rich Razzleberry Taffeta Ribbon

It seemed really out of place to be stamping halloween cards in July but this is a great new stamp set and I love the flocking on the designer paper.

Have a great day!

Convention Special!

As you read this post I'm on an airplane heading to Salt Lake City for Stampin' Ups annual convention. This will be my first and I'm so excited!



To help share the excitment I'm offering a special to all of my customers so between now and Sunday night every online order of $50 qualifies you for a free roll of 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, purchase $100 get 2 rolls of ribbon, etc. To begin shopping, just click here!



I'll have lots of news and samples to share when I get back so stay tuned!



Thanks,



Diana

Convention Day #1 Swaps

I'm currently sitting in the airport waiting to board my plane to convention and I can hardly sit still. I've spent the past several weeks making almost 250 swaps (thanks Michelle for all your help!) and am ready to start trading with all my fellow demonstrators. My plan is to swap a couple of different items each day. Today I'm swapping 2 cards which I think turned out great and are great for making a statement. The details are below each picture.

Stamp Set(s): Sweet Season, Christmas Greetings
Ink: Early Espresso, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler
Paper: Very Vanilla, Old Olive, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso, Jolly Holiday DSP
Accessories: 2 Tags Bigz Die, Old Olive Taffeta Ribbon, 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Gold Brad, Dimensionals

Stamp Set: Occasional Quotes

Ink: Pear Pizzaz and Pumpkin Pie Stamin' Write Markers

Paper: Pumpkin Pie, Pear Pizzaz, Whisper White, Greenhouse Gala DSP

Accessories: Pear Pizzaz 1/2" Poly-Stiched Ribbon, 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch, 1 3/4" Circle Punch

Note: I changed up the colors and ribbon on this card based on the different sheets of DSP I used.

What a great start to a fabulous week, check back tomorrow for the next projects.

I'm Still Here

It's been forever since I've posted. It's not for lack of stamping however. I leave on Wednesday for my first ever Stampin' Up! convention and I'm SOOO excited! What I wasn't prepared for was all the prep work that went into getting ready for convention, I've never seen so many swaps neatly lined up in baggies. I'm not quite done but the finish line is in sight (if I don't decide to add more). But I didn't want to neglect you so below are two cards I made last month with new stamp set Baby Bundle. While the paper and ribbons are now retired I thought you would love to see how cute this new stamp set is.

Make sure to check back this week, I'm posting my convention customer special Wednesday morning and I'll be posting my swaps each day so you can see what I'll be swapping in Salt Lake City. I can't wait for all the new news and ideas I'm going to get and bring them back to share!

July Stamp-a-Stack

Happy Thursday!

I know you have all been waiting anxiously for this months stamp-a-stack projects, and here they are.

Stamp Set: Wellness Wishes

Stamp Sets: Awash with Flowers, Because I Care

Stamp Sets: Punched Posies, Teeny Tiny Wishes

Stamp Sets: Tropical Party, It's Your Birthday

Stamp Sets: Snow Swirled, Teeny Tiny Wishes

You're going to love this months creations so I hope to see you on Sunday. If you haven't RSVP'd there's still time so just let me know.

Thanks!

Diana

Baby Greetings

I hope you had the opportunity to spend some time with friends and family this holiday weekend! We celebrated the 4th of July out at Great Meadows with a fantasic fireworks display and BBQ's. I was able to break away from all the festivities to play with this great new sketch challenge over on the Stamping 411 blog.

For this weeks challenge I used one of my favorite color combinations and mixed a great new color (Early Espresso) with a color I'm glad to welcome back (Pink Pirouette). I also decided that the new Baby Bundle stamp set would fit this sketch perfectly. Check out the new 1/8" taffeta ribbon which is great for tying bows which lay flat, perfect for mailing.



I have several friends that are due in the next couple of weeks so this cards for them and I'm so excited to meet the new babies.

Have a great week!

Happy New Year!

I don't know about you but I've been looking forward to July 1 for weeks! Today is start of a new Stampin' Up! year which means the new Idea Book and Catalog is being released (whoo hoo!) I'm in love will all the new colors, including 5 fabulous new In Colors, designer paper, stamps, you name it.

As a demonstrator I had the opportunity to purchase some of the items early so this way I can share with you some great new samples. Below are two samples using the new Perfect Punches stamp set, you know how I love stamp sets that coordinate with our punches, as well as the new Greenhouse Gala DSP and 1/8" Early Espresso and Daffodil Delight Taffeta Ribbon.

I think I also forgot to mention the new Vintage Wallpaper Embossing folder....I'm officially in love.

Enjoy and contact me to your copy of the new catalog.

Time is Running Out...

Good morning! Today is officially the last day to place orders for items in the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog and the new catalog is officially released tomorrow (I can't wait to show you all the great new items!) I thought it was only fitting to use one of our last chance stamp sets for this weeks Stamping 411 sketch challenge.

One of my favorite stamp sets has been Humor in High Heels but I don't seem to use it as often as I should. I stamped all the images with Black ink on the Whisper White cardstock and then stamped them again on various pieces of Thoroughly Modern DSP and cut them out with Paper Snips to create all the different pattern dresses.

Pretty much everything on this card is retiring, including: Thoroughly Modern DSP, Rose Red 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Soft Suede Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon (flipped over under the Rose Red Ribbon), and Bermuda Bay ink.

Pretty cute and I know any girl would be sure to love it. I hope you enjoy and come back tomorrow for your first chance to see some of the beautiful items from the new catalog.

It's all About the Scraps!

Good morning! I wanted to show you this quick card I put together from scraps from previous projects. This was all left over from the invitations we made for our annual neighborhood BBQ and I hated to throw away the extra flowers that had already been cut out. My favorite paper right now is the Island Oasis DSP, it's so perfect!

Enjoy!

Sweet Birthday Wishes!

I hope you have all had a nice, relaxing father's day. Aidan and I have enjoyed pampered Chris today, including homemade chocolate chip Belgium waffles. While the boys played a Wii Nerf game I was able to break away long enough to make a card for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge. With the bright, hot weather we've been having I've been craving ice cream lately so I thought it was perfect for this challenge.

For the card I used the Sweet Scoops Stamp set and Pink Flamingo DSP. The card is pretty straight forward, after cutting out the individual ice cream scoops I used 2 Way Glue to cover them with Dazzling Diamonds.


I've got to get back to our celebrations so I hope you enjoy and all my love to our fathers on their special day!

Stamping 411 Challenge - Big Shot Tropical Flower

Happy Wednesday! I always look forward to see Saturday morning since we get to see what the new challenge is on the Stampin 411 site. Since I had Stamp-a-Stack on Sunday and still had one last card to design I decided to combine the two.

This is a pretty straight forward card and the ladies loved it! We got to use the new Favorite Thoughts stamp set from the mini catalog along with the Island Oasis DSP and Tropical Flower Bigz Die for the Big Shot. After cutting out the flower pieces out Iadded texture to them with both the Polka Dot and Lattice Embossing Folders. I finished off the flower with a small button from the Playground Designer Buttons.





This card was so much fun, I hope you enjoy it!

Stamp-a-Stack Projects

With less than three weeks left until the new 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog is released I thought we should take this last opportunity to say farewell so some of the stamp sets which will be retiring. I'm still working on one more card so you'll have to wait until Sunday to see it (as you can tell we'll have more cards than usual so you'll have to come on Sunday to see what we have planned).

Stamp Set: Oval All
Accessories: Groom Speciality DSP, Whisper White Organza Ribbon, Black Embossing Powder

Stamp Set: July Fourth
Accessories: Large and Small Star Punches, 3/4" Polka-Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

Stamp Set: Eight Great Greetings

Accessories: Razzleberry Lemonaid DSP, Melon Mambo Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon

Stamp Sets: Punch Pals, Happy Everything, Jumbo Outline Alphabet

Accessories: Red Brad

Accessories: Dots & Designs Rubons, Chit Chat Rubons, Chocolate Chip Taffeta Ribbon

Enjoy the rest of your Friday and I'll see you on Sunday!

Tropical Birthday Wishes

No, I have not disappeared. As like all of us life has become a little crazy lately and unfortunately my stamping time has taken the hit. We enjoyed a great holiday weekend working in the yard and spending lots of time with friends, and even making our first trip to the pool for the season.

I was so excited when I saw this weeks sketch challenge at Stamping 411 and new I had to get back to crafting.
This weeks card features the Island Oasis DSP and Tropical Party Stamp set. I stamped multiple flowers in Rose Red, Pumpkin Pie, and Tempting Turquoise and then cut them out with my Paper Snips. I also used the Tempting Turquoise 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon (which I just found out this morning is being retired.) The greeting is from the Tiny Tiny Wishes Stamp set and was punched out with the Word Window Punch and then mounted on a piece cut out with the Modern Label Punch. The final touch was 2 Vintage Brads (also retiring) on the sides of the greeting.


I'm loving this DSP and stamp set and I know that getting this card for my birthday would definately brighten things up.

Hope you have a great week!

Last Chance List Has Arrived!

Today is one of the days we've been waiting for all year....Stampin' Up! has released the last chance lists for Stamps, Definately Decorative, and Accessories. Our retiring stamps and Definately Decorative products will be available until June 30. All Definately Decorative retiring items are 25% off.

However, our Last Chance Accessories list (which includes our Stampin' Wheels are available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST! It's important to note that as these products SELL OUT VERY QUICKLY (some are actually already sold out). I'm also excited to announce that this year some accessories are on sale for up to 50% off. Also, some accessories are being reconfigured in the new catalog and they are noted on the list. It's important to order as quickly as possible if there are accessories you want. The quickest way to order is through my website.

Click HERE and then click Shop Now.

Click Here for the Last Chance Stamp List.

Click Here for the Last Chance Definately Decorative Last Chance List

Click Here for the Last Chance Accessories List

Also, while we have to wait until July 1 to see the full catalog we have been approved to let you know that due to the rising manufacturing costs the cost of our packs of cardstock will be increasing to $6.95 starting in July so make sure to stock up this month for any current colors that you are running low on.

A Man and His Grill

We had a great weekend! We attended the Nokesville Day Parade (Aidan walked with his Tae Kwon Do class) and then BBQ'd both days since we had such beautiful weather. With all the great fun we had this weekend I thought it was only appropriate to use the King of the Grill stamp set for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge.

I started by cutting an Oval piece of Whisper White cardstock with the Coluzzle cutter along with a Pumpkin Pie mat. Using the new clear mounted stamps I was able to perfectly stamp my BBQer in the middle of the oval. Next I colored him in using an assortment of Stampin' Write markers, along with my Blender Pen and Classic Ink pads. The grill looks exactly like the Weber my husband got a couple of years ago and absolutely loves so I tried to color it to match his black and silver BBQ. I sponged the edges of the oval with Old Olive ink with the Stamping Sponge.

I used a piece of Tempting Turquoise cardstock for the cardbase with a piece of Island Oasis DSP.
I layered a piece of 1/4" Very Vanilla and 5/8" Old Olive Grosgrain ribbons before tying a faux bow with both Very Vanilla and Tempting Turquoise Ribbons. The greeting is stamped with Old Olive ink and punched out with the Modern Label Punch and matted on a piece of Tempting Turquoise
that was cut out on the Big Shot with the Curly Label Bigz die and Punch Windows. Finally I added Vintage brads to the label before using dimensionals to make the greeting pop.



This is such a fun stamp set and I love how this card turned out, manly and fun all at the same time.

Have a great week!

I Did Not Forget....Stamp-a-Stack Projects

Our May Stamp-a-stack was rescheduled due to Mother's day last week I have been busy creating the remaining projects for Sunday so here are the last three cards we'll be making.

Stamp Set(s): Lovely as a Tree, Tree Triming, Tiny Tiny Wishes
That's Right, the Christmas card option has returned, isn't this too cute!!

Stamp Set(s): Lovely as a Tree, King of the Grill

Don't you just love how I used the same stamp set on two different cards and came out with such different looking cards.

Stamp Set(s): Elements of Style

This is one of my new favorite stamp sets and you'll love how we stamp and create texture with the new Lattice Embossing Folder. Also, you can't see it in the picture but the main image is sprayed with the new Very Vanilla Smooch Spritz (you have to try this stuff out!)

I hope you enjoy and we'll be stamping with you on Sunday!

Diana

Mini Catalog Carry Over Items

With Stampin' Up! having 4 different mini catalogs through out the year, in addition to the Idea Book and Catalog it can sometimes get a little confusing about what items are still available after a mini catalog sales period. Here is a list of the carry over items from the Holiday and Occasions Mini Catalogs. You can print this out and add it to your catalog as a ready reference for these great items.

A Sweet Celebration

After being out of town visiting family it was nice to be back stamping. While we had so much fun I couldn't wait to continuing playing with all the great new items from the Summer Mini Catalog and decided to use the Sweet Scoops Stamp Set for this weeks Stamping 411 challenge.

The stamped image has three ice cream cones stamped with Tempting Turquoise, Cameo Coral, Real Red and Close to Cocoa inks. I used the grain print stamp to add texture to the Tempting Turquoise scoops and Sprinkles in Real Red. To make the sprinkles really pop, I used Crystal Effects to attach some large Red Beads. I used the Pink Flamingo DSP along the bottom of the stamped image and wrapped a piece of 1/4" Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon on the seam. This was then matted on Real Red cardstock before adding it to the Tempting Turquoise card base.

The greeting is stamped with Chocolate chip ink and offset with 3 small flowers I punched out using the same Pink Flamingo DSP and the Trio Flower Punch.

I really love how this card turned out, just like I had pictured it. This is such a fun set and think you'll love it too. Make sure to RSVP for next weekends Stamp-a-stack as this will be one of cards we make.

Have a great week!