Category Archives: Stampin' Up!

It’s Raining Flowers

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What a perfect name for a stamp set!


It's Raining Mambo Flowers

  • Raining Flowers and Fabulous Phrases stamp sets
  • Whisper White, Melon Mambo and Early Espresso card stock
  • Pocketful of Posies Designer Series Paper
  • Baha Breeze, Melon Mambo and Early Espresso Classic ink pads
  • Medium Jewelry Tag punch
  • Big Shot; Two Tags Bigz and Fun Flowers Bigz L dies
  • Early Espresso 1/8 inch taffeta and Rose Red Seam Binding ribbons
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals, Stampin’ Sponges
  • Crystal Effects

Don’t forget – Designer Series Papers are on sale this month – buy 3 packages and get one free!

Speaking of free, Raining Flowers was one of the many free stamp sets I brought home from convention (talk about excess baggage – next year I’m bringing an extra suitcase!).  It’s a Two-Step Stampin’ set, but even better, the various pieces coordinate and layer really well together.  It’s almost like Stampin’ Up! MEANT TO DO THAT!!  (I know.  What a concept.)

Speaking of things I’ve been meaning to do, I finally got my two bites (ok, three) of pancakes.  My son has been on the mainland for a month and he flew home yesterday.  To celebrate his return home, the two of us had breakfast at Longhi’s this morning.  A couple of weeks ago, Mr. Maui Stamper and I had breakfast there, and he rejected my suggestion that he order Longhi’s famous and perhaps even more fabulous Ricotta and Mango Stuffed Pancakes.  Mr. Maui Stamper cares about his health, and I care about my waistline, and neither one of us could justify an entire plate full of such decadence.  But I wanted some of those pancakes, so I convinced my son that we should go out to breakfast this morning since his dad is now away.  Of course, I would be happy to order for him.

I have been anticipating those pancakes for two weeks, and when our server told us we had JUST (by 3 minutes) missed breakfast I was in shock.  I told him how much I’d been looking forward to those TWO BITES of pancakes, and he returned in a couple of minutes to say the chef wouldn’t mind making us an order of Ricotta and Mango Stuffed Pancakes.  WOW!  Did that ever make my day!

Would you like to see the pancakes?

Longhis Ricotta and Mango Stuffed pancakes

Look carefully…there are two forks.

I had exactly 3 bites and my son polished off the rest no problem.  They were DIVINE.

Exploring Wisteria Wonder

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How can you not love a color with Wisteria in its name?

Wisteria Wonder In Color Class project
Wisteria Wonder fills a real gap in the Stampin’ Up! color palette, and I know I’m not the only person who is happy about that.  I wanted to explore how each of the 2011-2013  In Colors coordinate with the Stampin’ Up! color families, so I came up with a set of classes that will explore each of the colors in turn.  Guess which one will be first?

This first class will be Wednesday, August 10 and will feature this note card set (made with the Easy Events stamp set) and two other projects.  Cost is $10, and you can RSVP at my Online Store.  Just click on the event in the calendar on the landing page, and it will take you to the class description and a big ol’ RSVP button.  Hope to see you there!

Color you can learn to love

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Some things just need a little time to grow on you:

Best Friends Forever in More Mustard

  • Best Friends Forever and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Whisper White, More Mustard, Lucky Limeade and Island Indigo card stock
  • More Mustard, Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler and Basic Black Classic ink pads
  • Timeless Portrait fabric
  • Lace Ribbon Border punch
  • Linen thread
  • Regals Designer Buttons

I didn’t like the colors when I first saw this Make and Take card at convention – I’m not a real fan of More Mustard – and I wasn’t sure if I liked that fabric “flag”.  I didn’t finish it in Salt Lake, but brought it home to put together in the relative sanity of my studio.  As I looked at the separate pieces, and then started to put them together, I decided I not only liked the card but I loved the color combination.

Isn’t that life?  I try very hard to be open-minded, but I often struggle with snap judgement.  Mr Maui Stamper, on the other hand,  seldom makes quick judgements.  I think that’s why we’re so fabulously compatible.  We’ll come home from an evening out together and have completely different perspectives on who we’ve seen and what we’ve heard.  It’s not as though we were at two different events, but we have different insights.

Marriage is a lot of work, but it’s a wonderful thing.  You can learn to love it, too.

 

An Abundance of Designer Series Paper

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I have always been in love with paper…the texture, the colors, the designs…and finding Stampin’ Up! was a dream come true.  Today Stampin’ Up! has sweetened the deal with a Buy 3, Get One Free deal on DSP:

Buy 3 - Get 1 Free!

  • Download the Flyer for all the details
  • There is no limit to the number of free Designer Series Paper packages you can earn
  • Speciality DSP and Hostess DSP are not part of this promotion
  • DSP ordered as part of your Hostess Free Dollars does not qualify for the promotion.
  • Offer ends August 31, 2011 at 11:50 pm MST.  Do the math for your time zone!  Don’t miss out!!

I am READY for this promotion, because I just did a huge clean-up-day in my studio (the room formerly known as Sara’s bedroom) and I have room for pretty new papers.  In fact, I just placed a big ol’ order myself and can’t wait to get my hands on some new Designer Series Paper.

Check out all the beautiful papers avaliable with this promotion and shop now in my online store. Click Here!

Stampinella

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This summer has been so busy that I haven’t been able to set aside playing around time in my studio for a while.  However, the stars lined up and today was the day.

Mr. Maui Stamper likes to come by and see how “Stampinella” is doing.  It always cracks me up when he calls me that – I’m not sure if it’s because I’m covered in ink, or because my studio looks like the wicked Stepsisters came crashing through, tossing bits of paper everywhere.  What I really need are those cute little mice and birds from Cinderella that come in and finish her dress for her (they would clean up for me, thank you), but what I end up getting is an orange tabby with a shedding problem who wants to spread across my workspace.

Mice, birds, and cats aside, here’s one of the projects I finished today:

Best Friends Forever Crumb Cake

  • Best Friends Forever and Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp sets
  • Crumb Cake, Marina Mist, Naturals White and Soft Suede card stock
  • Crumb Cake, Marina Mist and Soft Suede Classic ink pads
  • Log Cabin Smooch Spritz
  • Antique Brads
  • Stampin’ Sponges
  • Big Shot and Fun Flowers Bigz L dies
  • XL Two Step Bird Punch

I am quickly falling in love with that Best Friends Forever stamp set, one of the sets we received in our convention bags.  I initially thought it would be more of a teen set with that “BFF” image but THOSE LEAVES.  Oh my goodness.  I love those leaves.  I put them on EVERYTHING.   I hope you like them because you are going to see a lot of them.

I wanted a more bronzed Antique brad but this was all that was left.  There are more on the way, but I didn’t feel like waiting.  Maybe I’ll change it out and maybe I won’t.   Sometimes the serendipity of the moment is just the thing, and I’m a big believer in Carpe Diem – Sieze the Day.  If I waited, who knows what those Stepsisters would be up to?  Letting the mice and birds in to torment the cat, that’s what they would do.

And how about that Smooch?  It’s been sitting on the side of my desktop just waiting to be noticed.  Good thing I looked.

 

The Village of Cuteness

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Stampin’ Up! offered us an optional +Fun class on Friday night at convention.  There were 3 different classes to choose from, and I can’t really tell you why I signed up for the Village of Cuteness.  I’ll confess it WASN’T the name – in my book, things like puppies and kittens are cute.  Villages, well, not so much.

Anyway, sleep deprived as we were, we hustled through dinner on Friday night and lined up with a thousand or so of our very best friends to make these:

The Village of Cuteness

Oh yeah, I finished mine in the time allotted and brought them home and set them right up.

NOT!!!

We barely got them painted!!  We decided that was really our plan all along, as trying to bring them home all embellished (more about that later) would be a challenge.

Stampin’ Up! did a great job with these projects.  We had EVERY product we needed and more, clear instructions, even refreshments.  What we were lacking was time (and sleep, which may have had an impact on our ability to make the best of our time.  You be the judge.)   We jumped right in and started painting and distressing with the awesome Distressing Essentials Kit (#118762, $19.95), also known as the Get Your Hands Inkier Than They Have Ever Been In Your Life Kit.

Cheryl and Priscilla with their inky fingers

Cheryl is sitting next to Priscilla, who was the BEST EVER table-mate and fit in with our craziness absolutely perfectly.  Priscilla was much neater at this than I was, as I seemed to have ink AND paint all over my hands.  You have to feed the muse.

Peggy and the cupcake

Speaking of feeding, Stampin’ Up! provided us with dessert – as if we needed more sugar in our systems.  Peggy inspired us all with her cupcake-eating-technique…but some things are meant to be enjoyed in the moment.  You’ll have to trust me when I say it was impressive.

Working on the Villages of Cuteness

This was serious business as we studied our instructions to figure out what we needed to get done in class and what we could do at home.   Notice those looks of concentration!!

Happy Villagers

It seemed like we’d just started when the announcement was made that it was time to pack up.  Priscilla kindly offered to take our picture with our Villages.  I’m not quite sure what Cheryl is doing over Robbie’s head.  We were among the last to leave, and we took a little time to check out some of the displays outside the Make and Take hall before we headed back to our rooms.

Robbie, the Plan Ahead Demonstrator, had brought USPS Flat Rate boxes with her, and the next morning at breakfast she announced to us all that she had already shipped her “Village People” home.  I distinctly remember thinking “Ha, a lot of good that will do”, but I kept that snarky little remark to myself.  Good thing.  Sunday morning we were desperately trying to buy a suitcase for our excess luggage – and when we found one, we crammed that puppy full too.

Once I was home and unpacked, I sat down to finish the Village.  My blocks were already painted and distressed, and my wood sheet doors were stained and attached to the houses.  It was all the other stuff that needed to be done.  I wish I could tell you how much time I spent, but I really didn’t keep track.  I had the tunes going, it was late enough that the Captain was outside chasing mousies, and Mr. Maui Stamper was sound asleep.  I can’t remember the last time I had such a good time with a project!

I’m looking forward to next year’s +Fun class!

 

In Color 2011-2012 and a wonderful friend

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I became a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator for a lot of reasons.  One of the best reasons was a woman who has become a wonderful friend – Crystal Kondo.  She came by just before my Open House and brought gifts – she always brings gifts.  This time she brought me 5 cards made with the 5 In Colors for 2011-2012, each paired with Crumb Cake card stock, and each made with the Hostess stamp set Simply Soft:

Crumb Cake and Wisteria Wonder

Crumb Cake and Wisteria Wonder

Crumb Cake and Pool Party

Crumb Cake and Pool Party

Crumb Cake and Lucky Limeade

Crumb Cake and Lucky Limeade

Crumb Cake and Island Indigo

Crumb Cake and Island Indigo

 

Crumb Cake and Calypso Coral

Crumb Cake and Calypso Coral

I just LOVE that girl.  And oh my goodness, does she make me laugh!  But that’s another story for another day.

Put a little ink in your day

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Cheryl participated in a 3×3 card swap at Convention.  I’ve always liked that gift card size (and yes, we DO have envelopes – $7.50 for 40 Whisper White envelopes, #107309) but the quality of her swaps was mind boggling!  How could you get so much bang for the buck in such a tiny format?  I decided to put a little effort into finding out:

BFF It's Your Day 3x3

  • BFF and It’s Your Day stamp sets
  • Whisper White card stock
  • Riding Hood Red and Pear Pizazz Classic Ink Pads
  • Heart to Heart punch
  • Riding Hood Red taffeta ribbon
  • Rhinestone Jewels
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals and Mini Glue Dots

The heart in the BFF set isn’t the exact shape of the hearts in the punch, but the middle-sized punch shape fits in the stamped image.  Everyone knows punching is preferable to hand cutting!!  And that little bit of ribbon is just folded in half with a mini glue dot sandwiched in the middle, and then stuck onto the card with another MGD (ha, and no, I was NOT drinking beer!)  The Stampin’ Dimensional does double duty; it gives the heart a little lift, and it creates a little space for the ribbon.

Making this card gave my heart a little lift too.  How about putting a little ink in your day today?

Just right

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I love over-the-top, More Is More cards, but there’s something to be said for simplicity:

Easy Events in Calypso Coral

  • Easy Events Stamp set
  • Very Vanilla and Pear Pizazz card stock
  • In Color Designer Series Patterns Paper
  • Chocolate Chip Classic ink pad
  • Pear Pizazz and Calypso Coral Stampin’ Write Markers
  • Big Shot and Framed Tulips Textured Embossing Folder
  • Rhinestone Jewels
  • Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots ribbon

Easy Events was one of the many (7) free stamp sets I brought home from Convention.  I have to be completely honest – when I read the announcement that it was one of the Convention sets I thought I wouldn’t use it.  It seemed too simplistic, too (dare I say it??) beginner.   I know.  Stampin’ Snobbery at its worst.

I have reformed my thinking.

I really like the images in this set, and the sentiments – included with the images for quick and easy stampin’ – are just right, Goldilocks.  Not too silly, not too sweet, not too stuffy, but just right.  Add a little bit of bling, a little bit of Big Shot Embossin’, and you have a card that is…well, I think it’s just right!

 

Catching my breath

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I’m home, and as much as I loved Every Last Minute of convention, I am very glad to be home.  I was so seriously sleep deprived in Salt Lake!  Between the 4 hour time difference, our breakneck pace every day, and my inability to quiet the chaos in my head at bedtime I just didn’t get enough sleep.  Sunday night I dropped gratefully into bed just after 10pm and slept blissfully through until 7am Monday.

But I would do it again in a heartbeat.

It’s the relationships.  Yes, we saw loads of new products, fabulous displays, and great project ideas.  Yes, the training was fantastic – I’m always so impressed at how Stampin’ Up! creates classes that provide insight to such a broad spectrum of demonstrators, from those just beginning to those who have been running a full-time business for years.

It’s the people that make Convention so spectacular.  I loved meeting people face to face that I’d only corresponded with by email, connecting (after about 47 text messages across the Opening Party) with friends I’d made through blogging, running into friends from past conventions and sharing the experience with the Maui Girls that travelled together to Salt Lake.  (Blue Frosting:  Need I say more?)  Stampin’ Up! is an exceptional company with a focus on personal values as well as quality in product, and when you assemble a group of people who are associated with Stampin’ Up! you have an exceptional group.

Would you like to see just a few photos from the Product Garden?

Stampin' Up! Garden Chairs

This was one of my favorite vignettes.  Stampin’ Up! does a fabulous job of showcasing product, and our theme this year was Grow so the displays had a garden theme.  I love the butterflies (Decor Elements, of course) on the chairs.

Stampin' Up! Flirtatious Product Garden

The Flirtatious product display was so beautiful and feminine.  Take a close look at those big fanned flowers, because they were made with a FANTASTIC new product being introduced in the Holiday Mini catalog on September 1.  Get ready to sell your old scoring tool, because Simply Scored is the Rolls Royce of tools and it is priced at only $29.95.  We made flowers like this and it was a snap!

Stampin' Up! Berry Blossoms Product Garden

It’s hard to take in all of the detail here, but my favorite is the flower pots covered with Designer Series Paper.  The creative team at Stampin’ Up! blew our socks off!

One final photo…a very proud moment for me.  I walked across the stage with a group of women who have inspired and mentored me this past year.  We were all recognized for our achievements in sharing the business opportunity with others, and it was one of my most memorable events of convention:Stampin' Up! Recognition March for Recruiting

Would you like to join me at convention next year?  I’d love to tell you more.  Anyone can be a Maui Stamper, and right now there’s a fabulous $99 opportunity available through Stampin’ Up!  Email me, leave a comment, or shine the secret symbol up in the sky and I’ll get in my Stampermobile and be there in a flash!