Postscript Salt Lake City

Posted on by
3

Time for bed here in Salt Lake, though my body insists it is much too early.  Such a full, fabulous day, beginning with Memento Mall (Stampin’ Up! shopping at the highest level) and ending with a fun, silly party and a photo with a half a zillion of my new best friends.

Convention 2011 - Robbie, Cheryl and Kellie

OK, the truth is, it ended with a glass of Pinot Noir with Robbie and Cheryl in the lounge at our hotel.

There’s nothing like a Stampin’ Up! convention.  Heaps of energetic, friendly, generous people (primarily women) meeting one another, sharing ideas, laughing and telling stories and connecting over bits of paper.  You can’t believe it unless you see it, and I highly recommend it if you’ve never tried it.  (PS you can become a demonstrator for only $99 this month – go to my Online Store and click “Join Now” for more information).

Flirtatious display in the Demonstrator Resource Center

Kellie, Peggy, Robbie, Cheryl and I shopped at Memento Mall, ooohed and aaahed fabulous displays in the Demonstrator Resource Center, and toured the offices and distribution center (when I said we had to leave for our Riverton Tour Kellie said she felt like a kid on Christmas morning having to leave her toys behind to go to Grandma’s house). Robbie won a prize patrol and came home with new stamps from the opening party, and we’re all trying to fall asleep before 1am so we can get up bright and early for opening session tomorrow.

Blues and greens – my favorite combination

Posted on by
1

If I had to choose only one color combination to work with it forever would be blue with green:

Pool Party Vellum Florets

  • Fabulous Florets, Creative Elements, My Friend and Curly Cute stamp sets
  • Whisper White and Pool Party card stock
  • Vellum card stock
  • Pool Party, Island Indigo and Lucky Limeade Classic ink pads
  • Rhinestone Jewels

Love these stamps, love this technique, love this look!  More masking – yep, you’ll see this again – and some vellum too.  My cards were starting to have a “same-same” feeling to them and I’ve been looking for ways to switch them up.  New colors certainly help, and of course new stamps always make a big difference, but I wanted a different feeling.

Finding a new layout always makes a difference.  There are loads of sources for new sketches and many of them have challenges – Mojo Monday is one of my favorites.  Sometimes a sketch seems to fall into place, and other times it becomes a battle, but new sketches are a great way to bring some freshness to your projects.

I like the trimmed edge on this card, making the floral collage into one giant focal point.  Don’t be intimidated because it’s just not that hard!  It’s a quick way to give your card new perspective.

Never enough Manly cards

Posted on by
Reply

Every time I need a Manly Birthday Card, I come up short.  Today’s mission?  Build up the Manly Card Stash:

Garden Green Pennant Birthday card

  • Fabulous Phrases stamp set
  • Garden Green and So Saffron card stock
  • Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper
  • Chocolate Chip Classic ink pad
  • Chocolate Chip Scallop Dots ribbon; Early Espresso Baker’s Twine
  • Designer Buttons, Subtles
  • Scallop Trim Border punch
  • Big Shot and Perfect Pennants Bigz L die

I was going for a pennant effect here, but every time I look at this card I see a shirt front.  Must be that button.  Shirt front, pennant, whatever – they both have a masculine feel.

I’m always running short of masculine cards.  I mean, face it – cards with flowers and butterflies and sparkly jewels are lots of fun!  Cards with motors and tools and shirt fronts are…fun too, but it’s not the same type of fun.  I may have to impose a Manly Card Quota on myself.

Hmm.  Check back with me on that one.

Button, button…

Posted on by
Reply

How about another piece of Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper?

  • My Friend and Delightful Dozen stamp sets
  • Whisper White, So Saffron, Poppy Parade and Marina Mist card stock
  • Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper
  • Poppy Parade and Marina Mist Classic Ink pads
  • Marina Mist 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • 1 1/4, 1 3/8 and 1 3/4 inch circle punches; 2 3/8 inch scallop circle punch; 1 3/8 inch square punch
  • Big Shot, Sweet Buttons Embosslit and Vintage Wallpaper Textured Impressions folder
  • Crystal Effects
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

Do you like my “Button”?  If you’ve got the Big Shot and the Sweet Buttons Embosslit, you can create a faux button in multiple sizes and just about any color you desire.

This may come as an enormous shock, but I am not very good at planning ahead.  I have the BEST of intentions, but when it comes down to it I am generally scrambling like a mad woman at the last minute.  Time is just so slippery!  As a result, I neeed flexible resources, and this Button Embosslit suits my needs perfectly.

This is a pretty bright and bold card for my usual style.  I like to step outside of my comfort zone from time to time, and I think this card should cover me for quite a while!  Not sure I’ll be jumping into these colors again anytime real soon, but it’s fun to stretch.

 

A Simple Hello

Posted on by
Reply

Sometimes the message is pretty simple:

Poppy Hello My Friend

  • My Friend stamp set
  • Whisper White, Poppy Parade and Blushing Bride card stock
  • Just Add Cake Designer Series Paper
  • Paper Piercing tool, template and mat
  • Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border punch
  • Early Espresso 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Rhinestone Jewels

This is a simple card with a simple sentiment – you need a few cards like this in your stash!  Admit it, you have a card stash.  I do…as a matter of fact, my stash is currently exploding all over my craft studio.  As soon as I get a few other things organized (HA HA HA HA HA HA HA) I will be going through that stash and cleaning it out.  Convention is this week, and I expect to come home with loads of fabulous new samples, so it’s out with the old and in with the new!  I’ll send some, sell some, donate some, and use some for target practice (OK, maybe not, but it’s kind of a fun idea, don’t you think?)

I love those dangling drops…they’re evocative of a chandelier but they could be many things.  They make me think of raindrops, and tear drops, and jewels…of course jewels!

Are you wondering where the Blushing Bride card stock is?  The card is built on a Blushing Bride cardstock base.  It’s quite complementary to Poppy Parade, and that color combination is on my “stuff to try soon” list.  Not to be confused with yesterday’s List, no, not at all, two entirely separate lists.  But you should know that I am a confirmed list maker.

 

New colors, new looks

Posted on by
8

Who doesn’t love color?  It’s amazing to me to think about the infinite variety in color, and I’ve always wondered if everyone sees color the same way.   Do you see the same shade as I do when I see a sheet of Cherry Cobbler card stock?  Or have we just learned to call it Cherry Cobbler, but we each see something different?  That’s one of the questions on My List.

When my kids were small and asked questions I couldn’t begin to imagine an answer for, I would tell them to put the question on their List.  I would explain that I kept a list of questions for God, and when I finally got to heaven I planned on asking for the answers.  My List has questions ranging from “Why do bad things happen to good people?” all the way to “Why is it so hard to get the mango fruit off the pit?”  When it’s my turn, I hope it will be a slow day in heaven, because my list is kind of long.

Well!  That said, how about a card?

Fabulous Florets Pirouette

  • Fabulous Florets and Oval All stamp sets
  • Pink Pirouette textured card stock
  • Whisper White, Wisteria Wonder and Cherry Cobbler card stock
  • Pink Pirouette, Wisteria Wonder and Cherry Cobbler Classic ink pads
  • Pink Pirouette Stampin’ Write marker
  • Oval and Scallop oval punches; Scallop trim border punch
  • White 3/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Rhinestone jewels
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

Don’t you love this color combination?  It’s straight from the Color Coach – you can add the cards for the new 2011-2013 colors (Wisteria Wonder, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Pool Party and Calypso Coral) for only $2.50.  Choose 124886 for the English option, 124887 for the multiple language option.

You’ll see this masking technique again – I’m hooked on this look.  I can create my own Designer Series Paper in any color combination I want with a little ink, paper and Post-It® notes.  You can do it too – stamp an image on the note making sure the image is over the sticky portion of the note as much as possible.  Trim out your image and place it over your stamped image on your project.  Now you can stamp over that image with another color, creating the impression that one image is forward of the other.  Try it – it’s easy!

Imagine the Possibilites

Posted on by
Reply

It’s a new Stampin’ Up! year, and I LOVE a fresh beginning.  What could make a better start than this?

Imagine the Possibilities Island Indigo

  • My Friend, Fabulous Florets and Word Play stamp sets
  • Island Indigo and Whisper White card stock; White Vellum paper
  • Island Indigo and Basic Black Classic ink pads
  • Black 1/8 inch Taffeta ribbon
  • Rhinestone jewels

 

I’m warning you, I’m on a vellum kick for some reason.  There are things stamped on vellum all over my desk!  I’m a little over-stimulated right now with all the new goodies, and as a result I’m big on starting but not so very big on finishing projects.  I’ll get there, though.

I’m looking forward to sharing the new catalog with you, and to dreaming new dreams together.  I CAN imagine the possibilities!!

Just some birds and bees

Posted on by
Reply

It’s been another busy day.  As much as I love to travel, and as much as I love to come home, the first week back always seems so frantic.  It feels like a combination of herding cats and trying to stick Jello to the wall.

The new Stampin’ Up! catalog is just a few hours away from its public debut, and that’s part of the reason my week has been so intense.  There’s a lot of tension between the things I NEED to do and the things I WANT to do!  I already have my Sneak Peak order in house – matter of fact, I had my Sneak Peak copy of the new Idea Book and Catalog shipped to the log cabin we stayed at in South Dakota.  I’ve been through it cover to cover, left, right and forward, but I’m still struggling with what to order when the whole catalog is available.  I’m sure I’ll make good choices when the time comes 🙂

In the meantime, I have a few cards to share with you.  These are all retiring sets, so I’m not going to give you the itemized supply list.  If you desperately need to know something, leave a comment and I promise I’ll respond.

Last Chance for Always

This is the Always stamp set in Pear Pizazz and Marina Mist.

Last Chance for Just Buzzin By

Oh, the sweet bees from Just Buzzin’ By!  I am going to miss these sassy little buzz-bombs.

Last Chance for Cheep Talk

And my silly Cheep Talk birdies are retiring too! I’ve done so many things with this stamp set.  I know it’s time to move on, and there just isn’t room in my studio for heaps of retired stamp sets, but I’ll be sorry to see Cheep Talk go.

Last Chance for Eastern Blooms and All Holidays

Eastern Blooms is yet another set I’ll miss, but there are so many gorgeous new floral sets that I’ll surely find a new favorite.  All Holidays may be another story.  Stampin’ Up! hasn’t created a sentiment anything like “My Dear Kind & Wonderful Friend” at least not one that I’ve seen.  Correct me if I’m wrong!  I may hang onto All Holidays for a while.

It’s a bittersweet time of year, but the longer I’m a demonstrator the more I come to look forward to the change.  I do keep a few retired sets, but I find after a year or so I’m ready to let go of most of them.  Some people enjoy going back to old favorites, but I guess I just have a short attention span.  I love seeing new, fresh ideas!  Check back early in the morning for a link to the new catalog, and sweet dreams.

A Last Chance for Simply Said

Posted on by
4

I’m home!

When we travel and people discover we’re from Maui, we often get a quizzical look.  People seem to think that living on Maui means you never want to go anywhere.  While it’s a wonderful place to live, there are good reasons to travel!  I’ll share some details and photos later, but for now here’s what I did today:

Last Chance for Simply Said

  • Simply Said stamp said (Last Chance)
  • Whisper White, Pirouette Pink, Regal Rose and Certainly Celery card stock
  • Certainly Celery, Pirouette Pink and Regal Rose Classic ink pads
  • Pretty in Pink Stampin’ Write markers
  • Certainly Celery 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon (Last Chance)
  • Big Shot and Beautiful Wings Embosslit
  • Stampin’ Dimensionals

This is my favorite image of all the stamps in Simply Said.  Can’t quite tell you why, but it is.  I really love it stamped on colored card stock in Craft White ink, but it was fun to color in those little blossoms for a change.  I spent a lovely few hours in my studio this afternoon, enjoying some of the Last Chance stamp sets one final time.

Time has almost run out for these Last Chance stamps!  Many of the Last Chance accessories are discounted, and some have sold out, so visit my Online Store to put in that Last Chance order just under the wire!  If you’re on Maui, a $50 online order will earn you an invitation to an exclusive New Product class on July 9th.

What are you waiting for?

Three little monkeys

Posted on by
Reply

Three little monkeys, all lined up so nicely…how long can this last?

Three Little Monkeys

  • Sock Monkey stamp set
  • Whisper White, Basic Black, Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade and Tempting Turquoise card stock
  • Chocolate Chip and Tempting Turquoise Classic ink pads
  • Pear Pizazz, Poppy Parade and Tempting Turquoise Stampin’ Write markers
  • Aquapainter
  • Small and medium oval punches; Spiral border punch
  • 1 1/4 inch and 1 3/8 inch square punches
  • Certainly Celery 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Big Shot and Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing folder

Well, it’s not going to last much longer because Sock Monkey is on the Last Chance List.  Poor Sock Monkey…and I think Sock Monkey is a he, he just has that look about him.  But being Sock Monkey means always having that goofy grin on his face, and so he puts on a brave front and waves that sock arm and lines up to have his photo taken.

Back to the Last Chance List:  I can’t imagine the process it takes to determine which stamp sets stay and which ones go.   How long does it take?  Is it agonizing?  Do personal opinions count, or is it strictly by the numbers?  For example, Lovely as a Tree has been in the catalog since the first catalog I saw (that would be 7 or 8 years).    It’s a nice enough stamp set, but that’s a long time in Stampin’ Up! years.  There are a lot of trends in stamping, and stamp sets that I knew I would always love suddenly start looking dated – I get that.  I would just like to sit in on that process and watch it unfold.

Then again, I would probably start shouting and get thrown out.  It’s best the way it is.