Comfort Cafe Designer Series paper

Convention is coming…and there’s so much to do to be ready. It’s a 4-day celebration of Stampin’ Goodness and I can’t wait! Stampin’ Up! does a fabulous job of recognizing, rewarding and encouraging all of the demonstrators in attendance and I’m looking forward to this year’s surprises – because I know there will be surprises in store for us!

Last year, we earned an exclusive stamp set available only to demonstrators who attended convention. Each of the expressions in the set was business related to use with customers and team-mates. It was just the thing to recognize a few Maui Stampers that have accomplished some big goals in the past 6 weeks:

Workshop Words stamp set
Pool Party, Midnight Muse, Pool Party, Cajun Craze and Whisper White card stock
Comfort Cafe Designer Series Paper
Midnight Muse FFIP
Pool Party Stampin’ Write marker
Pool Party 3/8 inch ruffled ribbon
White Bakers Twine
Jewels Pearls
Decorative label punch
Stampin’ Dimensionals

It’s such a treat to get an “atta-girl” card in the mail…who wouldn’t like an unexpected pat on the back?

This set has so much potential, as does the fabulous Comfort Cafe Designer Series paper:

Make a Cake and Itty Bitty Banners stamp sets
Very Vanilla, Summer Starfruit and Midnight Muse card stock
Comfort Cafe Designer Series paper
Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple and Midnight Muse FFIP (Firm Foam Ink Pads)
Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple and Midnight Muse Stampin’ Write markers
Raspberry Ripple 3/8 inch Stitched Satin Ribbon
Big Shot and Bitty Banners Framelits
Stamp-a-ma-jig
Jewels Rhinestones
Stampin’ Dimensionals

The first card I made with this set felt too busy – a victim of the philosophy “More is More” but not in a good way. I wanted to keep a similar feeling but streamline it a bit.

The first step was to choose the Designer Series paper, and I like the balanced feeling this paper gives. Once I had it in place the rest of the card came together pretty easily. My Stamp-a-ma-jig came in handy; despite the clear stamps, the lines on these stamps really need to be in the EXACT right spot for the best look, and the SAMJ was just the thing. It’s an indispensable tool for me.

Those Bitty Banners Framelits are fast becoming indispensable as well – perfect flags and banners every time! Not that everything always has to be perfect, but when it turns out that way it’s pretty sweet. Speaking of sweet, it’s mango season right now and we have an abundance of sweet, juicy, fragrant mangoes in our house. There’s nothing in the world like fresh fruit, ripened to perfection on the tree. I have orange hands and fingernails from peeling and slicing, but I don’t mind when the reward is fresh mango.