Busy bees

Sweet Summer is my favorite Sale-a-bration set  – well, maybe it’s tied for that honor with BLISS.  Last week I saw a fabulous card made by a friend on the RemARKables team and had to make one for myself:

Sweet Summer

  • Sweet Summer Sale-a-bration stamp set
  • Whisper White, Pear Pizazz and Concord Crush card stock
  • Pear Pizazz, Concord Crush, Melon Mambo and Real Red classic ink pads
  • Aquapainter and So Saffron Stampin’ Write marker
  • Real Red 1/8 inch taffeta ribbon
  • Love Impressions rub ons

Regina Cornelius designed this card, and though I made a few changes you can see I was true to her concept.  I’ve just realized that I forgot to give the bees their little vapor trails, and I’ll have to go back and fix that oversight.  Regina and I participate in a forum that Janet Wakeland, my 5th level upline, offers for support and training.

If’ you’re not a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, all this talk about teams and groups may be a little confusing.  Stampin’ Up! is a direct sales company, which means each person who “signs up” to sell/distribute Stampin’ Up! products is, in the company’s language, “An Independent Demonstrator”.  That means we own our business instead of working for Stampin’ Up!, and part of our business plan includes sharing the Stampin’ Up! business opportunity with other people.  When someone decides to become an Independent Demonstrator, they sign up through an existing demonstrator and become part of her team or group, or “downline” as the Stampin’ Up! terminology goes.  It gets a little confusing, but the end result is that this type of organization creates a lot of opportunity for friendship, collaboration, and education.  If you’d like to learn more,  send me a message and I’ll be glad to tell you about the Maui Stampers – you don’t have to live on Maui to be one!

Bee mine

I can only work with pink and red exclusively for so long:

January Club Valentine

  • Sweet Summer (SAB) and I {Heart} Hearts stamp sets
  • So Saffron, Very Vanilla, Regal Rose and Certainly Celery card stock
  • So Saffron, Regal Rose and Certainly Celery Classic ink pads and ink refills
  • Aquapainter, Victoria lace trim, Subtles brads

It’s nice to do a simple card once in a while.  Tone on tone stamping is an easy, inexpensive way to add texture to a card and the variety of hearts in the I {Heart} Hearts set give plenty of options.  I’m fond of that silly little bee, too.

Are your Valentines ready?

A little more Sale-a-bratin’

Would you like to see a couple more cards from our team meeting on Tuesday night?  I hope so:

Bliss by Kellie

Kellie designed this gorgeous bird-themed card.  The XL Two Step Bird punch worked perfectly with the Bliss set from Sale-a-bration.  The images in that set are awesome collage elements!  I tore my paper with such a strong angle that it makes the card look off-square, but that’s hand-made for you!

Sweet Summer by Crystal

Crystal chose some of my absolute favorite colors for this Sweet Summer Sale-a-bration card;  Baja Breeze and Pear Pizazz.  She colored the images with markers – did you notice that she used two different colors on the leaves?  And that Baja Breeze Seam Binding?   Simply gorgeous!

Sale-a-bration isn’t just about earning free stamps and other goodies – it’s about becoming part of the Stampin’ Up! family, too.  The Demonstrator kit is a bargain any day of the week, but during Sale-a-bration it’s 15% off PLUS Stampin’ Up! is throwing in a bundle of extra goodies worth $50.  Wouldn’t you like to be a Maui Stamper?

Here’s the Starter Kit – and you can customize it to suit yourself:

Stampin Up! 2011 Starter Kit

The extra goodies can be customized too – choose a punch and the Simply Sent products that work for you:

 

Sale-a-bration Starter kit bonus 2011

Ah, choices, choices, choices.  What will you choose?

A first look at Sale-a-bration

Lisa’s on the Mainland (crazy girl – it’s snowing there!) and she let me play with some of her Sale-a-bration sets:

Sale-a-bration Sweet Summer

  • Sweet Summer and So Happy for You stamp sets (SAB)
  • Pear Pizazz, Marina Mist, Regal Rose and Whisper White card stock
  • Pear Pizazz, Marina Mist and Regal Rose Classic ink pads
  • Daffodil Delight Stampin’ Write marker; Aquapainter
  • Scallop Trim border punch
  • Paper piercing tool and Mat
  • Brights Designer Buttons; Linen Thread (yay!)

First, let me say that I have promised myself never-never-ever to run out of Linen Thread again!

Now, I have to confess that when I saw Sweet Summer I thought it was cute but I didn’t think I’d be all wonky-crazy about it.  Think again!  I love these flowers, and not to be big-headed or anything but I think they love me too.  That long “wheel-y” looking panel was just randomly stamped, but I think it’s very effective.  And yes, I may be  starting to sound like Jan Tink and “Yes I Love Myself (YILM)”, except that I will never be so audacious as to compare myself to Jan Tink.

Sale-a-bration starts January 25th and my calendar is filling up.  Do you have your event scheduled yet?