On Line Spectacular!

Stampin' Up is offering an Online Spectacular--a one-week sale with discounts up to 50 percent!!   "Door busters" include:

My Digital Studio - 50 percent off!
Designer Fabric - 50 percent off!
Free shipping on online or demonstrator orders of $150 or more!
 
More details will be available on Monday!!
 
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Also, here are the answer to a few questions I've gotten lately about becoming a SU demonstrator:
 
1. What are the minimum sales requirements?

You only need to submit $300 in sales per quarter or $100. per month.

2. What if I want to do this as a hobby and not necessarily a business?
Stampin’ Up! supports all demonstrators, no matter their goals or the level at which they choose to run their business.  If you choose not to hold workshops, you can simply place your own orders and/or collect orders from family and friends to equal the $300 quarterly sales minimum.

3. Can I be my own hostess?
Yes. Invite your family and friends into your home and have a workshop, or place your own order equaling $150. or higher to receive these benefits.

4. How does the 30% Discount on my first order work?
Once you sign up, you have 45 days from that date to place a $150. or higher order and receive a 30% discount on the entire order (plus hostess benefits). If you need a small amount of supplies before you are ready to place this order, you can order then without forfieting this Special Offer.

5. How much does it cost to get started as a demonstrator? 
The Starter Kit is only normally $175.00, and it includes everything you will need to get your business up and running, including stamp sets, ink, paper, catalogs, order forms, a training video, and more ($310 value). You have your choice between the Standard Starter Kit or the My Digital Studio Starter Kit, and if you’re interested in scrapbooking, you can also select the Stampin’ Memories Add-On for an additional $50 ($80 value).

UNTIL NOVEMBER 30th, both of these kits are available for $87.50

Punch Info

Please note that the following items are temporarily unavailable for ordering due to quality issues:

2-3/8" Scallop Circle Punch (item 118874)
Ornament Punch (item 119847)

Stampin'Up! is currently working with the vendor to solve these quality issues. We understand these problems with two of our punches pose issues.  Please be assured that wSU is doing all  they can to solve this problem as soon as possible.

Since the Ornament Punch is part of the ABCs of the Perfect Handmade Holiday promotion, the following bundles will be affected by this issue and will not be available for ordering:

Tags 'til Christmas Bundle 2 (w-124478; c-124477)
Tags 'til Christmas Bundle 2 (Spanish w-124482; c-124481)
Tags 'til Christmas Bundle 2 (French w-124480; c-124479) 

Update on other punches :

Decorative label punch # 120907 is NO longer on backorder.

The XL Fancy Flower punch #118073 and the 2 1/2" Circle punch #120906 should be available after Dec 1, 2010

So sorry for the inconvenience .

Club Projects

I had my last Club meeting yesterday.  We will start again in January with making calendars.  We had a small group yesterday - only 4 gals but we made enough mess for a dozen!!  They wanted to make tags so I had gotten out all my Christmas stamps, punches, paper, and ribbon so they could create on their own.  We also made tag holders to put the tags in like the ones HERE.  They turned out really cute with everyone making a different one.

We also made a Gift Card Holder that is really cute! 

Isn't he darling?  Of course, this is the Owl Punch.  I used the Snowflake Punch for his antlers.  The gift card holder uses the Sizzix Two Tags Die (pg 206).  This is a very versatile die.  Not only does it make great tags but if you put the fold of your paper above the cut line on the die, it makes this holder.  If you don't understand, let me know and I will take a picture of what I am talking about!

Gift Card Holder opened - insert gift card where green paper is.

I also showed them how to stamp on candles.  Don't you love how this candle turned out?  I used the Bells and Boughs stamp set from the mini catalog for the poinsettas.  My club gals stamped on tea lights.

Well, I am headed out the door to get my hair cut, meet my sister for lunch and do some Angel Tree shopping!  Hopefully, when I return home, I can begin to dig through the mess that I call a stamp room!!

What a Deal!

Just a reminder about the great special Stampin' Up is offering right now!  

As many of you know Stampin Up! is having an amazing deal for those who want to join Stampin' Up! What I just found out was you can buy this kit (which has over $99.00 just in stamps OR the My Digital Studio and starter kit...the MDS is worth $79.00) right now until the end of November for an unbelievable price of $87.50 (plus free shipping.)  This is worth over $310.00 in total products (paper or digital items plus business supplies.) AND you do not have to sell anything every again.  Or you can place your first order within 45 days and get a 30% discount. You don't have to live near me to join - anyone in the USA can do this.

Let me know if you are interested in signing up!

We Made It Home ... Not an Easy Feat!

We had a great time in Pittsburgh although our teams lost - Steelers on Sunday night and Penguins on Monday night - and I picked up a bad cold while there.  Trying to get back home ... well, that was a different story!  We left Pittsburgh about 11:30 a.m. expecting to get home around 6:30 pm.  Things were going great until about 4:00 when we got to the I-77 turn off of I-81 in Virginia.  The interchange was closed so we went up to the next exit; did a U-turn and got back on the highway hoping to get onto I77 from the north.  Nooooo!  Sonny went into a gas station to ask about an alternate route.  They gave us directions through small towns on a 2-lane road along with everyone else.  We never went over 35 mph!  When we got to the next place where we could get onto I-77, it was also blocked.  We asked the police that were there and were told I-77 was closed all the way to the NC line and would be closed until midnight probably.  So on we went toward Mt. Airy.  We hadn't gone far when there was a wreck about 5 cars in front of us.  So we were stopped on this little dinky road for 1 1/2 hours waiting for it to get cleaned up!!  Finally the tow trucks got the cars out of the way and we continued down the mountain.  We finally arrived home about 10:30 tonight.  We were both so glad to get out of the car!!!  We kept hearing different stories about why the highway was closed - from 50 car accident to 100 car accident to cows being involved and on the highway!  I just did a Google Search and found out that the wrecks started this morning around 11:30 on the southbound side of I77 involving several vehicles and a few minutes later there was another accident within a couple of miles of the first one resulting in a couple of deaths.  Then around 5 pm there were more wrecks in the northbound lane.  State police have determined that a total of 75 vehicles were involved in multiple pile ups, half of them commercial,  due to dense fog.

I am very thankful that we were in the right place at the right time and were not involved in any of those wrecks.  Guess there was an angel on our dashboard on this trip.

I hope you enjoyed the Blog Hop this weekend sponsored by Operation Write Home.  If you didn't get to all the posts, here's a link to thumbnails from each post.  There's also a digital "freebie" there for you!

An Amazing Opportunity!

What an amazing deal - you can get over $310 in crafting and business supplies for $87.50!!

For a limited time, Stampin' Up! is offering our amazing Starter Kits for $87.50--that's 50% off of the regular price of $175.   Available Nov. 15 thru Nov. 30!

IT'S THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY FOR A HOBBY STAMPER! The starter kit is not only a fantastic savings, it includes the benefits and discounts of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator with no obligation to sell.

Choose either the Standard or Digital Starter Kits. Includes $310 of Stampin' Up! stamps and accessories for $87.50.

The starter kits can be customized to your preferences. Here's what is included and your substitution options. Starter kit products ship FREE.

• Take 30% off your first $150 Stampin' Up! product order (placed w/in 45 days).  
• Save 20% on all other orders  
• Pre-order from the 2011 Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration catalogs starting Dec. 1. 
• Sale-A-Bration is around the corner and free stamp set opportunities multiply!
• Enjoy tons of learning tools, including video tutorials on the Stampin' Up! demo site. 
• Sign up on-line and enjoy instant benefits (starting Nov. 15)
  
  OTHER INFO: There's no penalty to drop and you keep the kit and everything you purchased at a discount! You'll enjoy full demonstrator privileges thru March 31, 2011. To remain active beyond March 31, 2011, $300 in product sales is required.

You can watch this video to hear what other demonstrators have to say about the opportunities with Stampin' Up.

Operation Write Home Veterans Day Blog Hop!

Hope you are enjoying the Operation Write Home Blog Hop!!  Welcome to Inkie Fingers!  I am excited to be participating in my FIRST blog hop.  This is the perfect Hop for me since our veterans are near and dear to my heart.  Not only do I have a daughter currently serving our country in Iraq but my son graduated from West Point Military Academy and served his country both in Korea and in Iraq.  Also, my father, step-father, brother and grandfather were all proud veterans.

The deadline for Christmas cards has passed for Operation Write Home.   Valentines are the next holiday cards that are needed. Valentines are due Jan 7, but sooner is always better so they can get some boxes packed ahead of the deadline.

I hope you enjoy these Valentine cards that I have made to send to our Veterans.  I would love to hear your comments!

My first card is a darling Love Birds card featuring the birds from Stampin' Up's Love You Much.  I put a little envelope (from Sizzix Bigz Scallop Envelope) on the front with a little love note inside.

 

Front of love birds card. 

Supplies used:

Cardstock:  Stampin' Up Pink Pirouette; SU Dotted Window Sheet (retired); Whisper White

Stamps Used:  Love You Much, For A Friend (Stampin' Up - retired)

Accessories:  Bigz Scallop Envelope Die, Cuttlebug Embossing Dotted Swiss folder; Pinking Hearts Border Punch, Owl Punch (for the red heart)

Inside of card

My second card features a cute little OWL.  I love Stampin' Up's Owl Punch and it made making this card super easy!

Supplies Used:
Cardstock: SU Soft Suede, Regal Rose, DSP unknown
Accessories: 2 3/8" Scallop Punch, SU Scallop Punch, Spellbinders Circle & Scallop Punch, Owl Punch, Pinking Hearts Border Punch. Hand Held Circle Punch
Ink: Soft Suede

To make this card, cut your cardstock 5 1/2" x 11" and score at 2 1/2" and 5". Decorate accordingly.



Card open



You can help Operation Write Home get $50,000!!  Joann's is giving away $50,00 to one of 3 charities.   Now it's everybody's turn to choose the charity that will receive the $50,000. The 2nd and 3rd place vote-getters will receive $25,000 and $15,000 respectively.  Voting begins November 7 and ends 11:59:59 P.M. EST on December 4, 2010. Limit one vote per person/e-mail address per 24-hour period.  We ask that you please VOTE DAILY at Joanns.

Archway Cookies is also partnering with Operation Write Home and will match sending their sweets with our sweet Valentines.  Read all about it HERE.

Hope you enjoyed my  Valentines and will visit me again.

To go to the next stop on the Blog Hop, click HERE and visit Shelly!

Diet and Exercise .... take care of yourself

Seems like I'm always fighting my weight as many of you do also.  Here's a recipe for you to try as well as some interesting calorie burning exercises.

How about a simple, fast, smoothie breakfast paired with a half english muffin with 1 tsp peanut butter.


♦ 1 mango, cut into cubes
♦ 1 banana, broke into large chunks
♦ 1 cup pineapple chunks
♦ 1 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
♦ 2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
♦ 1 cup ice cubes

Combine mango, banana, pineapple, kiwi, yogurt and ice cbes in a blender. Puree until smooth and thick.
Pour into 4 glasses. You can freeze the leftovers in sealable plastic containers. Microwave for 30-60 second and stir, to defrost.
Makes 4 servings (about 2 cups)

Per serving with half english muffin & peanut butter: 260 calories, 4g fat, 250mg sodium, 47g carbs, 4g fiber, 11g protein

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 Below is a list of a few activities that you can do with no rewards or you can turn it around and reap the rewards of 30 minutes of exercise. (figures are based on a 180-pound woman's expenditure)


Watch a baseball game [burns 66 calories]
Play baseball [burns 354 calories]
Shop Online [burns 66 calories]
Walk around the mall [burns 141 calories]
Drive to the car wash [burns 66 calories]
Wash your own car [burns 129 calories]
Watch ballroom dancing [burns 66 calories]
Go ballroom dancing [burns 129 calories]
Ride a lawn mower [burns 66 calories]
Push a lawn motor [burns 258 calories]
Play a video game [burns 66 calories]
Play Frisbee [burns 129 calories]
Use a leafblower [burns 75 calories]
Use a rake [burns 171 calories]
Sunbathe [burns 66 calories]
Go swimming [burns 300 calories]

~~~Change One, The Official Reader's Digest Diet

BE SURE TO CHECK IN TOMORROW FOR THE OPERATION WRITE HOME BLOG HOP!

Not My Usual Trashy Self!

I've been working on Christmas cards the past few days.  I found a few images in my stash so decided to color them and make them into Christmas cards.  I didn't have to cut up a bunch of paper or throw away rejects.  Tonight when Sonny went around to collect the trash from all the rooms to take to the curb, he was quite surprised to find my trash can(s) weren't overflowing as usual.  He asked me what I'd been doing all week - obviously not making my normal amount of trash.  He usually hates to come in my craft room!  I try to have it bundled up in advance or at least to be in the room to empty my trash containers in his black plastic bag.  I have one regular sized trash can under my desk and 3 small trash receptacles scattered about - on the floor and table.  After all the work I had done on various projects for the craft fair the last few weeks, I took a much needed break this week.  I'm sure in the next few weeks, I'll be back to my "trashy self!"  I've got calendars to get done in time for Thanksgiving!

So, here are some of the cards I did this week:

This card uses SU DSP and cardstock, the Big Shot and an embossing folder.  The Christmas light stanp is from DRS.

 Another non SU stamp and DSP.  I colored the pine cones with my Copics.  The one on the right has Liquid Applique on it for snow as well as Stickles and the one on the left just has Stickles on it.  Both are pretty glittery.

I was looking through my stamps the other day for a Santa Claus and realized I didn't have one (except for a very large one).  So, when I was in M's one day, I saw this guy and bought him.  He's pretty jolly!  I embossed him with black embossing powder and used the Liquid Applique on the hat.  The DSP and Riding Hood Red cardstock is from SU. 

I've since bought an SU Santa that I really like.  I hope to ink him up tomorrow!  The set is from the Holiday Mini catalog - Jolly Old Saint Nick.  There are 2 Santas and a darling snowman!   Hopefully I will have some "play" time tomorrow.  We are leaving for Pittsburgh on Friday a.m. and we have to pack and go to town to get my nasty car washed so we can see out the windows when we are driving!! 

I will be in a Blog Hop this weekend.  I will be getting it ready tomorrow and setting it to post while I am gone.  This is the first Blog Hop I have done and I am excited about it.  It is for Operation Write Home so be sure to stop back by on SATURDAY and check out my Valentines!

Greeting Card Kid

I had a late night last night .... biting my fingernails to the quick watching the Steelers play in another nail biter game!  They pulled the win out but almost blew a 20 point lead at halftime.  Tonight we went to the Checkers hockey game after a nice dinner at Black Finn downtown Charlotte.  It was a fun evening even if the hockey game was a bit boring.  The only fight that occurred was before we even got in our seats!  We were only ten minutes late and missed a fight and two scores by the opposing team.   Oh well, it was a nice night out with friends.

Today I worked on a Christmas card using the In Colors (Blushing Bride and Pear Pizzaz) and the little girl from Greeting Card Kids.  I stamped a few of them from Margaret's stamp set - I think she is going to have to stamp a few more for me!

I got the idea for this card from Sandi MacIver's Countdown to Christmas newsletters.

I got a SU shipment today for my club ladies.  I had ordered some more ribbon organizers.  They are great and hold a bunch of ribbon!  See for yourself:  These are three of them (they come 2 to a package).  I have 4 medium and 2 large ones and they all hook together on the sides.