July Paper Pumpkin

Wow - already August!  Stampin' Up has a few specials this month.

*   One of them is a Big Shot Special.  Through August 31, you can get an exclusive Framelit and Stamp Set Bundle for FREE when you purchase a Big Shot.  OR, if you already own a Big Shot, get a 15 percent discount on these select bundles.

*  The entire line of Blendabilities are now available!!  Watch these videos to show you tips and tricks.

*  You can get a head start on your Christmas cards by purchasing this beautiful stamp HERE

And don't forget the Weekly Deals released every Tuesday as well as the goodies on the Clearance Rack.

Paper Pumpkin is also on sale -



And, taking about bargains, you can get a bargain with Paper Pumpkin now too.  For all NEW subscribers, if you sign up by Sept. 10 and use the code HALFOFF2 you can get 2 months kits for half off!!  What a deal and a good way for you to try Paper Pumpkin kits out.  I saw the next few kits on display at convention and they are pretty great .... just saying!  You can cancel your subscription at any time.  If you are interested in details, just click at the top of this page PAPER PUMPKIN SUBSCRIPTION.  Make sure when you sign up that you enter me as your demonstrator!

The Fine Print:

• For new subscribers only.

• Available for month-to-month subscriptions, not prepaid subscriptions.

• Discount applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription. After the first two months, the price for each month's kit will go to the regular price: $19.95.

• You and your customers need to visitMyPaperPumpkin.com to join.

• Enter the Promo Code, "HALFOFF2" when you sign up. 

• New subscribers must join by Wednesday, September 10, 2014; 11:50 PM (MT).

I worked some magic today with my July Paper Pumpkin kit.  Sara Douglas demonstrated on stage at convention some note cards and a cute  box she had made with her kit so I did the same.  Then I made several boxes and 10 cards from the kit.  AND I still have stuff left over to make more!  This month's kit was a real bargain.

These are 6 notecards that I made by cutting the cards included in the kit in half.

I masked the stars (punched out the stars and used them already) and using my daubers, sponged them onto my cards.

Six boxes came in the kit.  I cut the top and side flaps off this one to use to hold my note cards.

Front of the note card box

I decorated the other 5 boxes to use for little gifts.  For this one, I punched a few scallop circles, misted them with water, scrunched them up and made a flower.

The other 4 boxes all using materials from the kit (except for the "Merry Christmas" stamp - it is from a Paper Pumpkin kit from last year.

2 of the cards I made.  Note the banners and scallop circle - these were made from the box pieces that I cut up!
Waste not - want not!

2 more of the cards

2 more cards - the top one uses a "grunge background" stamp from an earlier Paper Pumpkin.

2 more cards - On the top card, I used the negative of WISH and sponged Blackberry Bliss on the card.  

2 more cards.  For the top card, I sponged the vertical lines using one of the templates on pg 205.

These were a lot of fun to make!

Paper Craft Crew Challenge

Wednesday was the date for the Paper Craft Crew Challenge.  I did my card a few days ago but forgot to post it yesterday!  Oh well, what's the saying?  A day late and a dollar short?

This was the sketch:

And here is my interpretation of the sketch:

I used the MDS Beautiful Today.  This is one of my most favorite kits for MDS.  I just love the soft colors and the watercolor washes that are in it.  Also the download features a video tutorial that teaches you how to align and space objects.  By following along the tutorial, you can create your own Daily Affirmations Journal.  For $14.95, this is great bargain!

We got some good news today.  Ashley called this morning to tell us she is on the list to be promoted to LT Colonel next summer!!  We are so proud of her.  Last year's promotion list did not include many girls on it at all.  She was not eligible last year so we had our fingers crossed this year for her.

Flower Patch

I got the Flower Patch Bundle (pg 156) and have been having fun coming up with different patterns for this set.  It is a Photopolymer stamp set and, wow, does it cling great to your clear blocks!  Here is one card that I made.

We used it last week in Club and made the card I posted HERE.

I also decorated a little notebook for Marianne and myself using the set along with some DSP.

At Late Night Stampers, we made this card with the Flower Patch set doing a LOT of masking!!  But the extra work with the masking was well worth it because the card is really great!

I received several swap cards at convention that were really great also using this set.

There are so many possibilities with this stamp set!!

DSP Topiary

One of the projects we made at Late Night Stampers last week was a little Topiary Tree.  I just love it!  I think it would be so great to use for a baby shower or a bridal shower - using the colors of the bride (or baby).

The Designer Paper was cut into strips - we were told that she ran the paper through her shredder.  What a great idea!!  Then we curled the DSP with our bone folder and used a pin to stick them into the styrofoam ball.  There were a few flowers scattered around which were made using the Spiral Flower Die.

Wouldn't this look great done in fall colors for Thanksgiving or Christmas colors for December?

Turn your Photos into Cards!

My upline, Carol, lives in Tacoma, Washington - close to where we used to live.  The scenery there is breath taking and I really miss it.  For her convention swaps, she incorporated her photos with her stamps.  I thought that was a unique idea.  It just goes to show, all your cards don't have to be stamped!  Here are the four that she gave to me.

Who knows .... you might see my cat, Sammie on a card one day!!

These are her daughter's cats.

This one really touched me.  This is Mount Rainier - a view I never tired of seeing.  We lived in Gig Harbor which was a peninsula and had to cross over the bridge to get to Tacoma and if the weather was cooperating, we had marvelous views of the mountain like in this picture.

I don't know where she took this picture but I love how she cut it into three pieces.  Don't you love the rusted truck amid all the beautiful flowers?

Stamp Club

I had to move Stamp Club to this week since I was at Convention last week when it was regularly scheduled.  Summer is so hard to schedule events - everyone is so busy so it is come if you can and let me know if you can't!!  I was on the ball and made all my cards - and wrote up the directions - before I left town.  Here are the cards we made this month.

This first card is a good use of the wonderful Fringe Scissors!  I think it is really a great card for a girly girl!!  And the sentiment fits it to a "T" don't you think?  It is from the new stamp, Remembering Your Birthday (pg 59).

This next card was so fun to make!  I used the Hardwood background stamp for the fence, cutting apart the individual slats and sponging the edges.  But the greatest part was cutting the pointed tops of the fence!  I used the Chevron Punch and it was so easy!!

The clouds were made using the Word Bubble framelits - sponging Soft Sky around the edges.  I made a flower pot with the Artisan Label and Word Window punches.  The flowers are punched out of DSP with the Petite Petals Punch and candy dots were used for the centers.  Again, those Fringe Scissors came in handy for the grass.  Of course, the bird is from the versatile bird punch and his eye is a pearl colored with a black Sharpie.

This card was fun to make and everyone's will turn out different.  I used the Flower Patch stamp and randomly stamped the flowers.  I embossed the bottom half of the card with the Woodgrain folder (after stamping).  A caution using the Woodgrain folder - I have found that it is easily torn so I try to remember to emboss it by opening up Tab 1 on the Big Shot or you could also try using a piece of waxed paper.

This card was based off a swap I received last year at convention!!  I really haven't used this stamp set (Six Sided Sampler) or the coordinating punch very much and really need to!!  I love how it turned out.  I stamped the images in White Craft Ink on the Melon Mambo card stock and the images in Versa Mark on Black card stock.  Then I embossed the black card stock using Melon Mambo embossing powder and the Melon Mambo card stock with White embossing powder.  The white card stock is embossed using the Honeycomb embossing folder.

I hope these cards give you inspiration!

Framed Art Convention Swap and My Gift

At the Late Night Stamper's event, we did 3D shoebox swaps.  This is the swap I made for my shoebox.  I really enjoy making these framed art samplers.  I bought these little frames at Ikea for a couple of dollars and used all the new In Colors for the punch art.

The first night of Late Night, we exchanged gifts.  My gift came in this darling owl bag along with an owl card and owl candy bar wrap.  Isn't it darling??

And this is the beautiful piece that was inside the Owl Bag.  It is just lovely.  It is on a stained wooden piece that I am thinking may be an old background stamp piece of wood.  I love the pansies in two colors.  This was made by Kay Capps.

Fun at Late Night Stamping Event

Marianne and I went to Salt Lake City several days before convention actually started. The Late Night Stampers group was hosting their Stamp Camp for the 13th year.  I had always heard about it but never attended.  Unfortunately, I think this will be the last year for it.  They booked a block of rooms for the event (and convention) at a discounted rate at the Radisson.  As of May 1 (their cancellation date), they had filled almost all of them but as it got closer to convention, people started canceling.  I think what happens is that demonstrators book several rooms early in the year hoping their friends and down-lines will want them. When that does not happen, they cancel with no cancellation penalty.  So,today we received an email that they were 150 short of the 80% of rooms to fill.  When we were in SLC, the head of the group was told she would have to pay $20,000+ to cover her contract.  I don't know what the total came to after all was said and done but I am sure it was a hefty amount.  I can't imagine coming home to tell my husband I have to cough up that much money!!  The event was a lot of fun and we were busy from 8:30 a.m. until about 7 p.m. at night for 3 days.  We started at 6 p.m. Sunday night with a welcome party where we each took a handmade gift to exchange.  Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we were busy doing 3D shoebox items, different projects and  winning a bunch of stuff!!

Projects and 3D shoebox 

More 3D shoebox swaps

My nametag

Projects we made

Several times a day, we  got to go to the "Give-Away" table and pick an item for free.  Plus they drew names several times a day for a large prize give-away.  I won the flower Big Shot Die below on the final day!

Just a portion of what I got for free

More of my freebies!

Convention Exhaustion!

 

I got back from Stampin' Up's Inspire, Create, and Share convention Saturday night .... or rather early Sunday morning.  Our plane got in around 11 but by the time we got home, it was after midnight. And almost 2 am before I was asleep.  I have unpacked my craft suitcase today (mind you - unpacked but not put away yet!)  I still need to unpack my clothes suitcase and do laundry,   Unfortunately, we had to leave convention a couple of hours early and missed one of the All Attendees give-aways.  Every day Stampin' Up gave us a freebie!  Plus there were several lucky people who got Prize Patrols .... but not Marianne or myself!  Oh well ... better luck next year!  

CONVENTION!!  Oh my word!  It was a crazy-busy-exhausting-fun-exhilarating week!  And one of the highlights of Convention was doing SWAPS .... lots of swaps! 

I won't be photographing all of them separately, but I will pick out a few to share with you over the next few days.  Here are a few funny ones that I got.

Here is the cover of the new STAMPIN' UP HOLIDAY CATALOG .... WHOO HOO!!  I actually have one of these in my hot little hands that they gave us at Convention.  I'm not allowed to share pictures of the content, but we can sure talk about it!  We were able to purchase a few items from the catalog on cash and carry basis.
First off - if you don't have a Big Shot yet, there is a super special coming for the month of August and you need to save your allowance and get one - because the holiday catalog has so many new Framelits in it, you are going to be cranking away! 

Next – we all need boxes for the holidays right? – can you say GIFT BOX PUNCH BOARD – WHOO HOO….. I bought one and will be using it this week!!

From cute, to elegant, to little towns, single stamps to use your Blendies on, stars (when you get that Big Shot Special, make sure you get the Stars bundle)…snowmen, Santas, and ENDLESS WISHES is in the catalog – so no “while supplies last” this time, although it might go on backorder because everyone wants it,  It was offered last year in December as a photopolymer set and is a great one!

Ok, back to the catalog, beautiful new designer paper, some very cool embellishments, a new Flipcard Framelit (snowflake shape!), new embossing folders, beautiful new ribbon and packaging is back…beautiful paper, all kinds of new boxes and bags, and stamp sets to create adorable tags…..

And the really good news – they took the layout of the catalog back to the old one, where the beautiful samples created by the Stampin Up Artists, are right beside the stamp sets!

Sea Street Convention Swap

Our internet here sucks so you probably won't see too many posts this week.  But be assured Marianne and I are having a blast and learning a lot.  We don't have much free time and go to bed exhausted every night.   Tomorrow is the final day of Late Night Stampers.  So far I haven't won a prize but Marianne won ALL the clear blocks the very first night.

The card above is my swap for tomorrow's 80 card swap using Sea Street.