Hi!!! I had such a great, great week at Stampin’ Up! Convention 2012 last week!!!  Read below the video if you want to hear more about a few of my classes.  I will work on getting my pictures edited so I can show them to you!

Anyway, today’s video is all about tying ribbon!  For some people, tying ribbon is a real challenge and this quick and easy tip is a great way to tie ribbon easier, as well as to use a bit less.  If you need a bigger cylinder (in the video I show the Stampin’ Mist 2 oz. Spray Bottle #102394), I use the Stampin’ Mist 8 oz. Refill Bottle #101022.  Of course, you can use any cylindrical objects in your own home, but these are super handy for me as they are already in my stamp room!

On Wednesday, I took 2 great classes.  Donna Griffith facilitated the first class I went to – “I am savvy.” and featured awesome presentations by Dawn Griffith, Meg Wheeler, and Laura Milligan.  Be watching my blog in the coming months for some fun ways to use ribbon that I learned from Dawn, neat ways to use fabric from Laura, and using the new English Ivy Stationary Kit and Personalized Stamp in different ways from Meg!  The second class was taught by Carrie Cudney and was called “I am open for business.”  She talked about the new places we’ll be seeing Stampin’ Up! pop up as they launch advertisements online and in magazines toward the end of the month.  I’m very excited about the ads as they are super cute and fun!!!  I can’t wait to see more of them!!!

I would love to show my favorite ribbon techniques to you at a class or party soon!!!  Contact me today to schedule your fun stamping event with your friends!!!

Hi there!!!  I’m in Salt Lake City for Stampin’ Up!’s Annual Convention!!!  It is a time I look forward to every year. I created several different cards to swap with other demonstrators that I will be thrilled to share with you when I return on Monday. Hopefully I’ll also have all kinds of other fun things to share too!!!  Have a great week!  See you back here soon!!!

Hi there! A little delay in the posting of the Tool Time Thursday this week…I was really sick last week and have just been a bit “off” since then so I tried to recuperate today!  Hope to bring you Tool Time Thursday tomorrow!!!  Hope you have a great Friday!!!

Hello again!!!  I thought of an even better idea an the Clear-Mount Stamp Case to use as a “block” for those really long unmounted wheel stamps!  Check it out below!!!  Let me know what you think by leaving a comment here!!!

 
Hello!!!  I totally forgot about this little card when I posted my swaps from Stampin’ Up! Leadership 2012!  This quote is one of my favorite stamps!!!  This tiny sized card is called a love note, which is a 3″ x 3″ card (6″ x 3″ strip scored at 3″ to make it) and makes a great addition to any gift.  Stampin’ Up! even sells Whisper White envelopes (107309) for this tiny little creation as well!!!  First of all, I used the Wonderfully Worn background stamp on the Tempting Turquoise layer (stamped with VersaMark ink) which just retired so a good substitute would be the Color Spritzer Tool (107066) with the Tempting Turquoise Stampin’ Write Marker.  My favorite punch, the Decorative Label Punch is just peeking out from behind the focal point to add a little interest and pizzazz to the project!

The markers I used were Lucky Limeade, Early Espresso, Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry, and Tempting Turquoise.  The In Color Stampin’ Write Markers are not sold individually so that is why Lucky Limeade is not listed in the supply list below (I did put in the assortment though).  Also Tempting Turquoise is not sold individually so again the Brights Collection is listed in the supply list below (Rich Razzleberry and Pumpkin Pie are both also in the Brights Collection so they would be included with that set of markers.)

Finally, I wanted to let you know how I did the Daffodil Delight stamping.  Using the damask pattern stamp, I inked it up with the Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad and then stamped on a scratch piece of paper (I stamp on my Grid Paper which is my work surface for ALL of my projects) and then stamped onto the project.  This is often called “Second Generation Stamping” or “Stamping Off”.  It produces just a lighter version of a color and is really nice if you want the hue but not the saturation of a particular color on a project!  Give it a try!

Supply List

STAMPS:
Daring Adventure (Wood-Mount 122600, Clear-Mount 122602)
Wonderfully Worn Background Stamp – Retired

PAPER:
8-1/2″ x 11″ Whisper White Card Stock (100730)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Early Espresso Card Stock (119686)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Tempting Turquoise Card Stock (102067)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Rich Razzleberry Card Stock (115316)

INK:
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad (126944)
VersaMark Ink Pad (102283)
2011-2013 In Color Stampin’ Write Markers (123002)
Brights Collection Stampin’ Write Markers (119702)
Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker (119680) OR Neutrals Collection Stampin’ Write Markers (119703)

ACCESSORIES:
Lucky Limeade Baker’s Twine (125572)
SNAIL Adhesive (104332)
Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755)
Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

TOOLS:
Tabletop Paper Cutter (106959)
Simply Scored Scoring Tool (122334)
Bone Folder (102300)
Craft Scissors (108360)
Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)
3/16″ Corner Rounder Punch (119871)
Decorative Label Punch (120907)
Grid Paper (102787)
Stampin’ Scrub (126200)
Stampin’ Mist (102394)

Hi!  Tool Time Thursday has a bit of comparison between the old felt style ink pads vs. the new firm foam style ink pads.  I hope it is informative for you as lots of people have been asking about what the differences and similarities are, as well as if they need to replace all of their old stamp pads.  I also address this issue in my customer email newsletter which will go out either today or tomorrow.  If you haven’t joined my mailing list, just enter your info in the box to the right and click ‘submit’.

I’m also putting the pictures I have on the video here on my blog so you can see them here too.  One of the main things I LOVE about these ink pads is the name on the end so I thought I’d show the comparison between the old and new pads sitting in my holder.  Then, I thought maybe someone would want to see the whole ink pad and reinker holder that my hubby made me so I included that picture too! 🙂

Hope you enjoy!  Leave a comment below with suggestions for future Tool Time Thursday videos!!! 🙂

Hi stampers!  Back with a new video and card today – using 2 of our new 2012-2014 Stampin’ Up! In Colors, Primrose Petals and Raspberry Ripple.  I also used the stamp sets Button Buddies and Teeny Tiny Wishes, as well as some of the gorgeous Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon.

STAMPS:
Button Buddies (Wood-Mount 122735, Clear-Mount 122737)
Teeny Tiny Wishes (Wood-Mount 115370, Clear-Mount 127802)

PAPER:
8-1/2″ x 11″ Very Vanilla Card Stock (101650)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Raspberry Ripple Card Stock (126842)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Primrose Petals Card Stock (126841)

INK:
Primrose Petals Classic Stampin’ Pad (126858)

ACCESSORIES:
Basic Rhinestone Jewels (119246)
1/2″ Very Vanilla Seam Binding Ribbon (120999)
SNAIL Adhesive (104332)
Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755)
Mini Glue Dots (103683)
Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

TOOLS:
Tabletop Paper Cutter (106959)
Simply Scored Scoring Tool (122334)
Bone Folder (102300)
Paper Snips (103579)
Craft Scissors (108360)
Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)
Word Window Punch (119857)
Modern Label Punch (119849)
Itty Bitty Shapes Punch Pack (118309)
Dotted Scallop Ribbon Border Punch (119275)
Grid Paper (102787)
Stampin’ Scrub (126200)
Stampin’ Mist (102394)

Hi guys!  Updated my calendar with my new class list for May and June!  (It is the tab above in the Navigation Bar that says “Calendar” or go ahead and CLICK HERE!)  Don’t see a class you want?  Feel free to shoot me an email and let me know what other classes you’d like to see!!!

Welcome to those of you who I met at the Heartland Hospital Nurses Week Craft Fair!!!  I’m so glad you found your way to my blog!  Stay tuned for some fun projects and videos and please let me know if you have any questions or need anything!  To those of you who are nurses, thank you for all you do to keep us healthy!!!  Nurses truly make the hospital scene run a lot smoother and make all the difference in how the patient feels about their care!

Hope to see some of you tomorrow at my free Intro to Stamping class!  Remember to let me know if you’re coming so I can be prepared for you! 🙂

Hi there stampers!  I’m sorry I’ve been gone again for a bit.  Last week was some illness we brought back with us from Florida and then I’ve been furiously preparing for a Craft Fair I’m doing at the hospital here in St. Joseph for Nurses Week on Friday.  I promise next week we’ll get back to some regularly scheduled programming!

Thanks for your patience!  I’ll be bringing you pictures of the craft fair very soon too!

Get them before they are gone! The retired accessories and Definitely Decorative (including Décor Elements) lists are now available and won’t stay around for long–these items are only available while supplies last!  At the top of the list are the discounted items so check those out to get a steal on these products before they leave us forever!!!

Download the Retiring Accessories PDF.

Download the Retiring Decor Elements PDF.

When you look at the retired accessories list, you’ll note that all of our Stampin’ Pads are listed. This is for two reasons: (1) Craft Stampin’ Pads will now only be available in black and white; and (2) we are introducing a new Firm Foam pad in our Classic Stampin’ Pads with the 2012-2013 annual catalog.

The Firm Foam pads offer better ink coverage and, in turn, better stamped images. They will be available for order on June 1.

In addition, please note the following about the new catalog:

• Only select Stampin’ Write Markers will be available individually (Stampin’ Write Markers in color collections will continue to be offered)
• 12″ x 12″ Textured Card Stock will no longer be offered
• 12″ x 12″ Smooth Card Stock will only be available in select individual colors and color collections
• 2010-2012 In Colors will be replaced by the new 2012-2014 In Colors!  (Get the old ones now before they are gone forever!)
• An asterisk by an item means that it is being reconfigured.  This may mean a different form of packaging but the item will not completely go away.  I will not know what this “reconfiguration” is until I see the new catalog on May 7th! 🙂
• ALL Craft Stampin’ Pads except Black and White will be gone!

The list will be updated daily.  You can either refer back to this page or to my promotions page (in the top Navigation bar) to monitor the list – if you see an “X” by an item then it means that it has sold out and is no longer available.

I know there are lots of items retiring but that just means TONS more new things in our new catalog!

Hi there!  It’s that time of the year again – Stampin’ Up! is retiring many of the sets in our Idea Book & Catalog to make room for new and fresh designs that will release in June!  After May 31, 2012, you won’t be able to order these any longer so make sure you take advantage of the opportunity and order them NOW!

CLICK HERE to download the 2012 Retiring Stamps PDF. <–You’ll have to click on the link on the page it goes to!  Sorry about that!

Starting next week, I will be posting a sample daily made with these fabulous stamps!!!  Have a great weekend!!!

Today’s fun video is about a neat product that you really have to see in action to appreciate.  I used the Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch yesterday (in place of the certain flower from the Blossom Builders Designer Printed Kit that the Make & Take was designed with).  Enjoy!

Hi friends!  This was my favorite Make & Take from Stampin’ Up! Leadership Conference this past January.  I did not design it but especially loved the little ric rac piece created with the Scallop Edge Border Punch.  (If you missed the video I did on how to make that ric rac piece CLICK HERE.)  Also the complete supply list is below the picture of the project!

My newsletter will go out in a few weeks – make sure you don’t miss it by signing up in the box to the right of this post!

Supply List

STAMPS:
Mixed Bunch (Wood-Mount 125535, Clear-Mount 125537)
Thank You Kindly (Wood-Mount Only 111700)

PAPER:
8-1/2″ x 11″ Whisper White Card Stock (100730)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Poppy Parade Card Stock (119793)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Lucky Limeade Card Stock (122926)
8-1/2″ x 11″ Daffodil Delight Card Stock (119683)

INK:
Poppy Parade Classic Stampin’ Pad (119782)
Lucky Limeade Classic Stampin’ Pad (122935)
Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin’ Pad (119667)

ACCESSORIES:
Brights Collection Designer Buttons (119747)
Lucky Limeade Baker’s Twine (125572)
SNAIL Adhesive (104332)
Multipurpose Liquid Glue (110755)
Mini Glue Dots (103683)
Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430)

TOOLS:
Tabletop Paper Cutter (106959)
Simply Scored Scoring Tool (122334)
Bone Folder (102300)
Paper Snips (103579)
Stamp-a-ma-jig (101049)
Blossom Bouquet Triple Layer Punch (122464)
Scallop Edge Border Punch (119882)
Blossom Punch (125603)
Grid Paper (102787)
Stampin’ Scrub (102642)
Stampin’ Mist (102394)

Hi!  I love sponging so today I’m showing you the tools I use for this.  As I mention in the video, I use a wedge of the sponge for softer sponging and the sponge dauber for a heavier coverage of ink.

Thanks for watching!  Try sponging on a project today and leave me a comment letting me know what you think of this technique!

Supply List

Stamping Sponges #101610
Sponge Daubers #102892
Craft & Rubber Scissors #103179

Hi stampers!  I’m so sorry – I had a class yesterday so I was just going to post the Quick Tip Tuesday today but now I’m having problems.  My camera SD card keeps saying it is full with less than 3 minutes of video!  They are 8 GB cards and normally I can record much much more time than that!  In all reality, I am pretty new to this video making stuff so I know I still have much to learn!  Please leave a comment if you have a suggestion about how to fix this problem.  I didn’t change any settings so it shouldn’t be taking up more memory!  Again I really apologize.  I’m trying to troubleshoot it now so that I can get the videos done tomorrow and posted either tomorrow or Friday!  Thank you for your patience and again let me know if you have any suggestions!