Retirement List Available April 15th

RETIRED PRODUCT UPDATE!   Mark your calendars! Stampin' Up! has announced the dates they will be delivering the "news" on which products will be retiring from their line-up. Décor Elements and 2010-2012 In Color items (Pear Pizzazz, Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Concord Crush, Poppy Parade) will be retiring. 

• The Retired Stamp List will be released on April 15, 2012 and stamps will be available through May 31, 2012.

• The Retired Accessories/Décor Elements Lists will be released on April 25, 2012. Retiring accessories and Stampin' Up! Décor Elements (being discontinued) will only be available while supplies last so be sure to mark your calendar and ORDER EARLY.

PLEASE REMEMBER that the Stampin' Up! 2012-2013 Catalog will be released June 1, 2012, a month earlier than in the past.

Are You Ready?

Before you know it, time will be here for the new Annual Catalog!  With the coming of the new release, we also have to say goodbye to some old favorites.  The 2010-2012 In Color Assortments will be moving into the retired world and we'll be welcoming five new In Colors to enjoy for the next two years.  The big question is, are you stocked up on all the retiring colors?  Ink refills, cardstock, ribbon, pens???  I know I'm going to be making sure I have what I need before it's too late.


For those of you who may have questions about the changes ahead, here's an overview.


Annual Catalog


Stampin UP! has decided to move the date ahead a month for the New Catalog, it will go live on JUNE 1st, 2012 (it used to be July 1st).  As Demonstrators we get to pre-order on May 1st WOO HOO - I can hardly wait! 

The new catalog will be slightly smaller than in the past and will be printed on lighter-weight paper to reduce the cost to me as a Demonstrator giving me a chance to provide more fun projects for my customers.


Seasonal Catalogs (currently known as the Mini Catalogs)


There will now be 2 annual mini catalogs, the Holiday Catalog and the Spring Catalog,

The Holiday Catalog will run from August 1, 2012 (pre-order for demonstrators in July) through the beginning of January, 2013.

The Spring Catalog will run from the beginning of January 2013 (pre-order for demonstrators in December) through May 31, 2013.


The new Seasonal catalogs will be larger in both size (8-1/2" x 11") and page count (about 40 pages) than the current mini catalogs.


Also, Stampin UP! has decided to discontinue the Decor Elements and a couple of other items, so watch the CLEARANCE RACK for those.


Personally, as a Demonstrator, I'm excited about the changes.  This will reduce the expenses of running my business and gives me the opportunity to share more catalogs with more people to help me grow my business.  It also allows me to purchase and enjoy the mini-catalog items longer which makes me more willing to buy them so I can demo them longer.


As customers, you can expect the same content and great project ideas and like our clear mount stamps, our catalogs will take up just a little less space in your bookcase!

Take some time and take inventory of your colors... be sure you're ready when we say goodbye to our old In Color colors!

TGIF!!

Barbie's Workshop Projects

We had a great workshop today!!  I really loved the way it turned out and the projects came out so cute!!

The Bunny Card was CASE'd from Lorri Heiling (thank you Lorri!)  I think this is just the cutest card I've ever seen!!!

Recipe for Bunny Card:

Cardstock - Soft Suede, Early Espresso, Whisper White, Basic Black and Regal Rose

DSP - Twitterpated (Occasions Mini)

Ink - Blushing Bride, Early Espresso, Stampin' Write Marker - Basic Black

Stamps:  Woodgrain background (117100); Delightful Dozen ( w-122650 / c-122652)

Punches:  Ornament Punch, Large Oval, Medium Oval (yes, it's retired, but it's the best one for bunny ears and feet!), 1 3/4" Circle, Boho Blossom, 3/4" Circle, Cupcake Punch (for eyes) 

Extras:  Hemp Twine

Our 2nd project was made with the Pillow Box and holds two of the Easter Size Kit Kat Bars.

I just love our Owl Punch and all the fun things that it can be made into.  This time our precious little friend is transformed into a Bunny!

Recipe for Owl Bunny:

Cardstock - Crumb Cake, Whisper White, Basic Black, and Pretty in Pink

DSP - Flirtatious Specialty

Punches:  Owl Punch, Small Oval, Heart to Heart, Cupcake Punch (for wings)

Extras:  Basic Pearls, Pillow Box Bigz Die

I hope you enjoyed our projects today!  If you have any questions, please let me know.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

~ Donna

Just a quick post tonight as it's been a very long afternoon.  Hubby's Aunt hasn't been feeling well and ended up at the doctor today, but she was too weak to go from there.  When he arrived to pick her up the doc wanted her taken to the ER to be checked out and put on an IV.  She's been unable to keep foods down and is dehydrated.  After hours of waiting they finally got her hooked up to an IV and have decided to keep her overnight for a couple of nights - seems she has an infection that's going to need treatment.

So, tonight's card was made by Linda.  She CASE'd it from France Martin "Frenchie" here.  We just love listening to and watching Frenchie's videos and great ideas!  It's hard to see but she used the Spritzer Tool to add some additional green around the card.  I think it came out great!

Well, off to bed, Election Day tomorrow and I just know I'm going to have a hard time unwinding early to get some sleep!

Happy Monday!

~ Donna

Bright Blossoms and Summer Smooches Sneak Peek

One of the best things about being a Demonstrator is getting a chance to get a first peek and early purchase of upcoming items.  While we can't show you the items, we can show you what we've made using them, so today, I played with some of my newest "toys".  

These were super simple to make yet have a little bling to make them adorable. 

Stamps Used:  Bright Blossoms (coming soon), Short & Sweet (115060) wood only, Pretty Postage (w -123095 / c-123097)
Cardstock:  Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Real Red
DSP:  Summer Smooches (coming soon)
Stampin' Write Markers:  Real Red, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise and Rich Razzleberry
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones (119246), Postage Stamp Punch (122344), Modern Label Punch (119849), Simply Scored Diagonal Plate (125586)

I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek... I know I enjoyed making them and I'm looking forward to making more fun things with them.  Stay tuned!

Hugs~

Donna

Stamp a Stack - March

Yesterday's Stamp a Stack was a lot of fun.  It was a simple card since we had a lot of overtime hours at work the week before.  Even so, I think the cards came out great.  One of these days I'll remember to take pictures of the variety of final product!  I love that everyone can put their own spin on the cards and alter them to what works best for them.

In order to have some variety we used both Tangerine Tango and Pumpkin Pie for the base and for the scallop.

Other Supplies used:  Whisper White and So Saffron cardstock; Inks:  So Saffron, More Mustard and Daffodil Delight - depending on which one the girls wanted to use for the stars and Tangerine Tango / Pumpkin Pie for the sentiments.

Now I'm off to put finishing touches on Barbie's workshop for next weekend.

Have a great weekend.

~ Donna

Sympathy Cards

None of us likes to have to make a Sympathy Card for a friend or family, but when I do have that task, this is my "go to" set every time. Thoughts and Prayers (wood only - 113252). 


I always tend to use the "tree" but this time I used both of the image stamps and I'm really pleased with how the 2nd one came out.

Paper:  Soft Suede, Early Espresso and Very Vanilla

Ink:  Early Espresso

Accessories:  Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder (120175)

Decorative Label Punch (120907)

Paper:  Sahara Sand, Early Espresso, Very Vanilla

Ink:  Early Espresso

Accessories:  Perfect Polka Dots (118335)

Antique Brads (117273)

Thanks for peeking in today.  Tonight is my Stamp-a-Stack and I'm so excited to have 2 new girls join us this evening.  So, back to getting the finishing touches done for tonight!

Have a great weekend!

Stampin Up's Simply Scored Diagonal Plate Video Tutorial

I'm really excited about this new tool offered by Stampin' Up!  I ordered mine yesterday and can hardly wait to receive it, hopefully this weekend, so I can play with it!

Here's Stampin' Up's video tutorial showing you how to use the NEW SIMPLY SCORED DIAGONAL PLATE! It's great for making envelopes and for decorating / scoring background papers.  Available yesterday, March 1st - Item Number 125586 for only $11.95!

I'm excited that Stampin' Up started this promotion during Sale-a-Bration so you can get even more bang for your buck!  Don't forget - Sale-a-Bration ends March 31st so be sure to get your orders in to receive all the freebies you want before the event is over.

Diagonal Plate Video

Product Features
•Sits on top of the Simply Scored base
•Held securely in place by rubber pads on back of the plate
•Has etched grooves every 1/8"
•Can score any size card stock up to 12" x 12"
•Includes instructions for creating common envelope sizes
•Coordinating products include:
◦Simply Scored (item 122334)
◦Simply Scored Place Markers (item 125625)
◦Simply Scored Stylus (item 125624)

Let me know if you have any questions and have a great day!

Thanks for peeking in!

~ Donna