Song of My Heart Stampers

Wish you were here

Greetings from gorgeous Alaska! Mike and I have been having a fantastic time on the 2011 Stampin’ Up incentive trip, a seven day cruise up the Tracy Arm Fjord. I already have over 200 pictures downloaded to the laptop, and have probably taken 200 more just this morning. Alaska is everything everyone said it would be and more. Just the Sawyer Glacier, all hemmed in with icebergs, was enough to see for one day. As I type this, we are on our way back out of the fjord, an indescribably wild and beautiful place. It is just beyond imagination. Every single window, balcony, deck, rail, holds a view to rival any postcard.

We’ll be in Juneau this afternoon, and Skagway after that, but I have to say, if the cruise ended right this minute, I would not be disappointed! We have seen sea otter, harbor seals, a school of herring, orcas, porpoises, a lone wolf, and lots of eagles. On our Bering Sea crab
fisherman’s expedition yesterday out of Ketchikan, we also saw multiple types of crabs, some wild looking fish, a starfish and even an octopus! We were able to get really close to the glacier this morning, a lucky thing (and a talented ship’s captain), and we even hit a small iceberg (no worries there, although it did strike us as incredibly ironic that the live orchestra during dinner last night played the theme song from Titanic). So it’s already been a trip we’ll never forget.

Mike is a great cruiser, really enjoying the experience, although like me, he loves to get off the boat and explore. We were a little seasick coming out of Seattle on the second morning. It was very windy and pretty rough. Laying down really helped, so we took several catnaps that morning between events and it got a lot calmer in the afternoon. We also
remembered to use our Sea-Bands and those things are awesome. We haven’t been sick since, although it’s mostly been so smooth you have to look out the windows to check and see if you’re moving! Thank goodness we’re not sick, because the food is just amazing. Shelli told us to keep grazing from morning till night and never let your stomach get totally empty. So if I gain weight on this cruise, it’s all her fault. As Mike says, we’ll follow our fearless leader anywhere : )

I know you’re all dying to hear about the Stampin’ Up side of things. I do have in my hot little hands a copy of the next Idea Book & Catalog!!! As well as a package of the 2011-12 In Color cardstock. Gorgeous!!! I can share more about those after June 1^st. We’ll be allowed to distribute the catalogs beginning on June 20^th, if I have that right. Both the catalog and the new colors are a-w-e-s-o-m-e. I am super excited about this next catalog. I know I say this a lot, but I literally want about fifty sets out of this one. I can’t spill the beans AT ALL about what is in it, but think of all the goodies we have NOW and multiply that with even more fantastic-ness and you’ll have an idea of what’s in store!

I do have tons of photos from the demo swap boards and some from Shelli’s stamping presentation that I can show you. Pam’s presentation was all new stuff that we’re not allowed to share just yet! I was excited because some of it was from the suite of products I will be demoing at convention in July, which I haven’t even seen yet. So I have ideas percolating already!

We are hoping to find a place with free WiFi today and be able to upload a bunch of photos. The internet is EXPENSIVE and intermittent because of the mountains, and we’re on a  limited-minute package, so the updates will mostly be pre-typed in advance and pretty short on photos! But I wanted you all to know Mike and I are having a fantastic time thanks to YOU, my tremendously supportive customer friends. Wish you were here!

Fun Flowers at Scrap A Stack Club May 2011

WOW do I ever like these big bold posies! I just got the Fun Flowers die for the Big Shot, and I am finding practically endless uses for these babies. For quick dimension on this scrapbook spread, I ran each layer through the crimper, before sticking them easily together with a mini glue dot. They add a lot of texture-y goodness to this summery page, along with the cheerful prints from the Beyond the Garden paper pack (which is, awesomely for us digital scrappers, available as a download for My Digital Studio, did you know that?).

It looks weird in the photo, but the letters are all sparkly thanks to Smooch accent ink in Illuminate (if you only ever get one bottle of Smooch, get Illuminate! You can thank me later). I also embellished this page a little more after it was all finished, by adding my favorite Crystal Effects to it in big circles made up of little dots. CE only takes a few minutes to dry, and it hardens clear and shiny, which is totally fun for all kinds of projects. You can make fruit glisten, eyes pop, letters stand out, and much more with this awesome little bottle of WOW! Just love that stuff. And at $6.25 a bottle, it's a cinch to add to your next order. Click here to see the Summer Mini online in my shopping website, and here to read about Crystal Effects.

Best Dad Ever

Wasn't it so nice of Stampin' Up to name a set after my dad? I thought so!

I was tickled when I saw this set in the Summer Mini catalog, because I just knew it was going to be a lot of fun to use My Stampin' Write markers and color those ties! And with the nice variety of sayings that come with it, Best Dad Ever is way more than just a Father's Day set.

I took the color palette for these cards straight from the Elegant Soiree DSP, and I love how some of the prints in that pack mimic the patterns you'd find on neckware. What a hoot! You also don't have to use the ties as a block, you can see from the single tie card above.

I'm sorry this image is blurry, but here's a quick example of how you could incorporate the ties and sayings into a cute scrapbook page, too. We'll be making this single page in Scrap A Stack Club tonight. We have room in that club, by the way! If you'd like to join us, we normally meet on the second Thursday night of the month, at six thirty p.m. in Watertown. Cost is just a $25 minimum order, so this class is a particularly good deal. Email me if you'd like to come one night and see if you'd like to commit to the group for a rotation.

My clubs run year round, and members can just join whenever you want and have your name added to the list of who will be the hostess for that month. So what are you waiting for? Your life is not going to get any calmer--make time NOW for the things that matter to you. One of my favorite quotes is, "Life is what passes you by as you're planning it." If scrapbooking was one of your delights, but has fallen by the wayside recently, rediscover that passion and reserve yourself a night out each month expressing your creativity!

Sail away with me!

My downline Cristy made this great card for her swap at our last demo meeting using the single stamp Sail Away, with a sentiment from Define Your Life. I love how she paper-pieced the sail and the boat so they are both bright against the Marina Mist sky (such an appropriately-named color!)

TIP: Paper piecing is as easy as pie--just stamp the image once on your base color and then once on another color or pattern. Cut out a selected part of the image, and adhere it directly over the top of that same part on the base color. It's a little more work, but it really adds a lot to a card! And it doesn't add any bulk for mailing.

At just a penny per three inches, the new Baker's Twine from the Summer Mini Catalog is an especially good embellishment to use when making multiples, as well as a great addition to this nautical-theme card (and likewise, not bulky). Click here to see the 2011 Summer Mini online, and shop 24/7!

Zippity-Do-Dah! THANK YOU, dear customer friends!

Pleased as punch to be able to announce that on Saturday, I received the order that pushed me over the top to earn the free Walt Disney World trip from Stampin' Up! Congratulations to Kathy Neverman for being the winner of the free any-price stamp set (she actually chose the Fun Flowers die for her Big Shot instead!)

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, for helping make this dream come true for my kids. I think every child should get a Disney experience once in their childhoods. But I quite literally could not have done it without you! Thank you to all my 2010-11 hostesses, club members, online ordering friends, and downline members who have made this possible.

I cannot WAIT to see where Stampin' Up wants to send us next! Hawaii--South Caribbean--Alaska--Disney--??? We should hear about the 2013 trip on the Alaska cruise, which we leave for this Friday at the crack of dawn. SUPER excited about that--although not about the size of my to-do-before-we-go list! Got Calendar Club tonight and Scrap A Stack Club tomorrow night, and then I will leave everything in the very capable hands of my assistant Penni, should you need any help while I am away. Just leave a note on my Facebook page (link is on the right hand sidebar) and she will contact you. You can also email me and I will get back to you when I return.

You could JOIN ME on this adventure! Just imagine. Sign up online any time of the day or night at www.lyssa.stampinup.net and get ready for the ride of your life!

2011 JD Crop for a Cure

Today's Crop for a Cure was both well attended and fabulously fun! We had a wonderful time crafting our arms off, shopping, winning prizes, eating, and of course, lots and lots of chatting!

This is Carol R. making her first papercrafting project ever! She came to sit and do her yarn work, and wound up getting totally hooked on the Make N Take. I'll have pictures of that later--forgot to take any today, wouldn't you know.

Kathy N had a lovely visit with her grandbaby. I got to hold this little sweetie, too! We both agreed there's nothing like a chubby baby in an adorable froggie-footed sleeper for warming up your hands on a chilly day.

Other daddies and kids came to visit during the day, too, including Jenny M's little girl, who had a great place to keep all her stickers. Isn't that just too funny? I'll have to send this photo to her mom to scrapbook.

Here is a rare picture of Kim R--rare because she's the organizer of this wonderful annual event, and you don't catch her sitting down pretty much the whole day! The JDRF crop is especially important to her, because both of her kids have juvenile diabetes. Thanks for another awesome event, Kim! I hope we raised a LOT of money for this great cause!

And here's a photo of the little gal who started it all--Amanda!

What a great way to spend a rainy, COLD Saturday. I didn't get a whole lot done myself, but I did get all caught up with friends I haven't been able to spend much time with lately, and that was priceless. I hope you'll make it a priority to take a little time out for yourself to get together with friends--maybe not even craft necessarily, but just spend some time purposefully connecting. Friendship is precious, a piece of yourself, your time, your life. Give that gift to a friend today!

Summer on a cardfront

How do I love thee, Fabulous Florets? Let me count the ways... I love thee stamped, I love thee heat-embossed. I love thee watercolored, I love thee when thou art done with the Magic Reinker Spread technique.... ok, I got that out of my system.

IF you couldn't tell, I really, really, really like Fabulous Florets, a new set from the Summer Mini Catalog. And I think this card, with its simple use of Whisper White, Pear Pizzazz and Tangerine Tango, practically tastes of summer. I'd love to have a dress made out of this! 

We're making this card at Calendar Club on Monday night--you can join us by emailing me at zwolaneks@att.net and bringing $15 and your own adhesive. We make four cards each of three designs, so you'll have four of these summery beauties to give away, plus eight other cards to help fill your card box. Hope you can come!