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The Stampin' Addicts Holiday Mini Catalog Blog Tour is Here!

Welcome to the latest Stampin' Addicts' Blog Tour! Enjoy your journey as you click through the 23 blogs we have linked in a circle for you to peruse. You may have just come from Joyce's Stampin' Central, or this might be your first stop--either way, you're in for a fun ride! We start at noon Saturday and go through Monday night at midnight. Bookmark your favorite blogs and come back for follow-up fun and tutorials later!
Each Stampin' Addict chose one or two items out of the Stampin' Up Holiday Mini Catalog to feature, so you can get a fabulous overview of what that great 40-page publication holds inside before it actually starts on September 1st. My two items were the Calendar Kit and the Magnetic Gift Boxes. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do exactly other than think "outside the box" with these two items--so you be the judge of whether or not I got creative with this assignment!

 The Delightful Dates Calendar Kit (116771, $7.95) contains 12 individual pages with the months printed on them in a fun style, with Soft Suede ink, plus a chipboard easel. It is truly a blank slate! So here's a couple of ideas for what you can do with the calendar other than just set it on the easel.
My first project was the chipboard book calendar above. With my self-sharpening Tabletop Cutter I can cut chipboard into any size I need, and punch through many layers at once with the totally rockin' Crop A Dile tool. I covered the pages with Autumn Meadows DSP, which has that great Soft Suede color in it and coordinated with the Boho-West feel of the calendar pages. I didn't photograph every page (they're all different, one for each side of the double-sided pack of paper), but had to show you this one with my little cowboy on it.
Here's a little calendar clipboard I made from a DSP-covered piece of chipboard and the new Dusty Durango ribbon and cardstock. It stands up by itself thanks to one of the easel pieces being attached to the back of the clipboard. You could also hang it from a nail or hook. I love the touch of the tiny Mini Library Clip on the calendar page.
Next to the clipboard is one of the Chocolate Chip-colored Magnetic Gift Boxes (116796, 2 for $4.95), which I altered by double-cutting a Top Note shape into DSP-covered chipboard. You cut the Top Note out, rotate it 180 degrees on the die, and run it through again for a totally different and unique shape. It fits perfectly on the box top, which is about four inches square.
The very first thing I thought of when I saw these boxes was this home decor project, believe it or not! They boxes make excellent blocks for letters. I had great fun cutting out DSP-covered chipboard letters on my Big Shot, paper piercing the backgrounds, antiquing and distressing the gorgeous Autumn Meadows papers (116769, $9.95). Fall is my very favoritest time of year and I just love decorating for it.
One really cool trick in making these blocks was that I used Dotto removable adhesive to affix them, so if I want to change out the decor, I can just peel off these and make new ones, or use the boxes for another gift. Love that!

I hope you'll agree I saved the best project for last! The possibilities for altering these gift boxes are endless. A very cool side benefit to these boxes is that they are very sturdy, quite recyclable, and will last for years. Sometimes it is frustrating to put a lot of effort into a paper creation knowing that the end result is fragile and will not last very long. Not so with these boxes! They are excellently made and extremely well-designed. At only $4.95 for two, they're also a steal!
For the box above, I used the Autumn Meadows DSP again (can you tell I totally love that paper?) and the Sense of Time stamp set (113804, $22.95). The clock image lends itself perfectly to the Cracked Glass embossing technique and lots of distressing and weathering, which is fun and messy.

BLOG CANDY: Your feedback keeps me motivated! Please leave a comment below about the tour or this stop, and check back on Monday, August 31st to see who wins the Sense of Time box above PLUS another blank box to decorate as you please.

Well, that's all, folks--hope you've enjoyed this stop on the tour!  and you are welcome to continue to on Trina's blog (Stamps & Whiskers) by clicking on the "next blog" arrow below. Or be a non-conformist and go backwards by clicking on "previous blog" instead to see Joyce's Stampin' Central! And be sure to visit www.stampinaddicts.com for a great gallery, fun chat forums, and awesome challenges and contests!

Thinking of You, Grandma B

Made this card for my grandma as she recovers from cancer surgery. Last night at our open scrapbooking night here in Watertown, I also made her eight thank-you cards with the same set, so she can thank all the people who are helping take care of her right now. My dad called right after she got out of surgery yesterday and things look pretty good. The tumor looked very self-contained and they have great hopes that it had not spread anywhere else yet. She is home recovering now and hopes to be back on her feet soon. Can't keep a good girl down--they have cross-country vacation plans for the middle of the month, which they did not want to cancel! Thank you to everyone who is praying for her.

I've been plotting

Been having way too much fun this week designing the 10-10-10 cards and also making door prizes, booking incentives, visitor gifts, and more! Here's some sneak peeks of what I have been up to--keep in mind that the cards are subject to change based on what I have in stock. I may have to make some adjustments because I have a sneaky feeling that a couple of them are going to take most people way longer than ten minutes each to make, too!
I tell ya, I love my job!!! Do you love yours? If not, why not try Stampin' Up? You can join right now for just $85. Call me today for details! (920) 261-3962

Look what came yesterday!

I have had a fantastic mail week this week! First I got my convention swaps back from my convention buddy Shelley--can't believe she carted those all over the U.S. for me! Then I got my new soft and cozy Stampin' Addicts' t-shirt so I can spread the word about that fun and positive chat site. Then today I got this package from Stampin' Up, containing my sales award pin, my cruise pin, and the ribbon that would have gone on the bottom edge of my convention nametag had I been able to attend, which would have identified me to all as a cruise acheiver. Wish I could have gone to convention! Next year for sure! Wonder what the pin will look like for ALASKA?!

ONE HUNDRED CARDS BY CHRISTMAS

 

Many of you know that my dear grandma was diagnosed with breast cancer on Monday and underwent surgery this morning. I'd appreciate your prayers for her quick recovery and for good news from the surgeons.

In the timely way that our God moves, yesterday I found a Stampin' Up demonstrator who is collecting cardfronts to be made into full thank-you cards and included in a bag of comfort & encouragement items given to post-mastectomy patients. The demonstrator was herself a recipient of one of these "Necessities Bags" after surgery, and she said the only thing missing was thank-you cards to give to those who brought her flowers and helped with meals and such afterwards.

So in true demo fashion, she is embodying the SU principles and doing something about it! My goal is to give her ONE HUNDRED CARDS by Christmas! Can you help me? Email [email protected] for my address or I can put you in touch with the demonstrator herself as well.

You can visit this site http://www.necessitiesbag.org/index.php for more information on the Necessities Bag. Thank you so much for helping us bring comfort to these dear women during a time of upheaval in their lives.

Easy "Wiper" Card--don't be fooled by imitations!

Cute card, hmm? Little boring perhaps. Well, look what happens when you pull on the side! Up like a little wiper pops the message. (And yes, that's Wild Wasabi. Don't get distracted. I know it's hard when you spot a beloved retired color, but stick with me.)

A couple of score lines and a mini glue dot make the magic happen! Don't be intimidated by long photo tutorials on this card. It is easy and quick. It also fits in a regular envelope--big plus!
All you need is two 4.25x7 inch pieces of cardstock for the base, and a little 2x3 piece for the message. Score each of the two base pieces at one inch and two inches from one end only. You will want to stamp all your separate parts before assembling them. Glue those two pieces together with a glue stick with the score lines at the right hand side of the top piece and the left hand side of the bottom piece. Fold on the scores and you should have the shape shown below:
Bend up just the corner of the little message piece and add a mini glue dot. You will want to attach it to the inside of the card just a little ways down from the top edge, on the side panel as shown here. That way, when the card is closed, it lays down flat, but when you pull it open, up it springs!
Cute! Now go try it! And see if you don't sit there grinning like an idiot like I did the first time I made one and it actually functioned!

Ten 10 and under!

No, not a sale--although you can read about a "ten" themed event here-- I'm talking about my crazy weekend spent with my brother's adorable kids--ten total children 10 years of age and under! I was just sorting the photos this morning and counting my blessings and thought I should share them here.

Aren't they precious? Four sweet little girls and six sturdy little boys, all from not-quite three to just-turned ten. This weekend was the first time all ten had ever been together at once.
Here are the girls in their Sunday finery. For those of you who know my brothers, the little dolly on the left is Josh's only girl, and the two on the right are JP's little sweeties. My baby's in the pink.
All our firstborns playing X-Box--Jp's oldest in the stripes, Josh's #1 and #2 standing and kneeling, and my Dan in the orange shirt partially hidden. Hard to believe these big lanky boys were babies such a short while ago!
Uncle Mike had children hanging off of every limb of his body from the moment he exited the car until the hour we dragged our carcasses home last night. Josh's youngest boy was a real hoot to watch. I am not sorry the toddler stage is over at our house after watching Angela run after him all day! And the little imp below is JP's youngest. I tried to get a photo of him playing peek a boo with me around his mother's legs on Sunday morning but that little guy is QUICK!
So there you have it--a little photo tutorial of my fun family weekend. Times like these are far too few. How awesome that we can preserve our memories so easily these days. With the magic of modern technology my parents, unable to attend, had a PhotoBucket full of pics within minutes of them being taken, and up-to-the-second tweets from my brothers, and a speaker-phone to listen to the chaos for a few minutes and play "guess which grandkid." What a hoot!

Totally Terrific 10-10-10

You are invited to attend the

 

Totally Terrific 10-10-10

 

Saturday, September 12^th 10:00 a.m. to noon

,

Watertown

 

Ten different cards—ten minutes each—ten dollars total

 

Ten percent off all orders that day PLUS 10 door prizes to be given out

 

BONUS project for anyone who places an order or books a show that day!

 

All supplies, envelopes and refreshments included—but bring your own adhesive

 

Learn ten different card layouts & color combos to expand your horizons

 

Get your hands on new stamp sets, tools and accessories!

 

Space limited to 30—RSVP ASAP!

 

The first 10 to register with a new stamper friend will get their name in a drawing for an additional 10% off their order!

 

Lyssa (920) 261-3062  or  [email protected]

 Shop Online 24/7: www.Lyssa.stampinup.net   

Note: photos in this post are from LAST YEAR'S 10-10-10 event, not this year. Those still have to be invented yet. I'm working on it!

Photo Tutorial: Mega Tote Bag

I just made eight of these for my Incredible Cards Club members yesterday and they loved them so much, they insisted on a photo tutorial pronto. Luckily I had one more cut out of the adorable (and alas, retired) Sweet Always DSP, so here you go! Hang on for the ride--ain't this fun???!!! I love my job!

First, you'll need a piece of DSP 10x6 in. and one 8x6 in. So one sheet of DSP total per bag. Then, you'll need a piece of coordinating cardstock that is 8x4 (meaning you can get four "bottoms" out of one sheet of 12x12, a real plus when you are making multiples--hear that, Jane?). Score that bottom one inch in from all four sides.

Cut up those little scores and fold the bottom into a box as shown, using Sticky Strip to secure. Then run a strip of it all around the entire OUTSIDE of the box (see below).
Next take your smaller sheet of DSP (the 8x6 one) and starting from the middle of one side of the box, wrap the paper all around one half of the box as shown. make sure it is running the way that makes it six inches tall, not wide. DO NOT crease on the folds or you will end up with a square bag instead of a nice roundy tote.
Take the longer sheet of DSP (10x6) and do the same thing, this time starting from the corner of one side of the box, wrapping it around the exposed long side and winding up at the other corner. It should look like above when seen from the bottom. Again, DO NOT crease the edges. We don't wan' no stinkin' box.
Close those open side seams of your bag with more Sticky Strip. Do not even attempt this project without a lot of SS on hand. You WILL regret it. Just break down and buy the good stuff.
So now we have this lovely roundy tote with a nice flat bottom. One more time, we're going to wrap Stick Strip all around the bottom of the bag. Again, it's on the outside, but this time, run approximately 16 inches of either 1/2 inch cardstock strips or Wide Grosgrain ribbon as shown here all around the edge to make a nice finishing touch. Go for the ribbon.
Next we'll attach the handles. Cut two pieces of wide grosgrain ribbon (or better yet, the double-stitched wide grosgrain!) 11 inches long. Punch out four Round Tabs from coordinating cardstock and use the Crop A Dile to punch a small hole through all four of them at once. (Yes, just because you can. You could punch them all individually, but honestly, are they really going to line up correctly?)
Insert a brad of choice (I used Fire Circle Rhinestone Brads) and pierce through the end of the ribbon and directly through the tote sides to attach. Repeat for the other three ends of the handles. One handle on each side of the tote is the prefered method, but honestly, whatever floats your boat. I'm not one to judge. And here we have the happy little tote, all blinged up with a flower from the Pretties Kit, another big rhinestone, and a matching tag on a silver cord (available Sept. 1st from the new Holiday Mini Catalog!) The best thing about this tote is the amount it holds. This is no ordinary cute little paper doo-jobby. This is a large, sturdy, fill- me- with- a- whole- bag- of- Hershey's- Kisses kind of tote. You can put at least ten cards and envelopes inside, too. Make it with the textured Specialty DSPs on page 163 and you have a pretty rough and tumble bag that can hold some serious weight, yet is just a cute as a bug's ear.

Upcoming Blog Tour

I am really pumped about the upcoming Stampin' Addicts' blog tour focusing on the fantastic new 40-page Holiday Mini Catalog from Stampin' Up! For those of you who haven't heard of a blog tour before, it is a fun "circle" on the Internet where you will click the links connecting you to a group of weblogs all coordinated for that purpose. Each blog will link to the next until you have come full circle to the one where you started.

SA runs the best organized and most creative stamping blog tours around. If you are interested in participating in future hops, check out the demonstrator-only forums at www.stampinaddicts.com right away. You must have been a member for a certain period of time before you are eligible to represent us.

For this tour, we have each been assigned a product or product line out of the Holiday Mini. I will be featuring the new 2010 Calendar Kit and Magnetic Gift Boxes--doesn't that just whet your appetite? Others will be showcasing the exclusive Build A Bear line, new Big Shot dies and folders, new autumn and Christmas DSP, and of course new stamps and coordinating punches!!!

You should be receiving your mini catalogs in the mail this week--if you don't get one from your demo it's because we haven't heard from you in too long and we need to get together again! Contact me today and make time for this relaxing and fun hobby.

How to leave a comment in three easy steps

People have remarked to me several times in person over the past few weeks that they "love" my blog. And I thank them for their kind words, and remark that I am puzzled about the lack of comments left on the site. Honestly, it makes a gal wonder if it is worth going to all the trouble.

Whereupon they astound me by replying that they don't know "how" to leave a comment on a blog.

Well, let me tell you, I have made it as easy as it is possible for an internet comment to be left, because I hate those ridiculous mystery verification words some people have to protect their blogs from spam. It always takes me three or four times to get the word right, and more than once I have given up totally in utter frustration.

So here's the lengthy involved process:
1. click on "comments" (at the bottom of every post)
2. type in "oh my word, girl, you're a stamping genius" and your name/email (which no one will see but me)
3. Click "post."
4. Eat some chocolate.

Actually there's a step 2.5 and that is "check for typos."  But that's just for me. Step four is for everyone, though. And you're allowed to eat two pieces if it's THAT time of the month, doncha know.

Thoughts & Prayers special online ordering offer

I have been playing around with this Thoughts & Prayers set this week and have just been re-blown away by how gorgeous it is. Whether you do the simple, stunning tree silhouette, or use the floral spray by itself or repeatedly stamped, it looks fantastically beautiful. My current favorite color combo with this set is this More Mustard, So Saffron, Old Olive, and Mellow Moss.
I think everyone needs this set--not only is it gorgeous, it is such an encouragement. The sentiments are awesome for everything from sympathy, to difficult illness, to thinking of you.

So, I'm having a little online-ordering special for ya during August! If you purchase the Thoughts & Prayers stamp set on my SU shopping website, I will give you either a free marker of your choice ($3.25 value) OR a coupon for $3.25 off each Color Family of markers you purchase. Since I can't manually add my special to the SU site, your product or discount will come in the form of a rebate which I can mail to you.
it's easy as pie to order online and everything is safe and secure, albeit habit-forming!

Incredible Cards Club--two spots left for the fall session!

These are two of the cards we will be making this coming Monday night at Incredible Cards Club--and you can, too! Call me today and let me know you are coming to check it out and see if you would like to sign up for the fall session.

This one will be slightly different because I don't own the Big Shot Ovals (yet) but we will still be making the Peaks & Valleys (sometimes called tri-shutter) card that evening. Don't worry--it's not as complicated as it looks! I love that it folds down to actual regular envelope size for mailing.

The last project is a TOP SECRET sneak peek from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog! Did you get yours? It should hit mailboxes very soon! I will be calling you soon for my annual customer survey this year. If you don't receive a mini catalog from me, it's because I haven't heard from you in a long time. Place an order or attend an event and you'll be right back on my mailing list! Don't miss out on all the fun!

More samples from the retreat

Samples from my upline's retreat last weekend

Magic Reinker Spread --Special Offer

“I Want It All” Special: everything you need!

Fifth Avenue Floral stamp set

Shimmer White cardstock

Winter White Embossing Powder

Heat Tool & Embossing Buddy

Aquapainter Pack (2)

Versamark Clear Ink Pad

Powder Pal Tray Set & Brush

One pack solid color 8.5x11 cardstock of choice

One spool polka-dotted ribbon of choice

One package 40 envelopes

One package Double-Sided Paper of choice

Three fabulous sample cards

 PLUS: A Level One Hostess Set AND $15 free merchandise of choice

AND one free Color Family of 12 ink refills:  

Total Cost $150.30 plus shipping & tax

THIS WEEK ONLY--Call me and say "I want it all!" (920) 261-3962

(IWIA Special: substitutions allowed—feel free to ask if you already have one or more of these items!)

 

Well, this borders on embarassing! Stamper's Showcase

I can hardly credit my eyes, but I'm on the showcase again TWICE this morning! Both of these are Incredible Cards Club cards from last month. Oh that's funny, I just realized all three of the cards from that club were on the Showcase. Oh boy. How am I gonna live up to that one next month!

Both of these use Autumn Days and the new In Colors of Dusty Durango, Crushed Curry, and Soft Suede. The one below also uses Chocolate Chip Craft ink.

This one uses the new Wood Sheets which are totally fun! You can stamp on them, punch through them, run them through the Big Shot, stain them, sponge them--even STITCH them--anything you can do with cardstock. They are thin and flexible and you can cut them with scissors or with your Tabletop Paper Cutter very easily. Love that!

One more today--Stamper's Showcase

One more today! You know, if you like these cards, most of them are from my Incredible Cards Club, which meets on the third Monday night of each month. There are two spaces open if you would like to join us and learn to make really WOW cards like these! Call me ASAP to reserve your spot! (920) 261-3962

My four Stamper's Showcase cards this weekend!

Yep, that's right, I said FOUR! This morning I checked the SU site as I usually do daily, and there were two more of my cards featured. You regulars will recognize a few...I am so pumped. That is a very nice thing to happen when you are all grouchy about not being able to go to convention and hang with your stampin' peeps!
The sandcastle card was heavily inspired by my friend and fellow demo DebbieD43 on Splitcoast Stampers. We had a lot of fun making these in Incredible Cards Club. This pretty yellow rose card usign Fifth Avenue Floral (below) was a reject from my upcoming Magic Reinker Spread technique class on Tuesday night. Didn't make my cut--but made the Showcase!

This Sense of Time clock was stamped first with bleach and then with Chocolate Chip craft ink. Totally fun--I love making masculine cards with metal and fibers and distressing. And the For All You Do  butterfly below was a swap card for my upline's meeting last month.

Whoo hoo! I'm on the Showcase twice today!!

I am at my upline's retreat and just logged in to get some convention news this morning--and happily discovered I am on the Stamper's Showcase demo-only website TWICE today! Since I'm away from home (and on a MAC of all things--laugh) I can't put the pictures in right now, but I will do so when I get back. How fun! Having the Home Office appreciate your work is so validating!