The Big Shot is a Big Deal!

Guess what you can order starting tomorrow!? That's right--the Sizzix Big Shot die cut machine along with exclusive SU! dies that coordinate with other SU! products (are you surprised?)!

The Big Shot is a manual die cutting machine that can be used to cut over 50 different materials for use on crafts, home décor projects, and even clothing--it's a big deal! The Big Shot machine is the 6-time winner of Creating Keepsakes Reader's Choice Award for the best die cutting equipment and dies. Now you can own your very own Big Shot machine along with exclusive dies from Stampin' Up! I will be offering a class using the Big Shot later this fall, so be sure to check back often if you're interested in playing with my Big Shot!

Each day this week I'll be featuring a new card or project using the new die cuts and the Big Shot machine. Be sure to check back every day to see all the cute things you can make with this amazing machine!

Click here to download the Big Shot brochure.

Click here to download the list of approved materials that can be cut using the Sizzix Big Shot machine.

Scalloped Circle Punch Flower Tutorial

As promised, here is the tutorial to make the flowers I used on a couple of projects in yesterday's post.

1. Here are the supplies you'll need to make the flower. I punched out 7 scalloped circles from Chocolate Chip, Tangerine Tango, and Kiwi Kiss card stock. One of these 7 scalloped circles will be the "base." You won't actually see the base (for the most part), so it doesn't really matter which color you choose. I chose Chocolate Chip for my base.



2. Take a scalloped circle and cut between two scallops toward the center. I cut a little past the actual center of the circle.





3. Count 4 scallops over and cut toward the center of the circle. This second cut should end at the first cut.



4. Add a glue dot to the scallop you originally started with.



5. Roll the circle into a cone shape, overlapping 3 scallops.





6. Do these steps for 6 scallops. Leave the scallop you wish to use for the base.



7. Place a glue dot on the back of each "cone."



8. Adhere two cones opposite one another to the base circle.



9. Add two more cones opposite one another.



10. Now that you have a good idea where the center of the base circle is, punch a 1/16" hole in the center (for the brad).



11. Adhere the last two cones.



12. Place the brad through the hole and spread the prongs on the backside.



13. Voila! There's your flower!



Be sure to try this technique using designer series paper as well. The patterned paper will add some nice color and design to this fun little project. Thanks for looking!

Fall Decorations

Well, the air conditioning has been broken in my office for over a month now. The part to fix the a/c just came in last week, and they had my air working yesterday (yay!!). Unfortunately, when I came into work today, it was no longer working :-( Thankfully, since it was so hot today, I had an excuse to come home and stamp all afternoon! Whoo hoo!

I started flipping through the catalog to get an idea for my project for today. I turned to page 46 and saw several extremely cute boxes, one of which was decorated with a really cool flower. I decided I'd try my luck. I started with this box:



Here is the tag I made for the top of the box. The stamp set is called "Say It With Scallops" and is the Ronald McDonald House stamp set this year. It (obviously) coordinates beautifully with the new scallop square punch:



And of course I had to use the scallop edge punch!



Then I decided to make a thank you card:



Here is an up close view of that cool flower I mentioned earlier. I will plan to make a little tutorial to post tomorrow:



I loved the flower so much that I just had to make another one for this box:



I've had these round boxes sitting around my house for a year, so I decided that today was the day to brush the dust off those purchases and alter one of the boxes. I didn't do much, but the box works perfectly to add some height to my little display.



Here are all my projects all together:



I am very happy with all my creations for today :-) ...and I wonder why my laundry that I started Tuesday is still not done...

Thanks for looking!

Stamp Sets: Say It With Scallops, Short Order Alpha
Colors: Chocolate Chip, Kraft, Kiwi Kiss, Tangerine Tango

just because

I'm back on the wagon...and posting in the afternoon! Whoo hoo for me! Here's my card for today:



I loved this design as soon as I saw it on page 55 of the new catalog. I changed the colors using the colors in the Bella Rose Designer Series Paper, and I changed the stamp set using Embrace Life instead of It's a Stretch. To see an upclose of how I did the flower, see my post from earlier this month.

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Set: Embrace Life
Colors: Kiwi Kiss, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Chocolate Chip

Just Because I Care

Once again, I've been totally MIA. I had no idea how crazy the start of school would be! I don't think it's any crazier than normal, but because I'm only taking 6 hours this semester, I just assumed everything would be smooth and easy for me...but I forgot about all the craziness that comes along with the beginning of school, regardless of how many hours I'm taking this semester!

Yesterday was one of the worst most stressful and ridiculous days of my life! When I got home last night, I had a beautiful Stampin' Up! box sitting on my porch. I pulled out my new cute supplies and realized that the paper I had ordered was, in fact, what I meant to order at the time, but looking back now I see that I would have much preferred a different pack of Designer Series Paper. No worries! I'll just make a card out of what I have! Well, I designed and redesigned and reworked this card for about an hour and just couldn't get it right. I was so frustrated and upset that I just went to bed early without finishing my card. When I got home from work today (after a similar, but not quite as bad, day as yesterday), I sat down to finish the card. Here's what I settled on:



Of course, it still wasn't exactly what I'd hoped it would be, so I pulled out some retired rub-ons and added a little row of dots right above the scallops:



Still not sure this was exactly what I was looking for, but I guess it will do for now :-) I've still got a list a mile long, and only a few more hours in my day. Maybe I'll get caught up someday...maybe...

Thanks for stopping by!

Stamp Sets: Eastern Blooms, Best Yet (Level 1 hostess)
Colors: Baja Breeze, Old Olive, Certainly Celery
Accessories: 1-1/4" square punch, scallop square punch (NEW!!), designer label punch, 5-8" Old Olive grosgrain ribbon, 1/4" Certainly Celery grosgrain ribbon, Green Tea DSP

A Box for my Cards

As most of you know, I manage a small fitness facility on K-State's campus. Since I am also an SU! demo, I (of course) give out hand-made cards like candy! I usually keep a stash of Birthday and Thank You cards at work to give out when I need them, but I've always just kept them in a desk drawer. Yesterday it dawned on me that I should be proudly displaying my cards on my desk instead of in a drawer, so I sat down today to make a cute box to keep them in:



It's nice and simple--perfect for my fitness center office with concrete floors and terrible lighting...okay, so I'm not so excited about my office, but at least my desk will be cute!

I was inspired by this scrapbook page that I copied from the SU! demonstrator website:



I hope I'll have a few people ask about it so I can tell them all about the wonderful world of stamping!

Stamp Set: A Beautiful Thing (for the scrapbook page), Cherish Rub-Ons (for the box--the rub-ons are retired)
Colors: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Red

Mojo Monday Challenge

Julee posted another sketch on her blog yesterday, so I thought I'd take advantage of the challenge! Here's her sketch:



And my card:



Nothing too special about this card. I used another new color combo: Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue, Tangerine Tango, and Close to Cocoa. It is surprising that I went ahead with the Close to Cocoa as my mom and I kindly refer to the color as "Close to Crap"...we both pretty much hate the color, but it works really well on this card :-)

You should try Julee's Mojo Monday sketch--it's always so much fun!

Stamp sets: Heard from the Heart, Holiday Blitz
Colors: Kiwi Kiss, Bashful Blue, Tangerine Tango, & Close to Cocoa

happy

I'm sorry I've been MIA this weekend! Ben and I decided to go home, and the weekend was quite full! I'm back now and happy that my mom didn't make me return her stamps (yet) :-) I decided that I would play with another one of her stamp sets to make a card for today. I loved the card featured on page 137 of the new catalog, so I decided I'd copy it for my card today. Here's what I did:


I drew a curvy line on the backside of my Pumpkin Pie card stock. Using just my snips, I cut along the line and used my sanding block to make the edge smooth.

The main card is Pink Pirouette, and I cut my paper 5-1/2" x 5-1/2" and scored at 4-1/4". Using the Crop-A-Dile (set to 1-A), I dry embossed the circles along the edge. To make the circles in a straight line, I inserted the card stock as far as I could into the Crop-A-Dile and lined up the edge of each circle with the black box. Let me know if you have questions, and I'd be happy to show you!

The "happy" is stamped in VersaMark and embossed with Whisper White embossing powder, and the flowers are from the Flower Fusion set featured in the new catalog on page 182.

Here is a straight-on view of the front of the card:



I realize more and more every day that I constantly buy really cute products from Stampin' Up!, but then don't want to use them all up, so I never end up using them. These felt flowers I purchased almost 6 months ago and I've only used them once! I know you've said it before too: "They're just too cute to use!" :-) My challenge for you this week is to pull out some of those Ribbon Originals or special embellishments that are "too cute to use" and USE THEM! The longer they sit in your drawer or on your shelf not being used, the less likely you are to remember that you have them and can use them on that "special project" you've been saving them for!

Be sure to leave a comment with your "too cute to use" product and let me know how you used it this week!

Stamp Set: Happy Everything
Colors: Pink Pirouette, Pumpkin Pie, and Old Olive

Love of a Lifetime

Ben & I are truly to that point in our lives when ALL of our friends are getting married! We love being able to share in the joy of the marriages of all of our friends...plus that means wedding stamping for me! We've already been to three weddings this summer (two in one night), and we know of three more before the end of 2008. Additionally, one of Ben's good friends just told us that he'll likely be getting married next summer. It seems like every time I get sucked into the "black hole" (a.k.a. Facebook) another one of my friends is announcing an engagement or a wedding. It's such an exciting time!

My mom let me borrow a few of her stamp sets this week, and I finally (now that's is Thursday and I have to return the stamps tomorrow) got around to playing with them. I love the stamp set "Together Forever." I bought the decor elements together forever circle frame for our front door, and I absolutely LOVE the Mr. & Mrs. stamp in this set. I told my mom that if I was planning my wedding for next summer, I would be using 100% SU! wedding stuff. I love it!

Anyway, now for my card:



Stampin' Up! has been using this color combo on a lot of their advertisements recently (the Never Before Seen promotion, in particular). It's a color combo I would have never picked out on my own, but I love it now! I'll probably be using it again. Hopefully I'll get another couple wedding cards done tomorrow before I have to return the set!

Stamp Sets: Together Forever, So Many Sayings (Fall-Winter '07 Hostess Set)
Colors: Baja Breeze, Not Quite Navy, Kiwi Kiss

It was a party!

Last night was a blast! There were free idea books, tons of stamping supplies on sale, the new catalog, free give-aways, and make & take projects! The winners of the 2 door prizes are....


Amanda A. & Sarah O.


Congratulations! You will each get one free stamp set and a pack of cards!

Here are the make & take projects we made last night (in case you missed them):

Stamp Set: Heard from the Heart
Colors: Basic Black, So Saffron, & Riding Hood Red

Stamp Set: Wow Flowers
Colors: Baja Breeze, Riding Hood Red, & Chocolate Chip

This was a 6x6 scrapbook page. Shown below are examples of how to turn this 6x6 page into an 8-1/2 x 11 page:

and a 12x12 page:

Stamp Set: Tart & Tangy
Colors: Kiwi Kiss, Pumpkin Pie, & Riding Hood Red

Please let me know if you're interested in receiving a new Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog. I'd be happy to mail one to you!

Extra! Extra!

The New Stampin' Up! Catalog!

The moment you've all been waiting for is here! The new Stampin' Up! Fall/Winter 2008 Idea Book and Catalog is available for your viewing and ordering! Click here to view the catalog online. Click on the Contact Me button above if you'd like a printed copy of the catalog. Be sure to contact me soon if you'd like to place an order!

The Sizzix Big Shot & Stampin' Up!

I am so excited that Stampin' Up! has announced that they will be partnering with Sizzix and offering the Big Shot die cutting machine along with exclusive Stampin' Up! dies that coordinate with Stampin' Up!'s current products! For those who have not heard of the Big Shot, it is a manual die cutting machine that can be used to cut over 50 different materials for use on crafts, home décor projects, and even clothing--it's a big deal! The Big Shot machine is the 6-time winner of Creating Keepsakes Reader's Choice Award for the best die cutting equipment and dies. Now you can own your very own Big Shot machine along with exclusive dies from Stampin' Up! Click here to download the brochure. You will be able to purchase the Big Shot starting on Tuesday, September 2nd. I will be offering a class using the Big Shot later this fall, so be sure to
check back often if you're interested in playing with my Big Shot!

Never Before Seen Promotion

For the first time ever, Stampin' Up! is offering a promotion on brand new never before seen stamp sets! From August 11-September 30, enjoy a 15% discount on select brand-new, die-cut stamp sets from the Fall-Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog—no additional purchase necessary! Be sure to take advantage of this promotion, because Stampin' Up! may never again offer a promotion of this kind! Click here to view the flyer and see the stamp sets that are included in this promotion.

New Demonstrator Promotions

As a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I get to share my love for stamping, scrapbooking, and crafting with all of my friends, plus I get access to some of the best patterns and ideas for creating projects! I also receive amazing support from Stampin' Up! as they offer ready-made workshops and projects for me to copy as well as a 20% discount on ALL Stampin' Up! products. If you want to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, let me say that there is no better time than now to sign up! In my two years of being a demonstrator, I have not seen any better incentives for becoming a demonstrator than the incentives I'm about to share with you!

I am excited to announce that Stampin' Up! is offering several options for potential new demonstrators from August 11th-October 11th:

1. Buy the traditional Starter Kit for $199 and choose one stamp set from the Fall/Winter 2008 Collection for FREE (Any stamp set--any price! That's up to a $47.95 value! Wow!).
2. Buy a special-offer Mini Starter Kit for only $99! If you have been a Stampin' Up! customer for some time and already have many of the items that come in the traditional Starter Kit, then this offer is for you! Choose from three different Mini Starter Kits:

• STAMP-FOCUSED STARTER KIT
  • Fun & Fast Notes stamp set
  • Whisper White card stock (8-1/2" x 11")
  • Bold Brights® card stock assortment
  (8-1/2" x 11")
  • Basic Black Classic Stampin’ Pad®
  • SNAIL® Adhesive
  • Business supplies
• SCRAPBOOK-FOCUSED STARTER KIT
  • Contempo Alphabet stamp set
  • Petal Party Simply Scrappin’®
  • Pixie Pink Classic Stampin’ Pad
  • Business supplies
• HOME DÉCOR-FOCUSED STARTER KIT
  • Inspired by Nature stamp set
  • Décor Elements™ Chocolate Classic F
  • Décor Elements Medium Chocolate
  Long Stem Silhouettes
  • Décor Elements Applicator
  • Kiwi Kiss Classic Stampin’ Pad
  • Business supplies

*Remember that you can substitute products of equal or lesser value if there is something you would rather have.

Wow! Now that's a lot of news! If you'd like to take advantage of any (or all) of these promotions, click the "Contact Me" button above and let me know! If you have questions or comments about any of these promotions, please feel free to contact me in the same way.

Baby Card Take 2

Well, my pink baby card idea got vetoed by Ben...and my mom...and my sisters...so I decided to try something different :-)



How's that? Baja Breeze and Chocolate Chip says "Congratulations on your new baby boy" a little better I suppose!

On a different note, tomorrow, Monday, August 11th, the new Stampin' Up! Fall/Winter 2008 Idea Book & Catalog goes live! Stay tuned for LOTS of new updates on the exciting things Stampin' Up! has in store for us this year! Check back tomorrow to read all the news!

If you are in Manhattan tomorrow evening, be sure to drop by between 7p and 9p. I'm having a party complete with chocolate and stamping! Let me know if you need directions! I'll see you tomorrow!

Stamp Set: Baroque Motifs
Colors: Baja Breeze, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White

Another Baby!

This must be the week for babies! My aunt gave birth to her fourth, Wyatt, on Monday, and my sister-in-law gave birth to her third, Aiden, yesterday morning. I'm a cousin and an aunt all over again! :-)

I was a little disappointed that they both had boys. I at least made a green card for my aunt on Monday, but little Aiden will have to get a pink card. I can't go a whole week without a pink card!! Since I'm technically sending the card to his mom, hopefully it won't be a big deal!

I got my most recent order in the mail today (I have to admit--I was expecting a box of catalogs...I still haven't received my new catalog! I'm dying to see it!). Anyway, I splurged and bought the stamp set featured in the card above, Text & Texture. I really liked this card from the beginning...then they made a decor elements piece using the "life is good" stamp, then Shelli posted an adorable scrapbook page using the set on her blog (by the way, be sure to check out Shelli's blog. Shelli is the Co-Founder of Stampin' Up! and has just started her own blog. She's featuring a monthly challenge where she picks the winner! Anyone (demonstrator or not) can enter the challenge! Check it out now...or as soon as you're done here on my blog!) I decided I just couldn't live without the set! When I got it today, I immediately pulled it out to start playing! Here's the card I made today:



It was super-simple to make, and I'm so proud of myself for off-setting the mats! Go me!

Stamp Set: Text & Texture
Colors: Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Old Olive, Chocolate Chip

August Card Kit

You can receive all the supplies you'll need to create 12 copies of this card for only $20!



Click here to learn more!

Card Kit Club

Join the club and SAVE!

Each month I'll unveil a new Card Kit for your purchase. If you'd like to purchase this kit every month, join the club and save some cash!

Click here for more information regarding the Card Kit Club

#1 Favorite Retiring Stamp Set

So what's your favorite retiring stamp set? Is there one that you're really sad to see go? My favorite set (that I purchased as soon as it became available) is Year After Year, and it is, unfortunately, retiring next week :-( In honor of my favorite retiring stamp set, I made this cute tall box with the flower stamp from the set:



The box idea came directly from the Stampin' Up! Home Office. They offer so many cute ideas to demonstrators on the Demonstrator Stampin' Up! website--one of the many, many perks of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator (just my plug for the day...).

Stamp Sets: Year After Year (retiring 8/10/08), Celebrate Everything
Colors: Soft Sky, Wild Wasabi, Pumpkin Pie, Real Red

#2 Favorite Retiring Stamp Set

And tonight...Number Two...Tagger's Dozen! I remember when this set came out in one of the Mini Catalogs in early 2007. I bought it right away and was thrilled to see it make it into the Main Catalog last Fall/Winter. This set is so versatile--it's got everything from wedding to baby to just because, plus I LOVE the tag punches. I realized tonight that I hardly use them though...maybe that will change :-)

Well, like all cards-gone-wrong, this one started out with a grand idea. It was perfect in my head! Looking at the card now, I wonder what planet I was on when I hatched this great idea? Oh well...as the saying goes, "I'll just send it to my mom..."



Actually, I'm planning to send it to my aunt. She just gave birth to her fourth, Wyatt Matthew. I still haven't seen pictures, though my mom went to Omaha to visit them today, so I'm sure I'll see pictures soon :-)

Tagger's Dozen comes with twelve stamps that all fit inside the small tag punch. Here's a picture of the set:



My favorite stamp is probably the Mr. & Mrs. stamp, and I've used it on TONS of cute wedding cards. Of course I'm usually making the wedding cards as we're walking out the door 5 minutes late, so I don't have any pictures of said cards...sorry! Anyway, I'm sure my aunt will like the card just fine. Its dimensions are 6" x 3" (the same dimensions as SU!'s long notes). I used Wild Wasabi (retiring 8/10/08) and Chocolate Chip. The background polka dots are from the Polka Dots and Paisley stamp set (also retiring 8/10/08). Don't forget to post a comment with your favorite retiring stamp set!

#3 Favorite Retiring Stamp Set

The countdown to the end of the current Spring-Summer 2008 Catalog is down to 6 days! Considering the small amount of time we have to order these retiring stamp sets, I've decided to do a little countdown of my own: my top three retiring stamp sets. Today, #3: The Snowflake Spot



This is one of my favorite projects I've made with the super-cute snowflake set. Although snowflakes are the last thing on my mind (as it was over 105 degrees today), I really liked this set. I made this set of coasters that I put out during the winter season with this set. This is another one of my favorite cards I made with this stamp set last winter:



Although you may not be thinking about Christmas quite yet, if you like this set, let me know ASAP so you can get this set for yourself!

So what's your favorite retiring stamp set? Post a comment and let me know!