More Time Well Spent

Hi stamping friends! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We had a very good time with my husband's family in Calgary, enjoying time with our two little nieces.

It's almost time for our new catalogue! I've had a peak through it... Be sure to check the retiring lists carefully one more time - I'll be placing my last order at about 4:00 pm on December 31st.

Here's another great card made with the new Time Well Spent set. This one was made by Lucie. It looks fantastic in Wild Wasabi and Cameo Coral. The paper piercing, ribbon and brads add nice touches to this card.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2008 Stampin' Up!)

Time Well Spent

It's been a very good mail week already and it's only Tuesday! I love receiving Christmas cards and receiving a handmade card is so special! We've been very fortunate this year and I was just admiring our collection so thought I'd take a quick photo and share it with you here. I always hang our handmade cards on the top string and for the first time this year, the string is full! Yay!! We've received some beautiful handmade cards. Thank you to all of my stamping friends who have sent greetings!

You'll also see a little of my snowman collection in this photo... this is just a small piece of the collection!

Well, I better not leave you without posting another card sample. This one comes from my friend Stacey. It uses that new Time Well Spent hostess set... And, this card has the most unlikely colour combination that looks great - Pumpkin Pie, Purely Pomegranate and So Saffron with Very Vanilla. It's a nice bright card.

Have a wonderful day!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

A sneak peek!

Well, what I surprise I had today... I received my demonstrator copy of the new catalogue in the mail! Only one copy... the rest will be here soon! The catalogue has a beautiful cover and many nice things inside!

So, although I can't show you everything in the catalogue, I thought I could give you a sneak peek... Here are a few cards created with new stamp sets.

The first one is my creation using a set called "Embrace Life". It's a beautiful set and I really enjoyed making this card. For the first time ever, I used my Watercolour Paper (pg 179) and I loved it! I've actually had it for a long time and never used it... now I'll be ordering some more because I know I will want to use it more! I stamped the flower in Jet Black StazOn and then coloured using an Aquapainter and Groovy Guava ink. Notice the new Designer Series Paper as well - it's called Ginger Blossom. Oh, and also notice that I managed to make a card without ribbon! Very rare for me!!

The next two cards use a stamp set called "Time Well Spent". It's a hostess stamp set in the new catalogue and it is amazing! This is the stamp set that was sent to all Stampin' Up! demonstrators as a gift from Shelli Gardner... With all my Christmas card stamping, I haven't managed to use mine yet, but I did receive some fantastic swaps from my downline tonight using this set.

This nice colourful card was stamped by Alicia. I know Alicia commented that it was a lot of colouring to make this card for the swap, especially with all the Christmas preparations she has going on right now, but I really appreciate the time she dedicated to making this card. It's very cheery!

Suzanne managed to skip most of the colouring with her design by stamping the images in different colours of ink. This brings a different look to the set and shows that it can be versatile for quick cards. Don't you love the greeting on this card? It says "time spent with friends is time well spent." Very well said!

I'll try to share some more cards from this swap with you soon. With Christmas season upon us, things are very busy in our house so my computer time is pretty limited right now. I did manage to get all of our cards out though, with the last leaving today... our total reached 192 hand-stamped cards!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright Stampin' Up! 1990-2008)

A special request

A couple of weeks ago, we had a craft and bake sale at work to raise money for the United Way. Well, I bet you can guess what I contributed... yes, lots of cards! We had a great sale and raised over $600 total so that was fantastic. In the process though, I had a special request from one of my co-workers who wanted a pink and green Christmas card for his wife... You may be surprised that I didn't have one of these on hand! ; ) So, today I made the card for him. What do you think? It's my first Pretty in Pink and Certainly Celery Christmas card. It's actually growing on me - it's quite pretty! You kind of lose a bit of the effect on the scan - I did the faux diamond dust technique on the top part by stamping the snowflakes first, then covering the whole piece with VersaMark ink and sprinkled Irridescent Ice Emboss Powder over the whole thing. You have to be careful when you heat this because if you over-heat it, you will lose the glitter. Then, I also added Irridescent Ice Emboss Powder on the little snowman using a VersaMarker pen. The textured card stock and the light pink rhinestone brad add great detail along with the Pretty in Pink Taffeta Ribbon.

I'm still stamping a few last Christmas cards this weekend... I've completed 128 so far and am just finishing off the last 65 now! Tomorrow, Mom and I will be making our Christmas meat pies - yummy! It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Retired Accessories List

Holy smokes... has it really be a week since I last posted? Where has the time gone? Well, actually I know where it has gone... Christmas decorating, Christmas shopping, Christmas celebrating and Christmas card making!! I love Christmas!! Our house is now festive with bright lights and decorations - most of which are my beloved snowmen (or should I say snowpeople?) who I am so happy to see again! I managed to make 108 Christmas cards this weekend so now it's time to write that annual "what we did this year" letter for our family and friends and then I can get them in the mail.

Okay, before I get any more caught up in the festivities, I should let you know that the list of accessories that are retiring is out. Remember, with this list, the items are only available while supplies last... so don't miss out - order early! The list is long - be sure to get to the bottom where the retiring wheels are listed... I'm surprised to see so many of the Designer Series Papers going but this probably means that there are some new ones to debut in the new catalogue!

Edited to add: the items that are now marked in red are sold out and no longer available! (updated December 18th @ 7:45 am)

109198 Accents & Elements Borders & Blossoms
109199 Accents & Elements Little Reminders
2109197 Accents & Elements Tagged
100700 Album Leather Post Black 8-1/2x11
105385 Album Linen Post Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11
104520 Album Linen Post Natural 8-1/2x11
104517 Album Linen Post Navy 8-1/2x11
105382 Album Linen Post Real Red 8-1/2x11
105392 Album Linen Ring Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11
104510 Album Linen Ring Natural 8-1/2x11
104513 Album Linen Ring Navy 8-1/2x11
105388 Album Linen Ring Real Red 8-1/2x11
105067 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment I
105068 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment II
108798 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Confetti White
107246 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Kraft
105747 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large
105748 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large Divided
105744 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Small
105749 Boxes Stamp & Supply Jumbo
105734 Boxes Stamp & Supply Large
105746 Boxes Stamp & Supply Medium
105745 Boxes Stamp & Supply Small
101052 Brayer Attachment Foam
107293 Cards & Envelopes Greeting Very Vanilla Medium
109149 Designer Series Paper Brocade Background
109161 Designer Series Paper Cerise
109162 Designer Series Paper Charbon
109155 Designer Series Paper Creepy Crawley
109152 Designer Series Paper Darling Doodles
109150 Designer Series Paper Dashing
108503 Designer Series Paper Petals & Paisleys
109156 Designer Series Paper Linen Prints
109147 Designer Series Paper Notations No. 2
109148 Designer Series Paper Outlaw
109158 Designer Series Paper Uptown
109157 Designer Series Paper Wintergreen
107285 Envelopes Open End Very Vanilla Large
107284 Envelopes Open End Whisper White Large
107296 Envelopes Shimmery White Medium
107287 Envelopes Square Vellum Large
107310 Envelopes Square Very Vanilla Mini
107294 Envelopes Vellum Medium
107290 Envelopes Very Vanilla Large
107291 Envelopes Whisper White Large
101016 Eyelet Tool Kit
105317 Eyelets Bold Brights II
105379 Eyelets Silver
105315 Eyelets Soft Subtles II
107282 Fancy Fibers Bella
107283 Fancy Fibers Elizabeth
103352 Stampin' Glitter Romantic Red
103349 Stampin' Glitter Silver Shine
106650 Greeting Glue
102620 Liquid Glue
103145 Page Protectors Post 8-1/2x11
104523 Page Protectors Ring 8-1/2x11
103598 Paper Vellum 12x12
105543 Pastel Refills Bold Brights
105544 Pastel Refills Earth Elements
105547 Pastel Refills Neutrals
105545 Pastel Refills Rich Regals
105546 Pastel Refills Soft Subtles
105962 Perfect Layers Tool
104184 Post Extenders
106522 Punch Spring Bouquet Flower
109722 Simply Scrappin' Creative License Hostess Level 1
109611 Simply Scrappin' Happy Me Hostess Level 3
109596 Simply Scrappin' Out & About
109626 Simply Scrappin' Primary Colors
109649 Simply Scrappin' Round Up
109635 Simply Scrappin' Secret Garden
109663 Simply Scrappin' Winter Bright
107415 Simply Sent Friendship Shapes
109230 Simply Sent Happy Day
105580 Spectrum Pad Blue Frost
101492 Spectrum Pad Celebration
105579 Spectrum Pad Cotton Candy
101336 Spectrum Pad Pumpkin Patch
100000 Spectrum Pad Un-inked
103953 Stamp-a-ma-jig Imaging Sheets Refill
104432 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Clear Embossing
101460 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Whisper White
102391 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Clear Embossing
103017 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Whisper White
103151 Stampin' Emboss Powder Hologram Highlights
105677 Stampin' Kids Pad Bear Brown
105676 Stampin' Kids Pad Beetle Black
105675 Stampin' Kids Pad Boxcar Blue
105674 Stampin' Kids Pad Gumball Green
105673 Stampin' Kids Pad Poppin' Purple
105672 Stampin' Kids Pad Princess Pink
105671 Stampin' Kids Pad Robin Red
105670 Stampin' Kids Pad Yahoo Yellow
103174 Stampin' Pastel Applicators
100852 Stampin' Pastel Erasers
100081 Stampin' Write Marker Going Gray
100945 StazOn Ink Refill Timber Brown
103088 StazOn Pad Timber Brown
107235 Tag Sheets Bold Brights
107239 Tag Sheets Confetti White & Kraft
107236 Tag Sheets Earth Elements
107240 Tag Sheets Kraft
107237 Tag Sheets Rich Regals
107238 Tag Sheets Soft Subtles
100894 Watercolor Brush Flat
101551 Watercolor Brush Medium
101331 Watercolor Brush Small
105395 Wire Works Metallic
105652 Wrapping Paper Whisper White

Stampin' Around wheels

100360 Acorns
109812 All about Birthdays*
109690 All about Christmas*
109812 All about Gratitude*
109676 Autumn Dots
104070 Bloomin'
107466 Bodacious*
105750 Bouquet*
107481 Butterflies & Blossoms
104065 Fishy
100267 Happy Jacks
107563 Ho Ho Ho
104312 Hot to Dot
104279 Leaf Prints
106062 Leaves Awash*
107479 Rough around the Edges*
101927 Snowman Fun
107465 Speckled*
105521 Spooky Skyline*
108979 Spotted*
107480 True Hearts
105033 Wings & Things

* Jumbo Stampin' Around wheels

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Phew!!

Craft fair season is over!! We had 3 very successful fairs and had a lot of fun along the way! It was so nice to see so many familiar faces at the fairs - sorry to those of you who stopped by when we were busy and didn't have much chance to chat...

Christmas has arrived at our house... the snow over the weekend really helped to bring in the spirit. When we got home from the craft fair yesterday, I found my husband getting the lights on the Christmas tree... We managed to start digging out the many ornaments and decorations but then my energy ran out for the day so now it just looks like Christmas exploded in our house! All in good time... It's nice to see the lights of the Christmas tree brightening up the living room even though there are no decorations on its branches yet. I'm ready to settle down and start making my own Christmas greetings now. I think I need to stamp 160 cards this year... let's see how I do! I'll keep you posted!

Today's card was stamped by Tanya for our swap last month. It uses a hostess stamp set called Sidekick Sayings. The Dashing Designer Series Paper adds a great splash of colour in the background along with the detail of the Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon in Wild Wasabi. Notice how Tanya added a second knot - a nice touch!

Hope you are safe and warm after our weekend of snow... we still have a fair amount of snow on the ground here!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Retiring Stamp Sets List...

Here's the list of stamp sets that will be retired - they are available until January 1st, 2008. Be sure to check the list carefully... don't miss out on any of your favourites! The number that precedes the stamp set name is the page number.

26 - Bitty Boos Too
26 - Home is Where the Haunt Is
28 - Carved and Candlelit
29 - Booglie Eyes
31 - Dotted Autumn
32 - Simple Snowman
32 - Thankful Season
33 - Glorious Garlands
36 - Holiday Tag Team
37 - It's Snow Time
38 - Hung Up on the Holidays
39 - Merry, Merry
40 - Frosty
42 - Flaky Friends
44 - Cold Play
44 - Sparkling Sayings
46 - City of David
46 - Solemn Stillness
47 - Hebrew Holidays
51 - Heart Flutters
54 - Figures of Speech
56 - Big Celebrations
59 - Symbols of Solicitude
60 - Stinkin' Cute
61 - Monkey Business
66 - Dog-Gone It
67 - Double-Line Doodles
70 - Heartspeak
71 - Farm Fever
73 - Flowers & Flourish
78 - I'm Here
80 - Peek-A-Boo
81 - Bundle of Joy
82 - You're Neat
85 - By Land
92 - Circus Train
92 - Silly Sealife
97 - Sassy Stems
100 - Looks Like Spring
104 - Abundant Joy
106 - Serene Sunflower
108 - Autumn Fest
110 - Bareback
119 - Label Classics
126 - Wing It
132 - Background Sampler
132 - Letter Patterns
136 - Dot Spot
136 - On the Spot
137 - Aida Cloth
137 - Linen
137 - Well-Worn Words
138 - Fine Lace
141 - Season by Season
145 - All About U
146 - Elegant Inspirations
147 - Friendship Flowers
147 - In My Thoughts
148 - Palabras Maravillosas
149 - Alphabits
149 - Genuine Articles
152 - Business Boosters
152 - Stamped from the Heart
153 - I Did It
154 - It's a Date
156 - Letterpress Alphabet
156 - Letterpress Numbers
157 - Headline Alphabet
157 - Headline Numbers
158 - In the Loop Alphabet
158 - Typeset Alphabet Lower
158 - Typeset Alphabet Upper
158 - Typeset Numbers
161 - all Monogram upper case letters

Dormant set - Bodacious Bouquet

Dormant set - Images de mon pays
Dormant set - Word by Word

The retiring accessories list will be available on December 10th so be sure to check back!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

One stamp set

Here are two cards that each use only one stamp set! This makes stamping very easy...

The first one uses the Eat Cake set which is one of my favourites for birthday cards these days. It's so quick to stamp a card with this set and it works well for cards for men, women and kids. I used a couple of punches on this card - the Ticket Corner and Spiral punches. The colours on this card are Basic Grey, Night of Navy and Brocade Blue.

And, this card is one that I created last year using the City of David stamp set. What you can't see in the scan is the sparkle - I stamped the main image in Whisper White craft ink and then embossed it with Iridescent Ice emboss powder. It gives it just a little sparkle. This is then mounted on Brushed Silver card stock and a little piece of Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon finishes it off nicely.

Only a couple more sleeps until the retiring stamp set list will be out... I'll post it here so be sure to check back!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Last chance!

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow, November 30th, is the last day for free shipping! I'll be placing an order later this evening and will place another tomorrow night at about 9:30 pm. Email any orders to me at bevennis@shaw.ca.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Tonight's card...

Mom and I are busy this evening stamping a few last cards before this weekend's craft fair. We sold a lot of baby cards at the last two fairs so needed to re-stock and Mom wanted a new card or two... So, here's what I came up with tonight. I really wanted to stamp with the hippo...

It's a cute little card and I'm quite pleased with it. The hippo and greeting are both from Bundled in Love. The greeting is actually all on one line and in order for it to fit on my card, I had to stamp it on two lines... I was able to ink just the word "Welcome" and the circles and star first by stamping off the corner of the pad and then after cleaning the stamp and inking just the word "Baby!" I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig to line up the stamp up. It was easier than I thought it would be and I think it worked out pretty well. I coloured the hippo with an Aquapainter - he's stamped with Basic Grey ink on Naturals White card stock. And, I also used the Flannel Plaid background stamp on a strip of card stock down the side to add some texture. I've used Soft Sky and Blue Bayou which I think are the perfect baby colours!

So, if you want to come and visit us at the craft fair, we will be at A Touch of Salt Spring on Friday from 10:00 am - 8:00 pm and Saturday/Sunday from 10:00 am - 5:00 pm. It's at Panorama Rec Centre.

Oh, and just a reminder that free shipping ends on Friday... please send any orders to me by Thursday evening to be sure that they will get in on time!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

More holiday creations!

Can you believe that Christmas is one month from today? I've stamped lots of Christmas cards already this fall, but they've all been for stamping classes! I have lots to do in the next month!!

I thought I would share a couple more swap cards that I received this month... I know a few of you had a chance to see these in person this weekend and I saw a couple of you studying these cards.

This first one was created by Kirsten. She used the new 5-Petal Flower punch to create the main feature on this card. I'm guessing that she actually crumpled her paper first and then punched it. She has also used the Floral background stamp and the swirl from Season of Joy (in the Holiday Mini Catalogue). The little tag comes from the hostess stamp set called Party Punch and is punched out with the Designer Label Punch.

This next card was stamped by Lorraine. I love the way she has used the Designer Series Paper in the background by folding it up so you can see both sides of this great double-sided paper. This paper is from the Wintergreen package. The main stamped image is from the Seasonal Whimsy set and the greeting is from Many Merry Messages, both stamped in Always Artichoke. She has finished the card off with a nice little touch of Mellow Moss Taffeta Ribbon.

And, I also wanted to share this card that I designed and was thrilled to be able to offer at a stamping class this weekend. The stampers who made it seemed quite happy with their creations - they each changed the card a little bit to make it their own which was neat to see. This card is made entirely with the Hebrew Holidays stamp set. I've embossed both the Menorah and the dove in silver. The important addition to this card when I was creating it was the Vellum card stock that I placed in behind the Brilliant Blue card stock - it helped create a border that wasn't too harsh between the two blue colours.

I had a terrific weekend - hanging out with 35 stampers over 3 different classes... We had a lot of fun! Hope you had a great weekend... and here's to a wonderful week ahead!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Wrapping Up the Holidays

Click here to see Stampin' Up!'s newest special offer... There are some great deals on products that will help you make all of your holiday gifts look beautiful! Here are some highlights, but be sure to check them all out because there are several offers!

~ The Tags For All stamp set is now 20% off - only $33.56!
~ Chocolate Chip and Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon are buy 1, get 1 free!
~ Designer Gift cards from the Holiday Mini Catalogue are 30% off - only $6.27!
~ You can order a 3-Pack of the little tins that the Accents & Elements are packaged in (tins are empty and ready for decorating) for only $13.50!
~ Order a Holiday Tag Bundle for only $5.50!
~ Celebration wrapping paper is still available for $24.95!
~ Hand Selected Accents & Elements are 25% off - only $11.21!

You can also see some project ideas here. All items are while supplies last.

Remember, there is also free shipping in the month of November on all orders!

Happy wrapping!

Bev.

Here, Kitty Kitty

Isn't this a fun card? It was stamped by Alicia and I received it in our swap this month... It's a birthday card from your cat. Now, truthfully, I would like to see the cat stamping! : )

There's lots of dimension to this card - the birthday hat and the mouse are both popped up with Dimensionals. Alicia has also used the Meow wheel on her background piece and I think she used the Stampin' Around Wheel Guide (pg 192) to keep her wheel straight as she rolled it on the card stock. The main colours on this card are Elegant Eggplant and More Mustard. Very adorable!

Today was a great mail day for me... First, I received a beautiful stamp set from Shelli Gardner, CEO of Stampin' Up! It's a lovely gift that she sent just to say thanks! Well, she didn't just send one to me, she actually sent one to every Stampin' Up! demonstrator! The set is one that we will see in the new catalogue when it arrives in early January and it's a level 3 hostess set. It's called "Time Well Spent" and along with some great new flower stamps and the cutest little butterfly is a greeting stamp that says: "time spent with friends is time well spent". Isn't that true? Can't wait for you to see the set... Hopefully I'll be able to stamp something with it next week to share with you here!

Oh, and the second exciting piece of mail was some fabric for our 100 Good Wishes Quilt! I was so thrilled... we are now up to 18 squares and I know there's lots more to come!

And, some exciting news... Stampin' Up! is announcing a holiday special on Friday! I don't know much yet, but we will receive details on Friday morning so be sure to check back...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Let it snow...

Here are a couple of the make and takes from our meeting last night. This first one is Sonia's creation. It's a fun card - simple to make thanks to the Wintergreen Designer Series Paper. Sonia used the It's Snow Time stamp set and added a little touch of Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon.

This next one is Melanie's card using the Cold Play and Big Deal Alphabet stamp sets. Isn't it cute? I like how she added the scarf using the Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon... She just attached it to the card using Mini Glue Dots. Thanks for stamping this card for me, Melanie - I was busy holding little baby Ariana (such a little cutie she is!) so I was very happy when some of my friends offered to stamp cards for me!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Babies!

Just a quick post tonight as I have only a few minutes before my downline meeting starts... Here are a couple of cards that I stamped last night for some new little future stampers. The first one is for baby Ella. It's done in Almost Amethyst and Basic Grey. The elephant comes from the Year After Year stamp set.

This second one is for baby Ariana who arrived into the world much earlier than expected - two days after her Mom came to a big stamping meeting so I think she just wanted to join in on the stamping! The stroller comes from Fun & Fast Notes.

For the greeting on both, I've used two stamp sets - the word "welcome" comes from Warm Words and the "little one" comes from Holidays & Wishes - I just eliminated the word "sweet" at the beginning of this greeting. I've also used the Prints Designer Series Paper on both cards and Taffeta Ribbon.

I better sign off and finish getting ready for a fun evening of stamping!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Eyelets...

I was just talking this afternoon about how I rarely use eyelets anymore because I usually opt for brads. Here's a card that might inspire me to use eyelets again more often! This is a card that I received from my friend, Lucie. This is a fantastic card! I love the colours - Elegant Eggplant, Lavender Lace and So Saffron with Confetti White card stock. And you all know how much I love ribbon, and I think that tying this little piece on through one of the eyelets is perfect! Lucie used the Heartfelt Thanks set for the flower, the Wonderful Words set for the greeting and both the Print Pattern and Fine Lace background stamps.

I have a busy week ahead but hope to be back tomorrow evening with a couple of new card samples after my group meeting.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

More Baroque Motifs

Baroque Motifs (pg 126) has been a favourite stamp set for many... I had never thought of it as being a set to make a Christmas card, but here's a great example of how versatile the set can be! This really simple card is stunning! It would be another great card to make multiples of for your holiday greetings. I've used Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate on this card, but you could easily substitute any colours you like. In fact, you could easily substitute different colours and a different greeting for a completely different occasion... like I've done on this next card.

I stamped this one for a class that I'm teaching tomorrow night... yes, I'm flying home from Ottawa and teaching a class just a few hours later - call me crazy! : ) The hostess for the class loves the Baroque Motifs set so I thought this would be a great card. I've used Mellow Moss and Perfect Plum on this one. Notice how I used the Tafetta Ribbon on this card - it's tied in a knot at the end and then the end is secured with a Mini Glue Dot. This is a good way to get the added touch of ribbon while being a bit more conservative on how much you use.

I liked the classic simplicity of the card as it is, but there are lots of ways you could dress these cards up even more. Touch on some Dazzling Diamonds Glitter on the flowers using a 2-Way Glue Pen, do some sponging around the edges of the card and the greeting, or add some brads to the centre of the flowers.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Just sent my newsletter and forgot...

to include mention of this year's Santa's Workshops. Why is it that right after I hit send, I think of something or notice a typo...? I haven't noticed any typos yet, but I'm sure there's probably something in there! LOL!

Anyways, I ran two Santa's Workshops in October and many of you were able to come. I have another scheduled for November 23rd and it's a full house already... But I'd be happy to schedule another if there is interest - it would have to be in December. Please send me an email (bevennis@shaw.ca) or leave a comment on this post to let me know if you would be interested in coming to a Santa's Workshop in December - I have 15 different Christmas cards for this class and you choose which you want to stamp!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Fun Foam - a fun technique!

Fun Foam is the perfect addition to Christmas cards - especially cards with snowmen! It adds some fun texture and is so easy to use. Here's how:

1. Select your image and cut a piece of Fun Foam to the correct size. It's better not to cut the Fun Foam too large. I usually cut it to about the same size as the wood block of the stamp that I am going to use.

2. Ink your stamp with StazOn ink. Remember that because StazOn is a solvent-based ink, it does evaporate so you don't want to leave the lid off of it too long. For this technique though, I do leave my stamp on the pad until I'm ready to use it just so that the ink doesn't dry on the stamp while I heat the Fun Foam.

3. Use your Heat Tool to heat the Fun Foam. Don't get too close because you can burn the Fun Foam! I always place the Fun Foam on a piece of tin foil (shiny side up)for this step - the tin foil reflects the heat and helps to speed things up! You will want to heat the Fun Foam just until the edges start to curl up a bit - don't overheat or it will roll up and you won't be able to stamp on it!

4. Quickly press your stamp into the Fun Foam... you really need to be quick with this so that you get the stamp pressed in before the Fun Foam cools. Hold the stamp in place for 10-20 seconds so that the image is indented into the Fun Foam as it cools. Carefully pull the stamp off the Fun Foam. This is a good time to make sure your StazOn lid has been replaced!

5. If you want to add colour, use a Foam Applicator, Q-Tip or disposable makeup applicator to touch on Stampin' Pastels.

6. When you add your Fun Foam to your project, it's better to apply the adhesive to the piece that you are going to stick the Fun Foam to - if you apply pressure to the back of the Fun Foam, you can sometimes see marks through to the front.

Have fun with this technique! Fun Foam is available in your local craft store - but don't go in the stamp aisle...!! : )

Supplies used on this card:

Card stock: Brocade Blue, Real Red, Vellum
Ink: Brocade Blue for snowflakes, Basic Black for greeting, Jet Black StazOn for snowman (pg 186)
Stamps: Holiday Tag Team (pg 36), Fundamental Phrases (pg 155), Short & Sweet (pg 140)
Other: Stampin' Pastels (pg 186), Fun Foam


Happy stampin'!


Bev.


(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Proud...

This post has nothing to do with stamping, but I just had to share my thoughts with you tonight... As many of you know, I'm in our Nation's capital right now. I've been to Ottawa many times over the past 9 years and I absolutely love coming here. Thankfully, the weather is wonderful so tonight I decided to venture out to a nearby mall. As I was walking back to my hotel, I was crossing over the Rideau Canal and I was really wishing that I had my camera with me to capture the moment... I found this picture on the internet and it's close to what I was seeing tonight. What a beautiful sight - the Parliament buildings with the Peace Tower so prominent, the National War Memorial with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier... Sure makes me proud to be Canadian!

Well, with all of that, I do have some stamping work to do tonight so I better get to it! I'm hoping to have a newsletter out tonight or tomorrow... it's been a long time since I managed to send my last newsletter - back in July!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Here's another card made with the Lovely as a Tree stamp set... I love this card! It was inspired by a card that my upline, Alison, showed to us when she demonstrated the reverse masking technique that has been used here. I'm planning to post instructions of how to do this technique here in the next couple of weeks... I have another idea for a card that I'd like to try!

I'm off to Richmond this afternoon to go to a concert at the River Rock Casino... looking forward to a short getaway with my hubby! Then, I'm away to Ottawa for the rest of the week for work meetings... I'll be back on Friday so there will be a few days without posts!

I hope you are having a good weekend. Lest we forget.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Simply Said

Simply Said is one of my favourite stamp sets. I love this greeting... the sentiment is beautiful and the font is perfect! This card is actually quite simple - the bottom is Designer Series Paper. It's the Prints paper in Rose Red.

Don't forget about the Pretty Papers special on this month - buy 3 packages of Designer Series Paper and receive 1 free! Be sure to check out the beautiful Designer Series Paper on pages 170-173 of the catalogue as well as the two packages offered in the Holiday Mini Catalogue. And, remember that there's free shipping for the month of November... contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca to place an order!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Getting ready for another craft fair...

Well, I've just finished tying 125 bows! Mom's been busy this week making snowman soup for this weekend's craft fair and my job was to tie the bows...

I haven't had time to create any new cards this week so I thought I would go through my card sample box and see what I could find... Here's a favourite from a couple of years ago that uses the polished stone technique along with the Lovely as a Tree stamp set. The important thing about stamping on top of the polished stone is to use StazOn ink. I'm not sure that the greeting that I chose for this card was the right one to use - it probably would look better with a more elegant greeting. I do still love the card though. Lovely as a Tree is such a versatile stamp set - you can use it all year long!

So, this weekend, we will be at the Calico Christmas Craft Fair. It's at the Pacific Christian School on Friday night from 6:00 - 10:00 pm and then on Saturday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. This is one of my favourite craft fairs so I'm really looking forward to it!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

I have a new stamp set!!

The Season of Joy stamp set from the Holiday Mini Catalogue did not initially make it onto my wish list. I didn't think I would use it that much and had a hard time imagining a lot of Christmas cards made with this set. Well, little did I know that I was going to see some many wonderful samples with this set... resistance was futile and I had to order it! I put it together last night (quick and easy since it's die cut) and stamped this card with it. I was inspired by a card made by Patty Bennett - I just made a few subtle change to make this card my own... I'm actually quite pleased with it! This is another card that would be easy to make in larger quantities. I've used Purely Pomegranate and River Rock on this sample, but you could easily substitute Wild Wasabi or Real Red or Ruby Red if you wanted a more classic Christmas look. One stamp set, one colour of ink, one roll of ribbon and a couple of colours of card stock and you are ready to go - oh, and add in some brads for a little bit of interest and you are set!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Happy Holidays!

Here's a card that I made for some of my November classes. This one uses the Dashing Designer Series Paper - you could use all of the different designs in this package with the three different stamps from this Big on Christmas stamp set so create lots of different cards! This is a quick and easy card... it would be perfect if you need to make lots of cards for the holiday season! Remember that all of the Designer Series Paper is on special this month - buy 3 get 1 free!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

FREE SHIPPING!!

Here's some wonderful news...

From November 5 through November 30, Stampin' Up! is offering free shipping to Canadian customers!

My next order will be going in this Thursday evening... contact me if you need anything!

A new technique...

This is a card that you can stamp at Santa's Workshop (coming up on November 23rd - space still available!). It uses two new stamp sets - Holy Triptych from the Holiday Mini Catalogue and En Francais. The new technique, which I have no name for but it makes me think of colour washing, can be seen in the background of the oval. First, I stamped the Holy Family in VersaMark and embossed with Gold Glory Emboss Powder. Then I used an Aquapainter and picked up some River Rock ink and washed the background with the ink. You need to make sure that you have a fair amount of water on the bristles of the Aquapainter when you do this if you don't want too much colour left behind on your cardstock. As with so many things, you are better to add more if you don't get enough, but you can't take colour away once it's on. I used Very Vanilla card stock for this technique - the result is stunning! It actually almost looks like the card stock has a bit of a shimmer once this technique is done. This is a very simple but elegant card. Click on the card to see a larger view. I'm now thinking about other cards that I can create using this technique!

Our craft fair went really well this weekend... it was nice to see so many of you drop by! We were sold out of Snowman Soup shortly after the fair opened this morning - very popular little items! Mom will be busy making more this week in preparation for the Calico Christmas Craft Fair next weekend...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

November Special

I love using Designer Series Paper. It's beautiful and it's colour coordinated which makes it easy to use with all of the other great Stampin' Up! product line. And, it's a quick way to add some colour to a card or scrapbook page! For the month of November, it's easier than ever to add some Designer Series Paper to your collection - when you buy three packages, you'll receive one free! Check out all of the Designer Series Papers on pages 170-173 of the Fall-Winter Collection 2007. And, click here to see some great projects featuring the Designer Series Paper - you will also find the pattern for the great stars which are shown on page 171 of the catalogue.

I'll be sending in an order on Sunday, November 4th in the evening - contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca to place your order!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images cpyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Getting ready for Craft Fair season...

Well, my Mom has been busy stamping away, getting ready for craft fair season. She's in three fairs this year, the first one being this weekend. It's the Strawberry Vale Christmas Craft Fair - come and see us there! It's on Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm each day at 11 High Street (corner of High and Burnside). These are this year's version of the Snowman Soup packages... we don't have many made for this weekend's craft fair but will likely be busy making more before next weekend when we are at the Calico Christmas Craft Fair at Pacific Christian School. By the way, you can click here to see the instructions that I posted last fall for the Snowman Soup... These make great little gifts!

We've had a busy week... Yesterday was my Dad's 80th birthday and we had a wonderful surprise celebration (yes, we pulled off the surprise!). There were 16 of us there and we had a lot of fun! I'd show you a photo or two of the event, but at the moment he entered the room and we yelled surprise, I realized that the new batteries I put in my camera were not so new so I don't have a single photo... I must remember to check these details ahead of time - always turn the camera on after changing the batteries just to be sure! But there were lots of other cameras so I'll get copies eventually!

Looking forward to craft fair season and some upcoming stamping classes... Don't miss out on Santa's Workshop on the 23rd of this month - it will be the same cards as we did in October's Santa's Workshop but if you didn't come last month, you'll want to be sure to be there on the 23rd!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Things that make me proud to be a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

I've always been proud to represent such a wonderful company as Stampin' Up! I have been a Demonstrator for the past 5 1/2 years and I've been impressed by the integrity that the CEO and Co-founder, Shelli Gardner, has shown time and time again. Recently, we learned that the General Manager of Stampin' Up! Australia, Dave Abbott, passed away. In Mr. Abbott's honour, Stampin' Up! has decided to donate 100% of the proceeds from the worldwide sale of the stamp set, All in the Family, during November to Mr. Abbott's wife and 3 children. I think this is an extraordinarily thoughtful, generous and meaningful tribute to Mr. Abbott and his family.

Here is part of the communication we received from Stampin' Up! regarding Mr. Abbott and his many contributions to the development of the Australian office. It is obvious how well respected and loved he was by the Executive and staff of Stampin' Up!

Dave-the man who lived life with a sparkle in his eye and a schoolboy grin, and who saw life with such a positive perspective.

Dave Abbott, Stampin' Up!'s Australia general manager, passed away on Thursday, 18 October from hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare blood disease. Dave became ill in November 2006 and went through various treatments to fight the disease. Although he was in and out of the hospital, Dave remained keenly interested in building the company and involved with the demonstrators to the very end. Dave was a great friend and employee as well as a beloved manager and mentor.

Dave joined Stampin' Up! in October 2005, six months prior to our launch in Australia. His energetic, outgoing, and caring personality drew us to Dave as we searched for a general manager. Dave was instrumental in establishing the business in Australia and growing Stampin' Up! over the past year and a half.

In Dave's honour, we're setting up a fund to help his family through this difficult time. During the month of November, we're donating 100 percent of the proceeds from the 28-piece All in the Family stamp set in all our markets to directly benefit Dave's wife and three children.

Dave taught us so much, and he was a remarkable man. We miss him.

I will be ordering this set for myself in November and know that when I use it, it will be extra special knowing the contribution that is being made.

With warm regards,

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

SPECIAL - Wishing You Cheer

Stampin' Up! is offering the adorable little stamp set called Wishing You Cheer (page 33) for 20% off the regular price from now until November 3rd only. It's such a cute set and for the price of $15.95 how can you go wrong? Don't miss out - email me to take advantage of this very time limited offer.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS - I will be away celebrating my Dad's 80th birthday for the next couple of days so if you don't hear back from me right away, don't worry... I will be placing an order on November 3rd and will respond to all of your emails as soon as I can!

Happy Halloween!

Here's a cute Halloween card that we made at a class last weekend. The pumpkin is stamped from the Carved & Candlelit stamp set. The background was stamped with Background Basics set and the greeting comes from the All Holidays set. The little corner folded up and tied with a piece of hemp is a nice touch.

I'll be holding another Santa's Workshop on Friday, November 23rd at 7:00 pm. This evening is great for Christmas inspiration - I'll have 15 different cards for you to choose from. Contact me to register - only 8 seats remain!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Trick or Treat!

I received a couple of Halloween surprises this week... The first is this card that came in the mail from a customer and friend, Jo. Isn't it fun? It sure made me smile to see that in my stack of mail! I've never actually given Halloween cards, but receiving this one may have inspired me to rethink this! It's always fun to receive a handmade greeting so any occasion is worth letting someone know you are thinking about them. Thanks for thinking of me, Jo!

Last night I went for dinner at Japanese Village (yummy!) with friends and received this cute little stack of York Peppermint Patties from Sonia. What a cute little gift! And what a simple way to dress up some goodies! I was thinking that this idea would also be great for Christmas so keep this in mind! You could set a table with this little stack to decorate... Or give them out to everyone at work... Or have them set out at your holiday party... Sonia used the Scallop Circle Punch and attached one punched out piece of card stock to the top and bottom of each Peppermint Pattie. She stamped an image from the Batty for You set and attached it to the top. Thanks for this great idea, Sonia.

Halloween is an extra special day in our family because it's my Dad's birthday. This year is his 80th so we are looking forward to celebrating this milestone!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

It's a day to celebrate!

This adorable card was a make and take at one of our demonstrator meetings - the original was made by Robin. I was so thrilled to stamp this card because ladybugs have taken on a special meaning in our life... I'll get to that in a minute though! The ladybug is made using two circle punches - 1 1/4" and 1 3/8". The wings are made from the Pick a Petal stamp set - isn't this a creative way to use the petals in a different way? The antenna and the ladybug's trail are drawn on using a Basic Black Stampin' Write Journaler. And the little scalloped edge at the bottom was created using a slit punch - just punch repetitively making sure that each scallop is connected as you punch across the card stock. I will definitely be making this card again!

So, why are ladybugs special to us? Well, there is a belief that ladybugs are a sign of good luck for China adoptions. We can certainly use as much good luck as possible these days! The basic story is this: Several years ago in China, as the international adoption programs were beginning to take off, there was a fall season where the ladybug population grew unusually large. This was thought to be a lucky charm for those that were adopting, so now whenever ladybugs are seen, it is said that more beautiful children are being referred to wonderful waiting parents.

Today was the perfect day to post this card because... we received word of our login date (LID)! What does this mean? First, it means that we have confirmation that China has received our dossier (application). Second, it basically tells us where we are in the waiting line... everyone else with this same LID will receive their referral at the same time as us.

This is a huge milestone!! I couldn't believe my eyes as I read the email... when we received word that our file had been sent to China on September 27, I thought, "wouldn't it be amazing if our login date is our anniversary?" We didn't really think that it would happen that quickly though. Still, on our anniversary, I kept wondering if maybe our file was being received in China... Well, our LID is October 12, 2007 - our 11th wedding anniversary! Oh my gosh, I can't even believe it!! And, I can't tell you how happy we are!

Since I've strayed off of stamping and am again talking about our adoption, I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who has already given/sent us a piece of fabric and a wish for our 100 Good Wishes Quilt. We're still collecting and will be for some time - my sister is going to put our quilt together for us, but it will be sometime in the spring before we start this... Click here if you'd like more information. If you need ideas for your good wish, have a look at this blog where you can see the good wishes that another adoptive family received.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Fun night of stamping!

Tonight was a fun evening of stamping! Twelve enthusiastic stampers managed to create 120 cards! Very impressive...

I think that almost everyone stamped this card tonight. It was certainly popular! It's such a fun card, and very simple to make. The main card is Whisper White and I've added a strip of the textured Soft Sky card stock at the bottom. The greeting is stamped directly on this piece so you need to stamp it firmly to get it on the textured card stock. The only ink colour used is Blue Bayou and it's just one stamp set - The Snowflake Spot. The Blue Bayou Stitched Grosgrain adds just the right amount of detail and the Rhinestone Brad in the middle of the big snowflake adds some fun bling!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Is the week really almost over?

Oh my goodness, does anyone know where the week has gone? I had good intentions of being back here to blog sooner than this, but time just got away on me... This will be a quick post since it's late - yes, the time on this post is the actual time that I am blogging! I just finished getting everything ready for this weekend's Santa's Workshop. We have 15 new Christmas cards ready to go! And, I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with them!! This is a preview of one of them... Isn't it cute? I saw a similar card online somewhere (can't remember where just now, sorry!) and I adapted the idea a bit. This is a simple card that would be great to mass produce!

This birthday card is one that I received from my friend, Stacey... my birthday was a couple months ago, but I just hadn't scanned this card until tonight. I've always thought that the Unfroggetable stamp set is really fun! This card brings a smile to my face.

Well, I better call it a night... need to get some rest before a busy stamping weekend ahead! I'm looking forward to spending time with some of you over the weekend!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

I'm back!!

We were in Edmonton this past weekend for my niece's wedding - it was a beautiful day and things were perfect for this wonderful event! Now that I'm back, I'm getting things ready for Santa's Workshop this weekend... lots of fun Christmas cards for everyone to stamp!! If you haven't registered yet, there are a few seats still available on Saturday morning - be sure to email me (bevennis@shaw.ca) if you'd like to come.

Here are a couple more cards that might inspire your stamped creations... The first card was stamped by Alicia for our Christmas card swap. This card is very eye catching with the bright Real Red combined with Bashful Blue and Old Olive. The stamp set, from the Holiday Mini Catalogue, is called Season of Joy. So far, I have not ordered this set for myself but if I keep getting such nice cards made with it, I may not be able to resist much longer!

Alicia also made this next card and we had it as a make and take at our group meeting. I wasn't able to resist on this one... I had to order the Stem Sayings stamp set so that I would be able to duplicate this card! The flowers come from the level 2 hostess set called In the Spotlight... Notice how it is punched out with the Scallop Circle punch and the centre is punched with the 1/2" Circle punch. This is such a cute card!

I wanted to share a couple more cards, but Blogger is not being cooperative tonight so I'm going to end my post here and I'll post some more cards tomorrow night if things are working better!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

More art from Lucie...

You've seen Lucie's beautiful creations on my blog before and here's another! This was a card for our techniques swap - Lucie did the Cracked Glass technique on this very elegant and antiqued card. There are so many details that Lucie has pulled together on this card... She used the Slit Punch to create the corners and added eyelets. She has used different colours of ink on the Fine Lace background stamp - I'm guessing that she inked the stamp in Apricot Appeal and then sponged some Handsome Hunter ink on top of it. The ovals were cut using the Coluzzle and the main images are stamped with the Wild Rose stamp set - one of Lucie's favourites! I love the added touch of Mellow Moss Tafetta Ribbon. Thanks for another wonderful card, Lucie!

I'm going to be away from my computer for the weekend so will be back next week with some more posts... Just a reminder that Santa's Workshop is coming up next weekend - Friday night is full but there are seats still available for Saturday morning (the 20th). Send me an email to register - bevennis@shaw.ca - and get ready to stamp some fantastic holiday greetings!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Bugs & Kisses

Here's a cute card made by Kirsten using the Bugs & Kisses stamp set... You might not notice unless you have a close look that Kirsten used the Popping Pastels technique on this card. That's what makes the caterpillar look so soft and fuzzy. She stamped him in VersaMark ink and then used a sponge dauber to apply Stampin' Pastels to make him pop off the card stock. Such a happy little card that would be perfect for a young one or someone young at heart!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)

Techniques Swap

Last weekend, I participated in a techniques card swap with my group... I've already posted one of cards from that swap and here are three more. They all look better in real life so you'll have to see them at the next stampin' class that you come to!

This first one uses Glitter Windows so it's full of sparkle! This one was stamped by Robin. I love how she used the different circle punches to create the windows on this card. It's a very fun card using the Priceless stamp set!

This next one is Stacey's design using the Joseph's Coat technique. The stamps are all from the Just Like You stamp set which is our Ronald McDonald House Charities set for this year - see it on page 150. A donation of $2 will be made to Ronald McDonald House Charities from the sale of each one of these stamp sets.



And, this card has the Waxed Crayon Resist technique. Alicia made this one using the Doodle This stamp set. The greeting comes from the level 3 hostess stamp set called Vases in Vogue.

I hope you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up!)