Spring Fever Promotion!!

Well, after a day of crazy weather, it's hard to imagine that we're talking about spring fever! Tomorrow is the first day that orders can be placed for the great new products in Stampin' Up!'s Spring Mini Catalogue. I'll be sending in my first order tomorrow evening so feel free to email or call if you would like anything!

My favourite stamp set in the Spring Mini Catalogue is the Polka Dots & Paisley on pages 8-9. As a demonstrator, I received this set free from Stampin' Up! and so I've already had lots of fun making cards with it. I was also in a swap last month using this stamp set with my downline group so here are some of the cards that I received.

Now, here's the great news. In March, when you order the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set along with the matching Petals jumbo wheel and the Petals & Paisley designer series paper ($48.40 for these 3 items), you will be able to select any one item from the Spring Mini Catalogue for half price! It's Spring Fever - click here for more details.

You'll also be able to select any one item from the Spring Mini

Catalogue for 50% off when you host a workshop totaling $600 or more (before shipping and taxes) in March!

This is such a great opportunity to get your favourites from the Spring Mini Catalogue!

I need to give credit for these card samples... The first was stamped by Deb - notice how she used the Small Corner Rounder punch on three corners of the Whisper White card stock and then added a brad on the corner that she left square. Next card is from Suzanne - a very clean and classic look with a nice touch of ribbon. Alicia had fun with ribbon on her card - notice how she switched the colours for the knots on these two ribbon pieces. Sonia's is next - she has used the VersaMark Resist technique for the flowers which she popped off the card stock by sponging on different colours of ink and then used the flower outline stamp in Basic Black. This last card is mine - I'm loving the Pretty in Pink and Chocolate Chip combination with this paisley stamp.

I have a really fun card that I received in this swap to share with you tomorrow... be sure to check back!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

The countdown is on...

I'm really liking these cute pocket cards. This one was made by Roz Whysker. I know that those of you who have seen this card will think of how much more beautiful it is in real life - this photo just doesn't do it justice! Roz has used the very elegant Butterfly of Happiness set from the Winter Mini Catalogue along with the All-Year Cheer II set and Linen background stamp.

This card layout with the little card that tucks into the pocket would be great for any occasion... Roz has designed this one as an invitation. I also think that these cards would be perfect for a baby or wedding announcement. I can imagine creating a baby announcement that would have a photo of the baby on the pull up piece.

Only two more days and then Sell-A-Bration is over and the Winter Mini Catalogue will be finished... don't miss out on any of the goodies! February 28th is the last day...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Faux Shaving Cream

I LOVE this technique!! I had the chance to introduce it at this last Stamp-A-Stack and it received some great reviews! The faux shaving cream technique produces the same great marbled look as the shaving cream technique, but without the mess and fuss of using shaving cream! You create the marbled look right on your stamp rather than as a background piece - you are sure to have fun with this simple technique. Here's what you need:

~ a solid stamp

~ a wheel with a fairly solid image

~ two colours of ink

~ card stock

I've used the Eat Cake stamp set with the Spot On jumbo wheel for this sample. Other wheels that would work well include Happy Jacks, Polka Dot Blocks, True Hearts, Scatter Sunshine or Bodacious... there are probably lots more!

Start by inking your stamp with a lighter colour of ink - I used Certainly Celery. Then roll a bit of your wheel onto your second colour of ink - I used Taken with Teal. You don't have to ink the whole wheel, just a small section will be plenty. Now, "kiss" your stamp with the wheel by swiping the wheel on the stamp. Twist your wrist as you tap or use a side-to-side motion if you wipe. The key to creating the marble swirl is in this movement - you are swirling the two colours of ink together a bit.

Before you stamp the image down onto your card stock, it's good to "huff" or breathe on it to remoisten the ink. Finally, you'll get to see your one-of-a kind art! Every image you do with this technique will be slightly different depending on how you swirl the ink together. Fun!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Last days of Winter Mini sets...

As I wait for all of the stampers to arrive for tonight's Stamp-A-Stack, I thought I would quickly post three more cards... These all use a stamp set out of the Winter Mini Catalogue - I wanted to be sure to use them all one more time before the Winter Mini Catalogue comes to an end on Wednesday!

This first one was inspired by an anniversary card that I saw on Sue Farrant's blog. I changed it to a wedding card and used the Silver Emboss Powder on Brushed Silver card stock. This card is really elegant - it looks much more striking in real life! The background is stamped with the French Flair stamp and the greeting is from All-Year Cheer III. A little Silver Organdy Ribbon and Silver Cord finish things off.

Tagger's Dozen used with both Tag Punches make this next card which could be used for many different occasions. The main card is Barely Banana and I've stamped little daisies from the Little Pieces set all over it. The rectangle pieces have been stamped with the Background Sampler set in Mellow Moss, Bashful Blue and Pale Plum. This card was inspired by a card that I saw somewhere in cyberspace travels but I don't recall who the artist was now... I changed the colours to work with the buttons that I had on hand.

And, with Easter just a little over a month away, it's time to start getting some cards ready. This card is done with Certainly Celery, Cameo Coral and Lavender Lace. The flowers come from the stamp set called Never Ending Joy. I had a box of Hodgepodge Hardware sitting on my table when I was designing this card (yes, it's all my own design!!) and I noticed that the little "Easter Blessings" stamp from the Fancy Flexible Phrases set fit perfectly into this square frame. It's attached with a piece of Celery Organdy Ribbon. The card was still looking a little plain so I stamped the Canvas stamp on the background and sponged around the edge of the flower piece as well as on the greeting lightly. The nice thing about this card is that it would be easy to pick a different greeting out of the Fancy Flexible Phrases set and use it for a different occasion.

Well, I must run and get the last few things ready for tonight!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS - only 5 more days to order from the Winter Mini Catalogue and to earn Sell-A-Bration rewards!

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

Stamp-A-Stack Preview

For those of you coming to the Stamp-A-Stacks this weekend, be prepared to roll up your sleeves for some serious stamping! We have 13 cards for you to choose from this time!! Wow...!! Remember, your $12 class fee includes up to 6 cards of your choice, but if you are feeling up to stamping more, you can keep going for only $2 per card.

These are two of the cards that will be included for this Stamp-A-Stack. Both feature stamp sets from the Winter Mini Catalogue... Remember, the Winter Mini Catalogue order period ends on February 28th so have another look at it and phone/email (bevennis@shaw.ca) me with any orders.

The first card is based on a card that we received from a friend and co-worker, Nicole. She stamped this cute little card for us and I was so impressed with it! The greeting and little happy faces are from the Small Sayings stamp set.

This next card was stamped by my Mom using the Butterfly of Happiness stamp set. Isn't the detail with the Flirty Ribbon eye-catching? It's a very nice card and fairly simple so I'm sure it will be popular with everyone this weekend!

Other cards to look forward to... a couple of Easter cards, a wedding card, a birthday card that uses the faux shaving cream technique, a beautiful thank you card made with Artfully Asian, and more!

Well, I'm not sure where the day has gone... I have a wedding card to make for another co-worker tonight so I best get that done and then get some rest!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Time's running out...

There's only one week left in Sell-A-Bration 2007! Don't miss out on any of your favourites from this year's Sell-A-Bration rewards... All orders must be placed with me by 6:00 pm on Wednesday, February 28th. To see the Sell-A-Bration brochure online, click here.

I'll be back this evening with a couple of new card samples.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Another card to help "chirp" up a friend!

Here's a cute card made by Sarah Strom using the Very Punny Sell-A-Bration stamp set... One little detail to note - Sarah punched holes in the strip of Close to Cocoa card stock and you see the So Saffron card stock through the holes. It's a nice accent with the striped paper from the Recollections Designer Series Paper.

Well, the cards are almost all ready for my upcoming Stamp-A-Stack! I have 9 ready to go now including a beautiful wedding card. I did the faux shaving cream card last night and am very excited about it! I can't wait for everyone to see all of the cards this weekend! There are still a couple of seats on Saturday morning if you'd like to come join the stamping fun! Contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca to register.

By the way, I have lots of inspiration sheets left still... Check out this post for more information.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Same stamps, very different looks!

Well, it's been a few days since my last post... there's no real reason, just been occupied with this and that! I've actually had quite a relaxing weekend and am now looking back thinking that I didn't accomplish much!! Oh well...

I did have a stamping class last night with a group of mostly new stampers... It's always fun to be able to introduce people to stamping and watch as they discover how simple it can be to get creative with ink and rubber!

I thought I would share a couple more cards that I received in the card swap... These two are made with the Delight in Life Sell-A-Bration stamp set - the same stamps on both cards but very different looks!

The first card was made by Angela Chan. What's really interesting about this card is that Angela stamped the outline of these flowers onto a Window Sheet with StazOn ink and then cut them out. They are attached to the Summer Sun cut-out flowers with a black eyelet in the centre. This card is a nice balance between fun and elegant.

This next card is from Mo Dickie. I really like the tag that Mo has added to this card with the little touch of ribbon from the Seaside Ribbon Originals. She also managed to use the little "swirl" stamp out of this set that I've yet to incorporate into any of my creations! I also like the touch of Rebecca Designer Series Paper that has be used to mat the main image.

Well, I'm off to spend a couple of hours this evening in my stamp room creating cards for next weekend's Stamp-A-Stack... there are still a couple of seats open for Saturday morning if you are interested in coming out and stamping some cards!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Great news!!

Remember back to last month when I was feeling so disappointed about the swap cards that went missing in the mail? Well, they arrived safe and sound in my mailbox on Tuesday!! It turns out that they had been delivered to another house that has the same house number but on a completely different street. I guess the home owners kept the envelope for a month and then decided to put it back out into their mailbox where our mail carrier found it and brought it to me! The envelope showed signs of having been wet, but fortunately the cards were all sealed inside of a Ziploc bag so were saved! So, here are some of the cards that I received...

Well, if that's not exciting enough, I've heard that some of my customers are starting to receive the Spring Mini Catalogue this week! Boy, so much mail delivery good fortune...!! : ) So since they are starting to arrive, I thought maybe I'd let you know about an exciting special that will be running in March! It's Spring Fever time... When you purchase the Polka Dots & Paisley stamp set, the Petals Jumbo Wheel and the Petals & Paisley Designer Series Paper, you'll get 50% off any one item in the Spring Mini Catalogue! The Polka Dots & Paisley Bundle is $48.40. All three items in this bundle are shown on pages 8 and 9 of the Spring Mini Catalogue.

And, there's more... if you are the hostess of a workshop or in-home stamping class during Spring Fever and you have sales totaling $600 or more (before taxes and shipping), you will get 50% off any one item from the Spring Mini Catalogue - no purchase required! I'm booking for March now so be sure to contact me (bevennis@shaw.ca) if you'd like to plan a date!

You might notice that the Spring Mini Catalogue is valid until June 30th - four months instead of the usual three. This is because Stampin' Up! is starting a new catalogue schedule in July... There will now be two catalogues each year - one in July and one in January. With the new semi-annual catalogues, the mini catalogue program will also change - there will be two each year rather than four. They will come out in September and March each year. So, change is in the air and I'm excited! Here are some exciting things that will come with this new schedule:

~ great new stamp sets and accessories more often!
~ twice the inspiration each year - each new catalogue will be packed with hundreds of new samples!
~ new hostess sets will be offered twice a year, with each new catalogue!

I've had a few questions about the new catalogue program, so here's a bit more information... The retiring stamps will be announced one month before the end each catalogue - in June and in December. I don't know yet what the price of the new catalogues will be, but I do know that whether you purchase a catalogue or receive it free when you hostess a workshop, it will be a great source of ideas and inspiration for you! I'll keep you posted with more information as it becomes available...

So, this is my 100th post since I started my blog last September! I've sure had a lot of fun sharing my stamping ideas with you and I hope that you've enjoyed following along with me.

And, before I close for tonight, I just want to give credit to the artists of these wonderful cards... the first one was stamped by the swap hostess, Liane Binder - I love the layout and colours, and especially how Liane swirled the ink on the Big Blossom stamp. The next one is Sue Farrant's art - the colours are so much more vibrant in real life and I really like how Sue used the Key Tag punch for the greeting. And the third card is from Karen Motz - this card is fantastic with so many details... the card stock behind the flower was stamped with the Paisley background stamp and then the Big Blossom was stamped and embossed with Clear Emboss Powder.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Happy Heart Day!

I hope that this special day finds you with the ones you love or holding them in your heart and thoughts if you can't be together. My husband and I are spending another Valentine's Day apart... poor guy, he's freezing in Ontario right now! I'm looking forward to a nice dinner together when he comes home this weekend though! The good news is, I still have time to make him a Valentine's card!

So, the lunch discussion with my co-workers yesterday became entertaining as many of them tried to figure out what to do for their spouses/partners for Valentine's Day... Many great ideas came out of this discussion though and one of my co-workers asked me if I would make a card for his wife... of course, I was more than willing! We had a quick look at my blog and he liked the third card that was posted on my February 12th post, but he wanted me to make it for him in green and pink, his wife's favourite colours. I wanted to show you the finished product... I really like it! It's Certainly Celery and Pretty in Pink stamped with the Canvas background stamp, Lexicon of Love and Happy Hearts stamp sets.

This couple became parents almost 7 months ago and just adore their little girl... I haven't seen her in a bit so was bugging her Dad to bring some photos. When we got back to work after lunch, he received an email from her daycare with two photos of her playing so he sent them on to me. Well, I couldn't resist the opportunity to make him a surprise scrap-a-card. I used the same layout as I had shared on February 4th but changed the colours to Gable Green, Pixie Pink and Pink Passion... It's pretty cute!

Speaking of parents, I've been waiting to share a card that I made many years ago for my parents... Mom found it the other day and we thought it was pretty cute to look back on my humble beginnings of card making! I'm sure many mothers have these priceless works of art stored away, more precious than anything that could be bought in a store! I wonder how long I spent drawing hearts that day! I'll bet that I was pretty proud of the finished card and couldn't wait to give it to my Mom and Dad!

Well, have a wonderful day, filled with love!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin' Up! - except on the last project...!!)

Just Delightful!

I am really impressed by the Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit! It would make some wonderful scrapbook pages... I've used it here to make cards. I started making these last night and in my first hour, I had created 4 cards! I was able to make 10 cards in the evening and love every one of them! There are no stamps used on any of these cards - just card stock and the Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit! And, after making these 10 cards, I still have lots of the kit left... I've only cut into one of the patterned pieces of card stock. I still have lots of the self-adhesive die cuts left although I have used up all of the flowers... some of the other pieces are more suited for scrapbooking so I'm saving them for that!

I just picked out some different colours of card stock that coordinate with the striped card stock for the main cards - Bashful Blue, Cameo Coral, Certainly Celery, Apricot Appeal, Barely Banana and So Saffron. Then I just played with some different layouts, added some brads and ribbon on a couple of cards... it was quick and easy!

So, what do you think? Do you have a favourite? I'd love to hear from you... please post a comment and let me know!

Remember that this Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit will only be available during Sell-A-Bration which ends on February 28th! Don't miss out!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Sneak Peak!

Here's a really quick sneak peak at the idea I will be sharing with you tonight... This card was made with the Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit - this is one of the Sell-A-Bration rewards that you can choose for free with a $75 purchase until the end of February.

Last night, I "played" with a Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit and created 10 cards! This is one of them - I'll post the other nine tonight so be sure to check back. I think it will also surprise you when I tell you how long it took to make all 10 of these cards...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

More Valentine's ideas...

With Valentine's Day just a couple of days away, I wanted to share just a few more ideas in case you still need to stamp a card for that someone special in your life!

This first card was made by Sonia... I've made it with a few customers at workshops over the past few weeks and it's had really great reviews! It's a simple, but striking card that's perfect for a man or woman. There are two stamp sets used on this card - Happy Hearts stamped in Real Red randomly on the background of the card and then on the Whisper White card Stock and the greeting is from All-Year Cheer III. There's a piece of Vellum paper over the greeting which adds a soft touch. Remember, when you use Vellum, you will see adhesive through so you should find a way to hide it - on this card, there's just a small dash of SNAIL adhesive under the bow to hold the Vellum paper and then the bow is attached with a Mini Glue Dot.

Isn't this card unique? The X's and O's are stamped with Whisper White Craft Ink and then punched out with the Small Tag Punch. Notice the faux stitching around the outside edges done with the White Gel Pen. The background is done with the Beyond the Basics stamp set in Regal Rose ink stamped off once. The little words are from Everyday Flexible Phrases stamped in Real Red. There's a piece of White Mulberry Paper around the edge to add a little interest. Remember, you can run a wet watercolour brush in a line on the Mulberry Paper and it will then tear easily along the line, giving you this great feathery edge.

This last card was the one I made for my husband, Brent, last year. I still love this card... The "cherish" greeting is from the Lexicon of Love stamp set. The hearts are from the Happy Hearts set and the background is the Canvas stamped with Real Red ink onto Whisper White card stock. I think the cutest accent on this card is the Metal Edge Tag. To take the paper out of the centre, I cut an "x" with a Hobby Blade and then carefully pulled each triangle out.

If you haven't finished your Valentine's card yet, you are not alone! I haven't stamped mine yet either... However, I have a couple of extra days since Brent is away for the week, but I'll have to be ready on Friday when he gets home! I'll post what I create for him after I give it to him...

Okay, I'm off to stamp for a bit tonight... I should have something new to post tomorrow night!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Popping Pastels

Here's a really simple, but elegant card using the Happy Harmony Sell-A-Bration stamp set. I designed this card based on the Enchante Designer Series Paper piece - I really liked the colours in this striped paper so I matched it with Perfect Plum, Sage Shadow and Pale Plum card stock. I was so pleased with the finished card!

I usually try to teach a new stamping technique or share some new tip at each class that I do. This was the technique card for my class this afternoon. It uses the Popping Pastels technique to get the soft coloured look to the flowers. Very simple: stamp with VersaMark ink, then use a Sponge Dauber to pick up your colour from the Stampin' Pastels and gently rub/dab it onto the card stock - it will stick to the VersaMark ink. I usually set mine with a quick spray of aeorsol hairspray when I'm done to prevent the Pastels from rubbing off. This is a good way to get different colours on one stamp without having to use markers.

Now, I haven't heard from too many of you about Inspiration Sheets... please don't be shy! I have a quite a stock right now and would love to find these wonderful sheets a home where they will be useful. Just send me an email and I'll be happy to get these Inspiration Sheets out you. Read my last post for more information.

Hope you have a wonderful week!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Looking for inspiration?

There are so many places that stampers and scrapbookers can find inspiration... the Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalogue and our Mini Catalogues are filled with hundreds of wonderful samples, magazines and websites can provide lots of ideas (one of my favourites is Splitcoaststampers), hopefully my classes give you inspiration...

I really enjoy having the chance to share layouts, colour combinations and stamping techniques with all of my stamping friends. Many of you will have received Inspiration Sheets from me with your orders. Well, here's your chance to get some that you don't already have...

If you are a customer of mine and have ordered Stampin' Up! product from me in the last 6 months, I will be happy to send you some more Inspiration Sheets... and they are FREE!! These are available while supplies last, first come first served - just send me an email (bevennis@shaw.ca) with a list of which Inspiration Sheets you don't already have and would like to add to your collection. I'll get them out to you as soon as I can.

Here's a list of Inspiration Sheets that I have available - some I only have a few so be sure to email me soon:

~ All Natural
~ All the Best
~ All Through the Year
~ All Wrapped Up
~ Artfully Asian
~ Burst into Bloom
~ Designer Label Punch Box
~ Eat Cake
~ Festive Favourites
~ Flower Fest
~ Flower Filled
~ Fresh Flowers
~ Fun Filled
~ Heartfelt Thanks
~ I'm Here
~ In Full Bloom
~ Little Hellos
~ Loads of Love
~ Love without End
~ Mon Ami
~ Natural Beauty
~ Nice & Narrow
~ On Board Accents
~ On the Move
~ Right at Home
~ Roses in Winter
~ Simply Circles
~ Sporting Goods
~ Sweet Shapes
~ Tags & More
~ Treat Yourself
~ Wild About You
~ Wishing You the Best
~ World Tour
~ Yule Bits & Borders

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Hoppy Birthday!

This card will be familiar to those of you who receive my newsletter... Isn't this little froggie cute? And, he's made entirely with punched out card stock! Here's what you'll need to make him...

From Garden Green card stock:

~ 2 large ovals (one for his head and one for the lily pad)
~ 2 small ovals (for his legs)
~ 1 - 1 3/8" circle (for his body)
~ 6 horizontal slot punch pieces (for his feet)

From Whisper White card stock:

~ 2 - 1/2" circles (for his eyes)

From Basic Black card stock:

~ 2 - 1/4" circles (for his eyes)

Other tips:

~ all Garden Green pieces have been sponged with Garden Green ink around the edges to give them more definition
~ a small oval was punched out of scrap card stock and used to trace around the edge for his mouth
~ the lily pad has a little triangle snipped out of it and then a Blender Pen and ink are used to draw the "veins" on the lily pad
~ the flower petals in the Daisy Field wheel are coloured in with the White Gel Pen
~ the greeting is from the Unfroggetable stamp set
~ the flowers stamped in behind the greeting are from the Simply Said stamp set

Check these previous blog posts for other creative uses for punches:

~ Daisy cards and pumpkin card
~ Santa card

Have fun punching! : )

Bev.

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

Friends...

Boy, am I ever blessed with some wonderful friends! I am so thankful for the many friends I have met through my stamping hobby. Look at this beautiful card that I received today from my friend, Suzanne. She had borrowed a couple of stamping items from me and returned them with this card. I was thrilled to find it in the bag with my supplies! Thank you so much, Suzanne!!

This card is made entirely with the Love Matters stamp set out of the Winter Mini Catalogue. The use of black and white makes this card absolutely stunning. Suzanne embossed the images with Winter White Emboss Powder. The bow just adds the right touch to this card.

We were out at another concert tonight... Brent gave me tickets to see Chantal Kreviazuk (I had to Google the spelling on that!) for Christmas. Although I could not have named a single song that she sings before we went, I must admit it was a fairly good concert... I think I only knew about 6 songs in total, but she is an amazing singer! The words to "Leaving on a Jet Plane" are still going through my head - she brought a little 8 year old girl from the audience up on stage for this song and the little girl sang every word! Pretty cute!! Oh, and Chantal's hair looked pretty good from the third last row in the McPherson Theatre - that hair colour that she does advertising for must work well! : )

Okay, I must call it a night. Check back on the weekend - I have a couple of new things to share!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Happy...

Just a quick post this morning before I head to work... This is a card that I received from Pam Lee. Pam's card is very cheerful with the bright colours of the Loves Me Designer Series paper from the Winter Mini Catalogue making a nice background for this little tag. The tag comes from the Tagger's Dozen stamp set and Pam has used the Small Tag Punch and the Tag Punch to layer this. Then she used the Horizontal Slot Punch to make a slot for the piece of card stock that had been punched with the Word Window Punch to slide through and make a little tab. The card stock colours are Close to Cocoa, Cool Caribbean, Rose Red and Taken with Teal - all complementing the Loves Me paper. This would be a nice, quick card to create. Thank you, Pam!

Have a fantastic day and happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Do you have Happy Harmony yet?

I think that I can safely say that this is my favourite Sell-A-Bration set this year... It has amazed me how this stamp set can be used in so many different ways. Just click on January in the Archives to the right and scroll through my posts to see all of the different samples. Tonight's sample comes courtesy of Jennifer Tinline, another Stampin' Up! demonstrator who has so generously sent me a duplicate of her swap card. What you don't get to see in this scan is that Jennifer stamped the flowers on Shimmery White card stock which just gives the card a little more elegance. Thanks for your beautiful card, Jennifer!

Okay, so back to my favourite Sell-A-Bration set... Do you have a favourite? Post a comment and let us all know.

The truth is, I've really grown fond of them all. Very Punny is so cute, Delight in Life is so classy, Big Blossom is so fun, and So Very is, well, so very unique... And, I love the Just Delightful Simply Scrappin' Kit - I'll be sharing some ideas for using this kit in the next few days. Remember, the Sell-A-Bration rewards are only available until the end of this month so don't miss out! You can pick one free Sell-A-Bration reward with every $75 in merchandise purchased.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Sweet stuff!

I feel so spoiled lately! My friend, Suzanne, dropped by on Saturday afternoon and gave me this cute little package! Isn't it sweet?

Suzanne stamped the background hearts using the Happy Hearts set - Pretty in Pink ink on Pretty in Pink card stock. The little "Sweet stuff" greeting is from the Very Punny Sell-A-Bration set. And, the little envelope with hearts is from the set called Festive Four.

Okay, now I have to confess that shortly after taking this photo, I carefully pulled the topper off this bag and snuck a few of the candies out... yummy! : )

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Scrap-A-Card

I had a stamping class on Friday night and the hostess asked to do a brag book page. Instead of doing just a page, I designed a scrap-a-card... A scrap-a-card is both a card and a 2-page layout for a brag book.

To make a scrap-a-card, you will need 12" x 12" card stock. You cut a sheet in half so it is 12" x 6" then score at 6" so when you fold the card, it will be 6" x 6". Now, you can decorate the front and the inside of your card just as you would for a brag book layout.

This makes a wonderful gift idea... especially for grandparents! Give them a 6" x 6" brag book and then mail scrap-a-cards for throughout the year. Once they're done displaying the card, they can cut down the fold line and have two pages for their brag book.

Here's a closer look at the front and inside of my scrap-a-card:

The colours on this scrap-a-card are Mellow Moss, Cranberry Crisp and Vintage Violet. I've used Happy Hearts and the So Very Sell-A-Bration set. Aren't these photos "so very sweet"?

Get creative and enjoy making scrap-a-cards!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Pick your paper!

That's how this afternoon's Card Organizer class started... with everyone choosing their own paper. From there, they decided how they would make their lunchbox tins into works of art that will store their greeting cards. I really enjoy these classes because it's so much fun to be able to see what everyone creates. By the time we were nearing the end of the class, I said that I wanted to "blog" this and everyone agreed so here are their wonderful creations! We took this group shot so everyone could pose with their Card Organizers - back row is Nora, Rhonda and Cheryl and front row is Mily and Trish.

Now, let's have a closer look at each of the Card Organizers... they are all so nice!

Here's Mily's. Mily chose her paper from the Enchante set which is in the Winter Mini Catalogue. She used my favourite - the Ticket Corner Punch - and added a couple of punched out flowers to decorate her tin.



This one is Nora's... This paper is from the Spring Flowers set. Nora got creative, punching some flowers out of the same paper that she used on the bottom of the tin and sealing them onto the lid... so cute!





Cheryl chose to use the Spring Showers paper and decided to go with one colour to cover the whole tin. She got creative by making the label on the front of her tin look like a tag using the Horizontal Slot punch and tying some ribbon on.

This tin is Rhonda's. Her paper is from the Recollections set and she added some punched flowers with buttons in the centre to decorate hers. The next tin I make will be with this paper.



And, here is Trish's tin... Also using the Recollections paper but flipped the colours around. She decorated with lots of little punched out flowers and ribbon. Isn't it amazing how two tins done with the same paper can look so different?

Well, I'm so impressed with all the creativity today... This is the third time I've had the chance to do these tins with talented stampers and I'm always so amazed by the finished pieces of art! Thanks for sharing your creations with everyone!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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