Another Sneak Peek!

Here's another sneak peek at a stamp set that will be in the new catalogue. This is a card that was designed by Alicia Pine as a make and take for our last demonstrator meeting. I love the colours. Alicia used Bashful Blue and Night of Navy with the Four Seasons Designer Series Paper. The stamp set is called Double-Line Doodles... we received it for free at the Stampin' Up! Regionals last month in Vancouver. It's a really cute set!

Are you getting excited about the new catalogue yet? If you are anxious to have a copy in your hands as soon as it's available, you can pre-order it before June 30th from me for only $8 (including taxes). Or, better yet, hostess a stampin' class or workshop in your home and receive the new catalogue for free! The price after June 30th will be $10. The new catalogues are expected to be here by July 1st.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Palette 'O Prints - last day tomorrow!

This wonderful selection of 6" x 6" Designer Series Paper is only available until tomorrow, May 31st! I hope you already have yours - it's a beautiful package of paper that you will love to use.

Here are a few cards that were made by my friend, Stacey, using the Palette 'O Prints paper. These cards are beautiful and the paper adds such a great touch - and the best part is that it's quick and simple!

This first one is stamped with the Doodle This set from the Spring Mini Catalogue. This card really stands out with its bold Rose Red Colour.

This next card is softer in Lavender Lace using the Close as a Memory and Warm Words sets. So beautiful!

And, one more using the Simply Said stamp set. Stacey has combined the So Saffron printed paper with Rose Red and Lavender Lace. This is a fun card!

Thanks to Stacey for letting me share her great creations with you here! Click here for more information on how to get the Palette 'O Prints paper until May 31st!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Boys, Boys, Boys!

This baseball card was made by Suzanne for our card swap... It is so cute! Suzanne made these as invitations to her boys' birthday parties. It's a round card - she folded the card stock in half and then used the Coluzzle to cut it out, leaving the fold on the left side. I'm guessing that she used a circle pattern to draw the stitching line on in black and then drew the stitches on by making all of the little "x" in red. This would be a great card for any baseball fan, young or young at heart!

We also did a Scrap-A-Card swap and I thought you might like to see the one that I made... The adorable baby boys are my cousin's grandsons - twin boys, Quinn and Braydon. I kept the layout really simple because of the bold colours of card stock and to keep the focus on the main feature - the photos of these drooling cuties! The card stock colours come from the colours in the photos. I added the brads to decorate the pages just a bit and used the Happy Everything and Warm Words sets. Isn't the picture of them holding hands precious?

What a wonderful day we had today... it's so nice to see the sun and feel some warmth for a change! I hope you had a chance to get out and enjoy the weather today!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

More swap cards!

I have the most creative demonstrators in my downline group! We had our meeting tonight and there were some great swap cards!! This one was made by Sonia Regnier and I love it!! The whale stamp is from Silly Sealife and the greeting is from It's Your Birthday. She has used the Baby Wipe Technique to make the background piece. It's a simple technique, but it might take a little bit of practice... Fold a baby wipe then drop ink from an ink refill along the fold - use different colours, alternating them along the fold. Drag this over your card stock to make streaks of colour and then let dry. It's better if you pull quickly.

This card was stamped by Melanie Leslie. What a fun card for a little pirate! This card uses the Ahoy, Matey stamp set with the matching Matey's Map jumbo wheel. I like how Melanie ripped the card stock and then used the direct to paper technique (rubbing ink pad directly onto card stock) to ink the edges. She finished this card with the Happy Everything stamp set.

Thanks for the great cards, Sonia & Melanie! I'll have more cards to share from this swap over the next couple of days so be sure to check back!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

A Sneak Peek!

I'm getting ready for my downline group meeting tomorrow night and thought you might like to see the card that I designed for our make and take - it uses the stamp set we received on cruise and will be in the new Idea Book & Catalogue! The set is called Flowers and Flourish. This card also uses a fun new jumbo wheel.

If you are on my customer mailing list, you should be receiving the Fall-Winter Preview 2007 brochure in the mail soon. This brochure gives you a peak at some of the new stamp sets and other exciting products that will be in the new catalogue... Lots of exciting goodies!

I hope you've had a good weekend... mine was busy as I was working on my niece's wedding invitations. Lots of fun!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Hello, Friend!

Do you ever find that something really profound can happen when you really don't expect it? I had a profound experience this morning and it kept coming to mind throughout the day and now that I'm sitting at my computer, winding down for the day, I'm really thinking about it. I was teaching a class this morning... not a stamping class but a work-related class. It was just a short 40 minute class with a bunch of people who I have never met before. After the class, I was talking with a few people and one person commented that she had made lots of friends on this course that she's taking. I kind of nodded and smiled as I kept working my way to the door in an attempt to leave. Then she turned to me and said "Do you know the best way to make a friend? You just call them a friend. When you meet someone you like, call them a friend and then they'll know." Then she walked away. I thought it was a strange comment that had just come out of nowhere, but it's kept me thinking all day... She had a good point. I don't know why she felt the need to share it with me but it was thought provoking.

Since I've been thinking about this, I thought I would find a "friend" card to post tonight. This one was created a couple of years ago and I've always liked it. It's made with the Love Without End stamp set which is being retired. The colours - Taken with Teal and Whisper White - make this card very simple but crisp.

So, thank you to all my stamping friends. I'm so fortunate to have met so many wonderful customers who have grown to be friends through this hobby. I truly enjoy the opportunities we have to get together to stamp and visit!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

More Natural Beauty

I was looking through some more of my swap cards from Regionals tonight and came across two more that are made with one of my favourite sets - Natural Beauty. This first one was made by Judy Tell. The colours are so nice and soft - Apricot Appeal with Certainly Celery. It looks like she used the Watercolour Wonder Crayons to colour which gives a nice soft look to the flowers. She used a Stampin' Write Marker to colour only the word "hope" from the greeting stamp and added it as a little tab. It's a bit difficult to see, but she also used the Paisley background stamp to add some texture to the main card.

I haven't used the bird stamp in this set as much but I do think he's cute. This card was made by Christine Ekrem. She has used Brocade Blue, Barely Banana and Certainly Celery card stock with the Sarah Designer Series Paper. This is a quick, simple card that would suit many occasions.

I'm excited that the weekend is almost here! Let's hope for sunny weather!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS - the "new home" card that I posted last night was a hit with my friend at work!

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

Right at Home

I bought the Right at Home stamp set some time ago and haven't had a chance to use it... until tonight! A woman I work with asked me to make her a card for a friend who has just moved into a new house. When I started working on the card, I realized that I knew nothing about her friend(s) - man, woman, couple...?? No idea! So, I had to make a card that would work for any situation... hope I did okay! I started with the ribbon actually and then pulled out card stock to match - Sahara Sand, Bravo Burgundy, Not Quite Navy and Mellow Moss. I stamped the houses on a piece of Naturals White with Black StazOn. Then I coloured with a Blender Pen and inks... my goal was to give this card a real watercolour look. I think I did okay but this is something that I still need to practice! After I was done colouring, I outlined the image using the Blender Pen with Sahara Sand ink. It just gives it a bit of a shadow - I like how this looks. The colour blocking that I did with the cardstock is different than my usual style and I was pleased with myself for getting a little creative. Well, I hope my co-worker likes the card... I'll let you know!

Oh, by the way, Right at Home is another set on the retiring list...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Faux Metal Idea

Many of my customers know how to do this technique already and I thought you might like to see a neat idea... Check out how cute the little faux metal tag is on this card! This was done with the Key Tag Punch. First, you'll want to use a piece of card stock a bit bigger than you want your finished project. Make your faux metal piece and then punch it out with the Key Tag Punch. Make sure it's cooled down first though or you will make a big mess! Then you can punch a 1/16" circle and attach the "dog tag" on with a piece of Wire Works wire. This would be the perfect accent for a masculine card... Just find a greeting stamp that fits on the Key Tag Punch shape. This card is made with the retiring Ruff Day (pg 144) stamp set.

Remember, you can always click on the photos to see a bigger image if you need a closer look at the details.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Retiring from Regionals

Happy Victoria Day! I have a few minutes before we head out for an afternoon of shopping and then another hockey game this evening before the race to catch the ferry home. It will be a fun day!

Here are a few more card samples from Regionals. I've gone through and picked out a few that are made with retiring stamp sets.

This first one is made with the Hostess set that's been very popular - Measure of Life (pg 18). It looks like the artist used a combination of two techniques on this one - Wax Crayon Resist and Polished Stone (without metallic ink). The "thank you" greeting is from Wonderful Words which is not retiring but it's matching set, Wonderful Words II, is retiring.

This one is made with Basket Full of Fun (pg 21), another Hostess set that will only be available until the end of June. I like how the artist coloured the leaves on this one, likely using the lighter colour first and then going back in with the darker colour to add some depth and interest to the leaves. She has also used the Crosshatch background stamp and the Everyday Flexible Phrases set with the Word Window Punch.

This card made with the Espressoly for You (pg 83) is great! The card stock colours look fantastic - Chocolate Chip with More Mustard. The Print Pattern background stamp is perfect for this and notice how the white gel pen was used at the tips of the diamonds on the top and the Chocolate Chip Stampin' Write Marker does the same on the bottom. The faux stitching draws attention to the main image and the piece of Hodgepodge Hardware adds a nice finishing touch along with the ribbon.

I was instantly drawn to this card with the In the Wild set (pg 137). Are you wondering how to make the giraffe facing the opposite direction? I've never actually done this myself, but what you need to do is use a big solid stamp - we had one last year in a set that I think was called Big Shapes. It was a big solid rectangle shape. You ink the giraffe well and then press it into the solid stamp then stamp that one down onto your card stock. You will have the reverse image. I would think that it would be easiest to stamp the reverse stamp first and then your direct image.

This card uses the All Natural set (pg 91). I've used this set a fair amount, but never the pear. I thought it looked really nice on this card. The artist did a great job of colouring and shading, again probably starting with the lightest colour and adding in darker highlights. One detail that I really noticed was the strip of Really Rust card stock that was crumpled and the highlighted using direct to paper to add Really Rust ink - just crumple your paper, maybe a few times, then flatten back out and rub the ink pad right over top of the card stock. It will touch along the creases and add some texture.

And, one more for today... The leaf stamp and the greeting are both from Autumn Leaf Prints (pg 131) - another retiring set. Lots of neat details here but the one that I thought was the most unique is on the piece of More Mustard card stock - it was stamped with the Canvas background stamp and then the four sides were folded up and secured with a brad in each corner. I would imagine that you would want to score this card stock before folding... Very nice detail!

Well, I must run... I can see the Metrotown Mall from our hotel window and I think it's time to get over there! Have a great day!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

(All images copyright 1990-2007 Stampin Up!)

More from Regionals...

Whenever we go to a Stampin' Up! event, there are hundreds of project samples for us to look at. I was just going through my photos from Regionals last month and thought maybe I would share some of my favourites with you. I've picked some out and will post them here over the next few days.

This first one is a great scrapbook layout. The colours look like Close to Cocoa, Apricot Appeal and Regal Rose. The artist used the Petal Prints stamp set along with the Letterpress Alphabet. I really like how she stamped the leaves from Petal Prints all over the background paper, probably with Close to Cocoa Craft Ink although you could also use VersaMark, and then embossed with Crystal Clear Emboss Powder. It gives the background a really different look that is so nice. Notice how she also used Silver Brads, an Aluminum White Square Metal Edge Tag and a little touch of ribbon.

My hubby is wanting to get going to this afternoon's hockey game so I better stop here... I'll be back later with some more samples from Regionals so check back soon! Have a great day!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Best of Cluck

I've always thought that the Best of Cluck set was cute... here's a swap card that I recieved from Beverly Bott that just makes me smile! Fun colours - Apricot Appeal and Pumpkin Pie are perfect together. The Cheesecloth stamp is used in the background and the two pieces of ribbon are a nice addition. Both the Best of Cluck set and the Cheesecloth Background stamp will be retired at the end of June.

Now, for something "eggciting", I have a weekend away with my hubby! We're going to Vancouver for the Memorial Cup - which means 4 hockey games in 4 days. I'm not a huge hockey fan so this might be a bit more than I would normally want to plan into a weekend, but I'm going to enjoy some time away with my hubby...

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Getting ready to say farewell to Petal Prints...

I had an email from Rhonda asking me to feature cards made with this stamp set on my blog so here's a variety of cards made with Petal Prints. You know that this is one of my most used stamp sets... We've stamped all kinds of cards with it, used it for the One Sheet Wonder Class, and made silk scarves with it. I've also used it a lot for making boxes and other stamped projects. Petal Prints will be a difficult set for me to set aside... It's another that I highly recommend if you don't already have it in your stamp collection - it's only here until June 30th.

The first two cards were more swaps that I received at Regionals... the first one was made by Petty Wong. The colours are Cool Caribbean, Tempting Turquoise, Sahara Sand and Chocolate Chip with Whisper White. The Oval Punch pieces for the greeting adds a nice touch. Petty used the French Script background stamp which is also retiring.

The Lavender Lace and Basic Black card was made by Melissa Jung. She actually painted on some Lumiere over the flower to give it a bit of shimmer.

This card was inspired by one that I received from my upline, Alison. I changed the colours - Bashful Blue and Certainly Celery. I've done this card in different colours. It's a great card that can be stamped really quicly and used for so many different occasions.





Notice how this next card uses the Cracked Glass technique. This one was created by Melanie Leslie for a techniques swap the my downline group had last fall.




These last few cards are some that Mom has stamped. I love the stitching with Natural Hemp on this card. It took some time but sure adds a neat look to this card. And great colours - Chocolate Chip, Creamy Caramel and Regal Rose.


This one has so many details to add interest and texture - ripped card stock, faux stitching around the outside edges and a piece of Magic Mesh are some different additions for this card. The colours are Apricot Appeal, Bashful Blue and Gable Green.


And, this last one will be familiar to some of you who stamped it at a Stamp-A-Stack some time ago. It's another quick and simple card that works well for all different occasions.



Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Doodle This

Doodling is all the rage in scrapbooking and cardmaking these days. Here's a fun card using the Doodle This stamp set that's in the Spring Mini Catalogue. This one was stamped by Lisa Rankin for the Regionals swap. She actually stamped the flower on Glossy Card Stock and embossed it with White Detail Emboss Powder. Then she used Daubers to sponge on the colours - Pink Passion and Summer Sun. Thanks for such a nice card, Lisa!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Another retiring set...

Here's another stamp set that I will miss... In Full Bloom. It's been a great set to make lots of cards with. Here are a few samples. Some of them have been around for a while so I can't remember who should be getting credit for all of them. I know that I did receive all of these cards in swaps... The one on the Basic Black background was from Kirsten and the last one from Melanie - both demonstrators in my downline. This set will be available until the end of June.

I have some good news about the Stampin' Around Wheels... they are all available again, including the ones that had been showing as sold out! Stampin' Up! negotiated a special production of these wheels with the manufacturer so they are expected to be available until the end of June.

I've added some classes to my schedule... click here to see the upcoming classes and contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca to register!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Happy Mother's Day!

I helped a couple of Dads make Mother's Day gifts this week... Yesterday, a friend of ours came over with two of his girls to make a scrapbook layout for their Mom. The girls, 5 and 3 years old, each coloured a picture that we included on the pages for their Mom - it was so cute! Dad stamped and learned how brads worked while I worked on the layout. It was quite a fun project and I'm anxious to hear how Mom liked it!

The other project was this Scrap-A-Card that I made for a fellow at work. I used some of the new papers from the Palette 'O Prints pad. I thought I'd show you how I made the little photo corners for this project.

Start with the 1/4" square punch - punch it into a piece of card stock. Then use the 3/4" square punch to punch around the punch that you already have. Now, use Paper Snips to cut the square into two pieces and you have photo corners in any colour you need! This is a quick and simple way to add a little extra to your scrapbook pages or to cards.

Here's the inside of the Scrap-A-Card that I made... with such a cute baby it's easy to make cute cards!

I hope that all the Moms had a great day today. We took my Mom for a yummy dinner at Sampan. Happy Mother's Day to my Mom!

I'm off to watch the final episode of Survivor...


Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

I'm going to miss this set...

Natural Beauty is one of my favourite stamp sets ever. We received it at a Stampin' Up! Regional Seminar a couple of years ago and it was love at first sight for me! I've used it so much and I'm really going to miss making cards with it for classes. If you don't already have this set (I know lots of you do), it's one that I'd really recommend purchasing before it retires at the end of June.

This first card is one that I designed for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stack and it was popular among the stampers! The colours are beautiful - Rose Red, Mellow Moss and Basic Black. I really like the words stamped down the side in White Craft Ink.

This next one was a card at a Stamp-A-Stack a couple of months ago. It was inspired by a card that I had seen Melanie, a demonstrator in my group, make. More great colours - Not Quite Navy, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant and More Mustard. I love how the words are the main focus but the leaf stamp as well as the butterfly stamp provide nice accents.

This card is a variation of one of the cards that we stamped at the Regionals when we received this set. I had this card as a make and take at one of my Open Houses. I like the little bird stamp although I haven't used it as much as the butterfly and flowers.

This butterfly card was stamped by my upline, Alison. Notice how she attached a little piece of grosgrain ribbon with a brad - I like this idea for a different way to add a little bit of ribbon to a card. The colours on this are nice - Tempting Turquoise with Chocolate Chip.

Here's another butterfly card - this is one that I designed. The Spring Showers Designer Series Paper goes well with this set. There are a couple of little interesting details on this card - the flower punched with the Spring Bouquet Punch and the paper piercing in the corners of the So Saffron card stock behind the butterfly.

I love this flower stem... This one is done in Elegant Eggplant and Always Artichoke along with Sahara Sand card stock. I've also used the Sahara Sand Stampin' Write Marker to outline the flowers giving a bit of a shadow effect.

This stamp set is so versatile. I've used it to make so many different cards. It's definitely one that will stay in my stamp collection!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Stampin' fun for everyone!

Here's a fun card that I received in a cruise swap. It was stamped by Caroline LeBel from Toronto. I've always liked this stamp set - it's called Stampin' Fun for Everyone and it's among the retiring sets...

I'm not sure how well you can see this in the scan but Caroline stamped the images in Basic Black Craft Ink and then embossed them with Hologram Highlights Emboss Powder. It gives it a nice touch of glitter. She watercoloured using Watercolour Wonder Crayons and an Aquapainter. I like how she included the Petals & Paisley Designer Series Paper - it's perfect for this stamp. And, she found a great use for the Designer Label Punch. Thanks for a great card, Caroline!

I'm just watching the second last Survivor episode... I'm a huge fan! Then I'll be getting the last things ready for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stack.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Cute and fun!

This card is just too cute! If you know any olive lovers, this would be the right card for them... Look at how the circle punches have been used to create olives to coordinate with the Olive You stamp set. This is one of the sets that's being retired. And one more detail - there's a toothpick attached with the ribbons! This was a swap card that I received from Alysabeth Johnston.

I had a fun evening - celebrating a 3 year old's birthday! Of course, with all the kids around, I wasn't much excitement for the birthday girl but I did enjoy holding and playing with her younger twin sisters who are just 8 months old. One fell asleep in my arms by the end of the evening - there's nothing more peaceful than a sleeping baby! Oh, and I also played a game of Memory with the older sister - she's five and I didn't win... no, I wasn't trying to let her win, I just wasn't as good with remembering apparently! : )

Oh, I should also mention an update on Stampin' Around Wheels - they are flying off the shelves quickly! If you thought you might like any of the retiring wheels, be sure to order soon. There are now only 3 left showing in the "sufficient supply" category and only 12 others in the "going quickly" category... all the rest are now "no longer available". Click here to see the updated list as of today. My next order will be going in on Saturday afternoon if you want anything!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Sassy Stems

This great card was stamped by Lucie Zettel. I was excited to receive it in the Regionals swap from her. The flowers are from the Sassy Stems set. The swirls on the background strip were stamped from the By Design set and the greeting is from the hostess stamp set called Warmest Regards - both of these sets are being retired so are only available until the end of June. Lucie embossed the flowers and vase in black on vellum paper and then coloured them in using Stampin' Write Markers from the back. She's attached the vellum piece onto Whisper White card stock with Gold Brads and then used Barely Banana, Pink Passion and Gable Green card stock. It's even prettier in real life! Thanks for the great card, Lucie!

Okay, I need to get stamping to get cards ready for the Stamp-A-Stack - 6 are ready and 6 more are still to be created! Still seats on Saturday morning - drop me an email at bevennis@shaw.ca to register! We have some great new folds for you to try out on your cards at this Stamp-A-Stack!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Dry Embossing

I had a stamping class tonight - the first one since before I went on the cruise so I was a little rusty! : )

The hostess had asked about doing a dry embossing card. Here's the card that I created for the class... It's simple but really eye-catching. Dry embossing is an amazing technique that still amazes me each time I do it. I love the Bodacious Bouquet template... In fact, I like this card so much, I think I'll have it out for the Stamp-A-Stack this weekend so if you haven't done dry embossing before, here's your chance! Still lots of seats open on Saturday morning if you'd like to come!

Speaking of classes, I'm just about to put out my schedule... lots to look forward to including a Technique Junkies class for those of you who have already attended all four of the Techniques Book classes and a punch class - you won't believe all the great animals and shapes you can create using our punches! Watch my website for more details in the next couple of days...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Live, love, laugh...

Many of you know that my favourite quote is "Live well, laugh often, love much." I try to keep this in mind in my day-to-day life and feel that if I'm able to live well, laugh often and love much I will have achieved success in my life.

So, this card really appealed to me when I saw it. I don't know who made it, but I've always been drawn to it and everytime I see it, it makes me smile. It was part of a donation from my downline group to the Ronald McDonald House Charities - Stampin' Up! is a sponsor of this great charity and they encourage Stampin' Up! demonstrators to make and donate cards that can be used by families who stay at the Ronald McDonald houses.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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