August Special - Punch a Bunch!

The August special has been announced and it's exciting! When you purchase the Three for You Punch Box for $62.95, you will receive 30 textured Love Notes with envelopes for FREE (a $17.95 value). There are 10 notes each of 3 colours - Wild Wasabi, So Saffron and Purely Pomegranate . These 3" x 3" Love Notes are quick and easy to use - they're just the right size for a quick hello. The punch box is fantastic - it comes with a 9 piece stamp set (die-cut so quick to put together), the Trio Flower Punch, and Basic Black, Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi Classic Stampin' Spots. And it all comes together in a keepsake tin. This special is available only for the month of August so don't miss out!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Another weekend of stamping fun!

With 20 enthusiastic stampers over two Stamp-A-Stacks this weekend, over 150 new cards were created! It was lots of fun... Here are a couple of the cards that I designed for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stacks. I was really pleased with this first one. It uses three of the new In Colour colours - Groovy Guava, Wild Wasabi and Purely Pomegranate. The new Scallop Punch is awesome - works so well with the 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" Circle Punches. And, the new Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon is beautiful! We used the Sweet Shapes and Happy Everything stamp sets for this one. This is a really fast and easy card and it looks great!

This card made me realize how much I was missing my Mom... She is so awesome at cutting card stock for all of my classes and when I had to cut this one myself 20 times, I was really appreciating how much work she does for us! Mom, if you are reading this in your travels, thanks for all your paper cutting expertise!! : ) This card uses a great new stamp set called Fun & Fast Notes... There were lots of variations stamped of this card as people picked different images to use. When I assembled this set, I cut the greetings off and mounted them on the ends of my wood blocks so that I could easily use the image and greeting separately and mix and match - this is the advantage of being able to mount your sets yourself. This card uses a couple of colours that I haven't used very often - Orchid Opulence and Pixie Pink along with Certainly Celery. The Basic Black sets things off nicely.

And, one last card for this evening... This one has had lots of compliments so I thought I would post it. It was created by Stacey Rumsby and is just adorable. The zebra is from the new Zoofari stamp set. Stacey added the white strips of card stock on the black background to duplicate the zebra's stripes - a great effect!

I've had a wonderful weekend... Of course, stamping is always perfect start to a weekend! After the Stamp-A-Stacks were done, I managed to spend some time with my hubby which was so nice! We've both been so busy for the last couple of months, we haven't seen much of each other. We went out for dinner and then down to the beach last night - it was such a nice evening! Today we had friends over (with their four daughters) for a visit and a BBQ so that was lots of fun! I hope you managed to enjoy our no-rain weekend too!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Stamp-A-Stack Card...

It's a stamping night here... I'm making the last few cards for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stack. I'm really excited about this one - it looks a little flat in the scan... it is a simple card, but I love it! I learned how to colour the flowers in the new Pretties Kit tonight and will be showing everyone how at the Stamp-A-Stack. This is one of the cards that you can make... It also uses the new Textured Card Stock which I'm really liking.

There is still space available for Saturday morning's Stamp-A-Stack if you'd like to come. Just be sure to register with me at bevennis@shaw.ca.

I hit a milestone tonight - this is my 200th post on my blog! Wow...!!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Lots of samples!

I haven't had much time this week to post card samples so I thought I'd catch up by posting a few tonight...

These first two are cards that I designed for a stamping class I had this week. The first one is made with my current favourite baby stamp set - Bundle of Joy. I've also used the Flannel background stamp and the greeting comes from Holidays & Wishes. This is a good card to welcome a new baby boy or girl or even as a birthday card for a young child.

I used the new colours Soft Sky and Blue Bayou together again on this next card. I wanted to design a card that would work for a boy/man or a girl/woman... I also wanted to include a technique in my stamping class so faux shaving cream was it! This card is a little faded in the scan - it's a bit brighter in real life. Oh, I should also mention one more detail - it was looking a bit flat when I put it together so I crumpled the Blue Bayou card stock under the cake to give it a bit of texture. You might see it better if you click on the card to see the scan larger.

This is a super fun card that Mom stamped... It uses Silly Sealife along with the Happy Everything. Isn't it adorable? The colours on this card are unique too - Tempting Turquoise, Not Quite Navy and Mellow Moss.






Okay, now some cards designed by some of my creative friends... This one is Lucie's design. The colours are Groovy Guava and Basic Black. Lucie used the Office Accoutrements stamp set along with the Sincere Salutations, Little Pieces and Happy Everything. I like how the faux stitching and the sponging around the outside edge add some nice details on this card.

Here's Sonia's swap card. She used the Delightful Doodles stamp set. The colour combination on this card is nice - Taken with Teal and Certainly Celery. She's added some bling with a Rhinestone Brad in the centre of the flower.

Lorraine used the Baroque Motifs stamp set on her creation. This one had quite a few comments when some of you saw it earlier this week. The depth on this card is created by stamping the swirl stamp first in So Saffron ink (on the So Saffron card stock) and then using a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, it's stamped again in Whisper White ink just a little off of where it was stamped the first time. This is a really nice effect. Notice also how Lorraine added faux cross-stitching down the side.

And, tonight's final card was stamped by Alicia. She has used the new Three for You Punch Box, the Seeing Spots stamp set and the Linen background stamp. The card stock colours are Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate. One neat detail on this card is the strip of Groovy Guava card stock that has been stamped with the little polka dot stamp from the Three for You Punch Box - it looks like a piece of ribbon...

I hope that you are having a good weekend despite the rain... I'm looking forward to having a friend come stay with us for a while along with her 8-month old baby girl. I have to go set up the playpen now - always a challenging task!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Pick a Petal

I'm really enjoying the new Pick a Petal stamp set. I was a bit perplexed about how to use it when I first got it, but I'm off and stamping with it now! This first card is one that I created just before the Open House a couple of weeks ago. I just love the bright colours - Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate and Summer Sun. The flower petals are stamped on Whisper White card stock and then cut out. The faux stitching around the Summer Sun card stock really finishes this card nicely.

Sonia created this card as a make and take for our group meeting. At first, I thought it was going to be difficult to stamp the flower, but I discovered that it wasn't too bad. I actually drew myself a little circle on the card stock first and then used that as my reference to stamp the petals around. Then the flower is cut out (all one piece although you could do the petals separately if it's easier) and mounted on this piece of Kraft card stock that was stamped with the Canvas background stamp in VersaMark ink. And, notice the faux stitching all the way around this card - it took a little bit of time but I sure do like the final look!

And, this card is certainly a creative use of the Pick a Petal stamp set. Alicia made this one for a card swap. I like how she used the faux shaving cream technique on the wings. And, the Rhinestone Brads make the perfect eyes for this dragonfly!



Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

A fun evening of stamping...

I just spent a couple of fantastic hours stamping with my downline group. We decided to spend an evening stamping new cards so I now have lots to share with you over the next few days! Here are a couple...

This first one would be perfect for a new neighbour! It was stamped by Stacey using the new Neighbourhood Jumbo Wheel. Notice how she layered the punched pieces at the bottom - using both of the Oval punches along with the Key Tag Punch in behind. That's the new Taffeta Ribbon holding the greeting. This is a nice, cheery card!

This next card is Melanie's. It shows a bit of a unique way to use the Baroque Motifs stamp set that so many of you enjoyed using at the Open House... Notice how Melanie stamped the background stamp and then used a White Gel Pen to highlight some spots on the stamp. It adds a little doodling to the card and changes this very classic looking stamp to something a little more fun. Melanie added the flowers with Silver Brads to bring in some colour which is nice. And, she finished it all off with a nice piece of the new Wide Grosgrain Ribbon in Chocolate Chip.

I hope you had a nice weekend... We had a very good trip to Alberta although we decided that it was way too hot to go to the Stampede on Friday and opted to take our friends' sons to a movie instead. The air conditioned theatre was nice! We saw Ratatouille - it was a fun movie!

Well, better finish tidying up and call it a night!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

A Box Full of Goodies!

There is nothing better than coming home from work to a box full of Stampin' Up! goodies. And, when that box is full of brand new things from the new catalogue... well, it's just about as exciting as Christmas morning when I was about 6 years old! Okay, maybe that's a bit of a stretch, but it is pretty darn exciting! : ) Just thought I'd share the beautiful sight of new rubber, ink, ribbon and more with you!

I have to tell you that the new ribbon is beautiful! The Stitched Grosgrain will definitely become a favourite of mine!! And, the Taffeta Ribbon is really nice - beautiful colours! The Pretties Kit is even prettier than I had expected. And, I'm really looking forward to using the new punches that I ordered - the Scallop Circle and 5-Petal Flower. Oh, so much stamping to do...!!

I got busy and put together one of my new stamp sets - Bundled in Love. I was excited to use it along with the new Basic Gray ink and card stock to create this card. I also added some of the new Taffeta Ribbon in Basic Gray and Pretty in Pink. And, I softened the card by using the new Corner Rounder Punch. This is a card that will be available at the Stamp-A-Stack.

So, was it hot enough for you today? I can't believe that this was the hottest day EVER in Victoria! Well, maybe I can believe it... It's 10:30 at night and I'm sitting at my computer with a fan 8 inches away from me, blowing directly on me!

I'm going to be away for the next few days... I'll try to post a new card or two on Monday night when I get home. Enjoy the sunshine and don't forget your sunscreen...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Year After Year

Here's a really simple card that I designed last week with the new Year After Year and Holidays & Wishes stamp sets. These are new colours also - Purely Pomegranate (love, love, LOVE this colour!) and Groovy Guava.

I've been busy creating tonight... My wonderful paper cutter (AKA Mom) is going away on holidays and I'm trying to get as many cards ready for the Stamp-A-Stack as I can so she can use her expert cutting skills to get the card stock ready for us before she goes! I'm expecting my first new catalogue order to arrive tomorrow (it's not the one from the Open House just yet...) so I will have some more new stamp sets to work with for the Stamp-A-Stack! Yay!!

Well, better get back to work... I have a card swap to get finished!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Zoofari!

Okay, I have to be honest... when I first saw this stamp set, it didn't excite me. I wasn't even going to order it because I didn't think I would actually use it. But... I did think these birds were kind of cute so I ordered it. And, now that I've made a couple of cards with it and have seen some others, I have to say that I've grown very fond of it!

Both of these cards are my own creations and they both came to me late on Thursday night as I was taking a few minutes to stamp before bed... I made the filmstrip one first because I've been wanting to use the Spiral Punch like this for some time and I thought these stamps would be really cute with it. Since it was really the birds that I had been wanting to use out of the Zoofari set, I had to make another card with them. I used the two new blue colours - Soft Sky and Blue Bayou - along with Close to Cocoa. It's a very simple card but I like that it's a different layout than I've ever done.

I hope you've had a wonderful day!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

And the winners are...

Thanks to everyone who attended my Hostess Appreciation Night and Open House this weekend! I enjoyed having all of you here to stamp and to see some of the exciting new Stampin' Up! products.

If you were here, I'm sure that you are anxious to hear about the door prize draws... First, congratulations to the winners from last night's Hostess Appreciation Night, Jana and Jennifer. We've just had the draws for all of today's prizes and the winners are:

~ Jamie!

~ Janice!

~ Della!

~ Trish!

~ Pat!

~ Katy!

And the GRAND PRIZE basket winner is... RHONDA!! Congratulations to all of you!

I know some of you like to be surprised by what you won, so I won't spoil that for anyone, but if you do want to know, you can call or email and I'll be happy to share the news!

So, for those of you who weren't able to make it here today, here are two of the cards that we stamped. I think it's fair to say that this first one was a favourite for many stampers! It does look better in real life... It's stamped with the new Baroque Motifs stamp set with the new River Rock and Purely Pomegranate colours. The greeting stamp comes from the Hugs & Wishes stamp set. I really like the colour combination on this card!

This one is also using new colours - Soft Sky and Blue Bayou. There were lots of great comments about how nice these colours look together. The little elephant stamp is from the Year After Year stamp set - this stamp set is really versatile and I saw some cards made with the flowers and the wedding cake from this set which also looked very nice. I used two different stamps to create the greeting - the "welcome" comes from Warm Words and then the "little one" is from a stamp in the new Holidays & Wishes set. This stamp actually says "sweet little one" so I just inked it off the edge of the pad to omit the word "sweet". I thought this was a fun greeting for this card.

It was a great weekend for stamping! Thanks again for coming out... we've been out for dinner and are now going to put our feet up and relax for a bit. Enjoy the rest of your weekend and...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

All new...

I've been playing with some of my new goodies... Here's one of my creations! It's made almost entirely with new products. The new colours are fantastic - I've used Wild Wasabi, Purely Pomegranate and Groovy Guava on this card along with Basic Black which just makes the whole card "pop" and Whisper White. What do you think about the new colours? I love the names! : )

The flower comes from the Double-Line Doodles (pg 67). Notice the "bling" in the centre - a Rhinestone Brad... the first one I've used! The greeting comes from the new stamp set called Holidays & Wishes. This is a good tip to remember: I used the "Happy Thanksgiving" stamp, but because I only wanted the word "Thanks", I coloured only this part of the stamp with a Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, then breathed on it to remoisten and stamped. This makes your stamps even more versatile!

We're pretty much ready to go for this weekend's events and looking forward to seeing everyone!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Typo in Newsletter

Well, it seems that I always have at least one typo in my newsletters... Why is it that I can proofread it and everything seems fine but once I hit send, I notice the error(s)??? Anyways, this month's error is in the specials that I listed for the upcoming Open House... I have shown a special price of $36.95 on the Year After Year stamp set (pg 57) and have noted the regular price as $26.95. Isn't that a great special?? LOL! Well, $36.95 is the special price available through me on Saturday, July 7th only but the regular price is actually $41.95. That sounds a little better...!

Have a great day - enjoy the beautiful sunshine! : )

Bev.

Open House door prizes!

I hope you are planning to come to my Open House this weekend... these are the door prizes! One basket is the door prize for the Hostess Appreciation Night, a special night for my hostesses from this past catalogue year. The rest of the prizes will be given away at the Open House, including a grand prize valued at more than $125! All draws will be held at the end of the day so that everyone who attends or places an order will have a chance to win!

Well, I'm busy making a few new samples to have to show you at the Open House this weekend so I am going to get back to stamping!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS - if you were a hostess in this past catalogue year and you have not RSVP'd to the Hostess Appreciation Night invitiation, please let me know if you are planning to come! Thanks!! : )

Getting ready for the Open House!

Hello stampin' friends! Along with a bit of relaxing and cleaning today, I've been busy getting things ready for this weekend's Open House... I sure hope you are planning to come! Here are the details again:

When: Saturday July 7th from 10:00 am - 4:30 pm (come and go anytime)

Where: Bev's House - email me at bevennis@shaw.ca if you need directions

There will be lots of fantastic door prizes - I'll post a photo of them in the next couple of days. You'll receive one door prize entry when you come to the Open House and another one for placing an order on July 7th (orders by phone or email will also give you a chance to win!).

You can stamp three cards using new stamp sets while you are here - $1 per card.

And, for some the most exciting part is my annual rubber sale! I've cleared out my cupboards and am ready to bid farewell to some of the stamp sets that have been retired this year and in previous years. The picture I'm including on this blog post is of some of the stamp sets that will be available... I've since added more! As mentioned in my newsletter though, in order to be fair to all customers, I will not be providing an advance list - you'll have to come to the Open House to see what's available! : )

I'm off to finish getting the door prizes together and hopefully squeeze in a little stamping time before the day is over!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

Happy Canada Day!

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful day in honour of Canada's 140th birthday!

The new catalogue is officially here! If you haven't already received a copy, you can see it online - click here! So, what are your new favourites?

I've just finished sending in my first order from the new catalogue. It was hard to pick just a few things from my wish list... It will be pretty exciting when that box of goodies arrives! I can't wait to see all of the new ribbons, the new textured card stock and the new Pretties Kit... we'll be using flowers from the Pretties Kit at the July Stamp-A-Stack so don't miss it! : )

I've been waiting to share this amazing card with you and I think that the first day of the new catalogue is the perfect time. This card was designed by Stacey Rumsby - her creativity amazes me! Unfortunately, it is another of those ones that's better in real life because some of the colour has been lost in the scan - you can see it at my Open House next weekend... Stacey has used lots of new products on this one. The card stock colours are River Rock, Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate and Very Vanilla. The background is done with the new See You Around Jumbo Wheel. The main image is from the Zoofari stamp set (pg 90) and the greeting is from the new Hugs & Wishes stamp set (pg 143). Now, notice the wonderful frame Stacey has created... She used the Coluzzle to cut the circle and then used the Slit Punch to make the flower petals all the way around! Isn't this great?!! Thanks for the fantastic card, Stacey!

Well, I'm off for a trip to Duncan to bring some more new catalogues to waiting customers. Then we're having a BBQ with friends to celebrate Canada Day before heading down to the fireworks. I hope you have a wonderful Canada Day!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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