Other creations...

I thought I would share what I've been working on this week... I'm learning how to quilt! My sister, Leslie, is here visiting so she's been teaching me the basics. And, I don't think I picked the simplest project to start with! I bought a pattern at the Satin Moon to make a set of Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) couplets. These are traditional decorations that are hung on either side of a door to bring good wishes (good fortune) to a home. When I saw the pattern, I thought that it would be easy enough to figure out... after all, I remember that in grade 9 I sewed a really nice pillow and a skirt that I actually wore once so I was sure I could do this! Hmm, didn't look so simple after I opened the pattern at home! I asked Leslie for some advice on getting started since she is a talented quilter and she simply offered to make them for me! I knew then that I was in trouble!! But, with Leslie's help, I've got them started and here's a picture of what I've accomplished so far. I'm pretty proud of myself!

The Chinese characters are all traced from the pattern onto a fusible material. Then they are ironed onto the gold fabric and cut out by hand. The gold fabric is then lined up on the red fabric and ironed on... two evenings later, I have them all done! I sure hope I did okay lining all the little pieces up - they look good to me, but I'm no expert on Chinese symbols. From left to right, top to bottom, here's what the symbols mean: courage, friendship, harmony, tranquility, love, happiness, prosperity, longevity, luck, and peace.

We're starting the sewing lesson this weekend. Oh, and did I mention that my sister is leaving on Sunday? Any quilters out there who can answer my questions when I find myself challenged beyond my limited abilities after Leslie is gone...?

And, since I'm sharing projects other than stamping, I thought I'd show you how my Dad has been keeping busy. He's knitting toques to send to the orphanages in China. Yes, you read correctly - my Dad is knitting! He saw a picture of babies in orphanages that have little or no heat and was quite concerned so he decided to get busy. He thought that we could take them over with us when we go, but at the rate he's knitting, we're going to have to send them over ahead... He has 42 done already!

I love this photo that I took - a close up of his hands knitting. I have a similar picture of him in his workshop turning wood on his lathe. I think it's neat to have pictures like this because it really shows a different perspective.

Don't miss the card I just posted a few minutes ago... scroll down to see it!

Bev.

Made by Robin...

Those of you who were at my last Stamp-A-Stack know that I have a bit of a passion for Certainly Celery right now... So, it will come as no surprise that I find this card, made by Robin, very nice! I think pink is the perfect colour to go with Certainly Celery - Robin used Pretty in Pink and Regal Rose on this card. I'm really enjoying the new Embrace Life stamp set. Such a pretty card... thanks, Robin!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

I love rub-ons!

Oh my gosh, this was so easy and fun! Yesterday, I played a little with the new rub-ons and I couldn't believe how simple they were to use! This card uses the rub-ons that will be available for Sale-A-Bration. There are no stamps on this card - it's all from the rub-ons package!

Like so many cards, this one is more impressive in person when you can actually see the dimension, but hopefully you get the idea. It's bright and cheerful...

I've also been busy learning a few of the basics of quilting. My sister is here visiting for the week and she's a quilter so we started working on a project together... it's fun but unlike stamping, it takes a lot of time before you have something to show for your work! It will be worth it in the end. Maybe I'll have her stamping by the end of the week, too!

Stay safe in this chilly weather. It's always so pretty to see the snow, but it sure adds some extra challenges for us West coasters!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Lucie's creativity!

Here's another of Lucie's fantastic creations! She has used the new Nursery Necessities stamp set along with the Background Basics set. Look at how she created a little valence at the top using paper from the Fall Flowers Designer Series Paper. She's also used both of the star punches on this card. It's such a cute card! Thanks, Lucie.

I'm off to play with the new rub-ons... I might be back later to share!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Only 5 more days...

until Sale-A-Bration starts!!

Here's a card that uses two of the stamp sets that will be available during Sale-A-Bration. They are both really cute sets. The greeting comes from a set called "Lots of Thoughts". It's a set of six stamps. It's a cute little set that I know I will enjoy using a lot. The flowers come from a set of 5 stamps called "Friendship Blooms". There was a bit of colouring involved in this card, but it was well worth it!

I know most of you already know what Sale-A-Bration is all about - free stamps! But, I have to let you know that this year, you will be able to select a free stamp set or the special package of rub-ons with every $70 you spend. It used to be $75, in fact the Sale-A-Bration brochure still says $75, but with our decrease in pricing, this has also been decreased. You'll be able to see the Sale-A-Bration brochure online on February 1st (and I'll post a link here for you).

Check back tomorrow... I'm going to post a couple more cards from my recent swap so they will be cards that you haven't seen yet!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Alicia's Creation!

Here's a card that we stamped at our meeting on Monday... This one was Alicia's card. It's another one that's so much more impressive to see in person than in the scan! The colours are great - Close to Cocoa with Purely Pomegranate and a little bit of Pretty in Pink. We used the Priceless stamp set with the So Swirly jumbo wheel. One thing that I learned in making this card is that when you want to colour on a stamp so it will be in different colours, you can actually use a blender pen to pick up ink and apply it to the stamp. I've only ever used a Stampin' Write Marker so it was good to know that this works. We used this to colour the flower in Purely Pomegranate. What you don't see so well in the scan is that we added some of the new coloured glitter to the little dots on the Close to Cocoa piece - we applied dots of the new Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive first and then sprinked on the Rose Pink glitter. It makes the card look like it has tiny rhinestones all over the top... bling, bling! : ) And, we also added a little pink bead to the centre of the flower, using the Tombow Multi Purpose Adhesive for this also.

Thanks for the great card, Alicia!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Birds

I have a co-worker/friend who really does not like birds. In fact, she has a bit of a fear of birds... Her dislike of birds is so significant that she would not even stamp a card with birds! Last week, two of the cards for the Stamp-A-Stack had birds. I took the cards into work and my friend said that if she was coming, she would not stamp the bird cards. Wow! Here's one of the cards that I designed using the new Spring Song stamp set. I used the textured card stock on this simple card and some striped grosgrain ribbon (of course!). This card was quite popular amongst stampers at the Stamp-A-Stack.

I thought about my friend with the bird dislike tonight as I stamped these two cards... These were make and take cards at my downline meeting tonight.

This one was designed by Sonia. I love the layout! It's stamped with one set - A Little Birdie Told Me. Such a fun set! I didn't do a very good job of getting the little hat stamped in the right spot... it's just about to tumble off his head! So many cute details on this card though... from the Jumbo Eyelets to the paper piercing to the Scallop Punch. And the colours are great - Rose Red, Cameo Coral, River Rock and Basic Black.

And this card is from Melanie. It uses the little bird from the Pun Fun stamp set. I like how Melanie used the Jumbo Eyelets on this card to anchor the Twill Tape. And the new East Coast Prep Designer Series Paper is fantastic on this card. The paper coordinates nicely with the Tempting Turquoise and Pumpkin Pie card stock. This is such a cute card!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

And the winner is...

Elinor!!

Congratulations, Elinor! I will bring your prize to you with your order.

And, here's the card that I designed today for my card swap. It's actually one that I was inspired to make from a card that I saw on my upline, Alison Solven's blog... Thanks for the inspiration, Alison! This card uses the new stamp set "Happy Heart Day" which is part of the January special. It's such a cute set. I changed the direction of the card and the colours... the card is Rose Red with Brocade Blue, Always Artichoke and So Saffron. I also used my new favourite product - Watercolour paper! I really like this card a lot.

Hope you had a great weekend...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Prize Draw

If you receive my newsletter, then you will know that I am offering free shipping and handling on all orders this weekend. The offer ends at 8:00 pm tonight so there's still time to get in on this! Also, everyone who places an order will have their name entered in a prize draw... here's a picture of the prize! It's valued at over $90 and has lots of exciting new products:

~ Sprinkles stamp set (pg 110)

~ Flower Fusion (pg 177)

~ Boho Blossoms Punch (pg 180)

~ Eastern Elegance Rub-Ons (pg 182)

~ Stampin' Dimensionals (pg 186)

~ Silver Brads (pg 189)

~ Pumpkin Pie Striped Grosgrain Ribbon (pg 191)

~ Watercolour Paper (pg 166) - not shown in the photo

Be sure to call or email with your order! (bevennis@shaw.ca)

I'll announce the winner here shortly after 9:00 pm tonight (I have to watch the final episode of Amazing Race first!).

I'm stamping cards for a swap with my downline group right now so I'll also show you my creation later this evening.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

My first card of 2008... and then things got better!

Remember how I mentioned my "stampers block" a couple of posts ago? Well, tonight I thought I would show you my struggles. On Sunday evening, I started stamping for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stack. It was the first time I had stamped since I finished our Christmas cards... I spent over an hour on this first card! I tried all sorts of different things with it and this was the final version... I wasn't sure how I felt about it so I took it downstairs for a second opinion from Mom and her silence let me know that she was feeling the same way as me! Okay, this card is not in the line-up for the Stamp-A-Stack... it's not bad, but it's not great... I think it needed ribbon!! Oh well, the next 10 cards I created were better...

Okay, onto a better card... this one comes from Lucie. I really like the Priceless stamp set. I just ordered it myself and we are using it (for a different card) at the Stamp-A-Stack. This card looks great in Bashful Blue and Night of Navy, but it could so easily be made in different colours. Imagine it in Pale Plum and Perfect Plum or Rose Red and Regal Rose or Groovy Guava and Purely Pomegranate or Ruby Red and Cameo Coral or Tempting Turquoise and Taken with Teal or Pumpkin Pie and Apricot Appeal... the list goes on and on! I love when you have a card that you can just imagine adapting in different colours.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

New stamps!

Well, I'm happy to say that my evening of stamping has gone well! I now have 9 cards ready for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stack... more to come tomorrow evening!

This first card is made with the new Happy Heart Day stamp set which is part of January's special - see more details here. The colours that I used on this card are not what I would normally choose, but I like them... Basic Grey, So Saffron and Real Red. The image is stamped on Watercolour Paper which makes watercolouring so nice! And, I've used some of the new Striped Grosgrain Ribbon.

And, this card uses the Pun Fun stamp set along with the Berry Bliss Designer Series Paper. It's a simple but fun card... I still love this colour combination - Pretty in Pink with Close to Cocoa.

Both of these cards will be great for Valentine's Day.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Stamp-A-Stack

I was stamping up a storm last night... okay, I made 3 cards in 2 hours! But, I was trying really hard to be creative! Do you ever have times when creativity seems to come easily and other times when it's not so easy? Well, I think I am again suffering a bout of stampers block... I'm sure I'll recover soon! I have 5 more cards to design for this weekend's Stamp-A-Stack so no doubt that the deadline will kick me into action! I'll show you a couple of my creations later this evening when I get a chance to scan them.

For now, I just wanted to mention that there is still space open in the Stamp-A-Stack this weekend - lots of seats available for Friday night and a few for Saturday morning still. If you need a stamping event to kick-start your creativity, this is for you! We'll be using lots of new products and you'll also have a sneak peek at some of the Sale-A-Bration stamp sets - we'll even be using a couple!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS - be sure to register for the Stamp-A-Stack by emailing me... bevennis@shaw.ca

Check out my updated website!

Just thought you might be interested in checking out the new look of my website:

www.bevennis.stampinup.net

Enjoy! Be sure to have a look at the "Creative Projects" link - it's very cool!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

More swap cards!

Since I haven't had a chance to stamp for a while, I'm so glad that I have a few more cards from my downline swap to share with you! This first one was stamped by my friend Anne and it is such an elegant card! The River Rock, Always Artichoke and Very Vanilla card stock are so soft and they go nicely with the little strip of Le Jardin Designer Series Paper. Anne used the Carte Postale stamp set along with the French Flair background stamp. I love the simplicity of this card. Notice how Anne used the circle punch on the flower - she stamped the square piece of River Rock card stock with Always Artichoke ink and punched out the centre. Then she stamped it again in the same colour of ink but on a piece of Very Vanilla card stock and set this in behind the first piece. This way, the flower is Very Vanilla... nice detail!

This card is the artwork of Deb. I know that I've told you before that I love this new hostess stamp set called Time Well Spent. It's such a fun set! This card is cute. In the scan, you miss seeing the Dazzling Diamonds Glitter that Deb added to the spots on the butterfly wings to add a little bling. You could easily make this card in different colours to change it up a bit although it does look great in Brocade Blue, Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip.

And, this last card was created by Sonia also using Time Well Spent. She has used the Crayon Resist technique and has used a brayer to add the colours, starting with the lightest colour. Such a cheerful card in its bright colours.

Thanks to Anne, Deb and Sonia for these fantastic cards!

Don't forget to register for one of the Stamp-A-Stacks on either January 18th or 19th... email me at bevennis@shaw.ca to save your seat.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Stamp-A-Stack!

Alright, it's time to get back to stampin'! I'm still working out a few details for my class schedule and should be able to post more classes soon, but I wanted to let you know about my next Stamp-A-Stack... be sure to register soon (bevennis@shaw.ca) as seats fill quickly! It will be on:

Friday, January 18th - 7:00 pm

or

Saturday, January 19th - 9:30 am

Cost is $12 which includes up to 6 cards of your choice - keep stamping for $2 a card.

This Stamp-A-Stack will feature some new products from the Spring-Summer Collection 2008.

I'll be back tomorrow night with some new card samples... Can you believe that I haven't stamped since before Christmas? I think I'm suffering from withdrawal!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

January special!

Well, life is about to get back to the normal routine around here... we go back to work tomorrow. I'm almost over this nasty cold - still coughing and sniffling a bit but much better than I was. Thanks to everyone who sent me notes wishing me well!

I have a few stamping things on my agenda today... How is that I can have 23 days off work but my "to do" list on the 23rd day still looks long? I haven't managed to do as many things as I had hoped, but I did have a good holiday! Now I'm starting to look forward to some stamping classes and being able to get together with my stamping friends again... it seems like a long time since we've stamped together! I'll post some class dates tonight hopefully so be sure to check back!

In the meantime, I thought that I should make sure that you know about the special that Stampin' Up! is offering in January. It's called the Valentine's Day Bundle and you can see all of the details here. For only $39.94, you receive the Happy Heart Day stamp set (shown on page 65 of the new catalogue), two rolls of 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon - one in Real Red and one in Regal Rose, and a package of 50 medium cellophane bags. This would be fun to make Valentine's cards and little goodie bags - maybe filled with chocolates or jelly beans or little candy hearts! This bundle will be available until January 31st.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

It's here!

The new Spring-Summer Collection 2008 is here! If you haven't received your copy yet, you can view it online here. I do have lots of catalogues to deliver to those who pre-ordered, but I have a terrible cold/flu so it may be a couple of days before I can get them out. In the meantime, let me share some highlights with you about the new catalogue...

The prices are lower! You'll notice that prices on most items have decreased in the new catalogue and I'm happy to be able to announce that the prices have been lowered even more! Since Stampin' Up! has to send the catalogue for printing several weeks before it is released, they have re-evaluated the pricing and are offering a further decrease. The prices printed in the catalogue are higher than the actual price, but you can see the new pricing here.

With the decrease in prices, there is a slight change in the hostess benefits also. The first level of hostess benefits will now begin at $200 rather than $225!

There are some wonderful new products including Rub-ons, new striped grosgrain ribbon, beautiful new Designer Series Papers, exciting new Simply Scrappin' Kits, felt flowers, and more! And, of course, great new stamp sets!!

I'll be working on my class schedule and posting it soon... I hope you are having a happy new year!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.