One last Sale-A-Bration sample

Since today is that last day of Sale-A-Bration, I thought I would share this card that I received from Lucie in our group swap... Along with the Lots of Thoughts Sale-A-Bration stamp set, Lucie used one of my favourites, the Embrace Life stamp set. Lucie stamped the flowers on vellum card stock and embossed them in black. I imagine she likely coloured them in using a Blender Pen and Ink - in Purely Pomegranate and Wild Wasabi. She also stamped some of the leaves on a piece of white card stock using Wild Wasabi ink that you can see behind the vellum. The background piece of Purely Pomegranate card stock is actually textured which is hard to see on the scan. This is a nice, bright, eye-catching card.

So, here's an amazing number... Stampin' Up! announced that they sent out 625,000 Sale-A-Bration rewards (stamp sets and rub-ons) during the six weeks of this amazing special! Isn't that incredible?!! Thanks to all of my customers for your business during Sale-A-Bration and throughout the rest of the year!

Hope you've had a great St. Patrick's Day. I had a day off today so my husband and I went to the Irish Times Pub for lunch - busy, busy place today! It was fun and festive...

I'll be back tomorrow with a couple more samples from our card swap.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Last day of Sale-A-Bration

This is it... the last day of Sale-A-Bration 2008! I'll be sending in my last order shortly after 5:00 this evening so be sure that if you'd like to order anything during this fantastic promotion that you get your order to me before then! Don't miss out on any of your favourite Sale-A-Bration stamp sets or the special rub-ons ~ they will not be available again!

If you are waiting to receive a Scallop Circle Punch that was on back-order, they've all been shipped now so should be arriving before the weekend. Thanks for your patience - these have been very popular items over the past few weeks!

And, I will be back later this evening with new cards... tonight is my meeting with my downline group and we have a swap so I will have some great new samples to share with you!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

PS. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Just Celebrate!

Here's a fun birthday card that combines a Sale-A-Bration set (Lots of Thoughts) with a new stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalogue (Just Celebrate). I also used a background stamp - Polka Dot - on the piece of Close to Cocoa card stock. You could easily substitute a piece of Designer Series Paper here instead on this card. Notice how the greeting stamp has been inked in two different colours... I used a short cut to do this by inking the whole stamp in Regal Rose ink and then using a Rose Red Stampin' Write Marker to colour over the words that I wanted darker. Because the colours are so similar, I wasn't concerned about damaging my marker since I was colouring over a lighter ink colour.

Sale-A-Bration countdown: only 6 days remain!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Only one more week!

Sale-A-Bration is nearly done for this year... There's only one week left to take advantage of this great special and receive free stamps or rub ons! Sale-A-Bration ends on March 17th. Please make sure that any orders reach me by 5:00 pm on March 17th in order to get in on my last order before the end of this special.

This is a fun card that I copied almost exactly from a card I saw somewhere in my internet journeys. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I saw it so can't give credit to its creator! I don't often use the Bold Brights colours like this but they are perfect for this card - Glorious Green, Real Red and Brilliant Blue. The yellow is Barely Banana. The balloons come from the Birthday Whimsy Sale-A-Bration stamp set and the greeting is from the Phrases for a Friend stamp set that is available in the Occasions Mini Catalogue.

My upcoming classes are filling quickly - only 5 seats remain in the April 4th Stamp-A-Stack. Be sure to register early!

Well, I'm off to work on my cousin's wedding invitations. Mom's been busy with them and it's time for me to get my part started...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Spring Special!

I'm really enjoying the new Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware and the Flower Fusion felt flowers... Here's a card that I just put together that uses both. This card took about 10 minutes... it was so quick and easy! The greeting comes from the Love and Happiness rub ons package - this set of rub ons is one of the Sale-A-Bration rewards. The Taken With Teal card stock in the background is textured and I was surprised by how easily the rub ons attached to it.

If you receive my newsletter, you'll already know that I'm offering a special price on these two products through to the end of March, 2008:

Flower Fusion

Regular Price: $17.62

Spring Special: $14.50

Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware

Regular Price: $35.29

Spring Special: $29.50

These are great kits to add some fun to your spring cards and scrapbook pages! These special prices are available only through me...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Merci...

This was the last Sale-A-Bration set that I received and I must admit that I wasn't overly excited about it at first. In fact, it sat for a while before I even put it together... but now, it's well loved! I created these two cards for the last Stamp-A-Stack. I stamped the one with Lavender Lace, Pixie Pink and Elegant Eggplant first and then stamped the one with Elegant Eggplant, Certainly Celery and Rose Red... the second one is the one I offered at the Stamp-A-Stack because I loved the colours.

I adore the ribbon slides that are included in the new Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware kit from the Occasions Mini Catalogue. I'll show you a trick that you can use with these in the next few days...

Now, speaking about Stamp-A-Stacks, it's time to announce my upcoming dates... Remember to register early; space is limited and these fill quickly!

Friday, April 4th at 7:00 pm / Saturday, April 5th at 9:30 am

Friday, May 9th at 7:00 pm / Saturday, May 10th at 9:30 am

Contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca to register...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

My new favourite colours

Rose Red, Old Olive, Pumpkin Pie and Taken with Teal... it's an unlikely combination but one that I'm really enjoying! This is a card from the Stamp-A-Stack which I was particularly proud of... I just like the different layout and the little felt flowers from the Flower Fusion package. The greeting stamp is from a new set called Full of Life that's offered in the new Occasions Mini Catalogue. I used markers to ink the stamp in different colours.


I wanted to keep this card a little more masculine so I skipped the Rose Red... It uses Rub-Ons - we had lots of fun with these on the weekend! They are so easy to use... I think everyone who had a chance to make this card was surprised by how simple they were! The big star is actually from the On-Board Accents collection and is covered with a piece of Designer Series Paper from the Ginger Blossom package.

I'm planning to put out my new class dates tomorrow night...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

What a weekend of stamping!

This weekend, I had 4 stamping events... and they were so much FUN!! Can you believe that over the last 3 days, 46 stampers created a total of 270 cards??!! Holy smokes!

This daffodil card was the most popular at the Stamp-A-Stacks. The daffodil is from the Beautiful Life stamp set and the background is stamped with the Paisley background stamp. It's simple but elegant card - perfect for Easter or most any occasion that might call for a card at this time of year. My Mom stamped this card and made it in two different colours. It's amazing how much a little change of colour can change the card. Both cards are on Barely Banana and one is made with Certainly Celery while the other is made with Brocade Blue... do you have a favourite? We had a hard time deciding which to use for the Stamp-A-Stack but in the end, Certainly Celery was the one.

I'll be back tomorrow evening to share a few more cards with you. For now, I'm going to go and put my feet up and watch one of my favourite shows, Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

So Many Scallops

I'm supposed to be crunching numbers for my taxes... hmm, this is a necessary break... Okay, really, just a quick post and then I'll be back to the paperwork! Maybe if I'm really quick, my hubby won't catch me! LOL...

This is a card that I created for the Stamp-A-Stack so this is a sneak peek for those of you who are coming... I think it's a cute use for the So Many Scallops set. These flowers also remind me of lollipops which is fun with the "so sweet of you" greeting in the centre. These are so simple - I stamped the scallop stamp on Whisper White card stock, once in Lavender Lace and once in Cameo Coral. I punched the centres out of each using the 1" Circle Punch and then I punched out the outside using the Scallop Circle Punch. The centres get swapped between the two outsides so that the colours are mixed. I punched a scrap of card stock using the 1 1/4" Circle Punch to sit in behind the scallops so that it would hold the centre and the outside rings together. The stems of the flowers are just strips of Certainly Celery card stock and the Wide Grosgrain tied in a knot and attached with a Mini Glue Dot mimics leaves on the flower stems.

Well, back to the calculator...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Embrace Life

This is a card that I just adore. We made it at the last Stamp-A-Stack and it was very popular. It's just such a different card. The card stock colours are Tempting Turquoise, Old Olive and Pumpkin Pie. I've honestly never used so much Pumpkin Pie as I have in the last couple of months... and it's found its way into two cards at the next Stamp-A-Stack! The Designer Series Paper on this card comes from the Bali Breeze package.

The great news is that I'm already finished all of the cards for the Stamp-A-Stack! I have never been done this early... I'm usually still panic stamping the night before so I'm very proud of myself! We have 13 cards... all new, lots using new products including new goodies from the Occasions Mini Catalogue!

The not so great news... I'm now working on getting our taxes done. I don't particularly enjoy this time of year so I'm sure I will be good and ready for stamping this weekend!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

A great ribbon tip...

This is another card that I stamped for the stamping class last week. I was inspired by a card that was published in the Stampin' Success - a magazine for Stampin' Up! demonstrators. This card uses the Priceless stamp set and I added the Canvas background. Unique colours again - Purely Pomegranate, Old Olive, Tempting Turquoise and Pumpkin Pie.

But, check out the ribbon... I was so perplexed by this ribbon because I couldn't figure out where Stampin' Up! sold a white ribbon with an orange stripe on either side. I went straight to my catalogue to try to find it and then after becoming a little frustrated, I returned to the Stampin' Success magazine to read the instructions... hmm, feeling a little like a man - not reading the instructions first! LOL!! So, here's how this happened:

It starts out with a piece of White Grosgrain Ribbon. For this card, I used the Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Marker and simply used the brush tip to colour along the edge of the ribbon. By doing this, you could make ribbon any colour!! You might find that it bleeds a little bit into the ribbon, but it's not really noticeable once added to your project. So, with a roll of White Grosgrain Ribbon and a selection of Stampin' Write Markers, your ribbon colours are endless!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

A new favourite!!

I have a new favourite stamp set... It's called "Wanted" (pg 103) and is perfect for those ever-so-challenging masculine cards! This is a card that I designed for a stamping class last week.

Notice how the card gives the illusion of the horse running. I did this by stamping the first horse in Chocolate Chip ink at the front and then moving back, stamping it again a second and third time without re-inking. I've also used the Sanded background stamp on this piece - inked in River Rock ink and stamped off 3 times before lightly stamping it over the horses. And, then there's lots of sponging to age the paper and give it a rustic look. I've used both of the star punches and added some colour with the Western Sky Designer Series Paper. The Happy Birthday greeting comes from the set called "A Little Birthday Cheer". I've finished the card off with some Vintage Brads and a piece of hemp wrapped around.

We're going to use this stamp set for a different card at next weekend's Stamp-A-Stack. I've spent most of today creating new cards - 10 done and 2 to go! Mom's going to be busy cutting card stock this week... with 29 stampers registered over the two days, it's going to be lots of cutting!

I'll be posting the new ribbon tip shortly... just need to finish a card and then take a photo for the post. Back soon!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Sale-A-Bration Samples

I had a stamping class this week with a group of regular customers which meant that I got to sit down and create some brand new cards! Here are a couple of them, featuring Sale-A-Bration stamp sets...

This one uses the So Many Scallops set and combines some unlikely colours - Ruby Red, Groovy Guava, Mellow Moss and So Saffron. Here's a little secret... I used this amazing website to come up with my colour combination! Make sure you check this website out and add it to your favourites - it's a great resource to have on hand.

And, this card uses the Merci stamp set... I love the artwork in this set. This is the first card I've created with it, but I think it will be used a lot in the next few weeks. The colours on this card are Purely Pomegranate and Taken with Teal. The Designer Series Paper comes from the Bali Breeze package. Notice how I used a piece of Vellum paper in behind the stamped image to give it a little bit of definition, but still keeping a softer look. The greeting stamp is from the Short & Sweet stamp set.

I hope you had a chance to enjoy the beautiful sunshine today... it was so nice to see! I managed to sneak away from work a little bit earlier than usual and just enjoyed the fantastic day.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Voila!

Here's a card that my Mom stamped the other day. I had ordered the Voila! stamp set some time ago, but had never actually used it. This is such a cute card. The chef makes me smile everytime I see him.

I'm going to be getting busy stamping cards for the Stamp-A-Stack this weekend... I can't tell you how excited I am about this Stamp-A-Stack because we are going to be using so many new products! There are only a couple of seats left on Saturday morning now...

Oh, and be sure to check back here on the weekend because I'm going to be sharing a new stamping tip with you. It's a new favourite of mine and I'm sure you'll love the idea! I'll give you a hint... it's something new to do with ribbon. You'll have to come back and see!

One more little thing... not stamping related although it did happen in my stamp room. A couple of days ago, my Mom was in my stamp room and she called me at work to ask me something. While we were talking, she looked up and noticed a ladybug on the ceiling. A ladybug in February?!! So, for those of you who have been following our journey to Baby Girl, you will probably remember that ladybugs are believed to bring good fortune in adoptions from China. What a lovely surprise this little ladybug brought to us! We can use all the good fortune possible in this journey! I asked Mom to take a picture for me so we would remember this...

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

From Alicia

Here's a great card that was stamped by Alicia. I've been wanting to use the pear in this hostess stamp set, called Infinite Goodness, but wasn't sure how I would use it. This is a great sample!

Notice how Alicia has used two colours of ink on the pear. You could do this a couple of different ways... you could ink the stamp in So Saffron first and then used a Close to Cocoa marker to add some brown randomly.

I think that maybe Alicia used a baby wipe technique... Fold a baby wipe into a square just a little bigger than your stamp then drop re-inker onto it to create a temporary stamp pad. For this card, you could drop on 2 or 3 different colours.

Alicia has also used the Embrace Life stamp set for the greeting and the Print Pattern background stamp. And, she used the Cutter Kit to rough up the edges of the card stock then sponged on some Chocolate Chip ink.

Thanks for this fantastic card, Alicia!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Stacey's Swap Card

This is the card that Stacey stamped for our swap last month. She has used one of my new favourite stamp sets... Embrace Life. In fact, I think I'm going to go and put it out on my stamp table right now so that I use it to make a card tomorrow... I don't use yellow very often so this card adds a nice splash of colour to my basket of card samples! This card is simple, but very nice. Thanks for the card, Stacey!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

A new technique from Deb!

Deb used a technique that I've never seen before on her swap card last month... It looks really neat and could be used in a lot of different ways. I don't know a name for this technique, but it uses Stampin' Pastels. Deb used a piece of scrap paper (I think photocopy paper) and tore it. Then she took a square of Stampin' Pastels and rubbed it along the torn edge. Next she set the paper down onto her card stock and held it down while she pulled it along the card stock to leave a streak of Stampin' Pastels behind. She repeated this to create all of the different layers of background colour. Deb has used the Sale-A-Bration stamp set called "Merci" on this card. Thanks for this great idea, Deb! I can't wait to give this technique a try...

I have to tell you that I am super excited for the next Stamp-A-Stack... Space is really limited - only 2 seats left for Friday night (February 29th) and 6 left for Saturday morning (March 1st). We are going to be trying out lots of new products, including some that are being introduced in the next Mini Catalogue that starts on March 1st. You'll get a chance to try rub-ons, large eyelets and build-a-brads. We're also going to be using flowers from the Flower Fusion box. Don't miss out - register soon by emailing me at bevennis@shaw.ca.

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Mady by Corrina

Here's another card that was created by a demonstrator in my downline group for our card swap last month. I really like this card partly because it's so different from my own stamping style. Corrina used the Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper and she has stamped on it using the Baroque Motifs stamp set. This is so bold and I don't think I would think of stamping on a printed paper like this but it certainly works! Thanks for the great card, Corrina!

Sorry it's again been so long since I last posted... we've had a busy week at our house, celebrating the Chinese New Year, welcoming in the year of the rat. I actually cooked a Chinese dinner and was pretty pleased with it! I made homemade pork dumplings (yummy!), longevity noodles and orange chicken (here's the recipe if you are interested - it was very good and easier to make than it appears). I'm very much looking forward to going to Chinatown on Sunday to see the Lion Dance Parade (at noon if you are interested) and then to a potluck for Families with Children from China. It should be a fun day!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

Lorraine's artwork

I adore this little mouse with the big heart from the Happy Heart Day stamp set. This card is Lorraine's artwork and it's such a nice clean card. It's hard to see in the scan, but the main card is actually textured card stock and I must admit that I had never noticed that the neutrals colours are available in textured card stock... good to know! Thanks for the great card, Lorraine!

Quilting update for those who are interested... I didn't do anything further! Time flew by and we didn't have a chance to get back to it so my sister has volunteered to finish off the couplets for us. But, I'm gathering fabric to make myself a quilt so I'm still determined to learn how to quilt someday! : )

Happy stampin'!

Bev.

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

It's time to SALE-A-BRATE!!

The most exciting time of the Stampin' Up! year is here - SALE-A-BRATION. And, this means free stuff!! Be sure to check out the Sale-A-Bration Mini Catalogue here.

Here's how Sale-A-Bration works:

Customers: When you spend $70 on Stampin' Up! merchandise, you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward. There's no limit-for every $70 you spend, you can select another free Sale-A-Bration reward.

Hostesses: When you host a workshop of at least $400 (before tax and shipping), you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits!

New Demonstrators: During Sale-A-Bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator can choose any stamp set--a value of up to $60.95--from the Spring-Summer 2008 Collection! Plus, new demonstrator recruits get 20 percent off the Demonstrator Starter Kit--over $400 of Stampin' Up! products and business supplies for only $208!

Contact me at bevennis@shaw.ca if you have any questions or need more information! Remember, Sale-A-Bration is one now and ends March 17th!

Happy stampin'!

Bev.