Stampin’ Up Sale

Stampin’ Up has the most incredible holiday sale on from now until December 1st.  They are offering a ton of product bundles for up to 50% off.  Take advantage of this great sale, and purchase items at my website: http://colleenrein.stampinup.net

Check out the flyer below for details on the bundles:

Stampin’ Up Bundle Sale

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!

More fall fun

I’m still waiting for chilly weather to reach Texas, but it’s not keeping me from enjoying all the fun to be had in the SU’s holiday mini.  One of my favorite new sets is Happy Blessings.  The little scarecrow is oh so cute, and a load of fun to color in.

(all images copyrighted with Stampin’ Up)

Stamp Sets: Happy Blessings

Paper: Bella Rose dsp, tangerine tango, always artichoke, SU watercolor paper, very vanilla

Ink: Timber Brown Staz On, Riding Hood Red

Other: SU Markers, blender pen, aquapainter, Stampin’ Sponge, 1 1/4 and 1 3/8 circle punches, stamping dimensionals

I had so much fun making this card.  SU’s watercolor paper makes watercoloring a breeze.  I blended the colors using blender pens in the more detailed areas (like the wheat), and the aquapainter in the bigger areas like the scarecrow’s body.  And, I love the fact that I was able to get this vibrant effect with SU’s markers!!!!

My love affair with the bella rose dsp continued with this card.  I find that designers series paper finishes off cards and projects so nicely, and bella rose is an excellent example.  The chocolate polka dot pulled the whole card together, and took it from looking like any old card.  It made the card look more professional.

Finally, I stamped the greeting, and used my 1 1/4 inch circle punch to cut it out.  Then I sponged riding hood red ink around the tangerine tango layer that cut out using my 1 3/8 inch circle punch. I place the sentiment on the card with a stampin dimensional so that it gave the card more depth.

Writing this post is making me want some yummy candy corn.  I may have to go out and get some.

Monkeying Around

So, I’ve been doing lots of stamping, but giving away cards and scrapbook pages before taking pictures of them. But, I stole this card off our mantel after his birthday managed to get a picture of this birthday card for my husband. I know not everyone likes the sock monkey, but I love him! He’s great for paper piercing and coloring in.

(all images copyrighted at Stampin’ Up)

Stamp Set: Sock Monkey

Ink: Brown Staz on

Paper: Bella Rose DSP, Not quite navy, riding hood red, confetti cream

Other: SU markers- old olive, always artichoke, kiwi kiss, not quite navy, close to cocoa, chocolate chip

Chocolate Chip Twill, brown journaler, slit punch

This card is a classic example of just add one more thing. I started by coloring the monkey, and kept going outside the line so I decided to blend the color in the background to give it a kind of older appearance. Well then the not quite navy screamed for distressing so I took my thumbnail to the edges (really need to get the distressing tool). Even that didn’t seem to be enough so I added some faux stiching on the not quite navy. And, finally I sponged on some staz on brown to the edge of the confetti cream. When it still wasn’t fitting I thought it would look better with the ticket corner edge so since I don’t have that punch I used my slit punch to get the same effect. Finally, it looked right! The same thing happened to the card base. I place the Bella Rose DSP onto riding hood red, but it wasn’t quite right so I added the chocolate chip twill. It was perfection, but who knew a boys card could be so fussy?

Stamping as Therapy

If you’ve spent any decent amount of time with a group of stampers you have probably heard the phrase, “It’s cheaper than therapy.” It’s usually a lovely joke expressed towards those that need an extra push to buy the latest big thing or towards non-crafters that gawk at what some will spend on a “hobby”. I never thought I’d actually look to stamping to get me through a hard situation.

If you’ve noticed this blog has been lacking posts as of late. My family and I have been through a personal tragedy, and this blog, amongst other things, has moved to the back burner. But, as the weeks have moved on I’ve found myself moving more and more towards my stamps. Not, because stamping is actual therapy (if you need help you should most definitely seek professional help, and I don’t mean emailing Shelli), but because it’s an activity I love. And, while I’ve had the wonderful support of friends, family, and my amazing husband I needed something to keep my hands busy and calm my mind. And, the simple act of stamping brought me such a simple joy. Slowly but surely my life is beginning to radiate with joy and happiness again. I owe that to my family and friends, but also to this simple hobby. When my mind gets too busy and talking to someone doesn’t seem to help I can pick up a stamp and make something beautiful. And, on the days when the world seems anything but beautiful that’s a gift only God could have given to me. I have experienced His grace in abundance this past month, and I’m glad that He gave me the gift of a craft that allows me to share that grace with others.

I received my holiday mini preorder last week, and I’m having so much fun playing with my new stamps. I firmly believe this is our best mini catalog yet!

Here’s the card I made today:

(all images copyrighted at Stampin’ Up)

Stamp Set: Season of Simple Grace

Ink: Chocolate Chip, Gold Encore

Paper: Baja Breeze, Confetti White, Chocolate Chip, Riding Hood Ride, Kiwi Kiss

Other: Riding Hood Red Taffeta, 1 3/8 inch circle punch, crop-a-dile, stamp-a-ma-jig

I love how this card came out. I’m a sucker for religious stamp sets, because it’s how I started stamping. I was sick of trying to find a Christian Christmas card that didn’t look boring or old fashioned in a bad way. So I started making my own, and the next thing I know I was hooked. So, when I saw this set in the mini catalog I knew I had to have it.

First I cut out the baja breeze, and adhered a piece of torn confetti white to the bottom of the piece of cardstock. I then stamped the holy family in chocolate chip. You may have to use a marker/blender pen to color in brown if there are any gaps along the confetti white and baja breeze border. I then used the stamp-a-ma-jig to stamp the star in gold. There is something about Christmas Cards that just screams for gold. In fact if I make this card again I will probably sponge gold along the chocolate chip border. After the star was dry I mounted it onto the chocolate chip layer, added the kiwi kiss strip to the card and mounted it to the card base. I then punched out a circle in kiwi kiss, folded it in half, and glued it to the card. I then punched two small holes with the crop-a-dile, and tied some taffata ribbon to the card. I find the taffata ribbon the perfect color and feel for Christmas. I also like the simple not for this card, because it doesn’t overwhelm the design and is easy to do. Easy is always good if you are looking at doing multiples of a card.

Bella Blossoms

I can’t get enough of my big shot. With just a few cranks of the wheel, I have all the pieces necessary to make a beautiful card.

Here’s the card I made with my big shot today:

(all images copyrighted at Stampin’ Up)

Paper: Bella Rose DSP, Baja Breeze, Kiwi Kiss

Big Shot Die: SU birds and blossoms

Isn’t it cute! And, it is oh so simple. I made a 4×4 inch diaper fold to make the pot, and punched the blossoms and leaves out of the big shot. Then I cut some stems for the flowers, and glued everything down. Really, that’s it! You could make a whole note card set for someone super quick, and I’m sure they would love it! My only additional advice would be to cut the extra flap off of the back of the diaper fold so that it isn’t to bulky attached to the card.

And, while you can’t order the big shot until Sept. 2nd starting today you can order from the new Fall Winter Idea Book and Catalog. So the In Colors and Bella Rose DSP can be yours today (not to mention all the great new stamps sets)!

Not one but two recruiting specials!!!!!!!!

Do you love Stampin’ Up’s stamps, inks, papers, and accessories?  Do you get excited before a new catty comes out?   Is your current catty worn from flipping through it over and over again for ideas and new stamps?  Would you like to earn money to pay for your stamping hobby, or make even more to put towards other goals.  Have you ever thought about becoming a Stampin’ Up demo?  If you become an SU demo you will get a minimum of 20% off your orders (you can earn even more based on your monthly sales), get to preorder new stamp sets before customers even get to see them (and this year you get all preorder stamps at an additional 20% off!), receive exclusive SU publications that give you ideas and training, and on an on.  And, with our super low sales minimum of 300 dollars every three months it’s easy to stay a demo whether you want to sell only to yourself for the discount or are looking to build your business into a full time job.

So now to the two specials.  Option number one is to choose an additional free stamp set with our regular starter kit (199 dollars).  The starter kit is already an awesome deal, and you can customize the stamps, paper, and ink if you don’t like the ones that come with the kit.

The second option is a mini starter kit.  It comes with all the business supplies that our regular starter kit comes with, but is a smaller version of the larger kit.  So if you are only interested in selling the decor elements you can choose the decor element mini kit.  These are a great way to customize your business, get your foot in the door, or get started easily if you already have lots of SU supplies. The mini kits can also be customized.

Both promotions run from August 11th to October 11th.  I have included the mini kit contents at the end of this post.

If you are interested in becoming a demo I would love to talk to you about being part of my team.  I love working for Stampin’ Up, sharing my love of creativity with others, and supporting my downline as they develop their businesses.  I have a private blog with advice just for my downline, and I want to help support my downline to reach their personal goals for their business.  I equally support those looking to make their minimums with their own purchases, to those looking to make this a full time business, and everyone in between.

You can email me at colleenstamps@gmail.com if you would like to learn more about being a demo and/or becoming a part of my team.  And, because I have a website through stampin’ up becoming a demo is easy.  It can all be done online, and you don’t have to be in Texas to be a part of my team.  I look forward to talking to you!

$99 Starter Kit Promotion

Stamp-Focused Starter Kit:

Item Code	Description	Price
109515	Fast and Fun Notes Stamp Set	$30.95
100730	Bold Brights card stock assortment (8-1/2″ x 11″)	$7.50
105548	Basic Black Classic Stampin’ Pad	$7.95
101179	SNAIL Adhesive	$4.95
104332	Whisper White card stock (8-1/2″ x 11″)	$6.95

Scrapbook-Focused Starter Kit:

Item Code	Description	Price
111570	Contempo Alphabet stamp set	$40.95
113059	Simply Scrappin’ Petal Party	$19.95
105212	Pixie Pink Classic Stampin’ Pad	$5.25

Home Décor-Focused Starter Kit:

Item Code	Description	Price
111656	Inspired by Nature stamp set	$23.95
114088	Décor Elements Chocolate Classic Ff	$3.95
114126	Décor Elements Medium Chocolate Long Stem Silhouettes	$17.95
114285	Décor Elements Applicator	$1.95
111835	Kiwi Kiss Classic Stampin’ Pad	$5.25

Retirement List

Do you have a stamps on your wish list that you haven’t had the chance to purchase yet?  If so, make sure you check SU’s retirement list.  The retiring stamp sets will only be available until August 10, 2008 so make sure you order your must have sets soon!

 

Have You Thanked a Soldier Today

There are days that call for something other than ramblings about stamping and my love of SU. Today is one of those days. Have you thanked a soldier this day… this week…this year…ever? Take a moment and pray for all those fighting for freedom around the globe. Pray for those that have given their lives so that we may continue to be free. Give a donation to a Veterans group. Adopt a soldier. Send some of the cards you’ve stamped to soldiers so that they can send them to their family back home. Pray for peace.

Here’s a song that I love:
I walked through a county courthouse square,
On a park bench an old man was sitting there.
I said, “Your old courthouse is kinda run down.”
He said, “Naw, it’ll do for our little town.”
I said, “Your old flagpole has leaned a little bit,
And that’s a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it.”

He said, “Have a seat,” and I sat down.
“Is this the first time you’ve been to our little town?”
I said, “I think it is.” He said, “I don’t like to brag,
But we’re kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag.

“You see, we got a little hole in that flag there when
Washington took it across the Delaware.
And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key
Sat watching it writing Say Can You See.
And it got a bad rip in New Orleans
With Packingham and Jackson tuggin’ at its seems.

“And it almost fell at the Alamo
Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag.

“On Flanders Field in World War I
She got a big hole from a Bertha gun.
She turned blood red in World War II.
She hung limp and low by the time it was through.
She was in Korea and Vietnam.
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.

“She waved from our ships upon the briny foam,
And now they’ve about quit waving her back here at home.
In her own good land here she’s been abused –
She’s been burned, dishonored, denied, and refused.

“And the government for which she stands
Is scandalized throughout the land.
And she’s getting threadbare and wearing thin,
But she’s in good shape for the shape she’s in.
‘Cause she’s been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more.

“So we raise her up every morning, take her
down every night.
We don’t let her touch the ground and we fold
her up right.
On second thought, I do like to brag,
‘Cause I’m mighty proud of the Ragged Old Flag.”

And, Memorial Day also provided me with a much needed reminder from my wish list. I still need to order The Free & The Brave. It’s a wonderful set that I think perfectly depicts the dignity of being a soldier and serving your country.

Celebrate Life

Have you been playing with all your new stamp sets? I wish I had more time to be inking up all the new stamps sets I’ve gotten from the Occasions Mini, but the wedding is only a little over a month a way so I’ve been crazy busy on working on things for it. So far I’ve made my own invitations, favor boxes, and stamped out of town gift bags. And, of course I made all the thank you notes for my first shower, which I, of course, forgot to take a picture of.

Anyway, here’s a card with stamp sets everyone loved when the catalog first came out, but may have gotten lost in the pursuit of new stamps.

Recipe:

Stamp Sets- Embrace Life, Celebrate
Paper- Always Artichoke, Very Vanilla, Regal Rose, Rose Red Prints DSP
Ink- Black Staz-On, Regal Rose, Rose Red, Always Artichoke
Extras- Paper Crimper, Distressing tool, vintage brads
(all images © Stampin’ Up)

I started off by using a smaller flower stamp in the Embrace Life set to make the very vanilla background paper, and stamped off the page in Regal Rose. I then backed that layer with Rose Red Prints DSP, and adhered it to the Always Artichoke cardbase. I then stamped the large flower onto Rose Red Prints DSP, and cut the flower out. I wanted more dimension to the flower so I stamped the flower onto Regal Rose, and cut out the shadows in the flower, and taped them onto the Rose Red flower. I then matted the flower onto an always artichoke distressed square turned on the diagonal. Because I wanted even more dimension to the card I added a vintage brad to each corner of the square. Finally I stamped the sentiment from the Celebrate Set on Very Vanilla, and mounted it on Regal Rose paper that I had ran through the paper crimper.

This card has dimension and texture galore. It takes time, but is a nice an elegant way to tell someone you care.

Stampin’ Up Carnival of Stamping #9

So, wedding invitations are finally finished and mailed. I’m now working on making over 200 2,5,7,10 favor boxes. Make sure to check out everyone’s fun projects!

Amy makes a vintage inspired card using Always, Afternoon Tea DSP, and the Carousel Cards.

Debbie makes a lovely swing card.

Sarah makes a stunning thank you card.

Becky makes an Afternoon Tea DSP swap card.

and

Jeanette takes a challenge, and makes an egg shaped card.