Tea Bag Holder Card

I thought I'd quickly share a recent project. This one has been simplified a bit because I'm presenting it to kids as a possibility to make:

All images copyright Stampin' Up!. All materials from Stampin' Up!--except for the tea. ;)

I got the basic instructions from this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj2Ryw6o9VI and even managed to find her blog: http://iwannabuildamemory.blogspot.ca/2011/09/tea-bag-holder-card-tutorial-for-kraft.html I was going to make it with Christmas paper, but I figured for just a base idea, I would use something else that I could still potentially add more to and give away.

Never, Ever

Never, ever be without a Versamark refill!!!!

My Versamark pad has been drying up. I meant to get an ink refiller, but forgot and now it's too late at this point to get a refill since I need it immediately.

So, I went to a craft store. I won't name names. I paid, omg, I paid $13.49. I knew this was more expensive than through Stampin' Up! but not how much. But I needed it now.

Turns out, it's only $9.95 in the current catalogue. And demonstrators get an additional discount. And the refill is only $5.25.

That reminds me that I also don't have a Real Red refiller and my pad has essentially dried up. I have some other favourite colours that I don't have refillers for. Guess I know what will be on my next order?

Ornamental Elegance Kit!

You know that gorgeous decoration in the Holiday Catalogue?

You can now buy the kit to make it!

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=132832

But you have to act quickly! Stampin' Up! is recommending that Canadian orders be placed by December 5 to ensure delivery before Christmas. Email me if you want to order!

The Extravaganza is Coming!

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/CategoryPage.aspx?categoryid=1197

The Extravaganza is here starting Monday, November 19! I don't have a demonstrator website, so if you would like something or you have questions, please e-mail me. :) You can check out a pdf of the sale items here! (A French version is also available here. Et oui, vous êtes bienvenus à me contacter en français!)


All kinds of products will be on sale from 20%-50% off. Certain deals are only good Monday and others only good on Wednesday. Check out the pdf for more details!

Wowzers, What a Deal!!

Stampin' Up! has announced a new promotion:

(The following is partially copied and pasted from the Stampin' Up! website:)
From 1 November through 16 December, host a minimum $575 Stampin’ Up! party and get a FREE collection of ink pads*—a $64.95 value—in addition to our other fantastic benefits!

Your Party Sales**	Free Ink Collection	Hostess Dollars	Items at 50%
$575	Yes!	$90	1 item
$650	Yes!	$110	2 items
$900	Yes!	$150	3 items
$1,150	Yes!	$190	4 items

Contact me today to take advantage of this INK-redible offer.

Don't have time to host a party this month? That's okay! You can place a $575 order (you can collect orders from friends--it doesn't have to be all yours!) through me and still earn a FREE collection of ink! Here are the collections you can choose from:

• 132652 Brights Classic Stampin' Pads
• 132653 Subtles Classic Stampin' Pads
• 132654 Regals Classic Stampin' Pads

(End of modified copy and paste)

There is another way you can earn that free stamp pad collection: by becoming a demonstrator! It is only $125 to become a demonstrator in Canada--and with that $125 order, you get to choose $155 worth of products and they throw in $70 worth of business things, if you decide to do the business. The benefits of becoming a demonstrator are that you get to have at least 20% off EVERYTHING you order! With the Ink-Redible! deal going on, you will actually get over $200 worth of Stampin' Up! products you can play with for only $125. If this sounds interesting to you and you are in Canada, email me! :)

Just Getting Started?

I actually have another post that has been in the works for over a month, but the images I wanted to add to it are being uncooperative (okay, that means I'm having difficulty with my photo editing programs because I haven't used them enough). It will eventually get posted.

In the meantime, I have been asked by a friend what would be some materials to just get started in stamping. I thought that would make a really great blog post, so here I am.

The absolute basics would be:

• Whisper White card stock #100703 - $9.25 for 40 sheets--this paper works so well with Stampin' Up! inks and gives a much clearer image than other card stocks I've tried
  
• Coloured card stock: A multi-pack of some sort that comes with 2 of each colour in the collection. These cost $8.25. If you get the Getting Started pack, you get an extra 2 colours and sheets of paper--for the same price.
  
• Ink: my recommendation if you don't have specific colour ideas, try the Getting Started Stampin' Spots collection #119979 $26.95.
  
• A stamp set of your choice
  
• Adhesive: The SNAIL is my favourite (#104322 $9.75; refills available at a reduced price)

  All images copyright Stampin' Up!



A nice touch would be to add envelopes and an embellishment of some sort: pearls or rhinestones or ribbon... Something to add that extra something special. :)


Of course, if there is a particular product you have tried or maybe seen a video, and you really want it, that would be a good one to add on!

So, it's pretty simple. The hard part will be picking the stamp set. ;)

More projects to share

The following is made with some retired products, so... If you have the stuff, here's an idea! :D If you don't, you can still take the same basic principle and create a card with the same type of layout.

You can't tell very well in the picture, but I did some distressing of the base brown paper with my nail. The two papers below that are a single sheet that was ripped and one side was flipped. (I love how the Stampin' Up paper has the complementary sides!)

This is another with retired stamps and paper. I followed somebody else's card, but it's been a while since I made this, so I don't remember how I found it and can't give proper credit! Again, though, you can take your papers and available stamps and do a similar layout:

Another card with the same same stamp:

You can't really tell, but I used Crystal Effects on the flower to make it pop out more. (I always love people's reactions to that! "How'd you do that??" :D )

All right, enough for now. More to come later!

My New Favourite Stamp Set!

A quick post about a new stamp set that I really, really love. I can only find two project pictures at the moment, but I know I have some more somewhere. The following pictures are from my phone camera; it's possible the other pictures are on the actual camera.

In any case, my new beloved stamp set is Flowering Flourishes (page 121 of the 2012/2013 Annual Catalogue):

It caught my eye in the new catalogue and was on my first order. I just love it! It is so lovely and elegant. Here are two cards I've made so far with this stamp set:

The textured part of the first card is the Square Lattice Textured Impression Folder. I kept seeing projects recently using that folder and loved every single one of them! It adds such a neat touch. (Do make sure to stamp the paper BEFORE adding the texture! :) ) The coloured paper and the ink are Not Quite Navy with matching Not Quite Navy Taffeta Ribbon. Truly, you could use any colour you wish! I've seen black and white combinations that are just so amazingly elegant. Just gorgeous.

The second card has, I think, Marina Mist for the first layer, then Night of Navy and is stamped in Night of Navy. The rhinestones just give it that extra little something!

That's my quick post for today! :)

Updates coming!

I've been meaning for ages to get to this blog and just haven't. I have pictures of projects to share and all that; I just need to be able to get that all organized and transferred to a computer.

In any case, I felt like blogging about my newest stuff. :) I got a shipment yesterday, a shipment I forgot I was expecting. lol. It's been a busy week! Looking after my two nieces and nephew, taking all five kids (those three plus my two) to swimming every day, busy long weekend... It completely slipped my mind. It was a delightful surprise! :D

I didn't get a lot of stuff this time, a little more than enough to get the Reason to Smile stamp set for $5. The image is no longer available on the website because it was a limited offer, but you can see projects for it here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=23222

I decided to start investing in markers. I see so many projects where markers were used directly on the stamps to create a multicolour image and I decided to go ahead and make a small investment to start. I picked two sets:

and .

We were heading off to the pool right after I got the shipment, but seeing the markers (and going, "Oh yeah! I forgot I was getting those.") I decided to try something really quickly. This is what I did:

(Sorry, I know the image isn't the greatest! I'm rushing! lol)

Another great thing with using markers is that if you want just part of the stamp, you can easily have just part of the stamp! This is something I really like for the sentiments, since sometimes they have extra stuff I just don't want. (Btw, the letters above were done with the 2011-2012 In Color set.)

I will post back as soon as I can with recent projects! .
 

I got new retiring stuff!

I got my latest order in last night. I don't have time to put up pictures right now, but I'm so very glad I bought these items before they are no longer available! Almost all of my order was retiring products. Don't wait: get them while you can!

All Kinds of Things Are Retiring!

I'm finally sitting down to finalize my Stampin' Up order and look at the retiring products. There are some great things I'm sad to see go--which means they're being added to my list! lol. (Good thing I already had some of them. hehe) Here are just a few things.

*ALL textured card stock is being retired. There is no textured card stock in the new catalogue. This makes me really sad. lol. I *love* using textured card stock when making cards and what I've used that I've bought elsewhere doesn't compare. (Guess what I'm stocking up on? :D)

*The All in the Family set is retiring!

 http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=113488
I've always thought this cute and wanted to wait to get it because I do have to limit myself but with it retiring, I guess it's time to get it. Also retiring are the complementing Family Accessories set http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=113494 as well as the Family Business set http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=116964


All I have time to blog about at the moment! Links to the retiring products are found on the right. If you are in Canada and would like to order something, just email me: emicolas@yahoo.ca . If you are in the Edmonton area and want to get in on my group order (saves on shipping if your order is fairly small), email me ASAP! I'll be placing an order this weekend.

March Goal for Ronald McDonald House Charities

My Canadian friends (sorry, everybody else--you are welcome to contact a demonstrator in your country to purchase the set in question though!): I have a goal for March. It is to help out Ronald McDonald House Charities through the sale of a special stamp set called Turtle and Co.

Isn't it cute?

My ultimate goal would be to sell at least 20 of these sets. Stampin' Up has a special partnership with Ronald McDonald House, which not only encourages demonstrators to volunteer, but they sell a stamp set that helps out RMHC. They have raised over $1 million US since they began helping out RMHC. You can be a part of getting that amount higher!

The stamp set is adorable! http://204.228.150.61/catalogs/flash/en-CA/2011-2012/ibclk/index.html?pageNumber=18  $3 from every set goes to RMHC, to help them out in what they do. If you don't know what RMHC does, here is a video about the Ronald McDonald house here in Edmonton: http://youtu.be/ARJe1gaFOPI

Just message me if you are interested and we'll work out all the details! :)

-----
Addendum: I thought I would share why I've decided to encourage helping out Ronald McDonald House Charities, why it means something to me other than simply being another good cause.

When I was very young, 4 or younger, my little sister was diagnosed with leukemia. We lived in Windsor, ON, at the time, and she spent time in the hospital there and at Toronto Sick Kids. We moved to Edmonton early in 1980 when I was 5 and my sister was 2. She was in and out of UofA Hospital before eventually passing.

If we had not lived in town, Ronald McDonald House would have been the sort of place where we would have stayed (had it existed back then). I can not tell you how much it touches me to see what they do for these families who are displaced because of their child's illness. Because I do remember my sister being in hospital and do remember that time of my life and I can imagine all too easily being the family staying there, helping RMH really means a lot to me.

Oh my gosh, I want the Simply Scored!

I tried to make my own envelopes on the weekend. Let's just say... it didn't work out so well. I had heard about the diagonal plate for the Simply Scored, but I don't have the Simply Scored, so I just kind of dismissed it.

But then I saw this video today:

I really want this now! lol. It was so much fun using a printed paper to make an envelope instead of having the standard plain old envelope. And my cards were funky shapes, which is why I needed to make an envelope. I wouldn't worry so much about sizes and fitting into envelopes if I knew I could quickly make an envelope!

A birthday card!

I've been working on birthday cards this week. We are celebrating a double birthday this evening and another double birthday tomorrow. Here is the card for my step-sister:

Things used in this card:

• Flower Fancy stamp set
• On Your Birthday stamp set
• Perfect Plum textured card stock (cut out to fit over a standard Whisper White card)
• a Rich Razzleberry sheet from the Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper
• Whisper White card stock
• for the Classic Inks: Perfect Plum for the solid part of the flowers, Basic Gray for the outline, Certainly Celery and Rich Razzleberry for the sentiment
• Labels Collection Framelits Dies from the Occasions Mini Catalogue
• mini silver brads

Her son is also having a birthday soon. Here is the card I came up with for him:

For this card, I used:

• standard Whisper White card
• Island Indigo card stock from the 2011-2013 In Colour 
• Real Red card stock for the background circle
• the cupcake is from the Create a Cupcake stamp set and punched out with the Cupcake Builder punch
• the candles are just punched out with the Cupcake Builder with a paper from a no-longer-available 6x6 Patterns Pack
• the lighter aqua paper is from old Stampin' Up paper, too (got to make use of what you have! :D)
• I used the Big Shot Circles #2 die to make the circles. The red circle is actually on a piece of thick card from the back of a Stampin' Up paper pack (boy, can the dies CUT!)
• the sentiment is, again, from the On Your Birthday stamp set

The picture for my niece's card didn't work out very well, but here it is anyhow:

I think the stamps may be from older sets, except the sentiment is from the Pour Ton Anniversaire stamp set (French version of On Your Birthday set). The card is Pretty In Pink textured cardstock, with a bit of trim from, I think, the Brights Patterns Designer Paper, the sentiment is on the same, punched out with the Decorative Label punch, on some Whisper White Satin Ribbon. Colours used: Perfect Plum, Rich Razzleberry, Pretty In Pink and Marina Mist.

Haven't finished my brother-in-law's card yet!

Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day. I don't have much time here, so I will simply post the treat cards I made for the kids:

I started on Friday or Saturday. Next year, must start earlier! Only managed to finish the last two this morning. LOL

Free 30-day trial of MDS!

Stampin' Up is now offering a FREE 30-day trial of My Digital Studio! I have not tried it yet, but did download it a few days ago. I know some people who LOVE their MDS, and it's free, so I figure I might as well give it a shot!

It's February!

Oh dear, I haven't been good about updating this blog! What's going on right now with me and Stampin' Up?

• I have an order coming soon:
• The Occasions Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps, 
• the new Framelits, 
• some paper, 
• ink, 
• Watercolour Pencils, 
• more Blender Pens (I *love* blender pens!)
• There is a GREAT deal going on if you are interested in becoming a demonstrator--even if it's just to get the FREE stuff and the GREAT price! For only $150 (in Canada), you get the usual Starter Kit that is normally $215 PLUS you get your choice of either a free paper pack each month for the rest of the year OR a free digital download each month for the rest of the year. This is really an amazing deal: I wish I could partake in it! lol.
• The above deal is part of Sale-a-Bration, which runs until March 31, 2012. The Sale-a-Bration catalogue is full of things you can get for FREE with a $60 order. (It's not hard to have a $60 order!) See the sidebar for the link to the catalogue.
• There is also the Occasions Mini which will be on until April 30, 2012. Lots of great stuff in there. The Labels Framelits I ordered are from there, as well as the cookie stamps. That is also available in the sidebar. I already have the Send Me Soaring set from that catalogue and really like it.

Speaking of the cookie stamps, here's a video from when they only had the first set--Holidays--available. They now also have the Occasions set available with a bunny rabbit, a 4-leaf clover and a flower.




I also made a card this week for a friend of mine. I meant to take a picture and post it, but I forgot. I'll have to make another one. I'd like to start a card album with different ideas!

I have a Valentine's get-together coming up next Friday. I have to finalize my card ideas for the kids and adults who will be coming and I would like to give out some treats. Cards are priority over the treat gifts!

That's it for now! (Other than my laptop hard drive going kaput. :( )

Good stuff available!

I'm still working on Valentine's card ideas. Will hopefully have those up soon.

In the meantime, just wanted to remind people about the Occasions Mini (you can find it on the right-hand side) that has lots of great things in it. I was at my demonstrator's house on Friday and she had on display just about everything--or everything--from the catalogue! It's all really great.

Also, the Sale-A-Bration catalogue is now on! What is Sale-A-Bration? It is a promotion that goes on each year where you can choose any free product from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue with every $60 you order. The $60 can be from the main catalogue or the Occasions or a mix. Have a look (available on the right-hand side!) and see if there's anything you would like to get free!

Playing with my "toys"

I finally sat down to play around with some of the Valentine's stuff I got recently, as well as some hearts that are part of an older kit I have.

What did I get recently? I got the Heart to Heart punch, the I {Heart} Hearts stamp set, the I {Love} Love jumbo wheel, Real Red ink pad and Pretty in Pink ink pad. I started having some fun with them last night, just seeing what they look like, thinking of different techniques that could be used (I'm very new to techniques!). Here's part of what I did:

It's hard to see, but the bottom four hearts are cut out or punched. The heart on the furthest right is a punched out heart from the Heart to Heart punch, but then stamped with a heart from the Simply Said stamp set (no longer available). The other hearts are simply cut out. The two hearts toward the middle were an attempt of mine to sponge while masking (placing a cut-out shape to block an area from being coloured). Those were done with a bit of sponge and Real Red, but I also tried it with the Pretty in Pink and it was very nice--just didn't show up well enough in a picture.

I made a thank you card the other day, too. I will have to get it uploaded. No, not done with Valentine's things. ;) Although, you could!

January 3--last day to order from Holiday Mini!

Just a reminder that January 3 is the last day to order from the Holiday Mini. Also, the Clearance Rack Blitz is still going on and they've added MORE to what's available! Some of the prices are really amazing!