Woo hoo!  Stampin’ Up! is offering 25% – 50% off many of the retiring products.  This special offer starts today, May 22 and is only available through June 4, 2014 OR while supplies last!  

Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!  This is your last chance to get many of your favorite retiring products at a discount before they are gone for good! 

UPDATED RETIRING STAMPIN’ UP! PRODUCT LISTS 

• Retiring Stamps
• Retiring Accessories

Until next time… 

It’s time to play with the Pals at Pals Paper Arts!  Resident sketch artist, Nicole Watt,  has provided us with an awesome sketch this week.  After a series of feminine cards, I really felt like inking up the Traveler stamp set, from the new catalog, and distressing to my heart’s content. I hope you enjoy today’s down and dirty card!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips
This finished card measures 5-1/2″ wide by 4-1/4″ long.

• Plume of Pearls! I admit…I could not resist adding Pearls to the plume of smoke.  What an unexpected touch on a masculine card…unless you are one of the Schach men.  Both Brady and Kim are used to pearls on their cards!  Of course, I also added speckles courtesy of the Gorgeous Grunge stamp set, and lightly distressed the edges of the image circle using a Sponge Dauber and Soft Suede ink.

• Stamped stamps! I stamped the trio of postage stamps from Postage Due with Cajun Craze, Crushed Curry, and Always Artichoke.  The edges were lightly distressed, and they were also speckled.  Texture abounds with burlap banners, linen thread, and vintage trinkets.

• Selectively inked! The sentiment, from Really Good Greetings, was inked using Stampin’ Write Markers.  Don’t you love this sentiment? I think it is so inspirational.

This is one of those cards created from the heart.  It will be given to Brady.  Right now he is in Italy with the University of Missouri’s Wind Ensemble for a series of concerts and sightseeing.  I have always encouraged him to be his own person…and I truly hope that he is able to live the life he has imagined.

What do you think of today’s card?  Don’t you LOVE this new stamp set? Won’t you let me know in today’s comment?  Your comments are important to me.  It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I plan on exploring it’s “clean and simple side”, too.  And remember…if you ever have a question about the cards I create or the techniques I use, I am only an email away.  Until next time…

(Lexi doesn’t show until 1:00 this afternoon.  Keep your fingers crossed for a Team Lexi victory.  And if she doesn’t win, at least she will look fabulous losing.  A girl has to keep up appearances! )

Lexi’s Latest Win Picture with her handler, Amy

Today is going to be a quick post to let you know Lexi Lou and I are traveling to Kalamazoo for five days of dog shows at the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds.  Lexi is excited about this trip.  She is such a cutie…and smart, too! When she saw that I was packing the “show bag”,  she made sure to gather up a few of her favorite toys for the extended stay.  I also packed a few of my stamping supplies.  I am putting the finishing touches on the April cards that I need to mail out to my lesson of the month students.  Hopefully I can find the post office! You know me and big cities.  Yikes!

I have lots of Stampin’ Up! news to share with you, including information about my new catalog product shares, Paper Pumpkin, and a fabulous recruiting special coming next week.  I am so excited about the special.  If you have thought about becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, please call me.  I would love to talk to you about the benefits of joining.  Hopefully, the internet at the hotel cooperates, and I can write about all of these things!  Of course, I will have my design team cards for Pals Paper Arts on Thursday and The Paper Players on Sunday.

If you happen to be close to the Kalamazoo Fairgrounds, stop in and say “Hi”!  Lexi and I would love to meet you.  Until next time…