Half Price Starter Kit Offer

Stampin’ Up! has released today that they will be offering an amazing Starter Kit Special beginning November 15th and running through November 30th. For two short weeks, the Starter Kit will be priced at $87.50 for over $310 worth of products. This is 50% off the regular price of $175. This is an unprecedented offer!

Here are just a few of the perks and benefits you would receive by joining Stampin’ Up!:

  • Participation in the Occasions Mini pre-order which starts December 1st (and all other pre-orders a month or more before the customer sales period, often with additional discounts)
  • Receive 30% off your first $150 order if placed within 45 days from your start date
  • 20% off Stampin’ Up! products
  • Earn additional income (called a volume rebate) on your monthly sales of $400 or more…if you decide to host parties!
  • Earn free stamps with Stampin’ Start, Sale-A-Bration and other promotions
  • Earn free hostess sets, and be able to purchase selected Hostess Sets with the release of the new catalog
  • Access to a members only blog
  • Receive Stampin’ Success magazine, an exclusive for demonstrators, which publishes monthly
  • Access to Stampin’ Connection…Stampin’ Up!’s official blog site where you can share ideas with thousands of other Stampin’ Up! demonstrators, as well as benefit from video tutorials and projects
  • CLICK HERE to see what is included in your kit! And remember, the kit can be customized!

What a fabulous early Christmas present!

There is absolutely NO catch or strings attached. You can keep everything in the Starter Kit and never sell a thing. However, IF you wish to remain active and maintain your discount, you would need to reach $300 in sales prior to March 31, 2011. The choice is yours! I would love to help you take advantage of this wonderful opportunity! Please EMAIL me…let’s talk! Until next time…

An Inspiration Challenge for Pals Paper Arts


It’s Thursday and time to play with the Pals! This week, Pals Paper Arts is having an inspiration challenge based on this photograph:

When I first saw this opulent spread of elegant deserts, one thing really stood out…the gorgeous tablecloth. In addition, this buffet screamed “Holiday Open House” to me. So I recreated the tablecloth, in a slightly different color combination, added Basic Pearls for a touch of class, and mimicked the gold mirror by embossing a trio of festive trees. I hope you like my “Holiday Open House Invitation”! Enjoy!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Damask, you ask? The background of this card was made by brayering a layer of Bravo Burgundy ink onto the Damask Texturz Plate from the Backgrounds I collection. I then zipped it through the Big Shot with a piece of Bashful Blue card stock. This was the technique that I had seen others use, but I had never tried it myself. You know why? Because I thought it looked hard! I could not have been any more wrong. It was so easy! And to make it even easier, I used a freshly inked pad and dampened the card stock with a misting of water.
  • Tree easy pieces! The “Tree Sections” from the Playful Pieces Hostess Level 3 set were actually cut from the “Swirl Rectangle”, which had been heat embossed with Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder. Don’t forget to use your Embossing Buddy to avoid the dreaded “Embossing Spotted Fever”. I then assembled the trees by adhering the pieces onto Very Vanilla card stock, after which I cut out the silhouettes.

  • Texture! The trio of trees were then popped up on Stampin’ Dimensionals and adhered to a mat of Perfect Polka Dots.

  • A touch of opulence! Basic Pearl triads accent three corners of the image and sentiment, while the smallest Basic Pearls adorn the damask!

There is a moral to this card: Never be afraid to attempt something because you think it is “too hard”. When I was teaching, I would never have allowed my students to use this excuse, for we need to stretch ourselves in order to continue to grow. The same applies to our craft. And you never know…it may be easier than you think!

I wish that all of you lived closer to me! Couldn’t we have a fun Holiday Open House? We could do a little stamping, you could let me teach you a technique (because old teachers never die, they just lose their class), and then we could eat! Of course, you could play with the Boxer Twins, too. How fun would that be! However, since nobody lives close to me, how about you leave a comment and let me know a technique which you would like to learn more about. Maybe we could at least do that part! Sound like fun? So, leave me a comment before you head out. And as always, if you ever have a question about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away! Until next time…


Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7

Stamp Sets: Playful Pieces Hostess Level 3 (W 119993, C 120145), Wedding Sweet (115466); Inks: Bravo Burgundy (105214), VersaMark (102283); Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Brushed Gold (102935), Bravo Burgundy (105123), Bashful Blue (105120); Tools: Brayer (102395), Heat Tool (100005), Embossing Buddy
(103083), Big Shot (113439), Background Collection 1 Texturz Plates (114512); Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls (119247), Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder (109129)

Monochromatic Vintage Collage and Sneak Peek for Pals Paper Arts


I had fully planned on having a holiday card to share with you today, but more puppy drama, which I will share after the card, got in the way. So instead of a new card, I would like to share one that I created earlier this year during my tenure as a member of the Splitcoaststampers Dirty Dozen Design Team. And I am excited to share a peek at my Pals Paper Arts card for this week’s challenge. Enjoy!

The Stampin’ Schach Design Tips:

  • Distress! The Seven-Sided Tool from the Cutter Kit is one of my favorite tools for roughing up the edges of card stock! So easy! Follow this up with a little Early Espresso ink applied with a Sponge Dauber. And lest I forget…never forget the Color Spritzer Tool! Coupled with an Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker and Log Cabin Smooch Spritz, we have instant speckles. (For an updated version of this card, I would definitely use the “Watermark” stamp from the French Foliage set.)
  • Emboss! Heat embossing is an easy way to add texture! The “Eiffel Tower” image and the “Medallion” image from Artistic Etchings were stamped in VersaMark and then heat embossed with a bronze embossing powder. (Remember, this was created for the Dirty Dozen. For a Stampin’ Up! only card, I would simply use Gold Stampin’ Emboss Powder.)
  • Layer your ribbons! What a nice vintage touch Chantilly Crochet Trim adds to Early Espresso 5/8″ Satin Ribbon. Of course, Basic Pearls are always in vogue for the vintage look!
At the time that this card was made, French Foliage had not been released. If I were to refurbish this card, I would definitely replace the Tim Holtz Shabby French “Post Mark” and “Script” with those from French Foliage. If I had to select my favorite set from the Holiday Mini, French Foliage is it!

Pals Paper Arts Sneak Peek

And here is your peek for this week! I will let you know that I did a technique that others have used before, but I have not! Any ideas as to what it is? Tune in Thursday to find out!
Puppy Drama…Poor Muffy

Just as I was getting ready to create a new card, Muffy the Boxer fell ill. Within a matter of minutes, her breathing became labored and she broke out with small hives ALL over her body. She was literally covered from snubby nose to stubby tail. Having experienced this once before with Missy the Boxer, I knew that she was having an anaphylactic reaction. So I quickly placed Brody in his crate, grabbed Muffy, jumped in the car, and rushed to the vet, calling the office on the cell phone as we drove off.

Once we reached the vet’s office, we were rushed back to an exam room. Dr. Brooke started an IV of diphenylhydramine, plus Muffy got an injection of Dexasone in her little Boxer bum. Well…change that to her “getting-bigger-every-day-Boxer-butt”. Within a few hours, the welts started to subside. Of course, she had to sleep on Mom’s lap when we got home, and then her Dad’s lap, and then back to her Mom’s lap…you get the picture. My husband, Kim, did check the living room where Muffy had been playing before the incident, and I think he found the culprit…a dead honeybee. Dr. Brooke had stated that she felt that it could have been an insect sting or bite, or perhaps a spider bite. Arghhh! Poor Muffy! As I write this post, she is feeling better, and Dr. Brooke even called this evening to see how she was doing. Her concern was so heartfelt. I will make certain that Muffy makes her a card, with my help.

Whew! What a day Tuesday was! I do appreciate your comments, so please, let me know what you think of today’s vintage collage card and sneak peek. And as always, if you ever have any questions about the cards that I create or the techniques that I use, I am only an email away. Until next time…

Click Here to Order Stampin’ Up! 24/7Stamp Sets: Because I Care Level 1 Hostess Set (W 118384, C 120118), Artistic Etchings (W 118517, C 120573), Notably Ornate (W 117098, C 120561), En Francais (109521), 2004 Valentine Set (available for sale on my retired sets page); Stampers Anonymous Shabby French (Tim Holtz Collection); Card Stock: Very Vanilla (101650), Crumb Cake (120953); Ink: Early Espresso (119670), Crumb Cake (121030), VersaMark (102283), Early Espresso Stampin’ Write Marker (119680); Tools: Cutter Kit (106958), Heat Tool (100005), Color Spritzer Tool (107066), Sponge Dauber (102892), Log Cabin Smooch Spritz (119921); Creative Beginnings Copper Embossing Powder; Glitz and Glam: Basic Pearls (119247), Early Espresso 5/8″ Satin Ribbon (119753), Chantilly Crochet Trim (118480)