Join My Group

Do you love card making and scrapbooking? Would you like to receive a 20% discount on all your favorite Stampin’ Up! products? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then you may want to consider taking advantage of Stampin’ Up!s Mini Starter Kit Special. From July 15th through August 31st, you can start your own Stampin’ Up! business for only $85. Here is what you will receive for your investment:

  • For All You Do stamp set

  • All six In-Color Classic Stampin’ Pads (Bahama Bay, Crushed Curry, Dusty Durango, Melon Mambo, Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede)

  • Whisper White Card Stock (8-1/2” x 11”)

  • In-Color Assorted Card Stock (8-1/2” x 11”)

  • Business Tools including (8) 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalogs, 8 Holiday Mini catalogs, 50 Customer forms, Getting Started DVD and more!

And if this is not enough, the Standard Starter Kit is available for $199…with incentives including all 6 In-Color Stamp Pads plus a package of 8-1/2” x 11” Assorted In-Color Card Stock…a $43.65 value! The Standard Starter Kit contains:

  • Four Stamp Sets: Fun & Fast Notes, On a Pedestal, Eastern Blooms, Fundamental Phrases, Teeny Tiny Wishes, plus Elegant Thank You (Note: You can substitute for sets of your choice up to the value of the substituted set)

  • Stampin’ Around Wheel: Fast Flowers (or standard wheel of your choice)

  • Stampin’ Around Wheel Handle

  • Stampin’ Around Ink Cartridge in Pixie Pink (or color of your choice)

  • Stampin’ Pastels

  • Blender Pens

  • VersaMark Ink

  • 5 Classic Stampin’ Pads (Basic Black, Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Green Galore, Pixie Pink or five colors of your choice)

  • Stampin’ Scrub and Stampin’ Mist

  • 2 packages of Bold Brights 8-1/2” x 11” Card Stock, or color family of your choice

  • Whisper White Card Stock or color of your choice (up to $7.50)

  • SNAIL Adhesive

  • Décor Elements Medium Chocolate Eastern Blooms and Décor Elements Applicator

  • 8 Catalogs, plus forms and business tools

All of this, plus the incentives, is only $199, plus tax…SHIPPING IS INCLUDED!

You might be thinking, “I would love the products, but I really do not want to do workshops.” There is no obligation to hold workshops and no penalty for dropping your demonstrator status. However, to keep your demonstrator benefits and discounts, you will need to reach a $300 quarterly minimum. This can be achieved either through workshops or personal purchases. If you join my group, I will be there every step of the way to coach you and answer your questions. The first TEN people to contact me for the necessary password to order your Starter Kit will receive a free, retired unmounted SAB stamp set from my “collection” AND if you are among the first FIVE to join my group, I will provide you with a free set of In-Color Markers, too! Remember, this promotion begins on July 15th! Email me if you have questions about becoming a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.

Tomorrow it’s back to the cards! Until then…

A Cup of Tea

One of the stamp sets that I received in my “Starter Kit” when I became a Stampin‘ Up! demonstrator was “Define Your Life”. I knew that it would be perfect for scrapbooking pages of my son, and today it proved to be just what I needed to create this card for him. Listening to him prepare his audition music this evening was just the inspiration that I needed to get me out of my creative block. The music on this card is from Alexander Goedicke’s “Concert Etude”. Brady played this piece to perfection last spring, and was named “Best of Center” at the Iowa High School Music Association Solo and Ensemble contest. I “tea” stained the music, stamped blocks, and the Tall Tales Designer Series Paper to “age” them. This technique isn’t everyone’s “cup of tea”, but sometimes it is fun to do something a little different! And as far as Brady’s assessment of the card…we are framing it tomorrow! So, let’s have a little spot of tea, shall we?

  • Prepare a 5-1/2″ x 5-1/2″ card base from Dusty Durango. (I aged the edges of the paper with a Sponge Dauber and Soft Suede ink.)

  • Layer with a selection of Tall Tales Designer Series Paper. I selected the Old Olive tiny circle pattern, which I aged with a wash of Soft Suede ink and water. I then used a blow dryer to dry the slightly damp paper and ironed it flat with a cool iron.

  • Ink the “Create” stamp from Define Your Life with Soft Suede and stamp onto Very Vanilla card stock. Tear the edges, and the age the paper with a mixture of Tea Dye Distress Ink by Ranger and the Soft Suede wash from the previous step. Repeat this process with the “Cc” stamp from Defining Alphabet and the “Violin” image from Music Expressions. Curl up the edges of the images to add texture. (I added just a smidge of color to the Violin image by using Old Olive ink and a Blender Pen.)

  • Next take the sheet music and “paint” it with reconstituted Walnut Ink Crystals by Little Scraps of Time and Tea Dye Distress Ink. Dry with a blow dryer. (Tip: I distressed the sheet music by crumpling it first and then smoothing it out before applying the wash.) I then rolled up two small pieces of the music into two tubes.

  • Punch a section of the sheet music using the Photo Corner Punch, and apply to opposite corners of the card base.

  • Adhere the images to the card base as illustrated. The letter block and the definition block are popped up on Stampin‘ Dimensionals, and are accented with buttons from the Button Latte collection. (Tip: Use a snippet of Dusty Durango card stock to give a finishing touch to the buttons. Plus, Mini Glue Dots are just the ticket to hold the buttons firmly in place.)

I had fun releasing my stress by distressing and aging this card! I guess you would say that I was “de-stressing” by “distressing”! If you have any questions at all about the technique used in today’s card, please Email Me.

Please feel free to leave me a comment and tell me what you think of today’s card. Your comments are very important to me! Until next time…

Order Your Stampin‘ Up! Supplies Now!

Stamp Set: Define Your Life (114950), Defining Alphabet (114952), Music Expressions (113718)
Ink: Soft Suede (115657), Old Olive (102277), Walnut Ink Crystals (Scraps of Time), Tea Dye Distress Ink (Ranger)
Designer Series Paper: Tall Tales (115678)
Card Stock: Dusty Durango (115321)
Tools: Photo Corners Punch (109042)
Embellishments: Button Latte Collection (114333)
Other: Blender Pens (102845), Stampin’ Dimensionals (104430), Mini Glue Dots (103683), Sheet Music

It’s Here

Get your pencils and paper ready, and get started on your Wish List! The long awaited moment is here…The 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog has officially arrived!


Just CLICK HERE to download a copy! Be patient…it is a very large file!

Also released is the new Fall-Winter Definitely Decoratively catalog. You cannot believe the exciting new products available. I personally love the Dasher Decor Elements which is available as a Hostess Level 2 award. Check it out on Page 5!


Just CLICK HERE to browse this catalog!

And to make your list making easier, here is your official copy of the Stampin’Up! WISH LIST!

What is in store for you from me? Well, if today’s order is any indication, we’ll see Pendant Park, Medallion, Farm Life, Peace Within, Falling Leaves, Garden Greenhouse and Chic Boutique…just to name a few! If it looks like I went a little overboard, and if my husband happens to read this, I earned free sets through the Stampin’ Start program, an incentive program available for new demonstrators. What better time to redeem them than at the start of a new catalog period!

Thanks for checking in with me today! Now it’s off to create a card or two, and patiently await the delivery of my new stamp sets. Monday should be the Big Day! Until next time…