Are you excited about the new Mini Catalog?????

One of my goals is to work hard to always bring you fresh, current ideas. This weekend I made 25 cards out of the new stamp set, Itty Bitty Bits, from the Summer Mini. I'll be mailing them off to my friend in PA who is organizing a swap. In early May, I'll get back 25 cards. Each card will feature a stamp set from the Summer Mini! I will have LOTS of fresh ideas to share with you so you can see the new stamps in action! If you saw my post on Monday, you saw "Sweet Scoops" (I earned that stamp set for FREE!).

Here's the card I made for the swap. The flowers are stamped in So Saffron and punch with the mini flower punch from the punch pack. The greeting is from Teeny Tiny Wishes. The leaves are from the two step bird punch.

Enjoy!

Did you know.....

Did you know that when you shop online, you can order from the Clearance Rack and get products up to 60% off??? How cool is that? Designer paper is only $3.99! Corduroy buttons $3.99. (The corduroy buttons can be found in Baja Breeze and Pacific Point, two colors that are returning as core colors in July. What a bargain!)

Stampin' Up! just announced that the following items from the Occasions catalog will be carried over. You can order them online and they will also appear in upcoming catalogs.

Yeah - the Butterfly embosslit is carrying over!

STMP = stamp set, WM = wood mount, CM = clear mount

Item #	Description	Price
116519	Charming STMP	$19.95
117690	Vintage Vogue WM	$23.95
118598	Vintage Vogue CM	$17.95
118882	Vague vinatge WM	$23.95
119109	Vague vinatge CM	$17.95
118091	Tiny Tags WM	$22.95
118592	Tiny Tags CM	$16.95
117535	DÉCOR ELEMENTS F IS FOR FOX CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117536	DÉCOR ELEMENTS G IS FOR GIRAFFE CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117529	DÉCOR ELEMENTS IS FOR BLACK	$1.95
117541	DÉCOR ELEMENTS L IS FOR LION CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117542	DÉCOR ELEMENTS M IS FOR MONKEY CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117544	DÉCOR ELEMENTS O IS FOR OWL CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117528	DÉCOR ELEMENTS SCALLOP FRAME BLACK	$6.95
117549	DÉCOR ELEMENTS T IS FOR TURTLE CHOCOLATE	$4.95
117552	DÉCOR ELEMENTS W IS FOR WHALE CHOCOLATE	$4.95
118072	PNCH CRNR PINKING HEARTS	$9.95
118870	PNCH CRNR SCALLOP TRIM	$9.95
117191	PNCH LG 2 STEP BIRD	$15.95
118073	PNCH LG FANCY FLOWER	$15.95
117649	PNCH MD BRDR PINKING HEARTS	$15.95
117190	PNCH MD JEWELRY TAG	$10.95
117193	PNCH SM SMALL HEART	$5.95
117310	SZX BIGZ L MINI MILK CARTON	$32.95
118138	SZX EMBSLTS BEAUTIFUL WINGS	$11.95
117332	SZX EMBSLTS SCALLOPED HEART OF HEARTS	$11.95
117335	SZX TI PERFECT POLKA DOTS	$7.95
120435	HEART TREAT CUPS	$2.95

The following products will not be featured in upcoming catalogs.

116772	RECIPES BY DESIGN	$24.95
118139	DS FOLK FLOWERS -SHELLI SIGNATURE COLLECTION	$12.95
117597	DS PAISLEY PATTERNS 2-STEP	$14.95

Shhhh..... don't tell!

Tonight is my downline meeting. The Doodlers, Ink. team is coming over and I have some surprises for them!

I'm unveiling my recognition program. I like to give presents, so this should be lots of fun. I'll be telling my team how they can earn more presents and more free stuff from me!

We always stamp at our meetings. Here's the card we are making together. Fun!


Oh, and I have another surprise for them too!

Anniversary Card for Margaret

As I've said a million times, the best part of my Stampin' Up experience is all of the amazing women that I've met. I can honestly say that I love my girls, every one of them. You are all a special part of my life. You enrich my life, challenge me creatively and laugh with me.

I made this card for one of my special customers/friends. Margaret is a true lover of stamping and a passionate, energetic friend. She brings joy and laughter (and a Stampin' Up catalog) wherever she goes.

This was her anniversary card for celebrating 15 years at Paychex. Margaret doesn't do anything small, so I had to make her a "big" card.

Love ya, Margaret! Congrats on 15 years!

Look what we made!

Last weekend I had a guest teacher. My friend, Sasha, designed a really cute bouquet of birds. Once I saw it, I knew she had to teach it at a class with me. We team taught - Sasha taught the bouquet and I taught the Totally Awesome Tote, from a tutorial created by Becky Roberts.

I actually sat down and made the projects with everyone. It was sooooo relaxing! Mine is the pink one, of course. We had a good time!

Color Revolution! New colors coming in July!

One of the things I LOVE about Stampin' Up is the fabulous colors! Just the other day I was lamenting how I missed some of the old in-colors and I wished they would bring some of them the back. THEN I saw the MOST exciting news from Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! is announcing its COLOR RENOVATION coming in July!!!!

This is VERY exciting! Didn't you miss "Wild Wasabi" and "Baja Breeze"? Wasn't it heart breaking thinking that "Rich Razzleberry" and "Soft Suede" would be gone soon! With the Color Renovation, these colors are now CORE colors!

Stampin' Up will be adding 5 NEW colors (Marina Mist, Daffodil Delight, Cherry Cobbler, Cajun Craze and Early Espresso), bringing back 10 retired IN-COLORS(Baja Breeze, Melon Mambo, Pink Pirouette, Rich Razzleberry, Riding Hood Red, River Rock, Soft Suede, Tangerine Tango and Wild Wasabi), and moving colors around into four different color collections: Brights, Subtles, Regals and Neutrals. These collections are similar to our color families, but the brights are less overwhelming and the subtles are less pale. The new collections are based on years of research and market study!!

There will be 40 Core Colors and beginning in July, the in-colors introduced each year will stay for TWO years! They will even be introducing a getting started collection with an assortment of colors designed for the new stamper!

Sadly, 30 current colors will be retiring in June. The colors that are retiring are:
Glorious Green, Green Galore, Gable Green, Yoyo Yellow, Only Orange, Pink Passion, Pixie Pink, Orchid Opulence, Lovely Lilac, Brilliant Blue, Close to Cocoa, Creamy Caramel, Really Rust, Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Summer Sun, Bordering Blue, Brocade Blue, Ballet Blue, Taken with Teal, Handsome Hunter, Pale Plum, Blush Blossom, Apricot Appeal, Barely Banana , Mellow Moss, Sage Shadow, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Basic Brown, and Going Gray.


(Based on my observations over the last few years, if you want to purchase a re-inker so your stamp set will last virtually forever, I STRONGLY recommend you order in April or early May. In previous years the in-color re-inkers sold out in early June and many people were left stranded!) It is always sad to say goodbye to our favorite colors, but Stampin' Up hasn't let me down yet and I am soooo EXCITED to get my hands on the NEW colors!

Click HERE to print the Color Renovation chart.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

I admit it... I binged Easter morning on chocolate....

Chocolate chip ink that is! I took a joy break on Easter morning as the family was lazing around the house and went on a creativity binge with chocolate chip ink. A piece or two of actual chocolate MAY have passed my lips as well, but who's counting?

This stamping extravaganza features a sneak peak at the "Elements of Style" stamp set coming in the Summer mini catalog in May!

The heat gun was out too and look out.... I was embossing everything! This was the first time I played with clear embossing powder. I used a Versamark pen to color on the flowers and then embossed with clear embossing powder over the top. The "china blue" background is really a light wash of sage shadow. The background of the humming bird is done with a brayer and a few random shades of blue.

As I was playing, I pulled out my an old in-color and was thinking.... wouldn't it be nice if some of the in-colors came back...... (If this was a novel, this would be foreshadowing... hint... hint.... tease... tease... more news tomorrow!)

The girls

My sweeties -- my mom, my daughter and my puppy dog.

Hostess Club Cards

Here are the cards for April's hostess club workshop! Our club night was April 1st. In honor of April Fool's Day, we had a PJ party! The mother and daughter duo in matching jammies were the winners of the FREE stamp set!

The first card features the stamp set, Asian Artistry, and the color combo: Dusty Durango, Old Olive and Soft Suede. To add texture to the oval, we used the side of scissors to "rough up" the edge. This might be the quickest card I've made in years. :)

The second card features the stamp set, Awash with Flowers. This stamp set is a sneak peak from the new catalog coming in July! This month only you can get Awash with Flowers at 20% off! The color combo in this card is Brocade Blue, Regal Rose, Certainly Celery and Apricot Appeal. This set comes in traditional wood mount OR clear mount. I have to say that two-step stamping is much easier with the new clear mount stamp stamps!

The third card is a card I made from the workshop left overs. A girl's gotta play. :)



Two-Step into Spring!

From April 1-30 only, you can buy the brand-new Awash with Flowers Two-Step Stampin' set—or get it FREE when you host a $350 workshop!

Item	Description	Price
117062	Awash with Flowers (wood-mount)	$39.95
120549	Awash with Flowers (clear-mount)	$27.95

Plus, get 20% off a selection of springy Two-Step Stampin' sets:

Item	Page	Description	Regular Price	Sale Price
113824	94	Greenhouse Garden	$25.95	$20.76
113734	98	Fifth Avenue Floral	$24.95	$19.96
111578	101	Flower Fancy	$36.95	$29.56
113258	112	Trendy Trees	$17.95	$14.36

View the flyer to see the beautiful creations you can make with the Awash with Flowers set—then contact me to place your order or schedule your workshop.

Happy Easter!

Wishing you a joyful day!

Holy Easter Egg Kit Batman!

A month ago I bought the Easter Egg Kit with visions of making lots of cute, decorated Easter eggs.... Well, that didn't happen. :)

So I got creative and re-purposed my Easter Egg kit.... and used the "egg cups" for the strips of color on the cards and the little flowers as the layers. I used some leftover "Fresh-Cut Note" cards and put designer paper behind the die cut flowers with some Dimensionals in between to create some depth. I still have dozens of flowers, rub-ons and rhinestones left to play with!

These were really quick and easy! The cards can EASILY be used for many occasions!

The Easter Egg Kit is only available through the end of April.

Fresh-Cut Notes	111882
Price: $8.95
These handy prescored cards are perfect for when you need a card in a hurry. With the die-cut flower, punch out the image and layer with another color for a beautiful effect. These beautiful notes coordinate with the Fresh Cuts stamp set and 5-Petal Flower punch. And you don’t need to worry about finding envelopes that fit them—the perfect size envelope is included. ■ 15 notes and envelopes ■ 4" x 4" Whisper White cards (folded) from 80-lb. cover-weight paper ■ 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" Whisper White envelopes from 28-lb. text-weight paper with adhesive applied to flap

Eggcellent Eggs Kit	117179
Price: $9.95
It’s easy to make unique decorated eggs without spending a lot of time. Our Eggcellent Eggs Kit contains the accents you need to create an eggstravaganza! ■ White Rub-Ons (two 6"x 6" sheets) ■ Printed, die-cut egg stands (24) ■ Clear self-adhesive rhinestones (one 6" x 6" sheet) ■ Die-cut flowers, 4 sheets (one 6" x 6" sheet each of 4 colors) ■ Die-cut leaves (one 6" x 6" sheet)

Mother's Day Stamp Camp!

Sunday, April 18th, 12:30

Don't miss out on this event! Whether you need a gift for your mom for Mother's Day or a gift for your daughter or girlfriend, this class has it all!

This class features a purse designed by Becky Roberts (of Inking Idaho), a Birdie Flowerpot designed by my friend Sasha, and a greeting card to fit inside the purse. The front pocket of the purse is the perfect size to fit a gift card.

This class will take some time, but isn't difficult. Don't miss out! It's easier than you think!

Class fee: $20 includes all materials except adhesive


Kindly RSVP by Monday, April 12th

Stamp-a-stack April 9th!

Register now for my April Stamp-a-stack! Come make 12 cards for $15! This class features one birthday card design and three all-purpose designs where you can choose the greeting that fits your needs. Whether you need thank you, birthday, friendship or sympathy cards, you'll be good to go after this class!

Kindly RSVP by Monday, April 5th.

Birthday Card for Dear Husband

My husband's birthday was on Friday. I wanted to make a manly-man card. I make so many cards with flowers and girly colors that this was fun!

My color combo:

Soft Suede card stock

More Mustard card stock

Always Artichoke ink

More Mustard ink

Not Quite Navy ink

Dusty Durango ink

Stamps: Four Square (FREE until the 31st with a $50 order), Baroque Motifs (one of my all time favs)

I heard from the blog designer... it's going to be cool!

Design Challenge!

At a recent workshop, I offered the ladies a design challenge. The rules:

- They had to use the chocolate Easter bunny and they had to use the 3x6 Almost Amethyst card stock.

- I gave them about 15 minutes to make their card.

Fun, huh?

The bunny on the bottom right brings back memories for me. When I was a child, I always started to eat my chocolate bunny by biting off its head first. Every year my grandfather thought it was funny to say "Ow!" in a high, squeaky voice when I bit the head off. I have to admit that to this day I cringe when I see a chocolate bunny missing its head!

A brie cheese container!

Look what my genius friend Sasha made out of a brie cheese container!

On Board Scallop Circle Book	118306
Price: $4.95
Give your creativity shape with this chipboard book. Decorate with Designer Series paper, photos, ribbon, and more. Keep the pages together as an album or separate use them individually. ■ Includes eight die-cut natural chipboard pages ■ 6" diameter ■ Held together with key ball chain

Friends 24-7

This card features the stamp set, Friends 24-7, and our Basic Black 5/8" grosgrain ribbon. It's another Leadership Swap. :) What a quick-and-easy card!

Part of learning to be more creative is looking at things differently. Instead of looking at this card and deciding if you like it or not look at it and ask...

- What techniques could I use with this stamp set? (chalk on versamark (a.k.a Poppin' Pastels), watercoloring the line image, crystal effects inside the flower...)
- What other two color combination would be interesting? (chocolate chip and very vanilla, sahara sand and vanilla, going gray and white...)
- What other cards could you make using this layout changing colors and/or stamp sets???

Dream Gardens

The stamp set shown in this card is one of my favorites. (I don't have it YET.) I love tea and teapots and I love the detail in the images.

This is Leadership Swap. I think the colors (soft suede, crushed curry and not quite navy) are quite clever.

What a quick, simple card!

You must be wondering if I fell down a rabbit hole...

One of the things I love about being a demonstrator with Stampin' Up is that they let you run your business based on your goals and priorities. The last two weeks have been busy, busy, busy! I FINALLY finished putting together my tax info. It's my own fault that I do all of my paperwork for my business for the whole year in one weekend. :)

Other than that -- we have some FUN news in the family. My daughter, Sarah, made the JV softball team! Yeah, Sarah! She's only in 8th grade so this is a nice accomplishment for her!

Today is my hubby's 48th birthday! He's awesome!

Okay, now back to stamping! The card above is yet another swap from my trip to Phoenix in January for our Leadership conference. It contains 3 of my favorite colors - pink, green and yellow.

I have a surprise coming....

Which reminds me.... I have a surprise coming.... I hired a professional blog designer to spiff up my blog. I sent her a few pictures to share with her some of my favorite things to give her inspiration. Aren't you excited to see what she comes up with!