Quick & Easy Card Set for a Friend

Hello Stampers!

My husband asked me to put together a card set for a thank you to a friend, and this is what I came up with.

I made a set of eight cards and envelopes in Pool Party (which will retire this year...) and Whisper White.

I used four different stamp sets to make the cards: Sketched Birthday (a set we received at Leadership - I used the birthday cake image), Just Thinking, Serene Silhouettes (so versatile!), and Oh, Hello.


I also used the Framed Tulips Embossing Folder to border the outside of the Whisper White. I didn't use any sentiments on three of the cards, leaving them to be used as notes. However I did use a sentiment in the birthday cards.

Then I packaged them in a plastic box and sent them off. I sure hope she likes them!

I hope you've had some time to craft this weekend too. It's so relaxing and satisfying!

Happy Stamping!
Carol

SALE-A-BRATION 2013 IS HERE!

What is Sale-A-Bration you say? Well, some people wait for it all year... because it's a chance to to get FREE product just for buying stuff you love! But for a limited time only - January 22 to March 22, 2013.

You can earn the free items three different ways:

1. When you purchase $60 worth of product (before shipping & handling and taxes) you earn one free item from the Sale-A-Bration brochure. If you spend $120 you earn two free items and so on.

2. When you host a qualifying party of $200 you will receive a free pack of Silver Glimmer Paper along with your regular $35 in Hostess Dollars, or if you hold a qualifying party of $525 you will earn the free pack of Silver Glimmer Paper plus a free product bundle including a stamp set, ribbon, buttons, and Designer Series Paper, plus $90 in Hostess Dollars and 50% off any Full-Priced item. (Plus if you purchase $60 worth of product you will also earn your free Sale-a-bration item).

3. When you join Stampin' Up! during Sale-A-Bration you will receive 25% more product in your starter kit (to celebrate Stampin' Up!'s 25th Anniversary!). This means you can choose $194 worth of products and pay only $125! And YOU choose what you want in your kit!

Now here is what you have to choose from:

Contact me for more information or to place your order.
Click here to see full size brochure on-line.

Making a Tri-Shutter Card with our Stampin' Trimmer

Hello!

I have to say that before I purchased our new Stampin' Trimmer I hated making fancy cards like this - I actually thought they were hard to do. And on my Table Top Guillotine cutter they are impossible. So last night I thought I'd give this card style another try.

SO EASY!

Take a 5 1/2" x 12" piece of cardstock (I used Pool Party), place it on the Stampin' Trimmer and score it at 2" and 4" on the long side, flip it around and score at 2" and 4" again on the other end of the long side - leaving a 4" section in the middle.

 Then turn the paper vertically, measure in 1 1/2" from the long side and run the cutter between the two 2" cuts, do it again on the other side 1 1/2" in from the edge. DONE! The hard part is done!! Now just the fun part is left - decorating it however you want. The card will fit into a regular size envelope when folded so it's easy to mail as well (as long as you don't use large, thick, embellishments).

I used the More Amore Designer Series Paper to decorate the card, along with Primrose Petals coloured Silver Glimmer Paper, and Pool Party ribbon from the upcoming Sale-a-bration catalogue.

It's times like this when I really appreciate our co-ordinating Designer Series Paper. Here are the cut sizes you will need to decorate your card:

2 pieces cut at 1 3/4" x 5 1/4"
2 pieces cut at 1 3/4" x 2 1/4"
2 pieces cut at 3 3/4" x 1 1/4"
4 pieces cut at 1 1/4" x 1 3/4"
1 piece cut at 3 3/4 x 2 1/4 (You can use DSP, in mine I used Primrose Petals as a mat, and cut Whisper White at 3 1/2" x 2" for my sentiment.)

I used scrap pieces of the DSP to cut the letters from the Typeset Alpabet Bigz dies, and then outlined them with a black marker.

The Designer Builder Brad on the upper right of the last page is from the Spring Mini catalogue and I glued a circle of Primrose Petals punched with the Owl Builder punch and covered it with the epoxy dome that comes with the brad. I used  Crystal Effects for glue, and because I forgot to attach the brad to the DSP before I attached the DSP to the cardstock, I popped up the brad with a dimensional. See - there are no mistakes, only opportunities to try something different! The sentiments are from the You Are Loved stamp set.

Thanks for stopping by...

Happy Stamping
Carol

My Stamping Studio

I just thought you might like to have a look at my Stamping Studio (since it's almost tidy) and since I haven't shown it since I started my blog a few years ago. I don't often have a chance to photograph it this way... creativity can be a messy business!

This is the first thing you see when you come in the door from outside. Just a few samples to tempt you inside...

Farther in is the well used board room table that someone conveniently left on the side of the road, and which one of my team rescued and gave to me (Thank you, thank you, thank you, Louise!) It's nice and wide as well as long and there's plenty of room for eight people.

I got a new cabinet to store my stamps sets and other tools so I moved this bookcase to the corner to display more cards and things.

Turning around you see my main storage area with all my papers and punches, etc. etc., etc.!

The cabinet with the doors stores my stamps sets and more.

This table is used for my scoring tools, Stampn' Scrub, ink pads and scissors. The table also extends so if I have a larger class I can seat another four people there (while piling all that stuff on my desk...)

My desk is never totally tidy, but it is the 'brain' of the room with my computer and files. It's also where I do most of my thinking and planning.

There is a little kitchen and bathroom in the space as well, so technically I could spend my life here!

 As you can see, I'm a very lucky lady. When we moved into this house ten years ago I wasn't even a demo, and we rented this part of the house to a young lady attending Community College. Later my Mom lived here with us, and then we used it to host friends from around the world.

When I became a demo I somehow managed to ease all my 'goodies' into this space and now it's my "Happy Place"!

I hope you've enjoyed your tour, and that you can join me at some of my classes!

Happy Stamping!
Carol

Do you 'Like' me? Do you like my project?

The title is my humble attempt at a play on words, and I bet your figured it out too!

Another one of the classes at Leadership 2013 was "Ramping Up Your Social Media Presence" moderated by Andrea Withers and featuring Becky Roberts on Blogging, Diane Dimich on Facebook, and Catherine Pooler on YouTube. They all had super ideas and great sugestions, so expect to see some changes in my blog, more updates on Facebook, and (believe it or not) some videos on YouTube in the upcoming weeks!

In the meantime I want to share with you a 'pillow gift' I made for my team member, Sandi, who attended Leadership 2013 with me:

It's a bit of a Leadership tradition that Uplines make a gift for their team members who attend, and I put together this little package to celebrate Sandi's first Leadership conference. The journal cover was pretty to begin with but I added elements to personalize it, along with several items from the Artisans Embellishments Kit in the new Spring Mini Catalogue.

The little tin holds chocolates for those prolonged stamping evenings, and you never know when you might need a mini First Aid kit or Valentine themed nail file!

It was wonderful to have Sandi along, and I know she brought me luck as we won lots of prizes and had a wonderful time!

Now I want you to go to my Facebook page and "Like" me...please? Click Here to see Creating with Carol on Facebook. I'd love it if you leave me a message too!

Happy Stamping!
Carol

Life Lessons at Leadership 2013

 

(Meeting and sharing at lunch time was great fun!)

I attended at least 10 training classes while I was at Leadership 2013, and the interesting thing I found about all of them is that not only can you apply the strategies you learn to business, but also to life.

For instance in the Success Strategies to Empower Your Downline, presented by Holly Linford and Lynsay Mahon, I was reminded to look at people's strengths instead of their weaknesses, a skill helpful in your family and social life!

We learned ways to encourage people, and how to guide them to success. I especially liked the quote that Lynsay shared: "Be a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage". A much better image to keep in mind when talking to children, rather than the "Don't do as I do, do as I say"!

We also learned how to recognize the needs people have at different stages in their careers. How helpful this would be with our children and friends if we were more aware of their needs at different times in their lives. Meeting those needs would make relationships run so much more smoothly. I'm thinking specifically of my daughters when they were teenagers... how many of those arguments could have been avoided if I had only realized that they needed to exert their independence, or needed me to let them know I trusted them.

And along with sharing the training strategies I would like to share this card:

 

Happy Stamping!

Carol

What Is It Like to be a Stampin' Up! Demo?

Well, if I can only use one word it is FUN! Remember the quote "Find a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life"? Well, that's how I feel about being a SU demo.


Now that doesn't mean I'm not busy, and that I'm not doing something in my business several hours every day, or holding workshops or classes, but I LOVE what I'm doing!

As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, I've just returned from Stampin' Up!'s Leadership 2013 which was held in Orlando, Florida this year. Three days of inspiration, information, and fun! This is just one of the ways that the company supports their demos. There is nothing better than getting together with other demos and sharing ideas on how to improve classes, organization, or projects.

Unless, of course, it's winning prizes....

(And I must admit that Stampin' Up! spoiled us at this 25th Anniversary Conference! Here I am on the right, and one of my team - Sandi - is with me.)

OR attending classes like Brian Pilling's "How to Get to Managers' Reception Next Year". Brian is SU's Demonstrator Training Manager and he gave us tips on goal setting, and organization. He reminded us of Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart too:

To love what we do
and share what we love,
as we help others enjoy creativity
and worthwhile accomplishments . . .
in this we make a difference!

Did I mention my job was FUN?!

Stay tuned for more Leadership photos and info.

Happy Stamping!

Carol

Vintage Card & Tag

Do you like the vintage style used for cards? A little bit of sponging. A little bit of distressing. Maybe using faded style colours?

You've probably guessed that I do...and I jumped at the chance to participate in a swap for Vintage Cards and Over The Top Tags at Leadership.

Here is the card I made for the swap:

 

I love the combination of Pool Party and Primrose Petals! I used the new Honeycomb embossing folder for the Pool Party background, then layered (and layered and layered) with Very Vanilla embossed with the lace border from the Delicate Designs embossing folder (first cut with the Large Scallop Edgelits die). There's also Silver Glimmer paper, and More Amore Designer Series Paper - that's where the pink heart is from too, topped with Very Vanilla cardstock embossed with the Lacy Brocade Folder. The ribbon is a sneak peek from the upcoming Saleabration folder, and the tickets are made with the new That's The Ticket stamp set from the Spring Mini and cut with the Ticket Builder punch. The flower is from the 5/8" Flower Trim, which I love, LOVE, LOVE! You can use the trim with the flowers connected, or you can cut them apart to use them one by one as I did. You can die them with ink too! 

I used the same style with my tag:

The cardstock is Early Espresso embossed using the Lacy Brocade folder after I cut one end with a die from the Labels Collection Framelits. The other colours are Very Vanilla and Pretty in Pink. The stamp sets include That's The Ticket, Loving Thoughts, Elements of Style, French Foliage. The pink lace trim and single flower are from the Artisan Embellishments Kit in the Spring Mini, along with the 5/8" Flower Trim. The Champagne Glimmer Paper stars are cut with the Merry Minis Punch Pack. The ribbons are Crumb Cake Seam Binding, Victoria Crocheted Lace, and the 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain in Pretty in Pink. It's hard to believe you can get that many elements on a 6" x 3 1/2" tag!

          
And here is the whole collection of swaps that I took with me. Not very many compared to most of the demos there I assure you! :0)

Soon I will share with you the swaps I got in return!


In the meantime, check out Dude, You're Welcome at my Stampin' Up! store! And be sure to click on the video in the bottom right corner - it's a hoot!

Happy Stamping!
Carol

STAMPIN' UP! 25th Anniversary!!!

2013 is Stampin' Up!'s 25th Anniversary year 

and it is going to be a special one!

I've just returned from the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida, and I'm so full of news and excitement I don't know where to start, except to say get ready for a fun celebration with new products, ideas, and events! I can't wait to share it all with you!

Here are a few highlights:

 

 

It's a Magical Paper Escape Every Month!

 

I'm Paper Pumpkin . . .
I come to your door each month (a fully decked-out creativity carriage). I'll help you to escape your life with some paper fun.
I come in a sweet box, but you'll really love what you find on the inside:
All the stamps, ink, paper, and accessories to create pinable projects. Create stuff like cards, journals, décor, and more!
Paper Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! is a new monthly kit program that anyone (even you) can enjoy! 
Only $24.95 a month...total...delivered to your door! No minimum sign-up period!

Check out www.mypaperpumpkin.com for more info and instructions on how you can join! 


A NEW MEN'S SET

No, not for us to make for men, FOR MEN TO MAKE!  I love it and I'm pretty sure you will too!
Available Monday, January 14 at my SU Store.


MONTHLY ANNIVERSARY SETS

SU is bringing back some popular images from the last 25 years, plus one new image in each set. Stay tuned for January's release!!!

One of the highlights for me at the conference was meeting our founder Shelli Gardner and her daughter Sarah.

I couldn't have looked worse, but they sure look great!

Come back soon for more exciting news and samples, or sign-up to receive my updates in your email box!

Happy Stamping
Carol

 

 

His & Hers Love Cards & Tutorial

I know, these are obviously Valentine cards, but hey - shouldn't love be celebrated any and every day?!

I loved making these, and I could have added another box of embellishments, but I want to make more...

These cards fold flat and you can mail them in one of our square envelopes - of course you may want to add FLAT embellishments so they will go through the mail easier...

Many of the products used in these cards are available in our new Spring Mini Catalogue. Contact me for your free copy, or to order supplies.

If you would like to purchase a 7 page tutorial with 18 photos to help you make one of your own cards, just click on the button below.

Triple Heart Card Tutorial  $5.00

Spring Mini Catalogue

A new year, a new mini - with lots of NEW product I think you're going to really like!

This is also Stampin' Up!'s 25th Anniversary year so you know it's going to be special!

If you haven't received your copy of the new catalogue, please contact me! In the meantime you can see it on-line by clicking on the catalogue shown on the right column. Have fun!

Happy Stamping
Carol

Let it be...

To everyone, everywhere... I wish you peace and love. 

I will do my best to create peace and love 

in my little corner of the world, 

and if each person, everywhere, would do the same...  

"What a Wonderful World It Would Be"

It's just that easy... and just that hard.