Don’t Live With Regret!

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Have you ever done – or not done – something and just beat yourself up for it?  Have you ever wished you could turn back time because you missed out on something?  Do moments like that from your past haunt you?  Well tell yourself that today is a new day and you will never let that happen again!  Start by checking out the retired stamp sets and accessories lists released today by Stampin’ Up! RIGHT NOW!

What, did you think I was going to get all Dr. Phil-ish on you?  Heck no!  I just don’t want you to miss out on some smokin’ deals (check out some of those discounts!), stuff that is going to run out, and getting your hands on that special something you have hemmed and hawed about.

Here is the list of retired stamp sets

2013 Retired Stamp Sets

and here is the list of retired accessories

2013 Retired Accessories

Folks, really, this isn’t just hype – once those accessories are gone, they are G-O-N-E GONE!  And much of the list is comprised of Stampin’ Up! exclusive items or colors so you really won’t have an easy go of finding replacements in the future.

As always, call or email with questions.  I highly recommend you place your order through my online store to ensure that you get your order in immediately and ahead of the other people who want the same exact things you do!

Happy shopping!

Blingtastic!

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Those of you who know me know I love me some bling!  The sparklier the better!  And I have always loved the beautiful fabrics from India and Pakistan that have bright colors and sequins as part of the pattern.  When I saw the stamp that I used for this project, I immediately envisioned those fabrics and knew I wanted to take a stab at replicating them.

Indian Fabric Inspired Card

Now – can you guess which stamp I used as the outermost and innermost components of this card?  I will tell you that the center layer, the one that has the pink peeking out is from Quint-Essential Flower, a single stamp that just cries out of layering a la this project.  Take a guess in the comments and I will pull a name to win a package of the fabulous Basic Rhinestones that gave this project its sparkle.

Here’s a closer look in case you need a little help identifying that stamp set……..

Indian Fabric Inspired Card Closeup

DETAILS
Cardstock: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, Daffodil Delight
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Gumball Green, Melon Mambo, Pacific Point
Stamps: ???????? Quint-Essential Flower,  Sweet Essentials
Tools & Embellishments: Paper Snips, Big Shot, Argyle Embossing Folder, 2 3/8″ Scallop Circle Punch, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch, Basic Rhinestones, SNAIL

Time is Running Out on the FREE SHIPPING Weekend!

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You have only until 11:50 pm MT tonight to place your order of ANY SIZE and get FREE SHIPPING from Stampin’ Up!.

Remember that there’s a fabulous Color Refresh, the brand new Best Of… set which is a group of GORGEOUS butterflies just in time for spring, the adorable Sent With Love Bundle, the sweet Designer Typeset Polymer stamp set (which I CANNOT stop playing with!), and the exciting sneak peek This & That Bundle!  Can you stand it?  So many exciting things and they ALL SHIP FREE!

And don’t forget that colors that are discontinued (list below) are available ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST.  This is a change from previous policy so don’t lose out!  Here are the colors to whom we say Adieu with the Color Refresh.

Discontinued Color Samples-001

Rumor has it that the reinkers for Regal Rose, Pretty In Pink, Bashful Blue and Baja Breeze are sold out so clearly if there’s something you want please don’t wait!

A Very Special Card for a VERY Special Woman

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Today is my mom’s 75th birthday.  When I look at her I can’t imagine that she is 75; she looks at least 15 years younger than that and ACTS like someone younger than me!  Mum has what appears to be endless energy and runs circles around everyone else in the family, including at times my young nieces and nephew.  Mum owns one of the top floral design studios in the area, is a semi-professional photographer, has exhibited her work a number of times, has a flourishing garden, a stunning home, has been married to Dad for over 50 years and, of course, has AMAZING children <snort>.  Mum is on of my closest, dearest friends in addition to being my mother and I am so very grateful for her wisdom, her fabulous sense of humor, her generosity and her love.  We are blessed indeed.

Last night we celebrated this milestone with an almost indescribably delicious six course dinner prepared and served by a talented and sough after private chef.  Some other day, when I am perhaps not suffering from the most glorious food hangover, I will share more about what we had but suffice it to say it was beyond anything we imagined.  It was an absolutely deserving event for someone who spoils and pampers us all with her own culinary talents so we were thrilled to be able to do this for her.

It’s very hard for me to make cards for my parents.  Perhaps it is because I am frustrated with my lack of ability to put into that card all the love and admiration and devotion I have for them.  But I DO try.  This year I wanted to create something simple yet embellished, something clean and elegant but with a splash of color, something that personified my Mum in a small way.  I came up with this:

White on White with Pearls and Sparkly Butterfly

She loved it and I am so glad!

Happy Birthday, Mum!  I love you more than words can say!

SUPPLIES:
Cardstock: Whisper White, Vellum Cardstock
Ink: Daffodil Delight, Perfect Plum, Wisteria Wonder, Elegant Eggplant
Stamps: Just For You
Tools and Embellishments: Big Shot, Fancy Fan Embossing Folder, Designer Frames Folder, Paper Snips, 5/8″ Organza Ribbon, Basic Pearls, SNAIL, Stampin’ Dimensionals, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Dazzling Details.

Crazy Hot News You Need To See NOW!!!!

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Stampin’ Up! just made two announcements that you need to know about RIGHT NOW – the color reset and FREE SHIPPING WEEKEND for the first time ever!

Ok, watch this FIRST because you may just want to add some color items to your FREE SHIPPING order!

I have to admit that at first I was a little worried when I saw “color refresh” but now that I see all the color families laid out they all just make perfect color sense!

Items in discontinuing colors are only available while supplies last so DO NOT WAIT.  Be sure to check out ribbons and embellishments in those colors, too, because they are likely to sell out as well.

So now that you have your list, you need to ORDER NOW!  Why?  Well, not only because your faves might sell out but also because for the first time ever, Stampin’ Up! is offering a FREE SHIPPING WEEKEND!  That’s right!  Any order, any size, (excluding, of course, expedited orders) for April 6th, 7th and 8th will ship for free!

Check it out, give me a call with any questions and Happy Shopping!

Today is the First Day Of Spring……and you know what THAT means!

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SPRING CLEANING!!!!

Now, don’t look at me like that…..I know spring cleaning can be a total drag…..and believe me, I would rather clean my bathroom with a TOOTHbrush than vacuum so I get it.

But today I am going to start a multi-part series about spring cleaning your stamping and scrabooking supplies and, if at the end of the series, you don’t agree that you are more motivated to craft, more inspired by your supplies and loving your crafting space – whether it be a corner of a closet or a whole room – well, I will be shocked AND I will send you a little consolation gift in the mail.  That’s how sure I am that this process will make you happy!

So today what I want you to do is sort of easy, sort of hard.  I want you to go and collect ALL your stamping and scrapbooking supplies.  Some things you might have in boxes or baskets, some things in a closet, some things in a tote bag from the last event you attended……..just go and get it all together in one place.

Honestly, the time I waste the most is looking around for something that somehow didn’t make it “home” after being used or never made it to the mother ship in the first place.  Having everything in one place – even if you are eventually going to use it somewhere else – is a crucial step in knowing what you actually have, how you are going to use it and thus will give you direction on where and how you are going to store it.

And if you are a demonstrator or one of my coaching clients here’s a special section for you.  Make sure that your roundup includes all of your catalogs, order forms, marketing materials, business cards, etc AND all your samples.

So go – go on a supply safari and unearth your treasures.  Get them all in one spot and check back here to learn your next step.  And trust me, you will be so happy when you are done!

Sale-A-Bration is almost over!

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Don’t be this gal……

Ohhhhhh nooooo!!!! I missed out on Sale-A-Bration!!!!!

She’s drowning in her own tears because she missed out on getting FREEBIES.  During Sale-A-Bration you can take something FREE for every $50 you spend on fabulous Stampin’ Up! stuff.  And just THREE of those qualifying orders put together qualifies for MORE FREE STUFF through the Hostess Benefits.  I have a whole slew of customers who have cleaned up like crazy with free goodies.  And during Sale-A-Bration, in addition to the Hostess Benefits you always get, you also get a free package of Silver Glimmer paper which you can color to match ANY cardstock or Designer Series Paper or ribbon or anything you want and I will show you how!

Sale-A-Bration ends – ENDS – this Friday, March 22nd at 11:50 pm MT and not one second later!  I will be placing the last official order at 9:00 pm Friday night and if your order is part of that your name will be placed in a drawing for the hostess benefits.  This means that for just one qualifying Sale-A-Bration order you could win a minimum of $25 of free goodies.  If you place an order of $100, your name will be entered twice!

Don’t miss out!

 

Something Simple

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Sometimes I like to make things that have a lot of white space.  White space is an important part of design because it allows your elements to pop.  And by introducing some dimension, you can really help create a defined focal point on a project.  I think that’s really true with this card.

Tree & Hearts

 

I loved playing around with creating a “shadow” using the image, colored with markers, stamped once on the white and then paper pieced the tree in the foreground to give this card some easy dimension.  The fringe of grass also creates the illusion of depth even though that tree is popped up with only one Stampin’ Dimensional.  The paper piercing around the background tree offers even more emphasis and helps the viewer to focus on the place where the hearts start to fly free.  Aside from fussy cutting the foreground tree, this card took VERY little time and when you use a stamp set like Easy Events which has a terrific selection of images for all occasions with the accompanying greetings, you really can’t run out of gorgeous, easy cards for just about anything!

DETAILS
Stamps:  Easy Events
Cardstock: Whisper White, Gumball Green, Early Espresso, Real Red
Ink: Gumball Green, Early Espresso
Tools & Embellishments: Paper Snips, Paper Piercing Kit, Owl Builder Punch, Small Heart Punch, SNAIL, 2-Way Glue Pen, Stampin’ Dimensionals

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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As someone who is part Irish, this is a fun day for me.  And living so close to Boston, this area gets REALLY excited about it with just about every restaurant serving their version of Corned Beef and Cabbage and lots of green beer.  Personally, my only nod to St. Patty’s Day is to just enjoy my Jameson’s that much more!

Here is a Brenda Original Stamping Limerick for you -

Hand stamping a card is a blast,
Not to mention cost effective and fast,
But the very best thing
About the card you’re sending
Is that your sentiments are sure to last.

And here is an interesting look at how Irish Dancing came about -

And lastly, there are countless lovely Irish Blessings but of all of them I think this might be my favorite.  I share it with you today in hopes that the words bring you happiness and good luck for the whole year!

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life’s passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

You do NOT want to sign up for my NEW newsletter if………

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You do NOT like getting gorgeous, handmade by me (no snagging off the website, oh no!) projects with basic instructions.

You do NOT like being the first to know about promotions, both from Stampin’ Up! and ones that *I* come up with just for the fun of it.

You do NOT like getting first dibs on my classes, stamp camps, and other events.

You do NOT want to get tips on how to use your tools, tricky solutions for common crafting challenges, ideas for organizing your supplies and other great ideas on maximizing the use of your stuff.

If ANY of those statements above are FALSE, then you need to sign up!  Twice a month I send out a newsletter full of original content that you won’t see anywhere else.  And my newsletters are full of good stuff – not just “buy this” requests.  While I might let you know about some super deal or offer you some fun packages, I HATE when I get something full of solicitations and I won’t ever do that to you.  For me, this is all about the fun of crafting and I want to share that with you!

And even if you have signed up before, please use the form here

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to sign up.  Here’s why – I recently learned that a number of subscribers weren’t getting their copies of the information I send out and it appears that the service I was using just isn’t doing their job.  So – Buh Bye!  I am moving everything to a new service and I don’t want you to miss a single issue.  Sign up now; you can unsubscribe at any time if you don’t agree that it is fun and fabulous!