Get Well Wishes

A few days ago my mother-in-law had some minor surgery. I made this card for her. I used my new stitched felt to dress up the flowers a bit. I also used some of the Old Olive Satin Ribbon. Do you have any of this yet? My favorite part about the new Satin Ribbon is the stiffness. It's not as slippery as the white ribbon. It makes tying bows so easy. The other thing I like about this card is the other stamp set used. I used the Framed with Love Stamp set. This was another set I got as a free choice for going to Leadership. I chose this set because they demo-ed with it and totally sold me on it. There were bits and pieces of this stamp set used on lots of cards and to tell you the truth this was a set I never really noticed before. But the big sell item for me on this set is using that scallop rectangle stamp to dress up your envelops. I used it to coordinate this envelope to the card. I didn't finish writing the address on the envelop but can you see how cute it will be when I do? Much better than a naked envelope don't you think?

Birthday Card for Ava

Thursday was Ava's birthday. She turned 3! sniff, sniff. She had a wonderful day. Her birthday festivities have been spread though out the week. It started with getting her ears pierced (she was so brave), then she got to have dinner with her BFF Hannah. Hannah gave Ava a birthday Barbie and this wonderful card (with the help of her mommy.) Thanks Jenn this is so cute. And Ava really loved it! It was perfect for her. The birthday festivities then continued on her actual birthday with taking cookies to school (it really stinks that birthday goodies have to be store bought now, blah!) Then dad had some daisies and balloons delivered to her (she loved that!) and on Sunday we are taking her to her first movie. We will finish with some cake and ice cream on Sunday with our family. Oh, did I mention I am making to cake myself......from scratch! This should be interested. The trouble with that is, I wont find out if it is good until everyone is eating it;) Wish me (and everyone that has to eat it) well!

For All You Do

Here is another Thank You card that I made for a friend. I made this one a while ago and forgot to post it. I think one added bonus about being so addicted to Stampin Up and making cards is that is does help me stay on track with my thank yous. I am much better about sending thank yous now that I love to make the cards too. In fact sometimes I find myself waiting for reasons to send a card. Anyone else do that? Maybe a "I miss you" card, a "thinking of you" card, or even a "just cause." I have some family that live out of state and sometimes its nice to send a card just to say I miss you.

For this card I combined the Pocket Silhouettes stamp set and the For All You Do stamp set. The DSP came from the new Sweet Pea DSP and the ribbon is the Chocolate Chip Taffeta.

Thank You Treats

Here is a picture of some treats that we gave out at our last class. These goodies were actually made by Lorraine. I love the colors she used and that is our new Sweet Pea DSP. I love those bright colors. The stamp set she used is the Holiday Blitz which is the same stamp set we used for our class. Behind those sweet little Scallops are a few of the York Peppermint Patties. Yum-o! If you want to see more creations by Lorraine stop by her blog.

Material Girls!

Are you not a scrapbooking kind of girl? Are you more of a Material Girl? Did you know that our Big Shot can cut through over 50 different materials. Yep, that includes different fabrics as well. I have always been more of a card girl but these displays at Leadership did pique my interest when it comes to fabric. I especially love all those baby items. Aren't those hats adorable? I love the idea of taking an old or plain article of clothing and making it your own. Believe it or not some of these creations don't even require sewing. That is a huge plus for someone like me. Hint: FabricTac can be your best friend!

Now for those of you that are handy when it comes to a needle and thread, check out these creations. They had some of the most beautiful quilts on display. We even scored a quilt block that was made using our Big Shot Dies.

How adorable are these. Don't you think these would be the best gift at the next baby shower you go to? Anything hand made definitely Trumps anything bought in the store. Don't you think?

Thank You

I needed a thank you card for some friends of mine and I wanted to play around with the new With All My Heart stamp set that I got from Leadership. This is a really pretty set. I think I will be using it for some Valentines I have to make. But for this card I didn't want it to look Valentine-ish. Not sure that this is my favorite card but it works. I used this color combo: Melon Mambo, Bashful Blue and Old Olive. I also did the Rock and Roll technique with two drastically different colors. Just remember when doing this to do the lightest color first so you don't mess up your ink pads.

Build A Bear Coupon

Dates: January 5-April 30, 2010

For every $20 spent on products from the Build-A-Bear Workshop Collection, receive a coupon (item 121105) for $5 off a $25 purchase at any Build-A-Bear Workshop store.

Customers will receive one coupon for every $20 they spend on Build a Bear stamp sets, Sizzlets and more.
Eligible qualifying items are listed in the 2010 Occasions Mini Catalog (pages 38-40).
Coupon will automatically be added to the order once the qualifying purchase has been met and will ship with your order.

Coupon includes
$5 off a $25 purchase (expires December 31, 2010).
Free 1,000 Bear Bills web code.
Unique codes for Buildabearville.com. This is an award-winning Build-A-Bear Workshop virtual world where kids can go online and create a virtual character and play. In addition, when kids buy a bear at Build-A-Bear Workshop, they also get a virtual bear to play with on the site.

Stampin Up and Build A Bear have joined up to make some of the cutest cards, creations and stuffed friends that are perfect for Birthday parties, Valentines Day, Easter and more! Book your Build a Bear/ Stampin Up party today! Happy shopping!

Help For Haiti

On January 12, 2010 a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti, leaving in its wake devastation so overwhelming that the Haitian people and their leaders can only look for help from the outside to cope. To help make a difference in the lives of those who continue to suffer from the effects of this devastating earthquake, Stampin′ Up! will set aside $2 from the sale of every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and donate it to the American Red Cross.
Help to make a difference. Order your I {Heart} Hearts stamp set today!

Who doesn't {heart} hearts? Especially the hearts in this delightful set. You'll love them even more when you discover they coordinate with our heart punches! Available in both wood-mount and clear-mount.

Opportunity Day

Your Invited to

Opportunity Day!

Sunday, February 7th

While your guys are home watching the Super Bowl why not hang out with the girls? Have you ever wondered what it is like on the other side of Stampin Up? Now is your chance to find out. At this event we will some of our Demos talking about why they love being a Stampin Up Demonstrator. There will be snacks, games, make and takes and more!

No obligation to sign up but I am sure we will pique your interest. Hear about all the benefits, including a discount, sneak peeks on new supplies, bonuses, incentive trips, and the ability to earn cash and make your own hours. What could be better?

For location information please RSVP right away so we can be sure to have all our goodies ready for you. This will be a fun day you don't want to miss!

The Man-Cold

Today Brandon is playing golf at Pebble Beach. I really hope he has a nice day and that it isn't miserable for him out there. So because he was with my dad and brother I decided to stay the night with my mom so we can have some girl time. That also means, of course, that I forgot to bring my camera to post something for you. So instead of a cute creation today, I have this funny video. You may have already seen it but it makes me laugh. Anyone know a guy like this? I do have to give my guy a bit of credit. I showed him this video (he didn't think it was funny) but the next day when he had his "man cold" he was still doing the dishes after dinner. He said," aren't you proud of me? I can still do the dishes with a man-cold." Gotta love that guy!

Clear Choice

Yesterday I received my first Sale-A-Bration package. Yeah! I also received my first sets of the clear mount stamp sets. These are so fun. My favorite thing about them? Well, the storage! Check out the DVD style cased that your sets come in. All I need is a nice hanging DVD holder for my wall. Who would have thought that 8 stamp set could take up so little space?

For those of you who have already ordered some here is the step by step on assembling these new sets. Start by removing the Die Cut image from the rubber. Then remove paper backing.

You will notice a small slit in the middle of the sticker image. Remove the paper covering the image by using the middle of the slits.

Place you rubber image over the sticker and press down firmly.

Lift your stamp rubber up to see the image now on the back of your stamp. This is the image you will see when you are stamping.

Place your stamp on your clear block. Press firmly. The black stickered image will stick to your clear block. Now you are ready to stamp. Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy Birthday

Here is a birthday card I made for my husband's uncle. I love the idea of using the Scallop Square Clear Die to make a card. So I decided to play around with that idea and make a gate fold as well. I used the Party Hearty Stamp set and some of my new Sweet Pea DSP. This was a quick card and a fun fold to make. I think this is my new favorite Big Shot Dies. I am happy with how the card turned out as well. Hope Uncle Thom likes it too!

More Little Birthday Cards

As promised, here are some of the cute birthday cards that Jack received at his birthday party. I had to pull them all aside and snap some pictures because they were just too cute. I love seeing how different all of our card where, but they were all so perfect!
This one is Emi's card. Emi hasn't been stampin that long and she is a real talent! This one was her own creation. I will definitely keep this in mind for future parties. I may have to CASE (copy an share) this one! Love it, Emi!

How about this one? This is Jenn's card. Could this be more perfect for a little soccer party? I think you sold me on these sets Jenn. How does that happen!?! I have had them on my long running wish list for a while now but Jenn uses this set a lot and she does it so well. I love the soft look of the card too!

And this one is Lorraine's card. Remember if you want to see more of Lorraine's creations you can pop on over to her blog : www.lorrainesstampincorner.blogspot.com I know the flash on my camera made this one a little hard to see. But this is card is really neat. I love the double stars with the Linen Thread through it. And isn't that little Robot so cute? I Love these cards!

Sale-A-Bration Stamp Camp!

It's the most exciting time of year: Sale-A-Bration! It's also time to mark your calendars for our next stamp camp, Sale-A-Bration Stamp Camp. This is the perfect time to get away with your family and friends and learn some truly great ideas out of one of our greatest Mini catalogs ever! Come and sample our new stamp sets, ribbon, DSP and more! And remember Sale-A-Bration benefits are available too. For every $50 you spend you will earn a item out of the Sale-A-Bration catalog for FREE. You will not only leave camp with 10 adorable cards that you personally made, but there will also be door prizes, snacks, tons of samples on display for you to take pictures of and a chance to win the Grand Prize. Remember, last stamp camp sold out! Don't hesitate to send in that registration form right away. You won't want to miss this special time. If you are already on my e-mail list then you will be receiving the registration form shortly. If you are not on my list and would like to be just let me know. Remember this event is open to everyone so please invite your family and friends to come with you. You will even receive extra tickets for the Grand Prize if they sign up with your name on their registration form.

Stamp Camp

February 27th

9:30 and 2:30 sessions to choose from

email me for location info.

Jack's Party

Yesterday was Jack's birthday party and it was so much fun! Thanks again for the invite Jack. I know Ava and Sam had a hard time getting warmed up, but once they got going they had a blast. So did I. I love the parties where the parents get involved. For those of you that weren't there, we were at an indoor soccer field. We played tons of fun games and ran around. It was a blast. Above you will see the invitation Jack's mommy made using the Just Soccer stamp set. Really cute, huh? The blue card stock piece opens like a book to reveal the party info.

These adorable favors were made by Jack's Auntie. She used the Family Accessories stamp set for the tiny soccer ball and the Thank You stamp comes from the Short and Sweet stamp set.

I love that you can find M&M's in all these different colors now. Aren't these sweet? Like I said yesterday, there were other SU! guests at the party yesterday so Jack received some really cute hand-made cards. Of course I had to snap some pictures of them. I will show you those tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Today we are off to a little birthday party for one of our friends. Our little buddy Jack is turning 2. Here is the gift and card we will be taking to him. I love the idea of giving a gift in a reusable tote and have you ever seen a tote that is cuter than the new Stampin Up Sweet Pea Tote? Nope, me either. So I guess the tote will be more of a gift for Jack's mommy (which is what I intended anyway) and the goodies inside are for Jack.

There will also be other SU! mommies at the party and I know how we all love to see each other's cards so I decided to use one of the clear envelopes. That's in case we don't open presents at the party we can still see the card. It also matched the bag a bit so I thought that worked. I used the new Fox and Friends stamp set. What do you think? Will Jack and his mommy like it?

Leadership Displays

Here are some more pictures of the displays put out during Leadership. Most of these projects were featured in the Mini catalog but the pictures truly don't do the items justice. To see these supplies in person really makes a difference.Here you will see some of the Simply Adorned Charms, some of the new ribbon and corduroy buttons, the new Sending Love DSP and some Build a Bear projects.

In this picture you will see some of the Clear Mount Stamps (and like some of the ladies said,"the clear blocks alone are jewels themselves." They really are pretty), the Love Bots Valentines (these were bigger than I pictured), a couple of the On Board Books (again bigger than I thought) and the Fox and Friends Decor Elements and stamp set (those are so cute. Just think of all the great nursery ideas you can do with these. Know anyone about to have a little one?)

These are probably my favorite. First, the new punches, they punch great and I love that they store flat. Next, the Glassine envelopes, now these the catalog really doesn't do justice. The poss abilities with these are endless ( I will have to do a post just on these.) Look how cute they are holding cookies. Then the MDS scrapbooks. Love, Love, Love it! I just got my first scrapbook and I am so happy with it ( I will post that soon too.) And Finally the Recipe box. Anyone up for a recipe exchange class?

And lastly, that wonderful Mom stamp set, The Sweet Pea Felt, the Beautiful Wings Embosslit Die (which I think gets lost in the catalog, I always pass right by it) and the Eggcellent Eggs Kit ( consider using this for cards, table setting and more!)

**Remember Sale-A-Bration is in full swing! This is a great time to book a party your guest will thank you when they earn FREE stuff too!

Join the Fun!

Now is the time to join the fun! Who likes getting a discount? I do! Who likes getting together with ladies who like the same things that you do? I do! Who likes getting paid for doing what the love? I sure do! And I know you would too! Well, now is the time to give it a shot. Not only is the Stampin Starter kit 15% off right now but you also get to choose an additional stamp set to add to your kit for FREE.
Here are my favorite things about my job:

Flexibility to make my own hours

work as much or little as I choose

get a 20% discount on things I buy

Get paid based on what I sell

earn bonuses

get invited to Stampin events (Convention, Regionals, Leadership)

Getting to meet new ladies

sneak peeks on new products and more discounts to purchase them

and so much more!!

Have questions? It never hurts to ask. Now come on, do you really want to miss out on all the fun I am having? I didn't think so. Here is what you do:

Click HERE to be taken to my Stampin Store

click on start my business

click on join now!

use the password: ava&sam

Now you are set. Let's celebrate!!!!!

My Leadership Swap

Here is the card swap I made to take with me to Leadership and Regionals. I made 50 which I thought would last me a while. Note to self: make more! I didn't even make it to Regionals. I was done with my swaps by the end of Leadership. I got a lot of really great cards so I hope the ladies I swapped with were happy with my card

Here is the full batch. Not only do the ladies do card swaps but they also do 3D swaps as well. I am doing those next year for sure! The 3D items were awesome. You should have seen what my upline Beverlee made! Too funny. Maybe she will post it soon and I can lead you her way to see it. Okay ladies, I will return tomorrow with more. Remember, our January class is tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you!

Stuff, Stuff, and more FREE stuff!

Next year when you and I are packing our bags for Leadership I will be sure to remind you of one big tip.......pack light! Oh, yeah! Yesterday I finally got unpacked and pulled all of my stampin goodies to the side. I knew I got lots of goodies but wow! Look at all that. I actually had to take over my hubby's suitcase as well just to get it all home.

Check out that fabulous Black and White swag bag. Love it! And those reusable totes with the new Sweet Pea DSP on them, too cute. I swooped up a ton of those.

Want to see some more fabulous pictures of Leadership and Regionals? Check this out. While we were doing our make and takes, Sterling, Shelli's husband was coming around to take pictures. So today my upline Beverlee informed me that we are on Shelli's blog! I am in the picture behind Beverlee. You may recognize the other ladies from my group too. Check it out: www.soshelli.com

Home Again!

Yep, I am home again. And I have to tell you, it was the most fun I have ever had!! No joke. So, today I want to share with you some of my highlight pictures. And I stress the word "some." I have so many pictures that my camera was beeping at me to remove pictures because my memory card was full to the max;)
So, here is our fabulous group in front of the main stage. The stage itself was beautiful. And the excitement as you walk in was so intense. Picture this: A huge line of ladies waiting to get in, swapping cards in line, the doors open, tons of screaming, flashing lights, loud "pump you up" music and tons of Stampin Up staff dancing like CRAZY! So much fun!

Here is my upline Beverlee, she just won a huge prize from the Prize Patrol. Yep, that's right, more FREE stuff. So cool. I didn't even know they did that!

Now here was the line of crazy Stampin Ladies waiting to get into the main stage. I know it looks nuts but it was so fun! We were trading idea cards and when they doors open, we all took off running!

Awwww! Another fabulous part of Leadership is Momento Mall. Tons of goodies here. I will show you what I picked up in a later post.

Fabulous demos! This was one by Patty Bennett. I love her. I have to tell you I was so excited to see all these top demos, that I follow, in person. They are like celebrities to me. I know, I know I can hear my husband giggling in the background now. But if you love Stampin Up like I do then you can relate, right?

Tons of display boards. I will show more of these up close later too.

And here is our fearless leader, Shelli Gardner. I enjoyed hearing her talk and watching her demonstrate so much. And I haven't even told you the best part. I am part of a super exciting NEW challenge. Want to know what it is? Well, lets get together for the Leadership Lowdown. I am still so excited. I have so much to tell you!!!!!

Heart Treat Cups

I am off to AZ. Now normally I would leave you with plenty of goodies scheduled to pop up each day while I am gone but I have to apologize, I just ran out of time. So I promise to make it up to you. I will come home with plenty to dazzle you with. In the mean time I leave you with our new Heart Treat cups. That's right if you liked the Sweet Treat Cups you will love the Heart Treat Cups. Remember Valentine's Day is just around the corner. So be sure to order your Valentine's supplies when you place your first Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration order. These new Heart Treat Cups coordinate perfect with the new Sweetheart stamp set and the the Full Heart punch. Click HERE to view the flyer. These products are not featured in the Occasions Mini or the Sale-A-Bration catalogs so be sure to check them out. Have a great week see you on Monday!

Thank You Gift

While in AZ for Leadership and Regional I will be staying with some friends to save money on hotel costs. I am super grateful for really great friends. They are even loaning me a car. I love it! Too cool. Not to mention they will even entertain my hubby too while I am working;) Oh don't worry about him. He will be busy golfing in that beautiful weather all day long. So, because they are being so gracious to me I wanted to make a little something to take them as a gift. I used one of the PaperTrey Templates again for this one. I love how easy this one was. And instead of cards inside I put some cut computer paper so they can write notes or grocery lists on it. The most time consuming part was stamping the "Remember" stamp from the Define your Life set on each piece of paper. I also made a quick, coordinating, bookmark to go with it. I snapped a couple pictures, one so you could see both items and the other so you can see it packaged. The set fit nicely into one of the large cellophane bags. Remember when you are buying your supplies to make these be sure to use my online store for the preferred shopping price! These are a great little gift. Now I just have to make sure it survives the plane ride;)

Happy New Year!

I think I may have forgotten to say Happy New Year to all of you, so here it is: Happy New Year!!!! Did you make any New Years Resolutions? What are they? I actually have a couple. First, I don't know about all of you but in my house I am last on the totem pole to choose t.v. shows. When it is me and the girls we watch Princess movies, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Wiggles (those aren't so bad) but when the hubby is home we watch football and the Golf Channel, yuck! So I decided to catch up on some reading. Right now I am actually reading three books. One is the Coupon Book that was featured on Oprah (my mom actually said "that sounds like the most boring book!" But I do like it), the next one is called "The Slight Edge"(it's about business) and the last one is the new Mitch Albom Book "Have a Little Faith" (that one is just because I LOVE all Mitch Albom books.) And yes I do read all three of them at the same time. Anyone else do that? Sometimes I get bored and just feel like reading something different.

Now back to Stampin. My second Resolution is to grow my business. But I need you to help me with that. First, as you see above I have started a Customer Rewards card. If you would like one of your own please email me and I will personalize one for you. At the end of the year (I know that is a long ways away right now) I will have a customer appreciation event. Here is all you have to do for an invite:

Fill up your Rewards card

Book a Party

Attend a class

Send me a new customer

Sign Up to be a Demonstrator!

Any one or combination of these will help me. I appreciate your business and look forward to Stampin with you this year! Happy 20-10!