Stampin' Up!'s Retiring List (Part 1)

Stampin' Up! is doing a catalog revamp this year, so there are more items than usual that will be retiring...so much so, that they have divided the list into two parts.  The first part has been issued, and this consists of all the stamp sets (wood-mount and clear-mount) that will be retiring.  Click on the picture below to enter my web site store to see all of the sets that will no longer be available after May 31, 2012.



Part 2 of the list will contain all the accessories and more that will be retiring.  This list will be published on April 25th.  Make sure you check back to see what else will be going away.  And remember, if it's on the list, and you wanted it, you'd better get it because it's going, going...gone!!

Free 30 Day Trial Period of My Digital Studio!!

My Digital Studio Express FREE Trial!!

You do not want to miss this great offer. You can try My Digital Studio (Stampin' Up's digital scrapbooking and card making program) for FREE for a limited time!
CLICK HERE to see the details!
Just go to my SU site (this link should take you right to the page).  Or go to http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/stampwithnanc/ and click on PRODUCTS on the top and choose Product lines. Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose the Learn More option under My Digital Studio.
In the middle of the page it says
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You can use it for FREE for a month to try it out. At the end of the free trial, you can either stop using it, or if you like it you can purchase it. It is totally free to try it, no risk at all! If you have any questions just let me know!  My email address is stampwithnanc@gmail.com .  I'm here to help!!

That's it!!!!

That's it, I refuse to go another day (much less another month) without posting something on my blog!!  It's a new year, and I need to get back on track with my posts....although I have not been posting, it doesn't mean that I haven't been making cards.  Over the next few weeks, I'll try and catch you up with some of the cards that I have made for my classes, for and from my meetings, for the open house I had in November, and even some that were done for workshops that I've had.  It takes some time to photograph them, resize them for posting, and add the watermark to them, so bear with me, we'll get through them...(to be continued).....

September is a busy card month for me

I was just taking a look at my calendar for September, and there are eight birthdays, one anniversary, one shower, and one quinecenara on it!  Wow, it's going to be a busy month!!  In fact, there is a birthday today...Happy Birthday to Mary Luciano (a wonderful customer and friend that I have met through Stampin' Up!). 
On Friday, my up line and her husband were celebrating their birthdays...they both have the same birthday...I guess her husband can't say he forgot her birthday, huh!?!  Anyway, I wanted to make her a special card because she always comes up with such creative ideas that pushes me to be a better demonstrator...not to mention, she has become a great mentor and friend to me over the past couple of years.  So as I was searching for ideas, I came across a wonderful card on Stampin' Connection (a demo only web-site) that was simple, yet elegant.  I tried out the technique that fellow demonstrator, Karen Barber described, and I think it turned out beautifully.  Here is the cover of the card...

Susan's Birthday Card

Even though this stamp set is a two step stamp, I did not use it that way.  Per Karen's direction, each flower was filled in using four different color markers and then I used the white gel pen to finish each of them off.  After each the flowers were colored and the leaves and stems were filled in (I used two colors in those areas), I used my Sahara Sand pen to outline each of the flowers.  Sponging was then applied around the flowers like an outline.  I thought about adding some embellishments, but I just loved the way it all turned out, I let the flowers do all the work for the front of this card...I didn't even add a sentiment to the front....that is so not like me!  All in all, I think that it was a beautiful card if I do say so myself (I think she really liked it too!).  If you'd like to recreate it, I've added the recipe below.  If you have any questions, please let me know...I'd be happy to answer them!

Paper: Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Whisper White

Stamp Set: Simply Soft

Ink: Stazon, Baja Breeze, Sahara Sand, Island Indigo

Markers: Bashful Blue, Baja Breeze, Marina Mist, Not Quite Navy, Pear Pizazz, Lucky Limeade, Sahara Sand

Accessories: Clear Blocks, Sponge, Snail, White Gel Pen

Mom's Birthday Card

Well, since Mom's birthday has come and gone (the month's over Mom, you can quit celebrating now, lol), I guess it's okay if I share the card I made for her with you.  I got the idea from my up line, Susan Yeager, who was teaching a Wow! card class that was for confetti flinger cards.  I didn't get a chance to attend, but after some research, I found the instructions on how to make one on the blog, Hog Wild About Stampin'.  In her instructions, she mentions that the top layer needs to be a little heavy in order to keep weight on the flinger so that it won't pop open at the wrong time.  Keeping that in mind, I chose a non SU! DSP that was really thick, in hopes that it would serve it's purpose.  My mother lives out of state, so I wouldn't be delivering it to her directly, so I had to make sure that the surprise wouldn't be over before she even got it out of the envelope.  I used the stamp set Take a Spin, along with various pieces of card stock that closely matched the colors in the DSP, and my layout was different, but after testing it, the results were the same.  This is what the card looked like before you opened it...

Mom's Birthday Card

And this is what it looks like when someone opens it, lol. 

Birthday card when it gets opened up

When the card gets opened, there is a folded piece of tissue paper that holds the confetti in it that flings it at the recipient.  She called me after she'd opened it and guess what!?!?  It held up in the mail and it got her when she opened it up...hahahaha!!  I wish I could have been there when she opened it.  Oh well, Happy Birthday Mom!

An impromptu demonstrator get together...

 As promised, I wanted to share with you some of the cards that I did in August.  Back on the 8th of August, a couple of other demonstrators and I (Susan Yeager and Phyllis Curling) got together to make cards and share ideas.  The idea that we tried based on Phyllis' suggestion used two stamp sets, Scenic Season and Welcome Home.  The idea was to stamp the trees in always artichoke and then to apply an adhesive so that glitter would be all over the trees...well, I guess I got a little carried away with my glue, because there is very little evidence of always artichoke, lol!  See what I mean....

Obviously I like sparkly things.  Here's a picture of the whole card...

It still turned out kind of pretty, but if I do it again, I'll definitely ease up on the glue!!

Phyllis also had us try an origami card, that doubles as it's own envelope.  Since it was the first time any of us had attempted to make one, she had us use some retired DSP, just in case we messed up, we wouldn't of wasted some of that precious new paper...don't blame her at all on that call, lol!  Here is a picture of the card unfolded...

...and here it is closed....

Pretty nifty, huh!?!  It turned out to be a lot easier than it looked...I love it when that happens!!  Next we did a card that Susan introduced us to.  This card uses the flower garden embossing folder and the Fabulous Florets stamp set which was introduced in the Summer mini.  Fortunately Stampin' Up! included it in the 2011 - 2012 IBC (Idea Book & Catalog), so even though the Summer Mini items are no longer available, it can still be purchased.

Isn't it lovely!?!  I really liked the idea of adding the watercolor pieces to the stamped image...it really adds quite a bit of texture, don't you agree?
As for my contribution to the get together, I created a color comparison chart that we put together so that we could use it as a demonstrator tool.  If you are a fellow demonstrator and would be interested in a copy of it, please let me know and I'd be happy to share it with you.  That's it for now...




 

Finally...a chance to work on my blog!

I just realized that it's been almost a month since my last post...wow, time has been whizzing by!  For the last three weekends, my DH and I have been out looking for a decent trade for our truck.  We've been from coast to coast (and it seems all points in between), but we've finally settled on a vehicle...now maybe I can get back to the fun stuff...stamping that is!  Since my last post, I've still made cards, held classes and attended meetings, so for the next few days, I'll share with you some of those projects.  When I was reviewing my blog, I realized that I didn't share with you something that happened to me that I thought was pretty cool.  A couple of months ago I'd contacted Amy Fitzgerald, another demonstrator and blogger (I love getting great ideas from her blog), to purchase a retired stamp set, and when I sent her my check, I enclosed it in a thank you card to her.  Well, one day I was reading her blog, and lo-and-behold, there was my card!  What an honor to be featured on another person's blog.  If you'd like to see the card, here is the link: http://www.stampwithamy.com/2011/07/short-sweet.html .  Check it out and let me know what you think...

Tuesday's Card Class

Well it's a new week, and you know what that means...a new class to prepare for.  In keeping with using stamp sets from our summer mini (which will be expiring at the end of this month), I chose to use the set, On The Grow, and this is the card we ended up doing:

Tuesday's Card - On the Grow

The vase and flowers were done on watercolor paper using our watercolor wonder crayons.  I used a recently retired DSP, that I thought looked great with the colors that were used.  The original card was cased from Splitcoast Stampers by a demonstrator named Diana Gibbs.  Isn't it beautiful!

Our Christmas card this week used the Holiday Line Up set, and when I was trying to come up with a card for the class, I didn't like the one I first did...

First Attempt

but I knew I wanted to use this set and that I wanted to show my ladies the spotlight technique.  So I went back to the drawing board and this is what I came up with instead...

Second Attempt at Christmas Card

I liked the color combination much better...not only did we color in the little tag for the spotlight technique, I had them add glitter to the snowmen.  I don't think one of us left there without some glitter on us somewhere!  Here's a close up of the tag so that you can better see what I'm talking about:

Close up of tag from Christmas card

My next project this week was a card for my Mom.  I'm going to hold off posting about it until she sees it...don't want to spoil the surprise for her.

Until next time...happy stampin'!

Saturday's Downline Meeting

With the summer months upon us, there were just a few of us there at the down line meeting this past Saturday, which is alright, because sometimes you're able to get more done with less people there...but they were still missed just the same.  When we got there, Susan had placed these sweet little nail file holders at each of our work stations...aren't they cute?

Nail file and holder from Susan

She always does the nicest things for us!  I don't think all demonstrators are as lucky as we are.  Anyway, we all chit-chatted for a while and got caught up with each other and then we exchanged swaps.  The swaps I brought used the embossed resist technique that I showed you in my last post (click here if you missed it), but they were a little different in that some were fully sponged, and some were partially sponged.

Swaps for Saturday's meeting

Close up of swap fully sponged

Close up of swap partially sponged

After we exchanged our swaps, we worked on this month's project, 3 x 3 cards.  I have been trying to include 3 x 3 thank you notes in with my local order deliveries, and sometimes it's a challenge to come up with a new design, so this was very helpful to me.  We made eight in all.  And would you believe that out of those eight, I only have all the supplies to make three of them...guess I'll be placing an order for some of those that I really liked!  Here are the eight we made, hope you like them too.

3 x 3 Thank You Notes

After we got these done and said our good-byes, I headed home and was able to coax my DH to hang up something for me.  I'm going to call it a ribbon rod...but what it really is, is a curtain closer rod from Ikea. 

I got the idea from Mary Fish, and a dear friend of mine, Joyce, was heading to Ikea recently (it's about 45 minutes away from here, so I was grateful that she was going to save me the trip!), and I asked her to pick me up one while she was there and that I would pay her for it when I saw her at our next class.  Well that little sweetie, picked it and the brackets up for me, but she wouldn't let me pay her for it...she wouldn't hear of it!  Thank you Joyce, I love it (and you)!  Would you believe it doesn't hold all of my ribbon...this is just my retired and misc. stuff...looks like I'll be getting another one for the current ribbon!  Ikea here I come!!

So what have I been doing lately?

So what have I been up to lately?  Making cards, of course!  Last week for my Tuesday class we did these two cards:

Travel Log card for Tuesday class

And this one:

Tuesday Card Class Christmas Card

The Travel Log card was one I CASED from a card I found on our demo exclusive web site, made by a fellow demonstrator, Candy Rattray.  The second card was also CASED, but this time it was from closer to home.  When I was visiting my up line, I saw a card laying on her table, that I thought was just gorgeous.  She said that one of our fellow demonstrators, Phyllis Curling had done it.  I told her that I just had to make one too...it was so pretty!  In making mine, I changed a couple of things, but most of the elements remained the same.  One thing I did change was the color of the rhinestone, as seen here:

Close up of rhinestone

I saw a great tip on Mary Fish's blog about being able to color the rhinestones with sharpies...pretty cool, huh?  You just take any color sharpie, and because they are permanent, you can color right on your rhinestone without worrying that the color will rub off.

I also made a card for my cousin's birthday...

Birthday Card for Sammy

The medallion stamp is a great go-to for a masculine card.  In fact, I've used it a few times for some of the guys in my family.  This time I did something a little different though.  I stamped with Versamark on designer paper, embossed with clear embossing powder and then sponged over it, allowing the designer paper to show through.  This technique is called emboss resist.  Here's a close up of it so that you can see it a little better I hope:

Emboss Resist Close Up

It's a really cool effect.  In fact, I liked it so much, I used this same technique for my down line meeting swaps on Saturday.  I'll show you those and some of the things we did at the meeting in my next post.