Under the Stars

The Under the Stars set is one that I loved right from the beginning. My friend Teri pointed it out to me, saying that she thought Brandon would like it. She was right, but I really liked it too!

Fresh Cuts

A little taste of fall for you! I love fall and colors that relate to it, but especially the weather. I can't wait for it to get here. We've been spoiled by some nice weather the last week or two and then the reality of summer hit us again the last few days. I'm definitely not a summer person.

This was the other card the open house attendees made last weekend. They colored the flowers with an Aqua Painter and ink from the pads. I tried so hard not to have a bow on it, but HAD to add one at the last minute. It was driving me absolutely crazy to have a flat card. Is anyone else like this???

Stamps for Sale

I sold what seemed like a ton of stamps and accessories last Saturday, but I really don't want to store all that I have left (still seems like a ton!), so I'm having another SALE on Saturday from 9-2. You're welcome to come, of course! Also, if you can't make it Saturday, all next week you can make an appointment and stop by at a time that is more convenient for you.

Happiness Always, part 4

Okay, okay, I'm going to try to stop with the Happiness Always, after this card, but isn't it kinda cute? This was one of the free make & takes at my Open House on Saturday. I wish the colors scanned a little nicer, but you get the idea. There is some Pink Pirouette in there somewhere. Use your imagination!

I checked out my sitemeter today, and thought I had some kind of blog stalkin' going on! Then I clicked on that person's blog and realized I had actually visited it many times myself, have it listed in my "favorites", etc. I still couldn't quite figure out why her address was coming up so many times on my sitemeter. Then I read down a ways, and she had my blog listed, along with a few others, in a post called "Newly Discovered". So I want to send a thank you out to Allison at Stampin' When I Can for mentioning Oink, Ink. to her stampin' friends. I told my husband I feel guilty that I've been so boring on here lately! If any of you are band moms I know you can understand what we are going through getting these kids ready. Pictures are tomorrow. I hemmed the last uniform and patched the last hole tonight, so they should look marvelous and I can get back to stampin, I hope! ;)

Happiness Always, part 3

I think I really love this set! This is one of the cards I demonstrated at the Open House tonight. I was showing the new Scallop Punch, new Bella Rose Designer Paper, new In Colors (Kiwi Kiss and Riding Hood Red shown here) and the new Level 3 Hostess Set: Happiness Always. I stamped the detail step of the butterfly on watercolor paper and then pulled that ink around with an Aquapainter. I saw this technique on another blog. I wish I knew where to give credit, but I thought I saved it and I didn't. She called it faux watercoloring. I love the quick and easy technique.

It's that time to set your date for a workshop with the new catalog! Let me know if you are interested.

New SU! Catalog Woes?

Trying to view the new catalog and can't? I think too many people are trying to do the same thing right now! Try doing it at an odd time......middle of the night, early morning, etc. When I loaded mine on my blog, it worked easily. I did it just seconds after SU! put it on the customer website, so it wasn't being widely viewed at that time. Now everyone knows it is there.

Better yet, see it in person on Saturday! I'm putting the final touches on the Open House. It will be from 6-8 p.m. There will be chances for you to earn tickets for several door prizes, demonstrations of new products, free make & takes, refreshments and of course, all of my used stamps and accessories will be marked at 40% off. I hope to see you and your friends there!

Sorry I haven't posted a card recently. With band and band and band, and Open House preparations I haven't had time to stamp. Maybe next week!

Stampin' Up! New Stuff

WOW! Lots of new things going on at Stampin' Up! I finally received my new catalogs yesterday. I drive my family crazy until they finally arrive. ;) It is GREAT, as always and the cover is so pretty, with a scalloped side, to match our new punch that we used at the Cards in Motion Class! I'm loving the new stamp sets, accessories, Designer Paper, pretty much everything. I can't wait to show you at the Open House. Speaking of which......

OPEN HOUSE & DISCONTINUED SALE

Join me on Saturday, August 16th from 6-8 p.m. for the New Catalog Open House and Discontinued Stamp Sale. This once a year event is my biggest each year. There will be demonstrations of new products at 6:45 & 7:15, free make & takes for everyone who attends, and special gifts for those who set a date for a workshop in their home between now and mid-January. You also have chances to earn tickets for several door prizes. For a complete list of how to earn those tickets, email me! My used and discontinued stamps and accessories will be for sale this evening only for a 40% discount. Please bring your friends and get in on the great discount! This is a great one to attend if you are a new stamper, since the cards will be super easy and the stamps will be cheap! ;) I haven't mailed any snail mail invitations this year, so please pass on the information.

NEVER BEFORE SEEN STAMPS & SAVINGS

This promotion begins on Monday and runs through September 30th (hb me!) You can view the sets when the new catalog goes live on Monday, late afternoon. Remember that all of the sets that are NEW to this catalog will now be die-cut. SO COOL!

BIG SHOT DIE-CUT MACHINE

Stampin' Up! has teamed up with Sizzix to offer the Big Shot Die Cut Machine. I'll admit that my first thought was "I don't need that thing!" But the more I read about it, the more I think I really do need that thing! ;) Check out the following items it cuts through:
Brass (.055)
Light weight steel
Aluminum (.016)
Tin (.008)
Aircraft plywood (1/64")
Basswood (1/16")
Balsa (3/32")
Paperwood
Mat board (adhesive or none)
Chipboard
Fabric
Silicone
Foam with chipboard (.1)
Corrugated pad
Adhesive-backed cork
Fine sandpaper (.00)
Strene
Extra thick template plastic
Template plastic
Plastic canvas (7 mesh)
Bubble wrap
Sheet foam
Friendly (jewelry) plastic
100% pure beeswax (cut with parchment paper on top & bottom of beeswax)
Adhesive and non-adhesive rubber
Ruffleboard
Static cling vinyl
Warm & natural batting
Fusible fleece
Quilt batting
Adhesive and non-adhesive flexible magnet
Heat n' shrink plastic
Adhesive and non-adhesive felt
Pop-up sponge
Shiny self-adhesive and non-adhesive paper
Iron-on fabric
Poly foam adhesive and non adhesive
3-D illusionary plastic
Glow in the dark adhesive and non adhesive
Suede paper
Funky fur
Personal Embossing Plastic (PEP)
Shaggy plush felt
Canvas
Vinyl flooring
Shelf lining
Placement
Embossing rubber
Thin leather
Gasket material

Click on the picture on the right sidebar and read through the brochure for yourself. Who knows? I'll probably have one soon that you can even see and try in person and then we'll both own one! :) You can have your own private little party, and collect some nice hostess gifts in the process.

DEMONSTRATOR STARTER KIT PROMO

Have you thought of becoming a demonstrator, but the cost has been holding you back? Do you own a lot of Stampin' Up! products already? Now you have the opportunity to purchase a smaller kit for only $99 and customize it to your interests....... stamps, scrapbooking or home decor. You'll also receive all the business supplies you need to get your Stampin' Up! business up and moving. Of course, you can always get the standard kit for $199 at any time. It contains tons of stamps and accessories, plus the business supplies, but if you already own a lot of stamping supplies, this $99 kit offer is the best I've ever seen!!! If you do get the standard kit from now through October 11th, you get to choose a free stamp set from the Catalog Sampler.

FALL/WINTER CATALOG SAMPLER

This is a new item for Stampin' Up! I love the look of it. Check out the back page for some incentives that last throughout the Fall/Winter order period. There is an incentive for new demonstrators, hostesses, and anyone who orders. Pay attention to the dates!

SHELLI'S BLOG

Stampin' Up!'s Founder and CEO has started her own blog, at http://www.soshelli.com/ that you are welcome to check out if you would like to.



Is that enough information to keep you thinking for a while! WHEW! Remember to RSVP for the Open House by August 10th.

Happiness Always, part 2

Here is another card using the Happiness Always set, that I've used on the card above. It is a new Level 3 Hostess Set in the Fall/Winter Catalog. I have to say, I really like it! The images are great. The only down side to it for me is that it is a double mounted set. That means both sides of the wood have a piece of rubber mounted on them, like some of our alphabets. I don't mind the alphabets being this way at all, but this set was a little tricky to work with for some reason. I got used to it and it is fine now.

Since this is a Two-Step Stampin' set, I wanted to use the butterfly in that way. The images are so detailed, it took some time to find some ink colors that would work well together and still show up nicely. Lavender Lace stamped off once and Elegant Eggplant ended up working out.

"Wonderful" is available in the Warm Words set. It is going to go on the Dormant List for the Fall/Winter Catalog. That just means it won't be featured in the catalog, but is still available for purchase.

Happiness Always

Over the weekend I had a swap with my Stampin' Up! downline for the sets we could purchase early from the upcoming catalog. This was my card. There were some great cards this time around. As they arrived over the last couple of weeks, it seemed everyone was using the new pink, green or red, so I wanted to use something different. I went for the Baja Breeze and planned to mix the new Kiwi Kiss with it, but as I played around, I really liked the Tangerine Tango the best with it! I stamped the flower and stem with Versamark on the Bella Rose Designer Paper and then embossed them with white embossing powder. I colored a "center" for the flower with the Stampin' Pastels, using a little bit of Chocolate Chip and Pumpkin Pie.

You'll get to see all of these new items at the Open House on August 16th (see right sidebar). I'm starting to get some RSVP's. Get yours in by August 10th to qualify for that extra ticket for the Door Prizes!

Jealousy, part 5

I showed you this Waterfall Card before, but we weren't sure we would be making this exact design at the time. I wanted to show you some of the "flips" of the waterfall. We ended up making Waterfall cards for Brandon's birthday invitations. We used the crab set.....I can't think what it is called, but they turned out really cute.