Why does it seem that the need for sympathy cards comes in batches? I arrived home just over a week ago from my Convention trip to the news that I was in need of several such cards.  But exhausted from my 10-day trip and the extreme heat here, along with battling a summer cold to go along with it (I'll never understand how you can be sweating and freezing at the same time), I was completely void of any creative inspiration.  I knew I wanted something appropriately simple and sweet (I hate mushy), but I was at a loss for ideas.  

Luckily, at just the right moment my eye fell on one of our Convention Make and Take projects, and I realized that with a few adaptations, it would fit the bill perfectly.  So here's one of several similar cards I cranked out. 

This features one of the stamp sets we received at Convention: Kinda Eclectic.  I had fallen instantly in love with that set the moment I spied it back when the catalog was brand-new, and was delighted to learn it would be featured at Convention.  It's another one of those "artistic expression" stamp sets that belong on every stamper's shelf because the images can go with and enhance just about everything!

Watch for more details about this card in my upcoming newletter.  If you're not already a subscriber you might wanna be!

Ta Da!!! My swap cards for Stampin' Up!® Convention 2014 are finally done!!!

And I figured I might as well share the design here so you too, can experience the enormous sigh of relief, lol.  The design's actually been through several iterations over the past month or so that I've been working on it, and here's what I ultimately ended up with:

I think this concept would be adorable to build an entire baby shower theme around. Just imagine the coordinating invitations, banners and other decorations, cupcake toppers and yes, even goodie bags – all with the same images and yummy colors!

This card features the "Something for Baby" bundle (stamp set + Framelits dies) shown on page 74 of the 2014-2015 Annual Catalog, and the colors are Strawberry Slush, Coastal Cabana & So Saffron.  (With a touch of Crisp Cantaloupe added by way of the thick twine.)

Download the supplies list and step-by-step instructions for making this card here: Download Convention Swap 2014 – Something for Baby

And I'm now off to go pack up my cards and HOPE I remember to take them with me when I leave!

I'm not generally a "gag card" kind of gal, but something about the Giggle Greetings stamp set just called out to me last year and I HAD to have it. So my set's actually been hanging around unused now for a number of months, but I finally had an occasion to pull it out recently and put it to work. 

I needed a card for a guy, so I chose Basic Gray as my main color.  Then added a little bit of Crisp Cantaloupe for pop.  I applied little bits of color with a blender pen, picking up color from inside the lid of the ink pad.  (After squeezing the pad before opening it, that is.)

I'm still working with the DSP from the Neutrals collection of a couple years' ago, but the current Neutrals collection would work just as well, of course. The patterns have changed though, so stripes aren't available anymore.

And because I have a gigantic pile of scraps from last year's Glimmer Paper, I chose that for the punched stars.  But I think the new Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper would work just as well.

And the inside of the card holds a little surprise. (Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Bakers Twine, pulled apart and wadded into a ball, then glued down with Tombow Liquid Glue.)  The card recipient (a cat daddy) laughed and said he hadn't had to deal with that since the day before!

Product List

Giggle Greetings Clear-mount Stamp Set [131065]	Basic Gray 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [121044]	Crisp Cantaloupe 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131298]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]	Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack [130132]
Blender Pens [102845]	Jet Black StazOn Pad [101406]	Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad [131176]	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [126957]	Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad [126976]
Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack [133787]	Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper [135315]	Crisp Cantaloupe Thick Baker's Twine [135636]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	Snail Adhesive [104332]
Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive [110755]

“Stamp Set of the Month” Classes

Don’t miss these fun monthly classes – whether you participate as part of an informal gathering of friends, or at a hosted open class in your local area, or all by yourself in your jammies right in the comfort of your own home. These classes will feature one stamp set each month (a comfortable way to grow your stamp collection), and are designed for flexibility – to fit the way YOU like to stamp!

Your class kit will include:

• All your paper goods to make the monthly projects (already cut to size)
• Envelopes for each card you’ll make
• Trimmings & embellishments

You’ll also get (in PDF format):

• Close-up color photos of finished examples
• Complete, easy-to-read supply lists
• Paper and ribbon cutting sizes (should you wish to recreate the projects later)
• Clear step-by-step instructions

You’ll also need:

• The monthly featured stamp set
• Acrylic blocks (if you choose “clear-mount” stamps)
• Ink pads (colors will vary by project)
• Papercrafting tools such as punches, simply scored scoring tool, envelope punch board, Big Shot & dies, etc. (Usually only 1 or 2 items per class, however, because I will prep as many elements for you as possible in advance.)
• Basic papercrafting supplies such as scissors, bone folder, adhesives, etc.

ALL of these supplies are available through Stampin’ Up!®, at my online store.

If you don’t already have all the ink colors featured in the monthly projects, you may either substitute colors you DO have, or (better yet) arrange with some friends to each order a couple of the featured colors and then schedule a time to work on your projects together where you can share the ink pads.

Getting your own “Stamp Set of the Month” class kit is as easy as 1 – 2 – 3.

1. Place a product order of $40 or more at my online store using the monthly code I will provide. Your products will ship direct from Stampin’ Up! to you. (If anything is backordered, it will ship as soon as it becomes available.)  
2. Email me immediately after placing your qualifying order and request an invoice to purchase your class kit. (Email address is at top of page.)
3. Pay the invoice you will receive via email ($6.00) before the availability of the monthly class expires, and then keep an eye on both your snail mail (for your project kit), and your email (for your PDF instructions).  

A few more things you might want to know:

• Free class kit, free products:  While the minimum qualifying order to get a project kit is $40, of course I welcome orders greater than $40, too. In fact, if your order happens to be $75 or more, you’ll get your “Stamp Set of the Month” card class from me for FREE. And if you order reaches $150, you also qualify for the extra “Stampin’ Rewards” that Stampin’ Up! offers. ($25 or more of free merchandise.) 
• Sometimes a little hand-holding doesn’t hurt:  If the thought of ordering product online makes you break out in a cold sweat, no worries. Just call me on the phone with your credit or debit card number handy (my number’s at the top of page), and I’ll submit your product order on your behalf. It will still usually ship directly to your home.
• Make it a regular thing:  Participate 3 months in a row and get up to $10 bonus product of your choice with your 3rd sequential “Stamp Set of the Month” class kit.  I will contact you to find out what product(s) you’d like.
• Two’s company, and three’s a crow….. er, three’s even MORE (fun) company!  Looking for a local group to do your “Stamp Set of the Month” classes with? Shoot me an email and I’ll see if I can get you matched up!
• Just in case you’ve ever thought about joining us as a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, these class resources are a complimentary perk of joining my Paper Dreamers Team! Let’s talk!

So I'm really enjoyin' working with Stampin' Up!'s new stamp set "Work of Art".

Its bold paint-swatch and handprinted images get color down on your paper quickly, and work equally well as either a whisper-quiet background allowing another image to step up center-stage on top of it, or they can grab the entire spotlight themselves and shout "Look at ME!"

In either case you'll find a versatile stamp set worthy of joining any stamper's collection…… right next to that other favorite staple of mine "Gorgeous Grunge".    

Here are a couple cards I knocked out last evening after inking up some of the stamps in "Work of Art". I loved how fast these cards went together, and I'll bet you will too. Watch for details about a class I'll be offering soon based entirely on this stamp set. 

The colors I chose for these cards are So Saffron, Crisp Cantaloupe, Strawberry Slush and Bermuda Bay.  Aren't they just delish?!?

And as we approach Independence Day, what better way to celebrate the Red, White and Blue?  (Real Red and Pacific Point, to be specific.)  Now, because I was working with a wood-mount set, this one was certainly an exercise in Stamp-a-ma-jigging, but I was pleased to see that the notecard size worked out perfectly!

So what other creative ways have *you* found to showcase "Work of Art"?

Product List

Work Of Art Wood Stamp Set [134111]	Another Thank You Photopolymer Stamp Set [133454]	Whisper White Note Cards Envelopes [131527]	Silver Glimmer Paper [135314]	Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack [133787]
Stamp-A-Ma-Jig [101049]	So Saffron Classic Stampin' Pad [126957]	Crisp Cantaloupe Classic Stampin' Pad [131176]	Strawberry Slush Classic Stampin' Pad [131178]	Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad [131171]
Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad [126949]	Pacific Point Classic Stampin' Pad [126951]

Have you ever had the thought that things seemed a little bit awkward while navigating my online store? Maybe even a little tedious? Well in today's video I share some shortcuts to cut through all that, and help you get "in" and "out" and "done" faster!

Also, today is Day 1 of this week's "Weekly Deals", and if you own a Big Shot, I suspect there's something on that list you just might be needing. If you make cards or gifts, or scrapbook, teach school or Sunday School, have kids who have to do science projects (or any other projects) for school, or you're ever in charge of creating any other types of visual displays, see if you catch this "yep, definitely need THAT" product in this video…..

And don't forget there are more than 100 other items on the retiring list that are marked down, too – some by as much as 50%!  Watch the video first to pick up my shopping navigation tips, then see the entire retiring collection here. Just one week left to choose your favorites!

Oh btw, if you're reading this from a subscribed feed that doesn't show the video, click here to visit my blog directly, where you *should* be able to see it.

I wanted to incorporate this darling photo (from last December) into a Mother's Day card for my daughter-in-law, and thought perhaps she might want to set it on her desk at work.  So I decided to create an easel style card that would stand up properly without sagging over time.

The kids' clothes in the photo were a bit too "Christmas-y" for Mother's Day though, so I changed the photo to B & W using Photoshop Elements. (MyDigitalStudio also has a B & W option, but because that program's strength lies primarily in layout, rather than photo retouching, I prefer the multiple options in P.E. for retouch work.) Then, once the retouching was done I brought the photo into MDS and changed it's shape to a circle.  Love that one-click option!

The background polka dots came from Elements DSP digital download package, over which I placed a layer of nearly-but-not-quite transparent grey to soften the contrast of the original sharp black and white of the DSP. This made the kids' faces pop, rather than getting lost against the louder background.

The "Happy Mother's Day" is from the All Holidays digital download package, and I layered a Tangerine Tango version of it over an identically-sized white layer…. offset by just a couple pixels to give a suggestion of depth. "2014" (from Midnight Cheer Ensemble digital download) was color-matched to a sample pixel from the photo, as was the mat around the photo.

Since I had created this entire element in a custom size (3-7/8" x 3-7/8") I was able to print it actual size onto photo paper and then trim exactly along the edge to prepare it for mounting onto my "card".

To make the card base, I cut a 4" x 8" piece of Tangerine Tango cardstock, and scored & folded it in the middle (at 4")…. then attached the photo to that.

I cut another piece of the same CS and scored and folded it accordian style.

Finally, I adhered the accordian piece to the lower edge of the inside of the "card", cut edges pointing upwards (the reverse of the photo of the accordian piece). My message went on the back (in white gel pen), and then the whole thing popped into a custom-made envelope (created with the fabulous Envelope Punch Board)!

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day. As for myself, I was very blessed! 🙂

Product List

MDS 2+ Download [130646]	Essentials Designer Series Paper – Digital Download [131222]	All Holidays Stamp Brush Set – Digital Download [118825]	Midnight Cheer Ensemble – Digital Download [132916]
Tangerine Tango 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [111349]	Stampin' Trimmer [126889]	Tombow Multi-Purpose Adhesive [110755]	Uni-Ball Signo Gel Pen [105021]
Envelope Punch Board [133774]

I am SO excited that Stampin' Up!® has partnered with Project Life® (by Becky Higgins) to offer people interested in preserving their life memories an easy, yet incrementally-creative way to do so! By combining the talents, strengths, and philosophies of these two amazing companies, the world of memory keeping just surged forward by a *giant* leap.

AND now that Stampin' Up! will be offering their own take on the Project Life concept, well hey…. who knows?!? I just might climb onboard the whole "camera, photos & albums" thing myself! (Probably about 30 years later than I would have preferred, but better late than never, huh?)

And so I have started.  I actually put the initial version of this "First Birthday" layout together about 3 weeks ago or so, but I have been TOTALLY unhappy with the appearance of my journaling.  My handwriting seems to be getting more and more awful with every passing year, and although I felt the photos were adorable, all my eye could see was how ugly my handwriting was.  (Yes, I know all about the "you need to write some stuff in your own handwriting" thing, and I promise I'll do that when appropriate. But THIS layout, just didn't seem to be the proper place to start.)

So. Enter *Digital* Project Life (also by Stampin' Up!). And THANK goodness! 

Stampin' Up! will be releasing every image they create for Project Life in digital form as well, so today I recreated the original cards that I had used from my first box of "Everyday Adventure" cards – in digital format (using MyDigitalStudio, which I love), adding text in the font of my choice, and then printed out these card images onto our white cardstock, trimmed to size, and quickily replaced the handwritten versions – either in part or in their entirety.  Pretty darn cool, I think, and I'm SO much happier with the overall appearance now!

I expect I'll be making generous use of the Digital Project Life images in the future, and hopefully won't be in quite the hurry I was today – so that I can upload several pages of digital "cards" at once to Stampin' Up!'s printers and have them printed professionally.  My home printer is only "sort of ok" for regular printing of text, but quite the slacker when it comes to printing photos or graphics like these. (So don't inspect today's output too closely, lol.)  But I'm sure I'll get even better color and sharper images by using Stampin' Up!'s print service in the future.

So, next step:  Learn to keep some form of camera close at hand – and more to the point, REMEMBER TO USE IT as life marches on!  HA!  A *major* change of habit, this will be, but I'm excited to give it a try! Wish me luck!

PS:  Did I mention that a sampling of the Project Life by Stampin' Up! products are available NOW?!? Check 'em out here and get started on your own Project Life album!

Product List

Everyday Adventure Project Life Card Collection [135298]	Everyday Adventure Digital Project Life Cards – Digital Download [137345]	Variety Pack 12" X 12" Project Life Photo Pocket Pages [135294]	Gold Silver Stampin' Glitter [132205]
Heat Stick Powder [100625]	Heat Tool [129053]	Stars #2 Originals Die [113461]	Whisper White 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [100730]
Cherry Cobbler 8-1/2X11 Card Stock [119685]	Blushing Bride 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [131198]	Gold Foil Sheets [132622]

 
Well, it's been fun while it lasted, hasn't it? But 5 days can sure fly by quick, and all of a sudden the final day of Stampin' Up!'s free shipping has arrived. The good news, though, is that you can still enjoy your free shipping (on any product, including retiring, staying, clearance rack, MDS & MDS printing, etc.) all the way until 11:00 pm (MOUNTAIN time) this evening – Friday, April 25. So head on over to my online store and treat yourself!

As usual, the retiring products have been going quickly this year – especially the stamp sets. But if you haven't yet had a chance to get the goodies YOU still want, I urge you to get 'em soon.  (Well, why not TODAY, come to think of it, while you can still get free shipping on 'em, too?!?) Review or download my updated PDF copies (in page number order) here: http://bit.ly/1lukKcv .

I am very excited to be attending the Seattle-area Catalog Premiere this upcoming Monday – along with several members of my Paper Dreamers team. Stampin' Up! will be streaming the Premiere LIVE (from Long Beach, CA) to theaters all across the country, and we'll get to pick up our own personal copies of the new Annual Catalog there, too. (And rumor has it there may be "free stuff" too, lol! Can't ever get too much "free stuff", huh?)

And then while I'm visiting in the greater Seattle area I'll be checking in at our Paper Dreamers team get-together the following night in Oak Harbor – and sharing a glimpse of the upcoming catalog (and related news) with them. If you've been thinking you might like to join us as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, you're certainly welcome to join us as a guest that night; contact me asap for details!   

Whew! I'm IN for who-knows-how-many short minutes, after not having been able to access my blog service at all for much too long.  So before it goes down again I'm gonna pop in here just long enough to share the link where I've got the Stamps AND Accessories retiring lists loaded on a public Google Drive. 

(So word to the wise: COPY and SAVE this link while you still have access to it!)

I have sorted the lists in "page order", which I know most prefer, and saved them in PDF form.  And I'll be updating them as time allows, because supplies are limited and selling out all the time!

So here's that link to those retirement lists:  http://bit.ly/1lukKcv

One important thing to note is that STAMPS are also on a "while supplies last" basis this year.  That's a change from years past, so please keep that in mind if you're thinking about "how it used to be", lol.

Oh, but wait!  As if that's not exciting enough, Stampin' Up! is offering FREE SHIPPING on everything through this Friday, April 25th! That's standard shipping, of course…. not expedited, but how cool is that?!?  Grab your goodies at my online store – before your favorites are gone!

Hope to be able to share more soon!