Saturday, April 28, 2012

Check Mate!

I have two boys who love to play chess.  And, for some reason they really love to play with Uncle Jeff's chess set!!!!  So, while we were visiting this past Christmas they convinced Jeff to bring out his chess set and had a couple matches.  I, of course, took loads of pictures and at my Scrapbook Club this month I put them on a layout.


For my title I chose to use chipboard letters inked with Craft ink.  I love the look this gives and am super sad that both these chipboard letters and all our craft ink will be retiring at the end of May!


For some embellishments on my page, I punched some squares (1 1/4", I think!), sponged them and added a brad in each one.  I love the look of the brads in random corners!


This is my favorite picture I took that night!  I love the look on both of their faces!!!!  And, you can see that I did some journaling on strips of cardstock which I embellished with a button.

And, finally, here is the whole layout.


As soon as I find my white gel pen, I will finish my journaling on the black strip!  I love this layout and will definitely be using it again for more of my pictures!

One final thing.  A lot of our 12x12 cardstock will no longer be sold in individual color packs and come June 1 will only be available in Assorted Packs.  Now is your time to stock up on those colors that you use a lot so you don't have to get them in assorted packs! 

Have an inspired day!



Thursday, April 26, 2012

Where, Oh Where Has Lisa Been?

Hello all!  Were you starting to wonder where I was?  It's been a busy week preparing for upcoming shows, work around the house and getting ready for the big Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip to Disney World!

Like I said, I was prepping for upcoming shows.  Last weekend I participated in the local Children's Festival.  Sherri and I were busy making stuff for our display, but we had the most fun with play dough!  We featured the Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps at the Children's Festival and we let the kids play with them with play dough!


That's me playing play dough just as the doors were opening!  I learnt a few things that day...

1.  Mixing thousands of kids with cotton candy, ice cream, cupcakes and loads of candy results in a LOT of VERY sticky fingers!  We were smart and had lots of play dough to switch out throughout the day and at the end of the day it went in the garbage!!!!
2.  Rolling, kneading and stamping play dough for 6-7 hours is a GREAT workout for your hands and forearms!!!  My hands and forearms were sore the next day!
3.  Sweet Pressed Cookie Stamps are super popular!  Thanks to all the people who bought cookie stamps from me on Saturday.

We will be at the Diva Show this Friday (Fritz Sick Center, 5-9pm) with a little different display...no play dough for the grown ups!  Stop by and see us if you can!

A couple weeks ago, Kevin and I started the big job of fixing the landscaping in our front yard.  Really, we should have done it right 3 years ago when we first did it, but we didn't and it's been bugging us ever since.  I guess that's what happens when you are dealing with back surgeries, moving and little kids!  Here's a few before and after pictures.

Before
We dug out the flower beds and removed the top soil and some of the clay we have for soil here until we were about 6-8 inches down...we filled the truck about 5 times!  Once that was done, we filled it in with bark mulch.  We chose that because it repels weeds (yahoo!) and retains moisture, which is important in the summer when it's so dry here!  And, because it's so deep, they guarantee it won't blow away...another big plus in Lethbridge!

After

After...I still have a little spot to plant whatever kind of flowers I want each year.

After

We are so happy with how it looks now and can't wait for our plants to get bigger!  There's buds on all the trees and shrubs and the flowering plants have also started sprouting.  A little rain and some nice sunny days and it will all be greened up...hopefully by the time we get back from Disney!  And then we are going to tackle the back yard and staining the fence, front steps and decks...oh, and I have to plant my garden!  Busy spring for us!

But, you probably stopped by to see some stamping, right?  Well, one of the other things I  have been busy with is making table tags for the Diva Show.  These are cute little somethings that identify which vendor is at which table.  Since it's a Diva Show and we just got a super cute purse die, Sherri and I decided it would be perfect to make some purses.


We made about 80 of them!  The show coordinator requested pink, so we used up our Blushing Bride stuff (because it's retiring) and then had to use some Pretty In Pink and Pink Pirouette to get them all done!  They are pretty basic.  We cut the purse out of cardstock and stamped it with Soft Suede ink using the rose bunch stamp from the Elements of Style set.  A little ribbon for a handle (attached with some brads) and a fun flower accent finished off with a pearl just makes them so cute!  We then attached a little banner with each vendor name.


I am absolutely in love with all of them!  They're gonna look super cute on the tables!  Don't forget to stop by and say hi tomorrow night.  We will be at the Fritz Sick Center from 5-9...and admission is FREE!!!!

That's all for today!  Have an inspired day!


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Retiring Lists...2012 Edition!!!

All the retiring product lists have been released!  While I am sad to see some of my favorite products go, I am beyond excited to see all the fresh, new products Stampin' Up! has for us in the new Annual Catalog in June!


You can find the Retiring Stamp Set list here .
You can find the Retiring Accessories list here.
You can find the Retiring Definitely Decorative list here.

There are some things you need to know about these lists...

-First of all, you will notice they are HUGE!  This is because of a few reasons...the Annual Catalog will be about 30 pages smaller than before and most of our seasonal products will be offered in the Holiday Catalog.  The "holes" in the Annual Catalog will be filled with the two Seasonal Catalogs!

-The retiring stamps will be available until May 31

-The retiring accessories and definitely decorative will be available while supplies last.  Traditionally a lot of these products sell out quickly, so to avoid disappointment, I HIGHLY recommend you place orders for these products through my online store.  The retiring accessories list will updated daily at 4pm with what has sold out.

-You will also notice that a significant portion of 12x12 cardstock is on the retiring list!  Don’t panic!  Stampin’ Up! will still have 12x12 cardstock, but for the most part it will be sold in assorted packages.  Some of the most popular colors will still be available in individual packs.  This decision was based on sales of 12x12 cardstock.  Textured cardstock will no longer be available.

-There are two items in the Retiring Accessories list that weren’t supposed to be on there and will not be sold at a discount.  These are the Paper Snips and Craft Scissors.

-You will also notice that the individual markers are also on the list!  Again, don’t panic!  The markers will still be available in Color Collections and as a huge package (when you buy all of them together).

-We are not going to stop carrying ink…although when you see the list this may be what you are thinking!  All of our colors (with the exception of the 2010-2012 In Colors) will still be in the catalog.  Stampin’ Up! is simply changing the ink pad.  Rather than a felt pad, we will have a firm foam pad.  This will allow for a longer life for your ink pads as well as provide more even inking on your stamps.  Unfortunately, craft ink will only be available in black and white.

-The Simply Adorned and Definitely Decorative product lines are being discontinued.  We may still see a few seasonal items from these product lines offered in the Seasonal Catalogs, but as a whole, these two product lines will not be available when the new Annual Catalog comes out in June.

And, finally, you are going to want to mark June 2 on your calendar!  This is the date of my annual Rubber Garage Sale and Catalog Kick-Off Party!  More information will be posted under the Events tab.

Back tomorrow with some stamping for you.  Have an inspired day!


Monday, April 16, 2012

Drowning in Bookmarks!

What are you doing on the evening of April 27 from 5-9pm?  You should be coming to the Diva show!  I will be there with Sherri and we have a super fun booth planned to excite your senses!  All the vendors participating in the Diva show have to supply 100 bag stuffers.   The first 100 guests through the door will receive a goodie bag full of stuff from each vendor.


Sherri designed the bookmarks, I tweaked a bit and we each made 50.  Included with each bookmark is a coupon that you're going to want to get your hands on!


The background is a piece of Bravo Burgundy cardstock which was stamped with a flower outline in Bravo Burgundy ink.  Then we layered a piece of Confetti White over top.  I punched the top edges of mine with the Decorative Label punch, sponged around the edges with Lucky Limeade ink and stamped a flower from the Raining Flowers set on it with Pretty in Pink, Bravo Burgundy and Lucky Limeade ink.  I also stamped "enjoy life" which you can find in the Fabulous Phrases set and finished it off with a pearl.  There's a piece of ribbon tied with a piece of Baker's Twine at the top.  Some of mine have pink ribbon and some have old olive becuase I ran out of pink!  It's packaged in a pretzel bag along with that coupon I was talking about and tied shut with another piece of ribbon.

I love how these turned out and hope that the first 100 people through the doors will enjoy their bookmarks!  Here are the details on the Diva Show...hope to see lots of you locals there!


5th Annual Domesticated Diva Show
Friday, April 27 5-9pm (stop by after work for some shopping and fun!)
Fritz Sick Center (Lethbridge Seniors Center...in the Gyms)
Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted and will go towards helping the YWCA Harbor House (a great local cause!

First 100 people through the doors get a goodie bag, 80 fabulous door prizes!

Hope to see a bunch of you there on April 27!  Have an inspired day!





Sunday, April 15, 2012

Saying Goodbye...


Today is the day that Stampin' Up! posted the retiring stamp set list!  I love this time of year!  Even though we are saying good bye to some old favorites, there are fresh, new designs just around the corner...the new Annual Catalog will be unveiled on June 1!

You can find a copy of the retired list here or you can click on the link to the right.  Or, if you would like, you can go on to my website and click the shop now button...the retiring products section is the first selection on the left hand column.  Download a copy of the list and have a look.  Remember, these stamp sets will only be around until May 31 and then we won't see them again, so if you have any favorites that you've been holding out on getting, now is your chance before they're gone forever!  The retiring Accessories and Definitely Decorative lists will be available on April 25.


In honor of the retiring list coming out today, I thought I would share a simple card made with some retiring products!  I originally saw a card like this in Pinterest and filed it away for future use!  I love the simple, clean layout.


I started with a Confetti White card base and stamped my sentiment with Basic Gray.  The sentiment is from the retiring set Heard from the Heart.  I used the Heart to Heart punch and punched 5 hearts from the 2010-2012 In Colors, which will also be retiring this year as we make room for 5 new In Colors!  Each of my hearts has something a little different on it.  I used a Bitty Button with Whisper White Baker's Twine on the Concord Crush one, stamped the Blushing Bride one (with this retiring set), punched from Pear Pizzazz DSP, the Peach Parfait one is plain cardstock and the Poppy Parade one has been embossed with the new Adorning Accents Edgelit that embosses little hearts (you can find it here or in the Occasions Mini).

Have an inspired day!





Friday, April 13, 2012

Happy Mail!

Last month I received a fun and unexpected package from Stampin' Up!, so of course, I ripped it open!!!  Here's what I found...


Now, this one I didn't rip open.  I was waaaay more gentle with this envelope, and here's what I found inside...


You're Invited...whaaaat?  Obviously with such a pretty card, I was invited to something important!  So, I pulled out the card...


Turns out me and my first guest (for the Disney trip) are invited to attend breakfast one morning with a member of the corporate team from Stampin' Up!.  Wow!  I responded right away and told them that just I would be attending since Kevin would have to watch our kids.  And, here's the best part!  They responded back saying they were fully aware that we had three kids coming with us and expected that the kids would join us for breakfast!  Man, oh man I love the company I work with!!!!  I don't know who we are having breakfast with yet...that's a surprise that I can't wait to find out!  Amy, Scott, Rich...maybe even Shelli herself!!!!  And, we have drilled the kids on manners for that breakfast!  There will be no inhaling your food, no burping contests, no craziness at the table...you  know, the basics in a house full of boys....LOL!!!!

The envelope was made with the new Diagonal Plate for the Simply Scored.  Custom envelopes are just one of the fantastic things you can make with this new product!  And, there's a sneak peek at a stamp set that will be in the new Annual Catalog coming out June 1!  I know a lot of you are gonna love this new set!!!!

That's all for today!  Have an inspired day!



Thursday, April 12, 2012

The Cat is Out of the Bag......

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted.  My kiddos are out of school this week for Easter holidays and they have taken up most of my time!  I have barely even been in my craft room this week...gasp!  I'm a little excited for them to go back to school on Monday so I can get back to my routine...stamping and blogging!

Most of you know that I earned the Stampin' Up! Incentive Trip last year and it seems like forever, but we're finally getting ready to go on our trip!  We flat out lied to our kids and told them I didn't earn it so that we could surprise them.  And, we managed to keep it a secret until yesterday, when our travel documents arrived...I let them open the package!


It was funny to watch!  They were a bit confused as to why I was letting them open a "princess package", but once we explained they were so excited!  We then showed them their park passes!  This is the face of three boys super excited to go on a trip and fly on a plane!!!!


And, this is what I was excited about...


Name tags (the kids were a bit sad that they don't have name tags too!), luggage tags, plane tickets and all the information we need during our stay with Stampin' Up! in Orlando!

I will be back with some stamping tomorrow.  Have an inspired day!


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Be Happy

There is so much to be happy for...the sun is shining, I have a wonderful and healthy family, and I'm part of an AMAZING company that has brought some fantastic friends into my life!

Don't you just love that fun flower with the teeny tiny button in the middle?!?!?  That flower was stamped on a piece of Blushing Bride cardstock with Very Vanilla Craft ink and then punched out with the Blossom Punch.  And that teeny, tiny button...you can find that in the current Occasions Mini catalog!

Last week I had my Blossom Punch class and today I'm going to share one of the cards we did.


I made a fun background for this card by using one of the stamps from the Mixed Bunch stamp set.  I stamped it with Versamark and then embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. To finish it off, I sponged some Crumb Cake ink around them embossed images.  It's a fun way to use two different stamps from the same set!

My card is finished off with a sentiment from the Pursuit of Happiness stamp set and a little scalloped edge which I used the Dotted Ribbon Scallop Edge Border Punch (or something like that...it has a super long name that I can't remember...and I'm being lazy and not going to get my catalog to check!).

Have an inspired and happy day!




Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Summer Smooches

I have been giving you some little sneak peeks of the Summer Smooches products for a week now and I'm so excited that April is here and it's Summer Smooches time!


One of the exciting parts of this promotion is that there's something for EVERYONE!!!  There's traditional papercrafting supplies (stamps, paper, ribbon, brads and a FANTASTIC new Big Shot die!), something for the sewer (fabric & ribbon), home decor products (an awesome stencil...that could be used in paper crafting too!) and some digital products for all you Digital crafters!  You can find all the information about the Summer Smooches promotion here...or click the link to the right!

Did you notice the new look today?  I used some of the Summer Smooches digital products to create my new background, banner and signature for my blog.  I love the bright and fun look of it...don't you?

Today I also have a fun home decor project to share with you.  Remember the frames I showed here?  Well, I did them up Summer Smooches style for a swap I recently participated in.  Sadly, I was super sick on the weekend of the swap and demo meeting, so I couldn't go.  My fellow demonstrators who participated in the swap are going to get some fun mail from me this week when their frames arrive (or next week...because of that love/hate relationship I have with Canada Post)!  Check them out...




Today is Tuesday which means Stampin' Up! released new digital downloads!!!  You can see all of today's downloads here.  There's a super fun alphabet download that I think I need!!!

Well, that's all for today!  Have an inspired day!


Monday, April 2, 2012

Happy Birthday, Eh?

April marks the 10 Year anniversary of Stampin' Up! coming into Canada!  I am thrilled that 10 years ago Shelli made the decision to bring Stampin' Up! to Canada.  I was demonstrator 217 in Canada and will be celebrating my 10th anniversary at the end of August this year.  Here's a fun fact...of all the demonstrators that joined Stampin' Up! in Canada in the first year that Stampin' Up! was in Canada, nearly 100 of them are still active demonstrators.  I am one of those!!!!  Here's a look at a little Stampin' Up! Canada timeline.


I have seen so many changes in Stampin' Up! in the last 10 years and I'm so excited to see what the next 10 years brings!

So, in honor of Stampin' Up! Canada turning 10, I thought I would share a fun birthday card today. 


I used some great new product for this card...and since it's April you can finally order these products!  That's right, its Summer Smooches time and you can order some sneak peek products from the new Annual Catalog coming out June 1!!!!

On my card, I used the fun new stamp set, Bright Blossoms and the fun new DSP, Summer Smooches!  I chose the fun bright color combination Real Red, Lucky Limeade and Whisper White.  Here's a close up of some of the details...


I made the DSP ruffle by punching along the edge (so it would have kind of a scallop edge) and then running it through the crimper a few (or 5 or 10) times!  By running it through the crimper, you break the fibers of the paper a bit, so you can easily ruffle it.  It's stuck onto the cardstock with some Sticky Strip so it will stay right where I want it!  I stamped my sentiment with my favorite sentiment set, Petite Pairs, and then punched it and embellished it with a little scrap of Ruffled Lucky Limeade ribbon (love this ribbon!).  And, finally, I couldn't resist blinging it up a bit, so I added some rhinestones!

What do you think?

Here's a fun picture of the product included in the Summer Smooches special this month!


Paper, stamps, ribbon and a die...oh my!!!!  But don't forget the fabric, brads and a decor stencil!  Some of these products (the brads and stencil) will only be available during this promotion.  Be one of the first to play with some sneak peek products from the upcoming Annual Catalog and place your order today!  You can find all the info on the Summer Smooches promotion here.

Have an inspired day!