Eternally Grateful

There is so much I want say about Memorial Day, the day that we remember the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom, but words fail me.

As the child of a career military father, who was fortunate enough to come safely after all of his deployments, I cannot even fathom the anguish of the families whose loved ones didn't come home safely.

For those who made the ultimate sacrifice, and for the families left behind to mourn, I want to offer my deepest gratitude. I am thankful every day for my freedom, and honor your courage.

Measurements
 Image: Whisper White 3-3/8" x 4-5/8"
 Mat: Night of Navy 3-5/8" x 4-7/8"
 Star: Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper 1-1/4" x 1-1/4"
 Card base: Whisper White Thick 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" scored & folded at 4-1/4"

Note: Star and image/mat were both popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals. The Stars Framelits are retiring, and available at a discount until May 31st, while supplies last.

Product List

Work Of Art Clear-Mount Stamp Set

Work Of Art Wood-Mount Stamp Set

For All Things RETIRED
Stamp Set

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Thick Cardstock

Night Of Navy 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper

Real Red Classic Stampin' Pad

Night Of Navy Classic Stampin' Pad

Big Shot

Stars Framelits Dies

Stampin' Dimensionals

Traveler Sympathy

It's been kind of a rough month, with a couple of deaths in the family, so I apologize for my lack of posts. I've been just a little unfocused. This is one of the cards I've made recently, and now I'm working on swaps for the Stampin' Up! convention (in less than two weeks, EEK!). Now that is something to look forward to!

I love how easy it is to add a just dash of color with the Work of Art stamp set, without having to painstakingly color the image. The hint of Lost Lagoon was stamped off twice before stamping over the train. And it was a snap to choose the coordinated color palette based on the Designer Series Paper! The card came together very quickly, so this would be a good design if you needed to make a bunch in a hurry. Just substitute an image of your choice and whatever greeting you choose. Easy-peasy!

STAMPS: Traveler, Work of Art, Teeny Tiny Wishes
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Lost Lagoon, Basic Gray, Moonlight DSP Stack
INK: Lost Lagoon, StazOn Jet Black
ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, On Film Framelits, Small Oval Punch (retired), Lost Lagoon Stitched Satin Ribbon

More Sneak Peeks!

Hard to believe it's been a week since the catalog Premiere in Long Beach. Seems like it was just seven a couple days ago. ;-)

This is another sneak peek at coming attractions....on this card there are six new items!

1. Lost Lagoon cardstock and ink (new In Color)
2. Moonlight Designer Series Paper Stack (two designs shown)
3. Lost Lagoon 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon
4. Tap Tap Tap stamp set
5. Eclectic Paper Piercing Pack
6. And the sixth item is inside - The Alphabet Rotary Stamp

I'm having way too much fun with the new goodies from the preorder! You could be playing with new products, too, because you can choose preorder products in your starter kit! If you want to be the first to get your hands on products in the new catalog, join my team! It's easy, rewarding, shipping is FREE, and there's no further obligation if you decide it's not your cup of tea!

STAMPS: Tap Tap Tap, Work of Art, Alphabet Rotary

CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Basic Black, Lost Lagoon, Moonlight DSP Stack, Gold Foil Sheets

INK: Basic Black, Lost Lagoon, Smoky Slate

ACCESSORIES: Big Shot, Word Bubbles Framelits, Eclectic Paper Piercing Pack, Lost Lagoon 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon, Paper PiercingTool, Stampin' Dimensionals

Carrie's Thank You

One of the stamp sets we were given at the Stampin' Up! Catalog Premiere was the new Ronald MacDonald House Charity stamp set. It's called Flamingo Lingo, and my pink-plastic-yard-flamingo-loving hubby is going to love it. It's so awesome that SU donates $3.00 from the sale of every RMHC stamp set to Ronald MacDonald House! Besides a flamingo, it has a cute flower the fits the Petite Petals Punch. LOVE it!

I did use a stamp from Work of Art for the left panel, as well as Gorgeous Grunge for the gold splattered background, and Lots of Thanks for the greeting. Wow, four stamp sets on one card!

This is the Thank You that I sent to Carrie Cudney for her presentation. She showed us how to put together a stamp pad that has come apart, and then she had a contest with Brian Pilling to see how many times they could take apart and put together their stamp pads in a set time. Needless to say, it was hysterically funny, and their hands were very inky when they were finished.

Tomorrow I'll show the card I made for Shannon West using ALL new products, including the Blended Bloom stamp, Back to Black DSP, Stitched Satin Ribbon, and the new Blendabilities alcohol ink markers! Oh. My. Heck. They are so easy to use, and the results are fabulous!

STAMPS: Flamingo Lingo, Work of Art, Gorgeous Grunge, Lots of Thanks
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Gold Foil Sheets
INK: Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Gold Metallic Encore
ACCESSORIES: Petite Petals Punch, Modern Label Punch, Decorative Label Punch

Fabulous Bonnie

Here's another thank you card for one of the presenters at last Monday's Stampin' Up! Catalog Premiere. This is for the fabulous Bonnie Thurber. She's such a delight, and always has us laughing!

The Work of Art stamp set was used on this one, too. I'm liking the ombre effect of inking up and stamping three or four times without re-inking. I lined up the edge of the wooden block with the edge of the cardstock, and then for each subsequent stmping, lined up with the cardstock and the middle of the previously stamped image. I could have used a Stamp-A-Ma-Jig, but eye-balling it worked pretty well.

Mr. Brown delivered a big box of pre-ordered goodies today, and I'm having a blast playing with new products! I'll post some projects made with new goodies soon. As soon as I can drag myself away long enough to quit playing and take some pics, haha! Have I mentioned how much I love my job?

STAMP: Work of Art, Million & One
CARDSTOCK: Whisper White, Gold Foil Sheets
INK: Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey (NEW IN COLORS!)
ACCESSORIES: Gold Sequin Trim

Work of Art

Just a quickie post for my demo friends who have already received this set at the catalog premiere, and for my customers who may want to order it in the wood-mount option, when it becomes available. The blocks are a very close fit in the case so, taking a hint from my stamping sister Trina, I took a picture so I can figure out how to get them back in the case when I'm finished with them. Thanks for the awesome idea, Trina!!!

This was the set I used on yesterday's card. Have a crafty day!

New Catalog Premiere

Last night I had the delightful opportunity to attend the Stampin' Up! New Catalog Premiere live event in Long Beach, CA.

Oh. My. Gosh.

You are in for such a treat when you get your own copy of the catalog!!! Hold onto your purse strings because, if you're anything like me, you're going to want almost everything in there!

In addition to being introduced to the new layout of the catalog, which is so much easier to navigate, there were demonstrations of some of the new products, and of course, gifts for all attendees! The live event was broadcast to demonstrators in select theaters around the U.S. and Canada, and everyone got their own copy of the new catalog, the new Stampin' Success magazine (exclusively for demonstrators), and a new stamp set called Work of Art.

The lucky Long Beach attendees (who paid extra to attend the live event), got to stay after the live telecast ended, and got even MORE goodies from the catalog. And I do mean MORE! We came home with over $140-worth (retail) of shtuff, which was way more than the price of admission. (Have I mentioned how awesomely generous Stampin' Up! is with their demonstrators? They completely spoil us!)

I have a bunch of thank you notes to send to the various presenters, but my first one, shown above, is going to Shelli Gardner, co-founder and CEO. She was there last night, looking radiant, and never let on how tired I'm sure she must have been, since she's still recovering from her very serious horse riding accident last year.

This card uses the chevron stamp and the Thank You, both from Work of Art. The "Best Catalog Launch Ever" was made with the awesome new Alphabet Rotary Stamp, which makes it possible to create just about ANYTHING you want to say! There are 13 columns of alpha, numeric, and symbol characters. It is so cool!

I won Prize Patrol, which SU does at every event. We get different colored wrist bands, and at intervals throughout the event, they announce what the prize will be, and then *drum roll* the wrist band color/design. My prize was three of the new In Colors - Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, and Hello Honey!  The other two colors are Tangelo Twist and Mossy Meadow, which I think is going to be a great Christmas color.

Well, as you can tell, I'm still riding high after last night's event. I haven't even gone through the catalog completely, but will do so as soon as I get this posted. I just had to share some of the shtuff!

If you need a copy of the new catalog, and you aren't already a customer of mine (who will get theirs in a couple weeks), send me a message so you can get one, too!