Love You Much Promotion

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I know Grant and I were spoiled! Unfortunately, I don't have any crafts to share because I've been pretty busy with the holidays, but Stampin Up is offering another new promotion to get ready for Valentine's Day! This offers a "Love You Much" bundle of products that will be available in the new catalogue. They have bundled up (for this promotion only from December 23-January 31) the new Love You Much stamp set, new Candy Lane designer paper, and the new Heart to Heart punch for 20% off. You get all of it for $50.28! Once this promotion is over, the items have to be purchased separately for a total cost of $62.85.

Click here to check out the details in the flyer.

One of the stamps in the Love You Much bundle even lines up with the hearts in the Heart to Heart punch for making quick decorated heart punches!

Currently this promotion has already sold over 9000 bundles! Because of thordee overwhelming response to this promotion, the Candy Lane designer series paper has sold out but they will be getting more that will begin shipping the week of January 5th.

One More Christmas Tag and a Tip

Here's the last tag I have done so far for Christmas. I still have quite a few to go, but finding time to stamp, even for these small projects, is difficult this time of year. For that same reason, my posts will become more random until after the holidays - I hope you'll stick with me though! I love the look of this tag!

Tip: I don't own any silver paper so I created the silver piece in the back by rubbing silver ink around the edges of a piece of whisper white cardstock. I think it looks great! You can do this with any colour of ink if you don't have the colour of paper you want.

Supplies:

Stamps: SU A Holly Jolly Christmas, Snow Swirled
Ink: Brilliance Sterling Silver
Paper: SU real red, ww
Misc: SU real red brad, SU silver cord

Santa Tag

Here's another Christmas tag I've made - I think it's one of my favourites so far. I just love this Santa image from the SU A Holly Jolly Christmas set. I'm just so happy about how well the SU cardstock matches my Christmas papers I bought. I'm really picky that way and if they didn't match I was just going to use store bought tags.

Supplies:

Stamps: SU A Holly Jolly Christmas
Ink: SU Real Red
Paper: SU ww, real red, green galore

Simple Scallop Christmas Tags

Here's a couple more Christmas tags that I've made. These two were really simple but when they are going on such small presents I thought they needed to be. They both use the SU Season of Cheer rub-ons and SU scallop circle punch. The red and white tag is actually punched on the fold of the white paper so that it opens - inside it has the "to" and "from" stamped image from the A Holly Jolly Christmas set. The green tag did not need to open as the rub-on has the to/from right on it!

Red Tag Supplies:

Stamps: SU A Holly Jolly Christmas
Rub-ons: SU Season of Cheer
Paper: SU real red, ww
Punches: SU Scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle

Green Tag Supplies:

Rub-ons: SU Season of Cheer
Paper: SU green galore, ww
Punches: SU scallop circle, 1 3/8" circle

Retiring Stamps, Discounts, and Free Shipping - Oh My!

Scroll down for another post from today to see some Christmas tags I've been working on.

Lots of Stampin' Up! news to share today. As the end of the current catalogue is coming near (it ends January 18, 2009), Stampin' Up! releases a list of stamps that are going to be retired and not carried over into the next catalogue. This list is released early so if you've been contemplating about a stamp set that is on the list, NOW is the time to get it. Click here to read the retiring stamp sets listed Alphabetically.

Click here to read the retiring stamp sets listed Numerically (by page number).

Plus, Stampin' Up! is offering these retiring stamp sets at 10% off from Dec 9 - Dec 23!

On top of this limited time 10% off retiring sets, Stampin' Up! is celebrating the Holiday season again with free shipping on all orders over $100 (Canadian orders only) from Dec 9 - Dec 23. Don't miss out on these great deals!

Email me if you are interested or have any questions!

Pacific Point Christmas Tags

I've been working on making Christmas tags for all of the Christmas presents I have to give. I'm making them fairly simple just because of the quantity that I have to make, but I still think they look great.

Christmas Tag 1:Christmas Tag 2: These are two that I have had in mind for a while, but only just finally got to make. I love how well the SU Pacific Point matched with these papers! They turned out better than I had hoped - especially the first one! It uses the reverse masking technique in which I used my SU sponge daubers dipped in pacific point ink and sponged it in a 1 3/8" circle punch. You can read more about how to do this technique here. I then inked the snowflake stamp in Versamark and used white embossing powder to make it pop.

Supplies for Tag 1:

Stamps: SU Snow Swirled, A Holly Jolly Christmas
Ink: SU Versamark, Pacific Point
Paper: SU ww, pacific point
Punch: 1 3/8" circle punch to create mask
Misc: SU white embossing powder

Supplies for Tag 2:

Stamps: SU Deer Friends, A Holly Jolly Christmas
Ink: SU Versamark, Pacific Point
Paper: SU ww, pacific point
Punches: SU 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circles, scallop circle
Misc: SU white embossing powder

Wedding Cards

I've been in the "wedding" mood since starting to get going on my wedding invitations, so I thought I'd test out some new wedding rubber too!

Both of these cards were so easy to make. I love the look of red, white and black wedding cards. They just look so classic to me (although I did also add a bit of green for the stems too but it's quite subtle).

Supplies:

Stamps: Stamping Bella Hitchedafellabella, SU Best Yet (Hostess set)
Ink: SU basic black, real red, old olive (I used the SU markers to colour the flowers, stems, lips and sentiment)
Paper: SU ww, real red, real red dp
Punches: SU 1 1/4" circle, 1 3/8" circle




These use a stamp I had purchased a while ago but had yet to use from Stamping Bella called Hitchedafellabella - check out their stamps if you haven't yet, they are so cute!


Supplies:

Stamps: Stamping Bella Hitchedafellabella
Ink: SU basic black, real red, old olive
Paper: SU ww, basic black, real red
Punches: SU corner punch
Misc: Cuttlebug Swiss Dots embossing folder

12 Days/Posts of Christmas - Day 12

I've saved the best for last on my 12 Days of Christmas! No, it's not Stampin' Up! stamps (I didn't bother with that because I felt that was a given - I became an SU demonstrator because I found their stamps to be a much higher quality and love the images and sentiments they come out with) but rather Stampin' Up! papers. This is a long post but worth the read (if I do say so myself)!

Stampin' Up! card stock comes in colours exclusive to SU:

• 4 colour families ( Rich Regals, Soft Subtles, Bold Brights and Earth Elements)
• Neutrals
• In Colours (exclusive trendy colours available for one year only)

These papers are all 80-lb. cover weight of acid and lignin free, high quality, smooth card stock. They are available in 12" x 12" (textured or non-textured) sheets or 8 1/2" x 11" (non-textured) sheets. Depending on which type they can be sold in a variety package (ie. all 6 colours) or in a single colour pack - check pages 163-165 of the catalogue to see what is available in what you are interested in.

But, what is THE BEST THING about Stampin' Up! card stock? It coordinates with Stampin' Up! exclusive inks, pastels, markers, ribbons and designer papers! All of the guess work is removed. There is no more buying inks or papers that you hope will match. Stampin' Up! colour coordinates everything. The catalogue tells you which of their exclusive colours are used in the designer papers so you know exactly which inks and card stocks to use for it all to match!

Stampin' Up! not only removes this guess work but it is even of comparable price to your local retail store. Card stock is often sold for $0.35-$1.50/sheet in stores; with SU you can buy 24 sheets of 8 1/2" x 11" for $6.50 (that's only $0.27 per sheet). The textured and 12" x 12" sheets are similarly comparable.

Stampin' Up! designer papers are similarly comparable as well, but again have the added bonus that the catalogue tells you exactly which colours of ink, card stock and ribbon will match exactly! SU designer papers are acid and lignin free and come in 12" x 12" double-sided sheets. They are very affordable at 12 sheets for $11.75. I've yet to find papers in my local stores for that price - let alone of that quality too!

I don't know if I've convinced you, but I know you'll love it if you give it a try! Remember, if you are shopping for Christmas, Stampin' Up! recommends you order no later than today! Email me if you are interested in placing an order.

12 Days/Posts of Christmas - Day 11

I'm going to do these last two days early as Stampin' Up! recommends placing your orders by Dec 7 to receive them in time for Christmas!

Many crafters recommend having a good pair of scissors for cutting around images, however, I recommend having a good pair of scissors specifically for cutting ribbon. As someone who LOVES to use ribbon on cards and scrapbooks, I used SU's Craft & Paper Scissors once on ribbon and have been hooked since. I use these scissors just on ribbon and they stay sharp and make nice clean cuts every time without fraying the ends!

These are some of the more expensive scissors at $35.95 but I find them worth it, and would recommend them if you are a crafter who uses a lot of ribbon. Features of the SU Craft & Paper Scissors are:

• 3 3/4" blade length to work for wide ribbons
• stainless steel blades
• ideal for cutting paper and ribbon
• ergonomically designed (for right-handed individuals)

Note: These should not be used for cutting wire (including wired ribbons) or rubber.

12 Days/Posts of Christmas - Day 10

One of the tools that I LOVE is the Crop-a-dile. It is a silent eyelet setter and hole punch. I have to admit I don't use eyelets as often as I would like to but pull this tool out for hole punches too. Features of the crop-a-dile ($37.95) are:

• punches 3/16" and 1/8" holes
• punches through cardstock, chipboard, fabric, leather, tin and other materials
• silently sets eyelets
• silently sets snaps
• comes with instructions

The Crop-a-dile is so easy to use! There are instructions that come with it to tell you what settings to have the top and bottom blocks on depending on what size eyelet/snap you are setting. This tool is one of the first tools that I purchased and it remains one of my favourites!

Christmas Reindeer for a Cause

My Mom bought me these adorable reindeer from one of her co-workers for a great cause and I just had to share them. They are so cute and look amazing with all of our Christmas decorations. To respect their privacy, I will just tell you that the woman my Mom bought them from is selling these great reindeer to raise money to help send her daughter to the United States for medical treatment for a condition called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

If you are interested in these reindeer, let me know and I can share the information. They come in a set of these three different sizes and different ribbon options are available.

Festive Centerpiece

This picture does not do this project justice at all. Grant and I had extra ornaments leftover after decorating our Christmas tree because there were SO many deals on ornaments over the weekend) and I found this extra vase we had when we were tidying up. I thought it would be really cute to fill the vase with the extra ornaments and tie a ribbon around it.

It looked really nice just like that but it seemed like something was missing. Since I had the rubons out from creating the glitter ornaments and snowflake candles, I thought I would try to put one on the vase and see how that looks. Grant picked out the Merry & Bright sentiment from the SU Season of Cheer rubons and we think it looks amazing. We've got it sitting as a table centerpiece but it could go just about anywhere!

12 Days/Posts of Christmas - Day 9

It's kind of funny, but typing up these 12 Days/Posts of Christmas I realize how much stuff I put off buying for so long and how much $$ I've ended up spending over time! But, once I came to accept that I was going to be doing this seriously and actually sticking to it, it's so worth it. I dont' know about you, but I find paper crafting so relaxing and almost therapeutic!

Anyways, on to the real post. Another thing that I was cheap about buying was a good stamp cleaner. I had just used water and an old cloth or paper towel to clean my stamps before. Now I use Stampin' Up! Stampin' Scrub and Stampin' Mist. I can't even begin to describe the difference. My stamps don't get totally stained like they did before and the rubber works so much better.

Stampin' Up! Stampin' Mist ($4.75 for 2 oz; $10.75 for 8 oz refill) cleans and conditions your rubber stamps. Features are:

• cleans all types of ink off rubber
• comes in a nonaerosol spray container
• can spray directly on stamp or Stampin' Scrub

For best results, the Stampin' Mist should be used immediately after stamping. Note that dark ink may still stain rubber; Stampin' Mist cleans but does not eliminate stains (It is recommended to use a specially formulated StazOn cleaner when using StazOn ink).

Stampin' Up! Stampin' Scrub ($17.95; 2 Scrub refill pads $10.25) is a dual sided tray that contains black fibre scrubbing pads. You clean with Stampin' Mist on one side and dry the stamp on the other side. Features of Stampin' Scrub are:

• holds two removable scrubbing pads
• replaceable pads
• heavy duty case
• large enough to clean large background stamps
• umbrella label for drying side
• three water drops identify wet cleaning side

To use the Stampin' Scrub, spray Stampin' Mist on the wet pad, then rub your stamp on the wet pad. Then rub the stamp dry on the dry side of the Stampin' Scrub to remove any leftover ink or moisture. If the removable pads become heavily soiled themselves over time, you can simply remove them, run them under water and airdry them until they are ready to use again (do not put them in the dishwasher).

Snowflake Candles

I'm really getting into the Christmas spirit and have more Christmas decorations to show you! These were super simple. I just bought some red candles from Pier 1 and just rubbed snowflakes from the SU Season of Cheer rubons all over them (the ribbon was already on them). I made two because I am obsessed with symmetry so these stand on either side of our TV stand. Our whole living room is so festive.

I've got more Christmas projects to show you over the next couple of days as well!

Pink Glitter Ornament

Scroll down for more posts from today!

After seeing these gorgeous ornaments that Amy made I knew I had to give it a try. The directions are on that page too. Since I made a few ornaments I made a few with just reinker and a few with some water and reinker to get a few different shades of pink. I love how they look like a bubblegum pink. These were pretty easy to make once I got the hang of it (I'll admit that I did ruin a couple). I decided to make them all using SU Pink Pirouette because it reminds me of an ornament that my parents have that my sister and I would fight over every year as to who gets to hang it (we still fight about it) because we both thought it was the most beautiful ornament we had ever seen! I'm now trying to convince them to let me have it for my tree!

To jazz up the ornaments a bit more I used a snowflake rubon from the Season of Cheer rubons. I found that because of the round ornament I had to be careful rubbing it on so that it turned out nice (I did have to scratch my first one off because it looked so bad).

12 Days/Posts of Christmas - Day 8

Just a reminder, today is the last day to purchase any of the Holiday Extravaganza bundles. The All in the Family Bundle is sold out. Click here for more details on this promotion. Check the post below for an additional product promotion that is starting today.

Edited to Add: Bags & Tags Bundle, Santa's Stocking Stuffer Bundle, Star Struck Bundle, Mission Embossable Bundle and the Curly Label Punch Bundle are now SOLD OUT.

As I mentioned on Day 1, something you should invest in is a scoring tool if you are going to be making cards. I personally use the Scor-Pal but as it is quite expensive, I will share details of the SU bone folder as well (which is what I used prior to my Mom buying me the Scor-Pal).

The SU bone folder costs $8.75, is made of sanded and polished cattle bone, and is used to score paper and make clean crisp folds. You use the pointed end to score the paper and then burnish a smooth fold using one of the two beveled sides.

Scor-Pal is not an SU product but it is amazing. The Scor-Pal can be purchased directly from their website http://www.scor-pal.com/ with many different packages avaible depending on what else you are in need of (such as carrying case, tapes etc).

The Scor-Pal alone costs $39.95. It is a 12" x 12" scoring surface with raised rulers along the top and right sides which allows you to align your paper. Grooves are all across the board at varying intervals including every 1/2" and every 1" as well us other areas unique to various types of cards. The Scor-Pal comes with its own scoring tool that snaps in to the top of the board so it can be kept together at all times.

I use my Scor-Pal for every single card that I make! Just making the center fold on every card goes so much faster with this tool! With the number of cards I make, this was such an awesome gift. It can be used for scoring any paper so you can use it for 3D projects as well, not just cardmaking!

Stampin' Up! Product Offer

You may recall seeing this Fall-Winter Sampler catalogue earlier in the year but I am posting it again because located in it is another promotion that Stampin' Up! is offering starting today! SU is just full of promos for the holidays!! This promotion runs from Dec 1 - Jan 18. Click here to take a flip through this catalogue. Spend $20 on Stampin' Up! products and you get 20% off any stamp set in this catalogue. Note too that once you spend the $20, there is no limit to the number of discounted stamp sets you can purchase!

Description	Retail	20% off
Flight of the Butterfly	$37.95	$30.36
Sur les ailes d'un papillon (French Flight of the Butterfly)	$37.95	$30.36
Puns from the past	$32.95	$26.36
Just Jawing	$30.95	$24.76
Je t'ai en tête (French Just Jawing)	$30.95	$24.76
Dreams du Jour	$22.95	$18.36
Rêves au menu (French Dreams du Jour)	$22.95	$18.36
Thank You Kindly	$16.50	$13.20
Tous mes remerciements (French Thank You Kindly)	$16.50	$13.20
Wow Flowers	$15.50	$12.40
Bonheur fleuri (French Wow Flowers)	$15.50	$12.40
Bella's Bloom	$15.50	$12.40

Lots of great deals going on right now. Email Me if you need anything!