Gearing Up for the Occasions Catalog

Hello Stamping Friends,

Happy Friday! Only a few days left in 2016 and then we get to start anew. Fresh. Clean Slate. I wish all of you a happy, healthy prosperous New Year for 2017.  I thank each of you for staying with me and supporting my business this past year and the other 15 years I have been with Stampin' Up! It's been a wild ride and I have loved every minute of it. I look forward to sharing and creating with all of you in 2017, so stick with me, the ride isn't over by a long shot. There's lots more riding to be done.

This is a sneak peek (well, if you have your Occasions catalog, you have already seen the set) of what's to come in the Occasions Catalog on January 4th. Did you get yours yet? If not, please let me know and I can get one to you. The stamp set is called Lift Me Up. It was a set that was part of my presentation back in November at the Seacaucus, New Jersey OnStage event for Stampin' Up! It was such an honor and privilege to be selected to present. I had so much fun preparing for it and even more fun actually doing it (well, that is once my nerves settled down in the first few minutes of the presentation).

I was so excited about this set. I have a dream of going up in a hot air balloon so I loved getting to create with it. I even found pajamas with hot air balloons on them to wear while I was away at the event. I needed to be in the zone completely (haha).

The awesome thing about this set is that it has a coordinating Sale-a-bration pack of Designer Series Paper that goes with it. How awesome is that. The paper behind the three balloons is from the pack. I'll share more projects in the days ahead using both the set and the paper. You do know that Sale-a-bration is only a few days away, right?  Book your own private class today, some date are still available.

Also, don't forget the Goodbye 2016! Hello Sale! Many, many products are still available at a discounted price. This ends January 4th.

Happy New Year!

Don't Forget the Year-End Closeout Sale

Hello Stamping Friends,

Just wanted to give you a quick reminder of the great sale that is happening now (only a few days left). I know we are all crazy busy just before Christmas and you may have forgotten about the Goodbye 2016 sale Stampin' Up! is holding right now. Many products are on sale.

Many things are up to 60% off. So if there are still a few things you were hoping to get from the Holiday catalog, check out the sale and see if your items are on sale. Remember the sale ends January 3rd and so does the Holiday Catalog. Come January 4th there's a new guy in town, the Occasions Catalog and the Sale-a-bration catalog.

To see all the items on sale, CLICK HERE.

Below is a screen shot of my website of what you will see when you go. Click on the Year-end Closeouts to see all the items and their sale prices.

Thank you for all the love and support this past year. I appreciate each and every one of my stamping friends. See you in 2017!

2017 Occasions Catalog Bingo Kick-Off Event

Hello Stamping Friends,

I can't wait. Coming up very quickly will be the Occasions Catalog Kick-off Bingo. Mark your calendars and reserve your spot today.

Details are listed below. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact me.

I can't wait to see you there, play some bingo, stamp with new stamps and other goodies too.

Don't forget to reserve your spot.

Cheerful Penguins Add Sparkle

Hello Stamping Friends,

Happy Friday to you. Happy day before Christmas Eve as well. Are you ready for the big weekend? I still have a good amount that I want to complete but I'm not really stressing over it. What I get done, I get done. I really am okay with that because I know my family won't mind not having that extra batch of cookies baked or the perfect gift wrapping and all those other things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things this Christmas. As long as we are all together we can make great memories that will certainly last a lifetime. Perhaps I'm also being a little naive in realizing how little time I really have left. LOL

Anyway, I thought I'd share these cute little packages with you today. The chevron bags are retired but Stampin' Up! still carries these great little gift bags. They are just plain so that leaves so many options open for you to stamp them however you would like or just leave them as they are.

These bags are holding the little gifts that Jonah gave to his teachers and bus driver this year as a little token of appreciation for all they do. What's inside? Well, I got some little car air fresheners and their holders from Bath & Body. I figured they could use them in their cars or even leave them somewhere in their classrooms. 

I know teachers don't need or want any more #1 teacher mugs, pens, or "apples" for their desks and I figured this would be a good gift that they can use anywhere and for a long time. Hope they liked them.

The little tags were so quick to put together but I love how they ultimately turned out. I had the penguins and candy canes already cut out as left overs from my Christmas cards (yep, they finally were finished this year). The rest was a quick scallop punch, a strip of designer series paper and a strip of some red glimmer paper (my favorite). I love how they sparkle. You know I love me some glitter.

Try to relax and enjoy the true reason for the season this year. Don't fret if you didn't get that one gift, clean your house perfectly, decorate every spec on and in your house, or bake all those cookies you wanted to. None of that should really matter. Enjoy your loved ones and cherish every moment you have with them.

Product List

Snow Place Photopolymer Stamp Set [139738] $26.00	Snow Friends Framelits Dies [139664] $27.00	Presents & Pinecones Designer Series Paper [141986] $11.00
Black Glimmer Paper [139605] $5.00	Red Glimmer Paper [121790] $5.00	Emerald Envy 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [141415] $8.00
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $9.00	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332] $7.00	Stampin' Trimmer [126889] $30.00
Paper Snips Scissors [103579] $10.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Big Shot [143263] $110.00
2-3/8" Circle Scallop Punch [118874] $18.00

A Few More Christmas Cards to Share

Hello Stamping Friends,

I'm back with a few more cards to share with you that I received this Christmas season. I have to say, I'm just thrilled that my cards are all finished and out this year. It took me two years to get them done (thanks to life getting in the way last year) but I'm so happy to be able to report they are postal.

This card with a different type of fold was made by Patti H.

This cute little gingerbread house card was made by Maria H.

This shiny reindeer card was made by Barbara B.

And this great ornament card was made by Karen B.

Again, thank you ladies for sharing and thinking of me this Christmas season. I appreciate each and every one of you and thank you for your continued support this past year.  Remember, I only shared first names because these were made by customers.

A few Christmas Cards I Received

Hello Stamping Friends,

I received some great Christmas cards this year and I wanted to share them with you. Of course, I received many other cards/picture cards that were beautiful and well appreciated that each person thought of my family during the holidays but I'm only sharing the ones made with Stampin' Up! stamps with you here.

This first one was made by Ruth D. An elegant card that is simply delightful.

This one is made by Susan T. Who doesn't love a good Christmas cookie?

This one was created by Megan J. I love the embossing with a few little stamps.

And this beauty that sparkle and shines was made by Cindy O.

I'm only sharing first names because some of these were made by customers. Again, thank you each of you for thinking of me this holiday season. Come back for more.

Did You Wear Your Pearls Today?

Hello Stamping Friends,

Today at the Sisters in Stamping we are celebrating "Wear Your Pearls Day" by sharing some great projects that use some Basis Pearls, the perfect little addition to finish off every stamped project. The Basic Pearls are a great finishing look.

For this card, I used the botanical blooms stamp set and thinlits in what I would call a non-traditional color combination. I usually want to make flowers that are yellow, pink, and purple. Never blues, but I must admit that I really like the finished look of this card even though I'm not a "blue person."

I love these thinlits because they cut the shape out and also cut the center out just a bit so some of the flowers have dimension. Notice the little pearls at the center of each flower? They really add a lot to the overall finished look of this card. Without it, the flowers would be a bit "dull." Do you agree?

Adding some texture to the layered basic gray cardstock gives the card even more dimension. You know I love using some textured folders on most projects. I think at this point, I often feel that a project isn't "finished" until it has some texture on it.

Don't forget to check out the Sisters in Stamping blog for more ideas using pearls. Hope you wore your pearls today.

Product List

Botanical Blooms Photopolymer Stamp Set [140757] $17.00	Botanical Builder Framelits Dies [140625] $33.00	Pearl Basic Jewels Embellishments [119247] $5.00
Elegant Dots Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [138287] $7.50	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730] $9.00	Basic Gray 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121044] $8.00
Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122924] $8.00	Pear Pizzazz 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131201] $8.00	Island Indigo 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [122923] $8.00
Basic Gray Archival Stampin’ Pad [140932] $7.00	SNAIL Permanent Adhesive [104332] $7.00	Stampin' Trimmer [126889] $30.00
Paper Snips Scissors [103579] $10.00	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430] $4.00	Big Shot [143263] $110.00