The Joy of Stamping

IT'S TIME TO SALE-A-BRATE!!

Yes, it's the most wonderful time of the year!  <insert humming here>  The long anticipated wait for Sale-a-bration is finally over!  This promotion is exciting for demonstrators hostesses and customers alike.  Everyone with Sale-a-bration!

To view the exciting contents of the  Sale-a-bration catalog, CLICK HERE.

I am currently booking for workshops for February and March.  If you are in the Central Florida area and would like to host a Stampin' Up! workshop and earn fabulous, free product, contact me today!  I promise it will be a good time!

Happy Sale-a-brating!

Pursuit of Happiness

I have recently returned from a fantastic conference in San Antonio hosted by Stampin' Up!  I have come back rejuvenated, inspired and ready to share fabulous ideas and products.  Stampin' Up! has some wonderful products and changes on the horizon - it's a great time to be a Stampin' Up! customer and even better to be a demonstrator!

While in San Antonio, I participated in a swap - which is basically an opportunity for demonstrators to exchange card ideas.  It's a fun way to get a variety of styles of cards that I may not normally have an opportunity to showcase.  Here is a photo of my swap:

I can across the color combination in an old scrapbook magazine.  I don't think I would have put Real Red and Pool Party together, but coupled with the black, I found it a really refreshing, trendy combo.  In addition, I find the colors to be gender neutral which can work with a number of types of cards or projects.

My card uses a couple of new products available in the current Occasions Mini catalog to include the Fashionable Heart embosslit die and the Adorning Accents embossing folder.  How can you resist those adorable hearts?

Are you ready for some exciting news?  Within the next 24 hours Stampin' Up!'s most anticipated event begins...Sale-a-bration! For every $50 spent on product, you will earn FREE product in the Sale-a-bration catalog. Don't believe me?  C'mon back tomorrow to see for yourself!

See you then!

Birthday Butterflies

I received a really lovely card in the mail the other day from my friend Kelley B.  Kelley is a fellow demonstrator in AZ and she often fills my mailbox with fun cards and projects.  Kelley's card is bright and whimsical and uses some fantastic designer paper that will be available on Jan 24th.

What is so special about Jan 24th?  I'm glad you asked!  Mark your calendars because Tuesday, January 24th kicks off the best Stampin' Up! promotion of the year - Sale-a-bration!  What makes Sale-a-bration so special is that everyone wins during Sale-a-bration!  For each $50 you spend in product, you earn free product from the Sale-a-bration catalog!  Products include stamps, designer paper, accessories, and more!  Don't have a Sale-a-bration catalog?  Contact me today to have one sent to you.

Over the next few days I will be in San Antonio, Texas at the Stampin' Up! Leadership conference.  As long as I have cooperation from my camera and tablet, I will be posting pictures of the upcoming events.  Be on the lookout for those.

Have a great day! Make it a good one.

Color Coach 101

I'd like to begin by thanking my son and nephews for sharing their cold with me.  The fact that I haven't been able to breathe or sleep lately has hampered my efforts to be creative and has forced me to abandon all things crafty until I could start to function again.  I am slowly returning to normalcy - whatever that is.

To aid me in my effort to be creative, I reached for my Color Coach.  I haven't had any formal training in color principles or understanding the color wheel, but fortunately for me, I don't have to.  Stampin' Up! has created a Color Coach that does all the work for you.  This is such a great tool, especially when you are color challenged like me.  All you do is start by picking a color, turn the card over and voila! you have a color combination that makes you look like you know what you're doing.

Really!  It's that simple!

For my project today, I wanted to use a color that I don't use very often.  It was time to show it some love.  So, I picked Poppy Parade.  I simply found Poppy Parade on my color swatch, turned it over and it told me a "creative combination" would be to use Poppy Parade, Baja Breeze and So Saffron.  So here is the result:

I could have mixed the color combination in any number of ways, but I already had a card base of So Saffron available. A card base of Poppy would have been equally pretty.  The image on this card is from a set called Friends Never Fade.  It, too, hasn't seen much ink lately so I brought it out for my color challenge.

The really cool thing is that the Color Coach offers several combinations, so you're never "stuck" with just one option.  It's a great tool to have on hand when you want to stretch you're creative boundaries and think outside the box. Truth is, I would have never put these colors together on my own, but I like it!

The Color Coach comes in multiple languages too so for all of my Spanish, German and French friends, you won't be left out of the fun (# 120148 English Only  or #121046 Multiple Languages). Interested in owning your own Color Coach ?  I can help with that!  Click here to go to my on-line store. 

Thanks for dropping by! 

You're A-maze-ing!

Creating and sending cards just got more fun! With the introduction of maze games in the Occasions Mini Catalog, the recipient of your card or project can be entertained for hours!   Kids young and old will appreciate the interactive nature of this card.

With a coordinating stamp set called Totally A-maze-ing (#12505W/125507C) you can create a project with this toy for numerous occasions.  The set has 11 pieces with four cleverly worded sentiments.  Check out the other fun stamps in this set:

The maze games are sold in packs of four (4) and very reasonably priced at $2.50 per pack (#124332).  What a great way to add an unexpected surprise to your project!

Ready to test your skills with the maze game?  Click here to order the stamps and games now.  Add a little "fun" to your crafting today!

Glitter Valentine

Christmas may be over but it doesn't mean you have to put away your Christmas crafting supplies, just re-purpose them!

How's this for a sparkly Valentine?  This was inspired by a card I received from a fellow demonstrator, Delores B.  Using the tree from the Holiday Happiness stamp set (#120792) and some of that gorgeous red and silver glitter paper, we now have a new use for what was typically a Christmas set.  I love when I can get more mileage from my stamps!

Here's the other good news.  Stampin' Up! has released a carry over list from the Holiday Mini Catalog and the glitter paper is still available! Click here to see the complete listing of carry over items.  I see glitter paper in my future!

The sentiment is from a new set in the Occasions Mini Catalog called P.S. I love you (#125462C/ 125460W).  This is a huge 11 piece set with multiple images and lots of sentiments, many which can be used throughout the year.

Just a reminder, the Occasions Mini Catalog is now live and available for customer orders!

 Occasions Mini Catalog 
  Stampin' Supplies 
  Occasions Mini Spanish sets
  Product Guide

To shop the Occasions Mini Catalog, click here.  Don't forget to browse the Clearance Rack section while you're at it.  Today is the last day of the Clearance Rack Blitz.  Take advantage of deeply discounted product up to 80% off!

The Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog is now LIVE!

It's been a long wait, or so it seems, but the wait is now over! The Occasions Mini Catalog is now available. Take a peek for yourself:

 Occasions Mini Catalog 
  Stampin' Supplies 
  Occasions Mini Spanish sets
  Product Guide

Go ahead!  Take a look!  You'll love what you see, especially if you like cool tools.  Cool tools?  Yep, we've got 'em and you're going to love 'em.  Framelits, Edgelits and textured embossing folders - products that will bring your project to the next level.  You'll see a lot of samples with them in the coming weeks and months, but let's start with one today.

This card uses a sampling of all the new tools mentioned above.  The image was cut out using the Labels Framelit (#125598), the bottom edge was created using the Edgelits Die (#125595) and the matching embossed edge was created by the Adorning Accents embossing folder (#125601).  These new dies make it so easy to create beautiful, one-of-a-kind projects.

What are you waiting for?  Shop now to make these a part of your crafting arsenal today!

 

 

 

Holiday Mini Catalog ends TODAY!

Tick, tick, tick. 

Do you hear it? 

The clock is ticking and that means time is running out to purchase from the Holiday Mini Catalog.  If you put off buying that holiday stamp set or those fantastic mini jingle bells, get them today before they are no longer available.  The catalog expires at 11:50 pm (MT).

And...

The CLEARANCE RACK BLITZ is set to expire on January 5th.  Shop now to save up to 80% off on discontinued and retired items.  There are some fantastic items here!

Now stop reading and GO SHOP!

Everyday Enchantment

Yesterday I wrote about the New Year and fresh starts.  Today I am showcasing another type of "new".  New products and a new catalog.

The month of January is a very exciting time for Stampin' Up! and it's customers alike. Not only will Stampin' Up! will be releasing the Occasions Mini Catalog January 4th, but Sale-a-bration* begins on January 24th (more on Sale-a-bration in a moment). The 43 page Occasions mini catalog is chocked full of fresh ideas and new products that any level of papercrafter can enjoy. 

My project today showcases two new products: Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper and Adorning Accents Embossing Folders.  Since the  mini catalog has not officially been released yet and Sale-a-bration is still a few weeks away, I can't show you the actual products/catalogs, but I can show the end result. 

Look at the beautiful colors in the designer paper!  Fresh! Spring! Flowers!  I know Winter is just beginning but to see these beautiful colors and flower images, Spring is just around the corner in my mind.  Take a closer look...see the embossed hearts at the bottom?  How's that for something unexpected?  The perfect amount of texture for a simple and elegant card.

*So, not familiar with Sale-a-bration?  It's simply the best time of year to be a Stampin' Up! customer!  From January 24th  through March 31st, for every $50 you spend, you are entitled to select free products from our Sale-a-bration brochure.  And, that's in addition to any Hostess Benefits you may be entitled to!  You'll read more about Sale-a-bration in the upcoming weeks, but you don't want to miss this promotion!

Need an Occasions Mini Catalog? 

Drop me an email at maryann@thejoyofstamping.comand I will get one in the mail to you.  (If you are already working with a demonstrator, please see him/her for your copy of the catalog). Otherwise, I will post a link to the online version on January 4th.

Thanks for dropping by! C'mon back tomorrow to see what other new products I've been playing with lately!

 

Happy New Year!

Like many people, I love the New Year.  It's kind of like the refresh button on the computer. A chance to restart, renew and replenish.  Some consider it a second chance of sorts.  Any way you look at it, it gives us a chance to look at the new year before of us with renewed enthusiasm and hope.  We all need hope.

Before I look ahead I need to look back for a moment to thank all of you, my friends and wonderful customers for a fantastic year with Stampin' Up!  I am incredibly blessed with new friends and old and each one of you are the reason why my passion for this craft continues.  This year I will celebrate my 10th anniversary and I am excited to share with all of you.  Thank you all for your business and your friendship.  I am so grateful.

Just before the holiday madness took over my life, I had an opportunity to create candy packets with two wonderful friends and customers, Carolyn and Cassandra.  These two women came over for several hours just before Christmas to make items to distribute to a local nursing home.  We had so much fun. 

The "packet" was actually the Petite Pocket die for the Big Shot.  We used new and retired paper simply because we needed to make so many.  We also used various embellishments to include rhinestones, pearls, ribbon and more just to jazz things up a bit. 

 As you can see, we created quite a mess! But, it didn't matter, we enjoyed making them and knew the recipients would appreciate them.

I hope all of you enjoyed time with family and friends over the past few weeks and that you are looking ahead with newed hope and optimism.  I hope 2012 is joyous and prosperous year for all of you. 

I look forward to sharing another year of creativity with you.