The Joy of Stamping

Fresh Vintage meets Mocha Morning

I was flipping through some old craft magazines that I have and came across a card that uses one of my favorite color combinations - pink and brown. Truth is, anything with pink in it I tend to like.  My card today was inspired that color combination and my affinity for "shabby chic". 

I have an eclectic mix of stamps, ink and paper on this card.  This was so much fun to make! The butterfly is stamped with the image from the Fresh Vintage stamp set (which can be yours for FREE during Sale-a-bration) and embossed using Rose Red craft ink and Iridescent Ice embossing powder.  Oh, you should see how that butterfly *sparkles* in person!  So, pretty! 

With all of the new product out in the Occasions Mini Catalog and the Sale-a-bration catalog, some of my "older" product wasn't feelin' the love.  The colors in the Mocha Morning Designer Series paper pack were a perfect match for the look I was trying to achieve. 

And, what's a card without accessories?  I added a touch of my favorite ribbon, Blushing Bride 3/8" pleated ribbon and bit of  Very Vanilla satin ribbon.  And, then of course, no shabby chic look is complete without the pearls.  A little distressing of the edges pulled it all together.

There's still time to place your Sale-a-bration order!  Remember, you earn FREE product for every $50 you spend.  Shop now to earn your free goodies!

 

Framelits Labels Collection samples

Going through some of my pictures from Leadership Conference and thought I would show a few of my favorites using the Framelits Labels Collection:

 

 

 

Have a great day!

Mary Ann

My team is growing...by two little feet!

Congratulations to my friend and team member, Heather, who recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Olivia.  I am SO happy for her!  Both mom and baby were doing so well they were released from the hospital a day early.  Olivia is a gorgeous baby!

To welcome Olivia (future Stampin' Up! demonstrator and Ink Happens member), I pulled out the cute rocking horse in the Ain't Love Grand stamp set, some Melon Mambo card stock and designer paper and Crumb Cake card stock.  The baby's room is pink and brown, so I knew I had the right color combination. 

The Ain't Love Grand set is a hostess set which can be earned by any hostess who has at least $150 in sales.  With Sale-a-bration in full swing, NOW is the best time to be a hostess.  Why?  In addition to the "normal" hostess benefits of free hostess dollars, you also earn at least three (3) Sale-a-bration products (one product for every $50 in sales), but you also receive a gorgeous tote bag. Seriously, it's a really pretty bag! 

Who wouldn't love to shop with this? 

Are you ready to host your own workshop?  Want to know more about hosting?  Click here to view a short video then contact me to book your workshop.  But, hurry, Sale-a-bration is only through March 31st!

Candy Wallet

When I was at the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference last month in San Antonio, I had the chance to meet up with my third level upline, Pennie McCallum.  I've talked about Pennie several times in the past because she sends me the cutest things in the mail!  I've posted many of them over the past few months.

Pennie didn't disappoint with her cute things at the conference either.  She passed out what I am calling a "candy wallet" to the ladies on her team.  It was adorable...and came filled with chocolate too!  Pennie used Everyday Enchantment designer paper (which is FREE during Sale-a-bration!) and the coordinating brads and ribbon (also FREE during Sale-a-bration).

 

 

I made my own version last week as I needed a little token of appreciation for a neighbor:

 

 These are great to have on hand as a "thank you" for someone special!

I will get a tutorial posted for these by next weekend.  You'll love the simplicity of these!

So as to prove Pennie is "real", here's a quick pic of Pennie and I while at the Leadership Conference:

Thanks for stopping by today! 

 

Stampin' Up! Framelits Storage

Happy Sunday!  It's been a very productive weekend at the Reiner house.  My husband and I have been cleaning, purging, and organizing - something we have a tendency to put off.  It felt so good to accomplish so much!  We can now start the work week off knowing things are in order at home.

In the spirit of organization, I adapted an idea Patty Bennett originally presented - storage for the Stampin' Up! Framelits and Edgelits.  I love when people come up with such clever ideas!  Take a look:

Using a Clear-Mount Stamp Case (#119105) as the "storage unit",  I cut a piece of Cheerful Treat DSP (#122381) measuring 7"x 10.625". Before inserting the paper into the cover,  I embellished the front with a couple of Labels Framelits (#125598) and silver brads.  For the side, I printed a label and mounted it on corresponding DSP and added a few more brads. On the inside, I added the sandwich directions for the Big Shot. 

For the Framelits to adhere to the inside, I used a 4.875" x 6"piece of Magnet Sheet (#119816).  Patty used a 5x6 piece, but I found I had trouble closing my case with the 5" width so I trimmed it just a tad - worked like a charm.  To pretty things up a bit, a coordinating piece of DSP, also measuring 4.875" x 6" was adhered to the magnet strip.  On the back of the magnet sheet is a piece of paper you peel off to attach the magnet to the case.

This came together faster than I thought and it really makes a nice presentation when showing off Stampin' Up!'s latest and greatest accessory.  Give it a try!  Click here to shop my online store for your project needs.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

 

Unexpected Valentine...and blog maintenance

In my post on Valentine's Day I explained that my husband and I really don't buy into the commercialized holidays - Valentine's Day being one of them.  I had a full schedule that day and got home around 10pm.  On the kitchen counter was a small card...a card with a Stampin' Up! image on it.  And, it was a card that I had not made.  We are empty nesters so the only other person who had access to my stamps was the husband - oh, and the dog.

This is Kayla...my 12 year old pup and the other love of my life.  Apparently, she's very talented because she made this card:

She was very considerate of my card stock because she went into my scrap bin to make this so as not to use paper that I need for workshops and classes.  She has an affinity for pink, with the retired Pixie Pink a personal favorite - hence the Pixie Pink heart.  Is this a great dog, or what?  I <heart> her!

A keeper of a card for sure!

On a different note, you may have noticed my blog looks a little different.  I have had the same blog look for almost 4 years and I wanted a change.  It's a work in progress and I expect there will be several more changes before it's complete.  Bear with me and my temporary construction zone as I work towards a fresh look.

Happy Weekend!

 

 

Stampin' Up! Fresh Vintage Hostess Pack

I'm really excited to show you today's project.  It was inspired by a card I received from my friend and upline, Pennie McCallum.  Pennie always sends me the most lovely cards and I am often creating something as a result (I hope she buys into the theory that imitation is a form of flattery and should be viewed as a compliment!).

Due to the popularity of Sale-a-bration, I have a number of workshops scheduled over the next few weeks.  As a thank you to my hostesses, I have made a set of Thank You cards based on Pennie's card.  They use my absolute favorite ribbon, the 3/8" Pleated Satin Ribbon.  Each pack contains 4 cards with envelopes.  This was intentional because I wanted to make a card using each of the 4 colors of pleated ribbon - Pear Pizzazz (#125568), Riding Hood Red (#125569), Blushing Bride (#125570) and Baja Breeze (#125571).

If you followed my blog earlier in the week, you may recall my post on Valentine's Day where I mentioned the use of Stampin' Up! note cards (#107311).  All of these hostess packs were made with the note cards.  They were so quick and easy to make because so much of the prep work was already done for me!  And, I was able to make 5 (FIVE!!) hostess packets with just one set of note cards!  Talk about economical!!  I am certain each of my hostesses will love this gift.

Interested in hosting a workshop with me?  If you live in the Central Florida area and would like to have your own Fresh Vintage Hostess pack, then contact me at maryann@thejoyofstamping.com to schedule your workshop today! I would love to be your demonstrator!

Help Wanted - Stampin' Up! style

Interested in making some extra cash?  Interested in making a LOT of cash?  How about a discount on all Stampin' Up! products? Wanna make new friends?  Or, how about all the above?  Then I want you!

I am looking for enthusiastic crafters to join my "Ink Happens" team. Whether you want to join Stampin' Up! for it's business opportunity or simply join to have the "inside scoop" on stamping trends and products, then this is the perfect time to say, "Yes to the Stamps!" (that doesn't flow as nicely as "Yes to the Dress", but you get the idea...). 

Now through the end of March, you can receive the Starter Kit for just $125!  And, through March 31st, get FREE designer series paper or a digital download for the remainder of 2012!  The starter kit is valued at more than $345. With the addition of the free paper and downloads, this kit is now worth more than $400!  What are you waiting for?

Stampin' Up! wants this opportunity to fit your lifestyle.  Business-minded?  Great, we have endless resources for you, including all the help you want from me as your upline.  Just interested in the discounted product?  That's great too - you'll have access to everything the business-minded demonstrator has, but YOU decide if and when you want to access it.  It really is that simple.

Have questions?  I would love to answer them.  Please email me at: maryann@thejoyofstamping.com

Ready to join?  Click HERE to...

 

 

Stampin' Up! Fresh Vintage Stamp Set

Sale-a-bration is in full swing and my local stampers are LOVIN' the free product with this promotion!  To showcase some of the awesome products in the Sale-a-bration catalog, here is a card we made at one of my stamp camps last week.

My inspiration for this card was actually from a sample right out of the 2012 Sale-a-bration catalog!  Not only are there great products in there but great samples/ideas too!  My stampers LOVED this card and it was voted "favorite" for the month.  What makes this card so great is that most of the card elements were earned for FREE!

The stamp set is Fresh Vintage (#125115W, 125117C) and has 5 beautiful images and one of the images coordinates with the Postage Stamp Punch (#122344)!  My favorite part of this card are the colors and the Everyday Enchantment designer series paper . Wow!  Stampin' Up! totally rocked it with this new paper.  The colors work well for so many different occasions and many are gender neutral too.

The butterfly was created by covering a cereal box with the Everyday Enchantment paper (I used our glue sticks to adhere it - it's the best glue stick around!). Once the paper was adhered, I cut out the butterfly with the Beautiful Butterfly Bigz Die (#114507).  I really love how a simple chipboard embellishment, or in this case, an dsp covered cereal box embellishment can make a card POP.  So pretty and so elegant.

Are you interested in earning this beautiful stamp set or designer series paper for free?  Contact me today at: maryann@thejoyofstamping.com with help to place your order. 

Don't need any help?  Then head on over to my ONLINE STORE and have fun shopping!

 

Ribbon Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!  I should admit upfront that my husband and I don't make much of a fuss about this day.  In fact, I will be gone most of the day and he will be left to fend for his own dinner tonight.  Not that we don't appreciate the meaning behind this day, we just don't like to buy into the commercialization of it.  I'm certain he will be just fine with whatever leftover he can find in the fridge.  He will likely embrace the idea of eating in his recliner in front of the T.V.

So as not to come across as a Valentine scrooge, I would like to prove that I have made a Valentine.  It's a ribbon Valentine that incorporates scraps of ribbon.  It also gave me the opportunity to use Stampin' Up!'s Hearts Framelits.

This card came together pretty quickly.  On the inside, I secured the ribbon around the heart with Sticky Strip and then placed an additional piece of card stock over it to hide the scraps from the inside. As you can see, I used all sorts of ribbon to include: satin, grosgrain, crochet and the new pleated satin ribbon (LOVE that ribbon).  A simply greeting at the bottom from the P.S. I Love You stamp set was a perfect way to tie everything together.

This card also uses something that I have neglected for many years...Note Cards (#107311).  It's hard to tell in the photograph, but this is a 3.5" x 5" note card, not a standard A2 card.  I recently received a card that used the note card which reminded me they were suitable for mailing.  I immediately took them out of my drawer and have used them for several projects since.  Be sure to check back here on Friday to see the awesome hostess card packs I made with the note cards.

Here's the beautiful thing about Stampin' Up! note cards...they're pre-cut, pre-scored and they come with envelopes!  I don't have any prep work and it saves so much time!  And, they're a great value too!  For only $5.95, you get 20 cards and envelopes per pack. They're a bit hidden in the catalog, but you can find them on top of page 182.   If time is an issue for you too, you should consider getting a pack or two of the note cards.  You won't regret it!  Click HERE to purchase your notes card today!

For those of you who embrace today and all that it means, Happy Valentine's Day to you!