Happy Fourth of July!  I am grateful for all of those that made this country great.  We are so blessed to live in the land of the free!

My poor blog has been sorely neglected for the past several months.  I'm trying to make amends with it now, but it will be a process.  The Joy of Stamping will find it's joy again soon.  The move to the new house is nearly complete and the unpacking now begins.  Let me just say one thing.  I never want to move again. Period.  

I am eager to return to stamping and blogging soon.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Mary Ann

With just a few short months before the release of the new catalog, Stampin' Up! has been sending out "teasers" of what is on the horizon.  New colors, new products accompanied by new, fresh ideas.  I am so happy with what I see so far...and I think you will be too.

Here's a glimpse of another new product coming out on May 31st:

For those of you in Central Florida, c'mon out and see me today at The Kids Sale in Windermere.  The expo runs through Saturday and features a whole host of vendors. For more information: http://www.thekidsale.biz/

Stop by and say, "Hello"!  We have numerous displays and are selling hundreds of retired products. Looking for something from the past?  We might have it!

Hope to see you!

Things have been a bit hectic around my house as we are in the process of selling our current home and buying a new one.  Going back and forth between the two houses has consumed a good part of my life over the past couple of weeks and has left little time for crafting.  However, I did have my monthly stamp camps last week so I was able to indulge in some stamping time with them.  

I broke out a new set (well, new to me) called Summer Solstice (#122037 clear).  I'm not sure what took me so long to use this because the images are beautiful!  They have so much detail!  We created a "general use" card with this set, as it is fitting for so many different occasions.  

One of my new favorite colors is Rich Razzleberry and it compliments the Lucky Limeade so nicely!  We placed a torn piece of First Edition DSP between the two to break up the color and sponged the edges to give it a slightly aged appearance.  Everybody really enjoyed making this card.

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Today is the last day for FREE SHIPPING.  Any size and type of order qualifies.  Been meaning to place and order?  Today is the day to do it!  

Submit orders by:
o Phone: Monday, April 8, 2013; 6:50 PM (MT)
o Online: Monday, April 8, 2013; 11:50 PM (MT)

Have a GREAT Monday!

I had the pleasure of participating in a Woman's Expo this past weekend and met some great women who stopped by my booth.  It was a great opportunity for me to introduce more people to Stampin' Up! and to share my love of stamping.  I was even more excited to have a few women sign up for my classes!

I would not have had the booth I did or the successful interactions with so many people had not been for the help of my friends (and team members) Lori and Paula.  They were rock stars and were critical in helping me get things together.  I had a simple thank you gift that I included in this card using the You Rule stamp set:

Thank you Paula and Lori for being a huge help and amazing friends.

Are you disappointed that Saleabration has ended?  Don't be!  Stampin' Up! has released two brand new promotions that will help keep your excitement going.  Check 'em out!

If fabric is not your thing, then maybe "This and That" is. For those who like to capture life's moments as they happen...

Shop Now!

Thank you for stopping by!

The clock is ticking...

These are the final hours for the BIGGEST and BEST promotion of the year. Don't miss this chance to earn FREE product for every $50 you spend. Sale-a-bration will come to an end tomorrow, March 22, 2013.  This opportunity won't come around again for another year.  

SHOP NOW to earn free products!

On Thursday, a very dear friend of mine will be having a double mastectomy.  She has spent the last couple of weeks preparing herself and her family for this life-changing surgery.  I can't imagine how difficult this has been for her mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.  I made this card to simply tell her that I care.  Truth is, I never know what to say in these types of cards.  I can't imagine there is much I could say to help her get through this.

I kept the colors simple, using black and gray as neutrals and having the Pretty in Pink be the pop of color.  The ribbon is retired 5/8" satin ribbon.  For some added femininity, I added a flower from the 5/8" fabric trim that was colored with Pretty in Pink ink.  A few petals were added by using a flower from the Boho Blossom punch. The designer paper is from the Twitterpatted pack and a final pop of bling comes from some Silver Glimmer paper.

Thanks for taking a peek.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  While you might think I would share a St. Patrick's Day card or perhaps even a green card today, I'm not.  But, my card does have some green in it!  For some reason, I didn't make any St. Patrick's Day cards this year...shame on me.  I'm even Irish!  I've got the pale, no-pigmentation skin to prove it too!  If you are someone who celebrates this day o' green, I hope you enjoy it.

I pulled out a Big Shot die that I haven't used in awhile...the Peekaboo Frames (#124587).  This die has 5 frames in different sizes that can create fun, interactive cards and scrapbook pages. People love to receive cards that have an unexpected surprise and the Peekaboo Frames are perfect for creating it.

This card uses designer series paper from the Sunshine and Sprinkles pack (#126922) and the Cloudy Day embossing folder (#127022).  The colors in that paper pack are so bright and cheery.  I had both of my monthly stamp camp participants make this card and everyone agreed that the colors really make the card.

You can't have a peekaboo card without something else to look at, so underneath those flaps you will find this:

Aren't those little images adorable?  Those are from the Spring Sampler set (#125510W, #125512C) and it is paired with the sentiment from the Rain or Shine stamp set (#126775W, #126777C).  They worked perfectly together!

Thank you for stopping by today. Whether you are Irish or not, enjoy this St. Patrick's Day!

I love making cards.  There are times when I'm creating one because I have to (birthday, holiday, etc) and then there are other times I create simply because I want to.  Today's card was a combination of both.  From a family of 7, I am the only girl which means I have to make a lot of masculine cards.  I struggle with them for so many reasons but with my brother's birthday quickly approaching I had to come up with something.  I'm also in a group swap where this month's theme was masculine cards! How lucky for me that I get a two for one deal!  

I debated what color to make the base of the card, but lately I have been drawn to neutrals.  I used Sahara Sand which is not a heavily used color for me, however it was perfect for showcasing a little pop of color in the corner with the paper flags.  And, because I love the bronzed buttons, it was a "safe" accessory to put on my brother's card.

The images, both from the Open Seas, have exquisite detail and one of my favorite sets. I hope to see the stamp set around for a long time.

I assembled the card like a shadowbox, having the image set back slightly from the forefront of the card.  Dimensionals do all the work and make shadow boxes easy to create.

I hope today allows you the chance to be creative.

Thanks for stopping by!

Mary Ann

I have five terrific cards to show you today.  These are all part of the swap that I began to showcase yesterday.

Nancy created a feminine card that showcases a lot of eye candy in the mini catalog; butterfly punches, fabric flower trim, designer builder brad and a doily!  

One of my favorite sets, Oh Hello.  Lori also added some dimension and texture by using pearls and the flower trim.

Cathi's card incorporates the Secret Garden stamp set and framelits along with the Sale-a-bration designer series paper for a big pop of color!

Linda created this fun, interactive easel card that uses the Oh Hello stamp set and Tea for Two designer series paper.

Karen's card highlights the Hearts a Flutter stamp set and coordinating framelits to create this pretty birthday card.

I hope you enjoyed viewing these cards as much as I enjoyed receiving them!

Mary Ann

I received some great cards from a recent card swap.  I am fortunate to be able to exchange card ideas with these talented women!  Each card was to showcase products from the Spring Mini Catalog.  Click on each card to enlarge.

This adorable card features the elephant from Henry Says (#128093C, #128090W).  Paired with the Parkers Patterns DSP, this card is bright and fun.

What a great masculine card!  Sandy incorporated the Dapper Dad stamp set (#129198C, #129195W) and the new Oval Framelits to create this handsome card.  

This gender-neutral card features the Parkers Patterns DSP and the sentiment from the Oh Hello stamp set (#130733C, #130730W).  Bold and bright, it will make the recipient smile.

If you like 3-D cards, then you will love this one.  This diorama card is stunning and interactive too. Featuring the By the Tide set (#129120C, #129117W) and some great brayering  this is definitely "thinking outside the box"!

Interested in seeing more?  Be sure to come back tomorrow when I showcase the rest of them!

Thanks for visiting!

Mary Ann