New stuff and Connie's cards

Today I want to show you some new things and some beautiful cards that I received from my downline, Connie D. First the new In Colors for this year:

Colors left to right and top to bottom are: Pacific Point, Baja Breeze, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Tangerine Tango and Kiwi Kiss. I am excited to be playing with them, but I will definitely miss this year's In colors----especially Groovy Guava!! Don't forget to stock up on the colors that you love before they are gone.

Here is the new Bella Rose designer series paper. This is Stampin' Up!'s double sided paper, so I made this sheet to show you what each side of the paper looks like. It also shows which SU! colors coordinate with this paper. Absolutely gorgeous!!! I've already made a cute little gift bag with this. You'll see that soon!

This card was made by Connie. She used the current Level 2 hostess stamp set called Spring Solitude and Solitude wheel. I believe this is just the wheel with some of the flowers colored in. Her sentiment is from Sincere Salutations. So pretty!

Connie's second card uses an old set called Pocket Fun. Her card is glued together on the top and bottom with the cute little card sliding in and out of the side of the card. The sliding card says "Friends are like pockets...you can never have too many!" I love it!! Thank you, Connie!!



I hope that you have a wonderful Saturday. I'll see you again soon.

~Amy

Check out my Walls!

Okay, I told you a while back that Stampin' Up! (r) has a new item called Decor Elements. These are vinyl things that you can apply to walls, mirrors, plaques or other wooden items....really all sorts of places. They are kind of like super strong stickers--for lack of a better way to describe them to you. All you need to apply them is a little tool that reminds me of the Pampered Chef tool used to clean their stoneware. So, of course, I had to order them and finally got around to applying them last night. The whole process---including me actually reading the directions! and deciding just how to arrange them---took only about an hour. I just love how these look, so now I want to order more!! Check out my new wall over the fireplace/mantel in my basement stamping room:

So what do YOU think of these great flowers? If you want to see all of the different decor elements that SU! is offering right now, check out the brochure HERE. And this is just the first of these Decor Elements that will be offered. Stampin' Up! plans to roll out more of these great decorative accessories in the future!! I can't wait to see what else will be offered.

Since these are so wonderful and I want you to try them out, I am offering this SPECIAL: Order any of the Decor Elements and I will throw in a FREE applicator for you!! (This offer will apply to only your first order of Decor Elements because (#1) after you have an applicator, you won't need another one and (#2) you will definitely want more Decor Elements once you have used them!!)

Remember that I have a stamp camp coming up next Thursday, July 24th. This month will feature Fantastic Folds---I will be teaching you a variety of ways to make your cards new and fresh by folding differently! Sign up by Tuesday the 22nd.

Have a blessed day!

~Amy

More Gala Pictures

Okay I was a little busy yesterday and did not have time to blog. I spent the evening watching a movie with my hubby while our girls are away at camp for the week. ;o)





Before I show you the pictures of our projects, I want you to see some of the beautiful, special touches that Melissa and Faith gave us. First, they had a wide variety of glasses on the table and we picked our own glass that was ours for the evening and then to take home. That was so fun. The close up picture is a cute little shrinky dink tag made with one of the new stamp sets that demos got to preorder. Next they had a wide variety of bracelets that were hand made by one of Faith's friends especially for the ladies who earned the Gala. We also got to choose our bracelet. That is what you see draped over the glass. And lastly, they made a cute little framed inspirational poem for us. It is called "Make it Happen". All such special little gifts!!! Thanks again, ladies.


Now our first project. This beautiful card was designed by Faith using a new hostess set that will be available in the soon to be introduced Fall/Winter 2008 catalog!! (The catalog will be available on August 11th. All the "new" things that I mention will be available on Aug. 11th.) This multilayered beauty uses several punches, including our new scallop edge punch!!! You are going to have to have this. It is so easy to use and makes scalloping so quick!! This card also showcases some of Stampin' Up!'s new double sided Designer Series Paper called Bella. And check out the beautiful new ink colors---Pink Pirouette, Red Hood Red, and Kiwi Kiss.






Project #2 was created by Melissa and is a cute little book that could be used for photos or just little notes. The cover is made using a piece of textured cardstock and a piece of DSP which are scored and glued together. The inside pockets are made with 3"x3" envelopes which are folded back and glued together using their own sticky closures. We made little cards to insert in each little pocket. It is a tri-fold book as you can see from the pictures. This book was made using one of Stampin' Up!'s wonderful Simply Scrappin' Kits. You could choose whichever kit would work for the colors that you like or want. I love this project!!


I hope that you have enjoyed these pictures of the projects that we made. I can't wait to spend some time stamping and show you some other fun project ideas!!! Have a blessed day!

~Amy

Gala Pictures

I'm back home from the Inky Angels Gala in Virginia Beach. What fun!!! A big THANK YOU to Melissa and Faith for all of their hard work and inspiration!! Here are some pictures from the event:

This first picture shows all of the Gala Girls! All fun stamping ladies. I enjoyed meeting each one of you.

Our wonderful meal started with this yummy crab meat appetizer. Isn't it just beautiful? Big thanks to Rockin' Robin who prepared all of our food. She should really consider catering as a business.

And here is a picture of our time of stamping in our formal dresses!! Too fun! We made 2 beautiful projects, but I don't want to bore you with too many pictures in one day. I'll plan to post those tomorrow!! :0)

Have a wonderful stamping day!!

~Amy

Inky Angels' Gala Tonight

Remember how I was earning "stars" for sales, recruits, card submissions and so on? Well, I earned enough to win a trip to Virginia Beach to the Inky Angels' Gala tonight! (The Inky Angels is my up-up-upline's wonderful Stampin' Up! group/family.) I am so excited about it. We will be having a real Black Tie affair with the paparazzi, hors d'oeuvres and champagne. Not to mention door prizes, party favors, and even some stamping projects. I will be headed out this morning and will return tomorrow afternoon. I plan to take lots of pictures and I will be posting those for you to see next week. Have a wonderful weekend and I'll post more next week!!
~Amy

Year after year

The featured retiring stamp set for today is Year After Year. This is a great set that covers all sorts of holidays and events. Very versatile!! Just add some words and you have tons of beautiful cards.

I used Stampin' Up!'s cute little note cards on page 167. They measure 5"x3 1/2", come with envelopes in sets of 20 and cost only $5.95! You should try some today. Here come the cards...

For this cute little card, I used the Bali Breeze Designer Series Paper (DSP, for short). I stamped the pumpkins on the paper then cut them out and applied them with Mini Glue Dots (on sides) and Stampin' Dimensionals (on middle pumpkin). I also used the All Holidays set for the sentiment. That set is not retiring yet, so you have a little more time to purchase it. :0)

This is a super easy Christmas card, but if you're making 100 cards, you need super easy, right? I used Ruby Red and Garden Green inks and just stamped across. Nothing spectacular here! The sentiment for this one comes from the All Holidays set as well.

Next card---I used Pixie Pink and Green Galore in ink and CS. I also used the It's Your Birthday stamp set, which will be retiring so get it while you still can!! The ribbon is white 5/8" grosgrain and a little piece of Pewter Hodgepodge Hardware tied on. Remember the Hodgepodge is on sale for 25%, but only while supplies last. (So what I'm saying is order it right away!)

This baby card uses the stamp set called Trimtastic as well as the Year After Year set that is featured in all of today's cards. Trimtastic looks like different kinds of lace. If you like lace, you would enjoy using this set to compliment your cards. I used all four of the stamps in the Trimtastic set. My ink colors are Pretty in pink, Barely banana, Certainly celery, and Bashful blue. For that cute little elephant, I stamped on some of the Berry Bliss DSP and cut him out. Lots of the DSP (Designer Series Paper) will be discontinuing so check out which ones you want before they are gone, too.

And today's last card uses Shimmery White cardstock---so sparkly in person!! I used a blender pen and ink to lightly color the cake first (using Going gray, Bashful blue, and Pretty in pink), then I added even more glitter to the cake with a 2 way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds glitter!! The other CS I used is Basic black and Bashful blue. The words are from Hugs and Wishes, which is not retiring yet.

I apologize if I made any typing errors, but I'm trying to type fast between thunderstorms!! Have a great day!! I'll see you again soon.

~Amy

Sweet Shapes Cards

Today I am going to showcase the retiring stamp set called Sweet Shapes. This is such a.....well, sweet stamp set!! It is great for birthday cards for adults or children, thinking of you, thank you and just saying "hi" cards. Enjoy!

Here is card #1:

Stamp set: Sweet shapes

CS: Gable green, Brilliant blue, Whisper white

Ink: Gable green, Brillian blue, Green galore

Other: Photo corners punch, Silver brads, 1/16" punch, Stampin' dimensionals, Cutter kit

Card #2 (this turned out to be my least favorite that I made today!)

Stamp sets: Sweet shapes, Circle of Friendship (also retiring), and Dotted Background (retiring)

CS: Sahara Sand, Blush blossom, Groovy guava (retiring In Color), and Night of navy

Ink: (same as CS)

Other: Scallop circle punch, 1 3/8" and 1 1/4" circle punches, Stampin' dimensionals and Theater ribbon (I'm pretty sure that this ribbon will be retiring, but I haven't gotten an official word on this yet.)

Card #3 (my personal favorite today)

Stamp sets: Sweet shapes, It's your birthday (also a retiring set)

CS: Rose red, Regal rose, Always artichoke, Certainly celery, Very vanilla

Ink: Rose red, Regal rose, Always artichoke, Certainly celery, So saffron, Barely banana

Other: Artichoke and Celery grosgrain 5/8" ribbon, Rich Regals brads, 1/16" punch, Stampin' dimensionals

I hope that you like all of the cards today. Remember if you love this Sweet Shapes stamp set, you need to order it soon because by August 11th, it will be gone for good!

Here is the last card for today. It actually was made by my 10 yr old daughter, Abby. She loves to stamp, but I don't give the opportunity to do it as often as she would like. She used some scraps from my card stock to make this beauty!

The details:

Stamp sets: Seeing spots, Spot on wheel, It's your birthday (retiring), Circle of friendship (retiring)

CS: Confetti White, Bashful blue, Apricot appeal

Ink: Apricot appeal, Bashful blue

Other: Bashful blue striped grosgrain ribbon, Scallop circle punch, 1 1/4" and 1 3/8" circle punches, Stampin' dimensionals

Do you like it as much as I do? I hope that you enjoyed seeing these cards today. Check back soon. I'm trying to get back into the stamping rhythm after a few months of barely any stamping! Have a happy stamping day!

~Amy

Happy 4th and Artfully Asian

Happy Fourth of July!!! I hope that each of you are having a wonderful holiday with cooking out and watching fireworks later tonight. We are having a fun family day with lots of game playing this evening!

Recipe for 4th card: Stamp set: Big Deal Alpha & Numbers, Happy Everything

CS: Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Basic Gray, and Whisper White

Ink: Real Red and Brilliant Blue

Other: Small Star Punch

I wanted to start sharing some cards made with some of the retiring stamp sets. Make sure that you order whichever retiring sets you want you want before they are gone forever. All orders done through me must be received by August 7th at noon and you will receive 10% off the retiring sets that you order through me!!

Here are some ARTFULLY ASIAN stamp set cards:

Stamp sets: Artfully Asian, Backgrounds: Flannel & Weathered

CS: Really rust, Not quite navy, Old olive, and confetti cream

Ink: Chocolate chip, Not quick navy, Really rust

Markers: Really rust, Old olive, Chocolate chip

Other: Artichoke grosgrain ribbon, Designer Label punch, Horizontal slot punch, Stampin' dimensionals

Stamp set: Artfully Asian
CS: Choc. chip, Ruby red, Confetti Cream
Ink: Choc. chip, Ruby red
Other: Choc. chip 5/8" grosgrain ribbon, antique brass large eyelets, Crop-a-dile, and Stampin' dimensionals










Stamp set: Artfully Asian
CS: River rock, Wild Wasabi, Very Vanilla and Ginger Blossom Designer Series Paper
Ink: River rock, Wild wasabi
Other: Gold brads and 1/16" punch

***Remember that the old In Colors will also be retiring and the Designer Series Papers that have those colors are certain to gone as well. Make sure to add those things to your order when you get those retiring stamp sets that you need!***



Have a wonderful day of celebrating and I will show you some cards with another retiring stamp set soon!

~Amy

Frames and geese

Today I want to show you some frames that were made by a friend. She made them for four of her five children---she thought that she could do the babies' frame later. Each of these frames are 5"x7". She bought frames for them after she left my house, so I don't have pictures of them. They sounded perfect though!

The last picture is the one I had promised of the baby goslings after they had hatched. (Click on the picture to see it larger.) There were four eggs that hatched and two that did not. Then three of the four babies disappeared, so now we only have one little gosling left.

I want to also let you know about the Stampin' Up!(r) July special. Buy any of the Hodgepodge Hardware at a 25% discount---only $20.96. Contact me to place your order any time.

Happy Stamping!

~Amy