Blog Posts

Changes to Events

5/19/2019

Starting in June 2019, I am making some changes to my events:

The cost of the cards of the month is now $15 for 5 cards. The main reason is due to the increasing cost of products. Stampin' Up! has announced price increases coming in the 2019-2020 Annual Catalog, and the price of cardstock and envelopes are both going up. Regardless, I still hope you think making cards at $3 each is still a bargain compared to buying at the store...and of course more fun!
Instead of spending $50 to get the class for free, the amount is lowered to $40!
Instead of the various ways people have registered for events in the past, event registration is now though Eventbrite. You can now see all of my events posted there. I will still have the events posted on Facebook, but to register you must click on "Get Tickets" and it will send you to Eventbrite to register.
Payment will now be required in advance for Card Classes, and if you place a $40 order on the day of the class, your $15 registration fee will be refunded then. If you plan to make the cards of the month at Craft Night or Coffee & Crafting, you can pay on the day of the event (but please still register to attend through Eventbrite).

On Eventbrite, click on the "Follow" button to get emails when a new event is added.

Choose an event you want to attend and click on the green button to register.
You can also add the event to your calendar and get a reminder email!

The next screen will tell you how many seats are remaining.
Once the spots are filled, since my basement only seats 12, you can be added to a Waiting List!

Look forward to crafting with you!
If you need assistance registering for an event, please do not hesitate to call me: 317-537-2222!

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In our last VIP Club for the season, we tried the Tarnished Foil technique. We used this video to learn the technique and then made three cards with a mixture of new and retired products. You will need Silver, Gold, and Copper Foil and Silver, Gold, and Copper Embossing Powders, plus VersaMark and StazOn ink. Beware, you will use a lot of embossing powder! Use a brush or your finger to brush off the extra to give a true tarnished look, not complete coverage.

In the 1st card, we used a retired map embossing folder with Copper Foil. After dry embossing, run your StazOn ink down the foil. Then, since we used Copper foil, you use the other two colors of powder, so Silver and Gold. Do one at a time by rubbing VersaMark over the embossed images, then sprinkling one powder, making sure to brush off randomly for a speckled look. Heat set with your heat tool and then repeat with the StazOn and next powder. The sentiment is from the new Sailing Home bundle coming in June, cut out with the coordinating dies from that bundle.

In the 2nd card, we used the Woodland Textures embossing folder with Silver Foil. The sentiment is from the forthcoming Woven Textures stamp set that I won as a Prize Patrol in Minneapolis. I stamped it with gold ink, but it would look much better gold embossed. Then, I ripped the Sahara Sand cardstock to give it a rustic look and added some 1/4" Copper Trim to complete the look. Remember, since you used Silver Foil, this time you use Gold and Copper Embossing Powders.

In the 3rd card, we used the retired Lovely Lipstick Foil from Sale-A-Bration with the Country Floral Embossing Folder which was also from SAB, but will be back in the Annual Catalog starting in June. The tarnished look was created with Silver and Gold Embossing Powders. The sentiment is from a forthcoming stamp set called To a Wild Rose, die cut out with the new Nested Label dies coming in June, with a strip of Black Shimmer Ribbon.

Hope you like the look of Tarnished Foil! Please note the price of Foil Paper, Cardstock, and Embossing Powders is going up in June! See the full list of price increases here and stock up now!

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Excited To See Coming!

5/2/2019

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Today, demonstrators were able to pre-order from the new Annual Catalog!
I ordered 4 boxes of catalogs, so they will be in your hands soon!
Until then, here are my top 5 products I am excited to see coming!

1. Coloring Tools! More specifically, there are 6 new Blends coming! I love the new Blends Storage Trays and already saved my place for these 12 new markers! In addition, we are getting Pigment Inks (to replace the retiring Brusho). This means ours will be in SU colors (rather than Gamboge)! Plus, you get 6 colors for $23 (rather than 5 colors for $30). And lastly, we are adding a Cleaning Pad ($7.50) to our offerings, in addition to the returning Shammy and Scrub.

2. Lots of Bundles at 10% off, but the Magnolia Lane has to be my favorite suite (and I don't even like flowers)! Not only are the stamp set and dies beautiful, but there are matching Memories & More cards, kraft envelopes, cork embellishments, linen ribbon, and beautiful DSP. I have to say the DSP in this catalog is the best I have every seen. I plan to order every pack (except maybe one)!

3. I have really been into Foil Paper lately, so I am excited about the addition of the Noble Peacock Foil in three new bright colors! There is a pack of solid and a pack with a pattern on it, all to coordinate with a beautiful Noble Peacock stamp and ribbon. Also, note the price of Foil Paper is going up in the new catalog, so stock up on Silver, Gold, Silver, Champagne, and Black now!

4. The 2019-2020 In Colors are Terracotta Tile, Seaside Spray, Pretty Peacock, Purple Posy, and Rococo Rose. Love getting new colors to use! I think Pretty Peacock is my favorite...Plus, there is a pad of solid colored DSP in the 6x6 size and some Faceted Dots in the new colors.

5. And lastly, I am partial to the new Daisy Lane stamp set and Medium Daisy punch (available for 10% off in a Bundle) since this is the set I presented at OnStage. Stay tuned for details on a product based class to be schedule in June or July!

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On Stage at OnStage

4/19/2019

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One of my favorite reasons for being a demonstrator is the opportunity it provides me to travel. Every April and November, Stampin' Up! offers OnStage events, an opportunity for us to connect with other demonstrators, create with new products, and see the new catalog coming! A few weeks ago, I attended OnStage Local in Minneapolis which worked out perfectly (well except the 12 inches of snow and 7 hour delay at the airport) since my brother, his wife, and their 8 month old daughter live there. Shortly after I registered for the event, I got a call from Shannon West, our Demonstrator Development Manager from the Great Lakes region, asking me if I would be interested to present. Of course! I am so grateful for the opportunity!

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Sad to See Go

4/19/2019

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Have you had a chance to look through the Retiring List?
Here is a list of my top 5 products I am sad to see go on June 3...or while supplies last!

1. I know the Large Letter Framelits are at such a high price point, but I truly do use them all of the time. The coordinating Letters for You stamp set is also retiring, and while I am not as sad about this, I do use them a lot of scrapbooking. Yes, these could end up in the Clearance Rack at some point, but I doubt it. And you definitely won't be seeing them at my table at my team's IN Stampers Retired Sale coming up on June 15, 2019 here in Indy. So if you must have them, consider hosting a party in May to try to earn them for free with your Stampin' Rewards, or get as a half price item when your event reaches $450 in sales. Contact me to schedule a date!

2. SU announced that they will no longer be partnering with Sizzix, so that means we are saying farewell to the Big Shot, plus all plates and accessories. We will still sell dies and embossing folders as we await a new machine. The trimmer is also retiring, so get your blades asap! New trimmer coming soon!

3. The Happy Birthday Thinlit Die is just a staple. It's just one die, so at a lower price point, and it's just so useful when you need to throw a card together at the last minute. I love using this die with the Big Shot Multipurpose Adhesive Sheets, which are also leaving, so consider picking up these two great products before it's too late!

4. I love coffee. And while I haven't used the Coffee Cafe stamp set and dies in awhile, I know it's great for any java lover! There is a new coffee set that is coming, but it's not my style as much as Coffee Cafe. This set won't be making the IN Stampers Retired Sale either!

5. And this is the time we say good-bye to the 2017-2019 In Colors! I love Lemon Lime Twist, but I am also sad there is not another green taking its place with the new 2019-2021 In Colors. In Colors are the first retiring products to sell out, so get the colors you want now!

In addition, ALL Designer Series Paper retires. But I also noticed that 6x6 stacks are gone in the new catalog (with the exception of the solid packs like this seen pictured). The good news is the 12x12 DSP coming is amazing!

Stay tuned for my next blog post about the Top 5 Products I am Excited to See Come!

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Going, Going, soon to be Gone!

4/15/2019

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After 18 years, Lovely as a Tree is finally retiring! See what else is retiring below...If you had your eye on any of these products, get them while you can before they are gone, like the In Colors. While supplies last!

2018-2019 Annual Catalog Retiring List

Occasions Catalog Retiring List

Clear/Wood Sets Carrying Over to Cling

Or click "Last Chance Products" on my webpage to see a live list of products still available!

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NEW #storagebystampinup!

3/26/2019

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The wait is finally over! Storage solutions for ink pads, markers, Blends, and more!
And you know I love to organize! Get yours here!

See Prices Here

See Configuration Chart Here

I placed my order today...stay tuned for pictures!

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VIP Embossing

3/25/2019

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The first time I tried heat embossing over ten years ago, I was hooked!

This month in VIP we tried some heat embossing techniques. This handout gives an overview of what you need to get started with heat embossing.

The first card we made used the Stained Glass technique where you heat emboss on vellum, then turn the vellum over and color on the reverse side.

We used the Humming Along stamp set and heat embossed in white. Then we used Stampin' Write markers in Daffodil Delight, Crushed Curry, Coastal Cabana, Bermuda Bay, and Pear Pizzaz to color the image. Finally, adhere the vellum down with glue dots so the adhesive won't show through.

The second card used a rainbow background made with the 2018-2020 In Color Embossing Powders. All five colors come in a cylinder tube. The powders are .25 oz., so smaller than the basic colors of embossing powders.

We used the Versamark pad to just add a line and rub against Whisper White cardstock. Then we sprinkled the Lovely Lipstick powder and heat set with the Heat Tool. Then we did again the with next color, one at a time so as not to mix the embossing powders.

We used the Friendly Conversations stamp set for the greeting. I heat embossed the image with black powder, but you can also stamp with a colored ink pad and then add clear embossing powder over the top. The greeting was cut out using the Stitched Shapes Framelits and popped up with dimensionals.

The last card we made used some retired products, like Tempting Turquoise cardstock, the Reverse Words stamp set and DSP from Sale-A-Bration a few years ago. We used three retired embossing powders: Pool Party, Melon Mambo, and Tempting Turquoise. This technique uses plastic straws, cut at an angle to serve as little spoons. You can then stamp the image in Versamark and use the straws to spoon the powder in a controlled pattern. All three colors were added at once, and then the excess powder was mixed and stored in a separate container. The "For You" stamp was then heat set with the powder mixture, so almost a lavender color.

We also used the mixture of embossing powder to emboss the retired Swallowtail stamp to create a beautiful butterfly! Don't forget the embossing buddy to make sure the specks of powder don't end up in places you don't want!

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Fun Folds (Also Fancy, Fantastic & Fabulous)

2/23/2019

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The technique for VIP Card Club this month was Fun Folds! I have a Pinterest board just for these, and there are so many options to try! My brain doesn't think in 3D, so I look for ones with videos or templates. We made three different cards with three different folds. See links below if you want to try yourself!

The 1st card is called the Impossible Card, but it is really not so impossible. There are templates to make this a 5x7 card, but I wanted a 4.25x5.5 size. We used the free Botanical Butterfly DSP to decorate, plus the Incredible Like you stamp set for the greeting.

The 2nd card is an Easy Slider card using the So Hoppy stamp set cut out with new dies coming in March! I added the "Hoppy Birthday" sentiment with the Well Written framelits. Make sure to snip apart to say hoppy, not happy! In the inside, I used a greeting from Hello Cupcake. So cute!

The 3rd card is a Collapsing Box card. We used the template on this website. To decorate, I cracked out the Foxy Friends stamp set and used up old matching DSP, but the greeting was stamped with Animal Outing. How cute will this be to add a gift card inside the box for a baby shower?

Like I mentioned, there are some new products coming in March! See them here! For the first time ever, Stampin' Up! is offering products for sale which coordinate with Sale-A-Bration products, hence while they are only available in March. Plus, three new FREE options were added in February! Sale-A-Bration ends March 31, so be sure to get what you want before products are sold out or the sale ends!

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Card Making with Bleach

1/26/2019

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I don't normally use bleach, but when I do, it's for card making.

This month at VIP, we wore our junky clothes and tried stamping with Clorox! We lined stamp cases with six sheets of paper towel and then poured in bleach until saturated to serve as our "stamp pad."

The background stamps worked best, or anything with thicker lines. Stamping sentiments didn't work well, since the bleach can run. I also found that using a paint brush to dip in the bleach is a good way to touch up your images.

As for what colors of cardstock work the best, I suggest dark colors like Blackberry Bliss and Basic Gray. But surprisingly not Basic Black which doesn't work at all! I also like bright colors like Melon Mambo and someone got a great (but subtle image) with Pineapple Punch.

The cards we made are pictured below. The first used Shaded Spruce and the Flowering Desert stamp set.
The second card used the retired Swallowtail background stamp on Melon Mambo cardstock.
And the last card used the Buffalo Check stamp set on Blackberry Bliss. Then we used the free Lovely Lattice stamp also on Blackberry Bliss, then snipped out and popped up with dimensionals.

Such a fun and interesting look, if you can handle the bleach smell!