Stamp with B

Attention: My Blog has moved!!!!!

2011-07-20T19:13:00.003-04:00

Hello Blogland,

I want to formally invite you to follow me on at my new location:

stampandteastudio.ca

I can't wait to see you there! This blog will no longer be updated. Please update any blog feeds etc.

Cheers,

Tomorrow is the last day to order retiring products!!!

2011-06-29T22:14:00.007-04:00

That's it, last chance for the last chance sale!! Here are the cards we made this month at my monthly 5 card class. All of them featured retiring products:

This card features the "Sparkly & Bright" set and the retiring Real Red Stripped Grosgrain Ribbon.

Here is another with the beautiful Stripped Grosgrain Ribbon, this time in Certainly Celery. The ribbon is not being retired, just some of the colours. Unfortunately this is one of the retiring colours. The paper, Greenhouse Gala will retire tomorrow along with all the DSP featured in the current Catty. The stamp set I used on this card is the one I am most sad to be loosing "All Holidays".

This Card featured the "Love you Much" set and the very vanilla Taffeta ribbon.

Here's another one of my favorites that is retiring "Autumn Harvest". I love that it can be for either Thanksgiving or Halloween. This also uses some retiring Old Olive Grosgrain Ribbon, a retiring texture plate and an old favorite Hodgepodge Hardware.

And last but not least, a card featuring "Pick-a-petal" and "Wonderful Favorites". I am so sad to see these go...........

So, order now, and don't let one of your favorites slip you by!

Cheers,

Some oldies but goodies, get them while you can!

2011-06-23T11:51:00.004-04:00

Just a quick hi to post a few of my old cards that are using sets that will be leaving us at the end of the month! :(

This card uses on of my all time favorite Autumn sets, Autumn Harvest. I love the versatility of this set.

There will be a variation of this set at my Retired Products class this Saturday. RSVP if you wish to attend. $20 for 5 cards with matching envelopes or FREE with a $25 order.

The "Give Thanks" sentiment is from a previously retired Hostess set.

This card was made using the Pick-a-Petal set. I fell in love with this set the first time I used it. I loved the versitility of it. We will be doing a variation of this card as well at my class this week.

Hope you are enjoying your week. Mine has been a wee bit crazy as my Husband is away in Winnipeg for work and the company I work for announced lay-offs as well. For those of who don't know, I work Full-time for RIM (Research In Motion) the makers of BlackBerry. We have been in the news like crazy, and as I have only been here for 6 months, I have received lots of notes from people wanted to know if I still have a job.

I will let all of you know that the news reports are far worse than the situation really is. From my understanding we have only let go a few hundred employees. We employ over 18,000 world wide. RIM is still posting huge profits and huge growth worldwide. This is just a small bump in the bigger picture. So for now, I am still employeed and expect to be for a long time. All I can do is work hard and continue to provide value to my organization.

Have a great week!

Cheers,

A Stampinpalooza good time & a very cool tutorial for you!

2011-06-20T22:30:00.006-04:00

I know, I am a bad bad blogger. I am not even going to give you an excuse (although I have MANY). I am just going to apologize and move on.....

Blogland, I am sorry.

However I can not promise not to do it again. I will however promise that I am working on something. Something that I hope will allow me to blog regularly again. Not often, but regularly.

For now, I would like to share with you some thing I demo'd at Stampinpalooza this past weekend. For those of you who don't know what Stampinpalooza is, I will give you some background. Stampinpalooza (or Palooza to us regulars) is an all day stamping event in Toronto that takes place in June and October, and is organized and hosted by the uber talented Stampin' Up! Demo (and my awesome Upline), Caroline LeBel! It is ALWAYS a blast, and this time was no exception!

I have had the great pleasure of presenting at all of the Palooza's. This time I decided to show a selection of things that you can do with the awesome Petal Cone Die for the Big Shot. This die rocks! It was released in the last mini catalogue (Occasions Mini) and is still for sale, in fact it has made it's way into the new Catalogue due out July 1st!!

Here is a picture of the Petal Cone in all it's cone-y goodness. You can close it with the "petal" flaps, or make it like a basket as per the pic below. But it's a cone. what else could you possibly do with a cone???

Oh, let me be the one to tell you that you can do LOTS with the Petal Cone die. Here are just a few of the AMAZING things that you can create with the die:

Ice cream cones
cupcakes
Mobiles
banners
Heart shaped cards
baskets
Chinese take-out boxes

Now, if you are still paying attention, which I hope you are, your jaw probably dropped when you read that list. I know mine did. And by the time you got to Chinese Take-out boxes, you were just too flabbergasted to even comprehend what you were reading. Well, I share your sentiment my bloggy friends. I too could not believe my eyes, until I made one, and then a second one, and then a third and so on.

Look at it! Is that not the cutest thing you ever did see? It's not a big box, it's just a cute little thing, but it holds it's fair share of candy, or jewelery or even a mini cupcake (yum!). When I was demonstrating it the comments I was hearing sounded a bit like this:

"When I saw that die, I was like "what would I want a cone for" but now I am like "how can I live with out this die"??"

Or something like that. Truthfully, the consensus was that people were generally not aware of all the very cool things you can make with it. I honestly believe that is one of the most versatile dies we carry. So, with out further ado, here are the instructions for making your very own mini Chinese Take-out containers:

1. Cut two petal cone pieces using your Petal Cone die for the Big Shot.

2. Fold each of the cut pieces in half along the score line.

3. Place in a paper cutter and line up the score line below the "half circle" at the top of the petal cone along the 3" line and slice off the bottom of the cone. Repeat this step with the other petal cone piece.

4. Line up the now blunt end of the cone at the 1" mark and score the cone piece. Repeat this step with the other petal cone piece.

5. Cut along all the score lines on the bottom of your petal cone pieces just up to the new score lines you just created. These pieces will form the bottom of the box.

6. Using Sticky Strip adhere the sides of the petal cone pieces together by the flaps.

7. Fold up the bottom of the box and adhere with a piece of sticky strip.

8. Decorate your box as desired and fill with whatever treat or gift you desire.

If you don't already have this die, I suggest you purchase one pronto! Stay tuned in the days to follow for more Palooza updates and pictures of other things made with the Petal Cone die, including my 3rd place winning name tag.

Cheers,

$24 for a 4-Person Day Pass to THEMUSEUM (a $52 Value) - iSee Below for Single Admission Option/i

2011-05-06T09:53:00.000-04:00

$24 for a 4-Person Day Pass to THEMUSEUM (a $52 Value) - iSee Below for Single Admission Option/i

For friends in the Kitchener/Waterloo, Guelph & Cambridge area. Great deal!

Cheers,

A Fun Sale-a-bration Card

2011-03-23T23:18:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post tonight to share with you a super cute SAB card that we will be making at this months card class.

This uses the SAB paper and the SAB Stamp Set sweet summer. You can get both of these items free with ever $60 spent! Got to love Sale-a-bration!!!

Free tomorrow night or Saturday? Join in the fun!! Card classes are $20 or FREE with a $25 purchase. Or $10 for members of my team.

RSVP today!

Cheers,

All the good things Stampin' Up! has to offer

2011-03-20T18:00:00.002-04:00

Happy first day of spring!

I know I have been quiet for sometime, but life has just been incredibly busy. I have been very busy doing private classes as it is the busiest time of the year right now, and I have been been very busy in my new job.

I thought I would share this fantastic video with you. It show cases all the things I love about SU.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tGKQ1OVHow&feature=player_profilepage

See something you love? Contact me to learn more about SU or to order products today!!

Cheers,

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Happy-New-Year-and-an-FREE-Starter-Kit---.html?soid=1102502723881&aid=wlqppHC-iYk

2011-01-16T12:13:00.000-05:00

Just back from the annual Stampin' Up! Leadership Convention in Nashville, TN! I don't have a lot of time right now, because I am on my way to my nieces birthday party, but I wanted to share the great news with you.

All attendees have been given ONE FREE Starter Kit to give away!!! That's a $400 value to one person. I am looking for someone who is willing to take on a challenge. They must recruit another person by the end of March! Up for the challenge? Click the link below and read about the details.

Offer is only valid in Canada with a preference to those in Ontario.

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Happy-New-Year-and-an-FREE-Starter-Kit---.html?soid=1102502723881&aid=wlqppHC-iYk

Isn't this exciting??????? I can't wait to have a new member of my team by the end of the week!!!!

Being a demonstrator has LOTS of perks. Check out my demo page for more info or contact me directly. And addition to all these perks I personally offer all of my demonstrators numerous training opportunities like One-on-One calls, workshop training and more!!!

Check back for a complete run down on Leadership with pictures of all the fun!!!!

Cheers,

Last day to get $400 worth of SU stuff for only $107.50!!

2010-11-30T08:09:00.004-05:00

Just a heads up, but a couple of promotions are ending today. The Online Spectacular and the Starter Kit Promo.

Click the picture below to get shopping!!

I wanted to welcome Lisa, Sandra & Katherine to my team. They are the latest smarty pants to snatch up the AWESOME deal!!!

To purchase the Starter Kit, simply click the picture above and then select Join Now. Use the password "Canadian" to join my team!

6 people have already made the fantastic decision to buy the kit, are you going to be next??

Contact me if you have any questions.

Cheers,

The 10,000th Demonstrator in 2010!

2010-11-25T11:13:00.001-05:00

Not sure if many of you were aware or not, but Stampin' Up! set a goal of getting 10,000 new demonstrators in the US in 2010. And 1845 new demo's in Canada. Well, we hit both those targets thanks to the AWESOME Starter Kit special on now until Nov. 30th. In honour of hitting the 10,000 mark Shelli Garnder, Founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! flew to Florida to surprise the 10,000th demo!!!

You can read about it on Shelli's blog here. Or watch this video posted on YouTube.

Since we hit the mark in Canada, does that mean that Shelli is going to visit someone here too? I don't think so, but wouldn't it be cool if one of my newest team members was the 1845 new demo in Canada?

I would like to welcome Lesley, Chandra & Meredith to the team!!! Way to go girls!

There is still time to take advantage of 50% off the Starter Kit. But time is ticking away!! The promo ends on Tuesday, Nov. 30th!!

If you are thinking about it, now is the time!!!

Visit my website and click JOIN NOW. Don't forget the password Canadian.

All new team members will be invited to my team Christmas Event on Dec. 12th. So join now so you can be part of the festivities!!

Cheers,

Online Spectacular!! On now until Nov. 30th!

2010-11-22T09:38:00.002-05:00

Oh wow! This Monday certainly is not blah! Even despite the rain and chilly weather!! That's because Stampin' Up! has launched the Online Spectacular today!! What does that mean to you?

You can shop Online from now until Nov. 30th and all orders of $200 get FREE shipping!! Plus they qualify for Hostess Benefits of FREE stamps and FREE product!! And as an extra special bonus a number of AWESOME products have been marked down for this sale! Save %50, %40 and %30 on select products and product bundles!! Don't delay!

Click here to start shopping and SAVING!!

Cheers,

MDS and a whole bunch of Stampin' Up! goodies for FREE???

2010-11-17T09:46:00.004-05:00

Did you know that one of the best parts of the current Starter Kit specials is that you can get MDS and with it you will get a bunch of Stampin' Up! goodies for FREE? The regular price of our My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up!'s premiere Digital Paper Crafting Software sells for $106.95. Right now, you can get the Digital Starter Kit for only $107.50!! That's only 55 cents more than the cost of just buying the software. With the Starter Kit, not only will you get the MDS software, but you will also get the following:

3 Stamp sets & a clear block
Card stock- 2 packs, your choice
Designer Buttons
Roll of ribbon
4 ink pads
2 Stampin' Write Markers
Snail Adhesive
Decor Element
Stampin' Scrub & Stampin' Mist
Dimensionals
Mini Glue dots

All of that SU goodness is FREE! And when you purchase the Starter Kit you don't have to pay tax or shipping!! WOW!!

If you have ever considered buying the digital software, now is definitely the time!! Don't delay, this Starter Kit special will only last until Nov. 30th!! And then it will be gone for good. Bring Christmas to your house early this year and buy yourself a gift you really want!

Here is a quick 2 page spread I put together using MDS and some pictures from our Christmas in 2008. I used one of the designer layouts included with the software. This took me honestly about 5 minutes to create.

Click on the pictures to view them bigger. With the designer templates you simply drag and drop your pictures to create professional looking layouts. I added a bit of text to personalize the pages and voila! Scrapbooking in minutes, instead of hours.

Click here to visit my Team page to learn more about joining Stampin' Up! and some of the many advantages of being on my team. All team members will receive training, guidance and more!

Cheers,

Free Crop Make n'take for the Paper Players Challenge

2010-11-16T11:13:00.004-05:00

I haven't played along in this challenge before, but I love the colour combo of Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke and a neutral (I decided to use Very Vanilla) because I love that classic Christmas look!

This was designed for my Free Crop Night Make n'take this month. I received that stamp set earlier in the day and decided that I MUST use it immediately. I love wreaths and can't wait to hang mine on my door.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Welcome Christmas
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Always Artichoke.
DSP: Deck the Halls
Ink: Always Artichoke, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding ribbon, paper snips, dimensionals, 2 1/2" Circle punch.

Hope you enjoy! Want to come to my next FREE Crop night?? Join me on Tuesday, Dec. 7th at 7pm. Space is limited so book early!!

Cheers,

I WON!!!

2010-11-15T14:04:00.003-05:00

Yesterday morning I awoke to some fantastic news. I was chosen as one of the winners of Shelli Gardiner, CEO & Founder of Stampin' Up!'s Fall Creative Challenge!!

Every month Shelli posts a creative challenge and encourages stampers, Demo's and customer's alike to post links to their creations. And each month she picks her faves who then win a FREE stamp set, well, this month, I WON!!!

I am so honoured to have won this esteemed prize!! Thank you Shelli for recognizing my holiday crackers!!

Here is the post that was selected. And here is the link to Shelli's Creative Challenge.

Cheers,

50% off the Starter Kit!!!!!??? Wow!!

2010-11-12T11:06:00.004-05:00

Santa is coming early this year!! For the first time EVER Stampin' Up! is offering 50% off the Starter Kit from Nov. 15th to Nov. 30th!!!! The kit is already 40% discounted and now you get it for only %107.50!!! It's the full kit, over $400 worth of stuff for only $107.50!!!! If you have EVER even considered joining Stampin' Up! now is the time!!!
Visit my Team page for more info, or contact me directly to find out how you can get 30% off your first order and all the other WONDERFUL perks to being a SU Demo!!!

Cheers,

Stamp-a-stack 2 ways!!

2010-11-08T09:54:00.003-05:00

Are you planning on coming to my Stamp-a-stack this Saturday??? Are you sad that you missed last months because you love the vintage cards?

Well, I have decided to offer both Stacks this weekend!! Book a spot in this Saturday's Stamp-a-stack and choose between either one!

OR........
OR.......

Choose to do both!!! That's 24 cards, and 2 packs of paper!!! Wow!!!

Cost: $30 for 1 Stack which includes a pack of either the Deck the Halls paper or the Candy Cane Christmas paper or $50 and do both Stacks!!!

Please RSVP by today as I need to order the paper ASAP! And remember that if you book into any of my November or December classes by today you will get a FREE gift from me!! Choose an ink pad from my retired stash when you come to your class!! Hurry, don't delay! Book Today!!!

Cheers,

Do you have a LONG wish list??

2010-11-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Is your Stampin' Up! Wish List a mile long? Don't worry! Christmas is coming, why not let your loved ones know that you want Stampin' Up! stuff for Christmas!!

Simply fill out my Wish List document and send it to your husband, mother, sister, and so on, and don't forget to send a copy to me! They can choose the items that they wish to purchase for you and I will do the rest, including gift wrapping everything for them!! This is win/win! You get what you want under the tree, and they didn't even have to break a sweat!!

Click here to access the wish list.

Make sure they send it to me at stampwithb@gmail.com, or you can send me the list and provide me with their contact information and I will let them know what you want this year.

This is just one of the many ways I am making Christmas easier for everyone!

Cheers,

Card Designing Service now available!!

2010-11-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

Do you want to make homemade Christmas cards but are short on time? Don't even know where to begin? This season I can help you achieve all your crafting needs.

Why not take advantage of my Card Designing and Pre-cutting service??

Card Designing & Pre-cutting Service:

Meet with me one-on-one to design the holiday card of your dreams. Purchase all of the supplies required to make your cards and I will do all the pre-cutting required!!!! All you have to do is stamp the imaged and put the cards together!! Just think of all the time you are going to save!!! Don't have time to meet with me one-on-one? No problem, choose from a number of samples such as following designs.

Contact me to book your appointment today!!

Cheers,

November Stamp-a-stack!!

2010-11-05T09:35:00.006-04:00

Hi All!

I know, it's been a while!! I have been very busy with Halloween, and classes and such! I have a very full calendar, and it is taking it's toll on my blogging. I am going to try and get on here at least once per week however.

Today I wanted to share with you pictures of my upcoming Stamp-a-stack. What's a stamp-a-stack you ask? It's a great chance to get a bunch of Christmas cards made in one FUN afternoon! We will be making 12 cards, 4 of each of the 3 designs you see here.
When: Saturday, Nov. 13th 1pm to 4pm
Where: Stamp & Tea Studio- Morriston, Ontario (South of Guelph, West of Milton)
Cost: $30 and includes a pack of the Candy Cane Christmas Specialty Designer Series paper!! You get to keep the left overs!!

These cards are super fun and SUPER sparkly!! You aren't going to want to miss this one!! Please RSVP by Monday, Nov. 8th as I need to order your paper!!

Can't make it to this class? No problem!! I have LOTS of fun classes this month. Visit my events page to see for yourself!

RSVP to any event before Nov. 8 to get a special gift from me!! :)

Cheers,

All Bundled up for the Holidays!!

2010-10-19T11:12:00.017-04:00

I'm not bundled up, YET! It's still quite lovely here in Southwestern Ontario. But Stampin' Up! is helping you get ready for the Holiday season by putting together a number of great bundles for all your Holiday crafting. And the best part? From now until Dec. 16th these bundles are available for 20% off!!! And that's not all, sign up to be a Demonstrator and get an additional 20% off these bundles!! Wow!

Vintage Christmas Card Bundle:

Bells & Boughs Set
Deck the Halls Designer Series Paper

Clear Mount- 124068 $24.36, Wood Mount- 124067 $29.96

_____________________________________________________________

Contempo Christmas Card Bundle:

Contempo Christmas Set
Jolly Holiday Designer Series Paper

Clear Mount- 124072 $21.96, Wood Mount- 124071 $25.96
_____________________________________________________________

Tags Til Christmas Bundle:

Tags til Christmas Set
Decorative Label Punch

Clear Mount- 124078 $41.52, Wood Mount- 124077 $49.52

_____________________________________________________________

Gift Packaging Bundle:

Gifted Set
Mini Lunch Sacks

Clear Mount- 124084 $24.72, Wood Mount- 124083 $31.92

_____________________________________________________________

Simply Adorned Gift Bundle:

Charming Set
Simply Adorned 1" x 1 1/4" Charm
Simply Adorned 24" Chain

Wood Mount only- 124076 $52.32

_____________________________________________________________

Frame Gift Bundle:

Definitely Decorative Chunky Frame
Small Chocolate Chip Dotted Flourish Decor Elements

124075 $23.12

_____________________________________________________________

Contact me today to take advantage of these awesome bundles or why not book a private class so that you can earn them for FREE! Or shop online 24/7!! Or join my team to get an even bigger discount!!

Cheers,

Last day for so many things!!

2010-10-18T08:46:00.004-04:00

Hi Guys, Happy Monday!

Just a quick hello today. I wanted to remind everyone of a few things ending today:

1. Today is the last day to RSVP for my Christmas Stamp-a-stack on for Saturday, Oct. 23rd. We will be making 12 cards (4 each of 3 designs-see picture). The class includes a pack of the Deck the Halls Designer Series paper to make the cards, and you get to keep the remaining! Cost of the class is only $30. Please RSVP ASAP!!

2. Today is the LAST day to take advantage of the BONUS Greenhouse Gala Tote bag when you join my team. This tote is AWESOME!! It's HUGE! And super beautiful. Join my team today to get your FREE tote ($49.95 value). Visit my team info page to sign up or contact me directly.

3. Today is also the last day of the Clearance Rack Blitz! Up to 80% of a ton of awesome stuff! Shop now to save!

Cheers,

Christmas Stamp-a-stack Oct 23rd

2010-10-11T13:35:00.003-04:00

Announcing my first Christmas Stamp-a-stack at my new studio!!!

When: Saturday, October 23rd
Time: 1pm to 4pm
Place: Stamp & Tea Studio
23 Telfer Glen Street
Morriston, Ontario

Join me on the 23rd of October to make 12 Christmas cards all featuring the Deck the Halls Designer Series paper. You will make 4 of each of the 3 designs pictured here.

Cost of the class is $30 and includes a pack of the Deck the Halls paper used to make the cards, and you get to keep the rest!

RSVP by Oct. 18th to ensure I order enough paper. Hope to see you there!

Please note: I will be calling all of my customers and contacts tomorrow evening (Oct 12) to find a class that suits your holiday needs. When I call you if you use the code word *SANTA* you will get a special gift from me at the event you attend. If you are not available tomorrow night or just want to get ahead of the game, call me tomorrow at 519-836-8921 to book a spot in one of my upcoming classes.

October Schedule:

Friday, Oct. 22nd, 7pm- Wine & Cheese night- FREE class- space is limited
Saturday, Oct. 23rd, 1-4pm- Stamp-a-stack- $30 (includes Deck the Halls DSP pack)
Thursday, Oct . 28th, 7pm- Monthly Card Class- 5 cards for $20 or FREE with $25 order that night

Cheers,

More Two Step stamping & a new B Canadian

2010-10-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

Every month in my newsletter I feature a Stamping technique. The focus this month is Two-step stamping.

Here is a project that uses this technique.

This card is and oldie, but a goodie. It uses the Season of Friendship set (one of my personal faves) which is a classic two-step set. The multi-colour leaves were achieved by creating a stamp pad from a baby wipe and re-inkers. Isn't the result stunning??

Don't receive my newsletter? Fill out the join my mailing list widgit on my blog to receive up to date info on current promotions as well as my monthly newsletter full of project ideas, techniques, contests and more!

I would also like to welcome Brenda to the B Canadian Stampers team!! She was one smart lady who decided to take advantage of the FREE Greenhouse Gala tote (look at that beauty!! And it's HUGE!) and the "Eat Chocolate" stamp set offer! Way to go Brenda! Welcome to the team!!!

Do you want to get in on all the freebies??? Contact me to find out more or click on this link to sign up now- password is Canadian.

Cheers,

Ever want to make Christmas Crackers?

2010-10-05T21:11:00.005-04:00

Okay, I am finally ready to show you the project I demonstrated at this weekends Stampinpalooza.

I am a huge sucker for Christmas, and Halloween, heck, all holidays for that matter. And I love all the cheesy traditions that come along with them. One of them being Christmas Crackers.

Years ago my sister used to make crackers and sell them, and they were so much nicer than the ones you could buy. Not to mention that the ones you buy are so much more expensive!

As soon as I saw the Waffle paper in the Holiday Mini I knew how I would use it. And I honestly can't say that there is a better paper for making crackers! Of course I made a Christmas one, then I had to try a Halloween one (how fun would those be to give out on Halloween night) and then I decided to make a Thanksgiving one too! I LOVE THEM!

Here are some close ups.
Fall using the brown waffle paper, Deck the Halls DSP for the wrapper, the leaf die for the big shot and Autumn Splendor stamp set for the main leaf. I tied this one using the linen thread!

The Halloween one uses black waffle paper, Halloween DSP, Silver Tinsel trim, the new XL Decorative Label punch, the Wicked Cool stamp set, oval punch and the new awesome bat punch. And if you think the bat is sparkly you are right, he is sprayed with Silver foil smootch spritz.

Finally I have the Christmas one. For that I used the Gold Waffle paper, Deck the Halls DSP, Cherry Cobbler seam binding ribbon and the Bells and Boughs set with a bit of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter!
Wouldn't these look beautiful on your table? And the best part is that they can be customized for your family. You don't have to put dollar store junk in them (all though the dollar store does have lots of great stuff). Why not earings for the women, cuff links for the men? Cars for little boys, hair clips for little girls. Or how about a Simply Adorned charm?? The possibilities are endless!! Just make sure you put tags on them so you know who gets each cracker! Plus you could then use them as your name tag! Talk about double duty!

I would love to see what you guys do with this. So I am going to issue a challenge. I would like for you to make your own crackers, for any holiday. I will work on posting a link widgit (update- posted now- see below) so that you can link to your creation here. I will leave the challenge open for a few weeks. I really want to see what each of you makes. I can't wait to see how you take this concept and make it your own.

Oh, and right now I don't actually have the cracker part (you know the part that you pull that makes the bang!) but I am told that the craft stores do carry them, just not yet. I am also sourcing out an online retailer. If you know some where you can get them, please post a comment.

You have until Oct. 27th to post your creation!! I can't wait to see them!!!!!

Happy crackering!!!

Cheers,

Less than 1 month until my Birthday & the Clearance Rack!!

2010-10-05T11:29:00.007-04:00

I can't believe it!! In less than 1 month- November 3rd to be exact I will be 37 years old! I guess I have passed my mid-30's and will be entering my late-30's now! But I am 13 lbs lighter than I was last year and are feeling great! So I figure it's time for a contest of sorts!

Send me a Birthday card before the 3rd of November and receive FREE shipping off all your orders in the month of November!!!! And all entries received will be entered in a draw! So start your stamping engines!! Lets see those Birthday cards!!!

Birthday cards can be sent to:

Blair Moch
23 Telfer Glen Street
Morriston, Ontario
N0B 2C0

Here's a pic of me 3 years ago on my 34th birthday with my husband and the sushi cake our fav sushi restaurant in Toronto (Gonoe Sushi on Don Mills Rd.) made for me. I was very very pregnant in that picture (I had Xander on the 18th of December).
And it just so happens that Stampin' Up! has filled up the Clearance Rack with all sorts of goodies to start off your holiday shopping.

As you know, the Clearance Rack has been operational for over a year now, and demonstrators and customers alike are finding it a great place to discover discontinued Stampin' Up! merchandise for fantastic prices. Now, from October 5-18, we're adding over two hundred more discontinued items--some at up to 80 percent off--to help us make room in the Distribution Center for new products!

Things to know about the Clearance Rack Blitz:

Orders for Clearance Rack items can be placed through the Online Store Qualifying orders are eligible for hostess benefits/Stampin' Rewards.
While the Blitz lasts from October 5-18, some items, depending on availability, may be made available in the Clearance Rack in the future.
All discontinued items are available only while supplies last.
All sales of discontinued items are final.

Cheers,

More stuff from regionals

2010-10-04T12:15:00.003-04:00

It's been really busy around here of course, as always. But I have been having a blast. As you know two weekends ago I went to the Stampin' Up! Regionals in Hamilton and then this past weekend I attended my Upline Caroline LeBel's Holiday Stampinpalooza!! I can't honestly describe for you the amount of fun we had. If you have been to Palooza in the past (this was the 4th) you will be interested to know that she drastically changed the format this time. Instead of sitting and listening to presenters mixed up with stampin' time, this time we had all day stampin' time and we could get up, walk around and see the demo's up close and personal! I loved it. We had so much fun chatting at the table (thanks for the laughs ladies- Susy, Erin, Lara, Hannah and Mary) and with those around us that I didn't want to leave!! We had a ton of make n'takes and lots of good eats as always! The next one will be on June 18th, so mark your calendars and plan to attend! The event was sold out, so book early!! I will be showing you what I demonstrated later this week. I want to play around with it some more! But do come back, because it was AWESOME if I do say so myself!

Anyhow back to regionals! How would you like to see some pictures of the event including the beautiful make n'takes???

Hamilton Regionals Sept 25, 2010

I will leave you with a picture of Shelli and I. For those of you who don't know, Shelli is the CEO and Founder of Stampin' Up! and an amazing woman! Can you believe that she has 14 grandchildren?? Love it!

Hope you have an awesome day!!

Cheers,

SU comes to Hamilton! Fall Regionals 2010!

2010-09-26T15:30:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was the Stampin' Up! Fall Regionals in Hamilton, Ontario. Which happens to be less than 1/2 hour from my house. So of course I HAD to go!! And I am sooooo glad I did. It is definately one of the many perks of becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, and this is the first official event I have ever attended. Now I can't wait to go to Leadership in Nashville, TN in January.

And one of the coolest part of going to Regionals are all the freebies we get (plus getting to see all of our SU friends too!) oh and did I mention that Shelli Gardner, CEO and founder of SU was there???

Here are the make n'takes and stamp set we got for attending.The stamp set is Day of Gratitude from the Holiday Mini. It's really beautiful. And we had 6 fabulous make n'takes to work on. I didn't get a chance to work on them yesterday, because I was chosen to be one of the 3 Demostrator helpers for the day. It was a huge honour to be chosen and I had a blast helping out. Thanks to my co-helpers Mary-Louise & Ellen for making it a truly fun experience. I did find some time today to make everything so I will show you pictures in the days to come. So come back often to see everything we made with this set.

That's not the only FREE stuff I got. I got a Logo apron that I had to wear as a helper, and I got to keep it. Believe it or not, but it's my first black SU logo apron, so I will wear it with pride. We got a Hamilton Regionals button for attending and at one point they announced that we would all get a package of Glimmer Brads!! Rock on! I love those brads from the mini!! Oh and the best FREEBIE announced was actually in the form of a special promotion just for Regional attendees.....

If we recruit someone from now to Oct. 17th both myself and any new recruits get the not yet released AWESOMELY ADORABLE new stamp set called Eat Chocolate that will be in the next Occasions Mini Catalogue!!!!!! So, in addition to getting over $400 in SU products AND the Greenhouse Gala Tote (a $49.95 value) AND an additional FREE stamp set of your choice from the Holiday Mini (a special bonus for joining my team only) for ONLY $215 you will ALSO get the NEW Eat Chocolate Stamp set!!!! Wow!! What a deal!! I wish I could re-join to get all those awesome things!

I can't show you the stamp set (plus I don't have one yet) but I can show you some pictures of projects made with it.

Contact me TODAY to take advantage of this VERY limited time offer!!

Cheers,

Card from the Aberfoyle Fall Fair

2010-09-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

I thought I would show you the card we made at the Aberfoyle Fall Fair last weekend. This has to be one of my favorite Make n'takes ever!! I totally copied the idea from Ronda Wade, in fact it was this card that made me want to buy the stamp set Autumn Splendor. When I first saw it in last years Holiday Mini catalogue I didn't think much of it, until I saw this card. It really is stunning. One thing that a number of people noticed and commented on last Saturday was the beautiful clean crisp image that this stamp product. In fact it seemed that the men pointed this out the most. Well honestly that is a true testament to the fabulous quality stamps, and deeply etched images that Stampin' Up! produces. All things are not created equal, and SU's stamps are really top quality compared to a lot of the rubber & acrylic stamps on the market. Anyhow, just thought I would toot the SU horn for a bit.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Autumn Splendor, Grateful Greetings
Card stock: Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive.
Ink: Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive, Tangerine Tango
Accessories: Pumpkin Pie 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon.

Cheers,

Wanna see something from the Open House this Saturday??

2010-09-16T12:16:00.005-04:00

Here is something seriously cute that we are making at my Open House this Saturday. If you are able to make it please RSVP.

Isn't he just the cutest thing ever?? It'a bookmark that folds over your page. The bookmark is made using the Two Tags die for the Big Shot but you first fold a piece of paper in half and then place it on the die so that you don't cut the top of the book mark. It's kind of hard to explain, much easier to see in person. So come on by the Open House this saturday and I can show you!!

The Owl is the new Owl punch and I LOVE him! Honestly at first I thought "oh, this is going to be so fiddly" but he's not at all! He's really easy to assemble. I have also incorporated a few of our new colours with this project, Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft), Cherry Cobble & Early Espresso. And the tummy on the Owl is our returning in colour Baja Breeze!

Here's a picture of him in a book doing his job! Don't you just want to make one of these??? These little book marks make the best presents for Teachers, Grand-parents, kids, really anyone who loves to read, and still reads REAL books, not the digital kind (I have to admit I am a digital convert......... I love my new Kobo!!). But I still have some real books, like cookbooks, and this is a reference book on Direct Selling that I am reading. So these bookmarks coming in super handy even for me!

RSVP for my Open House this Saturday and learn how to make these super quick, super easy gifts!

Cheers,

Who's coming to my Open House this weekend??

2010-09-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hope to see you there!! :)

Cheers,

Grand Manan 2010

2010-09-14T11:17:00.001-04:00

I promised you the pictures of my trip. Just click on the picture below to be brought to the full album. Enjoy! If you have any questions don't hesitate to post a comment and I will answer them as soon as I can.

Cheers,

Open House and Sale this SATURDAY!!!!

2010-09-13T15:01:00.006-04:00

Many of you have expressed a HUGE interest in my Open House and Sale this weekend. And for good reason. I am selling off all my retired stamp sets, paper, punches, ink pads and MORE! You won't want to miss this one. For every dollar you spend on retired products, you get the same value in NEW catalogue (or Mini) purchases!! So if you spend $20 on my retired stuff, you get $20 to spend in NEW stuff!! How cool is that????? Now is absolutely the time to stock up on stuff for the holidays!!

Here are a few pictures of the stuff for sale:

See, there is LOTS of yummy stuff for sale!! Markers, re-inkers and so much more!! None of this stuff is available for purchase from Stampin' Up! anymore, so if there is something you want, you had better come check it out. Sale is based on first come first served. Please come to the first door on the walk-way.

Saturday, Sept, 18th form 10 to 5pm. Please RSVP ASAP!!

Cheers,

New Holiday Mini!!

2010-09-13T08:53:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I had a fantastic Saturday at the Aberfoyle Fall Fair! I met a bunch of lovely people, and can't wait for them to join me at some of my upcoming events!!

In the meantime, and I am sorry for the delay on this, I would like to post for you the FABULOUS holiday mini!!!

There are some awesome new stuff in this catty. Some of my personal favs are:

FABRIC in extra large Fat Quarters that match our designer paper!!!
2 new embossing folders for the Big Shot, one with a spiders web and one with snowflakes
New products like waffle paper and lace trim!! YUM!
New Big Shot dies
Cards that play Xmas music or that are recordable
Chip board houses!
And Advent calendar kit!
New PUNCHES!!! One is an XL Label that matches an awesome new Xmas Stamp set
Letter Press plates!!!

I could literal list everything in the mini, but you are much better to see it for yourself. I had an issue with my automatic mailer, so if you didn't receive yours in the mail and you are a regular customer of mine, please let me know so that I can send you your copy ASAP.

Or visit me this SATURDAY from 10 to 5 for my New Catalogue, Holiday Mini & 2-for-1 Sale!!!

We will be doing:

3 make n'takes featuring ALL NEW products!!!
Door Prize Draw with LOT OF GOODIES to give away!!!
2-for-1 Sale of all my retired products- Stamp sets, Ink Pads, Re-inkers, Paper and MORE!!

For the 2-for-1 sale, whatever you purchase from my retired stock you get the same value in NEW Catalogue merchandise!! AWESOME!!

Please RSVP ASAP to ensure I have enough stuff for everyone!!! Hope to see you there.

Cheers,

I'm back & a donation today!

2010-09-10T08:43:00.003-04:00

Sorry about the long hiatus!! First we went camping for a week with my sister from Pennsylvania and her family, and some friends of ours to Owen Sound and Tobermory, Ontario. If you haven't been to those area's before you must check them out. I will post some pictures in the next few days. After that my daughter got back from camp and then my husband and I flew out to the East Coast for a mini vacation and 5th Anniversary celebration. We went to Grand Manan, New Brunswick. Now, most of you will not have heard of it. It's a small island in the Bay of Fundy off the coast of Maine & New Brunswick. You have a to take a 1 1/2 ferry from Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick just to get there! It has to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. I will post some pictures from that trip two in the next few days.

Let's move on to today's posting. Today I present to you a donation to the D.A.D Project. The D.A.D (Drawing a Day) Project is the brain child of two sisters, Serena & Emily. It is an ongoing, online, art-based fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society, the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada. Each day one of the sisters posts an original drawing they have done, and then they make that item available as a print in their etsy shop. Each friday they feature a different artist and I am honoured that today they are featuring a item made by me!

I have donated this beautiful Artistic Etchings Card Folder & card set with all proceeds going to the Canadian Cancer Society. The folder contains 2 handmade cards (blank with no sentiment) and 4 handmade notecards, blank with stamped images. The folder is also handmade and all materials are Stampin' Up!.

Head over to their blog to find out more or to purchase this one of a kind gift for only $20 plus shipping and handling.

Tomorrow I will be at the Aberfoyle Fall Fair, so if you are in the area please stop by and say hi. I will be selling Rag Quilt bag kits, handmade cards, catalogues and will have a make n'take as well. Aberfoyle is located South of Guelph, Ontario. If you are interested in getting directions contact me for more information.

Cheers,

Going camping!!

2010-08-17T10:44:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone!

The weather in Ontario has finally cooled down to a manageable temperature. Thankfully, as my family and I are on our way to Owen Sound to do some camping. No tents, I am way out of camping practice, but we have rented a cute little cabin. Should be really fun!

But that mean's that I won't be posting when I am gone. Try not to miss me too much! I will be back on the weekend with pictures of my upcoming Page-a-grade Scrapbook class!!! Check out my event page for more info.

Also, before I let you go, I just wanted to extend a warm welcome to my newest member of the Be Canadian Stampers Group!! Welcome WANDA!! So glad you finally took the plunge!

If you think you would love to join a fun group of stampers why not join my team? Click here for more info.

Cheers,

MDS for weddings

2010-08-12T14:53:00.006-04:00

As posted earlier, I did some decor work for a friends wedding. I used MDS (My Digital Studio) to make table signs and a seating chart.

Well, the bride wanted to put together a collage of pictures that would be printed out and put in her thank you cards. So this is what I came up with.
I love the flexibility of MDS. I love what I can do with it. Boy what I wouldn't give to get married over again (to the same man of course) just so I could make all sorts of fun things for my wedding. This was really easy too, I used one of the card templates, just adjusted the size of the pictures a bit for a more geometric design, added a few stamps, some text and VOILA!

Aren't Lesley & Mike an adorable couple? And their wedding, if I do say so myself was stunning!! :)

This would make a great photo invitation (but use engagement shots instead) or baby announcements, save the date cards etc!! The possibilities are after all endless! You are only limited by your own creativity or by those around you! Thank goodness the Internet is full of wonderfully talented people!!

Cheers,

You know how I love a good challenge!

2010-08-10T23:13:00.004-04:00

My life seems to always be about challenges these days.

1. Challenges with my weight and my love of food and wine
2. Challenges with my family, being tested hourly by that of a 2 1/2 year old son
3. Challenges with my marriage, it's hard when your better half is working in a different city
4. Challenges with my business and finding the right work life balance

I am happy to report however that I have made significant progress in many of these areas.

1. I started back at Weight Watchers last week and after 1 full week on the program I have already lost 8lbs!
2. A new found strength from within (due largely to the fact that I have decided to step up all aspects of my life) have me less frustrated, and calmer when he isn't. Not sure it's having an effect on him yet, but my throat is happier with less yelling!
3. Looks like this is the last trip to Winnipeg Ed has to take! But I am still keeping my fingers crossed, you never know! Plus we have booked a trip to the East Coast to visit a wonderful secluded Island in the Bay of Fundy called Grand Manan. I can't wait to sit on a cliff watching the ocean roll by!
4. My business in the new area is picking up. Everyday I am meeting new people, and making new contacts. I have also scheduled work nights so that I can stay ahead of the tasks and spend less time crunching at the last minute before a class, event etc.

So today, I have a sense of accomplishment. Things are moving forward. And life is pretty good!

Shelli Gardner the CEO and founder of Stampin' Up! posts monthly challenges on her blog, open to both Demo's and customers alike. I haven't participated in a while. Thought I would give this month's challenge a go. It's all about using the Colour Coach to find new and innovative colour combos. And stepping out of your comfort zone.

I have had an idea to use the Elements of style flowers on Marina Mist for a few weeks now. It sort of has a Wedgwood thing about it. But I knew it need to be grounded by another colour. So I pulled out the Colour Coach and tried out a bunch of different colours. Well, it so happens that my fav new colour, Cherry Cobbler was the winner.

And since I got my Holiday Mini sneak peak items today, I thought I would just have to play with the new Cherry Cobbler Seam binding ribbon! Yum! It has a wonderful sheen to it, and it is light and airy. Just lovely. Sorry my bow looks like junk! My eyes are heavy with lack of sleep. The sentiment was framed by a layering of punches. The Designer Label, 1" circle ad the small oval punch bring it all together.

Anyhow, it's very much time for me to go to sleep. I can barely look at the computer screen.

Don't have a Colour Coach yet? Visit my online store to order one today!

Cheers,

Change of date!

2010-08-07T08:53:00.002-04:00

Due to the fact that so many are taking vacations right now, I have decided to change the date of my New Catty Open house and 2-for-1 Retired product sale to Saturday, Sept. 18th. And now it's a preview of the Holiday Mini Catty too!! I will have a whole table set out displaying some of the fabulous products from the new mini.

This just gives me even more time to make this an event you wont want to miss! Please RSVP for this event.

Cheers,

Sorry I have been so quiet, and PPA!

2010-08-06T10:17:00.003-04:00

My family has abandoned me this week (husband in Winnipeg, son at Grandma's, daughter at camp) and I have been extremely busy getting ready for my Martini Party tonight. So sorry for the lack of posts.

I made a card to send to my daughter at camp. This is actually her stamp set. It arrived the day after she left. She earned it for helping me organize my stamp sets. She did a ton of work stamping them into my binder, sorting them into categories and then punching out little colour dots (based on categories) and adhere those to the sets. Then she put them in my cabinets so that they can be easily found. It was a TON of work and I would never have got it done without her. So since she wanted this set so badly, she asked me to make her a card with it.

As it turns out, this card would work well for a boy too. And so it works well with this weeks PPA challenge- KISS Masculine. Not sure this card is really a KISS card, but it didn't take me long at all. I simply stamped the little monsters with Pear Pizzaz, Concord Crush & Pumpkin pie, highlighted them with my blender pens and ink from my ink pads and voila!

I hope she likes it!!

Cheers,

Off to Camp day!!

2010-08-02T09:26:00.004-04:00

We have had a busy weekend around here, packing everyone up. Everyone but me that is! My husband Ed is off to Winnipeg, AGAIN! My son Alexander is off to Grandma's for a week and my daughter Kieran is off to CAMP!! If I could join one of them it would be Kieran. Kieran goes to a fabulous girls camp in Algonquin Provincial Park (one of the most beautiful places on earth) called Camp Tanamakoon. I went to Tanamakoon when I was a kid right up into my twenties (I was a counselor for many many years). Now Kieran goes. This is her 5th summer and she goes for all of August. I won't get to see her or hear her voice for a whole month! I can't tell you how much I look forward to getting a letter in the mail!! It is one of the most wonderful and nurturing places you could ever send your daughter. If you have some, you should check it out. It is the single most important gift my parents ever gave me. It, more than anything else I ever did helped shaped me to be the woman, mother and person I am today. And I am so thankful that I can give her this same gift as well.

Since I have been so busy packing everyone up, and have had no time to play. This week however will be dedicated to Stampin' Up! Lots of fun things happening around here. Tuesday night is my FREE crop night (RSVP if you would like to come) and Friday is my Martini Party/Card class! I can't wait!

I will leave you with a picture of Kieran going to camp last year, but will make sure to take some new ones this year too! I can't believe how young she looks in this picture! Can you see the excitement??

I will be back tomorrow with the winner of my Card Class Blog candy tomorrow. Until then.........

Cheers,

Want to see what we are making at my Open House???

2010-07-30T15:11:00.004-04:00

Well, part of it anyhow............

My New Catalogue Open House and 2-for-1 Retired Sale is on August 14th from 10am to 5pm. You are not going to want to miss this event!!! One of the things we will be making is this adorable little pail.

This is a super simple favour for a party, wedding, shower etc. Right now the pail is empty, but when you come to my Open House you get to fill it with a yummy treat that you will not want to miss out on.

To give you a true picture of how little this cutie is, I have included a picture with a re-inker! Too cute!!

I got these pails from www.many-thanks.ca

If you want to make one of this, RSVP for my open house!! Hope to see you there!

Cheers,

Last Chance to Rejoin!!!

2010-07-29T10:56:00.002-04:00

Time is ticking away!!! You have only until the 31st to get your paperwork to Calgary for this awesome offer to all former SU demonstrators! You can rejoin for only $45!!! How insane is that? $45 gets you the business supplies to get started again, and you get to immediately take advantage of all the awesome stuff SU offers like discounts on products, sneak peek and pre-orders (Holiday Mini pre-ordering starts August 1st!!!). Don't forget FREEBIES, HOSTESS BENEFITS, SU EVENTS (Regional event in Hamilton on Sept. 25th-registration begins Aug. 4th).

Don't delay, contact me immediately to get the ball rolling! I would hate for you to miss out on this incredible offer!

Back tomorrow with a fun project that we will be making at my OPEN HOUSE on August 14th! Save the date, you won't want to miss this one!!

Cheers,

Stampin' Up! is coming to Hamilton!!

2010-07-28T11:26:00.003-04:00

This past week marked the annual Stampin' Up! Convention in Salt Lake City, Utah. I unfortunately couldn't go....... :( It's just too far away and with the move and all this year I just couldn't swing it.

Anyhow at Convention they announced some Regional events in the near future, and guess what, they are coming to Hamilton, Ontario!!!!!

I would love to go to Hamilton with a big bunch of people. There is even talk of a sleep over at my place and some fun in my studio!!

So, want to join me? I am sure that this event will be a sell-out. It's easy, you just need to join my team!!!

How do you do that? Visit my team page for all the info about being on my team and for a link to sign up!

And if you wait until August 1st to do it, you will get EXPEDITED shipping on all your orders in Septemember!! This is a new feature for Canadian Demos! Be one of the first to experience it.

And to sweet the pot, if you join my team I will also give you a FREE stamp set from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalogue!! I already have a copy of it and can begin ordering my goodies on August 1st- one of the many demo perks!

You can choose between a Standard Starter Kit or the Digital + Starter kit. Both are fabulous and contain lots of stampin' goodies for your enjoyment!

Ang the best part? Both are only $215!!! That's $54 cheeper than last year and it's a better selection of products!!

What exactly are in the Starter kits?

The standard Starter Kit includes :
Five complete stamp sets (including a clear-mount set and clear-mount block)
A Stampin' Around wheel, handle, and ink cartridge
Assortment of Designer Series paper and card stock
Four Classic Stampin' Pads
Two Stampin' Write markers
VersaMark Pad
Whisper White 5/8" satin ribbon
Songbird Décor Elements and applicator
Adhesives
Blender pen
Stamping sponge
Stampin' Scrub and Mist
Box of Idea Book & Catalogues
Business forms and tools

The Digital+ Starter Kit includes:
My Digital Studio software suite
Three complete stamp sets (including a clear-mount set and clear-mount block)
Assortment of card stock
Four Classic Stampin' Pads
Two Stampin' Write markers
Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon
Brights Designer buttons
Songbird Décor Elements and applicator
Adhesives
Stampin' Scrub and Mist
Box of Idea Book & Catalogues
Business forms and tools

And many of the items are customizable. Only want to join for the discount? No worries, I will buy the Business supplies from you! Contact me for more info!

Hope you can join me in Hamilton!

Cheers,

Wedding Decor, Stampin' Up! style!!

2010-07-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

I had mentioned that I did a friends wedding decor at the beginning of July. Well, I got some of the pictures from her yesterday and thought I would share them with you. Sometimes it really amazes me what you can do with a little paper.This first picture is of the whole room, if you look closely you will see butterflies on the glasses, signs on the tables and napkin rings. Lets look at those details........
Here are the butterflies on the glasses. Her colours were orange & Brown so I used a mix of Only Orange, Pumpkin Pie, Dusty Durango and Cameo Coral. The butterflies were cut out with my Beautiful Butterflies die and my Big Shot. I then cut notches in them to fit onto the glasses. The Bride and her bridesmaids wrote everyone's name on the butterfly for the place cards.The napkin rings were made with the same combination of card stock out of 2 scallop circles. You snip down the scallops on the top one, add a circle to the middle in So Saffron and cover it with Dazzling Diamonds! Voila! The base of the ring is a piece of Chocolate Chip card stock wrapped in White Satin ribbon.
The bride didn't want her tables numbered so they picked a bunch of Love Songs and gave each table a number. I created the sign in MDS printed it out on Whisper White card stock and mounted it on some Pumpkin Pie. I affixed a butterfly in the top corner from the same card stock colours as the place cards.
The Bride wanted a Sweets buffet for her guests to enjoy. So I was asked to make a sign for that table too, again using MDS and printed on Whisper White card stock.
She also wanted a Branch to decorate her guest book/cake table. I got the branch from my backyard, spray painted it gold. I took a clay pot, painted it orange and filled it with the paper that comes with our Stampin' Up! shipments. This was perfect for holding the branch once I made a whole in the centre of it with some scissors. I wrapped some White satin ribbon around the top and affixed one of the flowers from the napkin rings. On the branch I added paper roses and more butterflies.
And last but not least was the Seating Chart. I really enjoyed making this! I created it using a combination of MDS, MS Publisher and Photoshop Elements. I then formated it for a 24 x 36 poster size and had my friendly neighbourhood printing shop print and foam core mount it. This was not a cheep option, but well worth it for the final look.

All of these elements were easy to make. It just takes a little time and some creativity. I really enjoyed doing it, and would love to do more in the future.

Cheers,

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

2010-07-27T12:27:00.002-04:00

That's right!! It's time for some hostess extras!! Book and hold a workshop/private class with me from now until August 31st and if that workshop sales total more than $450 you get an EXTRA $35 hostess bonus to spend on what ever Catalogue or Mini Catalogue goodies you want!

Qualifying hostesses will get the following:

a level 1 or a level 2 hostess set (choose from the Idea Book & Catalogue, Current Mini or the Definitely Decorative 2010-2011 catalogue.
a minimum of $45 regular hostess rewards
$35 BONUS hostess rewards in addition to the regular rewards

$45 + $35 = $80 in FREE Stampin' Up! goodness!!!

Don't wait, book now!!

Cheers,

School Days Class coming to Stamp & Tea Studio!

2010-07-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

I have a FABULOUS class scheduled for the end of August to celebrate the return to school!

Join me for:

School Days Page-a-Grade Class
When: Friday, August 27th @ 7pm or Saturday, August 28th @ 10am
Where: Stamp & Tea Studio- Morriston, Ontario (South of Guelph, West of Milton at the 401)
Cost: $40 includes Polka Dot 6x6 album and Celebrations Designer Series Paper

Project Description: We will be making a Scrapbook with a page for each grade from JK to 12. The pages will be decorated and ready to have a picture inserted for each grade. What a great use of the stock class photos every parent has. Wish to make more than 1 album? Make 2 for $60. Need more, talk to me about pricing. This album makes a great gift for parent, grand-parents or grads.

We will be using the First Day Stamp set to decorate this awesome keepsake. Please RSVP for this class and payment via PayPal or email money transfer required to hold your space as product must be ordered prior to the class date.

Bring a friend and get a FREE spool of 1/4" grograin ribbon, your choice of colour.

This is the first of many new fun classes being offered at Stamp & Tea Studio. Visit my event page for a complete listing.

Cheers,

July Card Class card #5

2010-07-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Is it too early for Christmas cards? It's never too early to start thinking about Christmas cards.

How cute is this?? The stamp set is Perfect Punches and it's awesome!! The card base is my absolute favorite Cherry Cobbler and check out that new ribbon punch!!! AWESOME!

This is the Traditional Christmas Colour scheme that Stampin' Up! is using this year. I love it. Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla and Old Olive. Yum!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Perfect Punches
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive Textured card stock.
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Old Olive
Accessories: Scallop Circle punch, 1 1/4" Circle punch, Dotted Scallop Ribbon border.

Like what you see? Why not RSVP for next months Card Class??

When: Thursday, August 26th at 7pm
Where: Stamp & Tea Studio, 23 Telfer Glen Street, Morriston, Ontario (401 and Highway 6 south - west of Milton, South of Guelph)
Cost: $20 or FREE with $30 purchased that night. Payment required with RSVP.

Don't forget to leave a comment and make sure you left comments on cards 1 to 4 as well to be entered to win!!!

Cheers,

July Card Class card #4

2010-07-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is a Square card (5 1/4" x 5 1/4") using the awesome new Early Espresso Card stock and the stunning Greenhouse Gala Designer Series Paper (DSP).

The image is the new single stamp called Ornate Blossom, how fun that the stamp matches the paper! And the image was coloured using Stampin' Write markers.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Ornate Blossom
Card stock: Whisper White, Early Espresso, Baja Breeze
DSP: Greenhouse Gala
Ink: Pear Pizazz, Baja Breeze, Pumpkin Pie Stampin' Write Markers.
Accessories: Ticket Corner Punch, dimensionals.

Like what you see? Why not RSVP for next months Card Class??

When: Thursday, August 26th at 7pm
Where: Stamp & Tea Studio, 23 Telfer Glen Street, Morriston, Ontario (401 and Highway 6 south - west of Milton, South of Guelph)
Cost: $20 or FREE with $30 purchased that night. Payment required with RSVP.

Don't forget to leave a comment today and join me tomorrow for the last card in the series! And if you haven't done so, leave a comment on cards 1 through 3 as well. If you leave a comment everyday from Thursday, July 22nd until Monday, July 26th you will be entered to WIN a Retired DSP paper pack and Stamp set!!

Cheers,

July Card Class card #3

2010-07-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

This is a fun Birthday card that uses one of my MOST favorite new sets from the new catty called Word Play! Don't you just love it!! I can't wait to make all sorts of cards with it.

The Cupcake is a Sizlit Die for the Big Shot and I texturized it using the Perfect Polka Dots Impressions folder. The bottom of the cupcake is run through a Crimper. Fun! Oh and notice the Daffodil Delight DSP!! LOVE it!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Word Play
Card stock: Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Daffodil Delight, Regal Rose, Crumb Cake (formerly Kraft).
DSP: Daffodil Delight (Brights DSP Pack)
Ink: Basic Black.
Accessories: Big Bold Cupcakes Sizzlit Die, Perfect Polka Dots Impressions folder, Crimper, Glue dots, Tombow Multipurpose adhesive.

Like what you see? Why not RSVP for next months Card Class??

When: Thursday, August 26th at 7pm
Where: Stamp & Tea Studio, 23 Telfer Glen Street, Morriston, Ontario (401 and Highway 6 south - west of Milton, South of Guelph)
Cost: $20 or FREE with $30 purchased that night. Payment required with RSVP.

Don't forget to leave a comment and join me tomorrow for the next card in the series! And don't forget to leave comments on Cards 1 and 2. You must leave a comment every day to be entered to WIN some good stuff!

Cheers,

PPA 52 a sketch challenge

2010-07-23T14:03:00.004-04:00

I generally prefer colour and inspiration challenges to sketch ones, because they allow for more freedom. But I have to say that I love the composition of this sketch for the PPA 52 challenge. And as I looked at it to decide what to do instantly one of the cards I designed for this months Card class came to mind. So I thought I would use that as my starting point. And this is what I came up with.

Once again I am using the Daffodil Delight DSP and the Tempting turquoise too. On the last card, I used the stripes, for this card I just flipped it over for these very cool elements from the Artistic Etchings set. I adore this print. The Congrats is from the awesome Perfect punches stamp set.

I decided to make this a congrats card because my awesome Upline Caroline LeBel placed #6 for Demonstrator of the Year for the 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! year and #1 for Senior Associate Promotions in her downline!! Way to go Caroline!!! I am soooooo proud of you. You truly are an inspiration. Caroline has had a very difficult year personally yet she still remained within the top 10 for all of Canada amongst some very determined women. It is quite and achievement. So, I am going to be sending this to her along with a little something else I am working on! Keep your eyes on your mail over the next few weeks Caroline!

Don't forget to go back to this post, and this post and leave comments to be entered to win a fun prize pack. You must leave a comment every day for the 5 July Card Class cards to be entered to win.

Cheers,

July Card Class card #2

2010-07-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here's card #2 from this months card class. Don't you wish you could have come???

Isn't this Owl adorable???? He's a new punch in the new catty! For this version of him I punched him out 4 different times using different paper and then simply constructed him. Sooo cute. And that is my new favorite Daffodil Delight DSP for his belly!!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: No Stampin' on this card!
Card stock: Riding Hood Red, Daffodil Delight, Early Espresso, Soft Suede, Whisper White
DSP: Daffodil Delight (Brights DSP pack)
Ink: No Ink on this card!
Accessories: 2 Step XL Owl Punch, 1 1/4" Square punch, Tombow Multipurpose Adhesive.

Don't forget to leave a comment on all 5 Card Class posts this week for a chance to win some goodies! You must post every day to be entered to win!!

Like what you see? Why not RSVP for next months Card Class??

When: Thursday, August 26th at 7pm
Where: Stamp & Tea Studio, 23 Telfer Glen Street, Morriston, Ontario (401 and Highway 6 south - west of Milton, South of Guelph)
Cost: $20 or FREE with $30 purchased that night. Payment required with RSVP.

Cheers,

You should have come to my monthly card class!!

2010-07-22T19:42:00.003-04:00

Once a month (usually the 3rd Thursday of the month) I hold a card class. It's $20 or FREE with a $30 purchase and you get to make 5 cards!! Bring a friend (RSVP ahead of time) and make 2 sets of cards for the same price.

Wanna see what we made this week?? I will show you 1 card each day for the next 5 days. So you will have to come back each day. Post a comment everyday (from today until Monday, July 26th) to be entered in to win a prize. Prize pack will contain Retired Designer Series paper and a stamp set!!

So here is the first card:
This card uses the NEW Extra Large Scallop Circle punch and the NEW Brights Designer Series Paper pack which is one of most favorite things in the new Catty!!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Afterthoughts Hostess Level 1 set
Card stock: Whisper White, Tempting Turquoise, Daffodil Delight, Old Olive.
DSP: Tempting Turquoise
Ink: Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker.
Accessories: Brights Brads, Daffodil Delight 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon.

Like what you see? Why not RSVP for next months Card Class??

When: Thursday, August 26th at 7pm
Where: Stamp & Tea Studio, 23 Telfer Glen Street, Morriston, Ontario (401 and Highway 6 south - west of Milton, South of Guelph)
Cost: $20 or FREE with $30 purchased that night. Payment required with RSVP.

Don't forget to leave a comment and join me tomorrow for the next card in the series!

Cheers,

PPA Artists pick!!

2010-07-21T10:56:00.003-04:00

Wow! I got a lovely surprise this morning. When I get up, one of the first things I ALWAYS do is check my email on my iPhone (not sure I could live with out it!). And this morning I was greated with a wonderful surprise! I was chosen as one of this weeks PPA Artists Picks!

Click here to view their post!! :)

Thanks Ladies! You made my day! I only wish I had taken a better pic of my card!! I don't know why the light was not participating that day!

Oh how I wish that I was in Salt Lake City, Utah for the annual Stampin' Up! Convention. Perhaps next year!

Cheers,

Where I get my inspiration from.....

2010-07-19T10:50:00.005-04:00

I have had a few people ask me where I get my inspiration from. Particularly a friend of mine and an avid stamper asked me to provide her with a list of the blogs I stalk! So Caroline, you have only been waiting since last fall for this one............... but here it is!

Blair's Blog list:

Andrea Walford
Angie Kennedy Juda
Gretchen Baron
Barb Mullikin
Kari Metzger
Lydia Felder
Caroline LeBel- my upline
Lorri Heiling
Nancy Riley
Kristina Werner
Mary Jo Albright
Dawn McVey
Mary Fish
Kimberly Van Diepen
Angela McKay
Heather Summers
Ann Schach
Ronda Wade- My Business Coach and personal Mentor
Patty Bennett
Julie LeBlanc
Nicole Heady

There are more that I view when ever they have a posting up, but these would have to be the one's who I look to first for ideas. Most are Stampin' Up! demo's but a few are not. I find that it's fun to see what other trends and products are on the market place. It helps me reinforce what a great company Stampin' Up! is, because we are always at the forefront of the hotest trends.

I will leave you with a quick and easy card today.
This card uses my 2 most favorite sets from the new catty! Artistic Etchings and Word Play. You will be seeing lots from these two sets in the months to come!

I made this card for my husbands return on Friday. I wanted something clean and simple and masculine enough for him. The new Early Espresso is a great Man card colour! It's sooooo deep and rich! Yum!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Artistic Etchings, Word Play
Card stock: Whisper White, Early Espresso
Ink: Basic Black, Cherry Cobbler, Early Espresso.
Accessories: Adhesive Rhinestones.

Cheers,

Bright and Cheery card to celebrate my husbands return!

2010-07-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

Ed is finally back from his latest 2 week stint in Winnipeg. Unfortunately it's not his last and he will be going back out there again! I can't wait until the airport is finally finished. I miss having my husband around!

Anyhow, I have been so inspired by the new products that I just can't stop creating new and beautiful cards. I feel like I am on a roll! Here's a card I whipped up the other day. I ADORE the new Brights Collection and wanted to showcase them in some way. And better a way then to put them on Whisper White!

This was a really quick and easy card to make. The card base is Whisper White, I then took a 4 x 5 1/4" piece of Whisper White and ran it through the Big Shot with the Dots impressions folder. After that I punched out 4 hearts using the small heart punch in each of the following colours: Real Red, Pumpkin Pie, Daffodil Delight (new and beautiful), Old Olive and Tempting Turquoise. All of these are from the new Brights Collection. Who would have thought that Old Olive would ever be a bright? It looked so at home in the old Earth Elements..... But now it is PERFECT with all the brights. And I have said this before, but I HATED the old Bold Brights. I had only a few of them. Now I can't get enough of this new Brights Collection. I think it's stunning!!!

The sentiment on this card is from the "Everything Nice" set. I only wanted to use part of this stamp so I used my Basic Black Stampin' Write marker to colour over only a portion of the stamp. And voila! Only the part that you want. Markers make our stamps all the more versatile as you don't need to stamp the whole thing if you don't want to.

Anyhow, that's it for me today. Spending the day with my family, thankful to have my wonderful Husband back! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Cheers,

Sad day.....

2010-07-16T07:00:00.002-04:00

Today is my Sister-in-law's mother's Funeral. She passed away on Wednesday after a short put painful battle with cancer. I didn't know her that well, we only usually saw each other once or twice a year, but I will be there to support my sister-in-law and my brother In their time of need. Since I rarely have any Sympathy cards at the read, I had to make one up. I completely case'd this one and have been wanting to do so for some time. The card I believe originated with Dawn Olchefske. And I have admired it for sometime. Now, she colours hers in with a Q-tip and ink pad, but I went right to the markers. I always do. I could honestly not live without my Stampin' Write markers.

If I was stranded on a desert Island and could only bring 10 Stampin' Up! things they would be (in no particular order):

1. Big Shot & Dies (can that count as one item?)
2. Stampin' Write Markers
3. Dimensionals
4. Brights Assorted Card Stock pack
5. Word Play Stamp set (new in this catty)
6. Brights Ink pads
7. Chocolate Chip Card Stock
8. Whisper White Card Stock
9. Paper Snips
10. Artistic Etchings Stamp set

What would you bring? I would love to see your lists.

Anyhow, back to the card. I cut out the butterfly using my Beautiful Butterflies die and then I stamped the image from the Elements of Style set on it. After colour it in a variety of colours (Pink Pirouette, Pretty in Pink, So Safron, Certainly Celery, Pear Pizazz, Old Olive, Rose Red) I mounted it to the front of a Whisper White Card base using Tombow Multi Purpose adhesive and then adhered some pearls in the centre! The sentiment is from the Thoughts and Prayers stamp set. I also stamped a sentiment on the inside of this card from the same set, and then used the flourish design from the Elements of Style which I stamped in Pink Pirouette (have a mentioned how much I love that colour lately??).

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Elements of Style, Thoughts & Prayers
Card stock: Whisper White
Ink: Basic Black, Pink Pirouette.
Accessories: Big Shot & Beautiful Butterflies Die, Adhesive Pearls, Various Stampin' Write Markers.

My daughter also made a beautiful card for her aunt, to give to her today. I was really impressed with Kieran's style. She has really become a fantastic stamper. Look at her sponging skills and the way she notched the ribbon! I also love her placement of brads! And of course this is one of my favorite colour schemes! Way to go Kieran. I am sure that your Aunt Debbie will be really comforted by this card.

See you tomorrow, I have a bright and cheery card for you.

Cheers,

Wedding PPA challenge

2010-07-15T15:04:00.006-04:00

This weeks PPA theme challenge was well timed, because I had to make a Wedding card for my son's nanny who is getting married later this month. I can't wait for the wedding because my son is her ring bearer and my daughter will be walking him down the aisle as a junior bridesmaid. I will definitely share pictures after the wedding. I decided to use my wedding colours for this card, and she is using red & white anyhow, so it fit. My wedding colours were burgundy (or rather a deep red), black and cream. Stampin' Up!'s Bravo Burgundy is a bit to brown a Burgundy but thankfully we have the BEAUTIFUL new Cherry Cobbler! I am going to be using this colour a lot!

This card took me a while. I started out with one vision, that wasn't working for me, switched almost completely and then came up with this design. I don't actually have any wedding images (perhaps I should be putting some on my wish list....) but I have seen a ton of cards made with the adorable Bride and Groom hearts. And they were really easy to make. The really cool thing about this card however is that the ribbon closes the card! You have to untie it to open it! Fun huh?? I will list the instructions for this card below:

1. Fold a piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock in half to form card base.
2. Decorate the background using the Baroque Border wheel and Basic Black ink. I used a Wheel Guide to ensure that my lines were straight.
3. Take a 2 1/4 x 3" piece of Cherry Cobler and punch out the corners with a Ticket Corner punch. Mount this to the top half of your card base using Dimensionals.
4. Punch out 2 large hearts in with Whisper White card stock and 1 heart in Basic Black.
5. Stamp the florish design heart from the I {Heart} Hearts set on one of the white hearts in Versamark ink. Sprinkle with Iridescent Ice Embossing powder and heat with a heat gun. Then adhere pearls down the centre of the heart.
6. Using Paper Snips, snip 2/3 down the centre of the Basic Black heart. Now fold back the edges along the cut to make the lapels of the tux. Adhere this heart to the extra Whisper White one. Tie a knot in 1/4" grosgrain ribbon in the colour of your choice to make the bow tie and adhere to the heart. Using a Basic Black Stampin' Write marker make tux buttons on the shirt.
7. Adhere both completed hearts on top of your 2 1/4 x 3" Cherry Cobbler piece.
8. Take a piece 4" x 5 1/4" piece of Whisper White paper and stamp the "Love begins in a moment...." sentiment from the Occasional Quotes Hostess Level 3 set on it. Punch the corners of this piece using the Ticket Corner punch and then stamp a small heart in the bottom corner. (Note: I used a Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write marker and a stamp from the Love you Much set but you could use any heart stamp you have. )
9. Using a craft knife cut a slit on the fold of the card about 2/3's of the way down wide enough for your ribbon to slide through. Slide your Whisper White Satin ribbon through the slot and adhere it to the inside of the card using Snail. Now adhere the Whisper White stamped piece on top of the ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the card and tie it in a bow on the front.
10. Stamp the "Congratulations on your Wedding Day"Sentiment from the Occasional Quotes Level 3 set on a piece of Basic Black card stock using Whisper White ink. Sprinkle with White Embossing powder and heat with your heat gun. Punch the sentiment out using a Wide Oval Punch and adhere it to the bottom right hand corner of your card front using Dimensionals.

And voila!! You now have an absolutely stunning Wedding card that anyone would love to receive!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Occasional Quotes (Hostess Level 3), I {Heart} Hearts, Love you Much, Baroque Border Wheel
Card stock: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Whisper White
Ink: Cherry Cobbler, Basic Black, Versamark.
Accessories: Standard Wheel handle, Dimensionals, Heart Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Paper Snips, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Whisper White Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Adhesive Pearls, Basic Black Stampin' Write Marker, Wide Oval Punch, craft knife, Basic Black 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, Whisper White Satin Ribbon.

I will now leave you with a picture of us on our wedding day. I can't believe it has almost been 5 years since this picture was taken. Look how young our daughter was?? She was only 6 1/2. How sweet!

Cheers,

Colour Throwdown Challenge and more new-ish stuff!

2010-07-12T11:43:00.004-04:00

Hey all,

Happy Monday. Here is a card I made for the 100th Colour Throwdown challenge. This is my first time playing this one.
The colours for this one were quite cheery. Originally I saw these as Birthday colours but couldn't find a Birthday Greeting in my stash that worked with this card. So it ended up being a Friend card.

For this card I used the Itty Bitty Bits and Itty Bitty Buttons which were new in this current mini and I am happy to report have made it into the new catalogue. They coordinate with the Itty Bitty punch set which allow you to make custom buttons for your projects. This card took me a bit of time because I am really not used to working with buttons, but these guys are sooooo darn cute! Oh, and notice that we got to use Baja Breeze?? I am soooooo glad that colour is back!!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Itty Bitty Bits, With All My Heart
Card stock: Baja Breeze, Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Ink: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Real Red, Baja Breeze.
Accessories: Itty Bitty Punch pack, Itty Bitty Buttons, Paper Piecer, Mat Pack, Linen Thread, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon.

Cheers,

Mojo Monday on a Saturday and more NEW Stampin' Up! stuff!

2010-07-10T15:27:00.006-04:00

Happy Saturday everyone!

We have had a busy one, as I told you today was Xander's first Soccer lesson. He wasn't really into the whole listening thing, but he did start to follow what the rest of the class was doing. He got a new soccer jersey and a new ball. Here's a picture of him.
Last night I took Kieran to see Eclipse! We had a great time. I really enjoyed the movie, and of course Kieran couldn't get enough of Jacob! LOL, I am more of an Edward person of course, as my Husbands name is Ed!

Here is a card that I made today for the Mojo Monday Sketch Challenge. I have never participated in this one, but seeing as there are prizes up for grabs, I thought I would give it a shot.

The card I made uses LOTS of new stuff!

Greenhouse Gala Designer Series paper- YUM!
Because I Care Hostess Level 1 stamp set
Daffodil Delight- one of the colours
Daffodil Delight ribbon

I just love working with my new stuff. And I still have lots to try out and a whole new box of stuff on route to my place!! So much fun! Another new product I used for this card, but that you can't see is the AWESOME new Colour Coach! This has to be the BEST tool ever! I know I am going to be using it for everything I make. I knew that I wanted to use the Daffodil Delight paper from the Greenhouse Gala DSP pack, but didn't know what other colours to put with it. I had an idea about using pink, but again, what shade. In fact, in my head I had picked Pretty in Pink. As for the green I was probably going to reach for Old Olive, as I almost always do but I thought I would use this niffy new tool.

The Colour Coach has a card for each of the fabulous colours we carry. On the backside it lists colour combos etc. I simple found the Daffodil Delight card, and then held it up against my pink options, it was clear that the pink I needed for this card was Regal Rose. I then found all the greens and settled on Wild Wasabi-one of the previous in-colours now a part of the new colour collections. Every crafter will want to have one of this cool things, and the best part.....it's only $18.95!! So very very worth it!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Because I Care Hostess Level 1 set
Card stock: Daffodil Delight, Regal Rose, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Greenhouse Gala
Ink: Regal Rose, Wild Wasabi.
Accessories: Corner Rounder punch, Hodgepodge Hardware, Daffodil Delight ribbon, Dimensionals.

The stamp set I used today is a Hostess set, so the only way you can get it is by Hosting a workshop, placing an order of $200 or more, or by collecting a bunch of orders from your friends and family and submitting them to me. I call this a Catalogue Workshop. Contact me today to get started!

I hope to have some crafting time tonight after Xander goes to bed, or Kieran and I might just watch a movie! Either way, I should be back tomorrow with some more new products for you to drool over!

Cheers,

Twilight day & Distressing Kit!

2010-07-09T09:35:00.005-04:00

That's right, I am going to see Eclipse tonight with my daugther Kieran. The kids have been staying with Grandma for the last week and are returning home today. So I promised to take Kieran to go see Eclipse. We are both really excited!! It should be a fun Mother-Daughter night. Tomorrow is Xander's first soccer thing. Not really sure what to call it, a practice? a game? I doubt it will be much of either because he's only 2 1/2. Basically it will just be a bunch of little people running about the field chasing a ball. Should be amusing to watch at the very least. I will take tons of pictures because my husband is still away in Winnipeg and will want to see how the class unfolds.

I thought I would share with you a new product from the new catty. This is the Distressing Kit. How cool is that??? In the kit you get everything you need to purposely distress your projects or elements of them. The kit contains the following:

■ Sanding block and emery board for distressing Designer Series paper or smoothing the edges of paper that has been adhered to chipboard

■ Precision files for sanding intricate die cuts and sanding in tight areas

■ Blendable vintage ink and stamp for creating an aged appearance: Tea Stain, Charcoal, Mahogany, Navy ink

Note: **Because vintage ink contains alcohol, they are not recommended for scrapbooking

The best part of this kit is that it is only $25.95!!!! That's an amazing deal! Contact me to order yours today!!
Cheers,

New Catty stuff and PPA Colour Challenge

2010-07-08T13:55:00.007-04:00

Hello Blogland!

It's a hot one up here in Southwestern Ontario! I am pretty much staying inside, because it's way too hot out there!!! It's days like this (hitting 32 degrees Celsius-that's 89.6 F for my American friends) that kill me! And that isn't taking humidity in to effect either. I think it's closer to 45 degrees (115F) with the humidex. So, those of you who have the misconception that Canada is always cold, I can tell you quite honestly that it is not. We have pretty much been running our AC since mid-may and last winter never really did get very cold. Anyhow, enough about the weather, us Canadian's can go on forever on that topic, we really arn't happy no matter what the temp is!

Now on to the crafty stuff!! As I have said before, the new Catty is AWESOME!! I fell in love at first glance! Honestly, cant get enough! One of the best perks of being a SU demo is that we get not only sneak peaks of the new stuff, but we get pre-order opportunities too. One of the items we could pre-order from the new catty is the "Artistic Etchings" stamp set. As soon as I saw it I fell in love!!
For those of you who know me well, know that I am obsessed with all things French, namely the wine and cheese! But I love classic French images. And what is more classic than the Eifel Tower? We had a set last year ("Chic Boutique" pg. 76 2010-2011 IDB&C) but it was too doodle-y for my tastes. This one however is perfect!

So I decided to use today's PPA Colour Challenge of Basic Grey, So Safron & Chocolate Chip as my starting point with this set.

I started with a piece of Basic Grey Card stock for my card base and stamped the "Amour" stamp from this set all over it for a background. I then inked the edges with a Stampin' Sponge with Basic Grey Ink. The Top Note die was cut out of Presto Pattern's Paper (which I am soooooo happy is in the new Catty- 117175 pg. 172). I sponged that using So Safron ink, stamped the Eifel tower in Basic Grey (stamped and stamped off), and the edges were inked with Chocolate Chip. The Ribbon I used is the Satin ribbon in Chocolate Chip- which I must note is NOT in the new catty. This item has been replaced with Early Espresso ribbon instead. However, if you still want some good ol' Chocolate Chip satin ribbon, it is in the current mini catty on page 13. So, good news is that along with Bashful Blue and Basic Grey these ribbons are still available until August 31st. But then they are GONE!! So stock up now! Sorry for the diversion.....back to my card. I then stamped the Eifel Tower in Chocolate Chip on a piece of Whisper White paper and cut it out with my paper snips. Now, here is the best part, not sure if you can see it in the picture, but after that I adhered tiny adhesive rhinestones down the top half of the Eifel tower simulating all the beautiful sparkling lights on the tower at night. And yes, we now have adhesive rhinestones and pearls in the new catty (pg 188). You get 150 of each for only $6.50!!! I have bought tons of these beauties! I then adhered the Eifel tower to my card using dimensionals.

Tip: Dimensionals too big for your element? No problem, simply cut the dimensional using your paper snips to the right size. I often use just have a dimensional depending on what I am sticking down.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Artistic Etchings
Card stock: Basic Grey, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Presto Patterns Paper
Ink: Basic Grey, So Safron, Chocolate Chip.
Accessories: Top Note Die for the Big Shot, Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon, Stampin' Sponges, Rhinestones.

I will leave you with a few pictures we took at the Eifel Tower when we were in France for our Honeymoon almost 5 years ago. Hard to believe it has been almost 5 years since Ed and I were married. Oh boy, does time fly. Hope you enjoyed today's new product preview. Stay tuned, there will be more!!

Cheers,

Pictures from the Supper Club, as promised

2010-07-07T07:00:00.001-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying looking through the new catty! I know I can't keep my hands off of it. What a great opportunity to book a Private Class with me so that you can earn a bunch of your wish list for FREE. Here is a little guidance for you:

If you want a bunch of stuff...... host a class
If you want a lot of stuff............ join a club
If you want all the stuff............. be a demo!

Contact me to any of the above things, I know my only choice was to become a demo because I needed to support my "habit". And oh what a wonderful one it is!

Okay, on to the pictures from Supper Club. The first picture is of the menu I created. I used the "Compliments to the Chef" stamp set after printing out the menu on Whisper White paper. My colour combination for the decor was Lovely Lilac, Tempting Turquoise, Pretty in Pink and Gable Green. I honestly have to say that I am only sad to see a few of the old colours retire and Lovely Lilac & Gable Green are two of them.

This next picture is of the napkin ring. I made a band out of Gable Green and wrapped it in White Satin ribbon (but you can't see it in this picture-maybe I will post another one tomorrow). I then punched out 2 Scallop circles and cut one on each of the scallops. I then overlapped that on the full scallop. For the centre I punched out a small circle and then glittered it with a 2-way glue pen and Dazzling Diamonds. This was then mounted on the band using a mini glue dot.

The name cards were cut using the Butterflies Die for the Big Shot. I then cut a slit in them so that they could rest on the side of the wine glasses. The names were written on with a Silver Gel Pen. These were sooooo quick and easy.

And here is a picture of my flower arrangements. These were super cheap and easy! The bowls were $2 each at Walmart and the flowers were from my garden. I opted for a low flower arrangement so that people could actually see around them. I love the look of a big vase of flowers in the centre of the table but you always have to move it for dinner.

And finally the whole table set out waiting for the guest to arrive! I can't wait to do another Supper Club. I wonder how I am going to decorate the table this time. I am dying to do a Halloween dinner!!! I have lots of gruesome ideas for that!!

Cheers,

The new Stampin' Up! 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue is here!!!

2010-07-06T07:18:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone,

sorry for my delay in getting this posted, but it's been a crazy weekend. I will fill you in below, but first, without further ado.......... the INCREDIBLE 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue!!!

Simply Click (or here) on the image above for online access to what has to be the most wonderful, beautiful catalogue I have ever seen!! The new products will make you want to sit and craft all day, and the art work is stunning!

Want to get your hands on a paper copy of this beauty? It's easy! Contact me, and either place a $50 order in the month of July or pick a date to host your own private class in the comfort of your own home. Don't want to do it at your place, no problem! Bring your group of 10 to me and host it in my fabulous new Stamping Studio conveniently located at the 401 and Highway 6 South/Brock Rd.

I had a CRAZY weekend, but it was fabulous. Most of us Canadian's had an extra long weekend as Canada Day fell on a Thursday this week. And many of us booked off the Friday. Thursday night a group of friends came over for what we are calling Supper Club. It was an idea from one of my close friends who loves my husbands cooking. I am sure I have gloated about the fact that my husband can cook VERY well on here before, but after the fantastic dinner he cooked up for our House Warming all of my friends were wanting more! And decided they wanted to pay for it. So the idea for Supper Club was born. The dinner is limited to 12 people (including our family) as that is all we can seat in our dinning room. And the guests pay for their meal as if they were in a restaurant, except that the meal doesn't have the mark up of a restaurant. And then we do the rest! Now, I have wanted to host a dinner party like this for some time. And I had been eying the "Compliments to the Chef" stamp set in last years catty (which I am happy to say is in the new catty too!) and seeing that I didn't have a reason to purchase it before, I restrained myself. Well now I have the perfect reason to buy it! To make menu's of course! I made menus, place cards and napkin rings! And the table looked beautiful! Plus I made homemade bread and a yummy Rustic Rhubarb cake with a Strawberry Rhubarb coulis for dessert. My hubby did the rest! Dinner was perfect, the company was perfect and then we ended the night with a fabulous Fireworks display! It was a wonderful Canada Day for sure! Pictures to follow in another post.

Friday was a hang at home day and I was busy in my Studio putting the finishing touches on some beautiful items for a wedding I was helping out with. A friend of mine was getting married on Saturday and hired me to make a number of decor items for her big day. In addition to that she hired me to be the day of coordinator. So I have been very busy making all sorts of things for that event. Place cards, signs, napkin rings, decor items etc. I will have pictures once she gets them to me. And these ones will be beautiful professional photos too!! I can't wait to see them!

Sunday was a hang out day with my husband as the kids are visiting Grandma for the week! And he was off to Winnipeg on Monday for 2 weeks! So I actually have a very quiet house this week. It's just me and my dad! And the dog of course. So I hope to get caught up on all things Stampin' Up! and get my craft on! I am hosting a FREE Crop Night at my place on Thursday night, so if you have nothing else to do and want to craft for a few hours why not join me at my place. I do need a quick RSVP so that I ensure enough space for all interested crafters but that's it. Bring the projects you are working on and lets have a fun night!

Throughout the week I will be bringing you highlights of the new Catty and should you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to send me a message or give me a call.

Cheers,

Remember when I said I couldn't sew???

2010-06-29T09:47:00.005-04:00

Well, I guess I lied a bit.... I learned to sew back in Junior High in Home Economics class. We made a pair of sweat pants (I know it was the 80's). Anyhow, I guess some of my abilities stayed with me, because since I have been making the rag quilt purses, I find I just can't stop!!!! It's crazy addictive. Well, I figured if I could make a rag quilt purse, I surely can make a rag quilt. So I popped on over to my FAVORITE quilting store (Greenwood Quiltery in Guelph) and picked up some flannel for my quilt. I cut lots and lots of squares (80 to be exact) with the back side of the quilt all being one pattern and began quilting away! For the inside because I was using flannel I just used another layer of flannel in a plain off white, no quilt batting in this one. And voila! A finished quilt! My first ever!!!!
When it was finished I was just sooooo surprised. I couldn't believe that I made a quilt, and now I want to set my sights even higher and make a full sized quilt! Yikes! It won't be right away though, as I have decided to sew all the drapes for my house. Which is a rather momentous task. We have something like 33 openings in our house! Not all of them thankfully require drapery. This second shot of the quilt shows how the back is all one fabric pattern but still made with squares. If you have ever considered making a quilt before I absolutely recommend you that this is the first quilt that you make. You will be so surprised how fast and easy it really is. The Big Shot makes very quick work of fabric. It's really amazing!

I have been sewing something else as well, not Big Shot related, but I am pretty proud of my work. Stay tuned at a later date for that!

Sewing aside, there are only 2 more days left of the Last Chance List! After July 1st they are gone for good!! Contact me today to order your Last Chance items!

Cheers,

Were you ever a Stampin' Up! Demo??

2010-06-25T11:26:00.004-04:00

Do you miss getting the discount, getting in on the sneak peaks, demo specials and all the FREE stuff???

Why not Re-Join Stampin' Up!??? You know you miss it, and Stampin' Up! misses you! And because of it we are offering our former Demo's a chance to re-join for only $45!!!!

The re-join starter kit includes all the business supplies you need to get started again! Sign up with me in July and get a FREE stamp set from the new Idea Book & Catalogue available July 1st!

Contact me if you have any questions at stampwithb@gmail.com! I hope to be able to welcome you back to Stampin' Up! in July.

Cheers,

I was chosen!

2010-06-08T13:12:00.003-04:00

It's true, I was! When I went to check out Kristina Werner's round-up of the last Colour Inspiration, I was dumbfounded! My card last week was chosen as one of her top 10! I was jumping for joy when I read the news, I have been following her blog for sometime now and I love her fun and hip sense of style. Not to mention that the competition was stiff!! So to have been selected is a HUGE honour!

An that brings us to today's card which is my submission for this weeks Colour Inspiration Challenge at Kristina's blog. I really really appologize for the poor picture quality but I can not find my camera charger, and so, yet again I have had to use my iPhone for the picture.

I have been somewhat obsessed with colouring our Presto Patterns paper ever since Saturday at Palooza (thank you Julie LeBlanc!). I thought it would work wonderfully for today's challenge.

The colours for this challenge are Chocolate Chip, Elegant Eggplant, Old Olive, Certainly Celery, light plum (I used a combo of Almost Amethyst and Lavender Lace) and cream.

Although it doesn't show well in the picture, the background was sponged first with Certainly Celery and then with Old Olive. I really really like how this card turned out. Thank goodness I ordered more Presto paper, because at this rate I am going to use all of mine up!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Elements of Style (Summer Mini)
Card stock: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip
Designer Series Paper: Presto Patterns Paper
Ink: Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Elegant Eggplant Markers-Elegant Eggplant, Almost Amethyst, Lavender Lace, Chocolate Chip.
Accessories: Modern Label Punch, Movers and Shapers Die for the Big Shot with the Modern Label die, Chocolate Chip Satin ribbon, Stampin' Sponges.

Cheers,

Happy Monday & this weeks PPA!

2010-06-07T10:31:00.008-04:00

I had a super busy Stampin' weekend! This weekend was the 3rd Stampinpalooza hosted by my upline Caroline LeBel. And what a fantastic weekend it was! The Guest speaker was none other than my American Mentor Ronda Wade. I could listen to that woman speak for hours!! Thankfully because I train with her I get to have a one-on-one call with her this evening! If you are interested in training with Ronda, contact me for more info.

Here is a picture of Donna Lee, Ronda Wade, Myself and Susy Godinho on Saturday. See you can tell we are having a great time!

They took pictures of me presenting (I demo'd how to make rag quilt purses, with sewing and all) but I look terrible in all of them! I obviously talk with my hands a lot! Or I sit around doing jazz hands all day long or something! I thought I would share one with you, but that's all you are going to get!

If you have never been to a Stampinpalooza before you need to free yourself up for the first weekend in October. Caroline always puts on an amazing event with fabulous presenters, demonstrations, AWESOME make n' takes (I will show those to you later this week) and so much more including an ice cream sundae bar!! Weee Hooo! I learned a lot of awesome things this weekend, which I hope to share in the weeks to come. The card today was created with one of those fabulous techniques. Julie LeBlanc shared with us an amazing way to work with the new Presto Pattern paper from the current mini (which I am very happy to announce will be in the new catty too!). Julie is super talented and this technique is a testament to that!

Julie showed us how to get multicoloured effects on our Presto paper using sponges, ink and markers! Isn't the result stunning??? This card was inspired by the PPA challenge this week.

I am going to play with this technique some more to produce some really beautiful cards. Stay tuned!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Elements of Style (Summer Mini)
Card stock: Whisper White, Basic Black
Designer Series Paper: Presto Patterns Paper
Ink: Basic Black, Certainly Celery, Markers-Cameo Coral, Pumpkin Pie, Only Orange, Always Artichoke
Accessories: Designer Label Punch, 1" circle punch, Pumpkin Pie 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Stampin' Sponges.

Cheers,

Last Chance List is here!!!!

2010-06-01T11:29:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again when Stampin' Up! retires a bunch of the old to make way for the new! Along with Stamps, SU is retiring inks, paper, wheels, accessories and MORE! Some are even discounted by 25% and 50%! Wow!

Click here for the list of retired Stamp sets.

Visit my Online Store to see all the retiring items.

Please note that other than stamps all retired items are while supplies last so don't wait to order, contact me to order today!!

Cheers,

One card, Two Challenges!

2010-05-27T14:38:00.005-04:00

Hi Everyone,

Crazy HOT weather we are having here. Being that I am more of a cold weather girl, I am not over the moon like some. But I am glad that summer is finally here, and they are saying that it is going to be hot and dry! At least we should see less rain than last year. Too bad we don't have a pool at our new place!

Just a reminder to visit this post to see my new Workshop Walk-through for Stampin' Up! Demo's and leave me a comment with a new name to be entered in a contest to win a copy! And members of my team, you guys get a copy for FREE! Just one of the many perks to being on the "B Canadian" Stampers team.

Oh and this Sunday is my NEW Studio Grand Opening bash! RSVP if you can make it.

Okay, on to today's card. This one was created based on two challenges this week. Kristina Werner's colour inspiration challenge and Pals Paper Arts Sketch challenge. The colours were really challenging. There was a Bright bluish purple, and I decided to use Rich Razzleberry, Bashful Blue, a bright yellow (Crushed Curry), A medium blue (Ballet Blue), Certainly Celery and White. Plus I had to use a bit of black for the flowers outline. I coloured the flowers using a combo of markers and blender pens and ink from the top of my ink pad. I am not sure that I love this card. I think there are too many colours for my liking. Ah well, if you don't try you will never know!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Elements of Style (Summer Mini)
Card stock: Whisper White, Ballet Blue, Bashful Blue, Crushed Curry
Ink: Basic Black, Rich Razzleberry, Certainly Celery
Accessories: Sale-a-bration Scallop trim Punch (which will be in the 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue), Blender Pen.

Cheers,

Memorial Day post for PPA

2010-05-20T13:52:00.005-04:00

Hi Everyone,

I think I am finally getting back into the swing of things. I finally have time to work in my studio. My studio still needs LOTS of work, but I am crafting again with some regularity. Yeah!

I decided to play along with the PPA (Pals Paper Arts) challenge this week, where the theme is Memorial Day. This one is for my American friends and relatives.

This is a very simple card using almost no stamping! Take special note of the brads...... These are our Star Brads but I recently saw a technique on someone's blog (sorry I can't seem to find it right now) where she coloured in the centre of the brad using crystal effects and re-inkers. I loved the look! So I did just that. I took a little container (it was actually the clam-shell packaging from one of my acrylic blocks and squirted some crystal effects in it. Then I put a drop of real red re-inker and mixed it up with a pin (a tooth pick would work well too). I then used the same pin to pic up the colour and carefully fill the centre of the brad! Too cool! The best part is, these brads are FREE right now when you buy a stamp set from a select list. Click here to view that post.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Teeny Tiny Wishes
Card stock: Real Red, Whisper White, Night of Navy
Ink: Real Red
Accessories: Designer Label Punch, oval punch, small star punch, mat pack and paper piercer, star brads.

Just a reminder about the Demo Resource "Workshop Walk-through" that I launched the other day. I am running a contest for naming the resource by giving away a digital copy of it. Visit this post to learn all about it and enter a name in the contest to win. I will keep the contest open until I find the right name. Good Luck!

Cheers,

A NEW Resource for Stampin' Up! Demo's available now & Blog Candy!!

2010-05-17T11:41:00.004-04:00

I have been a very busy bee!! I have been doing a lot of training and rebuilding of my business as of late due to our recent move. And as a part of that I have been re-evaluating how I do my workshops. It occurred to me that the part of the workshop I felt was most awkward was the Catalogue tour. The catalogue is fabulous, but it's huge! And I always felt like I was doing it a disservice as I couldn't effectively talk about all of it, otherwise I would confuse the guests. So I decided to do something about it.

I created a Workshop Walk-through presentation in My Digital Studio that I have then put into a 12x12 scrapbook. Now I have a concise and easy to follow presentation that provides workshop guests with all the initial Stampin' Up! information!

And the best part is, I am now going to offer this to all Stampin' Up! demos for purchase!!!! Visit my Resource for Demo's page for more information. Or contact me directly!

I honour of my new product launch I would like to have a contest!! I need a name for my Workshop Walk-through. Please send me your suggestions. The contest will stay open until a name has been chosen. The winner will receive a Digital copy (file only) of a customized presentation (does not include MDS printing or 12x12 scrapbook)!!! Please send me your name suggestions for your chance to win. Please SU Demo's only.

I hope that you find this resource to be as helpful to you, as it is to me.

Cheers,

Happy Mother's Day!!

2010-05-09T15:30:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's day to all those Mother's out there, or mother's to be. I hope you are all having a fabulous day! I am, my kids woke me up with cuddles and hand-made cards, and my daughter decorated a vase for me, and gave me a Mom & me scrapbook! Too sweet! I need to head outside to get some tulips for my vase. Unfortunately my husband is away in Winnipeg and won't be home until Friday. But he sent the most beautiful flowers!

Earlier in the week I was really sick with a nasty nasty cold and having a bit of a tough time with the kids so he sent these to me a few days earlier. It was the sweetest thing ever! It really improved my spirits. They are stunning, arn't they?

I finally got a chance to play with some of my new Summer Mini products today. I needed to make a Mother's day card for my Mother-in-law who will be coming over next weekend. I really wanted to try out the new Presto paper as I have seen lots of cool stuff made with it in Blogland. I also got to try out the new Smootch Spritz! I LOVE it! It's fun!

The picture as always is terrible, damn iPhone. You need perfect light for it to work out. Hence why the flowers turned out well. Anyhow, what do you think of the card? I went for a Vintage look as it seems to be all the rage these days. The background paper is the new presto paper, which is soooooo cool! It comes white with a white design on it. When you sponge it, ink it, spray it with Smootch Spritz etc the image is brought out. It really looks beautiful. I then sprayed the flowers and the background with Vanilla Smootch Spritz to give it a gorgeous vintage shimmer. It doesn't show well in the picture, but it really is beautiful. Oh, and I sponged the Presto paper with Pink Pirouette ink, did you know that this former In Colour is making a comeback in July? That's right, it will be resurrected as one of the new Subtles colour family. I couldn't be more excited because it is one of my favorite colours of all time.

Speaking of new colours, as the colour families are changing in July, a number of the existing colours will be retiring. Cardstock is selling out fast! If there is any cardstock that you want, please don't wait or you may not get your hands on it. And just an FYI, in some cases they have already sold out of smooth cardstock in some colours but will be shipping out textured cardstock in it's place for no additional cost. So you could receive smooth or textured. Just an FYI. But don't wait, I would hate for you to be disappointed and miss out.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Rose is a Rose, Well Scripted
Card stock: Old Olive, Whisper White
Designer Series Paper: Presto Patterns
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Pink Pirouette, Certainly Celery, Old Olive
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Pretty in Pink satin ribbon, Wide Oval Punch, Ribbon Slide from Hodgepodge Hardware, Vanilla Smootch Spritz.

Enjoy your day today, all you mother's out there!

Cheers,

Canadian Swap & a new B Canadian Stamper has joined my team!

2010-05-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

One of the cool things about being a Stampin' Up! demo is getting to participate in Swaps. For a swap we make a pre-decided number of card fronts (this saves on paper not having to make full cards, are easier to mount on display boards and can be mounted later if desired). Generally there is a theme to a swap such as cards featuring products from the new current mini catalogue, and generally the rule is current SU products only. I love these swaps because it gives me a whole bunch of samples for my display boards using stamp sets I may not even have and they feature a number of colours and styles that are different from my personal style. It allows you, my customers and downline more variety of samples for inspiration.

For this most recent swap I decided to use the new Canada Day set from the Summer mini. I fell in love with this set immediately. I love that it has a plain, traditional maple leaf unlike the Canada set in the current Idea Book & Catalogue. And I love the firework stamps that can be used for much more than just Canada. I can see May 2-4 cards in the making!!! :) I also love this set because I can use it to make fun things for my downline as I have recently renamed the group "B Canadian" stampers as I felt this had a feeling of national identity and opened the team up to those from anywhere in this great country.

And speaking of my "B Canadian" team, I wanted to welcome my newest team member Donna to the group! Donna decided to make a fabulous decision to purchase the starter kit and come on board as a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator. Ever considered being a Demo? Click here to read my Stampin' Up! story and to learn about some of the many perks being a demo can bring.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Canada Day (Summer Mini)
Card stock: Kraft (soon to be Crumb Cake), Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Real Red, Basic Black
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Real Red 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, 1 1/4" Square Punch, Paper snips

P.S. sorry for the really terrible picture. I really need to get my proper camera out of the box it is in. You can't really tell from this, but the firework stamps are stamped on the Real Red card stock using Real Red ink.

Cheers,

You won't believe what I have been up to!!!

2010-05-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

I am not a sewer. I hate sewing. I only sew to make my kids halloween costumes, and even with that I avoid having ever to use a sewing machine. But lately, something has erupted in the Stampin' Up! universe (yes, we really have our own little universe....). Quilting has become all the rage! And of course I was not very impressed. I was not going to succumb to pressure that other fabulously talented demos were putting me under....... no way.... not me........ I thumb my nose at stitching on cards and scrapbook pages, I take my clothing to seamstresses for repairs and alterations...... I am was not going to become a quilter.

And then..... something happened. I started watching the blogs of these uber talented Demo's like Angie Kennedy Juda who shares a step by step video tutorial on making these super cute rag quilt purses. And the coolest part is, that you use my FAVORITE tool the Big Shot to cut out the squares! And did you know that you can cut though 8 layers of fabric at once with the Big Shot?????? You need 19 complete squares to make a purse and I kid you not it didn't take me more than 30 minutes to cut all the fabric I needed to make 2 purses!! And I am a total newbie, with out all the super cool tools Angie shows!! I had to use Scissors to cut out my fabric before putting it in the Big Shot, scissors, can you believe that!!?!

So with out further ado, my very first, hand-quilted Big Shot rag quilt purse!!

How super cute is that???? Honestly, I have never ever ever quilted before. It was easily one of the easiest crafts I have ever done. And I actually enjoyed myself!! Crazy eh??? Oh and notice that button?? That's a Baja Breeze corduroy button!! Did you know that Baja Breeze is coming back??? Look for it again in the upcoming 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalogue! I really did have fun making my purse. And now that I know how extra versatile my Big Shot is, look for more fabric projects in the future. My mind is racing with all the possibilities.

I will have my purse on display at my Open House on May 30th. I might even have a demo going on showing how they are made. If you are free on Sunday, May 30th and want to come and see my new place RSVP as space is limited!

Cheers,

National Scrapbooking Month Promo

2010-05-05T07:00:00.001-04:00

Did you know that May is National Scrapbooking month?? And of course, in honour of this event Stampin' Up! has a wonderful Scrapbooking promotion. Purchase any of the following Stamp sets or My Digital Studio and receive a pack of designer brads free.

Page	Description	Wood-Mount Item	Wood-Mount Price	Clear-Mount Item	Clear-Mount Price
81	Extreme Elements	115181	$35.95	---	---
119	Framed with Love**	114389	$36.95	---	---
128	Certified**	113706	$36.95	---	---
129	Circle Circus	115778	$38.95	---	---
12*	Elements of Style	118611	$36.95	120045	$26.95
13*	Mementos	119910	$36.95	120105	$26.95
13*	Elements de style	119900	$36.95	120099	$26.95
14*	Rough Type	118659	$35.95	120072	$24.95
22*	Sentimental Journey	118513	$31.95	120075	$23.95
25*	First Day	118521	$31.95	120051	$23.95
25*	Camino a la Escuela	120152	$31.95	120154	$23.95

*From Summer Mini Catalogue
**Last Chance stamp set!

When you purchase one of the following sets, you can choose your FREE designer brads from the list below:

Page	Description	Item	Retail Price	Price with Qualifying Purchase
179	Flower Designer brads	112579	$8.50	FREE
179	Filigree Designer brads	112577	$8.50	FREE
179	Circle Designer brads	112571	$8.50	FREE
179	Star Designer brads	112572	$8.50	FREE

Contact me to order your scrapbooking supplies today!

Cheers,

Summer Mini is Here!!

2010-05-04T11:34:00.003-04:00

I must be totally out of it...... I forgot to post that the Summer Mini has arrived!!!!!! I am not sure where my brain has been lately. Anyhow, check out the pages of this beauty! There are some fabulous new products such as:

Builder Wheels- page 8
Bitty Buttons & matching punches- page 11
Smootch Spritz-page 15
Presto Paper- page 15
Chalkboard Decor Elements- page 18
New Scrapbooking products- page 22 & 23
Summer Luau themed items- page 26 & 27

Not to mention tons of beautiful new stamp sets and accessories! I just love the Stampin' Up! mini's.

All of my regular customers should have received a copy in the mail. If you did not, please contact me and I will mail you one right away. Don't forget about my Studio Grand Opening on May 30th where we will be playing with a number of new products from this mini. Contact me today to book your spot as space is limited.

Cheers,

Back in the groove again.....

2010-05-04T09:53:00.004-04:00

I honestly had no idea how crazy moving could be. So much to do, so much change and upheaval! But I can report it has all been worth it. One of the most challenging things about all this change is having my son in daycare for the first time. He was at home with a nanny for the last year in a half. It was hard for him to get used to it, and of course, those of you with kids in daycare will know about this.........all the germs!! He got sick at the end of his first week, and then the rest of us got it. And then Sunday night, I was sick. Sick like I have not been sick in years. I have a killer cold!! Fever, chills, no voice, congestion, cough, etc etc etc. Brutal. And to add insult to injury my husband is working in Winnipeg for the next few weeks so I am going it alone!!

Anyhow, I haven't shared a card in a really long time. So I thought I would share a card that I made for my new neighbours. I thought it would be nice to make a card to deliver to all my new neighbours along with a note about our family and my Stampin' Up! business.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Vintage Vogue, Fundamental Phrases
Card stock: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red, Very Vanilla, Old Olive
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Rose Red
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Pretty in Pink 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Sale-a-bration Scallop Trim Border Punch, Texturz plates, Big Shot, Modern Label Punch, Word Window Punch.

Did you know that both the Scallop Trim Border Punch and the Vintage Vogue set will be making an appearance in the new 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue? And did you know that the Last Chance list of retiring products from the current catalogue will be released in less than a month? That's right June 1st marks the first day of the retiring list.

Did you also know that May is National Scrapbooking month? And in true Stampin' Up! style we have a scrapbooking promotion. I will be back tomorrow with the details!

Until then, happy Stampin'!

Cheers,

Stampin' Up! Colour Renovation

2010-04-15T13:45:00.005-04:00

Hey Everyone,

I know that many of you who stalk a number of blogs already know about this, but some of you are visiting this link from my monthly newsletter. Stampin' Up! has announced that with the new 2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalogue that will be released on July 1st (Happy Canada Day to us!) the core Stampin' Up! colours will be changing!

Here are the new colour collections: Brights, Subtles, Regals & Neutrals

You will notice that the Earth Elements are missing from this list, but fear not. Many of our beloved colours from this family have been rolled into the new collections.

You will see that the Brights have really changed. And I have to say I LOVE it! I didn't like the Brights before, but now some of my most favorite colours like Old Olive & Pumpkin Pie are in this family.

What you will also notice is that there are a few new colours listed:

Daffodil Delight
Marina Mist
Early Espresso
Cajun Craze
Cherry Cobbler

And if you are really paying attention you will notice that I didn't list Crumb Cake in my new colours list because technically it's not a new colour. It is our beloved Kraft renamed! And now it will be available as an ink pad and marker!!

And if you are a long time fan of Stampin' Up! you will notice that some old favorites have returned! That's right, a number of popular past and current In Colours will now be core colours. We can now use the following again:

Baja Breeze
Riding Hood Red
Pink Pirouette
Pacific Point
Tangerine Tango
Wild Wasabi
River Rock
Melon Mambo
Soft Suede
Rich Razzleberry

Through this change the core colours have been reduced to only 40 including the neutrals. This makes it much easier to produce coordinating products & embellishments, which is a very good thing! And since the colours have been reduced obviously a number of colours will no longer be available after June 30th, but the recommendation is to buy now as the retiring colours are not being produced anymore. Once they are sold out, they are gone for good. If you have ink pads and colours you love, stock up on the re-inkers and card stock while you can. Here is the list of retiring colours.
I am really excited about this change. For me, my favorites are staying around, and the colours I either rarely, or never use are being retired. Gone are the confusing blues & purples (I could never tell them apart). Gone are the "get your sun glasses" brights that are tricky to match. The new colours are richer, warmer and over all more pleasing to the eyes. I know that change can be difficult for some, but I assure you once you get to see all the colours together, you will grow to love them. Contact me if you have any questions about the changes. I am more than happy to talk to anyone about them.

Cheers,

I'm back!!

2010-04-12T16:01:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone!

We have officially moved in, are still surrounded by boxes but are LOVING our new house! Since I have been out of commision there have been LOTS of exciting announcements at Stampin' Up! I hope to be able to get my newsletter completed and my blog updated shortly.

In the meantime I will leave you with a picture of my new house!!!!!!

I am now busy trying to get my stampin' studio sorted out. It is located over the garage on the left hand side of the house. Those two windows and door on the lower side are part of it. And I am in negotiations with my husband to figure out when he can vault the ceiling as it is only about 5'11 at the moment. It was built to be a kids playroom in it's previous life. I can't wait to have all of you over to see it. I am holding my first Open House in the new studio on May 30th! Mark your calendars and save the date. It will be a super fun day (there will be all day activities or just drop in for some make n'takes). Stay tuned for more information.

Cheers,

4 days until I move!!!

2010-03-22T21:15:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to check in to let everyone know that I am still around, busy packing and getting very excited to move into the new house.

My stamp space is all packed up :( which really sucks, but before long I will be in my NEW stampin' studio! It's going to take quite a lot of work to get it where I want to be. For starters the ceiling height is only 5'10" at the moment, which only means that my husband can't comfortably stand in it.... but most of you are shorter than that :) You only need to sit quickly if you are short, and no jumping up and down with excitement! But no worries, my husband plans to raise the ceiling for me as soon as possible.

I am really looking forward to this new chapter in my families life. I really believe that this move will bring with it lots of new opportunities for all of us. I will try and check in from time to time during the next few weeks, and hopefully I can share with you some pictures of our place, the progress and of course the insanity!!

Cheers,

Last Mystery Club in Toronto!!

2010-03-10T15:42:00.008-05:00

Thursday & Friday marks my last Mystery Hostess Club in Toronto. This event is open to anyone. The "cost" for coming is placing an order for at least $25 (before tax and shipping) by Friday at 6pm. All qualified orders will be entered into a draw to win ALL the hostess benefits! And as an extra special bonus I am DOUBLING the Hostess product dollars earned! The more people who join, the more hostess dollars that can be earned!! It's really a win win situation for everyone because not only do you have a chance of being the hostess for the month, but each person who attends Club (Thursday or Friday at 7pm) get to make 3 fabulous projects.

Seeing as the weather has been soooooooooooo beautiful and spring like this week, I was in a flowery mood, and I have been seeing so many great flower projects around the Internet lately.

This first card is a total CASE (copy and share everything) from my good friend and Upline Caroline LeBel. This is made with DSP and the Ornament punch. The pointy bottom is snipped off to create this super cute vase. I used a sponge dauber to add some shadow to the vase.

The second card has these beautiful little flowers on them. I saw these and absolutely fell in love! They are made with the Scallop circle punch and they are soooooo super easy! I can't wait to teach everyone how to make them. And you can use them on more than just cards. I would love to decorate a present, an Easter basket or you could use them on napkin rings for a party or a wedding.

The last project is not a card, or a box. We are simply making these beautiful paper rosettes. I have been seeing these all over the place lately. Dina Anker demonstrated them at the last Stampin'palooza. I decided not to have them stuck to anything because I thought everyone might have their own ideas about what to do with them. They use the Eyelet border punch for the lacy look.

If you like what you see here, contact me ASAP so that I can have enough supplies prepared for you. Remember all qualified orders will go into a draw for the coveted Hostess rewards!! And it's worth double the rewards!!!

Hope to see you tonight or tomorrow.

Cheers,

Help Wanted!

2010-03-09T12:22:00.004-05:00

Just a quick one to say that I am actively looking for wonderful people who would like to join my Stampin' Up! Team. Click this link to learn more about the opportunity.

Do you want all this stuff for only $225?

Join the B Canadian team! Use the password "Canadian" online to sign up and started today!

Or contact me for more information.

Cheers,

A BIG card for a baby shower

2010-03-02T12:46:00.007-05:00

A few weeks back we had a baby shower for one of my friends at work. We needed to make a BIG card so that everyone could sign it. I hummed and hawed over how to make a big card, seeing as the biggest piece of paper I had was 12x12.

So I decided to attach 2 81/2 x 11 pieces of cardstock together with a wide piece of cardstock. I don't offhand remember the dimensions of it, but you can see it. It's the chocolate chip piece on the top.

The background of the card is rolled using the Nursery Letters Wheel using Pretty in Pink ink. I love how cute this card is. I really liked working in the larger format.

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Stamp sets: Nursery Necessities, Nursery Letters Wheel, Well Scripted
Card stock: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip, Whisper White
Ink: Pretty in Pink, Chocolate Chip
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Pretty in Pink Striped grosgrain ribbon, sponge daubers, paper snips, Sale-a-bration Scallop Trim Border Punch.

Cheers,

New look heading this way!

2010-03-02T09:08:00.002-05:00

Hi Guys,

hope everyone is doing well! We are now in the final month until we move!! I can't believe it. There is lots to do in the days and weeks to come, so unfortunately I won't be able to post much here. I hope I can get a few moments now and again, but it will be mostly Stampin' Up! news and updates for the move. There won't be much time to craft, and after my Mystery Hostess event next week I will have to pack up my studio!!! That is going to be hard, you know the second everything goes into the boxes I am going to be hit with all sorts of inspiration.

Well then, it's a good thing I have been playing with MDS (My Digital Studio) a lot lately. If I can't use paper and stamps, I can do the next best thing and work digitally. So, I hope to bring you some of those creations.

I am currently working on a new design for my blog, so stay tuned for that, and I have just redesigned my newsletter header etc. I hope you can pop by once in a while to see what's up, hear the news and get the first glimpse to my new studio!! I think that's what I am most excited about with the new house..... :)

Cheers,

Stuff still available from the Christmas mini

2010-02-22T14:15:00.003-05:00

Item #	Description	Price
116794	Ornament punch	$22.95
116806	Champagne Mist Shimmer Paint	$8.95
116854	Frost White Shimmer Paint	$8.95
116807	Platinum Shimmer Paint	$8.95
116829	Décor Elements Blocks	$13.95
116824	Stampin' Up! Textured Impressions Folder Petals-A-Plenty	$10.95
116821	Stampin' Up! Holiday Windows Magnetic Movers & Shapers	$39.95
116819	Stampin' Up! Table Setting Bigz XL die	$57.95
116820	Stampin' Up! Embosslits Merry die	$15.95
116823	Stampin' Up! Sizzlits Merry Details die	$7.50
116822	Stampin' Up! O Christmas Tree Pop-Up Bigz XL die	$57.95
118140	Stampin' Up! Tree Decorations Sizzlits die	$7.50
118108	My Digital Studio	$106.95
116519	Charming stamp set	$26.95

Here is the breakdown of items that were in the now retired Holiday Mini that are still available and will be continued into the new catalogue. Contact me if you want to order any of these, or anything else for that matter!

I wont be blogging regularly due to the move (just over a month to go!). Please have patience!

I am sending out some a very exciting promotion for my "Moving" month in my next newsletter. If you don't currently subscribe...sign up now by entering on the link on my blog.

Cheers,

Only one day until my Customer Appreciation Event!

2010-02-12T11:08:00.005-05:00

Honestly, this is not an event you will want to miss!!

I have TONS of retired stuff to sell. Lots of it, boxes of it! Some of it is being offered as 2 for 1 (credit towards new stuff) and some of it is from another demo so it is just being sold off. But all of it is awesome. Just an example of some of the stuff I have for sale:

Stamp sets
Ink pads (old in-colours) & re-inkers
Patterned paper in packs & being sold by the page
Rub-ons
Embellishments (felt accents, brads, canvas cuts)
Ribbon

RSVP now to ensure I have enough supplies ready for the make n'takes.

Cheers,

Fox & Friends Swap card.

2010-02-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

In one of my older posts, I talked about a team swap I participated in. Well, in the past month I also participated in a Canadian demo's swap organized by a Demo in Vancouver. This particular swap was based on the new Occasions Mini Catalogue and Sale-a-bration products. I have to say that I was blown away by the quality of the swap cards, and am very excited to note that I will have all the ones I received on Display at my Open House this weekend!!!! Join me Saturday, Feb. 13th from 12noon to 5pm. Pop in anytime! Please RSVP so that I have enough supplies for everyone!

Here is the card I made for the swap (picture courtesy of Marie Kirkwood), which was also one of our club projects last month. It uses the new Fox & Friends set from the Occasions Mini. As soon as I saw this set I fell in love. I love the simplicity of the animals. And it can be used for so many things. Kid's birthdays, baby shower cards, scrapbook pages and more!

Products used: All Stampin' Up
Card stock: Bermuda Bay, Whisper White
Designer Series paper: Razzlebery Lemonade
Ink: Melon Mambo, Crushed Curry, Bermuda Bay, Rich Razzleberry
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Bermuda Bay polka dot grosgrain ribbon, Curly label punch, Sale-a-bration Scallop Trim Border Punch.

Speaking of club, my Mystery Hostess Club is this week (Thursday and Friday at 7pm). Everyone who participates by placing an order of $25 or more (before tax and shipping) is eligible to come to my place to make a selection of projects and their name is entered into the draw to determine who gets all of the Hostess rewards which include Hostess stamp sets and free product!!! Contact me if you wish to participate.

Cheers,

PPA Colour Challenge and a club post for this week

2010-02-09T09:35:00.005-05:00

This week over at PPA (Pal Paper Arts) they are having a colour challenge. The colours are Pretty in Pink, Melon Mambo and Basic Black.

It's funny because this is a colour combo I noticed in the current catalogue and wanted to try out.

I actually put together this treat box last month for Caroline LeBel's monthly team meeting, for a demonstration. And I my club girls will be making them this week as well!! The box is made using the Movers & shapers die and the full heart shape. I cased the idea from a Leadership display board I saw posted on someone's blog. If you designed this box, let me know and I will make sure to give you credit! This was actually a very easy project. I can't wait for my club girls to get a chance to try this one.

Speaking of club, want to make some fun projects, and get a chance at earning all the free hostess rewards?? Simply join me this week on either Thursday or Friday at 7pm and place a minimum $25 order (before tax and shipping), or if you can't make it, place an order to be entered into the draw for the hostess goods!!

Please contact me ASAP if you are interested!

Cheers,

Customer appreciation event this Saturday from 12 to 5pm!!!!!!

2010-02-08T14:48:00.003-05:00

This weekend is my first ever Customer Appreciation Event! And I can't wait. I have sooooo many exciting things planned for you!

1. 2 for 1 Retired Products Sale!!

For the first time ever, I am holding a Retired products blowout! I will be selling off all my retired stamps, designer series paper and some embellishments. But the best part is that for every dollar you spend on my sale items, you get the same value in credit towards NEW Stampin' Up! catalogue merchandise! Spend $10 on retired product, get $10 credit towards your order! What an amazing deal! Sale starts at 12 noon! Don't be late. Sale is on a first come first served basis!

2. Sale-a-bration & Occasions Mini Make n'takes!!

We will be making some FABULOUS projects at the event using Sale-a-bration products and using some things from the Occasions Mini Catalogue like the Sweet pea stitched felt! You will also get a chance to try out the new Unmounted stamps and the clear blocks as well as the new punch design! They are awesome!

3. Door Prize Draw!!

As always I will be holding a door prize draw and this one will not disappoint! In addition to a number of great items I will be giving away one NEW Snow Buddies stamp set (Hostess level 2 set from the Holiday Mini Catalogue). There are several ways to earn door prize entries:

Earn 1 entry just for coming

Earn 1 entry for every $50 in products ordered (new product, before tax and shipping)

Earn 1 entry for bringing a friend (plus earn a $5 credit if your friend places an order)

Earn 2 entries for booking a private class plus choose an item from my prize bucket

Earn 5 entries if you join my stampin' team

Do a few of these things and you will have lots and lots of chances to win!!!

4. FREE Body Analysis and Fashion Consultation!!

What woman doesn't like to look her best from time to time? As a extra special bonus Shelley Ratcliffe of Fashions that Move will be joining me at my open house. She will be providing FREE Body Analysis & Fashion Consultations for everyone that attends.
SHELLEY RATCLIFFE is the owner and Fashion Consultant of a small business called Fashions That Move. Shelley has worked in direct sales and retail for over 20 years . Her extensive background helps her to determine her client's needs through training and experience in body shapes Shelley has a distinctive ability to place the proper garment to suit the client(s) she is working for. The many services Fashions that Move offer are; personal shopping, one on one consultations, body analysis, home shows, fundraisers, closet clean outs and various seminars. Shelley's goal is to help women, no matter what shape or size, to look their absolute best! Shelley will also be holding a door prize draw valued at $50!!

Please RSVP if you would like to come to this once a year extravaganza!!

Cheers,

I {heart} Stampin' Up

2010-01-22T12:27:00.004-05:00

I, like most of you have had their thoughts consumed by the tragedy in Haiti. And Stampers by nature love to lend a helping hand when ever possible. Just recently at the SU Leadership Conference during a rodeo show hosted by Stampin' Up one of the cowboys fell off his horse and was badly injured. Stampin' Up was inundated with requests to send get well cards and donations. What a compassionate bunch, eh?

Since the earthquake in Haiti Demonstrators all over the world have been asking Stampin' Up! to do something to help. And as per usual, SU has responded......

From now until Feb. 28th Stampin' Up! will donate $2 from the Sale of the the I {heart} hearts set to the American Red Cross. And to match their donation, I will personally donate $2 to the Canadian Red Cross for each of these sets I sell before the end of February. The set is available wood mounted or unmounted.

I adore this set for many reasons. It is perfect for valentines day, weddings, anniversaries, kids and much much more and the best part is that a number of the hearts coordinate with a number of our heart punches! The full heart, the new small heart in the Occasions Mini and the Heart to Heart punch!

I participated in a Team swap using this set recently. What's a swap you ask? It is a fantastic opportunity to get a whole bunch of samples made with our products without having to make them yourself. And when I am done with the swaps I can make them (we only swap card fronts to save on paper) into cards to give away or to sell. It's really a win win situation

Product Name	Item #	Price
I {Heart} Hearts – clear-mount (block D recommended)	118571	$24.95
I {Heart} Hearts – wood-mount	117010	$35.95

Cheers,

An AWESOME Stampin' Up contest where we ALL can win!!

2010-01-14T12:45:00.002-05:00

The Stampin' Up! Leadership convention was last week, and although I did qualify to go, it just wasn't going to happen with the move and all! That's okay. One of these days I will get to a Stampin' Up! event. Perhaps Convention this summer?? Who wants to join me????

Anyhow, at the convention (I was stalking a number of blogs and tweets during the 2 day event) Shelli Gardner the founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! announced an amazing contest for all demonstrators! And the best part is, if I win, all of my team and a group of customers will win too!

The prize up for grabs is "Workshop of a lifetime" conducted by none other than Shelli Gardner herself! She will visit all of the winners to conduct a workshop, and a Demo event the same day!!!! The workshop will be coordinated by head-office in Utah, so you know its going to be a good one!

So, how do we all win? The prize is going to be given out to the top recruiters in the company for the month of January! So, how can you help???? Simply join my team by the end of the month and if I am a top recruiter than I will be having 2 amazing events!!! All of my downline will be invited and Shelli will be there to demo and present! How incredible.

So, since I would really like Shelli to come to my house, I really want you to join my team. As a team member you don't have to sell if that's not your thing, infact most of my downline bought the starter kit to get the discount. And I don't blame them! I did the exact same thing!

To make it even more inticing the starter kits have been discounted by 15% and Stampin' Up is throwing in a free set to boot!! So now really is the perfect time!

Contact me today to sign up! My password is Canadian! :)

Cheers,

It's time to Sale-a-brate & Occasions Mini Catalogue launches today!!

2010-01-05T07:45:00.006-05:00

The big day has finally arrived!! Picture it, Stampin' Up customers and demos eagerly awaiting the moment they can place an order that earns all sorts of FREE stuff!! Today is the day . . . the customer sales period for the Stampin' Up! Occasions Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration Promotion has begun. Today also kicks off an exciting Starter Kit offer, too.

OCCASIONS MINI AND SALE-A-BRATION BASICS:

Earn a free Sale-A-Bration gift for every $65 in product you spend. For example, spend $130 in product, get 2 free gifts PLUS earn Stampin' Up! Hostess Rewards.
NEW! In addition to the limited edition Sale-A-Bration gifts, choose from over 75 select stamp sets from the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog (listed on p. 11 of the Sale-A-Bration catalog).
Click to view the Sale-A-Bration Catalog.
Click to view the Occasions Mini Catalog.
Both catalogs are available to view on-line on my right side bar.
On-line orders are eligible for Sale-A-Bration gifts.
Email me, if you would like FREE print copies of the Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration Catalogs.

SALE-A-BRATION STARTER KIT PROMOTION + BONUS STAMP SET (Jan. 5 - March 31)!

Starter Kit	Regular Price	Sale-A-Bration Price (15% off)
Standard Starter Kit	$269	$225
Digital+ Starter Kit	$239	$199

Save 15% on both Stampin' Up! Starter Kits.
Many items in the kits can be substituted to your preferences.
Click here for the Standard Starter Kit
Click here for the Digital + Starter kit
Receive a free Bonus stamp set of your choice (up to $56.95 Value) from Stampin' Up!
Receive an additional FREE stamp set from the Occasions Mini as my gift to you
Enjoy 20% off as a standard discount and a one-time 30% off start up option (or keep as income)
Take advantage of Sale-A-Bration and Hostess Rewards on qualifying orders (while spending less to benefit).
Click for a full menu of Stampin' Up! Demo Discounts and Benefits.
No penalty to drop. No pressure to sell. Remain active with $400 in sales per quarter.
Join through me and become one of my "Bee Hive" members.

WHAT MAKES MY BEE HIVE SO SPECIAL?

Become part of my friendly, virtual group of enthusiastic stampers from around Ontario. (Demo's can be from anywhere in Canada)
Our Bee Hive private Yahoo group page ensures you receive the latest Stampin' Up! news, advice, technique and product information.
Participate in Bee Hive contests and monthly conference calls.
Learn the basics of starting your own blog.
I offer free business planning and personalized coaching for my career demos.

Benefits begin instantly with my on-line demonstrator sign up. Please email me for the required password.

Cheers,

So many new products and a card finally!!

2010-01-04T11:45:00.006-05:00

Hey all,

I hope you are all enjoying getting back into the swing of things. I was sad to see the holidays end, but there is also so relief of knowing that some level of normalcy will return to our lives. It always feels like things are just hanging in the balance this time of the year.

Have you made any New Year's resolutions?? I have here's mine:

1. Lose weight! Seriously, I have this one every year but this time I am going to look at it more realistically. I am not looking to get skinny this year, just chubby! Doesn't that sound more achievable? Far less daunting for sure.

2. Stick to a budget! I am terrible with money. I have no idea where it goes. This year I want to make sure I know where every last penny goes. My grandfather used to say "if you mind your pennies, they will take of the dollars". It is very wise advice. I need to keep that in the forefront of my mind this year (and always!)

So that's it for me. I figure those two are big enough. Feel free to check in with me through out the year to see if I can stick to it. What are your resolutions?

I wanted to share with you a new product being launched tomorrow!!! They are the NEW heart shaped sweet treat cups! Aren't they adorable and the perfect thing for valentine's day? They work in conjunction with our Full Heart punch. Now, while they are not a limited edition item, they don't know if they will sell out before Valentine's day or not. So.....if you like what you see, and NEED to have these order ASAP to ensure you can get them in your hot little hands before it's too late. Now is the perfect time to do a bit of shopping too because Sale-a-bration kicks off tomorrow and it is going to be FABULOUS!! I will post all the details tomorrow along with the links to the new Occasions Mini Catalogue.

I am still taking people for this week's Mystery Club. Let me know if you would like to participate. By doing so there is no commitment (if you want to do it this month, but not next, no biggie!) . One participant will be chosen as our Mystery hostess and will get all the applicable hostess benefits! And if the total sales of the club are more than $395 they will get a Sale-a-bration item in addition to the regular hostess benefits!! AWESOME!!!

Lastly I wanted to share with you a card that I made yesterday. I hate having to make Sympathy cards because, lets face it, it's the only non-fun event that we give cards for. And it was even harder because I have been in holiday mode for soooooo long! but I really do like how this one turned out. Sorry for the crappy picture, but I can't find the charger for my regular camera, so you will have to deal with iPhone pictures for a while.

Products used: All Stampin' Up

Card stock: Close to Cocoa, Whisper White

Designer Series paper: Bella Bleu

Ink: Basic Black Craft ink

Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Black 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon, scallop oval punch, black embossing powder, heat tool, embossing buddy, powder pal.

Don't forget that my first ever Stamp-a-bunch is Thursday, Jan. 21st & Saturday, Jan. 23rd. 6 cards, $15 or FREE with a $25 placed that day. This month we will be making Thank You cards. Bring a friend and make 2 sets for the same price! RSVP today to reserve your spot!

Cheers,

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-02T09:41:00.002-05:00

I sincerely hope that each of you had a fabulous holiday! We certainly did! On Christmas Eve we had a gathering of our families here at the house (for the last time ever!!). My husband's parents and his brother, sister-in-law and niece as well as my brother and his wife and kids and of course my dad (who lives with us) and our two kids enjoyed a fabulous traditional Christmas dinner of Turkey and all the trimmings made by my fantastic husband! He was in the kitchen for about 9 hours that day! The meal was outstanding and the kids had a blast opening presents. This year was Xander's 3rd Christmas but his first getting enjoyment from it. He got excited every time he saw presents come in the door. Once our guests left we opened up our Christmas Eve gifts which are always new pj's and the kids put out home-made cookies and egg nog for Santa and headed to bed.

Christmas morning is our special little tradition. We don't have visitors, and we don't go anywhere either. We wake up, open our stockings, then the kids get to open their Santa gift and we have wonderful breakfast. Our Christmas morning breakfast has been a tradition in my family as long as I can remember. We have what we call "Maple Syrup" crepes. They are crepes that are rolled up, placed in a casserole dish and then covered with a sauce made of maple syrup and melted butter!! This is then baked in the oven until the sauce bubbles! The result is by far the most delectable breakfast ever! We then serve it with bacon (of course, what outstanding breakfast would not include bacon??) and fresh squeezed orange juice which we blend up with an egg. I know, sounds weird, but I assure you it is amazing. It's a trick of fine hotels everywhere. The orange juice is creamy and delicious. After breakfast the kids open their presents and then we just lounge about in our pj's enjoying our gifts. We usually watch a few movies & play video games. Dinner is a fun meal of crabs legs, Caesar salad and cheeses. Oh and of course a few bottles of choice Burgundy wines!! It's heavenly!

New Year's eve is also a ton of fun. We get together with friends of ours and it is usually a sleep-over pj party involving lots of fun and games and a really fun gift exchange. Everyone brings a wrapped present (this year it was supposed to be re-gifted gifts). We take turns picking gifts which can include stealing gifts already selected by others until no presents remain under the tree. At that point we open them up to see what we had been fighting over. It was hilarious. Some of the gifts were truly horrible! We had a lot of fun.

Now back to normal life. Since we have sold our house and now bought a new one life is going to be just as crazy as usual. But my Stampin' Up life is not going to stop! Sale-a-bration begins on Monday with the release of the new Occasions Mini Catalogue. For every $65 you spend, you get to choose a FREEBIE from the exclusive Sale-a-bration catalogue.

I have changed my class & club formats around! Each month I am running a Mystery Hostess Club. Each person who submits a qualified order during the club dates is entered into a draw to be hostess for that month. Of course you can come to my place on the second Thursday or Friday of each month to make fabulous projects and learn new techniques. Please let me know if you would like to join us this week.

The other class that I am starting for 2010 is Stamp-a-bunch! On Thursday and Saturday of the 4th week of each month (some dates might be re-arranged) you can join me at my place to make 6 cards for only $15 or place a $25 order and get the class for FREE. Bring a friend and make 2 sets of cards! This month we will be making Thank you cards.

Visit my event page for more info or contact me directly to book a spot. Space is limited so book early!

Cheers,

Bad, bad blogger....

2009-12-11T09:54:00.002-05:00

Okay, so, I thought that I would have all this time to post everyday leading up to Christmas......and then reality set in. And so, as a matter of fact, did exhaustion!! These last few months have been NUTS! And because of it I am barely in the Christmas spirit. I think I need to go downtown and wander around the Eaton Centre, that always helps!

Anyhow, I wanted to apologize for not keeping up with things lately. I will try, when I can to post as regularly as possible. It might mean pics from my iphone, but then that is better than nothing right?

I hope your lead up to Xmas is going well. I will try and get back here later today to post pictures from this weeks club.

Did I mention that I have changed things around with Club for the time being?

1. No set Hostess- all people who submit a qualifying order of more than $25 on one of the two club days (Thursday or Friday in the second week of the month) are entered into a draw to win the Hostess Benefits! December's big winner was DONNA M!
2. No Commitment, you can do it one month, and not another! How cool is that?? You just need to let me know by Monday of the club week if you wish to participate.

Let me know if you want to get in the game for January! Jan will be an exciting month! Things to look forward to are:

1. SALE-A-BRATION!!
2. NEW Occasions Mini Catalogue (customers of mine can expect theirs in the mail by the end of Dec)
3. SALE-A-BRATION Open House event!!!!!! Always a FREE event! (date TBD)
4. Mystery Hostess Club
5. NEW monthly 6 card class (dates TBD)

Happy Stampin' everyone!

Cheers,

Countdown to Christmas Day 2!!

2009-12-02T18:27:00.006-05:00

Last night my kids got to open their first box of their advent calendar. Xander got a wind-up Crocodile that flips, Kieran got a package of eyelets. She was very excited to have her very own. She is a girl after her mom's heart. Tonight they got treats. Kieran a lindt chocolate snowman and Xander some fruit chews. But he wanted her chocolate!

Now for your advent treat! Today's card is a very very simple one that uses the Christmas Jingle Simply scrapin' kit. These kits are great for scrapbooking or you can use one kit to make countless cards! In the kit you get textured 12x12 card stock, 12x12 double sided patterned paper and die cut card stock stickers! The only other thing needed to make this card is some of the fabulous Old Olive 1-1/4" striped grograin ribbon. Simple and beautiful!

Products used:
Stampin' Up Card stock- Old Olive
Stampin' Up Simply scrapin' kit- Christmas Jingle
Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Old Olive 1-1/4" striped grosgrain ribbon.

Just a heads up that if you are planning to buy any stampin' Christmas presents for those crafters on your list please do so by Dec. 8th to ensure that they arrive before Xmas. Things are already slowing down at Stampin' Up because of the American Thanksgiving Holiday and now all the demonstrators are placing our pre-orders for the upcoming Occasions Mini Catalogue and Sale-a-bration! They are only a month away! That's one of the HUGE perks of being a demonstrator. We get to order the new stuff a month before it is officially on sale! How cool is that? And we collectively earned 20% off the order (that's on top of our regular demo discount!). I LOVE being a Stampin' Up demonstrator! Want to join my team? Contact me today! The first person to join my team this month will get the very popular Level 2 hostess set "Christmas Punches"!

Cheers,

Missed out on the Holiday Extravaganza bundles???

2009-12-01T16:34:00.002-05:00

Never fear, because the sale has been extended until tomorrow!! Available only directly through me, not via my Online Ordering System.

Contact me TODAY to take advantage of these awesome deals! Perfect for you, or the card maker/crafter in your life.

Click here to view my previous post with all the details.

Cheers,