Tomorrow is the last day of convention and I will be a little sad to have to say goodbye to my online friends whose company I have enjoyed in person the last three days. We have stamped, talked, stamped, talked…you get the idea. It is good for the soul to connect with them in person once a year at least. One of the great benefits of being a demonstrator is the opportunity to go to convention each year. Once in a while I feel I should stay home from convention and save the money but my husband tells me I NEED to go to keep my connections with other demonstrators. You gotta love a man like that!

So how about you? Would you like to be able to come to convention for the excitement, the opportunity to learn new business and stamping ideas, and to meet people? Then contact me for more information about the many benefits of owning your own stamping business.

Here is a picture of some of my convention stamping buddies and roommates having dinner at Acme Burgers in Salt Lake City.

Thanks for stopping by to visit. Please leave a comment so I know you have been here.

Blessings,

Sue

I needed to make some more birthday cards so I used the same Stamping 411 challenge sketch. You can see the sketch in my previous post. For this card, I painted Frost White Shimmer paint on Melon Mambo card stock. When it was dry, I punched out butterflies using the Beautiful Wings Sizzlit embossing die. I then layered them on butterflies that were punched out of Shimmery White cardstock using the Sizzix Beautiful Butterflies die. Although the sketch is the same, using different colors and focal image totally changes the feel of the card. My card yesterday was soft and sweet. I feel this card is simply elegant! Thanks for visiting.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: On Your Birthday

Ink: Early Espresso

Card Stock: Certainly Celery, Early Espresso, Pink Pirouette, Melon Mambo, Shimmery White

Other: Sizzix Beautiful Butterflies die, Sizzix Beautiful Wings Embossing die, Frost White Shimmer paint

    A great-granddaughter…wow….that makes me sound sooo very old!…turns 2 the first part of July. For once, I will get a card made for her before her birthday! I decided to use this weekend's Stamping 411 challenge sketch for her card. I used some of Stampin' Up!'s retiring card stock and designer paper as well as a color that is in the new color renovation and the Forest Friends stamp set which I am happy to say is in the new catalog. (I hadn't used it much and would have been sad to see it go after only one year.) Back to the challenge….here is the sketch……………and here is my interpretation.

Stamp Sets: Forest Friends, On Your Birthday

Card Stock: Barely Banana, Orchid Opulence, Old Olive, Whisper White

Ink: Old Olive, Close to Cocoa, Daffodil Delight

Other: Chocolate Chip and Always Artichoke Stampin' Write markers, scallop circle punch, small heart punch, sponge, Cottage Wall and Rich Razzleberry Designer Series papers

I love putting bows and ribbon on cards but put the heart I punched out of Rich Razzleberry Designer Series Paper in place of the bow. The post office in Ketchikan is so picky that if they can even feel a bump inside the envelope, they will send the card back to Craig for extra postage. This is so frustrating because the envelopes usually will easily fit through the slot they use to see if a letter can go for regular postage. It really puts a crimp in my style! Thanks for stopping by to visit. I do hope you will leave a comment so I know you came to visit.

Blessings,

Sue

I am starting on my Stampin' Up! convention swap cards and this is going to be one of my favorites. I used the Up and Over technique published in the newest edition of the Technique Junkies Newsletter. Since Stampin' Up! isn't going to carry metallic inks next year, I had to tweak the technique slightly but I don't see any difference in the end result. After I put the layers of the card together, I stamped one of the vine images from the Vintage Vogue stamp set using Versamark ink. Then I heat embossed it using gold embossing powder. Before cutting the butterflies out using my Big Shot and Beautiful Wings embosslit, I painted Pretty in Pink card stock with Frost White Shimmer Paint. Photos never do justice to the shimmer but it is gorgeous! Thanks for visiting today and do leave a comment so I know you have been here.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: Vintage Vogue

Ink: Versamark

Card Stock: Pear Pizzazz, Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink

Other:Gold embossing powder, Frost White Shimmer Paint, Big Shot, Beautiful Wings embosslit

I want to tease you with some of the exciting new products you can order July 1 but I also want to use some of the products that will be retiring the end of June. Therefore, I am continuing on the theme of something Old, Something New for a few more posts. If there are stamp sets or favorite accessories that you need and haven't purchased yet, don't procrastinate any longer. Many of the accessories have already sold out and the retiring stamp sets will only be available on the secondary market come July 1. Click here to order them now! Since the Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog is my storefront, I will give you one for free. All you have to do is pay $5.00 for shipping. Email me with your name and address and I will mail one to you as soon as I receive your money. Now for the card– I stamped the image with Versamark ink on Very Vanilla paper using an Element of Style stamp. Then I burnished the image with chalks. I love the soft effect the chalks give to this image. Thanks for stopping by and as always, I'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment so I know you have visited.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: Elements of Style, On Your Birthday

Ink: Versamark, Always Artichoke

Card Stock: Mellow Moss, Very Vanilla, Regal Rose

Other: Chocolate Chip, Summer Sun, Garden Green, Cameo Coral and Regal Rose Stampin' Pastels; Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, Scallop trim border punch, and Scallop Trim corner punch

June is the month of great excitement at Stampin' Up! We have just received the lists of items that will be retiring (scroll down to an earlier post for links to the lists) and we are busy creating sample projects with some of the stamps that will be in the new catalog available July 1. This card has something old and something new in it. See if you can tell which is which. Thanks for visiting today. I'd love for you to leave a comment. Also, I am starting a monthly newsletter. The sign up form is to the left. This newsletter will have a monthly project, articles about stamping, and tips to help you.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Sets:Because I Care, On Your Birthday

Inks: Always Artichoke Classic Ink Pad; Chocolate Chip, Always Artichoke, Pink Passion, and Pixie Pink Stampin' Write markers

Card Stock: Sage Shadow, Very Vanilla, Pink Passion

Other: Perfect Polka Dots Stampin' Up! embossing folder, Scallop Trim border punch, Scallop Trim corner punch, Large Oval punch, Scallop Oval punch, gold Smooch Spritz

    The word 'hybrid' is fast becoming a catch word in the English language. The automotive industry is finally starting to build hybrid cars in an effort to economize on oil consumption. I submit this card as my part of 'hybridization'…LOL! I used My Digital Studio to create the background using the new Travel Journal Designer Paper download and the Sentimental Journey stamp brush which is also a new download available from Stampin' Up! The greeting is hand-stamped on Crumb Cake cardstock using the On Your Birthday stamp set. I printed the background without the car and also with the car. Then I cut out the car and layered it on the background for a lumpy feel. Then I layered everything on a layer of Crumb Cake and a layer of Soft Suede card stock. Finally I sprayed it with gold Smooch Spritz. The beauty of using My Digital Studio for this card is that I don't physically own the Travel Journal Designer Paper or the Sentimental Journey stamp set. Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I invite you to leave a comment if you like this card and to sign up in the box at the left to receive my newsletter.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Set: On Your Birthday

Digital Stamp Brush: Sentimental Journey

Inks: Night of Navy

Paper: Soft Suede, Crumb Cake. digital Travel Journal Designer Paper

Other: Curly Label punch, gold Smooch Spritz

What would you do with extra money? With the economy being slow to recover, budgets are straining to meet just the bills and money for extras is hard to come by. Just think what you could do with the extra money! This is the best time for you to start your own stamping business because Stampin' Up! is offering a special mini starter kit for only $99.

The advantages of being a Stampin' Up! independent demonstrator are:

• Set your own working hours and how much you want to earn
• • Schedule your time to coordinate with family responsibilities
  • Work as many hours a day as you want to achieve your desired goals                                  

• Meet new people, create great relationships
• Share your love of stamping with others
• Enjoy the benefits of being part of a supportive, well-established company
• Gain satisfaction by controlling your own future

As a member of my team of demonstrators I will offer you sound training, great creative ideas, and solid support in building your business. The mini starter kit special only lasts through the end of June so don't delay. Contact me for more information. I have posted the details of the starter kit below. Now is the time to begin an exciting new future for you!

Blessings,

Sue

Are your digital photos just dumped into a single file on your computer? How do you organize them so you can find them at a later time? There are several ways you can do this.

    First, you can just leave them under the download date suggested by your camera. I must admit that most of my photos are stored just this way. However, it does take me time to sort through them to find the ones I want to use for a particular project. Sometimes I can remember the download date but that usually occurs after I have scrolled through them several times.

    Another way is to organize them by the event and either label each one with the event or move them into a separate file with the event label.

    A third way is to file your photos by the person in the photo. This works well when you have just one subject in the photo but you would have to multiple copies of the photo if you have multiple subjects.

    Figure out a system that works best for you and then work it! Take the time when you download a photo to give it a descriptive name rather than leaving it labeled DSC041 as an example. I'd love for you to leave a comment and share your photo organization if you have one.

    Happy scrapping,

    Sue

Our granddaughter is traveling to Las Vegas for a Little League tournament this coming weekend and I needed a quick card to send along with some spending money. I used the retiring Just Baseball stamp set and the retired 2010 Sale-a-bration stamp set Vintage Labels. The card was cut with the Sizzix Movers and Shapers die. The cut out card base was sitting on my stamp table so starting from that point, the card took me about 10 minutes to finish. Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Sets: Just Baseball, Vintage Labels (retired)

Inks: Basic Black

Card Stock: Summer Sun, Naturals White

Other: Sizzix Movers and Shapers, Curly Label Punch, Black Gingham Ribbon  

I will honor the memory of my father but more importantly, I will honor my husband! Together we have faced our share of life's challenges but the joys have been far greater. We have reared three wonderful and successful children and have ten grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. My husband is a very supportive father who is generous with his children and so very proud of them. He is a kind and generous man with all he deals with and is known for his special ability to help heal rifts among coworkers. Can you tell I feel I am one of the luckiest women to have such a husband and father of our children? I used My Digital Studio to create this scrapbook page of one of my favorite pictures. Thanks for coming to visit my blog. Leave your answer to my question in a comment below.

Blessings,

Sue

I will honor the memory of my father but more importantly, I will honor my husband! Together we have faced our share of life's challenges but the joys have been far greater. We have reared three wonderful and successful children and have ten grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. My husband is a very supportive father who is generous with his children and so very proud of them. He is a kind and generous man with all he deals with and is known for his special ability to help heal rifts among coworkers. Can you tell I feel I am one of the luckiest women to have such a husband and father of our children? I used My Digital Studio to create this scrapbook page of one of my favorite pictures. Thanks for coming to visit my blog. Leave your answer to my question in a comment below.

Blessings,

Sue

…the jolly cook of the stamp set Voila is retiring! May he have a wonderful retirement! However…if you don't have him in your stamp collection yet, NOW is the time to order this stamp set before it is too late! Click here to access my online store. I created this card using Voila and Voila To Go for a birthday card for a close friend who was turning 65. I computer generated the greeting. Thanks for visiting and leave a comment so I know you were here.

Blessings,

Sue

Stamp Sets: Voila (115102) and Voila To Go (115104)

Inks: Basic Black

Card Stock: Always Artichoke, Whisper White

Other: Various Watercolor Wonder Crayons, Aqua Painter

With the announcement of Stampin' Up!'s Color Renovation, I thought it would be fun to see which of the exciting new colors added to the core colors is the favorite. Please take time to take the poll. The last poll asked what In Color was your favorite. Rich Razzleberry was number one, Bermuda Bay and Soft Suede tied for second,Melon Mambo came in third, and Dusty Durango was fourth. Crushed Curry did not receive any votes. My favorite is Melon Mambo and I am so happy it is now a part of the core colors. Rich Razzleberry and Dusty Durango also made the cut…yay! Thanks to all who took part in the poll. Click here to see the new color renovation.

Blessings,

Sue