Lazy Days of Summer????

...that is NOT why I've disappeared! Things here have been so incredibly busy, I'm beginning to feel my head spinning! It's like I don't know which way to turn next! I do not know who coined the phrase, "Lazy days of Summer," but they couldn't be more wrong! Running kids to swimming lessons, painting within the house, Aubrie's baptism, vacation to Denver....it's been a full July, and now that August is here, I almost feel relieved! I think there is time to relax a bit....but I'll wait and see what it brings! Right now, I've got 3 suitcases of laundry to do!!!

In the meantime....I meant to have some of these blog posts done before we left for vacation, but it's one of those things that had to get pushed to the back burner....

Anywaaaayy.... I participated in a group swap, and the stamp set I chose to use was Apple Blossoms, one of the Level One Hostess Sets. I love the graphic images in this set. I wasn't sure
what colors I wanted to use, so I played eeny, meeny, miney, mo with my new Color Coach, and
came up with Marina Mist, Old Olive and Cajun Craze.....just a little out of my comfort zone.

Needless to say, the colors do work well together.

You can see here how I stamped the little sentiment. It was not how I planned, but I made it work.....

And this is one of my new fave ribbon techniques. It's like it just gets puddled onto the card. Kinda like a flirty prom dress or some long curtains that puddle onto the floor....

Well, as my life gets settled back into a somewhat normal routine, I'll be back more often! I think I'm more ready for Will to get back to school so that we get back to a more scheduled day! I like routine!

Alrighty - that's all for today folks, I hear the laundry room calling my name. Has anyone developed a laundry FOLDING machine yet?

TTFN!

Product Share info has been updated - some shares are about to close again - be sure to get your name in. This is a super way to sample products and find out what you absolutely can't live without!

I'll be back later with more open house info!

Virtual Open House, day 3

Are you familiar with all of the cool things that you can do with the Big Shot? You can make soemthing like this headband:
Or this hair band:

These are pins that I made to pin onto a VERY plain t-shirt to jazz it up. And on, they are super cute!

And check out these refrigerator magnets:

Yes - all cut with the Big Shot. You see, you can cut all types of things with the Big Shot. This year, Stampin' Up! is even carrying magnetic sheets, cork, and several colors of vinyl. All things that you can cut with your Big Shot.

Big Shot Materials List for Bigz and Originals Dies
The following materials work well when creating die cuts with the Big Shot machine and Bigz and Originals dies. Please note the maximum thickness of several materials. As a rule of thumb, you can cut a material with your Big Shot machine and Bigz or Originals dies if you can cut it using your Craft & Paper Scissors.

Thick corkboard
Thick chipboard (59 mil)
Colored magnet
Ruffle board
Paper wood
Balsa wood (3/32")
Bass wood (1/16")
Metal mesh
Aluminum (.016)
Tin (.008)
Adhesive and non-adhesive mat board
Drawer liner
Shelf liner
Vinyl
Static cling vinyl
Shrink film
Fine sandpaper
Clear acetate (20 mil)
Vellum
Card stock
Patterned paper
Flocked paper
Contact paper
Textured paper
Metallic paper
Linen paper
Suede paper
Embossed metallic paper
Basketball embossed paper
Faux alligator textured paper
Self-adhesive glitter paper
Fabric
Canvas
Iron-on fabric
Soft plush fabric
Burlap
Velvet
Corduroy
Lace
Heavyweight denim
Terry cloth
Funky fur
Thin leather
Quilt batting
Warm & natural batting
Fusible fleece
Self-adhesive craft metal
Self-adhesive cork
Self-adhesive foam
Self-adhesive magnet
Self-adhesive felt
Adhesive and non-adhesive rubber
Pop up sponge
Poly foam
100% pure beeswax (cut with parchment paper on top & bottom of beeswax.)

Now, isn't that an awesome list of things!!!

Here's a deal for you....purchase a Big Shot from me between today and July 21st and receive any one of the Originals Dies on page 213 of the 2010-11 Idea Book and Catalog for free!! Yep - that's right peeps! Hop on this deal, and you can get started right away crafting away. Contact me today to get yours ordered!!!!

Virtual Open House, day 2

Hola! So, have you been checking out the catalog, and are you in AWE of the so many new items??? You can see the new catalog HERE.

And you know, this is day 2 of my Virtual Open House. The same as my IRL Open House, you are eligible for some great freebies and door prizes. Here's how this is going to work:

You can email me an order or you can place an order on my website.

If you email me an order and you are the:

1st order - you will recieve $15 off your order

2nd order - pick a free package of buttons of your choice!

3rd order - take $5 off your order

4th order - you earn a package of 8 1/2 x 11 In Color Cardstock

5th order - you earn a package of DSP of your choice!

If you place an order on my website and you are the:

1st order - you will get a $15 gift certificate (good for a future order)

2nd order - pick a free package of brads of your choice

3rd order - you will earn a $10 gift certificate (good on a future order)

4th order - you earn a package of 8 1/2 x 11 In Color Cardstock

5th order - pick a package of DSP of your choice!

Fun stuff huh! I did similar things at my actual open house, but the prizes were mixed among the order forms, so it was a surprise when they grabbed their order forms!!!

And, don't forget to check out all of the great product shares that I posted yesterday. As soon as the groups become full, I will order up! (The product shares will stay open as long as need be, until the groups fill.)

Alrighty peeps, that concludes todays excitement, but stay tuned for more of your viewing pleasure tomorrow!!!!!

Virtual Open House

edited to add: my Buy Now buttons were not working, they appear to be okay now, let me know if you have problems!

Howdy folks! I want to give a big shout out to those of you that made it to my Open House - it was a lot of fun, and good to see all of you! For those of you that weren't able to make it, don't fret - over the next week, I'll be hosting a Virtual Open House right here on the ol' blog-o!!!

First up - Product shares. We all want a ton of stuff out of the new catty - right? I know I do, and I have to keep things in check. One thing that I really want is the new Designer Papers. I think SU! did a fab job this year on the paper styles! I want them all - don't you! Well, if you were to purchase all of them, it would cost you over $200. Well, how about sharing your paper?

Designer Paper Share

There are 16 packages of designer paper, including 4 packages of Specialty Paper. With this product share, I will cut the paper into 6x6 squares. You will get a sqaure of each paper from each collection. The patterns will differ among shares because the patterns aren't symmetrical. This is an excellent way to get your hands on all of the paper without breaking the bank!

Group One has 8 spots open. Please allow 10-14 days for delivery from the date the spots are full. To pay via PayPal, use the link below, otherwise email me to set up other payment options.

Price $22.00 (closed)






Vintage Sampler Product Share

Some of the new things that I love the most in this catalog are Vintage looking items. If you love the look of distressed, vintage projects, this assortment is for you!
Here's what is included:

• Antique Brads - 5 pieces -1 each of 5 designs
• Mini Vintage Tags - 3 tags
• Vintage Trinkets - 12 pieces - 6 pins, 6 buttons
• Crochet Trim - 2 yards - approx 1 yard each trim
• Love Letter DSP - 6 pieces of 6x6 squares
• Newsprint DSP - 6 pieces of 6x6 squares
• Elegant Soiree DSP - 6 pieces of 6x6 squares

Groups have 4 spots (Group One full, Group Two open with 2 spots left ) Please allow 10-14 days for delivery from the date the spots are filled.

Price $14.00

Ribbon Shares

I know all of you {heart} ribbon as much as I do, so, let's share some ribbon. You'll soon fiigure out which is your favorite! Sign up for one, two or all of the groups. Groups of ribbon are split between types/styles of ribbon. These will be set up in Groups of 5, as soon as 5 people fill a spot, I'll order the ribbon and get it off to you.

All ribbon comes in the following colors unless otherwise noted:

Whisper White, Very Vanilla, Daffodil Delight, Pumpkin Pie, Pretty In Pink, Real Red, Rich Razzleberry, Night of Navy, Marina Mist, Certainly Celery, Old Olive, Early Espresso, and Basic Black.

3/8" Taffeta Ribbon - $22.00

13 colors, 2 yards of each color. 26 yards total. (Group One - 2 spots still open)

1/8" Taffeta Ribbon - $19.00

13 colors, 3 yards each color, 39 total yards (Group 1 full, Group 2 open with 5 spots)

5/8" Satin Ribbon - $28.00

13 Colors, 3 yards each color, 39 total yards (Group 1 full, Group 2 open with 4 spots left)

5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon - $22.00

13 Colors, 3 yards each color, 39 total yards (Group 1 - 3 spots open)





1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon - $26.50

11 colors (does not include Whisper White or Very Vanilla), 2 yards each color, 22 total yards (Group 1 - 2 spots open)





Poly Stitched Ribbon - $11.50

5 Colors (Blushing Bride, Peach Parfait, Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Pear Pizzaz), 3 yards of each color, 15 yards total (Group 1 Full - Group 2 - 3 spots open)

Again, if you don't want to pay via PayPal, email me to make other arrangements.

Keep watching all week for more, more, more!

Sweet Stems...

So, when I first got to glimpse at the new Catalog, my gut reaction when I saw the Apple Blossoms set was - I gotta have it.....it's SO fun, trendy, and I loved it!!! Well - one of the perks of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator, is that we get to order sneak peak sets, including some of the hostess sets. And this is the first year that I've ever actually ordered hostess sets. Usually I wait and try and earn them - but I HAD to have this set....and I'm gonna say - I'm glad I did. I've used it several times already. Here I stamped the stem image in Wild Wasabi, Daffodil Delight, and Pumpkin Pie at various heights. Pair that with the Greenhouse Gala DSP and some buttons - and you've got a great card. And that phrase - it's super for several occasions...

If you haven't received my invite for my Open House in the mail, consider this your invite!!! To kick off the new Idea Book and Catalog, I'm having an open house - at my house. Dates: July 9th - 4pm - 8pm and July 10th 1pm to 5pm. I'll have a Make and Take for you to do, lots of door prizes, and tons of inspiration! Plus, some munchies - you can't stamp without munchies!! I hope to see you then!

July 1st!

You know what that means, right??? You got it peeps - the new catty goes live today! Starting at noon, you can order anything new that your little heart desires! I can't wait! My top 5 list as far as stamps go:

Morning Cup - can't wait to have it. I drink coffee EVERY day - doesn't matter how hot it is out, I'm drinking it! I LOVE coffee - with flavored creamer of course! I'm thinking I can use this for gift tags for little giftables for my coffee loving friends, adorable cards and I've got a scrapbook page in my head that needs to be brought to life!

Broadsheet Alpha! So fun, can't wait to see what I come up with!

Word Play - what fun this one will be!

Cottage Garden - okay, at first I looked over this one. Then while thumbing thru for the ninteenth time, I read the phrase that comes with it - "Love life and it will love you back" Okay - totally my mantra! Plus I think I can do some sweet stuff with the flowers.

Just Believe - Again, a great phrase, and I like the images.....

and a sixth -

Countryside - I just have to have that pickup! I don't know what my obsession is with old pickups, but I do love them. Wish I had one for my front lawn - I would fill the back end with TONS of flowers!

Now, I'd give you my list of accessories and paper - but what's the point - I just want all of it!!!!!

Gotta run - have drool dripping from my chin just thinking of all the yummy goodness in the catty!