Makeover Monday! Week 4

Howdy folks!  Welcome back to Makeover Monday.  While this is a fairly new series, I'd like to explain what this is all about.  Makeover Monday was developed because I have a fondness for many designers in the industry that DO NOT use Stampin' Up! products. (heaven forbid!)  I love what they come up with using things that are non-SU.  Sure, I could purchase what they are using, but that would not be good business practice.  So, I decided that I am going to conquer some of these designs using SU products that I have on hand.  Are you all following me here?   You will soon find out that I am quite partial to Dawn McVey's style, I redesign her cards often.  In fact, her card is once again my inspiration!  Here is her card:

And here is my creation:

While I loved the sunny colors that Dawn used, I opted for something more colorful.  I used doily from Wilton - you know those that you put on a plate under the cookies???  I love the look of these doilies on a card - but you could use SU's new die for that also.  I just haven't purchased that yet!  Then, the scalloped circle comes from the Perfect Pennants die.  Don't forget that some of those dies have other items tucked in there!  The patterned paper is from Domestic Goddess - I just love this floral design.  Sweet lil' touch of vintage!  The butterfly - Beautiful Butterflies then stamped with Delicate Doilies.  The ribbon - Poppy Parade.  Now, I did have to use some buttons from my "stash".  The flower one is SU - in Real Red - but the other buttons were too large and overpowering.  You guys don't mind that I used other buttons tho, do you???  I'm kinda partial to a mish mash of buttons anyway! 

So, there you have it!  It's made over, and I think it's sweet as can be.  FYI - this was a VERY fast card to put together.  Will be whipping up several more to send to my customers that place orders from my website this month!  Yep - that's right!  You can receive this card in the mail too!  Just place an order from my website - http://jenarkfeld.stampinup.net  Don't worry - I'll write you a note on a sticky note so that you can reuse the card! 

'til next time - keep on stampin' !

Scrappy Sunday....

Today is the day I meet with my Scrapbook Club.  While I can't show you yet what we will be working on today...I can share with you what we made last time we met (we meet every other month).  We typically complete 3 12x12 pages.  Here is one of the double page spreads that we made.  Forgive the photography!

left side

right side

These pages used the Tickets and Tags Simply Scrapping kit in the catalog.  I love this set - It's full of hip and trendy patterns and the die cut stickers are awesome!  I have quite a few left overs that I need to play with.

Alright - I must keep at the task at hand....til tomorrow folks!

Few of my Fav Swap Cards....

Howdy!  Just a quick one today!  Want to share some of my favorite cards that I received as swaps at leadership.  JUST SOME OF MY FAVES!  In no particular order...

Pretty sure she used glimmer paper for the center sentiment, but it might be Smooch Spritz.  Either way - really like it.  Love these colors together.

To DIE for!

Sparkly fun!  And I love the combination of colors. 

Yep - this shore is my new go-to paper....I'm just smitten with it!

I really like how she pinned on the knot!  And the Smooch Spritz!

You're a gem!

I know, I KNOW!  You thought I flew the coop again, right?  Nah, I just needed a couple of days to regroup and get caught up after being gone.  Like laundry and cleaning.  And reading to my kiddos.  And grocery shopping.  All of my fave things!  Ya - NO! 

I was able to get a set of cards stamped:

 All fo my downline members will be getting this card in the mail.  I need to let them know that I completely appreciate them and I do think they are all gems.  Without them, I would not have qualified to go to Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference last week.  After getting back, it renewed my energy for this business and for my downline.  So, I made them a card.  This one uses a big sneak peak for them and all of you! 

You see, at Leadership, SU! gave us an unreleased stamp set, Everything Eleanor - it won't be available until JUNE.  I used that set to create these cards.  I can guarantee you that the flourish in this set is going to see a LOT of ink!  It's the perfect flourish,  The label shape is also from this new set.

I love the look that I created by stamping the flowers in Peach Parfait on Peach Parfait and then overlaying the flourish in Whisper White.  I acheived the exact look I was going for.

What do you think?  You likey???

Click to view catalog

Howdy friends!  It starts today!!!  Sale-A-Bration is here!!!!!  I know I've been showing you many sneaks of my newly favorite DSP and Stamp Set - Everyday Enchantment and Fresh Vintage.  Guess what?  You can NOW get these for yourself.  For every $50 you spend you can pick a free item.  We all like free right? 

But do you know what is even better???  If you join my team, you will get a FREE pack of Designer Series Paper OR a FREE Digital Download every month for the rest of the year!!!  That is on top of the discounted Starter Kit!  Ya - you can get the starter kit for $125 plus free paper or digi items.  Do the math - that could be $120 in free paper - or even more on digi items (there is no price limit on the digital downloads!)  AND, you can alternate these.  So, if one month you want paper, the next month you can get a download.  It's completely up to you!  Stampin' Up! lets you do this YOUR WAY!  If you'd like to know more about joining my team - please contact me!  We'd love to have you be part of the Stamp Us Silly team!

Would you like to earn tons of freebies?  Hostess will get an amazing prize package during Sale-A-Bration.  With a $150 workshop, you'll go home with THE most adorable tote out there.  Host a $400 workshop and you'll go home with a product bundle to die for!  Click on the logo above to learn more.  If you'd like to hostess your own workshop, contact me.  My dates are almost filled up tho, so act fast!

All of this is a great reason to SALE-A-BRATE! 

Technical Tuesday

Good Morning to you!  I was kinda sad when I turned on my 'puter this morning and there weren't any new My Digital Studio downloads.  It's one thing that I really really look forward to on a Tuesday.  I mean; it's TUESDAY!   What else do we really have to look forward to?  Tacos.  Not usually.  Oh well.  Guess that means I'll be more excited next Tuesday when the downloads are released. 

Today tho, I'm sharing with you a project that was one of our Make and Takes at Leadership.  We all love Make and Takes right - even us demos.  It's great when everything is pre-planned and pre-cut and we can just assemble.  Even this number.  I didn't get thru all of my M&T's - I was too busy gabbing (surprise, surprise!).  I think I only got 3 of them done and there were like 12 or something like that.  Ya - they really, REALLY spoil us!  Anyway.....

I made this when I got back.  What does it have to do with Technical Tuesday or MDS????  Well, the phrase was designed in MDS and printed by the SU printers.  All of the MDS printing that I have done has been printed at home, but when I touched and felt what the SU printers do, I was highly impressed!  The quality is top-notch.  Duh!  It is Stampin' Up!  What don't they do that's top-notch???

So, this is a little hybrid project - a pleasant mix of digital and paper crafting.  Isn't it awesome?  We need to keep in mind that with MDS - you can create til your hearts content.  With this the possibilities are truly endless! 
I was fortunate - it so happened that I already had a white/vanilla frame to put this one in.  As soon as I saw it, I knew immediately that it was going to go in my daughter, Aubrie's room.  She has some SU vinyl on her wall that says "We are too great for small dreams" and I thought this was quite fitting!  I was thrilled and a bit surprised when I showed it to her and she was in awe - she did a little "awwww" and then I told her that we should put it in her room.  She grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs.  It was a sweet moment - and so gratifying to see that her little 20 month old mind was very appreciative of this! 

Aren't those flowers and gems cute?  They both come from the Occassions Mini - Blossom Builders Designer Printed Kit (p. 18).  And what a steal - you get two 12x12 pages of printed, die cut flowers - and they are printed on BOTH sides - one side is patterened and the other is plain.  Plus you get these pink gems in two sizes - all for just 9.95.  For this flower, I encircled the big gem with the little ones.  Just one more way you can change things up!  You can get some for yourself by going to my online store - http://jenarkfeld.stampinup.net .  And don't forget - Sale-A-Bration starts today! An added bonus for your $50 orders!  Happy shopping!

Makeover Monday Week 3!

Howdy folks!  I'm running a little behind with today's post, but I've made it!!!  Phew!  Today is Makeover Monday.  This is where I take a card from some of my favorite (non-SU) designers and make their creation over using Stampin' Up! products.  While I'm only 3 weeks into this series, I've been hearing from many of you that you are loving this so far - that's wonderful to hear!  I'd like you to keep the comments coming - feedback is always good, whether constructive or supportive!

Today's card is brought to you from Dawn McVey's blog.  I know I've said it before, but I adore her style.  She is one of my favorite designers and constantly inspires me!  This is Dawn's card:

And I'd like you to meet my card:

This stamp set was waiting for me when I got back from Leadership Conference.  I was ready!  I don't know why I hadn't gotten this set before - it is a hostess set.  But I love the graphic style, the clean lines, and the "funk" - do you consider it a bit funky??? 

A couple of things that I did different - I did heat emboss the flowers.  I stamped them in Real Red Craft ink and then used clear ep.  I wanted that shine.  I've been using my heat tool extensively lately.  Someone at Leadership even asked if I heat embossed everything?  (my swaps had a lot of embossing)  I also added a textured background on the Melon Mambo piece using a texture plate.  Sometimes I forget about the texture plates - and they are great when an embossing folder is TOO much texture.  I also used textured Very Vanilla cardstock for the scalloped edges. 

I'd like to hear - what do you think???

That's it for today - I'll be back tomorrow with Technical Tuesday and a little something that we made at our Make and Takes at Leadership! 

Leadership....People you see!

Leadership's theme this year was My Way, meaning, all of us Stampin' Up! demonstrators are encouraged to run our business Our Way. 

Today, I'm going to highlight some of the people I had the opportunity to meet this week -  and first up - is the reason all of this was even possible - the co-founder of Stampin' Up! - Shelli Gardner!!!  She is so sweet in person and absolutely delightful.



Then there is Diana Gibbs - she's an absolute hoot.

This is a picture of my roomie - Liana and I at the make and take tables.  Obviously I was sitting too close to the flash!  Oops.  Liana was the best roommate I could as for.  We got along perfectly and had so much in common.  I am truly blessed to work with a company that nurtures relationships.  Without this opportunity, I would have probably not ever met Liana.

Gosh - next up is Patty Bennett - I wish I would have had more time to chat with her.  I was a bit droopy looking in this pic.  Liana and I walked to the convention center everyday, and this particular day is was a bit foggy, which completely wiped out my hair.  Not to mention the fact that I had to wear my glasses because I think I had some allergies to something in the air down there.  UGH! 

This picture is of me and Mary.  She is my Fiji partner.  We are working together to support, encourage, and motivate each other to earn the Fiji Incentive Trip.  It was so wonderful to meet her in person and she was even more delightful than I could have ever imagined!  Again - a great company that brings new friends together!

That's all I've got for you today - I'll be back tomorrow with Makeover Monday - but I may be a bit late.

Ta-ta!

FREE Stamp Set!

Greeting y'all!  I caught a little Texas accent after being in San Antonio for the week!  Ok, well, maybe not...but it's fun! 

I had a wonderful time at Leadership Conference, and have plenty of pictures to share with you....but for now I've got something else!

We received SO many wonderful prizes throughout the week, that I feel like I need to share with those who helped get me there!  YOU - my wonderful customers!!! 

I have a gift up for grabs, so let me tell you how you can get your hands on it.....  Anyone who places an order with me between NOW (Saturday Jan. 21st) and Friday Jan. 27th (other than a club order) will have their name thrown into a hat to win Fresh Vintage!  It's a Sale-A-Bration set that you receive free with a $50 order.  However, in my little contest, you are entered regardless of your order size!  You can place an order by calling me, texting me, or going to my website!  Good luck!

Another swap card!

Here's a look at another one of my swap cards:

 Nothing terribly tricky here!  I will be doing a video tutorial on a similar card to show you how I did the edge of the patterned paper.  It was done with one of the new Label Framelit Dies.  It's a simple technique, but easier to SHOW than tell!!! 

I went with a cheery color combo - Certainly Celery, Early Espresso - pattern paper from the Berry Blossoms DSP.  A little Rose Red, and it's a beaut! 

I'll be heading home from Leadership Conference tomorrow morning.  I won't be able to promise that I'll have a post tomorrow, but I'll try my best...maybe a post from my phone if nothing else.  Have a great weekend!!!

Remember the Alamo!!! Great day at Leadership! 76 Degrees here today? do I want to go back to Iowa?

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I do!

Hello folks!  As most of you know, I am currently at Leadership Conference in San Antonio!  Today, I'm showing you one of the swaps that I made to, well, swap!    This card was super easy, and I think it just speaks classiness. 

This one started with a base of Basic Gray.  I then repeatedly stamped the floral image from the Fresh Vintage stamp set in So Saffron on So Saffron.  I love how this turned out.  Almost looks like patterned paper.  Then I took a strip of Basic Gray Satin Ribbon, attached it - just with snail.  The center image was cut with one of the new labels dies.  I used two of the other images from Fresh Vintage and heat embossed them with clear ep.  (I'm really into heat embossing these days - amazing what happens when you keep it plugged in at arms reach!)  This was popped up.  Then I stamped the sentiment in Basic Gray on Whisper white, punched it with a 1 3/4 in. circle punch, popped it up and added a blingy diamond.

What a beautiful card for a beautiful day!  Wouldn't you love to receive this???

Make and take!!!

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At make ad take tables

This hotel is supposedly haunted...google St. Anthony Hotel!!

Greetings from San Antone. Waiting for my roomie to get here. This is the lobby area of our gorgeous and historic hotel. Will head to the Conference as soon as she gets here!!!!

Everyday Enchanted Daisy Class

I am now offering all of my classes in TWO locations! 

PLEASE NOTE!!!!  The date for the WOODBINE location has changed to FEBRUARY 1st!!!!

If you would like to attend this class - in either location - please be sure to register by January 21st.  Click on the above picture to print the flyer and mail it back to me!  Call me with any questions!  Hope to see you there!  We always have a blast!

Technical Tuesday

Hiddy Ho!  I'm back today for another edition of Technical Tuesday.  And since I will be hoping a plane to San Antonio today for Stampin' Up's Leadership Conference, I have scheduled this post ahead of time.  Much like most of the posts you'll read the rest of the week.

Some of you requested some tutorials on My Digital Studio, and since Stampin' Up! provides us with some wonderful tutorials, I'm just going to share one of their videos with you.  I may put quite a few of these up over time as they are SO helpful.  Sit back and enjoy!  Hope you learn something!!!

Makeover Monday Week 2

Welcome back to round 2 of my Makeover Monday series.  In this series I "makeover" a card that I find out in web land and redo it using Stampin' Up! supplies (that I have in my collection).  I'm doing this because I'm infatuated with a couple of other well-known Stamp/Paper companies and their designers, but since purchasing from those companies is a hinderance to my business, this series came about.

Today's card is the actual card that sparked my idea about this series to begin with.  This one comes to you from Dawn McVey (one of my fave designers out there!)

I CASED her card almost to a T.   This one was pretty darn easy.  I tried not to let the sentiment stump me.  Cuz, I LUV the sentiment she used.  But, it so happened that the new Outlined Occasions set was sitting on my desk and that was perfect!

Here is my card:

I used the buttons from the Holiday Mini - wishing I would have stocked up on these.  I did actually sew them on with bakers twine and tacked the tails onto the back of the Melon Mambo layer with snail.

What do you think?  Good  makeover??

You're My Vintage Type!

Good morning!  How are ya today?  Wanna know something?  I'm just a little smitten over this typewriter stamp!  I have a thing for retro and antiques.  I have quite a few antiques in my house.  Nothing of great awesome value, except maybe the antique stove that sits on our porch.  But I've got some cool old fans from the 50's, some old thermoses, old kitchen utensils, crocks and canning jars, etc, etc. So this old typewriter image is up my alley.  I just need to come up with some more ideas to use this stamp.

This was one of the cards we did in Stamp Club this month.  Remember, I told you that we were doing emboss resist on patterned papers.  I thought the doily image paired well with the vintage typewriter, as did the text patterned paper.  Here we stamped the doily in whisper white, then heat embossed it with white EP.  Once it was cooled, we sponged over the top with Crumb Cake to make that doily pop.  You may have to wipe some ink off the doily after you've sponged.

I also incorporated two of the new dies from the Occasions Mini - Adorning Accents die - AND Embossing folder and the Label die around the typewriter.  I just love the way the Edgelit die and the embossing folders work together - it adds so much.

Wanna know more about my stamp clubs?  I have 3 stamp clubs that meet monthly and I always try and teach a new technique.  We meet in Defiance, Denison and Schleswig.  If you are interested in joining us, just shoot me an email and we'll make room for you!  I'm also working on starting a club in Carroll and Harlan, so if that is better for you, just give me a hollar!

Til tomorrow!

Jen



Recipe:

Stamps: You're my Type, Hello Doily

Paper: Crumb Cake, Basic Black, First Edition, Flirtatious
Ink: Stazon Jet Black, Melon Mambo, Whisper White, Crumb Cake
Accessories: Adorning Accents die and EF, White EP, Victoria Ribbon, heart punch