My Sweet Stampin Spot

Last Chance for Sale-A-Bration!

Stampin' Up!'s Sale-A-Bration Promotion ends today! It's your last chance to earn free Sale-A-Bration product with your $50 order, qualifying workshop total or discounted Starter Kit. To place your order, visit my ONLINE STORE, click Shop Now. To get your 15% off Starter Kit, click Start Your Own Business, Join Now and use password kwilliams. It's that easy!  

Pawsitively Easter

This card was presented as a Make N Take at my March Hostess Club meeting. The club members got to play around with the Scallop Border and Corner punches to create this scalloped rectangle frame. It does take some tweaking to get it right. Several of my samples were just a bit (or more) off in the end, but who needs perfection? Want to learn how to use the corner and border punches together? Go check out this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5P08A1eftk

The frame and pieced egg use the flower print from Pawsitively Prints Designer Paper. This was originally pictured in the Holiday Mini catalog as part of the coordinating products with the Build A Bear line. It is still listed in the Occassions Mini Catalog, just not pictured. I love the colors featured and the simple patterns go well with almost any project.

Supplies: A Good Egg stamp set, Stazon Black Ink, Whisper White and Ballet Blue cardstock, Pawsitively Prints Designer Paper, So Safrron and Pumpkin Pie Many Marvelous Markers, Aquapainter, Modern Label Punch, Scallop Border Punch, Scallop Corner Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals.

Follow Your Heart

This adorable turtle image is from Very Thankful. This stamp set is found inside the back cover of the Idea Book & Catalog. It's a fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities. For every set sold, Stampin' Up! donates $2 to RMHC. Bonus- this set is included in the regular catalog stamp sets that can be earned for Sale-A-Bration! Hurry to get yours - Sale-A-Bration ends March 31. The sentiment on this card is also from a Sale-A-Bration set - Whimsical Words. I just love the font on these sentiments. The turtle image is colored with Watercolor Crayons. These crayons are great to work with. When pulling color from the crayons, it's best to use the bottom of the crayon so you don't mess up your point. Just tap the blender pen on the bottom of the crayon to pick up a little color, then blend on your watercolor paper. The watercolor paper holds up well to coloring.

Supplies: Very Thankful and Whimsical Words stamp sets, Black Stazon Ink, Real Red and Basic Black Many Marvelous Markers, Watercolor Crayons - Bold Brights, Blender Pens, Watercolor Paper, Kraft Cardstock, Sweet Pea Designer Series Paper, Real Red Cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, 1 3/8" circle punch, Scallop Punch, Black Satin Ribbon

The life of a PTA Mom and Sold Out Egg Kit

So I decided to become more heavily involved in the PTA at my son's school this year. It is amazing how many hours this takes up! Since our Spring Festival is next week, we've been working hard and heavy the past couple of weeks getting everything finalized. There's still so much to do! Because I've been so busy with that, I've sadly neglected my poor blog. I've got a few projects I'll be sharing over the next few days. For now, I'll just share an announcement from Stampin' Up!. The Eggcoutrements Egg Kit is now sold out. Hopefully you got yours, if not there are still so many cute Easter crafts to be done with your other supplies.

Why I Became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator

In my BC (before children) life, I worked as a licensed Veterinary Technician. While I love that work, I wanted to stay home to raise my kids. When my first born was about year, I began to search home based business opportunities, but nothing seemed to be the right fit for me. A few months later I was invited to a MOPS (Mother's Of Preschoolers) group by a mom I met at a mother's day out program. Being new to the community, I was searching for ways to meet and connect with others. I loved it! I soon learned that my new friend Jennifer was a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator as she was on the MOPS steering team as the craft leader. I've always been into arts and crafts, even once toying with the idea of attending an arts college but ended up in the agriculture field instead.

I had seen rubber stamps before, but I was one of those people who thought it was just stamp in black and make the card, then what? I started attending her classes and had that lightbulb moment! I learned about CASEing (copy and share everything), and seeing how I could tweak a layout or color combo and make it a whole new project. I was hooked and started bringing my sisters to classes. Then I had my second lightbulb moment - if i could invite my family and friends to her classes, why not have my own?! I called her up and told her I wanted to sign up! I didn't even understand the business model that involves uplines and ownlines, that I would be signed up as part of her downline and have an automatic family. I just knew she was my friend and could help me. Jennifer has since retired as a Stampin' Up! demo due to some health changes in her life. She was a wonderful upline and I really appreciate all she did for me.

Getting my starter kit box in the mail was like Christmas in May! It was so fun to start using my products to share the love of stamping. Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart says: "To love what we do and share what we love, as we help others enjoy creativity and worthwhile accomplishments...in this we make a difference." I am very proud to be a part of Stampin' Up!. They are an amazing company that takes care of their demonstrators, they support many charities and are very socially responsible.

I will be celebrating my 5 year anniversary in May. There are so many aspects of this job that I love! I get to stamp and create and share that with people. I have met many interesting people that I likely would never have crossed paths with otherwise. I get to spend time with my kids, teaching them to craft. I get to brighten other's lives by sending them cards. The gifts and cards I create are now considered business expenses LOL! I love that I can tailor the business to my needs. Just want my own discount - just order! Life is hectic - hold off on classes for a few months. Whatever I need, I can do.

I invite you to think about this for your life. If this is something that you think you'd like to try, there is plenty of room in the Stampin' Up! community and on my team. The Starter Kit is currently 15% off as part of the Sale-A-Bration promotion. Regularly $199, you can get your kit for $169, plus you also get a extra free stamp set of your choice. It's an amazing value - over $375 worth of products, plus business materials. You can view the Starter Kit contents on page 9 of the Idea Book & Catalog. I'm always here to answer any questions you might have. Ready to join Stampin' Up!? - simply go to My Website, click Start Your Own Business, then click Join Now. The password is kwilliams.

 

 

National Craft Month

March is National Craft Month. What are you creating? Stampin' Up! offers a wide variety of products to satisfy your crafting urge. Need to spruce up a room in your house? Use one of the stencils or Decor Elements found in the Definitely Decorative catalog. Behind in your scrapbooking? We offer a variety of Simply Scrappin' Kits to make your pages quick and easy. Making bows for your girls? Our ribbons are super cute and very affordable. Want to make a quilted project? Streamline your fabric cutting with our selection of Sizzix Die Cuts. Leave me a comment and let me know how you are using your Stampin' Up! products in crafting this month.

Free Punch

Free Punch? Of course! One of this year's Sale-A-Bration freebies is the new Scallop Trim Edge Punch. Unlike traditional Sale-A-Bration freebies, this one is not a limited time item. This punch will be available for purchase in the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog. From now until March 31, you can earn it for free with any $50 purchase. What makes this punch even more fun is the coordinating Scallop Trim Corner Punch that's available in the Occassions Mini Catalog. You can combine these punches to create some really fun elements for your projects. To see these punches in action, check out the video Stampin' Up! has put together.

 

To order these fun new punches, visit my ONLINE STORE and click SHOP NOW.

Top Note Luggage Tag

I recently participated in a Big Shot Fabric Swap on Stampin' Addicts. I received mine today and they are amazing! I'm so impressed by the creativity. I created 2 projects - the first being a luggage tag made with the Stampin' Up! exclusive Top Note Die.

I was thrilled to find vinyl colors in (close to) Stampin' Up colors. I used Ballet Blue, Crushed Curry and White. You can see the front and back of the tag in the picture. The back has a transparency pocket for your information. The front is embellished with the Daisies die in White and Crushed Curry, with a Chocolate Chip Corduroy button center. Chocolate Chip grosgrain ribbon for the tie is looped through an Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelet.

I had no problems at all with die cutting the vinyl. The dies easily cut them. I did however, have some issues trying to sew it. The blue didn't take kindly to me trying to stitch around the Top Note shape. The fabric really pulled too much at me pulling and twisting around the curves. I ended up doing a simple straight stitch just inside the curves.

Supplies: Sizzix Big Shot, Top Note Die, Daisies Die, Antique Brass Jumbo Eyelets, 5/8" Chocolate Grosgrain Ribbon, CropADile, transparency, sewing machine, vinyl fabric.  
 

Haitian Relief Results

Once again, Stampin′ Up! demonstrators have shown what Stampin′ Up! is all about by making a difference in the lives of others. Worldwide, demonstrators sold 13,587 of the stamp sets that were set aside for Haitian relief. From each of those sales, Stampin′ Up! will donate $2 to the Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. That’s over $27,000 donated to people who desperately need your help.

I'm so pleased to have been a part of this effort by matching the donation for my customers. Thanks to everyone who participated!