Butterfly Punch Cottage Wall Cards

Pretty soon my blog will be filled with Fall and Halloween samples and ideas...but I can't let go of summer quite yet!

One of the Stampin' Up! colors I find difficult to use in my stamping is Orchid Opulence. It just isn't one of my favorites. However, a customer of mine needed help using the color right before the new catalog came out...thank goodness for Stampin' Up! coming to my rescue! The new Cottage Wall DSP uses Orchid Opulence with Old Olive and Rich Razzleberry (secondary colors might include Pale Plum and Mellow Moss).

When I was prepping for my New Catalog Stamp Camp, I also wanted to find a way to use the adorable new Butterfly Punch. This example also uses the Hi Embosslit (used with the Big Shot).

Here is another version using the new Modern Label Punch:

I punched out different pieces of the Cottage Wall DSP and colored pieces of card stock. The punched butterfly pieces are just attached the the lower punched piece with the small silver brads. You can fold the dsp punch piece to give the butterfly more dimension.

Summer...we'll miss you!

Wild Wednesday Deal #2

Make a $35 purchase from the Growing Up section of the 2009-2010 Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog (pages 74-90) and receive your choice of 30 Gold Brads or 30 Silver Brads from me! Don't forget - you'll also receive a free package of your choice of the Designer Buttons - Playground, Sherbert, or Button Latte.

One of the cards my stampers made last night at my New Catalog Stamp Camp featured the new Loads of Fun stamp set, the Under the stars stamp set (from the Growing Up section), and the new wood sheets. The wood sheets are so easy to work with! Very thin and pliable, you can easily stamp on them, use punches with them, or run them through your die cut machine. This example used the ovals die cut. Many of my customers are campers so they adored this card!

This offer will be available from August 12th through August 18th. Contact me via email or phone to place your Wild Wednesday #2 order!

Christmas in July Stencil Card

This is another example from my Christmas in July Stamp Camp this week. Stampin' Up! introduced stencils in their Decor Elements line last year. This is a new addition! These stencils are perfect for home decor, but they can also be used in cards and scrapbook pages! This card also used the Big Shot texture plate - Perfect Details.

February Card Kit - Loads of Love

Many of my wonderful customers are not able to attend my stamp camps and classes I hold in my home. I wanted to find a way to keep their stamped card stash filled, so I created Card Kits.

My February Card Kit features the fun stamp set Loads of Love. Many of my customers own this set which is one of the reasons this is a great kit! Here is the card:

Contact me to order my February 2009 Loads of Love Card Kit. Each kit will provide the supplies to make 12 cards including all the pre-cut card stock, embellishments, envelopes, and step-by-step instructions. The monthly card kit is $15. Shipping is $5.00.

Items you will need to complete the card kit:

Loads of Love Stamp Set
AquaPainter
Chocolate Chip/Bashful Blue/Creamy Caramel inkpads
1/16" Handheld Punch
Ticket Corner Punch

Email me at stampwithjane@charter.net if you would like to order this kit!

Fellow Demonstrators - you can purchase the kit instructions without the supplies for only $5.00!

All-American Cherry Card

Cherry pie is one of my all-time favorites - and my Grandma Rice made the best! Mmmm-I loved her handmade piecrust, and she'd always put on a dollop of ice cream! Makes me want to take a quick trip to Door County (a favorite family vacation area) and the Seaquist Orchards! They have the best cherry items in the state - including my favorite Cherry Jalapeno Salsa! http://www.seaquistorchards.com/cherries.php

When I was playing around with my new Just Jawing stamp set, I had to make a card with just the cherries. Here it is:

The cherries on the side are embossed. The main image is colored with markers. I love the double ribbon (5/8" old olive grosgrain and 1/4" red grosgrain. Anyone want some pie?

Catalog Coupon Club Pick-Up Party

Thanks to all of my loyal Catalog Coupon Club who stopped by and picked up their catalogs last night. It was a fun night, and I truly appreciate your business!

First off, here is my coupon book this year - I think it is adorable!

I used Chocolate Chip and Baja Breeze colors. What a fantastic color combo! Hopefully, my customers will enjoy their own little sock monkey this year!

It was a whirlwind evening - with lots of food and a new drink! However, my customers were more concentrated on the new catalog than the food. It is a fabulous catalog - with lots of beautiful and fun stamp sets - the Under the Stars stamp set with Skeeter wheel was a big hit. Hmm, maybe that should be on my first order! I love the new punches - the wider oval and the new label punch will be favorites for me. Plus the new papers - WOW!!! I will be planning lots of stamp camps around these gorgeous designs!

I made a delicious Asti punch - it was taken from an online recipe - but I never make things EXACTLY like it says on recipe cards. Here is my punch recipe:

Jane's Asti Sangria

1 bottle Asti Spumante (does not have to be expensive!), chilled
3 c. Ginger Ale, chilled
2 c. Lemonade (not concentrate), chilled
1 c. Frozen Peaches
1 Lemon, sliced in wedges

Mix together in a glass pitcher - and serve cold and on ice. You can add strawberry slices or lime slices too!

It was delicious!

Another crowd pleaser was my Strawberry Lemon Trifle. I bought a trifle bowl at a Pampered Chef party this year - this is a great item! Well, it holds a lot too - so I am actually revising the recipe I had to make it fill up the bowl more completely. Here is my revised recipe:

Jane's Strawberry Lemon Trifle

INGREDIENTS
8 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened
2 cups lemon yogurt (I used Yoplait Original)
4 cups skim milk
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant lemon pudding mix
4 teaspoons grated lemon peel (optional)
4 cups sliced fresh strawberries, divided
2 (9 inch) prepared angel food cake

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and yogurt. Add the milk, pudding mix and lemon peel; beat until smooth. Tear cake into 1-in. cubes; place a fourth in a Pampered Chef trifle bowl. Top with a fourth of the pudding mixture and a fourth of the remaining strawberries. Repeat twice. Top with remaining cake and pudding mixture and add whole or sliced strawberries on top. Cover with trifle bowl lid and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

You could certainly add or improvise with different fruits - a blueberry lemon trifle would be unbelievable!

Oh, I forgot to mention this - I had this party planned for about 2 months...and thankfully, my UPS man came about Noon on Thursday with my catalogs! I was panicking wondering what I would do if I had to tell my customers their catalogs were not in yet!!!!

Can't wait to spend time with my new stamps and play!

The 2007 Fall/Winter Stamp Set Retirement List

The 2007 Fall/Winter Stamp Set Retirement List came out yesterday morning. I was very pleased to see it came out early as I had to leave by 7:00 am for a craft/vendor show.

Not surprised about many of the retiring sets - well, except for a few of the newer sets with a more valentine or spring appeal.

Serene Sunflower is the one I am most upset about. I LOVE that set...just used it last week in fact for an out-of-the box card using it for a Christmas wreath. Looks Like Spring was a surprise too. I haven't used it in a while (duh, SPRING). Just thought those two would make it to the Spring catalog and then retire after that.

Most of my favorite go-tos for the fall/winter holidays will be gone...Booglie Eyes, Carved and Candlelit, Flaky Friends, and my beloved Frosty...I may just have to wear black on Tuesday for my It's a Wrap! class. I knew it would be his last year. He deserves retirement as I have sold probably 50+ Frosty sets since he joined our catalog! Now he can sit back at the Stamp Set Retirement Home and play shuffleboard with Stella Stamper!

I do not keep many retired sets - the only ones I have kept throughout the years are religious sets (for the card outreach program at my church) and some masculine-related stamp sets. I think I have a total of 5 retired sets that I still use. Frosty may join this bunch though as my set is soo stained from use and it is a great set to use with kids.

Well the good thing about this December retirement list is I can use my retired samples for Christmas cards this year and not have to store them for 6 months!!!!

I guess I will start December's posts with a tribute to a dear friend ... Frosty!

Just Punchy Stamp Camp Sample Slide Show

Yappy Day Projects

I'm involved in a group called "VC Rocks" - Virtual Convention Rocks. I was introduced to this group the first year I couldn't actually go to Stampin' Up!'s convention. We share the excitement of the new catalog, participate in swaps and classes, and chit-chat about our stamping and other-than-stamping lives. One of opportunities you can participate in is a Roomie Swap. You send RAKs back and forth and then you send a Roomie Box at the end. My roomie this year is a Stampin' Up! demo who is also a vet. Now, I don't own any pets, but I am partial to dogs (my sister's family has had 2 Golden Retrievers - Casey who is in doggy heaven - and Colby who is just as sweet). The new Yappy Day set is one of my new favorites, and I thought it was a perfect theme for my Roomie Box.

Yesterday, I finalized some of the goodies for the Roomie Box. Here is a doggy scrapbook I made using Very Vanilla envelopes as the base. You can view more detailed instructions on my gallery website - http://www.stampwithjane.com/wowprojectsenviebook.html

Then I made some stamper treat bags with some stamping goodies inside:

Aren't those just adorable? I hope my roomie likes them!

The Retired Accessories List

Well, another big day in the life of a stamper! The 2006-2007 Retired Accessory List is out.

Some of the items included in the list will actually still be offered in the new catalog, but just in different quantities or assortments. These are:

• Select Individual Color Packs of 12" x 12" Card Stock
• Confetti White & Kraft Tiny Takeout Boxes and Tags
• Select Embossing Powder Colors
• Select 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon Colors
• Corner Rounder Punch

Well, I am amazed at the number of ink cartridges, ribbons, designer papers, and the Pearl Ex/Lumiere that will be discontinued. However, now I am really anxious to see the new products and maybe a reworking of some items in the new catalog!

Today's the Day!!!!! - Fair Warning to UPS Drivers!

My 2007 Fall/Winter Preview preorder is coming today!! If you are one of my customers, you should be receiving the 2007 Fall/Winter Preview in your mail very soon. Several new stamp sets, the new In Colors, and lots of fun accessories are showcased!

Usually my UPS man comes around 6:00 pm. I hope and pray today is different so I can get my stamps and accessories a little earlier!!!

I wonder if the UPS drivers' wives know how desirable they are to SU demos! Some of us basically STALK the front door waiting to hear them drive up and leave our packages. This is especially true when it comes to new catalogs! Now that we will be having 2 catalogs, we'll have another day in December to freak them out!

Some years I have baked goodies or prepared a cool drink on catalog arrival day. It is cool once again in Wisconsin after the storms came through so I might get to bake. I also never forget my UPS man at Christmas! He always gets a great tip from me!

Once the package comes, I will try to be patient long enough to take some pictures and post to this site...

My Plan for Today - Swap Central

What is on my schedule for today?

I've got to pick up my stamping area so I can get back to stamping! Once I have cleaned up the clutter, it is time to get busy cutting cardstock. I've been ordering lots and lots of cardstock to get ready for all the swaps I have signed up for! My cardstock bins are bursting at the seams!

Since I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, I prepurchased a few stamp sets from the Fall/Winter 2007 Collection preview. I did that yesterday morning at about 4:00 am. I hope to see the new products in my hands by late next week. I am very excited about the introduction of some new phrase sets (love the fonts) and a stamp set called Baroque Motifs. It reminds me of Carte Postale (still hope that one makes it into the new Collection).

I also can't wait to see firsthand some of the new colors - Wild Wasabi may become a favorite!

Well, better get moving and cleaning!

In Full Bloom Simply Scrappin' Stamp A Stack

I recently held a Stamp A Stack using the In Full Bloom Simply Scrappin' Kit. This is such a fabulous kit. My customers made 20 cards (5 different cards, 4 of each). They were simple yet attractive.

Sadly, this Simply Scrappin' Kit will probably not return with the new Fall/Winter Collection as the stamp set will be retired.

Here is one of the cards the stampers made~


All the cards we made and other designs I came up with are uploaded to my stamped art gallery website - www.stampwithjane.com.

2007 Retirement List

Well, as I have said on this blog...May 1st is usually an exciting time for SU demos and customers alike.

The 2007 retirement list is out (see left column for a link - it will take a while to load). With over 585 stamp sets and wheels available during this year alone, Stampin' UP! retired about half of them (292 stamp sets and wheels) so far. The mini-catalog stamp sets or wheels that have been retired will not be announced until the unveiling of the new catalog.

In years past, I have usually "lost" between 20-30 stamp sets. This year's list was a true purging of old and tired sets (some have been in the catalog for over 10 years). My loss this year is 58 stamp sets and 14 wheels - double what I would usually lose. So I do feel a bit like I have been punched in the stomach with the retirement of some of the more recent stamp sets to my collection. I have been anxious and excited for this day to come - as for me it is a real spring cleaning. However, letting go of some of my new favorites is harder than in previous years...PETAL PRINTS? GIFTS OF JOY? (I loved that Santa) ALL NATURAL? NATURAL BEAUTY? SPORTING GOODS? CLASSIC PICKUPS?(my boys have their eye on this one) There are many more I will miss but knew their time was up.

These were my standbys...thank goodness Lovely as a Tree is still with us. I am looking forward to the new sets (and hopefully lots of masculine/boys sets that aren't too cutesy!), but today I am just a bit shell-shocked.

The Retirement List is Coming!

The retirement list is coming out tomorrow. Oh my gosh...I love this time of year! Demos have been itching to see the list. Will our favorite tried and true sets be on the list this year? Will SU finally get rid of those sets we just are tired of? Which mini-catalog sets will make it and which ones won't??? Which new sets from this year's catalog just didn't sell well enough to stay?

And this is just the beginning...the retired accessories list is coming out in June!

I love the cleaning out process. My customers love to purchase my used sets, and I truly enjoy clearing out my bins for the new stamp sets coming our way in July!

Looking through my card samples and separating out the retiring samples is also exciting to me. Usually my mom and my younger sister receive a bunch of them. My customers also love to get samples of the retired sets they buy. I sometimes find samples to re-use by just taking off the main retired focal point. I keep a box of these to play with when the new catalog stamp sets come in.

New Chipboard Products

Want to see the new chipboard products?

Stamping with Chipboard

You may have already heard that Stampin' Up! will be bringing out some new chipboard designs. If you haven't used chipboard in your stamping, WHY NOT?

No, really...chipboard is so fabulous to work with. The dimension you can add to your stamped art creations is spectacular!

I recently did a Chipboard Stamp Camp. There are so many ways to decorate chipboard - craft ink, Pearl Ex, Lumiere, and patterned paper to name a few. My favorite way to decorate chipboard is with patterned paper. Here is an example of one of the items created at my Chipboard Stamp Camp:

Distressing the edges of the covered chipboard is easy with Stampin' Up!'s sanding blocks. Check out my stamp camp gallery (www.geocities.com/stampwithjane) for more examples from my Chipboard Stamp Camp.

New In Colors

Stampin' Up! introduced the new In Color line in 2006. Each year, they plan on retiring these colors (there are 6 In Colors) and introducing new colors. This is a great way to appease the trendy-types of colors that come in and out of product lines. For 2006-2007, Stampin' Up! brought us Buckaroo Blue, Cool Caribbean, Cranberry Crisp, Marigold Morning, True Thyme, and Vintage Violet. These were fabulous colors to work with...I will miss Cranberry Crisp the most!

Through the web "grapevine", names of the new colors were shared....they are really going with food shades this year! The new In Colors for 2007-2008 are as follows:

Blue Bayou, Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, River Rock, Soft Sky, and Wild Wasabe.

Plus, they have announced there will also be another neutral Basic Grey. This will be waterproof like the Basic Black and Basic Brown.

Just the names themselves have demos excited...this time of year is always fun watching for new products and stamp sets being revealed through demo and industry publications!!!

But what is in a name? I have uploaded a picture from a demo who shared this on one of my email groups. It may be difficult for everyone to see - hopefully, you'll enjoy the glimpse of what is coming!