Improving my Space!

Tonight we took a trip to the local Home Depot and purchased some pegboard and hooks for all my stuff! Hubby had to drill into the cement wall, so it's nice and durable! I have all my punches hung along a curtain rod. I think I will need to buy a second one tomorrow for three reasons. Notice how it's bowing in the middle? Notice how there's no room left? And did you notice all the cool new punches in the new Stampin' Up! catalog? Yep. I need another row.

I also left lots of space on the bottom right side, because almost every jumbo wheel in the new catalog is on my wish list.....

And I hear you wondering what the heck that GIANT pink hole puncher is on the top. After wanting it and needing it forever and changing my mind back and forth, I finally bought a Crop-a-Dile yesterday. OMG!!!! This thing is AWESOME! It punches holes and attaches eyelets with super ease in about 5 seconds! I told everyone about it today! This one is pink, but the one in the new SU catalog is black and silver. This is something you MUST have. I spent yesterday putting eyelets in every card without an embellishment yesterday!

I went to my upline's house today and we ate yummy crab rangoon and played with all the new stamps and In Colors. I will upload those tomorrow!

WooHOO! Tomorrow I can order from the new SU! catalog!!!!!!

Color Combinations

This is an awesome resource if you don't have the Color Coach (which you need). If there's a particular color (or colors) that you want to use, just click on them and the site will magically come up with a bunch of color combinations for you. You can start with just one color or add more. It's very cool.

Here's the link:
Stampin' Up! Color Combinations

My new catalogs will be here on Thursday...have you pre-ordered yours?

In Colors and Pick-a-Petal

I was excited to try the One Sheet Wonder with all of the new In Colors after Sue did at the class on Saturday. So, I used Pick-a-Petal and all the new colors and played for a while. I am hooked on the OSW. Now that a whole bunch of sets have retired, I need to build up my cards to demo with new sets!

I'll be stalking the mailman again this afternoon hoping for my demonstrator copy of the new catalog! Otherwise, I am expecting UPS to drop off the cases I ordered by tomorrow! Let me know if you want one. I am selling them for $5, plus you'll get a coupon sheet to use each month. Of course, if you want it for free, you can join the buyer's club. Contact me or click on my Stampin' Up! website link on the side for more details.

Stampin' Up! Demo's are CRAZY, I tell you!

Have you seen the catalog countdown calendar over there-------->

SU! demo's are crazy. We are stalking our mailmen and UPS driver. My upline might actually go home "sick" if my catalog comes before hers so she can come over. I haven't done any homework for my grad classes in days. I have a huge project due tomorrow! And I haven't started!

Anyway, here's a cute "memo" my upline found in regard to all of us 'crazies'. And yes, I'm one of them.

UPS Memo

To: Drivers and Security

Date: June 20th , 2007

Subject: Crazy Stampin'Up! Ladies

This time of the year has come around once again. Stampin'Up! is releasing the New Idea Book and Catalog. Please be extremely cautious of Stampin' Up! demonstrators (SUDs) for the next two weeks.

Watch out for the following:

1. At the distribution centers, please be on the lookout for SUDs. In the past they have been known to cut fences and sneak inside covered with close to cocoa ink in hopes of blending in with the trucks.

2. The ladies have been known to run after your trucks. If they catch you and ask if you have a "package" for them, be careful with your answer. They do not take "no" for an answer. If you do not have it, just say "I will double check in the back" and turn and run as fast as you can to your truck and drive away. Do not turn back and look, just keep going until you are a safe distance away.

3. They have also been know to drive up next to you at a stop light in their mini vans and SUVs and ask if you have a package for them. Turn up your radio and pretend you cannot hear them. Do not let them approach your delivery truck at an intersection. SUDs have been know to stop traffic and throw all your packages off the trucks until they find their new Idea Book and catalog.

How to Deliver the New Idea Book and Catalog

1. Be sure you have fixed your squeaky brakes, If not - park your truck two blocks away so the SUD can not hear you coming.

2. Put in your earplugs and secure your safety glasses.

3. If you see children looking out the window, put your finger up to your lips and say "SHHHH".. They are on a "lookout" for you and are being paid to "alert" their mothers (SUDs) when they see you coming to the door.

4. Approach the front door and very quietly, set the package down in front of the door (Make sure you place it in FRONT so when she opens the door, the box will be in the way and give you a little more time to escape).

5. Back up as far as you can and reach for the doorbell, (BE READY TO RUN !!!). Ring the doorbell and make a mad dash back to your truck and drive away....DO NOT LOOK BACK !!!

The UPS corporation is informing you of this because in the past years, SUDs have been known to scream at the top of their lungs with excitement and try to tackle you with hugs for delivering their catalogs. After you have been smothered with appreciation for getting them their catalogs on time, watch out for flying packaging material as they will open up the box before you have had a chance to leave, or they have gone inside.

Best of luck to you with this mission, and remember...

Let's Be Safe Out There!!!!

My New Heaven

Here's the area my dear, dear husband helped me with. It used to be just for me, but now I'm able to hold classes down here and I don't have to haul stuff up and down the stairs! I have been in here for almost 24 hours straight, I think. In fact, I've made 30 cards since last night and taught a class this morning (see post below). I am SO happy! The big brown shelves are from IKEA and I have baskets in every other hole. The baskets have single stamps, punches, envelopes and other odds and ends. The stamp sets are kind of organized by theme. I have my essentials in the middle (rotary cutter, Stampin' Up! Color Caddy for my ink, SU! markers and Sharpie's. My laptop and printer are over in the corner. Then there is still room left on that table, plus two six foot tables to spread out! There's also a couple Rubbermaid units under the window, plus little drawers for scissors, pencils, glue sticks and double sided adhesive. The ribbon is hung on a 'pants' hangar on the pegboard. Love, love, love my new space. Thanks honey! (I subscribed him to my blog! Now post a comment, dear, and tell all the nice ladies how much fun it was....)

One Sheet Wonder (Part II)

So, today was the One Sheet Wonder class. I wanted to post one of our cards (from the set of 10) so you could see what a difference the color and stamp sets make. The first card is Sue's. She used the new In-Colors (Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, Blue Bayou and Wild Wasabi) with the retiring Simply Circles set.



The card above is the one I made using the NEW set called Baroque Motifs. You can order it starting on July 1, along with the In Colors that Sue used above. I used mostly the Rich Regals family (Rose Red, Always Artichoke, Elegant Eggplant and Bravo Burgundy). I love the way these two turned out!



This last card is a close-up of one that I posted a couple days ago. Again, same template, but different colors and stamps. This one is more light and airy, by color and also because the stamp is not solid. I could have chosen to color in a few flowers here and there, but for now, I'll leave it as is. This set, Double Line Doodle" will also be in the NEW catalog!

Have you called me to pre-order yours yet?

I will also be posting photos later of my NEW Stampin' Rubber room!

More clues about new catalog!

Someone found some information from the Stampin' Up! Convention that lists these sets. The titles are from the post and the comments in parenthesis are mine...

Totally Tabs (maybe goes with the Round Tab Puch)
Polka Dot (coordinates with Polka Dots and Paisley?)
Autumn Feast
Elementary Essentials (Oohh....a teacher set?)
Illuminations
Dilly-Dally
Dot Spot
Outlined for Fun
Garden Whimsy
Priceless
Two Cute
Polka Dots & Petals (This Spring Mini set made it into the catalog!)
Seasonal Whimsy
Peek-A-Boo
Big Bold Birthday

Can't wait to see that catalog! Hopefully by this time next week, I'll have one!

One Sheet Wonder

I'm teaching a class tomorrow and this is one of the examples I used. The set is one that I got last year for attending Stampin' Up! Regionals. It's called Double Line Doodles and it will be in the NEW catalog! Once I chose the cardstock, it took me 10 minutes to to stamp the repeating design on the white, another 10 minutes to cut all the pieces. Last, it was 13 minutes to glue it all together, for a total of 33 minutes for 10 cards! This morning, I added the stamped sentiments and a few tags and punches.
I love the One Sheet Wonder!

Stamped Library Bags

The kids are signed up for the summer reading program at the library and are bringing home a ton of books. Little hands don't have enough strength to carry home all of the books for the week, so I bought these canvas bags at Michael's. They're three in a package (perfect!) and were $7.99.

I used blue, black and pink StazOn ink to stamp the letters in Kylie's name and for the flower outlines. Then, I colored them in with Sharpies! Of course, I have the monster pack of Sharpie's that have about 20 colors! Between being a teacher and a stamper, Sharpie's are a business expense as far as I'm concerned!

I used Doodle This and my favorite alphabet at the moment Big Deal. The giant flowers you see are from the Pick-a-Petal set in the new catalog! (See photo and click on it for a closeup) Did you see the countdown on the right???

Organizing Cardstock

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a SUPERFREAK about organization. I have all of my Stampin' Up! cardstock in hanging file folders labeled with actual SU! cardstock. I have two crates from Office Max that house all the folders. When I have a lot of cardstock, they are jammed full and I wished I have 3 or 4 crates. It's easy to see at a glance which colors I need. Also, when I have scraps that I know are big enough to use, I file them in the front of the appropriate folder so I don't have to search through a box of scraps I'll never look into. I've done it before and it just doesn't work for me! I would love to eventually get one of those boxes on wheels so I can roll it around. Right now, they're under my table on the floor. Like I said before, when there's a lot of cardstock, they're jammed full and hard to move. But until I find a local scrapbook store going out of business and selling their displays, this is what I'll use!

6x6 Recipe Scrapbooks

I just joined a 6x6 apple recipe swap. Here's what I came up with. I used a recipe from my favorite Rachael Ray, then cut and pasted it into Word with a pretty font. I used a retired Stampin' Up! set, "School Days" and stamped the apple with Whiser White Craft Ink. I used Real Red, Whisper White and Basic Black Stampin' Up! cardstock. The silver brads are SU! as well as the NEW Fire Rhinestone brads that I showcased in the front!

If you want to see the recipe, just click on the picture. It really is YUM-O as Rachael Ray would say!

Teacher Name Frames

I made this name frame for Carter's kindergarten teacher. The frame came from Wal-Mart. I used background paper, sticker and ribbon from Michael's. Everything else is Stampin' Up! I used SU!'s Big Deal Alphabet, Hodgepodge Hardware Kit, and cardstock (Basic Black, Real Red and Whisper White).

These are so fun to make. I've also made them for each of the seasons. I have a frame sitting on the front entry table year-round depending on the season. You can find the photos in my Stampin' Up! gallery.

I also made one for my grandma for Christmas. I basically used the same layout, using the word "Grandma" using SU!'s Headline Alphabet. Then, I used the Tag Punch to cut out a tag with each of the grandkid's names.

You should try one! They're very addicting!

Subscribe to my blog!

Want to get an email when I post to my blog? Type in your email on the subscription box on the right! You'll get to read the text and see the photo(s) I posted. Of course, you can also click to go to the blog itself to see everything else. Don't forget to comment!

Who Wants NEW stuff?

Stampin' Up! demonstrators get a monthly magazine called Stampin' Success. Last night, we got our online version and got a few sneak peeks as to what will show up in the Fall-Winter Collection on July 1st.
The items below are what we saw in our sneak peek.

Thanks to a fabulous SCS'r Belinda, this list was complied...and then I added the items from the Fall-Winter Preview.

Start saving your stamping dollars!

Stamp sets:
* Build a Flower
* Ginormous Flowers
* Fundamental Phrases
* Polka Dot background
* Sweet Sampler
* Think Happy Thoughts
* Wanted
* Baroque Motifs
* Holidays & Wishes
* Pick a Petal
* Zoofari
* Hugs and Wishes
* Year After Year
* See You Around Jumbo Stampin' Around wheel

In Colors:
* Blue Bayou
* Soft Sky
* Wild Wasabi
* River Rock
* Groovy Guava
* Purely Pomegranate

Designer Papers:
* Certainly Celery Prints
* Cutie Pie
* Outlaw
* Brocade Background
* Prints Designer Series

Ribbons:
* River Rock double-stitched grosgrain
* Soft Sky double-stitched grosgrain
* Wild Wasabi double-stitched grosgrain
* District Ribbon Originals
* Fairytale Ribbon Originals
* Jersey Ribbon Originals
* Sherbet Ribbon Originals (also seen in preview brochure)
* Theater Ribbon Originals
* Chocolate Chip taffeta
* Chocolate Chip wide grosgrain (looks like maybe 1" wide!)
* Regal Rose narrow grosgrain (probably same as current grosgrain-- with a new name)


Punches:
* Star punch
* Scallop punch (circle, looks like about 2")
* 3/8" Corner Rounder punch (looks like current Small Corner Rounder... maybe we'll be getting another?)
* Three for You Punch Box (punch, ink, stamps in a tin)


Other cool stuff...

---On Board Clipboards!!! The one featured is a landscape format with three clips across the top. Way cool!

---New product lines of coordinating sets, papers, and punches!

* Boho West (featured-- Wanted set, Outlaw paper, Star punch)
* Corner Office
* Tapestry


---New Simply Scrappin' kits! Will include double-sided Designer Series Paper and Textured card stock in SU colors.

---On Board Blossoms and Basics (coordinates with Pick a Petal)

---Circle and Square Rhinestone Brads in Fire (pink, red, pumpkin, yellow)
and Ice (lilac, light blue, turqoise, green)

* Winter Bright Simply Scrappin' Kit


---New Simply Sent card kits! Will include supplies for 10-20 cards, depending on accessories and card sizes. Some accessories will be exclusive to card kits!

---Pretties Kit!

* fabric flowers (think white Primas-- can be dyed to match!)
* halfback pearls
* hatpins
* beads
* rhinestone brads
* and more!

My Beautiful Kids

Summertime brings hot weather and moans of "Mooooommmmmmm, I'm hot! Moooommmm, I'm bored!" And we're less than a week into it.

So, with my foresight, I bought pool passes last month. These are the photos that I took today of the kids. I love my new camera!

Father's Day

I always struggle to make "man cards". Here's the card I'll be giving my dad and my father-in-law for Father's Day. All stamps are from Stampin' Up!, of course!

The calendar image and words on the round tab punch are from Office Accoutrements. The letters DAD are from the SU! Headline Alphabet set. The SU! cardstock is So Saffron and Close to Cocoa. I used a SU! Close to Cocoa marker to fill in the dots and circle the date!

I also made an extra one of these cards, but instead of stamping DAD, I used the Happy Birthday stamp from SU!'s Sincere Salutations set. Now, I have an extra "masculine" card on hand for the next "man" birthday!

My first post!

Well, I guess everyone is doing it. At least, everyone I know is doing it. OK, so maybe not everyone......in fact, no one I actually "know". Just all of my stamping idols on SCS. So, I'm going to do it! Welcome to the world of blogging. I have no idea what I'm doing, so bear with me. That is if you actually found me and my little ole' blog.

For starters, here's a few photos of what we did at my Stampin' Up! workshop last night. I took these photos with my new camera, an Olympus E-Volt 500.

Check out my Stampin' Up! website for my schedule and more photos:
www.stampinrubber.stampinup.net