Happy Thanksgiving and Blessings to you!

Hi there Blog Friends,
I've been a little quiet lately. Nothing is out of sorts, I'm just trying to savor my days a bit more and go a little bit slower, enjoy the season. Life has a tendency to come at us pretty fast and it's nice to take some time off of the busy stuff, be present in the moments before us and breathe. It occurred to me this morning that a great way for me to do that would be to remember some past Thanksgiving creations, as a way to celebrate this season of thanks.  These are in completely random order but I hope they inspire you to an attitude of thankfulness in the midst of your busy life!

May you have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
With gratitude,
Sarah

Sip Sip Hooray!

Hi Stampers!
Have you noticed all the Sip N' ______ (whatever) classes there are that have popped up in the past couple of years?  I've thought it was a great idea and have admired some of the beautiful painting and crafting projects people have made over conversation and wine. Women love to get together and chat and create, that's for sure. We've been doing it since at least the pioneer days with the quilting bees!  I think our lives are full and busy and this feels a bit like a self-indulgent moment to decompress, walk away from the good and the not-so-good that demands most of our attention everyday and just breathe. I decided to jump on the bandwagon only I'm calling it a Sip N Stamp! Tonite will be my second such event and I can't wait.

To really get this concept going, I decided I should probably get the "Sip Sip Hooray" stamp/die bundle in the Holiday catalog and use it to promote my event as well as tap into the theme for some of the projects. I played with it yesterday and came up with these ideas, available for them to make tonite along with some other ideas. This is a freestyle event so people can move from project to project at their own speed and make what they want to make.

I should qualify my creating style on these cards... I'm not a drinker other than 1-2 glasses of wine a year and an "annual" beer so I was somewhat guessing on the additions to the drinks like olives and fruit, haha!  This card features the background "bubbles" die which is in the set and the three types of glasses. The fluid in the glasses looks like I hand colored it but they are actually stamps!

This card shows off some of the additions to add to your drink. I'm okay with the strawberries and lemon slice, but didn't know what the fern-like branch thing is so stuck in the drink. Feel free to straighten me out in the comments! When's the last time you embossed some vellum paper?  Our "Perennial Essence" vellum is perfect with the Scripty 3D folder!  I used some Perennial Essence Designer Series Paper for the background as well. It always makes me feel sophisticated and a little bit "French" for some reason!

My last card is the simplest one. I grabbed some leftover notecards and made a couple of wine glasses which I cut out with the coordinating dies. I stamped the sentiment right on the card and added some of our epoxy droplets for bubbles. Now that I think about it, wine doesn't really bubble like champagne, does it?  Oh well... remember, I warned you that I kinda don't know what I'm talking about!

Here's a peak at the bundle so you can imagine your own drink concoctions for celebrating life!



I'm sure you can imagine all sorts of ideas with so many stamps and dies to choose from. This is a fun set that can be for holidays or any celebratory time of the year.  I'm sure I'll come back to it at least a few times this coming year.

So, if you're in the area (Bozeman, MT), come to my Sip N Stamp tonite or if you want to have one of your own, get this set and have fun!  All my supplies are listed below and a click on any of them will take you to the online store.

Today is the 2nd day of the Online Extravaganza Sale! The Regal and Neutral color families ink pads and card stock are on sale as well as 8 bundles from the Annual Catalog. Here's a link to head straight to the sale and don't delay as this only lasts through tomorrow night!

Online Extravaganza Sale

I hope you have a great day! Let me know if you have any questions or want to place an order - I can help!

Happy Sippin' and Stampin'!!
Sarah

Monthly Card Class projects!

Hi Stampers!
How are you doing today? Are you hanging on the remnants of fall or facing winter square in the face? We have snow and cold but that's about par for the course around here in SW Montana. I'm not quite used to it yet but will certainly become routine soon.

I'm busy with lots of classes this week due to November being somewhat scheduled otherwise. This is the week for stamping!  In fact, I had three classes yesterday and by the time I made it to bed, I was sorta wiped out!  I've been sharing these monthly card class cards with you in hopes that you would be interested in learning more about them to make yourself, or possibly come to a class. I would love to start some online classes if there is any interest. With Facebook Live and other options, I think we could put something together that would work for you, no matter where you live. Let me know if you would like to chat about that possibility. I'm certainly game for it!

Here are the cards we stamped yesterday:

The first card we did is a tri-fold card featuring the "God's Peace" stamp set. I cut a 12" x 5-1/2" piece of Garden Green card stock and scored it in thirds at 4" and 8".  The first panel has a cut out using the largest of the Stitched Nested dies.  On the back of this panel, we adhered a piece of vellum (3-3/4" x 5-1/4") after we had stamped it with Gold Delicata ink, using the Crackle Paint background stamp. You do have to let this sit for a few minutes to dry thoroughly. It created a stained glass effect that I really liked. The sentiment across the middle was made from more Garden Green Cardstock and some Toile Christmas paper, using gold embossing powder for the sentiment.

The 2nd panel you see when you open this card features the candles and poinsettia  stamp. I stamped the image in Black Momento ink and colored it with my Stampin' Blends markers. I added a few Holiday Rhinestones for some bling as well as some Wink of Stella.

Third and inside panel features a lovely Scripture verse announcing Jesus' birth. This was a fun card to make and surely will make a recipient very happy!

Our second card used the "So Many Stars" bundle. we used various dies and the "Brightly Gleaming" Designer Series paper to decorate the front and inside of the card. I love that the star dies are "stitched", creating even more interest. We used Copper Foil paper for the metallic accents.

For the last card, I wanted to promote the out-of-catalog products called "Christmastime is Here". This is a gorgeous set of products with a rose motif. You can get all the products as a bundle or individually. There are stamps, dies, Designer Series Paper, gold shimmer ribbon and gold enamel dots. It's really lovely. For this card, we lightly stamped the big rose stamp on the card background, then created the rest of the layers with a combination of dies, Gold Foil paper, ribbon, enamel dots, gold metallic thread and Wink of Stella. 

My card classes are so fun and a chance for you to try some new products, learn new techniques and create something you can use as soon as you walk out the door.  I'd love to talk to you about joining me at a class, either in person or online!

Today is also the start of the Online Extravaganza sale! It's a great chance to stock up on cardstock and ink pads, as well as 8 bundles that are discounted from the annual catalog.  Here's a synopsis:

15% off Ink pads and Cardstock in:

Neutrals Collection

Regals Collection

2018–2020 In Colors

2019–2021 In Colors (except Purple Posy)

Take Additional 5% off the original 10% discount:

8 bundles

Neutrals Classic Stampin’ Pads Assortment

Regals Classic Stampin’ Pads Assortment

2018–2020 In Colors Classic Stampin’ Pads Assortment

You can head straight to the Online Store by clicking on "shop now" on the right margin of my blog or click on any of my supplies below. I'm also happy to put in an order for you and make sure it gets to you! Creating during the holidays, especially stamping, will be the therapy you need during all the busyness and craziness. Hope to see you soon at a class or online!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

What Happens in Vegas - Was Fun! Onstage 2019 Highlights

Hey everyone!
I'm guessing you would love to hear about my most recent trip with Stampin'Up! and I'm here to let you know it was great!  I have to admit that Las Vegas is not my favorite place in the world for several reasons but it was fun to celebrate all that Stampin'Up! is and does and share in the fun with other demonstrators from around the country. Here are some highlights:

I started out by helping set up the venue on Friday, Nov 15th. There were 1000 registered demos so that meant 140 some tables needed to be set. The big task was loading the craft totes with all the supplies for our Make-N-Takes. My new friend, Daune Cotter and I filled over 300 spritzer bottles in the Ladies restroom for about an hour!

That evening, it was finally time for Center Stage, a dinner event for Silver Elite demonstrators and above. It's only the second time I've qualified for that so I was definitely excited!  We were spoiled with a new backpack, a free stamp set and wallet and of course, the new Mini Catalog and Sale-a-Bration brochure!

A highlight for me was seeing my good friend, Donna Griffith, the Demonstrator Development Manager for our area. We had lunch and dinner together!

The next day was OnStage, with 1000 demos, tons of fun, prize patrols, stamping presentations and more.  It's one of the best ways to motivate and inspire a person and I love attending these great events!

I had the good fortune to take a team member with me, Diane Devine! It was her first time at an SU event and she loved it!

Of course we love prize patrol! Free stamps!

And, meeting new friends! Here I am with Susan Campfield!

The highlight for me was being asked to be a presenter on stage and talk about recruiting during Sale-A-Bration. It was scary and thrilling and a total honor!

I had 15 minutes to share my Stampin'Up! story, why and how to recruit new people as demonstrators, specifically during Sale-A-Bration. 

Another thrill was to walk across the stage and be recognized for earning the Incentive Trip to Maui next July!

All in all, it was such a fun weekend and just in case you don't know what Vegas is all about, here are some pictures of the sites! It's unlike any other place on earth I would guess!

I hope you've enjoyed my Vegas recap!  If this looks like fun to you, talk to me about how to become a demonstrator with Stampin'Up! and you can join me on the next adventure! You won't be sorry!

Cheers!
Sarah