Wednesday, January 12, 2022

It's a new year, a new Mini Catalog and time for a "Friendly Hello" ;)

Hey Friends!
Thanks so much to those of you who checked out my blog post yesterday, after a somewhat long hiatus. I really appreciate it and would love to also get some comments if you are tempted at all! If you didn't see it, scroll down and you'll be there!

As I mentioned yesterday, Sale-A-Bration is back for January and February. The brochure featuring the freebies is loaded with paper and stamps, which we always need more of. One offering requires a $100 purchase but is a bundle of stamps and Designer Series Paper. It's called "Friendly Hello" and it features of soft, welcoming and peaceful palette of Fresh Freesia, Granny Apple Green, Petal Pink, Pool Party and Shaded Spruce. It's delightfully pretty and I couldn't wait to play with the set. Here are a couple of things I came up with:



 In both of these cards, you get a good look at several of the Designer Series Paper choices and how the colors magically coordinate. I wouldn't have thought of adding the darker Shaded Spruce to this lineup, but it gives the rest of the colors an anchor. You can see what I mean in the stripe background paper featured in the second card. I enjoyed using my Blends alcohol markers as well, coloring the bird and flowers on the top card and the background of the sentiment on the bottom card.  I used a corner punch on the top card and a new twig/sprig punch called "Bough Punch" that is featured in the new mini catalog. As always, I've included a supply list at the bottom of this post. 

Are you in the creative and stamping doldrums? Does your mojo need more mo and more jo? A new mini catalog and a Sale-A-Bration will be just the thing to inspire you and get you back to your favorite hobby. I especially love creating with the gorgeous spring themes of tulips, daffodils and more when we are deep, deep in the heart of winter in SW Montana with no spring in sight for months!  Check out the new mini catalog by clicking on the picture of it on the right====>>> as well as the SAB brochure. Let me know what your favorite new set is and we can get it ordered for you, or you can click on the shop tab and head right to the online store. 

I'm slowly gaining some steam on my stamping craftiness and invite you to check out my blog again for more new ideas and fun!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah


Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Stamping for fun again with Amazing Silhouettes

 Hey friends!

You may or may not have noticed that I've been very quiet on my blog and other social media platforms. That wasn't for any drastic reason and I haven't disappeared off the planet. I just took a break that coincided with the holidays. The month of December was filled with all the Christmas stuff that was planned and some other things that weren't planned. It was a time of family, music, festivities, friends, so much baking and Hallmark Christmas movies. It was a much needed break for me to just do some things I really enjoy and take a big break from all the sentences that start with "today I should....." I hope your holiday season held special moments for you as well. Life also takes unexpected turns and twists. The past 2 weeks have been spent helping a friend die well. Her eventual death was determined by her cancer diagnosis but the timing caught me off guard. I've learned a lot about that process after going through it with several close friends and family and the one thing I try to do is to show up. Show up for those emergency phone calls, special favors, icky tasks, whatever. Showing up goes a long way for others and it is never time wasted or misspent. 

And now, I'm back to offering some classes and thinking about stamping again. I've been excited about several products in the new Jan-June Mini Catalog, have ordered several and am only just starting to play. I'll be sharing some of my ideas in the coming weeks and days, exploring some new stamps, dies and even techniques as we kick off 2022.  

I also have a challenge for you  - I'm starting a #onecardaweek campaign with the idea being to send out one card every week this year. I have quite a stash of cards and of course, it's always fun to make more so having a card on hand isn't the problem. Taking the time to jot a quick note and getting it in the mailbox is a problem!  I'm here to conquer that one!! Are you with me? I hope so!

Here's a fun take on a new silhouette stamp set that I just love. It's called "Amazing Silhouettes" and has 3 great images that created a reverse stamping effect. The negative area surrounding the image is what takes on the color and the design is left unstamped. A picture is worth a thousand words!

I couldn't decide what color to use so I came up with the creative idea of stamping it four times! It's easy to create a four panel card with a piece of 12" x 5-1/2" card stock. I used some retired embossed kraft cardstock from prior Stampin'Up! catalogs. I then used a 5-1/2" x 2-1/2" piece of Very Vanilla for each each panel. I chose to use four of this year's In Colors including Soft Succulent, Fresh Fresia, Polished Pink and Pale Papaya. While I was trying to figure out the what and where part of a sentiment, the idea came to me to stamp on each panel, one word. The "Biggest Wish" set was perfect as it has large block and cursive fonts with several pertinent words. 

Since all these folds didn't stay together, I added some fun on the outside including some In-Color Vellum flowers and leaves and some random retired SU cording. Here's a peak at the card when it's closed:


Of course, some In-Color sparkly bing made it just perfect. This was a fun card to design and an even more fun one to offer at a class I had recently. 

I hope I've inspired you! Check out the products I used below and clicking on any of them will take you to the online store. There are all kinds of new things and we are at the beginning of our winter Sale-A-Bration promotion. For every $50 you spend, you can get a free product from the SAB brochure! Details are on the website or you can shoot me a question!

So, let's start this new year off creatively and let's start stamping again and remember, #onecardaweek!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Tuesday, January 4, 2022

New Jan-June Mini Catalog Launch and Sale-A-Bration TODAY!


 Hey Stampin' Friends!

Today's the day the newest mini catalog launches - the Jan-June Mini Catalog and another Sale-A-Bration promotion to accompany it! I'm excited to get back to some serious stamping after a few weeks of Christmas fun and festivities. Winter is  such a great time to explore your stamping hobby with fresh new products and ideas. This new mini catalog will launch you into everything coming up like Valentine's Day, all the spring and summer holidays and more. There are brand new stamps, dies, Designer Series Paper and all the doodads you heart could hope for. I'll be scheduling some classes and loading my blog and Pinterest with lots of new ideas to help you bring out your creative beast!

If you want to see the new Mini Catalog, you can click on the picture at the right ====>>> and you'll be directed to a PDF copy of the catalog you can browse through and even download for future reference. I also have print copies available so let me know if you'd like a catalog.

The same is true for Sale-A-Bration.  A simple click on that pic on the right =====>> will take you to a PDF copy of that brochure. As a reminder, Sale-A-Bration is a great promotion that rewards you for shopping with me. For every $50 you spend, you can choose a free SAB product from the brochure. Please note, a couple of items require a $100 purchase. Let me know if you have any questions and lets start stamping again in 2022!

I also have made a New Year's Resolution I would love to share and challenge you to also make. This is a good one as it has nothing to do with diet or exercise. How about resolving to send out one card a week for the whole year. This can be old cards that you've made and haven't used yet or even new cards that you make each week. I think it's a great way to spread some love and cheer throughout the year (rhyme intentional !!) and will help me thin out my supply of cards and spur me on to make new ones. I've even created a hashtag so send your card and then share it on social media or on my Facebook page, "Big Sky Stampin' " Let's share our creations for real with cards and virtually with each other! The hashtag is 

#onecardaweek

Simple, no stress and fun! Let's get stamping and make 2022 a fabulous year!

Blessings,

Sarah