Stained Glass Beauty

Hi Stamper Friends!
I didn't get to my blog too much last week as I was busy setting up and then taking down my 2nd annual Rubber sale!  I decided to purge some retired stamp sets and joined forces with a couple of other people for a really big sale!  It was fun and successful. I still have tooooo much left so need to figure out my next step.

In the meantime, I've been playing with some of the sets I was able to get as a result of attending OnStage Las Vegas. We were entitled to a preorder that was really fun and I'm loving all the new products.  One set that is very different than any other is the set that uses Stained Glass artwork and a very traditional, Gothic sort of font for the sentiments. I can't give you any product details yet as they aren't available for purchase until the new catalog comes out June 1st, but I can show you some fun samples!

All three of these use a special paper which is a vellum with an embossed black design on one side. I colored the designs with my alcohol markers, Stampin' Blends, on the back side of the paper.  The color is more subtle because of the vellum but I really like it. Here are my designs:

I'm sure you are anxious to get your hands on this paper and stamp set, right?  There are so many possibilities from lots of coloring to really simple. Vellum is an interesting paper to work with and I look forward to trying some other techniques with it.

As a special treat,  I have some real-life stained glass pictures to show you today!  Yesterday, my husband and I went up to Big Sky, Montana for a church service and I was so drawn to the gorgeous stained glass windows in the Big Sky Chapel. I think what struck me is the use of all the "blank" space and the way it emphasized the gorgeous flowers and leaves created out of stained glass. What do you think?

Stunning, aren't they!  They also do a great job of letting the gorgeous views shine too! It was a fun outing and I'm so glad we did it.

As a reminder, don't forget about the Clearance Rack and Retired Products sales!  These will continue while supplies last until June 1st when the new Annual catalog is launched. There are some great deals out there and you don't want to miss out on something that is going away!  Click on "shop now" and you'll be at my online store in seconds and ready to shop.

Thanks for taking a peek!  I'll be back with more as I continue to play with all that's new and coming soon ;)

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Coloring for Fun

Hi folks!
I have been going through my blog photo archive and trying to nab anything that I skipped over for one reason or another. I take lots of photos of my work and don't always use them, or intend to save them for a rainy day and then forget. 

I came across some coloring technique cards that I had made about a month ago. These feature the "Just Add Color" Specialty Designer Series Paper that is retiring soon. You can color with any medium you choose and so I worked with my Stampin' Blends, our alcohol markers which will be back in stock soon, along with several new colors! 

For your viewing pleasure and inspiration:

I also did some stamping first and then coloring. It works best to use Momento Ink if you are going to use alcohol markers!  Don't you love the Cozy Cottage hostess stamp?!!

I love to stamp so much and love all the tools, bells and whistles but it is also very therapeutic to just color!  Let me know if you need some therapy and I'll set you up!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Using Memories and More Card Packs to kickstart your creativity!

Hi Stamper Friends!
I have a fun and practical post for you today! Are you ever in a pinch and need several cards on hand, in a hurry and you don't have any great ideas?  I have a solution for you!  Yesterday, I grabbed my "Petal Passion Memories and More Card Pack" and before long, I had a ton of cards, in fact, 2 of each design! 

I used various techniques including adding stamping, adding color with an Aqua Painter, coloring with my Stampin' Blends, etc. I used up some retired Designer Series Paper and embellishments. I changed up the color scheme and had so much fun accomplishing quite a bit!

I took some pics so you could see what I came up with!  I won't bother to list my supplies as the point is to use what you have at your fingertips!

I hope I've inspired you!  Stampin'Up! has several Memories and More card packs. They are designed for memory keeping with our perfect fit albums and pages but making cards in a hurry is also a fabulous way to use them. 

It's snowing like crazy here again today so I'm off to do some serious crafting and try to ignore what's going on outside!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Love What You Do and Share What You Love

Hi Stampers!
I want to share something today that I love - exclusive Stampin' Up! products, available to purchase early and bundled for a savings!  Stampin'Up! introduced this concept last year and it was such a hit, they've done it again.

They are offering one of their new "suites" in the upcoming Annual Catalog (launch on June 1st) for purchase early. There are 3 different bundle options, depending on your budget!  Let me show you some fun card designs I made from this suite and then I'll tell you more of the details!

These cards are loaded with new product and new ideas! My first card features an oval shaped cut out from my Designer Series Paper card base. I stamped behind it on some Whisper White paper and then raised up the DSP for a shadow box effect.

For my second card, I was curious of the back side of the pearlized doily would take ink with a sponging technique and it did!  Before I sponged it, I put  a square of Very Vanilla card stock behind it to create a masked design. See the card below this one!

This card features the masked design made from sponging the doily above!

I hope you can see the shimmer of the DSP. There is a pearlized effect to some of the designs that is rich and lustrous in real life. My photography doesn't do it justice!

I added this card again today, even though I showed it on my blog yesterday. It features many of the products in this suite.

How about it?  Anxious to get your hands on some new products before the June 1st launch date?  Watch this video to learn more!

Here are the details!
1.  Love What You Do suite is available for purchase starting May 1st.
2. Any of the four bundles mentioned in the video are available for purchase.  I'll post a link to the store on May 1st with price information for all four bundles.

This suite is a fun way to jump start the next annual catalog year and inspire your creativity! I can't wait to try out some more options and even more of the products from these bundles!

Until next time,
Sarah

A peek at what's leaving and what's coming!

Hi Stampers,
Yesterday, I had a regularly scheduled monthly card class (contact me for info on my classes!) and we made a card featuring retiring product, one featuring new product and one featuring the fabulous Stamparatus. I wanted to give my customers a look at the kinds of products Stampin'Up! has and while somethings go away, what is on the horizon is always wonderful and exciting!

The first card we made used the "Going Far" stamp set and other retiring products. In fact, everything on this card is retiring as of May 31st, including the three ink colors, Island Indigo, Always Artichoke and Chocolate Chip.  I will miss them but think I will be swept away by the new colors too!

This will make a terrific graduation card and 'tis the season for those!

The second card we made featured the new "Love What You Do" suite that is coming in May!  I wanted to show my customers what the suite had to offer and I figured the best way to do that was to replicate a card we made as a Make-N-Take at OnStage in Las Vegas!  Everything on this card is brand new!

In hearing their comments, they were excited about the Designer Series Paper, the pearlized doilies and the colored pearls. Watch my blog for more details about this fabulous suite coming soon!

The last card used a retiring stamp set but a brand new tool/technique!  The Stamparatus!  These will be available in June and I'm so excited. I wanted to show my customers how easy they were to use and how they eliminate so many unforced errors in stamping!  The stamp set is called "Lovely Inside & Out". Here's the card:

I'm planning on creating a video showing how this card was made with all stamping done using the Stamparatus. I'm trying to make more videos and boy is that stepping out of my comfort zone! I have a Youtube channel where you can check out what I have so far. Here's a link:

Sarah Cade - Big Sky Stamping YouTube channel

I hope your week is going well!  Keep checking back as I'm about to transition into everything new that is coming June 1st!  As I'm able to buy new products, paper and colors, I'll be sharing ideas and sneak peeks on this blog! You won't want to miss it!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

How about some sweet little Cafe Cards?

Hi friends!
I apologize for being absent from my blog for a week now!  Real life happened and it involved a quick road trip to South Dakota for the funeral of a much loved family friend. For some reason, that took a lot out of me and while I thought about cards, I didn't actually do much.

I'm back now and happily throwing myself into all the "new" that is coming up. You are going to love the new catalog and most of all, the new colors. I've gotten my hands on some of it and am starting to play.  I'm feeling inspired and ready to roll again.

Before we say goodbye to the Occasions 2018 catalog, I want to share some more from it. One cute set I recently spent an afternoon with is called "Charming Cafe" (#146361). It was an interesting interplay of stamps and framelits and you could easily layer things differently. I tried a few options and here's what happened:

My first one was an experiment that I don't think worked out so well. I tried to create a window with our window sheets and stamped with Stazon on it. I then raised it up with dimensionals and put the table and chair piece behind it. For me, it just looks too crowded and cluttered.

After that experiment, I opted for all the way at the other end of the cluttered spectrum... super clean and lean. I like this and it's a great way to whip up some always-needed thank you cards.

For this one, I wanted to create a peek-a-boo card with the framelit. I like how it turned out. I adhered my Designer Series Paper to the card base before I cut out the window. I used the center cut out piece from the floral garland stamp as the inside piece to stamp on.

Finally, my favorite card is not mine, but a swap I received from a friend and my former upline, Kathy U.  She figured out the window and chair/table layering much better than I did!

I hope you'll take a look at this bundle while it's still available!  You have a little over a month to shop from the Occasions catalog before it goes away so be sure you check it out and look over your stock of stuff.

I'll put in another plug for the retiring colors!  At this time, there is still great availability of the card stock, ribbons, inks, reinkers for the retiring colors but I wouldn't delay!  There are a few I will be sorry to bid farewell to, but otherwise, I'm super excited for the color revamp and all the new creativity it will inspire. Color combinations are a favorite pastime of mine and I can't wait to start playing.

It's good to be back and thanks for stopping by!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

So What does "retired" mean?

Hi Stampin' Friends!
If you follow mine or other Stampin'Up! demonstrators blogs and Facebook posts, you probably saw the word "retired" thrown around a lot yesterday!  What is that all about?

Every year, Stampin'Up! "retires" certain products in anticipation of a new annual catalog. They are usually products that have been around awhile, products that were seasonal in nature and only intended to be available for a shorter time period or products that aren't selling as well as other products. It sounds like a business decision, but it's a creative way to refresh the product line and stay current and on trend as things change around us. It's an exciting time to see what is new and a bittersweet time to say goodbye to some great products that have served us well.

I thought I would share some tips regarding "retired" products and also share a link so you can check them out and see if you'd still like to get any.

1. If the retired item is a popular item, it will sell out quickly! What tends to go the faster are products related to retiring colors such as ink, reinkers and card stock. We have more than the usual number of retiring colors this year so be sure to take a gander and see if you need any more of your favorite card stock, more ink, etc.  I would order these products as soon as you can because for the most part, supplies are only guaranteed while remaining inventory lasts. Here's a quick "cheat sheet" regarding products focused on color.

Classic Stampin’ Pads	Guaranteed stock of old ink pad design through May 7, 2018; then, available while supplies last May 7–31, 2018
Classic Stampin’ Pad Collections	While supplies last—through May 31, 2018
Classic Stampin’ Ink Refills	Guaranteed stock through May 7, 2018; then, available while supplies last May 7–31, 2018
Classic Stampin’ Ink Refill Collections	While supplies last—through May 31, 2018
Single Color Cardstock (All sizes and colors)	While supplies last—through May 31, 2018
Cardstock Packs, Collections, etc. (all sizes and colors)	While supplies last—through May 31, 2018
Stampin’ Write Markers (2-pack, Collections, and Many Marvelous Markers)	While supplies last—through May 31, 2018

Here's a list of specific colors that are retiring (I featured these in my blog post yesterday)

• Always Artichoke
• Chocolate Chip
• Elegant Eggplant
• Island Indigo
• Marina Mist
• Perfect Plum
• Pink Pirouette
• Rose Red
• Soft Sky
• Tangerine Tango
• Tempting Turquoise
• Wild Wasabi
• Wisteria Wonder
• Dapper Denim
• Emerald Envy
• Peekaboo Peach
• Sweet Sugar Plum
• 
  

2.  While certain colors retired, there are also many products that retire. The biggest category is retiring stamps but bundles, punches, embossing folders, ribbons, paper and embellishments also retire.  As something is sold out, it is removed from the store and no longer available. That way, you can always see what is still left.  This year, at this time, nothing is discounted so this should slow the rush to buy down a tad. They may add some discounts later in May if they feel they need to deplete the inventory more, but I wouldn't wait for a possible discount. If you really want something and it's been on your wish list, you should get it as soon as you can while the inventory is still good.  

3. Once something retires, it is no longer available. Some items end up on the Clearance Rack but there are no guarantees and it probably won't be the most popular stuff!

4.  The season of retirement is a great time to look at your supplies and see what is missing. Do you have some great sentiment stamp sets? What about for special occasions like  a new baby or a wedding or sympathy?  Are you almost out of a favorite ribbon? How's your paper supply? Usually we have plenty of paper but maybe there's been a favorite you have enjoyed working with all year and now's a good time to get a little more.

Here is the link to the online store of retired items so you can scroll through and see what is going away this year.

Retiring Products 2018

Stampin'Up! provided us a wonderful graphic for our new color "families" yesterday and I wanted to include that today so you can get excited about what is coming!  I love it!

I think the way they have organized them in more of a "rainbow" order is particularly helpful and inspiring. I spent some time rearranging my papers and ink in this order because it made so much sense to me. 

I will try to post more information about what's leaving and what's coming in the days and weeks ahead. This is always an exciting time as changes usually are but can also be kind of hectic! Until the new catalog gets here, I also plan on focusing on some of my favorite products that are going away, giving them some last minute love!

I hope you are as excited about these changes as I am. Contact me if you have any questions or would like to hear more details.  You can shop in the online store and buy anything that is available, while it lasts!

Thanks so much for stopping by! 

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah 

Going, Going, GONE!!!

Hey Stamper friends!
I just got back from a fabulous Stampin'Up OnStage event in Las Vegas, NV. Two of my downline team members and I traveled down there and boy did we have a great time!  We are not big partiers, but we are huge Stampin'Up! nerds so we took that all in and were not disappointed!

The big news we anticipated was to receive the newest annual catalog, which launches on June 1st, 2018. It did not disappoint!  It is amazing and sure to please all styles and personalities.  This will start being available in May so let me know if you live outside Gallatin Valley and would like a copy, I can get one to you then.

The bigger news we did not anticipate is a big-time color revamp!  Stampin'Up! is taking away several colors, bring back some old favorites and adding some new ones!  If you love color, you will be in heaven with all the new choices and fresh palette. With that news, there will most likely be a run on the retiring colors so if there is a reinker or paper that you need, you should order it as soon as you can. They are only promising the retiring product while supplies last.  Here are the details:

RETIRING COLORS:
Chocolate Chip
       
Always Artichoke


Elegant Eggplant


Rose Red


Perfect Plum


Tangerine Tango


Tempting Turquoise


Wisteria Wonder


Wild Wasabi


Soft Sky


Pink Piourette


Island Indigo


Marina Mist


and
Dapper Denim


Emerald Envy


Peekaboo Peach



Sweet Sugarplum












AGAIN, just to reiterate!  If you need any paper or ink or reinkers from these retiring colors, you need to order them as soon as you can as they are only available while supplies last!

RETURNING COLORS:
Poppy Parade
Mossy Meadow
Mint Macaron
Coastal Cabana
Flirty Flamingo
Blackberry Bliss

NEW COLORS:
Merry Merlot
Gray Granite
Gorgeous Grape
Granny Apple Green
Mango Melody
Highland Heather
Soft Sea Foam
Petal Pink

NEW IN-COLORS:
Lovely Lipstick
Grapefruit Grove
Pineapple Punch
Call Me Clover
Blueberry Bushel

The entire color palette has been reorganized into different collections as well, using the same broad categories of Neutrals, Subtles, Regals and Brights.  I'm excited about this revamp as I think the colors flow in a rainbow-way much better, in all shades. It has taken away some colors that haven't been featured in several years and given us some new shades  while bringing back some really popular ones.  Once I settle down from all the color revamp excitement, I will get really excited about the new catalog as well! I'm a big fan of color and so this was something I had been hoping for and it was even better than I expected!

There are also Retiring Products from the Catalog!  Check out this link to see what is going away. All items are "while supplies last" so if there's something you have to have, get it NOW!  You can give me an order via email, text or phone or order online yourself. Click on "shop now" or this link!

Going, Going, GONE! Retiring products!

I'll be back with more updates as I'm able to process all this wonderful news!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah