Memorable Mosaic Sneak Peek!

Hi Stampers!
I'm back with another sneak peek!  This one features probably my favorite upcoming new Designer Series Paper pack. The Memorable Mosaic suite has some fun stamps and a great punch to coordinate with it but the paper is out of this world gorgeous!  one side has a sheen to the designs and one side has a matte finish. The mosaic tile pattern is used throughout the stamps and paper and so fun to play with. In an upcoming blog post, I'll share specific details about these cards but for now, just drool!

Warning:  There was some fussy cutting involved with these designs! It's not as tedious as you might think and actually was fun to try. The color palette is stunning, including a new In Color, Terracotta Tile! I can't wait to show you more!

In somewhat of a surprise announcement, Stampin'Up! announced that they were going to place some retiring items on a discount beginning at 12 p.m. (MT) today!  I'm guessing the warehouse is just a little too full of some things!  Be sure to check my FB page and group (Big Sky Stampin' and Big Sky Stampers) for a reminder at noon and a link to the store.  There are some good deals on some paper, dies and embellishments and a few stamp sets as well.

Thanks for stopping by! Leave me a comment so I know you are there haha!
Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Catalog Launch Party and more sneak peeks!

Hi Friends!
I'm so excited for my upcoming Annual Catalog Launch party!  It will be next week and I can't wait to see you and show you some of the fabulous new products coming your way.  If you don't live in the area, watch for a Facebook Live sometime during the event!  I'll keep you posted and show you how you can participate from a distance!

One of the Make-N-Takes will feature this fun bundle called "Above the Clouds". It features a fun stamp set with a coordinating punch!  Here are some of my first ideas with this set:

There are some cute additional stamps besides the hot air balloon and you can have fun with stamping or punching and create a multi-layered effect for your design.  I can't wait to host some classes featuring this great set!

Meanwhile, don't forget that this is the end of the 2018-2019 Annual Catalog and 2019 Occasions Catalog. They both go away after June 3rd so if there's anything still on your wish list that you have to have, be sure to grab it.  While it's hard to say goodbye, it's way more fun to say hello!  I can't wait for June 4th!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

A Full Week of Sneak Peeks!

Hi everyone!
Ok, I've restrained myself as long as I could!  While I've been busy making samples from new products in the upcoming Annual Catalog (will be released on June 4th), I've kept most of this to myself to try and not get ahead of myself!  So, a couple things! 

#1 - Be sure to put my Annual Catalog Launch party on your schedule!  I promise lots of fun with prizes, samples, Make-N-Takes, food and even an opportunity to by the "Mystery Hostess" for the order that goes in that day!  It's Tuesday, June 4th, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at my house. It's open house style so come and go as you please!  Bring a friend and get ready to LOVE what's in the new catalog!

#2 - With the launch of the new catalog, that means the old one goes away for good!  While some products carry over, many don't. Click on this link to check out what's going away and if you need to grab something while you can. Just a reminder that stamps will not show up on the Clearance Rack later, while paper, dies and embellishments may. If you want some stamps, get them before end of the day, June 3rd!

Last Chance Products!

And now for some fun!  One of my favorite new sets involves the theme of crafting and "following your art".  Here's some ideas I came up with using this fun suite!

You may notice I combined this suite with some stamps from the "Crafting Forever" set which is carrying over into the new catalog. It's great to mix and match the crafting mediums and sentiments. You can see all these samples live at my catalog open house!

I'll be back tomorrow with much more and all week!  Yeah! I love this time of year ;)

Sarah

Some "Montana" Cards

Hey friends!
Every now and then, I get an order for custom cards by a person or business who want something extra special for their clients and customers. I love doing these projects as it stretches me creatively and gets me using my stamps in a different direction. There are so many Stampin'Up! products I've been able to turn into a Montana theme!  Montana is all about Big Sky, wildlife, scenery, outdoors activities and endless mountains and forests. We love it here and love to incorporate those themes into things we make.

I recently worked on some projects for a new local company with a big heart!  It's " The Montana Robe Company" and you should check out their website!  These are some special handmade robes that ooze comfort and class! Here's a link:

The Montana Robe Company

The owner wanted some special cards to include with her robes for her customers. I was happy to create some unique cards with a Montana Vibe.  I thought I would share these with you today!

While many of the stamps I used are retired, you will note some current products such as the "Let It Ride" stamp set, the Pinewood Plank and Woodland embossing folders and the "Rooted In Nature" bundle.  Whenever Stampin'Up! creates a set that fits my Montana themes, I buy it and hang on to it!

As far as custom work, I've also made cards for my veterinarian, my ophthalmologist, a realtor and more!  It's fun to incorporate what you love with a need that other's have to give a special card to someone. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Keep coming back for some exciting changes and news in the next couple weeks. A new catalog is coming out as well as a web site redesign and launch and an Etsy store!  I'm hard at work behind the scenes and can't wait to share more with you!

Happy Stampin',
Sarah

Today's Card Class

Hi Friends,
I'm a little late in the day to be posting to my blog but I wanted to share some cards that we made in two different classes I had today. These are regular monthly stamping groups and I always look forward to coming up with some fun ideas for them. They are seasoned stampers and it's rare to totally surprise them but I try to show them new product and special promotions when I can.

The first card we did featured the "Rooted In Nature" bundle which is an awesome bundle to take the place of the retiring "Lovely as a Tree. This bundle is even better because it includes some sentiments and also dies to cut several of the stamp images.   The card we made featured a design that was suitable for a possible Father's Day card or graduation card, both timely this time of year!

 My main colors are Soft Suede and Shaded Spruce. They are really lovely together!  We heat embossed the "You Are Wonderful" sentiment on the wood grain background.

This is the inside of this card, which most people chose to do.

The second card featured the "Everything Is Rosy" collection of SU products which is still available through May 31st, while supplies last. (Don't wait to long if you like this collection of SU products.) I'm so in love with this color combination!  It is striking, elegant and really fun to play with. I featured this set on a blog post a couple of weeks ago but decided since it was still available to show my ladies some ideas. This is the card we made with the set:

We did quite a bit of stamping on the inside of the card to see how fun the stamps are. It's a great floral and leaf set and the coordinating Designer Series Paper is one very good reason to get this set. The other reason is the stamp and die combo!

For our last card, I wanted to show them the upcoming new In-Colors. I handed out catalogs and was excited to reveal the new colors!

This was an easy card to assemble with each strip being 4" x 1". I had them put them on the black background in any color order and then we did some stamping with a new set that is coming on June 4th, "Free as a Bird".  They seemed to enjoy seeing the new In Colors up close. I'll be focusing on them again when we are closer to June 4th!

We had a fun day and I'm grateful for the people that want to come to my classes and stamp with me! If you live in the Bozeman area and want to check out classes, contact me and I'll give you all the details!  You can also check out my website and the calendar link I have there:

Big Sky Stampin' home page

In the meantime, stay warm! It's almost Memorial Day and that means extremely lousy weather in Montana!

Happy Stampin'!
Sarah

Stampin' and Campin'

Hi Friends!
Believe it or not, my husband came up with my blog title today!  This past weekend, we ventured out for our first camping trip of the season. It was pouring rain when we left town and snowing by the time we got to our campsite, a mere 12 miles away ;) . We went to a local favorite that wasn't crowded this weekend - I wonder why??!!  The much beloved Hyalite Canyon is very close and very well loved by a lot of Montanans. Normally in the summer, it's almost impossible to get a campsite but we had our pick this past weekend. We knew it would be chilly but we were warm in our "sissy" camper with all the bells and whistles except a TV.  We cooked almost gourmet food with Walnut Chicken, amazing scrambled eggs with cheese and diced ham and a side of bacon, made cookies and had ice cream. Our middle daughter came with us and we had lots of laughs, board game time and STAMPIN' time!  She had just received her May Paper Pumpkin kit and so she brought that along and we did some stampin'!  That was really fun and no extra tools or even electricity required! I love the convenience of the Paper Pumpkin kits and when the weather outside is not delightful, you can still have fun inside, even camping!  Here's a glimpse of the fun:

May's kit was the very special "Hugs From Shelli" kit and it was really fun to make up. My daughter is a first grade teacher and she goes through a lot of Thank You, Thinking of You and Hang in There type of cards!  We had fun making them and tweaking them just a bit to reflect what she wanted.  We also had a onlooker who supervised our work:

I also brought another kit that we didn't get to, but will save for next time and of course, the upcoming 2019-2020 Annual Catalog which will release in a couple of weeks!

I already have my wish list marked on my catalog!  The Yellow tabs are "gotta have as soon as possible" and the pink tabs are "ok, wait a couple of weeks".

Campin' and stampin' are great activities and I love when I can combine them!  We even did an easy hike up to Palisades Waterfall (4 miles instead of 2 due to road closures and having to park a mile away from the true parking lot) and it was crisp, refreshing and gorgeous!

We live in a beautiful place and enjoy getting out as much as possible, even when the weather isn't a perfect spring weekend.

Interested in the Paper Pumpkin kit for yourself or as a gift?  Need a little creative time while you travel?  It's the perfect solution!  This is a monthly subscription kit that comes straight to your door with everything you need to complete the project inside with the exception of a pair of scissors. The variety of kits is astounding with it mostly being card projects but sometimes involves gift giving projects like party favors or gift enclosure projects. I've loved them and in the meantime, you build up a supply of stamps and ink colors.  You can pause or cancel your subscription at any time, you just have to act before the 10th of each month to receive or not receive that month's kit.  Here's a sneak peek of what is coming in June!



Here's a link to sign up and request your own Paper Pumpkin!!

Paper Pumpkin link

Meanwhile, go for all the adventures, literally and creatively!!

Sarah