Sand & Sea Suite - combining die cutting, embossing and watercoloring!

 Hi Stampers!

I'm really excited to share my project today! Last November, I attended the online OnStage event for Stampin'Up! demonstrators and wow, it was amazing! Something happened that I'm sure you can relate to. One of the premier suites in the new Mini Catalog is the "Sand & Sea" suite, a glorious suite of seashells and ocean themes including dies, stamps, an embossing folder, gorgeous Designer Series Paper and embellishments. I loved the color scheme at first sight but there was a major problem for me. You see, I have spent my entire life in a three state area, aside from the college years, of South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. For the geographically challenged, let me clue you in that there are no seas, oceans, seashells, seaweed etc anywhere in these states. I am completely unfamiliar with beaches and oceans and tides etc. I couldn't relate to the theme of these suite at all and didn't even consider putting it on my wish list. 

THEN, I saw an amazing demonstration from a demonstrator in Australia, Tatiana Tobin, and my mind was blown! When I saw how all the products coordinated together and even more, what she showed you could do with them, I couldn't wait to purchase the entire suite! This is so out-of-the box for me and that in itself was super fun! I recreated one of her card projects and added a background of seaweed using the die one more time, on Pear Pizzazz paper. I'll show you the card and then I have a video explaining the coordination of the products and how I watercolored the seashells and created the card!

In a nutshell, you first die cut with the big shell/seaweed die on Fluid 100 Watercolor paper. You make a second die cut on any green card stock, I used Pear Pizzazz. You then emboss your watercolor paper die cut with the Seashells 3D embossing folder and then watercolor with our Water painters and ink (Gray Granite and Blushing Bride). After drying, you cut the shells apart from the rest of the die cut piece and separate the seaweed die cuts into pieces and adhere all to the background piece of DSP. It was fun to add some Wink of Stella to the seashells to give them a little sparkle as well. I'm grateful I saw the idea on the OnStage video and it inspired me to try it myself!

Of course, I wanted to try more fun ideas! This card features one of my favorites of the DSP selection, soft blues, pinks and grays. I wanted something like a twig or sprig on the card and used a die from the Peaceful Boughs dies, one of our Christmas products! Thought it could pass for coral in a pinch, but remember, I know nothing about oceans, haha!

For this project, I also did two die cuts with the large die, one with Very Vanilla and one with Pear Pizzazz. I stamped the shells on the Very Vanilla piece in various colors and then cut them free of each other. I placed them where they would be on the die, with dimensionals.  

This card features a close up look at the embossing folder. This suite has some amazing specialty paper called Pearlescent Specialty Paper. It has a wonderful sheen to it and was super fun to emboss and then color with sponge daubers.

For my last idea, I played with some of the stamps and loose dies included in the bundle. I like this color scheme, just a little different and muted. 

Overall, I was very satisfied with my adventure to the sea and back and love the seashells I collected along the way. I have hopes of actually doing this in person some time and who knows, maybe I'll be overloaded with inspiration then!

Thanks for stopping by! All my supplies are below in case you are a seashell fanatic and can't wait to collect some of your own! 

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Sweet Strawberry bundle with punch video tutorial !

Hey Stampers!

It's still cold and chilly in Montana but that doesn't stop me from dreaming about delightful things coming in the future like fresh strawberries! Stampin'Up! did a "berry" good job making my mouth water with the "Sweet Strawberry" bundle which includes a fun two step stamp set and a coordinating punch that is a builder punch! Builder punches are fun to use because they help you punch out elements to combine and make a whole. For instance, check out this card:

Can't you just taste those luscious strawberries? They were super fun to stamp, first stamping the inside surface area and second, stamping the outline of each berry, leaf, stem or flower. I did a video to show you a stamping and punching hack that will save you time and paper!  Have a look:

Builder punches are great tools to help you create some dimension and stand-alone pieces for your projects and any time you can save paper and effort, it's a win in my book! I also made use of the "Dainty Diamonds" embossing folder and my favorite Designer Series Paper, "Berry Delightful", a Sale-A-Bration exclusive. 

Here are some more cards I created using this fun stamp set. Be sure to notice the lovely fonts and sentiments included!

I did one of my favorite techniques with the card above. Using the stamps, I created my own Designer Series Paper background. I love to be the designer and chief "color" artist and this is a fun way to create a unique background unlike any other. I grabbed the Tasteful Labels  and Stitched So Sweetly dies to help me cut out my sentiment and framing piece. A layer of velum adds an extra layer of interest but doesn't detract from what's behind it!

I made great use of the punch again for this card and combined it with some "In Good Taste" DSP for a rich textural background to show off my strawberries. These strawberries show off the two step stamping process with black detail on the strawberries and darker green detail on the stems. 

 I wanted to play with the "Painted Texture" 3D embossing folder for this card. I used more of the "In Good Taste" DSP which was a painted, heavily textured surface but I increased the texture by using the embossing folder on it.  If you plan to emboss something you've stamped, be sure to stamp first, otherwise you will have an uneven surface to stamp on and won't be happy with the results! This card has more "white space" than the others and I like to do that occasionally, to create a more artistic look. 

What do you think? Ready to create your own collection of strawberry goodness? Here's a look at the bundle so you can see all of it up close!

It's pretty fun to be dreaming about summer things like strawberries in the middle of winter. It gives me a sense of anticipation and excitement for those days ahead while I'm enjoying some very welcome downtime in the winter months. I get a lot done in the winter so I can play in the summer, how about you?!!

Thanks for stopping by and checking out what I'm up to. It's always fun to share some ideas and tips!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Sending Hearts - All About Valentine's Day and Paper Pumpkin!

 Hi there stampin' Friends!

Just like that, we are back at Monday and have a full week ahead of us, at least I hope it's full and not boring or irrelevant! Some days feel a little bit like that when we can't do EVERYTHING we are used to doing. However, I am not going to whine about that today.

If you've been following me for awhile, you've heard me share about our monthly subscription kit, Paper Pumpkin. It's super fun, easy, crafty and sweet, especially the one I just put together that I received in January. It's all about sending hearts and getting some love to those you love! I did a Facebook Live to show how simple PP is when you open it up and start stamping and crafting. I made the two suggested designs for cards and then branched out on my own. I'll share my own designs first, where I added an element or two from my stash, then I'll share the suggested designs and my video. I also incorporated a Mini Catalog Valentine set called " Valentine Keepsakes" which is a darling set of dainty hearts, a great bow and some awesome sentiments.                  

Have fun checking all this love out!

Here's the video I did when I first opened the kit and made the two suggested cards! My goal was to show how easy and un-intimidating Paper Pumpkin is, especially for newbies and anyone who knows how to glue ;)

And here's a close up of the two suggested cards:

I hope you'll decide Paper Pumpkin is a great option for you! It's a fun way to spend some "me time" or some crafting time with friends, daughters, family, etc. There aren't too many old-fashioned quilting bees happening these days so try a Girls' Night Out with Paper Pumpkin! Ask for me for details or check out this link for more information and to sign up!

Click your way to Paper Pumpkin HERE!

Thanks for stopping by! It's so fun to share what I love!

Happy Stampin',

Sarah

Sponging ink on paper - 4 awesome ways!

 Hey Stampers!

I'm trying to add to my video library on YouTube and spent this cold and chilly Sunday afternoon making a few more. I wanted to share one with you today that features the four products/ways to apply ink to paper with a sponging tool! Stampin'Up! has you covered for this technique and you will love how easy it is to sponge and the amazing results you get. Have a look!

Just a quick recap! These are the various products and clicking on them will take you to the store:

I hope you can try one of these methods soon and decide which is your favorite, or perhaps, all of them will be!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Simply Succulents bundle

 Hey Friends!

I hope you are doing well, staying healthy and warm during this chilly winter. I've been going out only when I have to pretty much and otherwise hunkered down. That's probably the case with a lot of us. It's a good time to indulge in our favorite hobbies, including stamping!

I have another bundle to share with you today from the Jan-June Mini Catalog. Some of these bundles are a little overlooked because there is so much in the new catalog. It's always fun to see what hits Pinterest and other boards first and then the other bundles start making an appearance. I like to look for the under-shared ones and work with them, seeing what magic I can come up with!

The "Simply Succulents" bundle is a bundle full of fun with some great sentiments and coordinating dies as well as some plants and a pot. There is even a full size die cut for a gorgeous background. Let me show you what I came up with!

My first play with this set tried to use it with a lot of the pieces and showcase coloring with our Stampin'Blends alcohol markers. If you look closely, you'll even see some pink tinting on the edges of the plant leaves, just like in real life! My Very Vanilla background piece was embossed with the new and stunning "Painted Textures" 3D embossing folder and then I added just a little bit of Crumb Cake sponging to make it look more antiqued. All the dies and stamps including the sentiment are part of this bundle. 

For my second idea, I wanted to try the cacti dies and I used two different colors of card stock, Mossy Meadow and Old Olive. I stamped and colored more of the succulents in the same manner as the first card.  My background is a piece of Designer Series Paper from the Fine Art Floral pack. I love how the paper is shaded and creates a watercolor image for my background. 

My last card features the dramatic full size die included in this set. It creates a wonderful background and as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to try using it with our rainbow glimmer paper! I wish you could see it in person! It's very sparkly! I used some of the sprig dies on some white glimmer paper as well and kept to a white ribbon and sentiment theme to not overwhelm the background and allow it to shine.

This was really a fun set to play with and I already have some more ideas percolating. You may be a person that bursts with crafty designs and ideas or you may be a person that loves to execute the ideas someone else has thought of. Either way is good and allows us to express our personality and style. I do both and I love having "No Rules"!

If you are drawn to succulents, then try stamping and die cutting with them! You'll be glad you did!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Hey Chick! It's Your Birthday!

 Happy Tuesday Stampin' Friends!

I'm back today with some exciting news! Do you remember 2017? More specifically, Sale-A-Bration 2017? There was a super cute, very popular stamp set offered as an SAB freebie called "Hey Chick" that couldn't have been any quirkier and fun. It was so popular Stampin'Up! has done something awesome and they are bringing it back in February WITH coordinating dies to match it! As if that isn't enough, there's a companion stamp and die set called "Hey Birthday Chick" as well! Demonstrators were able to get their hands on these fun products in January and customers will be able to order in February. I thought I would share some of the fun I've been having with you today so you'll be all excited about ordering in February!

Let's get started!

In a recent video tutorial I did for the "Ride the Range" bundle, I showed you how to stamp the hay bales into a stack. This background is the piece that I made for that video and rather than letting it go to waste, I used it for my first chicken card! I figured the top of the stack was a good place for that goofy little chick and the crazy hair chicken sniffing the cupcake could be down on the ground. These were super fun to stamp and color with my Stampin' Blends alcohol markers. One of the dies in the set includes the sweet picket fence too. I kept the color palette nice and toned down with Just Jade, Seaside Spray and So Saffron markers.

For my next card, I couldn't wait to play with the dies in the "Hey Chick" bundle. You will be blown away by all SU included with a stalk of corn and ears of corn, a sign, chicken wire and a chicken coop. The chicken coop is really fun. It is actually a die, not a stamp. In this card, I inked up the die before I die cut it on Whisper White paper with Early Espresso ink. I then added some coloring of the straw and a little bit of Smoky Slate Blends on the coop itself. I wanted it to look a little bit vintage and old so didn't color it solid. I included a happy chicken walking around her chicken ranch. The corn was fun to cut with the dies and I used Stampin' Seal to attach the corn cobs to the stalks.  Such a fun card and so much detail!

In this card, you can see the chicken coop die cut on Cinnamon Cider card stock. There are embossed lines included in the die to add some texture. The "Hey Birthday Chick" dies also include the "Happy Birthday" which is perfect and always fun to add. This happy hen is dancing a jig!

Believe it or not, this card is from 2017! I made it when the original "Hey Chick" stamp set came out and saved it because I thought it was so cute. I touched up the coloring a tad and took a new picture.  My inspiration for this idea was the children's tale "Bremen Town Musicians" where they stand on top of each other to peek inside a window!

Sometimes it's fun to do partial stamping and leave some of the image off the edge.  These chickens are checking out the new egg in town!

My final card uses a leftover Paper Pumpkin frame, a birthday chicken stamp and some fun feed bag dies that are included in the die set.  

I'll repost this blog on February 1st with links to the store for the stamps and dies. I hope you're excited to add some chicken to your stash!

Have a great day today and do something creative!

Sarah

Ride the Range bundle - how not to have green cows!

 Hey Stampers!

Boy did I have fun with this bundle! It's called "Ride the Range" and I was immediately drawn to it because of the horses, cows, hay bales and the most awesome windmill ever! I was not raised on a ranch but I've always loved the ranching theme and couldn't wait to try some ideas. I also had to do some problem solving as I ended up with green cows  and a white sky. I actually wanted white/black cows and a blue sky!  Here's the card that started it all and a video that explains the rest of them!

Believe it or not, I used a sponge brayer to create my background. I show you how I made a mask with two different landscapes, one on each side.  The blue sponging was a little trickier, but you'll see how I did it. I love this windmill! I'm not sure where this cowboy is headed but I think it's fun that he's going downhill on a gentle slope! Color theme includes Balmy Blue, Cinnamon Cider, Pear Pizzazz and Old Olive. 

This is actually the first card I made. I wanted a green background of some kind so this is actually a piece of the "Berry Delightful" DSP that is part of a Sale-A-Bration freebie!  I chose to stamp the cows in Cajun Craze in honor of my maternal grandpa who raised Hereford heifers on a small ranch outside of Big Timber, Montana. They are a reddish and white color, so nostalgic to me!

I was a little stumped with the "good luck" sentiment but knew I had to do something with the horseshoes, which often represent luck! The hay bale stamp is actually only 3 bales and I show you how to flip the stamp back and forth to create a whole stack.  Color theme on this card is Bumblebee, Soft Suede and Crumb Cake.

My final card today included the "Mountain Air" stamp set which has mountains and trees in the distance. Again, I used the sponge brayer to create a grass-colored foreground and then stamped and die-cut the cowboy, horse and cows.  On the video, I share some tips with the cows and cowboy/horse that helped my cover up any white areas that I didn't want showing. Funny thing, when I first stamped the cows right on the grass, I realized I now had green cows and that wasn't going to work. Sometimes your best ideas come out of solving problems!

I love this set and will be playing with it much more.  Isn't the barbed wire cool? I love it all and since I'm in Montana, I won't run out of people to send these cards to!

I hope you are inspired and want to "ride the range" for yourself! Click on any supplies below and you'll be on your way! 

Thanks for stopping by and Keep Stampin'!

Sarah

Ice Cream Corner Suite

 Happy Monday friends!~

Hope you week is off to a great start. My hubby and I are getting into a regular routine of going to the YMCA for the new year and so far, it's been awesome. I think I need the accountability and someone to say, "let's go". It's a fulfilling way to start the day and the week, that's for sure.

Are you ready to see more from the new Jan-June Mini Catalog? I have some more fun for you today, including even sprinkles! It's the yummy Ice Cream Corner Suite and your mouth will water when you check out some of these products, especially the paper (you knew I was going to say that, didn't you?)

This is a fun suite that is on the super affordable side because it is a punch/stamp bundle with coordinating paper, sprinkles and ribbon. I love that Stampin'Up! is creating suites for all price points and making it easy to get it all!  Ready to check it out? Here we go!!

I thought I would start off right away with sprinkles! These are tiny, colorful and a different texture, somewhere between plastic and foam but not exactly either one.  I used Crystal Effects to glue them on by applying a pool of glue and then pushing the sprinkles on top. It would not work at all with ice cream but it worked great with paper! This card features the stamp set and punch. The punch includes a scoop of ice cream and a cone which I had stamped ahead of time. I wanted my background to be interesting so I used my new "go-to" embossing folder, the Painted Textures 3D folder. This card is perfect for anyone including a kid or a kid at heart!

For this card, I wanted to feature the gorgeous Designer Series Paper and the punch. I punched out my ice cream and my cone from DSP which is so easy to do. I think in the process I discovered a new color combination that I love which is Cinnamon Cider, Terracotta Tile and Bumblebee. It's warm and luscious!

This card features more stamps that come with the set, popsicles! I used two-step stamping with the bottom half and top half of the popsicle different colors. They are made to look like the colors merge and boy do they! I added some sequins from the Artistic Blooms suite just to give it some sparkle. I used a combination of Mango Melody, Flirty Flamingo and Granny Apple Green for my popsicle ink.

Here's a look at one of the bolder DSP sheets. The reverse side had a Blackberry Bliss stripe so I grabbed some of that to back my sentiment with.  Once again, I used the punch to punch out a scoop of ice cream and a cone.  

By now, I hope you're curious about this awesome suite so here it is, all of it!

Pretty fun, right? I love sets that are a little different, especially non-floral themes, for the versatility and spark they add to my stash. I'm also pretty sure that almost every loves ice cream to some extent!

Thanks for stopping by! It's fun to share what I'm up to  and I hope you were inspired in the process. It's a great time to add to your craft stash as it's Sale-a-Bration which means free products added to your order. Check out the online store for all the details or click on the brochure to the right. The catalog is also available as a PDF so you can look at it and even download it.

Until next time, Keep Stampin'!

Sarah

Berry Blessing and Berry Delightful, all the details~!

 Happy Saturday stampin' buddies!

I'm taking a few minutes to post the details for some cards that I blogged about frequently as I put some sneak peeks out there for Sale-A-Bration. I even have a video detailing the stamping process, which I know is helpful to many of you. I've had it uploaded on YouTube for a few weeks now but haven't widely publicized it on my blog or on Facebook so that's included today!  I even heard from a stamper in Calgary, Alberta - isn't it fun when a passion like stamping brings us together around the world? Alright, Calgary isn't all that far away from Montana but still, it's another country!

So, I've shared before that with a $100 order or more, you can select the Berry Blessings stamp set and Berry Delightful Designer Series Paper as your Sale-a-Bration freebie. They only come as a package deal and this is the only way to get them. The order # is 157613 if you're ready for that and want to skip to the details below! The combo of the stamp set and DSP made all these cards and I have the details plus online store links for you today, PLUS the Youtube video!

Here they are, with some details:

The first thing you'll notice right off is the bright color palette. If your surroundings are dreary right now, in the middle of January, perhaps working with this paper and color scheme will perk you right up! I used Mossy Meadow, Old Olive and Rich Razleberry as my colors. I used a tag topper punch to create three different tags, one of cardstock, one of DSP and one that I stamped on. I hope you save your retired ribbons because you can always find a use for them, especially if you store them by color family and can easily find the color you're hoping you still have! That's what I did for my ribbons on the top of the tags. The stamping features two-step stamping which I show you how to do in the video below. 

I can almost taste these strawberries! I let the DSP speak for itself and just added some foliage with the Leaf punch and Sprig punch and then a sentiment from this stamp set and cut it with a die.  The sentiment and the scalloped edge on the strawberry DSP were cut using dies from the "Stitched So Sweetly" set.  This card is a great example of using traditional Christmas colors like Real Red and Garden Green in a completely non-Christmas way. 

This is the first card I made with this duo and I still love it the most! I'm a sucker for blue, followed closely by green and red. I used some DSP, contrasting the plaid check with the blueberry foliage. The berries are done with two-step stamping on a Whisper White label created with the Tasteful Labels dies. Seriously, put those dies on your order, I use them every day! Sharp eyes will see the  layer of vellum lattice as well. Stampin'Up! did all the work and cut them for you, packaging them up in a handy 24 pack of vellum pieces. They can be used as is or colored with sponging or markers. My colors here include Pacific Point, Misty Moonlight, Night of Navy and Pear Pizzaz. 

What was especially fun about these cards was making all the samples with lots of DSP use. Here's another version of the front and backside of a piece.  This card uses the same blueberry stamps but this time I lightened up the blueberries by using Pacific Point for the berry and Night of Navy for the outline. I like it a little better, more contrast. Don't forget you can always emboss your stamping work with an embossing folder to give it some texture! I used the Tasteful Textile 3D folder here and added some retired washi tape to bring back more read into the foreground. 

And, here's a video so you can see my stamping techniques!

I hope I've inspired you and you want to make all these berries part of your stash! My supplies are listed below and you can click on any of them to get you right to the store. I'm happy to put in an order for you as well, if you prefer.  Don't let these berries get away. This duo is only available during January and February and then they'll be gone! I'd love to hear any comments you have. Your engagement always encourages me and keeps me sharing what I love!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Dandy Garden Suite - Available now!

 Hey Friends,

Are you getting into the swing of the new year yet? It's such a great time to restart some good habits that maybe got crowded out during the holidays or even further back with the pandemic. I was in a fairly regular routine of going to my local YMCA and really let that slide. I've gone 3 times this week! That feels good and I'm working on some other healthy habits. I'm convinced that stamping is right up near the top of healthy habits, especially for our mental health.  It's an activity that anyone can do, doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, you don't have to leave your home and it gives purpose and success to your day. There are many days I think "today was a good day" because I had some stamping time!

Today I want to share some of the Dandy Garden Suite. This was released to demonstrators as part of our OnStage Online event in November. I quickly made some cards on my own, made some more as part of an online workshop and even made a video showing my inking techniques. This whole suite is bursting with inspiration and I couldn't wait to try it! Now, I have the privilege of sharing it with you! Take a look at these beauties!

When I saw this tall, somewhat narrow stamp of dandelions and foliage, etc, I had the idea of stamping it in Tuxedo Black Momento ink and then sponging color on there with daubers. It worked really well and makes a dramatic statement as I kept adding more layers of ink to make it more vivid.  On the video, I explain how I made the small dragonflies, using the punch and a black Stampin'Write marker.  Isn't this a gorgeous color palette? It includes Mossy Meadow, Misty Moonlight, Blackberry Bliss, Bumblebee and Calypso Coral. You can see one of my favorite pieces of the coordinating Designer Series Paper too. 

This card is the complete opposite from the color explosion the first card was. I wanted to see what a monochromatic theme would look like and I chose my favorite of the colors, Misty Moonlight. This is a new In-Color this year and it's always a great blue.  This card features some more paper and ribbon as well as the dragonfly stamps and coloring stamp. Don't let it confuse you at first, the blob of color for the wings works for both the left and right side - I show you how on the video!

This is a fun card because I stamped, colored and then punched my dragonflies. You see some more of the Designer Series Paper and the coordinating Mossy Meadow  braided ribbon.  I love the font styles of this stamp set too and love when different fonts are combined on a stamp. 

And, as promised, here's the video with the specific inking and card making how to's. This video went viral among the demonstrator group until I was asked to take it down and save it for after OnStage ;)

Are you a gardening fan? While dandelions may not be your favorite, dragonflies are pretty sweet. Have fun creating your next project with these delightful products. I've listed my supplies below and a click on any one of them will take you to the online store!

Don't forget about Sale-A-Bration! I'd love to show you how you can maximize your order with extra free products. Contact me for advice and any questions, I'm available!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

Fine Art Floral Suite

 Dear Stampin' Friends!

Now that we have passed January 5th, I can start sharing all the details of specific products and ideas with you. I've had access to some of this since mid November but I didn't think it was fair to share things you couldn't buy! With the launch of the new Mini Catalog and Sale-A-Bration, watch out! I have lots to show and tell...

One of the first suites to catch my eye is the "Fine Art Floral". What I like about it is the gorgeous hand painted  (oil paint vibe) Designer Series Paper, the incredible embossing folder which creates a plastered/painted wall texture look and the fun set of two-step stamp set of flowers. Two-step stamping is so fun and always makes me feel super artistic! This bundle also has a bold saying "just want to say" and several coordinating stamps to pair it with. The ribbon is gorgeous and while I haven't tried the Gilded Leafing yet, I'm sure it's quite dramatic! Here's some fun ideas I had with my first play with this set:

I tried to recreate the look of the Designer Series Paper with this stamping idea. I used Poppy Parade first for the flower and then added the darker Merry Merlot accents. Isn't that a cute sentiment die? It looks like I cut it out with pinking shears but I didn't! 

For this idea, I wanted to use lots of layers. I started with a piece of the Fine Art Floral Designer Series Paper, then added the coordinating Golden Garden Acetate overlay that perfectly lines up with this piece of DSP. It added some gold sketching to all the flowers.  You can see a Blushing Bride layer of card stock that I embossed with the "Painted Texture" 3D folder , my stamped layer using the bouquet stamp in this set. To get the three different colors, I inked up the stamp with my Stampin'Write markers rather than an ink pad. I made the card even more feminine by adding some ribbon, baker's twine and a pearl. I really like this card and there's more to it the more you look at it.

This card idea was my most dramatic with the color palette and use of the die for the bold "just want to say" saying. The DSP background is  designed to look textured but I made it even more so by running it through the Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine with the same "Painted Texture" 3D folder creating double texture! The colors in this DSP are not something I would have thought of. That's what I like about Stampin'Up! Designer Series Paper. It encourages me to combine colors that I wouldn't naturally lean toward and I always love the results. Our color coordination between paper and inks is stellar and unmatched in the papercrafting industry!

Thanks for stopping by! You can check out this suite on pages 32-34 in the Jan-June Mini Catalog, which you can see by clicking on the picture at the right ====>>>>.  You can also head straight to the store to check on prices and specifics of each item. Click on any of the items below and you'll be directed there. Don't forget that for all orders placed in January and February, you can earn SAB rewards including free stamps or paper.  The SAB brochure on the right ===>>> as all the details but you can always contact me and ask any questions or seek advice on an order. I love to help other people discover their inner creative being!

Until next time, keep stampin'!

Sarah

Spending a day on Facebook Live!!

 Hey Stampin' Friends!

I did 5 Facebook Lives yesterday sharing lots of highlights from SAB and the new Mini Catalog! I thought it would be a fun way to connect with my customers and friends and also share my excitement. I was tired at the end of the day, but it really helped organize me as I figured out what to do each video about. I realize that hardly anyone can spend a day on Facebook so here they are, all in one place, for you to check out!

#1 Sale-A-Bration highlights!

#2 SAB Join promotion and Kits!

#3 New Mini Catalog Punch bundles!

#4 New Mini Catalog Stamp/Die bundles!

#5 More stamps!

That was plenty of work but also a lot of fun. Now I'll start sharing specifics of bundles and card ideas I've come up with in future posts, maybe even starting later today! Let me know if you'd like to order anything but in the meantime you can browse the catalogs by clicking on the pictures on the right sidebar ==>> and visit my website for more information! I love to share what I love to do!

Happy Stampin'!

Sarah

So much good stuff today! - Sale-A-Bration and MORE

 Hi there Stampers!

Today is one of those days I anticipate for a few weeks, then when it finally gets here, I don't even know where to start with sharing all the news! I'm going to break it down into several posts over this week so not any one post gets toooooo long and makes you snooze...

SHOP!!

Sale-A-Bration is a fun time of year when you get extra free product based on the total of your order. This applies to anything you order from Stampin'Up, including new product, any catalog and even the Clearance Rack. Prepaid Paper Pumpkin subscriptions are even included! There are freebies that are good for any order or increment of an order totaling $50 and there are freebies for orders or increments of orders totaling $100.  

The current SAB promotion lasts for all of January and February. It includes five different stamp sets and four different Designer Series Paper packs. All of the products are exclusive to the SAB promotion and you can't get them anywhere else. You also can't buy them, they are just free with an order! Curious what they look like?  

The SAB brochure is pictured to the right ====>>>> on the sidebar margin. Just click on the brochure and it will take you to the PDF of the brochure so you can see it just like if you were holding it in your hands!

HOST!!

There's also a stamp set that is a SAB "host" special  (pictured above) and you can get that with any order over $300! Why not have a party, invite some friends and me and I'll bring a catered card making experience to you. Don't have room for something like that? I can host you and your friends at my house! Talk to me and we will get something on the books! A party/workshop is a great way to earn some free product with Hostess Rewards, depending on the size of the order. 

JOIN!!

Perhaps the best deal of all is the opportunity to join Stampin'Up! as a demonstrator. Don't let that title scare you or intimidate you! This is a common offer with direct sales companies. Stampin'Up! gives you the opportunity to sign up as a demonstrator and take advantage of all the benefits that offers with no pressure to grow a business or sell product. BUT, you can if you want to! The decision is yours. What are the benefits? Well, the biggest one is a 20-25% discount on all orders you place in the form of a commission. Every time you enter an order, 20-25% is deducted from the product total and your credit card is only charged for the remaining total. You save money right off the top, right up front and all of us are game for that, right?  Additionally, you get access to the Demonstrator portal which offers training, insights, updates and early promotions, sneak peeks. A demonstrator gets to preorder from all catalogs a month early and has access to some supply items that are SU logo exclusives, available only to demonstrators.  

Why sign up with me? I have a small but fun team of demonstrators that is about 2/3 local (Montana) and 1/3 national (Utah, Nevada, Michigan, Florida to name a few). We gather together in person when we can (limited at this time) and connect online via an exclusive FB team group, Zoom meetings, team swaps and charity stamping efforts. I'm well established and able to help you navigate all things SU with free, personal mentoring and coaching available almost 24/7. I'm not so big, i.e. a team of hundreds, that I can't give you personal attention. I'm tech savvy and understand the ins and outs of being a demonstrator and can help you benefit the most from your experience with order advice, timing of orders, promotional strategy, etc.  

As part of the SAB promotion, if you join in January or February, you will also receive 5 packs of Designer Series Paper featuring paper from all the color families (Brights, Neutrals, Regals and Subtles) as well as the 2020-2022 In Colors. That's 200 sheets of 6" x 6" paper ready to be used for all your latest projects! The joining process is easy. All you do is purchase a Starter Kit for $99 which gives you $125 worth of products, all your choices. What do you need or want? Paper, ink pads, Stampin' Cut & Emboss machine? Any of it can be put in a Starter Kit and because of the SAB promotion, the 5 additional paper packs are added on.  Once you join, you'll have until June 30th to meet your first quarterly minimum of $300.  That quarterly minimum has never changed in my 10 years of being an SU demonstrator. If at any time you decide it no longer works for you, you simply quit submitting orders and after a pending period, you'll be deactivated as a demonstrator. There is no penalty or further requirement, AND you can come back and sign up again if you choose to do so later. 

Need more information or ready to purchase that Starter Kit? Contact me and we will get your started! Feel free to call me and I'll walk you through the process on the phone and explain the details. I'd love to welcome you to our Big Sky Stampin' Stars team!

That's Sale-A-Bration in a nutshell! Leave a comment if you need more information or want me to contact you about shopping, hosting or joining. I'd love to help you on your stamping journey!

Until next time, happy stampin'!

Sarah