Love You Much Bundle

So it Probably seems a bit strange to have a Valentine's Day promotion announced just a couple days before Christmas, right?! I tend to agree...but just think of how far ahead you will be on those valentine cards, favors and decorations if you start in January! What better way to spend those long cold nights than stamping in fun pretty colors with new stamps?!

I was able to get the stamp set for FREE as a demonstrator and I bought the Designer Series Paper and the punch. I can hardly wait to crack those open and get stamping but I have to finish the Christmas cards first!

So any way here are the details of the promtion. You can purchase the Love You Much Bundle from now thru January 31, 2009. Get ready for Valentine's Day with the exclusive Love You Much Bundle (item 115405). The Love You Much Bundle includes the following:

Love You Much stamp set $25.95 (retail value)
Candy Lane Designer Series paper (Close to Cocoa, Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, Very Vanilla)$9.95
Heart To Heart punch $15.95

Bundle Retail Value $51.85 Your cost for the bundle is just $41.48 saving you 20%!! Hostesses who hold a $150 workshop or more will qualify to use their hostess free dollars for the Love You Much Bundle.

So now you know what to spend you Holiday cash on so that you can keep yourself busy on those dark, cold evenings in January! Call or e-mail me today to place your order or just click here to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order online!

Merry Christmas and may 2009 bring blessings to you and your family!

Retired list and FREE Shipping!!

Good Tuesday morning!

Today is the day Stampin' Up! released the retiring stamp set list. The other BIG announcement today is that from today, December 9 through December 23, all orders of $70 or more will receive free shipping! This means that those folks buying for you can save even more!!!! Plus ALL retiring sets are 10% off!

You can order directly through my Stampin' Up! website by clicking here and then clicking on the SHOP NOW button at the top of the page. If your order is more than $70 then the ordering system will take off all shipping charges automatically!!

Have a terrific Tuesday!

The Holiday Extravaganza Sale Is Here!!

So the big announce ment was up on the Stampin' Up! website this morning! The Holiday Extravaganza Sale is HUGE!! Stampin' Up! has bundled together some great products and everyone is sure to find a bundle that suits them or somone on their gift giving list!!

You can click here to view the flyer. As an added incentive to order these amzing bundles I am holding a raffle! EVERYONE that orders either online through my website or by e-mailing their order to me by December 1st will be entered to win one of several stamp sets. These are brand new, previously offered hostess sets that are no longer available! If your order is $150 dollars or more then you will also recieve the hostess benefits on your order! If you go to my SU website and click the SHOP NOW button but want the order shipped to me so I can gift wrap things for you just put my address in as the shipping address.

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Big News coming from SU!

Be sure to check back here Wednesday morning (the 26th)! Stampin' Up! is going to release a special sale, only for November 26-December 1. I don't even know what it is, but I know that supplies will be limited, so you will want to JUMP on ordering online as quickly as you can to make sure you get what you want! You can click here to go directly to my Stampin' Up! website then click on the Shop Now button. I'm going to sweeten that deal too! Everyone that places an online order with me between November 26 and December 1 will be entered into a drawing! I have some great brand new retired sets that I will be giving away. I will announce the winners on December 2nd!

For those of you that want your orders to be holiday gifts and are in my local area, you can have the order shipped to me...no sales tax that way...and I will make arrangements to deliver the gifts all wrapped up pretty to you or the gift giver.

Here is a very easy holday decoration you can make with our Home Decor element called Jingle All the Way. It was on display at the Virginia Beach Regional I attended a couple of weeks ago. Our Decor Elements are sort of like large rub-ons made of sticky back vinyl. They are easy to apply and also easy to remove. This one was applied to a 12x12 tile from a home improvement store (Home Depot or Lowes around here) and then inked with VersaMark ink and sprinkled with Iradescent Ice embossing powder. Heated and displayed on a plate stand or table top easel. A bit of Ribbon tied to the easel finishes the lovely holiday decoration! Click here to see the online video about the application of our Home Decor elements.

Have a super day and check back on Wednesday for the big news!

Way to go Patriots!! Big win over division rival Miami Dolphins!

Happy Thursday

It has been a while since I last posted. I was in Virginia for part of the time. I went to the Stampin' Up! Regional Event with a good friend of mine. We had a great time! I finally got my picture taken with Shelli...the co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up!, I've been trying for quite sometime.

I took tons of pictures and learned a few new techniques. I was very impressed with a couple of the workshop wows. One demonstrator used sponges and both masking and reverse masking to create gorgeous suns with silouettes! I can't wait to try it!

Another demonstrator showed us how to create fun plaids using the edge of the brayer. It seemed a bit messy looking as just a piece of cardstock but once it was combined with other elements it was beautiful! Check out this piece of framed art!

When you are ready to learn these great techniques let me know so I can do a workshop for you and your family and friends!

Until next time....not so long between posts I hope!

Election Day!!

Today is the day!! We have had the political ads on TV and radio for months now...it is time to vote! My son will be voting for the first time today!! Remember...If you don't vote you can't complain!

When I was checking the Stampin' Up! website this morning I saw this card...Susan Swanson is the artist. I think it is a great card!

So no matter what your political views happen to be it is important to employ your constitutional right to vote!

Have a great day!

A few more Christmas cards

I thought I would share a few of the Christmas cards we did at our 10 card class a couple of weeks ago. It was a lot of fun! We seem to have a Lovely As A Tree card every year! It is such a marvelous set and really lends itself well to Christmas cards...okay it is great for all sorts of cards!! This one uses the Faux Dry Embossing Technique. Stamp with color ink and then use the stamp positioner to stamp the image again in white ink just off the first image.

My friend Dorene Decibus designed this very pretty card. I love the Baroque Motifs stamp set as it is another very versitile stamp set. I was not excited about this set when I first saw it...but it has become one of my favorites. I like the fact that Dorene used non-traditional colors for this holiday card.

This card using the new Christmas Classics stamp set was designed by a fellow SBD (Stampers By Design) stampin' sister. She used the scallop edge punch and embossed the tree in silver. Three Rich Regals brads were added as ornaments on the tree. So cute!

I hope you have enjoyed these cards...to order the supplies for these cards or a project of your own design just head over to my Stampin' Up! Demonstrator Website and put in your order online at anytime of the day or night.

Happy Stamping!

A Favorite Christmas Card

Hello!

I have done a couple of Christmas card classes recently and have heard lots of positive comments about the cards!

This one used the sanded background stamp in VersaMark ink to add a bit of texture to the card front. The word "joy" is from the great Stampin' Up! exclusive die Join in the Cheer. The other words on the die are peace, love, and cheer. It is a long strip so it could be used as a scrap book title. I only put paper for the words I wanted so as not to wast paper. I used Many Merry Messages to add the Season's Greetings in Always Artichoke ink.

Enjoy!!

Designer Series Paper for sale!

I have collected lots Fabulous designer paper during my last 5 years with Stampin Up! I have decided to part with all my retired designer paper that I have collected and offer it to YOU!
I have cut all of the DSP I have from over the last 4 years into stacks of 6x6 sheets (all retired from 2003-2007). These stacks are fabulous for quick added elements to your projects , scrapbook pages and this size is also perfect for all kinds of Big shot goodies you make for gifts!!
Each 6x6 stack has 75 sheets with assorted designs of retired Designer Series Paper. The paper from older designer packs have designs on one side and some are double sided designs from the newer packs.
If you’re interested in purchasing a stack for $20.00, Priority shipping is included within the USA ONLY, email me at lpstamp@verizon.net

I also have full unopened packs of Dashing, Flowers For You, Brocade Background, and DSP Prints River Rock. These originally sold for $9.95 and I will sell them for $5 plus shipping. I really need to clear things that I am not using out of my stamp room! These bargins won't be around long!! Please e-mail me soon so as not to be disappointed!!

Super Saturday

We have a busy weekend planned with Rich home to help with moving the computers to their new locations. We were able to get a new computer through a school district employee purchase program. It was tima as our old computer was running very slow!!

Last night I did a 10 card class with some of my good stamping friends. What a great time we had!! There were 11 ladies there making cards and nibbling on the fantastic treats that Marlene made for us. Some of the cards used retired stamp sets that some of the ladies had and wanted new ideas to use with them. Others used sets from the current catalog.

Loads of Love has been a favorite set of mine for a long time. I just love how many different things you can put in the back of the truck!! Last night somepeople used the gifts and others used the tree. The idea for this one came right from a past Idea Book and Catalog. I had to change the colors slightly as it used retired in colors.

I do need to finish getting ready for the class Lisa and I are doing tomorrow in Hinsdale. I will post other pictures from that class as well very soon.

Have a sunshiney day!

Exciting Month!

So October has begun and what a month it is shaping up to be! I have several workshops and classes scheduled so I will be doing lots of stamping and that is always exciting for me!! Also, the month of October was the official "start up" date of Stampin' Up! back in 1988. This month in celebration of that great time 20 years ago Stampin' Up! is offering a great selection of birthday stamp sets at 20% off with a $20 purchase. You can click here to check it out. Call or e-mail me with your order today!

Also if you have a Catalog Sampler you will notice awesome promotions offered on the back. The special for this month and through Nov. 30th is that if you host a $350 workshop you get to choose one stamp set from the Fall-Winter Sampler for FREE! Book your workshop now before my calendar is full!!!! Remember that a "catalog show", where you show the catalog to your friends and collect orders, counts and qualifies to earn hostess benefits including the FREE set from the Fall-Winter Sampler when your workshop totals $350 before s/h and taxes.

Just a reminder that NOW is a WONDERFUL time to join the Stampin' Up! family! Click here to find how you can join this great family for just $99! Think about what starting your own business might mean to your family...you get to choose when you work and this job is FUN!! There are not many places you can begin your own business for $99 and have the resources of a great company like Stampin' Up! to help you along in your success!! Call me if you have questions about this exciting opportunity!

All this and Halloween too!! I love Halloween! I love seeing the kiddies all dressed up! i miss making fun costumes for my kids to wear. One year Stephen was a train...not just one car but the whole train! We used a box and put the train along the bottom. I will have to see if I can find that picture. Right now I have to go get ready for school.



Okay one quick picture of the last of the punch cards we did. this one used the Three Blossoms Punch and we made the wreath with the little flowers adhered to a "doughnut" made of scrap paper to keep it round. It was cute and fun to make.


See you again soon!

More Punch Cards

Good Morning!

Here are a couple more of the fun cards we did at the punch class. I love the Stampin' Up! punches! They are easy to work and there are so many creative ways to use them!!

This cat tails card uses our word window punch. This card also used two stamp sets I got at convention. We used the Inspired by Nature set and also Flight of the Butterfly. I chose to make my cat tails in both Close to Cocoa and Chocolate Chip card stock. I am not crazy about the word "Thanks" I added. I used the Chocolate Chip stamp pad to add the word from another new set called Thank You Kindly but it does not show up as well as I had hoped. I think if I had chosen to stamp off some of the grass it might have looked better.

This purse card used our oval punches to make the handle and the round tab punch to create the purse. We used the 3/4" square punch to create the flap. A silver brad was added for detail. We chose to use the word "adorable" from the Warm Words stamp set. This would also make a cute birthday card for a teen or a sweet thank you card, just by changing the word stamp used.

Thanks for stopping by! Soon I will have cards using the stamp sets from the Holiday Mini Catalog. You can begin ordering from the Holiday Mini Catalog on October 1st.

Have a great day!

A Very Sad Day in Patriots Nation!!

I have to say that today is a very sad day in Patriots Nation! The loss today seemed particularly bad because they looked so flat. There didn't seem to be anyone on the field in a Patriots uniform that looked excited to be out there playing!! I am hoping that the two weeks they have will help them regroup and get ready for the rest of the season!!

Okay onto stamping stuff! I am excited about sharing a few of the great punch cards we did at class last week.

They were lots of fun and I hope you enjoy them too! This one with the owl is the first one we did as it seemed like the most difficult. We used the scallop punch to create the body and wings. The rounded tab punch was used for the head and assorted circle punches to make the wide eyes! The background is stamped in Basic Brown using the leafy branch from Embrace Life and coloring the leaves with an Old Olive marker.

So you have probably seen "Frankie" everywhere by now. I am not sure where he started but he is just so cute!! We used a Gable Green card base and Lovely Lilac for his hair. The 1 3/8" circle punch was used to make the circles (that were cut in half) that were used to make his nose and eyelids. We used that same circle punch for the whites of his eyes and then the 1" circle for the pupils. A Basic Black marker was used to add his mouth and scars!

I guess these will have to do for today as it is time to figure out dinner!

Happy Stamping!

More Fun Folds

How about seeing some more of the cards we made at the 5 Funky Folds class. If you were at the class leave a comment and let us know which was your favorite card!

This one is Cami's Trifold. You can find the tutorial here. We made ours with a rectangular window instead of a circle. We used the new set Inspired by Nature. The card base for this one is Summer Sun...a color I don't use much. We used the slit punch to create the little tab to keep the card closed. I bet you would like to see it open, huh? I think this might have been my favorite card because I LOVE brown-eyed susans!!!!

We also did one called File in the Middle. This was a great card that we found on Dawn Griffith's website! You can click here to check it out. Dawn's tutorial sample uses the now retired Unfroggetable stamp set. It was one of my favorites! Lisa and I used Wild About You. Those animals are just so cute!! The middle is an extra "page" with a frame so you can see the animals in the window from both sides!

I hope you enjoyed these two cards. I will be back soon with some of the great cards we made using the punches at our punch class yesterday. We actually started class at 11:00 in the morning so I could be home to watch the Patriots play the Jets.

Here is my brief summary of the game. I do think the Patriots played well considering the circumstances. I think the defensive unit played very well with a couple of sacks and an interception! I am looking forward to watching Matt Cassel develop as a quarterback. I do think that they will win next week against the Miami Dolphins, who have a LOT of rebuilding to do before they can be a serious threat in the AFC East.

Happy Stamping!

20 Year Anniversary Medallions

I know this picture is not very clear. I was hoping you would be able to see the embossing on the 20th Anniversary die cuts. I have decided to give you the opportunity to earn these medallions. When you collect 20 of them you will earn a $20 gift certificate from me.

Ways to earn a 20th Anniversary Medallion:
· Host a workshop
· Spend $45 on catalog merchandise (before S/H)
· Attend a class
· Bring a new friend to a workshop or class
Look for other ways to earn medallions throughout the year. I will offer them in conjunction with many of the Stampin’ Up! Promotions.

I told you I would share the cards we made in our 5 Funky Folds class. I will share them a couple at a time.

This one is called the Explosion Card. It uses a piece of 4 x 12 card stock as the base. We used the Bella Rose DSP.

Here is the card opened. It fits in a standard card envelope when folded.

We also created a fun Two Way Open card. For this one we used the Eastern Blooms set that I got at convention and several of the new In Colors. The base is a 4 1/4" square of Kiwi Kiss. The next layer in Ridinghood Red and the innermost layer is Baja Breeze.

This is the card all the way open.

I hope you enjoy these fun cards. Leave me a comment telling me who you are going to send one of these great cards to!

OnLine Ordering!

Most retailers out there have had an online option for your shopping convenience for some time now. Well, now Stampin' Up! has that same convenient option for you!! Yipee!!

There are a few things you should know about this GREAT option. First, Once you click on the online ordering logo on the customer site stampinup.com you will be asked to pick a demonstrator. Just put in my info, or as much as you can remember, and it will direct you to my demonstrator website. If you choose not to do this step you will pay a higher price, the shipping fee is higher and you will not receive stamping benefits like hostess sets and free merchandise even if your order is of a qualifying amount! So just put in my name, Leslie Percival and the state, NH, and you will be taken to my site where you can begin shopping! The great part of that is I will get an e-mail that tells me you ordered and I will also get credit for the sales. And don't forget I'm still here to do all the things I did before - answer questions, give ideas, send you samples, help you to choose all the right supplies you need for your project and anything else you need. So call me, email me...or better yet come to a class or let's plan your next workshop!!

I have put a link to my demonstrator website on my blog. Did you notice it up there in the right hand corner? You may find it easiest to start your order that way. I am going to work hard to keep the site updated and fun. I also will try to keep the calendar updated (that's tonights project!) so you can see what events are happening.

I will also try to post a few things later including details of my year long 20th Anniversary Celebration. There are several ways you can earn your 20th Anniversary medallions and when you earn and save 20 of them by June 30, 2009 you will earn a $20 gift certificate from me! Watch for the details so you can start earning and saving those medallions!!

Time to get ready for school. Today is the 80th birthday of the "new" Symonds School building and there are several events planned including a walk to the old school which is now an apartment building on Park Avenue in Keene.

Happy Stamping!

Patriots Nation Stunned!!

I know this is totally NOT stamping related BUT it relates to my other passion in life, the New England Patriots. I am still a bit shocked that Tom Brady is going to be out for the rest of the season! I had hoped since he got up and walked off the field that a few weeks rest and a brace might get him through the season. Oh well, not so! I guess we now just have to wait and see how his back-up, Matt Cassel does in the coming weeks.
Okay enough football for the moment! Tonight Lisa and are having the first of two Punch Classes. Tonight's class is in Marlborough at Lisa's house and then we will hold the class again in Hinsdale on Sunday. I do not want to give away all the cards we are doing but click on over here to Dawn Griffith's blog to check out some of the awesome "Frankie" cards. This is the card we will be doing as our Halloween card.
I will post all the cards very soon.
have a Terrific Tuesday!

Happy Friday!!

I am so happy that today is Friday! It means the weekend is here and I get to stamp with some friends on Saturday! It also means my wonderful husband will be home tonight! Yeah....what more could a girl ask for? I won't even mind if it rains on Sunday because I will be on the couch watching the Patriots first game of the season!!!

Okay, now for some cute stamping samples...

I just LOVE the Bugs and Kisses set! This is one sample I got at convention. It uses the color blocking background (a great way to use up some scraps!!) and markers to get the different colors on the dragonfly focal point. This set is the perfect set for so many kids cards and invitations!

This next one uses Summer Sun as the card base. I love how those marching ants just march right off the card in Basic Black. Did you start singing the old camp favorite, "The ants go marching one by one Hurrah, Hurrah...."? I remember that from my Girl Scout camp days!

Ooops, it's that time again...time to go pick out the jersey I will wear today (I can't let anyone down at school!) and head off to another fun day in first grade. I'll be back over the weekend with some of the Funky fold cards.
Have a FANTASTIC Friday!!

WOW---It's Been Awhile!

So sorry to have been away so long! Life got a bit crazy with the start of school. Both kids are at the high school so the day starts early...they are usually gone for the bus by 6:40!

This card using Heartfelt Thanks is a swap I got at Convention. Heartfelt Thanks has been around a couple of years...I got mine FREE when I went to convention in 2005. I often forget about it until I see a great idea like this one. The card to the left uses the Spiral Punch to create the border that looks like film...remember the stuff you used to put in a camera? I have been using my digital for several years and almost never use my 35mm anymore! The card to the right uses one of the detail flowers to create the background in Real Red and then the softer first step stamp for the focal point. I love the simplicity of this card! So pretty but easy to stamp up a couple to have on hand to send to someone who could use a little lift in there spirits!

Time to run off and get ready for school. Have a super Thursday and perhaps it won't take me so long to get back to this again!

Yikes! No Computer Tech future for me!!

Wow! What a crazy few days trying to trouble shoot the computer problem and then resolve it once the problem was identified! As you can see I have finally got things rolling again!! YEAH!!

Let's see what fun things I can share with you....

These use the Party Hearty stamp set. I love the bright, fun, happy colors! Just perfect for a birthday card!

The row of party hats makes me want to grab one and join in the fun!

How about the glitter on this next one! I am normally not a glitter fan...GASP...I know, but it just winds up EVERYWHERE!!! Even my terrific Dyson vacuum cleaner can't get it under control! I do think on this card however that it is perfect! That cupcake looks good enough to eat. Want to know a crazy little secret about me? I LOVE frosting! Yup the sickly sweet kind from a bakery! I wish there was a way to have a birthday cake that was ALL frosting! YUM! Okay, probably more info than you wanted or needed!

I am teaching the "second session" of the 5 Funky Folds class, that my upline and I put together, on Friday night. On Monday night we are having our Catalog Kick-Off event. We already had our Hostess event which is special for just those wonderful ladies that have hosted workshops for us in the past year. The Catalog Kick-Off is for everyone of the wonderful people we have met through stamping! We try to invite EVERYONE! So if you are reading this and will be in the Keene area on Monday let me know and stop on by!!

I will try, now that the laptop is functioning again, to take pictures of the great projects that the ladies made at the Hostess Event and also the cute little gift we gave the hostesses.

Until next time.

Computer Issues!

I have been dealing with computer issues all week! I went to get online with my laptop and for some reason, incomprehendable to me, it will not communicate with the wireless router downstairs. I can get online at the desktop computer downstairs but all my stored information, photos, e-mail addresses are all in the laptop!!! Thankfully my personal computer tech, AKA my husband Rich, will be home tonight to help me remedy this horrible situation!!

In the meantime I can enjoy the sunshine...3 days in a row now! Get the hayfield that is our lawn mowed and those kind of outdoor jobs done.

So...please be patient...there will be more photos of projects and swaps very soon!

Enjoy your day whatever it may bring!

More Convention Highlights

Okay I am not sure I can top the UPS highlight but I do have a few things to share with you! Also a fellow SU demonstrator and blogger was right up front and got a couple GREAT pics of the UPS truck out in front of the stage. Click over to Dannie Graves' Blog and check it out!

So now for the things I want to share with you. I have a wonderful upline! I begins with my first level Lisa Bunce and goes up via Cindy Lawrence, Karen Barber and Tina Rosenkranz. Tina's group is called INKredible and we were able to get together on Friday evening for dinner, swaping and idea sharing!!

Here is a picture of my terrific upline minus Lisa as she was unable to attend convention this year. They are from left to right Karen, Tina and Cindy. You can click over to Tina's blog to see a pictue of the nearly 90 folks from her downline that were at convention and attended this dinner. It was a lot of fun and I feel very fortunate to be a part of this great family!

I am still trying to get pictures taken of all the great swaps I got at convention...it could take a while as I got more than 200 swaps!!

For now how about a few pictures of the 3-D displays that they had set up at convention?

There were so many fabulous creations! I was truely amazed at some of them!

Have a terrific Saturday!

More Convention Goodies

At convention there is a place called "The Gathering Place", so perfectly named because we gather there for lunch and also to view the many display boards the Stampin' Up! assembles. They organize the samples by color and there are hundreds of samples on the boards! I took lots and lots of pictures of these displays so you may see something at a future class that looks familiar! I am sure these will give me inspiration for project and card ideas.

Here are a couple more display boards I thought you might like.

Don't you just love the scrapbook page titled S'mores?

This board to the right obviously featured red as the main color and there were a lot of Christmas ideas. I hope you enjoy these. You should be able to click on a photo to get a bigger view. Have a Happy day!

Sock Monkey!

Okay, so I am hooked! I LOVE our new set Sock Monkey! I think I have to get a kit and make myself one of these cute little Monkeys!

This is one great sample I was able to photograph as I was already "swapped out" at this point.

This one uses some of our punches to create a "setting" for the cute little monkey. This card is so cute! I took this picture before a general session when I was all out of the swaps I had brought for the day.

Swapping is such fun! I came home with TONS of great new samples! I will share them with you a few at a time over the coming weeks and months.

Thanks for stopping in today!

Convention surprise!

So you would think that after announcing the partnership with Sizzix and that we will have exclusive Stampin' Up! dies, that would be it for big announcements...but NO Stampin' Up! had one last surprise for all of us at the last general session on Saturday afternoon! They had a very creative way of presenting that surprise...As Shelli was speaking we heard a doorbell ring and a UPS guy came out on stage with a Stampin' Up! box. Shelli asked if she could help him and he asked if this was the Salt Palace. Shelli replied that it was and said she knew a lot of these people and who was he delivering to. He looks down at the box and says "Well it says I am supposed to delive this to EVERYONE. The room just EXPLODED!! there was confetti and screaming and clapping! It was soooo cool!

I am not sure if you can see the UPS truck just to the left of the support post. The truck drove right into the convention hall and out came numerous UPS employees with shopping bags loaded with the RMHC stamp set, Say It With Scallops. UPS, as a way to thank Stampin' Up! for all their business, purchased enough of the RMHC sets to give them to every demonstrator attending the final session of convention.

This is my friend Janis with one of the people who was handing out the stamp sets to demonstrators. I think the best part of this is that since UPS purchased the sets for all the demonstrators at convention, Stampin' Up! will still be able to donate the $2 for each set to RMHC!!! Since Stampin' Up! began this program they have donated nearly $700,000 to RMHC! This also includes the $100,000 corporate donation that Stampin' Up! makes each year.

Have a terrific Monday!

Home Again!

Good Evening stamping friends!

It feels so good to be home! I had a BLAST at convention! I went with friends...saw some other friends while I was there and came home with new friends!!

Packing up last night was a bit crazy as I had a lot more stuff than when I went!! Everyone received 3 stamp sets in their convention bag. These sets are used to create your make and take projects. I won a prize during one of the giveaways and also got some goodies for being a helper at convention. I had also done a little shopping at Momento Mall and had some goodies from there as well. It was tough closing the suitcase but I managed somehow!

I don't think I will ever get tired of seeing the great cards people create using Lovely As A Tree! In fact I will probably have a good cry when Stampin' Up! retires this magnificent set! Anyway I thought this one was very nice...Simple and well laid out but very beautiful!

I will try to post some other samples I got during the next few weeks. I do have to get ready for our Hostess Appreciation Event and a class but I will try to fit a bit of blogging in this week as well.

Convention News

By now you may have heard the BIG news from Stampin' Up! They announced today at our general session that we have partnered with Sizix and will offer a special version of the Big Shot die cut machine and exclusive Stampin' Up! dies! These will be available to order on September 2nd!

I mentioned in the e-mail I sent the other night that we got some new ribbons. There are 4 new colors of 1/4" grosgrain ribbon, Sage Shadow, Rose Red, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip.

There are 4 colors of 1" wide Double stiched ribbon; Rose Red, Baja Breeze, Bashful Blue and Chocolate Chip.

Two other new ribbons include 1 1/4" grosgrain in Pink Pirouette and 7/8" Poly-Twill Ribbon in So Saffron!

Here I am on stage celebrating my 5 years with Stampin' Up! I got to walk across the main stage! My friend Janis took this one of me as I came to the front of the stage.

The stage is so gorgeous!!

So far I have taken 162 pictures and purchased a CD with a lot more exclusive art work on it! I have so many ideas for classes and workshops!

I will be home on Sunday evening.

Busy! Busy!Busy!

I know, I know we are all busy and this makes like the third post in a row with no new pictures....Sorry! There will be lots of pictures when I get home from convention!! I leave in just 3 more days!!! Woohoo!!

So much to do before then though. Today the kids and I are heading up to help Rich move out of his apartment and into a friends house. This will be a big savings every month!!

Tomorrow is laundry day. Everything has to be clean and ready for packing! I already have little piles of things that I need to pack. Packing is always difficult for me...I want to take everything. I guess it is the years of Girl Scout training...Be Prepared! It is also difficult because some things can not go into your carry on luggage namely my papersnips and craft & rubber scissors. There are also things that I won't put in my checked bag, like the nearly 200 swaps I made! Can you just imagine if the airline lost my bag and all those swaps were just gone....or almost worse, showed up when everyone else was "swapped out"?!?!

I leave Tuesday morning for the airport and arrive in Salt Lake City (SLC) around dinner time their time. I am so looking forward to this time with my stamping buddies! It is so fabulous to be with thousands of other people (mostly woman) that love to stamp!! The ideas that get generated are tremendous!!!

I will be updating my blog with pictures and info from convention so be watching and checking in here.

Have a super weekend and stamp something for someone!

Discounted Accessories!

So here is the deal, Stampin' Up! has listened to all of the comments and questions about why don't they offer a discount on retiring items! They are doing a test to see how this works with a select group of retiring items.You can view the flyer here. Even though this promotion lasts through August 10th, supplies usually run out quickly on the retiring accessories so if you see something you want, you should scoop it up now at a discount while you can. The quantities of each item that you can purchase are not limited so you can order as many of each item at the discount that you would like.

So how do you take advantage of this? E-mail me with your order. If you live close by drop by with a check, otherwise I will need credit card or debit card with CC logo (MC/VISA) so I can charge your order. I will have the order shipped directly to you. There will be a minimum shipping charge of $6.95 or 10%, which ever is larger for orders shipped directly to you. This offer is only good on orders shipped to addresses in the US.