Everything Eleanor for the Stampin' Queens - AGAIN!

I know, I know...but I couldn't help it! This set goes SO well with these papers. I just can't seem to put it all away. And, I know you'll forgive me, because this card is ANOTHER one in my series of 30 cards in 30 days, so YOU could win it!

This was the sketch we were given:

but it didn't really work for me, so I flipped it on its side and that made me MUCH happier!

Here's the front of my card:

I started off with a Very Vanilla base and then added Poppy Parade (I'm going to miss this colour!!!) and a piece of Attic Boutique Designer Series Paper, which was sponged with Pool Party Ink. Before adhering it to the card base, I wrapped a piece of Pool Party ribbon around it. 

The next step was to figure out what to do with all those circles! I started off with the Big Shot and Scallop Circle Die #2 to get the scalloped circle and then just sort of went to town with the Circle Scissor Plus until I was happy - LOL! The Very Vanilla and Pool Party circles were sponged with Pool Party Ink for added dimension (and just because it was fun!).

I stamped the largest flower from Everything Eleanor on the smallest of the Very Vanilla circles and then stamped it again on another piece of Very Vanilla cardstock and cut it out. I adhered it using Stampin' Dimensionals and if you look REALLY closely, you can see the Dazzling Details on the pistils. I then stamped and cut out three of the smallest flowers, adhering them with Stampin' Dimensionals too.

And now for the inside:

I just love it! It doesn't leave much room for writing, but if you needed a note that was short and sweet, this would be the ticket!

I sponged the edges of the Very Vanilla layer with Pool Party and added a matching piece of the Attic Boutique DSP and a piece of punched Pool Party. The stamped flower was the finishing touch!

Would YOU like to receive this card? Leave me a comment before midnight EST today February 1st, 2012 and tomorrow I'll pick a random winner and send them this card!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Everything Eleanor

INK: Pool Party, Poppy Parade

PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Pool Party and Poppy Parade Cardstock; Attic Boutique DSP

ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punches, BIG SHOT BABY!, Stampin' Dimensionals, Dazzling Details

Happy Stampin'!

Here we go round the blogging bush...

...or maybe not. Never mind - LOL! I was trying to be funny, but maybe it's too early in the day for that?

Anyway...I wasn't going to participate in this blog tour, because having just come back from Leadership and trying to get back into the swing of things, I didn't want to add something MORE to my plate.

However, Patti twisted my arm asked nicely and I just couldn't turn her down! So, I'll be showing you three of the swap cards that I did for Leadership! One is from the Occasions Mini, one is from the Sale-a-Bration brochure and one is from the Idea Book and Catalogue. We're supposed to featuring Occasions/SAB, so I sure hope you don't mind the addition of something from the big catty. You don't, do you?

Here's the first card I did:

It was for general swapping. At most Stampin' UP! events there is general swapping. You make as many cards as you'd like to receive back and walk around saying, "Are you swapping? Are you swapping? Are you swapping?" as many times as you have cards until you've given away all of your and received as many back...or until you're hoarse...whichever happens first. It's great for getting new ideas!

This one was a CASE from the Occasions Mini and another demonstrator (whose name escapes me - SORRY!) and it was a LOT of fun to make. I spent the afternoon stamping with my downline (who also went to Leadership) and even though I made FORTY!!! the time seemed to go really fast while I was creating them. I guess that's what happens when you're stamping with friends.

My second card was made using the Bordering on Romance Set from the Occasions Mini:

This one was for an organized swap. This means you get together with other demonstrators at a pre-determined time and place and swap with JUST those demonstrators. Lyssa organized this swap and it was just AMAZING! Not a bad one in the bunch!

I stamped the image with Staz-On and watercoloured it (times 20!). It was time consuming, but the result was definitely worth it! Then...thanks to Ann Schach and the fact that Santa brought me Sharpies this year for Christmas, I added coloured rhinestones - LOVE this effect! I also used my FAVOURITE paper from the Occasions Mini - Twitterpated. It's a REALLY good thing we got more of it at Leadership, because I just LOVE IT!!!

My third card features French Foliage which can be found in the Idea Book and Catalogue:

This was also for an organized swap, again hosted by Lyssa. Have I mentioned that she's AWESOME?

I started off with a piece of Very Vanilla and scored it using the Simply Scored (BTW, there's a new diagonal plate coming out!) and then stamped and sponged my way to the panel you see on the card. Lots of work, but well worth it!

Now...if you'd like to try out SUDSOL where you can learn LOTS of techniques and see ALL kinds of inspiration, you can start with my gallery here. I host the Chat and Challenge once a month, so you'll see a lot of sketches there, but also LOTS of cards! I've been the featured stamper as well as on the SUDSOL design team in the past.

One of my FAVOURITE parts about SUDSOL is the fact that a LOT of the samples are EXCLUSIVE! This means that if you're a demonstrator, your customers won't have seen the same ideas all over the internet. As SUDSOL members, we share freely, but it's just between us! And did you know that as a demonstrator you can try out SUDSOL for FREE for two weeks? Just click on the link in my right hand sidebar.

I do hope you've enjoyed this stop on the tour and that you'll continue along right to the end.

What do you think?

STAMPS: Fresh Vintage, Happiest Birthday Wishes (Hostess Set), Bordering on Romance, French Foliage
INK: Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Soft Suede, Island Indigo, Blushing Bride, Pear Pizzazz, Cajun Craze, Always Artichoke
PAPERS: Very Vanilla, Pool Party, Lucky Limeade, Island Indigo, Early Espresso, Not Quite Navy and Cajun Craze Cardstock; Everyday Enchantment, Twitterpated and Well Worn DSP; Watercolour Paper
ACCESSORIES: Punches, Basic Pearls, Watercolour Crayons, Aqua Painters, Basic Rhinestones, Simply Scored, Sponges, Mini Library Clips, Stampin' Dimensionals

CONTINUE on the Blog Tour
Elaine de Montmorency	Jane Hignite

*DISCLAIMER*
Yes, I know some of the colours look wonky. Photoshop and I are not getting along right now and I'm having to use an online photo editor. Rest assured that the colours I listed in the supplies are accurate. Sometimes what you see is NOT what you get. *sigh*

Happy Stampin'!

There's a blog tour coming!!!

This post is sticky at the top until January 31st. Come back on February 1st to take part in the SUDSOL blog tour. You won't be disappointed!

Rounding it out for MOJO Monday

...on a Tuesday of course - LOL!

Today is a VERY busy post day, so PLEASE scroll around (up and down) to see what else is going on!

Today's card was made for the MOJO Monday sketch. Yes, I KNOW it's Tuesday, but really, how many times have I ACTUALLY posted the MOJO Monday ON a Monday? Not very often I can tell you that...probably just once...MAYBE twice, but not more than that - LOL!

We were given the option of round or square and since I had so much fun making this card, I decided to go for round again. I've got to say! I'm liking round very much!

Since I still had everything from YESTERDAY's card, I decided to use it again for today's card. I sure hope I don't tire of Everything Eleanor BEFORE it's even available for purchase - LOL!

I started off with my Scallop Circle die and my Big Shot - WOOT! I used Daffodil Delight for my base and built my card up from there. The next layer was some of the Daffodil Delight with some of the Soft Suede paper from Attic Boutique. I stamped the lined image from Everything Eleanor in Daffodil Delight on Very Vanilla and cut it out before sponging on some Soft Suede. The sentiment, from You're My Type is stamped in Soft Suede on Very Vanilla and then punched out with the Jewelry Tag Punch.

Then I added some Pool Party Ribbon (love this stuff and SO happy I got ANOTHER full roll at Leadership!) and a stacked pair of the flowers, also stamped in Pool Party.

I finished the inside too of course:

But looking at the photo, it's a little off kilter. Oh well! It's an original - LOL! Hopefully, the recipient won't mind.

Congratulations to Claudia who left a comment on YESTERDAY'S card! Claudia please email me your snail mail addy so I can send the card off to you!

Would YOU like to receive this card? Leave me a comment before midnight EST today, January 31st, 2012 and tomorrow I'll pick a random winner and send them this card!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Everything Eleanor, You're My Type
INK: Soft Suede, Daffodil Delight, Pool Party
PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Daffodil Delight Cardstock; Attic Boutique DSP
ACCESSORIES: Ribbon, Punch, Brad, Scallop Die, BIG SHOT BABY! and Stampin' Dimensionals

Happy Stampin'!

While I was away...

...it seems my blog hit over 50,000 views! Now...this may not mean much to awesome stampers like Patty Bennett, who likely has well over 1,000,000 hits, but in MY little Stampin' UP! world 50,000 hits is a pretty big deal!

And a pretty big deal means BLOG CANDY!!!!

How about this?

We received this set for FREE at Leadership! Stampin' UP! sure knows how to spoil us. Since I already own it, I'd like to give YOU the one I received at Leadership!

Just leave me a comment and let me know what YOUR favourite Sale-A-Bration item is (there is no wrong answer) and at the end of the month (January 31st, 2012), I'll have random.org select a number. If the number matches YOUR post, you win! Only ONE post per person please. Duplicate entries will be disqualified.

Oh...and I FINALLY got to meet Patty Bennett:

Pretty much the highlight of my trip...

Happy Stampin'!

Very Vintage SUDSOL Design Challenge

Last night, all (or at least most - there were a LOT of us!) of the program coordinators got together in the SUDSOL chat room and chatted about what we could do to get MORE SUDSOL members to participate in the challenges that are posted weekly.

The overwhelming response from the coordinators was, "THERE'S JUST NOT ENOUGH TIME!" Who hasn't said THAT before? Well, *I* decided that I spend MORE than enough time on the computer (and really, it's not even productive!) and that I should spend more time creating.

To that end...

It's January 30th and my goal is to post consistently for the next 30 days! And not just something mundane or copied/pasted from the SU! site (though that MIGHT happen once or twice if I'm pressed for time), but an ORIGINAL creation, made by me. Now, I'm not saying it won't be CASEd once in a while, because I don't know that I have THAT MUCH creativity in my brain, but it will be made by me.

And if the idea of something new EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. wasn't enough to get you to keep visiting, how about this? I'm going to GIVE AWAY every single thing I make for the next 30 days...starting today!

So...today's card is for the SUDSOL Design Challenge which was to use three different Designer Series Paper. Now, that might seem a little scary, but Stampin' UP! makes it easy by putting 12 sheets of Designer Series Paper in each package...and the all coordinate!

I chose some papers from Attic Boutique, mostly because I *STILL* had the paper out from BEFORE Leadership, but also because I was in the mood for vintage.

Tips from the Heart (and Ann Schach too - heehee!)

• Make it even MORE vintage by adding colour to the edges of your Designer Series Paper using sponges and coordinating ink. I used Soft Suede on this card.
• Colour our pearls with permanent markers! This is something I learned from Ann. You can LAYER the colours too. I started with brown, but the colour wasn't deep enough, so I started over and used black first, followed by brown. This gave me JUST the look I wanted.
• Spritz it up baby!! Have you tried our Colour Spritzer? If not, you're missing out! I just love the look it creates! I even carried it over to the inside of the card:

I didn't spritz as much on the inside because YOU might want to write a little message before you give it away...and with Valentine's Day on the way, this card would be just PERFECT!

So, do YOU want this card? Just leave me a comment on THIS before midnight EST tonight, January 30th, 2012 and tomorrow morning, I'll draw a winner!

What do you think?

STAMPS: Everything Eleanor (flowers) and P.S. I Love You (sentiment)

INK: Soft Suede, Pool Party

PAPERS: Very Vanilla and Soft Suede Cardstock; Attic Boutique DSP

ACCESSORIES: Colour Spritzer, Basic Pearls, Jewelry Tag Punch

Happy Stampin'!

Delightfully Digital

Here's another quick layout from Leadership:

This was SUCH a quick and easy page! And that's one of the things I just LOVE about MDS. There are ready made pages and all you have to do is drop in the photos! It couldn't be easier!

After picking up our bags, we ran into Dale Hampshire, Manager of Stampin' UP! Canada. He is such a fun loving guy!!! He asked us "What's your angle?" meaning what works for YOU in your Stampin' UP! business. It was all part of the "MY WAY" theme at Leadership this year. We came up with SIN with Stampin' UP! I'll let you think on that one - LOL!

Of course, I had to include the picture of Patty Bennett and I in the layout. She is, after all, a new found friend!

What do you think?

Have you Sale-a-Brated yet?

This is my SECOND post today, so PLEASE scroll down to see what I've been creating!

It's that time of year again where every $60 purchase earns YOU free goodies! If you place an online order, even the CLEARANCE RACK items count toward your $60 total! And, if you spend $200 you get 3 free Sale-a-Bration goodies as WELL as Hostess Benefits on your order. You really can't go wrong!

As many of you know, I attended Stampin' UP!'s annual Leadership conference in San Antonio, TX. The weather was FANTASTIC! There is nothing like great weather, 1400 like minded women and changes at Stampin' UP! to get you re-energized!

Stampin' UP! announced a re-alignment of the catalogue year beginning with this year. The BIG Idea Book and Catalogue will expire this year on MAY 31st rather that June 30th. That means a whole new catalogue will be available on June 1st! Now you'll be able to shop BEFORE you go away to the cottage for the summer and take all your goodies WITH you rather than waiting till you get back!

There will also only be TWO seasonal catalogues rather than three mini catalogues. The Holiday catalogue will be in effect from August to December (that's FIVE months instead of four!) and the Spring Catalogue will be in effect from January through to May (another FIVE months!).

I can't WAIT for all these changes to take place! I think it'll mean a LOT of good things both for demonstrators and their customers.

Speaking of which...this is a GREAT time to join my team and become a Stampin' UP! demonstrator! You can join for just $150 instead of the regular $215 and STILL get over $400 worth of stamping goodies delivered RIGHT TO YOUR DOOR (with NO tax and NO shipping!). And it doesn't matter if you're reading this in Red Deer or Little Heart's Ease, I support my team across the country!

Let me know if you have ANY questions at all! I'd love to have you as a customer, hostess or demonstrator, ESPECIALLY during Sale-a-Bration!

Happy Stampin'!

Everything Eleanor for the Stampin' Queens!

Oh dear! I'm a little late to the game today! Cristena, THE Stampin' Queen, usually likes our posts to be up by about 2 a.m. so she can link us all up - OOPS!!! Hope she doesn't throw me off the team - LOL!

For today's card, I used a BRAND NEW set that I received at Leadership last week. This set has already made an appearance in the UK catalogue, but now it's coming to Canada (and the US too!) and I couldn't be happier! It's SO elegant! From the moment I saw it, I hoped we would get it on this side of the pond - WOOHOO!!

I opted for a simple card based on the sketch and used Sahara Sand, Soft Suede and Rich Razzleberry. I just LOVE the giant swirl in the set!

I first stamped the Sahara Sand "background" stamp and cut it out. Then I stamped the flower and cut it out too. As I was laying out the card, it looked a little "naked" so I decided to stamp the swirls - one at the top, one at the bottom.

I adhered everything to my Whisper White base using Snail and Stampin' Dimensionals (of course!). I haven't added a sentiment yet, because I decided it could be an "anything" card. This means that when I NEED a card, I can add an appropriate sentiment.

Here's the sketch on which the card was based:

What do you think?

STAMPS: Everything Eleanor

INK: Sahara Sand, Rich Razzleberry

PAPERS: Whisper White and Soft Suede Cardstock

ACCESSORIES: Stampin' Dimensionals, Basic Pearls (they're tiny, but they're there!)

Happy Stampin'!

Sneak Peek at the Stampin' Queens!

It's Tuesday and (better late than never!) that means it's sneak peek day for the Stampin' Queens!

It's ALSO the first day of Sale-a-Bration, so if you've been holding on to an order just waiting to hit "send", today is the day! You'll get a FREE Sale-a-Bration item of YOUR choice from the Sale-a-Bration brochure for every $60 you spend!

The set I used for my Stampin' Queens card is a BRAND NEW SET that will be available in the new Idea Book and Catalogue beginning on JUNE 1st, 2012. Yes, you read that right! All the details of the catalogue changes and my trip to San Antonio for Leadership will be available in my newest newsletter (coming out the at the beginning of February), so if you're not a subscriber yet, now is the time to do it.

My card features Rich Razzleberry, Soft Suede and Sahara Sand. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the FULL reveal!

Happy Stampin'!

Sale-a-Brate by joining the Canadian Blossoms!

Tomorrow is the VERY first day of Sale-a-Bration! Are you ready? I'm sure some of my customers are ready with their lists and just DYING to hit send on their online orders! Just a few more hours and you too can get your hands on the fun stuff.

Today's card is my Canadian Blossoms Team Card of the Month for February. Why am I showing it to you when it is normally reserved for JUST my team members? I wanted YOU to see it so you have an idea of what you'll be getting when you join my team.

When Sale-a-Bration starts tomorrow, you'll be able to join my team for just $150! You'll get EVERYTHING in the standard kit (it's NOT a smaller kit to match the reduced price). Also, if you join in January, you'll receive a FREE pack of Designer Series Paper or a FREE My Digital Studio Download in EACH month you place an order for the remainder of 2012. Free papers/downloads do NOT carry over, so you'll need to place an order each month to receive your goodies! Just so you know, the paper ALONE is valued at almost $150, so it's a GREAT deal. Actually, if you join ANY time during Sale-a-Bration you'll get that free pack of paper/free download for the remainder of 2012. Of course to get the MOST out of the deal, you'll WANT to join in January. :)

You'll ALSO get my Team Card of the Month...EVERY month during which you're active. That doesn't mean you need to place an order in every month, it just means you need to maintain your quarterly minimums, which will renew your Stampin' UP! demonstrator benefits for another three months. Make sense? If you're confused, PLEASE contact me so I can answer any questions you might have.

Want to see the card?

I created it using the Everyday Enchantment Designer Series Paper which will be available tomorrow for FREE with any qualifying $60 purchase. The tiny piece of 1/8" Organdy Ribbon is part of an embellishment pack which is ALSO available with any qualifying $60 purchase. If you want them both, you'll need to spend $120. The stamped image is from Take it To Heart, which is available RIGHT NOW in the Occasions Mini.

If you purchased the products I used to make this card, you would spend $124. Now, I KNOW that seems expensive for one card, but think about it. You would have enough product left over to make close to 75 cards when you were done with this one. AND you'd get the FREE Designer Series Paper and FREE Ribbon/Brad pack. That's only about $1.65 per card. Bet you can't get that at those big card stores. And it certainly wouldn't be from YOUR heart if you bought it at a store.

Joining my team is SO easy! All you have to do is click here and you can be done in a matter of MINUTES! Your goodies will wing their way to you and you won't pay ANY SHIPPING or ANY TAX on your starter kit! I'll get a notice as SOON as you join, so if you decide to do it before February 1st, I'll be sure to have a card ready to go out to YOU on that date!

Happy Stampin'!