"My Digital Studio" is Coming October 1st!!

The wait is over! Starting tomorrow, September 1, 2009, demonstrators all over the US and Canada (excluding Quebec)--can preorder Stampin' Up!'s fantastic new digital crafting software, My Digital Studio, or separately download the exclusive digital images that are included in the software! With this software you'll be able to create digital and hybrid projects such as cards, photo albums, and calendars--all with exclusive Stampin' Up! digital art, accessories, and colors that are available in the My Digital Studio software or available separately as digital downloads. And when you've finished creating, My Digital Studio gives you the option to print the project yourself, or have your work professionally printed and delivered straight to your door!

The demonstrator preorder will last until September 30, 2009 (just one of the many perks of becoming a Demonstator! If you've been thinking about it, I'd love to welcome you to the Stampin' Up! family. Just Email Me and I will send you more information so you can review it at home).

Beginning October 1, 2009, customers can begin placing orders for My Digital Studio and download exclusive digital images from my online store.

Download the My Digital Studio Flyer

Happy DIGITAL Stampin!
~Heather

Happy Halloween Party Blowers!

Today has been out of this world CRAZY! Ever have days like those?? I know you do, but I have had this idea floating around in my head since last week, and just haven't had a chance to put it together. I finally said, "Self, today is the day!"

I didn't have time to put together a tutorial, so I will work on that the next couple of days, but I wanted to enter these into Shelli's Creative challenge, and today is the last day, so I knew it was now or never to get this project posted! :) I hope you will be patient with me to get the tutorial up. It is such a snap! Once I finally got it figured out, it only takes about 10-15 minutes to get these put together, so it is a definite must-make for Halloween parties this year!

Stay tuned, because TOMORROW is the big release of the Holiday Mini-catalog and you will want to see all the cute items in there!! I will have it available for download right at 12:01 AM, so come back soon.

If you'd like a hard copy (like me!), just email me and I'll put your FREE copy in the mail!

Want to give this project a try? All of the supplies I used are listed below. Just CLICK HERE to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order any of the supplies you need. Once you get there, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner, and use the item numbers listed below.

Need a hard copy of the catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps: none, but you could stamp your own "Designer Paper" with all of the cute new stamps in the Holiday mini coming out TOMORROW!!!
Paper: Cast-A-Spell DSP, Basic Black card stock
Tools: SNAIL, pencil, rubber bands

Inking of You!

 

I have been th"inking" about Shelli's challenge to use only Stamps-Ink-and-Paper this month, and I thought Thursday's card could be simplified very easily to meet those requirements, so here is the result.

I am having so much fun this weekend playing around with color combos! This card uses So Saffron, Dusty Durango, and Chocolate Chip. Very nice! I love these colors together. They would work really well as Thanksgiving and Fall colors (not that I'm in a hurry for Fall to get here!! I LOVE summertime!). To see how I made my "mini" Top Note, please see the tutorial I posted in this blog entry.

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Shop Stampin' Up! Online Anytime 24/7! CLICK HERE!

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps: Medallion background (115223), Thoughts and Prayers (113252)
Ink: Chocolate Chip (100908), Dusty Durango (115654), So Saffron (105213)
Paper: Chocolate Chip (102128), Dusty Durango (115321), Very Vanilla (101650)
Tools: Big Shot (113439), Top Note Die (113463), Sponge Daubers (102892), Designer Label Punch (107590),
Embellishments: None

Playing with Bermuda Bay and Dusty Durango

I enjoyed putting together the color combo from Thursday's card so much, I decided to play around with that combo some more...this time, I added some Sage Shadow. I really love Bermuda Bay and Sage Shadow together, too! To create the Circle Circus Medallion:

• First/bottom layer: Stamp in Dusty Durango on Very Vanilla cardstock, punch out with the scallop circle punch, and then sponge the edges in Dusty Durango ink with sponge daubers
• Second layer: Stamp in Bermuda Bay on Bermuda Bay card stock, punch out with 1-3/8" circle punch
• Third layer: stamp on chocolate chip on chocolate chip card stock and punc out with the 1" circle punch
• Top layer: thread linen thread through chocolate chip button from the button latte designer buttons pack and tie knot. Adhere to layered cardstock with a mini-glue dot

The greeting comes from the must-have stamp set "Teeny Tiny Wishes". Every greeting you will ever need is in that set! To see more cards I've used the Teeny Tiny Wishes set, CLICK HERE.

Want to give this project a try? All of the supplies I used are listed below. Just CLICK HERE to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order any of the supplies you need. Once you get there, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner, and use the item numbers listed below.

Need a hard copy of the catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Just three more days until the NEW Holiday Mini Catalog goes live! Email me to get your FREE copy shipped to you!

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps:Circle Circus (115778), Teeny Tiny Wishes (115370)
Ink: Dusty Durango (115654), Bermuda Bay (155655), Chocolate Chip (100908)
Paper: Bermuda Bay (115317), Sage Shadow (101563), Dusty Durango (115321), Very Vanilla (101650), Chocolate Chip (102128)
Tools: Eyelet Border Punch (113692), Scallop Circle Punch (109043), 1-3/8" Circle Punch (104401), 1" Circle Punch (109046), Sponge Daubers (102892), Mini Glue Dots (103683), Dimensionals (104430)
Embellishments:Button Latte (114333), Linen Thread (104199), Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain (109051)

Thinking of You Top Note Die

Wow! I love how this color combo came together! It's a really unusual combo (especially for me) but I love how it turned out! As you've probably heard, the Medallion Background stamp is Stampin' Up!s best-seller right now, and I can see why! The *second* I saw it in the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog, I knew I just had to have it!

To create the stamped multi-colored Medallion image shown in this card:

1. Ink entire stamp in Dusty Durango
2. Use sponge dauber and sponge Soft Suede ink directly onto your medallion stamp
3. Roll the edges of the stamp in Soft Suede ink pad
4. Stamp the image on Very Vanilla cardstock
5. Use sponge dauber to sponge on Bermuda Bay ink and distress the edges

And Voila! INSTANT gorgeous-ness!

The Big Shot Top Note Die is also one of my favorites...it makes really nice frames on scrapbook pages, gorgeous backgrounds for cards, adorable treat bag toppers, the list goes on and on. On occasion, I have wished that it didn't quite take up an entire card front...and eureka! It doesn't have to! Check out my picture tutorial to give this mini-Top Note technique a try!

1. Start with your Top Note Die (as usual)

2. Send your paper through your Big Shot3. This is what the Top Note looks like when you send it through the first time4. Using your Top Note Die again, rotate the paper 90 degrees on the Die. 5. When you send it through your Big Shot the second time, it comes out like this!

All of the supplies I used are listed below. Just CLICK HERE to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order any of the supplies you need. Once you get there, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner, and use the item numbers listed below.

Need a hard copy of the catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Are you as excited about the September 1st release of the Holiday Mini-Catalog as I am?? If not, it's because you haven't seen all the ADORABLE new products coming! Email me to get your free copy sent to you in the mail!

Don't forget, the $85 starter kit promotion is ending soon! Don't let this fantastic opportunity slip away...!

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Order Online Anytime! Click Here to shop now!

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps: Medallion background (115223), Thoughts and Prayers (113252)
Ink: Soft Suede (115657), Dusty Durango (115654), Bermuda Bay (115655)
Paper: Soft Suede (115318), Dusty Durango (115321), Bermuda Bay (115317), Very Vanilla (101650)
Tools: Big Shot (113439), Top Note Die (113463), Sponge Daubers (102892), Designer Label Punch (107590), Corner Rounder Punch (109047)
Embellishments: Soft Suede 1/2" Grosgrain Ribbon (155612)

Sorry I've gone Missing!

I thought I could handle a move without disrupting my blog, and whoa! A little miscalculation on that one!! I am getting settled into my new place (the stampin' studio is almost all put back together...first things first!! hahaha) Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Poll Results Are In!

Two weeks ago, I was chosen as one of the winners for the SoShelli Creative Challenge (so cool!) and I couldn't decide which stamp set to get as the prize. I posted a poll on my blog and the results are in! Haha, looks like you couldn't decide which stamp set I should get, either! ~smile~ Well, there is obviously only one thing to be done about this...get them both!! I requested the Taffy Alphabet stamp set for my prize and ordered the Fifth Avenue floral. Thanks for your help! :)

Stamps-Ink-Paper Dracula

This devishly handsome fellow is dying to accompany you this Halloween Eve... all you will need is a little black card stock and "Cast-A-Spell" DSP! He will hold trick-or-treating candy, make fantastic Halloween party favors, and even spook up your Halloween decor. But, watch out! He bites. :)

When Shelli's creative challenge was to use only "Stamps-ink-paper" I knew my favorite Japanese art, origami, would come in handy! Helpful Hint: I found a fantastic tutorial on creating Count Dracula's face HERE.

His dashingly scary facial features were all created using punches:
Eyebrows: Photo corners punch
Eyes: 3/4" circle punch (cut in half)
Nose: Heart-to-heart punch (cut in half and the top snipped off)
Mouth: Wide Oval punch
Teeth: Small Star punch (points trimmed off and used as fangs, I used the real red marker to add some blood!)

UPDATE: One of my reader's asked about how I made the box Dracula is attached to, so I made a template! Check it out:
Template for Basic Box

Want to give this spook-tacular project a try? All of the supplies I used are listed below. Just CLICK HERE to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order any of the supplies you need. Once you get there, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner, and use the item numbers listed below.

Need a hard copy of the catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Don't forget, the Holiday Mini is almost here! Email me to get your FREE Holiday mini catalog!

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Shop online anytime! Click here to purchase Stampin' Up! products 24/7.

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps: None!
Ink: Real Red Marker (100052)
Paper: Cast-a-Spell DSP (115677), Basic Black card stock (102851), Old Olive card stock (100702)
Tools: Photo corners punch (109042), 3/4" circle punch (107217), Heart-to-heart punch (113694), Wide Oval punch (112082), small star punch (109045), Crimping Tool (101618)
Embellishments: none!

Sneak Peak: Sweet Treat Cups and Sweet Centers Stamp Set

I admit it! I've been dying to show off some of the new items in the upcoming Holiday mini! These sweet treat cups combined with the Sweet Centers stamp set are going to make spook-tacular treats to give away on Halloween or as party favors at your Halloween party. The treat cups and Sweet Centers stamp set are just a couple of really fantastic items you will find in the soon-to-be-released Holiday Mini Catalog. Stay tuned, because you can start ordering from the mini on September 1st!

Would you like a FREE copy of the Holiday Mini catalog? Contact me today!

Need a hard copy of the Idea Book and Catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

To Order Online anytime 24/7, CLICK HERE.

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps: Sweet Centers (available Sept 1st!!)
Ink: Old Olive
Paper: Basic Black card stock, Whisper White card stock
Tools: 1-3/4" Circle Punch
Embellishments:
Sweet Treat Cups (Available Sept 1st!!), 1/4" Pumpkin Pie Grosgrain Ribbon Other: 6" Lollipop stick (craft store)

Definitely Decorative Kitchen Magnet Board

I am a home decor junkie. I love looking through interior design magazines, home decor store catalogs, AND our very own Stampin' Up! "Definitely Decorative" decor elements catalog. I think using Decor Elements is a wonderful way to add your personal touch to your own home. I love the results I get when I combine Definitely Decorative products with my own taste and style, because I get something truly unique and handmade, fits my space, and expresses my creativity in my home decor.

Download the Definitely Decorative Catalog

When I saw the "Eat" vinyl, the first thing that popped into my head was making a cute recipe card stand. Cooking is not my "thing", so I'm always looking for ways to add a little more pizazz to my routine. By having a cute recipe stand (that I made myself!) that fits my style and has some "panashe" might make it more fun, right? Plus, I have been meaning to make a magnet board to pin up a list of 'stuff' I need to buy so I stop forgetting all the little things!

This adorable countertop magnet board certainly fits the bill. Cottage Wall DSP comes to the rescue once again (what doesn't look cute with cottage wall DSP on it!!). To view more of my projects using Cottage Wall DSP CLICK HERE.

To create fabulous magnets, a little chipboard and DSP will do the trick! Helpful Hint: adhere DSP to chipboard first, then run through your Big Shot for perfectly crafted magnet toppers like my butterfly and scallop square "Enjoy" magnets.

As you may have noticed, I really like these snazzy little ribbon bow ties! If you do too, feel free to check out my picture tutorial to learn how to make them.

Want to give this project a try?

1. I am having a class on Tuesday, September 23rd at 6:30pm. Email me to register!
2. All of the supplies I used are listed below. Just CLICK HERE to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order any of the supplies you need. Once you get there, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner, and use the item numbers listed below.

Need a hard copy of the catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps:Lovely Labels (no longer available)
Ink:Whisper White Craft
Paper:Cottage Wall DSP (115671), Whisper White card stock (100730)
Tools:Big Shot (113439), Beautiful Butterflies Die (114507), Scallop Square punch (112081), Sanding block (103301), Heat Tool (100005), hot glue gun (available at craft stores)
Embellishments:"Eat" Vinyl in Chocolate Chip (117849), Rich Razzleberry Polka Dot Ribbon (115613), Window Sheets (114323)

Friends Cottage Wall Scrapbook Pages

Aren't those colors just gorgeous together?? The NEW Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper (DSP) makes it easy to design scrapbook pages, cards, and other crafty projects because the colors make it so darn hard to "un-cute" anything!! I love it! Want to see other Cottage Wall inspired projects? CLICK HERE! Helpful Hint: I've found although Orchid Opulence is listed in the Idea Book as one of the DSP colors, I prefer to use Pale Plum, instead. Orchid Opulence seems to compete too much with Rich Razzleberry.

After you have decided on a general layout (this layout was inspired by this sketch challenge) and color scheme, scrapbook pages are all about the embellishments and "finishing touches". Here's a look at a few of the fine finishes I used for these pages:

• The Tag punch and 1/16" circle punch work together to create an adorable "friends" greeting. You could also title these pages with "Sisters", "Cousins", or your daughter/niece/granddaughter/etc's name.

• If you have a Tag-job too big for the regular Tag or Large Tag punches, the Tag Corner punch will come to the rescue! Use it on the corners of any rectangle to create any size of tag your heart desires.
• Use the Double Rectangle punch to make side-by-side slots, perfect for tucking in ribbon for a fancy-but-so-easy way to dress up your projects (shown above). This is a really cute treatment of ribbon bows on cards, too!

• A slim strip of paper adhered to my tags helps to keep the pages feeling visually unified because it pulls in just a bit of the purple to the top of this page. And, of course, a little hardware, like this pewter brad from the Vintage Brads set, goes a long way!
  
• Adding photo corners using the Photo Corners punch is almost magic! (Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm cheating because it's so cheap, easy, and yet CUTE!) Photo corners help to pull in design and color from other parts of the page (notice how it pulls in the Razzleberry from the photo frames and designer paper), plus it really dresses up the white photo frames. It is a very inexpensive embellishment!
  

Want to give these pages a try? All of the supplies I used are listed below. Just CLICK HERE to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order any of the supplies you need. Once you get there, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner, and use the item numbers listed below.

Have questions?? Email me, I'm friendly!

Need a hard copy of the catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Want to know what's on sale?? Just check out my left side bar for the "Super Savers" section. All of the current promotions are listed there.

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps: Contempo Alphabet (111570)
Ink: Rich Razzleberry (115658)
Paper: Cottage Wall DSP (115671), 12" x 12" Old Olive (106544), Rich Razzleberry (115613), Whisper White (100730), Pale Plum (101658), Certainly Celery (105125)
Tools: Photo Corners punch (109042), Tag Corner Punch (107215), Tag Punch (108264), Corner Rounder punch (109047), Double Rectangle Punch (105088), 1/16" Circle Punch (101227), Paper Piercing Tool (116631), Mat Pack (105826), So Swirly Jumbo Wheel (no longer available, but you could easily substitute "Whimsy": 109688), Jumbo Wheel Handle (103611), Wheel Guide (104834)
Embellishments:Old Olive (111368), Whisper White (109025), and Certainly Celery (109031) 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 5/16" Jumbo Brads (112534, assorted), Vintage Brads (109109, assorted)

Circle Circus Just for You

Ever have trouble sticking to just simple cards? Shelli Gardner, CEO of Stampin' Up!, has given us a new creative challenge for August: stick to "stamps-paper-ink" (and that's it!). For as simple as it sounds, it's really tricky trying to keep myself from adding "just one more thing..." ~smile~

Today's card keeps it simple and certainly can be whipped together in a quick couple of minutes. That means it qualifies for Sanity Saver!

• Like the cute frames for the greeting? Just use the Word Window, Modern Label, and Large Oval Punches for a fantastic frame that makes greetings "pop"!
• The Circle Circus stamp set is funky and modern, and I combined the images with a funky color combo too: Crushed Curry, Basic Gray, and Whisper White.
• Using the corner rounder punch on the edges also adds a little funk-appeal to make this card truly "funk-i-licious!"

Want to give this project a try? All of the supplies I used are listed below. Just CLICK HERE to go to my Stampin' Up! website to order any of the supplies you need. Once you get there, click on "Shop Now" in the upper right hand corner, and use the item numbers listed below.

Need a hard copy of the catalog to call your own?? Email me and get the 2009-2010 Idea Book & Catalog for just $9.95.

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Stampin' Supplies (and item numbers):

Stamps:Circle Circus (115778), Teeny Tiny Wishes(115370)
Ink: Crushed Curry (115659), Basic Gray (109120)
Paper: Crushed Curry (115319), Basic Gray (108692), Whisper White (100730)
Tools: Large Oval punch (107305), Modern Label punch (116630), Word Window punch (105090), Corner Rounder punch (109047)
Embellishments: None!! (that's a first!)

Holy Smoke-a-molies!!!

This has got to be about the most AWESOME week of my Stampin' Life EVER!! This morning, I had another exciting email waiting for me... I won last month's Mojo Monday Challenge with this card!! Now, I have another free stamp set to pick out...!!! This is so fantastic, and so exciting!! I am seriously jumping up and down in my chair right now!!

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Winner: SoShelli Creative Challenge!!

Wow! I'm so excited!! This morning, when I checked my email, boy did I have a nice surprise waiting for me!!

Shelli Gardner, CEO of Stampin' Up!, issued a challenge to create a Happy Birthday project. I submitted my birthday card shown in this post, and I won!! Talk about a huge "make my day" moment!!

The best part is, I get to choose any stamp set in the whole catalog as my prize!! Woo-hoo!!!!!!

I am thinking about the Taffy Alphabet (p. 149), Fifth Avenue Floral (p.98), or Fundamental Phrases (p. 138). ?? Which one should I get?? It's going to be so hard to decide!! Help me!! I've added a poll to my sidebar, so please don't forget to vote and help me decide!!

Happy Stampin!
~Heather

Taffy Alphabet:Fundamental Phrases:Fifth Avenue Floral:

Hostess Promotion Coming!

One of the most exciting items in the upcoming Holiday Mini-catalog is "My Digital Studio." Brent Steele gave us a very exciting demonstration of Stampin' Up!'s exclusive and soon-to-be-released digital scrapbooking and card-making software. I can't wait to get my hands on it!!

To make it even more exciting, we have an incredible hostess promotion scheduled September through November. With a qualifying workshop or order, workshop hostesses can get a significant discount on Holiday Mini Catalog items, including a 50-percent discount on My Digital Studio! Here are all the details:

Host a workshop totaling $250 or more (or place an order totaling $250 or more) and choose any one item* from the 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog for only $10! *Offer excludes hostess sets.

After My Digital Studio is released, this offer will become even sweeter: Host a workshop of at least $400 and get My Digital Studio for 50 percent off the retail price (retail price: $79.95; promotional price: $39.97)!

Order deadlines: Phone: Monday, November 30, 2009; 6:50 PM (MT) OEX: Monday, November 30, 2009; 11:50 PM (MT)

I am thrilled to bring you this very exciting hostess promotion, please contact me today to schedule your September-November workshop!

Happy Stampin'!! ~Heather

Convention Wrap-up

I just arrived home from Stampin' Up! Convention and it was such a wonderful experience. Every moment was full of new ideas, darling projects and so much fun to be with my Stampin' Up! family. I can't wait to share some of the new ideas and techniques I've learned on my upcoming projects.

Have you ever had trouble thinking of color combos, card or scrapbook layouts, or new techniques to try? That will never happen to you again once you've been to Convention! In fact, you won't be able to get to all the new ideas and projects you want to try that you see there!

One of my favorite sources of inspiration at convention is the display boards... I could spend hours and hours perusing the hundreds of cards, scrapbook pages, and projects on display.Talk about inspiration!!! To give you an idea what the display boards look like, here is a pic:

Now imagine dozens and dozes of these all over!! A true stampers paradise! All you have to do is take a photograph of a couple of boards, and you will have years worth of inspiration to go back to whenever you need it.

After such a rewarding, exciting convention experience, I wish everyone could come and have as much fun as I had. And, right now (through August 31st) is such a great time to sign up to become a Stampin' Up! demonstrator because Stampin' Up! is offering the customizable mini starter kit for just $85! If you'd like to come have a wonderful time with my team next year, earn a discount on your stampin' up! supplies, earn extra income, have fun doing something you love, and so much more, please email me today for more information about becoming a Stampin' Up! demo.

Happy Stampin!
~Heather