April 2021 Virtual Class - Hydrangea Haven

 While the last year has been stressful and overwhelming, the opportunity to take my business online and meet the expectations of so many of my long-time customers has been a highlight.  I learned that the bar for electronic opportunities was much lower than I expected and I have had so much fun capturing creativity and spunk in my videos and virtual classes.

Tonight we are meeting for a virtual class to make these great projects.  Some of these projects were inspired by samples from Rachel Tessman who has really helped keep my creativity going when I needed a push.  I love being a part of the demonstrator community where there are so many helping hands!

These projects were kitted and provided for free to my customers and downline that ordered the Hydrangea Haven bundle and Hydrangea Hill Designer Series Paper.  They were provided all the card pieces and used their bundles, along with either Gorgeous Grape or Highland Heather ink, to create them.  A complete supply list is available below.  They were also given an instruction PDF with all the cuts and directions so they could do it on their own if the technology isn't their friend or they aren't available for the class they earned.  And, since I get my 2nd dose of Pfizer today, so they could do it if I have to cancel because I feel clunky!

Because they also ordered one of the most gorgeous papers we've ever had, they also get to make this cool trifold together using their paper.  This project was taken from a sample created by my incredibly talented mom who always finds a way to turn paper into something beautiful (just like her heart and soul are beautiful!)  I hope that everyone enjoys making this as much as I did.

Supplies:

• Stamps: Hydrangea Haven
• Paper: Hydrangea Hill DSP, Misty Moonlight CS, Highland Heather CS, Purple Posy CS, Basic White CS, Fluid 100 Watercolor Paper
• Ink: Gorgeous Grape or Highland Heather, Misty Moonlight
• Tools: Hydrangea Dies, Cut & Emboss Machine, Scissors, Water Painters, hole punch, sewing needle, paper piercing pad, coordinating clear acrylic blocks
• Adhesives: Adhesive, Dimensionals, narrow tear tape or strong adhesive
• Other: Paper Towel (1 Dry/1 Wet)

I hope you enjoyed the peek at these projects and spend some time this week making your own beautiful creations. 

Have a craftastic day,
Stacy

April 2021 Specials

With April comes showers and wind but also the return of sports for the kids.  Baseball for one and track & volleyball for the other.  They may have to wear masks but you can tell how happy they are to be back with their friends doing things they adore!

There is a lot to adore from Stampin' Up! as well.  My virtual classes are continuing each Monday and Paper Pumpkin kits continue to be fun to teach and play with.  We also have the end of a catalog coming up and a new catalog being released.  I cannot wait for my pre-order to arrive on Wednesday, one of the many perks of being a demonstrator (along with a killer discount!)  

Last Chance List

With the arrival of a new catalog comes the end to the old one.  The products from the 2020/2021 Annual Catalog are available while supplies last or until May 3rd.  Retiring items from the January-June catalog will be available while supplies last through June 1st.  You can click HERE to check out those special deals and discounts!

April Paper Pumpkin - So Cool

Sign up by 4/10 to receive the Paper Pumpkin Kit called So Cool.  This kit is perfect for the kid/grandkids to make with you or to make for those young at heart!  Your kits come with instructions, ink, stamps, adhesive, and fully cut pieces to stamp and assemble.  New subscribers get a free acrylic block with their sets.  Subscribers also get a bonus make-n-take project from me as a thank you!  Sign up by 4/10 by clicking HERE.  Cancel anytime so this is totally a month by month commitment!

New Catalogs are Coming

While you can only order from the new catalog if you are a demonstrator, I wanted to share the cover which contains one of the suites I'm really excited about!  If you are interested in becoming a demonstrator, let me know and we can see if it's a good fit for you!  A new catalog is a great time  to sign up as a demonstrator so that you can get your new stuff at a great discount!

That's all I have to share for right now - I hope April brings you crafting time and all the good things in life!

Have a craftastic day,

Stacy

March 2021 Paper Pumpkin - Here's to You

This month's Paper Pumpkin has hit my maibox and my craft room.  I love the bonus stencils that were include in the kit that work together to create some great landscapes and that it came with a decorative box - perfect for gifting the cards you make to another person!

The kit came with enough supplies to make 4 each of 2 different designs with envelopes.  The envelopes came with removable liners so this month, demonstrators don't have to cut up the envelopes for the extra patterns!

The kit also included all the necessary die cut pieces, stamp set, Calypso Coral ink spot, adhesive, and instructions. The stamp set has beautiful sayings and a tree set that I see coming back into play this Christmas....  First time subscribers get a free acrylic block but since I've been subscribing since 2013, I got my block LONG ago.

Because March is the anniversary of Stampin' Up!, they included a bonus of stencils with the kit along with a sponge to cut up.  The stencils are fun as you can do several different techniques with them:

1. Pair them with an aqua brush and watercolor paper
2. Trace with a marker or watercolor pencils
3. Use the sponge and ink
4. Use things like specialty paints or Wink of Stella with them
5. Use your sponge with Versamark and emboss with them!  

If you use Blends, make sure you have a Color Lifter handy so they don't stain your templates and they may bleed a little as alcohol inks tend to do on paper.  I learned that the hard way so no samples below using blends or alcohol ink in a spritzer bottle.....

Here are my first few alternative ideas that did work....

Finally, subscribers with me get materials in the mail to make a project together during a virtual Paper Pumpkin class on the 4th Monday of the month.  Tonight is my class and we are making this project to make sure they all know how to use the stencils and can ask me questions about them.

This is all my samples for today but I have to call out a fellow demonstrator that inspired me with this kit.  Tami White created some cards that I fell in love with.  I know it may seem strange to link to another person's blog but check out those cards HERE.

Next month's kit is called So Cool and it looks SOOOOO COOOOLLLL!  If you want that kit, click the image on the right navigation and sigh up for Paper Pumpkin by April 10th.

I hope you are all getting a little creative time to yourselves and I'm grateful to have you on my creative journey.

Have a craftastic day,

Stacy

March 2021 Specials

March is my favorite month of the year!  Not only does it have my birthday, my husband's birthday, St. Patrick's Day, and Spring Break, but it also has the start of Spring, baseball, and a little more "get outside and play" time for my kids so I can create in quiet.

I just wanted to take today to share the March promotions happening for Stampin' Up!

Butterfly Bouquet has Arrived

This year my son asked for a pet butterfly for his seventh birthday.  He missed out on the butterfly unit at school when Covid-19 arrived so his grandma was more than happy to grant his wish and get him a butterfly garden.  If you want to treat the 7 year old in all of us to a little butterfly beauty, this may be the perfect suite for you.

You can view all the products in this promotion HERE.

Free Shipping

St. Patrick's Day just got a little better.  For one day only, any orders of $50 or more will receive free shipping!  This is a great time to stock up on your adhesives, catch the 2019-2021 In Colors before they retire, or use it as an excuse to buy that thing you have been eying.  

Remember that if you purchase the Hydrangea Haven bundle, you will get four cards in the mail to make for my April virtual class.  If you add the Hydrangea Hill DSP, you will receive instructions for a bonus project.

Please use hostess code J42XDEKR when ordering via my ONLINE STORE (as long as your order doesn't make you your own hostess!)

April Paper Pumpkin is SO COOL

Paper Pumpkin is a monthly subscription that includes everything you need for a great crafting experience.  These kits include instructions, ink, exclusive photopolymer stamps, and a project with die cuts and embellishments.  First time subscribers also receive a free acrylic block in their first kit. 

This month's kit is SO COOL and was designed with KIDS in mind!  It is a great kit to do with your kids and grandkids as well as by yourself to bring you some joy that you pass onto those who are kids at heart.  These colorful cards will bring a rainbow of happiness to whoever receives them.  It includes supplies to make 12 fun-shaped cards with envelopes and coordinates with the Ice Cream Corner Suite in the JJ catalog. 

The kit’s exclusive So Cool Stamp Set is versatile, offering sentiments that can be used for multiple occasions such as birthdays, congrats, cheer, and more! It’s a great addition to any crafter’s collection.

Need more incentive?  Watch this great video that made me want to pack up my kids and take them straight to grandma's house.  

Sign up HERE by April 10th to receive this great kit!

Have a craftastic day,

Stacy

February 2021 Paper Pumpkin - Bouquet of Hope

One of the cards I always want to have on hand are sympathy cards.  No one ever wants to make one of these cards under pressure when you are overwhelmed by feelings of loss so I like to take a day and make a few each quarter just in case.  I'm happy that my stash was full before this month's Paper Pumpkin but it has even more beautiful cards to express my love for those that may need these cards in the future.

Paper Pumpkin is a kit in the mail that customers can subscribe to from Stampin' Up!  It costs $22 plus tax (shipping included) and includes an exclusive photopolymer (clear) stamp set, a project with instructions and images, all the die cuts and pieces for the project, an ink spot, and adhesives.  All you provide is your credit card number for monthly billing, oh, and some scissors.  ;)

The February kit was titled Bouquet of Hope.  It included supplies to make 9 standard sized cards, three each of three different designs.  These were two of the three cards that were included in the kit.

The third card didn't really float my boat because I'm not a big fan of gold foil and I thought it was too focused on that image.  But one of the services I provide to my subscribers are alternate ideas that will help them make use of all the supplies in the box.  I came up with this design instead which features the gold doily as an accent instead of the focal point.

After that, I was able to play around with my supplies as well as what was in the box to make these alternatives.  You can emboss, add coordinating inks from past kits, cut up the card bases to make layers on cards, and so much more.

I like to try and give a little something extra to my subscribers because I really believe that it's an easy way to have some self-care time while also knocking a future "to do" off your list with birthdays and other occasions.  Besides a list of tips and tricks for the kit, this month my subscribers all received (or will shortly) 6 pieces of the Fields and Flowers DSP that is being offered during Sale-a-Bration. All the papers were cut at 4 x 6. Then I showed them in my monthly Paper Pumpkin Zoom session how to make the cuts on these cards using that paper.  I was skeptical before I got my kit on how these papers would work but I'm just tickled pink with the results.  And they are FAST to make.

My two favorite tips with this kit - cut up th 

Next month's kit is always special because March is the anniversary of when Paper Pumpkin started 8 years ago (and also my birthday month!)  To get in on that box and alternative ideas, please sign up by March 10th using the link below.

https://mypaperpumpkin.com/en/?demoid=80380

I hope you are all doing well and hanging in there.  It has been a very long year for us all but I know that the sun will be back out soon and we won't always be 6ft or more apart.

Take care,

Stacy

January 2021 Paper Pumpkin - Sending Hearts

In the last year, I have made a big effort to manage my time better.  Who knew when setting that goal in January 2020 that my social coordinator status for my family and friends would be whittled down to deciding what I could get at the grocery store for pickup that week since everyone was home!  I stopped teaching crafts and started teaching my kids.  I stopped going out but I kept giving out my time to my community.  I stopped blogging and writing book reviews but I started writing every day for myself because there was so much to feel and so much to process.  

During Onstage in November, I reconnected online with some of my dearest friends that I'd met through my time with Stampin' Up!  And I realized that there was a way for me to keep my business going online like the rest of life but with a better balance and I made a plan to do just that.  The first thing I required of myself was to ask myself why I didn't stop being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator when I stopped everything else.  The answer came quickly...  

Creativity is something that makes me feel centered and Stampin' Up! allows me to be creative. Even if what I'm creating never makes it in front of anyone else, just finding a way to take the time to channel that energy brings me a kind of mental peace. I miss the energy of friends and customers, the joy of teaching my classes, and my quiet time but I also love seeing my kids with inky fingers, hearing my husband's voice on his work calls, and knowing that my family is staying healthy so there is one less thing competing for room up there with all my creative ideas. 

Paper Pumpkin makes creating easier for me. With all the pieces and parts, it can be self-care time to make them and follow directions or self-care time by experimenting with what is in the box and seeing what I can create on my own. 

Either way, at $22 a month with tax, this monthly subscription gives me something to look forward to each month. I don't know about you, but I've sent a lot more mail in 2020 than ever before so I can always use additional cards to use or gift away. 

Today I'm sharing my alternative ideas for the January 2021 Sending Hearts kit. This kit had supplies for 8 cards, 4 each of these two designs. 

It included a Poppy Parade ink pad, embellishments, and an exclusive photopolymer stamp set that screams "SEND ME OUT IN FEBRUARY!!!" The colors are bright and happy and anyone getting one of these heart or love themed cards would appreciate it! 

Below are several alternative projects designed using components and stamps from the kit.

Customers that subscribe with me also will receive the pieces in the mail to make these two projects with their kits.  We are meeting via Zoom on the 4th Monday of the month to share our ideas and create these projects together and ask questions about the other samples I posted.

You cannot order this particular kit but you can sign up to receive future kits by clicking HERE before February 10th. 

Take care and have a craftastic day, 

Stacy

January Hostess Code for online orders under $150 - QSE7VNXE

It's Sale-a-Bration - shop now via my Online Store: http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/default.aspx?dbwsdemoid=80380

Sign Up for Paper Pumpkin by the 10th to get the next kit - https://www.paperpumpkin.com/en-us/sign-up/?demoid=80380

July 2019 Paper Pumpkin Alternative Projects

The On My Mind Paper Pumpkin kit from Stampin' Up! was a great kit to work with as it was originally designed.  The projects offered three cards each of three different designs that encourage you to reach out to a friend, tell a mate Happy Birthday, or simply let a person know they are the best.

This month's kit coordinated with three product suites in the annual catalog:

These three full sized cards were the ones with instructions in the kit.  That means you could have gotten this kit in the mail for $22 plus tax (shipping included) and gotten the ink, paper, instructions, adhesive, and all the pieces.  Plus first time subscribers get a clear block as well!

Subscribers with me get a project sheet with additional ideas and links, along with helpful tips and tricks and coordinating products.  I'm all about using Paper Pumpkin with other supplies you already have.  However, as I've been packing up my house for a painting project, the craft room is closed for business and I had to keep this limited to the kit and a few add'l ink pads.  I'm grateful my husband let me borrow the dining room table for this one.  Here are the additional ideas I came up with.

If you are interested in joining up, please visit the Web site below to be billed monthly or purchase prepaid kits to keep or give away.

Sign up for monthly billing 

Order Pre-paid Subscriptions

Have a craftastic day,

Stacy