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Archive for August, 2009:
Build-A-Bear-Workshop and Stampin’ Up!
Aloha, all!
By now everyone seems to know that our 2009 Holiday Mini Catalog is going to feature a TON of stuff related to the Build-A-Bear-Workshop (or BABW). What fun! And I have been having a TON of fun trying to figure out how to play with my new toys to show them off to you. Because I just want to keep playing, and not bother with sending out newsletters and writing blog posts and writing tutorials! Playing with the bears is just too much fun.
But work calls (not that I really think of any of this as "work"!) And I’ll be sharing with you this week some of what I’ve been doing with many of the products. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to buy EVERYTHING in the mini catalog. For now, I have the basics, and I’m finding that that is just fine.
The first thing that caught my attention with the BABW products is that Stampin’ Up! has not only partnered with BABW for this line of products. It’s also partnered with Sizzix! There’s a Sizzix Bear and clothes and accessories and costumes, and oh my! The minute I arrived home from convention and had time to play (a few days, as my husband was ill and required most of my attention), I first went for the Sizzix Big Shot and started making paper dolls, er, paper BEARS. Here are come of the clothes I cut out, and here is one of my bears. I used this Bear to make a greeting card.
Later this week I’ll share how I’m working to make a magnet board for my granddaughters to have to play with the BABW bear cut-outs I’ll be giving them for a Birthday present. I’ll also be showing off some of the stamp sets that have BABW images.
If you’re interested in not waiting to see all of this in person, please feel free to call (808.854.6145) me and I’ll arrange a time you can come over to the Craft Room. Or, if you’re not in East Hawaii, just call or e-mail me and let me know you’d like a sample, and I’ll be glad to send it out to you.
Subscribe to the comments for this postAnother Challenge–Kid Stuff!
Aloha, all!
A challenge on one of my discussion boards this week was to take any sample from the Stampin’ Up! 2009-2010 Idea Book and Catalog and change it to be a "kid-friendly" card. I tried to think of something that I had in my stamp stash that would make my grandkids smile (well, the little one is probably a bit too young for that–but there are 3 other older kids!). One stamp set that really makes ME smile is Just Buzzin By, so I zoomed in on that set. Then I started looking for a card in the catalog to CASE (various translations, but I use "Copy And Share with Everyone"). We had to change a couple of things about the original. I managed to change just about everything; but I still think that the idea is the same.
This is the card that I made for the challenge.
And here is the card from the catalog (page 126). Can you see the resemblance? Think two rows of 3 circles; ribbon, and polka dot at that! Greeting undernearth. Hey, how close can you be???
For my card, I used one of our 2009-2010 In Colors, Crushed Curry (every time I hear that, I crave Curried Chicken!) and Rich Razzleberry (mmmmm, berry pie for dessert!) with some Very Vanilla (oooh, ice cream on that pie!).
Hey, any time that you need a fix of food with your crafts, just think of me and Stampin’ Up! I can make it happen
A Challenge Card: A note of sympathy
Aloha, all!
You might recall that, a couple of weeks ago, we had a going away party for my friend, Billie, and her husband. I made a gigantic card for the whole FCE (Family and Community Education) group to sign–all 27 of us on one card!
Today I found out that Billie’s mother just passed away. How wonderful that Billie was able to be there with her. I have been trying to figure out what card to make her, and then I stumbled onto the Stamping 411 challenge today. I knew right away what I was going to do for the card, and here it is.
The bird on the bamboo branch is from the Level 2 Hostess set, Asian Artistry, and the saying is from the stamp set, Thoughts and Prayers. I used a Circle Ice Rhinestone Brad with a Filigree Brad for the corner accent. The colors of paper are Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, and Rich Razzleberry. The bird/bamboo is stamped using Stazon Jet Black Ink on Watercolor Paper, and I watercolored the bird with Rich Razzleberry and an Aqua Painter.
I think it’s such a good feeling to be able to go to my own craft room and make up a card like this, rather than going into a cold drug store to pick something out of a pile that’s already been picked through!
Holiday Mini Catalog Sneak Peek I
Aloha, all!
Now that I’m back from Convention, I can hardly wait to play with all the goodies that were in that BIG box that arrived in the craft room while I was gone.
I know it’s only August, but the first thing that I had to try was the new Stampin’ Up! O Christmas Tree Pop-Up, a Stampin’ Up! Exclusive Sizzix Bigz XL Die. This little tree fits just perfectly inside a 6" square card, and will be just lovely when it’s decorated. I did have to put a star on top of the tree, but so far I’ve not had much decorating time. The star and some other ornaments are part of a Stampin’ Up! Sizzlits Die, Stampin’ Up! Tree Decorations.
But there are OTHER goodies in the box, and I’m anxious to get to them, too. Tomorrow I’ll show off what I’m sure will be my absolute favorite stamp set from the Holiday Mini!
Convention 2009 – My Cards on Display!
Aloha, all!
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Remember before Convention when I said that I was going to take some cards and hoped to have them on display at Convention? Well, they did, indeed, end up on display!! In all honesty, part of the reason that they were displayed was that there weren’t a ton of samples brought to the table. But I still was thrilled when I saw demonstrators taking photographs of MY CARDS!!!
To go back and look at my blog about these cards, click here for the Heart Movers and Shapers Die samples, and here for the Star Movers and Shapers Die samples.
Convention Swaps!
Aloha, all!
Long ago I decided that I was NOT going to do swaps for this convention. For one thing, I just didn’t have that good an experience at last year’s convention with my swaps. For another thing, I was getting ready for my Convention Late Night Stampers demonstration, and we have a new puppy (check out his blog!), and DH has not been feeling well. So swaps were not in the picture.
BUT, I found by Saturday that I was just about caught up (well, so I thought, but more about that in a moment). So I decided that I would, indeed, make some swaps. Not many, you understand. Who knew what might come up at the last minute. But I did get my craft room cleaned up from all the stuff I’d been doing the last couple of weeks, and came up with a design. As I mentioned last week, I just love the Hibiscus in Greenhouse Garden. We have so many of those lovely flowering shrubs throughout our Hawaiian garden, that I knew that this stamp set would be a keeper (meaning, I will NOT get rid of it when it retires.)
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So, as I write this, my swaps are not done. But, once again, life has gotten in the way. BUT all the adhesives are adhered, and I WILL finish these before convention opens on Wednesday. I may be finishing them as I wait in line at Memento Mall. But I will be swapping! Here’s a copy of the finished card, and the condition of all the various parts.
Oh–and what I used for the swap: Greenhouse Garden, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Sizzix Scallops #2 die, Modern Label Punch, Sizzix Stampin’ Up! Movers and Shapers Punch Windows die, Circle Scissors Plus, Regal Rose and Garden Green (well, isn’t that appropriate) card stock, and a Stampin’ Up! Sizzix Texturz plate.
Later this week, I’ll share some of the cards that I received in return from my swaps. They will all be wonderful!
Back from Convention!
Aloha, all!
I’m back from the Stampin’ Up! convention, and I mostly had a wonderful time. The part that wasn’t so wonderful was that my husband was taken ill while I was in Salt Lake City, and I had to leave a day early. So I missed most of Friday afternoon classes and all of Saturday. Bummer!!
But the rest of the time was well worth the time that I spent there, and, over the next few days, I’ll be sharing some highlights with you.
Today a photo of me at the Stampin’ Up! headquarters in Riverton, Utah. Riverton is a part of the greater Salt Lake City Area, and we rented a car to drive down there for the tour. "We" means my sister-in-law and downline, Deb, and new friends Liz and Deanna.
Later this week, I’ll share some more photos along with copies of some of the wonderful swaps I received from fellow demonstrators. For now, I’m still a bit jet-lagged, so am headed for a nap.
Tutorial for the Pop-Up Cards
Aloha, all!
Last week I showed off some of the pop-up cards that I used in my "Wow" demonstrations for the Late Night Stampers Group before the Stampin’ Up! convention.
First of all, I am VERY happy to tell you that my presentation was VERY well received! I was so nervous the first time I demonstrated, but as everyone started crowding around my table to see what I was doing, I started having so much fun that I forgot to be nervous any more! A special Thank You to Sherrill Graf and her crew who did a bang-up job getting these events organized. I can hardly wait for next year.
But I digress! Here’s a link to the tutorial page! I hope that you enjoy making your own cards using this technique! In fact, I’d love to have you share your samples with me and my blog readers! If you’d like to share your project and have me feature it on my blog, I’ll include your name in a drawing for a pack of Stampin’ Dimensionals and some die cuts for your Christmas Cards! Just e-mail your photo to me!
Sizzix Stampin’ Up! Punch Windows Take 2
Aloha, all!
I shared these cards with you back around the 4th of July–which is why they seem to have a 4th of July theme! But I’m also entered them in the Marketing Resource Center booth at the Stampin’ Up! convention this week. One of the challenges was to show creative use of the Sizzix Stampin’ Up! Movers and Shapers dies. The card above used two of the Movers and Shapers Punch Windows shapes–the Star shape and the Modern Label shape. Then, through the windows, I attached layered stars, using the Star Punch and the Large Star Punch to set off the larger Movers and Shapers windows. I’ll let you know when I get back in town whether any of my items ended up being shown off as part of the display.
The second card uses the other halves of the Real Red and Brilliant Blue card stock rectangles that I’d cut on the diagonal. This time, I punched just one star with the Sizzix die, and then added a bit of interest with coordinating Crushed Curry 1/2" Polka Dot Grosgrain Ribbon. Both cards have the word "Celebrate" from the Fundamental Phrases Stamp Set, stamped and then punched with the Modern Label Punch. Then I punched a backing mat using the Sizzix Movers and Shapers die of the same shape. Both cards are also embellilshed with some Rhinestone Brads from the Fire Circle Brads set. These were really fun to make!
Simple Pop Up Card – Part IV
Aloha, all!
Finally the card that started this whole thing. Ever since I first saw the stamp sets, Paradise and Greenhouse Garden, I envisioned them all in a bouquet. Then, when I decided on a Pop Up for my demonstration project, I wanted this bouquet to be the inside of the pop up card. I used both the Paradise and Greenhouse Garden stamp sets for the outside of the card, along with a greeting from Heard from the Heart.
This was the first of the pop up cards that I made. Because I thought it would be like other pop up cards, and not stay closed by itself, I made a "belly band" to go around the outside of the card. Let me tell you, with this kind of pop up card, unless you add lots of embellishments inside, it’s going to stay closed very nicely, thank you! The ribbon on the belly band is a sample from the "Orchard" ribbon originals. It’s Elegant Eggplant, and I used that color as an accent throughout this card.
Now the inside:
I just love the hibiscus from Greenhouse Garden (I even used it for my one swap card for convention!). So I made it in three different colors, Then I used several different greens – Old Olive, Garden Green, and Hunter Green – to make the foliage accents, with a final touch of Elegant Eggplant for the spike towards the left/middle. A little "Thank You" tag just completed this lovely bouquet.
To make it even a bit more "outside-y", I added the background stamp,Woodgrain, over the whole of the inside of the card. I even added a bit of a "flower box" just under the bouquet.
Now for a bit of a treat that I’ll also share with those on my newsletter mailing list. I will send each person who orders at least $100 online between now and September 5th (yes, the new mini will be in effect starting September 1st!) a duplicate of this card.
Stay tuned next week for information on how you can get a copy of the tutorial for making the basic pop up card!
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