The Crafting Continues!

As I mentioned yesterday, my first box of new supplies arrived yesterday.  Notice I said "first".  I have a giant order planned for tomorrow with Sale-a-bration starting!  Anyway, one of the items that I had to have immediately was the new Sizzix Box die.  It is adorable and so easy to assemble; there's not even any adhesive needed!  I think that this box would be perfect for making little class Valentine's.  You can see the sample that I made using the Love You Much Bundle yet again!  The other box would make a perfect wedding favour for truffles/ mints etc.  You could coordinate the ribbon with flowers, dresses or whatever else you choose.

Fabulous News from Stampin' Up

From February 1-April 30, 2009, we're introducing new customers to Stampin' Up! by promoting our award-winning Idea Book & Catalogue. To receive a free Spring-Summer 2009 Idea Book & Catalogue, customers must:

1. Place an online order during the promotional period

2. Select a demonstrator at stampinup.com or shop through a demonstrator's DBWS.  

There is no minimum order amount required, so anyone can take advantage of this offer.

Stampin' Up! will be offering a free Idea Book & Catalogue with the first 2,000 orders or until April 30, 2009, whichever comes first.

This is a great opportunity for you to get hold of another catalogue that you can pass on to a friend or keep one at work to avoid the hassle we all go through of taking our catalogues everywhere we go with us:)

Last Day for Love You Much Bundle

Tomorrow, January 31st, is the last day to order the adorable Love You Much Bundle at a great price.  You will still be able to order all components of this bundle when the promotion ends, but until tomorrow night, when you purchase the DSP, stamp set, and punch together, you will receive a 20% discount.

In addition, I am offering to all of my customers who purchased the Love You Much Bundle during the promotion period, and appreciation class on Saturday February 8th from 7-9pm.  An appreciation class is free of charge for those who participated in the promotion, but also available for an $8 charge for those of you who would just like to come and make some adorable little projects.  I have been playing with this bundle non-stop so I have an army of projects to choose from, but here is a sampling of some of the items I'm contemplating putting in the class.  The little pizza box is an adorable holder for 3x3 notecards and envelopes.  I'll try and post some of my other samples tonight.  Remember, if you want in on this promotion then your orders need to be in to me NO LATER than 10pm tomorrow night.

Cracked Glass Technique

This month we were learning the "Cracked Glass" technique for our monthly club. I love the results you can get using this technique. I know the colours for this card are very dark and solemn, but when I was using up my old pieces of Hodgepodge Hardware, I felt like it looked like an old black and white photo being attached to the front of the card, hence me choosing to keep the card in blacks and greys.

If you've never done the cracked glass technique before it is very easy to do. The first step is to stamp your image on cardstock, I used the Going Grey in case. After stamping the image I used my versamark pad to completely cover the rectangular piece of paper that I stamped on. I then used my Glassy Enamel EP and heated it up. I repeated this process two more times until there was a perfectly smooth glassy coating over the stamped image. We then put our paper in the freezer for 2-3 minutes (don't worry if it curls, it will straighten out as it warms up again). Immediately after pulling it from the freezer we bent the cardstock in different directions to get the Enamel to crack. Once you have the desired amount of cracking, we put some basic black classic ink on a sponge and rubbed it into the cracks for emphasis. I would love to try this now using vanilla and chocolate chip.

Bye Bye Coluzzle!

The Coluzzle starter kit #102264 and refill blades #102721 have recently been discontinued by the manufacturer.  I am assuming that this was not something SU had a heads up on as they probably wouldn't have put it in the new catalogue.  Although the refill blades are already sold out, the starter kit is still available in limited supply and will be available only until SU has depleted their inventory.  For those of you owning a Coluzzle ( I would be one of those), make sure to buy up the replacement blades that you find in crafts stores as this is likely the end of a very popular product.

On a more positive note, I just received my Circle Scissor Plus #112530  yesterday and it is fabulous.  Although you are limited to circles (the Coluzzle allowed us to do ovals as well), the range of sizes is far superior and the ability to make rings of any size up to 6" as well as the circles is a real plus.  It is also so much easier to use as there is none of the snipping the little pieces that hold things in place afterwards.  It also comes with an adapter so that you can use it to draw the varied sizes of circles instead of just cutting them. 

I have a scrapbook page already in the works... I'll share soon!

That Darn Camera Again!

I was so excited with this card when I finished it today as it looks fabulous in person, but it doesn't matter how many times I try and photograph it, it looks horrible!  Can you tell that all of my new stamping stuff arrived yesterday?  It was like I was trying to use every new piece of equipment that I had on one card!

The first new thing that I played with today was the Sizzix Movers and Shapers die that matches our Curly Label Punch.  LOVE IT!  It cuts out your A2 card, scores it, and puts the wonderful die cut Curly Label  anywhere that you want it on your card!  The next thing I did was to use my new Texture Plates to put the tiny polka dots on the front of the card.  I made this card twice, once without the dots and once with, and oh boy what a difference!  Next I used the Simple Flower Embosslit to make the adorable flowers that I stuck on the front of the card.  I ran over the embossed edge with my Two Way Glue Pen and then added the Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.  I used my new border punch to do the gorgeous white eyelet trim.  Finally I finished it up with the new DSP from the Sale-a-bration flyer and the Certainly Celery ribbon from the same flyer.  (one of the many benefits of being a demo is that we get to get our hands on these things a little early).  My husband says that this card has Easter written all over it.  It wasn't what I was going for, but I guess that I can see what he means.  What do you think?  I feel like the flowers need something in the center now that I am looking at the photo.

I can't wait until tomorrow night for more playtime:)

My Talented Customers!

Lastnight was one of my favourite nights of the month, Technique Club.  This is an event where 8 people get together on a monthly basis to come to my place and learn new techniques.  It is like a "faux workshop" in a way because each month the people in the club contribute $25 in monthly sales and one of them gets to be the "hostess" and receive the rewards from the catalogue.

Over the course of the months, these people get to know each fairly well and the atmosphere can become quite comical.  There are a lot of laughs and as everyone becomes more and more comfortable with one another, there is a lot of sharing.  We were laughing at the start of lastnight's class as three of the people there had brought their latest projects to "share" with the group.  It was almost like a room of school children waiting with their hands up to show what they had done!  I am much like the proud teacher who loves to show off my students' work.  I encouraged my club members to photograph some of these wonderful cards that they are making so that I can share them with you.

Today I received my first email entitled, "Pictures for the teacher".  This card was done by the florist that I mentioned to you in an earlier post.  Everything that Kristin does is simple and elegant.  I love her colour combinations.  I guess that is a must for someone who designs floral arrangements for a living:)  Check out her website Posy for more inspiration!

New clubs will be starting soon, so let me know if this is something that interests you and I'll get your name on the list!

On a Roll

After completing Lucas' page the other night I came across this photo.  This was Joe and I tubing in the Okanagan in the summer.  There was nothing he loved more than being out on the water with either Sean or I.  Joe would sing at the top of his lungs the whole time we were on the tube and getting him off the tube was a nightmare.  I think the longest tube ride this summer was almost an hour!  (is anyone else thinking about the gas bill on that boat ride?)  This page was cased almost exactly out of the Spring/ Summer catalogue from last year.  The bast part was that I used a stamp set that I had never pulled out before, Life's a Breeze, and I loved it!  I am seeing many more pages done with it this summer!  I had so much fun with my colour spritzer making it look like there was sand on the tag and on the letters that I made using my Go-Go Boots Sizzix dies.  The colour combo of Mellow Moss, Bordering Blue and Chocolate Chip was also a real inspiration for me.  Do you ever find colour combos that just work for you?

Back to Where it All Started

When I first got into papercrafting, I only scrapbooked.  As time went on I was introduced to cardmaking and it seems that my scrapbooks took a backseat.  I sat down the other night to prepare some samples for my Open House and the ideas just seemed to flow.  You see, my son, Lucas, has the most amazing facial expressions.  Sean and I sat laughing as we looked through these pictures the other night.  I've always noticed his expressions, but the funniest part was looking at the time stamps on these photos.  They were all taken with 2 minutes of one another.  I couldn't help but pull out my new Game Night Stamp set and coordinating DSP to make these pages.  They were quick and easy, but I was so thrilled with the outcome... and I made a dent in my photo box no matter how small it was!

Sale-a-bration and Workshops are here!

Okay, I know I said that I was not the demonstrator who was getting in this to do workshops, but I feel that you may come after me and hunt me down if I don't share this with you!  Starting February 1 and going through to March 31st is Stampin' Up's annual Sale-a-Bration!  I will admit that this was the time last year that I was introduced to Stampin' Up and it was crazy!

This is much like the fabulous Mini Occasions flyers that we get twice a year, the only difference being that everything in this flyer is free!  Yes, you heard me right!  This whole campaign is based around a gift with purchase!  For every $60 you order in SU products from the new catalogue, you will be able to receive an item from this flyer for free!  Any hostesses of workshops benefit even more!  With every workshop of $350 the hostess will receive an additional item from the brochure for free!  (this increase to 2 free sets if the workshop totals $700 and so on!) This doesn't include any free items that she would receive for her own purchases!

I have decided to break down my workshop barrier and go with it for the months of February and March, and possibly forever:)  I will even go as far as to hostess your workshop in my house (all you have to is bring the snacks and refreshments, and I'll supply the space and the cleaning!)

To thank you for entering this new phase of my business with me I will offer the first three hostess to sign up and hold their workshops in February and March "double their hostess dollars".  Meaning if you host a workshop that totals $350, not only will you get the free sale-a-bration set, you will also receive a free Level I hostess stamp set, and not just the $30 in free merchandise that goes with it, but $30 additional dollars in free merchandise!

Feel free to browse the Sale-a-bration flyer and pick out your favourites now!

My Retired Stamps/ Accessories for Sale

If you scroll down, on the left hand side of the blog, you'll notice that I've now added retired stamp sets that I have for sale as well as some old Sizzix Dies and CB Folders.  Email or call me if there is something you would like!  I will be adding a few DSP's and punches over the next couple of days as I get a chance to go through my stuff:)

My Kind of Flowers!

Okay, no laughing, but I can't keep flowers alive to save my life.  My mother-in-law eventually gave up on me and started buying me fake flowers for my house.  I now have the benefit of a sister-in-law who has a natural knack for flowers and a customer who owns her own floral shop called Posy.  I am definitely getting better at flower care, but this was one bouquet that I couldn't resist.  This idea was on Splitcoast, so I thought that I would give it a whirl.  

My flowers are made using York Peppermint Patties and Hershey's Nuggets.  I wrapped the Nuggets in DSP and the put scallop circles stamped with the Love You Much stamp set on either side.  I decorated my tin with Decor Elements and then added some of the wide grosgrain.  I took some scraps of DSP and ran them through my paper crimper so that I could cover up the floral foam that I stuck the skewers into.  (Try keeping this away from a 3 & 4 year old for two days prior my Open House:)

I Had SOOOOOOOOOOOOO Much Fun!

Well, yesterday was my Open House, and I hope that you had as much fun as I did.  It was so  great to see customers that I don't get to see often, those of you who I see regularly, and meet some fabulous new people.  

Before my Open House started I ran around and took some quick pictures and then put my camera in the kitchen where I was sure to notice it and take some photos.  At 4:45pm, forty-five minutes after my Open House ended, I noticed that my camera was still sitting in the exact same spot on the counter!  I think that next time I will hire my four year old as my camera man... at least that way I'll get something:)  Anyway, here's some photos of everything all set up before everyone arrived.

Big Announcement on Monday!

I'm not going to give you any more information, no matter how hard you try, other than I will be realeasing some very exciting news on Monday morning a 6am!

Something's Missing

One of the first things that my upline, Kari Metzger, and myself noticed when we received the catalogues at Leadership Conference was that the supply list was missing from the back of the catalogue.  This was the section that you could go to see exactly which supplies were used to make the samples on each page of the catalogue.  I  assume that leaving this out of the catalogue is likely due to available space as the Big Shot and all of the amazing accessories have been added to the catalogue.  Fortunately this does mean that we have to go without. Stampin' Up has provided us with this feature; it is just available on line this time!  Personally I think that it is in an even better format than previous catalogues as there is a picture besides each description allowing you to find samples more easily.  The link is available on the Stampin' Up customer website, here  or you can access it on the side of my blog after this post.  Happy Browsing!

Can You Believe It?

I was just uploading pictures from my camera so that I could work on a scrapbook page and up popped this photo.  This was taken on Boxing Day.  The best part is that this was before the snow even got bad!  If you look closely at the tree to the right of the gate you'll notice that the snow comes up to about the midway of the trunk.  When the snow was at its worst this year we could no longer see the trunk of the tree.  

Some of you may be looking at this photo and saying "so what, it's a little snow", well let me explain.  In North Vancouver, where we live, we probably get snow on about three occasions over the course of a year.  Each time it snows, it's probably around for about 24 hours and then the rain washes it away completely.  It is now January 22nd and we have yet to see it go.  It started on about December 17th and I have yet to see my lawn.  The worst part is that people here have no "snow etiquette".  Most people don't even know that it is their responsibility to shovel the sidewalk in front of their house, and most side streets are now one lane as the cars are still parking in the middle of the road because of the snow banks on the side.  Our forecast is calling for snow this weekend!  Don't laugh, but I just don't want it to mess with my Open House, you don't mess with a woman and her stamps! 

Something New!

Isn't this stunning?  This was another sample from the board at Leadership!  When you come to my Open House and get your catalogue, you'll notice that the last page of the catalogue has something new... single stamps!  There are 8 stamps that you can choose from ranging in price from $6.95- $9.50.  They are all adorable and perfect for that person who is just getting into stamping and isn't sure where to start.  This particular stamp is called "Flowers in Silhouette" and is $9.50.  Just because I'm so excited about my Open House right now, I've decided that the first person to place an order of $100 or more at my Open will get not only the 10% shipping discount, but this stamp for free!

Manhattan Flowers!

This was one of the gorgeous samples that I photographed off of the SU samples board at Leadership!  I've already ordered this set and I'm now counting down the days to its' arrival!  I absolutely love the simplicity of it and the paper piercing adds so much to what could otherwise be described as a plain card.  

I'm Finally Allowed to Share!

Until the new catalogue released yesterday, SU demos were not supposed to leak any of the new products from the catalogue.  This was very difficult considering how many amazing things I photographed while at Leadership Conference.  This photograph I actually took of the projection screen as someone was doing a demonstration on the Main Stage.  It shows the fabulous new Sizzix Box that can be made more easily that you would ever imagine. ( I just need a girlfriend to get married now so I can do the favour boxes:) Not only does it show the new box, but the texturing on the box has been done with the new folder that is being released in February!  Some of you may be wondering about the frame around the wide oval punch, well, this is also a new SU exclusive sizzlits set called Lots of Tags which has been made to frame many of our existing punches.

I'm going to post some of these amazing samples over the next few days as I don't want to give away all of the things that I have been working on for my Open House.  Tonight was spent getting my door prizes wrapped up and pulling all of my retired stamps from my shelves to put on my Garage Sale table.  

Don't Miss Out!

We are  nearing the end of this amazing  promotion... the Love You Much Bundle is only available until January 31st and then the only way to purchase these items will be individually!  The stamp set is adorable and will be the focus of my Love You Much Appreciation Class on February 8th from 7-9pm.  Anyone who purchases the bundle may attend the class for free.  We will make 3 different Valentine's Cards as well as a small 3-D project!  I will admit that I wasn't all that keen on the DSP as I wasn't really all that sure about the giant birds, but they are adorable and if you still don't like them then the other side of the DSP is stunning!  This stamp set works with a number of the SU punches as well as the new Heart to Heart Punch!  Think about it this way, if you think you may purchase the punch and stamp set at some point, then you may as well order them now and get the DSP for free, as well as a free class using your new items!  You can order this bundle one of two ways, either through me or via my online ordering!  (if you order at my Open House, you'll even save the shipping if your order is $100 or more:)  For those of you wanting to attend the class, let me know ASAP as I will give the first spots to people who have purchased the bundle and then down the list in the order people RSVP'd.  The cost is $8 if you choose to attend without purchasing the bundle.

The Big Day has Finally Arrived!

I can't believe that it's here!  No laughing when I say this, but life actually got in the way of my Stampin' Up today:)  All that I could do was look at the clock thinking that other people were already online ordering, and I knew that it would be at least 1pm before I could sit down and place my order (my HUGE order).

I can't wait to see your reaction to all the amazing new things in this catalogue when you come to my Open House!  Five days and counting!  By the way, for those of you who received my newsletter this morning reminding you of my Open House, please realize that I am completely lacking in brains lately and I put the date as Sunday January 24th.  It is actually Saturday January 24 from 1-4pm (12:30pm for club members and hostesses) as I had previously mentioned.

Remember, I'll have some fabulous door prizes, demonstrations, samples for my upcoming classes, and more importantly fellow stamp lovers for you to meet!  All orders of $25+ will receive a free catalogue, and to sweeten the deal, all orders over $100 will have the cost of their shipping removed from their total!  Don't forget to RSVP so that you can do a make-n-take!

Definition of a Die Hard!

I thought that I should share with you the lengths that some people will go to to get their Stampin' Up fix!  I'm giggling as I write this as I know this would be me if I didn't already have access to it all at home as well as the excuse to have you all come to me:)

Those of you who have been following my blog since the summer would remember Dee.  We met over the phone while we were both in the Okanagan in the summer.  Although Dee lives in Alberta, she convinced her amazing husband to make the trek down to North Vancouver from the Okanagan to attend my first Open House.  Terrifying as holding my first Open House was, Dee's sweet and adorable personality instantly put me at ease and I actually found myself having more fun than I ever imagined that afternoon.

Well, here we are five months later, and I got the best news!  Dee is making the trek again!  This time she is coming from her home in Alberta which is about an hour away from Red Deer!  If that isn't a die hard, I don't know what is!  I am so excited to see her again.  No pressure on Dee, but I can't wait to introduce you to her at my Open House.  She is a scrapbook queen and I can't wait to have the opportunity in the summer to get together with her and learn!

Last Chance on Some Amazing SU Items!

Well ladies, this is it!  As of this time tomorrow I will have placed my last order from the Fall/ Winter 2008 Catalogue!  This is the updated Accessory List.  All items in red are already sold it!  Make sure to call or email me with your orders by 8pm tomorrow night! 

Product Description / Availability
111377 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS ROOF GARDEN

112012 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS SEASON TO SHARE

112088 ACCENTS & ELEMENTS TRUE ELEGANCE

102782 ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 12X12 Not Available

104188ALBUM LEATHER BLACK 6X6

105384 ALBUM LINEN POST MELLOW MOSS 6X6*

104516 ALBUM LINEN POST NAVY 6X6

105381 ALBUM LINEN POST REAL RED 6X6* Not Available

103977 BUTTONS BOLD BRIGHTS*

103978 BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS

103981 BUTTONS EARTH ELEMENTS & NEUTRALS

105446 BUTTONS RICH REGALS

105445 BUTTONS SOFT SUBTLES

103604 DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 12X12

102174 DAYS-TO-REMEMBER CALENDAR 8 1/2X11

112465 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER BANBURY Not Available

112462 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GEORGIA PEACH

112463 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GHOSTLY GREETINGS

112040 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER GREEN TEA

112470 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAIKU

112460 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HAWAII PAPAYA

112469 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER HOLIDAY TREASURES

112458 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER JUNIOR VARSITY

112459 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MAINE BLUEBERRY

112466 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER MUIRFIELD

112149 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PARISIAN SUMMER

112467 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER PRESTWICK

111355 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER SUMMER PICNIC

112039 DESIGNER SERIES PAPER WINDSOR KNOT

106523 ENVELOPE TEMPLATE FIVE-IN-ONE CARD COVER

104104 ENVELOPE TEMPLATE MINI

107298 ENVELOPES CONFETTI WHITE MEDIUM

110695 ENVELOPES OPEN END KRAFT SMALL

109115 ENVELOPES OPEN END VERY VANILLA SMALL

103372 METAL EDGE TAGS ALUMINUM WHITE SQUARE

107925 ON BOARD BITTY BOOK*

109190 ON BOARD CLIPBOARD 9X9*

109180 ON BOARD SIMON UPPER

112086 ON BOARD SOMETHING SEASONAL

107923 PAGE PROTECTORS RING 3.25 X 3.25

104942 PUNCH 1/4 INCH CIRCLE Not Available

104943 PUNCH 1/4 INCH SQUARE

107273 PUNCH 3/4 INCH SQUARE

104389 PUNCH DOUBLE CIRCLE*

100391 PUNCH HANDHELD 1/8 INCH CIRCLE Not Available

104830 RIBBON GINGHAM CARAMEL

104829 RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT BLUE

104828 RIBBON GINGHAM LIGHT PINK

104831 RIBBON GINGHAM MOSS

109037RIBBON GROSGRAIN MORE MUSTARD 1/4 INCH

110282 RUB ON ANCHORED

111806 RUB ON CHILLS & THRILLS

111805 RUB ON SCHOOL DAYS

111417 RUB ON WORD FLURRIES

110283 RUB ONS TAKE NOTE

112193 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN I WISH

112186 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN PINA COLADA

112068 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN SUMMER HOME Not Available

112043 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN U R SWEET

112061 SIMPLY SCRAPPIN WINTER RETREAT Not Available

112016 SIMPLY SENT CARD ELEMENTS HANDMADE HOLIDAY

109868 SIMPLY SENT CARD KIT LIFELONG NOTES

103647 STAMPIN STORE MINI

105813 WRITE ME A MEMORY FONT CD VOL II


Retiring Wheels

107212 MATEYS MAP

106749 BRIGHT BULBS

109672 BRONCO Not Available

104100 MAKING TRACKS

108978 SANDY SHELLS

110332 SNOW

101233 SNOWFLAKE

109694 SWEET STARS

111249 TAKE A NUMBER

Valentine's Banner Class

Well, here it is!  See how conveniently it folds up for storage until next year!  I love this ribbon even more now that I see it in the photo!  The Vanilla Hodgepodge Hardware is the perfect addition to this DSP.  I hope that you like the finished product as much as I do!

February 1st 

7-10pm

$18

*Limited to 6 Spaces, RSVP Early to avoid disappointment!

only four spaces left now

Valentine's Banner Class is Here!

This was the project that made me feel like I was back in the land of the living today! I've been thinking about it for a week now, but I was completely unsure of how to start. This is much like the Holiday banner that I cased from Patty Bennett's blog at Christmas. This is double the size though! It still packages up perfectly for storage as the other banner did! Sorry about the photos, but I was really trying to figure out how best to photograph it! This was made using the new DSP Candy Lane! I love everything about it, even those funny little birds that I never thought would grow on me. I was so excited at the prospect of using the gorgeous Very Vanilla and Riding Hood Red striped Grosgrain ribbon that is still available for another three days in the Mini Occasions Catalogue! I think that this is my all time favourite ribbon! This banner has so much dimension to it; all of the larger hearts that are covered in DSP are actually chipboard. I'll put the class details in my next post with the picture of the banner in its convenient storage state! Don't forget to RSVP quickly, I have limited this class to six spaces.

Don't Miss My Open House!

New Catalog Open House/ Retirement Sale

Saturday January 24th

1-4pm*

*12:30 admission for club members or hostesses with workshops booked for January/February/ March

Come and join me for an afternoon of oohs, aahs, and squeals as you browse the new catalogue and see some of the fabulous new things that I'll be bringing back from Leadership Conference! You will also be able to purchase any of my retired stamp sets, papers and accessories at a great price!

Any orders from the new catalogue of $25 or more will receive a catalogue for free, club members and hostesses receive theirs free!

There will be snacks, door prizes, demonstrations, and new products for you to see!

Please RSVP if you would like to have a make-n-take ready for you!

Bring a friend who is new to me and get an extra door prize ticket for each of you!

This was my room thirty minutes later! Ahhhhh. There is nothing better than sitting down in a clean room to create. The best part was that I got to do that with my sister-in-law tonight. We were making birthday invitations for my nephew's second birthday! I couldn't believe it as it felt like just yesterday that we were making the invites for his first birthday!

The Storm before the Calm

I know, that's not the way the saying is supposed to go, but I thought it was better suited towards the state of my room today when I finished working on my latest project. My room is already cluttered as I have been working to get ready for my open house on the 24th of January, but this is an extreme for me! I dont deal well with mess; it actually makes me anxious (kinda funny coming from someone with a 3 & 4 year old who teaches a room full of 29 thirteen year olds!) The funniest part is that when my room looked like this today an amazing sense of calm came over me. I've had a real block since I came home from Leadership. It was like all of the amazing ideas had totally overwhelmed my brain and nothing came out the way that I wanted it to. Today was different. I love the way my project turned out and I can't wait to share it with you tomorrow! I'll show you what my room looked like 30 minutes after this!

The Suspense is Killing Me!

Stampin' Up has asked us not to share photos of items from the new catalogue that have not yet been introduced to the public.  I have so many wonderful photos of swaps from Leadership as well as the amazing samples that we were shown, never mind the new stuff I've been working on since arriving home from Florida.  Let's just say that the dam will burst on the 19th.  I will schedule items to regularly post starting on the 19th.  Tonight I'll just include some more of the beautiful swaps for you to see that only use current SU stamps sets!  Each one of these samples made me want to buy the stamp set!  Fortunately that will only require one more purchase!  (can you hear my Visa screaming in protest???)  

Twilight!

Okay, I have a little confession to make. You know how I said that I was only able to prepare 60 swaps to take with me to Leadership Conference, well there may have been a reason for that!  You see, my husband bought me the Twilight book series for Christmas and I was hooked. I read the first boon on the 26th and 27th of December and then on the 29th and 30th I read the second.  I decided that I would give it a little rest for a few days so that I at least had one left for the way to Florida and another for the way home(9 hour plane ride).  I read book three on the way there and then made myself suffer for the three days that I was there with no reading so that I would have the final book for the plane ride home.  I didn't actually manage to finish the fourth book on the ride home as I slept for two hours ( we had to be up at 1am Vancouver time to catch our flight from Florida!).

Anyway, one of the classes that I attended while at the Leadership Conference was put on by a demonstrator named Glenda Travelstead.  She was absolutely hysterical and taught me more than I could have ever imagined!  Anyway, she was talking about how she had procrastinated getting her presentation ready as she was busy with her Twilight obsession!  She confessed that she had been to see the movie "a few, times eight, plus two" times!  Yes, for those of you with quick math skills that is 26 times!  

This photo is one that we managed to take of 12 of the many demos that went to go and see the movie on the final night that we were in Florida!  I am in the front row, third from the right.  Glenda is right smack in the middle with the black jacket and pants and red shirt!  Yes, she did come and see it for the 27th time!  It was fabulous and such a great way to end an amazing trip!  (can you tell by all of the exclamation points I've been putting in my posts that I am more than a little excited about it all????)

Home...Ahhhhhhh

Why is it that no matter how great the trip, it feels so amazing to be in your own house with your own family again?  I was so excited to see all 5 of my boys (one hubby, 2 sons, 2 dogs:) that I could barely stand it today.  I must admit that I even feel at home coming back to the snow/ slush/ rain!

Conference was amazing, and now it's time to give you some of the dirt!  The biggest announcement made by Shelli while we were at the Conference was the Stampin' Up would be entering the world of digital scrapbooking later this year.  I will admit that my first reaction was not one of excitement.  I haven't ever seen myself going that way, but after witnessing a sampling of the program and its capabilites, I'm sold!  (I think that I actually heard my visa crying again at this point:)  I will definitely be one of the first to purchase this as I all of a sudden saw a way to make the giant box of "items to be scrapbooked" disappear into some pretty amazing albums.  I also saw that this could be done using hybrid scrapbooking which is a combination of our traditional scrapbooking mixed with the digital!  I absolutely love it!   Make sure to come to my Open House so that I can show you pictures of the samples that were demonstrated for us!

HOLY COW!

Not only did Stampin' Up announce their retired Accessory List today, they've also added a sale!  This is the Inventory Blowout Sale!  There are a few old retired items from the last catalogue, some items that will be retiring from the current catalogue and even some items that are not on the list to retire!  There are some great deals to be had here!  Email or call me ASAP with your orders as I will place them as they come in to avoid disappointment! Remember, there are limited quantities of all of these items!

More Gorgeous Swaps!

Here's another three of the swaps that I received.  The bee card is from Ann Driscoll, the women above Kari.  The rooster card was created by Paula Fats Cannon from Kansas City.  The final Thank You card didn't have a name on the back so I can't give anyone credit for it, but I loved the simplicity of it!

Bag, Bags, Everywhere!

As you walk the streets near the convention center right now it appears that you are in a sea of the same bags.  These were the tote bags that were handed out to us on Wednesday when we arrived with all of the little goodies in them.  The have these little pockets at the bottom on both sides of the bags to display your swaps in.  You would be in complete awe of the number of swaps that some women have prepared.  I thought that I had done well with my sixty swap cards, but there are women here with well in excess of 200 cards!