Blog Candy Winner -

Before I announce the winner of a free pass to Designer Holiday 09 UStamp I'd just like to thank everyone for your kind words of encouragement!  You made my week, let me tell you.  Secondly I'd like to apologize for not drawing on the 29th as noted in my post. I've been having difficulties accessing the internet since I added Norton Utilities on the past weekend.  Looks like all my cookies etc. got deep sixed. My evenings have been spent restoring stuff, instead of stamping and creating............ what a frustration!!!  Anyway it's fixed now!

What grand suggestions all of you made.............everything from christmas cards to purses and boxes!  Although I'm not going to spoil the surprise by telling you what I'm making, I'm sure you're going to be happy!  One of my greatest joys in participating in the UStamp with Dawn and Friends sessions has been checking in each day to see what the newest project  would be and I was never disappointed!

Now for our winner........................drum roll please.  Our lucky winner was picked through a Random Integer selector and it is............................ "contacttrina  who said... "Congratulations, Penny! Can't wait to see your creations. I love A2 card holders, boxes and purses. September 29, 2009 9:14 PM

So Trina please send me your full name and contact information to my email at:  pennyhanuszak@telus.net and we'll get you set up for the Holiday UStamp beginning October 16th.   I hope you're excited because I sure am!

For those of you who were kind enough to comment but didn't win, don't give up,  check back because I'm going to have another give away in a week or so!  If you're interested in registering for the UStamp with Dawn & Friends!! Holiday 09  Click Here for full details and registration information.

New On Line Store Feature - The Clearance Rack

Have you heard the news yet about Stampin Up's latest "On Line Shopping" Feature?  Well if not here's the news!  In order to clear out their inventory of surplus items that have been retired, Stampin Up has launched the "Clearance Rack".  This is not a promotion - there is no set end date.  Just like any Clearance rack these items will only be available as long as supplies last and all sales will be "final" - no returns or exchanges unless a product is defective.  You'll need to check back regularly to see what's new and available because these unadvertised specials will constantly be changing.


To access and take advantage of this great new feature simply click here or click my side bar ON LINE shopping widget.  This will take you into my demonstrators website (DBWS).  Once you're there, simply click on the "SHOP NOW" bar under my demonstrator information in the top right hand corner of the screen, then look for "Clearance Rack" on the left-hand side bar of the online store.

Swaps From New Zealand

In an earlier post I mentioned that I was super excited and felt very lucky to have Holly Griffiths from New Zealand as my swap sister in the Fall UStamp with Dawn and Friends event.  Late last week Holly's swaps arrived and let me tell you I was not disappointed.  Take a look at these pictures of her amazing swaps!!!

Not only did Holly send me a great little gift card and matching purse, but it was filled with chocolate bars. Now how cool is that!  She also sent some post cards from the area she lives and a beautiful little note pad.  Holly included another notepad in Baja Blue which is just gorgeous. 

Thanks so much Holly!  I loved these swaps.  If you'd like to check out what I sent to Holly visit her fabulous blog called Holly's Stampin Ground by clicking here.

Are You Ready For My Exciting News?

UStamp with Dawn and Friends is having a very special Holiday UStamp which will run from October 16th to November 13th, 2009. 

And guess what?  I'm so excited to let you know I've been asked by Dawn to be a Guest Designer for her Holiday UStamp.  Now if you've been following my blog you  know just how much fun I've had in both the Summer and Fall UStamp with Dawn and Friends sessions.  Just having the opportunity to see and try out all the projects made by Dawn and her amazing dream team and crew girls has been so exciting for me.  So, to be invited to join in as a guest designer with this fantastic group is just the utmost thrill for me!

To celebrate this great news I have a treat for you too.   I will be giving away a free pass to participate in UStamp Holidays,  on September 29th.  All you have to do is visit my blog between now and then and leave me a comment about what types of projects you love to make for the holiday season. You could be the winner!

Christmas is Coming and That's Not All...............

This note is just a little teaser of things to come.  I want to know if you love the Christmas season like I do?  Is this the time when you anticipate all the great cards and gifts you're going to make for your friends, family and co-workers? Want a little help, want great ideas?  If so I have some really exciting news of an upcoming event that I've had the privilege to be asked to participate in and I want to share my excitement with you!  Stay tuned because I'm going to share that news with you and I'm also going to be giving away some blog candy!!!  You don't want to miss out on this news so come back in a few days and I'll give you some details.

Check Out This Invitation Holder

Linda Hansen one of the US Crew Girls from UStamp with Dawn and Friends Fall 09 program created a beautiful invitation holder as one of  her designs in this round.  Isn't this gorgeous?  Linda made the base from Rich Razzleberry card stock and incorporated an invitation which she created on her computer.  The monogram letter is from the Lovely Letters Alphabet set (115030 pg 152 IB&C).   And don't forget the ribbon...... of course its SU's dotted ribbon in Rich Razzleberry.

I loved Linda's design and decided to make one but with a few changes of my own.  I wanted to achieve a rich classic look, so I used Basic Gray Cardstock and matching Basic Gray Taffeta ribbon for my accent.  I texturized the front fold-over piece of cardstock using the Big Shot FlourishTexturz Plates (# 114512 Stampin Up Backgrounds #1 pg. 195 IB&C).  To enhance the look of the embossing I brushed on some silver ink rub that I had in my stash.  This is where it would have been great to have the new Platinum Shimmer Paint ( #116807 pg 27) from the Holiday Mini Catalogue.  Believe me with Christmas coming the PSP is on my wish list!

I improvised with the monogram as I didn't have the alphabet set Linda used ( it's on my wish list too).  Since I fell in love with the card sample on page 139 of the IB&C I purchased the Three Little Words stamp set.  I knew this would work perfectly for my monogram letter, with a little improvising.  I simply inked up the "T" from the first letter of the "Three little words for you" stamp with Basic Gray Ink  and then used a baby wipe to take off any excess ink before stamping the letter.  It seemed to work pretty well, as you can see from this close up. 

My computer was off when I was making this at 2:00 in the morning and I didn't feel like turning it on to make an invitation insert, so instead I used some old stationary with a mottled grey background to stamp the sentiment and flower.  The sentiment is one of my favourite quotes, from the Dreams Du Jour stamp set (#111624 Pg 99 IB&C), and the flower is from the Friends 24-7 stamp set (#113218 pg 100 IB&C).   I added some Dazzling Diamonds to both the monogram and the flower to finish it off. 

Well, what do you think?  Do you like it?  Did I achieve the rich classic look?  Let me know, I always appreciate hearing from you.

Enjoy!

What’s Up You Might Ask?

You might be wondering “where’s Penny, and why isn’t she posting? What has she been doing this month? Well, let me tell you September has been a really fun month for me, and I’ve been doing the things I love.

To begin with I’m participating in Ustamp with Dawn Fall 2009 and what a blast it’s been. I was amazed at how much fun the summer Ustamp was, but I’m absolutely bowled over by the beautiful projects and the numbers of women participating from around the globe in this fall session. I can’t wait to get on my computer every day and check out who’s there and what the latest projects are and then get to my studio to do the “creating” part. So stay tuned as I start to post more of my projects.

I was delighted to find out I was paired with Holly Griffith from New Plymouth, New Zealand as “swap sisters”. Wow what fun I had making my projects to send to Holly. I managed to get everything done and mailed two days before deadline. Woo Hoo! I can’t show you my whole project yet because it’s a secret until we post our swaps on September 28th on Ustamp with Dawn and Friends but here’s a sneak peak…………….. Is this exciting or what!

Also this week my door bell rang twice, sending the dogs (yes dogs………… I’m babysitting dogs this month for good friends) into a frenzy. I was in a frenzy too because my latest shipment of goodies from the Holiday Mini Catalogue had arrived by UPS.

These goodies include the new My Digital Studio.  Over the coming weeks I hope to share a number of projects that I have created using the MDS so stay tuned! Here are some details you need to know about My Digital Studio.

Beginning October 1, 2009 - Go digital with Stampin' Up's "My Digital Studio"

• Perfect for beginner or intermediate digital scrapbookers or cardmakers. There are also enough creative options that advanced users will have everything they need

• Creates cards, pages, calendars, books, and albums - plus interactive digital scrapbooks that you can burn to DVD.

• Runs on PC and Mac (PowerPC and Intel) platforms

• Three ways to design: Build from scratch; generic card, calendar, and scrapbook templates and pre-designed scrapbook templates (just drop in your photos)

• Three product line elements: My Digital Studio software, printing services, and downloadable brushes and papers through the online store - Digital Downloads

• My Digital Studio comes on a DVD with a selection of brushes, not all of which are available as Digital Downloads

• Digital Downloads can be used with My Digital Studio or with another application, such as Photoshop Elements

• Digital Downloads will be available in the online store

• Printed versions of your digital creations can be ordered through My Digital Studio printing services

Stampin' Up Workshops

A Stampin' Up! workshop is a creative event you host at your home, or in my home. You can even hold a virtual workshop on line (ask me for details). It's an event where you invite your friends to enjoy an exciting demonstration provided by a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. When you host a workshop, you'll see new project ideas, learn different techniques, make a project, and have fun with people you enjoy.

As a hostess, you'll work with me to choose a date for a workshop, then invite your friends and family into your home or mine, to stamp and have fun with you. Your Stampin' Up! workshop can be as simple or elaborate as you want it to be. It can be a class where you make specific projects, or a training event where you learn new techniques. No matter what you have in mind, I will help you make it the perfect event for you and your friends!

Three Great Reasons to Host a Workshop

1. "FREE STUFF! When you host a workshop, you can earn FREE stamp sets, ink, paper, accessories, and more! Check out our Hostess Benefits table to see all you can get.
2. SEE HOSTESS BENEFITS EXCLUSIVE PRODUCTS FOR HOSTESSES! Hostesses have the opportunity to earn exclusive hostess-only products that cannot be purchased from the catalog.FUN, FUN, FUN! Hosting a workshop means getting together with your friends, having a great time, and discovering (or rediscovering) a way to express your creativity.
3. CONTACT ME TO HOST A WORKSHOP"

Refrigerator Magnet Note Books

Everyone loves notebooks and when they can be mounted on the refrigerator they are even better!

Here are two cute examples I designed following Mirabella De Rossi, from UStamp with Dawn, demonstrated a her beautiful little refrigerator notebook, during our recent session of UStamp with Dawn and Friends.

Mirabella loves butterflies, so when I designed my femine version of her notebook, I added some little butterflies from the Dreams Du Jour stamp set (page 99 of IB&C).

For the femine version the card stock base is Melon Mambo and Old Olive and the retired DSP Raspberry Tart were used as accents. I cut the "notes" letters from Old Olive cs using my Medium Sizzlit Die called Go-Go boots (page 197 of IB&C). A small notebook from the dollar store was covered in the same materials and mounted to the inside. A magnet was used on the back to mount to the refrigerator.

I used the Friends 24-7 stamp set (page 100 of the IB&C) set for my masculine version and Soft Suede card stock for the base. DSP used for the front cover trim and the booklet is from the retired Outlaw designer paper series.

To give this one some added interest I stamped the bird three times, twice on Vanilla cs and once on the base cs. I hand cut the two Very Vanilla birds and then mounted a full cut out on top of the base stamp and then a portion of the head, beak and wing to the Very Vanilla stamped piece using dimensionals. I glazed up the legs, beak and bird's eye with Crystal Effects. Before mounting each layer on dimensionals, I used a tip from a fellow stamper and using the new soft suede marker, I coloured around the each portion of the dimensional that could be seen if the bird is turned sideways. By colouring the dimensionals the same as the main image, the little foam pieces simply disappear. Neat trick eh?


I sponged the background of the soft suede with soft suede ink and used the medallion stamp for the piece of card stock withthe gold brads. I think this gave the card a very masculine feel.

The scallop punch was used on the Outlaw DSP to give the front of the notebook some additional dimension.

Goodie Boxes

How's this for a treat holder? This week on UStamp with Dawn and Friends Tracey Old the very talented Crew Team member from New Zealand shared her "Coffee Treat" gift box. What a winner? This quick to make nifty little box would make a great house warming gift during the upcoming Holiday season. To that end, I have designed my box to hold chocolate nuggets covered in last year's Holiday Treasures DSP and candy canes............ where's the hot chocolate?

The box base is made from Old Olive cs and the belly band again from the Holiday Treasures DSP. I used the "Just For You" sentiment from the Oval All stamp set and mounted it on Old Olive and Red Riding Hood cs punched out with the large oval punch. The same cs was used with the Trio Flower punch to add additional interest to the belly band and each of the chocolates. and finally SU's gold brad's were used for the flower centers to give a bit of added colour. All in all, this was a very quick and inexpensive gift to make, and I'm sure it will be a hostess pleaser.

Simply Scrappin Kits - Have You Tried Them?

How many of you have ever looked at the Simply Scrappin Kits shown in the Stampin' Up Idea Book and Catalogue, and passed them by because you thought "they're just for scrapbooking". I know when I first started with Stampin Up that's what I did, because I make cards, boxes and treat bags and do fewer scrapbook projects. Well, no more. During the last UStamp with Dawn session, I discovered just how versatile these beautiful kits are. This beautiful Criss Cross box and card set are a great example of what you can make in under two hours with just half of one of these kits. Now that's value! This kit called Sunshine Garden is now retired, but you can see other projects I've made with this same kit in older posts.

Each kit comes with 3 sheets of double sided 12 x 12 Designer Paper. You also get 2 each of four different coordinated pieces of 12 x 12 textured cardstock - that's 8 sheets of cardstock. And finally, 2 each of three 6 x 12 sheets of matching self-adhesive die cuts. All the bells and whistles with these ones.

All this for just $26.95. So what are you waiting for check out the kits featured on pages 164 to 167 of the 2009 -2010 Idea Book and Catalogue. You can use my on line ordering button to shop now, or click here. You'll be creating in no time.


If you're looking for the perfect sentiment stamp set to use with these types of cards, check out "Sincere Salutations" on page 143 of the IB&C. For just $4.00 a stamp (there are 8 in the set) you get a sentiment that is perfect for every occasion.

Sincere Salutations
115068 Price: $31.95
Use these simple stamps to celebrate and sympathize with those you love. Sometimes the short messages say so much.
Set Quantity: 8

Elegant Black and White

Last week I received this belated "Happy Retirement" card from a very good friend of mine. A simple design made by punching black and white circles with SU's 3/4" and 1" circle stamps. Random small flower images from the Greenhouse Garden set(113824) were stamped in black ink on 3/4" white circles. The Trio Flower Punch (109183) was used to stamp small flower images from black and white DSP and black brads were used for the centers. The medium sized floral stamp from the Fifth Avenue Floral set (113734) was stamped and embossed on Whisper White Card stock and the center was highlighted with dazzling diamonds. Although this card uses a retirement sentiment, it could easily be changed to honor a birthday or anniversary. I wish the picture could do this card justice, as it is truly well put together and very classy. Thanks my friend for the card and your well wishes!

Holiday Mini Catalogue

The Holiday Mini Catalogue begins today and is available until January 4, 2010. There are so many exciting new stamp sets and accessories to look at, you'll be amazed.

If you would like to have a catalogue of your own please contact me by email: pennyhanuszak@telus.net, and I would be happy to get one out to you, or discuss any product questions you may have.