Color Challenge # 3 - UStamp with Dawn and Friends - Early Summer Edition 2010

Today I decided to work on the 3rd UStamp Color Challenge for the Early Summer Event by making another vintage card using two of my favourite new Stampin' Up! products.  The first product which I love is the Square Lattice Embossing Folder #119976 on page 214 of the 2010/11 Idea Book and Catalogue.  I can't seem to get enough of using this folder.  I'm enjoying the strong textured image and I find it perfect for layering.  My second product choice is the Elements of Style Stamp Set # 118611[W] or 120045 [C] featured on page 133 of the catalogue.  I am so happy with my clear mount version of this set.  I plan to use it a lot over the coming months and have lots of ideas swirling around in my head, so be prepared to see it a lot in my sample cards. 

This color challenge featured Bravo Burgundy, Night of Navy and Always Artichoke.  Even though I love all of these colours I thought they were too dark to work on their own, so after looking at the challenge card again I was inspired to add Crumb Cake as a neutral.  I've stamped the large flower image on the front of the card in Night of Navy and added a 1/4" gross grain ribbon in Bravo Burgundy for some contrast. 

Hope you enjoy this sample.  If you'd like more information about this session of UStamp With Dawn and Friends click here.  It's never too late to join in any of the sessions and there are so many lovely things you can make and great challenges you can enter.  Hope to see you on the boards!

Although a terrible picture, this is the inside of the card.  It looks much better in real life. 

My Stampin Place

I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a really great place for holding my card and scrapbooking sessions. 

I actually have two adjoining rooms one that I use just for crafting which seats six comfortably and a smaller adjoining room which is fully shelved that I use for storage of my supplies and class prep.

My classroom is in need of some paint and shelving, but apart from that it's comfortable and a great place to be creative.   In the winter it's a great place to be because it has it's own cute little fireplace to keep everyone warm and cozy, and in the summer it stays cool and comfortable while the outside temperatures sore.  My hubby's promised me some better lighting, a must for us night owl crafters, and after our other projects are completed, I know he'll come through - he always does!  

Before we moved to this house I tried to sell my old pine china cabinet and table and chairs, but there were no takers. Same with my old Sears Kenmore sewing machine table.   At first I was really disappointed and was on the brink of giving them away but lucky for me when we found this place all that furniture could be put to good use in my craft room.  The hutch has become a display cabinet and storage area, the table and chairs take care of seating and work space and my old sewing cabinet has become my Big Shot Work Station.  Here are some views of the large space. 

This view shows the seating for six.

Here's my cozy little fireplace which also is used for display boards.

One of my many projects planned for this year

is to paint this room and I've got my Color

Caddy out trying to choose the perfect match.  Hmmm, will it be Old Olive with Very Vanilla trim?  Cajun Craze?  I know one thing is for sure I will be using a couple of the Definitely Decorative Wall applications, as I absolutely love them.  If u haven't had a chance to take a look at the new cattie check it out here, it's really inspiring.

The smaller room which I call my prep room, holds all my supplies and has a small table that acts as my prep station.  I can cut my cardstock, use my scorepal, emboss and clean my stamps in this area, which keeps my classroom area neat and tidy.  I love all the shelving as I can find everything at a glance.  On my Wish List for this room are a large bulletin board above the prep table so I can put all my bits and pieces that inspire me; a new paint job; and a better filing cabinet.  What do you think, isn't this a great little room?

Here's a peek through the doorway from the main room.  Three of the walls have shelving units on them and you can just catch a glimpse of my prep table (see the handle on my cutter) when you walk into the room.  The floor is lino so no worries about spilling my dazzling diamonds or my ink pads (which I've been known to do on occasion). 

I still have lots of organizing to do in this room to get the best fit and at some point will put in a nice two drawer lateral file cabinet to hold my card stock, but for now it works for me.

Time is Running Out - Special Rejoin Starter Kit Offer ends July 31st, 2010

Dates: July 1-31, 2010


During the month of July if you were a former Stampin' Up! demonstrator who left Stampin' Up! over the past three years you should have received a special postcard from Stampin' Up! inviting you to rejoin for only $45?  If you've received that postcard and you've been considering the offer, please be aware that time is running out - there are only 5 more days left to take advantage of this great "come back" offer.

"To rejoin Stampin' Up!, former demonstrators only need to purchase the Rejoin Starter Kit and sign and complete a new Independent Demonstrator Application and Agreement.

The Rejoin Starter Kit Contains:
2010-2011 Idea Book & Catalog (8)
2010 Summer Mini Catalog (8)
Guest invitation postcards (100)
Customer order forms (50)
2010-2011 Definitely Decorative catalog (1)
Two months free Demonstrator Business Web Services (DBWS) subscription

Chances are if you were a former demonstrator you already have the stamping supplies you need, so, in order to keep the price so low, the Rejoin Starter Kit contains just the bare essentials to help you get your businesses back up and running.  There's never been a better time to be a Stampin' Up Demonstrator, so call me in you need any further information or a copy of the Independent Demonstrator Application and Agreement form. 

Color Challenge #1 - UStamp with Dawn and Friends

I love Color Challenges and especially ones that I can use my beautiful Stampin'Up! colors on.  This is the first challenged from UStamp with Dawn Early Summer Edition 2010. 
If you are interested in viewing the 40 other projects and challenges there is still time to join up. Just click on this link for more information. http://www.ustampwithdawn.blogspot.com/.


I love Gretchen Barron's Inspiration in Action blog.  She always has wonderful creations and helpful hints.  So, it wasnt' a stretch when I looked at these colors to make my decision to case a card Gretchen made back in May of this year.  So here's my version.

Inside view of Birthday Sentiment and setup.

Dress and Matching Purse Happy Birthday card in Real Red, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive.  Happy Moments Stamp set used for sentiments on inside and outside. Circle Scallop Die from Big Shot for Dress. 

Let me know what you think.  This was a very easy and fun filled project.  I personally love the "purse".  LOL!

Scallop Circle Card

I had a little time on my hands today, so I thought I would play with one of my new stamp sets from Stampin' Up! called "Sense of Time" (pg. 127 IB&C #113804.)  This beautiful set of 4 stamps (2 sentiment an 2 image) is perfect for vintage style retirement cards and that was what I had on my mind today when I sat down to create.

Once again I've used the scallop circle template that Jenn Picard designed for UStamp's Early Edition Summer 2010 session. 

View of the inside of the card.  I repeated the circle layering.

This is such a fun and easy card to make that "time just flew by".  My version uses one of the new InColors, Concord Crush, combined with Basic Black, Basic Gray and Whisper White.  I've embossed with clear embossing powder and used basic grey taffeta ribbon and some clear rhinestones for embellishments.

Here's a view of the outside of the card.  It almost looks blue in this picture, but trust me it is Basic Grey with Concord Crush.  I used the Square Lattice textured impressions folder to give it some added appeal.  I really love that texture plate and my Big Shot.  How can you tell! 

I used clear rhinestones on the cog design to give it some pizazz and mounted it on dimensionals.

If you are interested in viewing the 40 other projects and challenges on UStamp Early Summer Edition 2010 or getting a PDF copy of the tutorial used for the Scallop Circle card,  there is still time to join up. Just click on this link for more information. http://www.ustampwithdawn.blogspot.com/.

Share What You Love - Stampin' Up Convention 2010 - Some Highlights

Each year, Stampin' Up! demonstrators from across the US and Canada gather for three days of education, celebration, and motivation. Convention always includes time to swap cards, attend business classes and new-product demonstrations, participate in Make & Takes, and enjoy time with the best stampers in the world!   This year the convention is being held at the Salt Lake Convention Palace in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake Convention Palace in Salt Lake City.

I couldn't find a picture of the convention crowd for this year's event but as you can see from this 2008 Opening Day picture, thousands of demonstrators sign up for this absolutely fabulous fun filled 4-day event. I sure wish I was one of them and could have attended this year, but it wasn't in the cards (no pun intended).  But next year I'm going to make it one of my goals to attend. If you're interested in becoming a demonstrator or returning as a previous demo maybe we can plan to go together! Wouldn't that be fun?

In the meantime I must be satisfied with surfing the net for photos and dreaming about attending! Disappointingly there really hasn't been much news from our local gals who're attending (Colourful Impressions) or from UStamp With Friends (Dawn Raspas) about the Convention Highlights so I decided to do some sleuthing on my own and discovered some blogs with pictures of the event and sample walls.  Everything looks so cool!!  Thanks ladies.  

So, if you're like me and would like to see what's going on,  and get a sneak peak of convention highlights too, pop on over to Sandi MacIver's Blog. What a great gal!  She's been taking away from her time at convention to post pictures on her blog, and has organized a blog hop with her friends Carole Ann Sluchinski (Stamping Stress Away) and Lee Conrey (Stampingleeyours). They're all hanging together, but have agreed to post different pictures on their sites to highlight the events they saw.  Oh, and if you leave a comment on their blogs you could win a collapsible trash container for the table top.  I just loved their pictures and stories of the event.  Happy surfing! 

Shelli Gardner on stage Opening Day at Stampin'Up 2010 Convention Salt Lake City.

UStamp Color Challenge #2

The UStamp With Dawn Early Summer Edition is still under way for a few more days.  The Projects have been just terrific and so have been the Challenges.  I loved the Color Challenges this time around and here is a sample of my rendition of Color Challenge #2.  Hope you like it. 

If you are interested in viewing the 40 other projects and challenges there is still time to join up.  Just click on this link for more information.  http://www.ustampwithdawn.blogspot.com/

My Little Road Trip, and Friends along the Way

My husband went golfing with his buddies last week, so I took the opportunity to go on a road trip and drove to Vernon BC where my dear sister Heather lives.  I hadn't been there for almost 3 years and wanted to spend some quality time with her and also to hold a Stampin' Up! workshop called appropriately, "The Vernon Girls Night In". 

When I left on Monday morning I was running late as I'd stayed up into the "wee" hours the night before prepping and getting all my stamping gear together............. you know how it is!  I finally managed to get on the road around noon and with my loyal companion Murphy for company headed into the pouring rain, heavy winds and bleak gray skies.  It's at least a 5-hour drive through steep mountain roads, but what a trip it was and it was so worth it. The scenery was beautiful and in the afternoon the weather improved.  I finally arrived in Vernon around 4:30 and let me tell you it was good to get out of the car.   Heather had lots planned for the week and we made the most of our time together.  We visited relatives and old friends, attended a birthday party and went to the show.  We thoroughly enjoyed talking until midnight, walking when we could, eating healthy or at least trying to.  The time went so quickly and we had an all around good time.  Did I mention the Margarita's - they were good too!  Heather's hubby, who's a gem, was very accommodating and let us be "girls".  Thanks Ken!

So, here's a shot of my fabulous sister prepping a card for the birthday bash we went to on Tuesday night. Although she's been making cards for a while now, this year she's really gotten into it and is developing a wonderful style.  Although we've often got together to make cards, it's just so much fun seeing her enthusiasm and love for making cards and other paper projects.  I just get the biggest kick out of seeing her smile and I love looking at her projects. 
Here's the card Heather made for the Birthday Girl.  I showed her how to set her camera on Macro for picture taking so she was trying to take a shot of it before the party.  The card is a very pretty little Easel card made with Pocket Silhouettes, Certainly Celery card stock and DSP. The white taffeta ribbon just made the card.    What a great job she made of it!

As most of Heather's guests at the Vernon Girls Night In had not done a workshop with me before I brought up some of my latest card and 3-D projects so they would have a concept of what they could do with a little card stock, ink and paper. What a great hostess Heather was.  She helped me display my projects on top of her TV Stand and set up the room for the party which was being held on the Wednesday night. She even helped me finish off some last minute gifts for the girls.  I wanted to hire her as my assistant!!!

If some of these look familiar, it's because they are some of the projects I've designed for UStamp over the past couple of sessions, including my latest project  a "Halloween Luminary Gift Can", which was posted on UStamp Early Summer Edition on July 15th.

As Wednesday quickly sped around I was really getting up for the party.  I was excited to show case the new Idea Book and Catalogue for 2010/11, the Summer Mini and the Definitively Decoratrive catties. I also was super excited to meet two new customers and see one of my friends/customers who had worked on the Coast with me in our working days.   They were definitely excited too when they arrived and gleefully dug into the new cattie.   I should have taken pictures, but decided not to, and just let them savour the moment.  

Because the new In Colours had just been released along with the Idea Book and Catalogue for 2010/11 I decided to make some book marks to show case them.  Everyone received a book mark along with their new catties,  and some small thank you gifts - a Coaster Post It Note Holder and a Matchbox with Hershey's nuggets, to show my appreciation for them coming.  Here are some pictures of their goodies!

 The bookmarks were made on Very Vanilla card stock and included a punched flower image and marker squiggle in each of the new In Colors:  Poppy Parade, Concord Crush, Peach Parfait, Blushing Bride and Pear Pizazz (pg 165).  The tab at the top of the bookmark is also one of the new core colours from the Brights Collection, called Daffodil Delight (pg 166). 

The little nugget boxes were made using the Matchbox Die and Big Shot machine.  Another new core colour cardstock called  Early Espresso (one of my new favs) ,was used for the base,  and the tops of the boxes were cut from the new Designer Series Paper (DSP) Greenhouse Gala #117167.  This is gorgeous paper and you're going to see it a lot!

The Post It Note coaster pads were a big hit.  They were made using a bar coaster as a base or you could use a 4 x 4 chipboard piece and covered in another of the fabulous designer papers from the Greenhouse Gala series.  The bulldog clip at the top was also covered in Greenhouse Gala and a bashful blue satin ribbon was tied at the top.  The flower image from the "Friends Never Fade" stamp set (Pg 99 118750 W/120618 C) was stamped on the bottom in Baja Breeze. 

For the workshops I chose to do 3 projects featuring the Big Shot and a variety of different dies as these gals hadn't had much exposure to all that Big Shot offers.  They were very excited about this and eager to begin. 

The first card we made was based on a "less is more" type of format.  Sahara Sand which has returned as part of the Neutrals Collection (pg. 169) was used for the card base.  A strip of Basic Black was texturized in the Big Shot using the new Square Lattice textured impressions embossing folder (#119976 pg. 214) and adhered along the center of the card face. Everyone loved the design made by the textured plate and marvelled that it looked great on both sides, offering up some additional options.  Butterflies were die cut using the embosslits Beautiful Wings die (#118138 pg. 215) and Poppy Parade In Colour card stock, and mounted in a flight pattern across the front of the card.  I used Basic Black Ink and the sentiment "Many Thanks" from the All Year Cheers retired stamp set.  I just love that sentiment and will never stop using it.  Unfortunately I hadn't purchased the new basic rhinestones (#119246 pg 188) yet, so had to make do with someone else's brand........................can't wait to get the new ones though - they come in small, medium and large and there are 150 to a package - not bad for $6.50.  On the inside of the card I stamped an image from one of last year's retired level one hostess sets called Of the Earth.  I just love that set too.  Here's some pictures of the project. 

I've also made this card using last year's In Colours for the Butterflies.  this sample is done on Kraft cardstock, with a Chocolate Chip textured strip and Tangerine Tango butterflies.  I used Early Espresso classic ink and it looked fabulous too.  Great fast card when you're on the run!  

Our second card was made using the Movers and Shapers Curly Label Die Cut #114506 on pg 209.  What a riot this die cut is.  Everyone had fun setting up their movable piece on the magnetic surface of the die and figuring out where the window shape would line up.  Our card stock base was Pear Pizazz.  Baja Breeze was used to stamp the sentiment on Whisper White, and a large butterfly was cut using the Baja Breeze and the Wings Embosslit.  A piece of chevron striped Greenhouse Gala DSP was layered on Early Espresso for the front of the card.  For the inside, an image from the Friends Never Fade stamp set was stamped on Whisper White Card stock in Baja Breez and then over stamped with a "best wishes" sentiment from a retired stamp set.   This image was cut out using the Curly Label punch and then mounted with dimensionals to the inside of the card.  What a great fast and simple card! 

I made another sample using Chocolate Chip and Marina Mist for the card base and I liked it too. 

My third and final card for the evening was cased from a design made by Jenn Picard for the Early Summer Edition of UStamp With Dawn and Friends using  the Scallop Circle Punch. For my version of Jenn's card, I used Blue Bayou cardstock.  Here's some shots of that card, which I've posted on my gallery in UStamp. 

For the workshop the gal's made a simplified version using Chocolate Chip card stock for the base and scalloped embellishment.  Whisper White card stock was used for the stamped portion of the circle on the front flap of the card, along with a piece of striped dsp from the Sweet Pea collection.  Once again I used the stamp set Of the Earth (can you tell I like it) and both the image and sentiment were stamped in Early Espresso.  Although it's hard to tell from the pictures, I stamped an image from Pocket Silhouettes with So Saffron ink on the front of the card to add some depth and then sprayed it with Gold Glow Smooch spritz (118770 pg. 195).  If you like this card and would like to see the original tutorial and Jenn's stunning card in which she used the Butterfly Prints set, there's still time to sign up for this session of UStamp. Click on this link for more information. http://www.ustampwithdawn.blogspot.com/.

So to wrap up here I just wanted to say what a ball I had doing this workshop.  These Vernon gals are just the best and because of that I went above and beyond the normal make and take for this workshop.  Their excitement over the new cattie and products, as well as the projects we made reconfirmed why I love being a Stampin' Up! Demo!  Can't wait to go visit them again.  Thanks everyone for a great time, and thanks Heather for being such an awesome hostess!  Oh did I mention that for hosting this workshop Heather earned a level one and two stamp set of her choice and $70.00 in free product.  Whoo, Hoo............ can you say great workshop!!! 

The Problem With Change

Change is usually a good thing, but sometimes change makes things difficult.  Take my blog for instance.  At the end of June I decided to go to a 3-column setup and chose one of the new Blogger template designs.  Took me the better part of a day to work out the kinks of transition, and I thought I had it all captured.  July 1st comes along and a couple of things happened that have affected my blog since that time. 

• My July 1st post............... well, it didn't post until today!  How did that happen?
• My PennyTokensStampingBlogspot title is all crammed into the left corner............how do I stretch it out?
• None of my widgets/gadgets work, so I'm linkless in the right column............. how can I share with you? 

I'm sad these problems arose but I'm not going to let it get me down.  I hope you'll hang in there with me as I try to circumnavigate this electronic world and work out the kinks.  In the meantime if you want to look at the catelogues or any of the other items I put a link to in the right hand column, just right click on it and choose Open in New Tab from the dialogue box..........that should take you to the new catties.  If you can open all the links from your side of the screen without any problems, drop me a comment and let me know, because maybe it's only me that's affected.  Wouldn't that be rich?  LOL!!! 

Hostess Benefits

One of the wonderful and fun ways to earn new Stampin' Up Products is to Host a Workshop.  A Stampin' Up! workshop is a creative event you host at your home, 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 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 to learn new techniques. No matter what you have in mind, I will help you make it the perfect event for you and your friends!

 If you are interested in holding a workshop in your home or in my studio, just contact me for further details and check out the Hostess Benefits to see how soon you could begin to earn free products.