Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Win Prizes - Project Life

Do you love scrapbooking but find it overwhelming, don't know where to start, or don't have the time? If that's the case, then Becky Higgin's PROJECT LIFE scrapbooking technique and products might be the perfect solution for you.  Stampin' Up! carries their own unique line. 

Enter to win every item currently available in the Project Life by Stampin' Up! line!  It's easy just e complete an entry form on the Stampin' Up website and you'll be entered to win one of the following:

FIRST PLACE PRIZE: ONE HUNDRED (100) first place winners will receive their choice of any single Project Life by Stampin' Up! card collection and coordinating accessory pack. (Approximate Retail Value of prize: $24.90 USD.)

GRAND PRIZE: ONE (1) grand prize winner will receive every item currently available in the Project Life by Stampin' Up! line! (Approximate Retail Value of prize: $475.00 USD. Subject to item availability on date the prize is awarded. See Official Rules for details.)


 

Monday, October 13, 2014

Happy Thanksgiving!


Happy Thanksgiving everyone from our home to yours.   There are so many things to be grateful for in on this special day, besides the turkey and pumpkin pie. Here's a few of the thoughts I've had today on things I'm grateful for:
  • I don't live in Japan where they are experiencing a major typhoon that is wiping out homes and has injured many people;
  • I don't live in Calgary where following a major explosion and fire last evening they have had areas of the city without power for  many hours;
  • I don't live in Western Africa where they are dealing with Ebola or work in the hospital in Texas where one man has died of Ebola and his care worker is quarantined and receiving treatment;
  • I don't live in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan or any of the other countries in the world where fighting has taken many lives this weekend;
  •  
  • As a Canadian I'm grateful for my freedom and for the freedom of my family and friends and the fact that I live in a country that for the most part allows us freedom of expression to say what we want or believe in, to live the lives we want and which empowers us to grow and nurture our minds and explore the world we live in.  I'm grateful we live virtually in harmony and peace in Canada.
  • I am grateful for all of those people who in some way protect my family, friends and myself from strife, assist in times of disaster and reach out with love for others not only on long weekends but throughout the year.
  • I am grateful for the roof over my head, the food on my table, the continued good health of my family, my wonderful friends and the simple things that can be taken for granted.; and
  • I'm grateful that I have a creative mind and have been able to share my love of paper crafting with so many like minded individuals through my blog and my community. 
 
Here are the projects I completed earlier this week when I attended the Artful Artisans tri-monthly meeting at Jennilee Paul's home in Chilliwack.  What a great evening!  It's so nice to get together with all these wonderful gals, see what they've been creating and talk shop. Also got in some driving time with one of my besties, Debby Evoy. 

Beverly, Betty-Ann and Jennilee all brought shoe box swaps, so we were able to make some great Make N' Take projects.  They did an amazing job showing us what to do and pulling it all together with all that's going on in their individual lives.  My hat is off to you ladies. 
Isn't this little Halloween goodie box just the cutest?  Beverly showed us how to assemble this awesome little box that is cut out using the Fry Box Bigz L Die.  It measures 3 x 3 1/3" and could be decorated for any occasion that calls for a small treat or gift holder.  I loved the combo of the Label Bracket punch and the banner on the goodie bag.  Super easy to put together. 
Jennilee Pauls our hostess designed this beautiful snowflake card for her  Make N' Take demonstration.  Isn't it stunning?

Jennilee crafted this card using the Snowflake Card Thinlets Die Cut, Lost Lagoon and Whisper White card stock. The dotted paper you can see on the right hand side of the card is from the All Is Calm Specialty Designer Series Paper #135823 and the beautiful ribbon is 3/8 Silky Taffeta Ribbon in Lost Lagoon.

The combo of Whisper White, Lost Lagoon and Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer Paper for this card was simply stunning.  We also die cut a small snowflake from the Silver Foil cardstock and it looks like real metal.  This is topped with one of the small snowflakes from the Frosted Sequins pack which includes over 450 sequins in small, medium and large sizes and white snowflakes.
These beautiful snowflake embellishments are from the "All Is Calm Snowflake Embellishments" pack featured on page 22 of the Holiday catalogue.  These simple and elegant snowflakes come 20 to a pack and give just the right finishing touch to this project.  The word "joy" is one of the three word die cuts in the Snowflake Card Thinlet Die set.  The other two words are Brrr and Snow......... how appropriate and what fun! 

Snowflake Card Thinlet Die Cut #135855 $40.40 includes 9 dies. 

Jennilee also drew for door prizes and I was fortunate enough to win this beautiful box she made with the new Gift Box Punch Board #135863 and it contained a roll of the Natural and Old Olive Two-Tone Trim #135837.  

Jennilee made this box out of Whisper White card stock that was stamped in Pear Pizzazz, Smokey Slate and Pool Party ink using the Endless Wishes Photopolymer stamp set featured on page 32 of the Holiday Catalogue.

It's easy to create your own wrapping paper with just a few stamps and some coordinating inks.  Check out all the great projects made with this design on page 32 of the Holiday Catalogue.

Endless Wishes a 19 piece Photopolymer two-step stamp set, available in English, French and Spanish.
The Natural and Olive Two-toned ribbon is super chunky and super fun.  I can't wait to use it on one of my projects.  It is five times thicker than baker's twine and comes in a 10 yard roll.

The Gift Box Punch Board #135863 page 5 of the Holiday catalogue
Last but not least, our third make n' take project was presented by Betty Ann and involved a brayer technique that I hadn't tried before.  She also demonstrated how to tie  a double bow using just your fingers.  Both were great techniques and the amazing thing is that this was one of the fastest cards I've ever made from start to finish. 
The Nature's Peace stamp set features 4 stamps including this large block. 

Well that's it for today folks.  I hope you enjoyed these cards and will leave a comment and come back again.  

Happy Stampin!
Penny Tokens


Wednesday, October 8, 2014

World Card Making Day Open House Projects

Wow, my World Card Making Day Open House on Sunday was a blast!  

I was delighted to open my doors to the twelve great ladies who came. We had ate, chatted, looked at new products, met new friends, talked about classes, made some make n' takes and watched some demos.  

I also had out of town customers participating in my World Card Making day and supplied them with the same make n' takes and access to the Hostess Code for the specials and prize draws.  That's the great thing about being a Stampin' Up! demo, your customers can be anywhere and still participate.

Note:  Due to privacy issues, I'm not including pictures of my guests during the party, only my down line besties.  

How The Day Went:
Speaking of "besties" here are my two, Ethel and Sheri.  These gals are not only great paper crafters and demos themselves, but they just add so much to my team, because of their fun loving nature and thoughtfulness.  

Both arrived before everyone else to help with final setup and food. I was really relaxed before my guests arrived because they gave me time to work through some last minute details while they tried out the make n' takes table and made sure everything I needed was there.  

What a big help!  I must say, I couldn't have made it through the Open House without them!  So take a bow ladies, you certainly deserve it! You did an outstanding job and it was so much fun having you participate.


Make N' Takes: 
 
The card base is Soft Suede topped with a 51/4" x 4" piece of Soft Sky.  The 2nd layer is a 3 3/4" x 5" piece of Whisper White that has been embossed with the Large dot Embossing Folder.  To add some depth to this card face, I used the 3" circle framelit to remove a circle from this piece.  I then cut a 2 3/4" circle from Soft Suede and punched out a a 2 1/2" piece of Soft Sky with the 2 1/2" circle punch.  The Soft Sky circle was stamped with the "Merry and Bright" sentiment from the "Christmas Bliss" photopolymer  stamp set in Soft Suede ink and a few snow flakes were added from a retired stamp set called Snow Flurries.  Some Basic Rhinestones were added to the snow flakes and then this circle was mounted with dimensionals to the Soft Suede piece. 

For the inside of the card I added a Whisper White layer that was stamped with the sentiment "Wishing you a Bright &........" from the Bright and Beautiful stamp set from the Holiday Catalogue.  Two clusters of snowflakes were stamped in Soft Sky ink in the corners.  



We also made a Christmas tag using the new Tree Punch and the On Point Embossing Folder.  How cute is this:


The tree images were embossed with the Fancy Fan Embossing Folder. The beautiful glimmer stars were punched out with the Itty Bitty Accents star punch from the Dazzling Diamonds Glimmer paper.  Luv, luv, luv that stuff!

A number of gals said they passed over this embossing folder in the holiday catalogue, because they thought it was just a bunch of geometrics or triangles.  But guess what, along with triangles there are a whole forest of trees lurking in this design.  This just might be an embossing folder for all seasons!
Sheri and Ethel completed the make n' takes themselves so they could ensure all the equipment and supplies needed were there and ready for the first wave of stampers. They were and we were all ready to go when our first guests arrived.
This was my Make N' Take table and guests were able to make both a card and gift tag using the new Tree punch that coordinates with the Festival of Trees stamp set and the Christmas Bliss stamp set.
Everyone got to try out the Envelope Punch Board with Ethel's excellent assistance.  It must have been a hit, several people purchased one. 
Displays: For my Open House, I used the entire basement in my home for displays, make n' takes and refreshment set up.   It made it so much more comfortable than trying to cram into a smaller space.  

My guests were able to browse the catties in comfort and relax and chat.  My Pool table came in handy for a huge display that everyone could walk around and check out.  Here are some pictures of the set up and displays I used.  
The Holiday catalogue is chalk full of wonderful stamp sets and products so this area of the display shows off some of the stamp sets and some samples of what could be made with them.
Paper Pumpkin, Project Life and Clearance Rack items on display.
Here's my cozy "sit a while" area.  It was well used. 
As my guests arrived they each received a goodie bag.
There were some awesome specials offered in October including the one for World Card Making Day  and I wanted to make sure everyone knew all about them, so I made up this display board.

No Open House would be complete without a "clearance table", and in this case it's a table and some stools.  But hey, whatever works!
Along with my sale items we had some of Sheri's fabulous Infiniti scarves on display.  For every scarf sold she donates a percentage to the Run for the Cure.

This is my card making space, all cleaned up for taking orders.
And finally, here are some of my favourite cards on display that I made over the summer months.  Wow did I have fun.  Most of these were made for challenges or for my Stampin' On Tuesday get-togethers. 
PRIZE DRAW WINNERS:

What's a party without door prizes?  Congratulations to Christine H. and to Betty Lee who each won $55.00 in Hostess prizes from my special draw.  Both these gals were very excited when I notified them and have submitted their wish list items, which are now on the way.

Additional winners were:
Jennifer - Stamp Set
Sue J. - Gift card Sampler
Corrine - Stamp set
Arlene - Paper Pack
Nancy -  Dimensionals Pack

Well that's it for my World Card Making day.  I want to thank once again all the great ladies who attended my party and contributed to its fun and success!  You're all so wonderful.  Keep the first Saturday in October marked in your calendar for next year, because I think I'm going to make this an annual event.  
Happy Stampin'
Penny Tokens

Friday, October 3, 2014

SIX Great Reasons to Join Stampin' Up! In October!

Pick a Pack of Paper is Here!
October 1 to 31st, 2014
The only thing better than FREE Designer Series Paper*, is getting six months worth of FREE Designer Series Paper!  How can you get in on this deal.  Well it's simple. 

Join my team between now and October 31st, and you'll receive one FREE package of Designer Series Paper*, every month for the next six months, and so will I.  How exciting is that?

The benefits of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator just got even better. Why? Because, if I sign up five new demonstrators during the month of October, I will actually receive a total of one free paper pack per new demonstrator**  and a potential for me to earn 30 FREE packages of Designer Series Paper, well into 2015!  Isn't that awesome!!!!


And you know what that means, I love to share so it would mean more   Giveaways and FREEBIES for you my customers   Everyone benefits.  

* Specialty and Designer Paper Packs are not included in this promo
**Up to a maximum of five new people on my team

Demonstrator Benefits
Product discount
Demonstrators get a 20 percent discount on all Stampin' Up! products, including stamp sets, paper, and accessories. It's a great way to support your love of stamping, paper or digital crafting, home décor - or whatever your passion may be!
 

Extra income
You'll earn extra income based on your sales and recruiting - just how much extra income is up to you. Maybe you want enough income to pay the electric bill every month, or maybe your goal is bigger - the monthly payment for your new car. That's the beauty of the demonstrator experience - it's all up to you! See the Compensation Table for more information.
 

Flexible schedule
This is your business, so you can put as much (or as little) time into it as you'd like!
 

Support from Stampin' Up!
Stampin' Up loves their demonstrators and it shows through the vast amount of demonstrator support materials. Workshop ideas and audio and video trainings on all kinds of topics which are available at your fingertips on the demonstrator website. 


Plus, you'll receive our bi-monthly magazine Stampin' Success which is produced just for demonstrators, and is full of informative tips and beautiful samples.  And, as a member of my team I'll be there along your journey to offer guidance and tips and help you be a successful in your business or happy with your hobby.  So talk to me if you're interested in becoming a Stampin' Up Demonstrator  and I'll give you all the details about this month's promotion and joining my team.

Happy Stampin!
Penny Tokens

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

WORLD CARD MAKING DAY SPECIALS - OCT 1 -6 ONLY!!!!

Big Savings For a Very Limited Time:




Stampin' Up! is so excited about this year's World Card Making Day, that they're having a ridiculous 15% off sale on some of your favourite products! 

From 1-6 October, you'll be able to purchase select ink, paper, envelopes, and adhesive-all at a 15% discount! Select stamps are 20%!

Now is the time to re-stock your supply of paper and basics.  With Christmas right around the corner, this is a perfect time to purchase stamping supplies for yourself, friends or family.  Or how about having someone buy for you..... hint, hint!!!  Check out the flyer here:


Add Hostess Code #HUU7NAWG to your order and you will automatically be entered into my draw at my World Card Making Day Open House on October 5th.  If you're the lucky winner, you will get free hostess gifts!  Don't forget to add the number to your on-line order. 

The Fine Print:
  • Available on demo, customer, workshop, OEX and online orders
  • Color families and Whisper White in the 8-1/2 X 11, along with Medium envelopes, are offered at a 15% discount
  • Fast Fuse Adhesive and refill component are offered at a 15% discount
  • All individual ink pads are offered at a 15% discount
  • Limited offering in stamps will be available at a 20% discount
Deadlines: 
  • By Phone: Monday, October 6, 2014; 6:50 PM (MT) 
  •  OEX/Online orders: Monday, October 6, 2014; 11:50 PM (MT)
Come to my World Card Making Day Open House on October 5th, and you can place an order on-line right now and avoid missing out on this opportunity!  

Reminder:

Use this hostess code #HUU7NAWG on your on-line order between October 1st and 5pm on October 6th,and you'll automatically be  entered into my Hostess Prize Contest for World Card Making Day. 

Happy Stampin!  
Penny Tokens

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Rainbows, a Pot of Gold, Leprechauns green beer and shenanigans are all part of celebrating St. Patty's Day on March 17th. I have a sma...