Freshly Made Sketch #454

I was so busy with setting up and holding my "Stamp-arage Sale" on Saturday that the weekend just went by in a blur and although I was handling stamps a lot, I didn't actually get any stamping time in.   So, here it is after midnight on Sunday evening and I'm trying to be creative because I really wanted to play with the Freshly Made Sketches #454 and post it before their challenge closes on Monday morning.    Love this sketch by Jacquie, it's so clean and simple.

Here's my entry: 

Because of my time limitations and lack of imagination I grabbed stamps and inks that were close at hand on my desk.   I planned to make a Sympathy Card, so I wanted those clean lines and chose to stay pretty close to the sketch outline. I could have simply cut a 4 x 4 strip of designer paper, but I decided to simply stamp a strip of Whisper White card stock with a variety of leaves from the Stampin' Ups! Forever Fern set, that is on loan to me. 

This stamp set has Distinktive stamp images which are deeply etched and have a special texture that gives added depth and dimension in a single step, creating photo-realistic images. I used 1st and 2nd generation stamping to get a layered leaf effect.  

This was the first time I've used this stamp set, and I am totally impressed with the images it creates.  The leaves are so realistic that as long as you don't super saturate your stamp with ink, the detail really shows through.  I stamped with a combination of Just Jade, Mango Melody and Shaded Spruce inks.  I think I'll be playing with this set for a while and creating some background papers.  

I used a combination of sentiments from the Forever Fern and the  Peaceful Moments Cling stamp set. Peaceful Moments is one of my all time favourite sentiment sets because I like each of the sayings and I really like the mixed font style.  Because this is a sympathy card for a friend who's just going through a loss I chose "you can do this" from the Forever Fern set for the front of the card and for the inside "thinking of you with all my heart", from Peaceful Moments.  Both were stamped in Early Espresso ink.  

For the inside of the card I added a vertical strip of leaves with a small border of Mango Melody card stock.  

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin Spot

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin Up Demo 

September's Almost Gone - Join My Team and Take Advantage of These Great Deals

There are some great Stampin' Up! deals happening in September but time is running out.  Don't be late and miss out.............

Click Here For Details

• 24 Hour One Day Only Sale to Save 15% on select Cling and Photopolymer stamp sets.  Remember - September 23rd only.  

• Get and Go Starter Kit Promotion  September 1-30, 2020 (see tips below to stretch your dollars even more).

Join my team this month for the regular starter kit price of $135 CAD, and you get to choose $165 CAD-worth of products.  

• $165 in Stampin' Up! products for $135
• 20% savings on your demo purchases
• Free shipping on your starter kit 
• Eight Annual and Eight Holiday Catalogues
• A Free Paper Pumpkin kit 
• No obligation to do anything further - you decide just for hobby or opportunity to earn an income doing what you love - paper crafting

Important note: Ink, adhesive, cutting tool, and clear block for stamping must be purchased separately. However, these products may be included as part of the Starter Kit product selection.

As a bonus for joining before the 30th of September you also get:

• enough card stock pieces to make 16 cards 
• a pack of Rhinestone Basic Jewels
• the So Much Love stamp set
• the Queen Anne’s Lace stamp set

• For the card kits you get 8 packs of pre-cut card stock in Coastal Cabana and an 8 pack of pre-cut card stock in Granny Apple Green, for a total of 16 cards plus envelopes.  There's even a link (click here) to choose what samples you'd like to make and instructions).

And, just a thought ...... but if you join before September 23rd, you'll not only get all of the above, but you'll also be able to take advantage of the  One Day Only Sale on September 23rd and get along with your demo 20% off an additional 15% off for the sale.  Wow that's some fall savings!

For more information on signing up and the benefits of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator click here to go to join my team. 

Happy Stamping

Pennytokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stamping Up Demo 

September Hostess Code:  NA46AR73

SAVE THE DATE for the Biggest Stampin' Up! Sale Event

GET THEM WHILE THEY LAST

It's coming.  Here's your opportunity to stock up on stamp sets at a fantastic price! Here's the deal.  For one day only, you can purchase select cling and photopolymer stamp sets at a 15% discount. This short, stamp-tacular sale only happens once a year—so you don’t want to miss out on these super savings!

When:     Wednesday September 23rd, 2020 

What's for sale:   59 Stampin' UP! stamp sets each with a 15% off discount.  Check out the category in the online store—entitled “Stamp Sale”—listing every stamp set on sale.  This will make the purchase process quick and easy for you.  I'll be checking out the site first thing in the early hours so if you have questions email me at pennytokens@gmail.com.  

ONLINE: Sale begins at 12:01 September 23rd and runs until 11:59 (Mountain Time).  By phone the sale starts at 7:00am and is over at 6:59pm (MT).  

Flyer: Click here to see the Sale Flyer 

Click here for my ONLINE STORE Tab and "Shop Now" - if you haven't got an online account yet, I'd suggest you set one up today and remember to choose me as your demonstrator.  If you do this today then your ordering on Wednesday will be hassle free.

Remember to add my September Hostess Code NA46AR73 at the end of your order and you'll get an additional gift from me and thank you card for your order.

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot 

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 

Click here 

Everything's Rosy - Freshly Made Sketches #452

We've had a very smoke filled weekend here in Abbotsford BC, with air quality being at a high risk since Friday.  Most of the smoke is due to the Oregon and California wild fires that are burning out of control.  My heart goes out to all of those who've lost their homes and been displaced.  Such a terrible time for so many right now.

This evening I've been working on another Freshly Made Sketch and have created a pretty simple card with it.

Here's my version.  

Stamp Set:    Peaceful Moments #151595 

Ink:               Night of Navy

Card Stock:   Whisper White, Strawberry Slush (Retired)

DSP:              Everything's Rosy Designer Series Paper 

                      and Embellishments 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stamping Up Demonstrator 

September Hostess Code:  NA46AR73

  

Confessions of a House Bound Paper Crafter

Between the loss of my mom in June and the COVID-19 thing, I've been having a very difficult time paper crafting and doing the things that truly make me happy.  

I have to be honest here and let you know I really, really  miss my mom and I miss my friends and hanging out with them.  I miss our get-togethers and fun card making times.  And although I read all kinds of motivating stories about demos that are doing this and that to carry on their Stampin' UP! relationships, quite frankly it makes my head buzz and I get tired.  

I don't know whether it's the times we live in or I'm just getting older, but I haven't figured out how to engage my friends and customers by holding Zoom and Facebook meetups and the whole virtual media thing tires me out.  I guess that's why I haven't had much MOJO going on and seem to be spending my time binge watching Netflix and trying to think my way out of this funk instead of yakking with you all and posting cards and projects.  

To my credit, I have to say my leisure time hasn't been all about watching the latest episodes of Frankie and Grace I actually have spent some time in my card studio reorganizing and doing lots of serious cleaning and purging.  One day I'll do a tour of my room, but for now this is what it's looking like:

When I've had the energy and mind, I've also been finishing up old projects, using up scraps of designer papers and retired card stock I've accumulated and trying a few new things.  I haven't felt very challenged though, until I saw this clean and simple sketch challenge from Freshly Made Sketches and it called my name.

So here's to the first challenge of the month (year actually) and what I came up with.  Hopefully I can continue to find inspiration and challenges that re-motivate me to stamp and I can continue to share with you in some form or other.    

For this card I used the Trimming the Town Designer Series Paper for my background and one of the layers.  I like all of the papers in this suite.  They're colourful and appealing in every way.  

My card base is Poppy Parade with a layer of Pool Party.  The cute little gnome is from the Gnome for the Holidays cling stamp set.  

The sentiment "There's no place like GNOME for the Christmas Season", was perfect for this card.  This card may not meet the visual "clean and simple" criteria of Freshly Made Sketches challenge #451, but it sure was simple to make. From start to finish this card took about a half an hour to make.  Having a sketch you can work with, is a great way to nudge your creativity.   You have to like that.  

I coloured the gnome with Stampin' Up! Blends, matching up the colours in the Trimming the Tree DSP ... Poppy Parade, Garden Green, Pool Party, Old Olive, Smokey Slate, Daffodil Delight and Crumb Cake.  I also added a little shine to the gnome's nose and the Christmas lights with Nuvo Drops.

Thanks for bearing with me through this rant and glimpse into my personal difficulties with procrastination and lack of motivation.  And, hopefully my card for the sketch challenge has inspired you to pick up your card supplies again and get crafting. 

I'd love to hear how you've been coping and creating.  If you're not motivated like me, I'd love to hear your story too, maybe we can work this out together.  In the meantime......

Happy Stamping!

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 

SEPTEMBER HOSTESS CODE:  NA46AR73

Get and Go Starter Kit Promotion - September 2020

 

Get and Go during the month of September is Stampin' Up!s latest recruiting promotion.  This promotion runs from 1-30th of September so there's plenty of time to get on board if you've been thinking of joining up as a demonstrator.  This is a  pretty good deal.  Here's what you get when you sign up.

• Queen Ann Lace Stamp Set
• So Much Love stamp set 
• Basic Rhinestones 
• Granny Apple Green Card Pack 
• Coastal Cabana Card Pack 

Granny Apple Green card pack contents enough to make 8 cards 

8-1/2" x 5-1/2" (21.6 x 14 cm) Granny Apple Green Cardstock

3"x 4" (7.6 x 10.2 cm) Bermuda Bay Cardstock

3"x 4" (7.6 x 10.2 cm) Coastal Cabana Cardstock

3/4"x 4" (1.9 x 10.2 cm) Daffodil Delight Cardstock

5-3/4" x 4-3/8" (14.6 x 11.1 cm) Whisper White Envelope

Coastal Cabana card pack contents

2-1/4" x 3-1/2" (5.7 x 8.9 cm) Whisper White Cardstock

2-3/4" x 4" (7 x 10.2 cm) Daffodil Delight Cardstock

3" x 4" (7.6 x 10.2 cm) Bermuda Bay Cardstock

8-1/2 x 5-1/2" (21.6 x 14 cm) Coastal Cabana Cardstock

5-3/4" x 4-3/8" (14.6 x 11.1 cm) Whisper White Envelope

You get to pick all the rest of the items for your starter kit, same as always and the total cost is just $135.00.  Other benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demo are two free months of the DBWS web site for demos, 20% discount as a Bronze demo.  The opportunity to start your own small business from home or remain a hobby demo.  You can quit any time. Click here to see a sample starter kit:

If you want more information on how you can sign up to be a demo click here or give me a call, I'd be happy to talk with you.  

Happy Stamping

Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot

HOSTESS CODE FOR SEPTEMBER:  NA46AR73H

Masculine Birthday Cards with Whiskey Business

Happy September everyone. Today I'd like to share some cards made with a new set called Whiskey Business. This great masculine stamp set which is on page 33 of the 2020/21 Annual Catalogue was one of the first sets I ordered.

I was really attracted to the beautiful clean imagery in this set and knew it would be perfect for any masculine celebration.  I love it when a stamp delivers clean sharp detail.  With this set you can stamp it in any colour and you get a great image that requires little additional colouring. Great for those clean and simple cards everyone loves to make.  

Card Number One:

This card begins with a Cinnamon Cider card base and envelope from the Flowers for Every Season Memories and More Cards and Envelope pack (pg 154 A/C).  I began by adding a 4 x 5 1/4" layer of the Cinnamon Cider Polka Dot Incolour 6 x 6 Designer Series Paper.  

I tied a piece of the Faux Suede 1/4" ribbon around it and tied it off in a bow.  This ribbon is so luxurious and lays perfectly flat after tying and it actually does look and feel like suede.

Next I added a 3 3/4 x 3" card from the World of Good Memories and More Card Pack (pg. 155 A/C).   These little cards are perfect on their own or when used as a mat.  

The Whiskey bottle and glass were stamped on a piece of Whisper White card stock and cut out with the 2 1/4" x 3 5/8" Stitched Rectangles Die and adhered it to the left of the card layer.  The card layer was added to the base with dimensionals. 

The sentiment "Straight Up You're the Best" was stamped with Cinnamon Cider ink on Whisper White and cut out with the narrowest Stitched Rectangle die. I cut another rectangle from a scrap of the designer paper, but this time using the reverse side, and attached it on an angle with dimensionals across the Whiskey bottle.   

Card Number Two: 

My next card is a standard A2 size and the base is made with Bumblebee card stock.  I chose the black and brass foil check paper from the World of Good Specialty Designer Papers pack and cut three 1 1/2" x 3" panels.  The panels are  mounted on a 5" x 3 3/4" piece of Crumb Cake.  The World of Good Specialty Designer Papers are so rich and beautiful and the brass grid design adds such a rich masculine feel to this card. 

The Whiskey bottle was stamped in Momento Black ink on a piece of Whisper White card stock and then I die cut a 3" oval using the Stitched Shapes Dies.  I used a scallop die to cut the Brass Foil mat.  The sentiment "Sending You An Old Fashioned Birthday Card"  was stamped on Whisper White and then die cut with the Rectangles die set, then layered on Basic Black cardstock.  What a great sentiment.  

I kept the inside of this card simple adding just a 4" x 5 1/4" Basic Black card mat followed by a 3/34" x 5" Crumb Cake mat.  I stamped the "Cheers To You" and drink glass with Momento Black ink and added a 3/4" strip of the DSP along the bottom of the Crumb Cake mat.  

Card Number Three: 

I wanted to bring the Whiskey Bottle to life on the front of my third card, so I stamped the images for the glass and the bottle on Whisper White card stock and then coloured the glass bottle and the glass with Pool Party ink, and coloured the liquid in both glass and bottle with Cinnamon Cider ink.  I fussy cut both images and then used Clear Nuvo drops to add a shiny finish to them.   The images were adhered to the card front layer with dimensionals.  

I chose a mat from the World of Good Memories and More pack for my top layer.  It was perfect.  All I had to do was stamp the "Cheers to You" sentiment in black ink.  This layer was matted with a 5 1/4" x 4" layer of Basic Black cardstock.  

Here's the inside of the card.  I stamped the glass and coloured it with Cinnamon Cider ink added a couple of twizzles and a happy birthday sentiment from Itty Bitty Birthdays.  

So that's it for today's cards.  I hope you enjoyed them.  I know I'll be using this stamp set for a very long time.  I'd love to hear from you.  Leave me a comment if you'd like to see more cards made with this set and if you enjoyed this preview.  

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin' Spot
Penny Hanuszak, Independent Stampin' Up! Demonstrator 

SEPTEMBER HOSTESS CODE:

NA46AR73