Sunday, May 17, 2015

It`s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Stampin' Year That Is!

Have you ever thought about buying Stampin’ Up!’s Starter KitWhether you want a discount on Stampin’ Up! products that you buy or you want to make some money in a craft you love, this is a GREAT TIME to be a Stampin’ Up! Demonstrator.  AND, you can add items from the upcoming catalog – that's right, even before it goes live on June 2nd, 2015. 

If you're seriously thinking about becoming a stamping up demonstrator, or just want to take advantage of the Starter Kit there’s no better time of the year than right now.   


Want to know why?  

WELL, to begin with, you can take advantage of a new catalogue year and the 2015-2016 Sneak Peek list which is only available for demonstrators.  The Sneak Peak includes select stamp sets that aren’t available to the public until June 2nd, as well as the brand new 2015-2017 In Colours, re-inkers, pads, markers, papers and cardstock bundles (which you’re going to love).  And, there are other great sale priced products, too plus a free catalogue!  


THERE'S no risk at all – you don’t have to buy another thing (but I know you will)!  When you spend $125 (plus tax) on the Starter Kit today, you’ll receive $225 of product of your choice in exchange.....oh and did I mention there’s FREE SHIPPING.


You'll also get to be a part of a huge online community of stampers who love to share this amazing art form.  As your team leader, you`ll get to attend some training sessions at my house and meet with my other team members for fun get-togethers.  If you don't live in my area, no problem we'll do it on-line or over the phone.


AND finally, if you really want to add up the savings opportunities, you can add items from the Weekly Deals and Retiring List to your Starter Kit for additional savings.  Who doesn’t love that?

Weekly Deals
http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/ItemList.aspx?categoryid=1635

http://www.stampinup.com/ECWeb/CategoryPage.aspx?categoryid=3074 
What Are the 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: If you want to run your own home based business you can 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! simply loves their demonstrators and it shows through their demonstrator support materials. There are tons of workshop ideas, audio and video training on all kinds of topics, access to a demonstrators website, and you'll receive a bimonthly magazine just for demonstrators, which is full of informative tips and beautiful samples.

So if this sounds like a great opportunity for you, I’d love to chat with you about joining.  Like I said, there`s no better time than right now. This offer is available only until June 2nd.  If you`re ready to join (and don’t want to talk with me first), CLICK HERE, I`ll be in touch with you once you`re signed up and help you get started.


HAPPY STAMPING!
PENNY TOKENS

Thursday, May 14, 2015

May Retirement Blues - Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop




It's time for another Wacky Watercooler Blog Hop and this time we're dedicating it to the "Retirement Blues", and I'm not talking about retirement from work.  I'm referring to the retirement of Stampin' Up! stamps and accessories that happens every May as Stampin' Up! prepares for the new Annual Catalogue launch on June 2nd.  
Check out the retirement list here.  Products and accessories are available until June 2nd or while supplies last. 
As a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator this is often a time of mixed feelings - happy and sad. I'm super sad to see some of my favourite stamp sets designer series papers and accessories go, but I'm also super excited knowing they'll be replaced by new products that will bring a smile to my face, and a lot of enjoyment to my stamping world!   

So I hope you'll join us on this "reminiscing" blog hop.  Get yourself comfy, grab your favourite beverage and settle in for a journey through some of our favourites.  Oh and in case you're not aware, wherever you begin in our blog hop, whether you're moving forward or backwards through the participants,  you'll eventually wind up precisely where you began.  

I hope you'll take time to visit all the participating blogs and, perhaps, leave a short message letting us know what you've thought of our posts, and comment on what products were your favourites too.  

If you've been moving forward through the hop you'll have arrived here from Marsha Reed's wonderful blog.  

Here's a list of all the Wacky Watercooler Blog Hoppers, just in case you get lost. 
Here's My First Project:
Ironically when thinking about what to make for my first project, I decided to make a Triple Layer Sympathy Card.  Unfortunately this year, I needed several Sympathy Cards, and my "to go for" stamp set was one of the 2014/15 Annual Catalogue Hostess Sets called Bloom With Hope.  I am truly going to miss this artistically sketched stamp set with it's eleven flowers and hopeful phrases.  



I pounced ink from my Indigo marker on the center of the flower to enhance the image and then covered it with Crystal Effects.  I stamped the "With Sympathy" from the Loving Thoughts stamp set in Wild Wasabi and Versa Mark inks and then mounted it onto a piece of Island Indigo cardstock.  While this stamp set is no longer available you can still get the MDS Studio Brush Script set for $4.99, but hurry as it will retire in June.  This is a terrific value for a wonderful sentiment set. 

For the leaves on this card I used the Square Lattice Embossing Folder and the Flower Frenzy Bigz Die.  I'm truly blue that this BigzL Die is retiring! 
Check out the Flower Frenzy BigzL Die on the Retiring Products list it is greatly reduced in price.  This is a fantastic  die for making floral designs and it's sad to see it go.
Supplies:
Stamp Sets:   Bloom With Hope (Hostess - 2015 Annual Catalogue) and Loving Thoughts
Bloom With Hope #133952
 
Loving Thoughts only available in MDS Studio Brush Script.
Ink:  Island Indigo, Wild Wasabi, Pool Party and Versa Mark
Cardstock:  Island Indigo, Wild Wasabi, Whisper White 
Accessories:  Flower Frenzy (leaves), Square Lattice Embossing Folder, Big Shot, Clear Blocks, Snips, Dimensionals, Trimmer, Crystal Effects, Sponge Dauber.

Measurements for Triple Layers:
1.  Card Base in Island Indigo measures 8 1/2 x 5 1/2 scored at 4 1/4
2.  Indigo Layers:  2 1/4 x 3 1/2", 3 1/4" x 4 1/2" 
3.  Whisper White Layers:  2 x 3 1/4", 3 x 4 1/4" and 4 x 5 1/4"

Second Project: 
I'm also sad and blue to see the Happy Hour Stamp Set retiring.   What a fun set.  It has a total of 17 images and sentiments, that are perfect for using on invitations, festive birthday or seasonal cards and more. Here's a card I made to showcase a few of these elements:


I just love the boldness of this sentiment!  I paper pieced the contents of the glass with Moonlight DSP Paper Pack The 48 sheet Moonlight DSP is such a great little paper pack. There are 12 different paper designs and you get 4 of each.  They measure 4 1/2 by 6 inches so they're perfect for card fronts and other small projects.  The designs correspond with Hello Honey, Basic Grey, Lost Lagoon and Blackberry Bliss It's on for 50% off right now in the retiring products promotion.   

Here's the inside of the card.  I continued stamping some of the circles with sponge daubers for a fun effect. 


Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Happy Hour and Perfect Pennants
Ink:  Lost Lagoon, Hello Honey, Basic Gray
Cardstock:  Hello Honey, Lost Lagoon, Whisper White 
Accessories:  Basic Rhinestones, Large Oval Punch, Circle Framelits, Banner Framelit, Sponge Daubers Moonlight Designer Series paper pack

Third Project:
I really enjoy the BigzL Dies and one of my all time favourites has been the Petite Purse.  What a fun tool to have.  I've used this die over and over again for wedding and party favours, so I will really regret that it's gone.  Here are a couple of purses I made with this die:
I used Crisp Canteloupe for the base of this purse, one of the retiring In-colours that I'm going to truly miss.  The top of the purse was cut from DSP that retired with the Sale-A-Bration but the mix of colours went perfectly. Unfortunately you can barely see it because of my poor picture taking skills.   


I used the Petite Flower punch to cut out the large flower and the smaller ones were made with one of the Itty Bitty Accent punches.  Basic Pearls were added to the center.  I was trying to get a cascading flower effect placing all the flowers on the front.  I also  covered the brads that are holding the handle in place with the Petite Flowers but instead of the centers being Crisp Cantaloupe I added Lost Lagoon centers to bring out some of the colour from the DSP.  


I left the Crisp Cantaloupe purse background plain but it could have been stamped with a flower design as in this Regal Rose sample.  I like them either way.  With this super cute versatile die the sky and your imagination are the limit.
This die is so easy to use and the end product always brings a smile!

I hope you liked my projects today, and will leave a comment or two.  Don't forget to continue on to see the rest of the Wacky Watercooler participants projects.  They are simply awesome!


 

 




Before I go, here are some pictures of projects made with some of the other retiring stamp sets and products that I'm going to really miss.  Enjoy:
Stippled Blossoms - I literally cried when this was retired, and then I said "I'm never going to stop using this stamp set, it truly is my all time favourite!






Too Kind
This is an amazing 8 piece two-step set - perfect for every occasion. 

Starburst Sayings and Timeless Talk 

Timeless Talk 

Starburst Sayings

Postage Due 

Post Card 


Tea Party


Perfect Blend 

Today and Everyday





Well that's the end of my retirement tour.  Hope you had a good time.  

Happy Stampin!
Penny Tokens 

Close To My Heart Sale - Coming Soon!

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