Dreaming of November ......

You're probably thinking right about now, "hey it's only June, why is she "Dreaming of November"?  Well, I've got a couple of reasons.  
The first is that on June 6th I'm going to be celebrating my 10th Anniversary as a demonstrator with Stampin' Up! 

And the second, is that I get to celebrate that anniversary with all my stamping friends when I attend Stampin' Up!s OnStage Event in Vancouver 5th of November.   I can hardly contain myself I'm so excited.  These very special events don't happen often in Vancouver so every demonstrator I know locally, will be wanting to attend, and that includes anyone who joins now.

Today I want to share some special projects that I put together for Stampin' Up! in hopes of getting an opportunity to stamp projects for the OnStage Display Boards.  I'm not sure how many boards they will have but each board represents the work of a local demonstrator and it's a very big honour to be chosen  to participate.  

I didn't see the invite until yesterday, but we were asked to put together a sample of our work including the following hand stamped items for consideration:

• Three card fronts
• One scrapbook page
• Two 3D items
• And a blog post or some other medium to display the pictures of our projects.  

Yikes!!!  I've been in a panic all day because I had lots of stamping and assembly to do.  Here's what I made:

Three Card Fronts:

Card Front One:  Features stamps from Swirly Bird and Picture Perfect Stamp Sets.  Stamping is done with Emerald Envy one of the new InColours for 2016-2018.

Card Front Two:  This card also features the Swirly Bird stampset and the sentiment is from a set called Birthday Blooms.  I love the new Flirty Flamingo InColour which I've paired with Watermelon Wonder inks and cards stock. 

Card Front Three:  This card is stamped with the Painter's Palette Stamp set and the sentiment is from the Balloon Celebration Stamp Set. The Emerald Envy cardstock sets a bold statement on this card and mixes well with the other InColours -Dapper Denim,Flirty Flamingo, Sweet Sugarplum and Peekaboo Peach. 

Scrapbook Page:
 

I don't often make scrapbook pages, so it was fun trying to decide how to showcase this awesome photo of my sister. I wanted to bring in the blues in her shirt and keep the feel of the garden in my page. 

The Dapper Denim Incolour was mixed with Blushing Bride For this page I used the new Swirly Bird Photopolymer stamp set for all the background stamping. The sentiment "you are just the nicest" is from the Picture Perfect stamp set. And finally, I stamped the Blushing Bride circle with the Birthday Blooms stamp set to capture the flower garden look. The swirl flowers are made with the Swirly Scribbles Thinlits Dies and are cut from Blushing Bride Glimmer Paper. The butterfly was cut from Dapper Denim card stock with the Butterfly Thinlets.

Two 3-D Items:  
My First 3-D Project is a picture frame featuring the Butterflies Thinlits, The Swirl in Silver Glimmer Paper from the Swirly Scribbles Thinlit Dies and the verse from the Butterfly Basics stamp set which was cut out and layered with the Layering Squares Framelits Dies.  There's lots of Basic Rhinestones to add some dazzle.  I used Rich Razzleberry cardstock for the background and dry embossed it with the Fluttering Embossing Folder before the other elements were added.  

My second 3-d Project is a Diorama Father's Day card.  It is made with Dapper Denim and Whisper White card stocks.  The Guy Greetings stamp set was used for the sentiment on the inside of the diorama "Worlds Greatest Day" and he Happy Father's Day on the front panel.  I also used Timeless Textures to add some background interest to this card. 

Because I'm worried my Diorama card won't be viewed as a 3-D Project I decided to include another 3-D project for consideration.  This next project is a Note Card Gift Folder.  This is the only project I didn't make today.   It was originally made for the Watercooler Wednesday WWC63 challenge  in April and was the winner. 
 

This is the lid for the Note Card Gift Folder.  The folder contains six Whisper White 3 x 5 Stampin Up Note Cards that are stamped with the Birthday Blooms Stamp set.  The folder and layers are in Blushing Bride, Calypso Coral, Pear Pizzazz and So Saffron card stocks.  

The cards and note box are stamped with the Birthday Blooms Stamp set which was originally in the Occasions Catalogue that just retired. Fortunately this set was carried over to the new catalogue.  I'm so happy, as this is one of my all time favourite stamp sets.

 

 

Well, that's it for this post. I hope you've enjoyed seeing what I've made and will leave me a comment.  If you're at all interested in becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, this is the time to do it, because you'll be eligible to come to the November OnStage event too!  If you'd like more information please contact me, I'd be happy to let you know more about the event and becoming a demo. 


Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stamping Spot

Stampin' Up! Demonstrator - Join Now It's the Best Time!

What type of demonstrator would YOU be?

Stampin’ Up! Demonstrators have lots of options, and it doesn't matter whether you're a woman or a man.  What kind of options would you choose?

Discount Demonstrators really like getting their stamps and accessories for their own personal use with a 20% discount.  They are usually their own best customers however they may sell to neighbors, relatives, friends, when the occasion arises.

Short-Term Demonstrators are those gals who only want to sell for a short period of time to earn a specified amount of money and then once their goal is reached they drop out.

Seasonal Demonstrator: Works hard at the business during some period of the year such as September, October, and November for seasonal money keeps their demonstratorship by getting minimum orders and sales during the balance of the year.  Often snowbirds fall into this category.

Hobby Demonstrator's are the types of stampers who love holding workshops and earning extra money when it’s convenient.  These gals choose to work a lot some months and very little other months so they can achieve balance in their lives.  They like to do workshops and stamp clubs that are easy to book and don't take a lot of their personal or family time away from them.

Career Demonstrator: Views being a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator as a viable business opportunity with potential for long-term lucrative career prospects.  A Career Demonstrator is the gal who actively pursues management and wants to move up the career ladder.  A Career Demonstrator is the one who absolutely loves attending Stampin’ Up! events and has developed close social relationships with other demonstrators through networking.  A Career Demonstrator is the one who takes her business seriously, establishes short and long term goals and works her business in a consistent and outgoing manner.

Contact me at: pennyhanuszak@telus.net with any questions.  Signing up is Easy - just follow these steps:
 
1. Take it slowly and build your kit by entering the item numbers for $125 in the product of your choice. Anything goes!  The Starter Kit is $135 + tax and ships FREE!  
2. Go to my website at http://www.pennyhanuszak.stampinup.net/jointhefun
In the left column, click on “Join Now”. 
3.  Check out the links and then Join Now.


Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot!  
   

Stampin’ Up!’s 2016-2017 Catalogue is Here

Let the magic begin!  It's June 1st and the brand new Stampin' Up 2016-2017 Catalogue is finally here.  This year's catalogue which runs from June 1, 2016 to May 31st, 2017 is called "Find Your Inspiration".  I can guarantee you there is lots of inspiration in this 209 page cattie.  

Here are your PDF links to both the Canadian English and French versions of the catalogue.  Later today both of these links will be permanently available on the Catalogue menu screen at the top of my home page.  

Click Here to download a PDF copy of this English Version of the catalogue.

 

Click here to download a PDF copy of this French Version of the new 2016 catalogue.

Click Here to Order Stampin' Up just click on the SHOP NOW button. Enjoy!


Happy Stamping
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot

WWC70 Marsha's Sketch Challenge

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for the Watercooler Wednesday Challenge.  I'm super stoked to participate today and to let you in on some great news.  Drum roll please............  

Today, I'm participating for the first time as a Temporary Team Artist for the Watercooler Wednesday Design Team.  How awesome is that?  In terms of "awesomeness" for me, it's a really big honour to have been given this opportunity.  It means I'll be contributing on a regular basis over the next three months with this group of very talented ladies whose creativity and friendship have inspired me so much over the past few years. You just can't wipe the smile off my face! 

Okay, let's get down to business.  Today's challenge #WWC70 is a sketch challenge chosen by Marsha J. Reed. Here is her wonderful sketch:

My Card: 
When I saw this sketch, I was a little undecided about what to create.  I started out making a graduation card but then the more I played with the sketch it morphed into a Masculine Birthday card and I'm very pleased with how it turned out.  This card features some recently retired Stampin' Up! products as well as the brand new Layered Squares framelit dies, which I'm excited to share with you.

 

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Oh My Goodies, Party Pants, Starburst Sayings, Happy Birthday Everyone
Card Stock:  Whisper White, Basic Black, Tip Top Taupe
DSP:  Go Wild Designer Series Paper Pack 
Ink:  Momento Tuxedo Black Ink
Accessories:  Chevron Embossing Folder, Layering Squares Framelits - Dimensionals, Big Shot, Trimmer, Tom Bow Glue, Scissors 1 1/4" Circle Punch, Starburst Framelit dies (smallest one)

Details:
1.  The card base is a piece of 5 x 10" Tip Top Taupe card stock scored at 5".
2.  The first layer is a piece of 4 3/4 x 4 3/4" Basic Black card stock.
3.  The second layer is a 4 5/8 x 4 5/8" piece of "Go Wild" DSP.
4.  The banner layer is a 2 x 5" piece of Tip Top Taupe card stock that was embossed with the Chevron Embossing folder and adhered 1/2" from the left hand side of the card base  and from the top edge to the bottom, overlapping the first and second layers.

5.  The square layers started with a 3 x 3" piece of Basic Black card stock that was cut out with the 2 3/8" scalloped square die from the new Layering Squares Framelit set.  The Whisper White layer began with a 2 1/2 x 2 1/2" piece of card stock that was trimmed down with the 2 1/8" straight square die cut.  This piece was stamped in Tuxedo Black ink with the "Live Well....." image from Oh My Goodies stamp set, and adhered with Tom Bow Glue to the black square.  The image was stamped again in Tuxedo Black ink on a scrap of Whisper White and again on a scrap of Tip Top Taupe.  The Whisper White image was completely cut out using scissors and only the lines and words "laugh hard" were again fussy cut from the Tip Top Taupe piece.  Both of these images were adhered with dimensionals to the anchor image. 

6.  The "Woo Hoo" image  from  the Party Pants stamp set was stamped in Tuxedo Black ink on a scrap of Tip Top Taupe card stock and cut out with the 6/8"scalloped square Layering Squares die cut and then mounted on a square of Basic Black card stock that was cut out with the 7/8" straight edge Layering Squares die cut.

7.  The "Celebrate" image is from a retired stamp set called Starburst Sayings that was stamped on a scrap of Whisper White card stock and then cut out using the retired Starburst Framelit die.  I stamped this image twice and the second image was fussy cut and then mounted in the center of the image with a dimensional.  To make it pop out I cut a piece of Basic Black card stock with the 1 1/4" circle punch and adhered the image so that it was centered on the circle.   

8.  Whenever I make a square card I also like to make the envelope using Stampin' Up!s Envelope Punch Board.  I lined the envelope with the same DSP as on the card and on the envelope front stamped the "celebrate" starburst in the bottom left hand corner.  

Well that's it for today.  I hope you'll take the time to leave me a comment on this card.   How do you like square cards?  Do you make them and if so do you make your own envelopes and line them?  

Happy Stamping Until Next Time!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot

The Retirement Clock is Ticking.....

It's a cloudy, rainy Sunday morning here in Abbotsford, and so I'm sitting back chilling with a fresh cup of coffee and thinking about June 1st when the new cattie is released.  I'm literally counting down the hours.  However, I'm also thinking about putting one last order in to take advantage of some of the 2015-2016 prices and retiring products that I "just have to have".  

What about you? 

Watercooler Wednesday Challenges - WWC69 Masculine CAS Challenge

It's time for another Watercooler Wednesday Challenge and this time the theme chosen by design team member Kath Ricks, is for a "Masculine" "CAS" challenge.  Yikes, masculine and CAS......... two words I  normally don't want to hear in the same sentence.

I love layers and colour in my cards so the term CAS which stands for uncluttered, with white or open space, and minimal layers and embellishments, pretty much terrifies me.  I think it's probably the "white open space" concept - because I always want to fill it up.

Well here goes:  

I began with an 8 1/2 x 5 1/2" piece of Cherry Cobbler card stock scored at 4 1/4".  A 5 3/8 x 4 1/8" layer of Night of Navy card stock was added next, followed by a 4 x 5 1/8" piece of Whisper White card stock.  I used the Simply Scored scoring board to add three lines of scoring vertically and horizontally in the upper left portion of the card.  The addition of these stripes helps with the cards visual balance.   

I think this is possibly the most white space I've ever left on a card, but to my surprise it actually worked out okay.  Without any additional visual distractions this little boat really looks like it could float and it really highlights the sentiment "world's best dad".   

The sail boat image is from a soon to be released photopolymer stamp set called Swirly Bird.  On its own, the image of the sail boat was too plain looking, so I hunted through my stamp collection and found a stamp that would provide a light and airy background behind the boat.  The stars and dots image from the Celebrate Today Photopolymer stamp set is actually a two-step stamp meant to be layered on a big balloon but I found it took on a magical quality when I stamped it in Soft Sky and Dapper Denim (new) inks on this card.  

This is the Celebrate Today Photopolymer Stamp Set.  I used the image above the word "baby" for the background stamp.

I mounted the two sails, hull and flag on a block and stamped the full image in Night of Navy ink on top of the background stamping. I stamped the image again on a scrap of Whisper White card stock and fussy cut out all the parts. Before adhering these additional boat parts with dimensionals, I placed them on my piercing pad and rolled a stylus on the backside of each image (except for the flag) until they began to roll. I guess I must have pressed too hard with the stylus on the back of the smaller sail because it looks like it has wrinkles on it, but that's okay by me. Don't sails have wrinkles?   To achieve the 3-D look I had to stack two dimensional pieces on top of each other and then adhere them to the board.

Here is the inside view of my card. The sentiment is from Guy Greetings and the navigation symbol is from the soon to retire Going Global stamp set. 

Supplies Used: 
Stamp Sets:  Swirly Bird (new), Guy Greetings and Going Global 
Card Stock: Whisper White, Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy
Ink:  Cherry Cobbler, Night of Navy, Dapper Denim, Soft Skye
Accessories:Trimmer, Tom Bow Glue, Stampin'Dimensionals, Simply Scored

May 31st, 2016 ..... Update!
Just wanted to let you know it was a good week around the watercooler for me. I just received a note from Heidi Weaver of the Watercooler Wednesday Design Team letting me know I "Rocked the Watercooler" with this WWC69 Masculine CAS card.  What terrific news!  I'm doing the happy dance now!  Thank you design team and congrats to the honourable mentions for your terrific cards. 

 
Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot!

Color Challenge - WWC68 Libby's Color Challenge

The end of the catalogue season is fast approaching and with it the last chance to get many of the wonderful Stampin' Up! products that will be retiring.  Along with all the stamp sets and accessories, the In-Colours from the 2014-2016 season will sadly be gone.  So, I think it's terrific that Libby Fen's challenge this week for the Wednesday Watercooler Challenge WWC68 focusses on those In-Colours.

Have you ever tried to use multiple colours in one challenge? For me this required some serious thinking, because for me although I really love the Blackberry Bliss, Hello Honey and Lost Lagoon, I'm not so fussy about the Mellow Moss and Tangelo Twist. In the end I decided to do a mashup of the colours by adding them in small bits, rather than bold statements of colour.  Here's my entry in this challenge:

Here's My Card:

Supplies:
Stamp Sets:  Botanicals for You, Picture Perfect, and Number of Years
Ink:  Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Mellow Moss and Tangelo Twist
Card Stock:  Hello Honey, Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon, Mellow Moss and Whisper White
DSP: Moonlight Designer Series Paper
Accessories: Big Shot Machine, Layering Squares Framelits (new), Basic Rhinestones, Dimensionals, Mini Glue Dots,Scissors

Assembly:
1. Cut a piece of Whisper White card stock 4 1/4 x 11" and scored at 5 1/2 for the card base.

2. Cut a 5 1/4" x 4" piece of Moonlight DSP.  Using the large scalloped square from the Layering Squares Framelits cut a square in the front of the card. It should measure 6/8" from the top, 1 1/2" from the bottom and 1/2" on each side of the DSP.  Run it through the Big Shot and then adhere DSP to the front of the Whisper White card base.  
 
3. Choose a square plain frame that will leave a 1/4" space between the scalloped edge and the square cut-out.  Center the frame on the Whisper White card stock and run through the Big Shot.  You're going to love these new Square Framelits, they're simply awesome and will be available on June 1st. 

4. Lightly mark with a pencil the edges of the square onto the inside of the card as a guide for stamping.

5.  Stamp the floral leaf arrangement from the Number of Years Stamp in Mellow Moss Ink on the inside of the card.  Stamp the flowers in Tangelo Twist and Lost Lagoon and then add basic rhinestones to the center of the Tangelo Twist flowers.

6. Center and stamp the sentiment "...because you're so nice" in Blackberry Bliss ink below the floral image.
7.  On a small scrap of Whisper White card stock stamp the banner from Number of Years stamp set in Blackberry Bliss.  Fussy cut the banner out.
 

Number of Years stamp set

8.  Stamp "Just a Note" from the Picture Perfect stamp set in Blackberry Bliss ink in the center of the banner and then attach the banner with dimensionals below the scalloped square.  Note:  When I made my card I should have put a line on the inside to drop the sentiment down to so that it doesn't show through the square when the card is closed.  Oh well the next one. 

 

Picture Perfect

9.  Using the small floral punch from the Itty Bitty Accents punch pack punch out six flowers from Blackberry Bliss, Lost Lagoon and Hello Honey card stocks. Shape the flowers and add a basic rhinestone to the center of each and then attach around the banner with glue dots.    

And that's it folks, just a plain easy to make little card, that's sure to brighten a friend's day.  Hope you liked it.  

May 25, 2016 - Update:
I just heard from the Watercooler Wednesday Design Team leader that I "Rocked The Watercooler" with this card.  Thanks Libby and the rest of the team for this honour.  Congrats to Heather and Susie who were the honourable mentions this week, your cards were beautiful. 

Happy Stamping!
Penny Tokens Stampin Spot