Sunday, November 21, 2010

Online Spectacular Sale through November 30!

The Stampin' Up! Online Spectacular Sale is on now! You can get 50% off My Digital Studio and Fabric and 40% off select Big Shot dies and great deals on lots of other great products! Just visit my website, select Shop Now and then Online Spectacular to see and order all these great deals! But don't wait, the sale ends November 30th!
http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/stampwithjen



Sunday, November 14, 2010

WOW!!! Starting tomorrow and running through November 30th, you can become a demonstrator for 50% off the normal starter kit price! That's just $87.50 for a ton of stamping stuff to get started with your business or hobby! Contact me for more details!!



Saturday, July 24, 2010

Simply Adorned for new WOW Stampers

WOW!! That's the name of my team... Well actually we are the way out west stampers but go by WOW Stampers for short!! And, I have a great gift for new demonstrators who join my team!



I'm working on building my Stampin' Up! family and am happy to announce that when you sign up with me to be a demonstrator through the end of August then my gift to you is your very own simply adorned charm personalized by me and sent when you submit you first $300 in sales!! This is valid for rejoining demonstrators as well so if you used to be a demonstrator talk to me about joining the WOW Stampers by the end of July for just $35!!



Simply Adorned for new WOW Stampers



Friday, July 23, 2010

2010 Stampin' Up! Convention

This year's convention is all about sharing what you love and I am loving convention!! Remember that if you were once a demonstrator you can rejoin my team for just $35 through the end of July!! Come join me next year at convention to join in the fun, experience creativity and share what YOU love!!!



2010 Stampin' Up! Convention



Friday, July 2, 2010

Introducing the 2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog

2010-2011 Idea Book and Catalog One of my favorite things about July 1 is out with the old and in with the new!  This year is no exception, the new catalog is phenomenal this year, filled with all sorts of vintage and shabby chic looks, as well as more traditional stamps and accessories.  The new colors really pop too and I'm excited to be reorganizing my stamp room to make room for new colors, stamps, organizational tools and other fun toys! 


I have some of my old stuff left and for sale so if there is something that you're looking for please email me and I can let you know if I still have it and if so what the cost would be. 


Have fun browsing the pages of this year's new catalog!



Monday, May 31, 2010

Last Chance Lists are Here!

The Last Chance Lists are  here!  Retiring stamps and Decor Elements will be available through the end of June but Last Chance Accessories are available only while supplies last so don't wait, contact me to place your order today!


Last Chance Stamp Sets


Last Chance Definitely Decorative


Last Chance Accessories 



Monday, April 19, 2010

Slump

Wow, I've been in a bit of a creative slump of late.  Partly that's been the return of warmer weather and a return to the outdoors, partly it's been an itching for new projects and products to play with but mostly just a creative slump.  It seems that every time I sit down to stamp or stitch I get sucked into blog hopping for inspiration and never actually get into a project!  I do have stamp club tomorrow so I spent a good part of the weekend prepping for the three projects we'll be stamping and also a swap from the upcoming Summer Mini catalog.  It was good to get the stamping juices flowing (pictures coming after the club, my stampers know that I like the "reveal" during the class when the project comes together). 


I've also been doing a bit more stitching again.  Now that I've moved into my new place and am finally feeling more settled I decided it was high time to get back to that.  I'm currently working on Carriage House Samplings "My Hometown" which I will personalize with the name of my Hometown.  It's been slow going and again, I'll try to post a picture soon.  It's a very pretty piece but I'd really rather be starting Plum Street Samplers "Paradise Lost" but am saving up to do it in all silk so I picked this piece up to give me plenty of time to save.  :)  So, not to take away from what I've been stitching but it's just not where my heart is.  You'd think that would give me the drive to finish it but alas, that is not the case. 


That brings me to another thing that I've noticed and that is the blogs that I really enjoy share more than just their craft.  So, I'm going to start sharing more about what's going on in my life instead of just my stamping business.  One of those things is that my parents are coming for a visit.  I've been working on getting a few projects around the house finished before they come since my Mom hasn't seen my place since before I moved in.  I'm really excited to see both of them and of course wanted to show them the house in the way I like to keep it, not the way it looks after a weekend of hiking and biking.  So, lots of projects, cleaning out the garage and putting samplers into frames so my Mom and I can figure out where to hang them.  I must admit that it makes this house feel more like a home. 


IMG_0885 Because I try to have a photo of something in every post, here is a photo of Plum Street Samplers "The Fruit of the Spirit" that I stitched last summer in preparation for moving.  I took this photo over Christmas (you can kind of see the Christmas runner and mini Christmas tree in the background).  It was a quick stitch and I really enjoyed the colors (I used DMC) and completely love the hair on the girl standing in the grass.  It just felt like home so it was a must stitch!  :)  When I was laid up last fall I stitched two samplers that I sent to my Mom for framing and she's bringing them this weekend.  I can't wait to see the frames she picked and to see the finished pieces.  Best of all I'm glad that I didn't have to lace them!  I've been doing enough of that lately, but more on that in a later post.  Just in case you're wondering, this frame and most of my frames are from Lynn's of Madison.  They are so great there and anytime I'm in town I definitely pop in to say hi and to pick up a frame or some stitching supplies. 


Off to bed, until next time!



Saturday, January 23, 2010

Haitian Earthquake Relief

Haiti Earthquake Relief
From now through February 28, 2010 Stampin' Up! will donate $2 from the sale of every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set to the American Red Cross to help the Haitian People recover from the 7.0 magnitude Earthquake that hit on January 12.   Please Order Online or contact me to order this great stamp set and do something to help the Haitian people at the same time!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Simply Adorned Charms

SA Charm Front So, on Tuesday you saw the Simply Adorned bracelet charms that I had made, here is a Simply Adorned Rectangle Charm that I did for a necklace.  This charm was also inspired by what was shown on stage at Leadership and I just love how it turned out!  I changed my colors to match the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper and used Chocolate Chip, Old Olive and Orchid Opulance.  The initial is from the Wild West alphabet (IBC p. 152), the word is from Tiny Tags (Occasions Mini p. 28) and the leaves are from Vintage Vogue (Occasions Mini p. 26). 


I stamped everything in Craft ink and embossed with a mixture of about 2/3 Clear and 1/3 Iridescent Ice embossing powders.  I like this mixture because it gives the smooth finish of clear but has just a little bit of sparkle! 


The rhinestone is from the Eggcellent Eggs kit - it has a whole sheet of little rhinestones that are so much fun!  Use your poker tool to pick them off the rhinestone sheet and apply them to your project.  Enjoy! SA Charm Back


All of the new demonstrators who join with me directly during Sale-A-Bration will receive a similar set of inserts for their own charms from me once their first order is placed!  Ask me for more information about becoming a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and joining my team of W.O.W. Stampers!!



Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Simply Adorned Bracelet

SA Bracelet FrontThese two charms are from the new Stampin' Up! Simply Adorned line.  They are the 5/8" Circle and Square Charms.  I took my cues on what to do with them from some charms that Shelli Gardner showed at Leadership this year but customized them to what I wanted them to say and the colors that I used. 


I started with the Cottage Wall designer paper.  You might remember that this was the same DSP that inspired my swaps for Leadership.  Then, I used the Tiny Tags and vintage Vogue stamps to come up with the little designs. 


These little charms are perfect for markers so you can get just a letter or word and not an entire stamp.  I used craft ink almost exclusively for these and then embossed with a mixture of clear and Iridescent Ice embossing powders.  Then I punched the circle out using a 1/2" circle punch and cut the square using my paper trimmer to 1/2" square.  SA Bracelet Back


Don't you just love this little crown?  I have some ideas with that stamp but that's going to have to wait for another day!  Enjoy and come back soon to see the matching necklace. 



Sunday, January 17, 2010

Finished Journal

Leadership Journal This is my finished journal that I made for Leadership Conference!  I just love how it turned out!  The paper is Lovely Flowers, it uses the Sweet Pea Stitched Felt, Chocolate Chip epoxy brads and the letters are Chipboard Lots of Letters!


A note about the letters, typically I like to use a sanding block on the edge of journals and chipboard elments.  I started to do this with these initials but the corners are so tiny that I ended up cutting up an emery board and getting into the edges.  Just a tip if you're using these letters like I am.  Of course, you could always smush some craft ink onto the letters and emboss which is really easy but I wanted them in the same Crushed Curry as the paper. 


And did you  notice how I used one of the Sweet Pea Felt circles as the dot above the "J"?  I thought that looked really sweet!  I attached the letters with glue dots but just used dimensionals on the felt and they worked great.  Enjoy!  



Saturday, January 16, 2010

Sometimes a Messy Stamp Table is a Good Thing!

IMG_0887 Well, I'm back from Leadership and am caught up again! I thought I'd post some photos from a project I was working on for the trip.  This is a photo of my kitchen table as I was prepping for the trip.  The swaps were done and I was starting my journal.  For those who know me, I make a new journal for every Stampin' Up! event that I attend to take notes in (and they look so pretty all stacked up together). 


This year for Leadership I wanted to use the new Sweet Pea stitched felt.  So, I got those out (and put them into a tin for easy storage) and started to play with DSP, ribbon and other elements. 


I settled on the Lovely Flowers paper for my base, this DSP is available through the Lovely Flowers bundle which is a level 3 hostess set.  This paper uses Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Melon Mambo and Old Olive.  Even though the colors weren't an exact match (Sweet Pea uses Rose Red instead of Melon Mambo) it was close enough that I knew it would work.  I started playing and really like the result!  I also incorporated Sending Love epoxy brads in Chocolate Chip.  Come back tomorrow to see how the finished product turned out! 



Saturday, January 9, 2010

Stampin' Up! Rising Star Swaps

RS Swap Option 4 Many of you know that when I first started my Stampin' Up! career, I was honored to be named the #4 Rising Star in the US!  I was floored and so flattered!  Well, that was almost 5 years ago now and one of the things that makes that so special is that as a group, many of us still keep in touch through swaps!  This is a swap that I designed for our Rising Star Occasions Mini catalog swap!    


This card takes it's inspiration from the Sending Love specialty designer series paper (Occasions p. 13)!  I love these specialty papers, each one is a little unique and special and this one is no different.  It is embossed with glitter and we all know how much I love glitter!! 


I also used the Pretty In Pink satin ribbon (Occasions p. 27), the Pinking Hearts Border Punch (Occasions p. 11) and the Well Scripted Stamp set (Occasions p. 19). 


I love the direction that we're going with these products!  I'm using the clear mount blocks now starting with this catalog.  They are very easy to use, just press the stamp onto the block and stamp away!  I used craft ink on these cards and the stamp stuck to the block just perfectly!  And, the new slim profile punches are so neat and look great piled up on my stamp table (well, they're in a heap right now with all the stamping I've been doing but who's keeping track)? 


Of course, I had to use a couple different sheets of paper for my swaps so here are some other cards using different sheets of the designer paper.  Enjoy!


RS Swap Option 1 RS Swap Option 2 RS Swap Option 3



Friday, January 8, 2010

A Quilters Dream!

WOW WOW WOW!!!! If you're following things from Stampin' Up! Leadership 2009 you may have seen the new ideas of using the Big Shot with your quilting! This is a quick and easy way to cut perfect uniform shapes quickly! Today in general session we each received this quilt block as a sample to share at our events! It uses several of our Big Shot dies and the petals are from the 5-point star die.



If you're a quilter and want more information about how to simplify your quilting with these products just email me at stampwithjen@gmail.com. And if you'd like to earn these products for free you can hold your own Big Shot workshop or become a demonstrator and you too can share what you love!



A Quilters Dream!



Leadership Displays

Check out these great and super cute displays at Leadership this year! Don't you just love the super cute bird shopping bags and the new card tree? They even have cute flip flops that when you walk in the sand with them they will leave the words "Stampin' Up!" in the sand. How stinkin cute is that?!?





Leadership Displays




Leadership Displays






Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Stampin' Up! Leadership Swaps

Leadership Swap Just a quick post to share my swaps for this year's Stampin' Up! Leadership Convention.  This card was inspired by the Cottage Wall Designer Series Paper (IBC page 160).  It uses Rich Razzleberry, Old Olive and Orchid Opulence. 


The stamps used are Fifth Avenue Floral (IBC p. 98) and the Medallion background stamp (IBC p. 133).  I've had this great background stamp for awhile but hadn't used it and I have a feeling that we'll be seeing a lot of it in my stamped creations in weeks to come!  If you like this card then look for me today and I'll be happy to swap with you!



Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Sketch Challenge

SIS Layout challengeThis week I participated in a sketch challenge with my upline's group.  This card is Old Olive, Regal Rose and Chocolate Chip, a favorite color combination! 


The background is dry embossed using the Big Shot and Elegant Bouquet Embossing Folder.  I cut the cardstock down to 4" x 5 1/4" and ran it through the big shot.  I then adhered it to the card base and added the ribbon. 


The rest of this is new from the Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration brochure!  The greeting is the Whimsical Words set from Sale-A-Bration (this means you can get this set free with an order of $50 in product)!


And, the felt flowers are definitely a new favorite, and definitely very me!  They are the Sweet Pea stitched felt pictured on page 32 of the Occasions mini catalog!  I adhered the flowers using dimensionals.  Super cute and easy! 


IMG_0879 I've also found a great way to store my Sweet Pea stitched felt.  I used an empty tin from some Flower Fusion (IBC page 180) that I had used up and put my sweet pea inside.  Now I can't wait to decorate the outside of the tin!!


Sketch challenge And, here is the original sketch that this card was based on.  If you want to join us, just design your own card, and post a link to it in the comments for this post! 



Monday, January 4, 2010

Sale-A-Bration is Here!

Saleabration 2010
Sale-A-Bration is my favorite time of the Stampin' Up! year!!  It's when I get to help you earn exclusive stamp sets and other exclusive products just by doing what you do best - shopping for stamping stuff!  You can earn free stamps in three ways:

  • Spend $50 or more and get a free product from the SAB brochure!  Get an additional product for every $50 in products purchased!
  • Host - Host a workshop or book party and get a free SAB product for every $300 in workshop sales.  This is in addition to to the products you earn from your personal purchases!
  • Join - Join my team through March 31st and get a free stamp set of your choice from the Idea Book and Catalog - that is up to a $47.95 value!  Whether you love to stamp or want to earn some extra income doing something fun this is a great value!


Something new this year is even more options to earn free products!  In addition to the punch, 4 stamp sets and paper pad, there are 77 other stamp sets that you can earn free  this year!  These other options are listed on page 11 of the SAB Brochure. 


Happy Sale-A-Brating!!!



Happy New Year!!

New Year Card Happy New Year!  The new year is here and Sale-A-Bration is just around the corner.  I designed this fun card using "A Brand New Year" stamp on page 31 of the Holiday Mini catalog.  The image is embossed with gold embossing powder, the champagne glass is colored in with an Apricot Appeal marker and then covered in Crystal Effects to make it look like a glass of champagne. 


This card also uses the Groom Specialty paper.  There are two patterns in the Bride, Groom and Bridesmaid papers, the striped paper shown here and the swirly design shown in my Snowflakes A Plenty card.  Both designs in the pack are embossed for a classy touch to any card. 


This card is topped off with the sparkle sentiment from "Warm Words" and a bit of gold cardstock and Very Vanilla Taffeta Ribbon. 


Happy New Year everyone!



Sunday, January 3, 2010

What do you think?

MDS Certified What do you think of my new blog design?  Leave me a comment and let me know!  I designed my new website banner using My Digital Studio and since I'm a My Digital Studio certified demonstrator I thought this would be a wonderful way to showcase my talents!  The blog design took me longer than the banner itself just showing how easy My Digital Studio is to use!

Adorable Gift Bags

Book Club gifts Every year I get together monthly with a few friends for our Book club.  We've read a lot of great books and really have a fun time talking to the point that every time we meet someone has to remind us to talk about the book for 10 minutes since we go off on so many different topics!  In fact, we have so much fun that we take months off from reading books to celebrate birthdays at a spa day. 


This year I wanted to do something fun and special for the girls, so I made up little gift bags using the Christmas Cocoa specialty paper and wrapped their gifts in them.  This uses the Delightful Decorations stamp set and Ornament punch too and all of these items will be unavailable after January 4th, 2010.  But, they're so cute that I had to at least share the photos with you!  Enjoy!



Dasher My Favorite Reindeer

Dasher club card This is my favorite of the Christmas cards that we made this year!  This uses the Dasher stamp set on page 208 of the Idea Book and Catalog and the best part is it's just $8.95!  Dasher is such an elegant stamp (and Decor Elements hostess item for that matter) and he made a perfect Christmas Card!  


We first stamped Dasher using Chocolate Chip Craft Ink on Whisper White cardstock.  Then, we sprinkled a combination of clear embossing powder mixed with Iridescent Ice and heat embossed.  This gave us a little bit of sparkle but really let the color show through. 


Then this card is layered up using Old Olive designer paper, the other half of the Mistletoe Ribbon Originals and the Christmas Cocoa Specialty paper.  This specialty paper is really fun, the piece we used here is a real red base with white flocking in the design.  It's really fun!  In fact, I think I'm going to have to put in one more order for myself to get a bit more of this to use for my Christmas scrapping! 


The "be merry" is from Warm Words, on page 141 of the idea book and catalog.  We stamped the greeting in Real Red on Whisper White and punched out with the modern label punch.  To get the red backing, we used the Magnetic Movers and Shakers die (p. 201) with Real Red Cardstock and the Big Shot.  It's a pretty easy card and it was a real hit with my stampers this year!



Sparkle Ornament Card

Sparkle ornament club card This was another Christmas card that I taught at my stamp club this fall.  This card uses the Sweet Centers stamp set in the Holiday mini and the Sweet Treat Cups for a 3-D effect. My original idea was to make a snowglobe with a snowman on the inside with snow glitter floating around inside but it didn't quite happen.  Still, I really like this ornament card. 


I especially love the Mistletoe ribbon originals which is the Old Olive Taffeta ribbon shown here with the white edge.  This is also in the Holiday mini so don't wait, the ribbon and stamp set are not available after Monday!  And, watch for an upcoming post with a cute Dasher card, it uses the second spool of ribbon in this set! 


The wheel shown here is the Sassy Sparkles wheel.  I originally tried to paint the wheel with platinum shimmer paint and then roll it but I found that the paint dried too quickly.  So, in the end we used the silver encore pad to make this card, but my end result was a pretty silver wheel!  Enjoy! IMG_0886



Snowflakes A Plenty

Snowflake club card This is another card that we stamped at our Christmas stamp clubs.  The colors used are Night of Navy and Very Vanilla.  The background is actually the Bridesmaid specialty designer paper sponged with Night of Navy Ink.  This specialty paper has an embossed feel so the result is an emboss resist look without having to do the embossing!  A similar look could be achieved with the Bride paper or the Groom paper (but with using a light ink). 


The greeting is the very versatile "All Holidays" set pictured on page 43 of the Idea Book and Catalog.  The 12 stamps in this set will cover the majority of your holidays!  The punch is the Jumbo Snowflake punch pictured on page 187 of this year's catalog.  To adhere the snowflakes you can either use a tiny bit of snail placed in several places on each snowflake or use the small applicator on the Tombo Adhesive (p. 192).  Of course while we did this card for a Christmas card, it would be great for any winter card! 


This card was an adaptation of a card originally stamped by Gretchen Barron.  Thanks Gretchen for your inspiration!



Delightful Decorations

Ornament club card In November and December, my stamp club did a lot of Christmas projects, this was in part so they'd have a few cards on hand just in case but also to help with Christmas card ideas for this year and next.  This first card uses one of my favorite stamp sets, Baroque Motifs as the background stamp. 


The Stamp set is Delilghtful Decorations and is punched out with the Ornament punch.  Both of these items are in the Holiday mini catalog which ends on Monday, January 4th so if you want to purchase this item be sure to do so by the end of the day Monday!  You can order this item by either emailing me at stampwithjen@gmail.com or by ordering online by clicking on the order online link at the top left of this website!