The List of Retiring Stamps are coming soon!

It's the list we wait all spring for... the list of stamps retiring from the Stampin' Up! catalog will be released on May 1st - tomorrow!!  Watch this site in the morning for a link to the list and then start making your lists because these stamps will be discontinued forever starting on June 29th of this year! 

I've Been Tagged!

That's right, I've been tagged in a game of blogger tag!  My downline and friend, Diane tagged me!  This means that I'm going to share 7 fun facts about myself.  So, here goes...

1. When I was a kid some family friends nicknamed me “Green Bean” because I had a green jumper on one day.  It stuck!  I haven’t been called that in a long time, so if you’re reading this be sure to tell me Hi Green Bean the next time you see me! 



2. Speaking of names, I also used to go by Jenny when I was a kid.  I have long since outgrown that nickname (except when I hear the 867-5309 song… you know what I’m talking about!)  So, please don’t call me Jenny.  J 



3. I love Stampin’ Up! – OK, most of you knew that already.  But, you probably didn’t know that when I became a demonstrator I had only stamped once before and had only intended to buy supplies for my own personal use for scrapbooking.  But, I had several friends who wanted to learn stamping so I learned and then taught them!  I just returned from a free Panama Canalcruise that I earned so anything is possible with SU! 



4. One of my three cats has thumbs!  Really, he has extra toes that make him look like he has thumbs!  He also has a tendency to give me a thumbs up sign when he lies down which is really cute!



5. My favorite childhood book was “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein.  It’s a book that says a lot about how we should treat others and live our lives and I love to give this book to new moms that I know! 



6. I am an avid Packer and Badger fan even though I’m in Illinois!  I went to school at the University of Wisconsin and am 100% Badger.  I will always remember my Mom watching the Packers over her ironing (funny what we remember from our childhood).  They weren’t very good back in those days and aren’t again right now but there’s something about Wisconsin fans – we’ll show up to support our team no matter what! 



7. Last but not least, I can't post on my blog without a photo so here is a picture of a group of us at the Dessert Extravaganza on the second formal night of the Stampin' Up! Panama Canal cruise!

Thanks for reading and keep watching for more photos from my cruise and upcoming specials!  The retiring stamp list will be out on May 1^st and we’ll have a new special then too! 

We did actually stamp...

...on the Stampin' Up! Cruise!!  We didn't stamp this card but it was on the display board.  Notice those new patterned papers? Well, they're coming in the Fall/Winter Preview collection on July 1st and Stampin' Up! is giving us a sneak peek at these great papers through the Palette O'Prints promotion throughout May!  Email me for more details! 

Abandon Ship!!

So, my sister and I have started a new tradition every time we cruise together and this trip was no different!  The first day of a cruise they always have you do a lifeboat drill, well, here we are having a little fun with the drill! 

I have a feeling that every cruise we take we'll be doing a similar pose.  :) 

Notice the very cool "Cruise Achiever" magnet on the door... this is now on my fridge and is a ver cool reminder of our trip! 

Panama Palms

I love this scrapbook page!  It was on the display boards on the cruise, so I don't know who stamped it to give proper credit.  But, I love her use of the Rough Texture Wheel and the Palm Tree is so well done!  The colors here are Certainly Celery, Cool Caribbean, Very Vanilla and Close to Cocoa. 

Don't forget that Cool Caribbean is one of this year's In Colors and all six In Colors will be discontinued on June 30th of this year.  So, be sure to stock up before it's gone forever!

I'm Home!

Well, I'm still trying to get caught up after returning from the Stampin' Up! cruise to the Panama Canal last week.  It was a fabulous trip and was one of the best vacations I've ever been on!  Not only was the cruise itself really fun and the perfect balance between adventure and relaxing in the sun, but it was like being on vacation with 500 (or however many cruise earners there were) of your closest friends! 

I'll be posting more about the trip over the next few weeks so stay tuned...

The Army Brats!

So, we're not really army brats... This is me with some of my girls at our "Boot Camp Commisioning Party".  The four of us participated in a business boot camp to help us get more orgainzed and grow our businesses.  It was a lot of fun but also a lot of work! 

I'm so lucky to have Diane, Sara and Nancy in my group of demonstrators - they are so talented and fun to be with!  We decided to dress alike and show our team spirit as you can see in this photo.  I even made them dog tags to wear for the night using the key tag punch! They're hard to see here but they're hanging around our necks! 

I have a great recruiting special for you from now through the end of May!  You can earn sets that I can't get my hands on until June just by becoming a demonstrator!  Plus, we're having a group gathering on April 28th that you can attend free by coming as a potential recruit.  So, if you've been thinking about it and now would be a good time, check out my specials page and then email me for more details! 

Bundle of Joy

It seems like I have so many friends right now having babies and it's great!!  Take a look at this great card made using the Bundle of Joy Stamp set and Petals & Paisley designer paper. 

I just love this card, that giraffe is so cute!!  This set has a great stamp that you can use on the inside of the card to announce a new arrival.  So, whether you're wanting to make cards to mail for a baby that you're having or whether you're making cards for all the new mom's to be, this is a great set!  Check out my Spring Mini Art Gallery for more samples! 

New Accents & Elements Tin!

Remember the tin that I made earlier this year?  It was made by embossing an image from the Winter Mini catalog onto the Accents & Elements tin.  Well, here's a version made with the Accents & Elements tin from the Spring Mini and the Office Accoutrement stamp set! 

This was designed by my up-upline and I made it at an incentive night that I earned for participating in and completing my Stampin' Boot Camp in March!!  It's great to be a demonstrator in my group - see my specials page for more information!

Watch for a class to make this project later this spring! 

Spring Mini Gallery is Up!

It took me awhile but I've finally got all my photos sorted and posted to the Spring Mini Art Gallery on my main site.  You can view the complete gallery here:  Spring Mini Art Gallery.  Enjoy!