A Passion for Stamps

Scrapbooking-a Masterpiece Snow Fort!

No doubt you are wondering what happened to me? Well it appears that Christmas preparations and vacation plans took over my life...so much for Twelve Christmas specials I had hoped to share! With the new year upon the horizon, the other specials will have to keep until next year's holiday season! But--next year I will be starting much earlier and may instead, do Twelve WEEKS of Christmas, starting in October, so nothing interferes with getting them out!

The snows started earlier than ever in the Northeast U.S. this season...in November! Our kids are older now (19 and  almost 15) so snowstorms don't have the same allure that they used to when they were little...our 19 year-old son now understands why adults aren't crazy about snow and ice-because now he has to get up earlier and go outside to get it all off his car so he can drive to college! And our (almost 15 year old) daughter would rather snuggle inside with her robe and Silky Terrier-watching a movie with a bowl of popcorn instead of loading on all the snow gear and going outside to play in it! I miss those days when we would bundle them up and send them out with their sleds, shovels and buckets so they could create Snow Forts!

While traveling down memory lane, I decided to go thru the many boxes of pictures we have taken over the years that still need to find a home in scrapbooks I mean to finish..and I came across a few photos of one such snow fort the kids built!  It's not the greatest photo, but good enough to stir up the memories! This was the masterpiece of snow forts! The kids worked on it for hours and it lasted for days-even lingered with little mounds where towers used to be, for weeks later! I'm so glad I stopped to take a few pictures-so this memory is saved forever! I had made this page for a swap with my Stampin' Up! group-which now became the perfect home for this photo! One day when my kids have their own families, as they look at this page it will undoubtedly stir up it's own story of memories in their minds as they reminisce about this snowy day in their childhoods...

I used the SNOW jumbo wheel for the background (from the holiday mini collection) with one of this year's In Colors (Soft Sky). I love this wheel-and hope it returns in the next fall-winter collection! Since Stampin' Up! only produces the In Colors for ink pads, ink refills, cardstock and ribbon, I had to create this color for the wheel by using the refill ink in an empty jumbo ink cartridge.

Soft Sky cardstock coordinates beautifully with Taken With Teal, so these are the two main colors I used for the page.

The punch I used for the snowflakes is Spring Flower Bouquet-which is on the retired list and will no longer be available for a few more days! To see a complete list of what is on the retired stamps and accessories lists, refer to the sidebar for the most recent update. If you wish to order anything from the current catalog, please contact me by noon on December 31-New Year's Eve at the latest. We have plans for New Year's Eve, as you probably do as well, so after noon, I will not be placing any other orders from the Fall-Winter Collection.

To learn how to make the icicle border at the top of the page, go to my Icicle Tutorial.

Here are other supplies I used in the making of this scrapbook page:

Stamps: Big on Christmas

Cardstock: Whisper White, Taken With Teal, Soft Sky

Ink: Soft Sky, Classic Basic Black,

Accessories: Spring Flower Bouquet Punch, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Crystal Effects, Stampin' Write Markers, Aqua Painter, Stampin' Dimensionals, Soft Sky Double-Stitched ribbon, Silver Brads, Slot Punch, Snow Jumbo Wheel, Jumbo Handle, Uninked Jumbo Cartridge, Soft Sky refill ink

To order any of the products listed above, please e-mail me.

Chipboard-9x9 Clipboard Photo Frame

Still need some gift ideas to make? Here's one I also did for our S.O.S. Team Camp using once again, D.S. papers...I love them! This time products from the Fall-Winter 2008 Collection that I used are Le Jardin D.S. papers, the new 9x9 clipboards and the Chipboard, plus one of our In-Color ribbons Wasabi Double Stitch! This project makes a nice gift and doubles as a photo! I didn't use a real photo, but made a quick copy with regular copy paper, just to show how it can be used as a picture frame you can hang on the wall!

Here it is clipboard without the photo insert...

   

and here it is with the photo insert!

I have no clue why these photos are coming up so small, but if you click on them, they get huge! I must have edited them differently...

At the top of the frame over the clip is actually a butterfly (if you look closely you will see it). I decided to play around with the hardware, Pretties flower and punches to make it. This is a fun project to do and it doesn't take too long to do either. You can't see it in the photo but there is also a subtle hint of glitter swirled lightly around the background papers for a touch of sparkle!

Have you tried using any of Stampin' Up!'s clipboards yet? FUN project! Why not order the products you need then give it a try? My 6th Christmas Special and instructions for this 9x9 Clipboard Photo Frame are HERE.

Christmas Special #5-Baroque Motifs Box

Todays project is a lovely box that is easy enough to create without a template. What a nice way to package up a gift for the holidays, a birthday or other occasions! Think of the beautiful things you can create!

This is one of the projects I came up with for our quarterly S.O.S. Team Demo Camp in July. The camp is designed for the demonstrators to learn new projects and then teach them to their customer base. This project uses alot of the new products in the Fall-Winter 2007 Collection which is retiring at the end of December, so check the updates on the sidebar for the Retired Stamps & Accessories Lists and make sure you have everything you need-or you can place an order for any of the retiring supplies by December 31.

I love the Baroque Motifs set and the Brocade Background Designer Series papers together! This set is so elegant, it seemed appropriate to also use the Pretties Kit to dress it up! Other newer products used in this project are the Theatre Ribbon Originals and the Round Tab Punch!

If you don't have the 5-in-1 Card Cover Template yet, you NEED this simple tool-you would be amazed at the cool things you can make with it!

Today's Special? I'm giving away free copies of the Stampin' Up! 2008 Spring-Summer Collection!

To find out how you can get one for free and to view the Instructions for this lovely Barque Motifs 5-in-1 Template Box, click Here

Christmas Special #4 Snowman Soup

I just finished up my Stocking Stuffer & Last Minute Gifts Classes last week...didn't make it to class? I've already shared the origami tree chocolate bar; here are the other items we made and the number of each we made:




Frosty the Snowman Soup! (2)

Elegant Christmas Origami Hershey Treat Bar (1)

The Weather Outside is Frightful!-Holiday Candle (1)


Merry & Bright Peek-A-Boo Peppermint Box (1)

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #4-Frosty the Snowman Soup!

Each person made (2) cello bags! Each cello bag included Mocha Cappuccino Cocoa, Peppermint Candy Cane and Hershey's Nuggets! YUM! This is a yummy treat when a person adds the peppermint candy to a cup of cocoa..top it off with Hershey's Nugget and you have the makings of a VERY delightful warming and loving treat to serve after:

• ice-skating!
• hockey!
• snow-tubing!
• skiing!
• sled-riding!
• shoveling!
• ANY winter sport!
• at home movie time!
• create your own occasion!
  

To learn how to make this simple SNOWMAN SOUP PACKAGE-Click below:

SNOWMAN SOUP PACKAGE

I offer a Stocking Stuffer & Last Minutes Gift Class every year to my customers...(and we make different things each year, of course). They love it and so do I! It forces ME to come up with fast, easy gifts that we can use to slip into stockings, adorn gift packages with or to have on hand as terrific surprise little gifts that we can "whip up" in a moments notice..  (well...maybe in half an hour to an hour or so...) and give to those unexpected friends and family that sometimes pop-in during the holidays! I have a wonderful story that explains how this tradition found it's beginnings...

My FESTIVAL OF GIFTS STORY

My brother Kevin was FAMOUS for popping in on us TOTALLY unexpectedly!

It started many years ago when he was single, but he was so sporadic about it that we were ALWAYS taken by surprise when he showed up without warning with a new girlfriend-just in time for Christmas! (of course!) Back then he lived in South Jersey...and had a different girlfriend every other year! We were NEVER prepared-but he also didn't show up regularly!

I remember one year in particular that stands out in our memory-our son was around 11 and our daughter-7 (the magical years)...it was Christmas Eve and we were all getting ready for the Christmas Eve service at our church (my kids were both in the children's choirs so we had to get there about 45 minutes earlier for them to practice before the service).

We were in our typical "mad family rush"-hoping to just make it in time! I was in the tedious process of getting my daughter's hair brushed evenly so I could pull some of it up with a fancy holiday bow. We had just finished the whole process of getting her dressed in her new  holiday outfit, and of course, those TIGHTS I used to struggle with...followed by getting on those new black patten leather shoes-the whole works! (If you've raised girls, you definitely know where I'm coming from!)

Meanwhile, I was dealing with what every mom of a daughter can identify with-frantically trying to get her ready, while in between, I was trying to also get my own hair done (by now, it was already dry!) apply make-up (in stages, of course! in between taking care of daughter, getting church offering envelope & check written) remembering to throw on pantihose, and everyone hears me ranting "where IS that perfume", and "I left those earrings here-where are they now????"!  This is just some of the "frantic mantra" that was projected to no one that was really listening...my husband (who was always the first one dressed & ready to go) was frantically trying to get our son ready to go, (he makes everyone frantic when he starts urging us to all get moving...). All of a sudden-THE DOORBELL RANG!

Now we live in the country...so we usually know when someone is expected, and we are off the beaten path, so we don't expect vagrants....our neighbors usually call if they need something first, so of course-we all stopped and looked wide-eyed at each other-with the same question running thru each of our "almost ready" heads: "Who could possibly be here on Christmas Eve at a time LIKE THIS?"

Everyone expected "someone else" would get the door...so my husband finally gave in and went to see who it was. So I go back to doing my daughter's hair, and at possibly the most critical moment when I finally get it all ready for that hair clip, suddenly we hear "Hey Kevin!-what are YOU doing here?"  Of course that's ALL the kids needed to hear...and off they went to greet their beloved and long lost uncle who "wasn't gonna make it up for the holidays"..... (remember?) leaving mom with brush in hand and hairpins in her teeth...thinking "oh Lord-how will we EVER get there on time now...."

Don't misunderstand me-I was truly THRILLED to see my brother, (we hadn't seen each other in a few years) but after all the hugs were exchanged, all these things started running thru my head:

• yikes-where will they sleep?
• oh no-we don't have presents for them!
• do we have enough food for two extra people?
• there goes our peaceful, Christmas holiday....(my brother is a chatterbox! although I absolutely love him dearly!!!)
• oh my goodness-my brother is actually HERE for Christmas!!!!!!!
• the kids are gonna go NUTS tomorrow! and.......................................................
• THANK YOU GOD-for such a wonderful, unexpected surprise!

But, what actually came out of my mouth?????

"WE HAVE TO GET TO CHURCH, FOLKS!!!!!! "

Well,somehow, we made it to church JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME, and guess what happened? Kelley got sick-and didn't sing! She was SO excited that her tummy just took a tumble...and my brother didn't get to hear her sing! But it was still the most special Christmas Eve I will ever experience...not to mention the HUGE impression, UNKIE KEV (no it's not a typo-that's what they called him! made on my kids! He had gifts for them, and us...and we haven't had a Christmas like that-since!  (kind of like those old Christmas movies you see on tv this time of year...)

By now you are thinking "how sweet" but WHAT IS THE POINT OF THIS STORY?" The point is simply that this is how "Festival of Gifts" originated! My daughter and I stole some time to make some holiday ball ornaments that I had taught at classes-to give to Uncle Kevin and Aunt Debra...and that's how the whole idea of "Festival of Gifts" was born!

Now, every year I plan a bunch of gift items (some home decor projects, some quickie gifts like these) for an annual Festival of Gifts event that I have been doing for yearssc...until this year-I opted to offer classes instead of holding the Festival of Gifts event, because I decided to be a participant as a crafter/consultant at some local craft fairs and just couldn't imagine how I could do it all! (but I think we'll manage to do BOTH next year with good planning! It's amazing how easy it can be when you plan it ahead of time! )

This has become a tradition in our family...my daughter and I have always enjoyed coming up with holiday projects for our family members, church school teachers, hairdresser etc. (we now MAIL them to Unkie Kevin & Aunt Debra if THEY SAY they can't make it up!). But-these projects have become the gift items we offer at our Festival of Gifts Events, Craft Fairs and/or classes! I can recall my husband and son commenting that it's like "Santa's Workshop" here about six weeks before Christmas while the Festival of Gifts Event is going on! When the Craft Fairs, classes and Festival of Events are all over, my daughter and I keep the stamp studio bustling right up until a few days before Christmas-making more gifts for our family and friends!  You can find us in there tinkering away making our gifts...embossing, masking, sanding, painting, eyelet setting, snow frosting,  gluing,  glittering,  hammering, and having a blast!

And after all, isn't this what Christmas is all about too? We have THE BEST TIME discovering and creating, making memories-together...(although my daughter shys away from the camera-which makes it tough to catch these ONE-TIME ONLY memories that I of course, want to scrapbook, I will always treasure these times we spend together getting ready for the holidays! It's a time that we've come to really cherish..someday I'll present her with an album that captures times like these! Shhhh.....

Christmas Special #3 Poinsettia 6-Point Star Tutorial

Ok, so I'm just a teeny bit behind in posting these specials...(family priorities do take precedence...so hopefully you understand).  Hang in there with me and I'll get these all out to you sooner or later! Thank you for your patience! I don't think I'll get to all the specials by December 14, which is tomorrow? so...I'll just keep going with these until I get all 12 specials to you! I'll also make available all my kits WHILE SUPPLIES LAST...fair enough?

One other note-don't forget that I'm offering 10% off any Retiring sets or accessories thru Friday December 14!

Ok-on to the 3rd Christmas Special project....a 6-POINT STAR!

This idea originally came from a PaperCrafts magazine...I thought it was pretty cool and it seemed easy enough to do, so I gave it a try when I made a 6-point star ornament for an ornament swap with my demonstrator downline group-the S.O.S. Team (stands for S.aving O.verwhelmed S.tamper!) in November using Stampin' Up!'s Dashing Designer Series paper (which is still available for purchase till the end of December, but it is on the retired list!) and it came out really nice. Demonstrators don't have to come up with all their ideas on their own-we pick a theme, or a stamp set or product and we each come up with one idea and make enough for all demos participating...then SWAP our cards at our monthly downline meetings, group events, Stampin' Up! Convention, Leadership Conferences and so on...it's so cool to come back from a Convention or large gathering of demonstrators, with hundreds of card samples-all different! But each of us has to come up with only one design....With a brand new year just around the corner, January is a fantastic time to become a demonstrator! (to learn more about becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, check out the links on the left to my Stampin' Up! website!) Be sure to let me know if you decide to give it a try-I'll be happy to answer any questions you have-just e-mail me!

Ok...sorry to digress! Back to our star...

I just LOVE this paper and will really miss it! I'm still creating with what I have left though... here is what this star ornament looks like:

I used circle punches for the dangling greeting, Crop-O-Dile and red eyelet, Dashing Paper and of course, red gingham ribbon! (love using that ribbon for holiday things...)

I was playing around with the star and wondered how it would look to turn the star around the other way and then it came to me-my next ornament.....

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

a POINSETTIA! Fire Circle Rhinestone brads are what make this ornament and finish it off nicely....

Of course these stars should not be limited to ornaments...get creative with them and attach them to presents, make cards with them, and see what other ideas you can come up with! If you have other ideas for these stars, please post them in the comments section! I'd love to hear what ideas you can come up with for these!

I made a bunch of these projects for the craft fairs, and knew I should have made more...a few folks bought one and a couple there, then one lady came back and bought ALL of them! I bet she was giving them as office gifts to her friends...as she was naming them one by one-and finally just said-"I'll take them all!" Gotta love it when that happens! Next time I'll have to make alot more of these!

These are surprisingly easy and fun to make!

I've created a tutorial to show you how these are made, and you can take your pick-purchase the supplies to make your own or the finished product kit! Just click on the tutorial to learn how to make these cool stars;

6-point Star Poinsettia Tutorial

Enjoy the snow! Thanks for stopping by,

Debbie

I haven't forgotten my Christmas Specials!

I am SO sorry...I just spent the ENTIRE afternoon, doing a tutorial for my 3rd Christmas Special..but being new to this, because it took me so long to do, and it never occurred to me to SAVE it after I finished it-sooooo...I just learned that after all that hard work, --I LOST IT!

I could just cry... but I realize that would certainly not change a thing, and it certainly does nothing for YOU! So, I am going to try to grin :) and bear it::::)  and get back to the task of REDOING the whole blasted process..and I will start all over again...big breath-SIGH...ok-here we go!

I was hoping to get at least two more specials out to you tonight but now this will set me back (just a bit)  so...now you know why I am SO BEHIND in my schedule! BUT-not to worry... I am diligently working on it...and hopefully this time, I will REMEMBER TO SAVE MY TUTORIAL at the end so you will be able to see it SOMETIME before the NEW YEAR! JUST KIDDING! I really will not sleep until this is done...so hang in there with me...and check back later! I will do this before midnight today-or else I really WILL cry...

com

We interrupt our posting of Christmas specials to bring you this Stampin' Up! news!

Well it's here! There are a few surprises on it... but at least everything can still be ordered for a little while longer! The Retired Accessories list for the Fall-Winter 2008 Collection is subject to change-all the products are only available WHILE SUPPLIES LAST  so check it over and place your order as soon as possible so you aren't disappointed! There are already some items on this list that are no longer available:

101052 Brayer Attachment Foam

102620 Liquid Glue

105547 Pastel Refills Neutrals

104184 Post Extenders     

103174 Stampin' Pastel Applicators

Think of folks on your shopping list and see if there is anything they could use. Example: All the Kid's Stampin' Pads are being retired-now is the time to purchase them for a child on your list, along with a stamp set! Shopping doesn't get easier than ordering online! Beat the crowds...check it out:

CHECK FOR THE MOST RECENT UPDATE ON THE LEFT SIDEBAR-BY current date

RETIRED ACCESSORIES LIST

 

Item # Product Description   109198 Accents & Elements Borders & Blossoms   109199 Accents & Elements Little Reminders 2   109197 Accents & Elements Tagged   100700 Album Leather Post Black 8-1/2x11   105385 Album Linen Post Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11   104520 Album Linen Post Natural 8-1/2x11   104517 Album Linen Post Navy 8-1/2x11   105382 Album Linen Post Real Red 8-1/2x11   105392 Album Linen Ring Mellow Moss 8-1/2x11   104510 Album Linen Ring Natural 8-1/2x11   104513 Album Linen Ring Navy 8-1/2x11   105388 Album Linen Ring Real Red 8-1/2x11   105067 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment I   105068 Boxes & Tags Pockets & Pieces Assortment II   108798 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Confetti White   107246 Boxes & Tags Tiny Takeout Kraft   105747 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large   105748 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Large Divided   105744 Boxes Stamp & Supply Extra Small   105749 Boxes Stamp & Supply Jumbo   105734 Boxes Stamp & Supply Large   105746 Boxes Stamp & Supply Medium   105745 Boxes Stamp & Supply Small   101052 Brayer Attachment Foam   107293 Cards & Envelopes Greeting Very Vanilla Medium   109149 Designer Series Paper Brocade Background   109161 Designer Series Paper Cerise   109162 Designer Series Paper Charbon   109155 Designer Series Paper Creepy Crawley   109152 Designer Series Paper Darling Doodles   109150 Designer Series Paper Dashing   108503 Designer Series Paper Petals & Paisleys   109156 Designer Series Paper Linen Prints   109147 Designer Series Paper Notations No. 2   109148 Designer Series Paper Outlaw   109158 Designer Series Paper Uptown   109157 Designer Series Paper Wintergreen   107285 Envelopes Open End Very Vanilla Large   107284 Envelopes Open End Whisper White Large   107296 Envelopes Shimmery White Medium   107287 Envelopes Square Vellum Large   107310 Envelopes Square Very Vanilla Mini   107294 Envelopes Vellum Medium   107290 Envelopes Very Vanilla Large   107291 Envelopes Whisper White Large   101016 Eyelet Tool Kit   105317 Eyelets Bold Brights II   105379 Eyelets Silver   105315 Eyelets Soft Subtles II   107282 Fancy Fibers Bella   107283 Fancy Fibers Elizabeth   103352 Stampin' Glitter Romantic Red   103349 Stampin' Glitter Silver Shine   106650 Greeting Glue   102620 Liquid Glue   103145 Page Protectors Post 8-1/2x11   104523 Page Protectors Ring 8-1/2x11   103598 Paper Vellum 12x12   105543 Pastel Refills Bold Brights   105544 Pastel Refills Earth Elements   105547 Pastel Refills Neutrals   105545 Pastel Refills Rich Regals   105546 Pastel Refills Soft Subtles   105962 Perfect Layers Tool   104184 Post Extenders   106522 Punch Spring Bouquet Flower   109722 Simply Scrappin' Creative License Hostess Level 1   109611 Simply Scrappin' Happy Me Hostess Level 3   109596 Simply Scrappin' Out & About   109626 Simply Scrappin' Primary Colors   109649 Simply Scrappin' Round Up   109635 Simply Scrappin' Secret Garden   109663 Simply Scrappin' Winter Bright   107415 Simply Sent Friendship Shapes   109230 Simply Sent Happy Day   105580 Spectrum Pad Blue Frost   101492 Spectrum Pad Celebration   105579 Spectrum Pad Cotton Candy   101336 Spectrum Pad Pumpkin Patch   100000 Spectrum Pad Un-inked   103953 Stamp-a-ma-jig Imaging Sheets Refill   104432 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Clear Embossing   101460 Stampin' Around Cartridge & Ink Refill Whisper White   102391 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Clear Embossing   103017 Stampin' Around Ink Refill Whisper White   103151 Stampin' Emboss Powder Hologram Highlights   105677 Stampin' Kids Pad Bear Brown   105676 Stampin' Kids Pad Beetle Black   105675 Stampin' Kids Pad Boxcar Blue   105674 Stampin' Kids Pad Gumball Green   105673 Stampin' Kids Pad Poppin' Purple   105672 Stampin' Kids Pad Princess Pink   105671 Stampin' Kids Pad Robin Red   105670 Stampin' Kids Pad Yahoo Yellow   103174 Stampin' Pastel Applicators   100852 Stampin' Pastel Erasers   100081 Stampin' Write Marker Going Gray   100945 StazOn Ink Refill Timber Brown   103088 StazOn Pad Timber Brown   107235 Tag Sheets Bold Brights   107239 Tag Sheets Confetti White & Kraft   107236 Tag Sheets Earth Elements   107240 Tag Sheets Kraft   107237 Tag Sheets Rich Regals   107238 Tag Sheets Soft Subtles   100894 Watercolor Brush Flat   101551 Watercolor Brush Medium   101331 Watercolor Brush Small   105395 Wire Works Metallic   105652 Wrapping Paper Whisper White     Stampin Around wheels   100360 Acorns   109812 All about Birthdays*   109690 All about Christmas*   109812 All about Gratitude*   109676 Autumn Dots   104070 Bloomin'   107466 Bodacious*   105750 Bouquet*   107481 Butterflies & Blossoms   104065 Fishy   100267 Happy Jacks   107563 Ho Ho Ho   104312 Hot to Dot   104279 Leaf Prints   106062 Leaves Awash*   107479 Rough around the Edges*   101927 Snowman Fun   107465 Speckled*   105521 Spooky Skyline*   108979 Spotted*   107480 True Hearts   105033 Wings & Things     * Jumbo Stampin' Around wheels

 

If you would like to place an order, purchase a Gift Certificate, or sign up for our upcoming class "Stocking Stuffers & Last Minute Gifts" (December 14, Friday 7pm-9:30pm) or RSVP for to attend our free Open House Retirement Party (December 15 10-12 or 1:30-3:00) please e-mail me.

Wednesday, December 12 is the last day to sign up for the class. Thursday December 13 is the last day to RSVP for the Open House! Need to browse the catalog? Here is the link:

Fall-Winter Collection: STAMPIN' UP! ONLINE CATALOG

Are there stamp sets that you don't see in the current Fall-Winter Collection? It's possible that they are still available. Here is the dormant list of sets and wheels that are not featured in our Fall-Winter Collection 2007, but are only available for purchase through January 1, 2008:

Item # Set Name Price
106638 Bodacious Bouquet 30.95
108559 Crab & Company 27.95
105038 Never Ending Joy 18.95
104243 Summer by the Sea 28.95
105280 Word by Word 17.95
100360 Acorns Wheel 6.50
104070 Bloomin’ Wheel 6.50
107466 Bodacious Jumbo Wheel 8.50
105750 Bouquet Jumbo Wheel 8.50
107481 Butterflies & Blossoms Wheel 6.50
104279 Leaf Prints Wheel 6.50
108978 Sandy Shells Wheel 6.50
107480 True Heart Wheel 6.50
105033 Wings & Things Wheel 6.50

To see these stamp sets & wheels, click here and scroll down for pictures:

Fall-Winter 2007 Collection Dormant Stamps & Wheels-photos

 

To see the list and images of stamps and wheels that will not be featured in the Spring-Summer 2008 Collection but will still be available for purchase until June 30, 2008, click on this list:

Spring-Summer 2008 Collection  Dormant List

Happy Shopping!

Debbie

 

 

 

Christmas Special #2 Wrapped Candy Bar Treats

WELCOME-to my 6 Specials of Christmas! If you check back here each day, you'll find cool project ideas and/or a special purchase offer-until December 14!  If you like any of the projects, there is a special offer when you order the products to make the project or, I'll sometimes offer a kit you can order that includes supplies-so you can make and assemble the projects yourself! Are you ready? This project offers 2 different designs:

These are so pretty in person...and I just find it so relaxing to make them. They are super easy and go very quickly once you learn how to make them, even though they look very tedious...a wonderful project and impressive gift! Are you ready to learn how to make them? If not, you can always purchase the finished product!

Click on CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #2 Wrapped Candy Bar Treats to learn more...

12 Christmas Specials from Debbie...

Better late than never... I wasn't feeling good the past few days. (everyone has been sick in my family but me-I guess my body was fighting it off-fortunately I am feeling better, so maybe I escaped-this time!) So sorry for the delay...

WELCOME-to my 12 Specials of  Christmas! If you check back here each day, you'll find cool project ideas and/or a special purchase offer-until December 14!  If you like any of the projects, you can order the products to make the project or order a kit that includes supplies so you just assemble the projects. Are you ready? The first special is...

"Got Crackers?" Penguin S'mores Kit!   

 

I love penguins! Punches are all the rage too and it's no wonder why! There are so many creative things you can make with them!  I love creating with punches, so when I saw some cute punch ideas for penguins, I decided to alter them a bit and created this adorable stocking stuffer/cello bag gift which is made using only one snowflake stamp, and eight different Stampin' Up! punches!

For detailed instructions, a supply list and all the details to make it or purchase supplies or the kit, OR to learn about my CHRISTMAS SPECIAL ORDER#1 incentive, click on

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #1 project!

If you would rather attend a class in person to make this, be sure to sign up for my Stocking Stuffer & Last Minute Gifts Class offered on 12/12 and 12/14! For $25, you can make your choice of a variety of  GREAT gifts! But hurry...you must register for the 12/12 class by 12/10, and the 12/14 class by 12/12! Check out my class schedule HERE or follow the link to my Stampin' Up! Events to the left.



 

MORE Craft Fair Projects...

The Wallkill Valley Craft Fair is a pretty big one in our area...there was alot of traffic all day long. Again, I forgot to take a picture of my table BEFORE things started selling and being shifted around, so it doesn't look as nice as when I first started out! This time I used some crates because I had a smaller table and had to find a way to make everything fit on it..crates also give a nice sense of depth as well as provide a way to display things at eye-level for the shoppers!

 

My biggest seller was the nugget boxes and the chocolate bars-this time I make Christmas ones using one of my favorite holiday sets-Festive Favorites! (I'm so relieved that this set is NOT on the retired stamp list) I got this idea from another stamper (but I can't remember who to give proper credit). The box slides open, revealing a holiday greeting! I love the idea of spelling out the word "Joy" with the wrapped chocolate nuggets!

here the nugget box is closed.... 

and here it is opened!

I must have taken this photo before I decided to add a red brad to Rudoph's nose on the tag! (It was a cute addition) The tag is stamped with to: and from: on the back.

I had fun with Hershey's chocolate bars! At my last craft fair, I had the bars decorated more for adults, so this time I also added one for kids-I figured parents would be looking for stocking stuffers for their children...and so they were! I've seen various versions of the Santa Bars so I used the basic idea and changed mine to be alittle different by adding Liquid Applique to Santa's beard. I also tried cutting the beard into many strips and curling the tips, which takes alot more time to make. (I don't have any more of those left so I can't provide a photo). I think I prefer the look of the liquid appliqued beards anyway...

Stamps: Festive Favorites, Perfect Presentation (Level 2 Hostess Set)

Cardstock: Real Red, Glossy White, Whisper White, Basic Black, Brushed Gold, Glorious Green, Pretty in Pink, Blush Blossom, Kraft

Inks: Glorious Green, Basick Black, Real Red, Versamark Pad

Other: Heat & Stick Powder, Iridescent Ice Embossing Powder, Heat Gun, Stampin' Pastels,  Scallop Punch, Corner Punch,
Daubers, Liquid Applique (non-SU), Circle punches: 1", 1 3/4", 1/8", 1 1/4", Square Punch, Gold Elastic Cord, SNAIL adhesive, Sticky Strip, Crimper

Wow-it doesn't look like it, but alot of products went into the making of these...

A FEW TIPS: the moustache was made with a circle punch-then cutin half; the Scallop Punch was used to make the pom-pom on the hat; the bottom of the beard was made using a corner punch!

I'm really into the punches this year...there are so many cool things you can create with them!

The Perfect Presentation set is hostess set-it will be retired because the new collection will have all new hostess sets you can earn! It's not too late to get this set-simply gather together $300 in orders from you and your friends, and you will earn it! But only until December 31!

I'll be back later with more projects I made for the craft fair to share, so check back again soon! (...domestic duties are calling out to me!). And don't forget to leave a comment so I know you have been here to visit!

It's time to bid farewell to some Stampin' Up! stamp sets!

                                                    

If you are in the local northern Sussex County NJ area, I'm having a HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE RETIREMENT PARTY (no I'm not retiring!)-BUT some Stampin' Up! stamp sets are! Click on my Events under the Stampin' Up! links to the left for details regarding this fun semi-annual event!

Some stamp sets from the The Fall-Winter 2007 Collection will soon be retired! They will only be available for purchase until January 1, when this catalog will be replaced by the new Spring-Summer 2008 Collection! This is the first two-catalog year for Stampin' Up!. This means that there are now two  retired lists for this 2007-2008 Stampin 'Up! year. The first retired list is now available-it lists all the sets that will be retiring-never to be available again!

The list is out just in time for your holiday purchasing needs! Consider purchasing retiring sets-they make the perfect gift for yourself or someone else on your shopping list! (especially stampers and scrapbookers!) Order early for delivery in time for the holiday!

If there are sets that you just have to have, my recommendation is to purchase them this month, as soon as possible, while they are still available! Don't take the chance that you can purchase them later from somewhere else (maybe at a higher price, too!). Take a look at what is retiring by clicking on the following links:

RETIRED STAMP LIST-ALPHABETICAL

RETIRED STAMP LIST-BY PAGE NUMBER

I will pass along the Retired Accessories List as soon as it becomes available around
December 10.

Retired stamps & accessories are only available while supplies last, so this is another reason not to delay in ordering the sets you really want. Contact me (e-mail address to the left) if you would like to place an order...but first be sure you look over my Twelve Days of Holiday Ideas & Specials...which I will start posting later today and each day for the next eleven days, so don't forget to check back later!

Oh where oh where has your Su! demonstrator gone..

oh where oh where can she be?

I've been busy since Thanksgiving preparing and re-stocking for the next Craft Fair on my agenda this holiday season-the Wallkill Valley High School Holiday Craft & Gift Show, in Hardyston, NJ which took place this past Saturday! This is the school my son just graduated from and my daughter now attends...

I used to do this craft show every year until I became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator in 1996. At that point in time, I concentrated all my energy on Stampin' Up! home party shows (until recently, called "workshops").  My kids were very young then and I wanted to build my home business, yet I still wanted to be able to attend their school events. My Stampin' Up! business enabled me to be able to do this...it was an answer to a prayer request I had for years-to be able to quit my full-time job (computer operations at a popular bank, which involved quite a long daily commute) to become a stay-at-home mom with my children-and make a difference in their lives!

Back when I first started with Stampin' Up! I was doing as many as 12-16 workshops a month (only because I was super-engergized-it wasn't a requirement!) Then I cut back on workshops, branched out and started offering some classes in my country kitchen...I used to put an extension onto my kitchen table just for classes to accomodate my customers- took up my whole kitchen so when it was time for my kids to go to bed, they had to crawl under the kitchen table to get to their bedroom! My business had expanded so, that our small master bedroom was lined with containers & organizers holding all my Stampin' Up! supplies! My husband would always say "you need a room just to store all this stuff!" so...the idea was born.

In 2000, I didn't go on my annual Leadership Trip with Stampin' Up! but instead, we started an Add-A-Level rennovation to take all three first level bedrooms and create a Stamp Studio in place of two of the bedrooms; then we created an Office using the third bedroom. Former Garage area space was used to establish a NEW front door entrance. The Two-Car Garage is now a one car garage. The plan was to create three bedrooms upstairs on the 3rd floor, including a Linen Closet, kid's bathroom, & a master bathroom. (This is now a 3 story split level house).

On the third floor is the master bedroom equipped with a private master bath, and  dressing room, the kids bedrooms and their bathroom.

My husband had always dreamed of having a living room over the garage, so this finally became a reality, as our second floor. Our "old living room" has become a new "dining room" (which we had never had before!)

When Stampin' Up!' recently announced a change in their Angel Policy allowing demonstrators to conduct business from a permanent location, I decided to get back into the arena of craft shows in the area. I love using rubber stamps to create magnificent cards and other paper crafts, but i also  am very fond of creating non-card items such as home decor, 3-D and gift items. (I also dapple in scrapbooking).

We now have a very unique split level custom built home with all of the above! We never could have done it though, without the contribution of my Stampin' Up! business! If you would like to learn more about doing what I do-which is teaching folks to FIND YOUR HIDDEN CREATIVITY by simply using rubber stamp techniques along with some awesome accessories to create cool cards, papercrafts ideas, keepsake memory gifts, home decor projects and many other countless items...please contact me now by calling 973-827-1168! I would love to talk with you in more depth about my experience as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator and discuss how this opportunity  can help you and your family.  Or, you can always host a party of 9 or more of your friends and host your own party as well as reap the hostess benefits!

If I can be of any other service to you, please feel free to contact me.