Stampin' with Kristin

Beautiful Swallowtail

I know many of you thought the same thing when you saw the Swallowtail stamp in the Spring Catalog - what the heck will I do with that HUGE butterfly image???  I know this because many of you have said that.  Well, don't be afraid!  It's SO much easier than you thought.  And, it actually allows you to design quick, simple, and elegant cards.  I saw SO many swaps this past weekend made using this stamp.  Here are just four of the ones I received.  I hope they'll inspire you!  All are so different.  YET..I just realized that each and every one of them has been heat embossed - but embossed just a little differently.

Sandi Hartka designed this one....She embossed with white embossing powder and then sponged soon-to-be-retired Pretty in Pink ink around the image.  This is the "emboss resist" technique.

Sue Patterson designed this second one...She embossed the butterfly with Iridescent Ice embossing powder to give the butterfly a shimmery look.  Actually, I can't tell, but I'm wondering if she mixed iredescent ice with Pool Party embossing powder.  It's not sharp enough for white.  And, it's not transluscent enough to be just the iredescent ice.  Hmmm...

Barbara Dykhouse designed the third....She embossed the butterfly like Sandi did in the first one.  And, she also did kinda an emboss-resist technique.  She sponged crumb cake inside the butterfly image to make it a little darker than the card base.  (I know because she told me so!)

And Chris designed the last one....Her elegant butterfly was simply heat embossed with silver embossing powder.

Want To Make a Cute Magnet Board?

Yesterday I talked a little bit about my heat embossing class.  Today I wanted to introduce you to my Embellish With Love Magnet Board Class that I'll be offering in March. 

In this class you'll make a 12x12 magnet board.  Everything (AND MORE) is included in the price of the class - including the frame!  PLUS, you'll get LOTS of extra products to take home as well.  The class includes:
- 12x12 wooden frame (unpainted).
- 12x12 sheet metal
- 1/2 package of Tea for Two DSP
- Artisan Embellishment Kit
- Magnets
- Adhesive

Not included are cute photos of me as a child!

This class was quite popular at my open house and is already filling up fast!  Only 4 seats remain in each class (well, at least that was the case when I typed this post).  Be sure to reserve your spot today.  Registration will close in early March as I have to purchase the supplies just for you!

Dates/Times:  Wednesday, March 20th - 6:30pm or Thursdsay, March 21st - 6:30pm
Materials Cost:  $45
Location:  Kristin's Classroom - 20 3rd Street, Elmer, NJ 08318

You can e-mail me ([email protected]) to register or use the online form below (which does charge a fee for using your credit card):

Sell Tickets through Eventbrite

In Case You Missed It...

In case you missed stopping by at my Open House yesterday.....or, maybe you live too far away in Canada or something and couldn't justify the cost to fly in....here are some photos around my house of what you missed!

This first photo shows my Valentine's Day display.  Several of the "big" projects were inspired by things I'd spotted on Pinterest.  For example, that awesome banner was designed by Amy O'Neill.  When I saw it, I knew I needed one, too.  The framed art was inspired by a project by Sara RImmelzwaan.

In the middle of that display are three bowls and a rectangular bucket.  Can buckets be rectangular?  This is where my guests could fill their favor!  Each bowl contained a different flavor of Valentine M&Ms.  I decorated some treat bags that I picked up at a local craft store.  I think everyone was shocked when they found out I purchased treat bags.  SU doesn't currently sell kraft paper treat bags.  Want a closer look at the bag?  Here it is...

I didn't create display boards for this Open House.  Typically I create boards that contain all of the punches, dies, DSP, and embellishments in the Spring Catalog.  I also create boards for card displays.  I never know what to do with these boards when I'm done - AND, they block a lot of light that comes into my living room.  Instead, I had a table that contained all of the embellishments and punches - along with project samples - that are in the Spring Catalog.  The big 12x12 framed piece is actually a Magnet Board and is a class I'm offering in March!

Many of you have voiced some frustration with the Sale-a-Bration Brochure.  You may have found it difficult to figure out what is what.  Well, to help with that problem, I had one area dedicated to everything you can get for free!  Along with a card display featuring projects made using the freebies!  (Yes, I realize it looks like my card display has leaves.)

I mentioned earlier that I didn't have display boards for card samples.  Instead, (inspired by Pinterest), I decided to string them up on my walls.  I had a dozen strings of cards between my living room and dining room.  You'll see a few of those in the background of this next picture of my hot chocolate station.  Mike and I made homemade marshmallows and provided a variety of hot chocolate.  I thought the hot chocolate was a fun treat since it's been SO cold and snowed the night before.  There was also tea and coffee - plus bottled water and snacks which I didn't photograph.  If you look to the left of the table, you'll spot my Plinko board!  Everyone who stopped by had the opportunity to play Plinko and win a prize.  This is a fun idea I got from Stampin' Up!  When I've been on the Founder's Circle retreats we played Plinko every day for free prizes!

In my classroom, there was information about upcoming classes.  I also had sign-up sheets in the living room for other classes that weren't exactly bulletin board material.  You may recognize the banner I created with the Pop-Up Posies Designer Kit last week.  For more information on my classes, you can click here.

Finally, in my classroom, everyone had the opportunity to make a free project. 

Oh, Hello!

I'm busy busy busy prepping for Saturday's Open House.  Will I be seeing you there?  I've been working on favors and prizes and LOTS of displays for a couple of weeks now.  I literally have removed many of the pictures from my living room and dining walls and replaced them with strings of cards.  I'm SUPER excited about how everything's coming together.  Mike and I will be busy in the kitchen tonight making homemade marshmallows for our hot chocolate bar.  And Mike really wants to whip up a batch of our shortbread cookies for you, too!  My open houses get better and better all of the time.  I really hope you'll stop by and visit!

I am completely surprised.  I never would have imagined that I would like the Oh, Hello Stamp Set so much!  I keep picking it up to use.  All of the images on this card come from that set.  Interesting story - I was stamping with a group of women last night at my first Sale-a-Bration Workshop of the year.  Several of the women received this card in the mail from me earlier in the week.  And they didn't even realize the images were from the set!  Do you see the faint chevron-print oval in the background (stamped in So Saffron)?  It's a fun a subtle image that can be used in so many ways!  The rose and the sentiment, of course, are also in the stamp set.  I stamped all of the images on Very Vanilla in Early Espresso, Calypso Coral, and So Saffron.  I adhered a strip of Tea for Two DSP along the botton and wrapped some Early Espresso bakers twine around the card for some texture.  Super fun.  Super easy.  And (most importantly) - Super Mailable!

 

Hope to see you Saturday!!!

Tea Time Trinket Favors

Have you noticed the cute set of Tea Time Trinkets on first pages of the Spring Catalog?  They are adorable and so detailed!  I thought they'd make cute charms on favors at a tea party or shower!  I picked up some itty bitty bags at my local craft store awhile back and thought they'd fit a couple of tea bags perfectly!  I was right!

Here's how I made my cute favors...

- I started by stamping the bags in Versamark with the En Francais background stamp.
- I then cut a doily in thirds and adhered it to the bag with Snail.  (I'm in love with the doilies and have blown through 3 packs already!)
- I then stamped a sentiment in Rose Red and Lucky Limeade from the Tea Shoppe Stamp Set on Whisper White Paper and punched it using my largest oval punch.
- I tucked some pink lace from the Artisan Embellishments Kit behind the oval punch and adhered it right above my doily.
- Finally, I tied some Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon around the bag and tied a knot.  In the knot, I tucked a rose from the Artisan Embellishments Kit and my Tea Time Trinket.

This project and many more will be on display at my Open House this Saturday, January 26th!  You won't want to miss it.  I'll be putting the finishing touches on all of my displays this week. 

A Surprise Thank You

Isn't this card lovely?  I almost threw it away!  ACK!  More on that in a minute....

I love Stampin' Up! for many reasons, but the top reason has to be the friendships I've built over the years with my customers and other demonstrators.  I have to say, my demonstrator "family" is the best!  I absolutely adore these women.  One of them recently reached out to me because she was in desperate need of some Summer Starfruit Cardstock.  As many of you know, I'm known as "Riverton East" among my family of demonstrators.  (Riverton, Utah is where the Stampin' Up! distribution center is located.)  Yes, it's true, I usually have an extra pack of whatever it is anyone needs.  So, Melissa (that's her name) called me up and asked for a favor.  I was more than happy to help her out and trade her for another pack of card stock.  She brought my replacement over in a plastic SU bag.  I set the bag aside since I was busy prepping cards for the 6 classes I had this past week.  It wasn't until a few days later when I was cleaning up the hosue (because people were coming over for those classes) that I discovered this GORGEOUS thank you card!  I love it!  I haven't had a chance to play with these framelits or this stamp set.  So, I was extra thrilled by her card.  THANK YOU Melissa!  I'll be more than happy to swap supplies with you any time!

Bitty Butterflies

I'm in love with the Bitty Butterfly punch.  I especially love that it coordinates with a stamp set I already owned - Papillion Potpourri.  I know many of you already own that stamp set - now you need this punch!

I always share all of my cards with Mike as soon as I create them to get his opinion.  And, it's been more fun hearing his reactions now that he's been to Leadership.  He took one look at this card and exclaimed, "I see you did the fold-over-doily technique"!  I believe it was Shelli who showed it on stage - he was paying attention!  And, he's right, I took one of the doilies (LOVE THEM) and folded it over.  I wrapped some Baja Breeze 1/8" Taffeta Ribbon around the card.  I then embellished with some stamped and punched bitty butterflies.  Now, here's the test.  Do you recognize the stamp I used to create the punched butterfly towards the bottom of this card?  Remember when I told you I'd be showing you three projects made with the Hearts a Flutter bundle?  Yup!  It's from the Hearts a Flutter Stamp Set.  It's one of the banners.  I simply stamped it in Baja Breeze and then punched it.  Sometimes ya gotta think outside the box!  I used Versamark, Rose Red, Baja Breeze, and Island Indigo ink on the card.

More Amore Valentine's Day Card

Today's card was inspired by a card I spotted at the Leadership conference.  In instantly fell in love.  I changed mine a bit to make it more workshop friendly.  Here's a quick description about how I made it...

The background layer is Pool Party Core'dinations Card Stock.  I ran it through my Big Shot with the new Honeycomb Embossing Folder.  I then gently sanded the embossed edges with the Stampin' Sanding Block to expose the white core.

Do you know where the Primrose Petals heart is from?  In each pack of More Amore Specialty DSP, you get a laser cut sheet of these hearts in Primrose Petals and a sheet in Real Red.  Each sheet contains 16 hearts. 

I adhered a sneak peek button in Pool Party that you can get for free during Sale-a-Bration!  I adhered some flags behind the heart made from the More Amore Specialty DSP and Basic Gray Card Stock. 

I stamped a sentiment in Primrose Petals using the new That's the Ticket Stamp Set.  The final embellishment is a flower from the 5/8" Flower Trim.  They come in Very Vanilla, but are so easy to dye!  I simply cut one flower from the strip, laid it face down on top of my Primrose Petals Ink Pad, and smooshed it into the pad a bit using a sponge dauber.  The color doesn't hit all of the parts - and that's okay.  As Shelli taught us at Leadership, you can simply spitz the flower with some water and the color will bleed and cover those remaining vanilla areas!

My Heart's a Fluttering

I'm absolutely in love with the Hearts a Flutter bundle available in Wood or Clear mount.  I think it's super flexible.  I used elements from this bundle on all three cards one of my stamp club made this week - and they weren't all Valentines.  I'll be posting them over the next few days. 

I'm in love with today's card.  It got rave reviews from Mike when I showed it to him.  And, I posted a corner of the card on Facebook and quite a few of you posted that you liked it.  Here's what I did...

The "flag" on the left was cut out of Pool Party Core'dinations Card Stock using the scalloped framelit from the bundle.  I embellished the banner using some of the Designer Builder Brads.  The middle "flat" (the heart) was stamped in Real Red Classic Ink and cut out of the scalloped heart framelit in the bundle.  I layered a heart cut from the More Amore Specialty DSP.  The "flag" on the right was cut from using the bundle as well.  I embellished it with a Silver Designer Button and some Pool Party Ribbon.  To make the banner, I punched a 1/16" hole in the corner of each and strung them with White Baker's Twine.

Did you know that Whisper White Craft Ink is still around?  I have to admit, I thought all Craft Ink retired back in May but I was wrong!  I lightly sponged Whisper White Craft Ink over the Basic Gray Card Stock in the background.

The sentiment is stamped from the Seasonal Sayings Stamp Set which has been carried over from the Holiday Catalog.  I stamped it in Versamark ink and heat embossed it with some new Pool Party embossing powder.

Variety is the Spice of Life

I stamped a stack of cards for each member in all of the levels of my downline - meaning, all of the demonstrators on my team and the demonstrators on each of their teams.  I used the Oh, Hello Stamp Set to stamp the strip down the left side of the card.  I used my Stamp-a-Ma-Jig to line them up perfectly.  I found an appropriate sentiment in the new Feel Goods Stamp Set.  The best benefit I enjoy as a demonstrator are the relationships I've built with my team of demonstrators and my customers.  I wouldn't have met most of them if it had not been for Stampin' Up!

Where the "variety" comes in, is in the ribbon.  I used all three colors of Sycamore Street 1/4" Ribbon (Tangerine Tango, Island Indigo, and Pool Party).  Later this month during Sale-a-Bration, you can get these three ribbons absolutely FREE when you place a $50 order!

Today is our last day at Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference.  If you haven't followed along with our journey, you can click on the image below to read about all of the fun things we've been up to!  I have SO many new card samples and ideas to share with you!  Be sure to stop by my next Open House on January 26th to see them all!

 

Thinking of You...

I sat down last Sunday to stamp a few more "Thank You" and "Thinking of You" cards.  I spotted this card layout on Pinterest over the weekend and thought it looked flexible, mailable, and quick!  Have you noticed that I've been using the Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack a lot recently?  I love this little stack of DSP!  It's only $6.95 and contains a fabulous variety of 48 sheets (4-1/2" x 6-1/2") coordinating patterns and colors.  I've used it to make masculine cards.  And, I've used it to make more feminine cards.  I've already ordered more!

I used an assortment of sentiments depending on who I was sending the cards to.  On this card, I used the Sweet Essentials Stamp Set for the "thinking of you" sentiment.  The spotches are from the French Foliage Stamp Set.  The colors in this card are:  Crumb Cake, Raspberry Ripple, Summer Starfruit, and Gumball Green.

Have you checked out the Leadership Section of my website?  Mike and I are down in Florida this week at the Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference. 

A Big Batch of Thank You Cards!

Wow!  You guys blew me away last week with your orders.  You really DO love the products in the Spring Catalog and the Valentine's Day Bundles.  Thank you SO much!  I immediately got to work on your Thank You cards!  AND, keep in mind that each one of you is now automatically enrolled in my Stampin' Rewards Program!

I'm absolutely in love with the Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack.  You'll see later this week that I used it on my Leadership Swap cards.  I love the variety of prints and styles included in this affordable stack.

Here are all of the supplies I used to make this card:
- Print Poetry Designer Series Paper Stack (Spring Catalog)
- Oh, Hello Stamp Set (Spring Catalog)
- Ovals Collection Framelits (Spring Catalog)
- Gumball Green Classic Ink
- Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, and Very Vanilla Cardstock

Mike and I are headed off to Leadership tonight.  I've created a special "Leadership Section" on my blog.  Have you noticed?  If not, click the Leadership logo below - or use the the link at the top of my blog!  I'll be posting daily.

Get Well Rita!

This year I'm trying to actually send cards.  Isn't it pathetic?  I'm a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  I design over a hundred cards each year and probably make over a thousand.  I rarely send them.  I'm trying to do better this year - MUCH better.  I've even created an Excel spreadsheet to keep track - and I don't mean just a spreadsheet of names and addresses.  I'm tracking if the card was handstamped or store-bought (it happens).  I'm tracking the occasion the card was sent and any other notes.  I'm tracking if the occasion was business-related or not.  I think it'll be fun to see how many I've sent at the end of the year. I've always had a spreadsheet for Christmas cards.  But, this is completely different!

But, let's focus on today's card.  I noticed the other day on Facebook that one of my customers is getting knee replacement surgery today!  I thought that was the perfect occasion to send a card to let her know I'm thinking of her.  Today's card is the card that I sent.  I used the brand new By The Tide stamp set in the Spring Catalog.  I stamped the images in Baja Breeze, Calypso Coral, Riding Hood Red, and Crumb Cake.

Sunshine & Sprinkles Birthday Cards

Apparently I know a lot people were born in January - or maybe I'm just paying closer attention this year!  So, I made a stack of birthday cards last week to use for some of them. 

I think I may have been overly excited to use new products because I threw a lot of different ones on this card!  I hope the recipients like them more than I do!

Here are all of the ingredients:
- Sunshine & Sprinkles DSP (Spring Catalog)
- Delicate Details Lace Tape (Spring Catalog)
- Bitty Butterfly Punch (Spring Catalog)
- Daffodil Delight Cardstock
- Melon Mambo Cardstock
- Pacific Point Cardstock
- Whisper White Cardstock
- Postage Stamp Punch
- Apothecary Accents Framelits

Introducing the 2013 Spring Catalog and Stampin' Rewards

I know many of you have already received your copy of the Spring Catalog in the mail.  I know you're in LOVE with the products contained within.  I've heard from you saying so.  Well, the wait is over!  Today is the day!  You can begin ordering products from the 2013 Spring Catalog. 

SHOP ONLINE NOW!

Are you a Stampin' Enthusiast, a Stampin' Queen, or a Stampin' Goddess???  I'm SUPER excited to introduce my NEW Stampin' Rewards Program where you can earn exclusive benefits, discounts on products, and free classes!  Click here to read all about it!  You're automatically enrolled when you place your first order in 2013 or attend your first class!  There's no tracking on your part.  And, every dollar you spend will count towards your next reward tier.  How cool is that? 

 

Spring Catalog Sneak Peek

Earlier this week I needed to stamp some more thank you cards for those of you who recently placed orders on my website!  And, since I needed to feed my need to play with some of my Spring Catalog products, I killed two birds with one stone.  Yes, some of my customers are getting sneak peeks in their mailbox this week! 

Can you spot all of the new products?  I'll give you a hint....I used FIVE new products on this card.  Give up?  Here are some more hints:  new DSP, new Framelit, new Embossing Folder, new Punch, and a new stamp.  And, the new stamp is NOT the butterfly - we already had that one - it's from Papillion Potpouri.  Yup, that's right!  There's a new punch that coordinates with the smaller butterfly in that already awesome stamp set!  How excited are you??? 

The colors in the card are Pool Party, Primrose Petals, Basic Grey, and Very Vanilla.  I also embellished with some Pearls and Basic Gray 1/4" Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon (stitching removed, as usual).

Handstamped Christmas Cards AND a Sneak Peek!

Yesterday was a FABULOUS snail mail day for several reasons.  Only one of which I'll post about today.  I received this gorgeous Christmas Card from my friend (and fellow demonstrator), Mary Ellen Byler.  And, since she's also a demonstrator, she has incorporated a Sneak Peek stamped image from the upcoming Spring Catalog.  Yes, you read that right - the cute "Christmas Wishes" ticket focal point is part of a brand new stamp set in the Spring Catalog! 

Twelve Weeks of Christmas - Week 11

Today's project is super fun and super easy to make!  It would also be a fantastic project for you and your kids!  I love using little wooden signs for seasonal decor - they don't require you to put a nail in the wall, they're not fragile, and they store easily!  I actually have a wide assortment of this sort of decor all over my house at Christmas.  You can even see a second sign poking out of the right side of the picture below.

To make this home decor piece, I took a scrap piece of wood and painted it white.  My father cut this piece for me.  But, if you don't own a saw or have a father/husband/boyfriend/neighbor with the tools, your local home improvement store will cut your wood to your specified lengths for free! 

I then decided on a phrase and cut the letters using my Big Shot and some Pool Party Core'dinations Card Stock (yes, a Spring Catalog Sneak Peek).  Now, may I suggest that if you choose to make a similar project you choose your phrase BEFORE you cut your wood!  I adhered the letters to the wood using Tombo Multipurpose Liquid Adhesive.

To finish the project, I stamped some snowflakes from the Snowflake Soiree Stamp Set in Versamark Ink and heat embossed them using some Silver Embossing Powder.  Yes, you can heat emboss on the wood!  As a final embellishment, I adhered rhinestones to the middle of each flake.

Something I didn't do here, but have done previously, is coat the entire project using Mod Podge.  I did that on this project - HERE - that I gave as a gift last Christmas.

Time to Play - a 2013 Spring Catalog Sneak Peek!

It's one of my most favoritest times of the year!  No, it's not because it's the Christmas holiday season.  Today is one of the three days in the year when boxes of new products arrive on my doorstep!  During the last few weeks of November, I studied the Spring Catalog.  I created a spreadsheet to plan what I would purchase on December 1st - the first day demonstrators can order products out of the 2013 Spring Catalog AND 2013 Sale-a-Bration Catalog.  I knew exactly what I was going to order - and all of the hundreds of dollars of goodies I'd get for FREE!  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator?

I know you'd LOVE to see the products in those boxes.  Sorry.  I can't post pictures of products until January.  BUT, I can post pictures of projects I've made with the products.  I sat down to play last night.  I was anxious to go through the boxes and check out the products in person.  And, let me say....I think I regret buying it all at one time!  I didn't know where to start.  It was all a bit overwhelming.  I didn't have a plan.  I didn't have an idea.  So, I started with doilies.  They come white.  That just seemed too bright and clean for the vintagey mood I was in.  I decided to dye one.  I pulled out some soft Pink Pirouette.  I tried brayering it.  It worked great!  But, it was too solid pale pink.  I decided to spritz them with a darker pink.  I was looking for Rose Red but was lazy and landed on Melon Mambo.  I may have overspritzed and ended up with a Melon Mambo doily.  I'm almost certain there's nothing in the Spring Catalog that's Melon Mambo (I could be wrong).  Then I realized two had stuck together and the second one was kind of blotchy pink (a cool effect).  I decided to give up on pink.  I decided I'd go blue.  WELL, the spritzer I picked up next was grey.  Not blue.  In the end I had a fun Basic Grey paper doily.  Okay.  Where to go from there?

I wanted Daffodil Delight Chevron DSP.  Well, we don't really have the crisp, chevron Daffodil DSP I had in mind.  BUT, we had something pretty darn close!  How lucky am I!?!  Then I decided to add a floral accent.  There are all kinds of fun embellishments in the Spring Catalog - one of which contains Daffodil brads and vanilla crepe-y circles to make flowers.  I really don't know how to describe them.

You can tell when I'm not in love with a card when I start layering ribbon.  Look closely, I layered some Daffodil and Basic Grey ribbon and then tied a very vanilla bow using some fun, new, thick baker's twine which came in the kit with the vanilla flower thing.

So, there you have it - my first creation using Spring Catalog products.  I was like a kid at Christmas and wanted to throw everything on it.  I'm sure I'll calm down and create some masterpieces.  I don't think this was one of them.  But, I knew you'd want to see it anyway.