Yes, Yes, Yes!  It’s time to gear up for an incredible new year with Stampin’ Up!  I love this time of year! I love when a new catalog is revealed with all the beautiful NEW stamp sets and fun new toys to play with!  TODAY is the DAY!  If you haven’t received the new catalog yet, please let me know.  I will send one straight to your  door so you can enjoy all the beauty this catalog brings. 

I just finished giving my blog a little July facelift.  That means there are NEW specials on my sidebars as well as a new STAMPING project for you to see and try.  These specials are a MUST to check.  I am very excited about the new Recruiting special!  Starting July 15-August 31st you can become a demonstrator for $85 with the MIni Starter Kit.  Go check it out!  I will be chatting about this great opportunity more in the upcoming week!

Now listen to this!  Stampin’ Up! is doing a "Deal of the Week" for the entire month of July.  The first deal of the week is:

*** Side note*** I changed a few things on my sidebar.  To see the Archives of past months posts just click on the drop down arrow.  The other way took up way too much space.  Same goes for past projects.  Just hit that little arrow button and it will display the project catagories for you.  I think it has more eye appeal.  Don’t you? 

Hello world!  I made it back from Jacksonville safe and sound.  The air travel was pretty smooth and I got super lost in Denver.  This really shouldn’t surprise anyone.  I get lost pretty easy.  I had a terrific time in Jacksonville with my downline.  They are such a great group of stampers!  We had lots of time to chat and stamp and that’s what I love.  I have so much to share with you I almost feel a little crazy on where to begin! It’s also the final countdown hours with the old catalog.    Ahhh! 

 Okay, lets start with another Stencil idea.  I used the Stencils at my Jacksonville meeting so they can see how wonderful these stencils are.  While I have a few of the Stencils, the Kind Thoughts Stencil is my favorite.  For all the other projects I have done I have used the Small Kind Thoughts Stencil.  Today, I want to show you the Medium Size.  I bought this plain Metal Frame at Hobby Lobby last week.  I thought it would  be fun to use the stencil paste on the frame!  Check this out. 

Once again, I just put the stencil over the frame and applied the Stencil Paste.  Once I lifted the Stencil off the frame I let the paste dry about two hours.  Then, I used some DecoArt Elegant Finish Metallic Glaze over the paste using a foam brush.   It looks great and FEELS great.  I am super proud of how this came out.  I am always amazed at how beautiful these stencils work.  Just a great product!!!

So, while I was in Jacksonville my friends (AKA Demonstrators) made some cute projects I want to share. 

We did a total of 5 projects and these were a few of my favorites.  Who am I kidding? I like them all.  LOL!  The first sample uses the Circle Circus stamp set.  You will love this VERSITLE stamp set.  It’s a DREAM stamp set.  So fun!  I just made the circles into Trees. 

The second project uses a NEW Hostess Set called Wings of Friendship.  Beautiful stamp set.  Love that bird! The last project uses my favorite stamp set, Friends 24-7.  No, not a new stamp set but the colors are In Color and I just couldn’t help myself and NOT use that set.  It’s a sickness I tell you!

All week I have so many things to share.  Let’s hope the days cooperate and all gets done. 

Enjoy your start of the week!

I’m getting excited as I pack for a trip to Jacksoville, Florida for a downline meeting.  It doesn’t look like I’ve left much room for clothes with all the samples I am bringing.  Besides, what is more important?  Obviously the stamping materials.  It should be an interesting morning as I will be driving from the Springs up to Denver to catch an early morning flight.  Then of course there is the flight.  We all know how much I love hate to fly!  

I’ve been busy working on a few projects around here and I must say I am pretty proud of one of them. 

I found the Plastic Candy Maker Ribbon at Hobby Lobby and if you were there you would of known it.  I squealed with delight for many reasons.  First, each month I always decorate my stamp room along the upcoming Holiday Theme.  I love to be festive.  When I saw this in the candy Isle, I thought how fun it would be to make a few of these Ribbon Candy Pops and use my Retiring Stamp Set The Free & the Brave and tie a tag off the pops.  Then my mind was going 90 miles an hour when I got to thinking of my upcoming Cards for the Cure that me and the demonstrators in the area do every year.  Won’t this be fun to use Pink Chocolate and have Pink Ribbons!  I am super excited about that!!!

I’ve been working on a few birthday cards as well.  Here is one using the Surf’s Up! stamp set. 

I used two of the new In Colors Bermuda Bay and Soft Suede.  I love these colors and they were perfect for a little boy birthday card. 

Last thing to share is my new FAVORITE stamp set TODAY! I have many favorites from the new catalog, but Razzle Dazzle is one that I seem to be pulling out a lot. 

I think me and the Spritzer Tool are new best friends.  I love using that tool and I love the new In Color Markers.  I could kiss Stampin’ Up! for coming out with the markers in the In Colors.  I warned my kids to be good or I will spritz them with a Melon Mambo marker.    Have you noticed that Shabby Chic is coming back strong?  I love this vintage look.  I could tear, rip and crumple paper all day.  So fun! 

I better get back to packing.  Lots to do before that early morning flight.  Have a fabulous weekend. 

Baby steps with the new colors that is.  This week I plan on showing  you some projects made with the new In Colors for 09-10 and I thought I would take a few baby steps with you.  The In Colors that will be leaving us in just two weeks have been some of my favorites.  I have loved using them all year and fell head over heals for Kiwi Kiss.  Here is a card tonight that uses Kiwi Kiss and Melon Mambo.  I loved how the two colors worked together.

Of course add that beautiful Kraft paper and you have yourself one heck of a project, right?  I used the NEW Circle Circus stamp set (so in love with this!!!) and also added  one of the Hooray Designer Hardware in the center.  What was so fun was putting my Melon Mambo MARKER in the Spritzer tool and splashing a little color on the card with that.  That really tickled me PINK!  I’m typically not big on BRIGHT colors like this but I have fallen in love with this pink.  It’s a real happy color and when I added it to the Kiwi Kiss it really screamed SUMMER!  The sentiment came from Really Retro.  I have many ideas planned with the Circle Circus stamp set and can see this set being a favorite for scrapbooking.  If you love circles, this set is for YOU!

Hope you had a terrific weekend!  Our trip to Breckenridge was amazing.  The crisp air in the mountains was beautiful and thin!  The highest altitude we were at was 11,128 ft.  Talk about thin air and feeling like an AIR head (sometimes quite normal for me).   Despite the rain, we had such a great time with the kids.  Today on the way home we stopped at the Renaissance Festival. I will share pics tomorrow.  This is one of my favorite things to do this time of year.  I love art, and this is a great place to see amazing art and people.  I could just sit and watch the people and be happy.  I am always so amazed at how many people dress up for these events.  Seriously! Like I said, I will share a few pics tomorrow. 

Have a FABULOUS week!

Okay, so I may not actually be stamping, but of course I have something to share with you!  This month my stamp clubs were CRAZY in love with a few projects.  I often do not post them here because I find these projects pretty exclusive to my club members.  However, when I get super excited about a project like these I just have to share. 

So, remember when I shared this tin back in February? 

Well, this project uses the exact same tin.  These tins are SO awesome to use for gifts for friends and family.  This time I covered the tin entirely with cardstock.  I would show you the inside of the tin, but honestly there is nothing in it because I haven’t had time to fill it.  I’m not sure what I would put in this one?

Okay back to my point… ARE THESE NOT THE CUTEST THINGS???  I would fall out if someone gave me alittle gift like this.  This one is so shabby and yes, I used Friends 24-7 AGAIN!  My club members didn’t seem to mind.  <wink>

To make this cover for your tin, cut your cardstock to 5 3/4 x 8 1/2.  With the 8 1/2" side at the top of your trimmer, score at 3 3/4 and 4 3/4.  Corner round all four ends and then decorate to your liking.  I used the Friendly Words Jumbo Wheel and the leaves are from the Sizzex Little Leaves.  I love these leaves. 

Hope your weekend is super fabulous!