Inspired by Nature, Part 2

The set I mentioned and used in my first post today, Inspired by Nature, actually is a double-mounted set. This means that there is an image adhered to each side of the block! Double the pleasure, double the fun! The second image is that of prairie grass swaying in the breeze. Beautious, my friends. Instead of using it alone, I decided to try pairing both images with the help of bleach. Yes, you read correctly.

In order to get the black-eyed susan flower image to stand out from the grass, I wetted 2 paper towels with undiluted bleach and used it as a sort of "ink" pad. I stamped it, let it dry, and this is what the result was. Way cool, huh! Let me back up and share that the grass is stamped on Pacific Point, from the InColor Collection, with PP ink. It stamped darker than I anticipated, but I like the effect.

The base of this card is Baja Breeze, another of the InColors, and Not Quite Navy is the border that frames the Very Vanilla strip with the words "thank you so very much". That phrase is from another set from convention called Flight of the Butterfly. (Cards forthcoming...) I stamped this in Pacific Point. Here's a closeup for those who enjoy detail shots.

I was enjoying this look so much that I made a second one while everything was on the table, and then I remembered that I had a sympathy card to make for a friend of mine whose father passed away last week after a four-month battle with cancer. I've had to make too many sympathy cards this year!

This time I used Kiwi Kiss as the base, so now you've seen all 6 new InColors in action. I thought incorporating this "kissing cousin" of Old Olive would evoke the feeling of the grass, even though it was again stamped in PP. I had hoped that SU! would bring out a good sentiment set that had a variety of sayings in it, one to address the death of a loved one. Didn't happen, although there are 2 new ones with stamps that say "with sympathy".

So, I went back to the one I always pull out when I want to send something comforting. This verse is from the Bible, Psalm 46:1. It really says it all for me, and it's what I want to be reminded of when times are hard. This friend of mine is newly married and early in her 30s. Too early to lose her daddy. I hope it accomplishes what I want it to, to be a sort of long-distance hug.

I know I'm ending on a somber note, but that's life. Full and complex. Find someone to bless with a card, a phone call, a word of encouragement, or a simple hug today. Don't put off until tomorrow something good that you could do today.

Inspired by Nature--Fall-Winter 2008 Catalog Preview!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was by the new Silhouette Style Watch portion of the new SU! Fall-Winter 2008 Catalog! There is an entire package of new stamp sets, coordinating Designer Series Paper, rub-ons, brads, chipboard, AND accents and elements self-adhesive die cuts designed to complement each other. Now that's what I call a coordinated effort!!

Inspired by Nature is one of 4 FREE sets we were given at convention, and today is finally the day it gets ink! I wanted to do my own take on a demonstration I saw at one of the breakout sessions that used three of the new InColor Collection inks--Riding Hood Red, Pink Pirouette, and Tangerine Tango--and a very easy technique called sponging.

First let me show you a comparison between the SU! reds. The base card is the new RHR, and the piece on the top left is Real Red from the Bold Brights color family. On top right is Ruby Red from the Earth Elements color family. In real life Ruby Red and RHR are almost twins, but RHR is just a smidge darker. It's amazing how broad the color spectrum is within a specific color like red, isn't it?

Now on to the card. I photographed it with the stamp so that you can see that it has this great negative space in the middle of the flowers. No, I didn't cut that out with my craft and rubber scissors, girlfriends! SU!'s new stamps are die cut, so all you have to do is pop them out of the rubber and mount them. It's truly a beautiful thing!

OK, the nitty gritty. I stamped the entire image in Pink Pirouette first, then took out my little sponge daubers and applied TT and RHR selectively over the rest of the image. So quick, so easy, so stunning, don't you agree? The sentiment "live with passion" is also part of this set. To me, flowers are bold examples of God's creativity, and they do live with passion, providing us with an example of bold, passionate, although brief, living OUT LOUD exactly as they are. They also provide us with compassion as they express on our behalf love, concern, happiness, sympathy, and joy when words don't seem to be able to. I think the saying fits the image, and would be an encouragement to someone in need of a lift.

A little inside tip about the ribbon that seems to be floating there in the middle of the card. I used my horizontal slot punch pushed all the way in on the sides of my 3.75" x 5" Whisper White card stock, then threaded the 1/2" striped grosgrain ribbon in Pumpkin Pie up from the back side and tied a simple knot. A nod to Canadian SU! demonstrator Laura Fredrickson who inspired this look!

I have another look I'm going to attempt with this same stamp, so check back for a second post today! I LOVE DAYS OFF WORK!

Stop the Presses!

I was a journalist in another life, and my first job was at a weekly newspaper with the press just behind the main office. I never got to yell the infamous phrase, but it seems appropriate today to tell you about a fabulous deal from SU! that starts Monday, Aug. 11.

If you were following my convention blog posts and wishing you were in Salt Lake City with me, or if you've ever wanted to get stamps and stamping materials at a 20% discount ALL THE TIME, then this deal is for you! For just $99, you can become an independent demonstrator with all the benefits, and be part of my team!

The kit includes everything you need to get started, either as a hobbyist with first dibs on new stamps, a first look-see at the new catalog, or as a businesswoman, ready to make extra income at your own pace. You'll be joining an energetic team, and I'll give you everything I've got in terms of coaching so that you can make this opportunity everything you want it to be.

Leave me a comment to let me know you're interested and how best I can contact you, and I'll send you a flyer with all the details! You don't have to live in GA to join my team--my newest recruit is in FL--hey, Melissa!--and already we're havin' a blast together!

I'd love to answer any questions you have. The offer officially begins Monday, Aug. 11, so think about it and let's talk!

New Bedroom Colors

This is what my dear husband took his hard earned vacation time to do for us while I was enjoying convention. He took several days off work so that he could be at home with our son, and together they tackled painting our master bedroom.

The decision to paint was instigated by the purchase of new bedding. I finally found what I'd been looking for! I'm not a floral girl, nor am I a frilly girl, so this makes it a bit more challenging to find something that I'm going to like.

Well, you know how hot blue and brown are, and before I found the bedding, I had told Bob that I wanted blue on the walls with brown accents. He would not go for it, stating that it would look like a nursery with blue on the walls. So, we compromised when I found the bedding, because the bedspread added a significant punch of blue to the room. I also have curtains this color, but have to wait for him to get home from a business trip (now it's his turn to travel) for them to be installed.

What do you think of the deep dark chocolate brown on the wall? It was Bob's idea, and I really like it. We felt the room could take that much of a dark color, since it has an entire bank of windows just opposite it, and because the room is fairly large.

I can't wait for the curtains to go up, and Bob wants to make a headboard that will incorporate the rust that's in the throw pillows and the sheets. SU! has a new line of unique, non-permanent, vinyl, rub-on wall decorations called Decor Elements, and one of them might just make a great statement in this room. Stay tuned!

My Big Announcement

Before leaving for convention, I shared that there was something I'd been thinking about all summer, and that you would be hearing about soon. Well, soon is TODAY!

I have been thinking about you, my customer friends, all summer, wondering how I could improve your monthly Stamp-A-Stack (SAS) experience. I am excited to announce the launch of my SAS Punch Card Rewards Program!

Beginning with my Aug. 23rd event, for every class attended, you will earn 1 punch on their punch card. With the compilation of 10 punches, you will receive $50 in FREE Stampin' Up! merchandise of your choice!

Here's the thing that makes this program just spectacular! For every FRIEND you bring to SAS, you will receive an EXTRA punch on your card, and your friend will also start her own punch card account with 1 punch. Bring as many friends as you'd like, and each one will count once toward a punch on your SAS Punch Card. So, you can get to the $50 reward two ways: by attending 10 classes, OR by bringing friends, thereby decreasing the amount of time that passes until you have accrued 10 punches! There's NO downside--unless you can't attend a class!

Those who stop by either of my 2 open houses for the NEW and FABULOUS Fall-Winter 2008 SU! Catalog, this Sat., Aug. 9, from 2-4:30 pm in Roswell at the King Rd. and Hwy. 92 Starbucks, or next Sat., Aug. 16, from 2-4:30 pm at my house in Cumming, will ALSO receive an "early bird" punch, just for attending! Sorry I'm using so many exclamation points at the ends of my sentences, but this deal is just that good.

Registration is now open, and all I need to sign you up is your RSVP for the Aug. 23 SAS! Don't delay--email me or call me TODAY.

Convention Day 2--WOW!

There's so much to share that I don't even quite know where to start, and I'm exhausted, so I will do my best to keep this concise and informative.

The big announcement of today was of a new partnership with a company called Sizzix, which makes a die cutting system that makes slick work of cutting alphabets and all kinds of shapes! Sizzix has a machine on the market and dies already, which I hadn't heard of before today (where have I been?), but SU! is going to be selling an exclusive model with exclusive dies, and let me tell you, they are to die for! There is one that makes these wonderful favor baskets for parties of all kinds, one that makes pennants for holidays and any kind of celebration you can think of, a beautiful script for the holidays, as well as a complete letters set or two that will be coming in a the holiday mini, I think. Shelli introduced this, it's part of the signature line of items she's endorsing, and she was talking so fast and we were all scribbling down stuff so fast, so don't hold me to the alphabet set, but I'm pretty sure there's going to be one called Serif Essentials and another one called Go-Go Boots.

Some photos of the projects she created:





Picture #1: The pennant. Picture #2: Two pennants put together to create a child's birthday party hat, as well as some items on the centerpiece "cake". Picture #3: The adorable and way versatile party favor basket. Picture #4: An adorable Santa that can attach to a paper bag and become a puppet! Picture #5: A luminaria bag, done in seconds with the machine. Picture #6: One page of an adorable felt book for children that teaches lacing up a ladybug.

This system cuts through paper, chipboard, fabric, felt, vinyl. The possibilities are truly endless!

The training piece after lunch was also good, as we were taught by some of the company's most successful demonstrators. Great practical stuff! We had 4-6 projects that we were given all the supplies and instructions for, and that's how we ended the formal portion of the day--by crafting!

Let me back up and share what I had for lunch. I went back with Neelam and Lydia, and a new friend named Bonnie from Kansas to Takashi, and this time I had my own sushi roll called Strawberry Fields. It had escolar, a very mild, raw white fish, thai chili peppers, and strawberries, wrapped in seaweed and sushi rice and topped with toasted slivered almonds! I've only ever had sushi once before, and I wasn't as brave to have raw fish as I was this time. It was a fabulous combination of flavors, and if you ever get to SLC, I highly recommend this dining experience!

The other highlight of the day was watching Linda Hansen demonstrate. This very talented lady works at the corporate office, and she comes up with these amazing projects. I was too enthralled to take a picture, but there are offerings I'm going to be making this fall based on some things she demonstrated, like a class featuring 6 different sized gift holders for Christmas. She also made a great tote out of heavy vinyl that is completely customizeable with SU! Designer Series Paper, ribbon, and such. All the instructions for that are going to be online for convention attendees, which is so great! Coming to convention was a very good investment, and you my customer friends are going to be the recipients of their generosity.

I'm hoping most of you have received your postcard from me about the open houses I'm hosting the next two Saturdays. I did learn, unfortunately, that the catalogs for customers are NOT spiral-bound, but believe me, you'll still enjoy seeing all the cool, new stuff!!

I'm headed home in the morning, since I need a recoup day before a new week starts. I know I'll be missing the closing session, which my upline told me today they gave away incentive trips at last year. So, I may miss winning a free trip to Hawaii, but it's a chance I have to take. Lydia, I'm tellin' you right now: if my name is on the screen, I don't want to know!

One last WOW for the day. I'm standing in line waiting to get into the mainstage area this morning, and out of nowhere this gal walks up to me and says, "Jenn Blum!" I look up and find I'm looking into the eyes of a gal I went to college with 20 years ago, Michelle Yoder Halleen! A total blast from the past, and SU! brought us back in contact again. We spent about an hour catching up at the end of the day. Amazing...

While I've been gone, my dear Bob has been painting our bedroom, so I'm anxious to see it (yes I'll post pictures) and be with my boys again. Convention has been a great experience; I'm glad I came. I hope you've enjoyed reading about it!

Convention Day 1, Part 2: FOOD

No experience with friends is complete, for me, without sharing food! While I don't have a picture of it, rest assured that we started yesterday at Starbucks, since Lydia is an addict (short quad breve no foam latte), and Neelam needed to have a positive experience to shore up her knowledge of how to order in Starbucks-ese. She had a tall latte and added her own sweetener. I had a soy banana chocolate Vivanno without the banana, since they were out of bananas (proof that my store at home isn't the only one that hasn't figured out its banana needs yet!). All were pleased with their drinks, although mine needed 2 more pumps of mocha in order to compensate for the lack of flavor the banana wasn't there to provide. Salt Lake City is blissfully cool in the morning and evening, and I was delighted to be just a smidge chilly as we walked to and from said coffee establishment.

Lunch for me was the box lunch that I paid for as part of my convention fee. But I took it and tagged along with Neelam and Lydia to Takashi, a sushi restaurant that Lydia had researched before coming (how I love the internet!). I tried sushi for the second time in my life, and it was phenomenal! I will share more later today, after I have my own picture to share of what I will eat, as we're returning today. It had a most unusual ingredient, and I'm not talkin' something you normally associate with sushi! It was a wonderful dining experience.

After our afternoon session, we lit out and used the light rail to track down a cupcake place called Mini's Cupcakes. I rarely call food a religious experience, but I'm not sure how else to define the PB Fix cupcake! It was SO amazing--cream cheese peanut butter infused frosting with chopped peanuts and a VERY good, and you know I'm picky about chocolate cake because I make my own from
scratch, dark chocolate cake. Oh...there are no real words. Totally worth the effort, and it didn't spoil my dinner, which was...


We went to the hotel's restaurant called Barbara. I had duck for the first time in my life, nestled on a bed of corn polenta, drizzled with brown butter, blackberries and roasted hazelnuts. There is wilted radicchio supporting the duck, but that was the only part of the dinner I didn't care for. The rest of it was happily consumed.

Okay, gotta run! We start even earlier today, at 7:30, but they told us that the pre-show was not to be missed! Shelli's signature line is going to be revealed today, and I'm sure there will be more surprises. Will keep you posted.