Cheep Talk Gift Card Holder

I know it's still wintertime, but I'm in a springtime mood right now!  Groundhog Day is next week, and I'm hoping winter won't drag on for another six weeks. 

Today's project is a gift card holder.  The cutting template for this design is by Angie Kennedy Juda. I used the Cheep Talk stamp set that is on p. 113 of the Idea Book and Catalog.  I love the little curvy verses that line up just perfectly with the branch and leaves!

Here is how I did the shading on the branch and leaves image: I used my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig and stamped the image once in Always Artichoke ink, then I moved my Stamp-A-Ma-Jig slightly and stamped it again without re-inking.  

Cheep Talk Gift Card Holder

Stamps: Cheep Talk (set of 11, $26.95)

Classic Ink: Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Not Quite Navy

Card Stock: Always Artichoke, More Mustard, Whisper White

Designer Series Paper: Patterns Pack Designer Series Paper III (Level 1 Hostess gift)

Accessories: 3/16" Corner Rounder punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, Medium Envelope (used on the inside to hold the gift card)

Decor Elements Dry Goods Canisters

Dry Goods is an elegant set of four Decor Elements that are designed to label kitchen canisters.  It comes in Black, Chocolate, or White.  You may also choose from English, Spanish, or French versions!

Dry Goods is not available for purchase, it is a free gift when you host a workshop or by placing a single order of $150 or more.  The photo below shows three of the four Decor Elements that are included in this set.  (Coffee is not shown.)

 
Thank you Amanda and Nancy for sharing this photo with me!  Your canisters turned out great!

Decor Elements Toy Chest

Sugar & Spice Decor Elements

Decor Elements are not just for walls!  This toy chest was decorated using the Sugar & Spice Decor Element in Pretty in Pink (116039, $12.95). Don't you just love how the pink stands out against the black?

Sugar & Spice measures 22-3/8"x10-5/8" and can also be purchased in two other colors: Chocolate (116041) or So Saffron (116040).

Thanks to Amanda for sharing this photo!

Make a Difference! Disaster Relief for the people of Haiti

Help make a difference in the lives of those who continue to suffer from the effects of the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti. 

From now until February 28, 2010, Stampin' Up!® will set aside $2 from the sale of every I {Heart} Hearts stamp set and donate it to the American Red Cross’ Haiti Relief and Development Fund. The Red Cross is already well established in Haiti, and this money will be used to provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need.  

When you order this stamp set, you may choose between wood mount (117010, $26.95) or clear mount (118571, $18.95).  

The wood mounted stamp set comes with the traditional wood blocks that you are used to.  The clear mount version requires a clear mount acrylic block, which is sold separately.  If you are brand new to clear blocks, block size D (118485, $8.50) is recommended.


Click here to order this stamp set and help make a difference!

Circle Scissor Plus

Features & Benefits of the Circle Scissor Plus (Item 112530):
 
■ Quickly draws or cuts out perfect circles
■ Adjusts to make circles from 1" to 6"
■ Easily cuts through paper and card stock
■ Large, 11" base with gripper feet ensures that tool doesn’t slip
■ Includes: Base, 2 cutting blades, Cutting handle, Adjustable drawing handle; will adjust to fit standard pen and pencil sizes; works great with Stampin’ Write markers
■ Blade can be replaced without touching
■ Includes instructions for cutting, drawing, and changing the blade
■ Replacement blades available (sold separately; 3 per package)
 
Drawing perfect circles has never been simpler! Put your pen in the tool and turn the handle. No more squiggly lines! And cutting a circle is just as easy. Select the circle size you want and turn the cutting handle. The circles come out perfectly every time, with no jagged edges.

If you love the look of circle frames, you don’t need to buy separate die-cut circle frames or rings. When cutting rings, cut the smaller circle, or the center of the ring, first, and then don’t move the cutter. Make sure it stays in place while you adjust the size for the outside circle of your ring, and then cut again. Keeping the cutter in place the whole time is the key to making perfect rings. You’ll end up with a custom frame or ring in the size and color you want.
For a great look, you can cut circles of different sizes in coordinating paper and layer them on your scrapbook pages.


Things to Remember:

1.) Always use with Glass Mat. Using the Circle Scissor Plus with a self-healing mat may result in poor results. Glass mats allow the blade to “float” across the cutting surface for a cleaner, better cut.

2.) For best results, cut though a single sheet of paper or card stock at a time.
 

3.) You may want to adhere your paper to the Glass Mat with temporary adhesive to prevent it from slipping on the mat. The gripper base is not sized to fully grip the edges of anything smaller than 6", and you may find your smaller pieces of paper spinning around instead of cutting. To cut paper smaller than 6", lightly tack it to the Glass Mat using temporary adhesive.
 
4.) The Circle Scissor Plus works most smoothly when you’re standing up and when you keep your arm parallel to the tool. This helps distribute the weight and pressure on the cutter evenly, resulting in the cleanest cut and most perfect circle. Cut at a regular speed-you don't need to cut slowly or quickly. Also, use light pressure—you don't need to push down hard.

5.) To increase the size of a circle, turn the dial counterclockwise. To decrease the size of a circle, turn the dial clockwise.

 

Size of On Board Books in Occasions Mini

The new On Board Books in the Occasions Mini Catalog (page 34) are a great way to give your creativity shape! They're a great size too--they're large enough to hold photos and journaling without looking crowded.

Like all of our On Board products, these books are not shown at actual size in the mini. To see PDF images of these products at 100 percent, please click a product below. (Make sure you set the actual size of the PDF to 100%; because of variations in computer monitors and printers, the image might be slightly larger or smaller than the listed dimensions.)

• On Board Heart book (item 117236, $4.95); size: 6" x 5-3/8"
• On Board Scallop Circle book (item 118306, $4.95); size: 6" diameter
• On Board Bird book (item 117238, $4.95); size: 8-1/4" x 3-3/8"

Special promotion until March 31, 2010: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product with every $50 in purchases! There is no limit to the number of free product you can earn!  (For example, spend $100 and receive 2 free products, spend $150 and receive 3 free products, etc.)

Click here to place a Stampin' Up! Order  

Cheep Talk Demonstrator Swap

One of the things I love to do is swap cards with fellow crafters from all over the country!  Here is a swap that I am currently working on.  I will be making 20 of these cards and receiving 20 different cards back.

Faux-Stitching Technique: I used the Paper Piercer tool and Mat Pack to punch a row of tiny holes on the 1/2" strip of Soft Suede Cardstock.  Next, I connected the dots using a white gel pen so that the paper looks like it was stitched using a sewing machine!

Cheep Talk Swap

Stamps: Cheep Talk

Ink: Soft Suede, Versamark

Paper: Kraft, Very Vanilla, Ruby Red, Soft Suede, Dusty Durango

Accessories: Mat Pack, Paper Piercer, White Gel Pen, Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, 1-1/4 and 1-3/8 Circle Punches, Stampin' Dimensionals, Stamp-A-Ma-Jig

"No Stamping" Butterfly Card

This card and coordinating envelope are incredibly easy to make because no stamping is required!  The Whisper White Note Cards (107311, $5.95) are ideal for beginning card makers because they are already cut and scored.  A set of note cards includes 20 cards and 20 envelopes. The cards measure 5" x 3-1/2" so they are perfect for thank you notes or other short messages.
 
I cut out the butterflies using the Big Shot die-cut machine (113439, $99.95) and the Beautiful Butterflies Bigz die (114507, $21.95).  I had been wanting the Bigz Beautiful Butterflies for a really long time and now it's finally the latest addition to my craft room!  I'm so happy! 

The polka-dotted paper is from the Patterns Pack Designer Series Paper III collection.  This paper may not be purchased, but can be yours FREE by hostessing a minimum $150 workshop or by placing a single order of $150 or more!

Did you think that the "Congratulations" sentiment was a stamp?  Surprise!  It's actually a rub-on from the Chit Chat collection (111804, $10.95). 

The current Sale-A-Bration promotion is a great time to stock up on the things you want from your wish list, because you will receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $50 in merchandise!  And there is no limit to the number of free products you can earn!

Clear Mount Blocks and January Team Swap

Clear Mount Blocks

Here is a photo of some of the NEW clear mount blocks!  They are made of high quality, sturdy acrylic.  The blocks are individually packaged, which protects them during shipping. You may purchase the blocks individually or purchase the entire set at over a 10% savings. Blocks range in price from $3.95 - $16.95, depending on their size.

The images shown in the photo below are from the Love Bandit stamp set. This set retails for $13.95 (clear mount) or $17.95 (wood mount). Clear mount stamp sets are designed to work with the clear mount blocks (sold separately) and do not come with the traditional wood blocks. 

What I love most about the clear mount blocks is that it so much easier to see where I am stamping! And clean up is a breeze.  Just clean your stamps with the Stampin' Scrub and Stampin' Mist as you normally do, then peel the stamp off the clear mount block.  The clear mount stamp sets come with a slim storage case about the size of a typical DVD case, so they take up less shelf space!

Someone asked if I purchased the entire set of blocks.  I did not. I only purchased Blocks A, B, C, D, and G because they fit all of the clear mount stamps that I ordered.  If I acquire larger images later, I'll purchase the necessary blocks then. 

Someone also asked, "Can't I just buy the largest block and use that one for everything?"  When the block is too large relative to the image size, you are likely to rock your hand when you stamp, causing blurry images.  To reduce the chance of error, choose a block that best fits your image.  Highly experienced stampers will be able to get away with using a block that is the next size up, but going several sizes up is certain to cause frustration regardless of your skill level!

*************************************

January Team Swap

Here is my latest swap card!  Hope you like it.  :)

Stamps: With All My Heart (Occasions Mini), Well Scripted (Occasions Mini)

Classic Stampin' Pad: Real Red

Card Stock: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Whisper White

Accessories: Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Extra Large Fancy Flower Punch, Real Red 1/2" Epoxy Brads, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 3/16" Corner Rounder Punch 1/2" Real Red Striped Grosgrain Ribbon

FREE Make-and-Take Project

Here is a photo of the FREE make-and-take project that you can create at my Open House on Tuesday, January 19 at 7:00 PM.  Stampers of all levels are welcome.  Everyone will get an opportunity to see and try out the latest Stampin' Up! products, including the new clear mounted stamps which are made of the same foam and rubber that you love, but cling to acrylic blocks!  Please call or e-mail me to RSVP.  There is no charge to attend this event.

Open House Make-And-Take Valentine

Stamps: A Happy Heart, Simply Said

Ink: Real Red, Perfect Plum

Card Stock: Real Red, Whisper White, Pretty in Pink
Accessories: Scallop Edge Punch, 1/16" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals, 1/2" Epoxy Brads in Pretty in Pink

Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper

For a quick and easy Valentine's Day card, let the Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (117153, $11.95) take center stage!  Each 12"x12" sheet sparkles with glittery designs on one side. You will receive 12 sheets (2 each of 6 double-sided designs.)

"A Happy Heart" Valentine

To recreate this card, first use Versamark ink to stamp the "i (heart) u" sentiment from A Happy Heart (111758, $22.95) on the designer series paper. Notice how I aligned the image so that the words fit perfectly in the space between the printed white dots on the paper. Next, heat emboss using White detail embossing powder. 


Stamp the heart image from A Happy Heart using Pretty in Pink ink on a scrap of Very Vanilla card stock.  Use your Paper Snips to cut out the heart, and then adhere the heart to your card front using Stampin' Dimensionals.

Click here to place a Stampin' Up! order.

Special promotion until March 31, 2010: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product with every $50 in purchases! There is no limit to the number of free product you can earn!  (For example, spend $100 and receive 2 free products, spend $150 and receive 3 free products, etc.)

New Digital Downloads and Individual Page Printing Now Available!

My Digital Studio users can now have individual pages professionally printed in Stampin' Up!'s coordinating colors. Being able to print single pages will allow you to easily create hybrid scrapbook pages by adding traditional embellishments to your printed pages! 

Individual pages are printed on one side only and include the Stampin' Up! and My Digital Studio logos on the back. You may order pages through your My Digital Studio software. Single pages require a minimum quantity of five.

Along with printing individual pages, Stampin' Up! is also introducing two new downloads to My Digital Studio: the Recipes by Design kit and the You're Invited invitation kit!  Item numbers and prices are below:

Item	Description	Price
118869	Recipes by Design Kit  All images copyright Stampin' Up!  Whether it is Grandma Ruth’s chocolate sheet cake, Cousin Morty’s flaming barbeque sauce, or that halibut recipe you got from the bed and breakfast on your trip to Alaska—when you keep those recipes close, you keep those memories close as well. With the Recipes by Design digital kit for My Digital Studio, preserving those memories is easy. The kit includes a designer template, an eight-piece stamp brush set, and 16 elements for you to choose from—all the ingredients you need to make a recipe book that will last for generations.	$9.95
120884	You're Invited Invitation Kit  All images copyright Stampin' Up! You are cordially invited to create fantastic invitations in My Digital Studio with the You’re Invited digital card kit. This kit has everything you need—Designer Series paper, tag, embellishment, and stitching—to make irresistible invitations for your winter events.	$3.95
---	Individual page print 8-1/2" x 11"	$2.95
---	Individual page print 12" x 12"	$2.95
---	Individual page print 11" x 8-1/2"	$2.95

Introducing the Sending Love Collection from the Occasions Mini Catalog

I am so excited to share with you some of the lovely new products for Valentine's Day!  Here is a card that I created using the brand new With All My Heart stamp set from the Occasions Mini Catalog.  I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but the Sending Love Designer Series Paper has glitter on it! The 1/2" epoxy brad in the center also adds some shine.

Stamps: *NEW* With All My Heart (118134, $17.95 for wood-mount OR 118623, $13.95 for clear-mount that requires acrylic blocks, sold separately)

Classic Ink: Real Red

Paper: Pretty in Pink, Real Red, Very Vanilla, *NEW* Sending Love Specialty Designer Series Paper (117153, $11.95)

Accessories: *NEW* Sending Love 1/2" Epoxy Brads in Pretty in Pink (117271, $4.95), 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon in Real Red, Paper Piercer, Mat Pack, Scallop Circle Punch, 1-3/8" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, 1-1/16" Circle Punch, Stampin' Dimensionals

*NEW* Country Living Cards À La Carte Promotion

All images copyright Stampin' Up!

Stampin' Up! has partnered with Country Living magazine to offer this exclusive Cards à la Carte stationery kit. With 24 sheets of uniquely-designed 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" printed paper, this kit has everything you need to create a one-of-a-kind dinner menu or handwritten letter!  It also makes a fabulous gift!

Cards À La Carte Kit (119113, $19.95)

■ 24 sheets of 5-1/2" x 8-1/2" paper
■ 12 Medium Very Vanilla envelopes
■ Dinner Party stamp set
■ Ballet Blue Classic Stampin' Spot

All images copyright Stampin' Up!

Click here to place a Stampin' Up! order!

Last Chance to Order Retiring Stamp Sets and Holiday Mini Catalog items!

Important Reminder! Today is the last day that you can order from the Holiday Mini Catalog!

The following stamp sets are also being discontinued.  You can click on the name of the Stamp Set to see a photo of the images.  Today is your last chance to get these beautiful sets before they are gone forever!

Click here to place a Stampin' Up! order.

Item Number	Stamp Set	Price
113407	Back Woods	$23.95
114492	Beautiful Baby	$7.95
114486	Birthday Wish	$6.95
113200	Branch Out	$22.95
114496	Celebrations	$7.95
113732	Central Park	$15.95
113206	Classic Sketches	$22.95
113226	Classy & Fabulous	$18.95
114498	Flowers in Silhouette	$7.95
113405	Font of You	$24.95
113216	For the Bride	$19.95
114494	Forever	$5.95
109425	Friend by Definition	$17.95
114488	Fun Flowers	$5.95
113716	Garden Greetings	$21.95
114490	Glad Friends	$5.95
111580	Grand Soiree	$24.95
113242	Hit the Road	$19.95
113710	Lexicon of Leaves	$25.95
113236	Man's Best Friend	$19.95
114423	Ocean Commotion	$17.95
113728	Playful Petals	$28.95
109276	Polka Dot	$17.95
111544	Putt Putt	$24.95
113240	Quilt Quips	$22.95
113754	Really Retro	$14.95
113403	Sip by Sip	$23.95
113726	Sweet Stems	$16.95
113250	That's Funny	$23.95
113688	Wonderful Watercolors	$39.95
114028	Para la novia	$19.95
114032	Acuarelas Maravillosas	$39.95

New Mini Catalogs Available for Download!

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend with family and friends.  We had our annual family gathering at my parents' house and we feasted all day long on handmade sushi and other yummy foods!  The hamachi (yellowtail) was especially good this year.  Tonight we will be getting together again to eat the leftovers!  I can't wait!

I have a special surprise for you: The latest mini catalogs are now available for download!  You may order from these catalogs starting on Tuesday, January 5.  Usually these catalogs are not released until you can order from them, but this time Stampin' Up! has made them available a few days early!

Click here to download the Occasions Mini Catalog!

Click here to download the Sale-A-Bration brochure!

Click here to download the Definitely Decorative 2010 Supplement!