Deals and Steals

A pretty card made using Rose Wonder stamps and the Rose Garden Thinlit Dies, the later of which is on sale this week! Weekly Deals were created to help with overstock inventory, which consists of mostly accessories and tools. This is the reason you've never seen stamps in an offering.

As the overstock is reduced, the variety of products available is effected, and this has in turn reduced the enthusiasim for these deals. So, with that said, it's time to move on to something new! So after this you can expect to see less frequent "Special Offer" promotions, but until then, this is your final week of "Weekly Deals!"

138333 $11.25	139681 $13.50	138279 $24.75
134575 $2.25	139667 $21.75	133777 $2.25
138392 $3.00	137547 $30.00	139665 $20.25
140619 $23.25	138399 $3.75	127845 $1.88
133756 $3.00	139664 $20.25	133723 $20.25
133786 $12.00	138411 $2.63

Stay crafty my friends!

Sally

Catalog Kickoff

It is such a joy to be a part of Stampin' Up! They have been making a few changes lately and I'm excited to learn what's next on the agenda. One thing that's new is the catalog kickoff event we just had. Earlier this year they did a big "premiere" at theaters all over the US as well as most of the other countries where we have Demonstrators. It was great fun with prize patrols and a free stamp set for everyone. When they announced that we were having a "kickoff" for the upcoming Occasions Catalog, of course I was going!!

The kickoff was just last week...we were treated to a sneak peek of many of the pretty new things inside the Occasions Catalog as well as the upcoming Sale-a-Bration Catalog. We laughed and were entertained by some of our favorite SU! representatives as they showed us things they had created using the new stamps, project kits, embossing folders, framelits, mini boxes...oh there is so much wonderfulness to behold! I am buying EVERYTHING on page 19!! lol Just wait until you see the GORGEOUS paper that is hand painted art! I can't show you the actual pages of the catalog, but I can share completed projects...

Sara got things started...love the paper flower bouquet on the catalog cover!! It's a kit! =)

Cute cards made with SAB reward items!

This one is a "two-step" set giving you these flowers in a beautiful watercolor look

These are also from SAB

This one showcases the Irresistibly Yours Specialty DSP which is white paper sporting a glossy pattern that you can brayer or sponge over, like emboss resist. It comes in 6 different designs.

Balloon Bash stamp set with Birthday Bash DSP

Cute Mini Treat Bag made with a new Thinlit Die!!!

Adventure Awaits stamp set...this one has BIG images! Perfect for stamping on photo overlays, stamping directly on scrapbook pages, or making framed art.

Something Borrowed Embellishments can really dress up a project.

Big Day SAB stamp set paired with our new Chalkboard Paper!

Sheltering Tree stamp set, another two-step set...so GORGEOUS!!

So get ready to start your wish list and watch my website for the Occasions Catalog to go live on January 6th. If you're on my mailing list, copies are going to hit the mail next week. To make sure you are on my list visit my website, click "contact me" on the little orange banner and select "request a catalog" under interest. Make sure you provide an address and I'll update my database. If you are getting my newsletter via email, reply and let me know if your address has changed and you'd like a catalog. I still have copies of the 2014-2015 book as well!

Sale-a-Bration is our biggest promotion of the year, and it's right around the corner. For every $50 spent, you will earn something FREE! I am finally ready to put in my pre-order (one of my many perks as a Demo) and get SAB rewards for the Occasions Catalog purchases I'm making! WOOOHOOOO I can't wait to get my goodies!!

Catalog Dates:

Occasions Catalog  1/6/2015 - 6/2/2015
Sale-a-Bration Promotion  1/6/2015 - 3/31/2015

To assist you with making a list and checking it twice, here is a handy dandy wish list. Sometimes it helps to prioritize too! ;)
Wish List


XOXO,
Sally

Visit my website, there are all sorts of things on sale up to 80% off!!

Stamp Therapy

click to enlarge

Well today, Jan 24th, is another BIG day. The beginning of the Sale-a-Bration promotion!!! This sweet door hanger I made uses the beautiful Everyday Enchantment DSP, as well as the coordinating Ribbon and Brad Pack found in the Sale-a-Bration mini catalog.

These items can not be purchased. You can only earn them for FREE when you place a qualifying order of $50! Spend $100 and choose 2 items in the SAB mini for FREE, spend $150 and you qualify for hostess benefits AND you'll get a 3rd SAB item as well as an exclusive shopping tote for Hostesses only. Visit my website to see more and place your order today, or if you'd like to take it to the next level and invite your friends to a workshop, call/text me and we'll get you on my calendar!

Stampin' Supplies

STAMPS - Jayne's Type Alphabet, Rough Edge Alpha (retired)

INK - Poppy Parade, Soft Suede, Pool Party

PAPER - Everyday Enchantment DSP*, Very Vanilla

OTHER - Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack*, Heart Punch, Adorning Accents Edgelits, Paper Daisies

*SAB Exclusive

Sally

214-354-7685

Roses are Red...Sometimes

It was a little over a year ago, last Summer, when I made my first paper rose. That's it below. I was pretty pleased with the results...a pretty color combo and the resulting flower looks almost real, especially when you photograph it sitting on a climbing plant! LOL

Paper roses are beautiful attached to gift boxes and bags instead of bows, and they are easy to make. I have received many compliments on the original rose, so I decided it was time to make another one with my club members! We did a red rose using Real Red card stock edged with Cherry Cobbler Classic ink. We used a total of 18 petals to create the whole flower.

The hardest part of the whole process is taping the petals down. I recommend double stick tape since it's strong...but maybe a little liquid adhesive for the final center pieces since the "tab" holding them down is kinda small.

Here's a rundown of the process:

1. Punch 18 petals in any color of card stock using the Ornament Punch (119847 $16.95).
2. Use the "Direct to Paper" method to ink the edges of your petals. Make sure you do BOTH sides! Sponging works too, but I didn't find it very effective on darker colored card stock.
3. Punch a circle in the same color card stock as your petals. I used the 1-3/8" Circle Punch (119860 $15.95).
4. Curl your petals around the handle of a stipple brush, a marker, a pencil, or anything that you have on hand.
5. Begin taping them down to the circle, layering 4 petals that aren't as curled (you can flatten them some leaving them slightly curved), then adding 4 more in a staggered pattern.
6. Keep building in sets of 4, staggering each time and ending with the last 2 petals in the center. They should have the most curl!

Here's a view from the bottom of a paper rose...

Stampin' Supplies (Red Rose): 
PAPER - Real Red
INK - Cherry Cobbler
OTHER - Ornament Punch, 1-38" Circle Punch, Stipple Brush (for curling), Double Stick Tape

Altered Art and Secret Compartments

A really, really, REALLY long time ago I did this challenge where you take a hardcover book and convert it into a unique photo frame. I actually thought it was so long ago that I hadn't ever blogged about it, but I checked my archives, and wow, it is in there: http://stampinsally.blogspot.com/2007/07/read-any-good-books-lately.html

In all the time I've had this fun frame within view, I've often thought, why not carve out the INSIDE of the book and make myself a SECRET COMPARTMENT?! Everyone should have little hiding places for their treasures, and while this particular book is just begging to be picked up and held, I couldn't resist altering it further!

I didn't want the compartment to be just inside the cover so I skipped a few pages before I started cutting. I used a metal ruler and a craft knife to cut into the pages as many at a time as the knife would penetrate. Once you have the first few pages removed you don't need a straight edge anymore. But you do have to hold the cover "up" to keep the pages straight as you're cutting. To be honest my hand got pretty tired before I made it to the end, so I set this project aside for a couple of days before I completed the cutout.

Once I had all the pages cut to my preferred depth, I began adhering the pages together, starting with the back pages. I was using a liquid glue with a foam brush at first, but the pages were puckering a bit so I switched to Snail Adhesive. Either way is very time consuming, and I'm actually not really done yet, but the end result will be worth it!

I never throw anything away, and if you are a true crafter, you are probably hoarding some things for "that special project" that will come along someday. I used a lot of these cut out pages to make a layered die cut flower.

Of course I sponged them with ink to give them more appeal before I layered them together. The flower stem is also made of paper. It's a card stock strip that I just folded in half lengthwise and pinched it all the way up to distress it a bit. It's actually inserted into the bottom three or four layers through a small hole and then the rest of the flower is layered on top holding it all together.

Stampin' Supplies:
STAMPS - Love & Care*
PAPER - Tangerine Tango, Certainly Celery, "First Edition DSP"

INK - Peach Parfait, Tangerine Tango, Distressing Essentials Tea Stain

OTHER - Glass jar, Sponge, Top Note Bigz Die, Fun Flowers Bigz L Die, Textured Impressions Vintage Wallpaper, Satin Ribbon, Button
*Summer Mini

Stampin' Up! has many GORGEOUS packs of Designer Series Paper. One 12x12 pack called First Edition would give you the same look as above and also be archival safe. That's a pretty important feature when you plan to use it in your scrapbooks with photos. Here's a look at this paper pack:

Item No. 121878 - 24 sheets for $12.95