Pretty, Pretty!

I AM...Excited! (Stampin' Up! Convention Report)

Come along with me for a Stampin' Up! Convention report!

For 20 summers I have reserved "Me Time" at convention, and with the exception of one year when my baby was just too small to travel with me, I haven't missed it! There is nothing better than being surrounded by 3500 close friends, stamps, ink, paper and tons of creativity :)

It was fun to share updates from convention on my Facebook page, but here are a few more highlights:

We started the week at the Late Night Stampers Stamp Camp and Reunion Party:

Back: Kristi, Pam, Sally & Sherrill, my stampin' "mom"

Front: Anne, Me, Sue

On check-in day, we toured the Stampin' Up! home office in Riverton, including a visit to the Legacy Museum, where the decor changes every year and is open most business days for the public to visit:

  

 I took a LOT of photos of the amazing and creative ideas at the convention displays:

 

 This demonstrator's shirt says it all:

We look forward to getting a new bag at each event, this year a chevron pattern in Summer Starfruit!

It was roomy enough to carry a lot of stuff we bought in the Memento Mall :)

I got to walk across the stage for an award:

Make & Take Projects are always a highlight:

And FREE stamps make us smile!

Finally, after convention was over, we got to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Day Concert with Katherine Jenkins, guest artist. Here we are on our way to the concert in front of the Salt Lake Temple! What a wonderful week! I'd love to have you join my stampin' family and come with me to convention next year...

Wish I could share more, but we are moving to a new home, so I may be M.I.A. for a week...check back after August 1st for more creativity or RSVP for my Card Buffet this Saturday in Spanish Fork!

 

The Stage is Set...

...for a fabulous Stampin' Up! Convention! I am posting up-to-the-minute updates live from convention on my Facebook page: Creative Juice by Loni. A more detailed "Journal" entry will be posted here next week too :)

Pintrested? Reason to Smile :)

I finally caved and joined Pinterest...then wondered why I haven't done it sooner! One reason could be that it is addicting, but I've tried to limit myself to a certain time when I am there and only look at those I follow or for specific things. Luckily, I follow some pretty AWESOME people so I get plenty of inspiration from them :)

After a while, I realized that I was pinning all these cool things, but never making any of them! So I took some time to make a few things and put my own spin on them :)

Celebrating the "Reason to Smile" promotion this month (see below on how to order for $5! in July only!), here are a few "Pinterested" card...not originally created with this set, but translated beautifully, giving me plenty of smiles and I hope some for you, too.

 

How do you get your hands on one of these stamp sets for only $5? FOR JULY ONLY, go to my Stampin' Store and when you order $50 of merchandise, you can add this stamp set to your order for only $5!! And there is still a LOT of good stuff in the Clearance Rack, too, so that can count toward your $50 purchase :) To order the Reason to Smile stamp set in clear mount, use item #131275 or in wood mount use item #131274 after your shopping bag reaches $50 :) Of course, there is always the option of calling me to order, and you get the added benefit of talking to me :)  801-376-8685

You're welcome :)

Card Buffet Class

You've survived the first half of the summer...and hopefully it has included a lot of family fun! If you feel like you could use a little adult conversation and crafts that don't include playdough or balloons, then make sure you register for the Card Buffet class on
Saturday, July 28th at 1 p.m. 
in Spanish Fork! Here is a peek at one style of card you'll be creating:

This is the new "Moving Forward" stamp set and Stampin' Up! donates $3 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities with every purchase of this set :) Hooray for making a difference in such a cute way!

For the card buffet class, I'll have everything cut and prepared to assemble, you just need to bring the standard crafting supplies (scissors, SNAIL adhesive, bone folder-optional). Register and bring an adult friend I haven't met and I'll give you a FREE SNAIL refill!

Cost: $15

Looking forward to some cool crafting with you this summer!

Take a Tour Through the New Catalog

I am thrilled to announce that the 2012-2013 Annual Stampin' Up! Catalog is now available! New products and new projects in full-color detail...once again Stampin' Up! has delivered an impressive variety of exclusive artwork, new colours, quality products, and inspiring ideas. In fact, there are so many new products that I would like to take you on a Catalog Tour of the latest Product Suites from the comfort of your own home.

Starting on July 7 (and for the following 11 days) I will be introducing you to a new product suite via email. I know you are going to be as excited as I am to see what we have in store for the new Stampin' Up! year, so click the link below to subscribe to this limited-time newsletter.

Summer Lollies: Picture Perfect

I'm pretty excited about this fun project we are making today at the Big Shot Class! These "Lollies" or "Medallions" are created with the Designer Rosette Bigz XL Die (item 125594) and the Big Shot (obviously) and when I was trying to figure out what to put on them, my husband suggested pictures of the kids! And it turned out adorable (mostly because I have pretty adorable kids)! Of course, if you know my kids, you can see that these pictures were taken a LONG time ago~giggle~But the fun thing about this project is that you could switch out pictures anytime to keep it "fresh"...and these pretty poppies don't need watering!

I found the sugar shaker at Dollar Tree and it works perfectly for keeping the skewers in place :) then I "upcycled" some old magazine pages along with some scraps of card stock that match the new Patio Party Designer Series Paper (item 126916) to fill the shaker base. You could also fill it with candy or marbles or SPRINKLES!!!

Such fun, such fun...and if you missed the Big Shot Class today, I'll be teaching another one (3 new projects) in August, so watch for the announcement and register early :)

The Type 1 Mom Song

Today I wanted to share a day in the life of a mom with Type 1 Diabetes children...though my own son is now entering adulthood, I remember this and want to say "Good Job" to all the wonderful parents AND kids who work hard at keeping diabetes under control :)

Diagonal Fold Card Tutorial

Today I am sharing a fun card and envelope tutorial that uses the Simply Scored and Diagonal Plate from Stampin' Up! If you are visiting to see the long envelope tutorial, you can see it here...but stick around for a minute to see this fun fold card, too! We'll start with the card front:

 

The finished card is 4"x4" and opens like this:

To create this card, use a piece of 12"x4" card stock (I used Marina Mist). Score it at 4" and 8" on the Simply Scored, then put on your diagonal plate and score diagonally at from the top corner and at the 8" mark. Fold the straight score lines in toward the center of the card and then fold the triangle folds BACK away so that two folded edges meet in the center of the front of your card.

Cut your Designer Series Paper to 3.5" square and cut in half diagonally to put on the front of the card inside the scored diagonal areas. I used the Nursery Nest DSP which has been retired, but try any of our fun NEW Designer Series Paper and create your own!

Next, create a 3"x3" focal point (the baby feet on this sample) and when you are adhering it to the front of the card, ONLY use adhesive in the bottom left corner/triangle so that your card can open! For my focal point, I did the emboss resist technique with the Baby Prints stamp set: Stamp baby feet on white card stock using Versamark ink and emboss in white (or clear). Sponge ink over cooled, embossed image and wipe off the excess with a tissue: Voila! Your feet appear magically!

Of course, this card needs a special envelope, so I created a matching one with the Simply Scored tool and Diagonal Plate (for tutorial, click HERE): 

Your Business ~ Your Way

Starting a Stamping Business - Your Way

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to be your own boss? To do something that you love while making money at the same time? Well, imagine a job where you ...

- can work alongside of your family and other activities.

-  can earn anywhere from extra money to a part-time or even a full-time income.

-  set your own goals.

-  get recognized for your hard work and accomplishments.

-  can get started right away ... you don’t need experience or a degree.

On top of that, you have access to lots of training opportunities - webinars, online videos, company events, and a monthly magazine to name just a few. Sounds like a dream job, doesn’t it? It’s actually very real ... when you’re a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator.  You get to have your own business with the support and backing of the Stampin’ Up! company and their quality products.

Now, Stampin’ Up! has made it even easier to start your own business - YOUR way - with a totally customizable Starter Kit for only $99! You can order up to $125 worth of Stampin’ Up! products for only $99 plus tax ... and your kit gets shipped to you for FREE! Your kit also automatically includes a Business Supplies Kit with catalogs, order forms, and other supplies to get you started. And during JUNE 2012 ONLY:

Check out my website for more details ... and if you’re ready, you can even sign up right online, too! Now is the perfect time to snatch up this opportunity to create the life that you want. YOUR WAY.