New Shoes, FTL#58

A Clean & Simple (FTL#58) card using Ruby Red, Cameo Coral, Not Quite Navy and Very Vanilla and I used the SU! Scallop Edge punch, of course. This card is a tribute to the $79 sandals I bought this week for only $20 at Dillards! Who doesn't love a bargain?

You Take the Cake

I have been going through a cupcake obsession...both on paper and in true sugar-coated mass, so this On A Pedestal stamp set has sung it's siren song to me once again! The best thing? It contains a Birthday Cake for ONE! A Granny B's Original Pink Sugar Cookie...
Truth in advertising: Let's be honest...did you know the label for this cookie reads 4 (yep that's FOUR) servings per container? A serving is actually 1/4 of the cookie, which contains 130 calories, 6 grams fat and 17 carbs (good to know if, in my case, you are the mother of a diabetic). I guess that on your birthday, reading the Nutrition Facts would reduce the pleasure of the expected sugar rush, so don't bring that up to the person you would give this to :D

Say Hello, Build-a-Bear

I'm so stinkin' excited about THE BEST mini catalog ever (our 2009 Holiday Mini catalog!), so without further ado, let me introduce the new Build-a-Bear Sizzix Die Cuts (have I mentioned I am in love with my Big Shot?):And if he wasn't "pawsitively" perfect, check out this "beary" cute little girl!Yes crafters, Stampin' Up! has teamed with Build-a-Bear Workshop to bring a smile to children young (and mature) everywhere! And wait until you see the cutest rubber stamps we have (stay tuned for samples...).

Interesting side note: Years ago when Stampin' Up! began, the word "workshop" was chosen for the home-parties used to share creativity with customers. The word brought to mind Santa's workshop (a place of delight and wonder) that could be re-created with the joy of friends coming together to learn and play. Now this partnership with the Build-a-Bear WORKSHOP is a perfect fit for our mission to Create, Inspire and Share!

LAST CHANCE!

WELCOME JENI WALKER!

Jeni just became my newest Stampin' Up! family member and I'm excited for her stampin' journey to begin :)

Today (August 31st) is the last day to join Stampin' Up! for just $85 with the Summer Mini Starter Kit and I'm looking for THREE MORE PEOPLE who would like to join my stampin' family! When you sign up today, I'll also send you the In-Color Markers FREE as a thank you :)

If you have ever just wanted to try Stampin' Up!, now is the time! To get started (or to find out more) just go to my Stampin' Up! website: My recruiting password is "stampwithme".

Things I Love, Clean & Simple style

So I'm trying something new! Here is a card I created using the Fall-To Layout #57 from Clean & Simple Stamping:

Supplies Use: Rich Razzleberry card stock & ink, Bermuda Bay and Chocolate Chip Ink, Thoroughly Modern Designer Series Paper, Whisper White card stock, Hodgepodge Hardware

For Kayson

This goofy kid calls himself the "sexy diabetic"...not that I'd argue the point, since he's beefed up quite a bit in the past year and is a total chick magnet:

Okay, so that's really a duckling, but his personality attracts all sorts of lovely creatures :)

ANYHOO, we are nearing our annual JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes and I'm asking for your help. Our goal is $1,000 and we haven't raised one red cent! (I could make excuses, but they wouldn't be any good...)

Living with diabetes sucks (pardon the French). Kayson spent a few days in Primary Children's hospital in June getting "re-trained" because his blood sugars have been too high, too long. It scares me, but he's a teenager and learning to assert his independence, which sometimes translates to "I don't want to deal with this anymore". Unfortunately, that's not an option...YET. We are committed to finding a cure and have been active with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation for almost as long as Kayson has had Diabetes (7 years). But we can't do it alone.

You don't need to donate $100 (but you certainly could if you want to!), but if you have an extra $10, we could put it to good use: 90% of your donation goes DIRECTLY to research to find a cure for this disease.

To make it even easier, you can donate online! CLICK HERE to make a difference in Kayson's life and every child who suffers from Juvenile Diabetes.

Our family thanks you from the bottom of our hearts...or in Kayson's case, the bottom of his pancreas!

Flutterby, Butterfly

At a family reunion a few weeks ago, we made these beautiful butterflies using the Big Shot and Stampin' Up! Designer Series Paper and old magazines. It makes me feel like a true lepidopterist (Word of the day: The scientific name for someone who studies and collects moths and butterflies).

It was such a hit with the family--as well as a fun way to use up those scraps creative people save--that I took it to Convention and invited my friends to make one, too: Sue, Penny, Kristi and Murlynn show off their personalized creations below.


I found Ghostline Grid paper in 11"x17" (also available in postersize that you can cut to whichever size you want) at Walmart. It's the perfect background as it looks scientific and popped the butterflies up with Stampin' Dimensionals (or your excess rubber as pop dots to be "green"). Some of our favorite magazines to find amazing pictures to make into insects were Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple and Country Living. Try this at home, or we could make it a workshop at your house!

Stamp-a-Stack class

This is one of the cards we will be making for the Stamp-a-Stack event on Saturday, August 29th at 10 a.m. in Washington, UT (idea borrowed from Patty Bennett)

You can "Stamp a Stack" of cards: 4 each of 4 different designs (includes envelopes) for just $20...and who doesn't love a beautiful handmade card MORE than an expensive generic card from the store?? All the material will be cut and ready for you to stamp and assemble, simply bring scissors and adhesive (SNAIL recommended)

Please RSVP by Monday, August 24 to ensure we can order plenty of supplies: 801-376-8685

Register with a friend for TWICE the fun! And when you register for both the Stamp-a-Stack AND the "Things I Love" Stamp Camp in the afternoon, it's only $40 (save $5).

Crafty Creativity (more from Convention...)

Shelli Gardner, Co-founder and CEO of Stampin' Up! shared a tower of gift ideas with us at convention, including some beautiful hand-made jewelry (a peek at what's coming in the Holiday Mini Catalog beginning in September!) I enjoyed this article from the Deseret News about convention and a blog report from Paper Crafts Jennifer Schaerer who also shares a look at just a few of the display boards we as demonstrators flock to during convention to fill our creative cups!

Stamping Brings Us Together...

Here are 10 great reasons I LOVE Stampin' Up!
{cue music} We are family! I got all my girlfriends and me! {dancing follows}

These ladies are part of the reason I do what I do: reuniting with some of them year after year, meeting new friends, laughing/crying/stamping/creating/sharing/sleeping/eating/celebrating/mourning/working/playing together. In 17 years, we've done it all!

It would be great to have YOU with us next year at Convention (and all the fun in between now and then!). E-mail me (loni@sfcn.org) for a no-obligation packet to see if Stampin' Up! is for you!