Valentine Postcard

Hi Stampers!
Today I want to show you a dynamite idea, from Carolina DeLaVega, for a very cute, economical way to send your Valentine wishes. She used this link from the USPS to make the reverse side of the card. (sorry, I didn't take a pix of the back side) This only requires a $.28 stamp to mail!!

Carolin used the new "I {Love} Love jumbo wheel with a real red ink cartridge to roll the sentiments over the face of the card. The reverse side had a sentiment stamped on the left, with a little room for a hand written note or, at least your signature, and a small emblem stamped at the bottom of the printed line. Voila! Finished! These are very quick and fun to do as well as being very practical! Thank you, Carolin, for this great idea!!

We have a winner!

Loretta Howard won the card contest at our South Texas Big Shots Group Gathering last night!
We have Ann Gaskamp to thank for inviting her as a guest. I am going to post several pictures of our evening together of meeting, greeting, eating, stamping and sharing. I will tell you it was a LOT of fun. Sorry that any of you had to miss it!












OK, this is going too slowly...how about clicking here and going to the on-line photo gallery of the evening. Hope to see you at our next Group Gathering!

Happy Stampin',
Judy

Love Bot Scraps

Hi Stampers!

If you have gotten any of the Love Bots, you know that there is quite a bit of "scrap" paper once you punch the die cuts out. The back side of that card stock has polka dots...and lots of them! I just didn't have it in me to throw those away.

I punched these little birdies out with the new Extra Large Two Step Bird punch (117191) on page 10 of the Occasions Mini catalog I used the scrap paper strips, that I accumulate so many of, to punch the branch and leaves. This little bird is JUST RIGHT for the new "Hugs" (118778) found on page 19.

The bitty rhinestone for his eye came from the Eggcellent Eggs Kit (117179) page 23. I do not have little ones at home anymore nor do I have grandchildren but have found so many wonderful uses for the items in this kit!

For the sentiment, I use Thank You Kindly (111700) from the main catalog. It is ALSO available FREE through Sale-A-Bration (120248) with a $50 purchase.

This little card fits perfectly into the rectangular glassine envelopes on page 19. (117227)

That is my tip of the day. Hope you can use it!

Happy Stampin'!
Judy

South Texas Big Shots Group Gathering

Sneak Peek...

Hi Stampers!
What is the world are these?!? Let me tell you...These are gifts for anyone who brings a guest to the Group Gathering on Tuesday evening! So, grab a buddy and come over from 6:30 to 9pm this Tuesday!!

REMINDER:
Be sure to bring your cameras. There are going to be some dynamite cards entered in the card contest!! (if you forgot, this is to be a demonstratable Birthday or Easter card made from products out of the Occasions Mini or Sale-A-Bration catalogs). You will want to remember all of them.

IF:
You are someone reading my blog that is not a member of the South Texas Big Shots, drop me an email and you can come as MY guest. I will give my 'gift' to you! Hope to see you Tuesday at 6:30pm.

Till then,
Happy Stampin'!
Judy

RIBBON SHARES ARE READY!!

Hi Stampers,

The YUMMY satin ribbons have arrived and have been equally divided. They are now ready for pick-up for $20.

In case you do not know, I do a "Ribbon Share" where you get THREE YARDS of EACH of the NINE new 5/8" satin ribbon! If you pre-ordered but did not pay at the time of the order, the charge is $20. If you did not pre-order and want to take part, please let me know.

Since this is a sale that I do, I cannot take VISA or Mastercard because the money never goes to Stampin' Up!

See you SOON. In the meantime-

Happy Stampin!

JOIN THE SOUTH TEXAS BIG SHOTS!!

Now, DURING SALE-A-BRATION, is the TIME TO JOIN the Stampin' Up! Team and, specifically, our SOUTH TEXAS BIG SHOTS Team!! There are SO many benefits of being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!! This is a company who LOVES their demonstrators and know how to SHOW it. I am going to list a few benefits of being a demonstrator and why NOW is the time to sign up...

1. Discount on each and every purchase.

2. Get to "preview" and pre-ORDER items before a catalog goes live.

3. Have access to a DEMONSTRATOR ONLY Stampin' Up! Connection website to connect with other demonstrators and share photos and videos of cards and projects, techniques and designs.

4. Love what you Do and Share what you Love...how many people can really say that?

5. Attend SU Convention to get new ideas and recognition for successes.

6. Earn an incentive trip - i.e., this year vying for a cruise to ALASKA!

PLUS...all the FUN and FRIENDSHIP of being a SOUTH TEXAS BIG SHOT!

Why NOW is the time to sign up...

1. SALE-A-BRATION, the BIGGEST sale of the year is happening right now.

2. During SALE-A-BRATION get 15% OFF your starter kit AND an extra FREE stamp set (up to a $47.95 value) from the Idea Book and Catalog. That is$169 instead of $199 -OR- opt for the My Digital Studio starter kit and pay $157 rather than $185 PLUS that FREE stamp set!

3. Plenty of time to PLAN TO GO with the rest of us South Texas Big Shots to STAMPIN' UP! CONVENTION 2010 in Salt Lake City. July 21-24, 2010

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE???
BE MY GUEST at our upcoming GROUP GATHERING on the evening of January 26.
Call me (649-4103) or drop me an email (judyghome@suddenlink.net) for details!

Sneak Peek

Hi Stampers!

I know you all have a long WISH LIST from this AMAZING Occasions Mini catalog! Just a reminder - this mini expires at the end of APRIL. Then...what next?...before the new Idea Book and Catalog?? Well, take a look at THIS!

Just before we left the closing at Leadership, Shellie introduced a NEW STAMP SET that will be AVAILABLE IN MAY! Not only did she introduce it by showing us a card she made but then, EVERYONE was GIVEN this beautiful stamp set to take home with them. It is called Elements of Style. So, at the very bottom of that Wish List, you may want to pencil this one in to order in May.

I stamped this image with Brown Staz-On ink (retired) onto Glossy White card stock (102599) and colored it with Stampin' Write Markers (105541) using the Earth Element family of markers (105539) Cameo Coral, Ruby Red, Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa and Old Olive. Using my Color Spritzer Tool (107066) I put 'speckles' on the background in Chocolate Chip, giving it a more vintage look.

Want a 'hands-on tutorial' how to use the Spritzer Tool? Get a couple friends together and let me know when you want to come over to play! I am beginning to LOVE this tool!! It can give so many different looks.

Other card stock: Chocolate Chip (102128), Cameo Coral (100475), and Ruby Red (102030) (Earth Elements assorted pack 105566)
Accessories: Horizontal Slot Punch (105089 ), Scallop Trim Border punch (SALE-A-BRATION 118402), Choc. Chip 1/4" Taffeta Ribbon (109065), and Stampin' Dimensionals (104430).

Hope you enjoy this "sneak peek."

Happy Stampin'!
Judy

Love Bots Valentines Kits

Hi Stampers!

Look at these VERY CUTE Love Bot creations! Love Bots can be found in the Occasions Mini Catalog on page 17. Personally, I think these are one of the best values for the money in this offering!! ($9.95) If you did not get an Occasions Mini Catalog in the mail, click on the picture of the catalog in the left column and you can view it on-line. These pre-cut little boxes are in packages of 30 (enough for an entire classroom) and can be used as boxes to hold candies or cut apart and used in other ways, as seen in the photograph. They also come with a sheet of clear round stickers to close them. Patty Bennett did this display at Leadership Convention in Phoenix.

Happy Stampin',
Judy

BOXES, BOXES, BAGS AND TAGS

HI STAMPERS!

I am happy to announce that I am starting a new series of classes on February 3, 2010. We will be making different boxes each month. CLARIFICATION: You can sign up on a month by month basis! This is not a long-term commitment. This first month will focus on VALENTINE'S DAY! Here is a sneak peak at one of the projects. Isn't this a cute box?!? Shannon showed it at Leadership and I knew I just had to make it! You will be amazed at how easily it goes together!!

I anticipate having this class the first Wednesday of every month. Please let me know if you really want to attend but your first Wednesday of the month is taken. You should have gotten an e-invite. If you did not get your invitation, please let me know so I can correct your name on my list.

Happy Stampin'!
Judy

EGGCELLENT EGGS KITS

Hi Stampers!

(I was going to schedule this to post on Thursday but, not so computer literate I guess. So, be sure to scroll down to see the Textile blog.)

I am going to be honest...when I saw the mini milk carton die and the Eggcellent Egg Kits, I looked right past them UNTIL I SAW WHAT WAS DONE WITH THEM AT LEADERSHIP!!! Take a look at this... (if you want to enlarge the picture, just click on it)


Yes, that is right! CARDS were made from them...and CUTE ones too! Keep going...


Did you catch those little bird houses at the bottom of the photo? Yep! Made with the mini milk carton die and the punched out pieces of the Eggcellent Kit. Who knew?!?!?!

In case you want a closer look...here it is up close and personal. And, yes, that is the new bird punch found on page 10.

Why not get a few friends together and make these! We can do it at MY HOUSE! Check out my calendar, find an empty spot and email me (judyghome@suddenlink.net) the date and time you want to come and play. REMEMBER: Sale-A-Bration is going on RIGHT NOW.
So, NOW is the time to book a party!!

Textiles and Stampin' Up!

Hi Stampers!
I wanted to post a few pictures that I took in Phoenix on registration day. Stations were set up where demonstrators showed different ways to use Stampin' Up! products. Today's post is focusing on textiles. These were shown by Jill Olson (demonstrator #5 in Stampin' Up!'s history). She won the Bright Idea award for the contribution of her ideas. She has made everything imaginable from fabric cut on our BIG SHOT, many with our exclusive dies. Following are photos of quilts, aprons, banners, purses, broaches, baby clothing, etc... IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIES! ENJOY!!
(if you want a more 'up close and personal' look at a photo, simply click on it)

Our "South Texas Big Shot" group is lucky to have a seasoned seamstress in our midst, Gayla Whitaker. If you would like to see a demonstration of the Big Shot in a quilter/seamstress arena, please let me know and I will pass the lead to Gayla.

Thanks for following my blog!
Happy Stampin',
Judy

 

Manager's Reception

Sorry I did not get anything else posted while at Leadership Convention. I was BUSY and the ethernet connection in our room was S..L..O..W.. That being said, I am going to cheat a bit today and use photos from the Stampin' Up! website, found under Events, Leadership, Leadership highlights. You will have to "click" on the picture to see the entire thing as I am not computer savvy enough to get this to fit on the page. :-(



This was the FIRST TIME Barbara Vogt, my upline (second from left in front row) and I got to go to the manager's reception. It was a night to remember...that is for sure. It was very festive and set out to be a GRAND night however, the rodeo was cut short by a fall by one of the rodeo riders that resulted in a double compound fracture of his leg. Suffice it to say that both bones of his lower leg were sticking out of his jeans and his leg was going a different direction than the rest of his body.



During the FABULOUS dinner, the dancers were on stage for our entertainment. All in all, it was a wonderful evening of entertainment, great food and FRIENDS meeting and visiting with old and new-found friends.




This picture is of the "Make and Take" session on Wednesday. No, I am not in the main photo but, if you look at the table to the left in the photo, you will see me busy at work, making samples to share with all of you! See...I DO go there to "work."

Will post more later, including some swaps I received.

Happy Stampin',
Judy

Phoenix - Registration Day

Hello Stampers!

As you know, I am at Stampin' Up!'s leadership in Phoenix. Today we got registered, shopped at momento mall and did "Make-n-Takes". Wanted to share a couple of photos with you however, because of some serious computer issues, I am just sending this one. It is a photo of the ladies at my table at the Make-n-Take session. I will do my best to add more photos tomorrow...well, actually, later today. I hope this computer cooperates with me better tomorrow!

Thinking of you all and trying to gather as many great ideas as I can to bring home to you!

Happy Stampin',

Judy

MIA at Leadership 2010

MIA means Missing in Action but today it also means that
I am "Missing my Irreplaceable Associate"
This is Kim Evans, a wonderful lady I met and made instant friends with at Founder's Circle last September. She is unable to be at Leadership Convention in Phoenix this year. So, to my dear friend, I dedicate my blog today. I am missing you!!

Card Organizer II

Hi Stampers!
Just going to post a photo today of the same project as yesterday but done with Thoroughly Modern designer series paper. Enjoy...


Happy Stampin!
Judy

Perpetual Birthday Calendar

Hi Stampers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! HAPPY NEW DECADE!!

I want to share a birthday/anniversary calendar with you. This calendar has a pocket for each month where you can keep your cards. (Just trying to get everyone organized for the new year) This is VERY easy to make. It uses 6 full sheets of Designer Series Paper...of your choice. I used Night and Day. I love the elegance of black and white.























To make this calendar, I used the cardboard liner at the back of the designer paper package, cutting two pieces of 8x6 and covering it with cardstock.

I used the scallop square die in the Big Shot to cut the Whisper White card stock after stamping it with the Bella Toile background stamp. This makes the front and back covers of the calendar.

Next are the pocket pages. Start by scoring the 12x12 designer paper at 4" and fold up. Score at 6" and fold in half backwards... that is...so that the "pocket" is to the outside. Do this on all six sheets of paper. Put in the order desired. I used a Zutter Bind-It-All to perforate and bind the pages together.

Tabs for the months can be made by using the Round Tab punch. HELPFUL HINT: Put the tabs in place before adhering calendar to avoid the tabs covering any part of the calendar. The .pdf file for the calendar was found on Splitcoaststampers website here along with the basic instructions to make this calendar.

Enjoy!! Let me know if you have any questions.

Happy Stampin' in 2010!
Judy