Guess What Time of Year It Is...

Well, well, well.....

It is almost that time of year again - only 3 days left! On February 1st, Sale-A-Bration starts! It is definitely everyone's favourite promotion of the year. Official dates are Feb. 1 - Mar. 17.

Here's how it works, if you're not familiar:

1. Customers: Spend $70, before tax and shipping, on regular merchandise, and receive a free item from the Sale-A-Bration (SAB) catalogue. That could mean an entire free stamp set, or a package of exclusive Rub-Ons!

2. Hostesses: Host a workshop with sales totaling at least $400, before tax and shipping, and choose your free item from the SAB catalogue!

3. Recruits: Sign up to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator during SAB, and receive any free stamp set (excluding Hostess sets) from the main Spring/Summer Collection 2008 catalogue!

Well, I'm sure that $70 is a thought away for most people...I know it is for me. I couldn't find any samples on the SU website, so I found a couple on SCS. Credit: The sample using So Many Scallops is by the user lcslegs, and the sample using Merci is by the user Yvette. (Thank you for lending me your photos).




Sample 1:

So Many Scallops

This set would be a great excuse to purchase the Scallop Circle Punch from Stampin' Up! They have made the two items to fit perfectly together.

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Sample 2:

Merci

With this set, you should definitely pick up some watercolouring tools, whether it be Aqua Painters and Watercolour Wonder Crayons, or Blender Pens and Pastels.

2 More Challenges!

Hello All,


Wow, I'm on roll! I have almost done a whole set of chalenges for 1 week! The first post is from SCS's Limited Supply Challenge.
This week, it was back to Backgrounds. With these Limited Supply challenges, you are given guidelines as to what you can or can't use to make your project.
This week:
- 1 or 2 background stamps, 1 main image set, 1 optional sentiment (NO Cuttlebugs or Designer Papers)...I chose Tres Chic & Sanded as my BGs, and Fabulous Flowers as my main image and sentiment set.
- 2 colours and 1 neutral...I chose Taken with Teal, Apricot Appeal, and Very Vanilla
- Only quick tools (again, no Cuttlebug)...I used my Crop-A-Dile
- Simple Embellishments...I used a few Brads




For the sentiment, I inked up "Dare to be Fabulous" in Apricot Appeal, then I went around the edges with my Teal Marker, then stamped. That's where the 2 colours come from.
For the flower, I stamped the image 3 seperate times on CS, and cut out 3 different layers. I sponged each layer with Teal ink, then put them together and added 3 brads to the centre.

Recipe:
SS: Fabulous Flowers, Tres Chic, Sanded
CS: Very Vanilla, Apricot Appeal, Taken with Teal
Ink: Apricot Appeal, Taken with Teal
Other: Crop-A-Dile, Vintage Brads, Dimensionals



For the second project, it is the Technique Challenge. Every week, SCS gives you a technique to incorporate into your project (or the technique IS your project in this case). These are called Pixie Pouches. The name came around because people fill them with Pixie Sticks (sticks of sugar), but you can fill them with anything that will fit.

Here's how to make it (SO simple):
- Take a piece of cardstock or Designer Paper that is 7" x 7"
- Fold it in half, so the dimensions are 7" x 3.5"
- Unfold it and lay it flat
- Along that fold line, cut from the top, down to the 1.5" mark (there should now be a short vertical cut in the middle of the sheet, at the top)
- This will make your front flap
- Fold this piece down
- I secured the 2 open sides with red roll Sticky Strip
- Decorate, and you're done!

Recipe:
SS: Wild Rose, Define Your Life, Rough Edges Alphabet ("G")
CS: Ginger Blossom Desgner Paper, Very Vanilla
Ink: River Rock, Blue Bayou, Mellow Moss, Basic Black
Other: Double Rectangle Punch (to thread the ribbon), Caramel Gingham Ribbon, Linen Thread, Crop-A-Dile, Neutral Eyelets, Sticky Strip
Technique, Two-Step Stampin'

CC150 and SC160 Challenges

Hello All,

So I have participated in 2 challenges on SCS - the colour challenge and the sketch challenge for this week. I never have enough time to make 2 seperate cards, so I always combine them. It usually has an interesting result. I like these challenges because they push me out of my boundaries.


For instance, I never would have put these colours together: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, and Real Red. But ta da...it doesn't look half bad!

It was a very nice sketch (layout) also.

For the background, I used the Pretty Petals BG stamp. I stamped it first with Blue Bayou ink, and let it dry. Then, I stamped with Versamark and embossed with White emboss powder.

I stamped the hummingbird with Blue Bayou ink, and watercoloured it with my Aqua Painter.

I used my mat pack and Crop-A-Dile to space out the Jumbo Eyelets. And the small and large oval punches for the embellishment on the Inspire piece.

Recipe:
SS: Pretty Petals (BG), Pretty Amazing, Big Deal Alphabet (for the letter "i"), Define Your Life (Sentiment)
CS: Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Real Red, Whisper White
Ink: Blue Bayou, Versamark
Other: Crop-A-Dile, Jumbo Eyelets Antique Brass, Mat Pack, Dimensionals, Sponges, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Ticket Corner Punch, Circle Rhinestone Brad Ice, White Emboss Powder

Pretty Amazing Challenges

Hello All,


Well, I have received my main order from the new 2008 Catalogue, and I am soooo excited!



I have combined 2 of the challenges from SCS for this card. The first challenge was the sketch challenge (SC159), which is the VERY general layout for the card. So that is where the idea for the card base and the other 2 panels came from.

The second challenge was the colour challenge (CC148). This specified the colours to use were Wild Wasabi, Barely Banana, and Blue Bayou.

I was itching to ink up my new rubber (the Pretty Amazing set).

For the Hummingbird, I stamped it in Black on Whisper White CS, then watercoloured it with my Aqua Painter and my Barely Banana and Blue Bayou ink lids. After that was dry, I covered the bird in 2-way Glue Pen, and then in Dazzling Diamonds Glitter.

For the green flower, I stamped it in Wild Wasabi Ink on Wild Wasabi CS and cut it out. Then, I stamped it again on Whisper White CS in Wild Wasabi ink, and only cut out the inner flower. The smaller flower was then layered on the larger flower to crete dimension. The rest is pretty self explanatory.

Recipe:
SS: Pretty Amazing
CS: Barely Banana, Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou, Whisper White, Blue Bayou Prints DP
Ink: Basic Black, Barely Banana, Wild Wasabi
Other: Crop-A-Dile, Mat Pack, Jumbo Eyelets Antiwue Brass, Sponges, 2-way Glue Pen, Dazzling Diamonds Glitter, Dimensionals, Blue Bayou Double Stitched Ribbon, Aqua Painter