A little bit of happiness

Part of my daily routine is checking the Stampin' Up demonstrator website, since they post new samples of cards and scrapbook pages daily. It's a great place for ideas and inspiration. Here's one of today's samples, by Michelle VanWiggeren. I like how it shows a trail of dots tracing the path of the butterfly. The card also uses Stampin' Pastels for some soft coloring. It features the A Little Bit of Happiness hostess set that Amy P. just earned as part of the Stampers 6 Club.

Here are the other supplies it uses:

Paper:
CARD STOCK APRICOT APPEAL 8 1/2X11
CARD STOCK ALMOST AMETHYST 8 1/2X11
CARD STOCK CERTAINLY CELERY 8 1/2X11
CARD STOCK WHISPER WHITE 8 1/2X11

Inks:
CLASSIC STAMPIN PAD APRICOT APPEAL, BASIC BLACK
STAMPIN WRITE MARKERS SOFT SUBTLES

Accessories:
STAMPIN PASTELS
SNAIL ADHESIVE PERMANENT
CRYSTAL EFFECTS

If you would like access to the Stampin' Up Demonstrator website, which includes thousands of professional samples, patterns, and business resources, consider signing up to be an SU demonstator. During the month of May, SU is offering 20% off the regular price of the new demonstrator Starter Kit and a free Hodgepodge Hardware set for everyone who enrolls in May. Click here for more details, or e-mail me at alison@shilohstamps.com.

Free Shipping now until April 30

Since I haven't done any classes or workshops this month, I'm offering FREE STANDARD SHIPPING from now until April 30. This would be a great time to take advantage of the Free Wheelin' special, which is a free coordinating Stampin' Around when you order any of 6 pre-selected stamp sets. All of the Free Wheelin' wheels feature the jumbo wheels, which I find much more forgiving to use. Contact me today at alison@shilohstamps.com to place your order and take advantage of free shipping.

Also, here's a picture of the swap I made for our PhillyInkers meeting a few weeks back. I made a whole bunch of these, and I've been using them for all sorts of cards - thank you cards, sympathy cards, birthday cards, Thinking of You. I like that it's a pretty neutral floral motif that can be used for many different purposes. Here are the supplies for the card:

• From the Garden hostess set


• Basic Grey, Pretty in Pink, and Regal Rose Cardstock


• Basic Grey Taffeta Ribbon (new in the Spring Summer catty)


• Rhinestone Brads in Fire (the rhinestone is pink, but it's hard to tell from the scan)

I got the Fire and Ice rhinestone brads free as part of Great Rewards, an incentive program for Stampin' Up demonstrators. They are $10.95 a box, and I got both boxes FREE! Let me know if you would like to know more about the benefits of being a Stampin' Up demonstrator.

Why I Love Stampin' Classes

Since I became an SU demonstrator in May, I have attended quite a few stamping classes - Philadelphia Regionals, Fall Fest with Tina's INKredible Impressions, and Kristin's Thankful Banner class. Not to mention, we PhillyInkers stamp every time we get together. The best part about attending a stamping class is that someone else has already purchased the supplies, designed the project, and cut all the paper in advance. If I choose, I can just assemble the project. Of course, I can always make changes and modifications, but someone has already given me a framework.

On November 29+30, I am offering a Trim-a-Tree class. We will make 4 ornaments together, and you will receive chipboard to make 20 ornaments. These ornaments are super-simple to make, and they would also make fabulous gifts or gift tags. We'll be using the On Board trimmings chipboard set (from the Holiday Mini catalog), Dazzling Diamonds glitter, designer series paper, and that fabulous new elastic cord. Here's a link to some fabulous samples of chipboard ornaments that use the On Board trimmings.

As a bonus, the first person to register and mention this Stampin' Classes blog post will receive 6 sheets of holiday Designer Series paper. Materials fee for this class is $20. Contact me at events@shilohstamps.com to register ASAP.

Note: The Thankful banner pictured above uses the On Board Garland chipboard and Apple Cider designer series paper from the Holiday Mini catalog. It also uses the Wild Wasabi twill tape from the Jersey ribbon orginals set.

Philadelphia Regionals pics

I went to the Stampin' Up Regional Convention in Philadelphia back in September, and I realized the only info I posted about the conference was pre-conference. Click here for my pre-conference post.

Here are some samples of projects we made at Regionals. I have to confess... I didn't love the projects. I felt rushed during our crafting time and some of the projects were way too complex. However, the speakers were inspiring and full of great ideas. In fact, one of the sessions inspired my recent paper piercing and Dry Embossing class. (I'll be posting samples from that class soon, too).

The True Friend is You Friend card uses the True Friend set from the Holiday Mini on the new Basic Gray paper. (It's a darker gray than Going Gray). I do like how the gray looks with the Purely Pomegranate ribbon.

The Thanks card is an example of a way to complex project. It uses kraft paper, textured cardstock, eyelets, double-stitched ribbon, linen thread, and a button. Way too much happening, for my taste.

Stay tuned for pictures of the display boards!

Sympathy card with Scripture

A friend mine lost both her parents within a month of one another, so I made her this sympathy card using the Elegant Inspirations set on some retired designer series paper. This is actually a scrap of paper left over from the mug I made a few weeks back. My MIL bought this set back in June, and she let me borrow it for a while before I passed it on to her. I stamped a page full of scripture verses, and I've just been using them as I need them. On the inside, I stamped an image from the God's Blessings set in whisper white craft ink, so it would show up on the Chocolate Chip cardstock. It says, "May God's love heal your sorrow, and may His peace replace your heartache with warm and loving memories." I didn't scan it since I wrote on the inside before I thought to scan it. Using the patterned paper makes card-making go so quickly! Sorry for the poor quality image. My scanner doesn't do as well with cards that are more 3-D with ribbon and such.

Tomorrow, I'm going to the INKredible Impressions Fall Fest, led by Super-Demonstrator Tina Rosenkrans. I have to meet at Claire's house at 6:15am in order to be in northern NJ by 8:30-eeks! Fall Fest is a day full of stamping fun and business ideas. Stampin' Up's demonstrator of the year Ronda Wade will be there to inspire us all. I look forward to sharing all about it!

Stampin' Up Regional Convention in Philadelphia

I'm going to my first SU Regional convention in a couple weeks, and I'm super-excited! My stamping friends Claire and Kristin went to the national convention back in August. They had such a great time stamping in Colorado. The national convention is only open to SU Demonstrators, but the regional conventions open up to guests if there's room. Since Friday's registration didn't fill up, I'm bringing a stamping friend to the Friday session.


Today, when I arrived back from my long weekend away, I found this in the mail ----

SU! mailed me my nametag for Philly Regionals in advance. I guess this is one way they confirm registration. It also helps raise my anticipation level. They featured the stamp set "So Much" on the background of the nametag. We'll be receiving that set as part of our registration fee.

The agenda also includes:
• Hands-on stamping
• Business tips
• Paper-crafting and stamping techniques
• Swapping with fellow demonstrators (and guests)
• Presentations by Stampin’ Up! staff and local demonstrators
• A boxed lunch
• Make & Take projects
• Hundreds of display samples for inspiration

I will be making lots of swaps in preparation for Regionals. I'll make lots of cards that I can trade with other attendees. That way, we get to have sample cards of a variety of techniques and stamp sets. I'm looking forward to seeing what samples I'll collect. Check out the swaps Claire collected at convention!

I made a bunch of Christmas cards while I was out of town this past weekend. I'll be posting samples tomorrow. I had lots of fun playing with Merry & Bright from the Holiday Mini catalog. If you didn't receive a copy of the Holiday Mini in the mail, you can view it online here.

I got promoted!

Stampin' Up! just changed my title from Associate to Senior Associate because I met a sales goal. Woohoo! I just started this little business in May, and I've already gotten promoted. Very exciting.

Stampin' Up is always offering these great incentives to its demonstrators. Last week, they announced a new promotion for those signing up to be a demonstrator. It's called "Choose Your Family". When you purchase the starter kit (everything you need to start your business) between now and September 30, you will also receive a family of 12 classic stamp pads for free - that's a $58 value. (That's the Rich Regals family pictured - it's my favorite color family). What a great deal! Contact me at alison@shilohstamps.com if you would like more information on how to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator.

Also, check out what Super-Demonstrator Tina has to say about her dream job.

My first "big" swap

One of the joys of being a Stampin' Up demonstrator is participating in card swaps. A bunch of people (in this case 10) make 10 of the same card, mail them to the "host" and then someone mails everyone 1 of each card. Swapping is a great way to get samples of stamp sets you may not have or to have samples of a different style than yours.

This particular swap calls for a stamp set that's new in the Fall-Winter Collection 2007 that was not in the Preview catalog. I chose to use my favorite new set, In the Spotlight. It's a hostess set. This is the same layout as a card we made at my Open House in June, but it uses a different color background. The other one used Vintage Violet, which is now retired.

Sometimes when you make a swap, you include a "recipe" on the back of the card listing all the ingredients needed to make that card.

This swap was hosted by a member of the INKredible Impressions group of demonstrators. We all share common uplines, so we're 'related' in the Stampin' Up family through Super-Demonstrator Tina. I'm also a part of the PhillyInkers, Claire's downline. Being connected to these groups of creative ladies is half the fun of being a demonstrator!

Shiloh Stamps Early Christmas Special

Get started on Christmas cards this summer!

So I've gotten inspired by reading The Martha Rules. Since I'm starting a new crafty business, my mom gave me Martha Stewart's rulebook about starting a new business. I admit, I was skeptical, but the lady has sure made some dough with all her cooking/cleaning/crafty tips. Much to my chagrin, the book opens by Martha talking about doing time. She says that while she was locked up, lots of women approached her with business ideas. You see, when people do time, they have lots of time to think and dream about what can happen on the outside. At the minimum-security facility where Martha paid her debt to society, many of the women had aspirations about starting businesses. Martha described one pair of ladies who had drawn up a business plan with lots of specifics and concrete plans. Martha decided that she could help others with entrepreneurial spirits by putting some of her lessons learned into a book.

In the chapter entitled "Teach so you can Learn", she tells how business owners should 'think like a customer'. So I started thinking about what my customers have told me. Many have said that they would like to make birthday cards and they have trouble keeping up with birthdays. So I knew I was on track with planning my birthday calendar workshop I hosted earlier this week. Many others told me they would like to make homemade Christmas cards. Then I thought about what challenges people face in trying to make Christmas and birthday cards. I addressed all of these challenges by designing the Shiloh Stamps Early Christmas Special. For many stampers, the first challenge after choosing the perfect stamp set is getting those darn stamps mounted. This was a pain for me for 3 years until I got the Craft and Rubber Scissors as part of my new demonstrator kit. Now it takes me minutes to mount a stamp set. Another barrier to making cards is not having all the right supplies, so I will pledge to help my stampers inventory their supplies and order the proper quantities. The next challenge is cutting all that cardstock, which can be difficult if you don't have a paper trimmer. Finally, I decided it would be helpful to make each stamper a page of address labels. So here's the Shiloh Stamps early Christmas Special, inspired by The Martha Rules.

Many of you have told me that you would like to start on your Christmas cards early this year, or perhaps make handmade Christmas cards for the first time this year. I would love to help you make that happen. I have designed a special to help you bypass some of the challenges that can keep you from getting your cards done in a timely manner. I will help you by mounting your stamps, cutting your cardstock, and making return address labels if you follow the steps below:

1. I can help you design a card that suits your style and schedule, whether simple or complex, modern or classic, bold or subtle; I would love to help you design your cards. I am hosting a Christmas in August Stamp Camp to help people design their Christmas cards.

2. You take a look at your address book and decide how many home-made cards you would like to send.

3. I will help you inventory what supplies and quantities you will need to complete your cards.

4. You place an order by August 29 that includes:
page numbers refer to the Fall-Winter Collection 2007
a. A stamp set –or- wheel and handle
b. Ink (pp. 165-167, 186)
c. Cardstock (pp. 165-167, 170-179) - colors, neutrals, designer paper included
d. Adhesive(p.185) - includes SNAIL, glue dots, etc.
e. Embellishments (pp.178, 187-191) - ribbon, brads, eyelets, etc.
f. Envelopes (p. 169)

5. When your order arrives, I will
a. Cut and mount your stamps
b. Cut your cardstock into cards
c. Print a page of custom address labels for you

For all those who take advantage of this promotion, I will schedule a special Christmas card assembly session in September. We will meet at my home and work on our cards together, and maybe even listen to Christmas music.

Remember – this offer ends August 29, so contact me soon and we can start designing your Christmas cards together.

alison@shilohstamps.com

Stampin' Up Convention

So my "upline" Claire and my "sideline" Kristin are both at the Stampin Up! convention in Denver right now. They're having a great time.

Here are some links to SU bloggers who have been writing about convention:

• Kristin
• Diane
• Dina


• Teresa


• Gwen


• Stasia


• Debbie


• Michele


• Kathy

While I wasn't able to make it to the big convention this year, I am participating in the SU Regional conference in Philly. Regional conferences are open to guests, so let me know if you'd like to join me at the conference. Click on Sept. 14 on my google calendar for more info about the convention.

Waterfall cards from an in-home workshop

When I do an in-home workshop, I try to demonstrate projects that the hostess is interested in trying out. For a recent in-home workshop, the hostess requested the waterfall card. It's what's called a "movement card". When you pull the tag on the right, it waterfalls open revealing a message inside. I demonstrated the waterfall card at a workshop last week. The hostess really liked the sage shadow/chocolate chip color combination that she saw on a sample at my Open House, so I chose a waterfall card design that incorporated those colors. I love the Baroque Motifs set looks with this color

combination. I think this would be a very elegant card for a wedding, since it says "cherish" inside. You could certainly change the sentiment inside to make it a thank-you or birthday card, too.

Here are a couple other examples of waterfall cards. I learned how to make waterfall cards when I participated in Stampin' Down the Shore with Claire and Kristin. (You can see pictures of the weekend if you click those links.) We spent the weekend at the Jersey Shore making all sorts of crafty projects.

Adding a layer of neutral cardstock on each layer of the waterfall can make for a more polished design, but it's a bit more complicated. Both these cards use hostess sets that I got for free when I signed up to be an SU demonstrator.

If you would like a template for making the waterfall card, e-mail me at alison@shilohstamps.com. PLEASE INCLUDE "WATERFALL CARD" IN THE SUBJECT LINE, SO I KNOW THAT IT ISN'T SPAM. I would be glad to mail you a sample if you will send me your address. There's also a tutorial about making waterfall cards on Splitcoast Stampers. They have an amazing gallery of waterfall cards, too. There is also a sample of a waterfall card on Claire's blog here.

Sorry for the silence...

...but I've been a busy gal lately. Last weekend, my family and I took a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate my 30th birthday. That's right, I'm turning 30 on August 2nd. Hard to believe. Anyhow, we had a blast. My mom got me a Stampin' Up apron and money bag to help me in my new endeavor as a Stampin' Up demonstrator. She also got me The Martha Rules, a book that inspired my fabulous Shiloh Stamps Christmas in August special. Click here for more details.

We had dinner at the top of the Stratosphere, where Michael Buble happened to be dining, too. Do you see him in between our heads? We were trying to be slick and pretend like we weren't taking his picture.

We went to Red Rock Canyon, M&M's world, and Ethel M's chocolate factory. Outside the chocolate factory, there's a cactus garden. That's where we took the picture up top.

We saw the Bellagio fountains and dined at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

While we were in Vegas, my family and I each made a coaster book. Even my Dad made one!

Here are some pics of my sis and my mom each making their mini book. We covered coasters with patterned paper, and then made a small book inside. Here are the directions on Splitcoast Stampers.

This weekend, we went to The Police reunion concert with some friends. (My husband is HUGE fan of The Police). I think that was probably the closest I've been to the stage for a big-name concert. My ears are still ringing, but it was a very exciting show. (and no, I didn't take that picture)

Thank you very much + an experiment with brads

This is one of the cards that we made at my Open House last weekend. I love its simple design and crisp palette. I made a bunch of these cards, and I just changed the sentiment at the bottom to "Birthday Hugs and Wishes" on a few.


This card was inspired by a few stampin' things I've learned on the web. First, I was hoping to use up my Vintage Violet cardstock, since it's no longer available. I discovered the Color Combinations Tool, a website that helps you coordinate Stampin' Up colors. I selected Vintage Violet, and then clicked "search". It gave me all sorts of color combinations that use vintage violet. I don't think I would've put these colors together on my own. There's a link to the Color Combinations tool in the Stampin' Links list on the sidebar of my blog.


Also, I have new favorite tool, thanks to this card. I'm really enjoying the paper piercing tool and the paper piercing template. Using the guide, I can punch evenly spaced holes in my cardstock. It makes a really cool effect, and I like how it looks with this stamp set that already has dots around the edges. I can punch holes wherever I like, which means that I can punch holes to put brads in the center of these flowers.


I got this stamp set for free when I signed up to be Stampin' Up Demonstrator. It's called "In the Spotlight" and it's a hostess set from the new Fall-Winter Collection 2007 which debuted July 1st. You can get it for free when you host a Stampin' Up workshop in your home. I got it in May, though, so I got a head start on making projects with it. (My stamping friends were jealous!) I'll be posting some other samples soon.



So I learned a lesson with brads while working on this card. I haven't worked with brads very much before. I was trying to use up my stash of non-Stampin' Up brads, while I was waiting for my SU brads to arrive. (It doesn't make sense to demonstrate products that I don't sell.) I discovered that these pewter mini circle brads (pictured on the left) are really hard to open. You know how the legs on brads are usually two different lengths, so you can open them up? Not so with these brads... so you have to try and pry them open with your fingernail, and they don't come open easily, let me tell you. I chipped my nail and risked sending a brad under the fingernail trying to get these open. When the Stampin' Up brads finally arrived, I discovered that not only do the brad-legs have different lengths, but that they're already slightly open, thus saving the fingernails. Only SU brads from now-on for me!

By the way, the other thing I learned online before making this card is that the dotted line in this stamp set can actually be used as a flower stem! It wasn't until looking through the In the Spotlight gallery on Splitcoaststampers.com that I connected the dots, so to speak.

What brown can do for you...

Over the past few days, I've gotten two UPS packages and a FedEx package. I love getting mail! The two UPS packages were from Stampin' Up, and you can see their contents in the picture here - sorry for the glare. I got 4 stamp sets, 6 packets of papers, a set of brads, 8 catalogs, a cool white gel pen, 3 markers, a roll of a black and white gingham ribbon, a coordinated scrapbook set, a paper piercing template, and the Aqua Painters. This order included my new catalog "preview" items. As a Stampin Up demonstrator, I get to order new products about a month before everyone else and I get a discount- woohoo! I'm having fun getting my new stamping business off the ground. The discount is great, and this was all a 'business expense'!

The FedEx package was tickets to a Phillies/Pirates game. We're going to a game in July with our friends Andy and Tracy. Our seats aren't bad. Should be a grand time!

I've joined the blogging world!

Hello all! Over the past several years, I have really enjoyed making handmade cards and gifts for lots of friends and family. Now I've become a demonstrator of Stampin' Up products, and I'd like to share some of my work through the world of blogging. I hope you enjoy looking through the ideas. Please contact me if you have any questions about any of the cards.

(This picture was taken in Dallas on April 2nd. I finally got to see the famed Texas blue bonnets in full bloom. We were in town for my sister-in-law's wedding.)