Make way for the Spring-Summer Collection - Retiring Stamp Sets are 20% off

Stampin' Up just announced the List of Retiring stamp sets from the Fall-Winter Collection. Follow the link for the list in alphabetical order or listed by page number. I will be offering 20% off any retiring stamp sets until December 23. Stamp sets make great Christmas gifts! If you have stamp sets on your holiday wish list, fill out a Shiloh Stamps Wish List. Your loved ones can then contact me to place an order. Contact me at alison@shilohstamps.com if you would like to start a wish list or place an order.

Swaps, swaps, swaps

Last Friday, I attended the Stampin' Up Philadelphia Regional Convention, so I made some swaps to trade with other conference attendees. Here are the cards I made while I was on vacation in Cape Cod. I brought very limited supplies - the Merry & Bright stamp set (from the Holiday Mini), the Christmas stamps from Loads of Love and Figures of Speech, double-stitched ribbon, gingham ribbon, my paper piercing tool and template, and an assortment of cardstock. Here's what I came up with...Note to self: "Don't forget your Stampin' Scrub! Stamping is not as fun without it."

to have and to hold

One of my customers is getting married next month, so I made this card for her. I used some old patterned paper in the background, and I stamped the big swirl from Baroque Motifs. The 5/8" chocolate chip ribbon is lots of fun. I also used Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the diamond, although it's hard to tell in this scan. I used the Versamarker on the diamond to make the Dazzling Diamonds glitter stick - supereasy!

Thank you - 2 versions

So I've been very thankful lately and I've been making lots of thank-you cards. I can't decide which design I like best here. What do you think?

I'm thankful for my dear friends and family who are so good to me. I am so thankful to my husband, who gives me a comfortable stretch when needed. I am thankful for Claire, who introduced me to Stampin' Up, and offered me the opportunity to start a new business. I am thankful to my hostesses and customers, who are enjoying learning new stamping techniques and supporting me as I start my business. So if you fit one of those categories, you might be getting a thank you note in the mail soon! Who are you thankful for?

This is a really simple card to make. The two cards shown here use the same color background cardstock, regal rose. (Sorry they look so different in the pictures). I stamped the flowers in basic black with the stems coming off the edges, so it looks like you're looking down into a bouquet. I stamped the sentiment, and punched a perfect square using the 1 3/8" square punch, and then mounted it on black cardstock and wrapped some gingham ribbon around. Then on one of the cards, I colored in the flowers using stampin' write markers. I don't normally like doing so much coloring on my cards, since it takes so much time. However, since this set is kind of sketch-like, you don't need to be so careful about staying in the lines. This makes the coloring go much faster!

Some of the supplies used:

• year after year stamp set
• figures of speech stamp set
• black gingham ribbon
• stampin' write markers - regal rose, so saffron, mellow moss

You may have noticed the Google calendar in the toolbar on the right. My software developer hubby has convinced me of the virtues of Google calendar. I think it will be a good way to inform my blog readers about upcoming stamping events. You'll notice that I have a Birthday Calendar class coming up next week. I have one space left in the class, so click the date you'd like to attend for more information. I'm also having a Christmas in August stamp camp. We'll be making a variety of Christmas cards to help people get started on making their Christmas cards before the holiday season. Let me know what you think of the new addition!

Just a little something + fun with punches!

Here's another card we made at my recent Open House. I like how the polka-dots on the card coordinate with the ladybug polka-dots. It's super-easy to make, and involves very little stamping and coloring. You just punch out circles of cardstock to make the polka dots (using the 3/4" circle punch), then stamp the greeting, cut it in a perfect square with the square punch, it in using the blender pens, and then attach some gingham ribbon! I also like to stamp something special on the back as a "Hallmark" signature.

Some of the supplies:

• Figures of Speech stamp set
  
• 3/4 inch circle punch
• square punch
  
• blender pens
  
• gingham ribbon
• I Did It stamp set

Stampin' Tip: Did you know that you can align images in punches pefectly by just turning the punch over? For example, instead of punching out the square in this card first and then trying to line up the stamp perfectly in the center, you can stamp the image first and then punch it out.