belated Christmas cards

This past few months have been super-busy as we prepare to welcome Baby Wear, so it took us a while to send out our Christmas cards this year. I'm pretty pleased with how they turned out, though. I borrowed the designs from Julie Davison's Merry & Bright Christmas card kit. I didn't order the kit, sicne I already had all the supplies, so I just guesstimated on the measurements. I love how using the same supplies can give so many different card layouts. While this design uses some rub-ons and paper from the Holiday Mini, I'm considering offering a similar card kit for all-occasions, or maybe for Spring. What do you think?

For more project ideas and to order papercrafting supplies, click http://shilohstamps.stampinup.net

Patterned Pines

Once I come up with a design I like, I have found it very helpful to just cut up the ingredients to make a whole bunch of cards with that design. That way, it's simpler to whip up a card on a moements notice. I designed this simple card for a PhillyInkers Shoebox Swap, and then I wound up using the remaining supplies to make my Christmas thank-you notes. I used the Patterned Pines set from the Holiday Mini, and it's only available until January 4th. It's available for free with a $150 order.

• Patterned Pines hostess set
• Rich Razzleberry, Crushed Curry, Always Artichoke, and Sahara Sand cardstock
• Top Note Die for Big Shot
• Rich Razzleberry classic ink
• Circle Fire Rhinestone Brads

To shop for any of these supplies, click 'Shop Now' from my website http://shilohstamps.stampinup.net

Trim-a-Tree Class

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Super-Fast Christmas Thank-You cards

Growing up in the Handy household, (yes, that's my maiden name) writing thank-you notes was part of our holiday tradition. Although I sometimes resented this practice as a kid, I have grown to value this tradition as an adult. I have tried to find ways to stay on top of thank-you notes as my dear husband and I establish our holiday traditions. This year, I think I figured it out. I packed a little card-making kit in my carry-on bag as we travelled to TX for Christmas. In a quart-size Ziploc bag, I included:

• 10 Really Red pre-cut cards - I cut the cardstock at home, since TSA doesn't like scissors and paper trimmers on the plane
• 10 Very Vanilla envelopes
• 10 pre-cut pieces of Designer Series paper, Cerise and Dashing (now retired, this was a great way to use up my scraps!)
• 10 pre-cut Christmas sentiments from the now-retired Perfect Presentation hostess set
• 10 pre-cut pieces of Real Red 5/8" grosgrain ribbon
• my mini-stapler
• bone folder
• 1 sheet of dimensionals
• SNAIL

When we had a weather delay leaving TX, I was able to make my Christmas thank-you notes at the airport. It was like having my very own Simply Sent kit! I folded all the cards, then adhered designer paper to the front of each card, using my SNAIL. Then I stapled on some ribbon and added a sentiment using dimensionals. Super-fast and cute to boot! This may become a Shiloh Stamps holiday tradition. That is, if we travel every year...

I also made a similar card-making kit for my Little Sister through Big Brothers Big Sisters. She's a crafty gal, so I made her a card-making kit. Inside the pretty box, I put a stamp set, a mini-stamp pad, some dimensionals, pre-cut cards, envelopes, and lots of ribbon. I also included a sample card to give her some ideas. The next day, she presented me with a lovely handmade card!

Also, here's a picture of Gary (my bro-in-law), Jon, me, and my sis in the Santa hats my mom made us. We were all in TX for Christmas together this year, which is a rare treat. Gina's and Gary's have stars, since they are stars of the stage. You might remember from an earlier post that Gina won an Arizoni award for her role in Seussical with Childsplay and Gary was selected to attend an international conference on theater for young audiences. My mom must have taken the Buy Handmade pledge, too, since she made us Santa hats and aprons - fun!

PS - Sorry I haven't been updating the blog lately, although Jon did figure out how to make the page wider (nice, huh?). I've been working on getting my new Stampin' Up Demonstrator Business website up and running. Have you had a chance to check it out yet? You can view it at shilohstamps.stampinup.net. I haven't decided if I want to keep it or not, since it's not free like blogger. Let me know if you feel like it's worth paying for after the 2-3 month free trial period.

Wrapping Up the Holidays Extended!

Stampin' Up announced today that due to demand, they will be extending the Wrapping Up the Holidays promotion. That means that Purely Pomegranate Satin Ribbon I used to wrap Tiffany's gift is still Buy One, Get One free until the end of December! Here are all the products featured in this promotion.

• 112409 Holiday Tag Bundle $4.95



• 110380 Tags for All Stamp Set*(20% off) $24.76



• 110264 Designer Gift cards* (30% off) $4.55



• 109862 Chocolate Chip satin ribbon* Buy 1, get 1 free!**



• 109863 Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon* Buy 1, get 1 free!**



• 112410 Tin 3-Pack $9.95110147 Celebration wrapping paper* $17.95



• 110228 Hand Selected Accents & Elements (25% off) $8.21

Click here for the full-size flyer.

Gift Wrapping Fun

My satin ribbon arrived the other day, and I think it's so elegant! Here's a gift I wrapped for new demonstrator Tiffany King, using the Purely Pomegranate satin ribbon, the On Board trimmings snowflake as a gift tag/ornament, and the Holiday Harmony paper as a belly band around the gift. Isn't it lovely? This didn't take very long to make, either. Us PhillyInkers are having a brunch over at Claire's tomorrow, so I'm hoping to bring some special gifts along. Here's the first one!

On Sunday, I'm having a Gift-Tag Making Drop-In. We'll drink egg nog, make some creative gift tags, and play with some stamps from the catalog. If you stop by, you'll also receive a voucher for a Spring-Summer Collection catalog when I receive them. Hope to see you Sunday!

Christmas Shopping

Have you started your holiday shopping yet? Are you distributing a wish list to your friends and family? I've been collecting wish list from my family, but I have to confess that I haven't bought any presents yet! Now I took the Buy Handmade Pledge, so I plan to give everyone on my list a handmade gift this year. I plan to do some shopping at Circle of Hope Art Show this weekend.

If you have crafters on your gift list, you may want to check out Stampin' Up's 5 Fantastic Gifts Under $25. I personally would love to have Paper Trimmer they feature in this lift of suggested gifts. If you would like to receive some Stampin' Up products this year, e-mail me at alison@shilohstamps.com for a Stampin' Wish List to pass on to the Santas in your life. In order to receive Stampin' gifts in time for Christmas, be sure to order no later than December 14.

Are you planning on special gift wrap and tags this year? Stampin' Up is Wrapping Up the Holidays with a special holiday promotion. The Satin ribbon from the Holiday Mini is Buy One, Get One free throught this promotion. I ordered a roll of Purely Pomegranate and a roll of Chocolate Chip. You can also buy empty Accents and Elements tins. People are enjoying making special gift card holders by 'altering' these tins. Click here for some ideas using the products in this promotion.

Also, don't forget that I'm offering 20% off all the retiring stamp sets. Now might be a good time to make sure you get those sets before they are no longer available.

Tree Trimming fun

On Friday afternoon, my new recruit Tiffany King led her first Stampin' party, a Tree Trimming for the staff at Eastern University's Campolo School for Social Change. (Tiffany's an alum of Eastern's MA in Community Development program; I went to Palmer Seminary, part of Eastern U.) Here's Tiffany and I with some of the ornaments we created. Each of the 15 party attendees received a bag of supplies that they used to make ornaments, cards, and gift tags. We especially enjoyed using the On Board Trimmings from the Holiday Mini, Designer Series paper, and embossing with the heat tool.



















Friday evening, I hosted another Trim-a-Tree class at my home. Participants received a craft keeper full of supplies to make 20 ornaments. They also used the On Board Trimmings set, Designer Series paper, dazzling diamonds glitter, and some grosgrain ribbon.


I will also be selling some of these ornaments at the Circle of Hope Art Shop this weekend. Stop by and do some holiday shopping!


Jon and I are finally going to get our tree this weekend, and I look forward to decorating a full-size, live tree together. For our first 3 Christmases together, we lived in a little 1BR apartment and our small fake tree took over our "dining room". It will be fun to have the smell of pine in our Living Room!

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.

COH Art Shop 2007

Circle of Hope is having another Art Shop this year, and I have decided to participate! There will be 75+ artists selling ceramics, hip t-shirts, handbags, photography, soaps, chocolate, and all sorts of other great goodies. I'm going to have a card-making station, and I will be selling some handmade goods as well. Right now, my plans include cards (of course), coasters, Christmas ornaments, gift tags, and who knows what else. My bro-in-law Jeff may be selling some monsters at my booth, if he gets into mass production mode. I'm also thrilled to announce that I will be sharing my booth with photographer David Difuntorum. He'll be selling some of his fabulous prints. So is there anything you're interesting in buying at the Art Shop this year? Leave a comment to let me know what you're shopping for.

The Circle of Hope Art Shop would be a great place to buy some gifts this holiday, especially if you're into supporting local artisans and buying handmade stuff. I took the Buy Handmade pledge, and I plan to give everyone on my list at least 1 homemade gift this year. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out. Are you buying handmade this year?

Pumpkin Ornament for Trim-a-Tree class

Here's another ornament I made today. It's a pumpkin lantern, made with 12 6"x1" strips of Designer Series paper. Would you like to make this ornament for your home or tree? E-mail me at events@shilohstamps.com to RSVP for the Shiloh Stamps Trim-a-Tree class.

This ornament uses the Certainly Celery designer series paper. Did you know that all the designer series papers are on sale this month? It's Buy Three, Get One free. Contact me at alison@shilohstamps.com today to place an order.

BLUYS - Stampin' for a Cause

Six stampers gathered at Amy's house tonight to make Christmas cards for friends of Brotherly Love Urban Youth Services (BLUYS). Here's Amy with the elegant (and super-simple!) card she designed using the Season of Joy stamp set. The card uses a Purely Pomegranate background, with Always Artichoke layered on top. The swirl across the tree is Encore silver ink, and the star atop the tree sparkles with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. Isn't it lovely?

We're talking about doing another Stampin' for a Cause night in January. Check the Shiloh Stamps calendar for updates soon.

Stampin' For a Cause

I've always been a do-gooder, so it's no surprise that I've been doing some charitable things with my new stamping business. In September, I hosted two Shoebox Swaps for Soldiers. We made cards for Angel Stampers for Soldiers. Now our cards are posted in their online gallery. Click here for the gallery. Type shilohstamps into the search box, and you'll see our cards.

Last week, I did a card-making class for Operation Shoebox. We made over 30 cards to send in care packages to soldiers overseas.

Tomorrow night, we'll be making Christmas cards for Brotherly Love Urban Youth Services (BLUYS). They're a youth ministry in my neighborhood. Super-stamper Amy is on their board, and she's designed a lovely card that uses the Season of Joy stamp set from the Holiday Mini collection. E-mail me at events@shilohstamps.com if you would like to participate in the Stampin' for a Cause night.

I have also used my stamping to benefit last weekend's Lupus Loop. Every person on our team (Nathan's Knights) who raised $100+ will receive some free Shiloh Stamps greeting cards. We've been walking and running the Lupus Loop for 4 years now in memory of our friend Nathan and in honor of our friend Karen. If you would like to contribute, please click my donor page.

Do you have an idea for our next Stampin' For a Cause? I'm looking for our next project to be in February sometime. I'm thinking about Keiki Cards. They send cards to terminally ill kids. What do you think?

Jon's Birthday Special - stamps at 40% off!

Jon's birthday is tomorrow, and I'm in the mood to celebrate. Stampin' Up is offering the Wishing You Cheer stamp set at 20% until November 3, and I'm going to increase the savings to 40% for my blog readers. That means the set, regularly priced at $13.95 is now $8.37. It includes 4 stamps that would be perfect for holiday cards, gift tags, and ornaments.

If you would like to order this set, please e-mail me at alison@shilohstamps.com by tomorrow. Please include "Jon's birthday special" in your subject line.

Holiday Glitz Promotion

It seems like ever since I became a Stampin' Up demonstrator, they have offered at least one special per month. I enjoy the way they are featuring new products and trying to simplify card-making with kits. Starting October 1, SU is offering the Holiday Glitz kit to simplify holiday card-making.

Take advantage of this fantastic kit two different ways:

1. Purchase one of holiday stamp sets (below) and get the Holiday Glitz card kit (110286) for the special price of $24.95 each, or
2. Purchase the Holiday Glitz card kit (110286) for $28.95 each with no additional purchase required.

Each Holiday Glitz card kit makes 15 cards and includes:

• Precut card stock (real red and wild wasabi) and soft sky Designer Series paper (15)
• Whisper White Envelopes (15)
• Rhinestone brads (15)
• Real Red zigzag ribbon (15)
• Full-color instruction sheet (1)
  • Instruction Sheet 1
  • Instruction Sheet 2
    

Item	Page #	Stamp Set	Price
109234	45	Snowfall	$23.95
106786	36	The Snowflake Spot	$20.95
109266	35	Big on Christmas	$18.95
110359	5*	Love & Joy	$23.95

*Holiday Mini Collection 2007.

from Craft Critique: Stampin Up On Board Chipboard

Here's a great article from Craft Critique about SU's chipboard products. I'm doing a Trim-a-Tree class Nov. 29-30 that will feature the On Board Trimmings chipboard set. Participants will get the supplies to make 20 Christmas ornaments. Check out my google calendar in the margin for more information.Craft Critique: Stampin Up On Board Chipboard

These images of ornaments are from Stampin' Up's Holiday Mini catalog.

Are you a Shiloh Stamps Frequent Stamper?

Recently, those who have participated in my stamping classes received a Frequent Stamper card and a schedule of my upcoming classes. Click on this image to view a larger sample of the paper piercing and embossing techniques I used on this card.

Christmas in August Stamp Camp

I hosted a Christmas in August Stamp Camp last weekend, and we had lots of fun listening to Charlie Brown Christmas music and making Christmas cards. Here's a sampling of some of the projects we made. I am considering offering the class again this weekend, since some people have been out of town and such. Let me know if you would be interested by e-mailing me at events@shilohstamps.com.

Christmas in August Stamp Camp would also be a great opportunity to take advantage of the Christmas in August special and get a head start on those Christmas cards this year. Here are some more examples of Christmas cards.

This is a pop-up tent card. The tree pops up when it's standing up. We used watercolor paper, staz-on ink, and the aquapainter to paint the tree from Year After Year. The polka-dots on the bottom are from the Dashing designer series paper.

This sparkly Merry Christmas card was inspired by a card I made at a stamp camp a few years back. On this card, we used an image from In The Spotlight as the snowflake, stamped with Encore silver metallic ink. Then we laid a stripe of Sticky Strip across the top and sprinked the whole card with Dazzling Diamonds glitter. The glitter sticks to the sticky strip and the Encore ink. We topped it off with a Merry Christmas tag from the Holidays and Wishes set and tied it with a white grosgrain ribbon. Warning - this card is messy (but fun) to make. Be sure you have a Powder Pal so you don't get glitter everywhere!

This Merry & Bright card uses a set from the new Holiday Mini catalog. It's a Love Note (3"x3") so it's super-quick to make. Stampin' Up is giving away free Love Notes this month when you order the Three for You Punch set. See this post for another Love Note example that uses the punches.

Christmas card ideas from my stack of samples

Here are a bunch of Christmas card samples, to get you thinking about how you can take advantage of the Shiloh Stamps Early Christmas Special. I want to help you make homemade Christmas cards early this year, so I've thought about what could be most helpful. If you order a stamp set, cardstock, adhesive, envelopes, and embellishments (everything you need to make your Christmas cards), then I will mount your stamps, cut your cardstock into cards, and make you a page of custom return address labels. The last day to place an order is August 29th. E-mail me at alison@shilohstamps.com for more information.

If you would like to try out some new stamp sets (including some from the new Holiday Mini) and work together to design your Christmas cards, sign up to attend my Christmas in August Stamp Camp. I have one spot open for Friday evening and a few spots open for Saturday afternoon. Let me know ASAP if you would like to participate.

This was our Christmas card last year. It opens in the middle and uses the tree from the Loads of Love stamp set. It also uses the stipple brush for some shading. I made this card at an in-home workshop the previous year, and loved it. My generous stamping friends loaned some of the supplies I needed for this card. I liked Loads of Love so much, I wound up ordering it for myself!

This was Claire's Christmas card last year. It uses the City of David stamp set. I love how she put the Luke 2:11 scripture on the back of the card. She used markers to color in the star and palm trees on the front.

I made this card at an in-home workshop I attended last year. I love this color combination - mellow moss, always artichoke, and whisper white. It uses The Snowflake Spot stamp set. Hemp twine is one of lowest-priced embellishments, so this is a more cost-effective card.

I made this card at a Stamp Camp I attended at Claire's house years ago. This may have been one of the first stamping events I tried. This card uses a cool technique with glossy cardstock and reinkers. I would be glad to show you this technique.

My husband loves the blue and chrome color combination, so this may be his favorite card I've ever made. These silver snowflakes are raised up using a technique called embossing. It's lots of fun, and it looks fabulous!

This card uses a beautiful stamp set that is now retired. It also uses the crimper, my new favorite tool. I love how artistic this card looks with the splotchy paint look in the background. It's a stamp set called Itty Bitty Backgrounds.

This card was made by another stamper - Yolanda Croucher. When I signed up to be a demonstrator, Claire let me pick some cards out of her stash of samples. This is one of the cards I chose. I'm guessing she got this card through a swap.

This may be the first Stampin' Up card I ever made. I attended a Stamp Camp at Claire's house, and she had a drawing to give away her hostess benefits that night. I won! I got to order all sorts of goodies for free, and I was hooked!

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