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.

Anatomy of a Swap

In my years of making cards I have tried to find the most efficient way to make lots of cards at once. Here's a sample of my process. This particular swap was for the January or February PhillyInkers meeting, and it was supposed to have a Valentine's theme. I was trying to make mine not tooo pink and red and heartsy, so I chose Groovy Guava, Purely Pomegranate, and So Saffron for my color scheme.

First, I stamped a bunch of large flowers on some Whisper White cardstock. Then I experimented with different coloring patterns using the blender pen and ink pads. Do you know that trick? If you squeeze the lid of a Stampin' Up inkpad, it leaves a little ink on the inside of the lid, and you can use that ink as a palette for watercoloring.

Blender pens pick up some ink for temporary coloring. If I'm doing lots of watercoloring, I usually do one color at a time, so I don't have to keep cleaning my blender pen or brush. I wound up using So Saffron, Groovy Guava, and Purely Pomegranate here.

After finishing my coloring, I cut out the images using my super-sharp Paper Snips. These are smaller scissors that are great for very detailed cutting, like the petals of these flowers. They're also good for cutting ribbons that can fray with duller scissors, like the 5/8" grosgrain ribbon.

Then I put a brad in the center of each flower, using my paper piercing tool. I also cut my paper to size, and cut the gingham ribbon to size. I stamped my sentiment, "Time with Friends is time well spent" using black Staz-On ink, so that the ink wouldn't run when I colored in "Friends" using my Versamarker. Have you heard of those? It's versamark ink in a marker form.

Now here are my finished swaps, ready for the PhillyInkers meeting! Have you ever thought about joining the PhillyInkers? You're more than welcome to join our next meeting. We stamp, snack, and talk about how to build our stamping businesses. It's great fun. We always bring swaps, too. Check my google calendar on the right for the dates of our meetings.

Happy Easter!

I went to our quarterly PhillyInkers brunch today, and I brought these eggs to share with everyone. We also did a Shoebox Swap, so I'll be posting pictures of that soon. I had a bunch of rub-ons leftover from the Sale-a-Bration special, so I thought I would try them out on plastic Easter eggs. After some experimentation, I would say that the smaller images work better on curved surfaces. Have you had a chance to play with the new rub-ons yet? We made some cards with Rub-ons at our Stamp-a-Stack last weekend.

Does anyone know the history of Easter Eggs? I have been helping lead the kids group at my church recently, and we died eggs together on Sunday. We had a great time discussing the great symbolism of Easter eggs. Eggs are potential, new life, anticipation, and new beginnings. We had fun celebrating together. For more on the history of Easter eggs, check out the Easter Egg entry on wikipdedia.

I have really gotten into preparing for Easter this year. I have found the season of Lent to be a time of introspection and anticipation. For the first time ever, I actually gave up something for Lent. I've always been a bit skeptical about giving things up for Lent, since I know my tendency for drama and I feared that I would make a big to-do about my sacrifice. In past years, I've felt like it has been more beneficial for me to add things in to my life during the season of Lent - disciplines like praying, reading Scripture, listening to God. While I certainly am still working on those inward practices, this year, I chose to give up chocolate. I have to say, I had no idea how much chocolate I eat. It has been really challenging! I have tried to not make a big deal about giving it up, but I have had to acknowledge my choice several times as I was offered various chocoaltey treats. Sometime tomorrow, I plan to visit Philadelphia's Naked Chocolate to celebrate the end of my fast! They have this fabulous Drinking Chocolate, pictured above.


At dawn, I'll be attending a sunrise service marking Jesus' resurrection, and then I'm heading over to a friend's house for Easter brunch. How are you marking Easter this year? Post a comment letting us know the way you'll mark the day, and you will be entered into a drawing some Sale-a-Bration rubons, pictured at the left. To see a larger picture, just click on the image.

Shoebox Swap Progress

So far, we've made 30 cards for the Shoebox Swap. My mom sent 10 last week, and then Amy and I made 20 more cards tonight. On Monday, we'll be making at least 40 more cards to send to Angel Stampers for Soldiers. They'll be sending out hand-stamped cards to soldiers stationed around the world.

Here's the oh-so-creative card my mom made for the soldiers. The ghost is made from a milk jug, and she sewed him onto the card. Brilliant! I love the googly eyes, too. On the back of the card, she stamped "Oct 31 2007" with the library due date stamp. You know, the one that they stamp on the card to let you know when it's due. So clever. She also wrote a really sweet sentiment on the inside of the card. My mom has been a card-making machine lately. She came to Stampin' Down the Shore with me, and she's been making stunning cards ever since. She's really good at sewing on the cards, which I think is the coolest thing ever.

Here's the card Amy designed for the soldiers. It uses a fun stamp set and SU's Cool Caribbean cardstock, which is now retired. I like how she uses the tiny dotted stamp as the background and brads in the center of all the flowers.

Here's another version of the card I designed for the Shoebox Swap for Soldiers. I love how this medallion image from the Apple Cider Designer Series paper matches the Really Rust cardstock perfectly. The shiny copper brad in the middle is a nice finishing touch.

Shoebox Swap Ingredients

Since the horrors of 9/11, I have struggled to find ways that I can make a difference in our country's tenuous global relationships. I have chosen to support peacemaking organizations and I have prayed for a resolution to the complex conflict around us. Several years ago, as we were discussing the Iraq War in a small group I led, we were spinning our intellectual wheels trying to figure out how our country can move forward in this new age of terror. As a group, we concluded the following:

• an immediate withdrawal of troops would be irresponsible - bear in mind this was 3+ years ago, but still true
• American troops can play a vital role in bringing stability to troubled regions around the world
• we should find ways to connect with the troops directly and provide emotional and spiritual support

Years later, I'm finally making good on that pledge, thanks to some stampers who would like to make a difference with the crafting skills. This Friday and next Monday, I'll be hosting a Shoebox Swap for Soldiers to benefit Angel Stampers for Soldiers. Each participant will bring card ingredients for 10 simple cards (about the size of a shoebox). We will make one another's cards and keep a sample of each card. Then we'll send the remaining cards to the Angel Stampers for Soldiers project. They send cards to troops overseas, and they've sent over 27,000 cards so far! I will be providing snacks, adhesives, envelopes for all the cards, and some fun door prizes. The covered box below is one of the prizes - fun!

There are two ways you can participate in the Shoebox Swap for Soldiers. If you design a simple card and bring supplies to make 10 cards, then you will be able to keep a sample of each card you make. If you don't have time to prepare a shoebox swap, feel free to come stamp and enjoy the creative process. Those who choose the second option will be donating all their cards to Angel Stampers for Soldiers. Either way, you are supporting a great cause - providing some encouragement to some people in a very difficult situation.

Some stampers have said they might need help preparing for a Shoebox Swap, so here's what I'm doing. I designed this super-simple card that features leaves and a sentiment from the Thoroughly Thankful set (30% off this month with the Fall Frenzy promotion) and a cut-out from the Apple Cider Designer Series paper from the Holiday Mini.

If you need ideas for card designs, Angel Stampers for Soldiers has some suggestions on their Mailing Schedule page. Bear in mind that you are not limited to current Stampin' Up products. Feel free to use retired SU supplies or supplies from another manufacturer. Click here for Guidelines from Angel Stampers for Soldiers regarding card size and design.



Here are the supplies needed to make a shoebox swap card:

• a sample of your card, maybe some directions if you think that would be helpful
• stamp set


• stamp pad(s)


• paper for 10 cards - please pre-cut or come over early to cut your paper


• embellishments - brads, ribbon, eyelets


• tools - scissors, paper piercer, bone folder

Here's a message from a soldier who received some cards through Angel Stampers for Soldiers:

Dear Carol,
Thank you very much for the gifts you sent us. Words can't begin to express our gratitude. On be half of the men and women of the 41st Electronic Combat squadron, Davis Monthan AFB, AZ currently serving in Uzbekistan. I would like to thank you for your outstanding support, generosity and thoughtfulness. Knowing that so many in our country have us close in their thoughts and prayers makes it easier for us to get through the challenges that we face each day. We know we are not alone. Life is hectic and fast-paced--and for you to have thought of us, and then to stop and take time from your personnel life to write--is an honor. I just want to say I really appreciate the thought and time you put into sending us something special. I'm so grateful for the support of many, many wonderful people in our country. Thank you, for making our Christmas a little brighter and letting us know there are people that appreciate us, I am proud to be serving the people of the greatest nation in the world. And once again, I thank you! May you be blessed each day, and may God bless America! Can you please past this message on to your other fellow stampers.
Sincerely, Ron Pollock

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."

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!

thank you

Would you like to learn how to make any of these cards? Use the contact me button on the right to set up a workshop in your home. You can earn free stamping supplies and exclusive stamp sets by hosting a workshop. This card features a new hostess set from the new catalog.




Supplies:

• In The Spotlight stamp set - a new hostess set from the Fall/Winter collection
• chocolate chip cardstock
• sage shadow cardstock
• chocolate chip classic ink pad
• brown grosgrain ribbon

This card uses a really simple technique called masking. Just use scrap paper to cover up part of the page, and then stamp wherever you would like on the paper. Then when you remove the scrap paper you can have a different image in that blank space!

I made this card for a swap at Claire's recent "downline" meeting. Claire's the gal who got me hooked on stamping. She's recruited a bunch of new demonstrators lately, and once a month we get together to share ideas. You can find links to some of their blogs in the Stamping Links list on the right. Claire's "downline" includes bloggers Kristin and Melissa, as well as super-stampers Jan, Latrell, and Melanie.