Non Convention Goer event

This past weekend here in North Carolina some ladies from a demo group I belong to organized a Non Convention Goers (NCG) get together for Stampin' Up! demonstrators. SU has a national convention every year and this years convention was held in Denver, CO. Since I couldn't go, this was the perfect substitute for my budget! ;o)

I learned how to do some great new projects, had a great time stamping with old friends and new friends and simply enjoyed a Friday/Saturday paper crafting! For the next several days, I would like to share some of the projects we did, as well as showcase some of the beautiful swaps I received.




This was the most difficult project we did that I finally completed this morning! It is called the Surprise Friendship Box and I am amazed I finished it seeing I am "measurement" and somewhat "following directions" challenged ;o))
By no means is this thing perfect, but it is the perfect template for me to make again and you know how once you make something the next time it is easier...I can clearly see that it will be!

I also wanted to show two swaps I received from fellow demonstrator Pam Hicks. I am looking forward to CASEing both of these cards!
Tomorrow I will show another project we made and some more swaps!




This picture does not do this card justice....The butterfly has glitter on it and the designer paper is rolled with the matching wheel in Certainly Celery ink.

Priceless

This card features the stamp set Priceless and the background En Francais. It uses the two new blue In Colors: Soft Sky and Bayou Blue. I made this card for an upcoming swap I have this weekend with a bunch of other demos in my state. It looks like there will be about 57 demonstrators coming together for a quarterly type of meeting. Quite a crowd and I should have a lot to share upon my return. I am looking forward to learning some new techniques and really just stamping and talking. ;o) At least maybe then I can keep this blog updated.

Another Garden Whimsy

Here is another Garden Whimsy card. I can't seem to tire of this stamp set. This card is such an easy layout and would be easy to do at a workshop or even to mass produce with different sentiments. I made some others just like this, switching up the colors and like the variety. Of course this layout would work with any stamp set, just try it. The background paper is Certainly Celery Prints Designer Paper from SU. The designer paper comes in a variety of colors and adds a nice accent to a card. I also used the background stamp En Francais. It is extremely similar to French Script, just current. A script background stamp can add so much to a card and I needed the new one to demo with...that is the *only* reason I bought it. For me it is an old stand by to fancy up a card. ;o)

I have some other cards to share and may get to posting a few others this weekend, we will see. The weekend always tends to get away from me.

Garden Whimsy

One of my favorite stamp sets in the new catalog is Garden Whimsy. I see a lot of possibilities with this stamp set and know it will be a favorite of many stampers and scrapbookers. For this card, I used the new In Colors Purely Pomegranate, Wild Wasabi, Blue Bayou and Soft Sky. I used the dots from Polka Dots and Paisley for the background and stamped it on the Soft Sky cardstock using Blue Bayou classic ink. The flowers have a shine to them because I outlined them with my Stardust pen. I really like the effect.

Garden Collage

This is a card I made using the stamp set from SAB Garden Collage. I love the images in this stamp set. I think it was from a Sell-A-Bration 3 or 4 years ago. I watercolored the image with reinkers to give it a more vibrant color. Sometimes the water color crayons are more subdued.
I have placed my first order from the new catalog and have new stamps coming sometime next week. I tried to limit myself on new stamp sets so I only ordered three: Garden Whimsy, Just Like You and the background stamp En Francais (similar to French Script).

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July!

Sassy Stems

I am still looking through the catalog trying to figure out my first order and trying to stay within a certain amount of money. It is more difficult than I thought (I just need to figure out the immediate *must have's*.....but I have got to tell you I am wanting more this year than last!) I was talking with another SU demonstrator this weekend and we poured over page after page of the catalog via phone (my poor husband thinks we are crazy and need help!).....Back to the catalog, we both think this is the nicest layout Stampin' Up! has ever had for a catalog. The samples are very nice and really show the versatility of stamping. It is not just for cards and scrapbooking!

On a separate note, I did hear than someone was asking over the weekend "Where are the NASCAR themed stamps?"....Somehow that genre is getting overlooked. But "M.D." you can always email SU and ask them....nothing is better than a *customer* who enjoys stamping to make a recommendation! (sorry, couldn't resist...)

This is a card I made using one of the color challenges. I will miss Cool Caribbean when I run out...I wasn't able to order more of last year's In Color cardstock because they ran out ;o( Oh-well...I have enough for a while! The new In Color Sky Blue is similar but not quite the same...maybe one day SU will bring back the all time favorites!