KRAFTY TESS

I found a fun challenge while searching through my (near) daily blog list. The challenge is to use KRAFT anywhere and  anyhow on a card or project. Yeah- I'm digging this, Kraft has become my new favorite color . I'm so glad SU! has decided to keep it (renaming it Crumb Cake).

I decided to try out my new binding system that I purchased this past weekend at Adventure's In Stamping. Wahoo- I had a blast! It took me less than five minutes to figure things out. I made one error and I was soon off and running. I used thin chipboard (back of a used tablet of paper) in Kraft color to make the front and back cover. I filled it with 20+ pages.

I thought TOTE-ALLY TESS would fit on this size notebook perfectly.  She was colored with Gamsol and pencils. I paper pieced her tote and her jeans from retired SU! papers."I love thosejeans".  I sewed the buttons together with wire I learned this (from T!M HOLTZ) this past weekend. I decided to curl the ends around a pencil tip.I love the way that turned out. 

TIM HOLTZ

OMG... I finally met one of my favorite stampers- T!M HOLTZ. He is amazing, I took his Distress Class on Friday and then watched demos for nearly 3 hours on Saturday during the Akron's Adventures In Stamping Convention.  He really is fun to watch and does some amazing things. He's got clever thoughts and is so knowledgeable. It was such a treat. I had a wonderful time both days.

COLOR TALK

I got my hands on actual CS in the new (upcoming) colors. WOW! They've done it again. I love them! I know a lot of my customers have had many questions so I thought I'd do some color comparisons for you.

DAFFODIL:  Yum! This color is lighter than CURRY but darker/ brighter than SAFFRON. Forget the vivid YO-YO, this is truly a perfect shade of yellow.  Perfect for cheery Birthday, Spring, and Summer cards or projects.

MARINA MIST: This color is lighter than the previous In- Color BLUE BAYOU but definately a similar hue. It is a blue with a green undertone. It is a very inviting color. It has a nautical/ beach feel to it.  Definately can be used for Birthday, Masculine, Sympathy and Thinking of you cards and projects.

CAJUN CRAZE: Wow! This color is rich, rich, rich!  It is darker than REALLY RUST. Very nice compliment to Baja Breeze, and Early Expresso. Will work fabulously for all Fall Projects.

CHERRY COBBLER: Sumptuous! Truly the color of cherries. This just may be the perfect shade of red. Less bright than REAL RED and darker/ richer than RUBY RED. Totally different shade than  RIDINGHOOD RED.  Will work great for all Christmas, birthday, Thank - you, and misc cards and projects.

EARLY EXPRESSO:  Delicious! Truly looks like a cup of expresso. Very dark. rich chocolate color. This brown is darker than CHOCOLATE CHIP. When held next to CHOCOLATE CHIP  it shows the red undertones in the CHOCOLATE CHIP that are not noticeable at first. If you thought CHOCOLATE CHIP  was a perfect brown you will love EARLY EXPRESSO,   I promise.

All of the new colors, plus newly relaesed In- Colors (will be announced soon) will be available in markers, CS, inks, refills, and ribbon. As always, SU! has covered all areas of design and makes it easy to coordinate all items needed to make a completely matched project.

Due to upcoming circumstances/ changes, I will be selling some retiring ink colors and stamp sets from the existing SU! catalog. The changes will take place by the end of June 2010. Please email me or let me know if you are interested in me reserving any of these for you. I will sell once they have retired. I will be adding retiring stamp sets when I get notification in a couple weeks.

I have 3+ sheets of cardstock, classic ink pad, classic ink refill,  and stampin' marker for all the following:  $8.00 each bundle
Lovely Lilac
Almost Amethyst
Pale Plum
Ballet Blue
Sage Shadow
Mint Melody
Gable Green
Blush Blossom
Only Orange
Barely banana

I have Bordering Blue cardstock, classic ink pad, classic ink refill, stamin' marker, and classic wheel cartridge for $10.00 for bundle.

I am selling these retired stamp sets now:
It's A Loop Thing $5.00   (2009)
Doodle That $5.00    (2007)
Pocket Full of Posies $5.00   (2005)
Made From Scratch $5.00   (2005)
Spring Solitude $5.00   (2008)
All The Best $5.00   (2004)
Shapes and Shadows $5.00   (2004)

COLOR RENOVATION

Stampin' Up! announced last week their plans to renovate their colors. They have decided to scale down and "weed out" a lot of colors. The changes have received various reviews. I am still feeling uncertain about the change. I need to see how things will work out in the next 6+ months to feel more comfortable.  There are going to be many changes. Some gradual and some abrupt. Getting used to the changes will take some time. I hope this announcement does not upset my customers and people too much. 

 As a demonstrator I have decided to not to keep stock in some of the retiring colors. I will be selling inks, cardstock, papers, refills, and markers.  I am expected to buy new colors and new inventory so i will need to purchase these things.  I received a piece of cardstock in all the new colors today in th email- beautiful! I was upset to hear CURRY was going but DAFFODIL is a very good "fill in" choice- "I love it". 

The renovated palettes in the new color collections (formerly known as color families) are "hip" and ""highly functional". They are exciting colors and will be very easy to coordinate. 

BRIGHTS: This new collection is a mix of happy colors. Easier to work with than the previous brights.  This collection covers all basic colors without being overly dramatic. You will be reaching for these colors more than you did before.

SUBTLES: This collection hold luscious, "yummy" colors in all pastel glory. This color collection brings back many of the previous IN- COLORS and adds a soothing shade of blue (Marina Mist). This collection is still baby soft but, yet sophisticated.

REGALS: This collection is rich and delightful. They have depth, and warmth. These lavish colors are a "must" for  all vintage projects.  Sumptious!

NEUTRALS: Who can live without this collection? One or more from this family are used on nearly every card made. They work flawlessly with all the other color collections and smashingly when used together. Crumb Cake (formerly known as Kraft) will be a "must have" and will now be available in ink, marker, along with cardstock. Each color in this collection should be available for individual cardstock color packs. 

***It sounds like SU! will still have IN COLORS and they will last 2 years opposed to just the 1 year. SU! will slowly fade colors out of each color collection (3-5 years). They will release more specific info regarding  IN COLORS in May. Expect more changes with stamps, embellishments, and papers too***