DRY EMBOSS PUMPKIN TAG

 I am going to share another quick technique with you today. This will work for anything you want to look defined or round like balls, pumkins, bear's bellies, balloons, etc... It is real simple and once you've tried it you just may do it every time you make something that has an accent that needs to look round.

 First you place your stamped, colored image onto a foam surface (thick craft foam) and moisten with small amount of water with use of a mini spritzer. Rub stylus over image on front (direction of image grain) many times to break up cardstock fibers. Flip image over and do the same thing on opposite side (same direction).

 It is  hard to see in this photo but, it makes the pumpkin look 3D (round). It pops up off the paper. You can place somthing behind it (Stampin dimensions, crumbled paper pieces) depending on how 3D you want it to look.

 Above are 2 samples I did using the GREETING CARD KIDS stamp set (#120633) and retired Halloween verse. Colored pencil and Gamsol blending solution. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a great weekend.

FAVORITE ALE CHICKEN WITH CARMELIZED ONIONS



Hello, if you live in NE Ohio, like me, then your weather has been damp, cold, dreary and gray. Fall is really here. The leaves are turning (quickly) and apples, pumpkins, and sqash are plentiful. I want to share a fantastic "warm you up" recipe with you today. My husband and I got this pan with roasting insert for our birthdays in June. This ceramic baking pan works on stove top, oven, or grill in heat up to 500 F.
A link to the pan is here:
http://www.qvc.com/qic/qvcapp.aspx/view.2/app.detail/params.CM_SCID.coll.item.K27287.desc.Technique-Flame-10-Round-Covered-Everyday-Pan
I cannot find a link to the upright chicken roaster. I have seen them online and at Walmart (camping/ grilling section) any simple "beer can" chicken rack should work.


INGREDIENTS:
3-4 lb. whole chicken, cleaned and dried
1Tbs. Vegetable oil
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2Tbs. paprika
1tsp. dry mustard powder
1 tsp. chili powder
2Tbs. coarse sea salt or kosher salt
2tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1 bottle of favorite ale
3 large sweet onions, sliced
1 bay leaf
4 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

                                      

Brush chicken all over with vegetable oil. Make the rub by combining brown sugar, paprika, mustard, chili, salt, and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken, inside the cavity as well as all over the skin.  Preheat oven to 350 F. Place chicken roaster inside the pan and pour beer into the cup center of the chicken roaster dish. Place all remaining spices inside the beer. Place chicken ove rthe center of the chicken roaster. Season the onions with salt and pepper and place them all around the chicken. Roast until the internal temperature is 165 F. A 4 lb chicken should take around 75 minutes.

                                   
Allow chicken to rest/ cool 5 minutes. Carefully remove the chicken and serve with the carmelized onions. Pour drippings over chicken, potatoes and/ or vegetables.  
 
If you decide to make this recipe, let me know what you thought. I would love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by.

FROM THE CRYPT

Stamped some more Halloween things today. Dug out the set FROM THE CRYPT (#115460) Used the layout on page 25 from the Idea Book & Catalog as inspiration for my tag and card layouts. This picture is not very clear, scroll down to see some more up close.

Here is a close up of the tag. I used the MODERN LABEL PUNCH (XL #119849) and 1 3/8" CIRCLE PUNCH (# 119860)  to add detail behind the main image. I also used the 3/4" CIRCLE PUNCH (#119873) that I stamped BOO! onto. I hand cut the bat image and folded the wings to add dimension, like it is flying. COPPER MINI BRADS (retired) and COPPER EYELETS (#105319) to further embellish. I distressed the edges using the distress tool from the CUTTER KIT (#106958).

I used the Awesome TASTEFUL TRIM Bigz Die (#120893) to add further paper detail to the side of the card and to the botom of the tag. This die cut is awesome (like I said before). Ric Rac, baker's twine, and fabric are all the rage in the paper crafting world right now. I'm so glad SU! is up on the latest and greatest. They really make it fun to craft. 

                                    
Have I told you how Fantastic the new COLOR COACH (#121620) is? I cannot live without this sucker. It makes everything much easier. It takes the thinking out of planning and making projects of all kinds. I am using the Sweet Pea combination CAJUN CRAZE (#119684), ALWAYS ARTICHOKE (#105119), and PERFECT PLUM (#101889). I would have never used these exact colors on a Halloween project prior to owning this. It opens your eyes to a whole new colorful world. Well, enough rambling, I'm off to bed soon, I have a busy day planned tomorrow. I am attending the Adventures In Stamping convention tomorrow :) I need all the sleep I can get, it may get crazy...  

DARK & DREARY ENSEMBLE

Here is a close-up of coordinating projects I made to go with the cards and Bingo Cards posted earlier this week. I love how easy SU! makes it to coordinate stamps, accessories, and colors. No other company can do this well. I don't have to search for colors and coordinating products, I trust SU! to do that for me. They make crafting that much easier.

I recycled a spice jar and decorated it using TANGERINE cs (#111349), TEXTURED BLACK cs (119922), GOING GRAY cs (retired), RAVEN LACE trim (#120988), DECORATIVE LABEL PUNCH (#120907), misc. colored baker's twine, and plastic spider. I used hot glu eto adhere the label, and spider. Distressed the edges of the candle image with TANGERINE INK (#111834) using SPONGE DAUBERS (#102892). I filled the jar with black and white gumdrops. Now, which "lucky", or should I say "unlucky", person should I give this to?  

I love making tags! They are one of my favorite things to make. They work for just about everything. They can be super easy to very elaborate but, always so fun to make.  "When in doubt, add a tag". This goes for card fronts, scrapbook pages, candles,labels, gifts, etc... I used GOING GRAY cs ( retired), BASIC GRAY cs (#121044), BASIC BLACK cs (#121045), TANGERINE (#111349), RAVEN LACE trim (#120988), DARK & DREARY stamp set (# 121151), SPIDER WEB TEXTURE FOLDER (#120889),  decorative edge scissors (retired), misc. ribbon and baker's twine, misc. spider web edge punch,  and plastic spider. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoyed the ensemble and my quick/ easy ideas. Make sur eto stop by again.

BINGO ANYONE?

These could not have been any easier. The cards are cut directly from 2 sheets of the NITE OWL DS paper (#123012) for a total of 8 Bingo cards. I mounted each 5.75in. card onto TANGERINE CS (#119949).  I think I will use these at my daughter's Halloween Party at school (her last school Halloween party).  If you are a fan of this idea you need to check out the BINGO CARD stamp (#120851) on page 29 from the Holiday Mini Catalog. You could make a variety of themed Bingo Cards ie: Baby Shower, Christmas Party, Easter, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, Valentine's, or Birthday.

In the mini catalog they use black jellybeans for  Bingo markers but, I thought that misc. Halloween punched images would be a fun and inexpensive way to mark the card. I used SU's BITTY BAT punch (#119279) along with other small punches (scalloped square, spider, witch, and owl).

DARK & DREARY HALLOWEEN

I had time to do some stamping today- yeah! Finally! I bought the entire line of 1800's London Halloween Suite. The minute I saw this line of products, I knew I had to have them. I used the verse/ large rectangle stamp from the set DARK & DREARY (#121151); the gray patterned paper  from the NITE OWL DESIGNER PAPER PACK (#123012); BASIC BLACK; BASIC GRAY; TANGERINE cardstock; 1/2" LACE TRIM (#120988) to complete the cards.

Speaking of 1/2 " LACE TRIM, have you bought this yet? If you haven't, shame on you! It is great! It ties easily, lays flat, and is so charming added to a variety of surfaces. Just look at it against this tangerine cardstock before I added it to the card fronts. I assembled everything in an assembly line and thought these looked so great all by themselves. "Kinda Spooky"

I wanted to share an easy tip for adding a little bit of color to this intricate image. First, I stamped the images on a going gray (retired) cardstock. I  then cut out the images with decorative edged scissors (retired) and distressed jagged edges and center circle using TANGERINE CLASSIC INK (#111834) with a SPONGE DAUBER (#102892). The diameter works perfect to add a little color to the circle of this image. I cannot live without these daubers. I use them for almost every project.

Viola! Didn't it work out perfect? How else could you add the color in a perfect circle? You can use this technique on many circular images and accents. I have never stamped on a gray and I love the look of it with the distressed edges. Stay tuned for some more fun ideas using this line of products, make sure you check back again this week. Thanks for stopping by.

I love Halloween and almost everything that goes along with Halloween. It is my absolute favorite time of year.  Caramel apples,  beautifully colored leaves, crisp air, autumn decorations, hot cider, evening outdoor fires, sweatshirts,  and spooky  festivities.What could be more fun than a Halloween Party? Its the perfect time for everyone to pretend they are someone/ something else. My friends and family call me a Halloween "FREAK". The funny thing is that my brother, best friend, and next door neighbor are all 'Halloween Lovers' too. I am a sucker for anything orange and black with bats, cats, witches, and ghosts.

These projects are for my upcoming club meeting I have in less than 2 weeks. I chose to use WICKED FUN #117400 ds paper and the coordinating WICKED COOL # 120600 stamp set.  Both are new to the SU! line and can be found on pages 22 &23  of the main idea book and catalog. Those of you that don't have a current catalog can view any of the current catalogs here: http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/default.asp.

My Halloween "Spooky" creations were totally insired by two Stampin Up! demonstrators that I follow on a daily basis through their business blogs ( Mary at http://www.stampinpretty.com/ and Angie at http://www.chicnscratch.typepad.com/chic_n_scratch/page/2/ ). Both women are so creative and do such wonderful things with SU! products.

The Spooky Mini Bag is so easy and adorable. It will hold Reese's Cups, Hershey Nuggets, Peppermint Patties, Fruit Snack Packs, or anything that is around that size. It is hand cut and folded (no die cut machine needed) The flap is held closed with velcro- how perfect! You will get 3 from one sheet of 12 x 12 inch paper.  The finished mini bag measures 3x3 inches. The bats are from SU!s new large bat punch #119279.

Directions for this project can be found here: http://www.chicnscratchlive.com/ 

(just scroll down through all the videos until you get to the spooky bag)

Those ladies that are attending my club will get written and pictorial directions.

Directions for an easel card can be found  here: http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/easelcard/

This was the first easel I have made- super easy! Will be making them again. I think they will be perfect for Christmas photo cards. I used the color spritzer tool to splatter ink around the image. I distressed the edges of the image and cardstock with basic balck ink and a sponge dauber. Viola!

Materials used: 

Wicked Fun DS Paper: #117400  $11.95  pg 172

Wicked Cool Stamps #120600  $14.95  pg 23

Bitty Bat Punch #119279  $15.95  pg 201

Extra Large Scallop Oval Punch #119856  pg 201

1 1/4 inch circle Punch #119861  $16.95  pg 203

Large oval Punch #119855  $16.95 pg 203

Color Spritzer Tool #107066  $12.95  pg 195

Old Olive Grosgrain 1/4 inch Ribbon #111368  $4.95   pg 191

(Rich Razzleberry/ Old Olive Markers)

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I would love to hear from you. thanks for stopping by. Be sure to stop by and see some more Halloween creations. I will be making many more creations up until that Haunting Day.

Well, my summer has officially ended.  I return to work tomorrow.  :(   This summer just "flew by". The majority of the summer was consumed with softball, baking, cooking, canning, and freezing. I worked a secondary job a couple days a week from June through beginning of August (just to keep me busy- with extra income).

Now I am  planning a big camping trip in a few weeks.I did some grocery shopping and started planning our campfire meals. If anyone knows any good fire/coal cooking recipes please email or let me know. I'm always looking for some new ones. My girls love to use pie irons. We take a ton of bread to make pies, pizzas, etc...

 I have done very little stamping this summer (I have done enough purchasing but not put anything to use). I have made a few gifts, tags, projects, but not as much as I expected I would once summer began.  

I have joined FACEBOOK and got in contact with many people whom I have not spoke to in years.  I swore I would not take the plunge but, I did. I am enjoying it- although, I am not playing any games.

I am hosting a make-n-take workshop this weekend and have most everything prepped. Hope things go well- this will be my first workshop since the new catalog has been released. I have some other workshops in the works but wan tto run some ideas by my attendees.

Ok, it is getting late and I need to get some sleep. Enough rambling. I just wanted to touch base and let the few followers I have know that I'm still here. Just not had much stamping MOJO.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

FOX & FRIENDS BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR 6

I have started selling items on ETSY. This is one of the kits I have for sale here:   (http://www.etsy.com/listing/53163104/unique-adorable-birthday-party-ensemble) This set includes paper party hats, party blowers, goody bags, invitations/ thank- yous, cupcake picks,  ribbon, store bought serving products, tablecloth,  and curly ribbon streamers.

This is an adorably unique ensemble that will work great for any young child's birthday, and/ or a baby shower. I used the Stampin' Up! set FOX & FRIENDS. I used So Saffron, Bashful Blue, and Rose Red for the colors. I found plates, napkins, flateware, and cups to coordinate at a local store.

*hint: because these stamps are a solid image stamp, it is best to use permanent ink such as chalk ink. stazon/ or pigment ink. I used chalk inks to get a crisp/ clean image.

Here is a close- up of the party hats. I found a pattern via internet and traced, cut, and assembled. I added paper strips with a hot glue gun and curled the strips with a bone folder. I think they are adorable. In this picture you can also see the mini cards that can be used for invitations/ thank- yous.

In this photo you can see more of the mini cards plus the goody bags (under the party blowers), and the party blowers. Aren't they cute?

Here is a close-up of the cupcake picks and the birthday boy/ girl's ribbon. This kit is sold with a box of confetti cupcake mix (makes 12 cupcakes). The picks will work perfectly to further decorate each yummy treat.

Tropical Luau Ensemble

All materials are Stampin' Up!
Finally got around to posting some pictures of some projects I made at my last Open House at the end of June. The ladies made the tag and the small take-out style box. I added the adorable coconut drink vessel and the card to make the ensemble complete.
MOST MATERIALS USED FROM SUMMER MINI CATALOG: Island Floral Bigz Die #118871, Island Oasis Party Favor Boxes #117178, Island Oasis Designer Series Paper #117173, Tropical Party Cear stamps #120081, Scallop Circle Punch #119854, Rhinestone Brads (Square Ice) #109113
(sorry cannot adjust this picture size)

Once flowers/ leaves were cut on the Sizzix machine,  I distressed/ shadowed the edges with classic ink in the same color (rose red/olive green)  I then used a bone folding tool to curl the petals.  I threaded string through the small button, tied in a knot,  and attatched button to the center with a glue dot. I fell in love with this line of products once I saw them in the catalog.  They are so bright, happy, and cheerful.

DISTRESSED SHADOWBOX WITH TIM HOLTZ

Ok, if you follow my blog you know that I met one of my favorite stamp artists back in April. I posted this picture back then but, had not got around to posting the picture of what I did with the photo. I decided to make a distressed shadow box. I coordinated the paper with both Tim's and my shirt.
I came across the shadow frame clearanced in a large chain store. I could not pass up the deal- 80% off.  It was already distressed to the extent that I wanted so I did not do anymore with it. It was perfect!

Here's a close up picture of the tag (sorry for the glare). I added pearl-like embellishments (misc.) to coordinate with the pearls I was wearing (my great-grandmother's). I added SU! polka dot ribbon (Bermuda Bay- retired) to the tag (size #8 tag). I added further metal embellishments from Tim's line (of course, could not use anythign else). I distressed with SU! Soft Suede classic ink and sponge dauber.  

I am so happy with the way it turned out... LOVE IT!!!! My husband doesn't understand it.

GOODY BAG TAGS

My youngest turned 9 this week. We had a small birthday party during the day because of our hectic softball schedules. Thank goodness the season is almost over.

Here is a picture of the goody bags I made up for the girls. I found these clear, snap closure bags a while back and decided to use them for take- home bags for the girls. I stamped a tag for each bag coordinated by color. Embossed texture using Sizzix Big Shot machine and plates.Filled each with stamps, ink spots, beads, bath gel, picture frames, and candy. Used a retired SU! set named  ALPHABITS and retired  1/4" square punch to label each tag with their names. Tied each tag on with retired SU! rainbow sheer ribbon. Colored each tag with COPICS and viola!

The girls just loved how they truned out! They couldn't wait to use the bags for their makeup and nail polish. They are going to use the tags on their overnight/ book bags.

CELEBRATE FREEDOM

Playing around with some non SU! stamps. Isn't she cute? Couldn't resist this one. Colored with Copics. Punched 3 different size and shaped stars and attached at various heights using dimensionals. Added small brads, star brads, and button in center of each star for more depth and texture. Used up some retired SU! (Ballet Blue) cardstock and some old (misc.) patriotic striped designer paper. I only had a 1/2 sheet of DS paper  (I got 12- 1" strips to make 12 of these cards). I thought it was a clever way to use a splash of  busy patterned paper that was sitting in my stash for many years. I whipped these up in no time at all. I like to make quick- "no frills"- cards these days.

 

I always decorate my hutch in my kitchen with various dishes and items that coordinate with the season, Holiday, or time of year. I have recently started to collect antique milk glass (white- from various makers). I like to coordinate these items with new and festive pieces to give an eclectic look. Here's what I did for INDEPENDENCE DAY. I like how it turned out.

COURAGE

Here is the card I made for a local wounded soldier (link for info regarding the soldier on June 30th post). I used  the SU! COURAGE set #115330 from pg 49 in the new catalog.  I borrowed this from my aunt (thanks Crystal). What a beautiful stamp! I really like the stippled/ collaged image, it is different than something I usually purchase. I may have to add this to my wishlist ( which is a mile long since the new catty release).

 I distressed the edges by tearing and inking with the new Crumb Cake Classic ink # 121030 color using an ink dauber #102892 from pg 195 in new catalog. I used a color combination found from the new Color Caoch #121620 on pg 165- Not Quite Navy, Red Ridinghood Red, and Crumb Cake. The Color Coach is a "MUST- HAVE" from the new catalog. I used color pencil to add further color and mounted onto cardstock with dimensionals #104430 on pg 197.

I hope everyone enjoyed their  Holiday weekend, and spent many wonderful hours with family/ friends. Thanks for stopping by.

Card For a Local Soldier

Hello, I have recently started FACEBOOK   http://www.facebook.com/  and am trying to get used to things. I know Iknow What took me so long?" Not sure I like it as much as everyone said I would.
Anyway, I was notified that a local soldier (19 years old) stepped on a mine and is suffering from numerous injuries. Read more here:  http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127569070616771
I was asked to send a card and pass the news along to anyone else that may be interested in making/ sending a card.
If you are interested, please send some get well wishes, and encouragement to both him and his family. The card can be homemade, store bought, or an ecard. It can be a thank you or get well. After all, it is the soldiers that are fighting everyday that make this country great.  Truly sad, he's only a couple years older than my daughter. There are too many young men and women over there. I hate to hear things like this. They are happening nearly every day.

Here is the specific info.
National Naval Medical Center
LCpl Timothy Conner
c/o Marine Liaison Office
8901 Wisconsin Ave.
Bethesda, MD 20889

Please send me a note or an email letting me know that you participated. Thanks.

NEW 2010-2011 CATALOGS HAVE ARRIVED

The new catalogs have arrived and they are great! I have done some delivering this week to those that preordered.  If you are interested in ordering a catalog and having it delivered priority mail please email me.
You will love all the changes. The colors look fabulous together,the new COLOR COACH  is a "must-have", and the papers are yummy.
Let me know what you think.

Flutterby

Not much stamping going on here. I baked last Friday (brownies), my girls love when I bake. I have done  some craft supply shopping but, have not done any stamping. I did find time to put together 4 small (6x6) memory books for a few friends I work with . One of the main classrooms I work in is losing the main teacher and both paraprofessionals. The teacher is moving to FL and the others are moving to other buildings/ classrooms. I decided to make a small book to remind them of all the fun we had together (with the kiddos). I put various pictures of each student in the book and decorated them all very similar. Once all the photos were cut, they went together fairly quickly. I cannot post photos of the books secondary to confidentiality. I will give them to the ladies in a couple weeks or when all get together for SUSHI sometime in the next week or so.

I was able to fit in some more small gardening tasks on Sunday. All the sod is lifted and ready for good topsoil and to plant the foliage that I bought last week at a local nursery. I cannot wait to get that project done. The grass has started growing (seed was planted a couple weeks agao when the 20 trees were planted). My Lilac trees are really very pretty this Spring. Friday they had a sworm of butterflies all over them. I was so pleasantly surprised. They smell som wonderful too.

Both my girls are still playing softball this season. That absorbs so much of my time both evenings and weekends. Not to mention that my husband has been working out of town. Its so hard to keep up with everything. I don't know how some (single) women do it. My oldest daughter's JV (HS) team won first place the county tournament this past weekend. She hit back to back home runs (5 runs batted in) in the final tournament game. This was her first over- the- fence home run "ever" and it was so exciting. I am so proud. I know it couldn't have come at a better time. The girls all did well. It was an exciting good time.

Well, I guess I have run on a bit. It is getting late and have some things to do. Have a great week and thanks for stopping by.

2010-2011 IN COLORS

I just got the latest edition of my Demonstrator Publication- Stamin' Success today in the mail. I was pleasantly pleased to see the new IN COLORS that will be available for the next TWO YEARS.
Wow, so many changes and so much to keep up with. Along with the new ink colors, you will also find  new Designer Series Papers, Stamp Sets, Single Stamps, Ribbon, Big Shot Dies, Simply Scrappin' Kits, Stampin' Around Wheels, Punches, and embellishments.
Check out the new colors below:

I am loving the COLOR RENOVATION announced last month. I have cleaned out, reorganized, and have starting using these colors together more and more. They are truly beautiful. The new  IN COLORS will fit in with the new families fabulously. I cannot wait until I can order them. I think I want all of them, for sure. I know many of my customers will also. I'm hoping they will have Stampin' Spots and markers available... will have to wait and see.
Stay tuned for some samples using some new sets from the Summer Mini, some of the new color combinations, and sizzix dies.

An Eventful Weekend- Without Stamping

Even though we had spotty rain all weekend, my husband and I got a ton of yard work done. We had 4+ tons of dirt hauled in on Thursday evening. We borrowed a tractor and hauled all the dirt to the back yard to build a raised bed and to fill in a low spot (previous swing set/ playground area).  The swing set came down last fall and the cut out rectangular spot needed to be filled in. We got the grass planted and hopefully it will fill in quickly. Ahhhh... my yard back. Cannot wait to see the green grass.
All our neighbors have planted fences around us and as you can see from the picture, my yard bumps into yards of the neighbors behind us. This drives us crazy! It was one of the cons when we bought this house. We decided to go a little green and plant a NATURAL  fence line. I hope we do not regret this decision. It took us a year to decide what to do- we went back to our original plan after talking with professionals. I planted small perinneals (Spirea) in front of the trees (hard to see in the picture)  for a little color contrast in fron to f the everbearing trees. We are happy thus far.

I fit in some time while he was hauling the loose dirt (top soil) to plant my annuals in my planters on the deck and around the house. I have 4 of these large urn-like planters that I plant every spring. I always change the flower choice and colors. This year I decided purple (pansies) and orange (unknown) and instead of Sweet Potatoe Vine as I have always used, I decided to use English Ivy to grow and drape over the edge. I hope these do well.  I have always had great success with Pansies- one of my very favorite flowers. GORGEOUS!

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***