February Ladies Class Projects

For February's Ladies Class projects I knew I wanted to create some kind of Easter, but I also wanted to use some of the new goodies in the Occasions Catalog. I was so conflicted that the only logical thing to do was to make 3 different projects.

I have the Curvy Keepsake Box Thinlits (135853) for quite a while and never used them. I was so intimidated by them that I never even tried to make one. But when I saw the idea of punching a hole and adding a chocolate bunny, I put my fears aside and I did it! Oh my goodness they are so adorable AND so easy!

Don't they remind you of the sugar shaped eggs that have the little Easter scene inside?

For the Easter card we used the Work of Art Stamp Set. Isn't that Easter Egg cute? I always get hung up on the fact that I don't have an "egg" shaped framelit so I don't venture out of my zone to use a plain ol' oval. I'm so glad others are not as limited and show that it is ok to use an oval for an egg.

For the Occasions Catalog product I decided I wanted to share the  Cups & Kettle Framelits (140624). I don't know what it is about tea cups, but I love them! I am the Scrap Saving Queen, and I try to use them when I can. The paper I used is the Cherry on Top Designer Series Paper Stack (138443)

I love using Dimensionals so we glued the bottom of the cup and used Dimensionals for the top of the cup to give it a little bit of a 3-d effect.

We also used the A Nice Cuppa Stamp Set (140683). You would never know to look at it, but the middle of the cup didn't stamp well. I'm sure it was because I was using an old, wavy ink pad. So how did I fix it? I stamped the heart from the set in the middle. Now it looks like I meant to do that!

I love how sometimes you can make a mistake, and if you didn't give it away, the other person would think you meant to do that and would want to know how you did that cool technique. Ha! If they only knew.

What do you think?

Watercolor Wishes Kit

The Watercolor Wishes Card Kit (140406) is an all inclusive kit, that only needs to be supplemented with your favorite adhesive.

The card bases are pre-watercolored and you can make 20 unique designs. It comes with

• 12-piece Photopolymer Stamp Set
• Clear acrylic block & 
• 2 Classic Stampin' Spots in 
• Night of Navy & 
• Watermelon Wonder.

And there's so much more!

• Die-cut pieces & flowers
• cardstock flag stikcers
• washi tape
• sequins
• wood cutouts, &
• Stampin' Dimensionals
• Guide for putting the cards together, but they're your cards you don't have to follow the guide if you don't want to.

Benefits:

• Great pick up and go project - everything is included!
• Card bases are already water colored for you so you don't have to mess with the mess
• You will surely have left over washi tape and embellishments to use on other cards.
•  12-piece Photopolymer Stamp Set, clear block & Stampin' Spots can be used on more cards, scrapbook pages or anything you want to stamp on!
• and a box to keep it all contained, but can be used as a Gift Box, in a pinch.

My daughter came down this weekend and made a few cards to take back with her because she needed more. Now for a quick shameless Proud Momma plug...she has her own blog That's Sew Jess. She loves to sew, that's her creative art, and she is great at it too! You should check her out.

The best part is this all inclusive kit is only $35! That's only $2 per card! You can't get away with paying that for a great card these days.

Card sizes are:

• 4" x 4"
• 3-1/2" x 5"
• 4-1/4" x 5-1/2"

Don't forget to add your favorite adhesive by clicking Here. It does come with Dimensionals but you may not have enough to adhere everything down.

So get your kit and make your cards today!

Date Change - Ladies Classes

Every once in a while I have to move the date of Ladies Afternoon & Ladies Nite Out. This month is one of those months. Typically they are the 3rd Tuesday of every month, unless something comes up and I need to move it, which doesn't happen very often.

January's Ladies Classes will be on the 26th.
 
I hope to see you there. You can RSVP anytime by clicking on RSVP under the event on my calendar here.

My plan for this month's projects is Valentine. There are so many great ideas out there, the hard part is always deciding on just two.


I look forward to seeing you!

March Stamp Set - Best of Flowers

133342 Best of Flowers Clear-Mount Stamp Set $14.95

As part of our 25-year anniversary celebration, we're bringing back some of our favorite stamp images from the last quarter century and combining them into 12 sets, which will release-one set per month-during 2013. Even better, along with some great classic images, each "Best of" set will also include a never-before-seen image!

Some things to remember:

• All Best of stamp sets will include 3-5 images, including a never-before seen image, and will be priced at $14.95.
• While we are releasing just one Best of stamp set per month (with a new theme each month), all of the Best of sets will be available until March 31, 2014.
• All Best of stamp sets are available in Clear-Mount only.

While we are releasing just one Best of stamp set per month, all of the Best of sets will be available until March 31, 2014.

As a special incentive to collect the Best of stamps, we're including a collector's card and 25-year proof of purchase sticker with every Best of set. Collect six stickers, and send it in to redeem a FREE set of your choice valued up to $14.95! Free sets must be redeemed no later than April 30, 2014. The 25 sticker is in a very small circle on the labels sheet in your set. Be sure not to through it away.

Thank you for stopping by. Remember, stamping is cheaper than therapy and much more fun!

--Marion 

Breaking News!!! Even Better Clear Stamps

It's funny how things happen. Yesterday, I found a link to a company that makes PhotoPolymer clear stamps and today Stampin' Up! announces that they are introducing a new set made with this material. I can't call this material new because from what I read it is being used in the printing industry. Here are a few things I read about this material:

"These polymers are designed and produced for the printing industry and are meant to carry and transfer ink. Which is why they stamp so well. The stamps from Asia are cheap, inferior and produced from vinyl or silicone based materials but are not used in any other industry for the transfer of ink. Simply, they are produced to be clear but not to provide a sharp quality impression. You will see that ink beads up on these fake stamps and imprints in an uneven and mottled manner."

I have used the inferior stamps and did not like the poor quality they produced, so I swore I would never use clear stamps again. But if this new material is better and produces a high quality image, I will go clear.

• They're entirely transparent for perfect placement every time! 
• Can you say sticky? (Don't worry; in a good way.) These stamps stick amazingly well to our clear blocks.
• They're age tested. They won't yellow or cloud up over time. 

From what I read, they can and should last a lifetime with proper care and cleaning. It is free of latex and has NO known ingredients that are harmful to you or the environment. Another one of Stampin' Up!'s goals is to be kind to the environment. Did you know the wood for their stamps is specifically grown for Stampin' Up!; but I digress.

Here is the new PhotoPolymer stamp set.  
132956 Designer Typeset Photopolymer Stamp Set $13.95US
Recommended clear blocks A, B, G, F, and I. Purchase separately. Includes 57 pieces. (Don't faint! This is a good overwhelming feeling.)




Here's an excerpt from the Stampin' Up! Blog:

"Second, they are pliable. Want your arrow to shoot a certain way? No problem! Want your banner to have the perfect sag? Easy peasy! Being able to play with the shape gives you even more creative freedom."

To read more from Stampin' Up!'s blog post click here.

Here is a fun video Stampin' Up! made to introduce this new type of stamp.

Here are a few more things about this new type of stamp:

• Photopolymer stamps will be offered on a trial basis. Based on popularity, we hope to release more  over the coming months. At this time we don't plan on offering a line of photopolymer sets as expansive as our wood-mount and clear-mount lines.This also means that when they run out of this set they may not get more, so get yours today!
• Available on all order types beginning March 1, 2013. 
• Not available in wood-mount or clear-mount.  
• All photopolymer will be packaged in cello bag w/insert, but don't forget you can store them in our clear cases.

I'm looking forward to trying this new set and at $13.95 (plus tax & shipping) it's affordable too!

Thank you for stopping by. Remember stamping is cheaper than therapy and more fun too!
--Marion