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Showing posts from 2012

Fall Treasure Hunt Winners

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Hey---- The time arrived, winners were drawn and I have to say Congratulations to all the people who followed clues and emailed their lists in to me and to other demos who participated in the hunt. My clue was paper snips. Those are our scissors, of course. I absolutely love them. I love them so much that I own 6 pairs! OK, so I did purchase 1 extra pair because I wanted one for inside my craft room and only there and some more so members of my classes didn't have to share if they don't own a pair yet and even one other pair when I couldn't even find one pair (not even the craft room only pair). So, you know what turned up the day after I placed the order? Yep, 5 other pairs. So now I own 6 and that seems to be the exact amount needed to hold classes, stamp on my own, design swaps, stamp with my scout troop, make gifts, stamp with friends, create and assemble wedding and party invitations, rubber stamp home decor, create for craft fairs, make Thank You cards for wedding,

Cakes, Stamping, Pay It Forward and Blog Views

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I'm so excited. There's so much going on with my businesses (stamping and cake decorating) right now that I can barely contain myself. I've been making more cakes these days and my friends have been getting specialty cakes too. A My Little Pony theme, an edgy tween rocker cake, a gluten free Tres Leches (3 milk) are ones I have made recently. In addition to the cakes, I'm also doing some different things with my Stampin' Up! business. I've been giving some smaller classes in people's homes as well as in my home. I stepped back from doing a hostess club until January. People have a lot to do in the fall and early winter. Back to school and then holiday after holiday, all of them big events. I will be showcasing and selling the things I have made at various craft fairs this season. More on those in a different post. I'm almost at my goal of 10,000 views to my blog. So I'm going to try a little experiment. I saw this idea on  Cathie Smith&#

Challenge 190

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This week's Late Night Stampers challenge was to make a single layer card that had a Wow feature. The card I made used sponging and emboss resist. Isn't it pretty? You don't need a lot of product to create great looking cards. This one was made with 1 stamp set, 4 inks, embossing powder and heat tool and cardstock. Summer Solstice 122024 (W) or 122037 (C) Classic Stampin' Pad Daffodil Delight 126944 Classic Stampin Pad Cajun Craze 126965 Versamark Ink 102283 refill 102193 StazOn Black 101406 refill 102566 New Heat Tool 129053 Stampin' Emboss powder Clear 109130 Whisper White cardstock 100730 Come and  Shop with me Thanks for stopping by! June

Summer Swap

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I did some swaps this summer. What are swaps? Basically what it sounds like. I make a bunch of the same card and trade with others who have made a bunch of the same cards too. I have done this locally with the demo group I belong to and through a hostess for an around the country swap. One of the swaps I was in this summer was for 3x3 cards. I love 3x3 cards. They're small and very cute. I love to tuck these little cards anywhere and everywhere. Here's the collection I got. The top rows were made by other Stampin' Up! demonstrators. The bottom row was made by me. The last card on the right was not in a swap but created for an open house I did recently for another group I'm a member of, Midwest Sales Support. The card we made at the open house features the Elegant Butterfly punch. We stamped the image and punched it and layered it over a solid punched piece and added a little curl to the wings to give it some dimension. I noticed after I made the cards that I u

Free Ribbon in September

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For every $40 purchase you make in the month of September, you get a free spool of our satin stitched ribbon. Available in the colors: Gumball Green, Midnight Muse, Summer Starfruit, Raspberry Ripple, and Primrose Petals. For more info or to place your order, check out my  Stampin' Up! website

About Classes

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I keep running into people who ask about classes and say that they don't want another hobby. There isn't room in their home for another large project. They don't have the kind of money to invest in a lot of products. Their spouse will be mad if they start a new thing and all sorts of other things. I have to say that if one of those options is your case then classes might be the best fit for you.  I do ask that my class participants provide a simple class kit. That makes it easier for everyone that attends.The kit should include: paper snips, a bone folder, and some sort of adhesive (I like our Tombow Multipurpose glue, SNAIL, or Anywhere glue sticks for making cards). It saves time when we don't have to share. People will usually share tools and I always have an extra glue stick for first timers and those who forgot or didn't have time to run home first. These things can be stored in a drawer, a box or other small space and don't require a lot of cash. Each o

Masculine and Feminine cards from the same stamp set

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We were given a challenge to make both a masculine and a feminine card using the same stamp set. I took mine one step further and used the same color scheme to show that making a card for a man or a woman isn't about color. It's just about style. I used the Moving Forward stamp set. It's this year's Ronald McDonald House set. For every purchase of this set, Stampin' Up! will donate $3 to the Ronald McDonald House charities. It's available in both wood and clear mount. The set has a blimp, a tricycle, a boat, a frog, a bird, flowers and a cute swirly line to show flying birds, hopping frogs or whatever. The main images also feature the sentiments: Happy Birthday, Thinking Of You, and Hello, Dear Friend. You can purchase the set by calling or emailing me directly or shop 24-7  on my Stampin' Up! website . Item number (W-126320/C-126322). The blimp is my masculine card. I added the Naturals buttons on the bottom and embossed the blimp with silver. I sponged

Addicted to Framelits

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So Stampin' Up! has these items called Framelits. They are little metal frames that you use with your Big Shot. How they work is that you stamp your image on cardstock, then line up the framelit over the top, run it through the Big Shot and it cuts it out perfectly in the shape. It's not hard on the hands like punches can be and the edges are smooth. Sometimes punches get a little dull and leave a rough edge. You can fix that by punching through heavy duty aluminum foil but the framelits are really nice. They also store in a much smaller space. I showed off the altered paper clips I made a few days ago in the blog hop for vc_rocks. The candy cane was cut with the Holiday Framelits. There are a few more shapes in that collection. When you first look at the price of the framelits (around $26.00), it seems too pricey but when you think of each piece as a punch then the cost is much better. After all, punches range from $10.95 - $17.95 each. The Holiday framelits have a: ca

Treasure hunt

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I'm joining the Late Night Stampers Treasure Hunt this round. What is that you say? Think blog scavenger hunt. I will list my clue here in a bit. Start with that or wherever you started. Then find 50, yes that's five-oh, clues from now until October 29th then email me at june.reister@gmail.com and turn the list of clues in. I'll need the clue and where you found it. So make the list like this: June Reister- and my clue  I'll also need your contact info so I know where to send your prize. When all is said and done someone will find all the clues, turn them in, get entered for a drawing, get their name drawn and win $150 in Stampin' Up! products! That's a whole workshop in a box. What will you get if you win? I don't know but that is one happy shopping trip.  In addition, those who are emailing me with their clues will be entered into a second drawing for a free roll of the new Satin Stitched ribbon. Choice of color is yours.  Contest ends Octo

VC_Rocks Blog Hop- Punches and Big Shot

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This is the final blog hop for the summer of VC_Rocks. We're featuring punches, Simply Scored and Big Shot fun. If you're following the hop you came from Carey Roger's Blog . Didn't you like her card made with the framelit? Too cute! If you missed the start of the hop, you can get a complete list at the  VC_rocks blog I always loved our punches. I love how it's easy to punch out a stamped image and then center it on a matte. Maybe you want to punch the matte too. Anyway. I own almost all of our current punches and have tons of retired ones as well. I have so many that I keep them in 3 locations. I have some in a shoe holder on the back of my craft room door, some more on a rail on the wall and still others in a desk drawer. Here's some pics of my scattered punch storage. I used to have them all in the shoe holders but I got so many that the holders fell down, the punches flew everywhere and it created a big mess. So don't overload your

Customer Service

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One of the things I do my best to provide is excellent customer service. Sending a card or note in the mail is one way to showcase my business and provide customer service. I always tell my down line and others that demo for other companies the same thing. The principal of the matter is customer service. If you say you'll do it, then do it. If you say you'll do it and find out that you cannot, then contact the person right away so that they can  find another way to get it done. Apologize and be sincere about it. Ask if there is something else you can help with instead. Communication is one of the key things in customer service. Listen. I mean really listen to what they want If you can't do it, then say so.  Make phone calls regularly Check in after they get their order Make sure they get their order in a timely fashion The other thing I remind people of is: If you give so-so customer service, the customer may or may not pass your name along. If you give gr

Holiday Catalog

August 1st! Can you believe it's here already? Well, it is and along with it comes the Stampin' Up! 2012 Holiday Catalog. It's bigger than previous years and also will last longer. It's better for your budget too. You don't have to cram everything you want into 3 months. My customers who purchased $50 or more in the past 3 months should have received one in the mail. I also selected a few random people to send them to. I have some here to hand out as well. If you want one, let me know. I'll post some pictures later today because, I'm sure you know, I've misplaced my camera again.

VC_rocks Blog hop- Hostess Gifts and other non-card projects

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I'm starting this early as I'll be away from my computer for the weekend. I'm headed out of town to see my friend's son get married. So I'm setting up my part of the blog hop early. However, the rest of the people will have theirs up on Saturday and Sunday. If you started the blog at our main site, you came from  here If you're following along, you came from Barb Furlong's  blog, located here. Hostesses are wonderful. I like to spoil mine. Each one gets a gift that I make for them right at their party. Sometimes I make it in advance so it's ready when I arrive. Here's something I make for a hostess with younger children. The stamp is retired but the kids love this and their moms do as well Here's a tealight holder that I made with the Flower Folds die and the Big Shot. I cut up a disposable foil pan for it. It sure looks better than the pan. Lastly, I like to tuck a card into the bag with her stuff. I really like to make these cu

My Digital Studio

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I really love our program, My Digital Studio or MDS for short. I know it's on the computer and that I like bumpy things but there are many things to love about it. I can design cards or pages and see what I like or not about them before sitting down to play. I can make cards, print them and add my own personal touches to them so they are bumpy, just like I like them to be. I don't waste paper. No need to cut, trim, stamp, etc on paper and then have to throw it in the scrap box and hope it finds another home later. I get ALL the ink colors. I get all the colors of ribbon from each set I can print multiples for invitations, holiday cards and other options where I might want to have 20 or more of the same design. Stamp (brush sets) are cheaper. They all fit on my computer or at least I can fit the CDs all in one small place I can own sets that I wouldn't usually get for whatever reason I also get sets that I already own to try new things with them I get more DSP

Birthday Blog Candy

I'd like to thank everyone for the birthday wishes. I got some fantastic cards in the mail from some of you. Anyway. Drum Roll, please........ The winner of the blog candy is....ChrisAnn. I will get your address and send you the box of goodies. 

VC_Rocks Blog Hop- Any size card

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Thanks for dropping by. I'm the 4th stop in the blog hop for VC Rocks 2012. The theme is Any size card. If my blog is your first stop, you're going to want to go see   Mary Jo Price-Williams' blog   to see the ones before me. You can also go to  VC_ Rocks blog  to get the whole list of participating blogs. As my regulars know, I love 3 x 3 cards. They're my favorite thing to tuck into a pocket, a lunch, into the envelope with the hostess pack, into a customer order, to use as a gift tag, etc. They are super simple to make. All you need is a stamp, ink, and some cardstock. Mostly I use 1 stamp set and a sentiment. I can write a short note on the inside or write it on a post-it so that it can be shared with another person or 2. I chose a new stamp set, Serene Silhouettes (page 75 of the new 2012-2013 catalog), to use on these cards. Stamps: Serene Silhouettes, Tea Shoppe Ink: Gumball Green, Primrose Petals (marker), Basic Black Paper: Daffodil Delight, Choco

Twisted......

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On occasions in the past I have joined "Twisted and Demented' swaps. A swap is where you make 10 of the same card and others make 10 of the same card and you send them to someone and they give everybody one new card or you meet in person and exchange. It's a great way to learn new techniques, see stamps sets that you haven't (or wouldn't) buy, and see different products (DSP, EP, embellies, etc.). So anyway I haven't done any twisted swaps lately and I miss it. I got this Ronald McDonald set from Stampin' Up! this year. I took the sailboat and made it twisted and demented. For those of you who do not understand, it's from the movie, Deliverance. You can youtube the scenes and a song. Now I'm off to make some nice cards for the blog tour tomorrow. Check back to see what I've made as well as the whole line. My blog post goes live late tonight. Stamps: Moving Forward, Serene Silhouettes (both new sets from the 2012-2013 Stampin' Up! catalo

June's Definitions

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I'm always saying things that don't make sense to people. So, today, I will explain them to you. Here is a short list of what I call things, what my abbreviations mean and others. Please leave a comment if there's something I forgot that you've been dying to know but have been afraid to ask. You can even leave it as anonymous and leave me wondering who you are instead of you wondering what it is that I just said. June's List: HTH= Hope That Helps SU!= Stampin' Up! DS= Demo Support  ppl= people prolly= probably MDS= My Digital Studio aka My Design Studio- a must have for those who hate to waste time and paper. Also used to make digital pages and cards. You should see the print quality that SU! has. ep or EP= Embossing Powder c/s= cardstock Green Glue- Tombow Multi-purpose glue (the lids are green) LSS= Local scrapbook store Snail- that adhesive we use that's like 'white-out' (Simple, Neat, Adhesive, In Line) DSP= Designer Series

New Ronald McDonald Stamp

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Every year, Stampin' Up! offers a stamp where they give part of the purchase price to the Ronald McDonald House charity. Every time someone purchases the set, Stampin' Up! donates $3 towards the RMH fund. This year's stamp is called "Moving Forward". It contains the following images: Dirigible, Tricycle, Sailboat, small Frog, small Bird, small flowers and a curlyque line that can be used for hopping frog, flying bird or whatever you can come up with. Each large image comes with a sentiment as well. The boat has 'thinking of you'. The dirigible has' happy birthday'. The tricycle has 'hello, dear friend'. I made a few adjustments and came up with something different. Here's  what I did. I'll be back later with some more. Oops. I totally forgot- the recipe: Stamp: Moving Forward- RMH stamp in back of new 2012-2013 catalog Ink: Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple, Midnight Muse Embellishment: Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon Th

New Goodies to Play With

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Well, the new Stampin' Up! catalog went live at Noon MST on June 1, 2012. I placed my demo order that afternoon and got the box on Friday, June 8th. What did I get? Well first of all, Stampin' Up! has this amazing offer for demos. In the month of your birthday, you get to order 1 thing of your choice for an additional bonus off. So you get the regular demo discount of 20% and 15% bonus. It's set up so you get it off of the first item you order. So, make sure it's not an ink pad or something else that's under $10. I got some bonus cash this year so I splurged on myself (I almost never do that) and bought the new Big Shot die. It's the Typeset Alphabet Bigz and it comes with 4 die blocks. You get the whole alphabet, numbers 0-9, and 1 symbol, the "&". They are the perfect size for all sorts of things. I took this picture so you can see the size and see my new In Color (2012-2014) markers. The cuts are the same height as the cap from our markers. A

New Catalog Open House

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It's here! The new catalog is here. You can see it  here  but I know you want one in your hands. My wish list is HUGE!  I got some things in my pre-order and have been happily stamping for swaps and for the Open House. When is it, you say? It's tomorrow! That's Friday June 8th. It'll be at my home. I have lots of things planned so stay for a little while or stay longer, it's up to you. There will be door prizes, raffles, retired item special. Purchase $50 or more from the new catalog and pick a retired set for FREE! Yes, that a free set when you buy new stuff. I'll also have other retired items for sale or as door prizes. This time I'm doing a 50/50 drawing. 50% goes to the winner and 50% goes towards my monthly charity. For the month of June, the charity is St. Jude's. Come see the new In Colors, come play with the new style of ink pads and see new stamp sets. Complete the make n take (that's make the project and take it home). Lots of fun

Wedding in April

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My friend got married in April. It was a wonderful party, well worth the wait. I made the wedding favors. She wanted something "daisy-like" to match her bouquet. It was blue, orange and purple. So I went with the Triple Treat Flower which is only with us until May 31st this year. ( #122909 - $8.95  through : my demo website  ) I'm sad to see it go but I'm keeping it in my collection so I'll have it for future days where you come to an open stamp at my house.In any case, the favors were a hit. Everyone loved them, especially the children. My friend's grand-daughter and niece watched me as I set them out on the table.  Lil said, " Hi June. Ooooh, pretty. Flowers! Ohhhhh! Candy!" At the end of the evening, I think more favors were eaten by 2 little girls than by anyone else. They knew what their favorites were too. They both ate almost all of the Rolos. They left the kisses for everyone else.

Here I go again.......

....trying to keep up with the blogging in my already packed full life. The problem is is that I love to blog. I love sharing what I do with everyone. I want people to see my card, gifts and projects. The past couple of days I finally got to add the photos that I've promised. I put up the pictures of Easter eggs dyed with Stampin' Up! re-inkers. That was a lot of fun. We had 2 1/2 dozen eggs at the end. Best of all? I didn't buy an egg decorating kit. I'm never buying one again. All I have to do is use what I have here for re-inking. Did I mention that I hoard scrap book and stamping supplies? I have spools of unopened, retired ribbon. I have eyelets from years ago. I have large, small, metallics, flowers, ovals, hearts, etc. I  still  have a roll of silver twine from when we carried silver, gold, and copper. I know some of you out there are trembling. I can feel your eyes looking at my blog and hoping. Hoping that there's a chance for you to get your hands on some

New Catalog is Coming!

Stampin' Up! has changed the dates of our year to be from June 1st- May 31st. What does this mean? It means the new catalog will be available on June 1st.You can see the new catalog online on June 1st. You can have your catalog in your hot little hands on the 8th. . I will hold an open house on Friday June 8th to come get your catalog, see the new In Colors- There's a new Christmas Combo ;) , make a card with a new set, sign up for stamp club, win prizes, etc. Can't come? If I don't have your address, mssg it to me and I will ship your book after the open house. Can't wait to share all the new cool things! If you join the stamp club- either through the mail or at my home, your catalog will be coiled, covered and personalized. Club is a 6 month commitment. I have openings in the current club. We meet once a month at my home for an evening of fun, stamping, and socializing. We learn new techniques and get to make cards, gifts, and scrapbook pages. Each month we r

Occasions Mini Sets still available

The following sets from the Occasions mini will be carried over to the new catalog starting June 1st. Stampin' Up! has given us an extra bonus as well. You can purchase these sets now so that you can enjoy them while waiting for the new stuff. I know that many of you wait to find out if certain sets will be in the next catalog before buying them. This list contains the English, Spanish and French versions as well. So if the name doesn't look familiar, it's probably one of the other languages. We don't have new stamps yet but very soon. The following stamp sets are available for purchase. We hope you will enjoy this extra little sneak peak to the annual catalog.   Stamp Set Name  Item Number  Wood-Mount  Clear-Mount  Baby Prints          125470      125472  Love & Laughter  125475  125477  Bordering on Romance  125480  125482  Apothecary Art  125525  125527  Mixed Bunch  125535  125537  Tea Shoppe  125545  125547  Mouthw

Black and White with a Splash

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I just finished a swap. Basically I trade card ideas with other demos. We all get great ideas so we can share them with other demos and our customers. This swap's requirements were to use only back and white or vanilla for cardstock and ink. Then you added a splash of color. The color could only be an embellishment. An embellishment is a little something extra. So a button, brad or ribbon would be one. Also colored embossing powder, baker's twine (one of my new favorite things) and gems. These really bring your cards to life. You don't get these things on a card from the store. Cards from the store are single layer and don't have much of a pop. They are usable, yes but not something you want to save other than to remember the moment it celebrates or the person that sent it to you. Handmade cards are different. You want to cherish these a little longer. My mother-in-law had several cards displayed on a wall in her bedroom. She loved that I made cards just for her and

Stamps in the mail club

Do you love my classes but cannot come the same date I scheduled them? Maybe you used to live near here and now you've moved. You may have not ever lived near me or attended my classes but you have seen my work and love it and want to know how to make the same. Well, I have a great solution for you. Stamps in the mail! How it works: Each month I will create several projects. I will include photos and instructions. Each quarter will focus on a main stamp set. Each additional month we will build on that set. For example, the set Lovely as a Tree is an old favorite. The first month you'd purchase Lovely as a Tree and a few basic supplies. Then (your choice): I will mail you the instructions and photos or you would go to my Facebook group for this session of the club. The next month we'll change it up, add another stamp, some more accessories and new projects. The 3rd month we'll add more on to the package and make more projects. At the end of each quarter, you will have ma

Easter Eggs

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Well, Easter was Sunday and we still have a bunch of colored eggs left. The dye project was a success. We dyed the eggs with Stampin' Up! reinkers. I have to say that my favorite colored egg was Calypso Coral. That is such a pretty color. It really is a spring shade too. To dye the eggs: In a cup, bowl, dish... add enough cold water to cover the egg. Then add 1 tablespoon of vinegar. White works best but apple cider worked as well. I'm sure any kind you have will work. I probably wouldn't use balsamic because that just wouldn't be cost effective. I try to stretch my dollar and I want you to as well.  Stir to mix the water and vinegar. Then add reinker until the shade you want is achieved.  We used 7-15 drops per cup to get varied shades. It took a minute or two to dye each egg. Then we dried them on the bottom of the paper egg carton and wiped them with a paper towel with a few drops of cooking oil on it to give the eggs some shine. We used Sweet Shop stickers

All Fixed and Vendor Event

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I finally have my computer up and working again! Yeah! I've been crafting some cute things in the meantime. Did you follow my blog in January? Will you please email me your address if I don't have it? I have some prizes to award. Future Follow my Blog awards will be drawn from those who post comments. Comments sometimes get lost in my email. My business cards are in. They are super cute. A little hard to read on the back with the tiny font but I still love them. I will be at Joe's Crab Shack in Merrillville (Hobart), Indiana tomorrow (Thursday Feb 23rd) from 5:30- 7:30 or 8. I'll have some minis and SAB minis as well as samples from both. I have a few items for sale but I'm really looking to fill my calendar. Take advantage of Sale-a-Bration  and get this super cute (image lower left) bag for having a qualified workshop of $150 or more. Book a workshop at the event and get to pick an extra prize from my bucket.

FREE! My Digital Studio

Free copy of My Digital Studio. Come play and try it out. See if you like it before you buy it.  http://mydigitalstudio.net/software   To get the software. There's even tutorials and step by step projects to help you get started. When it first came out, I wondered if I would even use such a program. After all, I love scrap booking but the reason I chose Stampin' Up! over some of the other companies is that I LOVE bumpy scrapping. Brads and buttons-ribbon, eyelets and all sorts of other goodies. So why would I want a program that doesn't have that at all? So I played with it and have come to love it. I use it to my things for my blog and email......those aren't bumpy. I also use it to try out layouts for pages and cards. It sure saves me a lot of time and paper. After I've gotten my ideas ready, then I can go to paper. MDS is perfect for making your own family Christmas cards or that one of a kind gift. This past year, I made a small book. I used my pictures and adde

Sale A Bration Drawing

I've been having a fine time with all the fun products from Sale a Bration. I finally got my stamps and my new computer. I'm hoping to figure out pictures really soon. In the meantime, I'm doing a raffle box.  I have a sheet with squares. Each square is $3. When the squares are full, I will draw 3 numbers. The first person will get $50 worth of product and a hostess set, the 2nd and 3rd numbers will get $50 in product. Each person will also be able to pick a SAB item as well. We have stamps, paper, brad and ribbon pack, a cute decor element, brights buttons, and in color cardstock. If the sheet is filled by the end of February, we can do another one in March. That way we can get 6 winners. http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/20120124_SAB_en-US.pdf   This is the link to the Sale A Bration catalog

My Digital Studio and Sale A Bration

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The Sale a Bration catalog this year offers a CD for the My Digital Studio. You'll find all the stamp sets, colors, embellishments, etc on the CD. I had a little fun playing with the Fresh Vintage set. Here's a tag. It didn't take that long and it's really cute.

New Signature

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My computer is still down but I used my friend's MDS to make a new signature. I really need to help her get color updates. This will work for now and then I'll fix it. Sale A Bration started today and will go through the end of March. I will put an order in this week. \