Stamped Sophisticates

Download Free Stampin' Up! Catalogs - including the Summer mini catalog

Saturday, October 01, 2011

Free Big Shot when you join Stampin' Up! Oct 1-31, 2011

Join Stampin' Up Oct 1-31 and get a free Big Shot or up to $100 in Free Products

The Big Shot is a Big deal. During October, explore your creativity by becoming a Stampin' Up! demonstrators and you'll get a FREE big Shot (or up to $100 in free Stampin' Up! products!

Find out full details here. You can sign up on line immediately and start enjoying your 20% discount immediately this month for all your holiday projects. (AND an extra 10% discount on your first order!)

Remember, when joining Stampin' Up! you can customize your starter kit with stamps of equal or lessor value, and the paper and ink colors you want.

The new-demonstrator Starter Kit--a steal at just $175--includes over $345 worth of stamp sets, card stock, ink, accessories, and business supplies.
New demonstrators may purchase the standard or Digital+ Starter Kit, and may add the stampin' Memories, Definitely Decorative, or My Digital Studio Software Add-On for the regular add-on price. In addition, new demonstrators may substitute a Textured Impression Embossing Folder ($7.95 or less; see catalog pages 218-219) for the Always Bird Decor Elements (p. 233) that comes standard int he Starter Kit.

Note: Approximately one hour after compling your online demonstrator sign up, new demonstrators will be given access to a Promotional Product Bonus link on the Stampin' Up! order page (called OEX) via email. Here you will either enter the item number for the Big Shot (item 113439) or the item numbers for up to $100 in Stampin' Up! products. Products can be chosen from any current catalog and shipping is free!

There's never been a better time to join Stampin' Up! if you're from Texas. This January, Stampin' Up! will be hosting their Leadership Conference in San Antonio Jan 18- 20, 2012 for Supervisors and above.

In addition, they will also be holding a 1-day regional event on Saturday, January 21 - immediately after leadership -- at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Fun with friends. Workshop WOWs presented in demonstator booths, Mix and mingle Make & Takes with Stampin' Up providing all the Make & Take Supplies. Product sneak peaks, and swaps galore. All demonstrators may register on a first-come, first-served basis beginning Oct 26. If space permits, demonstrators may register guests on Nov. 2. Sign up as a Demonstrator now and so you'll be able to sign up for this wonderful opportunity to learn from the best in the industry!

Enjoy!

Donna Ross

Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator

SU Demonstrator Web Site: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/donnaross/

Download Free Stampin' Up! Catalogs - including the Summer mini catalog

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Spice Cake Suite

Where have I been? Early this month our mom decided she wanted to move from her 3 bedroom home to a 2-bedroom senior apartments and give up the upkeep of a house and yard. Great decision for an 89 year old lady who still drives and gets around just fine. She had such fun picking out paint colors, new appliances, a new love seat for her den, and setting up her "thing" in her new home. My sisters and brothers all managed to coordinate schedules and between last weekend and this week end, we moved her to her new home and help her get most of it set up and livablewith furniture in place, and with phone, cable TV and computer networks working. (Hi mom!)

Today's project builds on the Fall/ Thanksgiving theme from the past few weeks. I made a simple topper using the Note card die. It works great as a place card on a Thanksgiving table or as a gift bag topper. Click for larger image.

Here's what it looks like as a tent card. You can use it for any fall occasion -- or add a sentiment and use it for a special holiday. On the reverse side add a punched or printed label and hand letter names of your guests. Or, if you are a My Digital Studio Software users, you can personalize labels for each of your guests and print them on your home printer. I just love the colors! I stamped the leaves from Gently Falling in Soft Suede. It is a two-step stamp. I stamped with inside of the leaf with More Mustard. Then I inked the edges of each leaf using a sponge dauber with Cajun Craze. I switched to another dauber inked with More Mustard and stamped a little more in the center of each leaf

Here's what it looks like as a bag topper. I used it for a small gift size of shower gel or hand and body lotion I picked up at a bath shop. I added a couple of brads to hold the topper to the cellophane bag. And I added a button with linen thread on the stems of the leaves for additional accents.

Here's the tent card coordinated with cards I've posted earlier. Turn one of the cards into an invitation to a fall event -- a birthday party or for Thanksgiving -- and coordinate your table with these cute tent card name places, use the back to label the food you're serving, or turn them into bag toppers for a small gift in cellophane bags at each place setting.

Visit my Online Store to buy the supplies to make this project
Recipe:

Stamps: Gently Falling (123802 (w), 123804 (c)), Teeny Tiny Wishes (Sentiment) (115370 (w))
Paper: Pool Party, Very Vanilla, More Mustard
Ink: Soft Suede, More Mustard, Cajun Craze
Accessories: Top Note Bigz Die (113463), Big Shot Die Cut machine (113439), Modern Label Punch (119849), Word Window Punch (119857), Sponge Daubers (102892); Regals Designer Buttons (119744), Linen Thread (104199), Regals Brads - More Mustard (119737), glue dots to hold the button in place

It is always such a special time when family gets together. We're spread across the country from California to Texas to Minnesota.

Mom Esterling surrounded by part of her immediate family. She grew up in a family of 13 children. She married an only-child who lived kitty-corner on the same block, and they had over 60 wonderful years together! She's blessed with great health and wonderful friends.

All my brothers and sisters were unable to all be together at one time over the past 10 days, but we did manage to see each other during different times of the week.

Enjoy, and thanks for indulging my pride in family!

Donna Ross

Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator

SU Demonstrator Web Site: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/donnaross/

Download Free Stampin' Up! Catalogs - including the Summer mini catalog

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Grateful to local firefighters and police

Today's post is dedicated to the brave firefighters and service personnel who served during 9/11. It is also a thank you to our local firefighters and police force who have been watching over our homes here in Houston as forest fires rage through our area because of the long drought we have experienced this summer.

Not only am I grateful for the human lives and homes that were saved by our local firefighters, I also wish there were a way to invite all the displaced animals to share the forest behind our home, which, up until now, has been untouched by the devastation of the fires.

For the past few days I've been fortunate to peacefully sit and watch the wildlife behind out home as I work on projects in my Craft Loft. Click photos for larger view.

If you have some time today to remember, here is a link to the 102 Minutes that changed America with an interactive map of eye witness accounts of 8/11 on History.com. Feel free to share this with your Facebook friends and family. Look for the Share link in the left hand side on my web site.

Donna Ross

Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator

SU Demonstrator Web Site: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/donnaross/

Download Free Stampin' Up! Catalogs - including the Summer mini catalog

Friday, September 09, 2011

Holloween Favor Baskets

Spooky Bingo Bits Treat Baskets
Pick Your Poison Quick Accents

Although it is still 95 degrees during the day in Texas, the evenings are beginning to cool down and I'm really getting into the mood for fall projects.

Here are two Halloween treat baskets using Spooky Bingo Bits stamp set. The treat baskets were cut using the Fancy Favor Bigz XL Die in the Big Shot, The handle was punched using the Ribbon punch. Click photo for a larger image.

Visit my Online Store to buy the supplies to make this project

Recipe:

Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits (123944 w, 123946 c), Delicate Doilies (122590-w; 122592-c)
Paper: Calypso Coral Texture cardstock, Wisteria Wonder Textured cardstock, Whisper White, Basic Black
Ink: VersaMark, Calypso Coral, Wisteria Wonder
Accessories: Lace Ribbon Border Punch (122362),Perfect Pennants Bigz L Die (123126), Scallop Square Punch (119884) 1-3/4" Circle Punch(119850), 1" Square punch(124094), Black Embossing Powder (109133), Powder Pal (102197), Big Shot Die Cut machine (113439), Heat Tool (100005)

Earlier this week I showed you samples of Halloween accent bottles using the Pick Your Poison Quick accents. Great for Halloween decorating! Look how well they coordinate with these little treat baskets. Wouldn't they make great favors baskets for a Halloween party, for trick-or-treaters, or to fill with treats for your co-workers? The Pick Your Poison self-adhesive Quick Accent labels apply quickly to bottles and jars turning them into great accents for the setting up a Halloween theme. Click the photo for a closer look.

The Pick Your Poison Halloween Quick Accents are also available as a digital Download (125614) for use with My Digital Studio software , which means you can easily make multiples of the same label if you want to use them on your baskets, rather than a stamped image. I love that Stampin' Up! makes it so easy to switch up how we use the wonderful design elements created by the Stampin' Up! artists. I've said it before, but I believe the images get better every year!

If you're in the Houston, TX area, check out my upcoming class using these products from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these cards.

Enjoy!

Donna Ross

Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator

SU Demonstrator Web Site: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/donnaross/

Download Free Stampin' Up! Catalogs - including the Summer mini catalog

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

Always Thankful and Spice Cake Designer Series Paper

The perfect stamp set for fall - Always Thankful
Instant gratification using Spice Cake digital download

Several weeks ago I saw a fall card from Vicki Burdick that I knew I had to case. The layout, color selection, and textures worked perfectly with the Always Thankful stamp set and the Spice Cake Designer Series Papers. I didn't have any of the Spice Cake Designer Series papers on hand, but I didn't want to wait until my order arrived. So I quickly downloaded the Spice Cake DSP Digital Download and used My Digital Studio software to printed out the patterned papers I wanted to use on my home printer! Instant gratification!

I used the layout in Vicki's original format, and then I flipped the format to better suit another image from the Always Thankful stamp set. Here's the results. Click for larger image.

Here's a close up of the vertical format. I used Stampin' Write Markers to color directly onto the rubber, which was a fast way to produce multiple images in color.

Here's the horizontal format of this card layout. For this card, instead of using Stampin' Write Markers alone, I decided to also use my poor neglected Watercolor Wonder Crayons to add and blend colors on the smaller items like the pumpkins, leaves, corn and gourds after the basic image was stamped. I used Stampin' Write Markers to color the image, using Basic Gray and Soft Suede Stampin' Write Markers. Huff to reactivate the ink before you stamp. Once the image was stamped, I used Watercolor Crayons to highlight area and then used a Blender Pen to slightly blend the colors in the Watercolor Crayons for a more natural look. I love how it turned out! Click for larger image.

Visit my Online Store to buy the Supplies to make this project

Recipe:

Stamps: Always Thankful (123787-w; 123789-c), Day of Gratitude (sentiment), 120835-w, 121148-c
Paper: Spice Cake Designer Series Paper Digital Download (125610), Soft Suede, Very Vanilla
Ink: Soft Suede, More Mustard, Pumpkin Pie, Old Olive, Basic Gray

Accessories: Big Shot Die Cut machine (113439), Square Lattice Textured Impressions Embossing Folder (119976), Mini Library Clips (109857), Early Espresso Brads (119736), Scallop Oval Punch (119856), Large Oval punch (119855), Decorative Label Punch (120907), Corner Rounder Punch, Stampin' Write Markers, Watercolor Wonder Crayons (119804, 119803) Paper Piercing Tool (116631), Mat Pack (105826),

Reminder: If you're in the Houston, TX area, check out my upcoming class using these products from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Let me know if you have any questions about any of these cards.

Enjoy!

Donna Ross

Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator

SU Demonstrator Web Site: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/donnaross/

Download Free Stampin' Up! Catalogs - including the Summer mini catalog

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

More Frightful Sights ...for Halloween

Frightful Sight Product Suite
Peekaboo Frames Bigz L Die

I love the way Stampin' Up! catalog groups stamps, dies, ribbons, and designer papers together into coordinated families to make it easier for newer stamps to see at a glance what works together. I'm working with the Frightful Sight Collection this week, creating projects for my class this week end. I want to show you the fun I'm having with the Frightful Sight product suite and the new Peekabook Frames Bigz L Die from the Holiday Mini catalog.

Take a look at this fun card. I used the Peekaboo Frames with my Big shot to create little windows and frames that let me highlight images from the Spooky Bingo Bits stamp set. This shows all of the Peekaboo Frames closed. Click for a larger image.

This show the same card with the two lower frames open and the top Peekaboo frame is still closed. This die also works perfectly for creating your own personalized advent calendar and works with the 25 & Counting stamp set on pp. 37 of the Holiday Mini catalog.

This shows all three of the Peekaboo frames open. With 24 images included in the Spooky Bingo Bits stamp set, you can use this basic card design and create themes from two or three of the images.

Visit my Online Store to buy the Supplies to make this project

Recipe:
Stamps: Spooky Bingo Bits (123944 -w; 123946-c)
Paper: Frightful Sight Designer Series Paper (122351), Cajun Craze, Whisper White, Basic Black, Old Olive
Ink: Old Olive, Cajun Craze, Black Staz-On.
Accessories: Big Shot Die Cut machine (113439), Peekabook Frames Bigz L Die (124587), Dimensionals, 1", 1-1/4 & 1-1/2 Circle Punches (119868, 119861), 1" & 1-1/4" Square Punch (124094 & 119865), Postage Stamp punch (122344), Spider Web Textured Impression Embossing Folder (120889)

Reminder: If you're in the Houston, TX area, check out my upcoming class using products form the Holiday Mini Catalog.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Enjoy!

Donna Ross

Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator

SU Demonstrator Web Site: http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/donnaross/