Jul 31, 2013 | specials, TV/Video/Web/Tech
The end of July brings mixed emotions for me – one month over in summer (boo) but a long weekend (yay). Stampin’ Up! has specials that are ending (boo) but new things on the horizon or that are staying around (yay). One of those new things is the latest in the series of free downloads! This is the desktop calendar download for August – featuring the new About to Blossom Digital Kit which is one of the latest new digital offerings. Get it now to decorate your screen!
Other exciting things to get ready for…..the Holiday Catalogue and some new products for purchase that will all arrive tomorrow – I will have live links up to make your August shopping more easy 😉 and don’t forget that the August Monthly Card Class takes place August 7th. Please register for the class by August 5th so that I can have enough supplies prepared. Last but not least, my monthly newsletter is coming out August 6th, so be sure to be on my mailing list to get it!
*phew* that was a lot of work (boo) but now I’m going to go papercraft for a while (yay)!!
Jul 30, 2013 | specials
As the end of the month draws near, so do these offers from Stampin’ Up! – so if you’ve been sitting on the fence about them, time to commit before they’re gone!
1) Buy 3 Get 1 Free – Select 3 Designer Series Papers, get 1 for free! (Excludes specialty paper). Last chance at this price to stock up for your papercrafting needs!
2) Single Stamps – these clear mount single stamp offerings are available only until July 31st. Fun stamps for fun occasions – once again, don’t miss out!
Click on the links to check out the items in the online store, or contact me if you have any questions.
Jul 29, 2013 | Information, MDS, scrapbooking
OK here’s the second page that I created in MDS from my recent girls trip to Utah/Arizona and Stampin’ Up!’s 25th Anniversary Convention. Melanie organized a stay in Kanab, where we stayed in a gorgeous huge house that actually belongs to Shelli Gardner (the co-founder & CEO of Stampin’ Up!)’s family. We toured the factory there and saw the sights, including a day trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This was my first trip to the Grand Canyon and it was fantastic – and my photos don’t do it justice.
So once again, I used a 12 x 12 photo page template in MDS and added my photos into it. I’ll do a quick video tutorial on how to create the image at the top (so stay tuned!). It’s actually three photo blocks that you “group” together, and then drag & drop your photo into place. It’s a great way to incorporate a larger photo to a pre-set layout. The bottom right photo is a fun set up that I have taken to doing whenever there’s an opportunity… A friend introduced me to this concept a few years back (OK a LOT of years back) when we were at Ayer’s Rock or Uluru in Australia. You find a spot where there’s an outcropping or a downhill slope area, then set yourself up so it looks like you’re hanging off the edge! Again, note that I say it LOOKS like you’re hanging off the edge. You are TOTALLY safe. This being said, we did see some crazy people climbing out to the edge for photo ops, and I couldn’t even look at them – too stressful for me. I have enough stress in my life without adding to it.
Here’s me, Dana and Sue (Sue being the only one who looks convincing in this shot…..) cropped photo ready to go…
and here’s the uncropped photo showing how we did it (not that you couldn’t figure it out yourself, I’m sure…LOL). This was taken by an innocent passerby that we convinced to take the shot for us (and who didn’t get the instruction to take us from waist up). I’m sure she wondered what the heck we were doing….
We had so many laughs during our time together – I’m so fortunate to have found such good friends through crafting!
Jul 27, 2013 | Events, MDS, scrapbooking
I think I’ve now recovered from the excitement of Stampin’ Up!’s 25th Anniversary Convention! It was quite the gathering this year, with over 5000 demonstrators from North America and around the world descending upon Salt Lake City to celebrate. A few friends and I arrived in Utah a few days before the start to socialize and tour the area. Our friend Mel was kind enough to organize us for our road trip (and that was quite the job in itself…)
Here’s a page that I did featuring some images from convention – the centre shot is a picture of the stage – the “banners” could be different colours and have different background images on them – very cool. The top photos show the bag we received this year – we demonstrators always look forward to these! It’s a different design each time and comes loaded with supplies that we need to create our “Make & Take” projects (or in my case, “Take & Make”, since I usually just bring everything home and try to complete them then!). I really liked this year’s design, done in a classy white & silver motif. The only downfall….have you ever tried to negotiate through a crowd where everyone has a backpack??!! LOL At the right is me putting my card into the bin as part of the Guinness World Book of Records effort (a successful bid, too!).
The bottom row shows two of my friends getting recognition for their efforts this year in sales and downline promotions, and also enjoying the glitter shower at the end of convention. And…like true scrapbookers, taking photos of the event!!! We always have a fun time at these events, and I look forward to seeing my friends from year to year. Our circle of friends grows with new friends and group members that attend with us too! I’m hopeful that next year more of my demonstrator group will be able to attend with me. (Maybe YOU?!)
I made this page up quickly using a page template in MDS. It’s a 12 x 12 layout on a white background (which in hindsight, I probably should have changed to a different colour so you could actually see the borders of the page…DOH) I simply dragged & dropped the photos I wanted into the appropriate photo slots and was done! Instead of printing this page, I chose “share” and was able to save the page as a jpeg so I could upload here. I love digital scrapbooking because my photos are digital….and this way I can share them in a fun format rather than have them live on my hard drive where nobody gets to see them…
Come back tomorrow & I will share another quick page with you featuring a fun trick that you can do in MDS!
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Jul 22, 2013 | cards
While Stampin’ Up! has only been in Canada for 11 years now (and fewer in the South Pacific and Europe), it’s been in the US for 25 years. I just returned home from the 25th Anniversary Convention, and had a great time seeing friends from across North America
When Stampin’ Up! demonstrators gather together, one of the events that occurs is swapping. Demonstrators will make cards, or card-fronts more typically, and then trade them with other demonstrators. It’s a great way to share creative ideas with others. I like swapping, but in all honesty, usually don’t end up doing that much because I’ve run out of time to create something before I leave!! This year, unfortunately, was not much of an exception. I participated in a couple of organized swaps (meaning I actually signed up!) and did a version of this card for one of them. I did mean to actually recreate this card, but as I’m looking at the photo, I realize that I forgot to add in the black layer. Oh well! Still serves its purpose.
I look forward to sharing the ideas that I get in return – I’ll be sharing them with the demonstrators in my group at our get together, and will try to share some here at www.yamstamps.com and on the YamStamps Facebook Page.
In the meantime, I’m off to finish up final preparations for tonight’s Stampers Club! We are always welcoming new members to club, so let me know if you’d like to join us in August!
