Northwest Stamper

Author: Jennifer

  • The 2013 Stampin’ Up! Retirement List and Giveaway Starts Today!

    Well, the retirement list is here and it is a bit of a doozy thanks to the retirement of 10 colors and their related inks, papers, and accessories!  But hey, get up to 60% off some of the retiring accessories.  🙂

    So grab a drink and find a cozy spot to check out the list and see if anything from your wishlist is saying it’s final good-byes!

    Stampin' Up Retired Stamps list RETIRING STAMPS PDF

    Stampin' Up! Retired Accessories

    RETIRING ACCESSORIES PDF – Up to 60% off!

    NOTE: Stamps will be available until June 3rd but anything on the accessories list is while supplies last!  So grab them before they sell out!

    You can check out all of the Retiring Items in the Online Store Here

    Retirement List Prediction Contest Winner & NEW GIVEAWAY!

    I wanted to thank everyone who sent in your predictions.  There were some great guesses and amazingly I had 2 people who had 9 stamp sets guessed correctly and both of them missed by guessing It’s A Wrap Occasions!

    …..CONGRATULATIONS to…..
    Sarah Lassey for being the first in with 9 correct guesses!
    She wins $15 in retiring products!

    and because it was so close in count,

    …..CONGRATULATIONS to….
    Melanie Carey!  You get a runner up prize of $10 in retiring products. 🙂

    But even if you didn’t win that contest, I have a special giveaway to kick off the countdown to the retirement of a ton of great products and the unveiling of a fabulous new catalog in June!

    free stamp set

    That is right!  From now until 4/28, place an online order using Hostess Code EQ9PM3NX and for every $25 in product you order, you will get your name in a hat to win a free stamp set of your choice!

    I’ll be tracking entries based using the hostess code, so make sure you enter EQ9PM3NX from your shopping cart in the online store or email me at jennifer@nwstamper.com with your order to be entered!  So, grab those last chance items and you may be getting a bonus stamp set to go along with it!

    Shop now & Be Entered to Win!

    So, what are your favorites that made the list?

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • Swaps to Share Using By The Tide + LAST DAY for the Retirement List Contest!

    Last week was an exciting time for me because I registered for the 25th Anniversary Stampin’ Up! convention in July, got travel all arranged for convention, and then got to participate in a Sneak Peek preview party for the NEW Annual catalog!  It was almost too much excitement for me as I was soooo hyped up on adrenaline by the end of the night on Saturday!

    But it got me thinking about swaps and I remembered I had a number of swaps that I hadn’t shared from Leadership convention a few months ago and so I thought I would pull out a few of them to share with you today.

    These cards all use the By The Tide stamp set from the Spring Catalog.  I’ll admit, this stamp set totally isn’t my thing, but obviously a lot of other people like it as my mom has a similar stamp set from a few catalogs ago and I got 3 cards while swapping using the set!

    I thought these were great ideas and even if you don’t love the stamp set, you can use different papers and stamps and make other great cards!

    Created by Nancy Smith

    Created by Emma Fewkes

    Created by Allison Okamitsu

    Fun card ideas huh?

    Have You Sent in You Retirement List Contest Entry?

    Don’t forget you have until 3pm TODAY to get in your predictions for the Retirement List Contest!

    All you have to do is pick 10 stamps or stamp sets that are in the 2012-2013 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog and send your predictions to me in an email.  Whoever gets the most right, wins a prize from me!

    What are you playing for? Win $15 to spend on your favorites from the Retirement List!
    Guess all 10 correctly and win $20 off your order instead!

    How to Play

    1. Grab your copy of the 2012-2013 Annual Catalog an start flipping, or check out the catalog online here.
    2. Write down the 10 stamp sets or single stamps that are in the catalog that you think will be retired this year (not including hostess sets)
    3. Email me your list of predictions to jennifer@nwstamper.com by April 23rd at 3pm PST
    4. Watch on April 24th for the Retirement List to be released!
      With the discontinued colors and changing color families, I expect this list to be a big one; so you won’t want to miss out!

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • Trying Out Ombre with a Fun Piercing Card

    At a recent class, I focused on different ways to use Paper Piercing in your projects.  Well, we made this card as a way to show how you can use a design from the Paper Piercing Templates without needing to have the matching Big Shot die or punch.

    See, as much as I think of myself as a hoarder of Big Shot dies and embossing folders, I still have managed to get by without the Apocathary Accents framelit set (I’m sure this will be fixed in the future though Smile)  But I had the piercing template and thought this shape would be a nice accent for some punched out butterflies.

    You can see it a bit better in this picture:

    I also pierced my Whisper White paper and glued it down so that the “backside” of where I pierced was what was facing up on my card (the pierced parts poke up and out from the paper instead of pushing into the paper).

    Plus this was a fun attempt to try out the Ombre trend.  I played with a few color themes but settled on Blues as my colors of choice.  I used the following blues in this card:

    • Baja Breeze
    • Pool Party
    • Island Indigo
    • Night of Navy

    But grab your favorite colors and try it out with pinks, greens, or purples.  Or you can step it up like some of the gals in my class did and start layering in on different blues using the Bitty Butterfly punch and layering them over these Elegant Butterfly punch outs.  Let me just say they look super pretty!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

    Supples Used
    Paper – Whisper White, Baja Breeze, Pool Party, Island Indigo, Night of Navy
    Accessories – Paper Piercer, Essentials Paper Piercing Pack, Piercing Mat, Elegant Butterfly Punch

  • Scrapbooking Sunday: Layering, Misting, and More!

    I’ve been trying to start up scrapbooking classes each month… partially because I wanted to have some balance in my classes and also because I am dreadfully behind on my scrapping.  So, creating layouts for a class forces me to get some extra pages done!

    So, this month, I ended up turning to the Tea for Two suite from the Spring Catalog as my inspiration in creating two 12×12 pages.  I designed them so they could stand alone or be a two page spread.

    Layout #1: Best Things in Life

    So, this page is designed with the Basic Grey pieces to be mats for 4×6 photos – that means once you drop in your pictures there will a little grey mat plus the Old Olive mat behind that.

    My favorite embellishment is this layered flower above the photos:

    I took one of the Tea Lace Doilies (one of the best deals in the catalog! You get 24 doilies for only $2.95) and I sponged it with a sponge dauber and Calypso Coral ink.  You just have to be careful that you don’t rub too hard or you will tear part of the doily off.  Thankfully, in this case, you can tuck the yucky part (like I did!) under the grey photo mat.

    Then I stamped the flower image from Betsy’s Blossom and punched it out with the 1-3/4” Scallop Circle punch.  For the top layer, I used one of the new Designer Build a Brads to create a cute topper.

    Now, here is the trick – I snipped off the brad tines from the back of the Build a Brad!  Then stick your brad into a Stampin’ Dimensional and stick it to the front of your embellishment.  This raises the brad up off of the photo mat so you have room to slide your photo underneath!

    I also thought it needed something in the upper corner so I used Besty’s Blossom again for the bird and leaves.

    And I used this great sentiment from the Feels Good stamp set for my title.  If you are wondering about the shape I used for the title block, it is actually the largest of the Labels Framelits that I hung off the corner of the page and then snipped away all of the extra.

    Layout #2:  Misting Fun

    This is the second layout we created.  I’ll try to go fast since I know this post is getting totally long. Smile  This page was my “play with all the tools on my craft table” layout.

    First I started by misting the corners of my base paper.  I started with Whisper White cardstock and then spruced it up by making my own So Saffron mist.

    ***************************

    To make your own mist, add some rubbing alcohol to one of the Stampin’ Spritzers.  Then add a few drops of your favorite re-inker to the mix and shake it up.   I would add about 10 drops of reinker for about every 1/4 of the spritzer bottle you fill with alcohol.

    ***************************

    Then I used my Color Spritzer and my Calypso Coral marker and spritzed over the So Saffron mist with Coral splatter.  It adds just a touch of coral to the page without jumping out at you.

    Finally a few more touches… I used some of the Pool Party Core’dinations cardstock (sanded down of course!) to accent my photo mat for my 5×7” photo.  Then I cut out more of the images from the Betsy’s Blossom stamp set for a corner embellishment, which is also popped up on dimensionals so you can stick your photo underneath.

    Finally I had to grab some of my new This and That items to finish it out.  The rotary date stamp for the banner label (I wasn’t sure which picture I wanted to use so I left the date blank) plus some washi for more color at the bottom of the page!

    Whew!  Ok, made it through all those photos!  I just love scrapbook pages though because you can use all your different papers, tools, and accents to make one big cool design.

    So hopefully this gave you some new idea and I’d love to hear what you think about these pages.  I love hearing what you think in comments, so if you have a minute please leave a comment and let me know what you think!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

    Supples Used
    Stamps     – Betsy’s Blossom, Feels Good, This or That rotary date stamp
    Paper – Whisper White, So Saffron, Old Olive, Basic Grey, Tea for Two designer paper, Pool Party core’dinations cardstock
    Ink – Chocolate Chip, So Saffron, Old Olive, Calypso Coral, Calypso Coral marker, So Saffron reinker
    Accessories – Tea Lace Doilies, 2011-2013 In Color Printed brads, Stampin’ Spritzers, Color Spritzer, This and That washi tape, Designer Build a Brads, Stampin’ Dimensionals, 1 3/4” Scallop Circle punch, Big Shot, Labels Framelits, Spone Daubers, Itty Bitty Punch Pack, Stampin’ Sanding System

    image

  • How to Make Your Own Flocking & Add Fuzz to Your Projects

    When I was playing with the Swallowtail stamp, I realized that it was a big stamp… seriously, like background sized big stamp.  And I was trying to figure out how I wanted to use it.  So, I cut and I played, but I really wanted to keep the full butterfly image for my card.  So I let go of my 4 1/4” x 5 1/2” boundaries and let my butterfly fly!

    But then as I was working on the rest of my card, I decided that the Honeycomb embossing folder looked a bit too tall… too sharp for my card.  So I grabbed my handy sanding block and started rubbing down the layers.  When I was done, I was much happier with my cardstock and I had a ton of extra fuzz collecting on my desk.

    That fuzz makes awesome flocking!  If you don’t know what flocking it, it is like glitter only instead of being a jar full of reflective bits, it is a jar full of fluffy fuzz.  It is perfect to add as a layer over parts of your stamped image or card that you want to have a plush texture and when you make your own, it perfectly matches the rest of your project.

    Here is a close up of how my honeycomb looked when I was done sanding and you can kind of see the butterfly body too:

     

    I even made a video so you can see how I made it!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

    Supples Used
    Stamps     – Swallowtail, Fabulous Phrases
    Paper – Whisper White, Crumb Cake, Lucky Limeade, Wisteria Wonder
    Ink – Early Espresso
    Accessories – Big Shot, Honeycomb Embossing Folder, Rhinestones, Sanding Block, Stampin’ Dimensionals

    image

  • Stampin’ Up! Retirement List Prediction Contest!

    Are You Up for a Guessing Game?

    Each year, as we enter into the last month of the Annual Catalog and demonstrators start getting their preview copies of the upcoming catalog, everyone starts wondering and guessing which products will be discontinued and what fun new things are coming out soon!

    Well, in the spirit of the Oscar prediction games – I’m running a Stampin’ Up! Retirement List prediction game!

    Guess which stamp will retire from this 2012-2013 Annual Catalog

    All you have to do is pick 10 stamps or stamp sets that are in the 2012-2013 Stampin’ Up! Annual Catalog and send your predictions to me in an email.  Whoever gets the most right, wins a prize from me!

    What are you playing for? Win $15 to spend on your favorites from the Retirement List!
    Guess all 10 correctly and win $20 off your order instead!

    How to Play

    1. Grab your copy of the 2012-2013 Annual Catalog an start flipping, or check out the catalog online here.
    2. Write down the 10 stamp sets or single stamps that are in the catalog that you think will be retired this year (not including hostess sets)
    3. Email me your list of predictions to jennifer@nwstamper.com by April 23rd at 3pm PST
    4. Watch on April 24th for the Retirement List to be released!
      With the discontinued colors and changing color families, I expect this list to be a big one; so you won’t want to miss out!

    If you are on my mailing list – I will email out the full list of everything that is retiring on the 24th and announce a winner for this game (I’ll also be posting this information here on the blog too).
    In the event of a tie, I will name the winner based on the earliest timestamp on the emails I receive.

    A few rules:

    • Anyone may send me their predictions but only non-demonstrators can win my prize.  If you are currently a Stampin’ Up! demonstrator, enjoy the demo community chatter and sneak peeks from Stampin’ Success and other demo events. 🙂
    • If the retirement list leaks out early, I reserve the right to shut down the contest part of the game early.

    So, get flippin and enjoy the guessing game of what will stay and what will go!  I can’t wait to see what everyone predicts!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • Pair Up Those Punches!

    When they announced the Color Refresh and told us that 10 colors were going to be retiring, I looked at the list and was a little sad but overall thought that I didn’t use the colors that much and so I wasn’t going to miss them too much.

    Well, then I decide to pull out the colors and make a card with them…. who knew they were so cute together!?!

    Colors used:  Certainly Celery, Regal Rose, River Rock, Bashful Blue, Pretty In Pink

    Colors used: Riding Hood Red, Baja Breeze, More Mustard, Bravo Burgundy, Not Quite Navy

    These are my thank you cards for customers who ordered from me this month.  I decided to pull out my punches and using them to create layered embellishments.  And if you didn’t grab this Petite Curly Label Punch during Sale-a-bration, it is now available to order too!
    Anyway, it turns out, that mixing and matching shapes and colors looks pretty cool. Smile Use a stamp to act as a background for your embellishments and they will pop just that much more!

    Just a Note:
    If you love any of these colors, be sure to be checking your stash!  Some of the ink and papers are already selling out, so be sure to hop over to the online store and grab your favorites before they run out too!
    Get the full details about the color refresh here!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

    Supples Used
    Stamps     – Oh Hello
    Paper – Whisper White, River Rock, colors listed above
    Ink – Sahara Sand, Certainly Celery or Not Quite Navy
    Accessories – Petite Curly Label Punch, Bitty Punch Pack, Natural Trim Ribbon, Stampin’ Dimensionals

  • When You Need A Bright And Cheery Card

    how about this one? All you need is some scraps and a couple punches and you have a sunshiney card for someone.  I always seem to make 4.25” x 5.5” cards (since they fit so nicely in envelopes that the post office will mail with a standard stamp) but sometimes just a little card you can tuck into a gift bag, someone’s backpack, or just surprise someone with, is fun to play to with different sizes and shapes.

     Mixed Bunch Oh hello thanks

    This 3×3 card comes together super fast too!  For this card I used:

    Stamps:  Oh Hello
    Paper: Brights Collection Designer Paper Stack, Pumpkin Pie cs, Very Vanilla CS
    Ink:  Early Espresso
    Accessories:  Blossom punch, 1 1/4” circle punch, 1” circle punch, Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon, Snail adhesive

    So, try different colors or sentiments and you can have a rainbow of spring flowers brightening up your crafting space. Smile 

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • All Dolled Up Card Kit is Here

    Do you remember a few months back when Stampin’ Up! asked for entries for their “Submit a Project” contest?  Everyone got to vote on 3 finalists and this card won.

    dolled up card

    Well, now the kit is here and they just posted all the details. Smile  Looks like you get everything you need to make 6 copies of this card.  Plus, you’ll get the sentiment stamp as a photopolymer stamp as well.  All you need is adhesive (and maybe a clear block).

    Dolled Up Kit

    Get the kit online here

     

    And if you have most of these supplies at home already, try it out as a fun idea for a card to make at home!

    Think you have a great project idea?

    Stampin’ Up! is also taking entries for the next project kit – Birthday themed!  Here are the details if you want to submit:

    The Not-So-Fine Print

    • This program is available to both customers and demonstrators.
    • While your projects should not include retired products, they may include products not created by Stampin’ Up!, such as jars or frames.
    • Projects must fit into the specified category: Birthday.
    • Projects can be cards, scrapbook pages, home décor, holiday décor, birthday decorations, etc. If you can make it with Stampin’ Up! product, you can submit it!
    • Submit your projects by e-mail. Send an image (less than 2 MB), supply list, and instructions for creating the project to kitideas@stampinup.com. In the subject line, include the name of your project.
    • Please keep in mind that all submissions become the property of Stampin’ Up! once received. We reserve the right to change project elements, the name, or any feature to make the kit easy to reproduce.
    • What’s in it for you? Glad you asked! Those who submit the winning kit will:
      • See it – your photo, name and project will be posted online.
      • Flaunt it – you’ll receive “blog badge” for your personal blog or website.
      • Spend it – you wouldn’t be a winner without a $100 Stampin’ Up! shopping spree.
    • That’s not all! Those whose submissions are in the top 20 will also receive product used in the winning kit or a $25 shopping spree of their own.

    So enjoy the quick and easy with the new kit, and good luck if you choose to submit for the next round!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • Another Print Poetry Idea

    Today is the LAST DAY to RSVP for our Print Poetry stamp camp or sign up for a kit in the mail.  So, I thought I’d share one of the cards we created as an idea for the event but ultimately didn’t make the cut for the class this time (though I know I’ll be using the design in the future!)

    This uses the Lacy and Lovely stamp set plus the Print Poetry designer paper and notecards & envelope set.  It is super fast to make and cute to boot!

    One tip for this card is that for the doily image, I stamped in Crumb Cake ink on a piece of scratch paper first and then stamped on my card.  This gives you a lighter image so that the sentiment can really stand out.

    Want to make more cute cards like this?

    Sign up for the Print Poetry stamp camp or kit in the mail!  You will be able to get the instructions after today, but this is the last day to RSVP for kits!  Refer a friend and get a bonus in your box!

    Get everything you need to create 6 cards and a box to store them in, plus instructions so you can make them again and again with different papers and stamps!

    Print Poetry Stamp Camp

    Get all the details here

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

  • Have You Heard? Black Ink Updates & New Wood Mount Cases!

    When I woke up this morning, I saw that Stampin’ Up! had put together a sneak peek video on one of the new improvements that will be coming out with the new annual catalog in June and I was so stinkin’ excited that I had to share!  Plus there have been some other product updates and announcements that have just come out (updates on the black ink and color refresh) so today is all about getting caught up!

    Update on the Black Ink Issues

    imageSo, after the introduction of the Firm Foam ink pads, some of the colors had to be reformulated including the Basic Black ink.  After the reformulation, some people noticed that their new black ink pads were not drying well and would smear a while after stamping.

    Stampin’ Up! has been working all year with their manufacturer to find a way to adjust the ink formula to keep that from happening and they just announced that they have found a solution and have implemented the change!  (They adjusted the amount of dye in the ink refill liquid)

    You should still see the rich black color but have it dry much faster now – more like the rest of the colors.  Yay!

    So if you’ve been waiting, you can get the new ink here:  Ink pad  |  Ink Refill

    Color Refresh Update – Items are Selling Out

    I’ve mentioned before that with the change in the Color Families coming out in the new catalog, Stampin’ Up! has discontinued 10 current colors.  This means that the ink, cardstock, ink refills, and accessories for these colors are while supplies last.

    I know that bunch of you have jumped on getting stocked up on your favorites, but if you haven’t yet, I wanted to update you on what is selling out.  So far the following is gone:

    • Baja Breeze – reinker
    • Bashful Blue – reinker
    • Certainly Celery – reinker, 8 1/2” x 11 cardstock
    • Not Quite Navy – reinker
    • Pretty in Pink – reinker
    • Regal Rose – reinker, 8 1/2” x 11 cardstock
    • River Rock – reinker

    Want all the details about which colors are leaving and what 10 new colors are coming? I have pictures and info posted here!

    New Wood Mount Cases Are Coming!

    In the Stampin’ Success, a magazine for demonstrator, Stampin’ Up! has revealed some of the new products that are coming our way in a couple months (can I just say I cannot wait to see the new catalog!)

    One of the things I am most excited about right now is a new style of wood mount cases!  Yay!  I like the clear clamshell cases they currently have but the problem is that when I try to store them, the tabs that make it easy to open and close the cases get caught on each other and with all the different size cases, it can be like a game of Tetris trying to make everything fit!

    You know you play the game trying to figure out how to stack your cases so they fit on your shelf and don’t fall over as soon as you pull out one. Smile

    So, they will be coming out with cases for the wood mount stamps that are very similar to the clear mount cases!

    • Standardized sizes!  It looks like one bigger size to match the clear mount cases and a smaller size that is half height so you can fit two in the same space as one tall one.
    • Stamp images on the spine!  So you can stack them up like books and know what all the stamps are in the box!
    • Get extra cases for your old sets!  Just like how you can get extra clear mount cases, you will be able to buy extra wood mount cases too.
    • A template for creating your own stamp labels!  So if you are like me and are going to move your old stamps into the new boxes, you can easily create a label for your box.  I’m soooo glad they are doing this, making it easy for us!

    Want to see them?  Check out the video:

     

    Lots of exciting stuff!  If you have any questions, let me know!

     

    To Order Stampin’ Up! Products Anytime, click here!

    Don’t Forget!  RSVPs and mail order kit orders are due soon for the Print Poetry Class coming up on April 20th!
    Can’t make the party?  Class by mail and instruction only options are available – check it out here

    Print Poetry Camp & Class by Mail