Northwest Stamper

Tag: jennifer blomquist

  • Walkthrough Wednesday – Clean, Simple, and a little bit Funky 2015 Convention Card Swap

    Every year I go to the Stampin’ Up Convention in Salt Lake City and it is the highlight of my summer.  I mean, come on – getting to spend 3 days being surrounded by amazing creative ideas and even more creative men and women?!  What isn’t to love about that?  I always come away recharged and excited and filled with so many ideas.  And this year is no exception. Smile 

    Now, before I go, I always create some amount of swap cards.  Often I will make multiple designs because goodness knows I don’t have the patience for actually making 100 of the same card!  This year, I participated in 3 organized swaps and then made extra of those designs to swap out and about with random people.  This was my absolute favorite and also my last minute card too!  I literally designed and cut for it about 12 hours before my flight left for Salt Lake City! 

    It is quick to make and yet still has a lot of personality, which I love.  So I wanted to share it with you AND I have a Walkthrough Wednesday video tutorial below so you can see how to make it step by step.

    Tips for making this card:

    • Start with an idea that grabs you and build from there! 
      In my case, I really liked the idea of using the Sunburst from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set and having a Gold Foil Star in the center and then I started adding more paper and ribbon from there.
    • Don’t feel like your ribbon colors have to be a traditional match.  Mix and match and you’ll be surprised how fun things can turn out.  I used the Watermelon Wonder dotted lace trim and then added a layer of designer paper and a finishing touch of the Bermuda Bay sequin trim.
    • Find common elements to pull everything together.  Like in this case, I have gold sprinkled throughout and I have “shiny” too!  The paper and the star are both gold and the sequins tie in to the star by being shiny!
    • When trying to attach lace trim and paper, the tape runner (like the Stampin’ Up SNAIL work great) but for sequins, I prefer to either use glue dots to hold the ends down, or use a mini stapler to attach the ends.
    • If you can’t tell, Stampin’ Up has done something new with their Neutrals Designer Paper stack this year and has added in Gold and Silver metallic papers.  I like that they are metallic without looking like foil so I can add it in without it overpowering my projects.  It is really cool paper!

    Want to see how it all comes together?  Check out this video I put together to walk you through step by step with dimensions and all the great tips you expect along the way. Smile

     

    (note – if you are reading this post in email, you can get to the video here)

    Need any of the supplies so you can make this yourself?  (You can’t go wrong with any of the items I used in this card this week… they are all favorites that I totally recommend!)  You can find them all in my Online Store or click any of the pictures below to learn more about any of the supply items.

    Thanks so much for stopping by! I  hope you’ve been enjoying the Walkthrough Wednesdays… I’m looking at ways to change and improve my blog posts and ways I share my projects and so hopefully I’ll have more fun stuff for you soon. Smile 

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    Project Supplies Used:

  • Even More Remarkable You Card Samples and a Holiday Catalog Pre-Preorder Walkthrough!

    So much to share today including a new stamp set that I love and some of my Fun new goodies from the holiday catalog!

    Holiday Catalog Pre-Preorder Walkthrough

    As a convention attendee, we got the opportunity to preorder a select set of items from the upcoming Holiday Catalog while we were there!  I had to jump on getting a few items early before the main preorder starts today.  My order came in last night and so I had to do a quick video to share it since I know I’m not the only person who CAN’T WAIT to see what is new and coming!  I show what I have and open all my packs of paper so you can see all the patterns since I can’t post a video of all the pages of the catalog yet. Smile

    (Though, did you know?  If you pick up the Stampin’ Up starter kit starting today, you can get ANYTHING from the Holiday Catalog in you kit?  So you can preorder too!)

    I also shared some items I got from the Annual Catalog as well including this Remarkable You stamp set.  I had totally passed it by everytime I had gone through the catalog and then while I was at convention, I saw SO MANY awesome samples with it that I knew I had to have it.  Smile  So, it came on my order.  I shared one of the cards yesterday, but here are 5 more ideas to get you going:

    Remarkable You stamp set – available now!

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    Isn’t it pretty??  I can’t wait to play and watercolor with it!

    Weekly Deals are In!

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    View the weekly deals online

    Just a reminder – new weekly deals are out and 25% off!  You can grab yours in the online store or by emailing me… but just a heads up……

    PSST – Clearance Rack Updates are coming TOMORROW (8/5)!

    Just wanted to let you know that a little birdie told me that tomorrow the Clearance Rack will be updated with new items.  I’m not sure what is coming but you know I’ll be up and checking it out.  I would shop early and let me know by noon tomorrow if you want anything from the clearance rack so I can snag it before things start selling out.

    Finally, if you missed it:

    Get Half Off the First 2 Months of a New Paper Pumpkin Subscription

    Yup!  If you haven’t tried Paper Pumpkin yet, or took a break and have considered coming back, don’t miss this deal.  NOTE – if you had a prior subscription, you will need to start a new subscription with a DIFFERENT email address to get the 50% off discount of your first 2 months

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    get started with your subscription here – Join the Paper Pumpkin Fun!

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  • Sharing a Few of my Favorite Swaps

    After coming back from the Stampin’ Up convention, I had a TON of swap cards… ok, more like 120, but still, that feels like a ton!  I spent time over the last few days photographing the cards and finally have pictures of all of them.  I posted them all of my team facebook group (so if you are one of my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers, make sure you’ve checked out the album on our page!) But I want to share some of my favorites with you here on the blog too!

    I’ve hand picked a few that I’m going to go into detail on later this week, but for now I thought I’d get the party started with 6 cards that I loved and I hope at least one catches your eye too!

    I love how simple yet bold this card is.  Plus it also shows a great way to use that vegetable paper from the Farmer’s Market designer paper in a way that is cute!  I love this paper pack, but will admit to not having a clue on how to use some of the patterns.  So when I saw this card I had to swap for it!

    This is another simple yet super cute cards!  The heart is the Dazzling Diamond designer paper that she spritzed with Watermelon Wonder ink to create the matching heart.   If you haven’t tried this at home, here is how it works:

    To make custom color glitter paper:

    1. Start with Dazzling Diamond glimmer paper and cut down to near the size you need for your project
    2. Take a Spritzer and fill with rubbing alcohol
    3. Add 20-60 drops of your preferred color ink refill (like this Watermelon Wonder ink refill)
      the amount of drops varies how dark your color will turn out
    4. Place your paper in a cardboard box, standing upright
    5. Press on the top of the spritz bottle while holding the bottle UPRIGHT
    6. Keep spraying until you get the color you want and then set aside to dry

    It is also hard to tell, but the paper with the words on it is actually silvery so that it has a subtle shine to it.  That is from the Stampin’ Up Neutrals Background designer series paper stack.  Isn’t it cute!!

    I also had to swap for this gift card holder as soon as I saw it!  I love punch art and just thought he was totally adorable!  I haven’t measured the circles yet to recreate him but I can share once I do.

    It wasn’t until I went to photograph the card that I realized it was a gift card holder.  How clever is that? 

    This was one of the cards that made me realize that I needed the Remarkable You stamp set.  In fact, it is now arriving at my house tomorrow!  Yay!  It is so simple yet oh so pretty!  I’m thinking this may need to turn into one of my customer thank you cards soon. Smile

    I loved the added touch of the flowers being popped up for more dimension without distracting from the rest of the card.  Awesome, right?

    I thought this was such a clever use of the Celebrate Today bundle!  I love the balloon die cut, but thought making the cloud background and then adding the sun from the Kinda Eclectic stamp set and adding two circles for Mickey Mouse ears were great added touches.

    I saw my friend Michelle Suit working on swaps in the weeks leading up to convention and then she and her family went to Disney World.  It looked like such a fun time and she had the brilliant idea to take some of her Disney Themed swaps and get them signed by the characters in the park.  I even lucked in to one signed by Snow White!

    Finally, I have one more for you today.  This was a great card created by Angela McCormack – one of our Fun n’ Crafty Stampers!

    She always comes up with great card ideas and I loved how easy this is to make.  All the words are part of the single background stamp – A World of Thanks.  The trendy sketched words look great all together and then with some added punched hearts, stars, and some rhinestones, it just really comes together, don’t you think?

    I hope you enjoyed these ideas and will stop back by as I share even more this week!  Plus, I’ll be getting my first back of New Holiday Catalog Preorder Items and will be sharing them with you too!

    If you want to get your own swap cards, consider giving my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers group a try!  We have a Holiday Catalog group swap coming up, monthly swaps, AND you will be eligible to join us and hundreds of other demos by attending the On Stage Local events around the country in November where there is sure to be lots more swapping going on!  Get your starter kit and give it a test run here, we’d love to have you join us!


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  • Make Your Own Background Paper Using the Endless Thanks Stamp Set

    After an amazing week last week at convention, then coming home and being a single mommy for the week while my hubby is off on a business trip, it’s been busy to say the least.  I have had grand plans to get lots and lots done in the evenings after the kids went to bed but turns out I’m still recovering from the lack of sleep at convention (turns out your mid-30s body doesn’t bounce back as fast as your mid-20’s body… who knew?! Smile) and so I’m still catching up.  But one thing that I learned at convention and really took home with me is balance – figuring out how to make sure you make time for the important people and things in your life (like family and sleep) and then doing the rest (like photographing my cards from swap).  They make the good point, if I’m rested and my family isn’t crabby they haven’t seen me in a while, everyone is going to be happier!

    That said, I finally started photographing my pile of swaps from Convention… you see, I have a lot:

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    After over an hour of photographing cards, I almost have them all done!  I’ll be sharing some of my favorites here on the blog over the next week.  If you come to my classes and events, I’ll have many of them with me.  And if you are a member of my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers demonstrator group, I’ll upload all of the pictures this weekend!

    But while I finish working on that, I thought I’d share a card I made with the cute Endless Thanks stamp set:

    I was playing with this stamp set and trying to come up with something that only uses the new In Colors when I ended up with this design.  It shows a fun way you can use your stamps to make your own background paper.

    Tips for making this card:

    • Use the larger flower from the Endless Thanks stamp set to stamp randomly around the front of your card – I used Watermelon Wonder because I was using the new 2015-2017 In Colors, but use whichever color you love.
    • Make sure you go off the edge of your card front with some flowers, if you try to keep them all inside the edges it ends with a strange border around your card.
    • Use the little leaf stamp from the set and stamp 2 overlapping leaves on the side of each flower.  They don’t have to be on the same side, just keep them together.
    • Fill in the white spaces with the smaller flower from the set in a complementary color – like the Delightful Dijon I used here.
    • Break up the busy-ness of the card by creating a layer over the center.  I matted in Watermelon Wonder to tie in to the flowers, and then kept it simple with a few flowers and the sentiment in the center.
    • I still only used Watermelon Wonder for my ink for the flowers in the middle of the card, just stamp one in the middle and then WITHOUT reinking your stamp, stamp to the left and to the right of the first flower to get the lighter shades.
    • Wrap a piece of the new dotted lace trim around your matted cardstock and then use one more piece of the lace trim to tie a bow in the middle of your piece of lace.  Isn’t it so fun and fluffy??

    You can try this idea of creating you own background with any stamps you own, so grab a stamp and give it a whirl! 

    And if you love any of the products I used in my card, you can find them in my online store by clicking any of the pictures below!  And look, you don’t need many supplies to make this fun card!


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  • New Weekly Deals–Ribbons and More Galore!

    It is a Tuesday Quickie here!  Just wanted to make sure you had heard about the latest deals… especially since they are so cute!

    New Weekly Deals

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    I’ll be putting in an order today and possibly another later in the week.  So you can either email me with what you want or start shopping online here – See the Weekly Deals in the Store

    New Paper Pumpkin Promotion

    While I was at convention, Stampin’ Up also announced a new Paper Pumpkin promotion.  So if you haven’t subscribed before, or stopped a while back, this may be a great time to give it a go. 

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    This is an awesome deal given that it typically runs $19.95, which is also a great deal because each month we get:

    • Exclusive subscriber only stamp sets
    • Precut cardstock & accessories
    • All the ribbons & embellishments
    • INK!  (guaranteed different colors each month for at least 12 months!)
    • A clear block with your first kit that you can use with ALL the stamps in future kits
    • Extra supplies – just in case you need them
    • Exclusive access to purchase refill kits (everything but the stamps and ink for only $8!) or complete extra kits while supplies last! (see them online here)

    Start your new subscription here

    PS – if you have been a subscriber before, make sure to sign up using a DIFFERENT email address to make sure you get the 50% off.

    I’ve seen the next 2 months of kits, so if you have questions, let me know and I’ll give you the scoop!


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  • Wrapping up the Stampin’ Up Convention! Highlights, Display Boards, and More!

    It happens every year… the first night of a Stampin’ Up Convention or other event, I stay up late the first night socializing and then blogging/facebooking.  Then the second night, we are up late again… but more tired from the late night/early morning from the day before.  So I get a little less done.  Then by the last day… I’m just toast!  Smile  This year was worse than normal for me as my team had a blast staying up and having in-room “happy hour” as we chatted and some people had some wine.  But after coming home at midnight on Saturday and then spending time with the family before the hubby turned around for his turn to go on a business trip) I rested and am finally catching up on the last bit of sharing! 

    I wanted to give you the full experience, so WARNING! Lots of pictures ahead! Smile

    Stampin’ Up Convention 2015 – Day 2

    As always there are a ton of demonstrators gathered for Convention, but I love getting a chance to meet and mingle with everyone!  By day 2, my crew had a plan in place for snagging seats for our group.  I just had to sneak away for a minute to snap a quick pick of some of the crowd eagerly awaiting the chance to get in for day 2!

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    I also love the chance to see and say hello to some of the amazing Stampin’ Up Home office staff who make these events and all the support for demonstrators so great throughout the year.  Like the lovely Miss Andrea Withers and the fabulous Bonnie Farley!

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    Plus they always play fun music while we are waiting for the session to start so you have to stand up and dance a little!  See, even Tanya, Nicole, and Carla were getting into it. Smile

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    There were awesome stamping demonstrations featuring new products like new Black Glimmer Paper, new stamps, and a new Pillow Box die!!

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    And new spiderweb doilies, framelits, papers, and even new fall wood accents!

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    Of course there was Prize Patrol!  Monica and I won the new Project Life stamp set coming in the Holiday Catalog.

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    Then on to a workshop demonstration and Make & Takes!2015-07-24 14.32.05

    I totally meant to finish my projects… but I was chatting and getting way to excited about some of the new product I got to play with!

    FINE TIP GLUE!!!!!  With a pin in the cap so that the tip doesn’t get sealed up!

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    And new Archival Ink in Basic Black and Basic Grey.

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    The new ink pad stamps like a dream!  They use the old linen pads and are a new formula but they are AWESOME!  I fell totally in love when I was using it on the make & take… so imagine my excitement when they ended up giving the out to everyone at convention!  Yay!!

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    As usual, there was lots of swapping

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    And as you wandered around the Gathering Place, you could see lots of the new products as samples or to just play with… such as these edgelits (there are 3 in the pack! Trees, sleigh, and cottages)

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    New embossing folder of birch trees

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    And window/fireplace scene stamp set and framelit bundles!  There are two bundles… one all about the fireplace

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    and one all about the window frame and scenery

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    Then it was time for more classes and stamping presentations

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    Let me just say this bird set is going to be HUGE this year!

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    psst – new punch alert!!

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    psst – another new punch alert!

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    I even got to walk across the stage for earning the Grand Vacation – the Mediterranean Cruise – which was fun!

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    And in addition to spoiling us at the event with great places to relax and chat and share with other demonstrators, prizes, and inspiration… for everyone who earned an annual award or had reached a milestone anniversary with the company, we had a little relaxation space that not only had some treats and drinks, but they also gave us this reuseable trash bin filled with lots of goodies!  I didn’t have that stamp set yet either – so super bonus score!

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    Then we had the evening to ourselves so the crew headed to Olive Garden before heading back to the hotel for a dip in the Hot Tub and day 2 of “happy hour”.  I also got a chance to catch up with some other great friends, especially my great friend Sarah Naber

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    I went to bed “early” as it was only 1am… not too bad for me on an event night! Smile

    Stampin Up Convention Day 3

    With the sun rising on Day 3, it was my last day in Salt Lake City.  The main convention event only went until lunch time, so there was a lot to get through in a little bit of time!

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    … I always love having this view from my room!  Its my happy place!…

    I spent some time in the morning checking out the display boards… they were entirely filled with cards brought by other demonstrators this year and they were fantastic!  Like how stinkin’ adorable is this bird?

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    *** See all the display board cards in pictures on my Facebook Page here ***

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    Rich Judkins, the President of Stampin’ Up, came out and shared a great story on perspective and talked about how the company was doing both from a numbers perspective and from a morale perspective.  It was honest, and real… and great example of him sharing that the executive team really does hear how demonstrators are feeling, what we are concerned about, and CARES about us!  There is a lot of change this year and we all know it is tough, but they are trying to make things better for demonstrators and keep improving as they hear our feedback.  It was seriously great and reassuring to hear!

    We had more stamping demonstrations… so more cute ideas!

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    and new product!  Must have this snowflake stamp set/punch bundle and those wood snowflakes!!

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    and more cute stuff!

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    Double wide pillow box using the new pillow box thinlit!

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    And of course, more prize patrol!

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    Plus something for everyone!  Hand painted holiday paper for all of us… thanks, Stampin’ Up!

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    And with that, convention was over!  I had the opportunity to attend some additional leaders training in the afternoon.  I got to chat with Sara (seriously the most down to earth CEO there is!)

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    And for those of you who have seen Brian Pilling bring Diet Coke to the presenters on stage at events before… he does it in real life too!  Isn’t he sweet for taking care of everyone!

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    The training was a great way to review what I learned and think about how to make improvements to my business but also how to use it to help my team as well!  So much to get implementing for all my crew as the year goes on!

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    Fun Fact!  My Mom and I have attended every Convention together since I joined and 2 leaderships.  So this was our 7th Convention together… .how cool is that?!?

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    We celebrated the end of a great weekend with some Strawberry Shortcake before heading to the airport to say good-bye once again to Salt Lake City and back to our amazing, supportive families!

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    So, I hope you enjoyed my recap.  Wish you were there (unless you were there – in which case, glad to celebrate with you!)  I’m already looking forward to the new On Stage events coming up starting in November.  I’d love to have you go with me.  All you have to do is let me know you want to go, snag the great deal that is the starter kit so you can become a member of my Fun n’ Crafty Stampers and then register!  We have an awesome group and you will have a blast!

    Give it a try!  Join the Fun and pick out your Starter Kit here

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    Until next time… keep it fun and happy stamping!

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  • Stampin’ Up Convention 2015–Day 1

    Stampin’ Up Convention 2015–Day 1

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    double punchesWhile I’m away you can play and earn free stamps twice as fast!
    Get double punches on your Northwest Stamper Rewards card all week
    when you shop with me online or email me.

    ——————————

    What a busy but great first day here at Convention!  It was all about NEW and the NEW Holiday Catalog!  From the very first session as they revealed the upcoming catalog to fun throughout the day as we learned, stamped, and got new ideas based on some the great stuff coming out in September.

    So here is your daily recap!

    We started out by checking out the Convention Center and getting the CUTE convention bag this year.  I think it is my favorite yet!

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    As we were waiting in line, we spotted one of the staff in the blinky sparkly outfits which meant if we said hello and played his game (name the cardstock color) we won prizes!

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    Of course we rocked it… most of the gals got logo travel purses/badge holders – which they were really excited about, and a few of us got ribbon spools. WINNING!

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    And btw – doesn’t everyone look great in our team shirts?  This is our Fun n’ Crafty  crew representing at Convention! The bright blue clumps of people made it SOOO much easier to find each other Smile

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    Finally we were let in and we got to see main stage.  Seriously people, the décor is so fab this year!

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    They started out with the “Daily Share” which essentially was a 2 hour long new holiday catalog reveal party led by Bonnie Farley, Brian Piling, and Carrie Cudney

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    I will say though, one of my favorite little clips was of Brian aka “Quick and Easy” trying to go out on the streets with a Quick and Easy Card Project on a cart randomly asking people if they wanted to make a quick project with him.  I’ll say, that man has way more guts than me! Smile

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    Different this year was that most of the catalog reveal was showing a completed project or two as someone talked about their favorite new item in the catalog or how they would share the catalog with others.  So, mostly, lots of photo ops of cute new stuff.

    Like new stamps, red pom pom trim, new festive buttons…. 

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    New specialty designer papers, new word thinlit dies!!!

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    And even more dies!  Many of the new stamp sets in the catalog now have coordinating dies so you can easily cut out and create neat layered projects.

    There is also a new Precision Plate for the Big Shot that they say will help you eliminate the need for wax paper with your intricate dies.  GREAT concept!  I get to play with it today so I’ll keep you posted on what I discover after playing with it.

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    Who loves this die?!

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    And finally we got our copy of the holiday catalog too!

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    Here is a better picture, with the more important part in focus Winking smile

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    Then it was time to head to lunch, classes, and the Gathering Place where there were lots of samples and all the products in the Holiday Catalog on display for us to check out.

    Kicked off the party with the Interim CEO Sara Douglas

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    Even the décor for some of the Make & Takes put you in the festive spirit

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    PSST – Those deer are from some of our upcoming designer paper!  Love the vintage!

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    More vintage sneak peeks with this cute tag we made – check out the striped satin ribbon, the santa cut out from patterned paper, and the Pointsettia button!

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    Then it was back to the Gathering Place for more relaxing and checking out boards.

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    This is the stamp set and matching framelit that I HAVE TO HAVE!  This WILL be coming to my house in August when I can preorder it. Smile 

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    New kits were out…totally doing these shaker cards as a class!

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    And lots more:

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    Finally it was time to grab some dinner and then get gussied up for Awards Night and the Roaring 20’s after party.  Monica Van Tassel from our Fun n’ Crafty group was extra crafty and MADE us all feather headbands to wear.  How fun is that??

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    They kicked off the party with a neat dance show by some local dancers

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    Then Sara got things started recognizing so many demonstrators for their outstanding achievement this last year.  Let me just say, a lot of people had AMAZING years!

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    Then it was time to party!

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    They had food, a live band, and event dance lessons.  Of course, Mom, Beatie, and I had to arrive in style Smile

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    Then we headed back to our hotel where Liz had brought some wine so we had late night happy hour in her room.  So, more fun socializing and discussing our have-to-haves from the upcoming catalog and preorder!

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    All in all, a great day!  Make all the better by the wonderful people I was with!  Now off to get going for Day 2! 

    I’ll see you over on Facebook for more real time updates throughout the day!

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  • It’s the Stampin’ Up Convention Arrival Day! (RECAP)

    It’s the Stampin’ Up Convention Arrival Day! (RECAP)

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    While I’m away you can play and earn free stamps twice as fast! 
    Get double punches on your Northwest Stamper Rewards card all week! 

    ——————————

    Oh my everyone!  Yesterday was the big arrival day for myself, almost all of the Fun n’ Crafty stampers group, and a few friends who would be hanging out with us. 

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    Mom and I got up way too early for my liking to head to the airport Smile  But we were happy to be on our way!

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    As expected, I didn’t have my swaps anywhere near ready to go, so I through amazing luck, I had the only open middle seat on the plane next to me!  Which meant it was time to set up a swap making factory!

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    Most of our group arrived in the morning, so we hung out in our hotel room (or at least the one hotel room we could check into early) and worked on finishing swaps. 

    And can I say, I LOVE my stamping team and friends and they TOTALLY saved my bacon!  Everyone was so nice and offered to help assemble my swaps that I was silly in thinking I could pull together in a reasonable amount of time. Smile  <3 Them!

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    After a yummy lunch, we boarded the bus for the pilgramige to the Stampin’ Up home office for a tour and to say thank you to the awesome staff hanging out there, working hard to keep everything running smoothly!

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    Of course Mom and I had to get our picture taken in the atrium….

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    We explored the Idea room and their fun conference room that is wall of whiteboard.  I had to leave my graffiti while I was there

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    Then checking out the distribution center where they were packaging and shipping orders while we watched!

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    And of course we had to say hello and an extra big thank you to the demonstrator support team… who were answering calls while we walked.

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    And they had cute card samples on display too!  (PS – I have more samples posted over on my Facebook page here)

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    These two were designed by my fab friend Michelle Suit!  Isn’t she talented?

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    There were even new projects in the Legacy Museum too!

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    Finally, in between bouts of crazy rain, we ran out to the rock for our obligatory rock picture!

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    (L-R:  Monica Van Tassell, Kathy Thisted, Carla Branton, me – Jennifer Blomquist, Nicole Flournoy, and Beatie Bucy)

    Afterwards, I scrambled to finish getting goodie bags ready for the crew before we headed out to dinner.

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    Inside each bag we had

    • A team t-shirt (saying on the front and our team name on the back!) made by my friend Tamra Davis for us.
    • A name bag tag
    • Treats that were supposed to have a cute poem with them but I wasn’t that on top of things… but it went something like this:
      ”When convention feels like a circus (animal crackers)
      and you just need to chill (wintergreen life savers)
      get smart (smarties)
      Stay smooth and have fun (fun size milky way candy bar)” Smile      IMAG9285

    We walked to dinner at Red Rock Brewery and though we didn’t have all one table, we still had fun and swapped for some cute cards!

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    So, now it is time to get ready for Day 1 – lots more swapping, bags, prize patrol, and lots and lots of fun!  Make sure you are watching my Facebook page for updates throughout the day!

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  • Lace & Flowers Card with You’ve Got This

    Lace & Flowers Card with You’ve Got This

    Today is the big day!  I fly to Salt Lake City with my Mom for our 7th Stampin’ Up convention! 

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    It is always a blast (which is why we’ve gone every year!) and I’m glad to be able to make this year – the last Convention of it’s kind – and learn more about what the new OnStage events will be like in the future.  Plus the fact that I CAN’T WAIT to see the new upcoming Holiday Catalog while I’m there! Smile  (If you are a demo, don’t forget, you can watch the general sessions live streaming and see the catalog online tomorrow!)

    But in the meantime, while I’m taking pictures and reconnecting with Fun n’ Crafty team members from across the US today, I wanted to leave you with a card idea to keep you going.

    This card is one that I saw by Sandi MacIver and just loved the clean bold lines with the Mint Macaron and Basic Black cardstock… offset by the delicate touch of the new In Color Dotted Lace trim. 

    No joke – when I saw the trim was the new In Color ribbon, I was totally bummed.  But now, not even 2 months into the catalog, I have run through 3 full spools of ribbon! 

    This is just stamping with Memento Black ink onto Whisper White cardstock for your flower and then color it in with a blender pen and So Saffron ink.

    Layer your Basic Black cardstock onto Mint Macaron and then tie around the front with the matching Mint Macaron lace ribbon.  It’s not adhered at all, just tied tightly.

    Alright, now off to frolic around Salt Lake City!  I’ll be back with more fun and inspiration soon!

    PS – You’ve “liked” my Facebook Page, right?  Northwest Stamper on Facebook  Watch there for the action as it happens. Smile 

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  • Final Stampin’ Up Convention Prep with a DOUBLE Rewards Points week and New Weekly Deals

    Its an exciting week around here!  Tomorrow I head to Salt Lake City for the big Stampin’ Up convention and I can’t wait!  This is the last year that they are holding this style of Convention event (they are changing to a new global event starting in November) so I’m glad I get to go be a part of the summer convention send off.

    Of course, like usual, I’m still scrambling to pack and work on my swaps…

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    I was working last night while watching tv… and I’ve had a station set up to work while my kids were playing!swap making 1

    Each year I think I’ve designed an “easy” swap to mass produce and then I start working and realize each swap requires a ton of punching and glueing Smile  They aren’t hard to make just time consuming when you are trying to make 60+.  I expect I’ll be still assembling on the plane tomorrow, but that is half the fun, right? ha ha ha

    In the meantime, for those of you not joining me in Salt Lake City, I’ll be posting realtime updates as long as my phone holds up over on my Facebook page… and Facebook had gotten a little crabby with how they show posts, so you may have to start actually visiting my page to make sure you catch them all because FB tends to stop showing posts from pages you like if they post too often or the “wrong” type of posts (like if I post too many pictures, they stop showing all of them on your walls).  It is silly but I’ll keep posting anyway!

    I’ll also post up summaries late each night here on the blog.

    CONVENTION SPECIAL! 

    Double Reward Punches = Free Stamps in half the time!
    July 21 – 26, 2015

    While I’m away, I’m offering double punches all week long!  For every $40 in product you purchase get not 1 but 2 punches on your Northwest Stamper Rewards punch card.  So $40 = 2 punches, $80=4 punches and so on. 

    Once you have 10 punches on your card, you can pick out any stamp set in the catalog or online to receive free from me!  Sweet, right?

     

    Get your punch card here to track your points

    Rewards Program details:

    • Each time you make a purchase, you will want to track it on the punch card and note the date of your order
    • Once you have filled all 10 spots, email me to let me know which stamp set you want along with the dates of your orders to confirm punch card completion.
    • NOTE – you are responsible for tracking your own orders
    • Punches are good for 2 years from purchase date.

    New Weekly Deals are here too!

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    View the weekly deals online here

    So, grab some great deals and sit back and get ready for a few days of awesome inspiration and fun with all the excitement from Convention!

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  • A Watercoloring CASE of You’ve Got This

    I’ll be the first to admit that sometimes you want to make a cute card but have NO IDEA what to create.  So what’s person to do?  Why hit up Pinterest and blogs… and if you are a Stampin’ Up demonstrator, check out the sample projects Stampin’ Up has created and shared for us to use! Smile  Today’s card was one that I saw during the new catalog preorder and I LOVED the use of the new lace trim that I had to make it myself.  Isn’t it cute?

    Tips for making this card:

    • Don’t be afraid to grab that watercolor paper!  If you haven’t ever ordered some, you would not be disappointed if you picked some up for cards like this (and so many others!).  The awesome thing about watercolor paper is that you can keep adding color or going back over an area to get it right and your paper will stay flat, not pill up, and take the color awesomely!
    • When watercoloring you will want to make sure you have:  Stazon black ink (for stamping the outline image), an Aqua Painter (for coloring in your image using everyday water – got to love that they are refillable!), watercolor paper, and your favorite dye-based ink pad (like any of the Stampin’ Up classic pads).
    • I colored with Mint Macaron for the flower head, Delightful Dijon, and Old Olive for the stem.
    • And btw – isn’t this You’ve Got This stamp set perfect for watercoloring??
    • The lace trim is wide… like 1” wide, but that doesn’t mean you have to use it full width!  Try tucking it under a layer and just peeking out for a cute effect.
    • Add some subtle sparkle with gold or silver baker’s twine and then finish with a pop of color with the new In Color Blossoms.

    Well, today is the day that some of my Fun n’ Crafty team members are coming over as we stamp, chat, and get our swaps all finished up for convention next week!  I’m so excited and can’t wait to hit Salt Lake City next week to say hello to so many friends I haven’t seen in a while and get to share the awesome experience of convention for the first time with many in my group.  It will be a blast!

    Don’t forget to follow me over on Facebook for real time posts and then stop by the blog each morning as I share a recap of the prior day. Smile 

    Visit me on Facebook

    And if you want to take advantage of the fabulous starter kit deal (get $125 in anything you want for only $99 plus free shipping!) you automatically be a part of my Fun n’ Crafty group – be in on the sharing I’ll be doing on our team Facebook group, PLUS have access to LIVE STREAMING from convention at all the main stage presentations!  So if you can’t be there in person, you can be there virtually for part of it for free. Smile  

    our convention 2014 crew!  Our group is over 50 people strong though and all over the US!  Come join our community – we’d love to have you!  Join us today

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  • 2 Fun Techniques+1 Great Stamp Set = A Happy Hodgepodge Card

    2 Fun Techniques+1 Great Stamp Set = A Happy Hodgepodge Card

    I know I shared a card yesterday using the Lovely Amazing You stamp set for Walkthrough Wednesday (you can see the card and video instructions here)… so I hope you don’t mind me sharing another idea for you using that same stamp set!  You get the added bonus of a few fun techniques with this one too, so it is just all kinds of happy!

    This card is extra fun because it is actually a really simple card to make (minus the fussy cutting of the feathers… but that isn’t too bad) and you get to do a lot of playing with it!

    Tips for making this card:

    • First lets talk about the green striped paper.  Notice that it is darker on the bottom than the top? Well you do now! Smile  That is because it is embossed paper that is inked!  You can either stamp an image with versamark ink and then heat emboss with clear embossing powder…. or do it the easy way and get pre-embossed paper! This was the Irresistably Yours paper from Sale-a-Bration 2015, but you can do the same thing using the new Color me Irresistable paper in the current catalog!
      BONUS!  The Color Me Irresistable paper is on sale as part of the weekly deals this week!  So get it at 30% off… I ordered mine yesterday so don’t forget to get yours!
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    • Once you have a clear embossed image, just sponge over with your favorite color of ink.  In this case, we used those big yellow sponges (these ones) and started sponging at the bottom for the darkest color and kept sponging upward so that as the ink started to run out on the sponge, it got lighter on our paper.
    • See that cool cheveron in the background?  Nope – not a stamp!  It’s an embossing folder!  Use sponge daubers to ink spots on an embossing folder (the raised side) and then spritz with water before using that as a stamp onto watercolor paper.  You get awesomely cool colors and designs and they are different everytime.
    • And the 2-1.2” Circle punch makes a great frame to show off your cool embossing folder stamped paper and to highlight those great sentiments from the Lovely Amazing You stamp set.
    • Finally, these feathers are the same ones we used yesterday and come from the Lovely Amazing You stamp set.  I stamped first in Island Indigo on a piece of scrap paper and then stamped AGAIN on more scrap paper to create the two colors of feathers.
    • Yes, you have to cut them out by hand… but take a deep breath and enjoy the zen relaxation that comes over you as you focus on the paper and the art of snipping. Smile
    • Add a little bow of silver baker’s twine (adhered with a glue dot) and you are good to go!

    So if you missed the card yesterday, this is another idea using the same stamp set:

    Check out the blog post and video tutorial here

    And like I mentioned yesterday, this super awesome stamp set is only guaranteed to be available for a little less than a month (through August 10th) so consider getting your copy – plus maybe the fun emboss resist paper, Color Me Irresistible from the weekly deals.

    So, I hope you enjoyed today’s card.  I promise to do a video soon showing how I did that stamping with an embossing folder technique because it is just too awesome not to share!

    Now I’m off to work on more swaps for Convention!  Make sure you are following me over on my Facebook page to get the realtime, as they happen, photos and news postings of all the happenings in Salt Lake!

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