en francais

I discovered stencilling and was playing around showing my Quebecois friend Lyne the fabulous fleur de lis (sp?) stencil. It's easy to think of the decor elements products as strictly for home decor but look at how beautiful it looks on a card. I can also imagine it on a scrapbook page. When I first tried stencilling last month, I was actually breathless. The awe! I didn't think I could ever stencil but with an ink pad and a sponge dauber it's so easy!
This card uses the en francais background in sahara sand and then the stencilling on top in soft suede. A square ice rhinestone brad and soft suede ribbon, give the finishing touches. The stencil is part of a set called "Elegant Trio"--a Shelli signature collection item in the decor elements catalogue.

You're invited!

I am trying to send out invitations to my upcoming hostess appreciation evening and open house. (The picture is the invite I made with a standard template on My digital studio) Both events will include stamping stations, draw prizes and food. There will be a few extra gifts and perks for hostesses. If you don't end up receiving an invite in the mail it could be that I ran out of invitations or didn't have your correct address. Just because you didn't receive one doesn't mean you're not invited.
Here are the details: Please let me know if you can make it as it will be a lot of fun and a great way to see some of the new catalogue products in action. I will have the new colours from the colour renovation coming out to play!

Open House Date: Saturday June 26
Time: 9:30-1:30 drop in
Place: My home
RSVP: by June 23rd by contacting me

fresh smooch

Here's a super fast card using the fresh cut note cards and the new smooch spritz. I am becoming an expert at using smooch spritz. Now that I am more familiar with the product, I am no longer afraid of the wild spritzing that it does. It always gives such a unique look and the fine misting capabilities gives great interest without being overpowering. Here I used the gold glow and silver foil smooch spritz. I then put some crushed curry cardstock behind the peek a boo window and added a rhinestone brad. The sentiment is the new favourite thought stamp set in the summer mini. Stay tuned because you will see more of this stamp set. I'm finishing up a great card using this set.

I forgot to include it in the picture but I stamped a co-ordinating envelope using the fresh cuts stamp set. (Click on the image to see the card close up)

playing around

So, I found out this week that I have been randomly selected by my professional college to undergo a professional audit. Groan. Whenever something potentially stressful comes up that I can't immediately deal with, I try to push it to the back of my mind until a more appropriate time. With the kids around and daily life, I can't start figuring out all my professional development paperwork etc. I will carve out a chunk of time...LATER. As a escapism strategy, my mind and hands start wanting to craft.

This is just a couple of things I was playing around with this afternoon. I felt the sweet scoops card that I made a while ago needed a co-ordinating envelope. I made it using the builder wheel.

The other card came as a result of some scrapbooking I was doing. I used my big shot to roll out a beautiful flower border 12" long from some melon mambo dsp. (who's with me when I say that the big shot is one of the best crafting tools EVER!) It was so beautiful I couldn't resist rolling out another one. I didn't know what I was going to use it for but it seemed right to cut it in half and mount one on a piece of chocolate chip cardstock. I then used the new Favourite Thoughts set from the summer mini (I LOVE the sentiments in this set...every woman can enjoy them) and then ta dah...a card materialized.

Okay, escapsim commerical over...I've gotta go make dinner now. :-)

disaster creation

So, I finally got around to making something out of my disaster. (Don't know what I'm talking about? Check this post here)

I think this glittery colourful card is going to be perfect as a birthday card for some little girl. I love how using the two way glue pen on the wings and some dazzling diamond glitter really jazzes up the attraction factor. I used the stampin' write markers for the colour.

eye love you 2

Hubby walked around whining and complaining that he didn't know how to make me a card because just looking at all my stamp sets was overwhelming. He didn't know where to begin and he felt he couldn't just go to the store and buy me a card for our anniversary. I told him I was totally fine with him going to the store and buying me a card as long as he took the time to choose one. (i.e. not grabbing one at the dollar store because its cheap and he was in there picking up something else anyway..)

The grumbling was all a dramatic act. He must've known that he would create something on digital studio. He's got it loaded on his computer too.

I love this card because he created it for me. It's one of a kind. I'll highlight Two things that impressed me about his card: I cracked up with the diembodied head on the all in the family father. Kevin said "well, I had to make him taller somehow" I also thought it was cool that he used the punches to create an eye. Isn't that brilliant?

Digital studio projects can be just as personalized and unique as traditional projects.

same layout, different look

Using the same layout as the card yesterday, here is a card using the new sweet scoops set from the summer mini. It's perfect for the kissing technique which is what allowed me to put the textured look onto the ice cream. Such an easy card to make using the cottage wall dsp and only one stamp set.

A little glitter on the cherry and voila: a perfect little birthday card for summer.

Isn't it great how the same card or scrapbook layout can be done many different times with different paper/colour/stamp set?

more presto paper

Here's an easy card using the new presto paper from the summer mini catalogue. I think presto paper is like those choose your own adventure books I used to read as a kid. Instead of choose your own adventure, it's just choose your own colour dsp. This time I choose regal rose and used my brayer to bring out the gorgeous pattern. The pattern was so lovely I wanted to keep to motif simple so as not to distract from the great background. The Defining letters and define your life stamp set seemed good to me. Round the corners with the corner rounder punch and tie a simple 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and we're done. Talk about fast!

anniversary fun

As an anniversary gift to hubby, I decided I would give him a day out golfing. I talked to a friend's husband who was happy to save a date to golf with my hubby. I marked the day in the calender simply as "K out". (I was afraid if I didn't mark it in the calender I would forget or accidentally book a workshop) One day last week hubby saw the notation in the calender and was perplexed what he was going out for. He kept asking me and I said I didn't know. He was madly looking in all his e-mails wondering what he had forgotten. I felt so sorry for him as I could see it was driving him mad so when he took my son out to piano lessons, I took it as my opportunity to make an anniversary card. The card is not as lovely as I had hoped but I was under serious time constraints as I knew I wanted to let him know on the same day so he wouldn't be kept in the dark too long. I used the reflection technique for the horse and then punched out the heart from the framed with love set (which by the way is on promotion this month...free designer brads when you purchase this set). The sentiments were from friends 24-7 set and seemed perfect for our stage of marriage

We had gone away a few weeks ago for a little getaway. The best part for me was being able to finish and start conversations with my husband all in one go. Kevin just liked being able to do whatever we wanted. One thing that we did on our getaway was glow in the dark mini putting. We were happily putting along when we saw this. Of course it right away reminded me of our 3 little monkeys and I couldn't help but smile and nudge Kevin to take a photo!

Happy National Scrapbooking month

It's national Scrapbooking month. Take advantage of this months promotion: receive free designer brads with any purchase of My Digital Studio or select stamp sets. Click HERE to see details about the promotion.
Also, if you need some information to inspire your scrapbooking, feel free to check out this VIDEO.
I've been happily scrapbooking so make sure to contact me if you want to see some of my pages.
(Can you tell that I've just discovered the hyperlink funtion!!!!???? Man, I learn something new everyday. )

Make two!

So, any of you that have attended my workshops know that I always say to make two of any card since you've got all the stuff out anyway and one 8.5X11 cardstock will make two cards. Last night I couldn't wait to pull out my love bug hostess set and my designer series paper. Here's what I made:

Often making two doesn't mean making them exactly the same...it allows me to try two different versions. I used my movers and shapers die for the big shot to create the peek a boo window and I'm using the tall tales dsp. I coloured one with the markers and the other with the blender pens and pastels. I think I like the soft look that the pastels give.

Now, these two cards came out of the the card that I had made for my friend Susan a while back. When I stamped her card, I stamped and cut out extra animals but never got around to using them. I used them last night to make two different cards.

I can't believe how the dsp lasts forever! I keep using it because it's so easy and fast but then I look in my box and I have still more to use. I love it!

Retiring items

For those who haven't had a chance to check out the colours that will be retiring to make way for the new colour renovation plan in the new catalogue due out in July, please check out this post here:
http://genstampin4fun.blogspot.com/2010/04/fond-farewell-retiring-colours.html

Everyone is trying to stock up on the retiring colours by buying paper and ink refills. It has caused quite a stir. Here is an update posted on the demonstrator website regarding the situation:

With our recent Colour Renovation announcement, we have experienced a spike--much greater than anticipated--in demand for some of our retiring colours. You may have noticed in the backorder report that a significant number of colours in both card stock and re-inkers have gone into backorder status, and we recognize the frustration this may have caused you.
You may be asking yourself: didn't Stampin' Up! anticipate increased demand on retiring colours? The quick answer is yes, we did. The long answer is a bit more complicated. We based our forecasts for these retiring colours on historical sales information for previous colour transitions, as well as current buying behaviours. Obviously, even with the most careful planning, the response to a transition of this nature can surprise everyone--including you in your own business and personal purchases!
For re-inkers in retiring colours, as we run out, they will be placed on backorder status and those orders will be filled as quickly as we receive the product. We will continue to do this to the best of our ability through May, and then the re-inkers will be available while supplies last in June.
Card stock presents a bit larger problem, as the process of ordering and producing new paper from the paper mills is very involved, and we can't order significant quantities at this point in time without putting the production of the new colours in jeopardy (and we know you want those!). To help us be able to provide you with the card stock in the retiring colours for as long as possible, we will be substituting textured paper for some of the smooth colours--including card stock in 8-1/2" x 11" as well as 12" x 12"--where the smooth is no longer available. You will notice these colours go on backorder, and we will be filling as many of those as possible with textured card stock. Because the demand for each colour varies, we are unable to provide a list of what colours of card stock will be substituted with textured, or at what point that will happen. However, if you receive a package of card stock that is textured instead of smooth, there will be a sticker on the package indicating that change. There will be no change in item code or price for these substitutions.
We realize that this is an extraordinary situation, and that this solution may not be ideal for everyone. However, we hope this will help you get the retiring colours you and your customers want for as long as possible. Please keep in mind that an instance may arise where we are unable to fill orders on a specific product, and it will become unavailable before the end of May, but those cases should be minimal, and we will communicate those situations as they may arise.
Our main goal is to serve you and your customers the best that we can, and appreciate your patience as we work through this situation.

So, everyone, the bottom line is to make sure you get your favourite paper and reinkers before they're gone for good! E-mail me to place your order or order online on my website at http://genevieve.stampinup.net

sweet scoops

Here' s a cute card I made as the make n take for the summer mini workshop. This set is so cute because you can make multiple scoop ice cream cones but turn them upside down and you get these cute little creatures. They remind me of those treats you could get at baskin robbins...

The background is the new builder wheels from the summer mini. Using the triple ink cartridge, you can get multiple colours on one roller.

Summer mini is here!

If you missed my summer mini workshop, here's a video on you tube. No, the video is not of me. If it were me, you'd see me laughing hysterically behind a huge cardboard box using my new smooch spritz. Much more entertaining than this you tube video but hey, take what you can get when you miss out on my summer mini workshop. (smile) but it gives you a quick sampling of the fun new things in the mini.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PskSt61lPeE

I hope the link works! Enjoy

my first easel card

Hi! Just thought I would share our club C project that the ladies made this weekend. I've been dying to try and easel card since I've seen so many samples lately. The scallop edge is what is holding the easel part up but it folds down easily to fit into a standard envelope.

The card front design uses the new presto paper with pick a petal flower stamped on the front. I'm using the cottage wall dsp. I love the colours on this dsp and it gave me a chance to enjoy my orchid opulence ink and paper. I never thought orchid opulence, old olive and rich razzleberry would be a good combo but that's why dsp provides such super inspiration. I also showed the ladies how to create a paper flower/rose for the centre. Feel free to contact me if you are interested in joining a stampers club. It's a great way to learn some new things. I will be having a new club starting soon.