3 Days Left

When I joined Stampin' Up! almost 5 years ago, I never dreamed it would be a business for me. Nor did I have any idea of the friends I would make along the way. And that's not even mentioning the giggles, laughter, and hugs shared with the most amazing people in the entire world (stampers rock!).

It's really amazing - people actually ask me for creative ideas and value my opinion. Who knew that could happen!? AND they even seem serious when they ask the questions. Once again, an absolutely amazing experience.

Why am I sharing this tidbit? Well, because you have the opportunity to join this amazing company for only $85 - but that price goes away Monday night. For your $85, you get the For All You Do stamp set (pg. 118) plus all the In Color inks, a combo pack of the In Color cardstock, and a pack of Whisper White cardstock. You also get all the business items that you get with the "regular" Starter Kit. This Mini Starter Kit is intended for folks who already have a collection of Stampin' Up! stuff. It's a great way to get the discount!

Business details:
* $300 in sales required per quarter - you have until 12/31 when you join now
* Your first order ($150+) will be at a 30% discount
* Your "normal" discount is 20%
* You can be a demonstrator as long as you like .... long enough to fill your hobby space with necessities or long enough to earn some extra $$$ for groceries or a car payment or to make your habit pay for itself!

What if you're just starting out? I would suggest the "regular" Starter Kit. The cost is $199, and you get over $270 in product. I would be happy to share details with you ..... let me know you are interested! As an added bonus, the $199 Starter Kit will come with an extra bonus - all 6 In Color ink pads plus the assorted In Color cardstock. That's an extra $43+ in freebies!!!!

Head on over to my Stampin' Up! website and click the "Join Now" button on the left to take advantage of this amazing offer. Hurry, though, the offer ends at 11:50pm on August 31st (Monday evening). I look forward to you being on my Gettin' Inky team!!!!!!!

The Face of the Earth

Although it seems like it, I have not actually fallen off! My last Stamp Camp for August is tomorrow morning, then the schedule should allow for some playing. I have a pile of cards that need to be photographed. They're just staring at me.

We had a great time at Matagorda Bay last week ..... great to get away from the world and play in the sand with the kiddos. We met a little girl in the house next to ours - all 3 kids were instant friends. Amazing what a girl in a bikini did for Ryan's abilities in the waves - he got MUCH better when she was around! Guess it starts young......

Bueno, I must nap so I am ready for tomorrow. I will blog again, I promise!

Happy August!

Can you believe it's already August?! I know that growing up, my parents always used to comment on how quickly time moves forward. I just thought they were crazy. Hmmmmm .... am I really turning into them?! :-)

In fantastic Stampin' Up! fashion, several promotions are currently happening. Click to learn more:



The Country Living Cookout Kit has just gone to a 40% discount. Careful, though, the promotion is over once the current inventory has expired.






Spend $35 in stamp sets in the Growing Up section of the catalog (pgs. 73 - 90) and get a free set of Designer Buttons. Playground, Shebert, and Button Latte are the choices for the freebies - a $7.95 value!



Then there's this spiffy Growth Chart! Is that adorable or what?! Here's the link to the FLYER. It's a Decor Element, and the cost is $24.95 - and it comes with the Applicator Tool! Inches are on one side and centimeters are on the other. Great learning tool, too.



Finally, there's the Mini Starter Kit Promotion. Until the end of August, you can join my Stampin' Up! team for only $85! Let me know if you're interested, and I will send you more details!

I must go stamp .... too long away from the ink and paper. I hope your weekend is full of smiles and joy. And don't forget the ink!!!

RAIN?!?!?!?

OK, so pardon my shouting, but it's actually raining here!!!! To those of you out east (or just about anywhere else), this is truly a non-issue. But it has been over a month since we have seen just a few drops, and we're now at 30 minutes of gentle rainfall with a little thunder in the background. WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!

To give you a little perspective, during a normal-ish summer, we mow every 2-3 weeks. (remember, we're in the country and don't have to keep the lawn at 3 inches). This summer, we have mowed only once. Everything is dead. No need to chop anything down. And now it's raining!!!!!!!! God is good!!!!!!!

Now I have an awesome excuse to go hole up in the craft room. Double Wheeeeeeeee!!!!!

May you have an inky day,

This is It!

The final Deal of the Week is the Heart to Heart Punch. My only question ..... why do they keep picking things that I already have!!?!!? Ah, the dilemma! So you get a 31% discount - wheeeeee! You can give me a call to place the order, shoot me an email, or place the order on your own at my Stampin' Up! website HERE. Have a grand time shopping in the comfort of your home - but be careful, I hear stamping is addictive!!! :-)

May you have a wonderful week. I will be here, in my little corner of the world,
Gettin' Inky!

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too!

This was such a yummy (pun intended!) card to create. The glitter on the frosting adds a wonderful touch, as does the Crystal Effects on the cherry. That one is hard to see in this photo, but trust me, it's there! The kids have done a very thorough inspection to be sure that it's raised. Many discussions on that topic!

I actually liked it a tad better using giant circles of White Gel Pen in the corners. But it seems that I have already given those away. Oops. I used one of the guides from the Mat Pack and plopped it in the corner. Colored in the big ol' circles with my trusty gel pen. I believe it was Sue that did the big dots first (you rock, by the way!). It's so much fun to have an idea of how to complete the project and then have everyone in attendance tweak it just a tad to make it their own. I love stamping!!!



The stamp set I used is new to me - On a Pedestal. Pretty fun to play with! The images are meant to stack on each other in all sorts of funky ways. You can add words to the cake and make it tall - or insanely tall, if you're so inclined! You can also ink up only the bottom and stem of the cake plate, turn the cake upside down, and now you have a festive drink glass (sangria, margarita, Shirley Temple,.....). Or you could turn the cake the other way and have a lamp. How awesome to have so many fun options with this one stamp set!





I am doing some playing and creating and having fun (along with the chasing of the urchins). Some changes are in the works for my world o' stamping. It seems that there are only 24 hours in the day (drat!) and they're already spoken for! I have a plan, but it's being tweaked right now. No traumas yet, I promise!

Have a wonderful week, and know that I look forward to Gettin' Inky with you soon!

Medallion

Can I tell you how much I love this stamp?! OH MY!!!! We made this card during Stamp Camp this week and there were lots of "oooooooohhhhhh's."



The process was easy. The secret was the paper! I first stamped the image on Naturals Ivory cardstock. It has little dots all over the place, which add a touch of extra depth to the card. The Naturals White is the same way, but it's not quite a true white (and didn't go with the Kraft and Chocolate Chip quite as well as this one).

Next, I sponged the edges with Chocolate Chip, and added a couple holes with the Paper Piercing Tool (I love that this is available on its own now!). Add the Brad (from Hodgepodge Hardware), attach everything together, and Presto - Spiffy Card! The ribbons are both Chocolate Chip, the thicker one being Grosgrain and the bow is Taffeta.

I failed to take a picture of the inside (duh!). I stamped off once and then put the offset Medallion on the inside, too. Ties the card together nicely.

I'm off to chase the kiddos for awhile, then it's Doug's Surprise Birthday Party! Don't worry, I can't imagine that he's reading my blog (Ha Ha!). Woo-hoo .... fun adult socialization. What a treat! (thanks for babysitting, mom!)

Here's hoping that you have a wonderful weekend and manage to stay cool. I'll be here Gettin' Inky!






Card Recipe: Medallion
Silver Hodgepodge Hardware (Vanilla is on sale through Monday early morning)
Mat Pack
Paper Piercing Tool
Chocolate Chip, Kraft, and Naturals Vanilla Cardstock
Chocolate Chip ink
Click HERE to shop on my website - have fun!!!!