A New Look!

I guess i'm a bit behind the times, if we're supposed to make changes for New Year's. But today i finally had the chance to freshen things up here on my little blog. Besides color and layout changes, you'll notice some new "extras" on the left side of the page. Be sure to vote in the poll i put up - you only have until the end of February to do it!

Another "from the heart" card

Here's a card that is very similar to the one i posted in this entry. I changed the cardstock, designer series paper, ribbon, and inks, and voila, it looks (almost) like a different card!

Stamp set: Baroque Motifs, All Year Cheer I (retired)
Cardstock: Blue Bayou regular & textured, Wild Wasabi textured, and River Rock textured
Designer Series Paper: Porcelain Prints
Ink: Blue Bayou, Wild Wasabi, and Chocolate Chip ink pads
Tools: Scallop circle punch, 1" and 1 1/4" circle punches, 1/16" hole punch
Adhesive: Tape runner, dimensionals
Other: (altered) Wild Wasabi double-stitched ribbon, vintage brad

New Stampin' Up! site is up and running!

Well, thanks to the...er...um...gentle prodding of my sideline Kristin, i have finally set up a website through Stampin' Up! The link (http://melissav.stampinup.net/) is permanently located in my blog sidebar (to the left), just under the lovely photo of my feet. I have not finished personalizing the content yet, but keep checking in over there for updates, etc. You can view my events calendar, get inspiration, and keep up on current promotions. Check it out when you have a chance!

Feelin' Springy?

I sure am...thanks to receiving Stampin' Up!'s Spring/Summer 2008 Idea Book and Catalog last week! The cover is gorgeous...check it out!

You can see the special Stampin' Up! is offering in January by using this link:
http://www.stampinup.com/us/enu/9446.asp

As you may already know, when Stampin' Up! comes out with a new catalog, they first retire some stamp sets and accessories to make room for new items. I am offering all retiring stamp sets for 15% off. However, if you want to order anything you MUST call or email me by 4:00 P.M. on Monday December 31st.

You can see the alphabetical list of retiring sets here:
http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/US_Retired_List_ALPHA_1207.pdf

Here is a link to the list by catalog page number:
http://www.stampinup.com/us/documents/US_Retired_List_PGNUM_1207.pdf

The retiring accessories list is being updated daily as things sell out. (List removed)

Tag! You're it!

I thought i'd post a few Christmas tags i've made recently.

This first one uses "Dashing" Designer Series Paper (it's double-sided, which works really well for a hanging tag), Whisper White cardstock, Real Red grosgrain ribbon, the scallop punch, and a 1 1/4 circle punch. I don't know why i used Whisper White on this instead of Very Vanilla (which matches Dashing much better)...i guess i must've had some white scraps lying around that day. The "to: from:" is from a retired set called Tiny Talk.


















The next one is the tag i'm using for all our family presents this year, except the tags i'm using have no green layer. Most of them will be used on kids' gifts, and as we all know, they rip presents open too fast to make a layered tag worth my time! Actually, many adults do that as well...

Anyway, this tag uses Very Vanilla and Garden Green cardstock, and the ink is Garden Green and Real Red. The stamp set is the hostess set called Perfect Presentation. I used my tag corner punch on the top two corners. I like the way these came out, and they were so quick! I made a big pile in about 20 minutes.

Well, i hope i've motivated you to grab some scraps and make some tags! Happy stamping!

Joy to the World!

Last night, i was making gifts for the kids in my class. Every year i make the same thing - an ornament in the same design as my 3rd grade teacher made for all of her students. (Thanks for the idea, Mrs. Sawicki!) I'm a frugal wrapper when i have a whole class to make gifts for, so i get plain white lunch bags and stamp on them to liven them up.

Well, this year i decided to go "traditional" color-wise and use red and green. I was so happy with how they turned out, that i got inspired enough to make a few Christmas cards using the same idea, adding some ribbon and one extra layer of cardstock. Here's what i ended up with:


I don't know if it's the bright colors or the cheeriness of the word "joy", but this card just makes me smile every time i see it!

Stamp set: Ornament Elements (retired)
Cardstock: Garden Green, Whisper White
Ink: Garden Green and Real Red ink pads
Adhesive: Tape runner
Other: Jersey from Ribbon Originals (thanks, Kristin!)

We've been clubbing...and no, i don't mean on Delaware Ave!

Back in the day (we won't talk about what day that was), I had a period in which I used to go into Philly to hit the dance clubs on Delaware Avenue. Thankfully, that time in my life was short lived! These days, the only clubbing I do is stamp clubbing! (Scroll down past the card samples for an explanation about stamp clubs.)

This is pretty old news now, but the stamp club I had going this fall just ended in November. At our last meeting we made the following cards:

For this design, the clubbers could choose which side of the Designer Series Paper to show, like this:This card uses Old Olive, Real Red, and Very Vanilla cardstock. The DSP (Designer Series Paper) is Dashing. We embossed the image (from Greetings Galore) and then shaded it in with Stampin' Pastels.

The next card we made was a snowy "thanks" card:

This one uses Blue Bayou, Soft Sky, Purely Pomegranate, and Whisper White cardstock. The inks are Blue Bayou and Whisper White, and the ribbon is white grosgrain. The stamp sets used are Perfect Presentation (hostess set), Itty Bitty Backgrounds, and Everyday Flexible Phrases.

The club, which was my very first one, was a lot of fun! We had a great time meeting every month at each club member's house for some stamping, laughter, yummy food, and of course lots of chatting. A big THANK YOU to Becky, Judi, Nancy, and Ro for making my first club a great time.

But never fear, Stamp Club Member wannabees, there will be new clubs starting in January!

The way a stamp club works is that the members each agree to spend a certain amount (for a 6-person club, it's $25) in Stampin' Up! products each month. Then each member takes a turn collecting the hostess benefits - whether or not she even hosts an actual party! Since everyone has committed to the minimum, each member knows that she will at least get the minimum of hostess benefits. Usually, due to outside orders and non-club members who the hostess invites to her party, club hostesses end up getting quite a bit more than the minimum in free stamp sets and hostess dollars.

This time around, at the request of some of my customers, I will be offering every-other-month clubs. The first 6-person club will begin in January, and the members will commit to spend $25 in January, March, May, July, September, and November 2008. They will each get a FREE Idea Book & Catalog, and a Special Secret Free Gift just for joining the club!

If you have any questions, are interested in joining a stamp club in 2008, or just want to pressure me into telling you what the Special Secret Free Gift is ;) , drop me an email at melissastamps@gmail.com. Hope to hear from you!