Countdown to Christmas - 7 months

Only 7 months until Christmas.   I have been trying to make a few Christmas cards each month, so that I will have them ready to mail ON TIME this year.  And I have been trying to encourage you to do the same thing!  Below is a card I received in a SWAP from my "sister" Southern Star, Kelly Fidler.

I bought this stamp set from last year's holiday catalog - but never had a chance to use it.  I was very happy to see it, along with several other Christmas stamps, in Stampin' Up!'s 2015-2016 Annual Catalog.

May is always a super busy month for me, with family birthdays and end of school year stuff!  But I hope to ink up this stamp set soon and make this cute card myself.

To see the other Christmas cards I posted this year click HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE.

For my regular stampers - I have classes scheduled this weekend, May 29 - 31. Don't forget to RSVP for your preferred time.

If you are not a regular customer of mine and don't have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator that you purchase from, please CONTACT ME about how you can get a catalog and/or be a part of my stamping classes.

In the meantime, VISIT MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE to shop the current catalog, including lots of retiring items at up to 50% off.

Thanks for stopping by today!  

Please take a few minutes to remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

Kathy

Paper Pumpkin May 2015

Oh my goodness!!!  These Paper Pumpkin kits just keep getting better and better!  Take a peek at what came in May's kit!

                                            

You can get these fun kits sent directly to your mailbox each month. Now through June 10 - for new customers only - you can sign up and get the first two kits for half price!  That's only $10 a month for the first two months.  Here's the details:

• Discount is applied to one kit per month for the first two months of a new subscription. After the first two months, the price for each month's kit will go to the regular price: $19.95.
• Enter the Promo Code, SAVE50 when you sign up.
• New subscribers must join by Wednesday, June 10, 2015; 11:50 PM (MT). 

 One of the best things about being a Paper Pumpkin subscriber is that you can buy refills to make additional projects, and you can also buy previous months' kits.  CLICK HERE to see the past kits and refills that are currently available.

Want to get a better look at past kits?  CLICK HERE to go to Paper Pumpkin's You Tube channel.

FOLLOW MY PAPER PUMPKIN PINTEREST BOARD to see alternate ways to use the kits!

You can choose to skip a month or two or more and not be charged.  And you can cancel at anytime.  So why not give it a try?!

CONTACT ME if you have any questions.

Thanks for stopping by!

Kathy

Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast - The Make & Takes

The first project we made at my recent Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast was a Creativity Journal/Sketchbook.  

The "Lucky Charms" spiral notebook on the left was covered with Designer Series Paper and Die Cut letters to make the book on the right.  I adapted an idea I saw on Lyssa Zwolansk's Blog for Stampin' Up! demonstrators.  I printed her list of Creative Challenges, with a few changes, and told my stampers to glue the list to the inside covers of their journals.  

So often I hear my stampers say "I'm not creative" and quite honestly, I say it about myself all the time.  So I am going to accept the challenge I gave to my stampers, which is to choose at least one item from the list each month, complete the task in my journal, and then share it at one of my monthly stamp club classes!

Below is the second project we made, which is a card that expresses how I feel about ALL of my stampers.  It was made using supplies from 2015 Sale-a-bration items, including the "Simply Wonderful" Stamp Set.

I had a contest for my current stamp club members to win this set!  Anyone who placed an order with me on the last day of SAB was entered into a drawing to win the set.  And to show that I really do award prizes, below is a photo of Diane with the stamp set she won!

I sure had fun hosting the Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast for my stampers.  I hope to make it an annual event.

If you think you might like to be part of my stamp club, please CONTACT ME for more information.  The best part is that there is NO OBLIGATION to order every month.  But if you do - you get to choose FREE STAMPIN' UP! merchandise, based on the amount you spend!

If you are not a regular customer of mine and don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator that you purchase from, please CONTACT ME about how you can get a catalog.

In the meantime, VISIT MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE to shop the current catalog, including lots of retiring items at up to 50% off.

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kathy

Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast - part 4

We played a few games at my recent Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast:

 One was a "Left/Right" game.  I wrote a short "stamping" story and every time I said left or right, the ladies had to pass stamp sets around the circle - either left or right!  Whoever was holding a stamp set at the end of the game kept it!

Then I gave them a color quiz.  I had been hinting all morning (and even at my April stamp club meetings) that they should pay attention to the card stock color names.  I gave everybody a paper with card stock punched using different colors of Stampin' Up! cardstock.  One stamper named all the colors correctly!  But the prize - a sheet of card stock in each of the Stampin' Up! colors - went to the person who was only able to correctly name two of the colors!  After all, she needed to have more experience using the colors!

One last gift I had for my stampers was a Stamper Up! folder and lots of project ideas sheets like the ones below:

 

Someone gave me these project sheets when I first became a Stampin' Up! demonstrator.  They used to be available for each stamp set.  I found them when I was organizing my stamp room recently. The stamp sets are long retired......but I decided they might provide inspiration for my stampers.

Please VISIT MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE to shop the current catalog, including lots of retiring items at up to 50% off.

Stop back to see the make a & takes we made at my Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kathy

Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast - part 3

At my Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast last Saturday, I gave a special Gold Gift Package to the top two spenders during the past Stampin' Up! year.  It was supposed to go to the TOP spender......but I had two stampers who were within $1 of each other!!!  So I gave each of them the prize below:

I still have a container of Gold Glitter for the one who places the largest order in May- the last month of the Stampin' Up! year.  The new year will begin with a new catalog in June!

Below are some special gifts I gave to my stamp club members who also are Paper Pumpkin subscribers.

I took a WOOD MOUNT STAMP CASE and made a case for the ink spots that come in each Paper Pumpkin kit.  When you are a Paper Pumpkin subscriber, you will get at least one ink spot in your monthly kit - and the colors will not be repeated within a 12 month time frame.  These spots are great for stamping on the go.

 I also gave Karen a Thirty-one tote filled with clear envelopes for storing the stamp sets she received in her Paper Pumpkin kits this past year.  She was my only stamper who subscribed for the entire Stampin' Up! year.

Below you can see my collection of Paper Pumpkin stamps.  

 I cut a piece of card stock - the same color as the ink spot in the kit - to fit inside the clear envelope.  I wrote the date, name of kit, and ink color on the top of the card stock.  Then I slipped in the stamp set, which makes it easy to see the images and easy to read the greetings.

I folded the directions sheet and slipped it into the clear envelope behind the card stock and stamp set.

The "All Shook Up" kit is one of my favorites - and if you are a Paper Pumpkin subscriber you can purchase past kits and refills.

Please click on the Paper Pumpkin links at the top or bottom of this page or CONTACT ME for more information.

You may also want to VISIT MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE to see past Paper Pumpkin kits and to shop the current catalog -  including lots of retiring items at up to 50% off.

Stop back to see what else we did at my Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kathy

Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast - part 2

I had a special breakfast for my stamp club ladies last week.  If you look at Monday's post, you can see what they did when they first arrived.  After everyone was finished eating, I passed out a bag tag to every stamper.  Since I forgot to take pictures that day, below is a photo of the three tags that were left over.  

 I made these using the retiring Top Note Die (sniff, sniff - I hate to see it go!) and a retired hostess stamp set.  I held up each tag to see if anyone could name the cardstock/ribbon/ink color.  If they did - they could keep that tag, or choose another.  I asked them to listen carefully to the names - a hint that some people took seriously and others ignored, as we found out in a game we played later!  

One of the best things about Stampin' Up! products is the card stock, ink, ribbon, buttons, etc.... all match perfectly.  And we have a great selection of colors to choose from, with IN COLORS that are changed out after 2 years - just to keep things fresh. 

Anyway, the bag tag was for the bag of goodies each stamper was going to receive:

Inside were stamp sets and other Stampin' Up! products that my club members earned for FREE!  Some of the bags were FULL!  (Why do I always forget to take photos?!) The bag above belongs to someone who wasn't able to attend the breakfast.

I run my stamp clubs a little differently than most demonstrators: my stampers earn products throughout the year - not just during one month.  Plus, the more they spend, the more they earn!  Several of my stampers even earned a half-price item.  CONTACT ME if you would like more info about my clubs.

After I gave out the Stampin' Rewards - I had a few special gifts to give to some of my Super Star Stampers.  Next time I will show you a few of those!

TODAY is the first day I am able to order 2015-2016 Stampin' Up! catalogs, along with selected merchandise.   If you are one of my regular stampers, you will receive your catalog as soon as I can get it to you!!!

If you are not a regular customer of mine and don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator that you purchase from, please CONTACT ME about how you can get a catalog.

In the meantime, VISIT MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE to shop the current catalog, including lots of retiring items at up to 50% off.

Come back to see what else we did at my Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kathy

Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast - part 1

Saturday was my first ever Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast.  I was so busy having fun that I forgot to take pictures!  As stampers arrived, they chose a name tag. I hinted that these marker colors were clues to a game we would play.  It was also a good time to remind everyone that Stampin' Write markers have two tips: one is like a paint brush, and the other is a fine point tip.  Little did they know that the name tag ink color would decide if they won Prize Patrol!!!

Of course the event officially began with a home made breakfast: sausage/egg  and Peach French Toast casseroles.

Each stamper found these items at her seat: a sheet of retired Designer Series Paper, ten 6x6 squares of patterned paper in one Stampin' Up!'s color families, and a package of rhinestones.  The DSP would be used later in the morning for one of our make & takes.

We were in a classroom at my church, so I wrote the names of the 2015-2017 In Colors on the white board, with one of the words from each name missing:

Cucumber_____________

_________________Dijon

 Watermelon _____________

  Mint ___________________

  Tip Top  ________________

While everyone was eating, they shouted out guesses to the complete color names.  It was funny to hear some of their ideas!  The correct answers are:

Cucumber Crush

Delightful Dijon

Watermelon Wonder

Mint Macaron

Tip Top Taupe

I had a special prize box for the first person to guess a color name correctly and a little something else for the others who guessed the other colors' names correctly.

In a few days I will be able to Pre-order 2015-2016 Stampin' Up! catalogs, along with selected merchandise.  Can't wait to have the catalog in my hands.  I've seen it online and it is AWESOME!!!!  If you are one of my regular stampers, you will receive your catalog as soon as I can get it to you!!!

If you are not a regular customer of mine and don't already have a Stampin' Up! demonstrator that you purchase from, please CONTACT ME about how you can get a catalog.

In the meantime, VISIT MY STAMPIN' UP! WEBSITE to shop the current catalog, including lots of retiring items at up to 50% off.

Stop back to see what else we did at my Stampers' Appreciation Breakfast!  

Thanks for stopping by today!

Kathy