Home Safe and Sound

Well, I made it home safe and sound from the craziest three days I've ever spent.  I'm pretty exhausted but thrilled to have had the experience of the Rising Star trip.  If you are a Stampin' Up Demonstrator in your first FULL year, check out the requirements and go for it!  If you're not a demonstrator yet, join my team and I can help you get to Rising Star yourself.  You'll never regret it.

Here's what awaited me on my return:

This card from my hubby was stamped with the images from the Dude, You're Welcome kit!  Stampin' for the guys! My guy really likes his kit and actually uses it quite a bit.











Here's another new promotion, in conjunction with My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up!'s digital scrapbooking and papercrafting software:

If you enter by November 22, by going to My Digital Studio's Facebook Page,  

you could be one of Ten GRAND PRIZE winners who will receive 

November’s bonus My Digital Class! 

It comes with a kit that has all the supplies you need to create fabulous projects plus a guided video training.

Just one more thing before I go:

Tuesday night in Salt Lake City, we went to dinner and a movie, only the dinner was served DURING the movie.  Stampin' Up! rented the whole little theatre and you could order a meal and they would bring it to your comfy recliner.  We ate while watching "Thor: The Dark World!"  Not a bad movie either.  It was a great way to end our Rising Star Trip!

Now, it's back to reality tomorrow, with a card for As You See It Challenges 011!  Here's a sneak peek:

My Amazing Hubby

Last week I was gone the whole week in Salt Lake City for Stampin' Up's Convention 2013.  My husband, Ken, had to fend for himself while I was away.  I didn't worry about him because he normally does the cooking in our house, so I knew he could feed himself okay.  He does get lonely, but he doesn't sit around the house moping, he gets together with his many friends and manages that way.

I really am fortunate to have such a loving, supportive guy!  Here's what I found when I walked in the door after arriving home from Salt Lake City:

A bouquet of carnations (my favourite flowers) and a hand-stamped card!  I'm so excited that he takes an active role helping me with my business, but I really wasn't so sure what to expect when I got him the "Dude, You're Welcome" kit!  He was excited to get it and has actually used it several times already!  Here's the proof:

See the ink stains on several of the the stamps?  Here's a closer look at the card he made me:

I know my hubby is special, but you might just find that your significant other is more enthusiastic than you expect him to be when you give him his own Dude, You're Welcome kit.

I think the stamping world would definitely benefit from having a few more males involved.  It would essentially double our customer base! Just this year, a guy, Brian King, became a Rising Star, just like me.  He was the first male ever to win that distinction!  Stampin' Up had to change their prizes in order to be suitable for a male! lol  Well done, Brian!!

Last night, I held my regular Big Shot Club and we made a couple of projects using the Big Shot.  I thought I would show you one of the cute boxes we made:

• I used our Kraft Gift Boxes as a base and covered the sides and top with Eastern Elegance DSP.
• The butterfly is cut using the Beautiful Butterfly Bigx Die and some more Eastern Elegance paper.  Pearls Basic Jewels create the centre bling!     Here's the top:
• I used my Designer Rosette Bigz XL die to create this rosette for the top.  I cut two strips of Eastern Elegance DSP 2" x 12" and ran them through the Big Shot on the extended cutting plate and Extended Premium Crease Pad.
• I accordian-folded the two strips on the scored lines, then joined them using Sticky Strip to form a pleated tube.  Snail is not strong enough for the pressure on the joins when you create the rosette.
• I opened a Jumbo Sticky round and then flattened the rosette in the middle and adhered it on the Jumbo Sticky Round to hold it.  
• I used the Chalk Talk Stamp set to stamp the labels in Crushed Curry and Coastal Cabana, part of the Eastern Elegance palette along with Smoky Slate, and die cut the label with the Chalk Talk framelits.
• I added another butterfly from the Beautiful Butterfly Bigx Die.

And there you have a perfect little gift box for a special someone in your life!

Stamps:  Chalk Talk (w130631; c130634)
Paper:  Eastern Elegance DSP (130131); Kraft Gift Boxes (124106)
Ink:  Classic Stampin' Pads in Crushed Curry (131173) and Coastal Cabana (131175)
Accessories:  Pearl Basic Jewels (119247); Jumbo Sticky Rounds (127852); Sticky Strip (104294)
Tools:  Big Shot (113439); Beautiful Butterfly Bigx Die (114507),  Designer Rosette Bigz XL die (125594), 1 3/8" Circle Punch (119860)