New Design with Lotus Blossom

Yesterday, I was designing for a workshop on Thursday and updating or changing some older designs, adding in some newer products. This one uses the Lotus Blossom Stamp Set and the Irresistibly Yours Specialty DSP in a monochromatic color scheme of Bermuda Bay and Coastal Cabana. I might like this one even more than the original.

This one is a pink and gold version of this card. I think I like this one better than the original as well!
Let's take a closer look at the first one, as the second is pretty much the same card with Blushing Bride instead of Garden Green, and Polka Dot Gold Fancy Foil Designer Vellum instead of stripes.

• Once again, that background bokeh effect is beautiful. This paper is from the Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper that is one of the Sale-A-Bration rewards that you can earn with a $60 order! Stampin' Up! has announced that all Sale-A-Bration rewards will be available ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, so don't wait too long to get the items you want. On the plus side, they have added even more rewards - more about that later.
• The Lotus Blossom stamp is a 3 Step Stamp which means the image is formed by a total of three coordinating stamps. It is in Photopolymer which makes it extra easy to line up the images without the help of the Stamp-a-ma-jig. I used Bermuda Bay ink for the first image, Coastal Cabana for the second of the three, and also for the third part, but stamped off once. Beautiful! The sentiment is from the same set and is stamped in Sahara Sand ink.
• The Window Frames Collection Framelits were used to die cut the frame behind the lotus flower, and it was cut from a piece of Irresistibly Yours Specialty DSP. I sponged it with Bermuda Bay ink and mounted the matted Lotus Flower image on top of it.
• The finishing touches are some Bermuda Bay Striped Grosgrain Ribbon and some sequins from the Bermuda Bay Sequin Trim.

I'm working on one more sample which is also an update. but let me tell you a little more about a couple of announcements from Stampin' Up!

 Important News about Sale-A-Bration Rewards

"Since Blendabilities are no longer available as a Sale-A-Bration redemption item, we anticipate that the demand on other Sale-A-Bration items will be higher than forecasted. For that reason, all Sale-A-Bration items (with the exception of stamps) will be available "while supplies last." To help alleviate any inconvenience this may cause, we've made more items available to redeem for free during these last few weeks of Sale-A-Bration."

Here are the new items available to choose from:

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the Stampin' Up! products used to make this card today!

Product List

Lotus Blossom Photopolymer Stamp Set [139143]	Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper [138633]	Irresistibly Yours Specialty Designer Series Paper [138635]	Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131297]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]
Bermuda Bay Classic Stampin' Pad [131171]	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [131175]	Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad [126976]	Bermuda Bay 1-1/4" Striped Grosgrain Ribbon [134551]	Bermuda Bay Sequin Trim [137910]
Window Frames Collection Framelits Die [129021]	Circles Collection Framelits Die [130911]	Big Shot [113439]	Stamping Sponges [101610]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]
Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]	Fuse Fast Adhesive [129026]

Only 15 Days Left of Sale-A-Bration!

This has been one of the best Sale-A-Brations I can remember, and there are still 15 days left for you cash in on the free merchandise available! So many great choices! Have you got the beautiful Lotus Flower Stamp set yet?

How about Best Year Ever DSP? 

Maybe you still need to earn the Big Day Stamp Set:

Then there's that gorgeous Irresistibly Yours Specialty DSP, that you can spritz, sponge or brayer whatever colour you want, with the embossed design resisting the ink:

How about all the new items introduced in March? Do you have any of those yet? Like the Sheer Perfection Designer Vellum:

If you haven't been able to earn everything you want, don't panic! You still have 15 days left to do it! Did you know that there are 3 ways to earn free products during Sale-A-Bration?

Simply place an order for $60 or more. For each $60 you spend, you get one Sale-A-Bration choice free! And there are so many amazing products to choose from in the new Occasions catalogue!

You can contact me with your order, or go to my online store and place an order yourself. Be sure to select me as your demonstrator if you live in Canada.

Consider booking a private class with me and all your friends between now and March 31. In addition to their already generous Hostess rewards, Stampin' Up has added an extra $35 in free product from any current catalogue for qualifying parties of $330 or more!  Contact me right away to get this rolling, as my available dates are becoming scarce.

Join my great team and become a demonstrator and automatically earn 2 Sale-A-Bration Rewards! This is just the icing on the cake! You also get $155 dollars of Stampin' Up! products for just $125 with free shipping! That's the starter kit, and you can choose from any products in the current catalogue to make up your own custom kit. Plus, you'll get a sneak peek at the new Annual Catalogue and be able to order the new products a month earlier than the public. You'll get to buy your favourite products at a 20% discount (plus a one-time 30% discount on your first $200 or more demonstrator order after you first join Stampin' Up!) You'll have access to a network of crafters with great ideas to share and you'll be eligible to attend Stampin' Up! events such as Convention! Did you know that you can be a hobby demonstrator in order to get your products at a discount and not have to work the business? Or you can totally take advantage of the business side and earn some extra money for your family, or to pay for your hobby!  You really can't lose!  To join my team, contact me, or look on the menu at the top of the page and click on Join My Team and follow the prompts!

Don't let March end without taking advantage of all these great ways to save and earn awesome products!

And it's Tuesday again and time for new Weekly Deals:

Thanks for dropping by today, and, by the way, Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lotus Blossom Sneak Peek for Freshly Made Sketches

Are you ready for a Sneak Peek as promised? The first products I want to introduce you to come from the Sale-a-Bration Brochure. These are some of the best Sale-a-Bration products I've seen in a few years!  I am so excited about the Occasions Catalogue and Sale-a-Bration Brochure because I know you're going to be excited too! Here are two of my favourites - Lotus Blossom Stamp Set and Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper! And it just so happens that this week's Freshly Made Sketches Challenge was perfect to show them off.

I took some liberty with the sketch, turning it on its side and substituting some of the new ribbon for the baker's twine in the sketch.

The Lotus Blossom Photopolymer Stamp Set does a wonderful job of recreating a real lotus blossom.




 The lotus is an aquatic plant that grows in Asia and in North America and the Caribbean.

Here's how I designed my sketch:

• The Designer Series Paper I used is from the Sale-a-Bration Brochure, Best Year Ever. This particular design has a built in bokeh effect that you'll love. I love the combination of colours in this set, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana, Daffodil Delight, Sahara Sand, Soft Suede and Whisper White. I chose a design with just the Coastal Cabana and Whisper White.
• The ribbon at the top is part of the Best Year Ever Accessory Pack which contains 3 rolls of ribbon and 24 buttons in the three main colours, Calypso Coral, Coastal Cabana and Daffodil Delight.
• The photopolymer stamp set I used is called Lotus Blossom. It is a 3 Step Stamping set as it takes 3 stamps to create the beautiful lotus image. Stampin' Up! has helped us line them up by adding a directional tab to each stamp, but it really isn't hard to match up the images on each one. Unlike using wood mount or clear mount, you stamp these in the reverse order. The smallest detail stamp is used first, and the solid background stamp is used last, stamping off a bit first. The tabs on the stamp set are also numbered to indicate the order in which you use them.
• The sentiment is also from this stamp set and has a soft, water-colour look to it. I used Sahara Sand ink with it here.
• The edging on the image panel is made with the Finishing Touches Eyelet Edgelit, with the kind of delicate detail this card requires. 

Sale-a-Bration is Stampin' Up!'s biggest yearly promotion.  This year it runs from January 6, 2015 to March 31, 2015, coinciding with the start of the Occasions Catalogue. It features a variety of different kinds of products, from stamps to paper to embellishments that you can earn for free with each $60 purchase during Sale-a-Bration.  It's also a great time to host a private class, because you can earn enhanced Hostess Rewards and also, it's a great time to join Stampin' Up! because you can receive Sale-a-Bration rewards or Simply Created kits with your Starter Kit! Start making your lists as soon as you receive your catalogue!

Click on the links below to take you to my On-Line Store, where you can read about, look at, and purchase if you wish, the products used to make this card today! *List does not include Stampin' Up! sneak peek items.  They will be available Jan. 6, 2015.  

Product List

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Coastal Cabana 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [131297]	Coastal Cabana Classic Stampin' Pad [131175]	Sahara Sand Classic Stampin' Pad [126976]	Finishing Touches Edgelits Die [127010]
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]