Picture Perfect Sneak Peek

I don't know how often I get asked if Stampin' Up! has a hummingbird stamp in the catalogue, but we haven't had one for a few years, so I was very happy when I saw a hummingbird in the Picture Perfect* Stamp Set in the new 2016 Occasions Catalogue. And it's not just any old Humming bird, it is a 4-Step Stamping hummingbird. This photopolymer stamp set has 4 separate stamps to complete the hummingbird, as well as 3 steps to complete the roses, and 2 for the Starfish and 3 for the leaves. It has some amazing sentiments as well. This was my favourite stamp set out of the whole catalogue!

• It's not the easiest set to use either. There is a bit of a learning curve. I practised with several birds and roses before I got the ones I liked and got more adept at the technique.
• Stampin' Up! recommends that you start with the stamp numbered 1 and progress one-by-one to the fourth stamp, but I didn't find that very easy. My best results came when I stamped the fourth image first in dark colours for that the outline is very much easier to see under all the other colours. The roses aren't quite as tricky and I played around with colours and stamping off before positioning and stamping a couple of time. Every stamp has a tap that helps you line them up properly.
• I fussy cut all my images with Paper Snips but they weren't difficult to do, and mounted them with either glue dots, Dimensionals, or Liquid Multipurpose Glue, popping some up to give dimension. There are no dies for this set, unfortunately.
• The background paper comes from the Birthday Bouquet Design Series Paper*, and it makes a great background.
• I embossed the white center panel with the Softly Falling Embossing Folder after stamping the sentiment in the top corner.

*These products are found in the 2016 Occasions Catalogue and will be available to order on Jan. 5, 2016.

Christmas is just two more sleeps! Do you need a last minute gift for a crafter? How about Gift Certificates from me. They're cute, easy to wrap, they can be for any amount and she'll love you for it!! Email me and we can arrange an online certificate that you can print and give.

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.

Product List

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Mint Macaron Classic Stampin' Pad [138326]	Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad [133643]	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad [140931]	Blushing Bride Classic Stampin' Pad [131172]
Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad [138323]	Daffodil Delight Classic Stampin' Pad [126944]	Hello Honey Classic Stampin' Pad [133643]	Delightful Dijon Classic Stampin' Pad [138327]	Mossy Meadow Classic Stampin' Pad [133645]
Old Olive Classic Stampin' Pad [126953]	Pear Pizzazz Classic Stampin' Pad [131180]	Paper Snips Scissors [103579]	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]	Softly Falling Textured Impressions Embossing Folder [139672]
Big Shot [113439]	Fast Fuse Adhesive [129026]	Glue Dots [103683]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

Picture Perfect Stamp Set *, Birthday Bouquet Designer Series Paper Stack*

*These products are found in the 2016 Occasions Catalogue and will be available to order on Jan. 5, 2016.

Guest Stamper, Holly Finney!

I'm taking it a little easier this week with my blog posts, so I can spend time with my family over Christmas. Today I thought I'd share with you the awesome lumieres that were made for me by a fellow team member. You see, every time we have a team Christmas party, we have a gift exchange - you know those wild and crazy ones where stealing is encouraged! It gets quite - Ahem - animated!

If you remember, I brought this to the exchange:

and it did see a lot of stealing action!

Here's the parcel I was so lucky to end up with:

• These lumieres were made by Holly Finney, a very creative team member, and I just love them.
• Holly created these with the Hearth and Home Framelits Dies, and they make a charming set placed around the living room with other Christmas decor!

And Tuesday means it's time for new Weekly Deals:

Enjoy!

The Sky's the Limit!

Remember me telling you how excited I was with the new Going Places Suite* in the 2016 Occasions Catalogue that comes out on January 5 to the public? Well, there is another stamp set in the Sale-A-Bration Brochure that works along perfectly with this set called Sky is the Limit**, and you could get it for free just by purchasing sixty dollars worth of products from the Going Places Suite*!

If you buy the clear stamp set, Going Global*, the Going Places Designer Series Paper Stack*, the coordinating cardstock pack*, the World Traveler Embossing folder*, some Basic Black Archival Ink, and some Lost Lagoon ink it would give you a total of $67.75 before shipping and tax, which would be enough to earn the Sky is the Limit stamp set** as a Sale-A-Bration Reward! How cool is that?

The other thing you need to know about the Sky is the Limit set is that it is only available in the first half of Sale-A-Bration until Feb. 15. After that Stampin' Up! will be adding some new products to take the place of the retiring ones for the remainder of Sale-A-Bration. This is the first time they've had products for only a limited time at the beginning of SAB. So any item from page 16 - 19 has to be earned before Feb. 15.

I roughly followed the Freshly Made Sketches Challenge sketch turned on it's side:

• I used the Sky is The Limit stamp set to stamp the biplane and the sentiments, in either Lost Lagoon or Basic Black. I fussy cut the biplane (easy job, by the way) and the top sentiment was cut out as a rectangle and mounted on a larger black rectangle and die cut together using a Lots of Labels framelit. The lower framelit is from the Project Life Cards and Labels Framelit Dies.
• The next stamping I did was the compass image from the Going Global Stamp Set*. It fits perfectly in a 2" Circle punch, but I didn't want to use the 2 1/2" Circle Punch to punch out a matte for it from the Going Places Designer Series Paper*. Instead, I picked a smaller circle from the Circles Collection Framelits and die cut the black compass circle that perfectly frames the compass face. 
• I love the schematic design on the paper in the background. It creates the perfect masculine design. The Lost Lagoon Striped Cotton Ribbon is masculine enough for the card as well.

*These products are found in the 2016 Occasions Catalogue and will be available to order on Jan. 5, 2016.

**These products are found in the 2016 Sale-A-Bration Brochure and will be available to earn on Jan. 5, 2016.

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.

Product List

Lost Lagoon 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [133679]	Basic Black 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [121045]	Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Lost Lagoon Classic Stampin' Pad [133644]	Basic Black Archival Stampin’ Pad [140931]
Lost Lagoon 5/8" Striped Cotton Ribbon [138418]	2" Circle Punch [133782]	Circles Collection Framelits Die [130911]	Paper Snips Scissors [103579]	Project Life Cards & Labels Framelits [135707]
Big Shot [113439]	Lots Of Labels Framelits Dies [138281]	Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]	Fast Fuse Adhesive Refill [129027]	Glue Dots [103683]
Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]

Going Global Stamp Set*, Sky is the Limit Stamp Set**, Going Places Designer Series Paper Stack*

*These products are found in the 2016 Occasions Catalogue and will be available to order on Jan. 5, 2016.

**These products are found in the 2016 Sale-A-Bration Brochure and will be available to earn on Jan. 5, 2016.

Sympathy Card for As You See It Challenges

Mmmmm! I just finished eating some ginger snaps made by my fabulous up line, Desirée Spenst! Two, because I couldn't eat just one, they were so delicious - chewy, like good ginger snaps should be! But I digress before I even get started!

Do you often find yourself short of sympathy cards? I occasionally don't have one when I need it, and then I have to make one, even in the duress of the moment. I think it is a good idea to keep some on hand to avoid that problem. Some don't like to make them ahead because sympathy cards are difficult to make, and some feel that, "If I make one, I'll need one!" But rest assured that even though I've used a few sympathy cards in my time, it was never just after I had made one, and more often than not, I needed one before I made it.

I used this week's As You See It Challenge sketch as my layout:

The simplicity and elegance of the sketch made me thing right away of a sympathy design. I have also fallen in love all over again with Watermelon Wonder paired with a light neutral. The neutral just seems to bring out the glow in the Watermelon Wonder! Take a look at my design:

• Once again, I got out my new bundle, Rose Wonder stamp set* and Rose Garden Thinlit Dies*, because I knew there was a sympathy sentiment on it and the leaves die cuts worked well for the flourishes on the sketch.
• The two pieces of Designer Series Paper (DSP) I used were the script design from the Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack, and the Crumb Cake loops on Whisper White from the Love Blossoms Paper Stack*.
• I die cut the leaves from Crumb Cake cardstock using the leaf sprig thinlit from the Rose Garden Thinlits dies*. I cut three and pieced 2 together to make it longer for one of the sprigs.
• The sentiment and label stamps are from the Rose Wonder* set and there is a coordinating die to die cut it from the Rose Garden Thinlet Dies*. These two products can be purchased in a bundle, starting January 5, 2016, and you will save 15%.

 *These products are found in the 2016 Occasions Catalogue and will be available to order on Jan. 5, 2016.                                         

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.

Product List

Gorgeous Grunge Wood Stamp Set [130514]	Gorgeous Grunge Clear Stamp Set [130517]	Neutrals Designer Series Paper Stack [138435]	Crumb Cake 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [120953]	Watermelon Wonder 8-1/2" X 11" Cardstock [138334]
Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock [100730]	Crumb Cake Classic Stampin' Pad [126975]	Watermelon Wonder Classic Stampin' Pad [138323]	Rhinestone Basic Jewels Embellishments [119246]	Big Shot [113439]
Liquid Multipurpose Glue [110755]	Fast Fuse Adhesive [129026]	Stampin' Dimensionals [104430]	2-Way Glue Pen [100425]	Glue Dots [103683]

Rose Wonder Stamp Set*, Rose Garden Thinlits Dies*, Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper Stack*

 *These products are found in the 2016 Occasions Catalogue and will be available to order on Jan. 5, 2016.