by Susan Itell | Jul 24, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Hello again from Salt Lake! I must say that it was a fast, fun, furious and fabulous day! I am one "pooped" Stampin' Up! Demonstrator and went back to the room after the awards to rest while the others had a 20's theme party!
Stampin' up! spares no expense in pampering and entertaining…the theme of last night was the 20's and they had fabulous professional dancers and the home office was also dressed in style!
It was a fabulous evening of woot-woot's and it was even more wonderful to see Mary Fish, Brian King, Lisa Pretto and Candy Ford get some well deserved awards…I just love the PALS!
Ok. – I loved your comments today, I do hope that you go back and read them…..my heart was smiling with happiness to read all of the wonderful cards that you have just made and then the cards that you are already thinking about making!
Please do not underestimate the power of what a simple card means….the recipient will know that it was a gift of art from your heart and that YOU took the time to make it….priceless!
O.k…….and the winner of 25 cards is…….PATRICIA……
(please email me your name and address)
LOVED all of your comments but this one from is going to hit the post for tomorrow…..so please pop back and you will see what I mean ….it is a MUST HAVE and you just "need to do it" (have I ever let you down, trust me on this one!)
Enjoy the picture of some beauties….you know….a girl has to do what a girl has to do…..when it doubt – take pictures in the shower (best lighting I had to work with….also, sorry that I did not know the names of some)
Guess what…..
My wish came true on all 3 of my wishes!
Darn, I wish that I could share with you the goodies….but again, trust me on this one….there are some amazing new goodies in this newbie!
I can hold the catalog and have someone take my picture…and will do so tomorrow…and you can have a scavenger hunt guessing what some of the new products are! You will love them!
Now to the pictures…..night – night……time for my to get my beauty rest – this gal is pooped!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 23, 2015 | Uncategorized |
I am here in Salt Lake City and having fun! Before we get to some fun stuff I want to share with you something that is special. You know how I have said countless times that I adore the relationships that I have met through this fun journey!
If you read comments that people leave on my blog, you will often see a comment from Bridget. Bridget has made the trek from France to come to Salt Lake as a guest to the convention. Is that wonderful or what! Her "real USA home is in North Carolina" but she and her husband have been in France for the past 3 years but she will be coming back soon (for good, hopefully)
She is so passionate about paper-crafting and she wanted to come – I think that this is a beautiful testament of what the mission of Stampin' Up! is all about. We are having fun together and it is wonderful that the PALS are making her feel so special (she will become a demonstrator as soon as she moves back) but this is such a special time for "her"….and more importantly something that she wanted for herself.
It all goes back to that "me time" I talk about – I adore being around an amazing group of passionate and inspiring people!
I did put on my "big girl pants on" and made it scooter and all and WOW – thank goodness I have "scootie" as she is my very best friend, there is A LOT of walking…oops, I meant scooting!
O.k. – you want to know who won the BLOG CANDY of 25 Cards….
( I just could not resist this picture below) and after I tell you who won –
I have a story…..(you know I love to tell stories)
Did you all read/scan through the comments – they were great….they were "spot on"….it was great to hear of your wants and wishes and I had over 123 comments which was fantastic as I posted so late yesterday!
Read all the way to the end as I am going to give 25 more away…….
The winner is….. TONYA DENTON
(please email me your address…woot-woot to you!)
Well….last night I went to a fabulous training from Mary Fish's up line, Lisa Pretto and it was fantastic….after that Mary and Lisa hosted a "Sip and Swap".…doesn't that just sound like fun? Well it was and there were over 50 of people swapping and what a FUN, FUN time! (I was at the end of the line as "scootie" was running into people….we had a blast!
I wanted to share with you some of the swap cards that I received tonight but by the time we got back to the hotel, the lighting was so bad in the room I just couldn't share them as the photos did not do these beauties justice!
BUT….here are a couple of beautiful pictures from the hotel! I thought through a window and my I Phone, these turned out fantastic! Enjoy….I am super pooped and until tomorrow….
Real quick as I need to hit the hay – the picture above of the girl from Willie Wonka….well, when Bridget and I went to the home office we were able to see the distribution center….WOW – the minute I walked in I thought I was in Willy Wonka Movie….it is sooooo clean and organized….over 300,000 square feet – it was amazing!
More excitement ahead! Please pop back tomorrow and I will share with you some cards and inspiration!
How about another 25 cards to give away……this is fun – I feel like I am at a candy factory and you get to get the candy!
Leave me a comment today and let me know what the last card was that you made and what is the next card you have in your little mind to make!
I do love hearing what you are up to…and it is fun to see what we are all up to!
Night-night….you will love the pictures of some of the samples tomorrow!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 22, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Good day to everyone…I am sure that you can relate to this phrase…."Life Happens"!!! Sorry that the post did not go off this morning but yesterday was a super busy day and the day completely got away from me!
I do not know if you are like me or can relate to this…but when I know that I am going away, I worry so much about the house…making sure there is plenty of food….everything is clean….the animals are ok and then when it is time to take care of myself – YIKES….the clock was spinning way too fast!
I am typing this as I am flying to Salt Lake and we are going to do something FUN fun (dah!!!…..we always have fun) and I am super happy with that silly clip art above….so let's look into the future and one of you will win BLOG CANDY!
What is the BLOG CANDY???
Something that I know that you are going to adore….
How about 25 swap cards!
That's right...just leave me a comment today by midnight tonight for the following question. It will be super fun to see what everyone sees in their crystal ball!
What would be your top 3 wishes in the
Holiday Catalog?
The reason I said the answers had to be in by midnight is because….I will see the NEW catalog and goodies tomorrow so to be fair I am making it just for today!
Here are my top 3 wishes:
- An absolutely beautiful Holiday 6" X 6" Paper Stack ( I ADORE the new ones we have and have used then soooooo darn much….)
- More Sentiment Framelits (I love being able to have a simple "focal" word as the main accent to a clean and simple card.
- More Punches (Punches to me are TOTAL SPEED TOOLS and anytime I can get my paws on a great punch. I know that it will save me time!
You know that I made a bunch of Swap Cards and for those of you that do not know what a swap card is….well for every card I made, some wonderful nice, talented, fun Stampin' Up! lovin' person will share with me a card that they made……FUN!!!!
I made 200 swap cards so that means that I will be coming home with lots of great ideas for you! My posts are going to be very different over the next week as I am traveling to convention (naturally) but then afterwards continuing on to be with Hannah.
Please make sure that you pop back daily as I will share with you highlights, pictures of super great ideas and yep…..possibly more BLOG CANDY! I knew that the effort putting into making the cards would be a win-win for both of us….and I know if someone gave me 25 cards….I would say WOOT-WOOT!
Good luck and leave me a comment letting everyone know of 3 things that you would like to see in the new Holiday Catalog!
Once I land, I am taking a tour of the home office….going to a training meeting and then a Sip and Swap with the PALS (whew….BIG DAY for the country girl) – I am so excited as this being the 1st time is super special to me…..darn, I wish we all were together!
I can't wait to read your wishes….I will do so when it is "get that foot up and ice time" Until tomorrow!
p.s. – I might have my posts go off later than usual so I can give you the fun highlights…I figured that I would have to go back to the hotel for part of the day to rest my ankle….have no fear – I have not forgotten about you!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 16, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Today's challenge is a sketch challenge and this is a super straight forward one that I hope that you will play. Make sure you check out what the other design teams members came up with…..click here to see!
I was doing the happy dance when I saw the below sketch as I knew that this would be a perfect layout for me to make another swap card. Knowing me, I will change up the color combos as we have so many choices and get bored making the same!
This is one of those stamp sets when I saw the new catalog …I knew that it was coming to Randall Lane! I LOVED the water color "thank you" that Stampin' Up! came out with last year and I was thrilled that it was carried over!
If you liked that one…than you will LOVE this one!
Why do I like this stamp set? EASY – it is so fun and easy to work with. Today I am just using a tone on tone…something that always is easy, fast and fun!
The colors of the day are Blushing Bride and Old Olive….I just adore pink and green and the circle diecuts and Big Shot were the stars of the day!
Because it is a photopolymer stamp set….placement is easy peasy….I admit, I do love the ease of these "see through" stamps!
You can clearly see that it does not get any simpler than this! I did use the NEW Banner Triple Punch in the 1" width and then layered them on top of each other before doing the stamping. It does not get any easier than this!
You can see my little "triple dot" here and there in the backdrop…please try it – it is so easy and so fun! I love my dots…dashes and squiggles!
I had to have a fun lining for this fun card! I adore polka dots and I ADORE the new paper stacks! The NEW prints are fabulous and I can honestly say that I love all 4 of them (sometimes there are 1 or 2 that you like but this is a grand slam)! Today I am using the Brights Collection and the Old Olive.
The trio of the Brights Candy Dots added the perfect little simple touch. I admit, I forget about them but when I do use them I scratch my heard and say why do I forget about them? They are always a perfect accent and it does not add any extra postage – a win win all the way around!
You can see that this will be a super simple card to whop up many of! I promise to share with you a picture of all of the swatch card once I do them!
Have a great day and I hope that you consider playing the challenge this week, there is no doubt in my mind that you can all ROCK IT!
Today is a special day for many reasons, today is my sweet Eddie's Birthday….we will be having a "pooch party", heck we do not need to invite any other dogs….we have plenty for a party and…I am SOOOOO excited as I am driving to the barn in Virginia to see Oscar – he is still in rehab and I am excited to see him…darn I miss looking out the front door and looking down at the barn and seeing his adorable head!
Make it a great day!
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by Susan Itell | Jul 13, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Good Morning and here is to a great week ahead! I hope that your weekend was great. I had an unexpected surprise…John and James were working outside all day (work here is endless) and John walked in the house around 5 and said – "Let's go….I am going to get you out of the house" – I was soooo happy as being in the house has really been getting to me!
We went to the Antietam Battlefield (one of our favorite places that we bike and walk) but he brought my scooter and I scooted all around and he could not keep up with me! It was FUN and it was energizing to me!
This is a fabulous new stamp set that I know that many of you were happy to see in the catalog. Many of you think that we have been "missing the gaps" with sympathy stamp sets. We all need to send sympathy cards and it is wonderful to have a good old "go to" and this is it!
John often asks me for a stash of sympathy cards as he likes to send them to clients and their families and I whipped up 8 of these in a snap….why 8??? Easy…
- You get (4) sheets of each print in the paper stack so I cut (2) pieces into 1 1/2" strips and then used the MUST HAVE speed punch, the triple banner punch and I still have 2 sheets left to use for another project!
I must admit, I thought that it was totally silly to have a punch that could cut a banner when it is so easy to do yourself with scissors…but boy was I wrong – this cuts out more that (3) sizes….all you have to do is flip it over and line it up….PUNCH and DONE!
I am so happy that many of our DSP in the new catalog coordinate with Very Vanilla. I adore the softness that Very Vanilla gives and would it be wonderful to have this in a heavy weight like the whisper white!
The other "star" is the Itty Bitty Accents Punch Pack…this sweet little flower I use sooooo much but it always adds the perfect accent.
The Circle Framelits made this card come together in a snap….I also call them my speed tools and I think a great investment is the ones that I call "nestabilities" – like the circles, ovals, squares….these are great as you can make so many sizes, mats etc….
I used another piece of DSP from this stack to line the envelopes! I cut it in half and am able to line (2) cards with a sheet….so it worked out GREAT – there are (4) sheets in the pack and I was able to line 8 envelopes
This week I am showing you cards that are super simple and fast as I will be making these cards for "swaps" to take to convention. This is the 1st time I have attended convention and I am super excited….scooter and all….I will be ZOOMING to the fun!
I hope that this was an inspiration to you and even though we do not like to have to make sympathy cards….I think that this stamp set is a total "keeper" – As promised, I will share with you future posts with this stamp set so you can see the versatility of the stamp sets!
Enjoy your day, please feel free to leave me a comment with how you like this card…a great example of less is best! Until tomorrow.
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by Susan Itell | Jul 10, 2015 | Uncategorized |
Hello everyone…I am calling this a "Storm Buster Post" as the weathermen said that we are to have bad storms tonight…(well you are reading this on Friday) so I was going to be a "Girl Scout" and be prepared just in case we loose power! (I usually type my posts in the evening)
I am LOVIN' showing you all cards that people have sent to me – you all are so darn sweet and I deeply appreciate the cards, email and well wishes that have been coming my way …not only are you spoiling me, but you sure are making my job easier in being Vanna White and not having to create….I just get to share with you some inspiration to the MAX!
Let the PARADE BEGIN!
This first card I need to tell you a story….I know that I should not be so personal with my Blog Postings and just keep it to the product, but this is what I love about blogging and also being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator – I am what I am and I love to tell stories!
This card made by Margie is super special to me…I always called her "Auntie M"… Margie and I used to be with Creative Memories together and she was a Kindergarten teacher for over 30+ years.
Margie and I have many things in common ….both are "type A"…both have wonderful husbands….both get up SUPER EARLY (I could always call Margie before the sun comes up as I know she would be up)…and both of us do not like change….(When everything went from "negatives" to digital…we both thought that the world was coming to an end.)
We would call each other just about daily, sometimes more – we would collaborate ideas…swap/borrow product and she would put it out in a cooler on her porch…. I could go on and on but I am just soooooo darn happy that Margie is enjoying making cards!
Margie was the 1st person that introduced my to Stampin' Up….(gosh, that had to have been at least 15-18 years ago) and when I think about that – WOW…..if I would have signed up then….We would go to a customers of Margie's house….to go to a monthly class – it was FUN! Great memories!
Is this stunning or WHAT! I adore the color combination that Susan used and the white embossing on the flowers is so elegant. This is a fabulous card layout and if I were you…..I would keep this one in the old memory bank! A very versatile layout that can be adapted for so many occasions!
LOVE the layers…
Oh Carol….thank you…thank you! this is a fun card and I am soooo darn glad that you paper pierced. I totally forget about doing this and when I see a project with it – the light bulb goes on so thank you for the memory boost! Also, a stamper after my own heart….polka dot paper and dimensionals….can't go wrong with the good old staples!
Carol also wrote me a beautiful note (she has the most beautiful handwriting) and I know that we would get along great as she was a pre-school teacher for over 25 years and now loves paper crafting! I think that is is such a gift to be able to "cyber meet" such unique and special people….
O.k. folks – is this a beauty or what! I am in love with this envelope liner paper…..I am tellin' you – it is the BEST BANG for your buck! It is a dream machine to wok with and I think that I am going to make swap cards for convention with it….(hmmmmm…….I have no idea when I am going to get that in)
The colors, the layers and textures…..and the bakers twine just brings everything together. (Bakers Twine is another must have) I broke down and ordered this stamp set….it is a beauty and I cannot wait to play with it!
This card that Kay made is a true work of art….it is just beautiful. The picture does not do it justice (it is daffodil delight but it looks much brighter) but trust me on this one…I keeper and I am going to CASE away on this one!
Using the Wood Grain background stamp is the perfect backdrop for the butterfly….she adhered the black one flat and then added the yellow one on top. Also, notice how she stamped of the leaves……give a great effect.
I must add that Kay wrote me the most inspiring note….and it is one of those that you will keep forever. This goes back to why I love Stampin' Up! – The friends that I have met and the wisdom that I have gained is priceless!
Whenever I see the name "Ellen Hinds" when she leaves a comment or shoots me an email, an instant smile and warmth comes over me. She is the sweetest person in the whole wide world and has a heart of gold.
I truly wish that we all could meet and get to know each other face to face but I have always felt a connectivity with dear Ellen. I think that I might send her a video of me scooting on my wheeler – she thinks that is funny!
Look at the work and detail she did with this beautiful card…Tulips are my all time favorite flower and I just love all of the attention to detail she has put into this card…..great job my friend!
Look at this watercoloring…..WOWZERS! I just LOVE to watercolor and I love to see others do it as well. PLEASE do not be intimated by doing watercoloring….it is so fun and so rewarding. Just remember, we all start somewhere and you can see that Tricia has been doing this for a while…sooooo darn cute!
Do you all remember Caleb??? He is the little guy (Tricia's son) that was having a tough time on his spelling test on day (and I still hold strong that the word was just too darn hard) and then he lost his tooth and made that super cute tooth fairy box….well….he steals my heart and I bet he helped his Mom with the Washi Tape!
I am soooo darn lucky! Karen is on my team and she is one to definitely follow….she started her own blog and it is fabulous and I am so proud of her! Please pop over and check it out….I ADORE the fact that she is not afraid to play with color (look at the above card…WOW) and that working with DSP as a focal part to a card is very natural to her!
You know how I feel about single stamps….this background stamp that Karen used – ROCKS the card!
Well….there you go…I am sorry for the length of this but I had the time…..time for the foot to be up! I hope that you enjoyed the cards, please give these ladies some woot-woot love with a comment….enjoy the day!
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