Some of my go to items

I am so pleased that Tea Shoppe made it into the new catalog. It is one of my favorite stamp sets along with French Foliage, which I used on the background for this card. I also had to use a bit of silver Glimmer paper, just because.

As I post this I am waiting, not so patiently, for Mr. Brown to bring my new items. I plan to spend the evening surrounded by new treats. TFL

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in the Northwest. My DH and I went to an RV show to see what is new since last year when he bought me a nice new 26 foot trailer for my crafting. We call it the Craft Palace (CP.) We looked at many RV's and I came away very happy with last years purchase. It is vey comfortable and suits me quite well.

Today was another beautiful day. I was in the CP for several hours sorting and packaging cards for a craft fair I will be doing in December. I also took down all my sample cards from the current catalog so I can replace them with fun, new creations. (Mr. Brown comes tomorrow with my pre-order for the upcoming catalog release on June 1.) I have stored almost all of the retired stamp sets, there are a couple I will be continuing to use for special projects.

I even had time to make a couple of cards and thought I would share one with you this evening. TFL.

Good News

STAMPIN' UP! UPDATE (and clarification) AS OF 5/3!  

In addition to the STAMPIN' UP! OCCASIONS MINI CATALOG CARRYOVER LIST, the following Occasions Mini Catalog stamps are available for purchase RIGHT NOW!  They will show up in the new Stampin' Up! 2012-2013 Catalog on June 1, too!  

Stamp Set Name	Item Number
	Wood-Mount	Clear-Mount
Baby Prints	125470	125472
Love & Laughter	125475	125477
Bordering on Romance	125480	125482
Apothecary Art	125525	125527
Mixed Bunch	125535	125537
Tea Shoppe	125545	125547
Mouthwatering	125675	125677
Loving Thoughts	125843	125845
Salon de thé	125934	125936
Etiquetas florales	--	125941
Art floral	125964	125966

I joined Stampin' Up! in February of 2008 for the business opportunity. Since then I have changed my focus and continue with SU! mostly as a "hobby demo". I have people on my team who also enjoy SU! as a business and as a hobby.  We get together once a month with a larger team (my upline) and have a good time sharing card swaps, learning new techniques, and completing make and takes brought by demos. It is a very good way to keep up with what is going on with SU! and also to get together with a nice group of people who enjoy paper crafts, good food (yes, we always have food), laughs, and being around other happy people.

I do hold Stamp-a-Stack events, do an occasional craft fair, and am open to doing stamp clubs and camps. As a demo I get a nice discount on SU! products and I have the opportunity to order new products in advance. SU! is a part of my day to day life and I love it.

Why am I sharing this with you?

Beginning TODAY (and for the duration of the new catalog), Stampin' Up! will be offering a new, customizable Starter Kit at a lower price of $99!  Ladies and Gentlemen . . . start your paper crafting engines!

 CHOICES:  When you purchase the kit, you can choose up to $125 of ANY (yes, ANY) current Stampin' Up! quality products.  You'll also receive a business supplies pack valued at $65.  The total value of the kit is $190 and it ships for FREE!  This is a fabulous deal, whether you are a hobby stamper or want to be a business demonstrator!

Think about it . . . great deals, exclusive resources and new stamping friends with no pressure to sell or hold workshops (but lots of advice and support if you do).  There's no penalty to drop!


Ready to get started? CLICK HERE  to order your kit on-line and become part of my team. (Don't live near me? That's okay, I have demo's on my team who live in other states.)
Please EMAIL ME if you have any questions.

Transition time

I spent the day in my crafting space preparing for the new catalog which is coming June 1. SU has given us the lists of stamps and accessories that will be retiring. (You can click on the links at the right side of this blog to go to the lists.) I like to make the transition with my supplies once the lists are announced. It lets me see what current product I will have after the transition and it gives me time to say good-bye to some of my favorites, which can be difficult for me.

While I was "transitioning", I had to make a card. This is what I came up with for today.



I also wanted to share with you another change SU! is making. This one starts May 1.
Stampin' Up! is offering a fully customizable Starter Kit for new recruits at a new lower price of $99! To sign up go to my website at http://michellewilliams.stampinup.net , click on Join The Fun, then click on Join Now.
If you want to purchase the Starter Kit the way it is now, you need to order it by April 30, 2012, 10:50 p.m. PDT.

Why buy the Starter Kit?

As a demonstrator, you get to be among the first to preorder new catalog items starting May 1 with the new catalog starting June 1;
You'll get to learn new stampin' tips, tricks, and ideas at our monthly demo gatherings, as well as at SU! events;
You'll save money on every purchase you make as a demonstrator.You get to order up to $125 of product in your kit. After you buy the kit, you'll get your demonstrator number and password in a couple of emails and get 30% off your first order of $150 or more. From there, you'll save at least 20% on every order you place!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need more information. I'm happy to help!

Appreciation Event

Yesterday I enjoyed an appreciation event given by my SU! Grandmother (my uplines upline.) Several of us earned this event based on sales, recruiting, promoting, etc. We were treated to a wonderful Mexican themed lunch, gifts, and several wonderful projects.  

Today, I want to share a couple of the projects with you. Thanks Terry.

 We made a fun garden stake out of gutter flashing on a copper wire stake. We cut the flashing using our Big Shot Dies. Everyone did something different. Then I embossed mine using an embossing folder. Terry had a pearl or crystal bobble for us to add (it is a bit hard to see in this picture) and we could embellish our stake with a butterfly and brad. The butterfly was also cut from the flashing. This was fun to make and also to see how each of us decorated our own and how we twisted our wire stake.

The second picture is of the "vase" we made from a tin can covered in DSP and the flowers we made to compliment the vase. These are the only kind of plants or flowers I can keep "alive" in my house.

I will share others things later this week.

Retiring Stamp Sets List

 We have all been anxiously waiting to hear which Stampin' Up! rubber stamp sets will be retiring effective May 31, 2012!  GOOD NEWS!  The Stampin' Up! Retired Stamp List is NOW available!

• Click HERE to see the list of over 300 stamp sets that will be retiring. 
• These stamp sets will be available for purchase THRU May 31, 2012!
• If you plan to order your retiring favorites, be sure to check the Stampin' Up! Clearance Rack for great deals on punches, albums, designer series paper and more.  Up to 60% off!   50+ new products added to clearance this past week!  Clearance rack items can ONLY be placed through an on-line order and are available while supplies last!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  The Retired Accessories/Décor Elements Lists will be released on April 25, 2012.  Retiring accessories and Stampin' Up! Décor Elements (this line is being discontinued) will only be available while supplies last.  BE SURE TO ORDER EARLY! 

PLEASE REMEMBER that the Stampin' Up! 2012-2013 Annual Catalog will be released June 1, 2012, a month earlier than in the past.  The good news is that with so many stamp sets retiring, the new catalog will be loaded with new products!

SAS cont.

Here is another card from my recent SAS.

 I like the combination of Pool Party and Island Indigo and the stamp set Nature Walk is one of my favorites. I think the Silver Shimmer paper adds a bit of bling to the project.

SAS Continued

These are a couple more of the cards from my recent SAS. I wanted to use DSP from Sale-a-bration and give the cards some dimension. Had to include googlie eyes for the giraffes just because. TFL.

SAS cards continued

This Packed For Baby stamp is fun to work with. It has options for decorating and it just makes me smile.

Thank You SAS

I had a Stamp-A-Stack today with a focus on girly thank you cards. This is one of the cards we made. Fun and easy to make.

Silk Ribbon Roses

Today I want to share with you one of my new passions. I have started making Ribbon Flowers and I am selling them at the Waterfront Hair Gallery in Silverdale.  This one is my favorite so far. I am making them so that they can be put in your hair, on the lapel of a jacket, or on the front of a handbag.

Terry's M&T

This is the card and envelope our leader, Terry Blais, presented at our demo meeting on Saturday for a Make and Take. The DSP is one of my favorites.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am having a good time making matching envelopes for my cards. I think I will have less left over DSP in the future as I make more card sets. TFL.

Let's all be Irish

A few years ago I was able to be in Ireland for St. Patrick's Days. It was a good time to enjoy a bit of the Irish heritage I come from. I also believe everyone can "be Irish" this time of year and enjoy the fun and partying. So I made this card for my Secret Stamping Sister to help set the mood. (I am counting on the fact that she doesn't look at my blog. If she does the jig is up.)

I made the matching envelope using the newest addition for the Simply Scored. I have had the measurements to make envelopes by hand for years, but it is so much quicker and easier to make envelopes with the new Diagonal Plate. 

March M&T

One of my fellow demo's, Brandy, designed this card for us to make at our demo meeting on Saturday. She showed us a neat technique for the Very Vanilla ribbon down the center of the card. We used the heating tool to "warp" the ribbon. It was fun to do and it adds a nice touch to the card.