Why Not Become a Demonstrator?

There's just a couple of weeks for Sale-A-Bration and I thought I would just toss this out there - have you ever thought of becoming a SU demonstrator? Sale-A-Bration is a pretty good time to join actually. The price of the starter kit has decreased over the years and you also get to pick what goes in it, which includes two free stamp sets. I'm told that years ago this was not so. Trust me, it's a great deal, even if you want to be hobby demonstrator like me.

Why would you want to be a demonstrator? How about...

•  meeting fun new people just like you
•  sneak peeks at new products
•   quarterly magazine
•  loads of tutorials and advice

Why did I become a demonstrator? Well, I mostly wanted to make new friends and I was looking for crafty fun within my neighbourhood instead of having to drive to events on the other side of town. There are Stampin' Up! demonstrators everywhere.

I'm also big into paper crafts and it frustrated me to no end to have a pile of paper and ink that didn't coordinate. My stamping collection was made of random stuff here and there. Once I became a demo I was able to kit up with all the tools I needed. Trust me, anything is 100% more enjoyable when you have the right tools for the right job. Now I can just plan out a card and order all the supplies instead of searching high and low for the right colours or paper and it arrives on my doorstep within a week!

One last thing - it's no pressure. I feel so welcome as a hobby demo by the other ladies on my team. When the time is right I might branch out into parties, but I am good learning for now and that's OK :-)

Sale-A-Bration!

One of the fun things about being a demonstrator is getting a sneak peek at all the upcoming products. I was so busy with visiting friends and family at Christmas that I didn't get a chance to order much beforehand for Sale-A-Bration. I had a very happy mail day last last month where my Carried Away Designer Series Paper arrived along So Very Much and Delicate Details. Who doesn't need a giant thank you stamp?.

But wait, there's more! Yes, I had no idea that there would be a second release of Sale-A-Bration products. I put in an order last night and am looking forward to the glimmer paper and medallion stamp set! Check it out!

February Stamping Project: Best Birds Happy Birthday Greeting Card

 

My February project is a card that I made for a team swap back in October. It's a really fun card that stamps up quickly - you can stamp a stack and have birthday or congratulations card for a year's worth of celebrations.

Supply list for 16 cards

• Crumb Cake cardstock (8 8.5x11" sheets) for card bases
• Pink Pirouette cardstock (1.25 12x12" sheets from Subtles collection pack) for flowers
• Very Vanilla cardstock (1.5 8.5x11" sheets) for birds and tags
• Tip Top Taupe cardstock (1 8x11.5" sheet) for branches
• Birds and Blooms thinlits dies
• Flower Fair thinlits dies
• Crumb Cake and Tip Top Taupe inks
• Best Birds stamp set

How I made the cards:

1. Score each sheet of Crumb Cake before cutting in half to make two 4.25x5.5” card bases. Don’t fold the cards.
2. Stamp all over the front of the card with the background stamp using Crumbcake ink.
3. Stamp the inside bottom right of the card with the left facing (male) sparrow from Best Birds using Tip Top Taupe ink.
4. Use the large flower and smaller flower from the Flower Fair die set to die cut the large and small flowers for the front from Pink Pirouette paper. Here’s a tip - draw a grid pattern on the 12x12” sheet to make best use of your paper to cut the big flowers. Use the scraps from in-between to cut the small flowers.
5. Stamp 16 branches with Tip Top Taupe ink on Tip Top Taupe paper and die cut.
6. Stamp 16 right facing birds with Tip Top Taupe ink on Very Vanilla paper and die cut.
7. Assemble the bird, branch and flowers before sticking down to front of card. My tip - assemble one and then place a sheet of wax or parchment paper over it to use as a guide for the other pieces so they are all spaced the same.
8. Divide a sheet of Very Vanilla into 1.5x4.25" pieces for tags.
9. Stamp the desired greeting with Tip Top Taupe towards the right side of the edge of the tag.
10. Using a craft knife and ruler or Stampin’ Trimmer, cut out the tags. You can fussy cut the banner tail or use a hexagon punch.
11. Adhere the tags to the front of the card, fold in half and it’s ready to give!

Click for larger size!

I find that I use the Best Birds set a lot - you won't go wrong with purchasing this set for your Stampin' Up collection!

Dear Christine: Do I Need a Big Shot Die Brush?

Dear Christine - do I need a Big Shot die brush?

I must confess that one of the things that held me back from enjoying stamping was not having the right tools for the job. Sometimes there are things in the catalog that seem a little superfluous. Do you need a Big Shot die brush? Yes - especially if you purchased the Up & Away Thinlits Dies. I discovered the hard way that I definitely need the Big Shot die brush after poking out tons of little pieces from this lovely ornate die. Would you want to spend your time craft instead of cleaning dies with a piercing tool? Ooof!

 

While the Big Shot die brush will be going in on my next order, I have used it before. It comes with a foam pad and you just roll it over the die. The foam pad will wear with time, but you can always flip it over and use the other side or wear it evenly by not using it in the same spot.
 

Click for larger image

Not pictured - the mess all over the floor when I bumped the cutting mat! That's another problem to solve :-)

Happy Mail Day!

Any day that I receive a box from Stampin' Up is a happy mail day, more so if it arrives just in time for crafty weekend fun! I'm still filling out my collection of ink pads and ordered the Subtles ink pad collection, along with the Lift Me Up bundle. Oh, and there on the left is a belated addition - the Leaflets Framelits Dies to go with the Vintage Leaves stamps I bought a while ago!

Stay tuned as I play around with these!

First Post!

Hi friends,

Welcome to my blog! As mentioned above, I am a hobby Stampin' Up! demonstrator and I'm eager to show off the new things I have learned and share new products that I love. I have been a paper craft for a very long time and making cards has always been one of my favourite hobbies. I feel like I'm create a miniature world in a 5x7" or smaller space. I became a demonstrator in Summer 2016 and do it solely as a hobby for now. I dream of some day holding classes however!