Stamping Intervention

Open House Tomorrow!

Hey, there Michigan Stampaholics!

My New Catalog Open House is tomorrow at my house in Ann Arbor. (2421 Pinecrest Ave.) It's from 9:00 am-1:00 pm! We'll be...

Making TWO Make & Takes,

Getting Hands-on Experience with the Big Shot

Seeing lots of Samples (OVER 25 new cards and scrapbook pages!)

Browsing the New Catalog

Door Prizes!!!

I'd love to see each and every one of you there! (Er, that is, here...) Please feel free to email me at sara@stampingintervention.com if you have any questions or need directions!

Where to find: Color Combinations!

Needless to say, I stay within the Stampin' Up! product lines for multiple reasons: they all coordinate; the quality of our card stock can't be beat; there are different resources available to decide on color combinations; and, I just can't spend my money on craft-store products when I get a 20% on everything that I spend with Stampin' Up!

Back to that color combination thing...I'm not going to lie. I struggle with coming up with my own color combinations. The ones that I "discover" all by myself tend to be that I had a couple of scraps laying around and found them appealing together. Honestly, though, I almost always use Stampin' Up publications as a resource!

I look at the samples in the Idea Book and Catalog. Which ever ones stick out to me are usually the ones that I gravitate towards when making a project.

I also look at the Designer Series Papers. They are a great place to find multiple colors that go together to create a multitudedue of themes and moods. The Cottage Wall DSP surely does have a different mood associated with it than Tall Tales.

Additionally, I rely heavily on my Color Coach. I love that I can pick and choose the initial color and know which colors "go" with that one. OR, I just use the colors in the middle, excluding the main color choice. There are hundreds of options when you look at that Coach. It never gets old because it contains all of our 48 signature colors.

Finally, I always have a print out of the current In-Colors chart for reference. I love integrating the In-Colors in my projects because they feature colors that are fashionable and "in" during each particular season or time period. Click here to see the 2009-2010 In-Color chart.

And speaking of In-Colors, in August, I'm going to be giving away booklets with the In-Color combination chart to anyone who places an order of $50 or hostesses a workshop! Book a workshop with me today!

Deal of the Week #2

Stampin' Up!'s Deal of the Week #2 is a doozy! The Doctor's Bag for the Big Shot is $49.95 instead of $69.95! That's $20 off!

I LOVE my Doctor's Bag! I've received a ton of compliments on how stylish it is. It has enough room to carry my Big Shot and all of my dies. Let alone, it has pockets on the inside and outside, so it could definitely double as a crop bag!

To take part in this offer, please click on the "Place an Order Online" link in the upper, right hand corner and input item #113474 for the Doctor's Bag before Monday, July 12th!

Happy Birthday, Lillian! Check out the adorable Invitations!

My friend, Kanaan, took her soon to be two-year-old to the party store to choose her theme for her birthday party. Lilly chose Hello, Kitty from the millions of choices. Kanaan, being wonderfully crafty, came up with this as the invitation...can you stand how adorable it is? Great job, K! Thanks for sharing!

Kanaan used her Word Window Punch to create the whiskers, nose, and eyes on the kitty's face. The bow is darling and made from 1/4" grosgrain ribbon.

If you have a card that you're proud of that you'd like to share with your fellow Stampaholics, please feel free to send me a digital picture of it or a copy of it in the mail. I'd love to post it to Stamping Intervention!

Today's the day! Today's the day!

Do you remember that iconic 80's movie, A Christmas Story? It's one of my favorites...so many priceless lines and memorable moments. It's been a part of my Christmas tradition since that first fateful time I saw it in seventh grade. And, if you were around my husband and I for a while, you'd most likely hear us reciting lines to each other like "I double-dog dare ya" or "Fragile, must be Italian."

Well, how 'bout the scene where Ralphie's father receives the telegram that his prize will be arriving that day. He joyfully jumps through the house with a sing-song voice saying, "Today's the day! Today's the day!"

I feel like Ralphie's dad today. Every time we introduce a new catalog, it feels like that to me! My excitement is bubbling over! Not only are there new sets for me to drool over and decide which ones I JUST HAVE TO HAVE...but, there are hundreds of samples, color combinations, techniques, and ideas that are delivered to me in this quaint little bundle known as our Idea Book & Catalog.

And, to sweeten the deal, Stampin' Up! announced today two promotions: the Deal of the Week (the Scallop Edge Punch at 30% OFF) and the Mini Starter Kit. What's there not to be excited about?

I hope that my excitement will shine through my future posts as I'm working in my Studio, creating and being inspired by the new IBC. If you'd like to receive your own free copy of the new Idea Book & Catalog, please email me at sara@stampingintervention.com. And, be sure to check out those new promotions in my sidebar.

Today's the Last Day...

Goodbye to you, Last Chance List. At the strike of 12:00 midnight Mountain Standard Time, some of my favorite sets will be retired...Zoofari, Short Order Alphabet, Big Deal Alphabet, Say it with Scallops, Heartfelt Thanks. Oh, and the sentiments in Hugs and Wishes and Holidays and Wishes. What a bummer, dude.

Our darling Say it with Scallops, the Ronald McDonald Charity set for the year is leaving us. I love how the Scallop Square punch coordinates with it! I hope that we were able to sell lots and lots of them to help support their worthy efforts to provide places for families to say when their children/siblings are in the hospital.

If you haven't placed your final order from the 2009-2009 Idea Book & Catalog, visit my Stampin' Up! website to place your order now at www.saraystamps.stampinup.net.

What to do with Pastels...

I've been really busy in the Studio the past couple weeks, making samples for my new Catalog Open House and July Newsletter...here's one that's not for either of those things that I can share with you now:

Pastels are a versatile medium that I honestly forget about...but I shouldn't. You shouldn't either! Stampin' Pastels (Stampin' Up!'s version) come in our 48 signature colors and can be used to watercolor, create Poppin' Pastels with a VersaMark pad, and now this...

I punched a piece of scrap cardstock with my Scallop Circle Punch to make a template. Then, I used my sponge dauber with my pastels to create a background for the stamped image. You can also use Classy Brass Templates instead of making your own template with a punch.

I just love how the image from Boho Backgrounds jumps right off the page with the scallop circle image behind it!

To see my new samples, attend my New Catalog Open House on July 11th from 9:00am -1:00pm at my house in Ann Arbor. Please contact me for directions at sara@stampignintervention.com! All are welcome! Hope to see you there!

Baroque Motifs, Barbie style???

 A card for my special niece who turned five at the beginning of the month...she was having a Barbie party. Her favorite color is blue. Hmmm...I didn't have any Barbie-like stamps, but I sure do have Barbie appropriate colors!

I used Baroque Motifs to make this cute card for her. I jazzed it up by adding some Dazzling Diamonds glitter with my VersaMarker (R). (Can you see the sparkles???)

I think this is a fun interpretation of Baroque Motifs, proving that it doesn't have to seem overly elegant or (dare I say it) "mature" all the time. Color choice can make all the difference in the world. By the way, the colors I used were: Pixie Pink, Tempting Turquoise, and Orchid Opulence. FUN!

Wanna learn some more tips about color choice? Book a workshop with me for July before my calendar fills up! Email me at sara@stampingintervention.com to reserve your date!

Yippee! My favorite man in Brown came to visit!!

You know how in some households, there's the running joke about how Mom and the milkman are having a fling? Well, as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator, for the past two and a half...nah, I'll go with three years, the joke between Brent (my husband) and myself is that the UPS man is really Jackson's Daddy. (NO!!! IT'S NOT TRUE! Promise!!!)

While in Maine and now here in Michigan, Brent knows that I anticipate the UPS man coming like a child awaiting Santa's visit the days prior to Christmas. I yearn for it; I scheme about all of the wonderful things I'll do with what are in those brown, dusty boxes. I get my tracking number and know exactly which day he'll be here. I get almost fixated until the moment he arrives.

Well, Thursday was definitely like Christmas! This is what came...

My Big Shot Starter Kit with the adorable Doctor's Bag, the NEW In-Colors (all six inks, ink refills, cardstock in each color...), lots of 12 X 12" cardstock for scrapbooking with, a new wheel to coordinate with my new alphabet set, a ton of SNAIL (a girl can never have enough, right?)...and with my hostess BONUS benefits (June Hostess promo!!) I got the Circle Scissors and the Cutting Mat!

I'm like a kid in the candy store...no wonder you haven't heard from me, right? I've been doing nothing but playing with that Big Shot! I love it!

But wait, there's more! (No, this is NOT a tacky infomercial!) I received TWO separate Demo. incentive orders from Stampin' Up (one for my Sale-a-Bration sales & recruiting and one for Promoting!) and chose: Defining Alphabet, Teeny Tiny Wishes, Fifth Avenue Floral, Totally Tools, and Hoppy Memories Simply Scrappin' Kit. Can you believe I received over $150 in free stuff between the incentives and the hostess promo? Now that's a deal!

If you'd like to learn more about becoming a Stampin' Up demonstrator and receiving all of the wonderful gifts I have (not to mention making money doing something you love...) email me at sara@stampingintervention.com. I'd love to share my great Stampin' Up! experiences with you!

Cute Word Window Idea

I CASE'ed this idea from one of the extremely talented ladies over on Splitcoast; unfortunately, I just spent 15 minutes searching for the inspiration card again to give her credit and I can't find it (and can't justify spending the time to go through over 500 pages of "word window" cards...sorry!)
Anyways, I just chose my colors and used scraps to punch out the word window. Then, lined them all up and adhered them. Finally, I tied a piece of black gingham ribbon around it and stamped "happy birthday" from Family Phrases. Cute, simple and a great way to use up my scraps!