It's a Wrap! A Stampin' Up! Baby Sprinkle

So, my bestie is having a baby. A girl baby, to be exact--Savannah Francis.  Awesome name!!!  Anyways, we had to have a shower! Actually, we called it a "sprinkle," because this is her second baby (she had a little boy about 2 years ago).  And because I stamp, I had to make favors!!!

So, I used the Stampin' Up! It's a Wrap Occasions Set to wrap some Hershey Nuggets chocolates, and then dug out the pattern I had for a little box to hold 3 of those chocolates, and got to cutting!

I feel I should point out--there is another (easier) way to do this--but one, it requires more chocolates (it was exam week, folks... time was of the essence--more chocolates=more stamping. Normally, not a problem); and two, it requires a Sizzix die I don't (yet) have--the Matchbox die.  You can see the It's a Wrap set put to use with the Matchbox die on page 59 of the 2011-2012 Stampin' Up! Idea Book & Catalog.

We had the shower--forgive me, "Sprinkle"--at Olive Garden on Saturday, and of course, I had to make the tables all cute!  Now, I could have gone to the Dollar Tree (which I love) and picked up the decorations from there, but how much more fun is it to use Stampin' Up! products and make them!!!!

Awhile back, I ordered the Petal Cone Bigz L Die from the Occasions Mini, but don't fret--it's in the new Catalog, too!!! I thought, how cute would it be to have a few Petal Cones adorning our tables at the OG?  So I came up with these:

They're filled with some pink shreds and baby decorations that I did pick up from the Dollar Tree, and I think they just really made the tables adorable!

The accents on the cones and the Nuggets boxes are all made with Stampin' supplies too--the Blossom Party die, the 5-Petal Flower Punch, the BOHO Blossoms Punch, and the Beautiful Wings Embosslits Die (one of my favorite products!)

And because my bestie is bound to get lots of presents, I decided my gift to her would be hand crafted Thank You notes:

Apparently, these were a hit with the crowd!

These were made using Stampin' Up! Textured Card stock in Pink Pirouette from the Subtles Collection, Beau Chateau Designer Series Paper, and an unfortunately retired Embosslits Die (Thanks). And of course I made the card and decorated the bag!

So there you have it--A Stampin' Up! Baby Sprinkle!

Thanks to Ms. Amy, my other bestie, for all her help putting this together, and to my Mama for helping with the stamping and organizing!

Here's some other pics from the day:

The mama!

The besties! Me, Frannie, Amy

My Partners in Crime--Amy and my mom.

Frannie and my mom.

I Love Sizzix Dies!

So, I've been perusing, in my every spare moment, the new Stampin' Up! Idea Book and Catalog. Partly because I'm planning something, but mainly because it's here, and it's GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

Anywho, I was looking through the new Sizzix dies the other day and I saw this one:

How cool is that?  Well, here it is all finished up:

And here's the recipe for this beautiful gift box:

KINDNESS MATTERS BLOSSOM BOX

Stamps
• Kindness Matters

Paper
• Crumb Cake Card Stock
• Lucky Limeade Card Stock
• Melon Mambo Card Stock
• Whisper White Card Stock
• Lucky Limeade Textured Card Stock

Ink
• Lucky Limeade Classic Stampin’ Pad®
• Melon Mambo Classic Stampin’ Pad
• VersaMark® Pad

Accessories
• Linen Thread
• Pearl Basic Jewels
• Extra-Large Tag Punch
• Fancy Flower Punch
• 1/16" Circle Punch
• Big Shot™
• Blossom Box Bigz™ L Die

I'm thinking I'll have to get this die for my new jewelry packaging!!!!  I love it when I can combine my passions!  LOL!!!!

Thanks for reading!

Check out this AWESOME July Promotion!!!!

$99 Starter Kit and Free Project Kit Promotion

 For $99, from now through July 31st, you can join Stampin' Up and make money doing what you love! Plus, if you sign up now, you'll (and me!!!) will get a Christmas Keepsake project kit absolutely FREE--a $40 value! This exclusive kit contains everything you need to create a beautiful Christmas Keepsake Box to hold your most treasured Christmas memories. Remember, you can only earn this special Shelli Signature Collection kit when you become a Demonstrator this month!

 

 Here's what you get when you sign up with Stampin' Up! this month:

• A 20 percent product discount!
• A free monthly issue of Stampin' Success, Stampin' Up!'s demonstrator-only magazine!
• Sneak peeks at brand-new products!
• Invitations to exclusive Stampin' Up! events!
• Regular get-togethers to stamp!
• Free access to a community of 30,000+ crafters/stampers and creative artists, as well as 160,000+ project samples! 
• And, TWO FREE months of Demonstrator Business Web Services (DBWS)--including your own business website and Online Store, access to a blog, calendar, a monthly e-newsletter, project gallery, and e-cards--if you sign up within 21 days of becoming a demonstrator.

I hope you'll consider joining! Contact me today!

New Goal

So, I have a new goal.  As you know, I'm a Stampin Up! Independent Demonstrator.  Actually, lately I've been calling myself a "struggling Stampin' Up! Demonstrator." LOL!  (You know, like a "struggling artist"?  getit!!! Yeah, I'm a dork....)

Anyways, I really, really want this to work, because it's fun, I love the company, I'm good at it, and I love sharing the awesome things I can make with Stampin' Up! products...

So, my goal for this coming year, is to attend the Stampin' Up! Convention in 2012.

Doesn't this look like fun!  I soooo want to go!

But I don't just want to attend; I want to pay for the trip with funds I've made from being a Demonstrator.

I'm having my first party to meet this goal this weekend.  I hope I do well, and I hope I get more bookings from it.  Regardless, I'm going to keep plugging away, and I will make this a success!

If you're interested in helping out, check out my website here, and let's have a party!

And don't forget--the Retirement list is available, as we make way for some very awesome new products!

Stampin' Up! Love Scrapbook Page Idea

June is here!  For me, that is a time for family and fun, and love.  Seriously. I have 2 anniversaries on June 10th, and a psuedo-anniversary on June 2nd (what's a pseudo anniversary, you ask?  well, it's the day my friend had the party for the wedding....)  Plus, I have a whole mess of friends and family with birthdays this month!  So, I thought it might be fun to share some Stampin' Up! projects throughout the month!

First up, in honor of all the people I love, here's a nifty Scrapbook page you could create to celebrate the people you love!

LOVE SCRAPBOOK PAGE (12" X 12")

Supplies:
Paper
• Playful Polka Dots Simply Scrappin’®*
• On Board Alphabet Soup

Ink
• Old Olive Stampin’ Write® Marker

Accessories
• Old Olive 3/8" Taffeta Ribbon
• White Baker’s Twine*
• Brights Designer Buttons
• Subtles Designer Buttons
• Stampin’ Dimensionals®

*From 2011 Summer Mini Catalog

Contact me today to schedule your party!

Can't wait to hear from you!

Oh boy!!!!

I just got a Sneak Peak at some new Stampin' Up! products coming in the new 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog, and I cannot wait until July 1st to share them with you all!  It's going to be so, so, soooo fun!!!!!

In the meantime,

I can share with you the Retirement list!  Lots of wonderful new things are coming, so we have to make room for them!  Click here to check out the retiring Stamps, Accessories, and Definitely Decorative items that are going, going, (not quite yet) gone!

Contact me today to schedule your party!

Wants and Desires

So, last week, I had the opportunity to go hear a good friend of mine, LaRita, speak at a conference (more on that later).  In the midst of her talk, she revealed that she is taking what I consider (and I'm pretty sure she does, too) to be a HUGE leap of faith and will not be coming back to the college this Fall, so that she can focus on a project near and dear to her heart (more on that later, too... when she gives me the go ahead that her website is up and running...) When she said it, I admit to being a bit scared for her.  Because, even though we're not full-time employees, we still have a bit of security in our classes.  But, I understand her need to focus.

After her presentation, we went to lunch and talked about her reasons for taking the semester off, which got me to thinking about what I want for my own future.  I mean, of course, there's the "win the lotto and live high on the hog" wishful thinking, but I'm realist enough to know that's not likely to happen (partly because I never buy lotto tickets... yeah, you see my point!)

So, what I want: I want to be comfortable.  Not rich (okay, I'll take rich if anyone wants to give it to me, but I'm not greedy!) And yes, I could probably go get myself an office-type job and achieve that for myself. But, I don't deal well with office jobs... So what I really want is a way to be creative and make decent money.  Part of the reason I went to see LaRita speak is so that she could show me another aspect to my experience that I can put to work for myself--corporate training. After all, I am a Teacher... So that's one of my summer projects.

Now, what about desires?  To me, a desire is stronger than a mere want, and I spent this weekend pondering what my desires for my future are.  And really, I want to always be creative.  I want to always have that creative outlet, and in an ideal world, I want to profit from my creativity (this is one of the reasons I love teaching...) But, LaRita brought to my attention that I not only can teach pretty much any field within communications (okay, I might need to do some research), but also several crafty-type subjects, and that there are places where that sort of class are not only popular, but in some cases in demand.  So that's my another of my summer projects...

And finally, since my hectic-beyond-busy Spring session is over, I'm finally able to focus once again on my jewelry making, and another sumer (and beyond) project that I really want to make work for me: Stampin' Up!  I became a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator last November, and then the session from hell started (I'm not exaggerating--I've talked to several other professors, an they all agree--Spring 2011 was not a pleasant session...) So this summer, I'm going to try really hard to build my Stampin' Up! business, starting with a Stamp Camp on June 18th at my place.  Hopefully, that will get me a few bookings, and I can get this show on the road.

So, that's my summer plan... I'll keep you posted!

My First SU! Workshop!

So, last Saturday, I held my very first Stampin' Up! Workshop as a demonstrator!  I was also the hostess for this one, and let me tell you, it's a lot of work being both! Especially when you're already over-busy with the "real" job! Not only did I have to get the house all clean and pretty (thanks, Amy, for all your help with that! You're awesome!) I also had to plan the menu and the projects!

For snackies, I went basic--cheese and crackers, some fruit, brownies, and the not-so-basic bacon-wrapped smokies (so good.  so not good for you...) And again, thanks to Amy for wrapping the wieners (lol!  that just sounds so wrong to me!!!) So, I think the food-stuffs went over pretty well.

For the crafty-fun portion, I planned two cards--a basic greeting card and a gift card holder card.  And since we're in Sale-a-bration, I decided to use one of the SAB sets--the Punch Bunch.  I also used a hostess set I received at my last Workshop before becoming a demonstrator--Cute by the Inch.  If I do say so myself, I think the cards I planned are really cute!  Here're some pics:

Good for Business cards or Gift cards! LOL!

So, I had about 6 guests come to the workshop, including my momma!!!  I think my guests had a good time, and I was able to get some pics of most of their creations.  I have to say, the best part of being a demonstrator so far, is seeing what my guests created using my basic idea.  I'm just giddy at seeing what they did! 

The work area!  Sad to say, at my house, all we've got is the coffee table...

My momma!  and the inside of her card!

Ms. LaRita's card (and she didn't think she could do it....)

Now, of course, in true Rana fashion, I prepared too many supplies (I do the same thing in cooking...) So later on, I decided to use those supplies and make some more cards (I had fun...)  Here's what I made:

All cards using the Cute by the Inch hostess set.  Quite possibly, my favorite set....

Sweet Summer & Punch Bunch Sale-a-bration sets, punches, and the Funky Four set. And markers!  I love Stampin' Write Markers!!!! In fact, I'm a little bit jealous--one of my guests, Lynsey, ordered the whole set.  I want!!  Maybe for my birthday...

And of course, no crafty evening would be complete for me without some help from the kittehs...

Buttercup either wanted to use the wheel, or eat the wheel...

Dobby just decided to lay there and be cute.  And you must admit, he is teh kewt....

So there it is!  My first workshop, and it's aftermath! Lol!!  Thanks to all my guests for coming out, I hope you had as much fun as I did!

SU! Brights Patterned Hearts Wreath

So, a few weeks ago I mentioned a wreath I was planning to make with Stampin' Up's Designer Series Paper Patterns Stack - Brights Collection.  I finally got it done, and then finally got the pics taken and uploaded (iPhoto isn't working, so I'm learning to use Picasa.  I figured out how to crop photos! Whoo-hoo!!!!) So, here it is!

The hearts themselves are just a light cardboard from a calendar or something, and I Mod Podged the papers to the shapes, before hot gluing the whole mess to a wire wreath form from Michaels (and hey!  I didn't burn myself once!  go me!!)

The butterflies were punched out of the basic Brights cardstock with the SU! Butterfly punch.

I made sure to include at least one heart in every color, and in both patterns (the paper is 2-sided; very cool...)

The wee little accents in the center of each butterfly were punched from the patterned scraps left over, using the flower punch from the SU! Punch Pack set.

So there it is! Hope you like it!

It's Sale-A-Bration Time!!!!

and I can't wait!!!!

This is my first Sale-A-Bration as a demonstrator, and I am just SOOOOOOOOO excited to tell you all about the great deals and gorgeous products!!!

From January 25th, 2011 until March 31st, 2011, here are the awesome deals you can take part in:

• Spend: Receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $50 you spend (before tax and shipping)!
• Host: A hostess will receive a free Sale-A-Bration product for every $300 in workshop sales*, in addition to the regular hostess benefits! 
• *Note: This benefit is only available on qualifying customer and workshop orders. Online orders do not qualify. 
  
• Join: New recruits will receive 15 percent off their Starter Kit (Standard or Digital+), plus a special Sale-A-Bration bonus bundle valued up to $50!

And now, the stuffs!!!!! We've got some great new products to share, including

• Four beautiful Sale-A-Bration stamp sets 
• So Happy for You
• Punch Bunch (coordinates with punches found in the Idea Book and Catalog)
• Sweet Summer
• Bliss
  
• A Designer Series Paper & Quick Accents pack
• A Ribbon & Button pack
• Digital downloads
• and Décor Elements!
• Just a note:
• All Sale-A-Bration products are exclusive to this promotion and will never be offered again. 
• That means you gotta get 'em now!!!!

You can take a look at all the great products in the Sale-A-Bration Mini Catalog, and you can check out our other great catalogs here.  

Contact me to schedule a party today!!