Get the "Limited Time" Sale-A-Bration products by Feb. 15th!

The "Limited Time" SAB products will only be available through Feb. 15th.  So don't miss out!  I created the following card using the Sky is the Limit set (one of the Limited Time set) and the January Paper Pumpkin kit, Cute Conversations.  The 3-month pre-paid subscription to Paper Pumpkin is on sale during Sale-A-Bration for $55 (shipping included--usually $19.95/mo.), which also qualifies you for a FREE SAB product!

Check out the following videos featuring SAB and Occasions catalog products.  Remember, you can shop anytime by clicking on the "Shop Now" button!  Enjoy!

It's that time again......time for a Sale-A-Bration!

Sale-A-Bration (SAB) is well underway!  Check out the SAB and 2016 Occasion Catalogs in the sidebar to see the great new products Stampin'Up! has designed for this promotion!  For every $50 (before tax and shipping) you spend, you get to choose 1 FREE item from the SAB catalog.  The video below spotlights one of the products in the SAB catalog.

The next video spotlights the Bloomin' Heart Thinlits Dies in the Occasions Catalog.  Buy it bundled with the coordinating stamp set and save 15%!

Three of the SAB items are labeled, "Limited Time!".  Those items are only available for a couple more weeks and then new products will take their place for the remainder of the promotion!  Sale-A-Bration only lasts thru March 31st so don't delay!

Happy Stamping!

Out with the Old......

It's that time of year again when Stampin'Up! retires some of our old favorite stamps and accessories to make room for new wonderful products to dazzle us.  Check out the list of products via the link in the sideboard....available until June 2nd while supplies last and discounted up to 50%!  In addition, this year SU will be discontinuing it's My Digital Studio program and downloads!  These products will also be available until June 2nd.  All digital downloads will be available until the end at a 30% discount!

Beyond Paper Pumpkin

Order and redeem your prepaid Paper Pumpkin subscription for the November kit during the month of October to get a gift from me.  Then bring your kit to my house on November 21st, where we will assemble them together, and make an additional project not included in the kit.  To purchase your prepaid subscription, click on the "Prepaid Subscriptions" link in the sidebar to get the product code.  Then click on the "Shop Now" button to place your order.  Stampin'Up! will send you an email with a code to redeem your subscription.  Go to www.mypaperpumpkin.com to redeem your subscription and enter your information.   Or email me at www.stampinwithmarge@hotmail.com and I can place the order for you and walk you through the redemption process.

I used the stamps from the September Paper Pumpkin kit ("BOO!", the bats and the tree tops in the lower left corner) in this cute Halloween card. The background was made with the splatter stamp from "Gorgeous Grunge," stamping it over and over and rotating it as you stamp until you get the look you're going for.  The bottom of the background is sponged (inspired by SU Demo, Jan Tink).  The Bat body is the owl builder punch and his wings are the large oval punch with 1/3 punched off by the 1 1/4" circle punch (from Pinterest entry by the fabulous Diana Gibbs).

Happy Stamping!
Marge

Paper Pumpkin...a magical paper escape every month....it's creativity in a box!

I'm Paper Pumpkin . . .

I come to your door each month (a fully decked-out creativity carriage). I'll help you to escape your life with some paper fun.

I come in a sweet box, but you'll really love what you find on the inside:

All the stamps, ink, paper, and accessories to create fun projects. Create stuff like cards, journals, décor, and more!

Paper Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! is a new monthly kit program that anyone (even you) can enjoy!

I recently took the plunge and subscribed to My Paper Pumpkin.  Everything you need comes in this cute orange box all wrapped in blue tissue paper like it's from Tiffany!  And each month is a fun surprise!  September's kit contained all the supplies to make these cute burlap treat bags and the tags on the other bags as well (I added the cello bags and ribbon...and the treats).  

The kits even contain exclusive photopolymer stamps created for Paper Pumpkin and any ink spots you may need.  (Your very first kit always comes with an acrylic block to mount your stamps.)  This kit also included orange sequin garland, black floss, mini clothespins, and stickers that match the skull, bat, tree and crow stamps.  All the tags were die cut, so you only had to punch them out.  Easy to follow instructions with color photographs of the completed project are also included.  The whole thing is designed to be completed in about a half hour.

Of course, you don't have to create the projects as designed...run with your own creativity.  Or search Paper Pumpkin in Pinterest to see what others have created with their kits.

If you'd like to give it a try, click on the link provided to order your prepaid subscription in my online store.  You'll then receive an email telling you how to redeem your subscription.  It's so flexible.  Even with a prepaid subscription, you can pause your subscription, then start it up again.  It can all be easily managed through the My Paper Pumpkin website.  Sign up by the 10th of the month to get that month's kit, or pause or cancel by the 10th of the month.  If changes are made after the 10th, they will be affective for the next month.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I have!

Happy Stamping!
Marge

New Thinlits Dies

If you love making interactive cards, you'll LOVE these brand new Thinlits Card Dies from Stampin'Up!  They're so new they're not in any catalog yet!  Watch this video to see how quickly these thinlits can help you make a swing card.  Each set (Circle or Label) also comes with additional thinlit shapes for embellishing your card.

Stampin'Up! has also included a new die set in their Holiday Catalog called Thinlits Expressions.  It consists of three cursive words (Thankful, Love and Merry--featured on the cards below).  Tip--include a piece of waxed paper between your card stock and the thinlit to make it easier to remove.  All the thinlits (and framelits) work so well with the new Magetic Platform for the Big Shot.  The Magnetic Platform has been so popular that Stampin'Up! is not currently taking any more orders for this until they catch up with production.  It should be available for order again sometime in September.  I'll post an announcement here when they are available again.  (Purchase a new set of cutting plates for maximum performance, as it works better with a flat plate.)  I love mine!

The following cards feature the Thinlits Expressions Die (Merry).  In both examples "Merry" was cut using Whisper White card stock, embossed (1st example w/ Pewter ep; 2nd example w/ Gold ep), then attached using Tombow liquid glue (the pointy end makes it easy to apply).

In both cards Dasher (retired) was embossed with a combo of Early Espresso ep and Pewter or gold to match "Merry."









Happy Stamping!
Marge

Back to Stamping!

Our summer has been a little crazy so far, but now that we have a new driver in the family, I don't need to be the taxi driver as much.  So I'm using some of my newfound time to  plan some classes.   So I thought I would share some of the projects from some of my recent classes.

This sympathy card was inspired by a card I found on Pinterest.  I love the simplicity of the layout.  The window was cut with Stampin'Up!'s Window Frame Framelit.  The "aha" moment for me was the technique for the frame around the window.... before removing the framelit, use the writing tip of a Stampin'Write marker to make the dots, dashes, or whatever you like around the edge of the framelit.  When you remove it, you have a perfect frame around your window.  I then scraped a sponge loaded with Soft Suede ink across the edges of the window to add depth.  The bird and greeting are from the Simply Sketched set, which is a hostess set.  I love the greetings that come with this set!

This "Just for you" card  is embellished with vellum card stock flowers, stamped with the Secret Garden set and cut out using the matching framelits and the new Magnetic platform for the Big Shot.  What a fantastic tool.  It really holds your framelits in place so you get a clean cut!  It helps to have nice flat cutting pads though.  Before stamping the vellum, brayer or sponge color onto one side and allow to dry.   Then stamp and cut out your image (I stamped on the side that was colored), turn it over and use an old fashioned embossing stylus and foam pad to "freestyle emboss" your image.  The very talented Jank Tink posted a great video tutorial showing this technique on her blog.

This card reminds me of the beach.  Maybe it's the colors or the embossed striped background that was sanded to give it that distressed look (that's because I used Stampin'Up!'s Core'dinations card stock, now available in all their colors...this is Strawberry Slush, one of the new in-colors).  I love the new ruffle stretch trim (only available in the new in-colors, this one is Coastal Cabana).  The background is stamped using the Very Vintage jumbo wheel, and the greeting and label under it were stamped using the Chalk Talk set.  The label was cut out with the matching Chalk Talk framelit.  The greeting is colored with marker directly to the stamp using Coastal Cabana, Brown Sugar and Strawberry Slush, all new in-colors.

Happy Stamping!
Marge

It's been a while.....

It's been a while since I've posted any projects.  Life has been little busy with my daughter's play and my niece's wedding.  My niece's life revolves around horses, so her wedding was a truly western theme..cowboy boots, line dancing, horses and all.  It was such a fun wedding!  So I made her a rather untraditional card for her untraditional wedding.

I realize this card uses mostly retired and non-Stampin'Up! products.  But I thought it turned out really cute, so I thought I'd share it.  You may notice there are 2 different boots....there wasn't room for 2 pairs of boots, so one is the girl's boot the other is the boy's boot.  Notice the boy's boot looks bigger, than the girls boot....same stamp, just positioned so it appears to be bigger.  The idea was the 2 separate boots have now become one pair!  It's ok, my family didn't get it either.

The boots are from a great retired set called "Out West," and the greeting is from the retired set, "Short and Sweet."  I embossed the boots with Early Espresso ep, colored in the swirls with marker, then sponged them with More Mustard, Soft Suede and a tiny bit of Early Espresso Classic Inks.
The greeting is embossed in Early Espresso ep on vellum card stock and punched out with the word window punch, then attached with a brad to a label from the Apothacary Accents framelits pack.

The background is CASEd from a YouTube video by Gina K.  It's a Spotlight Technique she calls Double Letterpress.  I used the same Cuttlebug folder that she did.  The Stampin'Up! colors I used were:  Pool Party, More Mustard and Always Artichoke.  There's also a bit of Soft Suede sponged onto the label.  To add to the distressed look of the card I took out my eyelet setter and pounded a divit into the center of the brad.

I had to send some sympathy and thinking of you cards recently, so this was the result.  It was inspired by a recent card on Michelle Zindorf's blog (card tutorial #609).  I know, they are totally different, but I was mainly inspired by the colors....I've used Pool Party, Island Indigo, Old Olive, Blushing Bride, Primrose Petal and white gel pen.  The set used is Everything Eleanor, and the flowers were colored with markers and blender pen and cut out (I molded the petals of the largest flower to make it stand out more).  I added a few pearl jewels to the centers of the smaller flowers.  I used the same Apothecary Accent label framelit as the last card to cut out the distressed-looking label stamp from Everything Eleanor (the stamp is way bigger than the framelit, so move it around to get the look you want).

Thanks for looking!

Marge

Texture Boutique Embossing Machine While Supplies Last!

Stampin'Up! is partnering with Sizzix to offer the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine while supplies last.  It's cute and compact and for embossing only.  You can get it bundled with our Flower Garden and Stripes embossing folders for $39.95, or alone for $29.95 (includes a pair of embossing pads and a shim).

This card features the Winter Memories stamp set, the Holiday Frame embossing folder and Cherry Cobbler Core'dinations card stock--all currently available in the Holiday Catalog.  It's perfect for using the Texture Boutique Embossing Machine!

Another cool new product being offered currently .... Talking Tags.  Use a free app available for your iphone or android to record a personal message on the label and attach to cards, invitations, gifts...anything!  The recipient downloads the same free app to receive the message.  How cool is that!  Buy 'em by the sheet.  You get 10 tags for $7.95.

Happy Stamping!
Marge

Spooktacular Savings Today Only!

TODAY ONLY Stampin'Up! is offering a 15% discount on all their stamps!  This does include the Cookie Press stamps and the Single stamps (excludes bundles, hostess sets and digital stamp brushes)!!


Also, for one entire week (October 29 - November 5), to celebrate Digital Scrapbooking Day, there will be FREE downloads and 50% off all digital kits.  Go to my online store to access your FREE digital downloads!  If you have MDS, this is a great opportunity!  Don't miss out!

Single Stamps Available

From now until January 2nd, 2013, Stampin'Up! is making individual stamps from 3 of its stamp sets available for purchase!  They are only offered in Clear-Mount stamps.  Clear blocks are not included with the stamp, so you will need to purchase the correct size block if you don't already have one (the recommended size block is listed on the flyer).  Click on the links in the margin for the details.

Going, Going, Going...Don't miss out!

 There are still a few days left to order from the Occasions Mini catalog.  April 30th is the deadline, so click on the link in the right margin to check it out.

The following swing card was created using Occasions Mini products such as Twitterpated DSP, the Apothecary Art set, Labels Collection framelits, as well as Blushing Bride cs, which will retire June 1st.

 The next card uses the Mixed Bunch set from the mini, along with the coordinating Blossom Punch.  It also uses the greeting set, Short & Sweet, which is retiring from the main catalog.

Yes, the list of Retiring stamp sets and accessories has been published.  You can access it by clicking on the link in the right margin.  The flowers in the next card (from the Flower Fest set) are retiring, as well as the Pear Pizzazz Stitched-Poly ribbon and Blushing Bride cs.  The card, itself, was cased (copy and share everything) from fellow demonstrator, Karen Barber.

The following 2 cards were made using the retiring set, Plant Hope.  They are also inspired by a Beginner Brayer class I took with Michelle Zindorf last weekend.  She's such a great teacher!  Thanks Michelle!

So, don't miss out...place your Occasions Mini catalog orders by April 30th (that's Monday), and your retiring products order before June 1st.  But remember, the sooner, the better, because once the inventory runs out, that's it!

Happy Stamping!

Marge

Last Chance to Sale-A-Brate

We are down to the last 2 weeks of Sale-A-Bration!  You have until March 31st to take advantage of the great Freebies available for every $50 in product you order during this promotion.  Check out the catalogs by clicking on the links in my sidebar.  And remember, you can order anytime online!



Here are 2 more cards made using the Fresh Vintage stamp set from the Sale-A-Bration Mini Catalog.  These were 2 of the 5 cards that we made at my 10-10-20 class last week.  The DSP is Twitterpated from the Occasions Mini, which is good through the end of April.


My next class is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, March 20, at 7 p.m. or Wednesday, March 21, at 10 a.m.  There are still spots available in both sessions.  Contact me asap to hold your spot.



Spring Class Schedule

Tues., March 20, at 7 p.m. or
Wed., March 21, at  10 a.m.

Tues., April 3, at 7 p.m. or
Wed., April 4, at 10 a.m.

Thurs., April 19, at 7 p.m. or
Fri., April 20, at 10 a.m.

Thurs., May 3, at 7 p.m. or
Fri., May 4, at 10 a.m.

Thurs., May 24, at 7 p.m. or
Fri., May 25, at 10 a.m.

Thurs., June 7, at 7 p.m. or
Fri., June 8, at 10 a.m.

Happy Stamping,
Marge Thuen

Everybody Loves FREE stuff!! New MDS FREE 30-Day Trial!

Not only is Stampin'Up! giving away lots of Sale-a-bration (SAB) FREEbies now thru March 31st, but they have just announced that you can get a FREE 30-day trial download of My Digital Studio, their paper-crafting software!  You can download this software now through my website (see link).  Once the trial is over, you may purchase the downloadable or disc version.  You will receive a registration key after your purchase (either via e-mail/digital or with the physical product).  Simply open the trial version and enter that key to continue using the program.

The cards below are from my recent Tons of Techniques class at the end of January.

I used the Owl Builder Punch to create this cute owl and his Snowbuddy.  The background is created using a brayer and sponging techniques.

I'm having lots of fun using the new products from our Occasions Mini catalog....This card uses the Apothecary Art set with the matching Labels Collection Framelits, the Adorning Accents edgelits die and coordinating embossing folder, waffle paper and Twitterpated DSP.

This card also uses the Twitterpaded DSP, and the second edgelit from the Adorning Accents edgelits die pack.  The coordinating embossing folder pack also includes the embossed scallop that you see over the edgelit (3 in the pack).  The set used is Fresh Vintage, a SAB item, FREE with a $50 order!

Happy Stamping!

Marge Thuen 

New Occasions Mini and Sale-A-Bration!

I've been having lots of fun playing with some of the great new products in Stampin'Up!'s new Occasions Mini Catalog.  You can view it online from the link in my sidebar.

AND Tuesday, January 24th, is the first day of Stampin'Up!'s biggest promotion of the year....SALE-A-BRATION (SAB)!!!  Check back here to view the SAB mini catalog online.  There are so many great products that you can get FREE...1 item for every $50 (net) that you spend!  What a great time to host a workshop since everyone can get FREE stuff!!!  There's even a special bundle available to hostesses whose workshop sales reach $400 or more (in addition to all the regular great hostess benefits).  AND get a super-cute Stampin'Up! tote bag with an order of at least $150.

Love stamping so much that you want to get a discount on your stamping products?  Join the Stampin'Up! family of demonstrators during SAB for ONLY $125....AND get a FREE paper pack or digital download every month for the rest of the year!

Scroll down to see some great projects that we made at the last Tons of Techniques class using products from the new Occasions Mini and Sale-a-bration (sneak peak!).  If you live in or around the Morris County, NJ, area and would like to join me, my next class is scheduled for this Thursday evening, January 26th, and Friday morning, January 27th.  Or check the link to my class schedule.  Space is limited so let me know asap.

The focal point on this card is created using the Frosted Window technique.  The set, Bordering on Romance comes from the Occasions Mini and coordinates with the new Adorning Accents Edgelits Dies and Textured Impressions Embossing Folders.  The frame was made with the new Framelits Dies - Labels Collection that coordinates with the Apothecary Art stamp set.  Other Mini caty products used here are Blushing Bride Pleated Satin Ribbon and Twitterpated DSP.  I love the color combo in that new DSP!

Sale-a-Bration Sneak Peak -- The stamp set used here is Fresh Vintage from the SAB mini.  Other SAB products used here...Everyday Enchantment DSP and the Everyday Enchantment Ribbon & Brad Pack.  These 3 products make up the special bundle available to hostesses whose workshop reach $400!!  The border under the greeting was made with the Labels Framelits Die.  Thank you to Patty Bennett for the idea.

This is a hybrid card (that means that part of the card is made using digital elements).  In this case, the medallion was made using elements from the stamp brush version of P.S. I love you (also available as a stamp set in the Occasions Mini) in MDS (My Digital Studio) printed on our Whisper White card stock.  The advantage of digital stamps...you can make them any size you want!  The background was made by spraying the Blushing Bride Smooch Spritz (from the Occasions Mini) over a stencil made with the Lace Ribbon Border Punch.  A piece of that stencil was used as the border on this card...it ends up with a beautiful shimmer.  Got this idea from the Stampin'Up! demonstrator website video technique area...one of the perks of being an SU demo!  It's hard to see from this photo, but I used Crystal Effects on the chocolate dipped part of the strawberry and Cherry Cobbler Dazzling Details (another Occasions Mini product) on the scallops of the medallion.

I often look at lots of samples online to get inspired to create class samples, and sometimes it's difficult to remember who's creations inspired me the most.  I rarely CASE (copy and share everything) a project exactly, but if any of these projects appear to have been cased from a project on your blog, let me know, so I can give you credit.  

Happy Stamping!

Marge Thuen

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

 It's hard to believe that we are already 2 days into the year 2012!  Hopefully you had a wonderful holiday and a good start to the new year.  Life was very busy for us the last few months of the year with our daughter, Anna, playing Max, the dog, in the Christian Drama School play about the Grinch (a spin-off of the Grinch who Stole Christmas).  She did a fantastic job, along with the whole cast.  I get involved in costuming and helping backstage, so needless to say, my Christmas cards didn't quite get done (since the performances were the weekend before Christmas this year)!  So scroll down to see a couple of cards that we did in our year-end classes as well as one other card that may end up being next year's card.  Why not be ahead for next year!

REMINDERS...

Tomorrow, January 3rd, is the last day to order from the Holiday Mini Catalog.

January 5th is the last day for the Clearance Rack Blitz.  Check out the fantastic deals through my online store.

Technique Classes in January and February...

* Thursday, Jan. 12 @ 7 p.m. or Friday, Jan. 13 @ 10 a.m.

* Thursday, Jan. 26 @ 7 p.m. or Friday, Jan. 27 @ 10 a.m.

* Tuesday, Feb. 7 @ 7 p.m. or Wednesday, Feb. 8 @ 10 a.m.

* Thursday, Feb. 23 @ 7 p.m. or Friday, Feb. 24 @ 10 a.m.

Happy Stamping,
Marge

This actually uses the digital version of the Christmas Lodge set from the Holiday Mini Catalog.    It's hard to see, but I put Dazzling Diamonds glitter on the roof and overhang to add some sparkle.  The embossed border was resized to frame the image.

This is a side-step card with the new "Snow Much Fun" set in the main catalog.  The background was made by running vellum cardstock through the Big Shot with the Snow Burst embossing folder from the Holiday Mini. 

This uses the set "Come to Bethlehem" from the main catalog.  The image and scalloped border were embossed using the new Pewter embossing powder from the Holiday Mini Catalog, and the sky was "salted" which  gave it a mottled look.

This card incorporates the large star and saying from set "The Sounding Joy" from the Holiday Mini.  The image and greeting were embossed with Pewter embossing powder, and the background was brayered.

FREE Big Shot!

For the month of October Stampin'Up! is offering a FREE Big Shot die cutting and embossing machine to anyone who joins the SU family!  If you already have the Big Shot, you can choose $100 worth in additional product...that would mean new dies and embossing folders to me.  This is such a great offer!  The Big Shot has to be one of my favorite "go to" tools.  I have a difficult time making a project that doesn't use the Big Shot in some way.  It's such an easy way to add interest to any project or card.  If you haven't tried one, come to one of my classes and I guarantee you'll be using it for at least one project (next class is this Thurs. evening or Friday morning--call or e-mail me asap if you're interested).

The card above uses the Square Lattice embossing folder with the Big Shot as a background.  The focal point was created using the Simply Soft hostess set and colored with a marker layering technique perfected by fellow Stampin'Up! demonstrator, Karen Barber.

Also for the month of October, buy 2 Simply Sent Kits and get a FREE coordinating stamp set!  See my Stampin'Up! website or click on the sidebar link for details. 

Have a great day!

Experiment with Vellum

I was experimenting with vellum techniques the other day and came up with the following samples using products that you can find in our new Stampin'Up! Idea Book and Catalog.  You can see it by clicking on the link in the sidebar.


Vellum is an easy way to add a classy look to your project, and there are lots of fun ways to use it.

This card uses the new "Snow Much Fun" set and 2 new in-colors, Wisteria Wonder and Pool Party.  The background is a piece of vellum cardstock that has been run through the Big Shot with the Petals-a-plenty embossing folder and layered onto Pool Party cs.  Sort of gives it a cool, frosted ice look.

This card also uses the "Snow Much Fun" set.  The snowman and tree are stamped with Staz-on ink, dry embossed "freestyle" (anything I wanted to pop out) on the back, and colored with markers on the back as well.  I then colored the buttons, hat band, nose and Christmas ornaments on the front, then re-colored with a Versamark pen and embossed with clear ep.  I didn't have white brads, so I embossed silver brads with white ep.

You can learn techniques like this at my Tons of Techniques classes.  Check out my updated class schedule using the sidebar link.

Also, check out all the great new products in the Holiday Mini Catalog!

Happy Stamping!

Marge Thuen

Only 3 Days Left...

...to take advantage of the buy 3, get 1 FREE promotion. Buy 3 packs of designer series paper and get the 4th absolutely FREE. There are lots of great DSP packs retiring in the Summer Mini, as well as some great new ones in the new Catalog & Idea Book. Now's the time to stock up!

...to order from the Summer Mini Catalog (deadline 8/31). The card below was created using the digital version of the "Sail Away" stamp from the Summer Mini; however, it could easily be recreated using the stamp itself.

The next card was created using another summer mini set called "Touch of Kindness. The background was made using a double embossing technique and DSP printed from the "Strength & Hope" digital kit. The flower was made using a faux mother of pearl technique and the center is a filigree brad, embossed with white ep.

...to order the Stength & Hope stamp set. When you purchase this set or the digital kit, Stampin'Up! will donate $2 to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The digital kit includes 12 Designer Series Papers and 10 embellishments in addition to the 4-piece stamp brush set. Click on the link in the sidebar for details.

The following 2 samples were created with a new set, "Nature's Pace," from the brand new Idea Book & Catalog. The first one also uses the new embossing folder set, "Designer Frames," and they are both embellished with the new Wisteria Wonder 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon (available in the 5 new in-colors). You can see the beautiful new catalog, including the new in-colors, by clicking on the sidebar link.

More Samples of Retiring Sets

Remember, after tomorrow (June 30th) these sets will be gone forever....

Another "Sock Monkey" card using the graduation cap from "Sock Monkey Accessories."

This card is made using a retiring background stamp, "Bella Toile," and the rattle from "Sock Monkey Accessories."

The following 2 cards use a retiring set called, "Dreams Du Jour."