Love Blossoms

I am must in love with this stamp set from the new Occasions Catalog ~ there is so many ways it can be used to bring stunning pop to your paper crafting! 

Stampin' Up has put together a great little TIP video that I highly recommend anyone purchasing this gorgeous set takes a minute to watch ... my favorite tips are how to make it work with the glimmer paper (aka place the glimmer side down so it cuts from the back first) because you totally do not want to waste your paper trying to figure this one out on your own and showing why you need to get the Big Shot die brush to help with make the weeding of these intricate dies so much easier!!!

You can bundle this gorgeous die with the Stamp set Bloomin' Love and save 15% verses buying them separately!

Close up of the Stamp Set images

Plus it is SALE-A-BRATION this month so grab the bundle and add on some accompanying embellishments like these and you can choose a FREE item from the Sale-a-bration flyer!

Embellishment package

Blushing Bride Glimmer paper

Plus as always the wonderful thing about paper crafting with Stampin' Up! is the never ending inspiration on how to use their products. There is no end to the amazing and stunning creation demonstrators and customers are creating with this set! Plus it is so versatile and can be used all year long to create wonderful pieces!

The stunning look of the Blushing Bride glimmer paper against the black is breathtaking! 

Pam's sample

Plus I am just in love this Easel card creation ~ easel cards make a lovely piece of home decor for your office or bedroom that IMO can stay up long past your occasion!

Corine's sample

 Plus it makes a great 'Valentine' inspired card as well! 

Mary's sample

 I am so looking forward to playing more with this set ~ I have a couple upcoming classes where we will be show casing how fun and versatile it can be!

Happy Stampin'
Margaret

Ever been to a Shoe Box Swap?

  ... if not you are probably imagining it has something to do with other peoples USED STINKY SHOES and the thought of swapping them with your own ... but nope that's not it at all ... a Shoebox Swap in this context it is all about the fun amazing and therapeutic task of making hand stamped creating cards!  

Those of us who love to share papercrafting get together to 'shoebox swap' as a way to make a whole bunch of different cards all in one night!

What each participate does is designs ONE quick and simple card and than puts all the supplies needed for the rest of the group to make that card into a 'shoe box'. At the night of the swap we sit around the table laughing and conversing about life while we take turns 'swapping boxes' until we've made all the cards in the group OR if it is a large group until we've made whatever 'cap' we put on the night ~ usually it is 8 cards to get done in the 2-2.5 hour time frame. 

You can have an 'anything goes' theme to your swap or you can organize it around themes such as 'thank you cards' or 'birthday cards' or 'sympathy cards' or 'masculine cards' or 'feminine cards' or this time of year Holiday themed cards. 

The great thing about 'shoe box swaps' is that it is an awesome chance to play with stamp sets and tools you might not yet have and either decide if you want to add them to your collection OR to just add some variety to your greeting card stash that is different from your own stamp sets or style! 

They are also a great thing to do with the 'kids' for some family fun ~ children love to make stuff and spend time with adults crafting ~ inspire them young and nuture that creativity flare! Paper crafting and expression is a great form of meditation and therapy for children and adults a like!

I try to attend a swap every other month with a great group of ladies who are a part of the team from Stampin' Up! ... here are some examples from end of October's swap ... are they just so darling! 

Reason for the Season - Stampin' Up!

Festival of Trees ~ Stampin' Up!

Snow Place Stamp set ~ Stampin' Up!

Joyful Season - Stampin' Up!

Home for Christmas ~ Stampin' Up!

Embellished Ornaments Stampin' Up!

Zentangled Festival of Trees Stampin' Up!

 If you do not have enough fellow paper crafters in your circle to form your own swap and would like to join in on a shoebox swap with others and meet some new fellow paper crafting please swing on over to Facebook here and like the page to find out about upcoming options and either join us in one of our current ones OR if there is enough interest we can start a second one!

Weekly Deals

Lots of lovely treasures on sale this week over at Stampin' Up! 

The heart border punch is lovely accent to scrapbook pages, cards and home decor projects and makes awesome 'confetti' for shaker cards and other projects! But my favorite item up for grab this week is totally the Venetian Crochet Trim ribbon!

Ribbon is an easy way to add style to your projects. Tie it, loop it, wrap it, cut it. We have the styles you love in the colors you want. Looking for an dainty ribbon? This is the one for you! It's delicate and vintage, and you can dye it any color you want using Classic Stampin' Ink. You get 5 yards of this stunning 100% cotton ribbon! 

Happy Stampin'

Margaret