Bonus Days are ENDING!

http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/alisonstachera/

You only have 5 days left to earn FREE money to spend in September!

If you add enough to your order to reach $50, Stampin’ Up! will email you a $5 coupon to use in September! That means today would be a fantastic time to stock up on the new colors, order supplies to get going on your Chrustmas cards, or to finally get that bundle you've had your eye on. Then, in September, you can use your online coupon for ANY item in ANY catalog (and don't forget that the new Holiday Catalog goes live September 5!!).

There is no limit to the number of coupon codes you can earn, and there is no limit to the number you can redeem in September. If you place an order for $50, you will earn $5. If you place an order for $150, you will earn $15 AND hostess benefits. If you order $300, you will earn $30 and even more hostess benefits!!

Send me your orders today and start building up your cash for September!

Holiday Catalog Open House

I just spent last Saturday in Champaign with over 100 amazing Stampin' Up! demonstrators and 1 member of the Stampin' Up! Home Office in Salt Lake City! Shannon West flew all the way to Champaign to be a part of our annual team meeting. Pretty cool stuff. If you'd like to participate in demonstrator-exclusive events like this, don't hesitate. I have been stamping for 13 years, but I've only been demonstrating for 5, and I regret not joining sooner. If you'd like to know more about becoming a demonstrator and getting discounts on orders, making new friends and having access to exclusive offers, contact me!

My mom, me and Jessica Ingold--why I love doing what I do: my PEOPLE!  

Look at how much fun we're having!

My Amazing friend and Stampin' Grandma, Julie Davison!

So, what's in it for YOU?
If you live in Central Illinois, come to my house on Wednesday, September 5 at 6:00 and make a cute and quick project, get your catalog, have a cup of cocoa and maybe even place an order.
I will have giveaways and prizes! Woo hoo!

I'd love to hear if you can make it, so please RSVP.

Bring a friend, and I'll put your name in a drawing for more special prizes!
I can't wait to see you!
Alison

Color Refresh

I know that sometimes change can be uncomfortable, but in this case, change is glorious.

I just returned from On Stage in Milwaukee where I was able to get a sneak peek at the new annual catalog that will be live for customers June 1. Not only are there some amazing products coming our way, but there is another BIG surprise!

Stampin' Up! is doing a COLOR REFRESH!

We know that there are some colors that we don['t use as often. There are others that may feel a little "outdated." I know there are some colors I wish I had. 

It's like SU! read our minds. The color refresh has infused our existing colors with some new ones that make the whole color line feel current. In order to make room for the new colors, some old ones had to leave. Some surprised me. Others didn't. Before I show you which ones are gone, let me show you the new color families!!

So pretty!!

There are still 4 color collections, each with 10 colors. There is also a new color group called Basics. In order to keep our color collections to exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors, we moved Basic Black, Very Vanilla, and Whisper White out of the Neutrals collection. We’ve also moved a few colors into the Neutrals collection, making it more exciting and colorful!

Some additional colors have changed collections as well—you’ll notice this as you look through the new collections below. You can refer to the old and new color charts in the 2018-2019 catalog. These changes were based on needing to maintain color balance in our updated collections. For example, Poppy Parade is now the brightest red so it is part of the Brights collection.

IN COLORS

There are no changes to the In Color program. Every two years we will continue to introduce five new In Colors that will be available for the ensuing two years.

We also have previous In Colors that are returning and joining our core colors:

• Mossy Meadow
• Poppy Parade
• Flirty Flamingo
• Coastal Cabana
• Mint Macaron
• Blackberry Bliss

Want to see the new IN COLORS?! Here they are along with a snapshot of the new additional colors:

My favorite are the bright and lively purples along with the Granny Apple Green!

Ok, so now that we are in love with the new color lines, it's not so hard to say goodbye to our retiring friends. Here are the ones we must say goodbye to:

It's not quite so painful to say goodbye to Perfect Plum when we now have Highland Heather, right?

However, if you really love one of these colors, please stock up now while they're still available because you know everyone is going to buy up all that Chocolate Chip paper and you'll be left without it right around Christmas when you want it! 

The ink pads and ink refills are guaranteed to be available at least until May 7, but all other color products are only available while supplies last until May 31! 

Shop with me anytime, and get those products while you can!

I hope you're as in love with the new colors as much as I am. I'd love to hear from you. Which is your favorite? I think Pineapple Punch is mine. Love those yellows!

Stay tuned. I will be posting pictures of the swaps I received from On Stage. They are fabulous! I also have some pretty sweet pictures of projects made with new products, and you don't want to miss those!

Until next time, stay crafty!

Alison

Heartfelt Bloomin' Love!

Today I'd like to share another Sale-a-Bration project.

I CASE'd this one from Linda Parker (see original post here!). I loved the simplicity of the project, but wanted to add just a little more pizzaz, so I layered the Basic Black underneath the front and wound the glimmer ribbon (so in love with this ribbon!) to "frame" the sentiment a bit. This Heartfelt Blooms set, frankly, was not my "bag" when I first saw it. I didn't love it. Do I really need another flower stamp set? Seriously!

Then I started playing with it. This is not just another flower stamp set. First of all, it's free. So there's that. Second of all, it's an actual flower! Like, a real photograph of an actual bouquet of flowers.

Once I got started, I had a lot of ideas, so stay tuned for another project using this stamp set!

Thank you for looking today. I would love to hear your thoughts, so please leave a comment. I would also love to be your demonstrator if you live in the United States.

Oh, and don't forget that today is the start of the Fast Fuse Sale! Click Here for more information on that and how to hear FREE items!

Phenomenal Fast Fuse Frenzy!

The Fast Fuse 5-Day Sale Starts Today!

Stampin' Up! is bringing back the very popular World Card Making Day Fast Fuse Sale for five days only—while supplies last! 

When you buy ONE Fast Fuse Adhesive, you’ll get TWO Fast Fuse Adhesive refills for FREE! 

The adhesive refills are $7.50 each! That is $15 of savings. Yippee!

Watch this video for reasons you won't want to miss out on this offer:

Plus, of course you will want to add on to your order to reach that magical $50 mark so you can choose your FREE item from the Sale-a-Bration catalog. 

Need a little inspiration? Here is a project we made in my Card Class:

I wish I could take credit for this, but I can't. I CASE'd this card from Laura Allen, whose image I found on Pinterest. I LOVED the colors, and I knew I had to make it as soon as I saw it. 

I believe Laura used the new Stampin' Blends, which I have played with but do not own. Since I didn't have the Blends, I used my handy-dandy Aqua Painters and tried to achieve the same effect by adding more ink to some petals than others.

The paper, of course, is the GORGEOUS Petal Passion. It's hard to believe this Black and White paper turned into this color burst, but that just goes to show what a little ink can do!

Oh, and that shimmery ribbon on the card? That's also FREE with any $50 purchase! You get 3 rolls! And it's so much more sparkly in person than in this picture. 

If you do not have a demonstrator and feel like I'm your gal, I'd love for you to place an order with me. I will send you a little "Thank you," too! 

Have a super day! Until next time, stay crafty!

Alison

Petal Palette Play

Long time no see . . .

That's not to say that there hasn't been any stamping. There has!

A new catalog has inspired me to play, and as soon as I saw the Spring Occasions Catalog, I knew I had to have the Petal Palette bundle. 

Not only is it beautiful, there is a ton of stuff here: 15 stamps and 10 dies! And versatile, too. Plus, I was looking for a way to play with the new Brusho watercolor powder. Here is what I came up with.

I heat embossed the roses on watercolor paper first. Then, I sprinkled the teeny tiniest amounts of Brusho on the paper and the squirted water with a spritzer. I was SOOOOO tempted to keep playing, but I kept telling myself less is more, so I didn't touch it again. 

I layered it on Bermuda Bay and Calypso Coral using that gorgeous SAB shimmer ribbon. OMG, I have already burned through and entire package of that ribbon. It is so delicious! I wish everything in my life shimmered like this.

I hope you like this project. If you do, I would love to hear from you. Leave me a comment! 

If you live in the USA, I'd love to be your demonstrator. If you already have one, that's super, too. Just keep crafting!

Until next time, 

Stay crafty!

Alison

Halloween Treats

This morning, I'd like to share a "Thank You" gift I made for my guests at a party last night. I wanted to support a local business, so I purchased some fabulous chocolate from a local chocolatier, Cocoa Blue, and then adorned each chocolate pop with Stampin' Up!'s awesome Spooky Cat stamp set and the Spooky Night Designer Series Paper. 

Don't forget that the DSP is BUY 3 Get 1 FREE through the end of the month!

So now for the projects!

It's SOOO creepy!! Eeeeeewwwwww!

Here's a close-up of the tag:

I heat embossed the potion bottles and tag sentiment  with the Copper Stampin' Emboss Powder. I thought it gave an "eerie" glow.

I used the new Everyday Label Punch for the tag, and I have to say it's true to its name. I've used it nearly every day.

The "Thank You" in the center of the tag is from Thoughtful Banners (another go-to set for me).

Now, for the other chocolate pop (for the faint of heart):

This inches a little further on the "cute" scale than the "creepy" scale, and I have to say I like this one more because I got to STAMP a lot more (and it really is all about stamping . . .)

I heat embossed each of the potion bottles with black embossing powder and then stamped each bottle individually in Pumpkin Pie, Rich Razzleberry and Lemon Lime Twist. I also stamped the tag using Rich Razzleberry ink on the Rich Razzleberry paper. 

It didn't take as long as you think. Really!

Here are some close-ups: 

Serious cuteness!

It felt great handing out gifts for all my guests, but it felt even better knowing that I was giving something I had worked hard on and that I'd made with love and care.

I hope you enjoyed today's inspiration. If you don't already have a demonstrator, I would love to be yours. 

Until next time, stay crafty!

Alison

More DSP Play . . .

The BUY 3 GET 1 FREE sale on Designer Series Paper is still in full swing, and I want to show off another way to use some of the gorgeous Christmas Quilt paper:

Isn't that just so pretty? What a great gift for a quilter!

Now, to the "How To!"

First, start with the Quilted Christmas Designer Series Paper:


As you can see, there are a lot of different patterns. Some of them perfectly line up with the smallest square in the Stitched Frames Framelits! 



Then, you can simply piece together your own "quilt" with paper! Mine used Garden Green as a base and for the ink, but there are all sorts of directions you could go with this paper. It could be Christmas-themed, or even Spring or Birthday with the Blushing Bride, Lemon-Lime Twist and Pool Party. 

Versatility and coordination make Stampin' Up!'s products so fun.

I hope you enjoy today's inspiration. Remember to stock up on that DSP while it's on sale.

I would love to be your demonstrator, and if you purchase at least $40 worth of merchandise through me and use the October Hostess Code (HDWE4BR6), you will receive a hand-made gift from me. THANK YOU!

Until next time, stay crafty!

Alison

Seasonal Chums Spinner Card

Discaimer: this project is NOT my idea! I totally CASE'd (Copy And Share Everything) from Linda Cullen at her blog: https://www.craftystampin.com/coffee-crafts-class-christmas-spinner-holiday-catalog-sneak-peek/

Hello crafty people! Today's project shows off another Seasonal Chums inspiration. This set is just too cute to pass up. It's a tag, it's a reindeer, it's a snowman, it's a pumpkin, geesh!! It's adorable. That's what it is.

I know that a lot of people really like the "clear mount" stamps because they're easier to store and they cost a little less, but I splurged on the wood-mount for this set, and here's why.

This is a set I know I will use A LOT with kids. My own kids will use it to make tags for Christmas and my mom and I will also use it for a craft event at Christmas at her church. Dozens and dozens of kids will be stamping their little "chums" onto cardstock, and frankly, it's worth the extra $7 to not have to worry about whether the stamp and the clear block get separated.

Plus, with wood-mount stamps, I never run out of blocks when I'm playing with multiple stamps at once.

And, I just like the feeling of wood in my hands (shame on you and your dirty mind!).

Ahem, back to the project . . .

So, this is my take on the popular "spinner card." This can only be done with this stamp set because it has a front and back! How smart are these designers?!

The bunny cracks me up. Even though it wasn't the intention of the designers (I think!), it's like that bunny is holding onto the snowman for dear life as he gets spun repeatedly. 

I'm laughing out loud right now thinking about it!

I used the "Christmas Around the World" DSP for this card, which is included in the BUY 3, GET 1 FREE sale through the end of October.

Here are the other supplies:

Seasonal Chums Wood-Mount Bundle

[146076]

$52.00

Seasonal Chums Clear-Mount Bundle

[146077]

$45.00

Layering Ovals Framelits Dies

[141706]

$35.00

Christmas Around The World Designer Series Paper

[144629]

$11.00

Whisper White 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[100730]

$9.00

Real Red 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[102482]

$8.00

Pool Party 8-1/2" X 11" Card Stock

[122924]

$8.00

Real Red Stampin' Write Marker

[100052]

$3.50

Garden Green Stampin' Write Marker

[100080]

$3.50

Pool Party Classic Stampin' Pad*

[122938]

$5.95

Blender Pens

[102845]

$12.00

Gold Metallic Thread

[138401]

$3.00

SNAIL Permanent Adhesive

[104332]

$7.00

Rhinestone Basic Jewels

[144220]

$5.00

If you like this project, you can order all the supplies to make it yourself! And, if you order the Christmas Around the World DSP, remember that it is part of the Designer Series Paper Sale (Buy 3, Get 1 Free!). 

Plus, today is the LAST DAY to take advantage of the sale on select items for World Card Making Day!

And, if you order $40 or more and use the October Hostess Code (HDWE4BR6), you will receive a hand-made gift from me. THANK YOU!

Until next time, stay crafty!

Alison

Seasonal Chums Ornament

Happy Monday! If you're lucky, you have today off for Columbus Day. If you're like me, you don't, but I still have something to brighten your day!

Today's project shows off a neat project using the Seasonal Chums Bundle. Because the Seasonal Chums images have a front AND back, there are all sorts of neat 3-D projects we can do, and here is one of them:

Isn't that reindeer the cutest? I used the Framelits to cut out two of the trees that come in the set and layered them on top of each other to add a little height. 

The ornament is the kind that has two halves that pop together. That made getting Rudy in there pretty easy. 

But, my twist is that I stamped little Rudolph on the Wood Textures Designer Series Paper to help give him a little "texture." I think he came out nicely! The wood grain looks a little like fur, right? 

Of course, I colored his nose and other parts with Real Red, Garden Green, Soft Suede and Crushed Curry markers.

If you like this project, you can order all the supplies to make it yourself! And, if you order the Wood Textures paper, remember that it is part of the Designer Series Paper Sale (Buy 3, Get 1 Free!). 

Plus, you only have today and tomorrow to take advantage of the sale on select items for World Card Making Day!

And, if you order $40 or more and use the October Hostess Code (HDWE4BR6), you will receive a hand-made gift from me. THANK YOU!

For easy reference, here are all the products used for today's project: 

Seasonal Chums Clear-Mount Bundle

[146077]

$45.00

Wood Textures Designer Series Paper Stack

[144177]

$10.00

Real Red Stampin' Write Marker

[100052]

$3.50

Crushed Curry Stampin' Write Marker

[131901]

$3.50

Garden Green Stampin' Write Marker

[100080]

$3.50

Soft Suede Stampin' Write Marker

[120973]

$3.50

Real Red 1/8" (3.2 Mm) Solid Ribbon

[144631]

$7.00

Quilted Christmas 1/4" (6.4 Mm) Ribbon

[144620]

$7.00

As always, thank you so much for stopping by. I really appreciate it.

Until next time, stay crafty!

Alison