Stampin Up! punch art and gift card holders

This past week was full of events that were begging me to make some cards for those special people in my life!

From a birthday, to a graduation, to an engagement party..... it was a blast putting these cuties together!

I am always amazed at the talent out in the punch art world! Although I cannot come up with the designs myself, I'm very thankful for those ladies (and gents) that come up with very cool punch art!

First up, a mario brothers birthday card for my 12 year old brother..... yup, you read right~!

I had a few things that weren't Stampin UP products on this card..... the grass was punched with Martha Stewart's grass border punch, the stamped design on lucky limeade was a "Mod pattern" rubber stamp by Judi Kins, and then for the coins I used mini gold beads.

I cased the punch art from Tere Giordano, with a few changes... 
To make Mario's head, I used the following:

Supplies used for Mario card:

• Cardstocks: real red, whisper white, early espresso, black, lucky limeade
• DSP: summer smooches
• Punches: all of the above for Mario, word window, label, 1 3/4" circle punch (for clouds)
• Inks: lucky limeade, baja breeze, real red
• Stamps: embellished events (for the happy birthday greeting)

 
I made another punch art gift card holder for a friend of ours that graduated yesterday from Oklahoma State university as an HVAC technician. These wrenches were perfect for a guy like him! 

 
To make the punch art wrenches I used the following:

 Supplies used for wrench punch art gift card holder

• Cardstocks: crumb cake, basic black, basic grey, more mustard (for banner)
• Punches: all the above for the wrench, word window
• Inks: basic grey, basic black, more mustard marker
• Tools: color spritzer tool (for banner)
• Embellishments: neutrals brads
• Big Shot square lattice embossing folder 
• Non-SU!:  metallic gray paper (t0 make it look shiny)

 
Now for the gift card holder, I used the template that Patti Chesky made in her video below. So very simple and cute!

Here's the other gift card holder I made for a co-worker of mine who recently got engaged. I LOVE IT!!!

 Supplies used for engagement gift card holder

• Cardstocks: crumb cake, real red, whisper white
• Punches: word window, 3/4" circle (for inside), label, owl (for the hearts on inside of card)
• Inks: real red, crumb cake
• Embellishments: rhinestones
• ribbon: real red (retired)

I sure do hope that you enjoyed looking and maybe even inspired you to make something like it for the special ones in your life! For any questions about the supplies I used, e-mail me at jretana06@gmail.com

Let me know what you think about my projects by commenting below! I want to hear from you! Until next time...

Stampin UP Promotions August 2012

Every time the opportunity to join Stampin' UP! arrives every month, I think to myself, this is the BEST offer.........yet, during the pass months, since I've joined, it only seems to get better and better!

Let me break this down for you. During the month of August, if you sign up for a starter kit, you will receive this COOL Howl-o-ween printer's tray project kit (everything you see is what you get!)

What is the starter kit, you may ask? Well, It is a kit of YUMMY Stampin' UP supplies that you can customize Your Way. You can choose $125 worth of any traditional or digital supplies for 
ONLY $99! 

You will receive your $125 worth of supplies PLUS the Howl-o-ween project kit (a $60 value)! AWESOME!!!

Now hear this.......if you sign up for a project kit this month, you will not only get what I described above, I will throw in a $30 gift card for you! Wow, that's like having about $116 in FREE stuff! Tell me you are EXCITED about this deal....... don't pass it on!

 To take advantage of Stampin' UP's offer, click on the image above to start choosing your starter kit products! You will then receive an e-mail from me to get you rolling with your gift card. 

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me at jretana06@gmail.com 

Stampin' UP perfectly preserved projects

There's nothing like a good jar of homemade pear preserves to go with a perfectly preserved recipe holder! My stamp club this month put together a quick recipe holder that includes the recipe to the 4 oz. jar of pear preserves I made ahead of time for my stampers.

These little jars were just right in size for us to decorate! Anybody would love to receive these cute little things!

 Supplies used:
- retired Deck the Halls fabric (5" squares) (ONLY $.99 until it's gone!)
- PUNCHES: 2 1/2" circle, 2 3/8" scalloped circle punch
- PAPER: crumb cake cardstock
- STAMPS:  perfectly preserved, itty bitty banners 
- INKS: summer starfruit, cherry cobbler, early espresso marker
- MARKERS: early espresso, blender pen
- cannery framelits
- itty bitty banner framelits
- 4 oz jar filled with pear preserves 

 A simple technique that my stampers enjoyed discovering about coloring stamps is using a blender pen to remove ink from the seeds in the center of the pear and then coloring it in with some early espresso. I love how simple and easy it is to do that to make my stamped images POP with color!

Naturally, my stampers asked how I made the pear preserves. It's a good thing I knew they were going to ask ahead of time so we can put together a holder for the recipe.

Supplies used: 
- PUNCHES:modern label
- PAPER: crumb cake cardstock, early espresso cardstock, very vanilla, orchard harvest DSP
- STAMPS:  perfectly preserved 
- INKS: summer starfruit
- linen thread

I made the recipe card with My Digital Studio 2 (MDS2) ........and I must say "OMGoodness!" I absolutely love the new features on there! If you haven't tried MDS, then you must try it! Click HERE to learn more. The template I used is the Orchard Harvest swatchbook digital template from pg. 28 of the Holiday catalog.

It all came together very quickly thanks to MDS! It almost always gets me out of a bind when I don't have certain supplies on hand!

If you have any questions about our projects, please feel free to contact me at jretana06@gmail.com or make a comment on this post below!

Thanks for lookin'!

Stampin Up Perfectly Preserved open house

It's always so exciting to look forward to more brand new products from Stampin' UP! I must say that SU has hit the holiday catalog (coming August 1st) out of the ballpark this time! All the variety of products that are amazing, fun, and creative has me wanting it ALL!

Join us for a preview of the "perfectly preserved" stamp set with the matching "cannery set" framelit dies at the open house on Saturday August 4th at 10am at my place. There will be a make n take, special door prizes, and snacks.

I created this card for a simple, easy, yet inviting card perfect to go along with a jar of homemade preserves.


Supplies used:
- perfectly preserved BUNDLE (includes "perfectly preserved" stamp set and "cannery set" framelits; save 15%! (129943 W, 129944 C)
- designer ribbon slides (127834)
- Labels collection framelits (125598)
- 3/8" ruffled ribbon: lucky limeade (122977)
- Orchard harvest DSP (126895)
- very vanilla cardstock
- Fancy fan embossing folder (127751)
- INKS: lucky limeade (126984), more mustard (126964), early espresso (126974),  raspberry ripple (126859)

E-mail me to get details on our upcoming make n take. 
Let me know what you think about my latest creation and comment below!

SU! Convention 2012 - Day 3

Saturday has approached and the end of the convention is almost over =o(
It was off to a great start with Brian Pilling who spoke at our first session: I am a leader. He gave great tips on how to avoid or be a dysfunctional leader! I was able to take away alot of good things from this session!

This was the only picture I had of Brian. He assisted Shannon West during one of her presentations.

   I am making money was the next session that was hosted by Pam Morgan. She talked to us about how us demonstrators can get more out of the career plan by learning how to take advantage of performance bonuses! I'm definitely going to make it a goal to get some bonuses within the next year!

One last session of make n takes still didn't give me enough time to finish up my projects so whenever I finish them, I will show them to you in a future blog.

After lunch, we had our closing general session filled with happy moments and great memories we all will cherish! FREE stamp sets are always a plus! 

From left to right: Jessica (me), Denise, Marty, Carol, Kelli, Caren, Pat, and Samantha

Shelli Gardner and Sara Douglass announces the grand vacation 2014!

Carrie Cudney presenting the cutest projects!

We all received the Mixed Medley Hostess set from the Holiday catalog coming August 1st!

We all received the Moving Forward stamp set that benefits Ronald McDonald Charities.

 It was a party the whole week of convention and thoroughly enjoyed every bit of it! I'm definitely inspired by all the talent around me and am looking forward to what the next year brings! 

I hope you have enjoyed reading about convention as much as I loved talking about it! Thank you for reading ! Blog you next time!!!

SU! Convention 2012 - Day 2

Day 2 starts off with main stage seating for the general session that featured more beautiful projects, information, and awards.

After the general session, we then broke into groups for our make n takes then lunch. Up next, I am doing business "my way" hosted by Bonnie Thurber who is pretty darn funny if you ask me. The main speakers were Tami White and Ronda Wade who were kind enough to speak about how they handle their SU! business "their way".

Bonnie Thurber

Bonnie Thurber

Our next session began with Shannon West, who is definitely a hoot! She hosted "I am having fun" where we discovered how to maximize workshop possibilities and include the #1 ingredient....FUN!

This saying was too funny, I had to take a picture of it!

 We all definitely laughed, danced, and smiled as we went along with Shannon's advice on how to make our workshops FUN!


Last but not least in my busy Convention schedule....Hispanic Night hosted by Sandra Manwill ! For those of you that are not aware of this, Stampin' UP! does sell some stamps en ESPANOL..... Click on the image to see the Celebrando Creatividad catalog.



 We were eager to get started on our make n take at Hispanic Night! a beautiful box perfect for any quinceanera (15 year birthday)!

Make n Take

I won!

 After seeing so many beautiful projects created by several talented demonstrators, they had a drawing and I won a prize! I was so excited to receive my very own heat embossing tool (see picture above)! YAAAY!

The day ended with taking dozens of pictures of beautiful projects created by Teresa Giordano, Natalia Danko, and so many more! 

 I hope you are still enjoying all the exciting news as I'm reporting these past few days! 

Stay tuned once again for the last and final day 3 of the Stampin' UP! Convention 2012!

SU! Convention 2012 - Day 1

It's day 1 of Convention and everybody (3,500) is shoulder to shoulder, waiting to get inside the main stage for the opening general session! It was very exciting!

The first thing we see when we arrive to our seats is the beautifully decorated stage with this year's theme: "I AM".
 I was quick to get a picture of me in front of the stage!

As the general session began, we were introduced to the theme song which was so fun to watch and the song was so catchy, I'm still singing it in my head!




An awesome introduction by Shelli and the staff on stage definitely got us all excited and screaming for more!
Amongst the highlights at the opening were Jason Dorsey (a guest speaker) who was hilarious and nothing short of entertaining. He spoke to us about differences in generations (Generation X vs Generation Y) amongst the people in the world.

 Then we were off to lunch at noon for a special first-timer's lunch that included a boxed lunch and free pack of the Storytime DSP nicely wrapped in a grosgrain ribbon! Gotta love those freebies!!!

                                  

After we enjoyed our special lunch, I went for a quick trip to memento mall...........and let me tell you, I can finally understand what makes it all so special! They sell exclusive products for demonstrators that are not sold anywhere else and I had to have it ALL (but I didn't have enough money) so I settled for a few things for my customers, downline, and myself! I did get this precious tree card-holder, it was so beautiful even though this picture doesn't do it justice!

I quickly had to rush out of there otherwise I wouldn't make it to my next class (plus I spent all my money)... "I am savvy". We learned from 4 talented demonstrators on how to strategically design to-die-for projects. These beautiful  & talented ladies were Donna Griffith, Meg Wheeler, Dawn Griffith, and Laura Milligan. 

Dawn Griffith

Donna Griffith

Laura Milligan

Meg Wheeler

cute idea for Christmas

Use the same idea for someone who is sick!

My next session "I am reaching out" was hosted by Emily Montoya. She showed us fun ways to include the emerging demographic ( women 25-35 yrs) in Stampin' UP. She had lots a great ideas and advice for us demos!



After this last session we were once again back at the main stage for some fun demos, prizes, and announcements before we went to "Awards Night" later on that evening.

On awards night, many talented ladies were awarded well-earned recognition for their hard work as Stampin' UP demonstrators. Amongst those ladies was, Denise Sullivan, my upline. I couldn't be more proud of her! Congratulations Denise! She did a wonderful job thanking Shelli (CEO) and Stampin' UP for allowing her to be a part of the advisory board this year.

Many got in line to be recognized for their sales: all the way from $20k to over $100k in SU! product sales.  They earned  free stamp sets based on amount of sales.

Awards night ended with an after party which I did not attend because I was already too tired for the day. Day 1 of Convention was soo much fun and couldn't wait for the next day (after I got some rest, of course)!

Stay tuned for day 2 of Convention tomorrow!

Stampin' UP Convention 2012 - Check In Day

It was my first time in Salt Lake City and at the 24th annual Stampin' UP! Convention. It certainly was exciting, yet overwhelming with all the activities that were occurring! There were about 3500 people there (including men and women and children). Yes, there were some men in attendance and I give them "props" for being brave amongst so many crazy ladies!

Day one started with check-in day. My roomates and I were quick to get our exclusive SU! bag filled with goodies!

that's me!

Left to right: Nisha and Barb

Left to right: Barb, me, Nisha

Our next stop was at the "demonstrator's resource center"......it was like SU's version of Disneyland! There were hundreds of beautiful cards and projects featuring products from our current 2012 catalogs (including the holiday caddy).

Then we were off to get a head start on our make n takes! this was a wonderful idea considering that we were going to be short on time during the make n take sessions.

 

 While I was so excited to get my make n take on, I had to stop to take some time for a tour of the corporate office located in Riverton. This was my ONLY chance and I'm so glad I took it!

They call this room the "Legacy Museum".  It was filled with Stampin' UP! legacies all the way from their humble beginnings to beautiful displays created by their concept artists. 

 The distribution center (shown below) is humongous! The very helpful staff informed us about how they get your order to your door so quickly and accurately. All I have to say is ORGANIZATION!!!

 

 This is the atrium (below), where all gather for breaks and lunch. It's nothing short of beautiful! 

 

I am skipping alot of goodies but my tour ends at the famous Stampin' UP rock. It's definitely one of a kind!

 

As the day came closer to an end, I did my first convention card swap and it was well organized and fun! I got 50 swap cards! And believe me, I didn't even compare to the 800 swap cards that some ladies made at convention! I might shoot for 100 next time, but NOT 800!!!

 I had mentioned to you in my previous post that I was going to show you my full swap card and guess what.....I swapped and never got around to a full picture!!! I'm SO SO SO sorry!!! Better luck next time.


Last but not least! many demos got together for the final event of the night.....a My Digital Studio class hosted by Holly Lindford (who was aMazInG!). This class was so awesome, fun, and informative! All I have to say is..........be on the look-out for MDS2!!! You will not regret it!!!

From left to right: Denise, Caren, Jessica (me), and Samantha

 As I've mentioned before, check in day of our convention was off to a wonderful start and I couldn't wait to see what was next! Stay tuned for day 1 of my convention experience tomorrow! Hope you are enjoying yourself so far!



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