And Shelli Says.......

Stampers,

Here's the deal.

There are just 48 hours left to check out all the awesomeness of being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator for just $99.

Yep, just 48 short hours.

Did you know that this $99 could be the best spent $99 you've ever invested in something?

What else will $99 buy you?

Well in Stampin' Up! language, you can get the Big Shot for $99.

But not at a discount.

You can get a bunch of Stamp Sets for $99.

But not at a discount.

$99 in the real world will buy you a new iPhone as long as your current contract is up.

But you can't do paper crafts with that and you'll need a new one in less than 2 years.

Stampin' Up! is new and exciting every time you pull out your stamps, ink and paper.

And you don't need a new contract every 18 months.

$99 will buy you a really nice 1st section seat at the Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger Concert this summer. (ask me how I know!)

But even that concert, as awesome as it is, can't be shared with all your friends. They frown on you videotaping and all......

Plus it's over in 3 short hours.

With Stampin' Up! you can stamp and share and create with your friends to your hearts content, for as long as you want.

Get the picture?

Want more info?

Check out this post here: My Stampin' Story

I'd love you to come stamp with me, come join my team and see how rewarding being part of this stampin' family can be.

Here's a message from Shelli just for all of you. It's an invitation to be part of something AWESOME!

Stamped blessings,

~~Robin

Cutie Pie Cupcakes!

It's Friday stampin' peeps! Are ya'll ready for something CUTE to carry us into the weekend?

Well, you've come to the right place - not only do I have something cute for you, I have something delicious too! Ready?

Here you go:
Now, who wouldn't love THIS birthday cupcake? First of all, it's chocolate! Second of all, it's pink with pink sprinkles! And oh yeah, it's presented on this super cute cupcake stand with an adorable "candle" pick to top it off! Yeah, I'm ready for my birthday again! LOL!

And wait, it gets better:

There's a super cute cupcake card to go with it!

Last night at my Stampin' Fools group, we made these fun projects together - and ate a few cupcakes too! The best part of the cupcakes is that my Emma made them all by herself! She baked them, frosted them and decorated them too. They were yummy and adorable and the ladies loved them!

Let me tell you a little bit about the card:

I used a 4 1/4" x 8 1/2" piece of Regal Rose cardstock folded in half to make a square card. The front was run through my Big Shot with the new Stripes Embossing Folder and I love the fun texture it added! I took a piece of 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" Whisper White cardstock and stamped the adorable cupcake image from the NEW Easy Events stamp set with Black Staz-On ink. It was colored in with Stampin' Write Markers, Lucky Limeade, Chocolate Chip and Pretty In Pink and blinged up a little bit with Dazzling Diamonds Glitter and my 2 Way Glue Pen. The little triangle was cut out with my Paper Snips.

I took a piece of Lucky Limeade cardstock - 1" x 8 1/2" - and punched out the whole strip with my Pinking Hearts Border Punch. Once I had that punched, I adhered the left edge of the white, stamped cardstock to one end of the border. I trimmed it off to line up with the triangle edge. These steps were repeated on the other side and I adhered the whole piece to the card front.

The bow was made with a 9" length of Lucky Limeade Ruffled Ribbon and I adhered it to the card front with Mini Glue Dots.

Now, let's take a look at the cupcake pick and stand:

The pick is my original design and is super easy to make! I used the Homemade A La Carte stamp to stamp in Lucky Limeade on Whisper White cardstock. It was punched out with the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch and is backed with a scallop of Regal Rose cardstock. The extra long toothpick was adhered in between the scallops with Sticky Strip and Tombow.

The circles on the front are Lucky Limeade punched with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch and Pretty In Pink with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch.

The "candle" is from the Party This Way stamp set and was stamped using Lucky Limeade and Daffodil Delight Stampin' Write Markers to color it. I punched it out with the Word Window Punch and added more Dazzling Diamonds Glitter to the flame.

This would be a great way to celebrate a birthday in an office where you can't have candles or open flames.

Now, the cupcake stand I adapted from a stinkin' cute swap that I received at Convention. The original was created by demonstrator Elizabeth Hurst and I just fell in love with her design! You know right away when you have to re-create something and this one was at the top of my list!

It's pretty simple - you cut three full butterflies with the Beautiful Butterflies Die and the Big Shot. They are glued together with Tombow Adhesive. For my design, I stamped the little houndstooth butterfly from the Butterfly Prints stamp set in Pretty in Pink Classic Ink. It's punched out with the Butterfly Punch and I added a Basic Rhinestone to the center before glueing it on with more Tombow.

For the top, I glued a piece of 4' square Regal Rose cardstock to a 4" square piece of cardboard backer from a pack of DSP - always save that cardboard! It was run through the Big Shot with the Scallop Circle #2 Die. I added a piece of Lucky Limeade to the top that was cut out with the 3" Circle Die and then texturized with the Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder.

As you can see in this close up, the butterflies were attached to the top with Stampin' Dimensionals. What could be easier or cuter?

The only other thing I added to my stand was a piece of kitchen parchment paper punched out with the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch. This acts as a barrier between the cupcake and the stand to keep any oils off the stand.

So, there are your sweet treats for the day! What will you do first, go make cupcakes or go make these projects?! HA!

Well, if you need the supplies for the cupcakes, you'll have to hit the grocery store, but you can get all you need for the projects by shopping from your comfy chair in my Online Store! I've put a supply list for you at the bottom of this post to make it easy for you!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~~ Robin

Stampin' Supplies:

105130 - Regal Rose Cardstock

122926 - Lucky Limeade Cardstock

100459 - Pretty in Pink Cardstock

100730 - Whisper White Cardstock

120738 - Butterfly Prints stamp set

123225 - Easy Events stamp set

120609 - Party This Way stamp set

101406 - Black Staz-On Ink

101301 - Pretty in Pink Classic Ink

Stampin' Write Markers -

100045 - Pretty in Pink

123002 - Lucky Limeade

100071 - Chocolate Chip

119677 - Daffodil Delight

117649 - Pinking Hearts Border Punch

118874 - 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch

119850 - 1 3/4" Circle Punch

119860 - 1 3/8" Circle Punch

119857 - Word Window Punch

119848 - Butterfly Punch

Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

100425 - 2 Way Glue Pen

110755 - Tombow Adhesive

104430 - Stampin' Dimensionals

104294 - Sticky Strip

113439 - Big Shot

114507 - Beautiful Butterflies Die

113469 - Scallop Circle #2 Die

122125 - 3" Circle Die

123128 - Stripes Embossing Folder

117335 - Perfect Polka Dots Embossing Folder

Place your order at this link here: Robin's Online Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right!

Simply Stampin' Up! - Edition 7

Good Thursday morning Stampers!

I can't wait to show you this week's Simply Stampin' Up! project! This new, weekly feature on my blog has been so fun for me - I hope you are enjoying it too. There are so many fabulous project ideas out in the crafting world, I love being able to transform them into All Stampin' Up! using our top quality products for these gorgeous designs.

Here's a look at my version of this week's card:

and here's my card next to my magazine inspiration project:

The biggest change I made was the greeting, but that was a personal decision as a dear friend from church passed away this week and I needed a sympathy card for his family. Which just goes to show that many cards can fit many occasions by simply changing out the greeting.

So, are you ready to put it all together? Great! Let's get started!

Layer 1: I cut Rich Razzleberry Textured cardstock at 4 1/4" x 11" and folded it in half to make a standard A2 card.

Layer 2: This layer is actually 2 in 1 since my Designer Paper is adhered to my cardstock layer. I cut a piece of First Edition Designer Series Paper at 3 1/2" x 3 3/4". Next I inked up the NEW, and may I say FABULOUS, Sweet Floral Background stamp with Soft Suede Classic Ink. I smoothed the ink out with my Brayer and stamped the image onto my paper.

**TD Tip - When working with Background stamps, I find that it's so much easier to lay the stamp on it's back (wood side down on the grid paper) to not only ink it up, but to stamp the image. I ink up the stamp first, using a Brayer to smooth it out if there are lines from the ink pad. Next, I carefully place the cardstock or paper on the inked stamp. I hold it in place and gently fold over the side of my Grid Paper, covering the stamp. Always using one finger to hold the cardstock in place, I gently rub all over the stamp through the Grid Paper to transfer the image to the cardstock. Then I peel back the Grid Paper and remove the stamped cardstock. the beauty of this technique? NO inky fingers! If you haven't tried this method, I recommend it. It will change the way you think about your background stamps - they will become your best friend!

So, back to Layer 2!

Next, I adhered the stamped Designer paper to a piece of Naturals Ivory Cardstock cut at 3 1/2" x 5". I took out my Scalloped Edge Border Punch and punched across the top of this layer. Using my Corner Rounder punch, I rounded the bottom two corners.

Embellishments: Let's talk about that awesome bow! I have to admit, one of the reasons I was drawn to the card in the magazine was the ribbon treatment. I loved the crushed, shimmery ribbon and knew I wanted to re-create this look with our Seam Binding. To get there, I cut a length of Very Vanilla Seam Binding 24" long. Next, I took one of SU!'s large plastic stamp set boxes and placed the ribbon in it with a little bit of water and about 5 drops of Blushing Bride Classic Re-inker. I mixed the water and re-inker together on one end of the box and then pushed the ribbon into it to soak it up. For a minute or so, I simply crushed and squished the ribbon around, opening it up and re-crushing it into a ball. I eventually placed it in a folded paper towel to soak up most of the moisture and then I finished drying it with my hair dryer. I did not use my Heat Tool because I feared that the intense heat would melt the ribbon.

This seems like a long process from the description, but it really only took about 10 minutes total. If I had colored the ribbon before I started the project, I could have eliminated the hair dryer, but I'll know that for next time, eh?

Here's a close up of my finished bow:

I LOVE it! I took a small portion of the seam binding and wrapped it around the Layer 2 panel, securing it on the back with SNAIL adhesive. I then tied the double bow and added the Early Espresso Neutrals Button by tying it around the bow with Early Espresso Baker's Twine.

It was adhered to the card front with Mini Glue Dots.

The greeting is from the new Petite Pairs Stamp Set. I can see that this will quickly become one of my favorites! I stamped the greeting on a scrap of Naturals Ivory cardstock with Early Espresso Classic Ink and punched it out with the Curly Label Punch. It's adhered to the card front with Stampin' Dimensionals.

After finishing the greeting, I added the entire front panel to the card front with more Stampin' Dimensionals and that part was done!

Of course, I had to stamp the inside and the envelope too, so here's what I did:

I inked up the Sweet Floral Background Stamp once again with Soft Suede Classic Ink and stamped a bit of it in the lower left corner of the Naturals Ivory inside panel. I repeated this on the Very Vanilla envelope. The greeting on the inside is simply the second part of the sympathy greeting from Petite Pairs, again, stamped in Early Espresso.

So stampers, there's your card for today! Are you ready to go use your background stamps? Dye and crush some ribbon? Awesome! Go for it!

And if you need or want any of the supplies I've used here today, you can shop my Online Store anytime, 24/7. I've included a supply list for you at the bottom of this post to make it easy for you!

Have a great day stampers, and oh, yes - don't forget - the $99 Demonstrator Kit special that I talked about yesterday only goes for 4 more days including today. Don't miss it if you're on the fence, ok? Check out my stampin' story that I shared here yesterday.

See you tomorrow!

~~Robin

Stampin' Supplies:

121077 - Rich Razzleberry Textured Cardstock

101849 - Naturals Ivory Cardstock

121878 - First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper

122855 - Sweet Floral Background Stamp

122497 - Petite Pairs Stamp Set

115657 - Soft Suede Classic Ink

119670 - Early Espresso Classic Ink

120999 - Very Vanilla Seam Binding

119676 - Blushing Bride Classic Re-inker

119743 - Neutrals Buttons Collection

123124 - Early Espresso Baker's Twine

119851 - Curly Label Punch

119882 - Scalloped Edge Border Punch

119871 - Corner Rounder Punch
103683 - Mini Glue Dots

104430 - Stampin' Dimensionals

Place your order at this link here: Robin's Online Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right!

Sharing my Story

One of the things I treasure most are the friendships and relationships I've been blessed to have through my Stampin' Up! business.

6 years ago next month, I left my management position with my first direct sales company in order to follow my heart, and where I felt God leading me, and join Stampin' Up!. Nothing in my 13 year direct sales experience at that time could have prepared me for what I found with Stampin' Up!.

Not only was Stampin' Up! a well managed, thriving, debt free company - a great 'risk' for someone looking to make their way in the direct sales industry, their entire Statement of the Heart revolved around relationships - not money, success or fame - relationships. I found that at Stampin' Up! you were not only valued for your business acumen, but for your creativity and your heart. They recognize that business will only take you so far if you don't put the relationships first.

Who wouldn't want to be part of a company who thinks this way?

Let me share a story from just a few months ago before I continue with my "Why?" of being part of Stampin' Up!

See this card? It's my version of a card that was sent to me in April by my friend in Minnesota, Kay Kalthoff.

Now, before I joined SU!, I didn't have any friends in Minnesota or in many places outside of Virginia. My world was pretty small. But through SU! I now have friends, real friends - not just acquaintances - all over the USA and Canada. Even a few in Australia and New Zealand. Through the simple art of paper crafting, cards created and sent, artwork and lives shared, I now have wonderful relationships with amazing people in places I haven't even visited! I think because paper crafting is such a personal art, we truly put a piece of ourselves into what we make for others, we can't help but share our lives and our hearts. Isn't that fabulous? Don't we all long for that?

I was blessed to meet Kay at Founder's Circle 3 years ago. She is not only a fantastic stamper, but a beautiful person. When she read my blog post about my Dad's cancer diagnosis, she intuitively knew that I'd not have much time for stamping over the next bit of time. So, know what she did? She packaged up a packet of handmade cards, samples from the just released Summer Mini Catalog and mailed them to me with a note that made me cry tears of gratitude. She reached out to me in kindness and caring by giving me a gift of herself. Folks, that's what SU! is all about. Kay's actions embody our Statement of the Heart.

Many of you follow my blog on a regular basis and you know what happened later in April, my Dad passed away and left a great big hole in my life.

Can I share what happened next?

I received literally HUNDREDS of cards from stampers all over the world. Each day the mailbox was full of beautiful, handmade greetings that offered sympathy, prayers and caring. YOU may have been one those who sent me a card and if so, I thank you for your kindness.

That's just another example of the heart of Stampin' Up! and one of the many reasons that I treasure my involvement with this company. If you'll allow me, I'd like to share the rest of my story with you.

When I joined SU! in August of 2005, I left a solid monthly income from the company I was with, taking a leap of faith by starting over at square one in a company I knew little about. Emma was in first grade, Mark was working a ton of overtime trying to make sure the money met the end of the month and my income at that time was covering our car payment as well as any 'extras' we allowed ourselves. The biggest concern was that car payment -maybe you know what that's like, not knowing if you'll be able to make the payment or not. Not a fun place to be, for sure, but I was sure that Stampin' Up! was where I was supposed to be and stampers, that has proven itself over and over again in the last 6 years.

I'd been stamping and scrapbooking for a number of years, but was really just playing at it. I was more of a supply collector (sound familiar?) and not a maker of much. By joining SU! I was drawn in right away and guided along with fantastic training by my leaders and Stampin' Up!. I found that my circle of influence -my family, friends and acquaintances - were intrigued by the idea of sharing something handmade. I invited them to join me in my new journey and host parties and come stamp with me.

And that's really how it started. I simply invited my friends to come stamp with me - sharing what I loved with them, having fun with them, creating memories with them.

Little by little, my 'business' grew and within three months - really - I was making the entire car payment again and my 'business' was self-supporting. But what was growing even deeper and wider were the relationships I was blessed with. I said it earlier, there's something about sharing something handmade, a part of yourself, that draws others in and expands your circle of friends.

Who would think that something as simple as a card would have this power? I'm here to tell you that it does, and it's a beautiful thing.

Fast forward to now. Over the past 6 years, God has blessed me in tremendous ways. My 'business' has grown and thrived, ebbed and flowed and grown again. I've been blessed to earn awards and recognition, bonuses and fantastic trips from Stampin' Up! But those would be empty trophies without the relationships formed along the way.

As a growing team leader in SU!, I am blessed with a fun team of stampers that I am privileged to work with all the time. Some of these ladies joined my team with the desire to build a business and earn an income. Most of these ladies joined my team in order to be even more involved in doing something they loved doing - and the demonstrator discount didn't hurt either! :)

But to a person, I know they would tell you that they joined because they saw and felt something different about Stampin' Up! and they knew that being part of this company would bring rewards not tangible, but palpable, meaningful statements of the heart. I love these ladies and am so blessed by them each day.

So, having read all this, have you figured out my "Why?". "Why" I choose to do Stampin' Up!? Can I tell you one more reason? It's YOU. If I could, I'd have each of you as part of my team of stampers, if for no other reason than to enjoy our relationship more. While I know that's not possible, many of you are demonstrators already, many of you are not and it's to you I issue this invitation.

Joining Stampin' Up! is always a fantastic choice, I think you can see that in what I've shared, but right now it's even a cost-effective choice.

Up until July 31st - this Sunday! - Stampin' Up! is offering a Try Me Out Demonstrator Kit. It's a small $99 investment that can pay a big return for your life. SU! is even including a special gift - a fun project that we can do together! Remember, it's all about the relationships...

The gift is a Christmas Keepsake Box Project that includes lots of fun product to create it, along with a NEW stamp set that's coming out in the Holiday Mini Catalog.

The $99 Demonstrator Kit includes all the basics you need to stamp with YOUR circle of influence and invite them in to share what you love.

So, right now, I invite you to join my team - the Trinity Design Stampers. It's pretty easy to do, just visit my Stampin' Up! website at this link: Robin's Stampin' Up! Website

Once there, click the Join the Fun button at the top right. Or you can click this link here: Join the Fun with Robin!

You don't need any special passwords or secret messages, simply follow the prompts given, choosing your product options along the way - yes, most everything in the demonstrator kit is customizable meaning YOU choose your stamp sets, ink pads, cardstock......you get the picture. SU! wants it to work for YOU!

Once you hit submit, you'll receive an e-mail from Stampin' Up! welcoming you to our family and to my team.

I'll get the same e-mail so I'll be in touch to welcome you too pretty quickly!

Still have questions, concerns? Please ask them! I am an open book as is Stampin' Up! It's smart of you to interview ANYONE you are choosing to be in a relationship with, especially a business relationship. YOU need to be assured that you will receive the support and training you need in the way that YOU need it. I know who I am and what I can do for you, but only you can determine if that's right for you, so I encourage you to contact me.

The $99 Demonstrator Kit goes until Sunday, so there is still time, but let's talk, ok? Let's stamp together!

Have a fantastic day!

~~Robin

Purple Doily Lace

I Know! You're thinking - "Another DOILY card!"

I hope that's an excited thought and not an annoyed one! HA!

Honestly stampers, this Delicate Doilies stamp set is just the bomb! I love working with it because not only is it gorgeous, it's versatile and can be used on so many different styles of cards and scrapbook pages. Have you purchased it yet? Is it on your Wish List? If not, you really need this one in your stampin' toolbox! And I think I know someone who can hook you up......! :)

Let me tell you about my card, ok?

I started with a 4 1/4" square folded card base of Whisper White cardstock.

The next layer is Wisteria Wonder cardstock (one of the NEW In Colors that YOU can get as part of my IN Colors Clubs! Click HERE for details!)

I cut the Wisteria Wonder at 4 1/8" square so there would be 1/16" borders around it. Sometimes this is nice for just a hint of color peeking out.

The top, stamped layer is also Whisper White, cut at 4" square. I used the small doily stamp and inked it up in Wisteria Wonder. It's stamped diagonally across the card front from left to right, inking up again between each impression.

Next, I took a 2" x 4" strip of Elegant Eggplant cardstock and punched out the lacy border with the new Lace Ribbon Border Punch. It's adhered to the card front with the 2 Way Glue Pen.

For the doily focal image, I stamped the large pointy doily in Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White cardstock and one of the medium doilies in Wisteria Wonder on Whisper White. Both of these were trimmed out with my Paper Snips - not recommended if you have to make 50 of these puppies. But if you love to cut things out, then you can come to my house and do it for me! LOL!

Did you not know that I am a lazy stamper?! Yep, but sometimes you just gotta do what you do because the design calls for it - capish? Ok, on with the stamping.

The two doilies were stacked using Stampin' Dimensionals and I added the Rhinestone Circle Ice Brad to the center. They were then attached to the card front with more dimensionals and I moved on to the inside.

Here's a photo of the inside:

I kept it pretty simple, just stamping the large doily again with Wisteria Wonder and adding the sentiment in Elegant Eggplant. The sentiment is from the Cherish Friendship stamp set, which has beautiful images to watercolor if that's your thing. My friend Diana is a champion watercolorer, but I don't always have the patience - I told you, I'm lazy! :) I just loved the sentiment and honestly, bought the stamp set for it alone!

So there you go, what I think turned out to be a simply lovely card in some of my favorite colors!

Need the supplies to re-create this card for yourself? You can shop online at my Online Store 24/7! I've included a handy supply list at the bottom of this post with the item numbers you need to make it easy for you!

Have a great Tuesday everyone! I'll be back later to share my stampin' story with you all, hope you'll come back to see why I think Stampin' Up! is the company to be part of.

~~Robin

Stampin' Supplies:

100730 - Whisper White Cardstock

122922 - Wisteria Wonder Cardstock

105126 - Elegant Eggplant Cardstock

122592 - Delicate Doilies Stamp Set

122882 - Cherish Friendship Stamp Set

122936 - Wisteria Wonder Classic Ink Pad

105210 - Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink Pad

103579 - Paper Snips

109111 - Rhinestone Circle Ice Brads

104430 - Stampin' Dimensionals

122362 - Lace Ribbon Border Punch

Place your order at this link here: Robin's Online Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right to get started!

All NEW - In Colors Clubs Forming Now!

Hey Stampers!

It's time for some NEW Stampin' Up! In Colors!

SU! has outdone themselves with the 2011-2013 Collection of 5 NEW In Colors - you'll be delighted with all the creative possibilities these beautiful new hues give you!

Even their names are gorgeous!

• Calypso Coral
• Island Indigo
• Pool Party
• Lucky Limeade
• Wisteria Wonder

Don't they take you to some beautiful places in your imagination?

Here's one of my favorites - Wisteria Wonder - in the NEW Ruffled Edge Grosgrain Ribbon. Simply Stunning!
So, now that I've got you drooling, want to know some details on my In Color Clubs?

Great! Let's Go!

Here's how it works:

Every month for the next 5 months - beginning in August - you will receive the following products in ONE of the 5 new In Colors. A different color collection each month -

• In Color Classic Ink Pad
• In Color Classic Ink Refill
• In Color 8 1/2" x 11" Cardstock (20 sheets)
• In Color 3/8" Ruffled Ribbon (10 yards)
• In Color 12" x 12" Designer Series Paper (8 full sheets)
• In Color Stampin' Write Marker
• In Color Designer Printed Brads (8 brads)

AND ONCE during the 5 month club period - each club member will be able to choose an additional $25 in FREE product from any current Stampin' Up! Catalog - including Hostess Stamp Sets!

Does this sound like fun to you?!!
I'm sure you're wondering just how much it will cost you each month. I mean, that's a LOT of product! Seven different products EACH Month!

What if I told you it's just $38.00 each month?! Yes, just $38.00 a month for all the product you see listed, EACH MONTH for 5 months!

AND I have a few extras for you as well!

Each club member will receive their own copy of the Idea Book and Catalog - a $10 value - absolutely FREE as my gift to you!

Each club member will also receive a FREE tutorial each month for two projects using your NEW In Colors! Tutorial will include photos and instructions, just for you! Tutorials will be e-mailed to you in a Word Document so you can save to a file, or print at your leisure!

And don't forget - Once during your 5 month club commitment - YOU will receive an additional $25 in FREE Product of YOUR choice from any current SU! catalog!

SO......How do you join?!! (I know that's what you are asking!)

Simply e-mail me at stampwithrobin@yahoo.com and tell me that you want to be IN COLOR! Yes, part of an In Color Club! I'll group you with 4 other people (5 total per club) and randomly assign your color of the month and your $25 FREE Product Month!

Each month, you'll forward your payment to me with either personal check or PayPal no later than the 10th of the month. If it's your month for the $25 in FREE products, I will need your selections at the time of payment. You may also add other items to the club order at any time for an additional fee.
(If you are local to me, there are no additional shipping fees. Non-local club members will need to pay shipping to the address of their choice.)

Once you've been assigned a club group, you'll receive an e-mail confirmation along with my PayPal information should you choose to use that form of payment.

Ok, are you ready to get started?

Let's review!

• Each month for 5 months at just $38.00 a month, you receive SEVEN NEW In Color products in a single color.
• You also receive a full tutorial - FREE - for two fun projects EACH MONTH!
• AND you receive a copy of the Idea Book and Catalog FREE as my gift to you!
• Once during the 5 month club commitment, you'll receive an additional $25 in FREE product of your choice!

Clubs forming now will CLOSE on August 5th! So don't wait, contact me NOW to be IN COLOR!!

e-mail: stampwithrobin@yahoo.com

You're going to love all the NEW In Colors and I can't wait to get them in your hands so you can start creating! Remember, the deadline to join is August 5th!

Happy Stamping,

~~Robin

Poppy Inspiration and an Invitation!

Happy Monday stampers!

I've got a busy, busy day today so this is gonna be a quick post. Remember this card HERE from last week?

Well, here's the same technique, but with a different color combination. I LOVE how the Poppy Parade and Whisper White just POP! Gorgeous, bright Summer color!

This card was made exactly the same way as the one I posted last week, there are just a few different supplies though. Whisper White Satin Ribbon, Rhinestone Fire Square Brads and of course, Poppy Parade ink and cardstock! I'm loving this color right now!

Hmm.......the red and green combo reminds me of the Christmas Keepsake Box Promotion that's going on right now with SU! Did you know about it? It's pretty cool! When you sign up on my team of demonstrators this month - just $99 through the 31st of July - you get an awesome kit as a bonus to create a beautiful keepsake box to either keep or give as a gift. The best part? It comes with an all new, unreleased stamp set from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog! Yes, you can get it before any of your friends and that's pretty cool!

Know what else? You'll be able to get your hands on the new Simply Scored Scoring Tool on August 1st with all the other demonstrators in SU! AND at a discount!

Sounds better and better huh? There's more, actually a LOT more I could tell you, but I want to invite you to read a little bit about this offer first so I can answer the questions that are important to you.

So, visit this link HERE on my website, there's lots of information there for you to consider. Or give me a shout on e-mail so we can chat. I'm going to share my SU! story here with you tomorrow, and you might just see why Stampin' Up! is THE company to be part of.

I personally think it's important to interview the demonstrator you are choosing to be your upline. You need to make sure that you are getting what YOU need from them and make sure it's a good fit for you. I am now, and always will be an open book, so I encourage you to ask me whatever questions you wish. I'd love to be your upline, mentor, stamping buddy - but only if I'm giving you what you need. Think about it and let's talk!

Have a fantastic Monday!

~~Robin

Sharing a Surprise

Happy Sunday friends!

You know I don't usually post on Sundays, but I wanted to share something fun that's been going on for the past week. Emma and her youth group from church have been at XFuge on Mission Camp this past week. They've been doing some of the usual things kids at camp do like stay up late, eat a lot of junk and horse around - organized, like in the photo below, or unorganized like teens will do no matter what! But they've also been doing missions work in the surrounding community of the camp. Emma's group spent the week doing Backyard Bible Clubs, while another group worked with the elderly and in a local soup kitchen. We don't have a full report of the impact of their work yet, but we did hear in church this morning that through the Backyard Bible Clubs, three people chose to accept Christ as their Saviour. What an awesome praise report!

On Friday afternoon, all the churches participating in the camp got together in teams by church and competed against each other in fun relays and outdoor events. This photo is of our church's entire youth group and our Pastor Brandon. Emma is second from the right on the front row.

This is Emma's second year at XFuge and I know the memories she is making and the principles she is learning and practicing will be with her for the rest of her life.

So, here is where the surprise comes in. About 5 years ago, I moved my office down into the new studio that Mark built for me and soon realized that I'd need to take over Emma's play space as well. We promised her at the time that we'd turn my old office into a new space for her. It's a 10 x 10 bedroom that is no bigger than a nice walk in closet. Well, that's what it turned into for the past 4 years or so. It's always been piled up with boxes and unused furniture to the point that we couldn't get much past the door. So much for a space for Emma.

Earlier this year, Mark and I decided that this was going to be the year we got some projects done around the house and we knew we needed to start with this room. Not only was it long overdue for Emma, but we needed to get rid of all the "stuff" that was piled up in there.

While Emma was at camp last week, we got busy. We stripped the room, painted, put up moulding and totally created the space for her from the floor up. After working all week, we finished it last night before we went to church to pick her up from camp.

So, wanna see her new space? Ok, here ya go!

This first photo is taken from the door into the left corner. The colors are not true in this photo because my flash didn't go off. The cabinet is a piece of furniture that I earned when I was selling for my previous company. It's aged black with hints of rose underneath - perfect for this room so we repurposed it for her book cabinet.

A close up of the decor on top of her book cabinet.

I bought a glass vase at a discount store and covered it with SU!'s Newsprint Designer Paper. I tore small pieces and used decor glue to adhere them, then coated it all over with clear coat. The entire piece was smooched with Log Cabin Smooch Spray and then I added the satin ribbon bow and Gerbera Daisies. The photo in the frame is of the three of us in Ketchikan, Alaska. One of my favorite photos of us.

The color in this photo is pretty true - it's more of a pinky coral. So girly!

A closer look at the corner. I fell in love with these big pillows and the coral color in the one on the right matched exactly the paint color.

The big bulletin board was a FIND at a discount decor store. It has a black wood frame and is huge! Of course we had to attach a little love note!

This is the window wall. We painted the ceiling and top 18" of the walls in a rosy tan color, then added the glossy black moulding between the two colors. It's hard to tell in the photo, but the curtains are a shimmery tan taffeta and the top is covered with big poofy fabric roses. We bought a simple wrought iron rod to hang them from.

The mirror and the black wrought iron table came from the same discount home decor store as the bulletin board and the lamp is repurposed from another room. I made the two decorative accents, but more on those in another photo.

Another look at the window/closet area. The wrought iron piece over the door has crystal pieces at the end of each swirl. Very girly and blingy! I found that at another popular home decor store along with the Paris print and the framed glass "E" piece on the book cabinet.

Her reading corner has a BARGAIN leather chair with a fur throw and shimmery taffeta pillow. The pillow is awesome with a big flower on the front and a big jeweled button in the center. I found the parisian print ottoman at the same store as the chair and they coordinate beautifully. The lamp brought in another funky element and solved the problem of a chairside table. It has three shelves of it's own. I found the rug at the discount home decor store and it was a steal!!

Here's a closer look at the decor pieces I made:

I bought 3 plain composition books at a local big box store for .40 each and covered them with more Newsprint Designer paper. Each was sponged with Blushing Bride Classic Ink and I stamped the Medallion image on the front cover of each as well. I spritzed them with Champagne Shimmer Paint mixed with a spray hand sanitizer to make them sparkle. They are finished off with more of the satin ribbon.

The Butterfly house was fun! I found it on clearance at a local fabric/craft store. It had an ugly orange roof, but I fixed that right up by painting it with the glossy moulding paint and then sprayed it with Silver Smooch Spray to make it shimmery. The butterflies were cut out with the Butterflies Die and my Big Shot Die Cut Machine from more Newsprint Designer Paper. I sponged them with Blushing Bride ink and added Basic Pearls and Rhinestones. They were attached to the house with Mini Glue Dots as was the satin ribbon bow.

Even though she was sweaty and tired at 10:30 last night, Emma was beyond thrilled to discover her new space! Her reaction was more than we could have ever hoped for!

I think she'll be spending a lot of time in there, if not, then that chair is mine! :)

Have a great Sunday stamping friends! I'll be back tomorrow with another paper crafting project for you all!

~~Robin

You're Fantastic!

Yes, you are! Did you know that? Well, I hope so - all of you who read my blog are fantastic in my book - I so appreciate you visiting me here in my little corner of the world! I'm getting close to 300,000 visits, isn't that cool?! Be looking for some fun Blog Candy when I get to that number!

I just have to say how wonderful it was to meet so many of you blog friends at Convention. All of you who approached me and told me how much you enjoy visiting here just blessed my heart. It was a humbling experience and honestly, I'm thrilled to know that someone actually reads my stuff! So THANK YOU for being a blessing to me!

Now, since you know you're fantastic - want to see your card?!! Ok!

I started this one with an Elegant Eggplant cardstock for the card base and I layered it with Wild Wasabi. The main panel is what's cool!

I was playing around with my New Fancy Fan Letterpress plate last month - actually the day my New Catalog pre-order arrived and created this Whisper White background on Poppy Parade. (I'll show you that card later - it's basically the same, but different colors) During my June Team Meeting, I demonstrated this embossing technique on the Elegant Eggplant cardstock and I couldn't very well let it go to waste could I?

To make the background, I used my brayer to roll Whisper White Craft Ink onto the Letterpress Plate. I placed my cardstock on it, then rolled it through my Big Shot. As soon as it came out, I covered it with White Embossing Powder and heat embossed it with my Heat Tool.

Now, take a look at the flower stem:

I took out the stem image from the Fabulous Florets stamp set and stamped it in Versamark ink over top of the already embossed design. I added New Wild Wasabi Embossing Powder to the inked area and heat embossed it again - embossing on embossing - how cool is that?!!!

Next, I inked the flower image with Versamark and stamped it on Whisper White cardstock, then heat embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder. I used one of my Sponge Daubers to burnish the flower with Daffodil Delight Classic Ink. That's the classic Emboss Resist technique and it's so easy to get gorgeous results! I trimmed out the flower with my Paper Snips and popped it up over the embossed stem with two Stampin' Dimensionals.

The ribbon is actually the Daffodil Delight 1 1/4" Striped Ribbon. I used my Paper and Craft Scissors to trim off the bound edges on both sides and pulled away some of the threads to make it a little 'shabby'. Part of the ribbon was wrapped around the card layers and secured on the back of the Wild Wasabi. I tied the rest in a sweet bow and attached it with Mini Glue Dots.

The greeting is from the new Hostess stamp set Perfect Words. (Did you know that as my Hostess, you can get this fun set for just $9 Hostess Dollars clear mount? That would be FREE Money! Yep! Call me!) I stamped it in Elegant Eggplant on Whisper White and punched it out with my Modern Label Punch. It's attached with a Mini Glue Dot to the center of the bow and that card was d-o-n-e, done!

So, now you know that this card started at my June team meeting - I'd love for you to be able to join us next time! I am blessed to have a wonderful group of demonstrators on my team and we are never short in the FUN department! Don't live near me? That's no problem either, I support demonstrators in several states and you'd be no exception!

In case you haven't heard, there is an AMAZING $99 Demonstrator Starter Kit Special going on this month! What are you waiting for? I know, you probably never thought you would want to do something like this - but can I tell you from experience - Stampin' Up! is NOT like every other company on the block! I was with another company for 13 years - yep, 13! And the best decision I EVER made was to leave that company and join SU! I'm happy to share my story with you - it's been so amazing to see God's hand at work and I know that I'm just where I need to be. I'd truly love it if you'd join me on the journey! So, let's talk - send me an e-mail at stampwithrobin@yahoo.com OR you can visit my Stampin' Up! website and see the $99 offer for yourself. Heck, you can even join right from my website if you just can't wait to get started.

Click the JOIN THE FUN button at the top right of my home page.

Here's the link to the $99 Kit information: JOIN ROBIN'S TEAM

and here's the link to my Home Page: Robin's Stampin' Up! Website

You know there's a little extra somethin' for all of you who join my team this month - a fantastic Christmas Keepsake Box Project Kit that includes a NEW stamp set from the upcoming Holiday Mini Catalog! Oh yeah! All the details are at the Join Robin's Team link above, so check it out!

Lastly, if you need the supply list for today's project, I've included it below. That way you can easily shop from my Online Store for all the fun Stampin' Supplies you need! Or you could even be getting them at a discount by becoming a demonstrator! Just sayin'!

Have a great day stampers!

~~Robin

Stampin' Supplies:

105126 - Elegant Eggplant Cardstock

108641 - Wild Wasabi Cardstock

100730 - Whisper White Cardstock

105210 - Elegant Eggplant Classic Ink Pad

119667 - Daffodil Delight Classic Ink Pad

101731 - Whisper White Craft Ink Pad

102283 - Versamark Ink Pad

109132 - Whisper White Embossing Powder

123224 - Wild Wasabi Embossing Powder

109130 - Clear Embossing Powder

100005 - Heat Tool

123027 - Fabulous Florets Stamp Set

122472 - Perfect Words Hostess Stamp Set

119770 - Daffodil Delight 1 1/4" Striped Ribbon

119849 - Modern Label Punch

103683 - Mini Glue Dots

104430 - Stampin' Dimensionals

102892 - Sponge Daubers

113439 - Big Shot

123129 - Fancy Fan Letterpress Plate

102395 - Brayer

Place your order at this link here: Robin's Online Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right!

Simply Stampin' Up! - Edition 6

Welcome to Thursday, stampers! You know what happens here on Thursday, don't ya? Yep, it's time for another re-do of a non-SU! project in ALL Stampin' Up! product!

This week, I chose a very fun project with a cool twist. Are you ready? Ok, let's get started!

Here's my version of this fun card:

And here's my card next to the magazine project:

(you can see I did change mine up a little bit - but hey, it's my card, right?)

Now for the fun part - how's it made?

Layer 1 - Cut Early Espresso cardstock at 4 1/4" x 11" and fold in the middle, creating a 4 1/4" x 5 1/2" card base.

Layer 2 - Whisper White cardstock cut at 3 7/8" x 5 1/8" to leave a thin border of white under the Designer Series Paper layer.

Layer 3 - Old Olive Patterns Designer Series Paper cut at 3 3/4" x 5". I sponged the edges with Whisper White Craft ink then adhered it to the Whisper White cardstock. Next, I took my Paper Piercer and Mat Pack and punched holes all around the edge of these layers. I used the template in the Mat Pack to get even spacing. Afterwards, I used my White Gel Pen to draw white stitching between the holes. (Apparently it looked so good that it fooled my husband. He thought I'd sewed on it! Silly hubby!)

The string wrap/tie is our Whisper White Baker's Twine. I simply wrapped it around these layers four times and tied it off in a little bow. So simple!

Are you still with me? Great!

Let's look at the fun layer!

Now, you can really tell that I varied greatly from the magazine design - but folks, I don't own a Toaster stamp, not sure I really want one. However, I do own the new Button Buddies stamp set and I thought it would be the perfect time to break it in! I also obviously didn't do a square card here. Again, I just took the magazine idea and made it my own - this should give you courage that YOU can do it too! What really drew my attention in the magazine project was the fun moving element on the card, so that's what I chose to focus on.

It was really easy to re-create - here's how I did it:

Layer 4 - Cut a piece of Early Espresso cardstock with the Scalloped Circles Die and the Big Shot, using the large circle.

Layer 5 - Cut a piece of Whisper White cardstock with the Circles #2 Die and the Big Shot, using the largest circle. On this layer, I took the cherries stamp from Button Buddies and inked it up with Stampin' Write Markers: Old Olive and Cherry Cobbler. After stamping, I set the stamp aside without cleaning it.

I next took out my A Word For You stamp set and picked out the cherry on top greeting.

**TD Tip - You can easily customize your greetings by using Stampin' Write Markers to color only a portion of the greeting for stamping. It's a great way to separate the stamped words into an inside and outside greeting for your cards.

For this project, I used my Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker and colored in only the 'Happy Birthday' words on the stamp. This was stamped right over top the cherry stem on the card front. Once the stamping was done, I adhered this layer to the Early Espresso scalloped circle.

To accent the cherries, I took out two Regals Cherry Cobbler Buttons and adhered them on top of the stamped cherries with Mini Glue Dots. So super cute!

After adhering the buttons, I next used my Paper Piercer and Mat Pack again to punch a hole through the top of the scalloped circle cardstock and the Old Olive/Whisper White background pieces. I then secured them together by inserting a Cherry Cobbler Brad from the Regals Collection. I kept it a bit loose so it would swing freely.

The last little accent on the front was the tab. I stamped "open" from the Got Treats stamp set on a Whisper White scrap and punched it out with the Jewelry Tag Punch. It's adhered with a bit of SNAIL adhesive.

Hidden Layer - Here's where the secret message goes! I cut another Whisper White circle with the Circles #2 Die and my Big Shot. Then, picking up the already inked cherries stamp, I huffed on it to re-wet the remaining ink and stamped it on the white circle. The cherries on this layer were accented with a bit of Dazzling Diamonds Glitter. Lastly, I cleaned the greeting stamp with my Stampin' Scrub and Stampin' Mist then colored the bottom part of the greeting with my Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker, stamping it on the bottom of the circle. It was then adhered under the swinging scalloped circle. (ooh, that sounds a little racy!)

Almost done! You know I had to do the inside too!

I simply took a piece of Whisper White cardstock cut at 4" x 5 1/4" and stamped a greeting from the Curvy Verses stamp set with Early Espresso ink. For one last accent, I inked up the Cherries stamp again and added it to the bottom left.

So, that's it! We're done! What do you think? Are you ready to do one of your own? You've got the directions, so go get stampin'! :)

If you need or just WANT the supplies to make the card as I've shown you, my ONLINE STORE is always open for you to shop. I've even included a handy supply list below to make it easy for you to find what you need.

Have a great day stampers! I'll be back soon!

~~Robin

Stampin' Supplies:

119686 - Early Espresso Cardstock

100730 - Whisper White Cardstock

117155 - Brights Collection Patterns Designer Series Paper (Old Olive)

122737 - Button Buddies stamp set

120528 - A Word For You stamp set

120627 - Got Treats stamp set

114948 - Curvy Verses stamp set

119680 - Early Espresso Stampin' Write Marker

119681 - Cherry Cobbler Stampin' Write Marker

100079 - Old Olive Stampin' Write Marker

119670 - Early Espresso Classic Ink Pad

101731 - Whisper White Craft Ink Pad

105021 - White Gel Pen

116631 - Paper Piercer

105826 - Mat Pack

119744 - Regals Buttons Collection

119737 - Regals Brads Collection

124262 - Whisper White Baker's Twine

102023 - Dazzling Diamonds Glitter

100425 - 2 Way Glue Pen

103683 - Mini Glue Dots

113439 - Big Shot

114526 - Circles #2 Die

113469 - Scalloped Circles Die

Place your order at this link here: Robin's Online Store

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right!

Convention - Day 1

Hi everyone!
Just wanted to share a few photos from our first day of Convention last week. I don't have all my photos yet - usually my bff Tiffany sends me lots and lots of them since she takes most of them! but she had a rough journey home and is still recuperating! So, here's just a few to give you a glimpse of the fun of it all.

When we enter the Salt Palace Convention Center, the doors have Decor Elements artwork on them. These doors in the "salt shaker" entrance had our logo with some fun 'growth' that fit our "Grow" theme this year.

Wednesday morning - which is check-in day, I was invited to participate in a Focus Group. I can't tell you what we talked about or I'd have to kill you - top secret stuff ya know!
Everyone loved their Convention Bags! Here's a group of my friends showing off theirs: from L to R: Emily Haug, Tiffany Bauer, Sheila Cooper, Selene Kempton, Shelley Raines and April Sinclair.
Here I am with Tiffany and some of the girls in her downline team. See all the ladies around us? Well, that's just a small sampling of all the demonstrators who were spread out in the lobby. They were all ooohing and aaahing over their Convention Catalog Binders and the fun things in their Convention Bags!
I got to meet a ton of fun stamping friends from my upline Jan Wakeland's group, the RemARKable Stampers. I'm not sure of all the names in this photo, but Becky Evans is in yellow, Cathy Seals (I think) is in brown, Ruth Murphy is to my left in the photo and Michele Rey is in blue on my other side. Becky was named #2 Rising Star this year and I was especially happy for her. I remember being the #1 Rising Star at the 2007 Dream Big Convention in Denver and it was a very surreal experience. Such an honor and a surprise too!
Just look at this lunch room! A little bit bigger than my high school! This area was called the Gathering Place as we gathered here many times during Convention. It's set up to accomodate over 3000 of us and in this photo especially, it seems to go on and on. When you've walked all day, believe me it feels like it too! LOL!

It took all day the first day, but my bff Tara Bazata and I finally found each other during the Opening Night Party. Tara lives in the Denver area and even though we talk on the phone quite a bit, we don't get to see each other nearly enough! I was thrilled for Tara as she earned Founder's Circle again this year!
I had to include this fun shot from the Opening Night Party. My newest downline, Diana, is right in the middle of this crowd waiting with the others to rush forward for something! See her with the glasses and long blonde hair? This was her first convention and it was super special for her - she got to attend with her daughter, Della, who was also at her first convention and is her upline! How fun is that?!
So, you've already seen the photo of me with my Advisory Board Girls at our little party that night. Here are a couple photos of Shelli with Sara. Shelli is opening her gifts from us - some jewelry from Dear Lizzie (which she wore on two different days of convention!);
and a My Digital Studio 12 x 12 memory book of our year. We each have one and all signed each others for a very special memory! Shelli seems excited, don't you think?
So, that's all for today - I'll have more photos to share with you in the coming days - there was so much going on and I spent time with so many friends, it's going to take a few posts to get it all in!

Happy stamping~

~~Robin

Cute Case - Baby Duck Card

Good morning stamping friends!

I have outstanding news! This morning, I'm once again writing to you all from my big comfy chair in the corner of our family room, coffee at my side, laptop in place. But wait you say - wasn't your laptop kaput? Why yes, yes it was. BUT, last night, after honestly a big pain in the patootie process, I became the proud owner of a new HP laptop with all the bells and whistles! Yippee!!! (Ahem, I don't know how to use said bells and whistles yet, but at least I can post to my blog! LOL!)

I love my new computer, it's so pretty and shiny and the best part is that it works! So I'm thinking I should give it a name so it feels loved and welcomed here and maybe will work really, really good for a long time! Whaddya think? Name ideas? Anyone? Ok, think about it and let me know.

Now, let's take a look at a very fun card!

Earlier this month, I held my two regular card classes and I branched out a bit, offering my first punch art card ever. Thanks to a card I'd seen by my friend Connie Babbert, all the gals at my classes got to make my version of her super cute card. Here, take a look:

Isn't it adorable? I know, right? Connie said she'd gotten her inspiration from several other card she'd seen so I'm not sure who the originator of this idea is, but it sure is cute so thanks to all of you who've made one!

The gals in my classes loved this card, so I guess I'll have to do more punch art in the future. I started with a base of Tempting Turquoise cardstock, layered it with Daffodil Delight cardstock, then added a layer of Wild Wasabi Patterns Designer Series Paper from the Subtles Pack.

The pattern for my "pond" was made by cutting out the inside cardboard from a SNAIL refill package. Can you see the shape? That made it easy for everyone to trace and cut from pieces of Tempting Turquoise Patterns Designer Series Paper from the Brights Pack.

The "splashes" are punched out with the two small petals in the Build A Blossom Builder Punch from Tempting Turquoise cardstock.

For the baby duck, I punched his body with the 1 3/4" Circle Punch and made his little pointy tail by punching out a portion of the circle with the Large Oval Punch. His head was made with the 1" Circle Punch and his wing was another petal from the Build A Blossom Builder Punch. The beak is the tip of the Small Heart Punch made with Pumpkin Pie cardstock. A little googly eye from a craft store completes this cute little guy!

The greeting was done with Teeny Tiny Wishes and the Word Window Punch layered on the Modern Label Punch. I added the Brights Button with Whisper White Baker's Twine for a little accent and the card was done! We did stamp an inside verse from the Curvy Verses stamp set.

I don't know about you, but I think this card came out super cute and I'm anxious to have someone to send it to! If you want to recreate it, you can shop 24/7 at my Online Store. I've included a handy supply list below for you with all the item numbers you need.

Have a great day stampers! I'll be back tomorrow with an all new Simply Stampin' Up! project for you.

~~Robin

Stampin' Supplies:

102067 - Tempting Turquoise Cardstock

119683 - Daffodil Delight Cardstock

105117 - Pumpkin Pie Cardstock

117152 - Subtles Patterns Designer Series Paper

117155 - Brights Patterns Designer Series Paper

115370 - Teeny Tiny Wishes stamp set

100814 - Tempting Turquoise Classic Ink Pad

119850 - 1 3/4" Circle Punch

119855 - Large Oval Punch

119868 - 1" Circle Punch

117193 - Small Heart Punch

119849 - Modern Label Punch

119857 - Word Window Punch

121808 - Build a Blossom Builder Punch

119747 - Brights Buttons

124262 - Whisper White Baker's Twine

Place your order at my online store: www.robinstamps4u.stampinup.net (the link is on my sidebar as well! Blogger is acting funny today and will not let me put a hyperlink in for you.)

Simply click the SHOP NOW button at the top right!

Vintage Rose Monogram Card

Hi stampers!
This Tuesday morning finds me enjoying my comfy chair in the corner of the family room once more, coffee in hand!

Yesterday morning was not only early, but topsy-turvy as we got Emma off to XFuge Mission Camp at 5 am! If you know me at all, you know that I don't do 5 am very well. I was very grateful to give up those early mornings when I left the Police Department years ago. I was even sharing with some friends at Convention that I have my little morning routine to help me ease into my day! Hmm...what's even funnier is that these days, I'm not much of a night owl either! Does that mean I'm getting old? Wow, I hope not because I sure still think like I'm in my 30's!

So, I'm kind of planning my day today - it does include some stamping - Yay!, but I'll also be back later with some more photos from Convention for you. AND probably tomorrow, I'll have that photo tutorial up for you of the Pinwheel Candy Sticks. Sound good? Ok! Now, how about a card?

I designed this card within an HOUR of getting my new box o' Stampin' Up! goodies and I loved it so much, that not only did my card classes get to make this beauty, I did another version in Marina Mist for Convention Swaps! Did you get one? Do you like it? I hope so!

For this version, I started with Regal Rose cardstock for the base and layered it with Naturals Ivory cardstock. The Naturals ivory was stamped with the beautiful floral spray from the Elements of Style stamp set. (Do you own that set yet? If not, you NEED it! It's one of my go-to sets and has received a LOT of love in the past two years!)
Anyway, I used Regal Rose Classic Ink for all the stamping. Once I had the flowers stamped, I ran the piece through my Big Shot with the NEW Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder. Love me some Embossing Folders!! This one is fantastic and I love how it makes this stamped cardstock look like vintage wallpaper! I used my Stamping Sponge and rubbed a bit of Crumb Cake Classic Ink on all the cardstock and paper to further emphasize the vintage feel.

Here's a close up of the focal point and background:

The Designer Paper is from the First Edition Specialty pack. I cut 2 1/2" x 4" pieces and tore off the top and bottom. They were crumpled up and rubbed with Crumb Cake Classic Ink. I added the Crumb Cake Taffeta ribbon wrap and attached the bow with Mini Glue Dots.

Now, let's get to that FRAME!! This was made with another NEW Textured Impressions Embossing Folder! The Designer Frames SET of TWO comes with an oval shape and a rectangle shape - both are fabulous! After running my cardstock through the Big Shot with the oval shape, I simply trimmed it out with my Paper Snips. The monogram was stamped on another piece of Naturals Ivory using the Lovely Letters Stamp Set. I punched it out with the Extra Large Oval Punch. Both layers were popped up on Stampin' Dimensionals after being aged with some sponging, and I added the two Basic Pearls as a final touch.

I wish I had taken a photo of the Marina Mist version - I didn't even keep my sample! If you got one by swapping with me, maybe you could take a picture and e-mail it to me! But for those of you trying to visualize it, just replace all the Regal Rose with Marina Mist and that was it.

As usual, I've included a complete supply list for you so you can do some shopping for your supplies. Just visit my Online Store with this list and you'll be on your way to making your own cards!

Have a great day friends!
~~Robin

Stampin' Supplies:

120045 - Elements of Style Stamp Set
115030 - Lovely Letters Stamp Set
105130 - Regal Rose Cardstock
101849 - Naturals Ivory Cardstock
105211 - Regal Rose Classic Ink
121030 - Crumb Cake Classic Ink
121878 - First Edition Specialty Designer Series Paper
122966 - Crumb Cake Taffeta Ribbon
101610 - Stamping Sponge
104430 - Stampin' Dimensionals
119859 - Extra Large Oval Punch
119247 - Basic Pearl Jewels
113439 - Big Shot Die Cut Machine
123128 - Stripes Textured Impressions Embossing Folder
123130 - Designer Frames Textured Impressions Embossing Folder Set
103579 - Paper Snips

Place your order by visiting this link here: Robin's Online Store
Click on the SHOP NOW button at the top right!