Tool Shed Tryptich

Howdy from Maine!!

Well, I'm actually writing this in Virginia before we leave, but as you read it, I'm actually in Maine so I feel like I can say HI from there.
Right?

Anyway, here's today's card for you:

I did an all masculine card class twice in June, and it was very, very popular. This card was inspired by a RAK I'd received in the mail from a stampin' friend - hers was decidedly feminine with scalloped panel pieces and a little punched flower on each one.

I thought it would be a great layout for a masculine card so I got out my Tool Shed Background Stamp and heat embossed the blue colors of cardstock with Pewter Embossing Powder.
Not Quite Navy, Marina Mist and Bashful Blue work very nicely together and the embossing gives that background stamp a very contemporary feel.

I punched out the embossed pieces with the Decorative Label Punch and layered them with Stampin' Dimensionals over a piece of Denim Jean Ribbon and some Sahara Sand cardstock that was dry embossed with the new Chevron Embossing Folder in my Big Shot. Whisper White served nicely as my card base.
The greeting from Bring on the Cake stamped in Not Quite Navy was stamped on before the dry embossing and that my friends is a finished card.

So, whatcha think??
I hope Mark's Dad liked it because i made a Father's Day card for him with the same design. Aah, I'm sure he did!

Happy day to everyone!
~~Robin (reporting from Maine!)

Floral For You

I've been holding out on you, I know. There's been a whole lot of stamping going on around here but not a lot of blogging. If I only had 36 hours in my day, I really could make it all happen. But when I get crunched for time, like most of lately, something has to give and unfortunately, this time, it was the ol' blog. But never fear, I've actually planned ahead and taken care of you.

As of 7 am today, we (my family and I) are on the road to vacation! So while I get some much needed rest and relaxation, you get to see some fun new artwork over the coming days.
Sound like a plan? I hope so!

Here's a card I created for my New Catalog Open House:

It uses Raspberry Ripple, Pretty in Pink, Whisper White, Old Olive and Chocolate Chip for a color combo.
Lots of Big Shot action going on as well - Stripes Embossing Folder, Labels Framelits and Apothecary Accents Framelits.

Stamps are Sweet Floral Background and the Layered Labels. I added Chocolate Chip Polka Dot ribbon, Basic Pearls and lots of Stampin' Dimensionals. The greeting was stamped twice in two colors - cleaning in between - and the center punched out with the Large Oval Punch.

It's a clean and simple card just the way I like it to be.
Hmmm.....maybe I'll make a few more of these for Convention swaps when I get home. I LIKE that idea!

Have a great day!
~~Robin

A Bright Spot

Yes, I know it's been 8 days since I've posted anything.
AND I've only posted a few times this month.

Yep. I'm a bad blogger.

But a really good Mom, Wife, Friend, Upline, Demonstrator and skating Team Publicist.

At least my daughter thinks so - and really, isn't that what's most important?
Look at the notes she left me on the chalkboard in my studio:

I guess I'm gonna have to hang up a blank one to use because I don't know if I can ever erase this one.

Her love makes everything in this crazy month and every other day all worthwhile.

We're headed out on our family vacation tomorrow, so I'll be off the grid work-wise until the 9th of July. But, I've spent the past two hours uploading photos of most of the artwork I've done this month that you've missed and I'm going to be pre-loading my blog with creative posts for you.
Not much dialogue, but I know if you have questions, you'll ask.
And I'll answer.....after July 9th.

Love you guys! Thanks for hanging in there with me this month!
See you in July!
~~Robin

Chick-Fil-A Crafty Chicks!

Being a Stampin' Up! Demonstrator is really the most fun job EVER!

I mean, really, what other job can you do that lets you do fun crafting and stamping projects, enjoy friendly company and eat some great food at the same time?
Not many.

I feel so lucky to have recently been given the opportunity to teach a monthly class at one of our local Chick-Fil-A restaurants. Our "Crafty Chicks n' Chick'n" nights have been a huge hit for their Girls Night Out and I have so much fun sharing what I love at the fast food restaurant my family enjoys most. Truly, we eat there at least 3 times a week.

Here are the projects we made on Monday night:

Some of the supplies we used are retired now, but still beautiful all the same. Each crafty chick made the covered notepad and matching card with envelope and they were thrilled with their handiwork.

The butterflies were cut out with the Beautiful Butterflies Big Shot Die and we stamped the floral pattern on the Whisper White one with the Fabulous Florets stamp set. Our color palette was Daffodil Delight, Pacific Point and Wild Wasabi taken straight from the retired DSP we used - Beyond the Garden.

I don't have an inside shot of the covered notepad, but they are the small legal pads cut in half for a tall, slim pad. We created a belly band from Pacific Point cardstock and the layered Butterflies are attached to that so it will slide off and on easily. The ribbon pen loop was glued under the notepad into the folder with Tombow Multi Adhesive.

Our next fun Crafty Chicks n' Chick'n night is on Monday, July 23rd. Check out the Events page on my Stampin' Up! website for all the details!

Have a great Wednesday everyone!
~~Robin

Autumn with Eleanor

Yes, I know what you are thinking - she's lost her mind and forgotten what season it really is.
No, believe me, I am well aware that it's SUMMER.
In fact, Emma's last day of school is TOMORROW.
Which in our house means mostly one thing - we get to sleep in!

Well, except for this Saturday because we have to be up at O dark thirty for her skating team fundraiser. Yep, what fool schedules THAT on the day after school lets out for Summer?
Umm....that would be me. hehe
Yeah, I'll know for next year. So, let's just talk about this card, shall we?

I made this the first week of May when I got my second order from our Sneak Peek. (It was actually the second batch of items I ordered. The first one didn't ship quick enough to suit me, so I ordered more and overnighted it. Ha! Let no shipping schedule stand between a stamper and her new toys!)
Hey, don't judge, just nod and smile, nod and smile.

This card uses two of the New In Colors, Midnight Muse and Summer Starfruit. I also added Soft Suede and Cajun Craze to the mix. Those are colors found in the New Designer Paper I used - Comfort Cafe. So pretty. It reminds me of fall especially with the Spice Cake Designer Fabric I used for the ribbon and bow. I tore off a strip about 3/4" wide and pulled the loose threads off to use it like ribbon.
I really love this look with our fabric, especially since I don't sew. Yeah, not real domestic like that. I did make my name in pillows during Home Ec in middle school. They were pretty cool, but making them didn't instill a life long love of sewing like my teacher hoped it would.  I can sew on a button though which is pretty handy so I guess I'm not totally useless! Ha!

Anyway, I combined two stamp sets for this card, Everything Eleanor and Established Elegance. I stamped the large label piece in Summer Starfruit on Very Vanilla and trimmed it out with my Paper Snips. The medallion was stamped in Midnight Muse and punched out with the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch. A circle of Soft Suede under the circle stamped with the small label finishes it off and a New Naturals Button with Linen thread tied on for good measure. The background was done with the Lattice Embossing Folder and Comfort Cafe DSP. I sponged a bunch on this one, all in Crumb Cake.

Here's a look a the inside:

Kept it simple with a Very Vanilla panel stamped with two images from the front.

I was really happy with this card - it's totally my personal style and made me do the stampers happy dance when it was all done. That's when you know it's been a good day in the studio.

Well, I'm off here to go walk, run over to my daughter's new High School to pick up a surprise for her, back to the studio to finish designing and prepping for the Firehouse class tonight and THEN, maybe I'll take a nap.
Now THAT my friends would be a GREAT day!

xoxo,
~~Robin

Ornament Cheer

Miss me?

I'm sure I failed to tell you that it's the last week of school here AND for us, the last week of 8th Grade. To say it's been a little busy lately is an understatement. We sat through enjoyed the interminably long lovely 8th Grade Awards presentation at her school on Monday night and were thrilled (really!) that Emma earned the Presidents Educational Excellence Award. Yay! She earned it in 5th Grade as well, so we told her that she has a streak going now! Ha!
Anyway, combine that with skating almost every day and Emma's big Chick-Fil-A skating team fundraiser on Saturday and my upcoming classes this week.....well, it's a lethal combination that's killed most of my studio time.

I need a vacation.
Oh yes, been planning that too!
We're headed to the Maine coast for 10 days at the end of June/beginning of July, and friends - I CAN'T WAIT! I found us a cottage house on the ocean near Damariscotta where we will spend some true down time as a family. Can you say aaah?! Wanna know what really appealed to me when I booked the house? This:

My friends, this will be our backyard. And this:

 

Is going to be our view. 

You can bet your bottom dollar that my mornings will be spent curled up in one of those awesome chairs, bundled in a quilt with a steaming cup of coffee in my hands enjoying that magnificent view. 

Pure bliss. 

So with all this talk of vacation, you may wonder why I'm showing you a Christmas card in the middle of June. 

Well, is it really ever too early to start on Christmas? 

My clients don't think so and I'll be starting my Christmas Card Classes in July this year. After vacation.

Yep, Jingle Bells, baby!

This card is one that I designed last month when my Sneak Peek Pre-Order items arrived. 

I used the new Chock Full of Cheer stamp set and combined it with 3 new In Colors - Gumball Green, Raspberry Ripple and Summer Starfruit.
See how sharp and crisp that ornament image is? That my friends is a result of using Stampin' Up!'s AWESOME newly re-designed ink pads. To quote my friend Selene "They stamp like buttah!" (she's from Massachussets, so just read it with that Boston inflection!)

I added a little bling with some Dazzling Diamonds glitter around the edge of the Raspberry Ripple layer and a single Basic Rhinestone in the center of the ornament.
The little double bow is done with the super sweet Gumball Green stitched satin ribbon - you're gonna love that too! It ties so easily.

Here's a look at the inside:

 

I stamped it with the greeting from Beautiful Season and added a few Raspberry Ripple candy canes to the bottom corner. 

Simple and cute!

I'm sure we'll be making this card at one of my Christmas classes, so be sure to keep an eye on my Events Calendar to see when you can attend!

Happy stampin'!

~~ Robin

Stamp Sets for Sale - Round Two! Wood Mount

Folks, this list is LONG, but it is comprehensive for now.
See this post HERE for my list of Clear-Mount Stamps still available.

This is part of what's left over from my Clearance Sale. There's lots more to come, but I need to do it in batches! Let me know via e-mail if there is something in particular you are looking for - I just may have it! stampwithrobin@yahoo.com

Stampin’ Up!© Discontinued Stamp Sets & Accessories For Sale
Note: All Sales Are Final All stamp sets are USED unless otherwise noted
NEW SETS THAT ARE UNMOUNTED WILL BE NOTED –UM
The price listed DOES NOT include shipping costs
In most cases items will be mailed in a Priority FLAT RATE ENVELOPE/BOX OR a Bubble Envelope with postage calculated by weight
NOTE: When making an inquiry about an item from the list, please provide your zip code for accurate postage calculation.
FORMS OF PAYMENT: Personal Check or cash (if local)
EMAIL ME a list of items you would like to purchase. I will reply with the items that are still available along with shipping and payment instructions.
Please, allow 5-7 business days for delivery of mailed items.

Wood Mount Stamp Sets

$2.00 (A la Carte, no box)
To and From Tag
Tiny Teacup
Elegant Thank You (like new)

$3.00 (A la Carte, no box)
Young Vermillion (like new)
Hello Blossoms (like new)
Triple Treat Flower
Be My Valentine (like new)
Just Thank You (New)
Baby Steps (like new)

It’s Your Day (New) (in box)

$4.00 (A la Carte, no box)
Homemade (like new)
Dasher
Solid Stripes (new)
Sweet Snowglobe
Good Grid (UM) x2 in boxes

$6.00 
Calendar Cues (new)
Wow Flowers
Pocket Full of Posies (Like new)
Christmas Greetings
Tart and Tangy
Thank You Kindly
Goal (new)
Hello Again (like new)
(like new)
Pansy (1996)
Bud Basics
Sprinkles (new)
Sassy Seasonals (1998)
Confident Corners (1998)
Monogram “T” (like new)
Monogram “H” (like new)
Monogram “F”

$8.00 
Tree Trimmings
It’s a Date (UM)
Holiday Collection (UM) x2
Boho Backgrounds (like new)
Springtime Stems (like new)
Charming (like new)
A Beautiful Thing (like new)
Hugs and Wishes
Handbill Headlines (like new)
Friends Never Fade
Three Little Words (like new)
Botanical Blooms (like new)
Studio Sketches (like new)
Four the Holidays
Polka Dots and Paisley
Polka Dots and Petals
Happiness Background (like new)

$10.00 
Garden Greetings
Northern Hearts (UM) x2
Oval All Big
Deal Numbers (partially mounted)
Serene Snowflakes
Taffy Numbers (UM)
Dreams DuJour
Genuine Articles (like new)
Beary Best Friends
Beary Nice Wishes
Pocket Silhouettes
Sweet Season
A Slice of Life (UM)
Blooming with Happiness (new)
Eat Cake
Punched Posies (UM) x3
Travels Abroad
Christmas Collage background
Calendar background
Canvas background

$12.00
Calendar Alphabet and Numbers (UM) x2
Flowers for a Friend (like new)
Love you Much
A Good Egg (partially mounted)
Big Blooms (like new)
Business Memos (like new)
Inspired By Nature
Looks Like Spring (well loved)
Party Hearty (like new)
Cute and Cuddly
A Little Something (partially mounted)
Pines and Poinsettias
Fifth Avenue Floral
Smarty Pants
With All my Heart

$14.00 
Tote-ally Tess (like new)
Something to Celebrate (UM)
Celebrate in Style (like new)
Sassy and Seasonal
Vintage Vogue
Season of Joy
Baby Blossoms (new)
Laundry Notes (like new)
Girlfriend Accessories (UM)
Delightful Dress-Ups (UM)
Full of Life
$16.00
Haute Couture (UM)
Wedding Sweet
Girlfriends (UM)
Totally Cool (UM)
For All You Do
From the Kitchen Of

$18.00
For All You Do (UM)
Something Sweet (partially mounted)
Contempo Alphabet
Expressive Flexible Phrases (partially mounted)
Taffy Alphabet (UM)
On Your Birthday
Punch Pals
Letterpress Alphabet (like new)
Island Blossoms (new)
Fun and Fast Notes
Toile Blossoms (like new)

$20.00 
All in the Family

Starfruit for a Friend

Today is National Best Friends Day.
What a great thing to celebrate, right??

Today is also National Jelly-Filled Donut Day.
Again, what's not to love?

As I posted on my Facebook wall, call up your best friend and head over to Krispy Kreme! It's a celebration!

Kind of cool then that the card I'm sharing today is a FRIEND card, huh?
I created this at the beginning of May when I only had a few supplies from the NEW Catalog to work with.

It's pretty clean and simple, but has some fun details too.
The card base is the NEW In color Summer Starfruit and the green layer is also a NEW In Color, Gumball Green. I stamped the label image from Everything Eleanor onto Whisper White Cardstock in Summer Starfruit then used my Edgelits and the Big Shot to create raised brackets around the image.

The ribbon is the new Gumball Green stitched satin and I've topped it off with  new Naturals Button and some Linen Thread.
The greeting comes from Blessings from Heaven and is stamped in Raspberry Ripple, another NEW In Color. It was punched out with the Decorative Label Punch and layered on another punch of Soft Suede that was cut in half to create a frame. A few Stampin' Dimensionals and you can call this one done.

Now that you've seen the friendship card, let me show you my favorite filled donut:

Doesn't that look yummy?!
It's the Glazed Lemon Filled from Krispy Kreme and yes, I'm drooling a little just looking at the photo.
Gotta save a few bonus points and go get one soon!

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!
Go stamp something fun!
~~Robin

FREE! My Digital Studio New In Color Upgrade!

This is great! If you already own My Digital Studio, simply log in and check for updates to add the NEW 2012-14 In Colors for FREE! 

If you don't own it, well, what are you waiting for??

You can run a FREE 30 Day Trial to check it out and create some fantastic projects. 

Any digital downloads you purchase during that time period you can KEEP and continue to use in My Digital Studio if you purchase the program OR run them in your own applications. 

Very cool!

There is an exciting Upgrade coming soon for My Digital Studio called MDS 2. For those of us who own the program already, we'll be able to purchase the upgrade for just $19.95. A 50% savings!

With this new My Digital Studio software you'll be able to: 
Design in spreads
Create with custom canvas sizes
Add more than one color to a single stamp image
 Resize vector stamp images while keeping them crisp
See color combination suggestions
And much more!

If you have questions, please contact me! All my info is on the flyer above - which I created in My Digital Studio!
Happy Monday everyone!
~~Robin

For Sale - first wave!

Hey stampers, I thought I would start posting some of the items I have for sale.
This is part of what's left over from my Clearance Sale yesterday.
There's lots more to come, but I need to do it in batches!
Let me know via e-mail if there is something in particular you are looking for - I just may have it!
stampwithrobin@yahoo.com

Stampin’ Up!© Discontinued Stamp Sets & Accessories For Sale
Note: All Sales Are Final
All stamp sets are USED unless otherwise noted
NEW SETS THAT ARE UNMOUNTED WILL BE NOTED –UM
The price listed DOES NOT include shipping costs In most cases items will be mailed in a Priority FLAT RATE ENVELOPE/BOX OR a Bubble Envelope with postage calculated by weight
NOTE: When you contact me about an item from the list, please provide your zip code for accurate postage calculation.
FORMS OF PAYMENT: Personal Check, cash (local only, please don't mail cash), PayPal (add $1.00 to the total to cover the fee.)
EMAIL ME a list of items you would like to purchase. I will reply with the items that are still available along with shipping and payment instructions. e-mail: stampwithrobin@yahoo.com
Please, allow 5-7 business days for delivery of mailed items.

Clear Mount Stamp Sets  

$8.00 
Elementary Elegance
Posy Punch – like new (SOLD)
Fox & Friends – like new (SOLD)
You’re a Gem
XOXO – like new
Party this Way – like new
Love Bandit – like new
Dear Santa – like new
Silhouette Sentiments (hostess) – like new
Outlined Occasions (sab) – partially Mounted
Funky Four - UM
Fresh Vintage (3 sets) (sab) – 2 UM
Always Elegant (2 sets) - UM
Butterfly Prints – partially mounted
Punch Potpourri (hostess) - UM
So Happy for You (sab)

$10.00
Northern Hearts (2 sets) (hostess) – 1 UM, 1 like new
Clearly for You
Swirls & Curls Verses (hostess) – partially mounted, like new
A Slice of Life (3 sets) (hostess) – 2 UM
Strength & Hope
Warmest of Wishes (hostess)
Best Friends Forever
Sweet Summer (sab) - UM

$12.00 
Peaceful Season (2 sets) (hostess) – 1 UM, 1 like new
Gift Givers – Partially mounted
Flower Fest
Something to Celebrate (hostess) - UM
Touch of Kindness – like new

$14.00 
Stitched Stockings – like new (SOLD)
A Cute Christmas
I {Heart} Hearts (2 sets) – both partially mounted, like new

$18.00 
Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Upper – partially mounted
Sweet Shoppe Alphabet Lower - UM (SOLD)
Awash with Flowers

Happy New Catalog Year!

It's a Happy New Year across the Stampin' Up! world today.
Why? you ask. It's only June 1st!

Yes, the calendar is correct, but today is the first day of the all NEW Stampin' Up! Catalog and crafters everywhere are rejoicing!!
You can check out the NEW Catalog Online by using the link on the right hand side of this blog. You'll notice the pretty NEW Catalog cover photo - honestly, you can't miss it, it's SO gorgeous! And what's inside is even better!
Online ordering begins at 2 pm est (noon MT) so you have a few hours to be wowed by all the awesome samples and NEW products and make your wish list!

The card I'm sharing today is one that I designed for a special acheivers event with my downline team in April. I love my downline and am so proud of how much they've accomplished this year - they are rockin'!
Ya' know, you could be part of the fun we always have together too. There's an awesome special offer on the Starter Kit this month - Just $99 gets you your choice of $125 in products from the NEW Catalog AND you also get a BONUS of $50 in FREE products from the New Patio Party Suite. THAT'S a fantastic offer and a great way to check it out.

This card uses the NEW Everything Eleanor stamp set combined with the Lovely Letters alphabet. The card base and background layer are in Crumb Cake cardstock.

To make the background frosted, I used my Brayer and rolled Whisper White Craft Ink onto the front of the Vintage Wallpaper Embossing Folder before inserting the cardstock to emboss. The ink was transferred to the debossed portions and created a soft, elegant background.

The ribbon is Cherry Cobbler Seam Binding and the pearl accents are from the Basic Pearls package.

I created my focal images with Cherry Cobbler and Pink Pirouette ink. The label image was stamped in Pink Pirouette then trimmed out with my Paper Snips. The medallion image was stamped in Cherry Cobbler then punched out with the 2 3/8" Scallop Circle Punch. I sponged the edges with Pink Pirouette ink.

The monogram was stamped in Cherry Cobbler on Very Vanilla, then punched out with the 1 3/8" Circle Punch. It's sponged with Pink Pirouette as well. The layer underneath is Pink Pirouette cardstock cut with the Circles #2 Big Shot Die. The layers were mounted with Stampin' Dimensionals.

If you look closely at the bottom left inside corner of the card, you can see a floral image just peeking out. That's from Everything Eleanor as well and was stamped in Early Espresso ink.

So there you have it. There's lots to look forward to in the coming days. The NEW Catalog is awesome - I know you'll love it!
I'll be starting up NEW In Color Clubs this month, so watch for details in the next few days. PLUS my 1st round of Paper Shares will be announced early next week. I'm very excited to be offering these this year and I know you'll love being able to get a nice sized sampling of all our Designer Series Papers.

Happy New Year everyone!
~~Robin

Place your order for Stampin' Up! products at this link here: Robin's Online Stampin' Store
Simply click the SHOP NOW button in the top right corner to get started!