Wow, Flowers!

I mean, Wow Flowers...as in, this is a Sneak Peek at the new Wow Flowers stamp set. This is going to be my shoebox swap card at Convention. I'm making 35 of these, and bringing supplies for 5 other Demonstrators to make this card. It is not complicated, but I think it looks nice, and it features a lot of new stuff: the Wow Flowers stamp set, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper, and three new In Colors (Pink Pirouette, Riding Hood Red, and Kiwi Kiss).

I think I've mentioned before that I'm just not a really big fan of flowers, so you'll notice that I used non-flower patterned sides of the Bella Rose papers. The patterns I used are little bit leafy and baroque. There are also stripes and dots, and other non-flower designs in the package, so the Bella Rose papers are a great product with a lot of versatility!

I'll be leaving for Convention on Tuesday, and I'd like to set some posts to display while I'm gone, but you know I'm a procrastistamper so that may or may not work out!! Either way, I'm sure I'll have tons of great stuff to post when I get back.

Stampin' Supplies: Wow Flowers stamp set*, Pink Pirouette card stock and ink pad*, Whisper White card stock, Bella Rose Designer Series Papers*, Riding Hood Red ink pad*, Kiwi Kiss ink pad*, Scallop Edge Punch*, 1/16" hole punch, Horizontal Slot punch (ribbon feeds through that hole on the right side of card), Whisper White 1/4" Grosgrain Ribbon, 1" Circle Punch, 1-1/4" Circle Punch, Earth Elements Brads (Ruby Red & Old Olive), Stampin' Dimensionals®.

*Denotes products which will be available for purchase beginning August 11th, 2008.

Retiring Accessories & Special Tin Offer

Just a reminder, Stampin' Up!® has selected a number of Retiring Accessories you can purchase at a 25% DISCOUNT through August 10th, 2008.

Click HERE to download the sale flyer.

To see the complete list of Retiring Accessories, click HERE. (Please note: this list is updated every one or two days to reflect availability, but unmarked items may become unavailable at any moment.)

In addition, Stampin' Up!® is offering a Special Purchase Opportunity for Empty Punch Box Tins. The box (pictured above) is blue painted tin, with a see-through cover and traditional lunch-box type latch, and is approximately 10-1/2" long by 6-1/2" wide by 3-1/4" deep. The tin includes some plastic molding (which which can either be used or discarded). These tins can be used for stamping, or non-stamping purposes...some suggestions are listed below:

STORAGE IDEAS
- Card kits
- Card and recipe swaps
- Ribbon or ribbon scraps
- Paper scraps
- Ink refills
- Ink cartridges
- Punches
- SNAIL adhesive and refills
- Scissors, paper snips, and Craft & Rubber scissors
- Two heat tools
- Glitter
- Beads
- Buttons
- Eyelets
- Embossing powder
- Project holder: when you have everything cut out for a project, you have all the pieces in the box so that you can take it with you to assemble
- Marker case, such as for journal pens, blender pens, aqua pens, etc.

NON-STAMPING IDEAS/USES:
- Jewelry box
- Pencils, pens, and crayons
- Candy
- First aid box
- Lunch box: you can use our Crop-A-Dile to punch holes to attach a handle
- Small sewing items
- Recipes
- Hair clips, ponytail holders, etc.
- Box to hold nails and screws
- Small tool box
- Pedicure kit
- Small toys
- Sentimental keepsakes
- Gift box: line it with tissue paper and fill it with homemade cookies for a friend!

Of course, the Gift Box filled with cookies is my favorite--especially if it's homemade chocolate chip cookies!! You could also use it as a Gift Box to make your own stamping Kit, by filling it with a small stamp set, some ink spots and some precut card stock.

Email me today to get your order placed for Retiring Accessories and Empty Punch Box Tins, and earn your FREE Catalog and FREE Ink Pad!

• FREE Fall-Winter Idea Book & Catalog (which debuts August 11th, 2008) with a $50-$99.99 order* during July.
• FREE Fall-Winter Idea Book & Catalog PLUS your choice of a FREE New In-Color Ink Pad (choose one of six colors) with a $100+ order* during July.

*Order total is calculated on product price as advertised, and is exclusively based on merchandise totals (cost prior to shipping and handling charges, and applicable tax).

Sock Monkey for President!!

Sorry I've been a little absent here lately, we've had kind of a "family emergency" going on...long story...suffice it to say, it's been BUSY around here!

But I did get a chance to fiddle around some more with Sock Monkey before the poop hit the fan, and I came up with the Patriotic Monkey look. The hat was made with the Large and Small Oval Punches. The band of the hat is a Small Oval punched piece, with a "bite" taken out of it again with the Small Oval Punch. The white top of the hat is the Small Tag Punch (which I trimmed at the top and sides), then I added strips of red to the hat, and a layer of red behind the white section of the hat. I used the white gel pen for stars, and a Versamarker for some highlights on it.

Stampin' Supplies: Sock Monkey stamp set*, StazOn Jet Black ink, Pacific Point Textured card stock*, Riding Hood Red card stock*, Blush Blossom Textured card stock, Whisper White card stock, Very Vanilla Watercolor Wonder Crayon, Going Grey Watercolor Wonder Crayon (for shadows on the monkey), Large & Small Oval Punches, Small Tag Punch, VersaMarker, white gel pen, Two-Way glue pen.

*Denotes Sneak Peek product not available for customer order until August 11th, 2008.

In other news, the Retiring Accessories List is HERE. All items marked with an asterisk are on SALE for 25% OFF!!

And you will be able to place your personal Stampin' Up!® product orders with me, anytime day or night, 24/7 via ONLINE ORDERING, directly from my company web site this fall! Stay tuned for more details and the unveiling...

Textured Sock Monkey Again...

So, here's the Textured Sock Monkey on a card...finally! If you want to see how to get the textured look, check out this blog post. I don't usually do this much coloring and cutting because it's a lot of work, but Sock Monkey made me do it!

This sample uses a lot of sneak peek items that customers cannot order until August 11th, and I hope that's exciting to you instead of frustrating. To make sure you don't miss out on any Retiring Stamp Sets, skim the details HERE. There will also be a list of Retiring Accessories, which I will post on July 21st. (Some items are already no longer available, such as the Blue Bayou and Purely Pomegranate Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon.)

Stampin' Supplies: Sock Monkey stamp set*, Kiwi Kiss card stock*, Riding Hood Red card stock and ink*, Bella Rose Designer Series Paper*, Button Bouquet Buttons (Riding Hood Red)*, Close to Cocoa Textured card stock, Creamy Caramel Textured card stock, Very Vanilla Craft ink and Watercolor Wonder Crayon, Blush Blossom marker, Fundamental Phrases stamp set, StazOn Jet Black ink, Word Window Punch, Whisper White card stock, Linen Thread, Ruby Red brad.

*Denotes items which are not available for customer order until August 11th. If you spend at least $50 on catalog merchandise with me during July, get the new catalog absolutely FREE. If you spend at least $100 on catalog merchandise with me during July, you will get the new catalog FREE, plus your choice of one of the new In Color ink pads for FREE!

Textured Sock Monkey

I know, I know, this isn't even a whole card yet...I'm just so excited at how this turned out that I can't wait to show you...plus...my camera battery just ran out so it has to charge up before I can share anything else :-)

I used Close to Cocoa Textured card stock for the monkey, and to get the "heathered" look, I used the brayer and gently rolled the brayer over the Very Vanilla Craft pad, then rolled that lightly over the card stock. I let it dry just a bit, then took a paper towel and dabbed and wiped most of it away.

Now, I had already stamped my monkey in StazOn black ink before I thought about the Very Vanilla, so I had to go over the black lines with a marker after the Very Vanilla was dry. You may want to save yourself the trouble and prepare your card stock first, and then stamp the monkey. Although, when I tried that, the dried ink seemed to have changed the surface of the card stock, and I didn't like how the image turned out. If you wait til the Craft ink is totally dry, you could use black Craft ink to stamp the monkey on the surface, and heat black embossing powder to get a really dark and shiny outline.

I stamped the monkey once on the Close to Cocoa Textured card stock, then on Creamy Caramel card stock, and then stamped the head on the new Riding Hood Red card stock. The Close to Cocoa monkey is on the bottom, then the lighter parts were cut out of Creamy Caramel, and the mouth was cut out of Riding Hood Red. I found it easiest to glue the pieces with Two-Way Glue, because it applies such a thin amount of glue to the surfaces. I applied the glue to both surfaces, then adhered them while they were wet. Afterwards, I added some highlights on the Creamy Caramel, using the Blush Blossom brush end of the marker.

UPDATE: you can get a similar look by using the Very Vanilla Watercolor Wonder Crayon, holding it on its side, and lightly coloring. Try coloring in a circular motion to get the best coverage. Wiping with a paper towel is optional, and this is something you can do AFTER you stamp the monkey...plus there's no wet ink to worry about.

I added the Watercolor Wonder Crayon to the light parts of the same Sock Monkey I showed you at the start of this post, and you can see how it turned out below. It's very subtle, but I think it keeps the texture consistent to have it on all the pieces. (Remember to click on any picture to see it full size--open each of these pictures in their own window, and compare them side by side!]:

Sock Monkey Pattern...the real thing!

Okay, I have discovered that a large portion of the population is currently puzzled at my adoration for my new Sock Monkey preorder stamp set. My 15 year old son summed it up quite indelicately by asking, what the {bleep} is that thing!? At first, I made this cute card, in an effort to convince the skeptics that they NEED to have their very own Sock Monkey stamp set...once the new catalog comes out on August 11th! Then, I realized that perhaps some background on Sock Monkey origins might be helpful and appropriate.

Sock Monkey is a stuffed animal, patterned from one pair of Rockford Red Heel® Socks, which you can view and/or purchase HERE. Currently, the socks come in traditional Brown Heather, or you can get them in blue (great for Patriotic Sock Monkeys, according this AD). The pattern for the Sock Monkey stuffed animal apparently originated sometime in or before 1953, when pairs of Rockford Red Heel® Socks ALL began shipping with the sewing instructions!

To see a vintage set of instructions, click HERE. Contemporary instructions may be found HERE. If you check out the instructions, you'll see that Sock Monkey has a coordinating friend, Sock Elephant. And a book to make over 50 sock animals, sock animal clothing, and other toys can be found HERE. If you love Sock Monkey, but aren't into sewing, check out the Sock Monkey Lady® for custom merchandise and gifts!

Will we perhaps see a Sock Elephant stamp set coming out in the future?? I'm not holding my breath...but I would be excited to see a Sock Monkey accessory stamp set to expand his repertoire!

Monkeyin' Around (with new stamps!)

Isn't Sock Monkey just absolutely AWESOME? I got my preorder of items from the new catalog last night, and there were four sets to order--I got all four. I purposefully restrained myself and put Sock Monkey together last, because I knew once I started in with him, I wouldn't be able to keep my hands off him for a while, and I wanted all my sets assembled before taking off on a tangent.

By the way, all of the sets that are new to the Fall-Winter Idea Book & Catalog (which debuts August 11th) are going to be die-cut!

So, accordingly, all four of my new stamp sets were die-cut, and they went together so fast...just pop, peel and place :-)

The card template above is the design I used to make Sock Monkey. You can alter your sizes if you want, but for reference, the red layer under the monkey is 2-3/4" by 3", and the white layer with the monkey on it is 2-1/2" by 2-3/4". The two horizontal strips under the monkey are both 4-1/4" wide by approximately 3/4" (for the larger one) and approximately 1/4" (for the smaller one). I used a new accessory from the upcoming catalog--the Scallop Border Punch--and it was sooooooo easy to use! I also used some of the upcoming In Colors to create this card. Below you will see a list and sample of all six of them:

I have a ton of specials for July, including a FREE Fall-Winter Idea Book & Catalog for you! If you spend at least $50 on catalog merchandise with me during July, get the new catalog absolutely FREE. If you spend at least $100 on catalog merchandise with me during July, you will get the new catalog FREE, plus your choice of one of the new In Color ink pads for FREE! Check out the Online Catalog, the Retiring Stamp Set lists, and email me today with your qualifying order! Don't forget, you can also order Décor Elements at the same time you get your stampin' supplies.

Stampin' Supplies: Sock Monkey stamp set, Sanded background stamp, Baja Breeze card stock & ink, Riding Hood Red card stock, Whisper White card stock, StazOn Jet Black ink pad, Real Red marker (to draw in the smile), Creamy Caramel marker & ink pad & card stock, Blush Blossom card stock & marker, Bordering Blue marker (to scribble in the texture over the monkey), Barely Banana marker, So Saffron marker, Close to Cocoa marker (dots and lines on banana peel), Stampin' Sponge® (in Creamy Caramel ink pad, then sponged on scallop border), Going Gray ink pad & blender pens, Real Red brads, So Saffron brad, Scallop Border Punch.

Another Stationery Box

I've been busy creating again...this time I've made up a pattern for a very easy Four Card Stationery Box. You can make it with one sheet of 12"x12" card stock, or even patterned paper (like our Designer Series Paper), with pieces to spare. You can use the pieces to make layers on cards to put in the box, so that the colors all coordinate. This is another project where you can keep it simple and let the Designer Series Paper do all the work, or you could bling everything up to your heart's delight! Just keep in mind, the more height your embellishments have on stationery or notecards, the more postage it may cost to mail.

Download your Four Card Stationery Box Pattern HERE.

The directions are very easy, so I won't post a tutorial. I'll just add another couple of pictures below--views of the inside of the box. [Remember: click on any photo to see a larger view!] Feel free to drop me an email if you get stuck on the assembly. You may find it helpful to cut and tape two sheets of scrap printer paper together to make an 8"x12" sheet to practice the assembly of this pattern first, so you don't risk messing up a nice sheet of patterned paper or card stock!

As you can see on my cards below, I used the Spring Silhouettes Designer Series Paper (DSP), to match the box. When you cut a 12" x 12" sheet down to use for this 8" x 12" sheet pattern, you have a 4" x 12" piece left. You can get two pieces of 4" x 5-1/4" out of that strip to layer onto your notecards, so this is a very efficient pattern. A picture of each individual card follows the group picture...these turned out so pretty!! I rolled the So Swirly Jumbo wheel onto the flap of an envelope to go with each card.

Stampin' Supplies: Spring Silhouettes Designer Series Paper, Holiday Blitz stamp set (thank you saying), Jumbo So Swirly wheel (flap of envelopes), Soft Sky ink & card stock, Wild Wasabi ink & card stock, Very Vanilla card stock & grosgrain ribbon, Large Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Horizontal Slot Punch, Soft Sky Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Wild Wasabi Double Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon, Stampin' Dimensionals®.

Celebrate your Independence!

[Click on the picture to celebrate with the full-size image!]

Have you ever experienced one of those slumps where you just don't feel like you can stamp anything innovative or unique? It's called Creative Constipation, and it's painful and depressing. A couple of days ago I started working on this card, and all of a sudden everything started rushing out...and I think I actually ended up with a case of Decorative Diarrhea! I don't think I've ever stamped a card with this many individual layers. Seriously people, check out the firework explosion below...I think I need to find some stamp-o-pectate...or at least some punch-o-pectate:

I'll have to leave you with this for now...it's time to BBQ, so I've gotta run! (no diarrhea puns intended) If you are super bored, try to guess what punches I used--and how I used them--for all the cut out pieces on this card, and leave your answers in a comment :-) I'll post a punch tutorial soon, to catch up on the how-to's for a few different designs I've used over the last couple of months. I'll leave you with one final skewed view for your contemplative pleasure...

Stampin' Supplies: Full Calendar stamp set, Short Order Numbers stamp set, Simple Serif Mini Alpha stamp set, So Swirly Jumbo wheel, Classic Stars Jumbo wheel, Real Red, Brilliant Blue, Only Orange, Basic Grey, Basic Black, Whisper White, Blue Bead Duo, Red Bead Duo, Styled Silver Hodgepodge Hardware (brads), and a whole slew of punches I will reveal later! (ha ha, you thought I was going to spoil the surpise, didn't you?)

Retiring Hardware - SALE!

HODGEPODGE HARDWARE DISCOUNT OFFER

From July 1-August 10 (or while supplies last), you can purchase any of the Hodgepodge Hardware Kits from page 188 of the Spring-Summer Catalog at 25% OFF their regular price! Each kit comes in a tin, as pictured above, and includes approximately 138 pieces of the following hardware: decorative clips, label holders, ribbon charms and sliders, fasteners, PLUS 100 matching brads.

The following Hodgepodge Hardware finishes are being offered at a special 25 percent discount, with no minimum purchase required to receive the 25 percent discount, and no limits on the number of kits purchased at the discounted price:

• ANTIQUE BRASS, Item #105531
• AGED COPPER, Item #105532
• PEWTER, Item #105515

Each kit is regularly priced at $27.95, and can be yours at the discounted price of $20.96 during this limited time offer. Contact me TODAY to get your Hodgepodge Hardware! [Don't forget to ask about handy coordinating accessories and tools, such as our 1/4" Ribbon in an assortment of colors, Small & Large Oval Punches, and the 1/16" Circle Punch.]

UPDATE 7/24/2008: ALL HODGEPODGE HARDWARE SALE ITEMS ARE NOW SOLD OUT.

NEW! NEW! NEW! and a PARTY!

The Décor Elements are now available for order, and you may now find the following publications available online at the Stampin' Up! web site:

• Décor Elements Brochure
• Décor Elements Application Instructions

The following presentation is available through the Stampin' Up! Products page of my Demonstrator Business web site:

• Décor Elements Application Video

And you'll want to check out my Demonstrator Business Web Site Creative Projects Gallery, for samples of some NEW STAMP SETS, which will be available in the upcoming Fall-Winter Idea Book & Catalog, which you can order from starting on August 11th!

Call me at 719-205-5957, or email me at procrastistamper@gmail.com to RSVP for my Retirement Party on July 10th, from 6-9pm. Make FREE projects, enjoy specials and freebies which are ONLY for party attendees, get a LIVE** look at the New Catalog Sneak Peek Stamp Sets featured in my gallery (see link above), and MORE!!!
**LIVE look at Sneak Peek Items will be available as long as my preorder arrives in time!