Organize Your Creative Space with Simplify 101

Click Image to Learn More About This Workshop!

Do you have too much stuff in your way when you sit down to create? Do you have to rifle through loads of supplies and embellishments you no longer need, love, or want, before you can find the supplies you'd LIKE to work with? Do you find yourself walking across the room back and forth, or even up and down stairs, regularly throughout your creative process? Are you yearning for a creative space with character that reflects your unique style and taste? If you answered 'yes' to any (or especially all) of these questions, then the Organize Your Creative Space Online Workshop may be of benefit to you.

Aby at Simplify 101 is an expert at walking you through the process of creating spaces and systems that work for YOU. Through the special members-only workshop forum, Aby not only shares her organizing and creative expertise, she also addresses the emotions that can come up and prevent us from carrying through with our best laid decluttering and organizing plans! If you have ever tried to organize a pile of memorabilia, you know how easy it can be to get side tracked. Aby posts a daily check-in thread in the forum, to help you think about your organizing plans for the day, so you can get help in identifying the issues specific to you and your space, get help dealing with those challenges (both tangible resources as well as emotional blocks), and report your plans and completed tasks, to help keep you moving forward and making incremental progress. For someone like me, who tends to be all or nothing, this is extremely important. I can go back through these check-ins and see that I AM making progress, and that inspires me to keep going.

Your fellow workshop participants are always awesome--everyone is very welcoming, and so helpful in adding their suggestions and advice, in addition to Aby's expertise. Think of organizing your creative space alone...it can seem like a daunting task. Then think about undertaking that task with the support of maybe 75 other people, in addition to daily interaction with an organizational expert. If you think this might be helpful, please go check out the Simplify 101 Organize Your Creative Space Workshop.

SAMPLE IT FREE FOR ONE WEEK! You will find details on the Organize Your Creative Space Workshop Page, on how you can sample the workshop for FREE through Wednesday, June 13, 2012 at 9:00PM US CST!!! Just click on the link you see after the bold, red words that say: Want to take a peek inside the live workshop and see how it works?

~Kimberley Morris
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator since 1994
Colorado Springs, CO
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net (SHOP ONLINE)
BECOME A DEMONSTRATOR

Keep Calm and Carry On is not a Trade Mark

Image by http://keepcalmcampaign.co.uk/

Please Note: the Carry On Hostess Exclusive stamp set in the new 2012-13 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog is currently unavailable due to unforeseen legal issues.

We cannot help resolve this issue by contacting Stampin' Up!, but perhaps we can help by spreading awareness and influencing resolve of what appears to be the core legal issue.
 

CLICK IMAGE OR CLICK HERE TO SIGN PETITION

After a short bit of internet research, I discovered that the EU granted an EU community trade mark for the words 'Keep Calm and Carry On' to a gentleman named Mark Coop in the UK, on March 25, 2011. Since then, it appears that Mr. Coop has been directing merchants all over the internet/world to take down merchandise with the wording, in an attempt to enforce his trade mark.

Trade Mark Direct, a trade mark service in the UK, claims the granting of the trade mark was a mistake and that no single person or entity should have been granted a trade mark for the wartime phrase, which has become public domain in our contemporary culture since the rediscovery of one wartime poster in a bookstore in the year 2000.  Mr. Coop reportedly received the EU community trade mark after his UK application was denied.

Bottom line, there is a UK campaign working to cancel the trade mark, and you can sign the petition here:

KEEP CALM CAMPAIGN UK

Apparently Mr. Coop is also pursuing trademark/copyright of 'Keep Calm and Carry On' in the United States and Canada.  My hope is that our support of the UK Keep Calm Campaign will prevent the perpetuity of this unscrupulous trade mark snatching on our shores...nip it in the bud, so to speak.

Check it out, see what you think, and if you are as disgusted as I am at the idea of someone trying trade mark/copyright something that's been public domain for the last 10 years, sign the petition.

~Kimberley Morris
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator since 1994
Colorado Springs, CO
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net (SHOP ONLINE)
BECOME A DEMONSTRATOR

NEW Stampin' Up! Firm Foam Pads

The 2012-13 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog features new Firm Foam Stampin' Pads. Today I am sharing with you an overview video, and a PDF regarding these new ink pads. (If you are getting my blog posts in email, you will need to click on the title of this post in your email, to see the embedded video.) Please feel free to email me, or leave a comment, with any questions you have!

Click HERE to download the Firm Foam Stampin' Pad Info Sheet!
[NOTE: the video link in the PDF is the same video embedded in this blog post.]

I have noticed that images stamped with these new Firm Foam Stampin' Pads do not dry quite as fast as images stamped from my old felt/linen Stampin' Pads, so I try to work carefully. They do not take long to dry, it's just not quite as immediate as the old ink pads--probably because my old ink pads were chronically dry! But, one positive benefit of these inks not drying immediately is that you can EMBOSS with them, at least on paper or card stock. You'll want to have your embossing powder ready to go, and have a nice, moist ink pad, but it works beautifully. All you need is some clear embossing powder and a heat tool, and you will have 50 colors of embossed ink!

If you are considering upgrading all of your ink pads, please note that when you purchase them in assortments, there are considerable savings:

Brights (10 colors) - $59.50 purchased separately, $49.95 for Assortment
Subtles (10 colors) - $59.50 purchased separately, $49.95 for Assortment
Regals (10 colors) - $59.50 purchased separately, $49.95 for Assortment
Neutrals (8 colors*) - $47.60 purchased separately, $39.95 for Assortment
*no white or vanilla ink pad included in the Neutrals Assorment

'11-'13 In Colors (card stock + pads) - $35.75 purchased separately, $29.95 for Kit**
'12-'14 In Colors (card stock + pads) - $35.75 purchased separately, $29.95 for Kit**
**Kit includes 5 ink pads, plus 20 sheets card stock, 4 ea of 5 colors

And don't forget, you can get a $50 Patio Party Product Bonus when you sign up to Become a Demonstrator before June 30, 2012. So, if you are looking for a way to make your hobby pay for itself, this is a great opportunity.

PLUS, with our new $99 fully customizable Starter Kit, you can choose up to $125 of catalog product...that's one 10-color Core Collection of ink pads, plus the Neutrals Assortment (8 ink pads), plus one of the In Color Kits, with $5.15 to spare! Then, with your first new demonstrator order placed within 45 days of joining, you get 30% OFF your order total retail cost...so you can get the rest of your ink pad assortments at a HUGE discount. Love the new Firm Foam Stampin' Pads?  Want them at enormous savings PLUS $50 in BONUS PRODUCT? Then, why not Become a Demonstrator today??

~Kimberley Morris
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator since 1994
Colorado Springs, CO
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net (SHOP ONLINE)
BECOME A DEMONSTRATOR

Get $50 in FREE Patio Party Product!

I mentioned earlier today that Stampin' Up! has a NEW $99 Fully Customizable Starter Kit...and this promotion gives you a little icing on the cake! You not only get to choose up to $125 worth of product in your $99 Starter Kit, you also get almost $50 in BONUS PRODUCT from the Patio Party Product Suite! (seen below)

To take advantage of this promotion, you must Become a Demonstrator on my team no later than 11:50pm MT on June 30th, 2012.

The BONUS PRODUCT package contains the Make a Cake stamp set, and YOU get to choose whether you want wood mount or clear mount stamps. (I almost always choose wood mount when I'm getting a stamp set for FREE, and encourage you to do the same!) You can see the stamp art below:

Also included is a package of Patio Party Designer Series Paper, 12" x 12" double-sided patterned paper, 2 sheets each of 6 patterns. You can see the fun colors below--and notice that the Make a Cake stamp set images coordinate with the paper! For this reason, I would recommend you purchase coordinating ink colors with your Starter Kit: Baja Breeze, Midnight Muse, Primrose Petals, and Summer Starfruit. Three of those colors can be found in the (5) marker 2012-2014 In Color Assortment, so that's a great pick, paired with a Basic Black or StazOn Jet Black ink pad!

The final component of the BONUS PRODUCT package is the Patio Party Digital Collection DVD, images from which you can see below. The digital content includes 12 Patio Party Designer Series Papers, 9-piece Make a Cake stamp brush set, a 9-1/4" x 4" Designer Postcard Template, and the Patio Party Ensemble which includes a 15-piece Patio Party stamp brush set, 23 embellishments, 1 punch, and (3) more Designer Templates including a favor box, labels, invitations, banners, and treat flags!!! This content can be used separately with any graphic editing program that works with .jpg and .png files, but is optimally used with Stampin' Up!'s My Digital Studio software program. Because we have a 30-Day Free Trial of the downloadable My Digital Studio Express, you can always test the waters before deciding if the software is for you. {FYI: MDS2 is coming out later in 2012, and with all its new features and capabilities, I think you'll be thrilled with it!}

Wow, that's a lot of stuff, right? But remember, that's just the BONUS PRODUCT package--you also get to choose up to $125 of product for your Starter Kit, which is ONLY $99 with FREE SHIPPING (which could be up to $17.38 in additional value)! As I mentioned previously, you may want to customize your Starter Kit with products and colors which coordinate with your BONUS PRODUCT, but that's totally your choice :-)

If you want to contact me before you sign up, I'm happy to offer suggestions based on your specific needs and desires, or you can check out this flyer for some great all-purpose suggestions. Or, if you are ready to HAVE YOUR CAKE, just head on over right now and Become a Demonstrator!

~Kimberley Morris
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator since 1994
Colorado Springs, CO
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net (SHOP ONLINE)
BECOME A DEMONSTRATOR

Get $115 in FREE New Catalog Products!

Okay, so you've seen the NEW 2012-13 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog, and you NEED a lot of new stuff. You don't want to PAY for it, do you? Well, the fabulous news is that you don't have to, you can GET IT FREE during the We {Heart} Our Hostesses promotion, from June 1st through July 31st, 2012. Hostesses with qualifying sales of $450 or more will receive an extra $50 in FREE dollars to spend on anything available in the catalog! At the $50 level, that's $115 in FREE product, PLUS one item at 50% Off...and the benefits are even greater with higher sales!

You might be thinking $450 in sales is a lot, but it really just depends on one thing: HOW MUCH FUN ARE YOU WILLING TO HAVE? EVERYONE loves a themed party--it's summer now, and I could help you make some super cute favors for a Luau themed party. Or, if your crowd includes moms who spend most of their day with young'uns, we could do a Mommy & Me themed mid-morning event, while the day (and attitudes) are still cheerful and bright. If you and your mommy-friends are desperate for some big girl time without the munchkins, where there are no noses or behinds to wipe, let's craft a Ladies Night Out together! Seriously, how many of your friends do you know who would LOVE to get together and just have some FUN!? Does your church or group offer childcare for on-site meetings? Great! Give me a call and I'll provide all the crafting fun while your kids are cared for safely, and your group can collect the products purchased with Hostess Benefits from any sales at that event...so I can come back and we can DO IT AGAIN! And let's not forget our crafty guys. How about a manly Chili Cook-Off with some card making on the side? We can even do Couples Card Making, if you and your partner want to have a creative get together with your paired-up friends! There's really no end to the possibilities, just email me, or call me at 719-205-5957 and we can brainstorm a hosting event that is PERFECT for you and your gang.

~Kimberley Morris
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator since 1994
Colorado Springs, CO
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net (SHOP ONLINE)
BECOME A DEMONSTRATOR

NEW 2012-13 Stampin' Up! Catalog Debuts TODAY!

WOW, soooooo much new, fun stuff to talk about! I'm going to publish several posts today, this first one will focus solely on the NEW 2012-13 Stampin' Up! Annual Catalog.

NOTE: You can ORDER FROM MY ONLINE STORE starting at 12 Noon Mountain Time today, to get these NEW goodies!

VIEW/DOWNLOAD 2012-13 STAMPIN' UP! ANNUAL CATALOG HERE

View/Download 2012-13 Annual Catalog Accessories Index

View/Download 2012-13 Annual Catalog Supplies List

2012-13 CELEBRANDO CREATIVIDAD CATALOG

2012-13 Celebrando Supplies List

If you are local to Colorado Springs, I'd love to have you visit my New Catalog Open House the weekend of June 23rd, to see the new stuff in person :-) To make sure you get all the necessary details, add your name to my Customer Newsletter list on my blog--you'll find the entry box in the right sidebar. (If you're reading my posts in email, click on this post title and it should take you to my blog.)

Our Annual Catalog (and Celebrando Creatividad) is being released earlier than usual this year (June 1st instead of July 1st), marking the start of a new yearly cycle. The Annual Catalogs will run from June 1, 2012 through May 31st, 2013. We will also have two Seasonal Catalogs, roughly twice the size as the mini catalogs we've had in the past. They will be 8-1/2" x 11" and will be about 40 pages long, and will be active for FIVE months, instead of only three. Our Holiday Seasonal Catalog will run from August 1st through December 31st. Our Spring Seasonal Catalog will run from January 1st through May 31st. Please be aware that the seasonal offerings have been slimmed down in the Annual Catalog, and will be featured in the Seasonal Catalogs!

There are several great NEW additions with this Annual Catalog that I want to point out. Over the next little while, I will be publishing separate posts detailing these items, and each item will get linked to its relevant post as it is published:

- NEW In Colors (Five, will be in catalog 2012-2014)
- NEW Firm Foam Ink Pads
- NEW My Digital Studio Content CDs and MDS2 (HUGE program update later in 2012!)
- NEW $99 Fully Customizable Starter Kit
- NEW Large Embossing Folders
- NEW Stampin' Trimmer (not yet available to order - stay tuned!)
- NEW Stampin' Pierce Mat & Essentials Paper Piercing Pack
- NEW Dual Setting Heat Tool
- NEW Cookie Press Design
- NEW English Ivy Stationery Sheets & Envelopes

And of course, TONS of NEW stamps and stamp sets, NEW Designer Series Paper patterns and packages, NEW Designer Fabric, and NEW Embellishments! You'll love the sleek new catalog design, fun new samples, and playfully exciting color combinations--I know I do!

View and/or Download your New Catalog PDFs at the links above, or just head on over to MY ONLINE STORE NOW, to check it all out!!!

~Kimberley Morris
Stampin' Up! Independent Demonstrator since 1994
Colorado Springs, CO
procrastistamper@gmail.com
http://kimberley.stampinup.net (SHOP ONLINE)
BECOME A DEMONSTRATOR