April 28, 2014

Catalog Premier

Enjoyed my evening at the catalog premier. Lots of great new stamp sets and accessories, rich in-colors and a great catalog layout. Got to meet Lisa Pretto from Madison, she is a SU! upline of mine; that was a treat. Came home with my catalog and a brand new stamp set that I know I will love. 

It was a great night, but I'm beat and heading off to bed, but before I go, here's a thank you note I made for a friend and band teacher who spent an hour and a half on Saturday afternoon at a music store helping my son find his "mouthpiece soul mate" for his tenor sax. It was quite the educational experience for both of us. The stamp I used is retired, but due to my music background, it's one I hang on to.


You'll be seeing new products soon, so stay tuned!

Take gentle care,


PPA Sketch Challenge

Wow, this has been quite a day. I've been crafting like a crazed person because my week is so full, today was my day. I'll share my projects throughout the week. 

As promised, I have my PPA challenge to share with you. I figured out today that when you're under a time limit, you can't second guess yourself when you have a card idea in your head - just make it happen. Not only did I create challenge 201, but I have the color challenge for Thursday ready to go along with cards for a shower, a retirement, and a graduation. I also have a couple cards ready for the next Pals blog hop! Can you say productive?

I ran some errands today, came home and looked out my kitchen window only to see a good sized section of my siding billowing out from the house. I live in a wind tunnel and this time of year can actually get scary. The perfect location isn't always a good thing and this house is in the perfect location for wind. The neighbors don't have the same issue we do. Anyway, while I'm holding down the siding, I asked my son to get a ladder, hammer, screwdriver, scissors and duct tape. I was able to work the top of the siding back under the edging and duct taped the base length that was loose. I'll call my insurance guy in the morning. Never a dull moment!

Enough chatter, let's get to the serious business of cards! As you may recall, this is the challenge sketch:                                                         and here is my card:


                         

I used the Stippled Blossoms stamp set - I used that one for the shower card too. I love floral stamps and this set is so pretty. It is a two-step set. For this card I used Crisp Cantaloupe for the base color of the flower and then stamped the overlay with Calypso Coral. 

TIP: When purchasing 2-steps stamp sets, I recommend buying wood mount stamps. I use vellum paper along with my Stamp-a-ma-jig to create a template for each stamp in the set and store the templates in the stamp box. That way, I can save myself a step when using the set because the template is ready to go when I am! Questions about this? Give me a call, I'd be happy to show and tell.

The leaves were done with Certainly Celery (retired) and Wild Wasabi. I used the beautiful Watercolor DSP, Crisp Cantaloupe card stock for the base, Calypso Coral CS for the accent color. I had a few snippets of retired coral ribbon and accented with pearls. I'm always in need of birthday cards and the sentiment from the Wetlands stamp set worked beautifully. I sell my cards to a small in gift shop in a neighboring community and birthday cards fly out the door.

Time for me to call it a night. If I don't get home too late tomorrow night, I'll post about the catalog reveal; I'm so excited! If it is a late night, I'll post on Tuesday, so be sure to check back.

Retiring items are moving fast! If there are stamp sets or accessories you've been considering, buy now before they're gone! You can conveniently shop in your jammies at my online store, just click here. Until next time,

Take gentle care,

April 27, 2014

Weekend Update

I had a fun Saturday morning with a group of 5 ladies. Each went home with a beautiful Card-in-a-Box for either Mother's Day or a birthday. All agreed that the project wasn't near as intimidating as they thought it would be! The time consuming piece is the embellishing, but amid the chatter and laughter, time flew by.

Last night, my niece-in-law to be, asked me to make explosion style cards to give to friends as a way of asking them to be attendants in her upcoming wedding. I'm really excited about creating them for her and am honored she asked me to be a part of the wedding planning. Her theme is burlap and lace. I can't wait to see what I come up with!

This afternoon I need to work on my PPA challenge card and get that posted. I'm off with a friend to tour the park site for her son's upcoming high school graduation party. I have a shower card and a retirement card that I need to make. 

Next Saturday, May 3rd is the annual Slinger Area Music Booster Association (SAMBA) chicken dinner. This is an annual fund raiser for the high school band. I'm putting together a Stampin' Up! gift basket for the basket raffle. I'm a SHS band alumni and my son now plays tenor sax. Supporting the local arts is a good thing!

There is so much going on for me this week, but I'm really looking forward to the SU! catalog premier tomorrow evening. Stampin' Up! is streaming the event live from California to movie theaters across the country. I'm driving about an hour and a half south to Kenosha to be a part of the event. This will be my first SU! event and I'm looking forward to being a part of a throng of SU! junkies. I'll be sure to post an update after the event. We'll be getting a copy of the upcoming catalog and I'm thinking there will be other goodies in store. I'll also have the opportunity to meet Lisa Pretto from Madison who is my upline and a professional business mentor. It will be so much fun!

Be sure to check out the retiring items, many are sold out, so if there is something you really need, buy it now. Here are the links:

Retired stamps list, click here.
Retired accessories list, click here.
Shop my online store, click here.

Thanks for stopping in and until next time,

Take gentle care,





April 24, 2014

Exciting News from Stampin' Up!

10014449_10202969793678528_3664517266587799675_o

Stampin' Up! is so excited to announce they’ve partnered with the amazing Becky Higgins to bring you the real deal-authentic Project Life products, now in exclusive Stampin’ Up! colors and designs. If you’ve somehow missed the Project Life craze and are wondering what it’s all about, here's the scoop: it’s a super simple, totally affordable way to get your photos into albums: you just slip your photos into Photo Pocket Pages and add designed cards. It’s a back-to-basics approach to documenting your life. In a nutshell, it’s all about spending more time making memories and less time scrapbooking them.
You can start ordering these products on May 1! With the launch of the new annual catalog on June 2, you’ll be able to buy from our complete line of Project Life products!
I am so excited to check out this line of products. I have to admit, I have been out of the scrapbooking loops because frankly, it is extremely time consuming to me! When I learned about this concept, I thought WOW I think I can do this and keep up! Want to join me?
Here are the items you will be able to purchase on May 1st!
Screen Shot 2014-04-16 at 12.55.46 AM
Stay tuned for much more information on Project Life!

Take gentle care,

April 23, 2014

Deals of the Week for April 22 to 28, 2014


Check out the great deals for this week! Don't forget, there's FREE shipping on all orders through April 25th. Click here to shop my online store.


April 22, 2014

PPA Challenge

I'm more of a CASE (copy and share everything) girl, but I'm working on breaking out of my comfort zone. This past week I chose to participate in the Pals Paper Arts challenge. Unfortunately, due to technical issues with the site, I was unable to upload it to the challenge, but I will share it with you.

For those not familiar, a challenge could be a basic sketch/design, a color combination or a theme. Your job, if choose to accept the mission, is to create a card based on the challenge. It's kind of like playing telephone; everyone starts out with the same message, but the ending is certainly different!

Here is last week's sketch:                                 And here is what I created:

                   

The second part of the sketch was to keep it monochromatic. It was fun to play along. Here is the Pal's Paper Art challenge for this week.  

I'll work on my sketch and post it later this week. I challenge you to move out of your creative comfort zone and join the fun. You'll be glad you did!


Don't forget to check out the list of retiring stamp sets here and the retiring accessories here.





Shop my online store and receive FREE shipping through April 25th! This is a great time to stock up on all of your Stampin' Up! basics. As always, please contact me if you have any questions.

Take gentle care,

April 21, 2014

Retiring Stamps and Accessories and FREE Shipping!



It's that time of year when Stampin' Up! says goodbye to hundreds of retiring products from the 2013-2014 annual catalog. Now's a great chance to get your favorite  retiring products before they're gone for good! ALL products are only available while supplies last, so be sure to get your orders in early!

Dates: April 21-June 4, 2014 (all items available while supplies last)

Click here for the list of retiring stamps
Click here for the list of retiring accessories.


Also, make sure to take advantage of FREE standard shipping on EVERYTHING from April 21-25.

Click here to start shopping for your favorite retiring items and shop while the shipping is free!

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. I'll update the retiring list regularly so be sure to check back before placing your order.

Take gentle care,



April 18, 2014

FREE Shipping!!

FREE SHIPPING ON EVERYTHING!


Get FREE shipping on everything (excluding expedited orders) April 21 - 25! The lists of retiring products will be available on April 21, so you and your customers can take advantage of free shipping by ordering all your favorites right away!

Ready to shop?  Click here.

If you need assistance with anything, don't hesitate to contact me.

Take gentle care,



April 10, 2014

April 26th Class

Mother's Day/Birthday Card in a Box
     with coordinating Portfolio and Notecards

Join me on Saturday, April 26th at 9:30 am in my home as we create these two beautiful projects!

 


What better way to let mom or another special someone know that they mean the world to you. The card in the box is the newest hot item in paper crafting. The completed project packs quite an impact and is so much fun to give and receive. Along with this unique card, you will create a coordinating set of note cards and a matching portfolio that sings spring!

Cost of the class is $10. Class size is limited to 8 people.

To register, contact me at 262.689.9624 or email me at RnRStamping@gmail.com.

I look forward to playing with you!!

Until then, take gentle care,


April 8, 2014

April Pals Blog Hop



2014aprhop_badge

Welcome to the Pals Blog Hop for April. To celebrate Earth Day,  this month we are showcasing projects that feature recycled, re-purposed, or earthy/recycling themed elements.
You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from  #23, Brian King at Stamp with Brian on the Pals Hop. If you get off track at any time, the full lineup below will help you move along from blog to blog. Be sure to hop all the way through so you see all of the amazing creations displayed just for you by the talented Pals.

Sale-A-Bration - Let It Go!
Easier said than done having spent the past months playing with the wonderful Sale-A-Bration products.
When considering a project for this month's blog, I scanned my work area looking for ideas when my eyes landed on my left over Sale-A-Bration flyers - BINGO!! - I've got it!


If you look closely at the card, you'll see some images you may recognize from the Sale-A-Bration flyer.


I used a variety of circle punches to strategically crop photos from the flyer. I adhered them to a piece of Pool Party card stock and ran it through the Big Shot using the Lattice embossing folder. The colored twine, a Sale-A-Bration left over, picked up the colors in the images. I used Crisp Cantelope for the base and finished it off with a sentiment from Banner Blast that was perfectly cropped using the Banner Framelits and behind it I layered another cropped banner in Crisp Cantelope.
This special card called for a matching re-purposed envelope. After trimming a few pages from the Sale-A-Bration flyer, I pulled out my trusty Envelope Board and created a one-of-a-kind envelope that compliments the card and will create quite a stir at the post office! All I need to do is add an address label and this cheery card is off to make someone's day.

I hope the Pal's Blog Hop inspires you to rethink the way you look at your trash - look again, it may be your treasure!

To purchase any Stampin' Up! treasures, click here.
The next stop is #2, Debra Simonis at Deb's Stampin' Grounds on the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and  I hope to see you next month.

Take gentle care,


  1. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping - you are here!
  2. Debra Simonis at Deb's Stampin' Grounds
  3. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
  4. Colleen Mollema at Uncanny Crafting
  5. Diane Roberts at Score at Four and a Quarter
  6. Debbie Mageed at Secret Stamper
  7. Rae Harper-Burnet at Wild West Paper Arts
  8. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
  9. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
  10. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
  11. Martie Pollard at Crafty Bandit
  12. Shannon Hokanson at Paper Works by Shannon
  13. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
  14. Patti MacLeith at Papercrafts by Patti
  15. Goldie Shaul at Punch and Stamp with Goldie
  16. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
  17. Christie Crosby at Stampin' Creativity
  18. Peggy Noe at prettypapercards.com
  19. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
  20. Natalie Bradley at Natalie Bradley Events
  21. Amanda at Inkflair
  22. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains
  23. Brian King at Stamp with Brian