Out With the Old!

Welcome to the Pals Blog Hop for May where we are preparing for the retirement of some Stampin' Up! products. Though it may be goodbye to some very loved supplies, it will make room for the much anticipated new catalog products.  We hope you enjoy the Pals' creative projects.

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Becky Volpp at Ink Blossom with Becky, number 2 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 so you see all the projects.

It's been an interesting spring in many parts of the country and here in Wisconsin, I'm just looking for May flowers. The cool weather is slowing things down and I'm a bit impatient so I decided to make my own!

This garden needs no maintenance - that's right up my alley! Okay, take a look and see if you can identify the great products that are retiring...did you find all of them? The beautiful Mixed Bunch stamp set and coordinating Blossom punch are likely the first retirees that caught your eye. Other items include our beautiful Designer Series Paper. The papers this year were beautiful and so much fun to play with as were the coordinating ribbons, but I can tell you that the DSP in the new catalog is going to knock you socks off! Look at the photo a bit closer and you'll see A Round Array stamp set, another product heading off into the sunset. The Boho Blossoms punch is taking its leave; that's one I will miss. The one retiring item that I've used the most and will truly miss is the Modern Label punch. That one will remain a member of my "vintage" collection. I am happy to tell you that there is a fun punch to take its place and will be available for order on June 2nd!

So what's inside these flower pots? They hold treats for an adult pallet! My grandmother often purchased items in threes for my mom and her two sisters and it became a habit for my mom to buy the same item for me and my two sisters. My older sister loves See's Lollipops. So, when mom buys a box for her, she buys three boxes and each of us get one. They don't trip my trigger in the same way they do for my older sister, so I dressed them up to give a little gift of spring to coworkers and friends. They were a hit with all who received them and certainly did provide a bright spot in the day for me - I love to share my paper creations!

So you're likely wondering, what are the dimensions for this flower pot. I won't keep you wondering, here they are:

Cut your card stock at 2" wide. For the See's Lollipops, I cut the CS 
7 1/2" long. I scored at 3/4", 3 1/4", 3 3/4", 4 1/4" and 6 3/4".

If you're using a Tootsie roll, you can cut the CS 2" x 6 1/2". No matter the length of the paper, you'll score at 3/4" from each end, score in the middle of the length of CS and 1/4" on each side of the center score line.

With the CS folded in half, I marked 3/8" in from each side, then using my trimmer lined up the 3/4" score line to the edge of the trimmer on one end and the 3/8" mark at the edge of the trimmer on the other end. I then trimmed off the diagonal piece to create the flower pot shape. Do this on both sides. The DSP was cut at 2" x 2 1/2" for my See's Lollipops and trimmed with my snips. The lip of the flower pot was secured with dimensionals. If you have any questions, leave a comment or send an email and I'll get you an answer.

These were fun to make and even more fun to give. I hope you give them a try!

The next stop is Candy Ford at Stamp Candy, number 4 on the Pals Blog Hop!  Thanks for visiting; I hope to see you on next month’s Pals Hop!

Sue

1. Maggie Mata at Maggie Made Cards
2. Becky Volpp at Inkblossomwithbecky
3. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping  You are here!
4. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
5. Lisa Pretto at InkBig Academy Stamps!
6. Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
7. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
8. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
9. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
10. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
11. Patti MacLeith at Papercrafts By Patti
12. Natalie Bradley at Soirée by Natalie Bradley
13. Karen Hallam at Karen's Stampin' Habit!
14. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin'
15. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
16. Peggy Noe at prettypapercards
17. Jennifer Michalski at Stamping Serenity
18. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains
19. Amy Hoptay at Inking of You
20. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
21. Debra Simonis at Deb's Stampin' Grounds
22. Jane Knudsen at see jane stamp
23. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
24. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
25. Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
26. Angela Curry at Kindred Stampers
27. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
28. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
29. Nancy Gleason at My Stampin Space
30. Kalyn Shubnell at The Stamping Chronicles
31. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
32. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping With Avery's Owlery

Guest Stamper's Graduation Card

Just got home from the gym and saw a post from my sister that included a photo of the graduation invitations she made for my niece's 8th grade celebration. I love how they turned out and thought I'd share them with you. 

She really struggled with them being too masculine and my reply was, "what's feminine about a graduation gown?" The bling is the perfect touch. I need to ask her how she did the tassles.




I had to chuckle when I saw that her post included a photo of her Christmas treat from me! The personalized stamps are retiring, so now is your time to order one. Click here for more information.

Be sure to check out this week's deals!

Thanks for stopping!
Sue

A retirement wish

It's not often in life when you work with someone who cares enough to tell you the hard stuff. My dear colleague retires today and will be sorely missed. This is the card I made for him.

To acheive the stripes of color, mask whisper white card stock. Stamp clear acrylic block H directly on to the ink pad and then on to the whisper white card stock.

The vintage sail boat was heat embossed. The sentiment was from a Paper Pumpkin kit and I finished it off with two Bermuda Bay candy dots.

TIP: I stamped the top stripe, then the bottom and lastly the middle stripe. It was easier to keep them evenly spaced.

Thanks so much for stopping!

Sue

Great Mother's Day Gift!

Last weekend, a former co-worker, friend and new stamper, Gwen, brought her four grandchildren to my house to make Mother's Day gifts. Gwen has two children and each of her children have two children. When she asked me if there was a project they could make for a Mother's Day gift, I knew exactly what we could do!

The siblings worked on opposite sides of the table with assistance from Grandma. I snapped this photo early in the process. I knew there would be no time for one later on!

Each child stamped two seasons using Sheltering Tree. I shopped for frames that the mom's could use for display and found the openings to be 4 x 6, so we mounted the completed projects on coordinating cardstock. I picked up acrylic frames for each image so the kids each had a package to present to mom. I don't know the decor in these homes and thought it safer to let mom choose!

Olivia and Kaitlyn created this quartet.

Andrew and Austin put their special touches on their seasons.

I thought the kids did a great job, don't you? We were finished within an hour and with the help of Starburst jelly beans to munch on while waiting for a stamp, the kids enjoyed their time. I thinkg Grandma was pleased and I had a wonderful time! I anxious to hear what the moms think about their gift!

Thanks for stopping. Until next time, take gentle care,

Sue

Weekly Deals!

This is a perfect opportunity to try our Fast Fuse Adhesive or any of the other great deals for this week. Shop HERE.

Stock up on your favorites!

Don't wait too long to order retiring stamp sets and accessories.  Accessories are available while supplies last and stamps will be produced until May 26th and then will only be available while supplies last.

You can check out the complete list of retiring products here.  An "X" in the right hand column indicates that the item is no longer available.  Fill out your wish list and shop on-line with me here.

Happy shopping!

Sue

Mother's Day Screen Card

Hi all!

My regular group of stampers enjoys making a special card for their mom each year. Last year's card in a box was a huge hit and hard to top! We met Saturday morning and everyone had somewhere else to go after class, so I needed to design something that could be completed in a short amount of time and that packed a WOW! I decided on a screen card.

These cards are so easy and fun to make. Here are the dimensions:

Base cardstock (I used Blackberry Bliss) cut at  11 x 5 1/2

      Score at 2 3/4, 5 1/2 and 8 1/4

Fold accordian style

I used the decorative label punch to create the screen legs.

The layers on each panel will vary based on whether or not you use a punch on the top of your screen. My layers are 4 1/4 x 2 1/2 and 4 x 2 1/4

The Painted Petals stamp set was perfect for this project as was the Painted Blooms DSP. We made a small coordinating bag, but I sent mine home with one guest to give to her daughter and never took a photo of it! A lovely gift set for Mother's Day.

Give the screen card a try - you'll have oh so much fun with it!

Thanks for stopping and until next time, take gentle care.

Sue

April 21-June 2, 2015 (or while supplies last)
We're saying goodbye to retiring products from the 2014-2015 annual catalog, but before we do, we're giving everyone an opportunity to order their favorites with discounts up to 50 percent off retail. Retiring products will only be available until June 2, or while supplies last, so now's a great time to get them before they're gone! We're also including the My Digital Studio list, with all products discounted 30 percent off retail.
*Note: Due to high demand for retiring stamps, we'll keep producing retiring stamps until May 26 (not accessories-accessories are only while supplies last). 

Click HERE to see the retiring list 

and HERE to shop my online store.

Butterfly Thinlits Have Arrived!

Due to dock strikes in LA, the Butterfly Thinlits had been backordered for some time and then taken "off the shelf". Well, they are back! They come back with a great deal for you! Here are the details.

Butterflies Thinlits are again available through April 30, we are bringing you two special offers:

  

1. Get the Butterflies Thinlits at a 15 percent discount--just $21.20!
2. Buy any of the Butterflies Thinlits Bundles at the already-discounted price and choose one of three FREE Sale-A-Bration items (only available while supplies last)!

• Best Year Ever Designer Series Paper (item 138633)
• Best Year Ever Accessory Pack (item 138634)
• Irresistibly Yours Specialty Designer Series Paper (item 138635)

I LOVE this bundle and know that I will make MANY more beautiful cards using this set. Here are a couple of the cards that I made. Click here to order this great deal!

RETIRED LIST - COMING APRIL 21ST
Each year prior to the launch of the new catalog, Stampin' Up! releases a list of products that will be retiring. This is a list to watch; if you've been on the fence about purchasing an item and you see it on the retiring list - RUN, don't walk to your computer and order it immediately! Items are sold on a first come, first served basis and historically, items run out prior to the end of the catalog year. I'd be happy to help you with your order, but you will have a much better chance of getting what you want if you place your order online as soon as you know what you want. Get it before it's gone!

As always, thanks for stopping!

Sue

Check out this week's deals!

An update on the baby shower - it didn't happen! My car was half packed on Thursday night when I received a call from Wendy informing me that the expectant mom was in the hospital dehydrated from a viral infection and that she, Wendy, was heading south to Madison to help out. I was very bummed, but I am happy to report that mom and baby are well. They will reschedule the shower for sometime this summer. I will likely make a road trip to Madison to deliver the gifts and other goodies. So, I ended up with lots of time for paper crafting! I had an order for 40 gift card holders that I completed, I prepared for my Paper Pumpkin group and figured out what we're making for class on Saturday. I also worked on a few birthday cards for an order I have for a local gift shop. It was a fun weekend in spite of the changes!

Lots of goodies for you this week. If you've been thinking about purchasing any of these items, now is the time. See below for a few samples using the weekly deal products. Remember, Wondrous Wreath isn't just for Christmas! Click here to shop.

              

Baby Shower

Last day for FREE shipping on your order!. Click here to shop my online store.

I am SO excited to be heading north to Hudson, WI for the weekend! It's about a 5 hour drive and I picked up a Maeve Binchey audio book for the road. I'm heading up to see my bestie, Wendy and celebrate her first grandchild who is due in June. I remember making this trip to see Wendy's first born - it's hard to believe we've been friends long enough for her to be a grandma! Let me share with you what I made for the baby shower.

I had so much fun with all of this! The card is a step card that I CASEd from Windy Ellard and Lisa Ann Bernard, members of the Pals community. Do take note of the photo's background - I crocheted a blanket for the baby too. Did I mention that it's a girl??

The card features Something for Baby. The coordinating Baby's First framelits make cropping these delightful images a snap. Wondering how I got multiple colors on one stamp? Stampin'Write markers came to the rescue! Did you know that Candy Dots make perfect drawer knobs? I created a custom sized envelope using the Envelope Punch Board and the Bravo stamp set. I can't wait to see new mom Kailey's expression when she sees it.

My FAVORITE of all of the items I made are the party favors!

Are these too cute or what? Brenda Quintana is the queen of tutorials for Hershey kisses and I've been waiting for someone in the family to have a baby shower so I could make them. My handy dandy little stapler was the perfect tool to attach the toppers to the bag. I hope others like these as much as I do.

My baby gifts are wrapped, the boys favorite treats are ready for delivery.I can't enter St. Croix county without Special K bars. I've been making these whenever I visit for as long as the boys can remember. They are now both married, but still look forward to these bars.

Special K Bars

Start with 6 cups Special K cereal in a large bowl. In a pan, combine 1 cup of white sugar with 1 cup of white corn syrup and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 cups of peanut butter. Mix until smooth and pur over cereal. Coat cereal with peanut butter mixture and spread into a 10 x 15 pan. Melt one bag of butterscotch chips and one bag of milk chocolate chips. Spread the melted chips over the bars. Cool, cut and enjoy. They are very rich, but the boys can eat 6 at a time and head back for more!

The shower is Saturday afternoon, but I'm especially looking forward to the Saturday night pajama party when both boys and their wives will be spending the night. Oh what fun!

If you have any questions on any of the projects, leave a comment and I'll be sure to follow up with you.

Thanks for stopping and until next time, take gentle care.

Sue

Spring Wreath

Only 2 days left to save on FREE shipping!

Click here to shop my online store. Have your purchase delivered right to your doorstep!

The weather here in Wisconsin is just not cooperating and I'm very impatient for spring, so I created a bit of my own with the Wonderful Wreath Framelits - they're not just for Christmas!

I actually used these for my Easter cards this year.

The So Saffron and Elegant Eggplant combined for a cheery base for my spring wreath!

Thanks for stopping. Make your day a good one!

Sue

FREE Shipping!

Click HERE to shop!

FREE SHIPPING!!

5 days only! April 6 - 10

GET READY, GET SET, GET YOUR WISH LIST READY!  Stampin' Up! is offering FREE SHIPPING on any orders placed Monday, April 6 - Friday, April 10.  No minimum purchase required (excludes expedited orders).

• STOCK UP!  Fill your wish list and stock up on basics like paper, stamps and ink!  It ALL ships FREE!
•  SMART IDEA!  The Stampin' Up! 2013 - 2015 In Colors will be retiring with the annual catalog (last day is June 2, 2015).  Order your favorite 2013 - 2015 In Color inks, card stock, ribbon, markers and more while they are in stock AND take advantage of free shipping!  
• Shop my online store and your purchase will be delivered to your front door for FREE! 

Questions? Give me a call, I'm happy to help you!

Weekly Deals and Announcing FREE shipping!

Break out your Big Shot! Lots of great deals this week. Dont' forget to check out the Clearance Rack too! FREE shipping on all items April 6 - April 10. Take advantage and stock up on these great deals!

Amazing Holiday Clearance Items!

Stampin' Up! has added a huge number of holiday items - Halloween and Christmas stamps, thinlits, paper and accessories. Shop now while supplies last! Click here to check out all of the fabulous deals!

Build a Bouquet

Wowza, not quite sure how life got so busy, but it did! 

At class last month, Gwen ordered a Build a Bouquet kit to make for her mom. Gwen is new to stamping, but was excited about taking on this project. She came to my house one Tuesday night and in about two hours - and MANY replays of the SU! Build a Bouquet video, we completed two flowers - whew!

Gwen went home, created the remainder of the flowers in the style we did together, did all of the stamping for the other flowers and returned the following Tuesday for us to make one of each of the last three flowers.

This is what Gwen brought to class on Saturday for show and tell!!

Didn't she do an amazing job? Pam thought so too, because she ordered one to make! I had read comments about how time consuming this project is which scared me, but it really was fun to make. The first night we made the poppies and didn't have enough time to really allow them to dry - we were both left with red, inky fingers, but that was okay!

If you're looking for a fun project, this just might be the one for you. Check out the video for SU!'s Build a Bouquet.

Thanks for stopping!

Sue

Mini Treat Bag

I had fun playing with the Mini Treat Bag Thinlit die. I added these treat bags to my customer orders from my last class. They could be addicting!!

The free SAB paper is a breath of spring and the accessories pack made these a snap to embellish. What a great way to show off your DSP!!

Thanks for stopping!

Sue

Built for Free Using: My Stampin Blog

Welcome to the March Pals Blog Hop where we are celebrating spring. This month we are featuring spring related projects for Mother’s Day, Easter or any other occasion that celebrates winter coming to an end.

Winner!: Before I jump in to the blog hop information I want to give a quick shout out to Meredith L who won by 150th post blog candy. Thanks for your comment Meredith. I sent an email to you with details on your next step.

You may just be starting the blog hop or may have come from Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn #17 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 so you see all of the amazing creations.

This week it actually feels like spring here in Wisconsin - woo hoo! I broke out the spring flowers and soft colors for a special sympathy card. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you've read bits here and there about my lifelong friend Nan. Last week Nan's mom died and I wanted to make a special card for the wonderful family that has treated me like one of their own since I've been a kid.

The colors I chose for this card were Pink Pirouette and Very Vanilla. Boho Blossoms and Petite Petal punches helped to create my flower garden. The base of the card is 10 x 7 and scored at 5. With the help of the Labels and Oval Thinlits, creating a window was a snap. Stamp sets used were Bloom with Hope, Petite Petals, Papillion Potpourri and Teeny Tiny Wishes.

Leave a comment below; I love to read your comments.

The next stop is Candy Ford  at Stamp Candy on the Pals Blog Hop! Thanks for visiting and I hope to see you next month. Thanks so much for stopping!

Sue

1. Susan Itell at Simple Stampin
2. Angela Curry at Kindred Stampers
3. Sherrie Gross at Stampin' Sunshine
4. Mary Fish at Stampin' Pretty
5. Jackie Diediker at Stampin' Jackie
6. Katy McGloin at Just Fun Stamping
7. Amy Whelan at Amy's Inklings
8. Patti MacLeith at Papercrafts By Patti
9. Denise Hoepfner at The Mountain Magpie
10. Beth Beard at My little craft blog
11. Natalie Bradley at Soiree by Natalie Bradley
12. Michelle Gleeson at StampinMojo
13. Debbie Crowley at expressively deb...
14. Jane Knudsen at see jane stamp
15. Lisa Ann Bernard at Queen B Creations
16. Nicole Watt at Pixel Maven's Retreat
17. Dawn Tidd at Tiddbits from Dawn
18. Sue Becker at RnR Stamping  You are here!
19. Candy Ford at Stamp Candy
20. Karen Hallam at Karen's Blog
21. Susan Lankford at Stamp and Create With Susan
22. Pamela Sadler at Stampin Pink Rose
23. Kerry Willard Bray at Peonies and Paper Chains
24. Kim Jolley at Stampin' Artfully
25. Martie Pollard at The Crafty Bandit
26. Wendy Klein at Doggone Delightful Stampin'
27. Benjaman Turner at He Stamps
28. Lynn Kolcun at Stamping with Avery's Owlery
29. Liz Gautreaux at Kind Deeds Stampin
30. Amy Hoptay at Inking of You!
31. September Gray at septembergray.com
32. Katie Ferguson at Cottage Paper
33. Becky Volpp at inkblossomwithbecky.com
34. Beth McCullough at Stamping Mom
35. Brian King at Stamp with Brian

150th Post and Blog Candy!

Thanks for stopping today to help me celebrate my 150th blog post! Woo Hoo!!

Before I share my blog candy, I want to show you a fun fold I saw on Dawn Griffith's site. I wanted to have something fun for this special post. I totally CASEd one card and went off on my own with the second.

The Sweet Taffy DSP just hollers "HAPPY!" to me. It's a perfect choice for a bright, cheery birthday greeting.

The Labels Thinlets are the real star of this show and are perfectly topped off with the FREE SAB Big Day stamp set. I used my 1" square punch to flag the ends of my sentiment.

TIP: Don't have a square punch? Or if you do, are there times when you struggle with crooked points? (I ask that because I've been there!) On the backside of your sentiment use a ruler to find the center of your card stock and make a small dot. Use your paper snips to cut from the corner to the dot - ta dahhh! You have your end flagged!

Even more fun than the outside of this card is the inside. I just love this fold; it's so much fun! 

TIP: When I use a fun fold, I tend to keep the rest of my card fairly simple so as not to overpower the fold itself.

The whole Big Day stamp set was put to use in this card and in Dawn fashion, I broke out the Dazzling Diamonds to accent the cake frosting, cake stand and some of the lettering.

So after shamelessly CASEing one card, this is what I created on round 2. For this card I used Very Vanilla and a beautiful print from Typeset. I love this card even more than the first one! I used a vintage stamp set for the sentiment

TIP: To create the black layer of the label, I traced the Thinlit and the fussy cut the layer. You just have to remember to make 'points' on the sides because the outline of the Thinlit is rounded

I played around with a variety of colors with the Lotus Bloss stamp, another FREE SAB item, and ended up using Memento Black for the first, detail step, Basic Gray for the second step and Smokey Slate for step three. I LOVE how it turned out, don't you?

I hope you enjoyed my projects for today. As a thank you to those who follow my blog, I have some blog candy today. 





I will choose a random winner using the names of anyone who leaves a comment at the end of my post.

One lucky person will win Chalk Lines! This is a great stamp set to use for texture, borders or just a bit of interest.

I look forward to reading your comments and thank you for stopping. If you're not currently receiving my posts in your email box, just enter your email address in the field in the right column and you'll never have to worry about missing one of my posts.

Hope you have some RnR Time this weekend...happy stamping!

Sue

Another PPA Challenge!

Another quick post before the big 150! Be sure to stop in on Saturday for a blog candy opportunity!








We're back to a color challenge this week and it looks like this challenge was created with an upcoming holiday in mind!




Here is my challenge card for this week:

The best thing about challenges is to see what everyone does with them. Click here to view some of the other creations for PPA242! 

Thanks so much for stopping. I look forward to your popping in to my 150th post celebration!

Until then, take gentle care,
Sue