Swappin' with my DLs

Artwork by Laurel Matthew. All images copyright Stampin' Up!DLs = my downline. Demonstrators that have signed up with me. They're "my girls". My stampin' students. My creative, crafty, crazy little crickets. Having a Stampin' Up! downline feels SO good. They're motivating, validating, and great company! Each month, we have a swap. In a swap, each member (aka swapper) comes up with one idea (usually based on a theme or template) and makes a bunch of the same thing. Then, we mail them to the hostess, who swaps them out, and returns one of each design to the swappers. It's fun and a great way to share ideas.In July, my mom hosted. She's pictured, left, at her 1st ever stampin session with me. As a librarian, she loves books and bookmarks, of course. And, as a fledgling Demonstrator, she wanted to learn how to use her stamping supplies to make bookmarks & coordinating projects. Thus, we were challenged to design a bookmark and card from the same stamp set & supplies. So, here's my little set. It's a bookmark collection & gift envelope. I featured all-new exclusive supplies from the Fall/Winter 2007 Collection, just released in July. I just ordered all these great accessories and HAD to use them all.Stamp Sets: Garden Silhouettes. Colors: Groovy Guava, Old Olive, Always Artichoke, River Rock. Technique: Emboss Resist. Accessories: Jumbo Eyelets, Pretties flowers, Ribbon Originals, Eyelets, Hodgepodge, Double-Stitched Grosgrain Ribbon. And, no. I did not come up with this whole thing by myself. I CASE'd it from a project featured in a Feb. 2004 issue of "Stampin' Success," our monthly publication for demonstrators. The project with the flowers, left, is the original, suggested as a Stamp Camp project. The Christmas tree version is my first CASE. Both flower and tree image are from the Nice and Narrow stamp set, now retired. Contact me for the Pattern Template and make your own CASE of this great bookmark project. Better yet, become a demonstrator yourself, and you'll have access to this pattern, and countless more great ideas, techniques, and patterns available to Stampin' Up! demonstrators.

AUG '07 Stamp-A-Stack

Artwork by Laurel Matthew. All images copyright Stampin' Up! This week, I taught my monthly Stamp-A-Stack. I get the challenge of coming up with 5 projects, and precut, score, and prepare all the products for my stampers. Each guest then stamps 10 cards & envelopes themselves.With such a variety of layouts, colors, and styles ... there is a project for every taste.But usually, my guests like them all!!I just pre-ordered this fantastic NEW from the Holiday Collection. It's not even available to customers yet. BUT, I loved it so much, I had to let my SAS'ers have the first go with it. We used Really Rust, Groovy Guava, and River Rock. The underlying strip is a coordinating Double Sided Designer Paper. Cool, don't you think?!I have been extremely blessed with some of the most compassionate, understanding, helpful, generous, thoughful, and fun friends in the world. I had fun putting together these projects, and had a friend in mind behind each of them. So, check the mail, girls. I'll be RAKing my BFFs this month.And, you could too, if you come to my NEXT Stamp-A-Stack and make some of these beauties for your friends!

AUG '07 Stamp-A-Stack

Artwork by Laurel Matthew. All images copyright Stampin' Up! This week, I taught my monthly Stamp-A-Stack. I get the challenge of coming up with 5 projects, and precut, score, and prepare all the products for my stampers. Each guest then stamps 10 cards & envelopes themselves.With such a variety of layouts, colors, and styles ... there is a project for every taste.But usually, my guests like them all!!I just pre-ordered this fantastic NEW from the Holiday Collection. It's not even available to customers yet. BUT, I loved it so much, I had to let my SAS'ers have the first go with it. We used Really Rust, Groovy Guava, and River Rock. The underlying strip is a coordinating Double Sided Designer Paper. Cool, don't you think?!I have been extremely blessed with some of the most compassionate, understanding, helpful, generous, thoughful, and fun friends in the world. I had fun putting together these projects, and had a friend in mind behind each of them. So, check the mail, girls. I'll be RAKing my BFFs this month.And, you could too, if you come to my NEXT Stamp-A-Stack and make some of these beauties for your friends!