35 FREE gifts! Anniversary give away

July 1st is my 35th wedding anniversary. Wow, when I look at our wedding picture I am struck by how young I was! I was 20 but I looked about 15. I'm afraid I look my age now, 4 kids will do that to you!

Elaine's anniversary give-away - celebrating 35 years of marriage with 35 gifts to YOU! Here is how you can earn some:

The first 15 people who place a $25+ order with me will get their choice of a free inkpad from one of my retiring ink pad colors. Some are slightly used, some are still in the shrink wrap. First to order chooses her color first. You can order from my web site, email me (wrightplace4@mindspring.com) or call me with your order.

The colors I have are:
*Pixie Pink
*Pink Passion (unopened)
*Cameo Coral
*Orchid Opulence
*Ruby Red
*Only Orange
*Marigold Morning
*Apricot Appeal
*Yo Yo Yellow (unopened)
*Gable Green
*Green Galore
*Handsome Hunter
*Ballet Blue (unopened)
*Close to Cocoa
*Going Gray (unopened)





The first 10 people to place a $50+ order with me will get their choice of a free pack of ink products from my retiring product I have on hand. (First to order chooses her ink products first) All packs include ink pad, marker. Some include both a reinker and a wheel cartridge and some have only a reinker or only a cartridge, as indicated below.

*Brocade Blue (large wheel cartridge)
*Lovely Lilac (large wheel cartridge but no reinker)
*Sage Shadow (small wheel cartridge)
*Glorious Green (small wheel cartridge)
*Lavender Lace (small wheel cartridge)
*Summer Sun (small wheel cartridge)
*Bordering Blue (small wheel cartridge)
*Brilliant Blue (no wheel cartridge)
*Pale Plum (no wheel cartridge)
*Really Rust (no wheel cartridge)

The first 10 home workshops booked with me that have qualifying sales of $150 will get their choice of a free stamp set and 2 markers from my retiring sets or free Designer Series Paper pack and 2 markers. All are retired stamps, paper and markers that I have on hand. Hostesses will get to chose in the order they booked, not the date of the workshop. Free stamps or paper will be delivered at the workshop. I will do a workshop within a 100 mile radius of Clarksville, TN. That includes a lot of KY. These free gifts are in addition to the generous hostess program that Stampin' Up! offers its hostesses. Workshops must be held by Sept 30 to qualify for free extras. Email me (wrightplace4@mindspring.com) to set up a date soon!

Stamp sets available:
*Of the Earth
*Organic Grace
*Happy Moments
*Patterned Pines
*Congrats
*Sweet Little Sentiments
*Botanical Blooms
*Polka Dot Punches

DSP available:
*Bella Rose
*Parisian Breeze
*Recollections

I've also got some goodies for anyone who wants to join my Stampin' Up team! With the $99 mini kit that is available, now is a great time to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator. Hurry though, the offer ends today. You can sign up on my website or contact me with any questions and I'll help you out. If you are a former demonstrator, there is a great deal coming up for the month of July for you to rejoin for only $35! If you've been thinking about rejoining, there surely will never be a better time.

I hope that is all clear. I've got a lot of retiring product on hand that needs to go. Not that my husband would leave me because of all my stuff (he would have left a loooonnnngggg time ago if that was the case!) but it will make him happier. Humm, I wonder what we will be doing in another 35 years! I reckon most couples don't make it to their 70th anniversary though.

200th post! Blog Candy!

This is my 200th post! I can't believe it has been so many, it doesn't seem like I could have posted that many times. My heartfelt thanks to my loyal readers and my new readers alike! I also noticed that I have 99 followers. I reckon my 1ooth should get a little blog candy too. Sooo, I'm giving away 2 assorted card packs I've made. They will each have 10 cards in them. One will go to one of the people who post a comment on this blog post (I'll draw a name on Friday), and the other will go to the 100th follower. I'll announce both blog candies on Friday after I draw.

When you comment, be sure to leave a blog address so I can know how to get ahold of you to get your address and send your cards! Sorry the colors are kind of washed out of the pictures. For some reason I couldn't get a good shot today. Maybe I should invest in one of those photo cubes. It is interesting how the colors of my veggies in the basket behind the cards look bright but the cards don't. Oh well, the veggies are beautiful! I jsut picked some of them about 1/2 hour ago. Now THAT'S fresh!

Good luck everyone and thanks again!

New Stuff, FREE Stuff and Swap Cards!

Here is a picture of some of the free things I have gotten from Stampin' Up the past month. I love it when they give me free stamps and stuff! The company is so good to it's demonstrators, that is another great reason for you to join my team! I got the 6 new colors of ink pads and cardstock and 13 markers, the 6 new colors and 7 from the past In Colors that are returning as permanent (at least until the next color renovation) colors to our palet. Since there were problems in production (not Stampin' Up's fault) they gave everyone a new hostess stamp set called Because I Care. That helped me be more patient while I waited :~)

I also got 2 free stamp sets from the Sale-a-Bration promotion we did Jan-March. I could have ordered something sooner but I wanted to wait until I could get some of the new sets when the catalog pre-0rder came out. I ended up getting an alphabet set and a level 3 hostess set. I used the alphabet set on the July layout that I will be posting in a few days, keep your eye out for it!

As much as I like to get free goodies, I love to give them away too! I'm going to be giving away free stuff starting June 30. I'm getting my post ready for the details of my 35th wedding anniversary give away. I have ink pads, markers, reinkers, wheel cartridges and stamp sets - 35 gifts for you! Check back Wednesday to see how you can earn free Stampin' Up products too. These products will be retired but they still work!

In the mean time, enjoy a few of the swap cards I got last week at my Stampin' Up team meeting. There were lots of cards with that beautiful free set Because I Care. I love that hydranga, I'm seeing so many ways to color the flower, I can't wait to try them all! The pink and purple hydrangia is from Sue Erickson. She used the 2 colors of ink to show the highlights and shadows as well as the different colors you can get from hydrangias depending on the soil, sun and moisture. Her flower is beautiful on a Crumb Cake embossed background.

Top right is another beautiful card. the creator didn't put her name on the back which is a shame, it is so beautiful I'd love to give her credit. I love how she made a lacy border and used the little long stamp in the Because I Care set down the middle of it.

The other 2 cards weren't signed either but show some other great ways to use this stamp set. Notice the background blue paper on the lower right one? It is stamped with a single hydrangia bloom stamp from the set. did I mention that I really like this set that I got free, hey, you can get it free too! It is a level 1 hostess set!

4 more swap cards and then I reckon I'll go start supper. Another no-name card on both the left ones, isn't the top on nice with it's neutral colors and simple design? And the talented lady who made the lower left one did a great job of coloring the Courage stamp. On the right side, the beautiful card on the top was made by Stacy Bowers. She used the new Greenhouse Gala paper and the Friends Never Fade stamp set which are both so pertty but her ribbon treatment makes this a fantastic card! I need to get my sewing maching out to use on cards more often!

The last card is a fun card that Linda Cathey cased from Mary Fish. I love the lollipop flower with the butterfly sitting on it, what a fun touch. I like how she embossed the Old Olive paper with the polka dot embossing folder before cutting the leaves and stems from it. Very nice touch.

Another Resist Card, New Kits for Great Prices, New Acrylic Blocks

There is a lot going on as Stampin' Up ends it's year and we get ready for the new catalog to begin on July 1st. I love the new catalog. As always, it is full of great projects and there are beautiful new stamp sets and accessories to add to your wish list! But first, we still have a few days left of June and the last chance list. Be sure to check it out and order before they are gone. Not only does the new 2010/2011 catalog begin on July 1st, it is also my 35th wedding anniversary. I'm going to be announcing something soon, I have to give YOU something for my anniversary :~)
My card share for today is another paint resist card. I used Cherry Cobbler this time, I have already decided that this is my favorite new color. Of course, when I use another one, I may change my mind! If you missed the instructions for the paint resist technique, it is in this post.

It's also a great time to join me in a Stampin' Up business. Until Wednesday you can join for only $99! What a great price for a mini kit that will get you going on a fun new business. Just click on the $99 starter kit icon on the right at the very top.

However, if you used to be a Stampin' Up demonstrator and have been thinking about getting back in the stampin' business, there will surely never be a better time, there is a $35 Rejoin Starter Kit available to you during the month of July. This special is available to all former demonstrators who left Stampin' Up before March 31st of this year. The Rejoin Starter Kit will have catalogs and the paper work you need to get started again. If you have been away for more than a couple of years you might want to get an add on kit to gain a few of the products you will need but if it hasn't been long you will still have all the current supplies you will need. What a great deal!

One more thing:


Other companies blocks, left - Stampin' Up block, right

I love the new Stampin' Up acrylic blocks! They are groved around all 4 sides. Most of the other acrylic blocks I have don't have a grove for a good grip at all, the non-SU block I have that is groved is only groved on 2 sides. No matter which direction you need to hold it, you find a comfortable grip with the Stampin' Up blocks. All edges are rounded too, as well as the corners so they are safer and more comfortable. The 3 blocks on the left are from various other companies that I have bought over the years. Now that Stampin' Up is carrying acrylic blocks, I'm going to get all their sizes and get rid of all the other blocks! They 9 sizes that are available individually or as a set and there will be a great new storage container in the new catalog too. There are other storage pieces in the new catalog for other things, more about that later!

Punch Art Blog Hop

I am in several Yahoo groups for stamping and scrapbooking. It is a great way to share and meet other people who are as obsessed as I am! I recently joined one that is for Stampin' Up demonstrators who love punch art. We are having a blog hop today featuring (of course) Punch Art!

If you logged in earlier today and wondered what was up with my post, I put the names and links in yesterday but had a meeting and I was going to finish when I got home but the internet was out then and still out now. I'm sitting in the Chick-Fil-A parking lot using their wi-fi! I made a magnolia using the Ornament Punch that I wanted to share with you today. I put it on one of the Fancy Favor dies and it is a little large for that, I'll have to find something larger or maybe one of the explosion boxes would look great with this flower on top.

I used 18 or 19 punches, punched from glossy white cardstock for this flower. I sponged the edges of each with Pretty in Pink ink and arranged them around a 1 3/4 inch circle punch. It takes a while to ink them all but it goes together pretty fast after that. Rhea Anderson came up with this great idea but I saw it on another blog and copied it from there. If you want the directions, go to Rhea's blog and look on the right toolbar.

Here are the other blogs in the blog hop. I hope you find lots of good punch art ideas!

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1 Paper Punch Addiction
2 DOstamping with Dawn
3 A Stamp Above

4 Kinta Kards

5 Krafty Biker

6 I Reckon I'll Stamp

7 The Stamping Studio

8 Stamp with Linda Walsh

9 Krafty Kates Kipboard

10 Stampin With Jan

11 Paper Dreams & Creative Wishes

Summer Mini Album

I love the Island Oasis Designer paper that Stampin' Up has in their Summer Mini Catalog! It is so fun to work with and is so bright and cheerful. Just like Summer should be :~)

I used my Big Shot and the Top Note die to make the pages for this little book. I covered the chipboard pages with the Tropical Party paper and coordinating cardstock, also cut out with the Top Note die. It went together very quickly. With such great paper, I was able to keep embelishments to a minimum so it didn't take long at all!

I printed out pictures of the grandchildren 9 to a page so they fit nicely without having to cut many of them down to fit. I added journaling from my computer, punched holes for the rings which I tied lots of bright ribbon onto and my little mini album was ready to share and enjoy.

I used 8 pages in this album but the rings are large enough to put more pages in it. I'll probably add more before the Summer of 2010 is over. You can see a little bit of the last page in the second picture. I folded down the top fourth of the DSP and made a pocket that I have some extra pictures in. I'll either leave them there or add them to more little album pages later.

Wedding Card

Isn't this a beautiful wedding card? I just love it! It was a swap card that I got from my fabulous upline's upline, Joann Wiemers. She used the Bride Specialty Paper for the "tux" and "bridal gown". This paper is beautiful in white but it is very cool to add color to because the shiny designs on the paper don't take the color and the dull parts do.

I love the little touches she added to her card like the lacy hem of the wedding dress made with the scalloped edge punch and the black ribbon "belt" with a rhinestone brad for the buckle. The Mr & Mrs is stamped with the Together Forever stamp set. It is a wonderful set that features 6 stamps but it is retiring when the current catalog goes out the last day of June.

Check out the retiring stamps list and be sure you order the sets you love but haven't ordered yet before they are gone! You will also want to check out the retiring accessories list. A lot of the retiring colors have sold out of the paper and reinkers so if you have a favorite you will want to stock up on those too.

A couple of punches and quite a few of the Big Shot dies are retiring. Luckily, I only have one die of the ones that are retiring. I'm excited to get some of the new dies that are coming out in the new catalog. I try to keep my wish list short . . .

I've been tagged!

A fellow Stampin' Up demonstrator send me a card she created so I've been tagged. I need to send out some cards to other Stampin' Up demonstrators, I hope I choose someone who needs a pick-me-up like I did today. I have been home sick last night and today. My husband and I were going over to a friend's house for supper last night but I just couldn't make it. Today was the first day of our church Girl's Camp and I am the craft director (if you've been following my blog for the last 2 years you have seen posts of this) and I had to miss it. I think I should be able to go tomorrow. I'm starting to feel better.

I think it was vertigo, I've been dizzy and had a terrible headache but ear drops are helping me feel less dizzy. I'm planning to be at camp tomorrow and help the girls do a mini album/autograph book. Our scrapbook page is on Thursday and we are doing a wire craft on Friday. I always have a bead table set up for the ones who want to make something with that. A lot of the girls love to create jewelry.

Here is a quick garden update, I've been getting squash for a couple of weeks and it is yummy! I picked 2 peaches yesterday, the corn is taller than me and the beans are coming on thick! I have bush beans, snow peas and butter beans. Those little bitty butter beans are so cute! I bet you never thought about butter beans being cute. I took a picture of the tomatoes and bush beans to share. The cucumbers are 4 or 5 inches long now and judging by the blooms, we will have lots of cucumbers this year! Even with all the weeding it takes, I love having a big garden.

Anyway, back to my card. It was made by Kathy Thisted who lives in Bellingham, WA. I love the bright colors and "sending happy thoughts" sentiment. I'll have to squeeze in a little time during my busy week to send a few cards to brighten someone else's day. Humm, I reckon I'll send 5 cards. Once I decide on a design it won't take long to make a few more.

Brayer technique

I've been wanting to try some other techniques with Paint that was introduced in the Holiday Mini Catalog and will be in the new catalog that comes out July 1st (yippeeeee, I can't wait!!!) and found a few minutes to try this technique. I'm not sure what the technique is called but you take some plastic wrap and smoosh it up and dip it in the paint and daub it onto Glossy White cardstock. It is best to use the glossy for this technique because the brayer spreads the ink much more nicely on the glossy.

After you have daubbed it all over, leaving some spaces inbetween, roll the brayer in the ink color of your choice and roll it over the daubbed cardstock. It will fill in where the Shimmer Paint isn't and make a wonderful background. It isn't real clear in the first picture but in the second picture I turned the lights up some so you could see how it shines.

I wanted more shine so I used the Brushed Silver Cardstock to stamp the sentiment on and to cut the butterfly out of. I stamped the swirls on the butterfly's wings with the swirly stamp from the Garden Whimsy set (so sad to see it retire) and embossed with white embossing powder, same with the sentiment. I also added 3 Rhinestone Brads for the butterfly body and made a bow of the Whisper White Organza Ribbon. I mounted the brayered, shimmered piece on black and then on the card front.

What do you think, is there enough glitz on this one??

New products!

The UPS man was early today. He usually comes around 10:30 but he delivered 2 packages to me this morning at 9:00! I thought I would have to wait till I got home from the Y to see my new 2010/2011 Stampin' Up! Catalog. I could have hugged him! I wonder what he would have done :~)

I found a few minutes to play with the new wheel I had ordered. I think it is adorable and when my niece has her new baby boy she will know that I think that he is priceless! I had planned to add some other embelishments to the card but it told me not to. Do your cards and scrapbook pages tell you things too? Usually they tell me to add something or move something but they seldom tell me that something so simple is finished. I think this wheel will be perfect for scrapbook pages too.

I've got another stamp set I will try to create with later and one of the sets I ordered is on backorder. I guess when they put it on the preorder list nearly every Stampin' Up demonstrator they have ordered the same set! At least I have some new stamps and a new Big Shot goodie to pass the time until the backorder gets here. There are also some great new punches I'll be ordering one July 1st when the new catalog goes live.

If you see me somewhere, ask to see the new catalog. I will probably carry it with me everywhere for a few weeks! There are 2 reasons that July 1st will be a special day. Not only will the new catalog start, more importantly, it will be our 35th wedding anniversary. It's hard to believe it has been 35 years but since our youngest child is 27 I guess it must have been. Keep checking back, I reckon I'll HAVE to have some kind of special beginning July 1st, won't I?

Father's Day class

Father's Day is 11 days away (or closer if you don't read this on Wednesday)! I can't believe how quickly the year is zipping by. Wasn't I just posting Christmas projects????

I love the Tropical Party paper so much that I decided to use it for the Father's Day class I'm doing. The class includes a wooden light house frame that we will cover with DSP and a photo album you can fill with pictures for him. Of course, you have to have a Father's Day card to go along with it, won't he love the fact that they all match? Well, a lot of father's won't notice but you will like the fact that they all match :~)

You will make all 3 projects at the class for only $15! This is a great deal for a set of gifts he will love. I will teach the class 2 times, this Saturday (June 12) at 2PM and next Tuesday night (June 15) at 6:30. I live just a few miles off Exit 11, email me if you would like to take the class, wrightplace4@mindspring.com

I will be posting a picture of the scrapbook page for June in a couple of days. The class will be June 23 at 7PM.

Not everyone who wanted to take the mini album class last month got to take it so I will teach it again on June 28, 2PM. Here is a picture of the inside of the cute album. Let me know very soon if you want to take the mini album class so I can order the supplies to make it. I need to know by June 19. The class will be $20, email me to sign up!

Metal Embossed Butterfly

I love this project that Julie shared with us at the shoebox swap! I thought the butterflies looked good in my Africian Violets. We just used metal flashing from the lumber store and cut it with the Beautiful Butterfly die on the Big Shot machine. Then we ran the smaller butterfly through the Perfect Polka Dots embossing folder and the larger one through the Elegant Boquet embossing folder.

Not only do the Big Shot dies cut the metal with no trouble, the Crop-a-dile punches holes right through it! We punched a hole in the middle of the butterflies and used a Rhinestone Brad to attach it to the wire to make the plant poke. Quick, easy and looks great!

I am anxiously awaiting my pre-order from the new catalog. When it comes I will hopefully be able to get some projects made to share quickly. I'm also working on a Father's Day class for next week. We will be doing a picture frame, photo album and card that all co-ordinate. I should be able to finish them tomorrow so I can post the pictures and hopefully entice you to come to the class!

What is a Shoebox Swap?

If you are a Stampin' Up demonstrator you are probably familiar with a Shoebox Swap. If you aren't, it is where every participant in the swap designs a card and cuts all the paper, ribbon, etc and puts them in a plastic shoebox with the stamp set(s) and ink needed to complete the card. Then we gather together and do each other's projects. This is a great way to get fun samples to show people and you actually made each one of them so you know how to do the techniques involved.

I went to a Shoebox Swap at my upline's house last week and we made some fun cards and a plant poke that is very cute. Look and see if you can figure out which one I designed. I neglected to write the name of each card's creator on the backs of them so I'm not sure who did which card (I forget lots of stuff in a week's time).

Top left is the card I designed. I used the wonderful new basket weave embossing folder, I love that one! I also used the Tropical Party stamp set and the Island Oasis DSP. It is a tri fold card.

Top right is a card using the beautiful Elements of Style set as well as the All A Flutter individual stamp set, both from the Summer Mini catalog.

Middle left is a card that not only uses that wonderful embossing folder, it uses the most beautiful paper download that has ever been offered for My Digital Studio. I seriously need to find the time to download this paper. This isn't even the most beautiful one from the download.

Middle right is a red, black and white card (great color combo) that features the Dream Gardens stamp set, I'm not sure if you can tell that the Oriental characters were embossed with silver embossing powder.

Lower left is a very pretty card. It uses the Scalloped Square die to make the card base. The Whisper White is folded in half so that is how the card opens. The top square is embossed with the Elegant Boquet embossing folder (another of my favorites) and then a large circle is stamped with the Watercolor Trio stamps and a sentiment addedwith the oval and scalloped oval punches.


Lower right is another beautiful card that is stamped with the Vintage Vogue stamp set and the Vintage Wheel. I love the Rich Razzleberry and Craft colors. It also features half beads from the pretties kit. This kit is being retired from the catalog, I can't wait to see what wonderful embellishment kit takes it's place!

I still have the plant poke to show you and a couple of 3-D flowers that are great accents. I reckon I'll post them in a couple of days, gotta get to bed now!

2 Cards, $99 Starter Kit and Last Chance list!

This is an exciting time for me as a Stampin' Up Demonstrator. First of all, I got a sneak peak at some of the new stamp sets and accessories that will be coming out in the new catalog. The new catalog starts July 1st but I'll be getting it in a few days! I can't wait to see more new stamps and all the projects that will be featured on page after page. I just love seeing new ideas for cards and scrapbook pages.

I've ordered a few things from the list and will post some projects with them as soon as I can. In the mean time, here are some cards that feature products from the fun new Summer Mini Catalog. The first one was made by Jennifeer Valk. She used both the Island Oasis Designer Series Paper and the Tropical Party stamp set. I love these 2 products! They work so well together and the colors are great. Most of my June classes will feather both, they have been so fun to create with.

The second card uses the Sweet Scoops stamp set. Yum, ice cream with sprinkles and a cherry on top! Of course, you know I'd be glad to help you with your order from the Summer Mini Catalog!

Now - before we talk about the new goodies that are coming next month - what did you want from the 2009/2010 catalog that you haven't gotten around to ordering yet? If you would like to see what is retiring to make sure you get it before it is gone, click here for the last chance list. As you scroll down you will notice that there are 2 last chance lists. The first one is for stamp sets and the second one is for accessories. The reason for this is because the stamps are made in a factory owned by Stampin' Up so they can manufacture as many as it takes to fill everyone's orders. The accessories are made by other factories and when they are gone, they are gone and we won't be able to get more. Some of the paper is already sold out! It might be best to order from this list online so you know as soon as you place the order if it is still available or not.

OK, did you scroll on down past the last chance lists??? Were you tempted by the great offer on a mini starter kit for only $99? What a great price for a start to a fun business for you, it is valued at over $180! This special kit is available only during the month of June and did you notice on the list, there are some of the new items from the sneak peak list and a free box of the brand new catalogs! If this is something you would like to learn more about, be sure to email me and I'll answer any questions you have and help you get started if that is something you would like to do. It is truly the most fun job I've ever had!