Well, I haven't fallen off the earth.  I've just been taking life easy, enjoying Christmas and being lazy.  And yesterday it all ended.  I went on Weds and bought a new television and a vcr/dvd player.  They're both the same brand so it should have been easy to hook them up.  WRONG!!  I spent 1 1/2 hour on the phone talking to three different people.  One of my problems was that the batteries that came with one of the remotes were already shot.  Changed the batteries and then the vcr worked but it wouldn't play on the tv.  Well, the third person that I talked to said that the first person that I talked to gave me bad information.  It took him all of 5 mins to get me going.  Now everything is working and last night I sat down and watched The Little Mermaid.  I hadn't seen it all the way through and since I'm going to Disney in a couple of weeks and the Little Mermaid is part of the new Fantasyland and I wanted to see it.  I'm also going to watch Beauty and the Beast before I go.  Two weeks from today I'll be sitting in the Orange County Convention Center for the opening session of Leadership.  I'll be going to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and then on to Disney.  I can hardly wait.  It's time to start packing.  Right.  That will happen just before I go but I do need to look through my clothes and see what I need.  This morning I was looking for a pair of pj's that I bought a couple of years ago and I found a shirt that I don't think I've ever worn.  It goes in the suitcase.
Well, I really thought that I would get some stamping done yesterday but it didn't happen.  So I went on Stampin Connection and found this card.  Notice the beautiful lace and the button.  They're from the Artisan Embellishments in the Spring catalog.

Oh, Hello

 

By now you should have received your new spring catalog and Sale A Bration folder so I'm going to start showing some cards made with new stamp sets.  This card was made with a stamp set called Oh Hello, some DSP called Tea for Two and the greeting is from a set that you can get for free.  It's called Blooming Marvelous and it's free with a $50.00 order. 

If you haven't gotten your new catalogs yet please give me a call. 

Nativity Tags

My sister always makes Christmas tags for the people she works with.  Well, this year one lady asked for Nativity tags.  So last night we whipped up these tags.  Some of these images are current, some are retired and some aren't Stampin' Up! but I think they turned out pretty good.  She didn't have the ties on yet when I took the pictures. 

 

 

She says that this next year we're going to do some tags every month so we don't have to rush so much in December.  But I think I've heard that before. 

Daydream Medallions

 

Here's the card that I sent to Ted and Deb.  I got the idea online but I think it's very pretty.  And it was a good exercise in using the Stamp A Ma Jig.  The wreath was made using the Daydream Medallions stamp set.  I used the two largest stamps out of the set.  I stamped the largest medallion and then I had to use the Stamp A Ma Jig to line up the smaller stamp inside the first one.  The bird was real easy.  Just used the Bird Builder punch.  Then I ran the pieces through an embossing folder to give it a little pizzaz.  The red berries are rhinestones that I colored red using a Sharpie marker.  Because it's not a standard size I had to make the envelope but that's really easy using the Simply Scored tool.  Quick and easy but very cute.  Try it, you'll like it. 

 

This box is one that we'll be making at my Boxes and Bags class on Thursday.  Hopefully you can make a much prettier bow than I did.  I cut the tulle to short but I didn't want to waste it.  But your box might not look like this because you'll get to choose which paper you want to use. 

 

And I did get a couple of cards out on Sat (I know, I know, I'm really slow) and this is the one that made for my sister and brother-in-law.  She collects nativities so this one was perfect for her.  I did get the idea on line somewhere.  And I had to use my wheel for the music notes.  Took a couple of tries but this one looked pretty good so I used it. 

Tomorrow I'll show you the one that I did for my oldest brother and sister-in-law.  I really had to come up with a couple of new ideas because Laurel and Deb are here so much that they had seen almost all of the Christmas cards that came through here. 

Stayed informed.

This might be a long post but I want to be sure that you all know what's going on at Stampin' Up!.  So here's some info about current offers.  If you have any questions just call or email me.

Simply Sent Card App
It has been hard to keep this a secret-we're so excited about it! We have created a card-making application, and we already have a great name for it: Simply Sent! This iPhone app allows customers to create an e-card-from a template or completely on their own-and send it via e-mail or post it on Facebook. And it's free!
Here's something you should know about this app: it's not My Digital Studio on a mobile device, not even close. This scaled-back version will only give customers a taste of what they can create when they buy MDS. We want to get our name and our art out there so more people than ever before will know about Stampin' Up! We hope you'll get excited about it as well and that you'll do the following:
Download it from iTunes or the App Store, share it with all your friends, and post a review! The more positive reviews it gets, the more prominent place it takes in the iTunes store.
Try it out!
Talking Tags.
With Talking Tag, you can send a gift that is uniquely you. Talking Tag is a message label you can attach to cards, invitations, gifts . . . anything! Personalize birthday cards, Christmas gifts or even record quick instructions for a project. Now your pictures really can say a thousand words!
How to Buy Talking Tags:
Buy 'em by the sheet! You get 10 tags for just $7.95 (item 129723).
How to record a voice message:

1. Download the FREE TalkingTagT App on you smartphone from talkingtag.mobi, iTunes® or Google PlayT.
2. Adhere the message tag to your card or gift.
3. Open TalkingTagT App and scan the code.
4. Record your message (recording starts immediately, so make sure you're ready!).

Ornamental Elegance.
The ornament on the cover of our holiday catalog is such a hit that we are making it available to you and your customers--just in time to deck the halls with terrific trimmings you've made yourself! We've simplified this fun project so that you can quickly and easily achieve the same results. In addition to the kit, all you need is a glue gun, scissors, and adhesive. (Our Anywhere Glue Sticks [104045] are perfect for assembly.) Want greeting or place cards to go with those ornaments? The Ornament Keepsakes Stamp Set (W 128048 C 128051) gives you perfect coordination. Fancy a little sparkle and shine? Sprinkle on our Dazzling Diamonds Stampin' Glitter (102023)!

Holiday Packaging.

Around the holidays, people are always looking for cute ways to package little treats and gifts for co-workers, teachers, neighbors, and friends. At 20% savings, holiday packaging bundles are an affordable and adorable solution. Simply add a treat or gift and assemble. Because holiday packaging bundles don't require any stamping, cutting, or creating, they give you the perfect reason to reach out to everyone who's giving gifts this holiday season-even if they are NOT papercrafters. So share the flyer, send out the e-card, and post on Facebook-do everything you can to reach people who normally don't buy from you! Then follow up with phone calls. Everyone will thank you for simplifying their holiday gift packaging and for saving them money-and you'll enjoy the extra holiday sales. (Pssst . . . most people are buying holiday packaging anyway; why shouldn't they buy it from you?)

Available November 29-January 2.
Trimmings & Tags Bundle
Item 132769
$13.50 (a $16.85 value)
Includes

• Gusseted Cellophane Bags (25 bags; 5" x 3" x 11-1/2")
• Snow Festival Designer Printed Tags (25 double-sided tags; 4-1/2" x 3-1/8")
• Cherry Cobbler 1/4" Sweater Trim (10 yards)

Petite Treats Bundle
Item 132770
$13.50 (a $16.85 value)
Includes

• Glassine Bags with die-cut edges (10 bags; 3" x 5" x 1-1/2")
• Handmade Holidays Stitched Felt (8 pieces)
• Gumball Green 3/8" Stitched Satin Ribbon (10 yards)

Hostess Special
Promotion Details: Hostesses who hold a minimum $450 party during the promotion period will receive a FREE collection of Classic Stampin Pads--they can choose from Brights, Subtles, or Regals--a $49.95 value! Plus, the free ink is in addition to the regular hostess benefits--INK-redible!

 

Ah ha, I found another brown Christmas Card.  Isn't it beautiful?  And now that it's actually Dec I need to get buy and do my Christmas cards.  I've got lots of samples so it should be an easy job.  I really like this one.  It might be the one. 

Tag Class

Thursday was my Christmas tag class and here's the tags that we did.

 

 

For the reindeer tag I had two different ribbons out and look what Kathy did with hers.  Check the ribbon out on each one.  And she changed the direction of the embossing and rounded the corners.  I love it when people take the initative and change things to suit themselves.

 

The reindeer is from Jolly Bingo Bits.  There are 24 cute stamps in that set so you could make a lot of different tags using that set.