More is More

I sure hope you all have a new Stampin’ Up! Catty in hand by now and have had plenty of chance to drool all over it!  My boxes arrived yesterday and several customers have already been here to pick them up.  *grin*  Today I got my copy spiral bound. I have been waiting all week to do this and now I am soooo happy!  It feels so official now.

I went to Office Max and said I needed it ASAP – I DO NOT like to leave my catty unless it’s absolutley necessary.  At first the guy wanted me to come back in 4 hours and I must have made a really sad face because he went and asked someone and came back and said half an hour.  Then while I was deciding on coil color the guy who was going to do it walked up and said he could do it while I waited.  I was on pins and needles the whole time (yes I know that’s silly – what can I say?)  He did a really good job!  Some people like to have their covers laminated, but I prefer to have clear plastic covers front and back (just a matter of personal preference either way).  I had clear binder pockets (by Avery) inserted just inside the front and back (I trimmed them down at home first – some places charge per cut).  Cost of having this done varies widely across the country.  Today I paid $5.48.  Even when I paid almost $8.oo one year (Kinko’s) it was still worth every penny!

Now that I have the new catalog I’m finding it a little hard to stamp – all the excitement I guess.  But I realized today that it will be 2 weeks or more before I have new rubber so I decided to just go to my stamp room and find something to play with (not like I don’t have plenty of choices!).  Looking around I decided to check out my contraband (non-SU) drawer.  I pulled out several things and ended up working with this darling cupcake girl from American Art Stamp.

I started out trying to make her into an ATC, but as you can see the ATC got mounted onto a 4.25″ sqaure card.  The image was stamped onto Shimmer White cardstock with Noir Palette Hybrid ink and watercolored with SU markers and aquapainter.  The background is a Judikins stamp called Bead Curtain.  It is very similar to a new SU jumbo wheel called Spotted.  Colors for this card are Barely  Banana, Black, Gable Green and Tempting Turqoise.  Plaid ribbon is from the big Costco pack and polka dot grosgrain from my stash.  Liquid Applique was applied, heated and brushed with pastels for the cupcake frosting.  I just love the puffy look of LA!  Crystal Effects was used on the chocolates and some Stickles were applied for accents.  SU brads (lined up using the mat pack) are the final touch.  I’m glad I “made myself” do a little stamping tonight.  The mojo was a bit elusive, but it felt really good in the end to create something after a busy day.

Enabler Alert!  Have you  heard about the .99 business cards at Office Depot?  Click here to order 250 plain white business cards for .99 with free shipping.  I learned about this on SCS and ordered last week.  The estimated arrival was July 10th, but the arrived today!!!  Very cool. I plan to stamp on them too.  At that price think of all the possibilties!  Have some printed just to make it easy to give out your e-mail address when needed, use them for coupons or gift certificates, staple them to little bags of candy to give out to promote your business, and on and on!  Shoot – maybe I should order more!

Hope you have a fantastic weekend.  I’m getting together with some of my best stampin’ buds tomorrow afternoon – it will be so FUN to discuss the new catty, eat and oh yeah…maybe stamp a bit!  Thanks for stopping by.

Diane McVey!! 

Diane said:

Awesome offerings!!!  I REALLY can’t wait to see the cowboy/horse themed things…I guess I should say “Western”…anyway, I think it’s just going to be so fun with the stamps and paper and…whatever else there is!!!!

I’ve e-mailed you Diane – so please respond and I’ll get your package out to you. 

Thanks everyone for playing.  It was fun reading what everyone is looking forward to.  I didn’t count, but punches and ribbon seem to be in the lead.  I hope a lot of you have gotten a catty by now!

Blog candy winner wil be posted later tonight.  You have until 8:00PST to enter in the post below this one!

I needed another baby card (not my forte), but this one was actually a congrats for getting word on a long awaited adoption.  In talking to my friend I mentioned that the wait was a little like pregnancy and she said “like an elephant pregnancy – we’ve been waiting over a year!”  Well that just cracked me up and I had to make her an “Elephant Congrats”

Card is based onthe SCS Sketch Challenge from last week.  I started it then with just cutting some of the pieces and just got back to it this morning.  Not sure if you can see the different background stamping I did – the Rose Red card base is stamped with Dotted in Rose Red ink, the Regal Rose panel is stamped with Paisley in Regal Rose ink, the Amethyst circle (cut with the coluzzle) is stamped repeatedly with Congrats from Hugs & Wishes in Amethyst ink and the Banana Scallop Circle (Marvy Mega) is stamped with Linen in So Saffron ink.  The Banana edging was punched with my Martha Stewart edge punch.  The tiny little flowers are made with a punch just like the one in my blog candy offering and finished with Frosted Lace Stickles in the middle of each one. 

In going through my stamp sets Monday to decide what to keep and what needs to go I looked long and hard at my three different Little Layers sets.  I almost put them in the to-go pile, but I kept thinking that they had individual images I could use for lots of thing and I put them all back.  Well here’s a case in point.  I don’t have a lot of baby images so this pacifier was perfect to turn an all occassion card into a baby card!  And I’m thinking some of them will be cute in the Boatloads of Love set.

 I hope lots of you have gotten your catalogs by now.  Although I have my comp copy, the boxes for my customers still just say “Billing Info Recd” when I check UPS tracking.  They are in LA. – so close I would be happy to just go get them if they would let me!  Thanks for stopping by.  I’ll be back later with the Candy Winner.

To help ease the tension of what seems like an endless wait for some for the new SU catty I have a little Blog Candy to offer.

This fun little package includes:  2 studio g clear stamp sets from Michael’s plus one acrylic block, a set of 26 fun floral epoxy stickers, a roll of pink patterned Sweet & Sassy ribbon, my very favorite tiny flower punch, and assortment of white chipboard flowers and a super fun assortment of all sorts of primas.

To enter to win this package please leave a comment with your name on this post telling me the one thing you most hope to see or look forward to seeing in the new SU catty – you’re *ONE-absolute-TOP-can’t-wait-to-see* thing!  One entry per person please. This post will be open for comments until Wednesday 6/27 at 8:00pm PST.  The winner will be posted Wednesday night or Thursday morning – so be sure to check back.

  I have been asked by several people to explain more about the Build a Brad set in the new catty.  I have to say that sometimes our catalog is just a little short in the explanation/description department, but I’ll tell you what I can.  For 9.95 you get a set of either Antique Brass or Pewter brad bases and acrylic bubbles (24 each) packaged in a nice little tin.  Using Designer Paper or a stamped image, punch out a 1/2″ circle to build your own brad.  The picture of the set is quite small.  I am guessing that it is something like those 7Gypsies bracelets so many of us have made, but I’m not certain.  I am a brad-aholic though – so whatever it is I know I need it!

I had hoped to stamp today, but it just didn’t happen.  I did however sort some more of my retired stuff deciding what to keep and what to sell.  Oh and I thought about stamping – does that count?  Hopefully I’ll have a creation to share in the next day or so.

Thanks for stopping by and good luck in the drawing.  🙂

***Please do not read this post if you do not want to know anything about the new catty and do not yet have it in hand.***

I want to share a few observations about the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog as well as answer some questions I have received.  First let me say that the catalog is really beautiful.  Something about the layout just feels clean and fresh.  I love the look of the Accessories section especially where the item description is right next to the picture. 

I noticed quite a number of sets drawn in the double line style – some like Double Line Doodles and some like Bundle of Joy.  If you like that style you will be thrilled.  There is no Vintage section this year and yet there are more of what I would consider vintage style than we have had this past year.  In the Elements section there are several things that go along with Baroque Motifs – an updated version of vintage in my opinion.

There’s so much to see – no way I can touch on all of it.  So I thought I’d share some of the sets that grabbed me on first impression.  I don’t always trust first impressions, because I am more the type of person to have things grow on me. Therefore I’m still not certain which things will actually go on my first order, but here’s a partial list of things I’m considering:

Heartspeak – very much my style – outline set to be watercolored – basket of flowers, basket with 2 little birds, heart wreath

Refuge and Strength – finally a nice set with a cross as well as beautiful sentiments to go with it! LOVE this one! Will go nicely with floral sets as well I think.

Boatloads of Love – in the same style as Loads of Love – a tugboat with sentiments “friend-ship”, “I’m pulling for you” and “you float my boat”.  Oh so cute!

Big Flowers -and-
Little Flowers – 2 sets – very much like Big Pieces and Little Pieces (slightly smaller) with a flower motif

Jumbo wheel – Doodle – to go with Doodle This

Garden Whimsy – Very different from my typical stuff – solid whimsical polka dotted images butterfly, snail, ladybug, flower – really liking this one!

Abundant Joy – flowers – kind of a mini version of the old Stipple Hydrangea – 5 flower/leaf images plus 2 sentiments – very “me”

Priceless – hard to describe – 11 images – 2 are small swirls, solid heart and butterfly and flower etc – kind of funky style

Loving all the stuff in the same vein as Baroque Motifs.
The above list doesn’t include holiday stuff, Backgrounds or sentiment sets and there’s a ton more, but those are my initial first impression picks.

Accessories –
Scallop circle punch
Build a Brad kit
Stitched ribbon in all the new In-Colors
On Board Lots of Letters (chipboard)

and so much more!

I was asked about the Christmas selection.  There are approximately 25 Christmas sets (new and old combined) and I really like several of the new ones.  Some really cute snowmen!  Plus I’m sure there will be more in the “mini” that will be out in September.  I was also asked about polka dot ribbon.  This is one of my few disappointments – the only polka dot ribbon is on the Ribbon Originals cards – no rolls – and even there I see only 2 with polka dots.  We do have new rolls of Taffeta ribbon in 8 colors though and I’m very anxious to see/feel that!  There are also some really fun new Designer Papers.

This might sound crazy, but one of the things I am really excited about is that Bud Basics made it to this catty.  I just love using that set and will be so happy to pull it out of limbo and get to use it for at least 6 more months!

I had to laugh when a reader asked if I sent Curt out to Carl’s Jr. for a Diet Coke because it tastes better from there or because I wanted him out of the house!  Seriously fountain soda does taste different from canned soda – way better.  And that was about the best soda I ever had!! LOL!

I sure better get my messy stamp table cleaned off  and ready for all the new rubber! *wink*

Note to customers:  Again I promise to send out an e-mail as soon as UPS delivers the boxes of catties for you!

My New Catty Party is scheduled for Friday July 6th at 7:00.  If you are in SoCal and would like the info just give me your e-mail.  I do require RSVPs for my events.

BLOG CANDY VERY SOON I PROMISE!!!

Can you believe it??  We were out all day until about 4:00 and when we got home there it was in the mailbox…my Demo’s Comp copy of the new Stampin’ Up! Catalog.  *shock*  *giddy*  I was beside myself!  I put on super comfy lounging clothes, told Curt I would need the couch and asked him to go to Carl’s Jr. to get me a huge Diet Coke.  Then I snuggled up with my catty and caressed each page being careful not to drool on it.

I started at the beginning, but once I hit the Holiday section I flipped to the back to study the Accessory section first.  Then back to the stamps page by page.  I think this is one of the most exciting catties ever! Perhaps that’s because so much retired, so there’s such a large percentage of new stuff.  But also because so much of it feels like “my style”.  I could hardly breathe!

Then some time on SCS chatting and answering some questions, followed by a second go through with post-it notes and pen and paper.  *deep sigh*

It seems like very few Demos have their copies yet, so I am considering myself especially fortunate.  A note to my customers:  I expect to get my boxes of catalogs for you sometime this coming week and will e-mail you as soon as they arrive.  If you feel you can’t wait (and I understand that) we might be able to work out a time for you to come by and look at mine…as long as it doesn’t leave my sight.  LOL!

Being someone who hates spoilers I am torn about posting any specific info, but perhaps tomorrow I will describe a few of my first impression favorites.  If so, I will definitely post a *spoiler alert* before I do.  If you have any specific questions you’d like me to answer feel free to post them in the comments section.  Hoping you all get your copies on Monday!  Make sure you have at least a couple of hours set aside.  You might want to take Sunday to get some meals prepped in the freezer or something so you families can fend for themselves when it arrives!

Boy – I hope I can sleep tonight!  Between that Diet Coke and all the excitement I am WIRED!

As New Catty Frenzy reaches fever pitch with one lone SU Demo in La Mirada CA having received her comp copy yesterday I was in need of a distraction.  You see I am one of those people who does not like to have surprises ruined, so I have been trying to stay away from the *spoilers* in hopes that my catty will come before my resolve breaks down.  So last night Curt and I went to see the newly released Evan Almighty.  I thought I’d give you my little movie review.  You can count on me not to ruin it for you though – like I said I hate having surprises (or movies) ruined for me.

Did you see Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey?  This movie is a continuation on that theme, however to enjoy Bruce Almighty you almost have to be a Jim Carrey fan – which I am.  That being said I really think Evan Almighty has a more wide appeal, so even if you weren’t thrilled with Bruce you will probabaly enjoy Evan.  Curt and I agreed that we liked Evan best of the two.  And it’s kind of funny because I wasn’t sure going in how I would feel about Steve Carrell – he was GREAT!  It is so nice to see a comedy without any bad language and that actually produces some belly laughs!  The story is also nicely balanced between the comedy and a few truly touching moments.  I’m not generally one for slapstick physical comedy, but there is one scene where I (and the entire audience) just laughed and laughed!  And at the end of the movie the audience actually burst into applause!  When is the last time you applauded in a movie theater?

I know there are Christians who will be hesitant thinking it may in some way be offensive or sacriligious.  Certainly we all have different sensitivities in these areas, but I honestly saw nothing objectionable  (and I consider myslef pretty conservative in these matters.)  To the contrary I believe those of us with such sensibilties should be supporting the making of good clean movies like this one.  This movie is rated PG.  The only thing I can think of to warn you about is bird poop – there are a couple of scenes with lots of that.

Bottom line – I loved it!  I’m not one to watch movies multiple times, but I’m sure I’ll be renting this one later to watch again.

Remember – BLOG CANDY is coming soon!  Stay tuned!