More Swaps!

At my recent downline meeting, we all swapped cards! It was really fun to see the creativity that these wonderful ladies have. I loved all the cards! Everyone did a super job.

Hope you enjoy them... All feature sets from the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Thanks for stopping by today. I hope you have enjoyed these beautiful cards!

Cute little purses all in a row!

I'm all about purses. I love me purses something awful (just ask my husband).

So when I saw that someone had used the new Cupcake punch and made an adorable card with purses, I just about flipped my lid! Off I rushed to my stamp room to make one for a special friend who is having a birthday.

(she loves purses, too!)

So, can you see where the cupcake punch was used?

The purse was made with the bottom of the cupcake, and turned upside down. I then used a 3/4" circle punch, cut it in 1/2 and made the flap on the purse. I added a little rhinestone as the closure on the flap. The handle was made using the large oval punch.

Super cute and so fun to make!

Thanks for stopping by and letting me share this fun little card with you today!

Leadership Swap Cards

Another great thing about Stampin' Up! Events is the SWAPPING! You make as many card fronts as you want to swap - then you come home with tons of other ideas. So fun!

Here are a few that I love!

This is the set Bold Blossom from the Occasions Mini Catalog. I love the cheery bright colors on this card! Who wouldn't love to receive this in the mail? It would totally make my day!

This valentine has lot of fun shapes and element on it. It is the set Be My Valentine from the Mini Catalog, with a little help from the XOXO set. This one is made my my good friend Kimberly VanDiepen. :)

Ok, can I just say that I LOVE how the tulip embossing folder was not only used on the card base but also around the focal point? Very clever! Love the clean lines and simplicity of the White, Black and Real Red heart. This awesome card was made by my pal Tracy Altemose.

Make sure to comeback tomorrow for more samples! And don't forget that with your $50 purchase you will earn FREE SALE-A-BRATION rewards! Click the link in my signature line for details!

IT'S TIME TO SALE-A-BRATE!

Join the Sale-A-Bration!

It's Sale-A-Bration time again at Stampin' Up!, and friends, fresh ideas, and free product is what it's all about!

Every year Stampin' Up! gives customers, hostesses, and new demonstrators the opportunity to earn fantastic, FREE, limited-edition products they'll enjoy for years to come.

Here's how Sale-A-Bration works:

Spend
When you spend $50 on Stampin' Up! merchandise, you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward. There's no limit--for every $50 you spend, you can select another FREE Sale-A-Bration reward! To start earning free, exclusive Sale-A-Bration rewards, contact me or visit my Online Store now.

Host
When you host a workshop of at least $300 (before tax and shipping), you'll receive a free Sale-A-Bration reward in addition to all of the regular hostess benefits! Contact me today to schedule your Sale-A-Bration workshop.

Join
During Sale-A-Bration, anyone who joins as a demonstrator gets 15 percent off the price of the standard or Digital+ Starter Kits--that's over $310 worth of high-quality Stampin' Up! products for just $148.75! In addition, new demonstrators get a FREE Bonus Bundle worth up to $50! To take advantage of this special, contact me today!

The Sale-A-Bration promotion starts on January 25 and runs through March 31, so don't miss your chance to earn free products! Contact me today to learn more! You can also view the Sale-A-Bration brochure online. Don't miss out on this HUGE SALE - it's the best way to build your stamp collection up for FREE...and it only happens once a year!

Sweetheart Valentines Day Class

Here is a close up look of the upcoming Sweetheart Valentines Day Class on Feb 4th.

You will make these 4 adorable cards!

Here are the class details:

Date: February 4th @ 7 PM

Cost: $20

Please bring adhesive and scissors.

Class limited to 6 participants, a few seats remaining!

You will make these 4 cards and a matching box!

Contact me to sign up!

Have a great day everyone!

Pictures from Leadership

I wanted to share a couple pictures of my trip to Tennessee. The best part of any trip is being with these amazing women. I only wish that we could see more of each other.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

One of my favorite people in the world, and Stampin' Up! ROCK STAR, Kimberly VanDiepen. You have to be patient when you are with her....because every 10 feet someone stops her to tell her how much they love her (can't blame them, really). So, it takes forever to reach your destination. LOL. Now we just leave her behind and she eventually catches up (tee-hee).

Love ya, sister.

This is Katherine Allen, my fabu roomie. Even if she does get up at 6 AM to go running, I still adore her. We haven't roomed together in quite awhile, so it was fun to hang with her again. She is my partner in crime when it came to the $72 manicure. ;0) Good times!

These gals just make me happy! Jenny on the left, and Max with her silliness in the middle. I met Jenny through Kimberly, and I am so glad I did. She is a super person and a very talented stamper. Now Max is wild woman (can you tell?). She makes me laugh whenever we are together. Not only is she a Stampin Up! Super-Star, she also works in the Home Office at SU as a Service Account Manager. So glad to have her as a friend!

This is a group of AMAZING LADIES - most of them from Arizona. You may recognize the famous Diana Gibbs next to me on the left. She is an amazing stamper (her watercoloring techniques are phenominal). Starting from the left is Tracy, Marlene, Diana, Me, Rhonda and Katherine. So fun to see these ladies and get lots of hugs! I met Diana years ago when we were both waiting for our passport for the Panama Canal Cruise....we were so stressed out! LOL. They came in the nick of time and we had a great trip!

This gal is like my soul mate. God I LOVE HER. This is Sharon Armstrong. She is one amazing lady who has been through so much in her life. And she keeps fighting and keeps smiling.

We get along like peas and carrots. I light up when I see her. She is just such an inspirational person and this year she is serving on the Stampin' Up! Advisory Board. I think they made a great choice selecting Sharon!

As you can see, it's so much more than rubberstamps and ink.. It's relationships and friendships that have enriched my life more than I could have ever imagined. These ladies are such a blessing to me and I am so thankful for every single one of them!

Thanks for letting me share,

Candy Wrapper Die is AWESOME!

I bought the Stampin' Up! Exclusive Candy Wrapper Die For the Big Shot last October. Well, I haven't used it much in the past. But I have a meeting with my team this weekend, and I wanted to make them each a little treat to show them how much I love them (they are awesome ladies!).

So, I pulled out the die and got started playing with it. It's so cute! I fit some Hershey Kisses inside (cause you gotta have a little chocolate while stampin'!). I cut the die out of Real Red Cardstock and used the new Love Impressions Designer Series Paper in the Occasions Mini catalog.

This die comes together pretty easy since not only does it cut, but it also scores all the lines for you. So all you really have to do is fold and adhere the ends with Sticky Strip and decorate!

I also used the new Red Glimmer Paper on this project for the little heart. You MUST get this paper. It's so AWESOME! Pre-glittered, no mess! I also used the rub on's for the XOXO tag.

I tied up the ends with the White Grosgrain Ribbon.

Here they are in a basket ready to give to my girls tomorrow! I hope like them because I sure had fun making them!

Have a great Sunday!

Letterpress LOVE

This morning I gathered with my downline for a team meeting. What a fun way to start the day! It is so much fun when we all get together! I was happy to have 2 of my newest team members in attendance.

We always stamp something at our meetings - after all, we are all there because we LOVE to stamp. Here are a few pics of the gals having fun stamping...

This is Lori, she joined our group in November. Doesn't she look so happy to be stamping? LOL

She is very creative and a great stamper. It took me a few years to get her to join me..SO glad she finally took the leap! :)

And this is Bonnie - she is a doll and a wonderful stamper. She has been on our team for a few years now. And the bonus is now that she is retired from her day job, she has lots more time to stamp! :)

I wanted to show everyone how to use the new Letterpress Plates for the Big Shot (you can find these in the Mini Catalog).

It's similar to the other embossing plates, but we put CRAFT ink on the plate , lay the paper on top of the plate, then run it through the Big Shot.

Here is a video that Stampin' Up! made to show step by step how to use the letterpress plates. Its awesome!

Everyone did a great job with their project! Here is the completed card:

We used a brayer to apply the red craft ink to the plate - it worked great. The letterpress debosses the image, and the craft ink gives great coverage. Love it!

The ribbon is the 1-1/4" stripped grosgrain ribbon that I cut in 1/2 - so very cool as then I frayed the edges. We added a little love tag with some linen thread, and punched a heard from the new Red Glimmer paper.

Thanks so much for stopping by today! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Clearly For You

Another one of the perks we get as demonstrators is lots of free merchandise! And this Leadership in Nashville was over the top! Stampin' Up! spoiled us with tons of free stamps, paper and accessories - and it was heaven!

The free set we got for our Make and Takes is called Clearly For You, in the new Occasions Mini Catalong. Aside from being the perfect size for the Simply Adorned Charms, it also makes beautiful cards! On this one I paired it with the new Vintage Blossoms Designer Series Paper.

The card base is Very Vanilla, sponged with Early Espresso. I ran a piece of Cherry Cobbler through the Big Shot using the Top Note Die (love that die...I use it A LOT!). I stamped the flowers on the Cherry Cobbler in Versamark ink. Then cut another Top Note from the Designer Paper - and cut it in 1/2 and adhered to the Cherry Cobbler.

The ribbon is Pear Pizzazz and I frayed the ends a little to give it some dimension. I threaded the button with our Linen thread, and tied a bow. The button has several glue dots behind it to keep it in place. The main image is the birds, simply stamped in Early Espresso ink and punched out with the Decorative Label Punch.

This was a pretty easy card to make - it came together pretty quickly.

I am sure enjoying the little buds and blossoms on this paper. I've had enough of this snow and I am so ready for Spring. I hope we don't have any more snow days, or the kids will be in school until July! LOL

Thanks for stopping by! Bundle up and keep warm!

My Digital Studio ROCKS!

While at Leadership we had a great class on My Digital Studio, Stampin' Up!'s complete digital papercrafting software.

To call it digital scrapbooking would be such an injustice - - - as it does SO much more. Scrapbooks, Cards, Calendars, Journals, Movies, DVD's...it truly is a complete digital program.

So, while we had yet ANOTHER snow day yesterday (insert screaming here) I decided to work on my 2011 Calendar (before it's 2012). LOL.

I sent it off to be printed (there is a print option for home, or you can use SU's Professional Print Service) and I should have it in a few days. In the mean time, I made it into a movie and added a little music. It's awesome and I would love to share it with you!

Turn up the volume...because My Life Would Suck Without You!

Simply Adorned is Simply Gorgeous!

One of the (many) great thing about Stampin' Up! Events is the Make and Takes.

At every event, Demonstrators get Free Stamps and material to make projects. Typically, the make and takes are to give us ideas for classes and workshops. And certainly any project could be adaptable to a class or workshop...

But I have to say, that Stampin' Up! spoiled us ROTTEN on the Make and Takes this year...

as they were designed for us personally to just sit back, stamp with friends, eat some OVER THE TOP chocolate (trying to track down where they got it from) and create for ourselves. It was BLISS.

One of the Make and Takes was the Simply Adorned Charm necklaces. We got the largest one (which I was delighted at...we called it the "Mr. T" Charm) and we made 3 beautiful inserts. We received the Clearly For You Stamp Set in the new Occasions Mini Catalog which is perfect for this project.

The first insert we made was the AMORE insert. I love it! We took the chain off and replaced it with Black Satin Ribbon. The new glitter red paper in the mini is perfect for the heart on this, and added just the right amount of bling. I love the key trinket on here...such a subtle little detail...but just beautiful. The designer paper is the First Edition paper from the Occasions Mini. No more ripping pages from old books for your projects.

The beveled window pops open on the charm, and you can swap out the insert. The next one we made is the Monogram insert. I love everything about this one! I love the different textures, the fabric, the ribbon, the pearl bauble, and the crown charm. The colors are so soft and pretty...rose red and baja breeze. I love the look of the Baja Breeze ribbon threaded through the chain. Lots of fun elements on this one.

The final insert we made is the birds/friends insert. Such pretty colors and the lace ribbon in place of the chain is beautiful. I don't know if you can see it, but we painted some shimmer paint over the birds. It gives it such a pretty sparkle.

So I really loved making these and I will definitely wear them, as charms are so popular now. You see them everywhere you go. And I love that you can just POP the charm open and swap out the insert. You can create a gazillion inserts to match any outfit And let me tell you, the quality is super...no cheap chains or flimsy beveled glass. GOOD STUFF!

I will be back tomorrow with more to share from Leadership. It was truly AWESOME. Stampin' Up! really takes care of us and shows us the love. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Terri's January and February Classes

Hello Stampers -

Thanks for your patience while I get my Winter Class Schedule together. Listed below are the classes for Jan and Feb. First come first serve.

Please contact me to register for any of the below classes.

January 30th - 2 PM

Occasions Stamp Camp - Make 4 projects featuring new stamps and accessories from the Occasions Mini Catalog.

Please bring adhesive and scissors.

Material fee is $10.

Earn Sale-A-Bration FREE STAMPS and ACCESSORIES with your $50 purchase.

Space limited to 10 participants.

Feb. 4th - 7 PM

Sweetheart Card and Box Class - perfect for Valentines Day! Make 4 cards and matching box - includes envelopes. Bring adhesive and scissors.

Class Fee is $20. Class limited to 6 participants.

February 13th - 2 PM

Scrapbook Class.

Make two 12x12 Double Page Layouts. Birthday and General theme.

Lots of Designer Paper, Embellishments and accessories on these great pages!

Please bring adhesive, scissors and 12x12 Page Protectors.

Class Fee - $25.00 Class limited to 6 participants.

Tuesday, February 22nd (Feb Vacation Week) - 11 AM.

Birthday Card Class

It's a new year and we all need birthday cards! Come make 10 birthday cards (5 designs, 2 of each).

Please bring adhesive and scissors. Envelopes included. Class limited to 10 participants.

Class fee $25.00

Friday, February 25th - 7 PM

Birthday Card Class.

Same class as above.

Please remember that beginning January 25th is Stampin' Up!'s BIGGEST Sale of the Year...SALE-A-BRATION!

Earn FREE STAMPS, PAPER, ACCESSORIES with a $50 PURCHASE!

This year you have even MORE choices...even digital images!

Thanks for stopping by!

Have you ever thought of owning your own business?

I have a once in a lifetime offer for ONE PERSON who is interested in building a Stampin' Up! business. If you are interested, please send me an email IMMEDIATELY! This is a very time sensitive offer that expires on FRIDAY.

This is THE BEST SIGN UP PROMOTION EVER, and only offered to those that attended Leadership Conference. I can offer this to only ONE PERSON.

Contact me to learn more!

Home Again, Home Again...

Hello Stampers -

I have just returned from a GREAT few days in Nashville for Stampin' Up!'s Leadership Conference. I ended up going a day early (Tuesday) to avoid the snow storm. Am I ever glad I did! Many of my SU friends from the area had cancelled flights and didn't make it at all. :0(

The first day we were there my friend Katherine and I went to the Relache Day Spa at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel (this is where the convention center is). We wanted to get a manicure.

Well, let's just say that this is a top notch, upscale spa. We looked at the "menu" - we both wanted the shellac manicure - at home it's about $30. At this spa it was $60. We were a little surprised but we ended up deciding to splurge.

Next this nice gentlemen comes up and asks us if we would like to visit the Relaxation Room while we were waiting..to which we replied "Of course!".

Let me just say that the R.R. (relaxation room) was one of the highlights of the trip. :0)

Comfy chairs, subtle lighting, relaxing music, complimentary herbal tea, coffee, fruit, trailmix...you get the idea.

I don't think I have never seen strawberries this HUGE.

So, I am not proud, but I will admit, we really pigged out. It's wasn't just a snack, we made it into LUNCH. We ate enough trail mix to sink a ship, and they had to replenish the strawberries because we ate so many!

This trail mix has chocolate, marshmellows, cranberries, banana chips, lots of nuts....actually, not a very healthy selection of things when you think about it...but it was damn good!

So, then they called us for our manicures, and they did a great job. This girl I had was AWESOME. And our nails look GREAT. The warm neck wrap and arm exfoliation and massage was part of the deal.... pure bliss.

When we checked out, we discovered that they automatically added 20% to the bill....so the manicure ended up being $72.00. Isn't that unbelievable? That is the MOST I have ever paid (and will ever pay again) for manicure. The facials and massages stared around $140...

I really wanted a massage but decided not to push my luck. I figured the $72 was going to be enough for Ed to stomach. ;0)

The Opryland Hotel is simply stunning and amazing. It is a city unto itself. We were lost a lot of the time. It's just AMAZING what is in this hotel. Restaurants, shopping, convention center, spa...even boats, waterfalls and palm trees. The decor was just gorgeous. Here are a few pictures to give you an idea.

Yes, those are hot air balloons that move across the roof. If you've been here, you know what I mean. If you haven't, I am not sure I could ever really describe it.

I had a great week with great people and a great company - but there truly is no place like home. It was great to get off the plane and have my kids and hubby waiting with hugs and kisses. And Bella, well she was so excited that I was home she kinda flipped out and jumped on me a bazillion times. It was wonderful!

Well, I will share more tomorrow. It's been a long day and we didn't get in until very late last night (no we were not partying...we were waiting for a cab for almost 2 hours...that is another story for another day....LOL). So, I am dragging my tired self to my own warm bed. :)

Thanks for stopping by and have a great Sunday -

Happy New Year!

Hello Stampers -

I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful holiday with your friends and family. I did a lot of relaxing over the past week. Truth be told, I kinda slipped into a post-Christmas coma. Staying in my pajamas all day, snuggling with the kids and the dog, watching movies, taking naps, reading on my kindle...it was pure BLISS. In fact, I haven't stamped anything in over a week!

Today I decided to pack up allthe Christmas stamps that were still laying on the tables in my stamp room. Time to move on to some new things! Have you gotten your copy of the Occassions Mini Catalog in the mail yet? You should have gotten in a few weeks ago. If you didn't receive it, make sure to give me a shout and I will get one in the mail to you.

So, I pre-ordered many of the new things in the mini (a demonstrator perk) but they aren't arriving until Monday. I was a little slow on the draw. December wasn't my most organized month. LOL. So, until my new things arrive, I will catch you up on life in the Mongeon house.

First of all, beginning on Monday Jan 3rd I am starting a new job! I am really excited! I will be working for the Simsbury Public School System - primarily on Elementary Science Curriculum. It's a part time position, with summers and school vacations OFF. I am really happy to have been selected for this job, as it really fits with my life and our schedule as a family. I do have a bit of anxiety over leaving Bella though. I hope she will be ok. Ed tells me she will be fine and I am being a worry wart.

But oh how I love my Bella, and she has been home with me every day since we got her. Now she will be alone 5 hours a day. I only work 4 days a week though, so I guess she will get used to it. I will have to let you know how she does. I was thinking of sending her to doggie day care, but again, my family thinks I am being ridiculous.

I am also gearing up for my trip to Nashville for Stampin' Up! Leadership Conference. I am so excited! I missed Convention last summer, so I am really looking forward to seeing all my SU peeps! We have the BEST time at these events and laugh until our sides ache. Good times indeed! So, I needed to get in the stamp room and make some swap cards. Although I don't have my new stamps yet, there are some stamps I do have that haven't seen much ink yet...so today I played with Aviary. I just love those little birds!

I have also been feeling sort of vintage lately (not me personally but my stamping style...LOL).

I pulled out the Love Letters Designer Paper and some Vintage brads and the Vintage Wallpaper embossing folder. Here is what I came up with:

The card base is Basic Black, and it was embossed with the Vintage Wallpaper folder.

The colors in the paper are Very Vanilla and Riding Hood Red. A touch of Vanilla Satin Ribbon is tied across the center.

Here is a closer look at the details:

So it's a start at getting my stamping mojo going again. More to follow. I plan on spending most of my Sunday out in the stamp room too. So who knows what I will come up with.

Thanks for stopping by! I wish you all a safe, happy and prosperous 2011!