Learn to Stamp and Scrap with Lynn Larson

Picking up my camera today!

As some of you know from a previous post, my camera decided to die while I was at Convention in Colorado the beginning of this month.  I have not been able to take my own pictures to post on my blog.  I have been posting a few photos that I had saved and hadn't posted yet and also some photos that members of my group shared with me on a CD that they burned. 

My camera was sent out for repair right when I got home from Colorado and last night I came home to a message on my machine saying that my camera is in and ready to be picked up - woo hoo!  So I guess you can figure out what I am doing tonight after work!  I am running over to pick up my camera and then I will be off to take some photos so I can post some new things to my blog!  You guys MAY just get more than one post a day if I get too crazy:))

There will definitely be a new post for tomorrow, so stay tuned....

Cute Gift Idea!

Here is adorable little gift jar idea that one of my downline, Carol, brought to our Stamped Art from the Heart group picnic last weekend. 

This little jar is a great idea for putting in hot chocolate mix, homemade jellies or jams, etc. and to give as gifts to your friends and family as thank you's or for a special event in their lives.  You could take this idea and apply it to many other types of jars to fit your needs.  It just makes your gift even more special when it is nicely presented in a cute little gift jar like this!

If you would like to find out more about making these little gift jars, please contact me directly at happy.stamper@yahoo.com.  I will be doing projects like this one at my Gift and Giving workshops starting in October.  Space is limited, so contact me now to reserve your spot at one of these popular events!

Framed Photo Calendar

At our Stamped Art from the Heart picnic, members of our group brought some items to that they have been working on to share with everyone.  Jacquie made this Framed Photo Calendar sample using a photo of the Red Rocks in Denver, Colorado. 

A group of us, that went to second session of the Stampin' Up! Convention, took a bus tour of the mountain parks while we were in Denver.  How could we go to Colorado without going to see the mountains?!  Unfortunately, my camera decided to die while at this park (after I took a bunch of photos though) and I haven't gotten it back from being repaired yet.  Hopefully my camera will be fixed and returned this week so I can post many new pictures on my blog soon!

Anyway, back to the Framed Photo Calendar...  Jacquie used the new calendar background stamp to create this page and popped it into a frame.  She will be making a new "page" for each month of the year and changing to a new photo and calendar each month. 

This is such a beautiful layout and a very easy project to make on your own.  The new "Calendar" background stamp makes this process so-o-o easy!  I can't wait to start playing around with mine. I will post some pictures of my samples using this stamp when I get my camera back!!

Stamped Art from the Heart Annual Awards and BBQ

Yesterday was our Stamped Art from the Heart's Annual Awards Ceremony and BBQ held at my house in West Wardsboro, Vermont (Southern Vermont - near Mount Snow and Stratton Mountain).

At this event, I present different awards for outstanding accomplishments throughout the year.  This year's "Demonstrator of the Year" went to Jacquie Goodell from Bennington, Vermont.  Not only was Jacquie number one in sales this year for our group, but she also was number one in recruiting.  Jacquie is a great upline to her group and has done a lot with her business over the last year.  I am very proud of her!

Jacquie also received the "Heart of the Team" award.  This award is new this year and goes to a person in the group who exemplifies Stampin' Up!'s Statement of the Heart.  Jacquie shares what she loves with us at almost every meeting.  She has demonstrated techniques at more than one event and is always willing to share the new things that she has learned.  Congratulations to Jacquie on winning this award!

Another winner at this year's event was Carol Millay from Springfield, Vermont.  (Yes, I said Springfield - home of the "Simpsons".  Springfield won this honor a few weeks ago).  Carol was #2 in Sales for the year which was another outstanding accomplishment.  Carol is also a big part of our meetings by bringing in projects that she has made to share with the group.  Carol is a very talented stamper and we always get excited when she brings something in to share.  Congratulations Carol!

Our #3 in sales recipient was unable to make the event this year.  Gail Smith, who is part of our group from Connecticut accomplished this goal this year.  Gail also had a great year and ranked third in sales in our group for the year.  Congratulations to Gail!

At our BBQ, we also have demonstrations done with new products and things that we learned new from Convention.  Jacquie and Carol were our two demonstrators at our event this year.  Jacquie did a home decor item and Carol did a cute little box with handle. 

This photo is of a sample that Jacquie had made ahead of time and brought in to show us.  It is made using the new "Wanted" Stamp Set that we received for FREE at Convention, the scallop circle punch to decorate the top of the can and some Twill Tape.  The sample that Jacquie demonstrated was a Halloween themed item.  I totally missed taking a picture of her finished product...oops!

Carol also demonstrated a cute little box with handle for us.  This little box was made using card stock and scoring it.  She decorated the front of the box with strips that she stamped using the new "Happiness" background stamp that we also received for FREE at Convention.  This little box would make great gift packaging for a homemade jar of jam, candles, candy, etc.  This is an adorable little box that I think many of us will be making in the very near future.

BOO to you!

Here is a photo of one of the sample boards at our Stampin' Up! Convention held in Denver, Colorado two weeks ago.  This one is showing a variety of Halloween items.  I just love the fall and Halloween.  There is just something about pumpkins, the colors, the weather, the smell outdoors and of the baking indoors.  It is a time of year to celebrate and to give thanks.  This is the time of year that I especially like creating stamped projects from the heart and giving them to friends and family.

There are many incredible stamp sets and accessories in the Fall/Winter Collection catalog that you can use to create samples just like these.  I am currently booking workshops in September and will be showcasing some fall and Halloween projects.  If you have a special request for a project, just contact me at happy.stamper@yahoo.com and I can customize a workshop or a class for you and a group of your friends, on a date that you select, in the comfort of your own home. 

Stay tuned for my Fall and Holiday class schedule to be posted over the next few days!

HELP WANTED - Full-time or Part-time

 

Have you ever thought about starting your own rubber stamping and scrapbooking business?  You can be your own boss while working flexible hours that fit into your family's schedule.  At Stampin' Up!, there is a place for everyone, whether you want to simply build your own stamp collection, supplement your family income, or make this your full-time career.

With the great products, accessories, and training tools from Stampin' Up!, I've learned how to conduct successful workshops—the core of my Stampin' Up! business. The stamps and accessories practically sell themselves when people learn how easy it is to create cards, scrapbook pages, and other artwork with rubber stamps, and everyone has fun in the process!

When you begin your Stampin' Up! business, you'll have a wonderful assortment of products to help you begin your Stampin' Up! business that are included in your Starter Kit.  I will also always be available to help you with forms, creative ideas, and anything else you need.

Right now is an even better time than ever to join our growing family during the "Choose Your Family" promotion that runs from August 10 - September 30, 2007.  During this promotion, you will receive a complete assortment of ink pads FREE in your choice of color families.  You will receive a 12 ink pad assortment when you choose either the Bold Brights, Earth Elements, Rich Regals or Soft Subtles color family or a 6 ink pad assortment if you choose the In Color series of ink pads!  That is up to a $57.95 value in addition to the excellent value of the Starter Kit! 

At Stampin' Up!, it really is all about sharing, family and friends, flexibility, and you. I'm looking forward to your joining the rapidly growing family of Stampin' Up! demonstrators across the country. 

If you have any questions or are interested in receiving more information about this incredible opportunity, please contact me at happy.stamper@yahoo.com.  I would be happy to help you get started!

Thinking Outside of the Scrapbook - Registration Deadline Approaching

The early registration deadline for my "Thinking Outisde of the Scrapbook Event" is coming up.  Friday, August 10th is the early registration deadline to sign up for the $49 price and to reserve your spot.  This class will be a lot of fun and we will be making projects using the hottest trends in scrapbooking.  These projects will make beautiful gifts for someone you love - IF you can bear to give them away!

I am also offering this event in a "Class to Go" kit.  So, if you are not able to make the actual event, you can still sign up to receive all the supplies necessary, with complete instructions that include color photos of the projects.

For more details, please click on the "Thinking Outside of the Scrapbook Event" link in the "Pages" section of my blog located in the upper right hand corner.  This is definitely an event that you won't want to miss!

Cameo Pretties Flower Card

A hostess of mine requested that I demonstrate the new Pretties Kit from the Stampin' Up! Fall/Winter Collection catalog at her July workshop.  At the time, neither she (nor I) knew what kind of a monster she was creating.  I have absolutely fallen in love with this kit and almost can't put it down.  The possibilities are just endless.  I have been demonstrating projects using this kit at all my July workshops and demonstrations and it has been a really big hit. 

I started off setting aside one night to play around with my Pretties Kit.  I had so much fun making all different kinds of flowers.  This happens to be the third or fourth version using the flowers from the kit that I tried.  Once I got started, I couldn't stop playing around with them.  I wanted to see what different techniques I could use on them to add interest to my projects.  

For this particular technique, I did emboss resist on the flower.  I stamped up a polka dot image in VersaMark ink and embossed it with Clear Embossing Powder before watercoloring the flower with Cameo Coral Ink.  I wanted to keep this card simple and to showcase the flower on the card.  The flower is nice and large so I decided to use my Coluzzle to make a round background in Ruby Red card stock to highlight the flower.  I accented it even more by adding a slightly larger circle of Cameo Coral card stock as my second layer. 

Next I stamped my words and embossed them using white embossing powder BEFORE also wheeling my background in Versamark.  That way, the embossing powder only stuck to the "Congratulations" and not to my background design.  Note:  I learned that trick after doing it wrong the first time:))

I added a strip of white behind my flower layers to tie in the white from the words and the polka dots in the flower.  I punched a circle of card stock in Cameo Coral and Ruby Red then attached it to the flower using one of our incredible Fire Circle Rhinestone brads.   I just LOVE those new brads, they add so much flare and sparkle to what could be an otherwise ordinary card.  So there you have it ~ a Cameo Pretties Card. 

Pick a Petal "Crows"

Here is a  cute card that Maureen Henry shared at our Summer Bash.  I thought it was just too adorable not to share here.  It is made using our new Pick A Petal Stamp set. You almost want to pull up a chair and have a conversation with these little guys, don't you?  Thanks so much Maureen for sharing all of your wonderful samples using the Pick A Petal stamp set at our Summer Bash!

Soft Sky Pretties Card

I really love the way this card turned out.  I used Whisper White card stock for my backing to create a 4 1/4" square card.  I then used the Soft Sky Designer Series Paper assortment and picked two coordinating patterns to create my card front.  I chose a nice swirl and a polka dot pattern to go together.  I cut one a little larger than the other so the card was about 2/3 swirled paper and 1/3 polka dots and adhered them to the front of my card.  To cover the seam between the two patterns of paper, I added a piece of Double Stitched Ribbon in Blue Bayou.  I just love Soft Sky and Blue Bayou together! 

For my flower, I decided to use the large four petal flower and reinkers.  I first inked the flower in Soft Sky with a fairly wet Aqua Painter so that the ink would spread nicely across my flower.  I used the tweezers from the Crafter's Tool Kit to hold the flower while I dried it with the heat tool.  Once dry, I used the Aqua Painter again (less wet than the first time - I don't want the ink to spread across the whole flower this time) and applied Blue Bayou ink to the center of the flower and heat set that again.  I applied a half-back pearl from the Pretties kit using a mini glue dot over the hole in the center of the flower and attached it to another mini glue dot to the back of the flower so I could attached the flower to the card.  Doing it this way helps the glue dots to touch in through the center of the flower and it helps them stick the flower on a little better.

I then used the Five Petal Flower Punch to punch out a flower in River Rock card stock.  I cut off three of the petals, leaving two petals to use for the leaves of my flower.  For the final touch, I stamped "Warm Wishes" from the Hugs & Wishes stamp set in Blue Bayou ink on the bottom right corner of my card.  I just think this card is "too stinkin' cute"!